generously made available by the internet archive/canadian libraries) * * * * * +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | transcriber's note: | | | | inconsistent hyphenation in the original document has been | | preserved. | | | | obvious typographical errors have been corrected in this | | text. for a complete list, please see the end of this | | document. | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ * * * * * general instructions for the guidance of post office inspectors in the dominion of canada. contents. page. . general instructions, . arrangement of papers, . books and records, . returns to the department at ottawa, . salaries and allowances, . new post offices, . mail arrangements, . mail service, . establishment of new routes or alteration in routes already in operation, . contracts for mail service, . bonds, . railway mail service, . circulation or distribution, . travelling, . cases of loss or abstraction, . arrears and outstanding accounts, . conclusion, i. general instructions. . you are required personally to superintend the performance of the routine work of your office and see that it is properly done. . this routine work should be suitably and fairly apportioned amongst your clerks--each clerk (under your superintendence) being responsible for the duty assigned to him. you will, after fair warning, report to the postmaster general any clerk who fails correctly and efficiently to perform this duty. . carefully superintend the working of the department in all its branches within the limits of your division. as however, it is important, that the operations of the department should be carried on under one uniform plan throughout the dominion, do not make any alterations in the system of doing the work without the permission first obtained of the postmaster general. . endeavor to instil into all persons connected with the department in your division the importance of a harmonious working together for the good of the service, and of each, in his own sphere, performing the duties assigned to him in an intelligent and thorough manner. . all letters received on official business should be carefully and promptly attended to. . all matters referred to you from the department at ottawa should be disposed of with the least possible delay. . provision should be made for the performance of the ordinary routine work of your office when you are absent, under the superintendence of your senior clerk. . no portion of your work should be allowed to fall into arrear; if it should do so, however, from circumstances beyond your control, you will at once report the fact to the postmaster general. . see that the time bills and mail transfer receipts are properly examined and fyled away every day. a separate pigeon hole should be provided for each set of time bills and transfer receipts, the pigeon holes being arranged and labelled in alphabetical order. . when fines should, in your opinion, be imposed upon railway mail clerks, clerks in city offices, and other officers in the employ of the department--full particulars of each case should be communicated to the postmaster general, and his authority for the imposition of the fine obtained. . make once in every three months a regular and thorough inspection of all the details of account and general business in each city post office in your division--without any pre-arranged date or notice of the time at which such inspection will be made. the inspection should, however, take place on the st of a month, so that the accountant may be able to verify from your report the entries in the accounts of the postmaster for the month preceding. in making these inspections you must verify the stamp account of the office--personally count the stock on hand, and see that it agrees with the amount stated in the postmasters' stamp account, made up to the last day of the month, to which account you should attach your signature. satisfy yourself that all other items of revenue, such as postage on unpaid matter, on insufficiently paid matter and on newspapers, also rent of boxes, and drawers, &c, are duly brought to account. certify to the numbers of both boxes and drawers rented at the time of your inspection. investigate the state of the money order and savings bank business, and see that the regulations and instructions are closely adhered to. enquire into the conduct and efficiency of each person employed. see that all the work of the letter carrier's branch is promptly and accurately performed. that all the carriers are supplied with and wear uniforms. that an account is kept by the postmaster of the cost thereof, and that the outlay incurred does not exceed the amount allowed by the postmaster general. forward to the postmaster general the result of your inspection as promptly as possible, giving clear and full information on the several points enquired into. . see that all errors and irregularities are reported to you by the postmaster or railway mail clerk by whom observed, and that prompt steps are taken for their correction. irregularities of whatever kind should be promptly enquired into and corrected; if overlooked they have always a tendency to increase. . investigate thoroughly all cases of complaint. obtain a clear statement of the charges made, and of the facts which can be proved in support of these charges, and from these facts draw your conclusions. in cases where the evidence is conflicting, the characters and antecedents of the parties concerned may probably be important elements for consideration. . in making investigations bear in mind that any person who haw been detected in one dishonest act may probably have been guilty of other dishonest acts, and that your enquiry should therefore cover, not only the particular case under investigation, but other irregular or fraudulent proceedings, which it is possible may have been committed by the party suspected. this point should be particularly remembered in regard to offices transacting money order and savings bank business. . you have authority, for the purpose of any official enquiry or investigation it may be your duty to make, to apply to any judge of the superior or exchequer court of canada, or of the superior court of the province of quebec, or of any one of the superior courts of either of the provinces, or to any judge or stipendiary magistrate in and for the territories, for an order that a subpoena be issued from the court or magistrate, commanding any person therein named to appear before you at the time and place mentioned in the subpoena, and then and there to testify to all matters within his knowledge, and (if so required) to produce any document or thing he may have in his possession relative to such enquiry or investigation. and any witness may be summoned from any part of canada, within or without the ordinary jurisdiction of the court. judge, or magistrate issuing the subpoena,--any reasonable travelling expenses being tendered to any witness so subpoened at the time of such service. and any person thus summoned who may neglect or refuse to appear, or refuse to give evidence or to produce the papers demanded of him, may, by order of the court, judge or magistrate who issued the subpoena, be taken into custody and imprisoned in the common gaol of the locality, as for contempt of court, for a period not exceeding fourteen ( ) days. . you have also authority to examine any person on oath or affirmation on any matter pertinent to any investigation you may make; and such oath or affirmation may be administered by you to any person you may so desire to examine. . you and any officer under you having the rank of assistant p.o. inspector, have authority to require any postmaster or assistant postmaster in any post offices, mail contractor or other person in the employment or service of, or undertaking to perform any duty or work for the post office department, to make and sign an oath or declaration in the following form, or to a like effect.-- i (_insert the name of the person and the capacity in which he is employed in or by the post office_) do solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, (or declare _if the person is one entitled to declare instead of_ taking an oath in civil cases), that i will faithfully perform all the duties required of me by my employment in the service of the post office, and will abstain from everything forbidden by the laws for the establishment and government of the post office department in canada, so help me god. _______________________________________________ signature of person taking oath or declaration. the oath (_or_ declaration) was ___________ (sworn _or_ made) and subscribed before me, the ____________ day of ____________ __. ______________________________________________________ signature of p.o. inspector, or asst. p.o. inspector, as the case may be. . when a formal investigation is necessary, always give due notice to the complainant or complainants, and the party or parties complained against, of the time and place at which the investigation will be held. . in your reports to the postmaster general of the result of an investigation, state whether the enquiry made was personal or _by_ correspondence. state also clearly in the proper order all the facts bearing on the case, and the conclusions which these facts appear to justify. . in reporting on cases of a confidential character, in which it is not desirable that the facts should be made public, mark the word "confidential" both on the report and on the cover in which it is transmitted. . in all reports in which a previous report is referred to, state in addition to the number and date of the report referred to, its general purport. . in all reports post offices should be called by their official names, and not by the name by which they may be known in the locality. this rule applies especially to the maritime provinces. . it is desirable that you should make yourself acquainted, as far as may be practicable, with the general character and financial standing of each postmaster in your division who has charge of money order or savings bank duties; and in any case where you have reason for suspecting the possibility of irregular practices, or a disposition to withhold--even for short periods--post office monies, a confidential report should be made to the postmaster general, in order that a close supervision may be kept by the superintendent on the returns and remittances received from such postmasters. . in cases of doubt always ask for instructions from the postmaster general--by letter, if time permits; if not, by telegraph. . when absolutely necessary, make use of the telegraph, compressing your message into as few words as are consistent with clearness of meaning. do not, however, use the telegraph in cases where a letter will answer all the purposes required. . observe in all matters connected with the department as strict an economy as is consistent with the efficient performance of the service. do not in any case recommend additional expenditure unless the circumstances appear fully to justify it. . no outlay, whether for alteration in a mail service, or for repairs, improvements or fittings, must be incurred without the specific authority first obtained of the postmaster general. in every case application for this authority must be accompanied by a full description of the work to be done, and an estimate of the probable expenditure involved. . no person must be employed, even in a temporary capacity, without the sanction of the postmaster general previously obtained. . furnish full particulars of any changes, especially of distribution, to the inspectors of other divisions which may be affected in any way by these changes, and cordially co-operate with them in the consideration and carrying out of any improvements which may generally benefit the service. . make yourself thoroughly conversant with all acts of the dominion parliament relating in any way to the post office service, and with all regulations relating to the post office department, as well as with all details connected with its operation. . you have authority when you find it necessary to suspend a postmaster, clerk, or any other employé in your division. all the circumstances, however, should be at once reported to the postmaster general. . when it is noticed that postage stamps attached to letters or other postal matter frequently fall off, or if it should be found that the stamps are insufficiently gummed or badly perforated, the fact should be reported to the postmaster general, the name of the office at which the posting took place being given. . in closing a post office, or in transferring a post office to a newly appointed postmaster, always see that the accounts are made up to the day of closing or transfer; and that the balance due thereon is paid and _deposited in the bank to the credit of the postmaster general_. the assumption by an incoming postmaster of a balance due by his predecessor is objectionable. the amount due from the out-going postmaster should, in all cases, be deposited as above, to the credit of the postmaster general. . except in very special cases, the opening and closing of offices should take effect on the first day of each month. . in the case of the transfer of a money order office, the transfer receipt should be sent to the superintendent of the money order branch, at ottawa, by the first mail after the transfer takes effect. . immoral publications and other articles, the transmission of which through the mail are prohibited--and which are sent to you by the railway mail clerks in your division--should be at once forwarded to the postmaster general. . all forms, books, stationery, &c., required for your office must be applied for by requisition to the postmaster general in accordance with the instructions contained in the catalogue of articles in stock in the printing and supply branch of the department, a copy of which has been furnished to you. . if any of the regulations laid down in these instructions cannot be carried out in your division, you will make a confidential report to the postmaster general, stating the reasons why this cannot be done. ii. arrangement of papers. . all papers and correspondence referring to the same case should be kept together. . no letters or papers should be put away until the matter to which they refer is finally disposed of. . separate pigeon-holes should be provided for all papers and letters according to their classification, so that when required they can be readily found. . the following classification is recommended: _for papers not finally disposed of._ . papers in reference to applications for new post offices. . do. postmasters' bonds for execution. . do. applications for alterations in mail routes. . do. railway mail service. . do. advertisement of mail contracts. . do. execution of mail contracts. . do. arrears due from postmasters and ex-postmasters. . do. cases of supposed loss of or abstractions from letters. . do. distribution. . do. matters requiring personal enquiry. . letters from secretary awaiting answers. . do. postmasters, contractors and the public awaiting answers. _for papers finally disposed of._ . mail contracts in force alphabetically arranged. . mails contracts terminated alphabetically arranged. . postmasters' bonds in force do. . do. terminated do. . letters from secretary arranged according to number. . letters from post office department not numbered. . do. post office inspectors. . do. postmasters, contractors and the public alphabetically arranged, there being a separate pigeon-hole for each letter of the alphabet. . papers in reference to cases of actual losses of or abstractions from letters. . do. cases of supposed losses of or abstractions, in which the enquiry instituted shows that no actual loss or abstraction occurred. . do. accounts included in monthly requisitions. . do. arrears due from postmasters. . do. railway mail service. . do. distribution. iii. books and records. . the books to be kept are as follows:-- . book for press copies of reports to the postmaster general. . book for press copies of such other letters, &c., as it may be necessary to copy. . record of letters and references from the secretary. . record of applications for lost letters, &c. . record of actual losses of letters and abstractions of articles of value from letters. . journal of travel and proceedings (forms bound up.) . conduct return book (press copies). . order book for instructions to railway mail clerks, in which should be entered the address of each clerk. . book for recording number of miles travelled by railway mail clerks. . record of errors made by railway mail clerks, as shown by labels on packages which they have made up, and which should be forwarded to you by the mail clerks or postmasters by whom opened, as also of other errors made by railway mail clerks reported to you. . record of mail contracts. . record of postmaster's bonds. . record of dates of expiration of contract. . variation of expenditure book. . record of transfer of offices. . salary pay list book. . contractors pay book. . book for the record of requisitions to the postmaster general for payment of travelling charges and all other official expenses, with the exception of salaries and mail services. . arrears book. . register of employés attached to your office, including railway mail clerks in your division, or under your superintendence. in the book a page should be devoted to each employé, in which should be recorded name, date, and place of birth, religion, class, salary, date of promotion, increase of salary, transfer, suspension, cases in which the employé has received special commendation or censure, date of resignation or removal, or any other particular of which it is desirable a memorandum should be kept. . cash book for entry of all monies received on p.o. account, with manner of disposal thereof. . money order cheque book. . pass book in which to record all registered letters despatched. . order book with margin to be used in all cases when an order is given for any article required for official use. . telegraph books with margin, on which should be recorded copies of all telegraphs sent on official business. . corresponding offices book shewing name of office with which each office in your division exchanges direct mails. . book for recording changes in distribution. . book for daily entry of time bills on ordinary mail routes. . record of new offices established, of old offices closed, and changes in names of offices. . book for requisitions for printing and stationery, (blank forms bound up.) . guard book for copies of notices inviting tenders for contracts. . guard book for department orders and circulars. . guard book for time bills of railways, &c. . it is very necessary that entries of all transactions should be promptly made in the books provided for their record. the keeping of memoranda on pieces of paper, or trusting to memory in such matters is very objectionable. . all printing and binding required both by your own office and city or other offices must be done on requisition to the department, at ottawa. . further, all stationery required, both by your own and city or other offices, must be obtained by requisition in the proper form to the postmaster general. the number of the articles, as shown by the official catalogue, being in all cases given. iv. returns to be made to the department at ottawa. . _the returns required_ by the department at ottawa should be rendered punctually, as follows: . _pay lists for salaries_ to be forwarded so as to reach ottawa not later than the rd of each month. should any fines be imposed or stoppage of pay take place after the list has been despatched, the fact should be communicated to the postmaster general by telegraph. in every case in which a new name appears on the pay list, or in which there has been any fine or alteration of salary, the number and date of the letter conveying the postmaster general's authority therefor must be written at the foot of the list. . _pay lists for mail services_, accompanied by the necessary receipts or vouchers, to be transmitted on the last day of each quarter, and to include all services performed during the quarter. if the exact amount due to a contractor cannot be ascertained, the service should be entered in the proper place, and the figures left blank. the voucher in such case should be transmitted to the accountant as soon afterwards as possible. the figure columns in the pay list should always be added up, and the total entered in ink. the distances entered in the vouchers or receipts for mail services should, agree with the distances entered in the variation returns. . _return of variations in the mail service expenditure_ to be transmitted on the last day of each month, and to include all new contracts and mail services, all renewals and transfers of existing contracts, and all variations in mail service taking effect during the month. as cheques are issued to the contractors on the entries in the pay lists and variation returns, it is necessary that they should be correct in every particular, and that both names and figures should be distinctly written. . _return of new post routes established and of post routes discontinued_ to be transmitted not later than the seventh day of each month, and to include all such changes in mail services taking effect during the previous month. . _return of new post offices established, post offices closed, and changes of names in post offices_, to be transmitted not later than the seventh day of each month, and to include all operations under this head up to the first day of the month on which the return is sent in, inclusive. . _weekly journals of railway mail clerks_ in your division to be transmitted every tuesday morning. . _return of losses of and abstractions of money and other articles from letters_ to be transmitted on the first day of each month. this return can be made out from the record of applications for missing letters, and should include all supposed cases of loss and abstraction entered in the record during the month which have not been erased, in accordance with the instructions under the head of "cases of loss and abstraction." those cases not erased should be consecutively numbered and the number entered[ ] in the return. in the event of a letter being reported as lost which is subsequently found, you should state in the next month's return "no. ----reported in the return for the month of ---- found;" and erase from your record of applications for lost letters. . _return of transfer of post offices_ to be transmitted by the tenth day of each month, and to include all transfers taking effect up to the first of the month (on which the return is sent in), inclusive. . _journal of travel and proceedings_ not later than six days after the expiration of each month. . _requisition for payment of miscellaneous expenses_ to include travelling allowances, telegraph bills, and all outlays, except salaries and contractors' pay, not later than six days after the expiration of each month. only one requisition should be sent in each month. each requisition should be numbered consecutively throughout each fiscal year. no. should be the first requisition made, for accounts the dates of which should embrace the month of july. on each voucher it must be stated clearly for what object the expense has been incurred. further, each account must bear a certificate as to its correctness in the hand-writing of the inspector, and must be accompanied by an official voucher on which must be written the number and date of the authority for the expense. trademen's accounts should be included in the requisition made for the last month in each quarter. all outstanding accounts should be included in the requisition for the last month in each quarter, as it is very objectionable that accounts for expenses incurred in one quarter should be included in the requisition made for any following quarter. the vouchers for travelling expenses claimed by officers not entitled to a per diem allowance, should bear your certificate that the amount claimed is the amount of the actual expenses incurred. the vouchers for telegraph accounts should bear your certificate that all the telegrams charged for have been sent and received on official business. all accounts for advertising must be accompanied by copies of the advertisement for which the accounts are rendered. in making out the requisition the accounts should be entered according to their amounts, the largest amount being entered first, and the smallest amount last. the accounts should be numbered consecutively in the above order on the back. the number on each account should correspond with the number of its entry in the requisition. the accounts and vouchers themselves should be placed and forwarded in the order in which entered. it is very important that the cheques received in payment of accounts should be promptly acknowledged by returning the form sent with them, and that when paid the vouchers should be always returned with the printed letter of advice, in the same order in which entered in the requisition, so that they can be readily checked. . _one copy of each time bill_ in use should be forwarded on the first day of each quarter. the bills sent to be classified according to frequency of service, and arranged alphabetically. accompanying these bills should be sent a memorandum of all changes made during the past month in the bills used. . _returns of railway and steam boat service_ to be sent in on the first of each month. these returns to be personally examined by the inspector before they are sent in. . _annual return of all cases of loss or abstraction_ to be transmitted on or before the st october in each year. this return should include all cases of loss or abstraction occurring within the year ended the th june last past, as well as all such cases occurring at the end of the preceding year as it may not have been possible to include that year's return. each case should be entered in order according to the date on which the letter was posted. the return should be divided into two parts. the first part should include only registered letters, the cases of entire loss of the letter being entered separately from cases of abstraction of the contents of the letter. the second part should include only unregistered letters, the cases of loss being also entered separately from the cases of abstraction. this return should be very carefully prepared. it constitutes the material from which the annual statement for parliament has to be compiled, and the explanations given under the head of "result of proceedings" should be such as fully to justify every step taken during and subsequent to the investigations instituted. . a return of the mail service in operation in your division on the st day of july, in each year, to be transmitted by the first of the following month. the services in this return to be entered alphabetically and to be classified according to frequency of service, the distances between the termini of the several routes also, to be accurately stated. suspended winter services to be given as a supplement. v. salaries and allowances. . with the exception of postmasters in the cities, postmasters' salaries are based on a commission on the amount of postage on matter prepaid by stamps and posted at their offices, viz.: per cent. on the first $ per annum or $ per quarter, and per cent. on the balance, with a minimum salary of $ per annum in cases where the postage on the matter pre-paid by stamps is less than $ . these salaries are to be revised every two years, but in very special cases where there has been an exceptional increase of revenue or work, the case may be reported on for the postmaster general's consideration. . in cases where the postmaster is required to perform duty between the hours of p.m. and a.m., per cent. instead of per cent. is allowed on the first $ per annum, or $ per quarter of prepaid postage revenue, provided always that the postmaster general considers that there are sufficient grounds for such increased allowance. . allowances for forward duty are made to postmasters who are required to re-mail letters and papers for and from other offices. the amount of remuneration should be regulated according to,-- . the number of offices for and from which the postmaster distributes mails. . the number of mails per week despatched to and received therefrom. . the average amount of matter _re-mailed_ each week, viz.:--number of ordinary letters, registered letters, postal cards, newspapers, books and parcels, &c. it must be clearly understood that in the above must not be included the matter posted, or delivered, at the office to which the allowance forward duty is proposed to be made. . the time occupied in the duty and the number of persons required to accomplish it. . the hours at which the duty is performed. in no case, however, should the allowance for forward duty excel per cent. of the revenue of the offices--the correspondence for and from which is distributed. . when, in consequence of any change in the mail arrangements the forward duty performed by a postmaster is either increased or diminished, you should at once report to the postmaster general what corresponding increase or diminution in the forward allowance should be made, so that the necessary adjustment may take effect from the date on which the change goes into operation. . all reports regarding forward allowance should be accompanied by a tracing from the postal map showing the distributing office, and the offices dependent thereon. . allowances for rent, fuel and light are regulated by the revenue collected at the office, as follows:-- annual revenue. annual allowance. over $ and up to $ , $ " , " , " , " , " , " , and so on, the allowance increasing $ per annum for every $ , or fraction of $ , of yearly revenue. no allowance for rent is made at offices where the revenue is loss than $ per annum. . the scale of salaries of railway mail clerks is as follows:-- -------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ class. | on | after years | after years | after years| | appointment. | service in | service in | service in | | | any class. | any class. | any class. | -------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ | day. | night.| day. | night.| day. | night.| day. | night.| -------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ | | | | , | | , | | , | | | | | | | | | , | | | | | | | | | | -------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ . in all cases where a railway mail clerk is entitled to an increase of salary, a special report should be made and the postmaster general's sanction obtained previous to the increased salary being entered on the monthly pay list. . railway mail clerks, in addition to their salaries, are entitled to half a cent for each mile travelled whilst on actual duty. until, however, a railway mail clerk is reported to the postmaster general as fully competent to take charge of the mails, he is to be paid only one quarter of a cent for each mile travelled. . the scale of salaries of clerks employed in city offices is as follows:-- st class from $ , to $ , nd " " , rd " " th " " in the nd, rd and th classes, the clerks receive the lower salary on appointment or promotion with an increase of $ each year, until the higher salary is attained. in the first class there is no annual increase, the salary which is fixed by the postmaster general in each case, having regard to the merits and services of the clerks and the relative importance of the duty entrusted to them. . letter carriers will receive such salaries and allowances for uniforms as may be from time to time fixed by the postmaster general. vi. new post offices. . in each report on an application for a new post office describe the locality in which it is proposed to establish the office, giving name of the township, number of lot and concession stating whether front or rear of the concession, and county in which situated. in places where land is not so divided give such particulars as may serve to indicate the exact position. state further the number of churches, schools, mills, stores, houses or other buildings in the immediate neighborhood; the character of the surrounding land, whether well settled, and the estimated number of families that the office applied for would accommodate; its distance from all neighboring offices; its estimated postal revenue; the mode and frequency of the service proposed; the estimated annual cost; whether any previous application for a post office in the same locality has already been reported on, and such other information as may bear on the matter. . with each report on an application for a new post office should be sent a sketch or tracing (from the map of your division) shewing as nearly as can be ascertained the position of the proposed office and mail route, and the offices and mail routes already in operation in its neighborhood. vii. mail arrangements. . the principal object of all mail arrangements is to ensure the transit of the letters and papers to destination with the utmost possible despatch. . the main routes throughout the provinces should connect with each other as closely as it is possible. . the branch routes should be so arranged as to form as close a connection as possible with the main lines. . through bags should be exchanged by all offices between which pass a large number of letters and papers, including travelling post offices on different routes. . when, as a general rule, an office has a large number of registered letters for another office with which it does not exchange a direct mail, the registered letters may be enclosed in a sealed registered packet, addressed to the office for which the letters are intended. the address of the packet, however, should, in all cases, be entered in the letter bill with which it is despatched. when a packet is sent as above, it should be accompanied by a letter bill containing at foot an acknowledgment for registered letters. this acknowledgment should be filled up by the receiving office and returned to the despatching office by the first post. . where large numbers of registered letters pass between two offices, it is desirable that bags secured with the lead seal should be used. . an inspector should always be on the watch to ascertain what improvements can be made in the postal arrangements in his division. it should be his aim to anticipate the wants of the general public, and to combine, as far as practicable, efficiency of service with economy of expenditure. viii. mail service. . it is very essential that a strict supervision should be maintained over the performance of the mail service; that all delays and irregularities should be promptly checked, and, when necessary, fines imposed and enforced. . on all the important routes there should be suitable time bills, in which should be entered the hours of arrival and departure at each office, the names of the couriers, and the no. of the mails received and delivered. . these time bills should be carefully checked and fyled away, the check clerk affixing his initials to each bill. . you should be ready at all times to receive suggestions for improvements in the mail service, and, if desirable, submit them for the consideration of the postmaster general. . leather bags should, as a general rule, be used on stage routes. on the outlying routes, where the mails are exposed to the weather, waterproof canvass bags should be used. ix. establishment of new routes or alterations in routes already in operation. . in making reports on proposed new mail routes, or alterations of existing routes--state clearly-- advantages to be obtained; additional cost per annum to be incurred; present revenue of the offices to be served; increased revenue which it is estimated would result from proposed additional mail facilities; give tables also of the present and proposed routes, showing offices served and intermediate distances. state, also, dates on which contracts which it is proposed to discontinue would terminate provided previous notice were not given by the postmaster general. . with each report send a sketch or tracing from the post office map of your division, showing all the offices affected by the proposed arrangements, denoting the lines of existing routes which it is recommended should be discontinued in blue, and the new routes which it is recommended should be established in red. . all changes in mail services should--except in very special cases--take effect on the first day of each mouth. x. contracts for mail services. . for every mail service there should be a written contract or memorandum of agreement, which should be made out and executed in triplicate, one copy being for the department at ottawa, one for the contractor, and one for yourself. . all contracts for mail services should be made so as to terminate at the end of a quarter, or if that is not possible, at the end of a month. . the contracts terminating at the end of each quarter should be entered in the record of expiration of contracts, a page or two pages in this book as may be required, being appropriated for each quarter. . _six months_ previous to the expiration of the contracts, the usual printed circular should be issued to the postmaster at each of the termini of the several routes, asking whether any improvements can be made in the service. . should any change be desirable a report should be made thereon to the postmaster general, at least one month previous to the preparation of the notices inviting tenders for a new contract. . four months before the expiration of each quarter separate reports should be made to the postmaster general. . of all contracts expiring at the end of the next ensuing quarter in which no change of mail service is proposed. . of all contracts expiring at the end of the next ensuing quarter in which an alteration is recommended. these reports should be accompanied by the usual notices of advertisement inviting tenders. . all advertisements for tenders and all contracts for mail services should be carefully prepared, it being borne in mind that nothing more than what is expressed therein can be legally enforced. the advertisements should be dated a fortnight later than the date of their transmission to the department. . there should be at least six weeks between the date of the advertisements and the date up to which tenders for the service are receivable, and at least eight weeks between the day fixed on for the reception of tenders and the date on which they are to take effect. . duplicates of the notices inviting tenders for mail services, should be fyled in the guard book provided for that purpose. . when the notices have received the approval of the postmaster general, one copy at least should be sent to each office on the route to be advertised, to be posted up in a conspicuous place in the office for the public information, and as many copies as may be considered necessary to the office at each terminus. . the usual forms of tender should also be supplied to postmasters at those places where these forms of tender will probably be enquired for by parties proposing for the service. . unless there is any good and sufficient objection, contracts for mail services must be made with parties whose tenders, being the lowest, have been accepted. . it should, however, be ascertained that the party proposing to undertake the service is able satisfactorily to perform it, and that the sureties he names are good and sufficient for the penalty of the required bond. . in the event of there being any serious objection to entering into a contract with the parties whose tenders have been accepted, full particulars of the objection should at once be reported to the postmaster general, and application made for the next lowest tender. . full particulars should also be promptly furnished to the postmaster general of the action taken on tenders forwarded to you for acceptance on certain conditions, or in cases where none of the tenders received have been accepted in consequence of the high prices demanded. . in dealing with accepted tenders for mail services, and in making out the contract therefor, the greatest possible promptness should be observed. . contracts for mail services should be very carefully prepared, and no contract should be forwarded for the signature of the postmaster general unless correct in all its terms and provisions. . the contract should specify all the offices served _en route_. . all contracts sent for the postmaster general's signature must be accompanied by the printed form or letter, in which should be entered separately and alphabetically:-- . contracts entered into without change of service; . contracts for new services. against each contract should be entered the number and date of the letter under authority of which the contract was made. against the entry of each new contract it should be clearly stated whether the service is entirely a new one. if not, the names of the contract or contracts which it supersedes should be given. . every contract made upon an accepted tender should (when sent to the department) be accompanied by the tender on which it is based. xi. bonds. . bonds must be taken from the following officers:-- postmasters. assistant postmasters in city offices. money order savings bank and registration clerks in city offices. railway mail clerks. letter carriers. . the amount of the penalty of the bond required from postmasters must be governed by the revenue collected, and the amount of business transacted. care must be taken to use the money order form of bond for all postmasters transacting money order and savings bank business. a postmaster's bond should in all cases be completed before he is placed in charge of the office. . the amount of the penalty of the bond required from assistant postmaster in city office, is from $ , to $ , from money order and registration clerks in city office, from " , according to amount of responsibility. from railway mail clerks " letter carriers . bonds can be accepted either from the canada guarantee company, or from two private parties whose sufficiency for the penalty must be certified by a magistrate. bonds from the guarantee company are preferred. . great care must be taken in the filling up and execution of the bonds. the names in the body of the bond must be spelt in the same way as they are in the signature. in the description of the residence of the parties, the name of the judicial, and not the name of the electoral, county must be inserted. . all erasures and corrections should be avoided, but, if made, should be initialed by the parties whose signatures as witnesses are attached to the bond. . the bond should be sealed. . the signature of the principal and the sureties should in every case be witnessed by two persons. the witnesses should always sign their names. marks as substitutes for signatures of witnesses cannot be accepted. . if, as sometimes, it happens through the removal of an office, the township mentioned in the new bond as the residence of the postmaster differs from the township in which the office is situated, as shown in the postal guide, a special report of the fact should be made to the postmaster general. xii. railway mail service. . this is a very important branch of the postal service, and will require your constant supervision. . a distribution book should be supplied the mail clerks on each road, which book should be corrected, at least, once in each month, or oftener, should circumstances render it necessary. . each mail clerk in your division should be examined frequently with the object of ascertaining if he has a proper knowledge of the distribution and of the changes which have taken place in the distribution on the railway on which he is employed. . on every railway route there should be a time bill which should pass from one end of the line to the other, and in which should be entered the particulars of all bags received and delivered by the mail clerks. . you are not authorized to issue passes for travelling in a postal car except to a railway mail clerk actually going on duty. . no person, excepting railway mail clerks on duty, the conductor of the train (in the ordinary course of his duty), and the post office inspectors should be allowed access to the postal cars whilst _en route_ with the mails. . you should make yourself acquainted with the conduct of the railway mail clerks, when off, as well as when on duty, and report to the postmaster general any railway mail clerk who, to your knowledge, is at any time under the influence of liquor or otherwise misconducting himself. . compensation is made to railway companies for mail service performed in a postal car, at the rate of cents per mile actually travelled by mixed trains and cents per mile for quick passenger trains. compensation is also made for the conveyance of bags in charge of the company's servants at the rate of from to cents per mile actually travelled by the trains performing such service. . when service by postal cars is necessary, the companies are bound to furnish travelling post offices suitably fitted up, and to see that they are properly heated, lighted and cleaned, and supplied with water. . all plans for the fitting up of these travelling post offices should, previous to being carried out, be submitted for the approval of the postmaster general. . no promise of remuneration for services performed in connection with the postal service should be made to any person in the employ of a railway company. for all such services, compensation is made to the company in the regular allowance paid to them. . canvas bags, as a general rule, should be used for the railway mail service. the necessary supplies will be furnished on application to the postmaster general. xiii. circulation or distribution. . on the correct distribution of mail matter greatly depends the efficiency of the postal service, and this is, therefore, a point which requires your constant and careful supervision. . as a general rule all officers between which pass large numbers of letters and papers should exchange direct mails, and the termini of routes should be constituted forward or distributing offices. . each distribution book or list should be prepared on a uniform plan. books and forms for manuscript distribution lists can be obtained on application to the secretary. . you should see that all the railway mail clerks and such postmasters as require them, are furnished with proper distribution books, and that these books are from time to time revised and corrected. . all changes in the distribution in your division should be recorded in a book kept for that purpose, and from this book the necessary corrections in the several distribution lists affected should be made. . changes in the distribution affecting offices in other divisions should be at once communicated to the inspectors for the divisions in which the offices are situated. . postmasters and railway mail clerks should be instructed at once to report to you any errors in the distributions which may come under their observation, and prompt steps should be taken for a prevention of their repetition. . when a mail clerk or postmaster has a large number of letters for any particular office with which he does not exchange direct mails, he should tie them all up in one package, either addressing the package or facing the top and bottom letters outwards. . provision should in all cases be made for the direct transmission of letters and papers between offices on the same route. xiv. travelling. . visit and inspect each money order and savings bank office in your division and make a report thereon to the postmaster general on the printed forms, as often as occasion serves, but at least once every year. . visit and inspect every other office in your division as often as circumstances permit. . do not, unless with good and sufficient reason, pass a post office without calling and inspecting it. . keep before you a memorandum of cases requiring personal investigation, so that in travelling you may be able to attend to as many of these cases as may be in the direction of your journey. . in travelling ascertain, as far as you are able, if the service on the several routes over which you pass is in every respect satisfactorily performed, and make memoranda in your pocket memorandum book of any irregularities which you may observe, or of any changes which you may think desirable. . note and take down particulars of any locality at which it is likely a post office may be required, so that when applied for, you may be able to report thereon. . in visiting a post office the following points should engage your attention: . is the office provided with-- a sign? a letter-box? pigeon-holes for letters and papers for delivery and despatch? other necessary fittings? forms and other necessary equipments? . is it conveniently situated and provided with proper accommodation for the public? . are the postmaster and his assistants duly sworn, and do they understand their duties? . has the postmaster proper stamps and material for post-marking letters, &c., and obliterating the stamps thereon? . are the letter bills properly post-marked and fyled? . are the registered letters and mail key kept in a safe place? . are the letters and papers for delivery properly post-marked? are they all intended for the delivery of the office? are they sorted into the proper boxes? are there any which should have been sent to the dead letter office? . are the newspapers for delivery all sorted in their proper pigeon-holes. . are all letters and papers posted for despatch as well as for delivery at the office properly pre-paid by stamp? . are the entries in the book of mails sent and received, and the registered letter books properly made? . are the instructions and circulars received from the department properly fyled? . are the notices sent for exhibition to the public properly posted? . is there a notice posted in the lobby indicating the office hours and the times at which mails are closed and received? . is the postmaster supplied with postage stamps sufficient to meet the requirements of the public? . are the mails regularly received and despatched, and the provisions of the contracts under which the office is supplied properly carried out? . in the event of the office being a money order office ascertain-- . if the entries in all the books are properly made. . whether the cash book at offices where a cash book is kept is made up to date, and whether the date of the deposit receipts agree with the date for which credit is taken therefor. . whether the postmaster has in hand the balance due on money order account. . whether all the numbers of the money orders taken from the order book are properly accounted for. . you should take every opportunity of ascertaining and noting down the character and standing of the several parties employed in the postal service. the information thus obtained may be of value. . you should also take every opportunity of collecting accurate information in regard to the settlement of the country, the position of post offices, roads and distances, and with this object you should carry a map of the section of country through which you pass, and mark thereon as much as you can of the above information. xv. cases of loss or abstraction. . all cases of alleged loss of mails or letters, or of abstraction of money or articles of value from letters should be promptly and thoroughly investigated. . the circumstances attending those cases are so various that it is difficult to lay down any specific rule as to the mode in which the investigation should be conducted. this must be left to the judgment of the inspector. the following course, however, may be taken in ordinary cases. . the printed form of questions should be filled up by the applicant in each case. if the applicant cannot supply all the particulars required, they should be obtained from such other parties as may be able to furnish them. . a "tracer" should be filled up, and sent to the office at which the letter was posted. . the particulars of the cases should be at once entered in the book for the record of applications for lost letters. . the papers connected with each case should be enclosed in a printed "missing letter envelope." this should be docketed, the date on which, and the name of the office to which the tracer was despatched entered thereon, and placed in a pigeon hole appropriated to missing letter cases "awaiting answers." . a prompt return of the tracer must in all cases be insisted on. on no account should its unnecessary detention at any office be permitted. . if on return of the tracer it is shown that no loss has occurred, the applicant should be so informed, a memorandum to that effect written on the envelope in which the papers are enclosed, the papers put away amongst cases of application for letters which have been found, and the entry of the case in the record of applications for lost letters scored out with a blue pencil. . if it is found that a loss has actually taken place, the names of all the offices through which the letter passed, or should have passed, should be carefully recorded in the book of record of applications for missing letters. these offices should then be carefully indexed and a minute examination made with the object of ascertaining whether any of the offices through which the letter passed, or should have passed, appears with unusual frequency in other cases of loss, and whether in such event there is any reason either from the resemblance in the character of the losses or the circumstances attending them to suspect that the losses may be attributable to the same office. . in the event of frequency of loss at a city post office, it should be ascertained through whose hands the missing letter would pass, and an endeavor should in this way be made to concentrate the several losses on the guilty party. . it is a well established fact that a person who has once committed theft will continue to steal, and a concentration of cases of loss, in the manner pointed out, will certainly afford a clue to his detection. . commencing each month, number each office consecutively, as it appears in the record of cases of loss or abstraction. this will show:-- st. the number of cases which have occurred at any particular office during the month; and nd. in each case the relative number of cases affecting each of the offices through which any lost letter, or letter from which an abstraction has been affected, has or should have passed. . it should be borne in mind that losses or abstractions may have occurred previous to the posting of the letters or after their delivery, and that the occurrence of two or more cases applicable to the same party posting or receiving letters is sufficient, at any rate, to awaken suspicion that the loss may not have taken place in the transit of the letters through the post office. . in cases of abstraction it is very important that both the cover and the letter from which the alleged abstraction has taken place should be obtained. a very careful and minute examination thereof will, in many cases, enable the inspector to determine whether any abstraction has really occurred, or, if it has occurred, to narrow the suspicion down to the office where it has actually been committed. . examine the flap of the letter, if necessary, by means of a magnifying glass, and ascertain if it shows the least sign of having been opened and re-fastened, either by slight tears in the paper, marks of dirt, or moisture, or the application of additional mucilage. . weigh the letter with its alleged contents and see if the weight corresponds with the amount of postage paid on the letter. . carefully examine the post-marks. if the impressions or indentations have penetrated from the cover to the letter inside, ascertain whether there has been any change in the position of the letter in the envelope between the time it received the post-mark of one office and the time it received the post-mark of another office. this will sometimes enable you to determine at which office the abstraction was affected. . ascertain if any of the post-marks have penetrated through the envelope from one side of the letter to the other. in such a case you may be able to determine whether, at the time the letter was stamped at any particular office, it actually contained an enclosure. . cases of alleged abstraction have been brought to light in which it has been proved that paper has been enclosed in letters by the senders instead of the money purported to have been remitted. the proof consisted of the impressions of the postmarks placed on the letter at the office at which posted having gone through the envelope on to the papers enclosed. it is, of course, important to ascertain whether the stamps were placed on the letter at the time it was posted. . cases of alleged theft have also been brought to light by the writing on the envelope being in a different hand to the writing in the letter enclosed, by the date of the letter not corresponding with the date of the post-mark of the office at which mailed, and by the dates of the post-marks on the letter showing that it has been subjected to some unusual delay. all these points should, therefore, be closely looked into. . in all cases it would be desirable to ascertain at what point the best opportunity for the alleged theft would have been afforded. . the evidence in each case of enquiry should be carefully taken down in writing, and every circumstance, however trifling, which may in the slightest degree bear on the case, noted. it is frequently by a collection of apparently unimportant facts that important results are arrived at. . care should be taken in every case to avoid the formation of any opinion until all the facts which it is possible to obtain in regard to it are collected together. it is only from these facts and from the character and antecedents of the parties who may have been concerned in the loss, and not from some suspicion unsupported by facts, that conclusions can with any safety be drawn. . all serious cases of loss or abstraction should be at once specially reported to the postmaster general, and the most prompt action taken thereon. . in cases of ascertained loss or abstraction, the inspector for each division through which the letter passed should be furnished with full particulars thereof. . when there is no moral doubt of guilt, it is desirable that the party suspected should be at once suspended from his duties. . it is not advisable however to take criminal proceedings in cases of theft, unless there is a probability of such evidence being obtained as will secure a conviction of the guilty party. xvi. arrears and outstanding accounts. . all outstanding accounts and arrears due from postmasters and ex-postmasters must be entered in the book provided for that purpose. . this book should be divided into three parts: . for entry of arrears due from postmasters in office. . for entry of arrears due from ex-postmasters. . for entry of names of offices which have failed to render their accounts. . prompt steps must be taken to obtain these outstanding accounts and arrears. application should first be made to the postmaster or ex-postmaster to send them in. if he fails to do this within a reasonable time--say two weeks--a letter should be addressed to each of his sureties. if this produces no good result, a second application should be made to the sureties informing them that if by a certain day--say in two weeks time--the accounts and arrears are not forwarded, the matter will be reported to the postmaster general, who will probably order legal proceedings to be taken against them. . if, after the expiration of the time given, the accounts and arrears are not paid, this result should be specially reported to the postmaster general. in such case it would be desirable to ascertain and report to the postmaster general whether the postmaster and his sureties are good and sufficient for the amount of the arrears due. . when the accounts and arrears are sent in, the entry in the arrears books should be erased in blue pencil. . on no account should outstanding accounts and arrears be overlooked and neglected. in some cases, when the amounts involved are large, a personal visit may be necessary. xvii. conclusion. it is very important that each inspector should make himself thoroughly conversant with the foregoing regulations, and it will be the duty of the chief inspector, when visiting the several divisions, to ascertain whether these regulations are properly observed and to report to the postmaster general such deviations as may come under his notice. alexander campbell, _postmaster general._ ottawa, st august, . * * * * * typographical errors corrected in text: [ ] on page , entry : "those cases not erased should be consecutively numbered and the number erased in the return." the word 'erased' is marked out and 'entered' is written in the margin. by the context, the word clearly should be 'entered', so corrected and noted here. * * * * * images of public domain material from the google print project.) a general plan for a mail communication by steam, between great britain and the eastern and western parts of the world; also, to canton and sydney, westward by the pacific; to which are added, geographical notices of the isthmus of panama, nicaragua, &c. with charts. by james m'queen, esq. london; b. fellowes, ludgate street. . startling as the subject of connecting china and new south wales (p. vi) with great britain, through the west indies, may at first sight appear, both as regards time and expense, still few things are more practicable. the labour and expense of crossing the isthmus of america, either by panama or by lake nicaragua, by a land conveyance, is trifling. with eight steam-boats, only four additional to the number already in the west indies, added to the present sailing-packet establishment, the whole plan for the western world, extending it westward to china and new south wales, can, in the mean time, as the following pages will show you, be put into execution to the fullest extent, with a very great saving in time, and with very great regularity. a water communication moreover will, i feel convinced, and at no distant day, be carried through the american isthmus--say by lake nicaragua--when the sailing packets for the pacific may run direct between jamaica and sydney, new south wales, and canton-china. in the estimate for the cost of steam-boats to be employed in the service proposed, i have been chiefly guided by, and adhere to, the statement made by that able and practical engineer mr. napier, of glasgow, in his evidence to the post-office commissioners in , that steam-boats of -horse power, and tons burthen, could be furnished at from , _l._ to , _l._ at this rate the total yearly cost of mail communications by the aid of steam, to every quarter which has been adverted to in the subsequent pages, will (p. vii) be as stated in the following brief summary. reference no. , shows the expenditure, keeping the red sea route confined to india only, and extending the communication to china and sydney by the pacific, from panama or rialejo. no. , the expense, confining the communication by the cape of good hope to india only, and extending the communication to canton, &c. across the pacific as before. no. , shows the expenditure for the western world, the work performed by steam in the west indies, and steam from falmouth to fayal, with sailing-packets for the remainder of the work; and the whole expense, by extending sailing-packets to china and sydney westward across the pacific, but limiting the communication by the red sea to india only. lastly, no. , shows the expenditure of the communications made in a way similar to no. , limiting the conveyance by the cape of good hope to india only: (see also appendix no. , p. .) no. . no. . no. . no. . western world £ , £ , £ , £ , east indies, &c. , , , , pacific , , , , -------- -------- -------- -------- £ , £ , £ , £ , -------- -------- -------- -------- it is, however, to that portion connected with the western world that the immediate and particular attention of yourself and the other members of her majesty's government is particularly requested. the other parts, above alluded to, may hereafter not be deemed (p. viii) unworthy of your consideration, and the consideration of the public. carried into effect in a decided manner, and as speedily as the nature and extent of the machinery required will admit, it would produce great and lasting advantages to the british empire, and confer great honour upon the british government and the splendid post-office establishment of this country. permit me to observe, that the speedy conveyance of mails outwards, to any place, is but a _minor_ point gained, unless the returns are made regular and equally rapid, and so combined, that while every place possible can be embraced in the line, no place shall obtain any undue advantage over another. these points can never be lost sight of in planning or arranging any mail communication, but more especially a communication like that at present proposed. no narrow or parsimonious views on the part of this great country ought to throw aside the plan particularly alluded to, or leave it to be taken up and split into divisions by parties, perhaps foreigners, who will then not only command the channels of british intelligence, but be enabled to demand what price they please for carrying a large and important portion of the commercial correspondence of this country. the public, moreover, can only repose implicit confidence in a mail conveyance under the direction and the responsibility of government. further, it is scarcely necessary to point out, or to (p. ix) advert to, the immense advantages which the government of great britain would possess, in the event of hostilities, by having the command and the direction of such a mighty and extensive steam power and communication, which would enable them to forward, to any point within its vast range, despatches, troops, and warlike stores. from falmouth, letters might be at sydney, new south wales, in seventy-five, and at canton-china in seventy-eight days, by employing sailing packets only, to cross the pacific from the isthmus of america. letters from falmouth, by way of barbadoes, jamaica, and chagre, could be at lima in thirty-five days. to give greater security to the mails, and comfort and accommodation to passengers, &c. a class of sailing-vessels rather larger than the generality of those at present employed in the west indies, ought to be engaged; and for this purpose, a larger sum annually must be allowed to defray the expense. some of those at present employed, such as the charib, may do, but sloops are too small for the service. it is only within these few months that a mail communication, and that very uncertain and irregular, has been commenced with the british empire in hindostan, containing , , of people. with the rapidly rising colonies in british america, containing , , enterprising inhabitants, there is still but one ill-regulated mail conveyance, by a sailing-packet, each month. such a state of things (p. x) is neither creditable nor safe to a country like great britain. the population of these colonies must be left far behind their neighbours in the united states in all commercial intelligence, and the interests of the former must consequently suffer greatly. the steam-boats to be employed in the service contemplated, although of the high power mentioned, need not be of the same tonnage as vessels of an equal power which are built for the sole purpose of carrying goods. consequently, a considerable expense in building the former will be saved. mails never can be carried either with regularity or certainty in vessels, the chief object and dependence of which is to carry merchandize. the time which such vessels would require to procure, take in, and discharge cargoes, would render punctuality and regularity, two things indispensably necessary in all mail communications, quite impracticable. any attempt to resort to such a system, more especially in a quarter where steamers would have so many places to call at as these will have in the west indies, would throw every thing into inextricable confusion. steam-boats carrying mails and passengers should be the mail-coaches of the ocean, limited as mail-coaches on land are to cargoes, and as near as possible to the tonnage pointed out in the following pages. the steamers to be employed in the service contemplated should also be built broad in the beam, of a light draught of water, and in speed, accommodation, and (p. xi) security, must be such that no others of equal powers can surpass them. the liberality of mr. john arrowsmith, so well known for his geographical knowledge and geographical accuracy, has enabled me, without the labour of constructing it, to present to you and to the public the chart of the world, between ° n. lat. and ° s. lat., on mercator's projection, which accompanies the present sheets. on it i have laid down all the routes of both steamers and sailing-packets, to every quarter of the world that has been adverted to; and further added a chart of the west indies, and of the isthmus of america, drawn by myself, and corrected by the latest authorities. the timid and the interested will throw every doubt upon the success of such an undertaking. what is going on in the world is the best answer to doubts and fears on this subject. what takes place in other quarters will take place in the quarters alluded to, namely, success where failure was anticipated. in a vast undertaking like the plan proposed, the interests of the government and the general interests of the public must be specially kept in view and particularly attended to. by attending closely to these interests, the government will find that it best and most effectually consults the interests of individuals, places and communities. no partial or local interest or opposition (such may (p. xii) in this, as in most other concerns, appear) ought to be listened to. any such opposition can only proceed from prejudice, or ignorance, or self-interest; and a little experience will satisfy the public, and convince even such opposition, that the fact is so; and, moreover, that in the arrangements proposed, no interest in any quarter has been neglected. i have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient humble servant, james m'queen. london, th feb. . a general plan for conveyance of mails by steam, &c. &c. (p.  ) introduction. the conveyance of mails and despatches from one place to another is of the utmost possible importance to individuals, and to a country. the rapidity and regularity with which such communications can be made, gives to every nation an influence, a command, and advantages such as scarcely any thing else can give, and frequently extends even beyond the sphere of that influence and that command which the direct application of mere physical power can obtain to any government or people. much as great britain has already done, in this respect, to connect and to communicate with her very extensive, valuable, and important foreign dependencies, still much more remains to be done, to give her those advantages, and that influence, and that command which she might have, which she ought to have, which all her great interests require she should have; and which the power of steam, together with the late great improvements in machinery, can and ought, in a special manner, to secure unto her, her commerce, her power, and her people. in no quarters of the world could the application of the power and the improvements alluded to prove so advantageous to the commercial (p.  ) and the political interests of great britain as in the east indies, in the west indies, and in those places connected with these quarters; and also in all those countries and places which afford the safest and the speediest means of connecting the chain closely which tends to enable her to communicate more frequently, more rapidly, and more regularly with these places; and, at the same time, all these quarters, and her own possessions, with the parent state. the object being a national one, it ought to be carried into effect by the nation, without reference to the mere question of pounds shillings and pence; that is, whether it is to become a directly remunerating concern or not. while the important subject ought to be taken up in this manner by the government of great britain, it may be observed that the plan requisite, carried into effect in the most extensive manner, will certainly remunerate fully the government or the individuals who may undertake the work, either on the general or on the more limited scale; but the higher, the more the scale is extended. in fact, unless the plan is carried into effect on an extensive scale, it will not prove a concern so remunerating as it would otherwise be, because it is only by connecting different places in the line, or within the sphere of communication, that a greater number, or rather a sufficient number, of letters and passengers can be obtained; and unless the communications are sufficiently frequent and regular, both letters and travellers will continue to find private traders and ships in general the quickest mode of proceeding on and getting to the end of their journey, or the place of their destination. the position of the united states, in the western world, and the very extensive trade which these states carry on with every part of that quarter of the world, and indeed with every quarter of the world, gives the merchants of these states, constituted as the packet arrangements and communications of great britain with foreign parts now are, an opportunity of receiving earlier intelligence regarding the state of many important foreign markets than british merchants in general enjoy, except such as are immediately connected with establishments in the united states, and by which means both obtain decided advantages over the rest of the commercial community. (p.  ) this ought not to be the case in a great commercial country like great britain. it is a fact quite notorious, that from almost every quarter of the western world the earliest intelligence is almost uniformly received through the united states. the whole correspondence of the important british provinces, the canadas, comes through these states. it is also notorious, that, by means of our own commercial marine, intelligence is generally received from many foreign countries earlier than by government packets. indeed, it is not uncommon among merchants to return, unopened, to the post-office many letters in originals, they having previously received the duplicates by private merchant ships. besides, it is well known that vast numbers of letters from great britain to foreign states are sent through the united states, because these go earlier to their place of destination. in these various ways a great post-office revenue is cut off, while the mercantile world are put to a great inconvenience and uncertainty. it is not befitting that the first commercial country in the world should remain dependent upon the private ships of another commercial and rival state for the transmission of commercial correspondence. if such a deficient system is persevered in, the result will most infallibly be, that that country which obtains, and which can obtain, the earliest commercial information, will, in time, become the greatest and most prosperous commercial country. it is, in fact, quite impossible that the commercial interests of any country can ever compete with the commercial interests of another country, unless the one have equally rapid, frequent, and regular opportunities and means of correspondence and conveyance with the other. if the merchants of other countries have quicker and more frequent communications with any particular quarter of the world, than the merchants of the united kingdom have, it is obvious that the former will obtain a decided advantage over the latter, in regulating and directing all commercial transactions. the foreign trade of great britain, besides forming an immense moving power for giving activity to every branch of internal industry, trade, and commerce, becomes also, from the correspondence to which it (p.  ) gives rise, and by which it can alone be carried on, an immense and direct source of post-office revenue: but the direct postage derived from the correspondence required in the foreign trade, great as it is, is small when compared to the addition which the correspondence in the foreign trade directly and immediately gives to the internal postages of the kingdom. if it is examined narrowly, it will, it is not doubted, be found that almost every letter of the moiety of those which come from the british transmarine possessions, and from other foreign parts, whether by packets or by merchant ships, (of the latter, it may be said, a number equal to the whole which pay postage do, because the very great number of letters directed to consignees come free,) produces, perhaps, _ten letters_, on which the largest single internal postages are charged and paid. this arises from orders sent to different places to tradesmen, mechanical and manufacturing establishments for goods; orders for insurance; invoices sent; payments, in consequence, by bills or orders, and in bills transmitted for acceptances, &c. &c. in all mail communications, such as those which are about to be considered, the point to be kept steadily in view, and one which is absolutely indispensable, is to connect and to bring the return mails and the outward together, in such a manner as that every intermediate place shall have the full benefit of both, without trenching upon the general interests, or occasioning any unnecessary detention or delay. this great and essential point is more particularly necessary to be attended to in the conveyance of mails by sea to distant parts, especially if conveyed by steam. in the quarters about to be noticed, the point alluded to will be shown to be more than in any other quarter necessary. without this is effected, nothing beneficial is, in fact, effected; and to secure the object, a commanding power is obviously and indispensably necessary. for various reasons, which it is considered unnecessary here to state, steamers of -horse power each, will be found to be the best and most economical class of vessels to employ in the service contemplated. the next and a still more important point to attend to, and to (p.  ) keep in mind, is to have always in readiness, and at well-selected stations, a sufficient quantity of coals to supply each boat: without such are at command, no movement can take place; and unless the supply is ample, and always at hand, no regular communication can ever be carried on. wood, indeed, may be procured in some stations in the west indies, but not in all; while even where it can be obtained, it will be found to be dearer than coal. the quantity also necessary for a vessel of large power, and for a voyage of any considerable length, would far exceed the room that could be afforded, in a vessel of properly regulated tonnage. a supply of coals, moreover, could be had at all the places to be brought into notice by care, and foresight, at moderate rates, and at the rates taken in the subsequent calculations. merchant vessels, bound to all quarters, so soon as they perceived that they were sure of a market, would take a proportion of coals as ballast; and others would be glad to take a portion even beyond that, to aid them in completing their cargoes, instead of remaining, as vessels both at liverpool, glasgow, &c. frequently do, some time, till they can obtain a sufficient quantity of goods to enable them to do so: while such vessels could at all times furnish in this way a sufficient supply of coals, at moderate rates, and still afford to them a fair profit; such assistance in loading, by enabling vessels to sail at short and regularly stated periods, would become of the most essential service to the commercial interests of this country. the time hitherto occupied by steamers in taking in coals, in almost every place, has constituted of itself a considerable drawback on steam navigation: it may, to a great extent, be avoided. let carriages, such as are used on the railroads for carrying coals at newcastle, &c. be constructed with iron handles. these may be made to hold one and a half, or two tons of coals (either of these weights, it is supposed, might be hoisted into a vessel without difficulty), and be all filled and placed on a raft or punt ready at each depôt, thirty to sixty in number, according to its importance, awaiting the arrival of the packet steamer. the moment she comes into port, the punt will be alongside, and the whole will be hoisted in in a few hours, the place for receiving them being always, and during the voyage, (p.  ) prepared for them. in this way tons of coals may be taken in within a very short space of time; the buckets first emptied, refilled, and emptied again, to a considerable extent, in a period of no great additional time. at smaller depôts and ports, the steamer might hoist in thirty or forty tons of coals during her shorter time of stoppage; and thus steamers, without any material delay, would always have a sufficient and certain supply of fuel. the coals at all the depôts should be well covered and protected from the sun. further, on this head, most of the small coal (the best) which goes to waste at the depôts, may be saved by the following simple process:--let it be mixed with a little clay, considerably diluted, then made into small balls, and afterwards dried in the sun (a rapid process within the tropics), and then taken on board with the others when wanted. it burns with great force. it is so used on estates in the west indies for stills. the saving is great, and the labour of making it up exceedingly light. a child may almost perform it. it is necessary to observe, that steam-boats for the torrid zone must be fitted up and out in a manner considerably different, more especially in their hatches, from the best and most splendid boats in this country. for the convenience and health of both the passengers and crews, those for the torrid zone must, in every part, be more roomy and airy, yet so constructed as to be closed in the speediest and securest manner in the event of a hurricane; consequently they will require less expense in building, and fitting up of cabins, &c. than the crack boats in this country, in order to make them so. in all the distances stated, there are, be it observed, included in the time allowed, three or four hours to land and take in mails and passengers at every place where the steamers may have to touch; and at the more important stations, at least six hours beyond the longer periods allowed for stoppages for coals and mails, &c. it will be necessary to give six or eight hours at barbadoes before the departure of the steamer, that government despatches may be forwarded. in fact, the steamer should always, and only leave that island at sun-rise on the day following that whereon the packet arrived from england, (p.  ) because by doing so, it would reach st. thomas at daybreak on the second morning (the navigation at that island is rather dangerous during the night), clear it, and reach st. john's, porto rico, with daylight, and in consequence cape nichola in daylight also, on the second day thereafter. the old _galatea_ frigate might be carried up from jamaica and moored at cape nichola mole, on board of which those mails and specie may be deposited, that require to be disembarked from such steamers, &c., as cannot be detained till the packet arrives to receive them. this, however, will seldom be the case, nor to any great extent; as the homeward-bound packet, whether steamer or sailing-vessel, will almost always be at cape nichola before the steamer gets up from the leeward. she may also be used to hold coals for a supply for the steamer to a certain extent. let the fact be urged in the strongest manner, that a communication once a month, to any given place, will never pay, nor answer any great or good purpose. mails, or rather letters and passengers, will not wait for such a length of time, especially when these could, as for example from the havannah, almost be in england, by way of new york, in the interval that would elapse between the departure of one packet and another, when there was only one packet in the month; but give two each month, and neither could ever be so. the arrangements, and the extent of the internal post-office establishments of great britain, are upon the most splendid and efficient footing. there is nothing of a similar kind in any other country, either in management, or combination, or regularity, that can equal or even be compared to them. it is, however, much otherwise with all her transmarine mail communications. they are all particularly deficient in combination, limited in their operations, and inefficient as regards the machinery employed to carry the mails. this, in a more particular manner, is the case with the west indies: the small sailing vessels there employed are generally very unfit for such a service, and the steamers sent out to work them, with the exception of the _flamer_, being only of -horse power, and besides badly constructed, are (p.  ) wholly unfit for the service in any way; and even the vessel named, which is -horse power, though much superior to any of the other three, the _carron_, the _echo_, and the _albyn_, is still too small to perform her work in proper and reasonable time, or to stem the currents and trade winds, to say nothing of tempests, which, as regards the two former, constantly prevail in the seas in that quarter of the world. it may also be remarked, that to extend or to add to the number of post communications, does not add proportionally to the machinery necessary for the conveyance of these: in other words, if the communications are doubled in number, the machinery used for conveyance is not necessarily doubled, nor the expense consequently doubled. take, for example, the station between barbadoes and jamaica: with two mails each month, this could not be effected with fewer than three steam-boats; but the same number of steamers will, without inconvenience, extend the communication to havannah, and take in, at the same time, several important places extra. a judicious and proper combination and regularity in all movements can, with the same machinery, and with but little additional expense, perform, in some instances double, and in many instances nearly double work. the objects for making fayal, in the western islands, a central point of communication, are as follow:--first, it is directly in the course for the west indies; so nearly so for rio de janeiro in the outward voyage (in the homeward it is the best course), that if not actually the best course, as it is believed it really is, the deviation, as will afterwards more clearly appear, is not worth taking into account. it is also the proper course for new york, and even not much out of the way from the direct line to halifax; while, considering the winds and currents, the gulf stream, for example, which prevail in the atlantic, steamers or sailing packets will make the voyage from falmouth to halifax by this route as speedily, on an average, as if they were to take the direct course. it is well known, that vessels bound to the northern ports of the united states, go much to the southward of the western islands. secondly, it will save two steam-boats on (p.  ) the north american line, and two more on the south american line, for that distance (not fewer than two would do for each line); which, with coals, yearly, would cost , _l._ this, alone, ought to determine the point. these steam-packets should be allowed to carry parcels, packages, and light and fine goods, which could afford to pay a considerable freight. this ought to be limited, however, not to exceed forty tons in each vessel on each of the great lines (except falmouth to fayal, which may be ); and the small sailing vessels in proportion. these things, without retarding the speed materially, would produce a considerable return, but from which must come port charges, &c. if the steamers are allowed to become mere vessels of freight, or for carriage of goods, no regularity in their voyages could be expected. to avoid delay, these articles could be landed and taken to the custom-house in every island and place, and delivered thence, under the revenue laws, to each owner. the greater extent to which combination can be carried on in the mail circle, and the wider that that circle can be extended, so much cheaper the labour of conveyance becomes, and the greater the returns therefrom. further, not merely the greatest possible speed, but the greatest possible regularity, is the desiderata in the conveyance of mails in any country: the latter, in particular, is more essentially necessary than the former, and is, in fact, the life-spring of all commercial communication. the work to be performed, in every quarter, must not only be well done, but done within a limited time, in order to render it beneficial and effective. powerful boats, that can overcome the distance and the natural obstacles that present themselves, can alone do this. small-power boats can never accomplish the work. numbers will not overcome the difficulties, nor come, as regards time, within the limits required. each packet steamer on each of the great lines, could and should return unto falmouth alternately, and the boats from falmouth be prepared to take the longer voyage in their stead. the time each will have to stop at falmouth will always allow of time for any material (p.  ) examination and the repairs that may be necessary. without actual experience it is impossible to place before the public, in a correct point of view, the whole appearance and state of steamers employed in the west indian mail service, as seen last year--when the whole extent of their voyages was travelled over in more than one of them:--imagine a small ill-contrived boat, an old -gun brig, as the _carron_ is, for example, of -horse power, and thirty to forty tons of coals on her deck; with a cabin about thirteen feet by ten, and an after-cabin still smaller, both without any means of ventilation, except what two ill-planned, narrow and miserable hatches, when open, afford. imagine a vessel like this starting from jamaica, with ten or fifteen passengers, and a crew of thirty-seven people, still more miserably provided with room and quarters, to stem the currents, the trade winds--(not to speak of storms,)--which blow, and the heavy seas which roll, between that island and st. thomas, especially in the channel between the former and st. domingo, and indeed in all the west indies: having the boiler immediately adjoining the cabin and sleeping berths, and without any place to stow the luggage belonging to the passengers,--and with the numerous mail bags crammed into the small sleeping berths, or under the table,--and the public will have a faint idea of a government steam-boat; wherein, under a tropical sun and a tropical rain, the passengers and crews are, with the hatches closed, reduced to the choice, while choked with coal-dust, of being broiled or suffocated. no human constitution can long stand this. without meaning any offence, truth must declare, that such a state of things is a disgrace to england. the most urgent haste and necessity can alone bring individuals to travel by such conveyances, and none will do so whose time will allow them to look for other modes of conveyance and transport. female passengers, in particular, without female attendants, or room for them, will never willingly undertake, certainly never repeat, a voyage under such circumstances. it would seem that, in this respect, the vessels belonging to the most powerful, enlightened, and civilized government in the world, are to be placed far below the level of (p.  ) vessels belonging to their own subjects, and those of other nations; although such vessels are expressly appointed to convey passengers. with these preliminary observations, it is proposed to consider the details of a plan for the more extended conveyance of mails by steam-boats, first to the western world, under the separate heads into which such a plan, necessarily and properly divides itself. in doing this, it will satisfactorily appear that the more the plan is extended, the less in proportion will the expenses attending the same be, and the greater the returns be therefrom. i. (p.  ) _falmouth and madeira, or one of the western islands, department._ either of the islands just named may be made central points of the greatest importance for connecting the mail communications between great britain and all the western world. the western islands, however, become a central point, more direct and convenient than madeira, for all the outward and homeward west indian packets, and still more so for all those which may be bound for new york and british north america. in short, the packets for neither of the latter places could go or come by madeira without great inconvenience and loss of time; whereas, neither would take place if fayal is made the point of arrival at and departure from. the latter island is directly in the course of both the west indian and homeward-bound south american packets; and it may be said with equal accuracy, in the outward direct course of these packets also. although a little further removed into the variable winds than madeira, still it is well known that fayal once made, the greatest difficulties in the voyages of the outward-bound packets are overcome. the distance, also, from falmouth to either of these islands is not materially different: from falmouth to madeira direct, is geographical miles; and from falmouth to fayal direct, miles. in the outward voyage fayal is miles nearer barbadoes than madeira; and in the homeward, from cape nichola mole, also. the distance between madeira and rio de janeiro, and between the latter and fayal, is not greatly different, being (taking in bahia and pernambuco) for the latter miles, and for the former ; but from the course which the homeward packet must take through the trades, the distance to madeira, as compared with the distance (p.  ) and course to fayal, would be increased by miles. on the whole, considering the advantages and disadvantages to arise from making either of these islands, viz., madeira and fayal, the central points, it would appear that the balance would considerably incline to be in favour of any one of the central azores, say falmouth and terceira or fayal. fayal being taken as the central point to which and from which the packets for the western world are to converge and to diverge, the arrangements will run as follow:-- the steam-boats from falmouth to fayal would carry out all the mails from great britain to the western world; viz.: for british north america, for new york, for the british west indies and all the gulf of mexico, and for the brazils and buenos ayres, as also for madeira and teneriffe. from falmouth to fayal is, course s. ° w. distance geographical miles. two steam-boats of -horse power each would perform this work out and home, giving two mails each month, each boat returning with the mails for great britain from all the places mentioned, to be brought to that island in a manner which will shortly and more particularly be pointed out. in fine weather each boat would make the voyage within six days, and in rough weather in seven days,--but say seven days at an average. each boat would be at sea days each voyage = days monthly = days yearly; tons of coal per day = tons yearly; which, at _s._ per ton, is _l._ annually. the yearly cost of the two boats for this station would therefore be: (prime cost of two, , _l._)-- two boats' wages and provisions, &c., at £ . , coals for do., yearly , ------- total £ , ------- the stoppage at fayal would depend upon the arrival of the packets with the mails from the brazils, the west indies, &c. &c., but the arrangements for all these will be such as will bring the stoppage not to exceed one or two days, and which will prove no more than sufficient to take in coals, water, &c. &c. despatched from london on the st and th day of each month, the steamers from falmouth, with all the (p.  ) mails, would reach fayal on the th and th of each month, from whence they would immediately be despatched to their ulterior destinations. by this arrangement government would save at least three west indian or barbadoes packets, one halifax and one rio de janeiro packet (exclusive of six mexican packets saved, but included in the west indian department), after giving to the two quarters of america last mentioned two mails instead of one each month, and which saving would, at least, be , _l._ yearly. the voyages also from england to every quarter connected with this arrangement would be greatly shortened, even were the communications by steam to be carried no farther; as every nautical man knows well that it is between the western islands and the english channel, whether outwards or inwards, that the greatest detention in every voyage, whether it regards packets or any other vessels, takes place. in a particular manner the arrival of the outward packets at barbadoes would be more regular, almost quite regular; and thus _extra_ steam-boats in that quarter, on account of the irregularities in the arrivals as under the present system, would be rendered unnecessary; and the same thing may be said of every other quarter to which the plan and the chain of communication is intended to extend. _fayal._[ ] [footnote : the island of fayal is chosen as the point of communication in preference to terceira, &c. because during the few months when one side is exposed to storms, the other side is well sheltered, and the distance is very short from the one side to the anchorage on the other. as each of the steamers from the westward and southward will proceed to falmouth in her turn, so if all the mails are up at fayal before the outward steamer arrives from falmouth, the steamer whose turn it is to proceed on to falmouth, will go forward with the mails without any delay, except to take in coals.] all the outward mails from great britain to the western world, having reached fayal, they would be despatched from thence and return back to it, under the following arrangements and regulations. take them in order as follow:-- ii. (p.  ) _fayal and north america._ the rising importance of british america renders it highly desirable, nay, absolutely necessary, that a more frequent and regular post communication should be established with it. this might be done so as to secure all the post-office revenue derivable from the letters to and from that quarter of the empire with great britain; and not only so, but to draw from the united states unto england some of that postage and some of those passengers which belong specifically to those states. to carry this into effect, it must be done by steam-boats, and fayal made the point of communication from which the mails are to diverge, and to which they are again to return. the point of communication with fayal should be either by halifax to new york, or to halifax alone; from which place the steamer to run to the west indies could carry the european mails to and from new york. in each way the details will be as follow:-- _fayal to new york, by halifax._ from fayal to new york direct is miles; and from fayal to new york, by halifax, is miles. if this course is adopted, there would be no need for any stoppages at halifax, except to land the outward mails, &c., and pick up the inward, or homeward-bound european mails, &c. the steamers, with the outward mails on board, would proceed from fayal on the th and th of each month, and reach new york, by halifax, on the th and d of each month, or in thirteen days. leaving new york on the evening of the th or th, and the th or th of the month, with the return mails from the states, and calling at halifax for all those from british america, the steamer would reach fayal in thirteen days, or on the th and d of each month, exactly in time, as will by-and-by be shown, for the homeward-bound west indian and brazil mails coming up to the same place; and two days previous to the arrival of the outward packet (p.  ) from falmouth, after allowing two days to stop at new york, and having one day to spare, in the event of severe weather on the voyage. the course and time will be:-- geo. miles. days. fayal to halifax halifax to new york stop at new york " new york to fayal, by halifax ---------- totals ---------- two steam-boats would perform this work, giving two mails each month, prime cost , _l._; wages, provisions, &c. &c. _l._ each, , _l._ each boat would be at sea and = days, monthly = yearly; tons of coals daily = , yearly, at _s._ per ton, , _l._ this would, however, be close work for two boats, in the event of accidents; and therefore a spare boat would be required, at an additional expense of , _l._ capital, and _l._ yearly charges. but two may be rendered quite sufficient by making halifax, instead of new york, the point of communication between fayal and british north america; the communication with new york to be taken up, and carried on, by the steamers proposed to run between north america and the west indies, as explained and stated under the next head. fixing the communications in this way, the details, or the course and time, would be:-- geo. miles. days. fayal to halifax rest there, say " halifax to fayal ----------- totals ----------- two boats would be quite sufficient to perform this service, and the advantage would be gained of having a british port as the port for trans-shipment. each boat would be at sea and = days each voyage = monthly = yearly; coals, tons daily = , (p.  ) tons yearly, at _s._ = , _l._ the periods for the arrivals and departures of these halifax and fayal steamers will be found to agree well with the arrivals and departures of the steamers to run between halifax and the west indies, by way of new york, as minutely particularized under the next head. halifax ought to be made the point from which, and to which, all the british north american, foreign, that is, transmarine correspondence, ought to converge and diverge. it can be made to do so readily, and with advantage, as the following distances will show:-- distance. geo. miles. new york to quebec n. ° east. new york to montreal n. ° e. halifax to st. john's, by annapolis n. ° w. st. john's to quebec n. ° w. quebec to montreal s. ° w. thus it is obvious that halifax is nearer england three and a half days each way than new york; that much time would, by the above course of post, between the mother country and all her north american possessions, be saved, while all the advantages of carrying these mails and passengers, &c. would be gained by british shipping and british subjects. the communications could be carried on between fayal and halifax, &c. by sailing packets instead of steam vessels; but then these sailing packets, on account of the number of passengers which it is almost certain would travel by them, would require to be packets of the largest size, or first class. their average voyages may be taken at sixteen days each, with six or eight to stop at halifax, which would bring the full voyage to forty days. this would throw the return letters always one mail, or fifteen days, later for europe, than if steamers were employed; but, at the same time, it would bring their arrival at fayal to be regular, and in sufficient time for the succeeding homeward packet from fayal; for, if they go beyond thirty days, their return within forty-five days, _in this or in any other station_, would meet the central point at fayal equally well, as to dates; but such a detention would not only occasion so much loss (p.  ) of time to the course of correspondence, but give letters a chance of reaching europe sooner from new york direct. two sailing packets would perform this work in the unavoidably extended time mentioned, giving two mails each month; first cost , _l._ = , _l._; yearly charges _l._ each = _l._ iii. _north america and west indies._ the intercourse between these quarters of the world, and also of each of these with the united states, is already of great importance, and will daily become more and more important, while there is, at present, no mail communication between them. a regular, and frequent mail communication in that quarter has become indispensably necessary. while this fact must be admitted, it is of great importance to have as many of the points of combination under the british flag as possible. keeping this desirable point in view, it is necessary to observe, that this must be done, taking havannah into the line; because, if it is not included in the british line, it will be forthwith occupied by parties from the united states, and letters, passengers, &c. both for all north america and for europe, from the west indies, will go by these states, new york for example. the arrivals and departures of the steam packets on this line must also be calculated, and fixed so as to agree with the arrivals and departures of the outward and homeward-bound mails by fayal, for north america, and also for all the west indies, southwards to havannah and mexico. the desirable object of bringing the most important central and trans-shipping points under the british flag, can only be gained by making in this case the run of the steamers to be from halifax, by new york, to the havannah; or from new york, by havannah, to jamaica. while the various ways by which this latter could be effected are (p.  ) here stated, still the former will be found to be the most economical, certainly not the most inconvenient, and, on many accounts, the preferable mode. at havannah the north american steamer would meet in the most regular manner, and to a day, the steamers from havannah to vera cruz; and from havannah to jamaica, barbadoes, &c. &c. the route and time of these boats would be as follows:-- geo. miles. days. halifax to new york - / new york to havannah - / stop at havannah, say havannah to halifax, by new york. ---- ------ totals two powerful boats would be perfectly sufficient to perform this work, giving two mails each month; first cost , _l._, yearly charges , _l._ each boat would be at sea days each voyage = monthly = yearly; coals daily, tons = , tons yearly, at _s._ = , _l._ the outward european mails would arrive at halifax on the th and the th or th of every month, and at havannah on the st or st, and th or th of each month. leaving halifax on the days above mentioned, the steamers, by way of new york, would reach havannah on the th and th of each month, and, allowing two days at havannah, return to halifax by way of new york, on the th and th, eight days before the arrival there of the outward european packet, giving abundance of time to rest. this steamer will bring back from new york the answers to the letters received from europe for the return packet from halifax to fayal. these letters would reach new york on the d and th of each month. the stoppage at new york by this steamer returning northward could not be beyond one or two days. to meet the west indian and south american packets returning to the central point, fayal, the steamer, with all the north american correspondence, must leave halifax on the th or th, and the th or th of each month. considering attentively the calculations here made, it will be (p.  ) found that they correspond accurately, and that in practice these will work admirably, and without confusion or delay--points, in an affair of this kind, of the greatest importance. the other plan, by which the communication between north america and the west indies can be opened up and carried on, is between new york and jamaica, by the havannah. after considering it, in all its bearings and details, the former will appear to be the most economical and eligible. calculating the whole of the general plan to be carried into effect, and by steam, the outward mails from europe, _via_ fayal and halifax, would arrive at new york on the th or d, or the th and d, of each month; and those for the west indies, _via_ fayal and barbadoes, at cape nichola mole, hayti, on the th and th, or th and th, and at jamaica on the th and th of each month. the mails from the westward and southward of, and for jamaica, would consequently return to that island on the th and d of each month. the distances and time taken in three ways between jamaica and new york, by havannah, would be-- (no. .) geo. miles. days. new york to havannah - / havannah by matanzas, to st. jago de cuba st. jago de cuba to kingston, jamaica jamaica " jamaica to cape nichola mole, by st. jago cape nichola to havannah, by matanzas havannah, coals, &c. " havannah to new york - / ----- ------ totals (no. .) geo. miles. days. new york to havannah, by matanzas - / havannah, coals " havannah to jamaica, round cape antonio jamaica, coals, mails, &c. " jamaica to havannah, by cape antonio (p.  ) havannah, coals " havannah to new york, by matanzas - / ---- ------- totals ---- ------- (no. .) geo. miles. days. new york to havannah, by matanzas - / havannah, coals " havannah to jamaica, round cape antonio jamaica, coals, mails, &c. " jamaica to cape nichola mole, by st. jago cape nichola mole to havannah, by matanzas havannah, coals " havannah to new york - / ---- ------ totals ---- ------ the latter route (no. ,) will, for various reasons, be the preferable course. first, because while it embraces havannah in the line, it renders it unnecessary for the steamers to run twice over the same ground that others do. secondly, the steamer from jamaica for the eastward being able to leave that island, with all the return colonial mails from the westward and southward for north america, &c., at the times, or in the space of time, mentioned, would reach cape nichola mole just in time to meet the downward steamer from barbadoes, with all the colonial mails to the eastward of that place for north america; and, consequently, could take in and proceed with these mails without delay; and it might, at the same time, take in not only the eastern colonial mails for matanzas and havannah, but the outward european mails for these places also, by which means these towns would receive these two or three days earlier than they could by jamaica. the mexican mails might also be forwarded in the same way; but to do so would be of little use, inasmuch as the steamer for vera cruz could not leave havannah until the steamer from jamaica arrived. taking route no. as the lines of communication between jamaica (p.  ) and north america, then the arrivals at jamaica would be on the th and the th of each month; and, allowing two days to stop at havannah outwards instead of _one_ day, and _three_ days at jamaica instead of two, the return steamers would leave jamaica on the th and d of each month, and reach cape nichola mole on the th and th, which place the steamer from barbadoes reaches on the th and th, and the havannah and chagres steamers return to jamaica on the th and d of each month; thus combining every movement requisite in a very clear and satisfactory manner. the steamers on this route or station would be each and = days each month = days yearly at sea; coals, at tons daily = , tons, at _s._ per ton = , _l._; which is _l._ more than the other. moreover, the steamers (two) would be so closely pressed for time as not to have the necessary rest for examination and repairs, and consequently a third would be requisite, which would increase the capital , _l._, and yearly charges _l._ above the other plan. the mails on this station may, moreover, be carried by sailing packets. by this mode of conveyance, however, the mails would be longer on their voyages; those to and from halifax, &c., being always thrown behind one return mail for the steamer to and from fayal with the mail for great britain, and consequently be obliged to wait at halifax or new york for a succeeding one--but for which, however, they would always be in ample time. the course and time by sailing packets would be-- geo. miles. days. halifax to new york - / new york to havannah stop at havannah, say havannah to halifax, by new york - / ---- ------ totals ---- ------ which will allow abundance of time to stop at new york, going and returning, and for meeting every possible contingency which may occur in the voyage; as, if within forty-five days, it would be in time (p.  ) to meet the corresponding packets to and from europe. two sailing packets would be sufficient to perform this work, giving two mails each month; prime cost, _l._ each = , _l._ and yearly charges _l._ each, or _l._ it may here be observed, that if all the mails were carried by sailing packets on the four great lines, that the times of their arrivals and departures would still connect and combine properly, but, as has already been remarked, be always fifteen days later in the course of the mails between the places mentioned than if these were carried wholly and everywhere by steam. iv. _fayal and brazil department._ from fayal steamers would proceed direct to rio de janeiro, calling at pernambuco and bahia, and landing at the former place the mail for maranham, to be carried forward to that place, and brought back to pernambuco, to meet the steamer on her return to the northward, by a good sailing vessel. the distance is miles, which could be performed in four days and six days, backwards and forwards. at rio de janeiro the steamer will land the mails for buenos ayres and montevideo, which will be carried forward by sailing vessels to the former place (distance geographical miles), and return from buenos ayres, by montevideo, to rio de janeiro, the same distance, say in seventeen days, and in time to catch the following homeward-bound packet. one sailing vessel would be sufficient for the pernambuco and maranham station, and two of a superior class as at present for the rio de janeiro and buenos ayres department; for, at the outset, steam would be too expensive on the latter station, while it would take the homeward-bound packet too far out of her way to make her call at maranham. from rio de janeiro the steamer will proceed for fayal, calling at bahia and pernambuco (distant from rio miles), taking in the (p.  ) maranham mail at the latter place, stopping one day there for a supply of coals, and then proceeding, reach fayal in twenty days--including stoppages, forty-five days forwards and backwards--and which, accordingly, would bring the brazil mails to fayal to correspond with the arrival there of the steamers from both the west indies and halifax. the mails from the brazils would, in this way, reach fayal on the th and th of the month. the route and time of these steamers would be as follows:-- miles. days. fayal to rio janeiro rio de janeiro to fayal stop at rio " do. at pernambuco, &c., twice " ---- -- totals ---- -- three steamers would perform this work in the time specified, giving two mails each month. each boat would be actively employed, or at sea, days each voyage = monthly = yearly; coals, at tons daily = , tons yearly--which, at _ s_. per ton, will amount to , _l._ other charges, , _l._ the mails on this station might also be carried by sailing packets, and at much less expense, but the time occupied would be considerably lengthened. such sailing packets from fayal to rio de janeiro would, both in going and returning, pursue the same course that the present packets do. the distance each way would be the same, and not materially different from the course which the steamers would take. the time occupied would be, twenty-seven days out, twenty-nine days back, and four days to stop at rio, &c.; in all sixty days. four packets would perform this service, giving two mails each month. the cost of these packets would be , _l._, and their annual charges at _l._ each = , _l._ in the event of accidents, however, either on this or on the west indian station, one spare packet would be necessary, and require to be stationed at fayal: this would increase the capital laid out to , _l._, and the yearly charge to , _l._ four packets on this station would, in fact, under this (p.  ) arrangement, give two mails each month; whereas, under the existing arrangements, it requires five or six to give one mail each month. in a few days, after leaving fayal, it is well known that both the brazil and west indian packets would be into the trade winds when outward-bound; after which, the voyage is certain and secure. in like manner in returning, after getting clear of the trade winds, the brazil, in about long. °, and the west indian, from cape nichola mole, in about long. ° w., each could steer to the eastward for fayal, with almost certainly southerly winds, and at all seasons of the year, in weather comparatively mild to that which is met with in more northern parallels. by steam-boats the course of communication between great britain and rio de janeiro would be reduced to sixty days, and by sailing vessels, from fayal to that place, to seventy-five days, making fifteen days more by the latter than by the former; but it may, however, here be observed, that arriving so much later at fayal, would still equally correspond with the arrival of the west indian and north american sailing packets at that place. v. _fayal and madeira, &c. station._ under the proposed general arrangement, the mails for madeira and teneriffe could be sent twice each month from fayal. madeira and teneriffe, but more especially the former, have a good deal of correspondence with the west indies; all of which would be thrown into a more tedious and circuitous route if the communications with madeira did not go and come by the azores. the distance from fayal to madeira is miles, and from madeira to teneriffe miles. one superior sailing vessel would be sufficient to perform this work, giving two mails each month. it is well known that from the winds which generally prevail in those parts of the atlantic, that a swift (p.  ) sailing vessel would almost always make quick and certain passages. the cost of such might be _l._, and the yearly expense, say _l._ the expense for sailing vessels on this and the south american station may be taken as follows:-- capital. yearly charge. fayal and madeira, one £ £ pernambuco and maranham, one rio de janeiro and buenos ayres, two ----- ----- totals £ £ ----- ----- from fayal to teneriffe, by madeira, and back, a sailing vessel could complete the passage in fourteen days, and thus be always in time for the next return steamer from fayal to falmouth. vi. _fayal and barbadoes station._ on the arrival of the steamer from falmouth at fayal, another steamer would start for barbadoes, carrying with it all the mails for every place in the western tropical world, from demerara to vera cruz inclusive, and also for panama, and other places on the coasts of the pacific ocean. the route from fayal to barbadoes is, course s. - / ° w.; distance, geographical miles. a steam-boat would perform this, going chiefly through the trade winds, in twelve days. the period of her return to fayal must be regulated by the time which she has to stop in the west indies, and which will be more specifically shown when that department is taken into consideration; but it cannot be less, from fayal to fayal again, than forty-five days, of which this boat will be at sea each voyage thirty-seven days. four steamers would do this work, having one, in fact, to spare, in the event of accidents, either on this or on the brazil station, and to relieve alternately the steamers on either station; and this spare boat (p.  ) would probably be best stationed at fayal, or perhaps barbadoes. three boats would, therefore, be actively engaged in performing the work alluded to on this station; each would be at sea days each voyage-- monthly, yearly, which, at tons of coals daily, will require , tons annually--at _s._ per ton, will amount to , _l._ the time and course of these boats will be more specifically stated under the west indian head. the cost would be thus:-- capital. yearly charge. four steamers £ , £ , coals , ------- yearly charges £ , ------- the mails, also, on this station, might be carried by sailing packets, and which would require to be of the very first class. their time from fayal to fayal again, would be, say nineteen days to barbadoes; seventeen days to stop in the colonies; and twenty-four days from cape nichola mole to fayal ( miles), together sixty days; and which brings the return of this sailing vessel to fayal to correspond with the arrival of the packets from falmouth, and of the mails from south america, and from north america, at that place. four packets would be sufficient for this station, giving two mails each month. their cost would be , _l._, and their yearly expenses at , _l._ each, , _l._--considerably cheaper than steam, but lengthening, as has been seen, the communication between great britain and that quarter of the world, _fifteen_ days. a spare packet might be necessary, but the cost of that has been included, and stated under the south american head. vii. (p.  ) _the west indian station._ this station is one of the most important, and extensive, and complicated of the whole, and one where steam-vessels can be employed with the most beneficial effects. the prevailing winds and currents, however, render it necessary that the vessels employed should be of high power, in order to enable them to stem those winds and currents. into the gulf of mexico, through the windward islands, sets; first, the equatorial current; secondly, the prodigious current occasioned by the influx of the waters of the great river maranon, and of the several rivers which flow through british, dutch, and french guiana; thirdly, the current occasioned by the influx of the waters of the great river oronoque, through the gulf of paria, between the island of trinidad and the mainland of south america. these united waters, directed by the trade winds, blowing always from the eastward, occasion a current of such force, running westward from the windward islands to the shores of mexico, that it is frequently impossible for the best sailing vessels to make their way through it. steam-boats, therefore, of at least -horse power, are indispensably necessary, in order that they may not only be able to stem these winds and currents, and carry a sufficient quantity of coals, but also to afford spacious and well-ventilated accommodation, both for the crews attached to them, and also the passengers which may travel by them. without such, neither the one nor the other could ever enjoy health, nor could the despatches of government, and the correspondence of individuals, be conveyed with that celerity and regularity which these could otherwise be, and which it is necessary that they should be. in carrying a more general plan into effect, no reasonable or necessary expense ought to be spared by the country. in such a general plan it will be seen by the subsequent details, that the (p.  ) steam-boats of the power mentioned, assisted by nine sailing schooners (at present ten, are employed in less than half the work,) would be sufficient to convey the mails from barbadoes to every place of importance in the western tropical archipelago, or connected with it. this force would give two mails each month to every island and colony from demerara to vera cruz; taking in laguayra, carthagena, chagres, honduras, the principal parts of cuba and porto rico. from demerara to havannah and chagres, &c. inclusive, every colony and place would be able to reply to the letters received from europe, or the colonies, by the same packet which brought them; and still that packet remain in the west indies a shorter period than the packets now do. in this department there are two stations, however, of such vital importance, that the considerable additional expense which will be required to place steam-boats on them from the outset, ought not to be taken into consideration. these are, first, the station between jamaica and chagres; and, secondly, the station between jamaica, cuba, and vera cruz. the first goes to connect the great pacific ocean, and the coasts thereof, with europe and the eastern coasts of america, and on which former coasts a steam mail communication has been already concerted. through the channel from panama to chagres will be concentrated, as it were, into a funnel the whole movements, travelling and mail communications and money transactions of the western coasts of america, from california on the north, to valparaiso on the south, the whole of which again must converge to and diverge from jamaica.[ ] the second station, or that from cuba to vera (p.  ) cruz, is little inferior in importance to the other, that town and tampico being the great outlets of the trade and the commerce, but more especially the outlets of specie from the kingdom or empire of mexico. a steamer on this station becomes indispensable, in order to secure the safe conveyance of specie, because small sailing vessels would be liable to be attacked and plundered by pirates. with steamers all would be safe. [footnote : should the colombian government obstinately and ignorantly oppose the transmission of mails across the isthmus from chagres to panama, or propose to shackle this point of communication with unreasonable and inadmissible restrictions, then in that case there remains a point, it is believed, more practicable, safer, and more eligible, where the communication could be effected, namely, in the state of guatemala, or central america, by the river st. juan's and lake nicaragua, both of which are navigable for vessels of any size. the south-west shores of the lake in question approach to within fourteen or fifteen miles of the pacific, and this distance, in one place, through a valley nearly level throughout, and at but little elevation above the level of the sea. from lake managua, or leon, the distance to the sea is still shorter, being, in one place, according to good maps, not more than eight to ten miles. from this lake also, and the capital, leon, the distance north-west to rialejo, a fine port on the pacific, is twenty-three miles, and through an accessible, if not very easy country. the government of the republic of guatemala, or central america, would doubtless be ready to afford every facility to open such a communication, which would prove the greatest and most certain means of improving their country. moreover, if a ready communication is once afforded, from any point on the east coast of america, in the places alluded to, it would speedily become the object and the interest of the chilian, the peruvian, and the mexican governments to watch and to see that the communication with the world to the eastward should not only be rendered secure, but be maintained. also, with a communication opened in this quarter, such as it is believed can be opened, the commerce and communications between north america and europe, and new south wales, china, and all eastern asia, would most certainly, as it could most advantageously and expeditiously, be carried on by it.] two powerful steamers would be sufficient for both stations, in order to carry two mails each month. that steamer to run between cuba and vera cruz, would always be in time with the return mails for the following packet from europe; while that boat which runs between jamaica and chagres would, by returning immediately by the route afterwards pointed out, always be in time for the same packet at jamaica. to stop at chagres for the mails from the pacific would not be advisable or proper, because the arrival of these mails at chagres could not be calculated upon with any certainty. if at chagres when the outward mail arrives, good and well, they would be immediately taken up and carried forward; but if not, then they would be brought forward by it on the next voyage, and in time for the following european packet. the mails for honduras will be most conveniently forwarded from montego bay, jamaica. with the mails for the western parts of that island they could be landed at savannah la mar, and thence carried by land with the others, about twenty-five miles, to montego bay. from thence a good schooner would proceed with those for honduras and (p.  ) trinidad de cuba; and having readied honduras, return to montego bay by trinidad de cuba. by this arrangement, honduras rather gains more than by the plan first proposed, to go from batavano; and the letters from thence will still and always be in excellent time for the following packet, making every allowance for casualties during the voyage. the steamer could then proceed direct from jamaica to havannah, which would save one day each voyage, besides avoiding the difficult navigation about batavano. the coals saved yearly would be tons, _l._, which would do more than pay the expenses for an additional schooner for the honduras communication; for, by this arrangement, two schooners, instead of one, will be necessary. their route and time would be--montego bay to trinidad de cuba, miles, - / day; trinidad de cuba to honduras, miles, - / days; back to montego bay by trinidad de cuba, miles, days; stop at honduras days; in all days. bermuda being a great naval depôt, a ready communication between it and every part of the west indies becomes an object of the greatest importance. under the general arrangement proposed, this communication can be best effected from and with cape nichola mole, hayti; because the downward steamer from barbadoes, with the european and other mails, will have passed st. thomas before the steamer returning from jamaica, &c., comes up; by which means all the letters from jamaica, and every other place to the westward, would, were st. thomas made the starting point, be obliged to remain at that island till the arrival of a following packet; whereas, starting from cape nichola mole, the mails, both from the eastward and the westward, and also those brought from europe, would go forward to a day. moreover, owing to the winds which prevail in those seas, vessels running between cape nichola mole and bermuda would make passages equally quick, if not quicker, than vessels running between st. thomas and bermuda could generally do. the courses and distances stand thus:-- (p.  ) geo. miles. days. st. thomas to bermuda. nearly due n. cape nichola mole to do. n. ° e. nassau to bermuda n. ° e. crooked island to bermuda ditto to cape nichola mole s. ° w. ditto to nassau - / cape nichola mole to do. n. ° w. - / the communication might still, however, be from st. thomas, the boat destined for bermuda stopping at that island, when this was necessary, one day, until the boat from jamaica came up; taking particular care always to be back at st. thomas, from bermuda, before the steamers with the outward mails from europe came down from barbadoes, in order that the letters from bermuda for jamaica, and all places to the westward of st. thomas, may go forward by the steamer in question. this department, however, for bermuda may, it is conceived, be best amalgamated and interwoven with the cape nichola mole, nassau, and crooked island (_the bermuda mail vessels going and returning by crooked island_) department; as the practical working of the whole scheme may point out to be most advisable. in the event of packets arriving from england at barbadoes within a day or two of each other, as is sometimes the case under the existing arrangements, then on the barbadoes and demerara stations, let a good sailing vessel, on the arrival of such packet, take the place of the steamer for the voyage. unless, in case of calm weather, this sailing vessel could do the work thus:--barbadoes to demerara, four days; stop there two days, forwarding the mails for berbice by land; thence with the return mails proceed on by tobago and st. vincents in five days, to the packet at grenada, found, in such a case, either waiting one day longer at grenada, or else beating up to st. vincents, there to meet the guiana and the tobago mails, and which the packet has time to do. this would occasion little irregularity or delay, because the cause of the detention, should detention occur, would always be known. moreover, the season of the year when the outward packets arrive at barbadoes the most irregularly, is during the winter months, from (p.  ) november to march, and in which period the calms--the greatest obstructions, in many cases, to sailing vessels amongst the windward islands--are almost unknown. the same temporary substitute could be applied, under similar circumstances, on the stations between jamaica and chagres, and between cuba and vera cruz. even if these places were once or twice in the year to miss a return mail to europe, it would not be of such great importance, because each place having then two mails every month, the detained mail would go forward by the next opportunity, while it would save to government, or to a contracting company, a very serious expense, which would otherwise be incurred if they were obliged to have additional steamers for this _probable_ part of the service. further, in the event of any accident happening to any steam-boat on the great line from barbadoes to jamaica, &c., a sailing vessel could always carry the outward mails westward, when breezes hold, with almost the same rapidity as steamers; and in her course westward, such a sailing vessel could scarcely fail to meet a return or a spare steamer at some of the stations, to relieve it from proceeding further. moreover, it may be observed here, once for all, that by the conveyance of the mails from falmouth to barbadoes by steam, or even only so far as from falmouth to fayal by this power, the irregularity of the arrival of the mails at barbadoes, which at present takes place, would be nearly done away, and consequently no such assistance as that alluded to would be necessary. hence, the advantages either way over the present system are clear and obvious. before entering upon the particular details of the west indian department, it is proper to observe here, that the point of communication for the return mails from the west indies for europe, so long as sailing packets are employed to the west indies, cannot be altered or removed from cape nichola mole, because, by the general plan, the outward mails from great britain, by steamers, would reach fayal on the th and th of each month, and the return mails to that place would reach, from rio de janeiro, on the th and th; from new york and halifax on the th or th, or d or d; and from barbadoes, &c., allowing only sixteen days in the colonies, on the th and (p.  ) th (app. no. .); if brought by sailing packets on dates to correspond; so that there is not time to spare, the west indian mail being the last to reach the central point, and it would be very detrimental to have any detention of the general mails at this point. to make jamaica the central point for the european mails, would require several days additional; for once at jamaica the packet would take eight or ten days to get up and through the windward passage, which to a sailing packet, notwithstanding this difficulty, is still the best. in fact, if the mails from havannah to demerara are detained in the west indies more than sixteen, or at most seventeen days, beyond the time that these could, by care and exertion, be easily despatched from thence, the transmission of letters by private ships to every quarter will most unquestionably be resorted to; and thus the post-office revenue suffer severely. the capital and expenditure in the west indian department under the combination and regulations just mentioned will be:-- capital. yearly charges. six steamers, at , _l._ £ , £ , nine sailing schooners, at _l._ , , coals for steamers, , tons, at _s._ , ------- ------ £ , , ------- ------ it is necessary here to observe, that the calculation taken for the consumption of coals is founded upon the basis that the coals are of the very best quality, and also that the machinery is of the best and most economical description and construction, and for a vessel of -horse power. the time that the steamers are considered to be engaged in actual work is calculated to include the time passed in getting up the steam in each voyage, and also to cover all temporary stoppages. the time allowed on every route and station is, on the average, more than will be required. steamers of the force mentioned will, in good weather and light breezes and seas, even when contrary, run ten geographical miles per hour; and, within the tropics, with trade-winds and currents in their favour, at a still greater speed: but the average performance may be fairly taken at (p.  ) geographical miles each twenty-four hours, although in all the climates within the variable winds, and in the tropics when going against the winds and currents, the speed made good will be, and is taken at, much less. moreover it is proper to observe, on the point of outlay for coals, that the work is everywhere, as regards the quantity to be used, calculated as if wholly done by steam, while it is obvious that the assistance of sails may be had recourse to with advantage. for this purpose, those steamers which have to go into the torrid zone ought to be provided with large square fore-sails. the assistance to be obtained by the use of sails would save a considerable quantity of coals; or what is the same thing, using them would expedite the steamer proportionally more on her voyage, and bring it so much sooner to a close. sails may fairly be calculated to impel a vessel at the rate of - / miles per hour on a voyage, and which will save either directly _one-fourth_ the quantity of coals, or impel the steamer so much sooner to the end of her journey than the time calculated, where time is taken as if it were impelled by steam alone, and thereby a proportional saving of fuel will be effected. the saving effected on this ratio will, on the general plan, be , tons, , _l._; on the west indian portion thereof tons, _l._; and on the west indian and the falmouth and fayal department, tons, , _l._; subject to per cent. deduction, being allowance for wastage. as regards the calculations made concerning the progress of steamers in the voyages to be made, it is satisfactory to find, from intelligence lately received, that the _berenice_ steamer, of -horse power, made the passage from falmouth, by the cape verdes, fernando po, the cape of good hope, and the mauritius, to bombay, in eighty-eight days; _sixty-three at sea_. the course taken, and distance run, is about , geographical miles, or at the average rate of geographical miles per day. her average consumption of coals was fifteen tons per day. the _atalanta_ of -horse power, ran the same distance in days; sixty-eight of which at sea, under steam. consumption of coals, seventeen tons per day. the _flamer_ steamer, of -horse power, now in the west indies, two voyages (p.  ) in succession, last autumn, made the voyage from barbadoes to jamaica, by jacmel, hayti, in five days; which is fully nine geographical miles per hour; and in returning she ran in one voyage from st. lucia to barbadoes in twelve hours, distance geographical miles, with winds and current unfavourable. adverting to these facts, it is obvious that sufficient time is allowed for the progress of the steam-boats, in every station, under the general plan now recommended to be adopted, in order to communicate with the different places in the western world. the _berenice's_ greatest run was miles in twenty-four hours.[ ] [footnote : see also appendix, no. .] _west indian station._--_details._ this is a complicated and important department, and the working details thereof must be planned as follows:-- .--_first packet for the month_. immediately on the arrival of this packet at barbadoes, a steamer of -horse power should start for st. thomas direct ( miles), with the mails from england, &c. for that island, santa cruz and tortola, and for porto rico, st. domingo, the bahamas, all cuba, jamaica, carthagena, chagres, panama, honduras, vera cruz, and tampico. this boat could reach and clear st. thomas in two days. the steamer alluded to having landed the mails for st. thomas, st. cruz, and tortola, should then proceed to st. john's, porto rico, and there land the british and colonial mails; to cape nichola mole (hayti), and there land the british, the colonial, and the bahama mails; to st. jago de cuba, and there land the british and colonial mails; to kingston, jamaica, and there land the british, the colonial, the chagres and carthagena mails; to savannah la mar, jamaica, and there land the british and colonial mails for all the western parts of jamaica,[ ] for trinidad de cuba and honduras; and thence to (p.  ) havannah, with the mails for that place, and vera cruz, &c. [footnote : to touch at savannah la mar would scarcely take up one hour, while doing so would be a very great accommodation to the western part of jamaica.] at the end of the second day this steamer may start on her return, with the return mails from the havannah, and the return mails from the preceding packet from vera cruz and tampico, forwarded and brought up as after mentioned, and, proceeding, call at savannah la mar for the same, from the western parts of jamaica, trinidad de cuba, and honduras; at kingston for the general jamaica mails, and those from santa martha, carthagena, and chagres from the same packet, and from panama, &c. from the preceding packet; at st. jago de cuba for the return mails, and thence to cape nichola mole, where it will deliver the whole european mails to the packet arrived there, as will presently be pointed out; from cape nichola mole the steamer will proceed to st. thomas, calling at st. john's, porto rico, with and for colonial mails, and thence to barbadoes (calling at all the islands going up, and carrying up the british mail for tortola from st. thomas, left by the downward steamer) to wait to receive a following mail from great britain. on the arrival of the downward steamer at cape nichola mole, from st. thomas, a fast-sailing schooner to be despatched to nassau with the bahama mails, calling, in going and returning, at crooked island. this schooner, it is calculated, could be back at cape nichola mole in time to meet the packet at her departure for england with the return mails; if it could not, then the packet could take crooked island in her way, and there pick up the bahama return mails for great britain. two schooners would be sufficient for this station for the bahama service, should it be desirable that these islands should have mails twice each month. on the arrival of the steamer at kingston, jamaica, with the outward mails, another steamer to be despatched with the mails for santa martha, carthagena, chagres, and panama, calling at chagres first, (p.  ) and with the return mails from panama, the south sea, and chagres, return to kingston by carthagena and santa martha. one powerful steam-boat would be in time for the same packet; thus:--to chagres, miles, two and a half days; to carthagena, miles, one and a half day; stop there one day; to santa martha, ninety miles, one day; to jamaica, miles, three days; in all, nine days. the mails for honduras and trinidad de cuba by the outward packet having been brought up to montego bay, jamaica, as has been already stated, a good schooner should proceed thence to trinidad de cuba, miles, one and a half days; thence to honduras, miles, three and a half days; stop three or more days; back to montego bay, by trinidad de cuba, miles, ten days; in all, eighteen days. two schooners will perform this work, giving two mails each month. on the arrival of the steamer at havannah another steamer should be despatched with the outward mails for tampico and vera cruz, and from thence return to havannah with the return british and colonial mails. the course of this boat would be,--to vera cruz, miles, three and a half days; to tampico and back, miles, stopping two days, four days; vera cruz, back to havannah, five and a half days; in all, thirteen days. the route of the mail conveyance from barbadoes to jamaica, &c., by steamers, would therefore be:-- geo. miles. days. barbadoes to st. thomas st. thomas to jamaica, by porto rico, cape nichola, and st. jago de cuba - / jamaica to havannah, by cape antonio stop at havannah havannah to jamaica, by cape antonio jamaica, coals kingston to cape nichola mole, by st. jago cape nichola mole to st. thomas, by p. rico st. thomas, coals st. thomas to barbadoes, calling at all islands ---- ------ totals - / ---- ------ each steam-boat being thus twenty-two days, each trip, at sea. (p.  ) two powerful boats ( or -horse power each), actively employed, carrying passengers, parcels, and packages, would do this work twice each month, with the addition of one spare one stationed at barbadoes, or jamaica; perhaps the former. .--_windward station._ one powerful steam-boat ( -horse power) to leave barbadoes immediately on the arrival of the outward british packet, for demerara and berbice, with the british and colonial mails, and from the latter return to barbadoes, having first carried the return mails to the packet at grenada; thus:--barbadoes to berbice, miles, landing mail at demerara, three days; (the mail for berbice might be forwarded from george town, demerara, by land;) stop at berbice two days; to grenada, calling at demerara, tobago, and st. vincent's, for return mail, miles, four days; back to barbadoes, miles, two days; in all, eleven days: taking with her the return mails from the colonies at which she had called for barbadoes, and having delivered the return european mails, and others, to the packet at grenada. on the arrival of the british packet at barbadoes, a fast-sailing schooner to be despatched with the outward mails for laguayra (dropping at st. vincent's and grenada the outward mails for these islands, which would be little trouble to it), and from laguayra to proceed to st. thomas, with the return mails for the packet, as at present, and thence return to barbadoes direct. the route of this boat would be,--barbadoes to laguayra, calling first at st. vincent's and grenada, miles, four days; stop there three days; and to st. thomas, miles, six days; to barbadoes, eight days; in all, twenty-one days. two schooners would do this work, giving two mails each month. on the arrival of the british packet at barbadoes, a fast-sailing schooner should be despatched, as at present, with the outward (p.  ) mails from great britain for st. lucia, martinique, dominica, guadaloupe, antigua, montserrat, nevis, and st. kitts. the boat need proceed no further westward than st. kitts, because the steamer from barbadoes had carried forward the tortola mails. from st. kitts it will return to barbadoes, calling at all the islands just enumerated, for the return colonial mails. the route of this boat would be,--barbadoes to st. kitts, calling at the places mentioned, miles, four days; and back to barbadoes, six days; together, ten days. on the eighth day after the arrival of the packet at barbadoes (the despatch of this boat must always be so as to secure its arrival at st. kitts _before_ the packet), a schooner to be despatched with the return mails and passengers from that island, to pick up for the homeward-bound packet mails and passengers at st. lucia, martinique, dominica, guadaloupe, antigua, montserrat, and nevis, and give to or leave these for the packet at st. kitts. from st. kitts this boat returns to barbadoes, calling at all the islands enumerated for the return colonial mails. this boat will be the same time out as the one which carried the outward mails, namely, ten days.[ ] [footnote : if the packet is a steamer, these boats will be saved, because the steamer would save so much time as to enable it to call at all the islands northwards, to pick up the return mails.] two schooners will do the work on both the courses here pointed out as necessary, with two spare ones at barbadoes, in case of the arrival of sailing packets on the heels of each other from britain, to forward the mails for all the places mentioned, and for laguayra, making in all eight schooners for this station. there are at present ten, or more. instead of remaining at barbadoes nine days, as at present, doing nothing, the packet herself (whether steamer or sailing vessel) should, on the day after her arrival at that island, proceed with the outward mails to tobago and trinidad, delivering those for the former island, and proceeding thence direct to trinidad, in two days, miles. at trinidad remain six days, thence with the return mails from it proceed to grenada, where she will meet the return mails for europe, brought there by the steamer from british guiana, tobago, and st vincent's. with these collected, proceed on the tenth day from (p.  ) grenada to st. kitts, miles, two and a half days. at that island pick up the european mails from the islands formerly enumerated, and thence with the whole proceed to st. thomas, by tortola, miles, one and a half day more; in all, fourteen days from her arrival at barbadoes to st. thomas. at st. thomas, having all the mails from the windward and leeward islands on board, and having there got the european mail from laguayra, &c., the packet will proceed, on the fourteenth day, to the westward, calling at st john's, porto rico, for the return mail, and thence go on to cape nichola mole, hayti, miles, three days. at this latter place receive all the european mails from the bahamas, from jamaica, cuba, &c. &c., and thence, with the whole, on the seventeenth day, proceed direct, according as may be determined, to fayal or to falmouth, calling at crooked island to pick up the return mails from the bahamas, if it shall be found that those cannot be got up in time by the sailing schooners to cape nichola mole.[ ] [footnote : whenever steamers are appointed to carry the mails from falmouth to barbadoes, the arrival of the packet at that island will be so regular, that jamaica _might_ be made (should this be considered advantageous) the headquarters, as it were, for the steamers in that quarter of the world. four would then be sufficient for the work between barbadoes and vera cruz; two to run between jamaica and vera cruz, by the havannah, and two between jamaica and barbadoes, by st. thomas. the latter two would be each fifteen days at sea monthly, and the former two seventeen days, exclusive of partial stoppages; so that there would be abundance of time for rest and repairs. further, under such circumstances, the packet with the european return mails would have time to run through the islands and pick up all the mails; meeting, on the second day after her departure from trinidad, and on the ninth after reaching barbadoes, at st. lucia, the steamer from guiana, with the guiana, tobago, and barbadoes return mails; and proceeding onward through all the islands, to the northward and westward, st. thomas and porto rico included, pass from that island through the mona passage, and call at jacmel for a mail, reaching jamaica in fourteen days. from thence starting without delay, and going by st. jago de cuba and cape nichola, leave the latter place on the seventeenth day for fayal, exactly in the same time that it is calculated it could do under the other arrangement. but such an arrangement would render it difficult, perhaps impracticable, to get up the laguayra mail to st. thomas in time, it having only ten days for that purpose; and at the same time an additional expense for coals, at least for three days each packet or voyage ( tons, _l._ yearly) would be required, being the time taken between jamaica and cape nichola mole.] the second packet of the month, and all the steamers and schooners, to proceed exactly in a similar manner. according to the proposed arrangement, these steam-boats would be actively employed thus:-- days, yearly--jamaica station " " demerara ditto. ---- in all days, yearly. coals, , tons. _advantages._ (p.  ) i. there would, by these arrangements, be two mails each month to great britain from all places in the western tropical archipelago, or connected with it, which at present there are not. ii. jamaica, with the requisite alterations in her internal mail communications, would have in all her western division seven and eight days, and in all her eastern division eight and nine days, to return answers by the packet with which she receives her european, &c. correspondence, of which she at present is deprived; kingston and spanish town alone being able, under the present regulations, to do so. iii. porto rico, all cuba, the more important parts of hayti, and all the western coasts of south america, would, by these arrangements, be brought immediately and completely within the range of the british post-office, most of which places at present are not. iv. by this arrangement all british guiana would be enabled to reply to all its european and colonial correspondence by the same packet, but which at present they have it not in their power to do. v. the inhabitants of trinidad would get sufficient time to receive and to reply to their letters by the same packet. from the naparima and other distant quarters they cannot at present do so. vi. the whole of the british windward and leeward island colonies (p.  ) would have regularly, and nearly every week, post communications with each other and with barbadoes, instead of being, as at present, weeks together without such communications. vii. this arrangement would be more agreeable, convenient, and advantageous to passengers from demerara, &c. for the packet for england, and also amongst the colonies, and consequently more advantageous to all interested in the packets. viii. the same may be said with regard to passengers in every part of the western archipelago. the frequency and regularity of the conveyances would greatly add to the number of travellers, and also greatly increase the number of letters sent and received, and consequently augment the post-office revenue to an amount greatly beyond what it now is. ix. by this arrangement the packet itself would always be out of any danger, which, it is well known, she incurs by laying at barbadoes, an unsheltered place at all times, but peculiarly dangerous in the hurricane months. in the route pointed out she would be nearly free from the sphere of all such dangers and tempests. x. by this arrangement the communications, both to the government and to individuals, would be more safe, and regular, and frequent than they now are with every quarter of the western world; an object of great importance to all, but more especially to the british government. xi. by this arrangement six mexican packets, which cost government, say _l._ each ( , _l._ per annum), would be wholly saved. xii. departing from cape nichola mole, instead of st. thomas, for falmouth, does not increase the distance in the voyage to england above miles,--about two days' sail; moreover, it may be remarked, the packet at present scarcely ever leaves st. thomas for england earlier than on the nineteenth day, and sometimes even longer. thus,--steam-boat to jamaica, eight days, four days there, and seven to st. thomas even in favourable voyages. xiii. great britain, by thus possessing all the channels of communication in the western archipelago, would thereby secure the principal political influence therein; but which will otherwise, and in a very short period hence, go into the hands of the united states, now earnestly looking about and proceeding to acquire and to (p.  ) extend the same in that quarter of the world. xiv. the expenses as regards this plan, would, for the west indies, not be greater than for the present establishment in that quarter, the mexican packets included; while the communications with several places would be doubled. xv. the whole correspondence of the united states, with every quarter of america, to the south of these states, would be brought by the general plan within the range of the post office of great britain. there would, moreover, be two mails each month between great britain and the eastern coast of south america. xvi. a great and useful commercial correspondence, between the united states, british north america, and all the west indies, would be opened up, but which at present does not exist. recapitulation. in order to obtain a view of the plan, brought into the narrowest possible compass, without wading through the minute and multifarious details, it is necessary to particularize the different stations and departments, to which the numbers affixed immediately and only relate, thus:-- no. . falmouth to terceira or fayal. . fayal to halifax. . halifax by new york to havannah. . fayal to rio de janeiro by pernambuco, &c. . fayal to madeira and teneriffe. . fayal to barbadoes. . west india department, from demerara to vera cruz, including chagres, &c. . expenses, depôts for coals, and repair boats. _cost of plan by steam._ (p.  ) --------+-------+-------+-------+--------+-------+--------+------+------- | |provi- | | | | | |number number | fixed | sions |tons of|price of|cost of| total |number| of of |capital|wages, | coals | coals | coals |expendi-| of |sailing station.| re- | &c. |yearly.|per ton.|yearly.| ture |steam-| ves- |quired.|yearly.| | | | yearly.| ers. | sels. --------+-------+-------+-------+--------+-------+--------+------+------- | £ | £ | | _s._ | £ | £ | | | , | , | , | | , | , | | " | , | , | , | | , | , | | " | , | , | , | " | , | , | | " | , | , | , | " | , | , | | " | , | , | " | " | " | , | " | | , | , | , | " | , | , | | " | , | , | , | " | , | , | | | " | " | " | " | " | , | " | " |-------+-------+-------| |-------+--------+------+------- [ ] | , | , | , | | , | , | | sub. | , | , | , | | , | , | | |-------+-------+-------| |-------+--------+------+------- diff. | , | , | , | | , | , | | --------+-------+-------+-------+--------+-------+--------+------+------- n.b.--the latter sum shows the difference of capital and expenditure betwixt the work done by steam, and partly by steam and partly by sailing packets. the reduction in coals by the preceding estimate will be , _l._; and, allowing per cent. wastage on the _whole quantity_, the real reduction in the expenditure will be , _l._ [footnote : the cost of these steamers will, to a considerable degree, depend on the tonnage which it is considered most proper to adopt. the utmost quantity of coals which any of them will require to carry, will be (fayal to barbadoes, and fayal to pernambuco) tons. airy accommodation for from fifty to sixty cabin passengers, and twenty-five to thirty steerage ditto, with the crew, will be all that is requisite, leaving a room for specie and the mails, and space for from forty to one hundred tons of goods. since the present calculation was made, the price of machinery has risen considerably. boats of the size necessary may now, perhaps, cost , _l._ to , _l._ in the latter case, _l._ per annum (five per cent. insurance, five per cent. interest, and five per cent. ordinary tear and wear) must be added to the yearly outlay, as here stated. the wages and provisions will remain the same. iron boats can be had _one-fourth_ cheaper than those built of wood; moreover, engines now made on the expansive system, require fully one-third fewer coals, by which so much expense will be saved.] _cost, partly by steamers and partly by sailing packets_. (p.  ) --------+-------+-------+-------+--------+-------+--------+------+------- | |provi- | | | | | |number number | fixed | sions |tons of|price of|cost of| total |number| of of |capital|wages, | coals | coals | coals |expendi-| of |sailing station.| re- | &c. |yearly.|per ton.|yearly.| ture |steam-| pack- |quired.|yearly.| | | | yearly.| ers. | ets. --------+-------+-------+-------+--------+-------+--------+------+------- | £ | £ | | _s._ | £ | £ | | | , | , | , | | , | , | | " | , | , | " | " | " | , | " | | , | , | " | " | " | , | " | | , | , | " | " | " | , | " | | , | , | " | " | " | , | " | | , | , | " | " | " | , | " | | , | , | , | | , | , | | | " | " | " | " | " | , | " | " |-------+-------+-------| |-------+--------+------+------- | , | , | , | | , | , | | --------+-------+-------+-------+--------+-------+--------+------+------- subject on the total expenditure to reduction in coals to the amount of , _l._; less, however, percent, or , _l._ for wastage; giving the real reduction to be , _l._ general remarks. the mails conveyed from great britain by steam to the quarters mentioned would in their courses be due:-- london to halifax, quebec, and new york, forty-six days; from halifax to west indies, according to the distance of the island or place; havannah, twenty-two days; jamaica, thirty-one days; barbadoes, fifty days, &c., &c. london to rio de janeiro, sixty-five days, and buenos ayres, fifteen days more; london to madeira and teneriffe, thirty-four days; london to barbadoes, and all the west indies, from demerara to havannah, and chagres inclusive, sixty-five days, and to honduras, vera cruz, and tampico, fifteen days more. if the mails are conveyed by sailing packets on the four great lines from fayal, then the time for all would be fifteen days additional. large as the above-mentioned sums are, still the revenues of great britain and ireland, and their colonial dependencies in the western world (p.  ) (say , , _l._ yearly), ought to defray the cost without feeling any embarrassment. the cost, however, is nothing, when compared to the benefits and the advantages which the nation and individuals would derive from it. time saved and actively employed is every thing. it is capital, which, if not employed at the moment, can never be again employed--a capital which, if suffered or forced to remain unemployed, or to escape unemployed, can never again be found or replaced. the exports of great britain amount at the declared value, and including freights and charges, to , , _l._ per annum. by employing steam-packets on even a portion of the present work, instead of sailing-packets, _fifteen_ days would be gained in every line of communication. remittances arriving fifteen days earlier would be a profit to the commercial interests of the country of , _l._, independent of the additional advantages which every merchant would gain when, instead of his funds wandering on the atlantic, or lying idle and unproductive on the other side of it, he had these in hand, to lay out to good account as opportunity might offer. even government itself, from the want of regularity and frequency of transmission, lose, in their money transactions in the west indies, above _l._ yearly, and much more in not being able to learn quickly and regularly the state of the exchanges in the great money marts in the western world. moreover, the plan above recommended, conducted judiciously, and carried into effect to the extent pointed out, would amply repay either the government or the individuals who may undertake it. travelling would be prodigiously increased. some of the wealth of foreign countries would be drawn by it to this country and her dependencies. everywhere activity and industry would be encouraged and increased. the post-office revenue would be greatly augmented,--perhaps doubled. the expenditure also would all be on british materials and labour. _cost of the new system and the present system._ in order to understand the subject fairly, it becomes necessary to contrast the capital and the expenditure required under the (p.  ) new plan with the capital and the expenditure required for the _present system_; and also, from data, which, though these in some points may not be perfectly accurate, are at any rate sufficiently so, to show the income which may reasonably be expected under the working of the plan recommended. every one practically acquainted with the subject, with the countries and combinations, with the objects alluded to and brought forward, will acknowledge the general accuracy of the data, and the great superiority and advantages in every way, and in every thing, of the new plan over the present system. i. the portion relating to the west indian department, shall separately and first be taken as a comparison. yearly cost by the proposed plan £ , yearly cost by present system:-- six mexican packets at £ , [ ] £ , four steamers and coals, say , hire ten mail-boats, west indies , ditto mail-vessels, nassau, chagres, &c., say , assistance navy,[ ] equal to, say , ------- , ------ apparent increase £ , but against this there is to be placed, the proportion of saving in coals , ------- difference _gained_ £ ------- [footnote : see appendix no. ., calculation of expenses of steamers and sailing packets.] [footnote : men-of-war frequently carry the mails from barbadoes to jamaica; also in other places.] _capital._ (p.  ) capital required by new plan £ , by present system:-- six mexican packets, at £ £ , four steamers, _above_ £ , , say , ten mail-vessels, windward islands, £ , mail-vessels, nassau, st. martha, &c. , aid men-of-war,[ ] equal to , ------- , ------- difference: decrease £ , ------- [footnote : this assistance is worth more in capital than this sum.] under the present system, all demerara, jamaica (kingston and spanish town excepted), and a large portion of trinidad, cannot reply to their letters by the same packet by which they receive them. also nassau, havannah, tampico, vera cruz, honduras, chagres, carthagena, santa martha, and laguayra, have only one mail each month; while all porto rico, all the north side (the most important part) of hayti, and all the south side of cuba, are wholly left out; while in all parts the system is imperfect, irregular, and uncertain. by the new plan, nassau, havannah, tampico, vera cruz, honduras, chagres, santa martha, and laguayra, would have two mails each month; all porto rico, the north side of hayti, and the south side of cuba, would be included, and have two mails each month also; and all jamaica, trinidad, and demerara, would have time to reply to their letters by the same packet which brought them. time would everywhere be saved, and the whole system would be regular and certain, and properly combined. ii. (p.  ) the general plan for the western world:-- capital required by new plan £ , by present system:-- sailing-packets,[ ] at £ £ , do. vessels, s. america, £ , , steamers, _above_ £ , , mail-vessels, barbadoes, £ , mail vessels, other stations, at least , aid navy, as already stated , -------- , -------- difference: increase £ , -------- cost yearly by new plan £ , by present system:-- sailing-packets, at £ £ , steamers, and coals , vessels, rio de janeiro, &c. , mail vessels, barbadoes station , bermuda, halifax, nassau, &c. &c. say , aid navy, equal to , -------- , -------- apparent increase £ , but against this is to be placed, first, the coals saved by the use of sails, , _l._; secondly, the sum of , _l._ allowed in new plan (not taken into account in the present) for the expense of coal depôts, and places for repairs; together , -------- real increase £ , -------- [footnote : according to parl. pap. no. , of , the following are the names and the number of the packets:-- eclipse lyra tyrian stanmer plover renard seagull nautilus swallow brisei cockatrice scorpion goldfinch reindeer hornet espoir mutine nightingale camden pike lapwing skylark duke of york sheldrake pigeon spey lady mary pelham opossum pandora lord melville astrea, stationary ship at falmouth, tons. the express, the star, the alert, new, have since replaced some of the above.] _remarks._ (p.  ) by the present system, there is no direct mail communication with new york; no communication between north america and the west indies, no mail communication with the north side of hayti, the south side of cuba, nor with porto rico; havannah, vera cruz, tampico, honduras, nassau, bermuda, chagres, carthagena, santa martha, laguayra, rio de janeiro, buenos ayres, &c. &c. have only _one_ mail in each month; while all demerara, most part of trinidad, and all jamaica (kingston and spanish town excepted), cannot reply to their letters by the same packet by which they received them. further, every thing is imperfect, irregular, and uncertain; and, moreover, the four steamers in the west indies last spring are so utterly inefficient and worthless, that they must forthwith be replaced by at least _three_ good new ones, to do the same limited work. by the new plan there will be _two mail_ communications with new york and halifax monthly; two ditto between all the west indies and all north america; there will be a mail communication twice each month with porto rico, with the north side of hayti, and the south side of cuba. there will be mail communications twice each month with bermuda, nassau, havannah, tampico, vera cruz, honduras, chagres, panama, carthagena, santa martha, laguayra, rio de janeiro, buenos ayres, madeira, and teneriffe; and all demerara, jamaica, and trinidad will be able to reply to their letters by the same packet by which they receive them. the work everywhere will be well done, and every thing will be regular and certain. iii. (p.  ) if steam is employed between falmouth and fayal, and in all the west indian department, and supposing that all the remainder of the general plan for the western world is performed by sailing packets, then the results will be:-- capital required by new plan this way £ , ditto employed under the present system , -------- difference less £ , -------- yearly cost by present system £ , ditto by new plan , -------- difference less £ , but to this difference ought to be added the sum of _l._ saved in coals by using sails, and the sum of _l._ allowed in new plan but not taken into account in the present, for the expense of coal depôts, and places for repairs, _l._ together , -------- true difference less £ , iv.--_income._ profit on passengers in all quarters (see appendix, no. .) £ , freights, parcels, packages, fine goods (see do.) , ditto specie, , , dollars, at per cent. dollar _s._ _d._ , [ ]transport troops, stores, &c. for government, say , saving coals, as before, by use of sails , -------- total £ , yearly charges of whole done by steam £ , (p.  ) [ ] per cent. yearly to replace capital, or , port charges, say foreign ports, &c. , sundry small charges for steamers, at _l._ yearly , -------- , -------- gain besides clear post-office revenue £ , -------- [footnote : cost transport troops to government yearly-- jamaica command £ , windward and leeward islands , bermuda command , british north america , army vessels west indies , -------------- , _parliamentary papers_, no. of .] [footnote : in order to replace the original capital, per cent. or , _l._ yearly laid aside as a sinking fund, is quite sufficient, thus:-- principal. interest. st year £ , d do. , £ , d do. , , th do. , , th do. , , th do. , , th do. , , th do. , , th do. , , th do. , , --------------- -------------- capital , , interest , ---------------- total £ , ---------------- a similar sum (see appendix, no. .) of at least _l._ per annum, each, ought to be charged as the capital necessary to replace the sailing-packets.] as regards the post-office revenue, it is impossible, in the absence of full official returns, to state its present exact amount, and, consequently, the probable future increase. the revenue from the outward postages to the british west indian colonies, honduras excepted, is inserted in the appendix from official authority. judging from it, and other data, also adduced from official authority, the present amount there stated cannot be far wrong; and the calculated increase under the arrangements proposed, every circumstance considered, is fair and reasonable. besides the certain great increase in all the external postages in these countries and colonies and places, the internal and coasting postages in these places will be augmented to a very great extent. taking the outward postages at present to be, to all the places mentioned, , _l._--inwards as much, , _l._--there may be added, additions , _l._; (p.  ) increase , _l._; total , _l._; viz., outwards , _l._, and inwards as much; giving at the average postage of _s._ _d._ the number of letters each way to be , , . as regards the harbour-charges, in the british colonies, these may be given up, or reduced to a small sum for the trouble which the custom houses may be put to; and in foreign ports it should be arranged by compacts with the respective governments, that the port dues should be reduced to a small sum, for two reasons,--because the vessels carry the mails, and because they are on that account restricted to a small portion of the whole cargo, which they could otherwise take. the charges might be made proportionate: there could not be much difficulty in arranging these points. in some of the minor ports (foreign), the steamers would not even come to anchor. west indies.--internal post offices. the internal communications in the west indies by post are very inefficient, even where they exist, but in most colonies these are altogether wanting. communication in the west indies on business, and in the affairs of public and private life, is principally carried on by correspondence; and from the particular circumstances of these colonies, more so in proportion than in other countries. the way in which this extensive and general communication is carried on is by letter sent by servants or hired messengers. these servants or messengers take days in a particular service, according to the distance. the latter mode is particularly expensive. the other, the most general, is scarcely less so, except that from the construction of west indian society, there was beforetime felt no immediate outlay for the service required. important supplies are required upon an estate for various purposes. this is of very frequent occurrence. a special messenger from that estate must be despatched with a letter ordering the same, to a (p.  ) distance of twenty or thirty miles, or more. two or three days' labour are lost, an expense of _s._ or _s._ incurred, while _s._ for letters by post, if there was a post, would accomplish the object. this is merely one point brought forward in proof of the necessity of internal post conveyances in the british west indian colonies, as in this country, out of the multitudes that could be adduced for a similar purpose. the state of society in the west indies is now on the eve of being completely changed, and assimilated to the society in this country; and consequently the duty of the government of this country ought to bestow on the population of the colonies the same facilities of communication which the population of the mother country enjoy. when the negro apprenticeship comes to an end, either partially or totally, the expense to estates and individuals for servants or messengers to carry the correspondence absolutely necessary, will be exceedingly great, and a most serious burden; and yet it must be borne,--or otherwise, without internal post communications, neither cultivation nor commerce can be carried on. it is absolutely necessary for the future well-being of these colonies, that internal post communications should be extended to, and established in each of them. jamaica (and perhaps it stands single in this respect) has an internal post communication once a week, to and from kingston, and other quarters of the island (daily only with spanish town, the capital); still this weekly post is greatly inadequate to its present wants, and will be much more so after august , and august . in consequence of this restricted communication, no other part of the island, spanish town excepted, knows of a packet's arrival until it is gone, or till it is too late to write by it. this important colony ought not only to have mails from kingston at least three times a week, but the various post-offices throughout the island should have auxiliary post-offices, after the manner of penny or twopenny post-offices in this country. every one will be glad to pay a regular and reasonable postage, rather than be at the very heavy expense, after , of taking a labourer to convey the communications. knowing the stated day for receiving and transmitting letters, no one in (p.  ) the most distant parts could ever be at a loss; and every one, more especially on estates, would benefit and save exceedingly thereby. in like manner, the smaller colonies ought to have posts twice or thrice a week from the capital; the country offices placed at the most important villages, and the auxiliary ones at hamlets the best situated for the purpose. smaller merchants and shopkeepers in these places would be glad to do the duty at a moderate rate, because it would otherwise serve them, by drawing customers and correspondents to their places of business. even in the smallest colonies such internal establishments would pay, and, in most of them, more than pay, the expenses they occasion; while it is clear that such internal facilities would most materially add to the external or packet postage. where the roads are good, the mails, travelling at the rate of five or six miles per hour, may be carried in gigs, as in this country, drawn by horses or mules; and where rugged or hilly, on the backs of mules, in proper portmanteaus. it is worthy the attention, and is in fact the duty, of her majesty's general post-office, to direct some person locally acquainted to proceed through the colonies, to examine into situations, and to establish such internal post conveyances. in the smaller islands, as has been stated, they would defray, and more than defray, the expenses incurred; while in the larger and more opulent colonies, they would yield a fair revenue; while the good they would do to every community will be incalculably great. the west indies everywhere want a little european energy and regularity infused into them,--and this is one efficient, perhaps the simplest and most efficient way to do it. pacific department. (p.  ) it has been already stated that a steam communication for the west coasts of america, on the pacific, has already been arranged, and is about to be set on foot. this important object has been concerted and arranged by that enterprising gentleman, william wheelwright, esq., of valparaiso, after almost incredible perseverance and labour, and great expense; and has obtained the official sanction and support of both the chilian and peruvian governments. it will extend from panama to valparaiso on the south, and to acapulco on the north; and will, as a matter of course, for the interest of those concerned in carrying the plan into execution, be so timed and arranged in the working machinery thereof, as to correspond with the arrivals at, and departures from, chagres on the north, or the atlantic side of the isthmus.[ ] a road is about to be commenced between panama and the chagres, which (p.  ) when completed, the communication from sea to sea may be made in half a day. this point, as regards the western coasts of america, being thus arranged, it becomes of vast importance to the whole plan proposed, to extend from great britain to the eastern coasts of the western world; and it now becomes of great consequence to show how readily and advantageously the west indian department can be made to connect itself outwards and inwards across the isthmus alluded to, with sydney, new south wales; canton, china, &c. [footnote : the following are the distances from panama to the different places alluded to:-- south. panama to guayaquil s. °. ' w. dist. geo. miles. guayaquil to lima s. °. e. " lima to arica s. °. e. " arica to coquimbo s. °. w. " coquimbo to valparaiso s. °. w. " valparaiso to fort carlos, chiloe s. °. w. " from panama to valparaiso and back could be thirty days, including three days for stoppages. north. panama to point mala s. °. w. dist. geo. miles. point mala to port damas, quibo s. °. w. " port damas to rialejo n. °. w. " rialejo to acapulco n. - / °. w. " acapulco to st. blas n. °. w. " st blas to cape lucas, california n. °. w. " from panama to st. blas and back could be twenty-seven days, including four days for stoppages.] this connexion may be made either by chagres and panama, or by the river st. juan's, through the lake nicaragua, to rialejo, on the pacific. the distances and courses by either are not materially different: but there is the best reason to believe that the communication by the route last mentioned is the best; and that, in fact, it may, without a very great expense, be effected by water. to carry on the communication across the pacific, from and to the places mentioned, by steam, would be unprofitable, unadvisable, and unnecessary. to give two mails each month to the places specifically mentioned, would require, even fixing a central point in the pacific as in the atlantic, thirteen steamers, at a cost of , _l._; while no more than fifteen days could be gained, compared to the time that the work could be performed by sailing packets. these results have been obtained after calculations carefully made upon the same principles as the calculations for a similar purpose have been made in the preceding pages. the whole can be proved by considering the winds which prevail in the quarters of the pacific alluded to (elsewhere particularly noticed), and by examining the bearings and distances inserted in appendix no. iii. these matters being considered, it follows, that not only no additional expense will be required on account of the mails which are to cross the isthmus to the pacific, until their arrival at panama or rialejo; but that resources from (p.  ) the latter, such as parcels, packages, and passengers, will be drawn from the pacific department, to increase the returns in the atlantic department. with these observations, it is now proper to advert to the courses and distances which must be taken, and the expenses which will be required in this, which shall be denominated the pacific department; the work to be performed by first-class sailing packets. owing to the winds which prevail in the pacific, the passage outwards to both sydney and canton would be easy and rapid; but in order to make the return mails from these places meet at a central point--thereby, as in the plan for crossing the atlantic, to save packets--which point should be so placed, as that taking it in would not retard the progress of the mails, or that only in the slightest degree possible--is now the point to consider. beyond the parallel where the variable winds commence, there is no island of importance in any position that would be an eligible and safe point for the return mails from sydney and canton to meet in their way to rialejo or panama. to carry the outward mails from either of the latter places by otaheite, the canton packet branching off there would be to bring it, upon its return, a vast distance out of its way (to otaheite it must return in order to get the next outward mail for canton); especially when the return mail from sydney must stand north through the trades to get into the northern variables. it would be desirable that a good point should be found, as much to the westward as possible, and convenient to proceed to canton; at the same time, sufficiently to the eastward, or, as it may be called, to the windward, of new south wales. owhyhee may be considered as taking the sydney outward mails considerably out of their course, although by making that the point, the time in both lines westward from it would be pretty equally divided. the difference, however, and the delay it would occasion, would not be so much as at first sight may be imagined; while the short distance that this island is within the northern trade winds, would render it neither difficult nor tedious for the return packet from canton to run down upon it, and there meet the return packet from sydney. christmas isle, a little to the north of the equator, (p.  ) might be made the central point at which the packets would separate, and to which they would return; the canton packets dropping at owhyhee the return mails, to be picked up by the packet returning from sydney to rialejo. this would bring the canton packet miles into the trade winds to christmas isle. from thence, with the outward mails, it could run rapidly westward to canton, calling at manilla in the voyage. there are no other places in the north pacific where packets could touch, unite, and command, with the least inconvenience to the service, the navigation to and from both places. separate establishments for each line from the west coast of america may be considered too expensive, if, by concentration and combination, the same work could be performed at less expense; and then, by that combination, whatever letters, passengers, &c. there might be from sydney to canton, or from canton to sydney, would meet at either of the places mentioned, and be forwarded in the quickest manner to their respective destinations. the question is, which of the places and plans mentioned is the best fitted for the objects had in view? to determine this, it will be best to consider the communication, each of the three ways in which it may be taken, thus:-- making owhyhee the central point of communication, the routes, distances, and periods, and expenses, would be-- geo. miles. days rialejo to owhyhee , owhyhee to canton , stop at canton " canton to owhyhee (circuitous) , owhyhee to rialejo do. , ------ --- totals , ------ --- eight boats would perform this work, giving two mails each month: cost, , _l._; yearly charges, , _l._ _owhyhee to sydney._ (p.  ) geo. miles. days. owhyhee to sydney, n. s. wales , stop at sydney " sydney to otaheite, say , otaheite to owhyhee , ------ -- totals , ------ -- six packets (one to spare) would perform this work between owhyhee and sydney, giving two mails each month: cost, , _l._; yearly charges, , _l._ admitting that the packets on the owhyhee and sydney line take longer time than is here stated, they would still be in time to reach owhyhee by the time that the canton mail came up; which in its course with owhyhee is calculated to be days. in fact, there is thus time sufficient to allow the owhyhee and sydney packet time to communicate with hobart town, and to call at otaheite in her outward voyage; as she will do, and, in fact, from the course which she must take, she may and can do, in her return voyage, without any inconvenience or delay whatever. the next plan is, to consider the communications alluded to as to be carried on by making christmas island the central point of arrangement; thus:-- _rialejo to christmas isle._ geo. miles. days. rialejo to christmas isle christmas isle to sydney, n. s. wales stop at sydney " sydney to christmas isle, by otaheite christmas isle to rialejo, by owhyhee ------ --- totals , ------ --- eight packets would perform this work, giving two mails each month: cost, , _l._; yearly charges, , _l._ _christmas isle to canton._ (p.  ) geo. miles. days. christmas isle to canton stop at canton " canton to christmas isle, by owhyhee route ------ -- totals , eight packets would perform this work, giving two mails each month: cost , _l._; yearly charges, , _l._; which shows that it takes one packet more by this arrangement than would be required by the other. keeping the stations altogether separate, the following would be the periods and number of packets required, premising that the packets would return to the point of departure on the west coast of america, nearly in the dotted lines which are laid down on the accompanying chart:-- _rialejo to canton._ geo. miles. days. rialejo to owhyhee owhyhee to canton stop at canton " canton to rialejo (circuitous) , ------ --- totals , eight packets would perform this work, giving two mails each month; first cost, , _l._; yearly charges, , _l._ _rialejo to sydney, new south wales._ geo. miles. days. rialejo to otaheite otaheite to sydney stop at sydney " sydney to rialejo, by n. point, new zealand ------ -- totals , examining attentively the three preceding routes of communication, (p.  ) it is plain that, in point of expense, the last, namely, that which gives two establishments, is not more than the most eligible of the other two, while in point of time it is considerably the quickest. the packets going out and returning twice each month, or every _fifteen_ days, it follows that, on every route, their voyages divide into periods of that duration. in the more distant, such as the routes at present under consideration, their voyages, in order to coincide and to meet with the return mails at any given point, will run, say, days, days, days, &c.; and within the latter-mentioned number the mail from canton must return to jamaica, to secure, without extra loss of time, a packet bound to england. seven packets would perform this work, giving two mails each month; first cost, , _l._; yearly charges, , _l._; which is one packet more than the owhyhee plan requires; but that station would require one spare packet, making _fifteen_ for the whole, which thus makes both stations equal, but without the combination which the owhyhee station gives. this arrangement for the pacific would, in whichever way it may be taken, save the whole proposed steam communication from ceylon eastward to canton and new south wales; which saving, either on the mediterranean or cape of good hope lines, would be, eight steamers and one sailing vessel--capital, , _l._, and yearly charges about , _l._; thus reducing very greatly indeed the cost of the subsequent plan projected for the eastern world. even at the outset, the mails, parcels, and passengers on the pacific station, would, it is believed, pay the expenses as here stated:-- fixed capital. yearly charges. pacific departments £ , £ , the mediterranean, east indies, &c. &c. (p.  ) i. _falmouth and the mediterranean._ to extend the mail communications between great britain and all places in the mediterranean, and more especially with the more distant parts of that sea, which will go to connect more closely british communications with the east indies and countries situated still more to the eastward, is now, more than ever, become a national object, and, it may be added, a national duty. france seems to be actively extending mail communications, in that sea, to all places, as well to those under her immediate sway as to others; and if allowed to do so without any rival, it becomes obvious that, with the command of all the channels of communication, she will obtain such a monopoly of political influence as will give her the monopoly of political power also in that quarter of the world. such a result cannot fail to prove highly injurious to all the great commercial and political interests of great britain; and this result ought to be guarded against and prevented even at a considerable sacrifice, if a sacrifice were necessary, but which it is not. two mails each month between great britain and the mediterranean are indispensably necessary, otherwise the conveyance of both letters and despatches, and passengers, will generally be quicker by private ships and other similar conveyances which may offer. the route can be from falmouth to alexandria direct, by lisbon, cadiz, gibraltar, palermo, and malta; at the latter place dropping the outward mails for the ionian islands, athens, and constantinople; to be forwarded immediately by a branch steam-boat, which will return to malta from (p.  ) constantinople, &c. with the return mails for england, &c. &c. to be forwarded by the alexandria and falmouth steamers, returning by way of malta, palermo, gibraltar, cadiz, and lisbon; a good sailing vessel being employed to convey the outward and the inward mails to and from zante to the other ionian islands. it would take the constantinople steamer from malta too much out of her way to call at any other of these islands but the one mentioned. as the falmouth and mediterranean department is in every point of view a most important station, so it may be rendered a profitable one; because it will connect itself with the east indian communication, and consequently a very great additional number of passengers, letters, parcels, &c. will be obtained. calling at lisbon, cadiz, gibraltar, palermo, and malta in the way out to, and in the way home from alexandria, steam-boats sufficiently powerful ( -horse power) would complete the voyage in days from london to london, including all necessary stoppages. three powerful steamers would do this work, giving two mails each month. the capital necessary to purchase these would be , _l._ the annual expenditure for these three boats, on this station, would be--wages, provisions, tear and wear, &c. , _l._ each, or , _l._; and for coals, , tons, , _l._; together, , _l._ thus each boat on this station would be actively employed days each voyage = monthly, yearly: coals, tons daily = , tons at _s._, , _l._ the route, course, and time, from alexandria, would be thus:-- geo. miles. days. falmouth to alexandria, by lisbon, &c. &c. alexandria to falmouth, by malta, &c. &c. stop at alexandria london and falmouth, including day of departure ---- -- ---- -- n.b. seventeen days, at geographical miles per day, gives miles--the real distance is . . _malta and constantinople._ (p.  ) from malta a branch steam-boat may proceed with the mails for the ionian islands, and touching at zante to land these, proceed thence to athens, and thence to constantinople with the outward mails. from constantinople this boat will return, by athens and zante, to malta, with the return mails for the alexandria and falmouth packets. the distance from malta to alexandria and back is miles, and by the course already pointed out, the distance from malta to constantinople and back is not materially different. consequently, one good steamer would perform the work in the same time as is requisite to go to alexandria and return. this boat would be, each voyage, ten days at sea; stopping two days at constantinople: which is days monthly; days yearly; requiring tons of coals, _l._, and _l._ more for wages, provisions, insurance, tear and wear; together , _l._ per annum. east-indian department. . _alexandria and suez._ the distance from the former to the latter place is geographical miles. this might, under prompt and proper regulations, be performed in two days. the first portion of the distance is from alexandria to cairo, about miles by water, and the second is from cairo to suez across the desert, about miles. what the expense of transporting mails, passengers, &c. over this distance would be, it is difficult to state, but let it be taken as an approximation at _l._ per annum. . _suez to bombay._ (p.  ) the mail communications by steam might readily and with great advantage be extended to this quarter of the world, and to this important portion of the british empire. nor need the channel of communication stop at the east indies, but proceed on until it includes within its range batavia, china, and new south wales. the further the line is extended, and the more its ramifications are combined and connected, the greater will the advantages, and the more ample the remuneration, be to whoever undertakes the work. the commercial and political concerns and interests connected with these vast portions of the globe, are well known to be immense, and of the first-rate importance, while no european power is so much interested in these as great britain. with these remarks the manner in which the communications alluded to can be effected and carried on remains to be pointed out. the route, periods, and distances from alexandria, would be as follows, premising that the price of coals in all these eastern stations will be considerably higher than in the stations in the western world, as these coals may have to be carried to the different places by the circuitous navigation of the cape of good hope. still, calculating the whole to be brought from europe, these may be obtained at the average price of _s._ per ton; while per cent. additional, for all supplies and wages, may be added to the sum taken for expenditure in the stations in the western hemisphere, as required in every place to the eastward of the cape of good hope. and at these rates all the subsequent estimates are formed. geo. miles. days. alexandria to suez, by cairo suez to babelmandel, by mocha stop at mocha, coals babelmandel to bombay, by aden or socotora stop at bombay bombay to alexandria, same route ---- -- totals ---- -- three powerful steamers would perform this work, giving two mails (p.  ) each month--at sea days each voyage = monthly = yearly; coals at tons daily, , tons, at _s._ , _l._ . _aden or socotora to mauritius._ the steamer for bombay could, without material difficulty, drop mails for the mauritius at socotora. to do so at aden, on the arabian coast, would add to the distance miles, which is a material objection. from socotora to the mauritius is geographical miles. two good sailing vessels (brigantine class) would be sufficient for the work of carrying the mauritius mails between socotora and that island. the time each way may be fairly taken at days, and two days to stop at port louis, gives days for the voyage. the cost of these vessels should be about _l._ each, and their expenditure, say, _l._ each, or _l._ per annum. the time from london to the mauritius by this route would be days, and the same time to return, making the mail communication between the two places days. . _bombay to calcutta, by ceylon._ one steam-boat would carry all the mails for the east indies, &c. from suez to bombay; and from thence another steam-boat would proceed to calcutta by trincomalee, calling at mangalore, and other places in the west coast of hindostan, and dropping at trincomalee the mails for all places more to the eastward. going by bombay, instead of going direct from babelmandel to ceylon, only increases the distance about miles, while the vast expense of having additional and separate boats is saved. from trincomalee, the steamer, both in going to and returning from calcutta, could, without inconvenience or delay, call at pondicherry and madras. should the time occupied by the steamers from bombay to calcutta by this route exceed the time occupied by the post to travel from the former to the latter by land, then in that case the european mails from calcutta could be forwarded by land, (p.  ) while the passengers, parcels, &c. could go round by the steamer, the difference, in point of time, being not above a day or two at most. the route, time, and distance from bombay to calcutta, would be thus:-- geo. miles. days. bombay to trincomalee stop at trincomalee trincomalee to calcutta, by madras, &c. stop at calcutta calcutta to bombay, same route ---- -- totals ---- -- two powerful boats would perform this work, giving two mails each month. each would be at sea days each voyage = monthly = yearly: tons coals daily = , tons yearly, , _l._ cost of boats, , _l._; yearly expenses, _l._ each, , _l._; together with coals, , _l._ & . _trincomalee to canton, by batavia_. at trincomalee, a steamer would take up the mails for the remainder of the eastern world, both from europe and from india, and proceed by batavia to canton. at batavia, this boat would deposit the mails for new south wales and singapore; the former to be forwarded by other steamers, and the latter by a good sailing schooner, which could always accomplish her work so as to be in time for the return steamer, and for the next outward mails; the distance from batavia to singapore being miles, thus: three, or even four days, out; three to stop, and four back; together days. the nearest way to canton from trincomalee is by nicobar and singapore, distance, miles; whereas the distance by batavia is miles; but then it must be remembered, that batavia is the most important station, and miles nearer new south wales than singapore. hence batavia appears to be the most eligible point of (p.  ) communication for the steamers. from trincomalee to canton, the route and time will be thus:-- geo. miles. days. trincomalee to batavia, by straits of sunda stop at batavia, coals, &c. batavia to canton stop at canton , batavia canton to trincomalee, by batavia ---- -- totals ---- -- three boats would perform this work, giving two mails each month. each boat would be at sea days each voyage = monthly = yearly: tons coals daily, , tons yearly-- , _l._ at trincomalee, a spare boat would require to be stationed, in case of accidents, which would make four for the station; prime cost, , _l._, and one sailing-vessel, , _l._ the yearly charges for provisions, wages, &c. &c. will be _l._ each, and _l._ for the sailing-vessel is , _l._, which, together with the expense of coals, amount to , _l._ . _batavia to sydney, new south wales, by swan river._ at batavia, steamers could take up the european, the indian, and the chinese mails, and proceed on to sydney, new south wales, by swan river and hobart town, &c. thus: geo. miles. days. batavia to swan river stop at ditto, coals swan river to hobart town stop at ditto hobart town to sydney stop at sydney, coals, &c. ditto at hobart town and swan river, returning sydney, by hobart town, &c. to batavia ---- -- totals ---- -- three boats would perform this work, giving two mails each month; (p.  ) but in case of accidents, there would require to be one spare boat on the station, to be stationed either at batavia or sydney. the cost of the four would be , _l._ each boat actively employed would be at sea days each voyage = monthly = yearly: tons coals daily is , tons yearly, at _s._, , _l._ the yearly expenditure of each boat besides would be _l._; for four, , _l._, together with coals, , _l._ it is unnecessary to dwell on the immense advantages which such a plan of mail communications as this would give to the commercial world in general, and to the commercial interests of the united kingdom in particular. these would be incalculably great, both to the governments and to the people. to complete the scheme, it would be requisite to have more than one station at which boats and machinery could be repaired. these would require to be malta, in the mediterranean, bombay, trincomalee, batavia, and sydney, in all five places; the salaries, &c. for superintendents, rents, and rent coal depôts, could not be less than _l._ per annum at each, or , _l._ the expense for workmen and materials are included in the per cent. allowed for tear and wear in the annual expenditure for each boat. the yearly expenditure for the whole plan, in all its parts, would consequently be as follows, and under the respective heads as here enumerated. _abstract._ no. . falmouth to alexandria, by lisbon, &c. . malta to constantinople, by zante, &c. . alexandria to suez, by cairo. . suez to bombay, by mocha. . socotora to mauritius. . bombay to calcutta, by ceylon. & . trincomalee to canton, by batavia, &c. . batavia to sydney, new south wales, by swan river, &c. . coal depôts, and stations for repairs. _expenditure by steam power, &c._ (p.  ) --------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+--------+------+------- | |provi- | | | | | |number number | fixed | sions |tons of| price |cost of| total |number| of of |capital|wages, | coals | coals | coals |expendi-| of |sailing station.| re- | &c. |yearly.| per |yearly.| ture |steam-| ves- |quired.|yearly.| | ton. | | yearly.| ers. | sels. --------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+--------+------+------- | £ | £ | | s. | £ | £ | | | , | , | , | | , | , | | " | , | , | , | " | , | , | | " | " | , | " | " | " | , | " | " | , | , | , | | , | , | | " | , | , | " | " | " | , | " | | , | , | , | " | , | , | | " & | , | , | , | " | , | , | | | , | , | , | " | , | , | | " | " | , | | " | " | , | " | " |-------+-------+-------| |-------+--------+------+------- | , | , | , | | , | , | | | | | | | , | , | | |-------+-------+-------| |-------+--------+------+------- | , | , | , | | , | , | | --------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+--------+------+------- the return boat from alexandria ought not to leave that place until the eastern mails come up from suez. the course of post under this arrangement between london and alexandria, would be days; between london and constantinople, the same; between london and bombay, days; london and calcutta, days; london and canton, days; london and batavia, days; london and swan river, days; london and sydney, new south wales, days, &c. &c. ii. another plan, by way of the cape of good hope. the above plan is attended with considerable risk, inasmuch as convulsions in egypt, and on the shores of the red sea about suez and mocha, and war in the mediterranean, might cut off altogether (p.  ) the communications with the whole eastern world, according to the route which has been laid down. to prevent such a result is an object of great importance, providing it can be effected without a serious sacrifice as to time, or expenditure of money. to have such vitally important communications as free from being disturbed by the march of war as possible, is not only desirable, but indispensable, on the part of great britain. this may be effected by going out by the cape of good hope. adopting this route would connect all the eastern transmarine possessions of great britain in one chain, with scarcely a link in the line of communication being dependent upon foreigners, except one or two, which the naval power of great britain could always command and control in case of emergency. the course here alluded to would lengthen the course of post to bombay and calcutta, &c. to a considerable extent; but in every part of the proposed new line, coals could always be procured more cheap and readily than in any quarter near the red sea. the following details, however, will place the time and expense in a clear point of view, and enable any one to contrast at a glance the two routes, and the difference which in time and expenditure will exist and remain between them. . _falmouth to cape verde._ the steam-boat with all the indian mails would go from falmouth by madeira to cape verde, thus:-- geo. miles. days. falmouth to madeira stop at madeira, coals madeira to cape verde stop at cape verde, coals cape verde to falmouth stop at madeira, returning, coals ---- -- totals ---- -- two steam-boats, actively employed, would perform this work, (p.  ) giving two mails each month. each boat would be at sea days each voyage = monthly = yearly:--coals, at tons daily = , tons yearly, at _s._ , _l._ . _cape verde to the cape of good hope._ the route and time from cape verde to the cape of good hope will be-- geo. miles. days. cape verde to ascension ascension to st. helena st. helena to cape of good hope stop at ascension and st. helena twice cape of good hope to cape verde ---- -- ---- -- three boats, actively employed, would perform this work, giving two mails each month; but in case of accidents, it would be advisable to have one spare boat at st. helena, or cape verde, making four at this station, or six in all between falmouth and the cape of good hope. the three boats actively employed would be at sea days each voyage = monthly = yearly. coals at tons daily = , tons yearly, at _s._, , _l._ . _cape of good hope to the mauritius._ from the cape, the steamers will proceed with all the mails to the eastward, calling at algoa bay and bourbon, and next to the mauritius. from the mauritius it will proceed to point de galle, where it will deposit the mails for bombay, and afterwards proceed to trincomalee, from whence it will return by way of point de galle to the mauritius, with the return mails for europe. it would take the bombay mails unreasonably out of the way to proceed from the mauritius direct (p.  ) to trincomalee. the route, time, and distance for this boat, would be as under:-- geo. miles. days. cape of good hope to mauritius stop at mauritius mauritius to cape of good hope ---- -- totals ---- -- two boats would perform this service, giving two mails each month; each days at sea each voyage = monthly = yearly. coals, tons daily, , tons yearly, at _s._ , _l._; other charges, , _l._ yearly; cost boats, , _l._ . _mauritius, to point de galle and trincomalee, ceylon._ geo. miles. days. mauritius to point de galle point de galle to trincomalee - / trincomalee to mauritius, same route - / ---- ------ totals ---- ------ two steam-boats, actively employed, would perform this work, giving two mails each month; but in the event of accidents, there would require to be a spare boat on this station, either at trincomalee or point de galle, as may seem advisable, and as assistance may be required for the mauritius, bombay, &c. line. the two boats actively engaged would be at sea each on each voyage, days = monthly = yearly. coals daily, tons = , tons yearly, at _s._, , _l._ three boats yearly, other expenses, , _l._ this station will require three boats; and one for the calcutta station--together four.[ ] [footnote : by making the four steamers on the route between the cape of good hope and ceylon, run--two from the cape to mauritius, and two from mauritius to point de galle, the boats on the eastern side of the mauritius would regularly have eight days, and those on the western side six days each month to rest; and furthermore, be always prepared to start whenever a steamer from either quarter with mails came up. in a similar manner, the boats which are to run between falmouth and the cape of good hope could be divided; by which means, besides being always ready when wanted, they also would have more time to rest. two may run from falmouth to cape verde, miles; three from cape verde to the cape of good hope, miles; with one, the fourth, to take by turns a voyage from cape verde to the cape of good hope, and a voyage from cape verde to falmouth, in order to relieve the others. sufficient time for rest would thus be obtained. moreover, by combining the east indian department with the plan for the western world by fayal to pernambuco, three steamers would be saved. the indian steamers to branch off at the latter place for the cape. the distance would, in this way, be increased about miles; but considering the winds and currents in the course which these steamers would take, it would not make three days more, if so much, in the outward voyage, and in the homeward voyage probably not so much; while the advantages would be considerable, and the saving great.] . _point de galle to bombay._ (p.  ) a steamer would proceed from point de galle to bombay, calling at mangalore, &c. and returning to point de galle by the same route with all the return mails. the route and time would be-- geo. miles. days. point de galle to bombay, by mangalore - / stop at bombay, &c. bombay to point de galle - / ----- ----- totals ----- ---- one boat would do all this work, giving two mails each month. at sea each voyage days = monthly = yearly. coals tons daily = , tons yearly, at _s._, , _l._ other charges, , _l._--together , _l._ . _trincomalee to calcutta._ a steamer would proceed from trincomalee to calcutta and back, calling in going and returning at pondicherry and madras. the route and time would be thus:-- geo. miles. days. trincomalee to madras - / madras to calcutta - / stop at calcutta, coals, &c. calcutta to trincomalee, same route ---- -- totals one steam-boat would perform this work, giving two mails each (p.  ) month; at sea each voyage days[ ] = monthly = yearly. coals, tons daily = tons yearly, at _s._, , _l._ other charges, _l._--together , _l._ per annum. [footnote : the time here is only ten days; but the calculation was made for a different division of the mails, and it has not been thought necessary to alter it. the time in which the different distances may be run has been here stated, but the necessary arrangements for the arrivals and departures of the mails will, in some instances, extend that time. these arrangements resolve the periods into--say , , , , , , &c. &c. days. thus, if the mails between alexandria and bombay cannot be back at alexandria, as they really cannot be, within days, the object to come up with the regular return mediterranean mail for england is equally attained if it is back at alexandria within days; and the same principle applies equally to every other station.] from trincomalee eastward to batavia, canton, and new south wales, the routes, periods, distances, and expenses, would be exactly the same as those which have already been pointed out in the plan of having the communications by the red sea, under heads nos. , , , and . bringing the whole into one table, the total amount is ascertained, and the difference of expenditure in the one route over the other becomes distinctly known. in order, however, to bring the whole into a tabular form, it is necessary to recapitulate and particularize the different heads, thus:-- . falmouth to cape verde. . cape verde (mayo) to cape of good hope. . cape of good hope to mauritius. . mauritius to ceylon, point de galle. . ceylon, point de galle, to bombay. . ceylon to calcutta, by madras. . trincomalee to canton, by batavia. . batavia to singapore. . batavia to sydney, new south wales, by swan river. . coal depôts, and places to repair boats. _expenditure by the cape of good hope._ (p.  ) |------|--------|-------|--------|------|-------|--------|------|-------| | | | | | | | | | | |number|fixed |provi- |tons of |price |cost of| total |number|number | |of |capital | sions,|coals |of |coals |expendi-| of | of | |sta- |required|wages |yearly. |coals |yearly.| ture |stea- |sailing| |tions.| | &c. | |per | |yearly. | mers |ves- | | | |yearly.| |ton | | | |sels. | |------|--------|-------|--------|------|-------|--------|------|-------| | | £ | £ | | _s._ | £ | £ | | | | | , | , | , | | , | , | | " | | | , | , | , | | , | , | | " | | | , | , | , | | , | , | | " | | | , | , | , | " | , | , | | " | | | , | , | , | " | , | , | | " | | | , | , | , | " | , | , | | " | | -- | , | , | , | " | , | , | | | | |--------|-------|--------| |-------|--------|------|-------| | [ ]| , | , | , | | , | , | | | | | | | | | , | , | | | | |--------|-------|--------| |-------|--------|------|-------| | | , | , | , | | , | , | | | | sub.| , | , | , | | , | , | | | | |--------|-------|--------| |-------|--------|------|-------| | diff.| , | , | , | | , | , | | | |------|--------|-------|--------|------|-------|--------|------|-------| [footnote : the same remark regarding the cost of steamers, will apply here, that has been made in the plan proposed for the western world.] the first deduction is the sum for the saving in quantity and price of coals, as aftermentioned; the last sum shows the difference of cost and expenditure of the route by the red sea, as compared with the route by the cape of good hope; bearing in mind, however, that the expense of the establishment from falmouth to alexandria would still remain, admitting that the route by the cape of good hope was adopted. in the preceding calculation of expenses, the amount is taken calculating that the work is to be done wholly by steam, and at the average rate of geographical miles per day. the use of sails, however, will propel a vessel at the average rate of - / miles per hour throughout a general voyage; consequently, _one-fourth_ should be deducted from the quantity of coals used. this will amount to (p.  ) , tons, value , _l._, less per cent. allowed for wastage on the whole, is , tons, , _l._, which leaves the net saving of , _l._ next, the value of coals supplied to the eastward of the cape of good hope is calculated at _s._ per ton, as received from europe. but coals may be supplied in all places to the eastward of the cape of good hope at _s._ per ton, thus:--they can be purchased excellent, and in abundance, at _s._ per ton at sydney, new south wales. ships coming from that place to ports in the east indies, and the mauritius, for freight, would carry these coals, and be glad to convey and to sell them at _s._ per ton, a profit of _s._, instead of making nothing, as at present. a further deduction, therefore, of _s._ per ton, or one-fourth in value, on the quantity used to the eastward of the cape, is to be made, which will amount to , _l._, and which, together with the above balance of , _l._, makes the sum of , _l._ to be deducted from the total amount of expenditure. next, as to the rate of speed--it is calculated throughout the voyage, at the rate of geographical miles per day. in running before the wind, and with the monsoons, the vessels would make more, and in working against them, less; still, on the whole voyage, or from the cape, for example, to calcutta, and from calcutta to the cape again, the time specified would be sufficient for the work and the distance; while in taking a circuitous course to avoid the force of the monsoons, the steamers would make up by increased speed for the increased distance. the n. e. monsoon may, at anytime, be stemmed by a steamer of large power, and such as is now recommended. the s. w., which is the most formidable, may be overcome by the boats on their return,--if by the red sea, by making first a course to the southward, and then standing n. w. with the monsoon on their beam. by the cape of good hope, the difficulty would be decreased in this respect, as the boats running southward to gain the mauritius from ceylon, would, by keeping to the southward, soon get out of their vortex; while the steamers between bombay and ceylon have only to keep in shore to avoid the greatest force of the monsoon either way, and from either quarter. in crossing from the red sea to bombay, the strength of the n. e. (p.  ) monsoon would be avoided by keeping in with the arabian, and afterwards with the eastern asiatic coast. taking the line of communication, therefore, between great britain and the eastern world, by the cape of good hope, the expense beyond that which the line of communication by the mediterranean and the red sea would occasion, would be, in capital, , _l._, and in yearly expenditure, , _l._ the point to consider is, will the advantages, and the security to be obtained by taking the former in preference to the latter route, prove a sufficient compensation for, and a warrant to go to the additional and increased expense? the answer, minutely considering every circumstance, will be, that they are. the obstruction which the land barrier between alexandria and suez offers, and must always offer, even when unobstructed by hostile force, to the conveyance of parcels, packages, and goods, is a great drawback indeed. the competition, also, by steamers belonging to other parties and states, would, as regards all these, be a great drawback on this line; and to which must be added, the increased difficulties and drawbacks which would arise in the event of hostilities taking place between any of the great powers connected with the affairs of the mediterranean. on the other hand, the free communication which would be had,--free also as it would be, or nearly so, from any serious competition by the cape of good hope, the carriage of every thing being in almost every point and place under the british flag and revenue laws--would render this line much more profitable than the line by egypt and the red sea could ever be. the coal depôts for the lines by the first plan would be--gibraltar, malta, constantinople, alexandria, mocha or socotora, bombay, trincomalee, calcutta, batavia, canton, swan river, hobart town, and sydney: and for the lines by the second plan, madeira, cape verde, ascension, st. helena, cape of good hope, mauritius, bombay, point de galle or trincomalee, calcutta, batavia, canton, swan river, hobart town, and sydney. the course of post between london and the different places here stated, taking the route by the cape of good hope, would be--london and sydney, new south wales, days; london and swan river, (p.  ) days; london and canton, days; london and batavia, days; london and calcutta, days; london and bombay, days; london and the mauritius, days; and london and the cape of good hope, days, &c. &c., but in working the scheme some stoppages may perhaps be cut off. _income by the mediterranean._ passengers:--falmouth to alexandria, voyages, at each, _l._ £ , malta to constantinople, ditto, at each, _l._ , suez to bombay, ditto, at each, _l._ , ditto to calcutta and madras, &c. do. at each, _l._ , ditto to mauritius, ditto, at each, _l._ , -------- total £ , deduct finding ditto, one-third , -------- remain clear £ , freights--parcels, packages, and goods, say , freight--specie, suppose , government troops, stores, &c. , ditto, carrying all mails and despatches , -------- £ , deduct expenditure £ , sinking fund. per cent. , -------- , -------- balance gain £ , -------- _income by cape of good hope._ (p.  ) passengers:--falmouth to bombay, voyages, at each = , at _l._ £ , ditto to calcutta and madras, &c. ditto, at each = , at _l._ , mauritius to calcutta & madras, &c. ditto, at each = , at _l._ , east indies to batavia, china, &c. voyages, at each = , at _l._ , new south wales and falmouth, voyages, at each = , at . , madeira, st. helena, cape of good hope, and coasting voyages, india, voyages, and ceylon and calcutta, together, say yearly , new south wales coastways, voyages, at each, average _l._ , -------- total £ , deduct for finding _one-third_ , -------- balance gain £ , freights--parcels, packages, fine goods, voyages, tons each, average at _l._ per ton of tonnage £ , freight--specie, say , government troops, stores, &c. , ditto mails, despatches , ------- , ------- total , deduct expenditure £ , sinking fund, to replace capital, per cent , sundries, port charges, &c. , ------- , -------- balance gain £ , -------- geographical observations on the isthmus of america, (p.  ) and the practicability of a communication with china and new south wales westward through it. a ready and safe communication with these important places, and at the same time with all the most eastern parts of asia, with all the islands in the pacific ocean, and with all the western coasts of the great continent of america, it will be readily allowed, is of the utmost importance to great britain and to the whole civilized world. through the isthmus of central america only, a short, safe, and easy passage from europe to the eastern parts of asia and the pacific ocean, can be effected. that a passage over the pole exists, is extremely probable, nay, it may be said, is certain. this passage, when found, will be obtained by standing north between nova zembla and spitzbergen, and thence over the pole, inclining first eastward above europe, and thence westward for some distance, to behring's straits. but admitting that there is a passage open by this route, it can only be so from the end of may to the middle of september, and during this period only comparatively safe; a period much too short to accomplish a voyage out and back from china, and scarcely sufficient to perform the voyage out and back between great britain and her territories on the west coast of america situated to the north of columbia river. moreover, even if a passage this way was open for a period sufficient to enable the navigator to accomplish the voyage to either of the quarters alluded to, still it will appear, when the distances come (p.  ) to be noticed and contrasted, that, considering the winds and the weather which ships would encounter in passing over the north pole into the pacific, as contrasted with those which they would most certainly meet with in sailing westward through tropical seas, by the isthmus of america; that the latter route would, upon the whole, be the best, and in all respects preferable and most expeditious. a communication by the latter quarter may be advantageously and speedily opened up, both for steamers and for sailing vessels; and in the conveyance of mails, both or either may be employed, as shall appear to be most eligible and most advisable. to lay open such a communication as this would prove, is an object of the first importance, worthy of the attention of any body of men, and of any nation, but more especially of a nation like great britain, to support and to patronize in every way. by this route, all vessels, mails, and merchandise could reach the more distant and wealthy parts of asia and australasia, sooner and safer, and through seas comparatively always tranquil, borne by winds scarcely ever varying, and always favourable, than these can do by any other course that is known, or that remains to be discovered. in an especial manner, this would be the case as regards all the western coasts of america, north and south, the islands in the pacific, new south wales and van dieman's land, japan, china, eastern siberia, &c. the perpetual trade-winds would bear vessels before them from madeira to canton, and almost to sydney, while in returning they would merely have to run through these trade-winds, with a steady breeze on the beam, until they reached the latitude of ° to ° north, when the steady and certain, and strong westerly and south-west winds, would bear them in these parallels first, to the west coast of america; from which point winds off the land, and north-easterly trade-winds, would carry them, in the second place, to the point of communication with the atlantic, through the isthmus of central america; from which they, in the third place, would run to the north, carried by the trade-winds and the gulf stream, into and through the gulf of florida, into the variable winds, which would quickly bear them to all the eastern ports of north america, and (p.  ) to all the ports in europe, or along the coasts of the mediterranean. by this channel, namely, through the isthmus of central america, the valuable, but almost unknown, british territory on the west coast of north america, would be brought near, and cleared, and cultivated. so also would the whole remaining western coast of america, from nootka sound to the southern extremity of chili, be brought near to the civilized world, and become, in consequence, also peopled, cleared, and cultivated. without such a communication is opened up, these coasts, and states upon them, can scarcely ever be brought to this state, but to which it is most desirable for the general interests of the world, and of the human race in it, that they should be brought. situated as they are, there is no produce of their soil which their inhabitants can raise that can bear the expense of carriage to enable it to come into competition in the general markets of the world, with similar articles raised in other countries, which are all more accessible and placed nearer markets; and unless the soil of the western coasts of america and the islands in the pacific are brought into cultivation, and peopled by people more civilized and industrious, it is obvious that these countries and the states and population at present in them, must remain in the poor, ignorant, miserable, and uncultivated state and condition in which they are, of little service to themselves or to the remainder of the world. the points where the communication between the atlantic and the pacific are most feasible and practicable, is at one point on the southern boundaries of the republic of mexico, and the others within the territories of the republics of guatemala and venezuela. the neck of land, or isthmus, which connects north and south america together, may be taken to extend from ° n. lat., in the meridian of ° w. long., to the parallel of ° or ° n. lat. in the meridian of ° w. long. narrow as the continent of america is in all this space, but more especially in the southern portion of this space, recent surveys have reduced it still more; and it is not improbable that, when the late surveys of the west coasts within the tropics are published, that it will be found to be still narrower, and more contracted than is (p.  ) supposed, or than the late accurate surveys by captain owen, under the orders also of the british government, of the shores of the gulf of mexico, have shown it to be; and consequently the communication between the atlantic and the pacific will be found to be still shorter and more easy than it has been, or is even now considered to be. the first two points within the limits above mentioned, where communications are most practicable, are the following:--_first_, in the territory of mexico, from the mouth of the river guazacoalcos, on the gulf of mexico, to the mouth of the chimalapa, in the gulf of tehuantepec, on the pacific, between the parallels of - / ° to - / ° n. lat. the distance from sea to sea at this part is geographical miles, in a south-west direction. the sources of the streams which flow, the one eastward into the gulf of mexico, and the other westward, into the pacific, come within the short distance of miles of each other. _secondly_, the channel from the gulf of dolce, which communicates with the gulf of mexico, to the southward of honduras or the balize, to trinidad, situate on a bay in the pacific, to the north of point remedios. the distance of the gulf of dolce to the pacific, at the point just mentioned, is geographical miles, with the advantages of the courses of rivers which bend their courses to the opposite oceans. but if it is correct that the river balize is, as it has been stated to be, navigable upwards in its course to a distance of miles, then it must penetrate so deeply into the continent, that its sources must approach to points still nearer to the pacific than the gulf of dolce, or its tributary streams. it is doubtful, however, if any canals could be cut in either of the lines mentioned, because the land rises very considerably, forming in the central parts what is denominated table land, and is in general studded with ridges and high volcanic mountains, while the ports on either shore are neither very commodious nor of safe approach. there has been of late years also a tolerable good road constructed in the first-mentioned line, which will tend greatly to facilitate the communication from sea to sea, so far as the interests of mexico are immediately concerned. these points adverted to are the only probable channels of (p.  ) communication to the northward of the river st. juan and lake nicaragua, which, like the last-noticed line, are situated in the territory of the republic of central america, the capital of which is san salvador. for reasons which will subsequently be adduced, the consideration of this important position is left until those points in the isthmus of panama and darien have been particularly noticed and examined. the first points to examine are those which are situated to the southward and eastward of panama, and which are immediately connected with, and contiguous to, the gulf of darien. these are as follow:--in the province of choco, famous for its gold mines, there is a ravine called rapsadura, extending between a head branch of the river st. juan, which, after a course from n. e. by n. to s. w. by s., falls into the pacific in lat. ° ' n.; and the river of quito, one of the head branches of the river atrato, which flows in nearly a due north course into the gulf of darien. through the ravine just mentioned, the parish priest of novita dug a small canal in , which was navigable during the rainy season, and by which canoes, laden with coffee and other produce, passed from one sea to another, a distance of miles; as they found it requisite and convenient. the next point, and more to the north beyond cape st. francisco de solano, in about ° ' n. lat. is, from the mouth of the cupica, or tupica, as it is denominated in some maps, along that stream, which descends from the eastward into the pacific, through a break in the mountains to the head of the river naipi, a distance of from to miles only. the latter river is deep and navigable, and flows through a lake of considerable magnitude, nearly due east, into the river atrato, a little below the village of zitara, about miles from the mouth of the latter stream, in the gulf of darien. the distance from the pacific to the atrato, through the channels mentioned, is only geographical miles. the atrato springs (its farthest branch the rio chame) in the rising ground, in ° ' n. lat. and ° ' w. long., and runs almost due north, a distance of miles, into the gulf of darien. at this point, the western and secondary chain of the (p.  ) andes is broken and interrupted, and there is good reason to believe that they continue to be so in several places more to the northward: in fact, that they cease, and are succeeded through all the isthmus of darien and panama, by a low range, broken into fragments in different places. at the point under consideration, namely, by the cupica and the naipi, the spanish government had it in contemplation, about forty years ago, to open a communication from sea to sea, by means of a canal; but the events in europe, and the decay of their power, prevented the important enterprise from being undertaken. the gulf of darien, and the course of the atrato, were rigidly guarded and concealed by the spanish government, so much so, that by special decrees the punishment of death was denounced against every one who should either permit or attempt the exploration of the country in these parts. this showed clearly that their practical knowledge gave them to know, that a communication between the atlantic and the pacific was easy and practicable in more places than one in this quarter of their dominions. the next point where the communication is practicable, either by water or a short distance by land, where a canal could be cut, or a road made, is between the gulf of st. miguel on the pacific, to the bottom of the gulf of darien, due east, and also to the port de escoces, or _new edinburgh_, more to the n. (n. e. by e. from st. miguel) in the upper part of the gulf of darien, on the atlantic. the distance from the head of the gulf of st. miguel to the latter point is miles, and to the former to miles, but with river communications to within miles of the latter, and miles of the former. the gulf of st. miguel opens to the pacific from ° ' to ° ' n. lat., and runs e. n. e. and n. e. by e., fully miles into the country, its centre crossing the meridian of ° w. long. as has been shortly adverted to, the rivers which seem to form the gulf of st. miguel run deeply into the country, both to the s. e. and to the n. e., one particularly, the chuqunaque, with an extremely zigzag course between ridges of mountains, is laid down to within miles of new edinburgh; which, by the last admiralty charts, drawn from the best spanish authorities, is (p.  ) placed in ° ' n. lat. and ° ' w. long. to the s. e. the source of streams which run into the gulf of san miguel spring within miles of the mouth of the atrato, while branches of each approach within half that distance of each other. the land in this quarter is clearly low, because, for a considerable distance from its mouth, the atrato runs through a very marshy and flooded country. new edinburgh, or port de escoces, is an excellent port, commodious, and well sheltered, and is the celebrated spot where, in (one hundred and thirty-eight years ago), the scotch colony, under the direction of a scotch clergyman, named paterson, a most intelligent and enterprising man, was established, in order to open up a communication between both seas, and which was afterwards so shamefully, disgracefully, stupidly, and unguardedly abandoned by the then government of great britain, spurred on to the act by the miserable and contracted commercial rivalry of england and holland; and afterwards by the jealousies, the fears, and the representations of the government of spain, which at that time had really no right to the country, the natives thereof being independent of, and at war with, spain. the gulf of darien is of easy entrance, and penetrates southward to a little beyond the ° of n. lat., and to the southward of the principal mouth of the atrato; the centre of the bottom of the gulf being in the meridian of ° ' w. longitude. the next and last point to the southward and the eastward of chagre is by the river of chopo, about miles to the eastward of panama. narrow as the land in this quarter has been held to be, still the charts and maps lately published by individuals, and by the authority of the admiralty, show that it is much narrower than what has hitherto been calculated upon; and in the particular point under consideration, very narrow indeed. from the mouth of the river chopo, opposite the little island chepillo in the pacific, to the bottom of the gulf of st. blas or mandinga on the atlantic, is only about miles (some maps make it still less). in this space, the mountains to the eastward of the high chain s. of point manzanillo and porto bello, which give rise to the chagres, and its tributary streams, running first (p.  ) westward and then north-west into the atlantic, are again, according to captain lloyd, interrupted and broken, affording thereby a readier communication between the two great oceans, the atlantic, and the pacific. in an apparently good spanish map of the isthmus, upon a large scale, the river chopo or bayano is represented as being formed by two branches, one under the name of the rio canizas, springing to the southward of the pico de carti, a hill only four miles from the atlantic, in the bay of mandinga; the whole course of the river to the pacific on a general south bearing, being only miles. the source of the chagres comes within miles of the lower course of the chopo; and some good maps lay down a river which joins the chopo, near its mouth, as coming from the n. e., its sources likewise being within a very few miles of the atlantic. here, certainly, is a point from which, and on which a communication could be opened up at any rate by a good road, so as to afford a speedy conveyance for passengers, mails, and goods, between the two seas; while it is also exceedingly probable that, even in this short space, great facilities and assistance could be obtained by canal navigation, and by the rivers just mentioned. the points, however, where a canal could be cut of sufficient depth to admit the passage of large ships, and thus save the delay and the expense which loading and unloading cargoes would occasion, where roads of any description remain the only means of communication, and where the approach on either coast is safe, and interior water communication most abundant, are, certainly, the points which should be fixed upon and selected, in order to effect the object so important to the whole world. the two points hitherto the best known, and considered to be the best adapted for the purpose, are, first, the line from chagre on the atlantic, to panama on the pacific; and secondly, the line, perhaps the best of the whole, from the mouth of the river st. juan on the atlantic, by that river and lake nicaragua, to rialejo, or gulf papagayo, on the pacific. the panama line comes most properly the first point for consideration. here the survey, by lieutenant lloyd, in , gives some certain data, and some curious and important information. he tells us (p.  ) pointedly, from actual observation, that which good spanish maps indicated, and what was more vaguely told by others. according to him, on the eastern side of the province of veragua, the cordillera breaks into detached mountains, their sides exhibiting only bare rock, almost perpendicular. to these, as approaching nearer panama, succeed numerous conical mountains, arising out of savannahs and plains, and seldom exceeding from to feet. "finally," says he, "between chagre on the atlantic side, and chorera on the pacific, these conical mountains are not so numerous, having plains of great extent, interspersed with occasional ranges of hills of inconsiderable height." such is the isthmus of panama, where the distance from sea to sea is, even according to the present charts, only geographical miles, and from the mouth of the chagre to panama, miles.[ ] of this distance the chagre, which has a circuitous course, is navigable for miles to cruces--distant from the sea in a direct line miles, and from panama miles. at its mouth the chagre is one-fourth of a mile broad, and at cruces about feet: in its middle course the depth is feet. the current runs at the rate of from three to four miles per hour. it is full of numerous, constantly shifting sand banks, and sunken trees, which, with the current, render the navigation (p.  ) tedious, difficult, and even dangerous. at its mouth the coast is very sickly, as indeed the country through its course also is; but when the land is cleared, it will doubtless become more healthy. when the current is very rapid, it requires four or five days to reach cruces. the height of the land which intervenes between cruces and panama, has been accurately ascertained by mr. lloyd; and that portion of the country which he passed over in his survey along the old road to panama, is certainly the most elevated of the whole, as is shown in the following summary of his survey. [footnote : from the mouth of the chorera to the bay lemon, the distance is - / geographical miles. there is, however, reason to believe, that the distance from sea to sea is still less. ulloa, who was an accurate and scientific observer, places, and from actual observation, chagres in ° ' " n. lat., and panama in ° ' " n. lat. not being able to observe an eclipse of jupiter's satellites, owing to the obscuration of the atmosphere, he was obliged to calculate the longitude from bearings and distances. in these, however, he could not be far wrong; and by these he places cruces ' east of chagre, and panama ' " east of chagre, which, if he is correct, brings the breadth of the land from the castle of chagre to panama, to be only geographical miles!! since the preceding pages were written, captain washington, secretary to the royal geographical society, has favoured me with the longitudes of the places adverted to, as ascertained by captain forster, and in february by captain belcher, r.n. porto bello is in ° ' west long.; chagre, ° '; and panama in ° ' ". this gives the distance from chagre to panama geographical miles. porto bello is in lat. ° ' north. from thence to the pacific, a little to the east of panama, is miles. from chagre to the mouth of the caymito will be miles. ulloa's calculations of longitudes would thus appear to be wrong.] this survey commenced from the eastern suburb of panama, at high-water mark, and ran along the old road to porto bello, unto the point where it crossed the rio chagre,--a distance of chains, - / miles. the highest land passed over was the ridge maria henrique, - / miles from panama, and from the chagre. its height is . feet. the point where the road approaches the river, is . feet above the level of high-water mark at panama; and the bed of the river from whence the survey commenced downwards, is . feet. descending the river chains, - / miles, mr. lloyd came to the village of cruces, after a descent of . feet; thus making cruces to be . feet above high-water mark at panama. from cruces to gorgona chains, - / miles, the fall is . feet; and thence to a small gravel bank, named "_playa los ingenieros_" distant from cruces chains, - / miles, the fall is . feet, precisely level with the high-water mark at panama. at chains, - / miles below cruces, mr. lloyd first observed the effects of the tide from the atlantic, the level of the river at this point being . feet below the level of high-water mark on the pacific. at chains, miles, further down, reached la bruja, where the water became brackish; the level of the surface of the river being . feet below the high-water mark at panama. from la bruja there was no perceptible descent to the atlantic. the whole distance gone over in levelling from sea to sea, was miles. the tide at the mouth of the chagre rises only one foot, or . feet; but at panama the spring-tide in the pacific rises in a mean level (p.  ) to the height of . feet, though high winds and currents occasionally raise them to the height of . feet. at low water the sea sinks proportionally at panama below the level of the atlantic: the reason for this difference is obvious. the current towards the gulf of mexico, and which afterwards forms the famous gulf stream, carries off rapidly the waters in the atlantic; while, on the contrary, the current which flows northward along the western coast of south america, and the tide which flows into the bay of panama, from the south-west from the pacific, heaps, as it were for a moment, the waters into the bay and on the shores of panama, and occasions the tides alluded to, and differing so greatly from those which are seen in the atlantic at the short distance on the opposite coast. from maria henrique to cruces is only about nine miles. in the intermediate spaces are several savannahs, and, according to the spanish maps, a very considerable river, called rio de los laxas, which enters the chagre a little above cruces. this river flows westward from mount maria henrique; while the principal branches of the rio grande, which flows south into the pacific immediately to the westward of panama, spring from the south-west side of the mountain already mentioned. the branches of this river and of the chagre approach very near each other; while savannahs, according to lloyd's map, fill up, as between the rio grande and the obispo, the most of the intervening space. in this short distance, and with the aid of these rivers, a water communication, were the country properly examined, it is conjectured, might be found. from cruces the road, for a short distance, ascends considerably; after which it runs along a ridge, with a valley on each side; that on the south the deepest, being about feet, and descends until it comes to a plain, through which it stretches and runs to the city of panama. it is by quitting the old spanish track or road, and continuing along the savannahs and levels, that it is believed the water communication adverted to could be effected; and where the distance, taking into account the short bends which may be necessary, is so short, probably not twenty miles! these observations naturally call the attention to the consideration of a line of communication which may be had from the river (p.  ) trinidad to the pacific, either at panama or a little to the westward of that town, in the bay of chorera, at the mouth of the rio caymito. the condition of the country in that portion of the isthmus has already been generally described, on the authority of mr. lloyd; and from what he has stated, and which is in unison with other information, not a doubt can remain that a water communication can be opened up in this quarter from sea to sea. lines for railroads have already been chalked out in both places alluded to; and considered so easy that the sum of , dollars is estimated as the whole expense necessary to complete either. it is scarcely necessary to observe, that wherever a rail-road can be constructed, a canal may be made. the river trinidad is a branch of the chagre, which comes from the westward and from the south-westward, and joins the latter at about eight miles due s. w. from its mouth. the trinidad is navigable to embracadero, and for some distance, from its mouth, is both broad and deep. its branches penetrate a considerable way into the country, and approach closely to the branches of the caymito, a considerable stream, which flows through a country, in its lower course, comparatively level; while between its upper course and the trinidad the distance is covered with savannahs and small conical hills, and in some places marshy plains--a complete proof of the level nature of the country. the streams which rise to the westward of the line alluded to, namely, in the hills stretching to the province of veragua, mostly flow into the chagre, another proof of the direction in which the mountains in this quarter lay; and that there is no continued chain, as has been stated, extending in the centre of the isthmus throughout, and joining together the andes of north and south america. from the junction of the trinidad with the chagre to panama is only - / miles, and to the mouth of the chorera miles! short, however, as the distances just mentioned are, they are considerably reduced, when the navigation of the trinidad on the one side, and of the caymito on the other, are taken into account. these reduce the greater distance at least one-half; and in it, as well as the lesser distance, the nature of the country, for a considerable (p.  ) portion of the distance, if not throughout the whole distance, overcomes almost every obstacle, or rather renders every obstacle that may offer, possible to be overcome. from that portion of the river chagre, which is level with high-water mark at panama, south-westward to that city, the country is interspersed with savannahs, and consequently level. indeed, for "a few miles" inwards from panama, the _plains_ are below the level of the sea, thus rendering the formation of a canal easy; while, on the north side of the most elevated spot, the numerous streams which spring and flow to the chagre would afford an abundant supply of water for any canal that may be constructed, however large that may be. the distance, therefore, where any serious difficulty could occur, must be reduced to a mile or two; and in that distance, should any of those conical mountains, from to feet high, or insulated ridges of inconsiderable height, which mr. lloyd tells us are here and there to be found in these places--should any such intervene, they may be cut through without any great difficulty. the excess in the rise of the tide in the pacific, nearly feet above its rise in the atlantic, would tend greatly to accelerate the construction, in this part of america, of a water communication; which water communication, however, be it observed, must be sufficient to admit the passage through it of ships of the very highest tonnage, and at all seasons; otherwise it will not answer the general purpose, nor interests of the world. less might indeed suit for the conveyance of mails; but any thing less would occasion such an additional expense in unloading, transporting, and again loading goods, as would render the tedious navigation of cape horn preferable. _lake nicaragua, &c._ the next to be considered, and perhaps the last and the best channel by which a communication between the atlantic and the pacific could be opened up, and safely carried on, is through central america, or the republic of guatemala, by means of the river st. juan and the lakes nicaragua and managua, or, as the latter is more generally called, (p.  ) leon. these lakes are connected with each other by a river, and are navigable for ships; nicaragua for ships of the line. the river st. juan forms the outlet of both into the atlantic ocean, and is, according to estella, navigable throughout its course for ships of large burden. the mouth of the st. juan, according to the late survey by capt. owen, lays in ° ' n. lat. and in ° ' w. long. leon, the capital of the province in which lake managua is situated, and from which the name of leon is generally given to the latter, stands, according to the best spanish authorities, in ° ' n. lat. and ° ' w. long.; and its port, rialejo, on the pacific, in ° ' " n. lat., and ° ' w. long. from the mouth of the river st. juan to rialejo, in a bearing of n. ° w. the distance is miles; and this bearing runs nearly through the centre of the lakes and the course of the river st. juan. from the point where the river st. juan issues from the lake nicaragua to the point where the river lapita, which issues from lake managua, falls into the former, the distance, taken on the best maps, is about miles. rialejo is situated on a river of the same name, which is deep, and capable of holding in the harbour sail of the largest ships. the harbour is well protected from the force of the pacific, and from storms, by an island stretching out before it, with two channels between it and the main land; the one opening to the south-east, and the other to the north-west. the adjacent country is very fertile, but the place itself is reckoned unhealthy, owing to some swamps in the vicinity and to the southward; but which, it is believed, might be drained and cleared, which would render the climate salubrious, or, at least, as much so as any tropical climate can be to europeans. lake nicaragua, in its broadest part, is about miles: it has several considerable islands, some of them active volcanoes, and all of them fertile. the country around its shores is stated to be very healthy and very fertile, and studded with high peaks, mostly volcanic, and many of them, on both sides, volcanoes in activity. at the point on its north-east corner, where the river st. juan issues from it, there is (according to some of our best maps) erected the castle of st. carlos; and lower down, about miles on the banks (p.  ) of the river, is placed the castle of st. juan, which castle was taken by the english in . alcedo says that this river is navigable for ships of large size; but others add, that during the dry season, when the river is low, in one or two places the navigation is obstructed by sand banks, which, however, could easily be removed by a deepening machine, such as that used for a similar purpose on the clyde. lake managua in its western shore approaches in its southern portion to within to miles of the pacific; and here the conical peak range appears to be discontinued and broken. so also it is in the route from leon to rialejo, a distance of miles. the next nearest point of communication is to the southward of the town of grenada, situate on the upper part of lake nicaragua, westward to the port of st. juan, which runs considerably into the country from the pacific. here the distance from the lake to the sea is miles. the next point of communication is from the neighbourhood of the town of nicaragua to the bottom of the gulf of papagayo, the distance being about miles. the river partido flows from the s. e. through a course of fully miles, and enters the pacific at the bottom of the gulf of papagayo. at this point, also, the volcanic peaks and the ridge appear to be interrupted, and very low, thereby rendering a passage more probable and easy. on the neck of land, also, between the upper part of lake nicaragua and the pacific, there are situated in three different places between the pacific and the interior part, three lakes, which, while it shows the low nature of the coast, tends also to shorten very considerably in this otherwise very narrow neck ( miles), the space that intervenes between the lake and the ocean. the american coast of the pacific is, in fact, bordered with an alluvial plain, varying in breadth, which tends still more to lessen the breadth of the high lands in every quarter. between the bottom of the gulf of papagayo to lake nicaragua, the distance, the alluvial strip included, is, (see journal r. g. s. vol. vi.), only , english yards, nearly geographical miles. the highest point of land that intervenes, is only - / spanish feet (the spanish foot is . english) above the level of the sea, and only feet above (p.  ) the level of the lake. the lake is very deep, and at this point is said to be fathoms. the surface of the lake is thus - / spanish feet above the level of both oceans. the tide in the pacific in the gulf of papagayo rises about feet, decreasing in its rise towards the north, and increasing its rise towards the south. when mr. canning proclaimed that he had "_called a new world into existence_," he ought, as he then might, to have kept these places, the key to both worlds, in his power, and in the power of his country. some spanish authorities state, that lake nicaragua has a communication with the pacific, but at what point does not appear, nor is it probable. others state that it has a tide in it like the ocean; and if so, this certainly indicates a communication with it by some low and level channel, where the tide from the sea drives back the flow of waters from the lake. to ascertain these points are objects of great importance, and well worthy the attention of the civilized world; and the wonder is, that it has not before this time been attempted. all the old and best spanish writers, who wrote either from access to the best materials, or from practical information regarding the spanish territories in south america, but more especially estalla and alcedo, mention, in the most pointed manner, that, by the places which have just been considered, the nearest and the safest channel would be found, nay actually existed, whereby a communication could be opened up between the atlantic and the pacific; and farther, that the possession and the command of fort st. juan and the river st. juan on the one hand, and of the port of rialejo on the other, gave the holder and possessor of them the key to and the command of both oceans. like the gulf of darien, all entrance into or examination of this quarter of america by foreigners, or travellers in general, was prohibited by the spanish government, under the punishment of death for a violation of the law. the spaniards were particularly averse to and jealous of england, or englishmen, becoming acquainted with this portion of america. in some one of the points mentioned, and most probably from lake managua to rialejo, or from lake nicaragua to the gulf of papagayo, the best line for a communication between the atlantic and the (p.  ) pacific will be found. the shores of lake nicaragua are tolerably well cultivated, and it has several harbours. numerous streams flow into it from all sides, but particularly from the north. the river st. juan is a considerable stream--as large, say the spanish writers, as the guadalquiver in its lower course. in a distance so short, a canal, fit to bear ships of the very largest tonnage, could be cut, at certainly no very heavy expense; say, at the rate of , _l._ for miles. even if the river st. juan should not be found to be navigable, and that it might be most advisable to cut a canal along its banks, from the atlantic to the lake, the distance is not very great ( or miles), and the country presents no insuperable obstacles to it; on the contrary, it is believed to be easy of access. this distance might be cut for , _l._--a small sum even joined to the other, when the immense object to be attained is considered. the choice of position, after considering attentively every point, will remain between chagre to panama, and between st. juan and nicaragua to rialejo, as to which is the best line for a water communication; for it is pretty clear that the lines to the eastward and to the southward of panama, narrow although the neck of land certainly is in these parts, can only be looked to as points for a speedy road communication in some, and for small craft in the others. the jealousy of the government of spain formerly sealed up every possible line of communication between the atlantic and the pacific, in all the places mentioned, from the rest of the world; and it is probable that the jealousy, and also the poverty and inability of the new governments lately started up in these parts may continue to do so, if they are allowed to do so, or if they remain unaided in the enterprise by foreign capital, and not be impelled thereto by foreign, but particularly european influence. a glance at the map of these parts of america, and at a map of the world, and a moment's reflection and consideration bestowed on the great interests that depend upon it, that would be laid open and connected by such a communication, is sufficient to show the prodigious benefits which would therefrom flow to the human race, and especially to the governments and the (p.  ) people of north and south america, and those fine but comparatively poor and miserable portions of this globe. the treasures and the labours of nations would be well bestowed in completing such an undertaking. laying open such a communication would do more to people, to cultivate, and to civilize the world, than any other effort--than all other efforts made by the world at large, when combined and brought together. no nation in the world is so deeply interested in seeing a proper communication through the best of the channels pointed out laid open, as great britain; and no other nation could so well undertake it as she can. the immense empire which is rising under her flag in new holland; the large territory which she would thereby bring within the sphere of cultivation and civilization on the west coast of north america, to the north of colombia river, where both the climate and the soil are good; the vast and important trade which she has with china, and may yet have with all the beautiful islands in the pacific, with japan, and with all eastern siberia; and the very great trade which she has, and would have with all the shores of america on the pacific,--all render the attainment of the object contemplated peculiarly her interest, and peculiarly her province to undertake, support, complete, and protect, in a way and on a scale worthy of the intelligence, the enterprize, the strength, and the resources of her government and her people. the number of people, and the traffic which it would in time add to the present trade and population of the world, exceed the powers of calculation. taking lake nicaragua as the point for the communication between the two seas, the calculations which have been made as to periods and distances connected with the conveyance of mails from europe, in order to cross the pacific, will not be materially different from those which would arise were panama to be chosen as the point of communication. confining every thing to this route, it is necessary to consider and to show what advantage trade and commerce would derive from it; what extent of commerce would pass through this line of communication;, and what revenue could reasonably, and with propriety, be raised therefrom, in order to prove a remuneration for the (p.  ) expense of the undertaking. the official records of british trade and commerce, and also the official records of the trade and commerce of the united states, will enable us to estimate these points just alluded to, for the present period, with considerable accuracy. from both records, the following extent and amount of imports and exports, and tonnage, engaged in transporting these, are selected; premising that, as regards both countries, the value of each is, without either freight or charges: and as regards the former, viz. great britain, the value taken is what is denominated, in the customs return, "_the declared value_," and which, exclusive of freight and charges, is considerably below the real amount. the commerce of both states mentioned, with all the countries about to be enumerated, would most certainly pass through the channel already alluded to, besides a considerable portion more from other countries, but which is uncertain. _great britain with_ exports. imports. tonnage tonnage inwards. outwards. china , , , , , new south wales , } , , java , } , , philippine islands , } , , , siam , } " e. indies & ceylon, / , , } , , new zealand } , chili , } , , peru , } , , , , mexico, / , } , , whale fisheries, / , , , guatemala, / , , ---------- --------- -------- -------- £ , , , , , , -------- freight & charges, &c. , , foreign & colonial / , , ------- ---------- , , total tonnage , ----------- ------- total british trade £ , , ----------- exclusive of specie--the amount of which, from the western coasts (p.  ) of america, cannot be less than , , dollars yearly to great britain, and perhaps half as much to the united states. the value of british imports from western america is not given in the official tables in any tangible shape, and therefore the imports are taken to be the same as the exports. the amount of imports from china is taken correctly from the tables; and the value of all the rest, as near as possible, from the same tables, in proportion; the whole being entered to all countries east of the cape, china excepted; but in this amount also the amount for freight and charges should, it is thought, be added. the proportion of foreign and colonial produce, &c. to british manufactures exported, is, according to the official tables, as near as may be, the proportion taken. the value of the whole british trade to the places specified, may therefore be fairly taken at , , _l._ exports and imports, and exclusive of the profits thereon. next comes the trade which the united states have with all these places. in this there are more precise data, as the value both of exports and imports is given in their tables; but it may be observed, that the amount, both as regards imports and exports, is given exclusive of freights and charges, which in almost all the articles carried is greater in proportion, as regards the american trade, than in british produce and manufactures. it may also be observed, that the whole trade which the united states have with all countries to the eastward of the mauritius, would pass through, and return through, the communication made in central america, as the nearest and the best route for them. the following was the trade and tonnage of the united states with the places specified in :-- _united states with_ (p.  ) imports. exports. tonnage tonnage inwards. outwards. british east indies, dolls. , , , , , dutch ditto , , , , spanish ditto , , , asia generally , , , china , , , , , , mexico, / , , , , , , chili , , , , , peru , , south seas , , , n. w. coast america " , , ---------- ---------- -------- ------- , , , , , , / freights, &c. &c. , , , , , ------- ---------- ---------- -------- , , , , , , , ---------- -------- ---------- total united states , , ditto specie , , ----------- grand total, dollars , , --sterling, £ , , at _s._ _d._ ----------- _general trade and tonnage._ value trade. extent tonnage. british £ , , , united states , , , ----------- ------- total £ , , , tons. ----------- ------- to the above should be added all the specie sent both by great britain and the united states to the eastern world, particularly to china, to purchase cargoes, from the states alone about , , dolls.; also all the tonnage which goes, or would go, from one coast to another in the three republics of venezuela, guatemala, and mexico. to these states, such a communication would prove of inestimable value, and tend very greatly to add to the revenue to be obtained from the (p.  ) traffic by it. there are other nations, also, besides great britain and the united states, which traffic with the quarters of the world already specifically alluded to, particularly france, spain, and holland; but no accurate account of such trade has hitherto come in the writer's way; though, taken collectively, it must be to a considerable amount. moreover, the whole trade between holland and java, and between spain and the philippine islands, would pass by the channel under consideration, and the trade which both nations has with these places is well known to be very considerable. such as it has been described is the trade at this moment; a sure foundation upon which the magnificent undertaking under consideration would, at the outset, have to build. the increased and increasing communications through the grand thoroughfare goes beyond calculation, and would most certainly exceed every thing that ever has been seen, or that ever can be witnessed, in any other portion of this globe. the trade of mighty empires would sink into insignificance, when compared, in all their present magnitude, with what it would become one hundred years hence. admitting that it cost , , _l._ to complete the navigable communication, (and there are good grounds to believe that it could be done for one-half of the sum,) the question or point next to be considered is, what would the revenue be, which could be derived from it? to exact a per centage on the value of the commerce which passes through it would be uncertain, and liable to evasion, and consequently give much trouble, and occasion much vexation; and therefore it would be best to exact so much per ton, the exact extent of which the register of each ship or vessel so passing through the canal would at once and readily determine. the question is, what should the sum so levied, or the toll, actually come to be? ten shillings per ton would certainly be a moderate sum; and taking it so it will be shown how it will pay at the outset. _cost and revenue._ (p.  ) revenue , tons yearly, at _s._ £ , -------- capital , , _l._ interest per cent £ , dividend in stock per cent , expenses, management, and repairs , surplus fund , ------- £ , -------- thus affording from the outset a fair and profitable return, and which may reasonably be expected to be doubled in a very few years afterwards. _conveyance mails and passengers._ hitherto the matter has been considered entirely as relates to the practicability and probable expenditure to be incurred in carrying the plan into effect, and the remuneration to be obtained from the plan when completed. it yet remains to show the advantages which will be obtained in the courses and distances by this route, as compared with other routes, and also with the route by the north pole--even were this latter practicable throughout the year, but which it almost certainly is not. it has elsewhere been shown how a communication across any part of this isthmus, even by an ordinary road, can be made to extend, and to accelerate the mail communications between great britain and all the western coasts of america, and more especially with the most eastern parts of the eastern world, and her own rising empire in new holland. nothing calls forth the enterprize and the energies of mankind, equal to the rapidity and regularity of correspondence: and without this, no country can either improve or advance in cultivation or civilization. the comparative distances by the several lines of communication will stand as follow:-- geo. miles. falmouth, direct to rialejo rialejo to colombia river ---- ---- london to icy cape, over the north pole (p.  ) icy cape to colombia river, by oonoolashka ---- ---- london to icy cape, over the pole icy cape to canton ---- ---- falmouth direct to gulf papagayo papagayo to canton, by owhyhee ---- , ------ london to icy cape, over the pole icy cape to sydney, new south wales ---- , ------ falmouth to rialejo, by jamaica rialejo direct to sydney, new south wales ---- , ------ falmouth to colombia river, by l. nicaragua ditto ditto cape horn , ------ diff. ------ falmouth to sydney direct, westward , ditto to ditto, by cape of good hope , cape to sydney direct , ----- , ------ falmouth to cape good hope cape good hope to trincomalee trincomalee to batavia batavia to sydney, by hobart town ---- , ------ falmouth to rialejo, by fayal, &c. rialejo to canton, by owhyhee ---- , ------ rialejo to sydney, new south wales, by otaheite panama to sydney ---- , ------ falmouth to cape of good hope (p.  ) cape of good hope to trincomalee trincomalee to canton, by batavia ---- , ------ falmouth to rialejo rialejo to pekin ---- , ------ falmouth to cape of good hope cape of good hope to pekin, by canton, &c. ---- , ------ falmouth to port culebra, by barbadoes, &c. port culebra to jeddo, japan ---- , ------ falmouth to cape of good hope, by madeira cape of good hope by batavia, &c. to jeddo ---- , ------ falmouth to rialejo by barbadoes, &c. rialejo to manilla ---- , ------ falmouth to cape of good hope, by madeira cape of good hope to manilla, by batavia ---- , ------ falmouth to rialejo, by barbadoes, &c. rialejo to kamschatka ---- , ------ falmouth to cape of good hope, by madeira cape of good hope to batavia batavia to kamschatka by canton ---- , ------ london to icy cape, over the pole icy cape to kamschatka ---- , ------ thus it is evident, that were the passage over the north pole open (p.  ) and practicable at all seasons, but which it is not, the route by it would be so much shorter for every part from europe to the ports in asia and in america, situated on the northern pacific, as to be vastly preferable; but when it is recollected that this passage can only be open for a very few months in the course of the year--and also considering the winds and the weather which, during that brief space of time, would certainly be met with in the northern route, and the utter impossibility that there would be of procuring any assistance in that route, should accidents occur,--it is clear, that vessels would almost as speedily, and certainly much more safely, run over the distances by the western route, even to the places more near; while, as regards those which are more distant, there can and need be no comparison drawn. it will also from these references be observed, that the distances to all the eastern parts of asia, and the north-west coast of america, are, with a very few exceptions (in these, too, the distances are nearly equal), nearer than the distances would be, either taken by the cape of good hope or cape horn, the only routes always open; while, considering the winds and the seas which are met with in either of these routes, it is plain that ships would run over the distance by the western route through central america, even to the most distant parts in eastern asia that have been adverted to, sooner and much easier than they could do by either of the former. the saving of insurance alone in the route by the mild tropical climates, and also of wear and tear in ships by the same channel, compared to what all these would amount to in the navigation by the other routes, to say nothing of the saving of time in voyages, would be objects of great importance to commercial and nautical men. appendix--no i (p.  ) places lat. long. falmouth ° ' n. ° ' w. terceira, azores ° ' " -- ° ' " -- halifax, nova scotia ° ' -- ° ' -- new york ° ' -- ° ' -- bermuda, town ° ' -- ° ' -- madeira, funchall ° ' " -- ° ' " -- teneriffe, st cruz ° ' " -- ° ' -- lisbon ° ' -- ° ' -- cadiz ° ' -- ° ' -- gibraltar ° ' ' -- ° ' " -- nassau, new providence ° ' -- ° ' -- turk's islands ° ' ° ' ° ' ° ' crooked island ° ' -- ° ' -- havannah ° ' " -- ° ' -- st. jago, cuba ° ' " -- ° ' " -- cape nichola mole ° ' " -- ° ' " -- st. john's, porto rico ° ' " -- ° ' -- st. thomas ° ' " -- ° ' " -- kingston, jamaica ° ' " -- ° ' " -- vera cruz ° ' " -- ° ' " -- tampico ° ' " -- ° ' -- honduras, belize ° ' " -- ° ' " -- chagre ° ' " -- ° ' -- panama ° ' " -- ° ' " -- carthagena ° ' -- ° ' " -- laguayra ° ' -- ° ' " -- demerara, george town ° ' -- ° ' -- barbadoes, bridgetown ° ' " -- ° ' " -- antigua, e. h. ° ' -- ° ' -- trinidad, port of spain ° ' " -- ° ' " -- cape st roque ° ' s. ° ' -- maranham ° ' -- ° ' -- pernambuco ° ' -- ° ' -- bahia ° ' -- ° ' -- (p.  ) rio de janeiro ° ' " -- ° ' " -- monte video ° ' " -- ° ' -- buenos ayres ° ' -- ° ' -- salt key, middle, turk's island ° ' -- ° ' -- crooked island, castle island ° ' " -- ° ' " -- trinidad de cuba ° ' -- ° -- cape antonio ° ' -- ° ' -- montego bay, jamaica ° ' -- ° ' -- st. john's, newfoundland ° ' -- ° ' -- st. john's, new brunswick ° ' -- ° ' " -- quebec ° ' " -- ° ' -- montreal ° ' -- ° ' -- _distances and bearings of places_. places geo. miles. falmouth to lisbon s. ° w. ditto gibraltar s. ° w. ditto teneriffe s. ° w. ditto madeira s. ° w. ditto terceira s. ° w. ditto new york s. - / ° w. madeira to barbadoes s. ° w. terceira to barbadoes s. ° w. ditto antigua s. ° w. ditto st. thomas s. ° w. madeira to st. thomas s. ° w. ditto cape nichola mole s. ° w. terceira to cape nichola mole s. ° w. falmouth to barbadoes s. ° w. ditto st. thomas s. ° w. ditto cape nichola mole s. ° w. ditto fayal s. ° w. fayal to barbadoes s. - / ° w. ditto cape nichola mole s. - / ° w. ditto st. john's, newfoundland n. ° w. ditto port praya, cape verde s. ° e. cape verde to pernambuco s. ° w. ditto rio de janeiro s. ° w. fayal to new york n. - / ° w. (p.  ) terceira to rio de janeiro, by bahia, &c. s. ° w. ditto halifax n. ° w. halifax to new york s. ° w. new york to nassau, n. p. s. ° w. nassau to cape nichola mole s. ° e. havannah to vera cruz s. ° w. new york to havannah s. ° w. jamaica to chagre, direct s. ° w. chagre to panama s. ° e. kingston to river st. juan s. ° w. river st. juan to rialejo n. ° w. leon to rialejo n. ° w. madeira to rio de janeiro s. ° w. rio de janeiro to buenos ayres s. ° w. st. thomas, to cape nichola mole n. ° w. ditto to crooked island castle n. ° w. ditto turk's island n. ° w. turk's island to jamaica, direct s. ° w. ditto havannah n. ° w. ditto jamaica, by st. jago de cuba crooked island to cape nichola s. ° w. ditto jamaica s. ° w. ditto havannah n. ° w. barbadoes to miles e. of alto vela n. ° w. forty miles e. of alto vela to jamaica, direct n. ° w. add by calling at jacmel jamaica to santa martha s. ° e. santa martha to carthagena carthagena to chagre montego bay, jamaica, to trinidad de cuba n. - / ° w. trinidad de cuba to honduras s. ° w. kingston, jamaica, to cape antonio n. ° w. cape antonio to havannah n. ° e. falmouth to st. john's, newfoundland s. - / ° w. st john's, newfoundland, to halifax s. ° w. falmouth to halifax s. - / ° w. fayal to halifax n. ° w. halifax to st. john's, new brunswick n. ° w. st. john's, new brunswick, to quebec n. ° w. quebec to montreal s. ° w. new york to quebec, direct n. ° e. ditto montreal, direct n. ° e. _comparative distances of places._ (p.  ) geo. miles. falmouth to terceira terceira to barbadoes ---- falmouth to madeira madeira to barbadoes ---- falmouth to teneriffe, by madeira teneriffe to barbadoes ---- falmouth to madeira, by lisbon madeira to barbadoes ---- falmouth to fayal fayal to barbadoes ---- falmouth to fayal fayal to cape nichola mole ---- falmouth to terceira terceira to st. thomas ---- falmouth to terceira terceira to cape nichola mole ---- falmouth to madeira madeira to st. thomas ---- falmouth to madeira madeira to cape nichola mole ---- madeira to rio de janeiro ditto, by pernambuco and bahia ---- terceira to rio de janeiro, by pernambuco and bahia falmouth to gibraltar, by lisbon, &c. gibraltar to alexandria, by palermo and malta ---- falmouth to gibraltar, by lisbon and cadiz gibraltar to madeira madeira to barbadoes ---- calculation of yearly cost of sailing packets and steam boats. (p.  ) i.--_sailing packets._ first cost, _l._--interest, per cent. £ repairs, ordinary tear and wear, at - / per cent. wages, say , provisions, say insurance, per cent. ------ total £ , exclusive of yearly depreciation of capital--say, last seventeen years, is _l._ _s._ yearly. the per centage here taken for yearly supplies, is below the true outlay. the following sums, in full details, have been received from a very accurate and competent hand, of the outfits of a _new_ vessel of tons, cost _l._, for six successive voyages in the west indian trade, during a period of months. it is considered unnecessary to insert the details at length. the amount is given for each voyage:-- st voyage £ th voyage £ d ditto th ditto d ditto th ditto _________ __________ £ £ _________ __________ together £ average £ nearly eight per cent, for each voyage, or _twenty-four_ per cent. per annum. the amount would also increase yearly with the age of the ship. ii.--_steam boats._ (p.  ) value , _l._, interest at per cent £ , tear and wear, do. do. , insurance, do. do. , ______ £ , crews, in all . captain per annum £ st mate d do. master st engineer d do. d do. engineer extra engineer boys, average apprentices, at s. per month stewards and boys, aver. s. do. seamen, &c. &c. at s. per do. provisions, at s. each, per do. ____ , _____ total £ , by an admiralty order, dated august , it is directed that the pay of the following persons in steamers shall be as under, but increased one-half of the sum when on service in the west indies:-- st engineer, per month £ d do. do. d do. do. engineer boys: st class, per do. " d do. do. " d do. do. " th do. do. and according to the report of the post-office commissioners, the pay of the following officers on some of the home steam-boat stations, is:-- st mate, per annum £ d do. " master " captains " from _l._ to _l._ iii.--_small sailing vessels._ (p.  ) cost, say averages , _l._--interest at per cent. £ insurance, per cent. tear and wear, at per cent. crews, . captain, per annum £ mate men and boys, average s. per month provisions, at s. per do. ____ ____ total £ postages, probable amount, increase, &c. in the general post-office accounts for (see finance accounts, , p. ), there is charged the sum of , _l._ _s._ - / _d._, as the sum paid for ship letters. for each letter received by a ship not a regular packet, d. is paid by the post office at landing, and which gives the number of such letters to be , , yearly. suppose , of these went by packets under the new arrangements, the additional post-office revenue therefrom would be , _l._ the sum just mentioned as paid for ship letters may be stated as principally attached to ship letters brought from all places in the western world. according to a return to the house of commons (see east india steam communication report, ), the number of ship letters from india for , was , . the new york packet ships alone carry from to letters each. twice each month the proposed packets to and from england would bear an equal, perhaps even a greater, number, under the proposed regular and prompt arrangement: certainly all the canadian correspondence will be very greatly increased. this number, however, in four voyages each month, backwards and forwards, gives at the rate, in round numbers, of , each year. at _d._ each letter, the additional packet postage beyond the ship-letter rate, would be , _l._ gained to the british post office. in the accounts above referred to, p. , there is entered , _l._ _s._ - / _d._, charged on the postmasters in the british west indies, and in british america. this sum is doubtless for the (p.  ) unpaid letters outwards, and perhaps some internal postage. the return postage from these quarters will exceed this sum, because more double and treble letters come inwards than are sent outwards. there is also a considerable sum paid in this country for letters sent by post to the british colonies. in the same accounts there is entered, p. , , _l._ _s._ _d._ received by the window men, &c. at the foreign post office. a portion of this must be for the letters outwards to the brazils, to st. thomas, to the french islands, to honduras, to mexico, to havannah, and all places in central south america, for all of which places the postage must be paid before the letter can be forwarded. how much of the above sum is for the purpose alluded to, is not stated, but let it be taken at , _l._ yearly outwards, and an equal sum from the same places inwards; together, , _l._ next, there would be the gain on the new line between halifax, new york, and the west indies; or, more correctly speaking, between _all_ north america and _all_ the west indies, from demerara to mexico inclusive, and including also the shores of south america on the east, and all its western coasts, from valparaiso on the south, to nootka sound on the north. the exports and imports to and from these quarters, with all quarters of the world, amount, in goods, produce, specie and bills, and freights, &c. to upwards of , , _l._ a year. the letters to which this vast trade, especially as the whole of it is carried on by means of correspondence, must give rise, will be immense: and yet, with the exception of the scanty mail communication afforded by britain to a few places, there is none to be found. the amount of the trade here stated, includes of course the trade with all places in europe. the portion which is exclusively colonial and american, and which would of course be attached to the new line alluded to, cannot be less in exports and imports than , , _l._ yearly. the proportionate postage from this commerce, even at the ratio of the present west indian postage, to and from great britain and her west indian colonies, would be , _l._ yearly; but admitting that a sum equal to _one-half_ only of _this sum_ came from the letters sent through the british post office, the sum gained on this station yearly would be , _l._ to all these sums must be added a considerable sum in postages, which would be annually drawn from the correspondence between all parts (p.  ) of the united states, and maranham, pernambuco, bahia, rio de janeiro, montevideo, buenos ayres, &c. which would go by the british packets from all these places to fayal, and thence on, without any delay, to new york. what this will be, it is impossible to estimate; but taking the trade of the united states with these places as a basis, it can hardly be less than , _l._, or more probably , _l._ per annum. the postages derived at present from the packet intercourse with the whole western world is taken at , _l._ outwards and inwards. it is not too much to estimate, that under the new and extended communications and arrangements, more regular and frequent, this sum would be increased _one-third_, or , _l._; together, , _l._ yearly. to this there is to be added the additions, as are previously noted; together , _l._; making the sum total at least , _l._ per annum. the estimated expenditure for conveying the whole of the mails by steam, which are calculated to produce this yearly revenue, is , _l._, or a gain of , _l._ the present revenue barely pays the expenditure, if so much, of the establishment, consisting of thirty sailing packets; four steamers in the west indies; ten mail boats ( _l._ yearly) there; some sailing vessels at halifax, and very frequently, a considerable assistance from ships of war besides! _postages and salaries in west indies, &c.-- - ._ postages received. salaries and allowances. jamaica £ , £ bahama [ ] barbadoes berbice and demerara bermuda dominica grenada st. vincents tobago [ ] trinidad st. lucia antigua montserrat [ ] [footnote : and per cent. on neat proceeds.] postages received. salaries and allowances. (p.  ) st. christophers £ £ nevis tortola british north america , _parl. pap. of , and th report of post-office commissioners_, , p. , &c. it has been stated (see p. ) that many letters by packets from foreign parts are returned unopened to the post-office, in order to save the postages, because the originals or duplicates had previously been received through private channels. it would be useful and important to ascertain the number of these. in the finance accounts for , p. , there is entered in the post-office deductions on account of "returned, refused, mis-sent, and redirected letters, over-charges, and returns," the following sums:-- england £ , scotland , west indies and british n. america , window men, foreign office - / ------------------- £ , - / ------------------- _postages.--mediterranean, &c._ letters for india, year ending october £ ditto alexandria, ditto, ditto ------------ £ , ------------ postages of letters passing through falmouth by the mediterranean packet, years ending october[ ]-- . . . to cadiz £ £ - / £ gibraltar , , , - / malta - / - / corfu ------------ ---------------- ---------------- £ , £ , £ , ------------ ---------------- ---------------- [footnote : appendix, , report steam communication with india.] arrivals and departures of packets calculated. (p.  ) the arrivals at, departures from, and the returns to fayal, of the packets for all quarters, will correspond so well with the arrival outwards of the steamers from falmouth, that no material delay on the part of the steamers bearing all the return mails to falmouth will be occasioned or required. but because february has only twenty-eight days, the mails, to make all coincide more nearly, should be made up in london, instead of the st and th of february, on the th of january, and th of the former month. the following, however, taking the despatch of the mails from london according to the days in each month, will show the periods of the whole:-- .--_west indies._ mail of arrival at fayal. return to do. january january february march february february april march march may april april june may may july june june august july july september august august october september september november october october december november november january december december february thus showing that, by the time the steamer was ready to return to (p.  ) falmouth, the west indian mails would be up at fayal; and, as regards the other quarters, the mails from thence would have some time to spare for the voyages in case of accidents, and still be in time at fayal, thus:-- .--_brazils._ mail of arrival at fayal. return to do. march march april may april april june may may july june june august july july september august august october september september november october october december november november january decembe december february january january march february february april .--_fayal and halifax department._ mail of arrival at fayal. return to do. march march april april april may may may june june june july july july august (p.  ) august august september september september october october october november november november december december december january january january february february february march .--_north american and west indian department_. mail of at barbadoes at cape nichola return to do. march march march april april april may april may may june may june june july june july july august july august august september august september september october september october october november october november november december november december december january december january january february january february february march february march march april the following will be the periods of the steamers between halifax (p.  ) and havannah, from which it will appear how well the whole will work as regards all north america and all the west indies; and also how regularly and pointedly the return steamer from the havannah (bringing the havannah and tampico mails, should any accident have happened to the jamaica steamer), will call at new york for the replies to the letters by the packet from europe, arrived at that city two days before her; and carry these forward to halifax (giving two days to stop at new york) in time to get the steamer with the homeward british mails from that place to fayal. _arrivals and departures of the london mails of the following dates_. mail of arrive at leave arrive at return to havannah halifax havannah halifax -----------\-------------\------------\-------------\-------------\ january january january january february february february february february march march march march april march april april april april may may may may may june june june june june july july july july july august august august august august september september september september september october october october october october november november november november november december december december december december january january january january sailing packets in these stations would depart and arrive at corresponding periods, being able to be, if any thing, earlier forward to fayal; but always days more on their respective voyages than the steam-boats. the steamer outwards from barbadoes could land, and the homeward (p.  ) bound packet take up the haytian mails at cape henry, when the return packet goes by the north side; and the _return_ haytian mails could be picked up at jacmel, if the packet, _when a steamer_, calls, as she may do, at that place on her voyage to jamaica, preparatory to her return by way of st. jago and cape nichola to fayal or falmouth. the distance and time of communicating between barbadoes and halifax with steamers, by jamaica and havannah, would be,-- geo. miles. days. halifax to havannah - / havannah to barbadoes by jamaica, &c. stoppages barbadoes to halifax by jamaica, &c. - / stoppages, suppose . . . ____ __ total ____ __ _speed, &c. of steam boats_. in the sixth report of the post-office commissioners, p. , it is stated that the malta steamers average - / miles per hour, and have done so for a period of two years. the dublin and liverpool steam post-office packets average also - / miles per hour, or miles daily. in the same report, p. , mr. napier states, that he built the steamers which run between dundee and london; and that during a period of eighteen months they have averaged - / miles per hour. this, it is believed, means british miles, or geographical miles. at the latter rate they run miles per day. during the period above mentioned, these boats have not cost their owners _l._ for repairs to the machinery. a steam-boat of -horse power would at that time ( ) cost , _l._ to , _l._, burden tons. a contractor, to keep them in repair, would require , _l._ per annum. according to accounts lately received from the east, the _berenice_, with only one engine, the other having been broken, ran from socotora to suez, a distance of miles, in - / days. the leith and london steamers, such as the _monarch_, of -horse power, run the distance, geographical miles, in hours,--the average of voyages during the year; and frequently the distance is run in hours, and even less. _estimates for passengers on each station._ (p.  ) demerara steamers, voyages, each, per annum, at dollars , st leeward station--barbadoes to havannah, through all the islands, voyages monthly, each, is , at dollars average , d leeward station--havannah to vera cruz, and jamaica to chagre, panama, &c. &c., voyages, at each, is yearly, at dollars , packets and sailing-vessels in all the points, voyages, average each, is , at dollars , _______ total dollars , _______ at _s._ _d._ per dollar, is sterling £ , falmouth to barbadoes, voyages, each, at _l._ £ , falmouth to rio de janeiro, voyages, each, at _l._ , falmouth to halifax, voyages, each, yearly, average _l._ , halifax to west indies, by new york, voyages, each, is , at _l._ , falmouth to madeira and teneriffe, yearly, at _l._ , rio do janeiro to buenos ayres, yearly, at _l._ , pernambuco to maranham, yearly, at _l._ , west india islands to bermuda, nassau, &c. &c. yearly, at _l._ , _______ , _______ total £ , deduct expense, finding one-third , _______ amount gained £ , the cost of finding passengers is here estimated at dollars per day. in the house of commons report about steam communications with india, the cost of finding passengers to that quarter of the world is estimated by experienced captains of ships at _s._ sterling per day. the charge made in steamers in the west indies for cabin passage money, by orders of the admiralty, is _l._ sterling, barbadoes to jamaica; _l._ sterling, jamaica to st. thomas; and _l._ sterling, st. thomas to barbadoes. _income:--parcels, packages, and fine goods. steamers to be (p.  ) restricted to tons weight in all._ voyages on the four great lines yearly, tons each, at the rate of _l._ per ton over all £ , second class lines, barbadoes to havannah, havannah to vera cruz; jamaica to chagre, &c; barbadoes to demerara, voyages yearly, tons each, average _l._ , suppose third class lines by sailing-vessels everywhere-- voyages, average tons , _______ total £ , -------- but port dues remain to be deducted--uncertain, say, , _l._ appendix, no. ii.--eastern world. places. latitudes. longitudes. falmouth ° ' n. ° ' w. lisbon ° ' -- ° ' -- cadiz ° ' -- ° ' -- gibraltar ° ' " -- ° ' " -- malta ° ' -- ° ' e. zante ° ' -- ° ' -- athens ° ' -- ° ' -- smyrna ° ' -- ° ' " -- constantinople ° ' -- ° ' -- alexandria (light) egypt ° ' -- ° ' -- cairo ° ' -- ° ' -- suez ° ' -- ° ' -- mocha ° ' -- ° ' -- babelmandel, isle ° ' -- ° ' -- cape guardafui ° ' " -- ° ' " -- socotora, galanscea road ° ' -- ° ' -- cape aden ° ' -- ° ' " -- bombay ° ' -- ° ' -- colombo, ceylon ° ' -- ° ' -- point de galle, ceylon ° ' -- ° ' -- (p.  ) trincomalee, ditto ° ' " -- ° ' " -- madras ° ' " -- ° ' -- calcutta ° ' -- ° ' -- cape comorin ° ' -- ° ' " -- mauritius, port louis ° ' s. ° ' -- bourbon, st. dennis ° ' -- ° ' -- madagascar, cape st. mary ° ' " -- ° ' " -- ditto tamatave, e. c. ° ' " -- ° ' " -- amsterdam isle ° ' " -- ° ' -- st. paul's, ditto ° ' -- ° ' -- great nicobar isle ° ' -- ° ' -- singapore ° ' n. ° ' -- batavia ° ' s. ° ' " -- canton ° ' " n. ° ' -- swan river ° ' " s. ° ' " -- hobart town ° ' " -- ° ' -- sydney ° ' " -- ° ' -- madeira, funchall ° ' " n. ° ' " w. cape de verde, port praya ° ' " -- ° ' -- ascension isle ° ' " s. ° ' " -- st. helena isle ° ' " -- ° ' " -- cape of good hope ° ' -- ° ' " e. rio de janeiro ° ' " -- ° ' " w. pernambuco ° ' -- ° ' -- _distances and bearings of places._ geo. miles. falmouth to gibraltar s. ° w. ditto to madeira s. ° w. madeira to cape verde s. ° w. gibraltar to malta, direct s. ° e. malta to zante n. ° e. zante to athens, round cape athens to constantinople n. ° e. malta to alexandria s. ° e. suez to babelmandel babelmandel to bombay cape verde to ascension s. ° w. ascension to st. helena s. ° e. st. helena to cape of good hope s. ° e. rio de janeiro to ditto ditto s. ° e. cape of good hope to mauritius n. ° e. mauritius to swan river s. ° e. mauritius to colombo, ceylon n. ° e. (p.  ) ditto to point de galle n. ° e. point de galle to bombay n. ° w. madras to calcutta n. ° e. trincomalee to car nicobar s. ° e. nicobar to singapore s. ° e. singapore to batavia s. ° e. singapore to canton n. ° e. batavia to canton n. ° e. trincomalee to batavia s. ° e. batavia to swan river s. ° e. / swan river to hobart town s. - / ° e. / hobart town to sydney n. ° e. cape of good hope to hobart town s. ° e. pernambuco to cape of good hope s. ° e. fayal to pernambuco s. ° w. sydney to canton n. ° w. canton to swan river, by e. coast borneo fayal to cape verde, port praya s. ° e. there never having been heretofore any regular packet conveyance to and from india, there are consequently no accurate returns of the postage received, or letters that are conveyed backwards and forwards between england and the vast countries to the eastward of the cape of good hope. the number, however, from the extent of the trade, must be very great; and not a doubt can remain, that if regular and speedy conveyances were established, the numbers would be very much increased. in a communication from col. maberly, secretary to the general post office, printed by order of the house of commons last year, along with the evidence taken before the committee appointed to consider the propriety of establishing a steam communication with india, that gentleman gives the whole amount of postage outwards for to cadiz, gibraltar, malta, and corfu, at _l._, and reckons the amount inwards at the same sum. he estimates the whole postage outwards and inwards, including sea postage between england, ceylon, india, and the mediterranean, at , _l._ even this sum, which certainly by no means includes every letter to and from the places mentioned, would, under the arrangements proposed, be doubled, independently of all the postages which would be obtained from the new south wales, china, and batavia, &c. &c. trade. the coasting or internal postages of hindostan would certainly be greatly increased. in the finance accounts of , p. , there is charged the sum (p.  ) of , _l._ _s._ _d._ for transit postage through foreign countries. much of this is doubtless from letters which come through france, &c. from the mediterranean, and countries near that sea. under the proposed regular and frequent packet arrangement, the letters from which much of this sum is obtained would come directly through the british post office. the amount of postage to be obtained through the vast range of countries which the new plan proposes to embrace, can only be conjectured by considering the immense trade which is carried on with them and by them. as it is very great, so must the correspondence to which it gives rise be. _mauritius and socotora._ an error has been committed in stating the expense on this station (see page .) three sailing-vessels, instead of two, will be required; thus adding _l._ to the capital, and _l._ to the yearly expenditure. * * * * * including the mediterranean, the yearly cost of the present foreign packet conveyances, limited, uncertain, and irregular as the whole is, cannot be less than , _l._, exclusive of any sum set apart to replace the capital engaged in it. if the east indian communication is amalgamated with the plan for the western world to pernambuco by fayal, as it may readily be, then a considerable further reduction of expenditure in the former can be made (including the sailing-vessels between rio de janeiro and buenos ayres) in capital , _l._ and in direct yearly charges , _l._; and nevertheless extend the steam conveyance to buenos ayres by rio de janeiro from pernambuco. this desirable object could be effected with the saving mentioned, and without creating any additional delay in the communication; because, if the communication by this route between falmouth and the cape of good hope can be effected, as it may be, within days, then no delay in the course of the mails takes place, while a considerable expense is saved, and important additional accommodation is afforded to the public, and to the commercial world. the distance from falmouth to the cape of good hope by fayal and pernambuco, is geographical miles. this could be run in (p.  ) days: thus-- days outwards, and days inwards: geographical miles per day in the latter, and geographical miles in the former. appendix, no. iii.--pacific ocean. _longitudes and latitudes, places, &c._ places. lat. long. river st. juan, mouth of ° ' n. ° ' w. kingston, jamaica ° ' " -- ° ' " -- port culebra ° ' -- ° ' -- leon ° ' -- ° ' -- rialejo ° ' " -- ° ' -- colombia river ° ' -- ° ' -- port illuluk oonoolashka ° ' -- ° ' -- nootka sound ° ' -- ° ' " -- icy cape ° ' -- ° ' -- christmas isle, pacific ° ' -- ° ' -- owhyhee ° ' " -- ° ' " -- otaheite ° ' " s. ° ' " -- melville island, port dundas ° ' -- ° ' e. sydney, new south wales ° ' " -- ° ' " -- canton, china ° ' " n. ° ' -- pekin ° ' -- ° ' -- jeddo, japan ° ' -- ° ' -- kamschatka ° ' -- ° -- manilla ° ' -- ° ' -- chagre ° ' -- ° ' " -- panama ° ' " -- ° ' " -- point mala ° ' -- ° ' -- port damas, quibo ° ' -- ° ' -- acapulco ° ' " -- ° ' " -- st. blas ° ' " -- ° ' " -- cape st. lucas, california ° ' " -- ° ' " -- guayaquil ° ' " s. ° ' " -- lima ° ' " -- ° ' " -- callao ° ' " -- ° ' " -- arica ° ' " -- ° ' -- coquimbo ° ' " -- ° ' " -- valparaiso ° ' " -- ° ' " -- fort st. carlos, chiloe ° ' " -- ° ' " -- _bearings and distances of places._ (p.  ) places. miles falmouth to sydney, direct westward s. ° w. , london to icy cape , , add circle n. & s. , icy cape to canton s. ° w. , ditto to sydney, new south wales s. ° w. , ditto to port illuluk, oonoolashka s. ° w. port illuluk to colombia river s. ° e. , christmas isle to sydney, new south wales s. ° w. , ditto to canton n. ° w. , owhyhee to otaheite s. - / ° e. , falmouth to panama direct s. ° w. , ditto ditto by barbadoes and jamaica , port culebra to manilla n. - / ° w. , cape of good hope to batavia n. ° e. , batavia to canton n. ° e. , canton to pekin , batavia to manilla n. ° e. , canton to kamschatka n. ° e. , ditto to jeddo n. ° e. , kingston, jamaica, to port culebra s. ° w. ditto to river st. juan s. ° w. river st. juan to rialejo n. ° w. falmouth to port culebra, direct s. ° w. , ditto to ditto by barbadoes, jamaica, &c. , jamaica to chagre s. ° w. chagre to panama s. ° e. panama to point mala s. ° w. point mala to port damas, quibo s. ° w. port damas to rialejo n. ° w. rialejo to acapulco n. ° w. , acapulco to st. blas n. ° w. st. blas to cape st. lucas n. ° w. panama to guayaquil s. ° w. guayaquil to lima s. ° e. lima to arica s. ° e. arica to coquimbo s. ° w. coquimbo to valparaiso s. ° w. valparaiso to fort carlos, chiloe s. ° w. rialejo, direct, to sydney, new south wales s. ° w. , panama to sydney s. ° w. , ditto to canton n. ° w. , ditto to owhyhee n. ° w. , ditto to otaheite s. ° w. , rialejo to canton n. ° w. , (p.  ) ditto to owhyhee n. ° w. , ditto to otaheite s. - / ° w. , ditto to christmas isle s. ° w. , christmas isle to otaheite s. ° e. , owhyhee to canton n. ° w. , ditto to sydney s. ° w. , otaheite to sydney s. ° w. , rialejo to manilla n. ° w. , ditto to st. peter and st. paul, kamschatka n. ° w. , ditto to pekin n. ° w. , ditto to jeddo, japan n. ° w. , colombia river to canton s. ° w. , icy cape to kamschatka s. ° w. , rialejo to port illuluk, oonoolashka s. ° w. , rialejo to colombia river s. ° w. , jeddo to canton s. ° w. , manilla to canton n. ° w. batavia to jeddo n. ° e. , cape of good hope to hobart town s. ° e. , the course of mails from falmouth to canton, by isthmus of america, by rialejo, will be days; and to sydney, by the same route, days. _isthmus of america._ the appearance of the isthmus of america, from darien to the borders of mexico, indicates, in a very forcible manner, that this portion of the earth is a fragment of a larger portion, which had, at some important epoch, been to a great extent submerged around it, and that the present isthmus is the remains of a wider continental tract. in several places within the limits mentioned, the ridges are broken, and the country abounds--in fact, is studded--with high peaks, isolated, yet greatly elevated. to the southward of lake nicaragua, between ° and ° north latitude, about cortago or carthage, the land, or rather ridge, is so elevated, that although within thirty miles of the pacific on the one hand, and forty miles of the atlantic on the other hand, yet during the winter months, from november to march, frost and ice abound. the climate everywhere, in the interior parts, is represented as being very healthy, and the country fruitful and pleasant. _chagre and panama._ (p.  ) long. chagre, according to capt. forster, from greenwich, in time, h ' . " observatory of panama, east of fort lorenzo, chagre, according to capt. belcher, in time ' . " gorgona, east of chagre ' . " panama, east of gorgona . " porto bello, according to capt. forster, from greenwich, west, in time h ' the end. [illustration: [_frontispiece._ the right hon. lord stanley, k.c.v.o., c.b., m.p. _(postmaster-general.)_] the king's post being a volume of historical facts relating to the posts, mail coaches, coach roads, and railway mail services of and connected with the ancient city of bristol from to the present time. by r.c. tombs, i.s.o. _ex-controller of the london postal service, and late surveyor-postmaster of bristol_; author of "the london postal service of to-day" "visitors' handbook to general post office, london" "the bristol royal mail." bristol w.c. hemmons, publisher, st. stephen street. nd edit., . entered stationers' hall. to the right hon. lord stanley, k.c.v.o., c.b., m.p., his majesty's postmaster-general, this volume is dedicated as a testimony of high appreciation of his devotion to the public service at home and abroad, by his faithful servant, the author. preface. when in i published the "bristol royal mail," i scarcely supposed that it would be practicable to gather further historical facts of local interest sufficient to admit of the compilation of a companion book to that work. such, however, has been the case, and much additional information has been procured as regards the mail services of the district. perhaps, after all, that is not surprising as bristol is a very ancient city, and was once the second place of importance in the kingdom, with necessary constant mail communication with london, the seat of government. i am, therefore, enabled to introduce to notice "the king's post," with the hope that it will prove interesting and find public support equal to that generously afforded to its forerunner, which treated of mail and post office topics from earliest times. i have been rendered very material assistance in my researches by mr. j.a. housden, late of the savings bank department, g.p.o., london; also by mr. l.c. kerans, ex-postmaster of bath, and messrs. s.i. toleman and g.e. chambers, ex-assistant superintendents of the bristol post office. i have gathered many interesting facts from "stage coach and mail," by mr. c.g. harper, to whom i express hearty indebtedness; and i am also under deep obligation to mr. edward bennett, editor of the "st. martin's-le-grand magazine," and the assistant editor, mr. hatswell, for much valuable assistance. r.c.t. bristol, _september, _. contents. chapter i. the earliest bristol posts, .--foot and running posts.--the first bristol postmasters: allen and teague, - .--the post house.--earliest letters, . _page_ chapter ii. the post house at the dolphin inn, in dolphin street, bristol, .--exchange avenue and small street post offices, bristol. _page_ chapter iii. elizabethan post to bristol.--the queen's progress, . _page_ chapter iv. the roads.--the coach.--mr. john palmer's mail coach innovations, - . _page_ chapter v. appreciations of ralph allen, john palmer, and sir francis freeling, mail and coach administrators. _page_ chapter vi. bristol mail coach announcements, , .--the new general post office, london. _page_ chapter vii. the bristol and portsmouth mail from onwards.--projected south coast railway from bristol, .--the bristol to salisbury postboy held up.--mail coach accidents.--luke kent and richard griffiths, the mail guards. _page_ chapter viii. the bush tavern, bristol's famous coaching inn, and john weeks, its worthy boniface, - .--the white lion coaching house, bristol, isaac niblett.--the white hart, bath. _page_ chapter ix. toll gates and gate keepers. _page_ chapter x. daring robberies of the bristol mail by highwaymen, - .--bill nash, mail coach robber, convict, and rich colonist, .--burglaries at post offices in london and bristol, - . _page_ chapter xi. manchester and liverpool mails.--from coach to rail.--the western railroad.--post office arbitration case. _page_ chapter xii. primitive post office.--fifth clause posts.--mail cart in a rhine.--effect of gales on post and telegraph service. _page_ chapter xiii. bristol rejuvenated.--visit of prince of wales in connection with the new bristol dock.--bristol-jamaican mail service.--american mails.--bristol ship letter mails.--the redland post office.--the medical officer.--bristol telegraphists in the south african war.--lord stanley, k.c.v.o., c.b., m.p.--mr. j. paul bush, c.m.g. _page_ chapter xiv. small (the post office) street, bristol: its ancient history, influential residents, historic houses; the canns; the early home of the elton family. _page_ chapter xv. the post office trunk telephone system at bristol. _page_ chapter xvi. the post office benevolent society: its annual meeting at bristol.--post office sports: terrible motor cycle accident.--bristol post office in darkness. _page_ chapter xvii. quaint addresses.--the dean's peculiar signature.--amusing incidents and the postman's knock.--humorous applications. _page_ chapter xviii. postmasters-general (rt. hon. a. morley and the marquis of londonderry) visit bristol.--the postmaster of the house of commons.--the king's new postage stamps.--coronation of king edward vii.--loyalty of post office staff.--mrs. varnam-coggan's coronation poem. _page_ illustrations. to face page . the rt. hon. lord stanley, k.c.v.o., c.b., m.p. _frontispiece._ . the old post house in dolphin street, bristol . the bristol post office, - . the bristol post office as enlarged in . a state coach of the period of king charles i. . the bath and bristol waggon . john palmer at the age of . the old letter woman . the old general post office in lombard street, london . anthony todd . john palmer at the age of . medal struck in honour of ralph allen . mail coach tokens . birthplace of sir francis freeling . the old bristol post office in exchange avenue . how the mails were conveyed to bristol in the days of king george iv. . the bristol and london coach taking up mails without halting . the general post office, london, in . mail coach guard's post horn . avon trimobile motor van . mural tablet to john weeks . the old white lion coaching inn, broad street, bristol . mr. stanley white's coach . mr. stanley white's motor car . bagstone turnpike house . charfield turnpike house . wickwar road turnpike house . wotton-under-edge turnpike house . st. michael's hill turnpike house . stanton drew turnpike house . the white hart coaching inn, bath . old post office, westbury-on-trym . primitive great western railway train . bristol and exeter train, . great western railway engine: "la france" . horton thatched post office . early bristol post marks . sir alfred jones, k.c.m.g. . the "port kingston" . the "port royal" . mr. f.p. lansdown . mr. j. paul bush, c.m.g. . elton mansion . sir abraham elton . lady elton . gargoyle in elton mansion . ancient chimney-piece . edward colston . charles ii. . king charles, flight of . columbia stamping machine . postmaster of bristol _(the author)_ . quaintly addressed envelopes . prudent man's fund receipt note . address to the king chapter i. the earliest bristol posts, .--foot and running posts.--the first bristol postmasters: allen and teague, - .--the post house.--earliest letters, . the difficulty in queen elizabeth's time of communicating with persons at a distance from bristol before the establishment of a post office is illustrated by the following item from the city chamberlain's accounts:-- " , august. paid to savage, the foot post, to go to wellington with a letter to the recorder touching the holding of the sessions, and if not there to go to wimborne minster, where he has a house, where he found him, and returned with a letter; which post was six days upon that journey in very foul weather, and i paid him for his pains s. d." the next record of a person performing postman's work in bristol is that of , when the city chamberlain paid a tradesman s. "for cloth to make packer, the foot post, a coat." in , packer was sent by the same official to brewham to collect rents, and was paid s. d. for a journey, out and home, of miles. this system of a foot post to collect money in king james the first's reign appears to be an early application of the somewhat analogous plan, which of recent years has been under departmental consideration as "c.o.d.," or collection of business and trade charges by the postman on delivery of parcels--an exemplification of there being nothing new under the sun! that travelling and the conveyance of letters was difficult in is evident from the fact that nearly £ was spent in setting up wooden posts along the highway and causeway at kingswood, for the guidance of travellers, the tracks being then unenclosed, so that the "foot post" must have had no enviable task on his journeys. in october, , john freeman was appointed "thorough post" at bristol, and ordered to provide horses for all men riding post on the king's affairs of king charles i: letters were not to be detained more than half a quarter of an hour, and the carriers were to run seven miles an hour in summer, and five in winter. a government "running post" from london to bristol and other towns was ordered on july st, . no messengers were thenceforth to run to and from bristol except those appointed by thomas withering, but letters were allowed to be sent by common carriers, or by private messengers passing between friends. the postage was fixed at twopence for under miles, and at fourpence for under miles. in lord hopton "commanded" the grant of the freedom of bristol to one richard allen, "postmaster-general." in august, , lord hopton was appointed lieutenant-governor of bristol, and held that appointment until , when fairfax took the city. probably allen was postmaster-general of bristol, and his authority may have extended to other parts of the country that were held by the king's forces. prideaux was appointed master of the posts by parliament, and his jurisdiction extended as far as the country was under the control of parliament, as distinguished from such parts of england as adhered to the king. in , however, very few places--bristol was one of them--still adhered to charles. at an earlier stage of the civil war special posts had been arranged for the king's service, and it is thought bristol was one of the places to which these special posts were arranged. in the calendar of state papers, under the year , there is a complaint against one "teig," an anabaptist postmaster of bristol, who broke open letters directed to the king's friends. the complaint against him appears to have been very seriously considered by the authorities, and it induced his friends to take up the cudgels in his behalf as indicated by the following memorials:-- "to the hon. john weaver, esq.: of the council of state: honoured sir--having so fit a messenger i would not omit to acquaint you what a sad state and condition we are fallen into: how the good old cause is now sunke and a horrid spirit of prophaneous malignity and revenge is risen up trampling on all those who have the face of godlinesse and have been of ye parliamt party insoemuch that if the lord doe not interpose i doubt a mascare will follow." "sir--i have a request to make in the behalfe of this bearer mr teage who is an honest faithfull sober man that you would stead him what you can about his continuance in the post office for this citty. i beleive it will be but for a short continuance for i beleive that few honnest men in england shall have any place of trust or profit. the cavilears threaten a rooting out all suddamly thus with the tender of my old love and reall respects to you i take leave and rest your most humble and obliged servant, ja powell bristoll this th april ." "to the right honble the comittee appointed by the councill of state for the management of the poste affaire whereas john teage who hath formerly beene actually in armes for ye parliamt and since that being an inhabitant of this citty hath beene postmaster here for many years last past he being a person well qualified and capable for such an imploiment we doe therefore humbly recomend him to your honors to be continued in his said place and we doubt not of his faithfull management thereof "given under our hands at bristoll this th "day of aprill . edwd. tyson (?) _mayr._ "henry gibbes _aldm_ robert yates _aldm_ "james parsons ch (?) dooney george lane, junior, j. holwey nehe cotting "andrew hooke james powell richd baugh tho. deane robert hann "james phelps (?) abell kelly." (two other names undecipherable.) having regard to the looseness of the spelling at that period, it is he, no doubt, who is mentioned later on as the "mr. teague" at the dolphin, to whose care a mr. browne's letter was addressed in . if teig or teague did continue at his post until he must have renounced his anabaptist opinions and conformed, for no postmaster was to remain in the service unless he was conformable to the discipline of the church of england. evans mentions in his chronological history, under , a letter addressed: "to mr. john hellier, at his house in corn street, in bristol citty," from which it may be inferred that a postman was then employed for deliveries in the principal streets. [illustration: the old post-house in dolphin street, bristol.] in the broadmead chapel records ( - ), published in , and now in the baptist college, there is mention, at page , of a letter of mr. robert browne, "to my much revered brother, mr. terrill, at his house in bristol. to be left with mr. mitchell, near the post office." the letter was dated worcester, d. m. - , and signed robert browne, with this foot-note, "i am forced to send now by way of london." a second letter of mr. browne, sent in april, , is mentioned likewise. it is addressed "to my respected friend mr. terrill, at his house in bristol. to be left with mr. teague at the dolphin, in bristol," and begins "my dear brother, i hope you have receeived both mine, that one sent by the way of london, the other by the trow from worcester." chapter ii. the post house at the dolphin inn, in dolphin street, bristol, .--exchange avenue and small street post offices, bristol. that a bristol post-house existed early in the reign of king charles ii. is indicated by a letter preserved at the bristol museum library, which was sent in august of from oxford, and is addressed: "this to be left at the post-house in bristol for my honoured landlord, thomas gore, esquire, living at barrow in somerset. post paid to london." the dolphin inn was for several years--even down to --the bristol post-house, and it was there that the postboys stabled their horses. the inn long afterwards gave its name to dolphin street, which the street still retains. it is believed the inn stood near the low buildings with large gateway, in dolphin street, shown in the illustration. these premises at the time the picture was drawn, in about , had become the stables of the bush inn in corn street, long celebrated as bristol's most famous coaching inn. the site has, until quite recently, been used in connection with the carrying business. [illustration: the bristol post office, - .] in the first actual post office was built. it was erected in all saints' lane, and was held by one henry pine, as postmaster. this post office served the city's purpose until , when the site was required in connection with the building of the exchange, and the post office was transferred to small street. in september of that year ( ), an advertisement describes the best boarding school for boys in bristol as being kept in small street by mr. john jones, in rooms "over the post-house." what kind of building this was is uncertain, as there is no picture of it obtainable. indeed, the first traceable illustration of a bristol post office is the engraving, a copy of which is here reproduced, depicting the building erected in , at the corner of the exchange avenue as it appeared in , when it was described as "a handsome freestone building, situated on the west side of the exchange, to which it forms a side wing, projecting some feet forward in the street; on the east side being another building answerable thereto." these premises served as the post office for the long period of years. the first half of the present bristol post office premises in small street was occupied by messrs. freeman and brass and copper company. as a matter of history, a copy of the abstract of conveyance may, perhaps, be fittingly introduced. it sets forth the particulars of the uses to which the site was originally put before taken by the post office. " st december, .--by indenture between the bristol city chambers company, limited, (thereinafter called the company) of the one part, and the right honourable edward john lord stanley of alderley, her majesty's postmaster general for the time being, of the other part "it is witnessed that in consideration of £ , paid by the said postmaster general to the said company the said company did thereby grant and convey unto her majesty's postmaster general his successors and assigns-- "firstly all that plot piece or parcel of ground situate in the parish of st.-werburgh in the city of bristol on the south west side of and fronting to small street aforesaid specified in the plan drawn in the margin of the first skin of abstracting indenture said piece of land being therein distinguished by an edging of red color which said plot of ground formed the site of a certain messuage warehouses and buildings recently pulled down which said premises were in certain deeds dated th february, , described as 'all that messuage or warehouse situate on the south west side of and fronting to small street in the city of bristol then lately in the occupation of messrs. turpin & langdon book binders but then void and also all those warehouses counting-house rooms yard and buildings situate lying and being behind and adjoining to the said last named messuage or warehouse and then and for some time past in the occupation of messrs. john freeman and copper company and used by them for the purposes of their co-partnership trade and business.' secondly, all that plot piece or parcel of ground adjoining the heredits firstly thereinbefore described on the north west side thereof and also fronting to small street aforesaid and specified on the said plan and therein distinguished by an edging of blue color which said plot of ground formed the site of certain premises also then recently pulled down which said premises were in certain deeds dated th february described as "all that messuage or dwelling-house formerly in the holding of thomas edwards linen draper since that of william lewis tailor afterwards and for many years of john powell rich then of george smith as tenants to messrs. bright & daniel afterwards of daniel george but then unoccupied situate and being no. in small street in the parish of st.-werburgh in the city of bristol between a messuage or tenement formerly in the possession of messrs. harford & coy. iron merchants but then of the bristol water works company on or towards the north part and a coach-house yard and premises then formerly in the occupation of richard bright and thomas daniel and then co-partners trading under the firm of the bristol copper company but then the property of the said james ford on the south part and extending from said street called small street on the east part backward to the west unto part of the ground built on by the said copper company the wall between the warehouse and said messuage." when, in the year , the plan for this new post office building in small street had been prepared and treasury authority obtained for the expenditure of a sum of £ , in the erection of the building, the inland revenue department asked for accommodation in the structure, and it was arranged that its staff should be lodged on the first floor of the new building. the building itself had, therefore, to be carried to a greater height than had originally been contemplated. this alteration cost £ , . there is still evidence in the building of the occupation of the inland revenue staff, iron gates and spiked barriers in the first floor passage to cut off their rooms from the post office section still remaining. the authorities of the post office accepted tenders in september, , for the demolition of certain premises known as "new buildings" and for the erection thereon of additional premises for the accommodation of the growing postal staff. the work began on the th september. the cost of the new wing was estimated at £ , . beneath the superstructure there were two tiers of ancient cellars, one below the other, forming part of the original mediæval mansion once owned by the creswick family; and the removal of these was attended with much difficulty. the new building was opened for business on the th november, . in parliament. session . post office (acquisition of sites) power to the postmaster-general to acquire lands, houses, and buildings in bristol for the service of the post office. notice is hereby given that application is intended to be made to parliament in the next session for an act for the following purposes or some of them (that is to say):--to empower his majesty's postmaster-general (hereinafter called 'the postmaster-general') to acquire for the service of the post office, by compulsory purchase or otherwise, the lands, houses, and buildings hereinafter described, that is to say:-- "bristol: (extension of head post office). certain lands, houses, offices, buildings and premises situate in the parish of st. werburgh, in the city and county of bristol, in the county of gloucester, and lying on the south-west side of small street, and the east side of st. leonards lane." [illustration: [_by permission of "the bristol observer."_ the bristol post office as enlarged in .] thus commenced a portentous notice which appeared in a bristol newspaper, and had reference to the bristol water works premises being acquired for the further enlargement of the post office buildings. the superficial area of the ground on which the bristol post office stands is a little over , square feet. the new site joins the present post office structure, and has a frontage of feet to small street. its area is , superficial feet, so that the enlargement will be considerable but by no means excessive, having regard to the extremely rapid development of the bristol post office business. chapter iii. elizabethan post to bristol.--the queen's progress, . particulars are on record respecting a very early post from the court of queen elizabeth to bristol. at that period it occupied more days for the monarch to travel in sovereign state to bristol than it does hours in these days of great western "fliers." it seems that queen elizabeth made a progress to bristol in . she travelled from london by way of woodstock and berkeley. she arrived at bristol, august , , and had a splendid and elaborate reception:-- "before the queen left bristol she knighted her host, john young, who, in return for the honour done him, gave her a jewel containing rubies and diamonds, and ornamented with a phoenix and salamander. she did not get quit of the city until after she had listened to many weary verses describing the tears and sorrows of the citizens at her departure, and their earnest prayer for her prosperity. from bristol she travelled to sir t. thynne's, at longleat, and from longleat across salisbury plain to the earl of pembroke's, at wilton, where she arrived september rd." the british museum records show that in ireland was in rebellion. a spanish-italian force of eight hundred men had been sent, with at least the connivance of philip ii. of spain, to assist the rebels, and the english government was compelled to hurry reinforcements and supplies to ireland. these reinforcements and supplies went by way of bristol, and it was at that juncture of affairs that a post was established between london, or richmond, where the court was, and bristol. this post, if not actually the first, was certainly one of the earliest posts to bristol. at a meeting of the privy council held september , , a warrant was issued "to robert gascoigne for laying of post horses between london and bristol, requiring her majesty's officers to be assisting unto him in this service." a warrant was also issued "to sir thomas heneage, knight, treasurer of her majesty's chamber, to pay unto robert gascoigne the sum of ten pounds to be employed about the service of laying post horses between london and bristol." the duty of laying this post was not entrusted to the master of the posts, thomas randolph, but to gascoigne, the postmaster of the court, who usually arranged the posts rendered necessary by queen elizabeth's progresses through her dominions. gascoigne afterwards furnished an account of what he had done to carry out the order of the privy council, and from this document, which is preserved at the record office in london, it seems that the post travelled from richmond, or london, to hounslow, and thence to maidenhead ( miles), newbury ( miles), marlborough ( miles), chippenham ( miles), and thence to bristol ( miles). the cost of the post for a month of days is stated to have been £ s.; but it does not appear if this amount is in addition to the £ ordered to be paid to gascoigne for laying the post; nor is there anything to show how often the post travelled, or for how long it was maintained; gascoigne describes it as an "extraordinary" post. at that time the only ordinary posts were from london to berwick, holyhead, and dover respectively. it is, perhaps, as well to add that these posts were the queen's posts, and were only intended for the conveyance of persons travelling on her service or of packets sent on her business, though other persons used the posts for travelling and for sending letters. several complaints were made by leonard dutton and another against robert gascoigne, postmaster of the court, in respect of abuses connected with the posts thus laid down for queen elizabeth's use while on a "progress." the complainants charged gascoigne with neglect of duty, laying posts to suit his own convenience, delaying letters, making improper charges, and stopping something for himself out of money he should have paid in wages, etc. among the papers relating to this affair is a copy of part of gascoigne's account, of which the following is a transcript:-- the office of the poste. in the office of william dodington, esquire, auditor of her matie. impreste, in the bill of accompt for her matie poste among other things is contained the following: "robert gascoigne's bill for the laying of the extraordinary post on her majesty's progress. "bristoll.--thomas hoskins and a constable entered post at bristol for serving x. days begun xiij. of august until the xxij. of the same month, half days included, at ij.s. per diem. "xx.s. "mangotsfield.--philip alsop and john alsop, post at mangotsfield for serving v. days begun the xviij. of august and ended the xxij. of the same month, half days included, at ij.s. per diem. "x.s. "chippenham.--john barnby and leonard woodland entered post at chippenham for serving x. days begun the xviij. august and ended the xxvij. of the same month, half days included at ij.s. per diem. "xx.s. "marlborough.--thomas pike and anthony ditton entered post at marlborough for serving xvij. days begun the xviij. august and ended the third day of september, half days included at ij.s. per diem. "xxxiv.s. "exd. per me barth. dodington." as to the marlborough post, anthony ditton was mayor of the town, as appears from a certificate by him (which is with the papers) that he only received from gascoigne s. for the posts. gascoigne claimed to have paid at marlborough s. (see the transcript of his account), and if ditton was entitled to half that sum gascoigne pocketed s. (£ s. d.). this is the sort of thing ditton charged him with doing. to these charges gascoigne gave a denial, separately explaining each charge. his explanation was accepted, inasmuch as he was continued in office. chapter iv. the roads.--the coach.--mr. john palmer's mail coach innovations, - . in - , james hicks, clerk to "the roads" in the letter office, petitions the king to be continued in office. he says he sent the first letter from nantwich to london in , and was sent for in to be clerk for that road (chester road). had settled in "postages between bristol and york for your late father's service." in , henry bisshopp, farmer of the post office, furnished to the secretary of state "a perfect list" of all officers in the post office. according to this list there were eight clerks of the roads, viz.:--two of the northern road, two of the chester road, two of the eastern road, and two of the western road. in , there were, in addition to these roads, the bristol road and the kent road. as there was a post-house at bristol in , no doubt the city was attached to the western road. [illustration: [_from an old print._ a state coach of the period ( th century) when king charles i. sojourned at small street, bristol, on the site of the present post office.] there were only six stage-coaches known in . a journey that could not be performed on horseback was rarely undertaken then by those who could not afford their own steeds. amongst the state papers in may, , is an account of the time spent in carrying the mails on the chief routes throughout the country. although the speed fixed by the government for the postboys was seven miles an hour in the summer months, the actual rate attained on the bristol, chester, and york roads was only four miles, and was half-a-mile less on the gloucester and plymouth routes. an appended note stated that a man spent seventeen or eighteen hours in riding from winchester to southampton. in december, lord arlington complained to the postal authorities that the king's letters from bristol and other towns were delayed from ten to fourteen hours beyond the proper time, and ordered that the postmasters should be threatened with dismissal unless they reformed. in a london and oxford coach was performing the miles between the two cities in two days, halting for the intervening night at beaconsfield: and in the same year the original bath coach was the subject of this proclamation: "flying machine."--"all those desirous of passing from london to bath, or any other place on their road, let them repair to the 'belle sauvage' on ludgate hill, in london, and the 'white lion' at bath, at both which places they may be received in a stage coach, every monday, wednesday, and friday, which performs the whole journey in three days (if god permit) and sets forth at o'clock in the morning. "passengers to pay one pound five shillings each, who are allowed to carry fourteen pounds weight--for all above to pay three-halfpence per pound." it was only after repeated appeals to the government that a "cross post" was established between bristol and exeter for inland letters in , thus substituting a journey of under miles for one of nearly , when the letters were carried through london. in this case, however, bristol letters to and from ireland were excluded from the scheme, and they still had to pass through the metropolis. [illustration: i've nothing to brag on but driving my waggon. _temp: georgius iii._] even at a later date, when strong representations were made to the post office, ralph allen, of bath, who had the control of the western mails, refused to allow a direct communication between bristol and ireland, but offered if the postage from dublin to london were paid, to convey the letters to bristol gratis. at this period there were quaint public waggons on the bristol road, as depicted in the illustration. the "pack horse" at chippenham, and the "old pack horse," and the "pack horse and talbot," at turnham green, were, in , halting places of the numerous packmen who travelled on the bristol and western road. by a stage-coach left london at seven every morning, stayed for dinner at noon in uxbridge, arrived at high wycombe by four in the afternoon, and rested there all night, proceeding to oxford the next day. men were content to get to york in six days, and to exeter in a fortnight. in , in consequence of frequent complaints as to the dilatoriness of the postal service, the authorities in london announced that letters or packets would thenceforth be dispatched from the capital to the chief provincial towns "at any hour without loss of time," at certain specified rates. an express to bristol was to cost £ s. d.; to plymouth, £ s. d. leeds, manchester, birmingham, liverpool, were not even mentioned. the mail-coach system had its origin in the west of england, and bristol and bath in particular are associated with all the traditions of the initiatory stages, so that the details on record in ancient newspapers of those cities are copious. mr. john weeks, who entered upon "the bush," bristol, in , after ineffectually urging the proprietors to quicken their speed, started a one-day coach to birmingham himself, and carried it on against a bitter opposition, charging the passengers only s. d. and s. d. for inside and outside seats respectively, and giving each one of them a dinner and a pint of wine at gloucester into the bargain. after two years' struggle, his opponents gave in, and one-day journeys to birmingham became the established rule. [illustration: [_from "stage coach and mail," by permission of mr. c.g. harper._ john palmer at the age of .] soon after this period, john palmer, of bath, came on the scene. he had learnt from the merchants of bristol what a boon it would be if they could get their letters conveyed to london in fourteen or fifteen hours, instead of three days. john palmer was lessee and manager of the bath and bristol theatres, and went about beating up actors, actresses, and companies in postchaises, and he thought letters should be carried at the same pace at which it was possible to travel in a chaise. he devised a scheme, and pitt, the prime minister of the day, who warmly approved the idea, decided that the plan should have a trial, and that the first mail-coach should run between london and bristol. on saturday, july , , an agreement was signed in connection with palmer's scheme under which, in consideration of payment of d. a mile, five inn-holders--one belonging to london, one to thatcham, one to marlborough, and two to bath--undertook to provide the horses, and on monday, august , , the first "mail-coach" started. the following was the post office announcement respecting the service:--"general post office, july , . his majesty's postmaster-general being inclined to make an experiment for the more expeditious conveyance of the mails of letters by stage-coaches, machines, etc., have (_sic_) been pleased to order that a trial shall be made upon the road between london and bristol, to commence at each place on monday, august next, and that the mails should be made up at this office every evening (sundays excepted) at o'clock, and at bristol, in return, at in the afternoon (saturdays excepted), to contain the bags for the following post towns and their districts--viz.: hounslow--between and at night from london; between and in the morning from bristol. maidenhead--between and at night from london; between and in the morning from bristol. reading--about in the morning from london; between and in the morning from bristol. newbury--about in the morning from london; between and at night from bristol. hungerford--between and in the morning from london; about at night from bristol. marlborough--about in the morning from london; between and at night from bristol. chippenham--between and in the morning from london; about in the evening from bristol. bath--between and in the morning from london; between and in the afternoon from bristol. bristol--about at noon from london. [illustration: the letter woman. _(from an old print.)_ this simple boy has lost his penny, and she without it won't take any; what can he do in such a plight? this letter cannot go to-night. _printed by carrington bowles, , st. paul's churchyard, london._] "all persons are therefore to take notice that the letters put into any receiving house in london before in the evening, or before at this office, will be forwarded by this new conveyance; all others for the said post-towns and their districts put in afterwards, or given to the bell-men, must remain until the following post, at the same hour of o'clock. [at this period there were post office bell-women as well as bell-men. see illustration.] "letters also for colnbrooke, windsor, calne, and ramsbury will be forwarded by this conveyance every day; and for devizes, melksham, trowbridge, and bradford on mondays, tuesdays, wednesdays, thursdays, and saturdays; and for henley, nettlebed, wallingford, wells, bridgwater, taunton, wellington, tiverton, frome, and warminster, on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays. "letters from all the before-mentioned post-towns and their districts will be sorted and delivered as soon as possible after their arrival in london, and are not to wait for the general delivery. "all carriers, coachmen, higglers, news carriers, and all other persons are liable to a penalty of £ for every letter which they shall receive, take up, order, dispatch, carry, or deliver illegally; and to £ for every week that any offender shall continue the practice--one-half to the informer. and that this revenue may not be injured by unlawful collections and conveyances, all persons acting contrary to the law therein will be proceeded against, and punished with the utmost severity. "by command of the postmaster-general, "anthony todd, sec." the _bath chronicle_ versions were as follows, viz.:--"july , . on monday next the experiment for the more expeditious conveyance of the mails will be made on the road from london to bath and bristol. letters are to be put in the london office every evening before o'clock, and to arrive next morning in bath before o'clock, and in bristol by o'clock. the letters for london, or for any place between or beyond, to be put into the bath post office every evening before o'clock, and into the bristol office before o'clock in the afternoon, and they will be delivered in london the next day." [illustration: [_by permission of kelly's directories, lim._ the old general post office in lombard street, london.] the public were also informed that the mail diligence would commence to run on monday, august , --and that the proprietors had engaged to carry the mail to and from london to bristol in sixteen hours, starting from the swan with two necks, in lad lane, london, at o'clock each night, and arriving at the three tuns, bath, before o'clock the next morning, and at the rummer tavern, bristol, by o'clock. "the mail is to leave bristol from the swan tavern for london every afternoon at o'clock, and to arrive in london before o'clock the next morning." on august , we are told, "the new mail diligence set off for the first time from bristol on monday last, at o'clock, and from bath at . p.m. from london it set out at o'clock in the evening, and was in bath by o'clock the next morning. "the excellent steps taken to carry out this undertaking leave no doubt of its succeeding, to the great advantage and pleasure to the publick. the mail from this city is made up at o'clock." this grand achievement of palmer's was signalised by the following lines:-- "a safe and quick method is found to convey our bills of exchange, and i promise to pay. political news from all parts of the town, the senate, the play, and each place of renown. new pamphlets and schemes, or the prices of stocks, that trafficks in ports, and escaped from the rocks. at bristol hotwells or the new rooms at bath arrived mr. fancy and lady hogarth, who looked so enchanting last week at the races, and _nemine contra_ pronounced by the graces. effusions of friendship or letters of love-- all beautiful, candid, as true as a dove. _j'espere, ma chere ami, qui ce bien avec vous,_ and friendly whip syllabub chat _entre nous_. the merchant, the lover, the friend, and the sage will daily applaud mr. palmer's new stage." no sooner was success apparent than troubles commenced, as may be gathered from the following paragraph, dated september , :--"bath. we hear that the contractors for carrying the mail to and from this city and london have received the most positive orders to direct their coachmen: on no account whatever to try their speed against other carriages that may be set up in opposition to them, nor to suffer them to discharge firearms in passing through any towns, or on the road, except they are attacked." "they have generally performed their duty with great care and punctuality, within an hour of the contracted time and perfectly to the satisfaction of the government and the publick, and this before any opposition was commenced against them, and when it was thought impossible to effect it in sixteen hours instead of fifteen hours. their steady line of conduct will be their best recommendation to this city, which, much to its honour, has supported them with great spirit. attempts by other drivers of other coaches, or any other persons whatsoever, to impede the mail diligence on its journey will be certainly attended with the most serious prosecutions to the parties so offending. "we are desired by the old proprietors of the bath coaches to insert the following:-- "'last sunday evening, as the coachman of the mail diligence was driving furiously down kennet hill, between calne and marlborough, in order to overtake the two guard coaches, the coach was suddenly thrown against the bank, by which means a lady was much hurt, as was also the driver. the lady was taken out and safely conveyed in one of the guard coaches to marlborough.' "we are informed:--the proprietors of the two coaches, with a guard to each, which travel from bristol to london in fifteen hours have instructed their servants not to fire their arms wantonly, but to be particularly vigilant in case of attack. the proprietors of these coaches are determined to have the passengers and property protected and for the safety of both have ordered their coachmen to keep together to make assurance doubly sure." [illustration: [_by permission of s.w. partridge & co., paternoster row, london._ anthony todd.] september , :--"our mail diligence still continues its course with the same steadiness and punctuality. yesterday its coachman and guard made their first appearance in royal livery, and cut a most superior figure. it is certainly very proper that the government carriages should be thus distinguished; such a mark of his majesty's approbation does the contractors great honour, and it is with much pleasure we see so great a change in the conveyance of our mail--not only in its speed and safety, but in its present respectable appearance, from an old cart and a ragged boy." december , :--"a writer, under the signature of 'an enemy to schemers,' having published in the _gazette_ several letters against the new mode of conveying the mail, another writer, under the signature of 'lash,' has in a masterly manner replied to all his arguments in that paper of monday, and has severely censured the conduct of mr. todd of the post office." december , :--"dear sir,--i have just received some newspapers from a friend in bath containing an abusive letter against my post plan, and two answers to it under the signature of 'lash.' i rather think that the latter may be yours, and think myself much obliged to you for the warmth with which you have taken the matter up, but could wish you would take no further notice of it. the letter, if i recollect right, merely contains the refuse of the observations, sent from the post office to the treasury, which have been fully refuted to the board. it might appear these are like doubting the justice of that court were i to suffer myself to be decoyed or provoked into another. two years have already been wasted in wrangling, and i am heartily weary of it. since my return i have the satisfaction to find the public, if possible, still more pleased from the experience they have had of the punctuality as well as the expedition of the post in all possible cases, in every variety of weather our climate gives. and those who express their surprise that the plan is not extended yet to other parts of the kingdom i have taken care to tell the plain truth--that it is entirely mr. todd's fault. i could not express my sense of his exceeding ill conduct at the commencement of the trial (so very different from his profession) in a stronger manner than in my memorial to the treasury; nor could they do me ampler justice than in the resolutions they passed on the occasion and sent to the post office. it should not therefore be stated to the public his stopping the norfolk and suffolk service by his assertion of the enormous expenses of the new beyond the old system, and his strange declaration that the number of letters sent by the bath and bristol post had decreased and in consequence of its improvement are so ill-supported by the statements sent to the treasury, and the reverse of these charges so fully established in my answers that i believe there is an end of the controversy, and have very little doubt but that i shall shortly receive the ministers' commands to carry the plan into execution to the other parts of the kingdom. to do this (and i have not the least fear of accomplishing it) will be the most decisive answer to abuse, and more satisfactory to the publick. i rather think, too, from the number of memorials sent in favour of my plan, and the general indignation expressed at the mismanagement of the old post, mr. todd will find it prudent to desist from further opposition. nothing possible can be in better train than the plan is or in the hands of persons more anxious for its success. it would be very imprudent, therefore, to run the least hazard of disturbing it. i beg you'll not imagine i am the least displeased at what you have done. on the contrary, i am really much obliged to you; and be assured i shall never forget the zeal and attention i have experienced from you in the course of this business, and that you will always find me your sincere friend.--john palmer, arno's vale, bristol, december , ." december , :--"our mail carriage has, if possible, added to its reputation from its extraordinary and ready exertions on the bad weather setting in. it arrived here on saturday an hour only after its time, and this morning was within the limited time. the salisbury mail, which should have come in on saturday by eight in the morning did not arrive till sunday morning." january , :--"the new regulation of our post turns out a peculiar advantage to this city, in that letters can be sent from here in the evening and answered in london next morning's mails, which enables business people to stay here longer." on february , , the town council minutes contain the following:--"mr. may acquainted the members present that the inhabitants of this city, as well as those of other places, having derived great benefit from mr. palmer's plan lately adopted for the improvement of the post, was the occasion of his calling them together to consider such measures as might be thought proper for continuance and extension of the said plan.... it was resolved that a memorial be sent to the right hon. wm. pitt, representing the great benefits received from the plan, and requesting a continuance of the same, together with the extension of the same plan to other parts of the kingdom." february , :--"at a meeting of the bristol merchants' society on saturday last, a vote of thanks was passed to mr. john palmer for the advantages received from his postal plan." february , :--"memorials appear to the right hon. wm. pitt for the continuance and extension of palmer's plan from the merchants, tradesmen, shopkeepers in the city of bristol, common council of the city of bristol, mayor, burgesses and commonality of the city of bristol, mayor, aldermen and common councilmen of the city of bristol." on march , , appeared the following letter:--"london, february , . sir,--having both of us been engaged upon committees of the house of commons, we have been unable to present the paper you transmitted to us respecting mr. palmer's plan to mr. pitt till within these few days. mr. pitt has desired us to acquaint mr. mayor and the corporation that he feels himself very happy to have assisted in giving such an accommodation to the city of bath as he always hoped that plan would afford, and in which he is confirmed by the manner in which the corporation have expressed themselves concerning it. measures are being taken to carry it into execution through other parts of the kingdom, and the plan will be adopted in a few days upon the norfolk and suffolk roads. "a. moysey and j.j. pratt. "to philip georges, esq., deputy town clerk." may , :--"bath post office. a further extension of mr. palmer's plan for the more safe and expeditious conveyance of the mails took place on monday, the th inst., when the letters on the cross posts from frome, warminster, haytesbury, salisbury, romsey, southampton, portsmouth, gosport, chichester, and their delivery, together with the isle of wight, jersey and guernsey, all parts of hampshire and dorsetshire, will be forwarded from this office at five o'clock p.m., and every day except sundays. letters from the above places will arrive here every morning, mondays excepted: "n.b.--all letters must be put in the office before five o'clock p.m." may , :--"we hear that mr. palmer's plan for conveying the mails will be adopted from london to manchester through leicester and derby, and to leeds through nottingham, at midsummer." june , :--"mr. williams, the public-spirited master of the three tuns inn, and the chief contractor for conveying the mails, had in the morning of this day placed in the front of his house his majesty's arms, neatly carved in gilt. in the evening his house was illuminated in a very elegant manner with variegated lamps, the principal figure in which was the letters 'g.r.' immediately over the coat-of-arms. a band of music with horns played several tunes adapted to the day, and a recruiting party drawn up before the doors with drums and fifes playing at intervals had a very pleasing effect." on june , , appeared the following paragraph, which shows how complete was the success of john palmer's post plan, in spite of all the obstacles placed in his way to obstruct his scheme. we are now informed that the "mail-coaches and diligences have been found to answer so well that they will be generally adopted throughout the kingdom, and conveying of them in carts will be discontinued." on june appeared a long letter showing how the g.p.o. tried to overthrow mr. palmer's scheme. this is signed thomas symons, bristol, and describes the scheme as the most beneficial plan that ever was thought of for a commercial country. he also complains of the misconduct of the post office, as letters had been miscarried to dublin, which caused the merchants of bristol considerable annoyance, and this mismanagement without hesitation he declares was by design, in order to try and overthrow this most excellent system of john palmer's post. early in , palmer had to represent to the contractors that the mails must be carried by more reliable coaches. "the comptroller-general," he wrote to one contractor, "has to complain not only of the horses employed on the bristol mail, but as well of their harness and the accoutrements in use, whose defects have several times delayed the bath and bristol letters, and have even led to the conveyance being overset, to the imminent peril of the passengers. "instructions have been issued by the comptroller for new sets of harness to be supplied to the several coaches in use on this road, for which accounts will be sent you by the harness-makers. mr. palmer stated also that he had under consideration, for the contractor's use, a new-invented coach." soon after this, palmer's active connection with the post office ceased. he died at brighton in . what he looked like at the age of and respectively, is shewn in the illustrations, the former taken from a picture attributed to gainsborough. [illustration: [_by permission of "bath chronicle."_ john palmer at the age of .] chapter v. appreciations of ralph allen, john palmer, and sir francis freeling, mail and coach administrators. on the th april, , the day after a visit to bristol to celebrate the establishment of the new steamship line to jamaica, the marquess of londonderry, then postmaster-general, visited bath to take part in a ceremony in honour of ralph allen and john palmer. these two great postal reformers were both citizens of bath, and are greatly honoured in that city for their work in the post office, with the famous men of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. by a happy thought there has lately been started a movement to keep alive associations with the past by placing tablets on the houses in which famous men lived. one of the tablets unveiled by lord londonderry was placed on the house in which ralph allen first conducted the business of the bath post office, and of his cross post contracts, and the other on the house in which john palmer was born. soon after noon on the eventful day, the bath postmen's band, mr. kerans, the postmaster, and his lieutenants, the staff of postmen and messengers, marched on to the space between the abbey and the guildhall for inspection by the head of the post office department. after the inspection, a procession was formed, in which the postmaster-general was accompanied by the mayor, and followed by the town councillors, two by two. before them went the city swordbearer, clad in striking robes, and the party proceeded to the north parade, from which allen's house is now reached by a passage way. the house is built of stone, and has a very handsome front in the style of the classical renaissance. in drawing aside the curtain, which veiled the tablet, on which was inscribed "here lived ralph allen, - ," lord londonderry said that there was probably not one of the great men who had been associated with bath who was more of a benefactor to his town, as well as to the public service of his country, than ralph allen. the procession then moved on to palmer's house, only a few yards away, where a similar ceremony took place. after another short speech by the postmaster-general, in which he explained the share palmer had borne in developing the modern post office system, the second tablet was unveiled. it bore the inscription, "here lived john palmer, born , died ." afterwards at the guildhall, where a bust of allen in the council chamber looked down upon a large party assembled for luncheon, the postmaster-general, in response to the toast of his health, discoursed more at large upon the topic of the day. he congratulated bath upon having among its citizens two out of the four great men of post office history. it was allen's task to provide a general postal system by opening up new lines of posts between the main roads, and through new lines of country. between , when he began his first contract, and when he died, he covered the country with a network of posts, giving easy communication between all important towns, and he also increased the number and speed of the mails on the post roads. while doing this he raised himself from being a humble clerk, and later, postmaster of bath, to a position of great affluence, and of friendship with many of the great men of his time. among those friends was lord chatham. it was twenty years after allen's death that palmer's mail coach system was started. its advantage soon made itself apparent, and the improvement of roads at the end of the th century enabled the mail coach service to be brought to great perfection. it lasted less than years, but in those years correspondence and the revenue of the post office multiplied many times, and when rowland hill turned his attention to postal questions he found a rapid and efficient service, which was at the same time so cheap that the cost of conveyance was only a small item in the expenses of the post office. the mayor of bath proposed the toast of "the visitors," and said that they had amongst them two representatives of the great men they were honouring. ralph allen was represented by colonel allen, a direct descendant, and the owner of bathampton manor, a part of ralph allen's estate. colonel allen had lately returned from south africa. john palmer was represented by his grandson, colonel palmer, r.e. [illustration: [_from a block kindly lent by the proprietors of the "bath chronicle."_] medal struck in honour of ralph allen.] colonel allen thanked the company for their kind reception, and colonel palmer said that it had given him the greatest pleasure to witness the testimonial to his grandfather's services, and this pleasure would be shared by the members of his family, including his sister, who had given the cup on the table to the corporation. it had been a present from the citizens of glasgow to john palmer. full accounts of the post office services of allen and palmer are written in "the bristol royal mail." the photograph of a curious memorial of ralph allen's work in the post office here reproduced is that of a medal bearing the royal arms, and the inscriptions "to the famous mr. allen, th december, ," and "the gift of his royal highness, w.d. of cumberland." the reverse of the medal is engraved with some masonic emblems, and with the words, "amor honor justitia," ino campbell, armagh. no. . the history of this relic is rather obscure. it was purchased in a curiosity shop in belfast some fifteen years ago by mr. d. buick, ll.d., of sandy bay, larne. in the year , the princess amelia visited bath, and was entertained by ralph allen at prior park. during her stay at bath, the duke of cumberland also visited the town, and is known to have contributed £ to the bath hospital, of which allen was one of the most active supporters. it has been surmised that the medal was intended as an acknowledgment of the courtesy and attention received by the duke and the princess on this occasion. whether the medal was ever presented is not known, or how it came to be converted into a masonic jewel. perhaps it may have been given away by allen, or it may have gone astray, or been stolen. the masonic lodge, no. , is said to have been founded by a mr. john campbell in , shortly before the date of allen's death: allen may have been a freemason. [illustration: [_by permission of mr. sydenham, of bath._ tokens commemorative of palmer's mail coach system.] it is to mr. sydenham, of bath, that indebtedness is due for the interesting impressions of tokens struck in commemoration of palmer's mail coach system here depicted. an interesting tribute was the painting by george robertson, engraved by james fittler, and inscribed to him as comptroller-general in , eleven years after he had ceased to hold that position. a copy of this engraving appears in "the bristol royal mail." palmer also received the freedom of eighteen towns and cities in recognition of his public services, was mayor of bath in and , and represented that city in the four parliaments of , , , and . francis freeling, who succeeded john palmer in the secretaryship and general managership of post office affairs, was as a youth a disciple of his predecessor, and assisted him in the development of the mail coach system. he was apprenticed to the post office in bristol, where his talents, rectitude of conduct, and assiduity in the duties assigned him gained for him the esteem and respect of all those connected with the establishment; and, on the introduction by mr. palmer of the new system of mail coaches, mr. freeling was appointed in his assistant to carry the improvements into effect. he was introduced into the general post office in , and successively filled the office of surveyor, principal surveyor, joint secretary with the late anthony todd, esq., and sole secretary for nearly half a century. in mr. dix's "life of chatterton," it is stated, on the authority of a friend of the chatterton family, that on chatterton leaving for london, "he took leave of several friends on the steps of redcliff church very cheerfully. that at parting from them he went over the way to mr. freeling's house." it is further stated that mr. freeling was father to the late sir f. freeling. as regards freeling's birthplace, information is forthcoming which seems conclusive. in a collection of old bristol sketches purchased for the museum and library, there is a beautiful drawing of redcliffe hill, executed about eighty years ago; and the artist, doubtless acting on the evidence of old inhabitants--contemporaries of freeling--has distinctly marked the house where that gentleman was born, and noted the fact in his own handwriting. [illustration: + birthplace of sir francis freeling, bart., _secretary to the general post office_.] permission has been obtained from the council of the bristol museum and reference library for the picture to be photographed. the following is the superscription on the back of the original pencil drawing:--"redcliffe pit, bristol. the house with this mark + at the door is the house in which sir francis freeling, bart., was born. the high building, george's patent shot tower, g. delamotte, del. jan. , ." a copy of the sketch is here reproduced. the house as "set back" or re-erected is now known as , redcliffe hill. sir francis freeling first carried on his secretarial duties at the old post office in lombard street, once a citizen's mansion. there he was located for years. on september th, , the lombard street office was abandoned as headquarters, and freeling moved, with the secretarial staff under his chieftainship, to st. martin's-le-grand. in the question arose whether the mail coaches should be obtained by public competition, or by private agreement, but sir francis freeling's idea was to get the public service done well, irrespective of the means. on this point mr. joyce, c.b., in his history of the post office, wrote that in the contract for the supply of mail coaches was in the hands of mr. vidler, of millbank, who had held it for more than years, and little had been done during this period to improve the construction of the vehicles he supplied. designed after the pattern in vogue at the end of the last century, they were, as compared with the stage coaches, not only heavy and unsightly, but inferior both in point of speed and accommodation. commissioners appointed to inquire into the system, altogether dissatisfied with the manner in which the contract had been performed, arranged with the government not only that the service should be put up to public tender, but that vidler should be excluded from the competition. this decision was arrived at in july, , and the contract expired on the th of january following. to invite tenders would occupy time, and after that mail coaches would have to be built sufficient in number to supply the whole of england and scotland. a period of five or six months was obviously not enough for the purpose, and overtures were made to vidler to continue his contract for half a year longer. vidler, incensed at the treatment he had received, flatly refused. not a day, not an hour, beyond the stipulated time would he extend his contract, and on the th of january, , all the mail coaches in great britain would be withdrawn from the roads. freeling, now an old man, with this difficulty to overcome, had his old energy revived, and when the th of january arrived there was not a road in the kingdom, from wick to penzance, on which a new coach was not running. it was then that the mail coaches reached their prime. amongst the deaths announced in the _felix farley's journal_ under date of january th, , is that of "the lady of francis freeling, esq., of the general post office," and another part of the paper contains the following paragraph:-- "the untimely death of mrs. freeling is lamented far beyond the circle of her own family, extensive as it is. the amiableness of her manner and the rational accomplishments of her mind had conciliated a general esteem for such worth, through numerous classes of respectable friends, who naturally participate in its loss." freeling's obituary notice, which appeared in the same _journal_ on july , , ran as follows: "saturday last, died at his residence in bryanston square, london, in the rd year of his age, sir francis freeling, bart., upwards of years secretary to the general post office. sir francis was a native of bristol--he was born in redcliffe parish--and first became initiated in the laborious and multifarious duties attendant upon the important branch of the public service in which he was engaged in the post office of this city of bristol, from whence he was removed to the metropolitan office in lombard street, on the recommendation of mr. palmer, the former m.p. and father of george palmer, the present member for bath, who had observed during the period he was employed in first establishing the mail-coach department the quickness of apprehension, the aptitude for business, and the steadiness of conduct of his youthful protégé. sir francis rapidly rose to notice and preferment in his new situation; and after his succession to the office of chief secretary, it is proverbial that no public servant ever gave more general satisfaction by his indefatigable attention to the interests of the community, or than he invariably shewed to those of the meanest individual who addressed him; whether from a peer or peasant, a letter of complaint always received a prompt reply. the present admirable arrangements and conveniences of that noble national establishment, the newly-erected post office, were formed upon the experience and the suggestions of sir francis and his eldest son. a more faithful and zealous servant the public never possessed. the title he enjoyed was the unsolicited reward for his services, bestowed upon him by his royal master george the th, from whom he frequently received other flattering testimonials of regard and friendship. in sir francis freeling was to be found one of those instances which so frequently occur in this country of the sure reward to industry and talent when brought into public notice. in speaking of his private character, those only can appreciate his worth who saw him in the bosom of his family--to his fond and affectionate children his loss will be irreparable. to possess his friendship was to have gained his heart, for it may be truly said he never forgot the friend who had won his confidence; particularly if the individual was one who, like himself, had wanted the fostering hand of a superior. sir francis was always found to be the ready and liberal patron of talent in every department of literature, science, and the fine arts. considering the importance and multiplicity of his public avocations, it was surprising to all his friends how he could have found leisure to store his mind with the knowledge he had attained of the works and beauties of all our most esteemed writers; his library contains one of the rarest and most curious collections of our early authors, more particularly our poets and dramatists; in the acquirement of these works he was engaged long before it became the fashion to purchase a black letter poem, or romance, merely because it was old or unique. but his highest excellencies were the virtuous and religious principles which governed his whole life; his purse was ever open to relieve the distress of an unfortunate friend, or the wants of the deserving poor. many were the alms which he bestowed in secret; which can be testified by the writer of this paragraph, who knew him well, and enjoyed his friendship." miss edith freeling, now resident in clifton, grand-daughter of sir francis freeling, and daughter of sir henry freeling, and who was actually born in the general post office, st. martin's-le-grand, london, where her father had a residence as assistant secretary, has in her possession several "antiques" belonging to her ancestors. a worn-out despatch box used by sir francis in sending his papers to the postmaster-general is one of the prized articles. a very handsome gold seal cut with the royal arms, and bearing the legend--general post office secretary--is another of the relics. likewise a smaller gold seal with a crown, and "god save the king," as its legend. at the time of his death, sir francis freeling's snuff boxes numbered , the majority of which had been presented to him. apparently "appreciations" took a tangible form in those days! his son, sir henry, likewise had snuff boxes presented to him. a handsome specimen snuff box is now in miss freeling's hands. it is made of tortoise-shell, it has the portrait of king george the ivth as a gold medallion on the top, and was known as a regency box. the inscription inside is, "this box was presented to g.h. freeling by his majesty george ivth on board the lightning steam packet on his birthday twelfth august as a remembrance that we had been carried to ireland in a steam boat." as sir francis freeling migrated from the bristol service to bath in , it must have been at the old bristol post office, near the exchange, indicated by the illustration, that he commenced that public career which was destined to be one of brilliant achievements for the department during the many years he presided over it as permanent chief, and of great good to his country in the way of providing means for people to communicate with each other more readily than was the case before his day. [illustration: the old bristol post office in exchange avenue.] chapter vi. bristol mail coach announcements, - .--the new general post office, london. how our forefathers got about the country, and how the mails were carried as time went on after allen and palmer had disappeared from mail scenes, and freeling had taken up the reins, the following announcements, taken from _bonner and middleton's bristol journal_, and from the _bristol mirror_ respecting mail stage coaches will aptly indicate. they are quoted just as they appeared, so that editing may not spoil their originality or interest:-- "a letter from exeter, dated may , , said:--'last thursday the london mail, horsed by mr. j. land, of the new london inn, exeter, with four beautiful grey horses, and driven by mr. cave-browne, of the inniskilling dragoons, started (at the sound of the bugle) from st. sydwells, for a bet of guineas, against the plymouth mail, horsed by mr. phillips, of the hotel, with four capital blacks, and driven by mr. chichester, of arlington house, which got the mail first to the post office in honiton. the bet was won easily by mr. browne, who drove the sixteen miles in one hour and fourteen minutes.--bets at starting, to on mr. browne. a very great concourse of people were assembled on this occasion.'" on saturday, october , , it was announced that "the union post coach ran from bristol every sunday, wednesday and friday morning over the old passage, through chepstow and monmouth to hereford, where it met other coaches, and returned the following days. coaches left the white hart inn and the bush tavern for exeter and plymouth every morning, by the nearest road by ten miles. fares: to exeter, inside, £ s.; outside, s.; to plymouth, £ s. d. and £ s. reduced fares are offered by the london, bath, and bristol mail coaches--to and from london to bristol, inside, £ s.; from london to bath, £ . parcels under lb. in weight taken at d. each, with an engagement to be responsible for the safe delivery of such as are under £ in value." in august, , passenger traffic to birmingham caused rivalry among the coach proprietors. a new coach having started on this route, three coaching advertisements were issued:-- under the heading "cheap travelling to birmingham," the "jupiter" coach was announced to run from the white lion, broad street, every monday and friday afternoon, at two o'clock; through newport, gloucester, tewkesbury, and worcester to birmingham; the "nelson" coach from the bush tavern and white hart every morning at three; and the mail every evening at seven. "performed by weeks, williams, poston, coupland and co." the "union" coach altered its times of leaving the boar's head, college place--"in order to render the conveyance as commodious and expeditious as possible"--to sunday, tuesday and thursday mornings at seven o'clock, over the old passage, through chepstow, monmouth, abergavenny, and hereford, where it met the ludlow, shrewsbury, chester, and holyhead coaches, and returned the following days, and met the bath, warminster, salisbury, and southampton coaches every saturday, tuesday, and thursday mornings at seven o'clock. "performed by w. williams, bennett, whitney, broome, young and co." "a new and elegant coach, called the 'cornwallis,'" left the lamb inn, broadmead, every monday, wednesday, and friday afternoon, at two o'clock, through newport, gloucester, tewkesbury and worcester, to the george and rose inn, birmingham, where it arrived early the next morning, whence coaches set off for the midlands, north wales, and the north of england. the proprietors pledged themselves that no pains should be spared to make this a favourite coach with the public; and as one of the proprietors would drive it a great part of the way, every attention would be paid to the comfort of passengers. the fares of this coach would at all times be as cheap as any other coach on the road, and the proprietors expected a preference no longer than whilst endeavouring by attention to merit it. "performed by thomas brooks and co., bristol." march , :--"the 'cornwallis' coach to birmingham is to set out from the swan inn, maryport street, at three every morning, sundays excepted, through newport, gloucester and worcester, and arrive at the rose inn, birmingham, early the same evening. the fares of this coach and the carriage of goods will be found at all times as cheap as any other coach on the road." at this period admiral cornwallis, whose name this coach bore, was fighting the french with his fleet off brest. on august , in that year ( ), the public were respectfully informed, that "a light four-inside coach leaves the original southampton and general coach offices, bush inn and tavern, bristol, every morning (sundays excepted), at seven o'clock precisely, and arrives at the coach and horses inn, southampton, at five in the afternoon. the gosport coach, through warminster, salisbury, romsey and southampton, tuesday, thursday and saturday mornings at five o'clock. to brighton, a four-inside coach in two days, through warminster, salisbury, romsey, southampton, chichester, arundel, worthing and shoreham, on monday, wednesday and friday mornings at seven, sleeps at southampton, and arrives early the following afternoon. portsmouth royal mail, through warminster, sarum, romsey, and southampton every afternoon at three o'clock. also the oxford royal mail, every morning at seven o'clock." on august , , the state of the roads comes under review:--"mail men, who have to drive rapidly over long distances, must ever be on the look-out for the state in which the roads are kept. "in december, , mr. johnson, superintendent of mail coaches, had to report to the house of commons on the 'petition of mr. mcadam,' who was engaged in constructing and repairing of the public roads. "previous to this the roads were very bad in most country places, except the mail coach roads, built at the time the romans came to england. "mcadam's expenses up to amounted to £ , s., actually expended by him up to august, , and he had travelled , miles in , days. "he held the position of general surveyor of the bristol turnpike roads, at a salary, first year £ , and each subsequent year of £ , but, taking into account that the annual salary was £ for expenses 'incident' to the office, the remaining £ was not more than adequate payment for the constant and laborious duties attached to the situation." under date of november , , there is a list of royal mails and post-coaches despatched from and arriving at the bush tavern, corn street, bristol:--"london, daily, . p.m.; and at reduced fares by the 'regent' at . p.m.; milford and waterford, via cardiff and swansea, . a.m. daily; birmingham, manchester and liverpool, every evening at . ; oxford, daily, at . a.m.; portsmouth and southampton, every afternoon, at . ; plymouth and exeter, every morning, at ; birmingham, manchester and liverpool, daily, at . a.m.; portsmouth and southampton, by the 'rocket,' at . a.m.; gloster, birmingham, liverpool, manchester, and holyhead leaves bristol each day at . a.m." on july , , the "hero" coach is quoted as performing the journey from bristol to birmingham in twelve hours. [illustration: [_from "stage coach and mail." by permission of mr. c.g. harper._ how the mails were conveyed to bristol in the days of king george the fourth.] on january , :--"from wood's office, bell yard, thomas street, bristol. coaches. the 'london shamrock,' light post-coach, five o'clock every evening; arrives in london at half-past seven next morning. runs to the spread eagle inn, gracechurch street, and bull inn, aldgate. "'london chronometer.' cheap coach. tuesday, thursday and saturday, twelve o'clock. fare: inside, s.; outside, s. d. runs to gerrard's hall, basing lane, cheapside. "exeter, plymouth, devonport, totnes, newton-bushel, ashburton, tiverton, wellington, taunton, and bridgwater. 'royal devon' coach, every afternoon at four o'clock. "bath. every morning, at eight, ten, and twelve o'clock, and at five in the evening." january , :--"plume of feathers, general coach office, wine street, bristol. w. clift takes the present opportunity to return his sincere thanks to the public for the preference they have given to his coaches; and begs to inform them that the 'traveller' coach, to exeter, is this day removed from congdon's hotel to the old london inn, and leaves there for bristol every evening, at half-past five, and arrives at bristol at half-past five in the morning, in time for the coaches to gloucester, cheltenham, worcester, birmingham, liverpool, manchester, holyhead, and all parts of the north; leaves bristol at seven every morning, proceeds through bridgwater, taunton and tiverton, and arrives at exeter at six the same evening. "the proprietors, for the better accommodation of their friends, have declined the conveyance of fish by this coach, and pledge themselves that no pains shall be wanting to render it the most comfortable as well as the most expeditious coach on the road. "four-inside coaches to all parts of england daily. performed by clift, pratt and co." saturday, december , :--"we are informed that memorials to the lords of the treasury and to the general post office, to establish a mail-coach from cheltenham, through tewkesbury, over the tewkesbury severn bridge to ledbury, and from thence to hereford, are now in course of signature through the neighbourhood connected with that line of road. the advantages of such an arrangement will be most important, as it will give to the inhabitants of that city two hours to answer, on the same day, letters received in the morning from london, bristol, birmingham, and all parts of the north and west, and also from scotland and from all parts of the north of ireland. should this object be attained, the intended new mail will bring the london letters for hereford from cheltenham on the arrival there of the gloucester mail; and the present bristol and birmingham mails will leave the ledbury and hereford letters at tewkesbury, instead of at worcester, as now done." october , :--"royal mail and general coach office, bush tavern, corn street, bristol. new mails to exeter, plymouth and barnstaple. the public are respectfully informed that the royal mail will in future leave the bush coach office daily, nine a.m., via bridgwater, taunton, wellington, collumpton, and arrive in exeter six p.m., leaving for plymouth six-thirty p.m. and arriving there eleven p.m. 'same night,' making the journey, bristol to plymouth, in 'only fourteen hours.' "also royal mail to barnstaple, daily, nine-thirty a.m., via taunton, wiveliscombe, bampton and south molton. "each mail will arrive at bristol at five p.m., in time for the london mail at five-twenty p.m., and of the 'sovereign' four-inside coach to london six p.m." april , :--"from the bush coach office, the day coach, the 'regulator,' daily (except sundays) at six-thirty p.m., and arrives at the white horse cellars, piccadilly, and the bull and mouth, st. martin's-le-grand, precisely at eight o'clock." "the weston-super-mare coach, the 'magnet,' left weston nine a.m., and on return left the bush three-forty-five p.m., through congresbury, cleeve, and backwell. "the 'hope' left weston-super-mare on tuesday, thursday and saturday at eight-thirty a.m., and returned from the plume of feathers at four-thirty p.m. same day." [illustration: [_by permission of mr. f.e. baines, c.b. from "on the track of the mail coach."_ the bristol, bath and london coach taking up mails without halting.] "royal mail to portsmouth, daily, five-fifteen p.m., return journey, portsmouth seven p.m., arrive white lion eight-thirty next day." in , the "bull and mouth" in st. martin's-le-grand was a great coach rendezvous. a strong and penetrating aroma of horses and straw pervaded its neighbourhood, in bull-and-mouth street. the gloucester and aberystwith mail-coach continued to run until the year , and it is believed that was the last regular main road mail-coach which was kept on the road. its guard from to its abolition in was moses james nobbs. the london mail coaches of the period loaded up at about half-past seven at their respective inns, and then assembled at the post office yard in st. martin's-le-grand to receive the bags. all, that is to say, except seven coaches carrying west of england mails--the bath, bristol, devonport, exeter, gloucester, southampton, and stroud--which started from piccadilly. a contemporary writer said:--"wonderful building, the new general post office, opened in , nearly opposite. they say the government has got something very like a white elephant in that vast pile. a great deal too big for present needs, or, indeed, for any possible extension of post office business." and yet, in the years which have elapsed two other post offices of equal size have been built near it, and acres of ground at mount pleasant--a mile off--have been covered with buildings for post office purposes! [illustration: the general post office, st. martin's-le-grand, london, in .] chapter vii. the bristol and portsmouth mail from onwards.--projected south coast railway from bristol, .--the bristol to salisbury post boy held up.--mail coach accidents.--luke kent and richard griffiths, the mail guards. in , in connection with a projected new railway from bristol to basingstoke the promoters made a strong point of the fact that the letters for the first delivery in the important south coast towns, such as portsmouth and southampton, could not be posted quite so late in bristol then as could those which were carried in the olden days by the mail coaches throughout. a deputation, consisting of mr. john mardon, mr. sidney humphries, mr. bolt, and mr. h.j. spear (secretary), representing the chamber of commerce and shipping, waited on the postmaster-general, at the house of commons, london, respecting the imperfect service, and they did not fail to point out to him (mr. austen chamberlain) the time-table of the old mail coach by way of contrast with the present service by railway. mr. austen chamberlain, replying to the deputation, said that, as regarded the mail arrangements, he thought he had no need to show them that he recognised the importance of bristol as a great commercial centre, or how largely recent developments had increased that importance. he was also alive to the necessity of prompt means of communication, but he was not wholly his own master. they had complained that the train service to the south and south-eastern counties was very inconvenient. that, unfortunately, was the only means of communication upon which he had to rely. if they had been able to put before him trains which he did not use for the transmission of mails, he might have been able to provide facilities. with the existing train facilities the post office business was conducted as well as it could be conducted. that being so, there was no way by which he could improve that service, except by requiring of the companies concerned that they should provide a special train for post office purposes. he was afraid that trains run at the hours which would be necessary to meet their wishes would not secure much passenger traffic, and the whole cost of the running would fall upon the postmaster-general. he would closely watch the matter, and if he could see his way he would not be reluctant to provide them with what they desired. at present the service was the best in his power to afford. they were probably aware that the post office was experimenting in certain places with motor-cars, and if they were found to be reliable, that might be a way out of the difficulty. he should keep that before him as a possibility, if further railway facilities were not forthcoming. he regretted that he could not make a more hopeful statement. all he could say was that he did not think the service was satisfactory for a great commercial centre like bristol, and if he saw his way to provide them with something better he would certainly not neglect to do so. it may be opportune here to recall the mail services of the past. from an "account of the days and hours of the post coming in and going out at salisbury," the following has been gleaned. the "account" is a broad sheet, and was printed in salisbury in by sully and alexander. the name of daniel p. safe, postmaster, is inscribed at the foot of the "account":-- comes in from bristol through bath, bradford, trowbridge, devizes, westbury, warminster, heytesbury, wells, shepton mallet, frome, etc., etc., monday about seven at night; and wednesday and friday, about three in the afternoon. goes out to heytesbury, westbury, devizes, trowbridge, bradford, bath, bristol, warminster, frome, shepton mallet, wells, etc., etc., sunday at ten at night; and wednesday and friday at six in the evening. comes in from portsmouth, gosport, isle of wight, guernsey, jersey, southampton, new forest, winton, romsey, on sunday, wednesday and friday, at six in the evening. goes out to romsey, winton, new forest, southampton, guernsey, jersey, isle of wight, gosport, portsmouth, on sunday, tuesday, and thursday at eleven in the morning. the official bag seal of the period was inscribed thus:-- [illustration] the bristol and portsmouth mail coach was established under the immediate superintendence of francis freeling, secretary to the general post office, who travelled on the coach on its first journey about the year . in the year the salisbury, portsmouth, and chichester mails went out from bristol every morning at seven, and arrived in bristol every evening between nine and eleven. at that period the coaches from bristol for the southern counties started thus:--bush tavern, corn street, john weeks; for weymouth a post coach every monday, wednesday, and friday morning at ; for portsmouth a post coach every tuesday, thursday, and saturday morning at four, so that probably the mail which left at a.m. daily was carried by mail cart and postboy. in about the year a "long" coach set out from mr. crosse's, the crown inn, portsmouth, to southampton, salisbury, bath, and bristol, every monday, wednesday, and friday afternoon; and from gosport every tuesday, thursday, and saturday, to the white hart inn, bristol. the methods of service in and the perils of the road are indicated by the following public notice, viz.:-- "general post office, "october th, . "the postboy carrying the mail from bristol to salisbury on the th instant was stopped between the hours of eleven and twelve o'clock at night by two men on foot within six miles of salisbury, who robbed him of seven shillings in money, but did not offer to take the mail. whoever shall apprehend the culprit, or cause to be apprehended and convicted both or either of the persons who committed this robbery, will be entitled to a reward of fifty pounds over and above the reward given by act of parliament for apprehending highwaymen. if either party will surrender himself and discover his accomplice he will be admitted as evidence for the crown, receive his majesty's most gracious pardon, and be entitled to the said reward. "by command of the postmaster-general. "francis freeling, secretary." there is no record that anyone claimed the reward. in the mail went out from bristol at twenty minutes past five o'clock for salisbury, southampton, portsmouth, and chichester, and arrived every day previously to the london mail--thus chichester, in sussex, was linked up with the wiltshire, dorsetshire, and hampshire mails at that early period. the charge for the postage of a letter from bristol to portsmouth was at that time ninepence. luke kent was the first individual who filled the place of guard of the chichester mail coaches. at his death he left a sum of money, on the condition of the mail guard always blowing the horn when he passed the place of his interment, farlington church, near havant. prior to becoming a mail guard, luke kent kept the turnpike gate at post bridge, and afterwards became landlord of the goat public house, where he amassed a good fortune. he then opened the sadler's wells and was assisted by james perry, the most celebrated mimic of his time, who assumed the name of rossignal. he was accustomed to procure a variety of birds, and, having first given his excellent imitation of the songs of each, to let them loose amongst the audience, to their no small gratification. the scheme failed. in june, , one of the portsmouth night coaches, having six inside and fifteen outside passengers, besides a surplus of luggage, was overturned near godalming, surrey. twelve of the passengers sustained considerable hurt, and nine were obliged to be left behind; the lives of two children were said to be despaired of. "we are astonished at the temerity of the public in trusting themselves to such vehicles." a time bill of , which gives details of a coach service at that period, appears on page . general post-office. the earl of chichester and the marquess of salisbury, his majesty's postmasters-general. portsmouth and bristol: contractors'| number of | | time |dispatched from the post office, portsmouth, names. |passengers.|miles.|allowed| , at . , nd march. |in. out.| |h. m.| | | | | | | | | by clock. | | | | {with a time-piece safe. {| | | |coach no. sent out {no. to devonshire. rogers {| | | | |arrived at fareham, at . . {| | | - / | |arrived at southampton, at . . {| | | | | ten minutes allowed for office duty. rogers | | | | |arrived at rumsey, at . . weeks | | | | |arrived at salisbury, at . . | | | | | ten minutes allowed for office duty. hilliar | | | | |arrived at warminster, at . . {| | | | |arrived at beckington, at . . pickwick {| | | | |arrived at bath, at . . {| | | | | ten minutes allowed for office duty. {| | | - / | |arrived at the post-office, bristol, the of | | +------+-------+march, , at . by time-piece | | | | | at . by clock. | | +------+-------+ devonshire. | | | | | {delivered the time-piece | | | | | safe. | | | | |coach no. arrived {no. to office. | | | | | thomas cole. the time of working each stage is to be reckoned from the coach's arrival, and as any time lost, is to be recovered in the course of the stage, it is the coachman's duty to be as expeditious as possible, and to report the horse-keepers if they are not always ready when the coach arrives, and active in getting it off. the guard is to give his best assistance in changing, whenever his official duties do not prevent it. november, .---- . by command of the postmasters-general, charles johnson, surveyor and superintendent. in , a coachman on this road was accused of imperilling his passengers through having imbibed too freely, and the mail guard was called on in the following letter to report on the matter:-- "general post office, th july, . sir,--the passengers who travelled with the portsmouth and bristol mail on the th instant, having complained that the coachman who drove on that day from bristol to warminster was drunk and unfit to drive i have to desire you will explain the reason why you neglected to report to me so great and so disgraceful an irregularity, and also how it happened that you did not know the coachman's name when the passengers asked you for it. i am, sir, yours, etc., c. johnson.--mr. folwell, mail guard, bristol." the explanation is not forthcoming. in , many of the public coaches started from portsmouth and passed through portsea and landport, but-- "in olden time two days were spent 'twixt portsmouth and the monument; when flying diligences plied, when men in roundabouts would ride and, at the surly driver's will, get out and climb each tedious hill. but since the rapid freeling's age, how much improved the english stage, now in eight hours with ease, the post reaches from newgate street our coast." in the years and the portsmouth mail coach was despatched at . p.m., from bristol post office--then located at the corner of exchange avenue. the posting of letters without fee was allowed up to . p.m., and, with fee, paid and unpaid letters alike up to . p.m. the coach started from the white lion coach office, broad street, at . p.m., so as to be in readiness at the post office to take up the mails at the appointed time. the arrival of the mail at portsmouth from bristol was at . a.m. these times are an improvement upon the service in operation in . at that time the coach left bristol at . p.m., with a posting up to . p.m. without fee, and with fees paid, up to . p.m. on the inward journey the coach did not arrive until . a.m. it will be appropriate here to enumerate certain interesting incidents connected with the carrying on of the mail coach system. on saturday, jan. , , the london mail of friday se'nnight, had not arrived at swansea where it was due early in the morning, till eleven o'clock that night, having been detained seventeen hours at the new passage, in consequence of such large shoals of ice floating down the severn as to render it unsafe for the mail boat to cross until friday morning. thursday se'nnight, an inquest was held at swansea on the body of john paul, driver of the mail coach between that place and caermarthen which on sunday was overturned about two miles from swansea, while proceeding with great rapidity down a hill, it being supposed the coachman's hands were so benumbed with cold that he could not restrain the horses' speed, the consequence of which was that he was so much bruised as to occasion his death on wednesday night. the guard was slightly hurt, but the passengers escaped uninjured. verdict, accidental death. very few details exist of that exceptional season, in , when nevill, a guard on the bristol mail, was frozen to death; but the records of the great snowstorm that began on the christmas night of are more copious. a valuable reminiscence of that night--dec. , --is pollard's graphic picture of the devonport mail snowed up at amesbury. six horses could not move it, and guard f. feecham was in parlous plight. pollard's companion picture of the liverpool mail in the snow near st. alban's on the same night is equally interesting. guard james burdett fared little better than his comrade on the devonport mail: "an accident occurred to the worcester mail coach on friday evening, march , , opposite the bull and mouth office, in piccadilly, which, we are sorry to say, has proved fatal to turner, the coachman. just as turner had taken hold of the reins, and while he was wrapping a large coat over his knees, the leaders started, and, turning sharply to the right, dashed one of the fore-wheels against a post. the shock was so violent that the coachman was flung from his seat. he fell on his back, and his neck came violently against the curb-stone. not a moment was lost in securing the assistance of a surgeon, by whom he was bled. the poor man was shortly removed to st. george's hospital, where he died at about eight o'clock on saturday evening. he left a wife and three infant children in a state of destitution, without even the means of buying a coffin." as a "caution to mail coachmen," the following notice was issued on june , :--"on friday, thomas moor, the driver of the london mail from bristol to calne and back, appeared before the magistrates at brislington to answer an information laid against him by mr. bull, the inspector of mail coaches, by order of the g.p.o. for giving up the reins to an outside passenger, and permitting him to drive the mail, on may last, from keynsham to bath, against the remonstrances of the guard. the magistrates convicted moor in the mitigated penalty of £ and s. costs. mr. bull presented the bath hospital with the amount of the fine." on september th, , a coachman named burnett was killed at speenhamland, on the bath road. he was driving one of the new company's london and bristol stages, and alighted at the "hare and hounds," very foolishly leaving the horses unattended, with reins on their backs. he had been a coachman for years, but experience had not been sufficient to prevent him thus breaking one of the first rules of the profession. he had no sooner entered the inn than the rival old company's coach came down the road. whether the other coachman gave the horses a touch with his whip as he passed, or if they started of their own accord, is not known, but they did start, and burnett, rushing out to stop them, was thrown down and trampled on, so that he died. there departed this life at bristol, in november, , a somewhat notable individual in the person of richard griffiths, who was born at westminster, in the year , and entered the service of the post office as a mail guard on the th november, . at the commencement of his service he was employed as guard to the london and norwich, _via_ newmarket mail coach, upon which duty he remained until the coach ceased running on the th january, , when he was transferred to the london and dover railway, and acted as mail train guard thereon. when a travelling post office was established in on the dover line of railway, and the necessity for a guard to the mail bags thus removed, griffiths was ordered to the south wales railway, where he remained as mail train guard until superannuated on the th august, . he lived at eastville, in bristol, under the care at last of mrs. barrett, a kind old dame, who made him very comfortable, and on his demise, after being on pension for years, he bequeathed his old battered mail coach horn to her (_see illustration_). it is probable that the horn was used on the last norwich coach out of london. the maker's name on it is "j.a. turner, poultry." on november , , attention was drawn to the "musical coachman" thus:--"the blowing of the horn by the coachman and guards of our mail-coaches has usually been considered a sort of nuisance: now, by the persevering labours of these ingenious gentlemen, converted into an instrument of public gratification. most of the guards of the stage-coaches now make their entrance and exit to the tune of some old national ballad, which, though it may not, perhaps, be played at present in such exact time and tune as would satisfy the leader of the opera band, is yet pleasant in comparison to the unmeaning and discordant strains which formerly issued from the same quarter." [illustration: an old mail coach guard's post horn.] april, :--"the tipsy member" finds mention thus: "an m.p. applied to the post office to know why some of his franks had been charged; the answer was, 'we supposed, sir, they were not your writing; the 'hand' is not 'the same.' 'why, not precisely; but the truth is i happened to be a _little tipsy_ when i wrote them.' 'then, sir, you will be so good in future as to write 'drunk' when you make 'free.'" in this book are depicted an old state coach, the mail coach, the primitive railway train, and a railway engine of the latest pattern, all indicative of progress in locomotion. to complete the series, and for the purpose of historical record, subjoined is a picture of the first motor vehicle used ( - ) in bristol for the rapid transport of his majesty's mails by road. no doubt, in process of time, this handy little -horse power car, built to a bristol post office design, to carry loads of - / cwt., and constructed by the avon motor company, keynsham, near bristol, will have numerous fellow cars darting about in the roads and crowded thoroughfares of bristol for the collection of letters and parcels in conjunction with larger cars of higher horse power to do the heavy station traffic and country road work. still, little "mercury" will have the credit of being the pioneer car in the bristol post office service. during its trials the car did really useful service, and did not once break down. [illustration: the "avon" trimobile, used by the bristol post office.] chapter viii. the bush tavern, bristol's famous coaching inn, and john weeks, its worthy boniface, - .--the white lion coaching house, bristol. isaac niblett.--the white hart, bath. it appears that john weeks was landlord of the bush tavern, bristol, from to , and continued to be a coach proprietor until . in the eastern cloister of bristol cathedral there is a mural tablet erected to his memory, with a well-executed medallion portrait of him in profile, with inscription as shown in the illustration. verger sproule, of old time, who was born in the first year of the nineteenth century, once told mr. morgan, present senior lay clerk, that he well remembered john weeks, and that the portrait on the tablet was an excellent likeness of him. in "mornings at matlock," by robey skelton mackenzie, d.c.l., author of "titian: an art novel" (london, henry colburn, publisher, ), a book which contains a collection of twenty-six short stories supposed to have been told by people stopping at matlock, there is an interesting story relating to what was known as the bush guinea. briefly told, dr. mackenzie's bush guinea story runs thus:--"it was the delight of this boniface (john weeks) on every christmas day, to cover the great table with a glorious load of roast beef and plum pudding, flanked most plenteously with double home-brewed of such mighty strength and glorious flavour that we might well have called it malt wine rather than malt liquor. at this table on that day every one who pleased was welcome to sit down and feast. many to whom a good dinner was an object did so; and no nobler sight was there in bristol, amidst all its wealth and hospitality, than that of honest john weeks at the head of his table, lustily carving and pressing his guests to 'eat, drink, and be merry.' nor did his generosity content itself with this. [illustration: mural tablet in bristol cathedral.] "it was the custom of the house and of the day, when the repast was ended, that each person should go to honest john weeks in the bar and there receive his cordial wishes for many happy returns of the genial season. they received something more, for according to their several necessities a small gift of money was pressed upon each. to one man a crown; to another, half-a-guinea; to a third, as more needing it a guinea. on the whole some twenty or thirty guineas were thus disbursed. "on one particular year it had been noticed during the months of november and december, that a middle-aged man, whom no frequenter of the bush inn appeared to know, and who appeared to know no one, used to visit about noon every day, and calling for a sixpenny glass of brandy and water, sit over it until he had carefully gone through the perusal of the london paper of the previous evening. on christmas eve, honest john weeks, anxious that the decayed gentleman should have one meal at least in the 'bush,' delicately hinted that on the following day he kept open table. punctually at one o'clock, being the appointed hour, he appeared at the bush in his usual seedy attire. john weeks called his head waiter, a sagacious, well-powdered, steady man, to whom he confidently entrusted the donation which he had set aside for the decayed gentleman. the decayed gentleman quietly put it in his pocket, from which he drew a card. the inscription on the card was simply 'thomas coutts, , strand.' amongst the heirlooms which she most particularly prized, the late duchess of st. albans, widow of thomas coutts, used to show a coin richly mounted in a gorgeous bracelet, which coin bore the name of 'the bush guinea.'" numerous as the passengers were by the many coaches starting from the bush inn, yet evidently john weeks was in the habit of finding enough food for them to eat, and the wherewithal to fortify themselves with, ere they set out on their long coach journeys. the bill of fare for the guests at that hostelry during the festive season of shows that our ancestors had an excellent conception of christmas cheer. for variety and quantity it could not easily be surpassed, and in these "degenerate" days could not even be equalled. but let it speak for itself. christmas, . one turtle, weight lb.; pots turtle; british turtle giblet soup; gravy soup; pea soup; soup and bouille; mutton broth; barley broth; turbots; cod; brills; pipers; dories; haddocks; rock fish; carp; perch; salmon; plaice; herrings; sprats; soles; eels; salt fish. doe venison: haunches, necks, breasts, shoulders; hares; pheasants; grouse; partridges; wild ducks; wild geese; teal; wigeon; bald cootes; sea pheasant; mews; moor hens; water dabs; curlews; bittern; wood cocks; snipes; wild turkies; golden plovers; quist; land rails; galenas; pea hens; pigeons; larks; stares; small birds; turkies; capons; ducks; geese; chicken; ducklings; rabbits; pork griskins; veal burrs; roasting pig; oysters, stewed and scolloped; eggs; hogs puddings; ragood feet and ears; scotch collops; veal cutlets; harricoad mutton; maintenon chops; pork chops; mutton chops; rump steaks; joint steaks; sausages; hambro' sausages; tripe; cow heel; notlings; house lambs. veal: legs, loins, breast, calves' heads. beef: rumps, sirloin, ribs, pinbone, duch beef, hambro' beef. mutton: haunches, necks, legs, loins, saddles, chines, shoulders. pork: loins, legs, chines, spare-ribs, porker. cold: boar's-head; baron beef, c. qr.; hams; tongues; chicken; hogs feet and ears; collars brawn; rounds beef; collard veal and mutton; collard eels and pig's head; rein deers' tongues; dutch tongues; harts tongues; bologna tongues; parague pie; french pies; pigeon pies; venison pasty; sulks; minced pies; tarts; jellies; craw fish; pickled salmon; sturgeon; pickled oysters; potted partridges; crabs; lobsters; barrels pyfleet and colchester oysters; milford and tenby oysters; pines. so far as can be ascertained, matthew stretch kept the tavern from to , and james anderson in and . mr. john townsend was "mine host" from until . unfortunately, none of his descendants possess a portrait of him. mr. charles townsend, of st. mary's, stoke bishop, bristol, has in his possession the original lease, in which the bush tavern in corn street was transferred, on the th december, , from mr. john weeks, wine merchant, on the one part, to mr. john townsend on the other part, at a yearly rental of £ of lawful money of the united kingdom--the term to be for fourteen years. the stables and coach houses "of him, the said john weeks," situated in wine street, were included in the transfer. out of the rental the yearly sum of £ had to be paid by the owner, john weeks, to the parish of st. ewen, for that part of the coffee house which stood in the said parish. as showing how john weeks safeguarded his monopoly of coach-running to and from the bush tavern, there was this stipulation in the lease:--"the said john townsend shall and will from time to time and at all times during the continuance of this demise take in and receive at the said tavern, hereby demised, all and every stage coach or public carriage which shall belong to the said john weeks at any time during this term, under the penalty of two thousand pounds, and that he, the said john townsend, shall not nor will at any time during the said term, if the said john weeks shall so long run carriages of the aforesaid description, take in at the said tavern or coffee room any public stage coach or by way of evasion any public carriage whatsoever used as a public stage belonging to any person or persons whomsoever without the consent and approbation of the said john weeks &c. in writing for that purpose first had and obtained under the penalty of two thousand pounds to be paid for any default in the observance and performance of the covenants herein before contained in that behalf." according to paterson's "roads," john weeks in occupied a homestead called "the rodney," at filton hay, miles from bristol on the bristol to tewkesbury road. the following advertisement from a very old newspaper will be interesting as indicative that in addition to the john weeks, of bush inn fame, bristol, there was at the portsmouth end of the mail coach route another worthy of the same name, likewise engaged in the carrying trade, but by sea instead of land:--"john weeks, master of the duke of gloster sloop, takes this method to thank his friends and the public for their past favours in the southampton and portsmouth passage trade, and hopes for a continuance of the same, as they may depend on his care, and the time of sailing more regular than for many years past. he sails from southampton every monday, wednesday, and friday, and returns every tuesday, thursday, and saturday, wind and weather permitting." in the _bristol journal_ of saturday, july , , "james anderson (who kept the lamb inn, broadmead, eleven years), begged to inform his old friends and the public in general that he has taken the bush inn, tavern, and coffee-house, facing the exchange, bristol," where he hoped, by constant attention, reasonable charges, &c., to render everything agreeable and convenient to those who might kindly give a preference to his house. there had evidently been some friction at the bush under the late management, for mr. anderson also intimated that "those gentlemen who withdrew from the bush coffee-room (upon huntley's leaving it) are solicited to use it, gratis, until christmas next." in an advertisement following the above, john weeks solicited support to his new tenant at the bush, and added--"in the case of large dinners, or other public occasions, john weeks will assist mr. anderson to give satisfaction." on the site of the 'bush,' the head offices of the late west of england and south wales district bank were erected. the directors of the bristol and west of england bank purchased the premises on december st, . lloyd's bank now stands on the site. the white lion, bristol, was one of the most famous coaching houses in england, east, west, north, or south. it stood in broad street, a thoroughfare which belied its name as regards breadth, and could only be considered broad by comparison with the even narrower small street, which ran parallel with it. yet at one time there were as many coaches passing in and out of broad street as any street in bristol, or even in london! that the white lion had attained a venerable age may be judged from the fact that it is mentioned in a list of old bristol inns and taverns, published in . on may , , the duke of brunswick visited bristol, and took up his quarters at this house. in the earl of essex, and in more modern times, the grand duke constantine of russia, lodged there. the father of sir thomas lawrence was host of the white lion before he removed to the bear inn, devizes. in , it appears to have been the occasional hostelry of a duke of beaufort, for in that year, during monmouth's rebellion, his grace of badminton was in bristol, where he commanded several regiments of militia against the insurgents; and on that occasion "the backward stables of the white lion, in brode street, were set on fire, and therein were burnt to death two of the duke of beaufort's best saddle horses. it was supposed to have been done by the malice and envy of the fanaticks, of whom a great many were sent prisoners from bristol to gloucester, and there secured till the rebellion was over." in matthew's "new history or complete guide to bristol" for the year , there are the following entries respecting this erstwhile great coaching establishment:-- white lion, broad street.--thomas luce proprietor. to london: a coach in two days sets out on tuesdays, thursdays, and saturdays at seven o'clock in the morning. white hart inn, broad street.--(the white hart adjoined the white lion, and was a distinct hostelry so far back as .) george poston. to london: a coach in one day every morning at four o'clock. to birmingham: a coach every morning (sundays excepted) at four o'clock, also a mail coach every evening at seven o'clock. to gloucester: a coach every morning at eight o'clock. to exeter: a coach every monday, wednesday, and friday morning at six. to bath: a coach every morning at nine o'clock and four in the afternoon. the _bristol mirror_ made announcements touching the white lion thus:--"march , . wonderful cheap travelling. fare inside s. d., outside s. the public are respectfully informed that coaches set out every tuesday and thursday and saturday morning from the white lion and white hart, john turner, landlord, and arrive at birmingham the same evening. performed by weeks, poston & co. "november , . j. niblett, white lion, broad street, announces change of royal mail coach route to london and back. the emerald post coach would run _via_ bath, devizes, marlborough, and maidenhead. £ s. inside, s. outside. "april , : new royal mail coach to bath daily at a.m. leaves york house, bath, on return at p.m. arrives at white lion, bristol, at . p.m. "april , . royal mail to liverpool every day at p.m. from white lion, broad street; arrive twelve noon the following day by way of chepstow, monmouth, hereford, shrewsbury, and gloucester. return journey liverpool p.m. arrive white lion noon next day. mr. isaac niblett, who became proprietor of the white lion inn in , in which year thomas luce gave up the place, was a well-known individual in the coaching world when the mail coach system was at its zenith. he worked coach and post horses--a number only exceeded by the great london coach proprietor chaplin, with his , , and horne and sherman with their . of the twenty-two daily coaches between bristol and london the greater proportion made the white lion their headquarters. amongst other coaches with which isaac niblett was especially associated were the "red rover" and the "exquisite." the "red rover" ran from bristol to brighton through bath, over salisbury plain, on to southampton and chichester, and covered the distance of miles in fourteen hours. the "exquisite" used to run from birmingham to cheltenham, thence on through bristol to exeter. in the _bristol directory and gazette_ of , mr. niblett's innkeepership is alluded to thus:--"isaac niblett, white lion and british coffee house, family commercial and posting house; hearse and mourning coach proprietor." the white hart, family and commercial hotel, broad street, was at that time kept by one charles smith. mr. isaac niblett, like john weeks, of bush inn fame, had a country place near bristol. he owned, and stayed from time to time at the conigre house, fylton. mr. niblett was for some time the owner of the old bush inn stables in dolphin street, according to evidence given in a recent trial before the judge of assize at bristol. that site, as well as the conigre farm, fylton, is, it is believed, still in the possession of his lineal descendants. the grand hotel, one of the largest in the west of england, and most central in the city of bristol, now stands on the sites of both the white lion and the white hart hotels. erected in , it was known as the new white lion until , when its name was changed to that of the grand hotel. the accompanying illustration of the white lion and the white hart inns, taken from a lithograph engraving of about by the well-known bristol firm of lithographers, messrs. lavars, must have been copied from a picture produced subsequent to the old coaching days, and, judging from the costumes of the pedestrians depicted, the period was probably about , or a few years before the demolition of the old inns. the figure of a white hart appears in the picture over the entrance door of that hostelry but the statue of a white lion, which for very many years stood over the entrance gateway to the inn of that name, and which is recollected by many persons still living, was for some reason or other omitted from the engraving. [illustration: the old white lion coaching inn, broad street, bristol.] the white lion appears to have been the leading inn in the town in , for on may in that year the mayor, corporation, and leading citizens dined there on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the bristol council house. samuel taylor coleridge delivered lectures in the large room of the inn in . it was the "blue" house, and in later times the coach which most frequently entered its narrow archway was driven by his grace the sixth duke of beaufort, who put up at the inn on his visits to bristol, as he had, it is said, a great respect for isaac niblett's sterling qualities and fine sporting instincts. what an evolution in pleasure and commercial traffic has come about in the last three-quarters of a century! when the white lion in broad street and the bush tavern in corn street were in their prime as coaching inns, a four-in-hand coach in bristol's narrow streets and on the neighbouring country roads was so often in evidence as scarcely to induce the pedestrian even to turn his head round to look at one in passing. now such a patrician vehicle in bristol's midst is brought down to an unit, and it is left to mr. stanley white, son of sir george white, bart., with his well-appointed coach and his team of bright chestnuts, to link old bristol with the traditions of past coaching days. strange that mr. stanley white should have blended in his one person the love of a coachman for a team with the will and nerve to render him one of bristol's boldest and most expert drivers of the road machine of the latest kind, to wit: the motor car. [illustration: mr. stanley white's coach.] [illustration: mr. stanley white's motor car.] at a function in bath in , described in these pages, colonel palmer, a descendant of john palmer, presented a small curiosity to the corporation. readers of pickwick will remember that, when mr. pickwick was proceeding to bath, sam weller discovered inside the coach the name of "moses pickwick," and wanted to fight the guard for what he considered an outrage on his master. among john palmer's papers was an old contract for the bristol and bath mail service, and one of the parties bore the name of pickwick, and was the landlord of the white hart hotel at bath. it was that contract which colonel palmer presented to the corporation, as a memorial both of his grandfather and of dickens. chapter ix. toll gates and gate-keepers. as this book is devoted in great measure to the mail services of old time--which had to be carried on entirely by horse and rider or driver--allusion may fittingly be made to the toll gate system, which played its part in connection with mail vehicular transport. toll bars originated, it seems, so far back as the year . they were at first placed on the outskirts of cities and market towns, and afterwards extended to the country generally. the tolls for coaches and postchaises on a long journey were rather heavy, as the toll bars were put up at no great distances from each other. in the year , turnpike trusts, taking advantage of sabbatarian feeling, charged double rates on sundays, but experienced travellers sometimes journeyed on that day, and submitted to the double impost, to gain the advantage of avoiding highwaymen, who did not carry on their avocation on sunday, but gave themselves up to riot, conviviality, or repose. [illustration: bagstone turnpike gate house. gate abolished about .] coaches which carried h. majesty's mails were exempted by act of parliament from paying tolls. the exemption of mail coaches from paying tolls, a relief provided by the act of th george iii., was really a continuation of the old policy, by which the postboys of an earlier age, riding on horseback, and carrying the mails on the pommel of the saddle, had always been exempt from toll, and the light mail carts of a later age were always exempted. it was no great matter, one way or the other, with the turnpike trusts, mr. c.g. harper tells us in "the mail and stage coach," for the posts were then few and far between, and the revenue almost nil; but the advent of numerous mail coaches, running constantly and carrying passengers, and yet contributing nothing to the maintenance of the roads, soon became a very real grievance to those trusts situated on the route of the mails. in the various turnpike trusts approached parliament for a redress of these disabilities. mail coaches continued, however, to go free until the end of the system, although from they had to pay toll in ireland. in scotland in an act was passed repealing the exemption in that part of the kingdom. pack horses were superseded by huge wagons on the busiest roads early in the eighteenth century. over , turnpike acts for the improvement of local roads were passed during the years and . at the latter part of this period, narrow wheels were penalised more heavily than broad wheels. lewis levy was a prominent man in the days of turnpike trusts, as he was a farmer of metropolitan turnpike tolls to the tune of half a million pounds a year! the history of toll bars is not wanting in romance: "blow up for the gate," would say the coachman to the guard, when drawing near to a "pike" in the darkness of night. lustily might guard blow, but it did not always have the desired effect. "gate, gate!" would shout coachman and guard. down would get guard and tootle-tootle impatiently. and out would shuffle in his loose slippers the "pike" keeper in a dazed condition from fatigue produced by frequent disturbances. as he opens the gate he is soundly rated by coachman and guard, and enjoined to leave the gate open for the next mail down, or he would have to pay a fine of s. to the postmaster general, that being the penalty for not preserving an unobstructed way for h. majesty's mails. [illustration: turnpike gate house on charfield and wotton-under-edge road. gate abolished .] in the bristol district toll bars were plentiful, and attempts were made to erect ornate little houses which should be pleasing to the eyes of travellers. that such attempts were not always unsuccessful, the picturesque toll-gate houses depicted in these pages will demonstrate. in , sarah rennison, widow of thomas rennison, advertised that she lately had the ladies' and gentlemen's cold baths, near stokes croft turnpike, effectually cleaned. "these baths are supplied with water from a clear and ever-flowing spring, uncontaminated by anything whatever, as it flows from a clear and limpid stream from its source to the pipes in the baths." this turnpike, named the stokes croft gate, stood on the turnpike way designated horfield road. the gate was erected across the lane leading from the said road to rennison's baths. very soon after "sarah's" announcement, this landmark of the old city was doomed to disappear, and the gate was removed from the top of the croft to a site some four or five hundred yards further up the road, near to the present railway arch. an advertisement from the _bristol journal_, saturday, july th, , ran as follows:--"to be sold, the materials of the old turnpike house at the top of stoke's croft. the purchaser to be at the expense of pulling down and carrying the same away. also of pitching the site of the house by the th of august next. for further particulars apply to messrs. john and jere osborne." [illustration: old turnpike house on the wickwar road.] the tolls for the year ended the th september, , realised the sum of £ , . the notice respecting the letting of the tolls for the succeeding year, based on such takings, was signed by osborne and ward on the th of october, : the following is a toll gate announcement, issued on july , :-- "notice is hereby given that the tolls arising at the toll gates hereinafter particularly mentioned will be severally let by auction, to the best bidders at the white hart inn, brislington, on wednesday, the th day of august next, between the hours of eleven o'clock in the forenoon and one o'clock in the afternoon, in the manner directed by the acts passed in the third and fourth years of the reign of his majesty king george the fourth, 'for regulating turnpike roads'; which tolls produced last year the several sums, and will be let in the several parcels or lots following--viz.:-- "lot i.--the tolls arising from the arno's vale gate, on the brislington road. £ , . "lot ii.--the tolls arising at the knowle gate, on the whitchurch road. £ . "lot iii.--the tolls arising at the saltford gate, on the brislington road. £ , . "lot iv.--the tolls arising at the whitchurch gate, on the whitchurch road. £ . "and will be put up at those sums respectively. "whoever happens to be the best bidder must, at the same time, pay one month in advance (if required) of the rent at which such tolls may be respectively let, and give security, with sufficient sureties to the satisfaction of the trustees of the said turnpike roads, for payment of the rest of the money monthly. "osborne and ward, "clerks to the trustees of the said turnpike roads. "bristol, th july, ." a turnpike ticket of was worded thus:-- bristol roads. lawford's gate. july , s. d. waggon | | cart | | coach, chaise, &c. | | gig | | horses | | cattle | | sheep, pigs | | asses | | clears gates on the other side [illustration: old toll-bar house, near the ridge, wotton-under-edge.] [illustration: [_from an old talbot-type photograph in the possession of miss p.a. fry, of tower house, cotham._ st. michael's hill turnpike, bristol.] the other bristol "gates" were known as clifton, redland, white ladies, horfield, st. michael's hill, cutler's mills, gallows acre, barrow's lane, stapleton bridge, pack horse lane, fire-engine lane, george's lane, west street, cherry garden, fire-engine, blackbirds, one full toll in each case. thomas brooks was the last toll-keeper at st. michael's hill, bristol. he held the office until it was abolished in . in the following year he was appointed sub-postmaster of cotham, and removed from the old toll house to a house nearer the city. the toll house stood at the corner of hampton road and cotham hill, where the fountain is now. benjamin gray, the last keeper of the "stop gate" which stood near the royal oak inn at horfield, held the office for years. the gate was to stop travellers entering the city by way of ashley down road, and thus escape paying the tolls at the zetland road end of gloucester road. there is a family connection between the gray and the brooks families, and the daughter of benjamin now resides with samuel brooks, the old sexton of horfield church. a model of the horfield stop gate may be seen at robin hood's retreat near berkeley road, bristol. the last barrier on the great london to bristol road was removed when the bridge crossing the thames at maidenhead was freed from toll at midnight, on november th, . there was a remarkable demonstration on the occasion. five hundred people waded through the flooded streets to see the toll-gate removed from the bridge which was erected so far back as in . precisely at twelve by the toll-house clock corporation employés proceeded to remove the gate, amid loud cheering. many of the crowd closed in, and finally seizing the huge gate, carried it to the top of maidenhead bridge and threw it into the river. [illustration: stanton drew turnpike gate house.] chapter x. daring robberies of the bristol mail by highwaymen, - .--bill nash, mail coach robber, convict and rich colonist, .--burglaries at post offices in london and bristol, - . the mail services between bristol and the southern counties came into great prominence in . the postmaster-general was appealed to on the subject, and the phantom of the old bristol and portsmouth mail coach was conjured up to form a comparison detrimental to present-day arrangements. the discussion recalls somewhat vividly the mail coach traditions of the pre-railway period, and certainly the community of to-day has, at all events, fallen on better times as regards security of the mails, if not better night mail services. in the general post office letter in lombard street, th april, , this note appears:--"the bristol mail was again robbed yesterday, in the same place as on friday, by one highwayman." _mist's journal_ of apl. , , states:--"last week the oxford stage coach was robbed between uxbridge and london, by the same highwaymen as is supposed who robbed the bristol mail, one of them having a scar on his forehead." "a man lately taken up near maidenhead thicket, and charged with robbing the cirencester stage coach, has been examined by a justice of the peace, who has committed him to reading gaol. he is said to be a butcher's son of thame, in oxfordshire." the following particulars relate to a bristol mail coach robbery in . they were taken from a pamphlet written by wilson, who was one of the highwaymen therein alluded to, and saved his neck by informing. wilson was a person of education, but some of his statements were questionable. the pamphlet was full of moral reflections upon the evils of bad company, gambling, &c.; it ran through several editions, so it was no doubt popular. it will be interesting as indicating the difficulties attending the bristol mail services of the period, and that death was the penalty for robbing his majesty's mails. it runs thus in the heading:-- "a full and impartial account of all the robberies committed by john hawkins, george sympson (lately executed for robbing the bristol mails), and their companions. written by ralph wilson, late one of their confederates. london: printed for j. poole at the lockes head in paternoster row. price d." the following is an abbreviation of the contents so far as they relate to the bristol mails:-- john hawkins was the son of poor but honest parents. his father was a farmer, and lived at staines, middlesex. had a slender education. at he waited on a gentleman, then was a tapster's boy at the red lion, at brentford; got into service again, was butler to sir dennis daltry; took to gambling; was suspected of being a confederate in robbing his master's house of plate; was dismissed. at the age of took to highway robbery; stopped a coach on hounslow heath, and eased the passengers of about £ ; with others committed several robberies on bagshot and hounslow heaths; was arrested for attempting to rescue captain lennard, one of his accomplices, but was discharged. wilson, the writer of the pamphlet, was a yorkshireman; became clerk to a chancery barrister; met hawkins at a gambling-house; they became "great cronies." wilson joins hawkins's gang; they commit several highway robberies. feb. , , wilson goes to yorkshire; hawkins impeached several of his companions, and one of them (wright) was hanged. hawkins, wilson, and others robbed one morning the cirencester, the worcester, the gloster, the oxford, and the bristol stage coaches; the next morning the ipswich and colchester coaches; a third morning, perhaps the portsmouth. the bury coach was "our constant customer." sympson, who was born at putney, and had no education, had by this time joined the gang. the robberies were continued. in april ( ) they went back to their old design of robbing the mail coaches. they first proposed to rob the harwich mail, but gave up that design because that mail was "as uncertain as the wind." they then decided to rob the bristol mail. wilson said he objected to this plan, but he joined in it. they set out sunday, april th. "the next morning being monday, we took the mail, and again on wednesday morning. the meaning of taking it twice was to get the halves of some bank bills, the first halves whereof we took out of the mail on monday morning." on monday, april rd, wilson learnt at the moorgate coffee house that there was a great request for the robbers of the bristol mail. he therefore contemplated taking a passage to newcastle, but before he could do so he was arrested, and carried to the general post office, where he was examined by the postmaster-general. he was again examined by the postmaster-general (carteret) the next morning, but he denied all knowledge of the robbery. while under examination, a messenger came from hawkins, who was in prison at the gate house, "to let the post-house know that he had impeached me." one of the officers of the post office then showed wilson an unsigned letter, which he recognised as being in sympson's handwriting, confessing his share in the robbery, and offering to secure his two companions. wilson then decided to confess. hawkins and sympson were tried, found guilty, and executed st may, . in connection with this bristol mail robbery, the following are interesting particulars from the calendar of treasury papers:--"memorial of william saunderson, clerk, to sir robert walpole. says he was author of an expedient to prevent the bristol and other mails from being robbed. the scheme seems to have been to write with red ink on the foreside of all bank notes the name of the post town where they were posted, the day of the month, and also the addition of these words, viz.:--'from bristol to london,' &c. these services (presumably saunderson's) have been attended with great expense and loss of time, and no mail robberies have since been committed. asks for compensation. referred th april, , to postmasters to report. may , .--affidavit of w. saunderson, receiver, of holford, west somerset (probably the same person), that he sent a letter subscribed a.z. to the postmaster-general offering an expedient to prevent the robbing of the bristol and other mails, and of the subsequent negotiations with the post office; has never received any reward. mr. carteret claimed the contrivance of the scheme wholly to himself. may th.--postmaster-general's report of th april read: 'my lords satisfied with the report.' saunderson had no pretence to any reward. scheme entirely formed at post office without assistance of saunderson or anybody else. saunderson called in, informed that my lords adhere to postmaster-general's report, and nothing more will be ordered therein." stealing a letter or robbing the mail was a capital offence long after hawkins and sympson expiated their offences on the scaffold. thus a notice from the general post office on the th july, , issued in the _london evening post_, dated "from tuesday, july th, to thursday, july th, ," recited that--"notice is hereby given that by an act passed the last session of parliament, 'for amending certain laws relating to the revenue of the post office, and for granting rates of postage for the conveyance of letters and packets between great britain and the isle of man, and within that island,' it is enacted--that from and after the first day of november, , if any person employed or afterwards to be employed in the post office shall 'secrete, embezzle, or destroy any letters, &c.,' 'every such offender, being thereof convicted, shall be deemed guilty of felony and shall suffer death as a felon, without benefit of clergy.' also if any person or persons whatsoever shall rob any mail or mails, in which letters are sent or conveyed by post, although it shall not prove to be highway robbery or robbery committed in a dwelling-house, yet such offender or offenders shall be 'deemed guilty of felony, and shall suffer death as a felon, without benefit of clergy.'" in there was another robbery of the bristol mail. the occurrence was set forth in detail in the following notice, which was issued on january th in that year:-- "general post office, jan. , . "the postboy bringing the bristol mail this morning from maidenhead was stop't between two and three o'clock by a single highwayman with a crape over his face, between the th and th milestones, near the cranford bridge, who presented a pistol to him, and after making him alight, drove away the horse and cart, which were found about o'clock this morning in a meadow field near farmer lott's at twyford, when it appears that the greatest part of the letters were taken out of the bath and bristol bags, and that the following bags were entirely taken away:--pewsey, ramsbury, bradford, henley, cirencester, gloucester, ross, presteign, fairford, aberystwith, carmarthen, pembroke, calne, trowbridge, wallingford, reading, stroud, ledbury, hereford, northleach, lechlade, lampeter, tenby, abergavenny, newbury, melksham, maidenhead, wantage, wotton-under-edge, tewkesbury, leominster, cheltenham, hay, cardigan, haverfordwest. "the person who committed this robbery is supposed to have had an accomplice, as two persons passed the postboy on cranford bridge on horseback, prior to the robbery, one of whom he thinks was the robber; but it being so extremely dark, he is not able to give any description of their persons. "whoever shall apprehend and convict, or cause to be apprehended and convicted, the person who committed this robbery, will be entitled to a reward of two hundred pounds, over and above the reward given by act of parliament for apprehending highwaymen; or if any person, whether an accomplice in the robbery or knoweth thereof, shall make discovery whereby the person who committed the same may be apprehended and brought to justice, such discoverer will upon conviction of the party be entitled to the same reward of two hundred pounds, and will also receive his majesty's most gracious pardon. "by command of the postmaster-general, "anth. todd, sec." the robbery, which was graphically described by mr. g. hendy, of st. martin's-le-grand, in the christmas number of "the road," does not appear to have been a very daring one as regards the act itself, but it was so as to its consequences. there was no mail coach--no driver in scarlet--no mail guard--no passengers, but only a ramshackle iron mail cart--a "postboy" as driver and carrying no arms. what a contrast is this old mail cart with a single horse, carrying the mails for all the places enumerated in the notice, to the splendidly appointed four-horse mail coaches of a period thirty years later on, or to the present time, when on the great western railway one whole train is used to carry only a moiety of the king's mail to bristol and the west! no wonder that the postboy fell an easy victim to the highwaymen, who bound him and threw him into an out-of-the-way field. the desperadoes proved to be two brothers, young men of the name of weston. the westons, after the robbery, went up and down the country on the north road very rapidly, in order to get rid of the £ , to £ , worth of bank notes and bills which they plundered from the mails. the bow street runners were on their track from the first, and the chase continued from london to carlisle and back. the vagabonds were not, however, captured, and the notice was exhibited all over the country, with the addition of the description of the men wanted by the thief-catchers. in , the brothers were tried for another offence and acquitted, but they were arrested at once for the robbery of the bristol mail and committed to newgate. on trial they were found guilty, and paid the penalty of death by hanging at tyburn, on the rd september, . in later years the death penalty for robbing mails was abolished, and at least one old sinner who robbed the bristol mail eventually did remarkably well through having committed that dire offence against the laws, and by having been transported to the antipodes at his country's expense. particulars of his career have been furnished by mr. r.c. newick, of cloudshill, st. george, bristol, by means of the following extract from a work published in , "adventures in australia, ' -' ," by the rev. berkeley jones, m.a., late curate of belgrave chapel (bentley, london, ):--"if you turn into any of the auction rooms in sydney the day after the gold escort comes in you may see and, if you can, buy, pretty yellow-looking lumps from about the size of a pin's head to a horse bean, or, if you prefer it, a flat piece about the size of a small dessert plate. one of the greatest buyers is an old pardoned convict of the name of 'william,' or, as he is there more commonly called, 'bill' nash, who robbed the bristol mail, of which he was the guard. his wife followed him--as some say, with the booty--and set up a fine shop in pitt street in the haberdashery line. under the old system he was assigned to her as a servant. her own husband her domestic! what a burlesque on transportation as a punishment! he is very unpopular with the old hands, as he returned to england and offered an intentional affront to queen victoria when driving in the park, by drawing his horses across the road as her equipage was driving by. he cut a great dash in the regent's park, and was known as the 'flash returned convict.' we stood by him at messrs. cohen's auction room when the gold fraud (planting on the gold buyers nuggets made in birmingham) was discussed. he addressed us, and we cannot add that he prepossessed us much in his favour. he looks what he is and has been. in a little cupboard-looking shop in king street he may be seen in shirt sleeves spreading a tray full of sovereigns in the shop front and heaping up bank-notes as a border to them, inviting anyone to sell their gold to him. we believe he is now among the wealthiest men of new south wales." by the year the terror inspired by highwaymen had no doubt diminished, but the coach proprietors thought it prudent to guard themselves against loss, and so they put increased charges on the articles of value they had to carry. on the st september, , a coaching notice of about , words, based on an act of parliament, was put forth by moses pickwick and company from the white hart, bath. a copy of this notice on a large screen was exhibited recently at the dickens celebration at bath. the notice, in legal or other jargon, announced the increased rate of charge for commission by mail or stage coach of articles of value. put into plain form, the increased rates of charge were as follows, _viz._:--additional charge for parcel or package over £ in value.--for every pound, or for the value of every pound, contained in such parcel or package over and above the ordinary rate of carriage, not exceeding miles, d.; to miles, - / d.; to miles, d.; to miles, - / d.; exceeding miles, d. [illustration: [_by permission of "bath chronicle."_ the white hart coaching inn, bath.] few people now bear in mind the great robbery of registered letters from the hatton garden branch post office, london, in november, , which was effected with skill and daring, and yet with simplicity as to method. at . p.m. on the eventful day the members of the staff were busily engaged, when, lo! the gas suddenly went out, and the office, which was full of people at the time, was left in darkness. the lady supervisor obtained matches, went to the basement and there found that the gas had been turned off at the meter. when the gas had been turned on again and lighted, it was discovered that the registered letter bag, which had already been made up and was awaiting the call of the collecting postman, was missing. the bag contained registered letters, and their value was estimated at from £ , to £ , . in the many years which have elapsed since the great robbery no clue to the perpetrators of the daring deed has been discovered. no further attempts at such robberies took place for some time, but in the year several daring burglaries took place at post offices in london. the smithfield branch post office was the first broken into, the thieves staying in the office from saturday night to sunday night. during that interval they removed the safe from under the counter, placed it in the chief officer's enclosure, broke it open and rifled the contents. cash and stamps to the value of about £ were stolen. in the autumn of the same year the aldgate b.o. was burgled--a saturday night being chosen for the exploit. the manner in which the burglary was effected leaves little doubt that the depredation was committed by the same gang of thieves. the safe was broken open, but in this case it was left under the counter, where it stood, and was there rifled of its contents. the interior of the office, including a part of the counter under which the safe stood, was fully visible from the outside, the woodwork in front of the office having been kept low for the purpose, and it was marvellous that the thieves were not detected, as a poor woman had just been murdered by "jack the ripper" within yards, and the road in front of the post office was thronged with excited people. the thieves in this case got off with cash and stamps to the value of £ . later in the same year, the south kensington branch post office was entered by burglars under precisely similar circumstances. the thieves only obtained the small sum of £ , as, being disturbed, they decamped in haste, leaving behind them their tools and certain articles of clothing. they had removed the safe, weighing - / cwt., from the public office without being observed, although it was taken from a spot immediately in front of a large window, through which police and passers-by could command full view of the office. the westbourne grove and peckham branch post offices were also burglariously entered in the same year. although the burglars were not discovered in connection with these post office robberies, and none more daring of their kind have occurred since, they probably were imprisoned for some other misdemeanour. was it--it may well be asked--this same gang of burglars released from durance vile who committed the post office robbery which in took place at westbury-on-trym, a suburb of bristol, three miles distant from the city? for daring it might well have been they, as the following account will demonstrate. the post office, be it said, was in the middle of the village and within yards of the gloucestershire constabulary depôt, and actually within sight of it. it was during the early hours of the morning of the th october that the burglary took place. not far from the post office building operations were being carried on, and from the houses in course of erection the thieves obtained a ladder and a wheelbarrow. making their way to the side of the premises, one member of the gang, by means of the borrowed ladder effected an entrance through the fanlight over the postmen's room door, and marks of damp stockinged feet revealed the fact that they crept through a sliding window into the post office counter room, where the safe was located. the street door was then opened to their confederates, and the safe, weighing nearly cwt., was carried to the barrow outside. the thieves retired to a partially completed dwelling for the purpose of examining the contents of the safe. they broke open the carpenter's locker, and many tools were subsequently found on the floor. these evidently had not assisted the gang to any great extent, as they found it necessary to use a heavy pickaxe. the noise they made seems to have aroused the inmates of the neighbouring houses, and it is said that one resident struck a light and actually saw them at work, but he concluded that they were merely doing something in connection with the extensive drainage alterations which had been in progress for many months. this light apparently disturbed the thieves, for they departed with their burden and the pickaxe and retraced their steps. close to the parish institute they managed, in spite of the darkness, to discover a gap in the hedge, and having forced the wheelbarrow through this, they left unmistakable traces of the route taken across the adjoining field. [illustration: the old post office, westbury-on-trym.] having wheeled the safe some or yards, and some yards beyond the cottages in canford lane, they again brought the pickaxe into requisition, and some hours later a workman discovered the safe, with one end broken into dozens of pieces, lying near the hedge. he at once gave information to the police. it was afterwards found that, although the thieves had removed the paper money from the safe, they had thrown the postal orders, money order forms, stamps, licenses, etc., into a neighbouring field, where they were found strewn about in great disorder. the safe contained postal orders stamps, postcards, and cash of the total value of £ . cash to the value of £ was the extent of the thieves' booty, and they left behind them three £ notes, half a sovereign, and two sixpences, which were found on the grass. as all the articles were dry, it was apparent that the robbery took place after a.m., up to which time there had been rain. the officials at the office had begun their morning's work quite unconscious of what had happened, when police sergeant greenslade appeared with the handle of the safe. the fact of the officials not having been disturbed may be accounted for by the circumstance that blasting operations had been carried on at night in the immediate neighbourhood for some twelve months before. the sub-postmistress and her family, it appeared, did not retire to rest until very near midnight, and it is supposed that they were in their first heavy sleep, but it is a mystery why the dog, a sharp fox terrier, remained quiet. the safe was kept in a prominent position in the shop--two people slept just over it--and the exterior of the shop was well lighted at night by a large public lamp. sleeping in the house were several females and males, one of the latter being an ex-sergeant-major of dragoons, feet inches in height and of great bodily strength. next door lived a baker whose workman is about early in the morning, so it may be inferred that the burglars had no small amount of nerve. within a week another robbery took place at a mansion within a mile of the post office. this occurred in the evening. whether or not this second burglary was the work of the same gang which carried off the post office safe, there is similar evidence of most carefully laid plans and of intimate acquaintance with the house and the habits of its occupants. ere the excitement of these two burglaries had passed off as a nine days' wonder, another robbery equally bold in character took place, and this time in the very centre of the city of bristol, and in its most frequented thoroughfare. a jeweller's shop window was rifled at . a.m., at a time when the police were being relieved. the thieves got off with about £ , worth of rings, etc. these three burglaries in conjunction seem to indicate the work of one gang of professional burglars hailing probably from the metropolis. a little time later, a post office safe in the west end of london was rifled, the burglars discarding old methods of violence in breaking it open, and using a jet of oxyhydrogen flame to burn away a portion of the safe door! chapter xi. manchester and liverpool mails.--from coach to rail--the western railroad.--post office arbitration case. when the construction of the great western railway was in contemplation, the prospect of the londoner being able to pay a morning visit to bristol, in even four or five hours, was hailed with satisfaction, as will be gathered from the following article from _the sun_ newspaper of march th, :-- "railway from london to bristol.--we understand that two civil engineers of eminence, henry h. price and wm. brunton, esqrs., are busily occupied (under the auspices of some leading interests) in making the necessary surveys for the above important work. we hail with satisfaction the prospect of seeing the metropolis, ere long, thus closely approximated to the bristol channel and western seas, when four or five hours will enable us to pay a morning visit to bristol. nothing can tend more to increase and consolidate the power of the empire than to give the greatest possible facility of intercourse between its distant points. when the london and bristol railway shall be completed, it will be very possible, in connexion with the irish steam-boats from the latter port, for cattle and other irish produce to be conveyed to the london market within hours from the time of shipment at cork, waterford, &c., and thus, at a cheap rate, will the london market be thrown immediately open to the irish agriculturist; at the same time the london consumers will be benefited in proportion to the greater extent of country thrown open whence they may derive their supplies. liverpool, we understand, imports above , head of live stock per week; much of which is conveyed to manchester by the railway, and we may surely hope for a similar result to the metropolis, when the direct communication is opened with ireland by similar means. in a political point of view, the importance of the great work in question is too obvious to require a moment's comment. we need only state, that in case of emergency, four to five hours will be sufficient to convey any quantity of men or stores from our depôts or arsenals near london to bristol, whence they will be ready to embark for any point where they may be required, and we at once prove that railways, judiciously constructed across the country, may be made, not only the means of economy to the government (smaller establishments being necessary), but that they tend more than anything else to concentrate and consolidate the strength of an empire, and are an additional guarantee against war and foreign aggression." [illustration: primitive great western railway train between bristol and bath, passing kelston] in these days of special trains, composed exclusively of post office carriages, such for instance as the night mail on the great western railway, leaving paddington at . p.m., consisting of eight coaches with engine (usually the "alexandra" or "duke of york"), and measuring feet in length, which runs the whole journey from london to penzance in the space of hours minutes, stopping at bristol and a few other first-class stations _en route_, it may be interesting to recall the earliest period of the conveyance of mails by railway. light is thrown thereon in the following correspondence relating to the then conveyance of the mails to manchester and liverpool, partly by the recently-constructed railway, and partly by road:--"liverpool, th july, . dear sir, we reached this place precisely at half-past twelve--exactly an hour behind our time--the loss arose out of various little _contretemps_, which a little practice will set right. this is the first time in europe so long a journey was performed in so short a time, and if, some very few years ago, it had been said a letter could be answered by return of post from london, the idea would have been treated as chimerical, and yet at eight last evening was i in london, and this letter will reach there to-morrow morning, the proceeding of these operations occupying a period of - / hours only, out of which a rest of three hours is to be taken, thus performing a distance of miles in - / hours. "our mail coach was before its time full minutes, notwithstanding at one place we could not find horses, except posters; and at another when posters were found there was no coachman; luckily there was one on the mail, looking out for a place, with which we suited him. to-night, doubtless, all will go right (some dispute among the amiable contractors, i believe to be the cause). i need hardly observe that i have adopted proper measures. i have the honour to be, dear sir, yours very faithfully, (signed) geo. louis. to lt.-col. maberley, &c., &c., &c." [illustration: bristol and exeter railway train bringing mails to bristol on the decline of the mail coach system about . (clifton bridge anticipated by the artist.)] "manchester, th july, . sir, i have much pleasure in stating that the london bag arrived here this day by railway at half-past twelve p.m. the bag to london was despatched as usual this morning by the mail coach, but concluding that a _return by the railway_ is intended both this day and to-morrow (although the arrangements generally do not commence until the th) i make a despatch with such letters as are in the office at half-past two p.m., and propose doing the same to-morrow. i am, sir, your most obedient, humble servant, (sig.) g.f. karstadt. to lt.-col. maberley." " th july, . manchester. g. karstadt, esq. for the postmaster-general. i enclose a letter from mr. louis with this report from mr. karstadt as to the first working of the railroad. i am sorry to say that it appears from the time bills an hour was lost upon the railroad coming up. (signed) j.v.l.m. (lt.-col. maberly). th july, . read, lichfield (lord lichfield)." the coaches running all the way through at this period were timed to leave london at p.m., and arrive at liverpool and manchester at . p.m. on the up journey the coaches left manchester and liverpool at . a.m., and reached london at . a.m. the conveyance of the mail partly by road and partly by rail came into operation on the western road from to as section by section of the great western railway became completed. thus, in , mails which had come by road between maidenhead and bath were brought into bristol by trains composed of very primitive engines, tenders and coaches, as depicted in the illustrations taken from engravings of the period. mr. j.w. arrowsmith, the world-wide known bristol publisher, recently reprinted arrowsmith's railway guide of , the year of its first issue. it is interesting to note from the re-publication that the shortest time in which mails and passengers were conveyed between london and plymouth was hours, minutes, and between plymouth and london hours, minutes. what a change a half-century has brought about! the pace of the trains has been vastly increased, and even goods trains accomplish the journey from london to bristol in three hours. there is no such thing as finality in speed, as the great western railway company has been trying a french engine, with a view to beat all previous records. one of these engines was tried in france with the equivalent of fifteen loaded coaches behind it. it was brought to a dead stop on a steep incline, and when started again it gathered speed, so that before the summit was reached it was travelling at its normal speed-- . miles an hour. this new engine, "la france," recently accomplished a brilliant feat. she was started from exeter with a load of twelve of the largest corridor-bogies, one being a "diner," the whole weight behind her tender, including passengers, staff, luggage, and stores, being nearly tons. "la france" ran the - / miles to temple meads station, bristol, in - / minutes, start to stop, thus averaging . miles an hour, although she had to face a -mile climb at the start, the last miles of this stretch being at in . she went on from bristol to london, - / miles, with the same heavy load, in exactly minutes. her time from bath to paddington, miles, was minutes; from swindon, - / miles, minutes; from reading, miles, minutes. a good performance in long distance railway running was established by the great western railway company in connection with the visit in of the prince and princess of wales to cornwall. their royal highnesses left paddington in a special division of the cornishman at . a.m., the train being timed to do the non-stop run to north road, plymouth, a distance of miles, in four hours and a half. this time was, however, reduced to the extent of - / min., the train steaming into north road at - / minutes past o'clock. the train covered during the first hour's run - / miles, the average speed for the whole journey to plymouth being . miles per minute. the journey was performed in about half the time occupied in . [illustration: [_by permission of "great western railway magazine."_ "la france"--powerful new great western railway engine.] the up train, which runs from bristol to london in exactly two hours, via badminton, is matched by a down train in the same time by the easier but slightly longer main line (_via_ bath), giving a start-to-stop speed of - / miles an hour, with a dead slow through bath station. but to bath, where a coach is slipped, the inclusive speed is miles an hour, as the distance is miles (all but chains), and the time from paddington, hr. min. this is by the . a.m. "cornishman," and is said to be the first great western train ever booked at a mile a minute, and the first train on any london railway even "scheduled" at that speed. in connection with the mail services between the metropolis and bristol, the "gate of the west," it may be appropriate here to mention the recent arbitration case between the great western railway company and h.m. postmaster-general in regard to remuneration for conveyance of mails. the company, dissatisfied with the payment of £ , a year under their contract of , subsequently raised by small additions, from time to time, to £ , a year, brought their case before the railway commissioners, who awarded £ , a year from the st july, . this amount covered the provision of a new postal train in each direction between london and penzance. it was sir frederick peel who delivered the judgment of the court. chapter xii. primitive post office.--fifth clause posts.--mail cart in a rhine.--effect of gales on post and telegraph service. the bristol postal district, stretching from the severn banks beyond oldbury-on-severn to a point near bath, and thence straight across to the bristol channel again, consists of ground within the city and county of bristol, and the counties of gloucestershire and somersetshire. the border of wiltshire is touched near dyrham and badminton, and the district is separated from monmouthshire by the estuary of the river severn. [illustration: horton thatched post office at the foot of cotswald hills.] post offices showing signs of great antiquity are scarcely in existence now, for at the present day the wide district thus described in the preceding paragraph contains within its boundaries only one post office established under the primitive but comfortable and picturesque thatched roof. this is the horton post office. the picture of this post office is from an excellent photograph taken by miss begbie, a daughter of the rector of horton. the village lies at the foot of the cotswolds, and near this spot, in quiet retreat, william tyndale translated the new testament. the duke of beaufort's hounds meet from time to time in the horton post office yard. this rustic place was originally the village ale house, yclept "the horse shoe." it is now devoted to the more useful purpose of the sale of stamps and the posting and distribution of letters, under the able and energetic superintendence of mrs. slade. such postal sub-districts as horton, far remote from their principal centre, were classified under parliamentary legislation. thus the fifth clause posts of early in the th century took their name from the act , geo. , ch. , clause , under which they were established. special post marks were in use for such posts. in the case of the bristol district there was only one th clause post, namely, at thornbury, which was established in , and under its regulations one penny was charged for the delivery of each letter at thornbury. the post was a horse post from and to bristol, and the contractor delivered and collected bags at almondsbury and fylton, which were both "penny posts." the main object of the fifth clause post was to join up small towns with the larger post towns and so it was that thornbury became thus linked on to bristol. on the other hand, bristol had penny posts, including almondsbury and fylton, which were denoted by numbers to , clifton being no. . of the "fifth clause posts" existing in bristol had only the one which joined bristol and thornbury. owing to there being no settled port of departure or arrival for vessels employed for conveyance of foreign mails, the letters were frequently despatched by privately-owned ships. they were then impressed with a post-mark "ship letter," with the name of the town included. the penny post letters were such as had been posted in any one of the bristol penny post sub-district offices for delivery in the district of posting, or in any of the other offices. thus a letter posted in fylton for delivery in fylton would be charged one penny upon being handed in at that post office, and another penny would be obtained on delivery to the addressee. a letter posted at the penny post office of almondsbury for delivery in the penny post district of fylton would be charged a penny upon being handed in at the almondsbury office and another penny would be charged to the addressee on delivery. thornbury being a th clause post would have letters posted in its special "open" box, delivered in the thornbury postal area for the one penny, that charged on delivery. a letter posted in the "open" box at thornbury ( th clause post) for bristol would likewise travel from poster to addressee for the d. delivery charge in bristol, as bags would be exchanged between the two places. a single letter, _i.e._, a letter without an enclosure, coming from reading for thornbury, would be charged a general post rate of d. to bristol, plus d. for delivery, which would be the same in the cases of letters from reading for fylton or almondsbury; but if a letter were posted at thornbury for reading, there would be no charge from thornbury to bristol, so that the addressee would only be called upon to pay the general post rate of d., whereas, the postage on a letter from fylton or almondsbury would be d., plus a penny charged for collection. [illustration: early bristol post marks.] the mail services in the rural districts are not free from danger. the pitcher may have been carried to the fountain year after year without mishap, but it not infrequently becomes broken at last. in like manner the contractor for the portishead, clevedon, and yatton mail cart service, after having driven over this route with immunity from accident for forty years, yet came to grief in the last week of his connection with his majesty's mails, january, . the contractor's time table was arranged thus:--portishead, leave . p.m.; clevedon, arrive . p.m., leave . p.m.; yatton, arrive . p.m.; attend to apparatus and up mail . a.m., down mail . a.m.; yatton, leave . a.m.; clevedon, arrive . a.m., depart . a.m.; portishead, arrive . a.m. the contractor, mr. dawes, now in the th year of his age, having performed a part of his outward journey on the th september, , left clevedon for yatton quite sober as ever, and in his usual health. then comes the mystery. he did not reach yatton in due course, and the railway signalman intimated the failure to bristol, from which office the postmaster of clevedon was advised, who at early dawn started out a scout on a bicycle to search for the missing mailman and mail bags. the scout discovered no signs of man or mails between clevedon and the yatton apparatus station, and going back over the same ground, he eventually met an individual who had seen an aged man with a whip in his hand wandering on the road. this he knew to be his man, and he discovered dawes walking aimlessly along the road at about a.m. his explanations were not coherent. the horse had ran away with him, and flung him off the cart into a ditch; he had tumbled off the cart, and walked into a ditch; he had tried to knock people up to assist him in trying to find what had become of the missing mails! in the meantime, a farm labourer going out on to the kingston seymour moors to milk the cows discovered the mail cart turned over on to its side, and thus embedded in a rhine on the roadside. the horse also was in the rhine, up to his back, partly in mud and partly in water. the milkman immediately started off to clevedon to give the alarm, and his employer, who was accompanying him on his journey to the milking ground, took prompt steps, in conjunction with moor men, to drag horse and vehicle out of the mud and mire. fortunately, the mailbags were uninjured, and the postmaster of clevedon, who had set out on a search, had them conveyed back to his office. dazed contractor dawes, the muddy mail cart, and horse coated with mud from head to hoofs, were got back into the town at about a.m. it would seem that the contractor fell asleep and tumbled from his box into the road, and that his horse wandered on, grazing from side to side of the road, till eventually in the dark of night horse and cart fell into the rhine. on coming to himself, the contractor, after trying in vain to arouse the inhabitants of roadside houses, wandered about all night, or it may be laid down somewhere to await morning light. the animal was injured to such an extent that it had to be destroyed. during the fierce gale which, with unparalleled severity, raged in the bristol channel on the night of thursday, the th september, , a vessel was driven ashore on the gore sands. soon after daybreak a call was made for the burnham lifeboat, but, in consequence of the heavy seas, the crew was unable to launch her. the coxswain, therefore, telegraphed for the watchet lifeboat to proceed to the rescue. every endeavour was made by the postal telegraph authorities to expeditiously transmit the message, but the elements which had operated against the vessel, had likewise played havoc with the telegraph wires, with the result that the telegram sustained such delay in transmission as to retard the launching of the lifeboat. fortunately, no serious consequences followed. as regards mail communication, the night journey by road from bristol to bath and chippenham could not be made, owing to the roads being blocked by fallen trees. the gale was far reaching in its effects, and carried away parts of weston-super-mare pier, landed boats on promenade, blew down walls, chimneys, and laid low hundreds of trees, was especially "a howler," and disastrous as regards interference with telegraphic communication. wires were blown down in all directions, and bristol suffered greatly. on the th, at . a.m., there was no wire whatever available to south wales, and telegrams had to be sent by train. there was no wire available to scotland or to the north beyond birmingham, or to cork and jersey. several local lines were down, such as wedmore, hambrook, yatton, portishead, wickwar, etc. delay of minutes occurred to birmingham, which office transmitted all work for the north. the delay to london was minutes. trunk telephone communication was impossible. every wire was interrupted, and remained so all day. in the evening there was still no wire which could be used to scotland, cork, or channel islands. cardiff was reached at . p.m., on one wire. chapter xiii. bristol rejuvenated.--visit of prince of wales in connection with the new bristol dock.--bristol and jamaican mail service.--american mails.--bristol ship letter mails.--the redland post office.--the medical officer.--bristol telegraphists in the south african war.--lord stanley.--mr. j. paul bush. bristol "lethargic" was for years the general idea of the place. bristol "awakening" followed, and it is now realised that bristol has fully awakened to her vast potentialities. the eyes of the populace of great britain, and, it may be, of many of the dwellers in the king's dominions beyond the seas, were in march, , cast in the direction of the ancient city of bristol, erstwhile the second port in importance in the british isles. this national looking to what bristolians proudly call the "metropolis of western england" was occasioned by the visit of the prince of wales, with h.r.h. the princess, to turn the first sod in connection with the great works then about to be undertaken for the extension of the docks at avonmouth, so as to render them capable of accommodating and berthing steamers of a magnitude greater than any yet built--a work then expected to be completed in four or five years. the function was a notable one, and the occasion may be briefly summed up as "a grand day for bristol." two millions are being spent on the dock, which will have a water space of thirty acres, with room for further extension. the lock will be feet long and feet wide. there will be , feet of quay space, with abundant railway sidings and other appointments of a first-class port. [illustration: (signed) yours faithfully alfred jones] [illustration: r.m.s. "port kingston" ( , tons), _of the imperial direct west indian mail fleet_.] in feb., , sir alfred jones, k.c.m.g., the chief of the elder dempster steamship line, set out from avonmouth in the "port antonio" for jamaica, with the object of promoting further developments between bristol and the west indies by means of the imperial direct west india mail service. the occasion of his departure was unusually interesting, as it took place on the first anniversary of the sailing of the first boat of the direct service carrying h. majesty's mails to the island of jamaica from avonmouth. the picture portrays the mails being embarked on the "antonio's" sister ship, the "port royal," which arrived at avonmouth on the day before the royal visit, and was inspected by their royal highnesses, who were much interested in her banana cargo. the "port kingston," a steamer of larger size and splendid construction, has now been added to the jamaican fleet, and she makes the passage from kingston to bristol in ten-and-a-half days. by a coincidence, when bristol was "feasting" on the th march, --the red letter day--and its senior burgess, the chancellor of the exchequer, and the other members of parliament for the city were felicitating with a goodly array of bristol fathers over the great event likely to be fraught with untold benefit to the historic port from which sebastian cabot set forth years and years ago to seek and find the continent of america, the feast of "st. martin's" was being held at the criterion, in london, and the post office k.c.b.'s, sir george murray, sir spencer walpole, and sir william preece, under the courtly presidency of sir robert hunter, were eloquently descanting to a large assemblage of post office _literati_ on the usefulness of the post office service magazine--st. martin's le grand. [illustration: embarking mails at avonmouth on the jamaican steamer, "port royal."] the chamber of commerce at this time urged on the canadian government the desirability of making bristol the terminal port for the new canadian fast mail service, on the grounds that mails and passengers from canada can be carried into london and the midlands in the shortest period of time _via_ the old port of bristol. from the holms, miles below bristol, a straight line in deep water, without any intervening land, may be drawn to halifax. bristol can be reached from london in hours. the time which could be saved in the passage from queenstown to london _via_ bristol is - / hours as compared with the route _via_ liverpool, and hours as compared with the route _via_ southampton. by the severn tunnel line there is also direct communication with the lancashire and yorkshire manufacturing districts, as well as the midland and northern parts of the united kingdom generally. thus in the two important elements of speed and safety bristol has paramount advantages as a terminal port for the transatlantic mail service. there is evidence generally that bristol trade and commerce have revived, and are now indicating a vigorous growth. the bristol post office statistics show a phenomenal progress during the last decade. in the year , before the introduction of the penny postage system, and when people had to pay for their missives on delivery, bristol could only boast of , , letters delivered in a year; in , the year after the uniform penny postage was introduced, the number rose to , , . in another ten years, , , , was reached; in , , , was the number; , , , ; in , , , ; , , , ; and in , , , , or an increase approaching that of the preceding forty years. the numbers stand in at , , . on sunday, the th january, , the liner "philadelphia" (which, by-the-bye, as the "city of paris" went ashore on the manacles and was salved and re-named) was the first of the fleet of the american line to call at plymouth and land the american mails there, instead of at southampton, as formerly. in connection with the inauguration of this service to the western port of plymouth, bristol--undoubtedly a natural geographical centre for the distribution of mails from the united states and canada--played an important part in distributing and thus greatly accelerating the delivery of the american correspondence generally. bristol itself distinctly benefits by the american mail steamers calling at plymouth, for it enables her traders to get their business correspondence many hours earlier than by any other route. owing to a severe storm encountered off sandy hook, the "philadelphia," on the occasion alluded to, due on saturday, did not arrive in plymouth sound until early on sunday morning. the mails were quickly placed aboard the tender, which returned to millbay docks at . a.m., and an hour later the special g.w.r. train moved out, carrying over tons of mails. eight tons were at a.m. put out at the temple meads railway station to be dealt with at the bristol post office, and the remainder taken on to paddington. the mails dealt with at bristol included not only those for delivery in bristol city and district, but also those for the provinces. they were speedily sorted and dispersed by the comprehensive through train services to the west, south wales, midlands, and north of england. the second american mail was brought over by the "st. louis," which arrived off plymouth at one o'clock on saturday morning, the th january, . the g.w. train reached temple meads at . , and bags which had to be dealt with at bristol were dropped. the premises recently acquired from the water works company by the post office were utilized for the first time, there not being sufficient room in the existing post office buildings to cope with such a heavy consignment. the letters were sent out with the first morning delivery in bristol. the birmingham letters were despatched at . a.m., and those for manchester and liverpool were also sent off in time for delivery in the afternoon. the third mail arrived per "new york," at . p.m. on saturday, the rd january, . one hundred and fifty bags were deposited at bristol. the new york direct mails for the north went on by the . p.m. (g.w.) and . p.m. (mid.) trains ex bristol station. the direct plymouth and bristol service is still being continued. in an instruction book relating to "ship letter" duty which was in use in the bristol post office so far back as , there are many interesting documents. the following is a list:--( ) ship letters, notice, g.p.o., july, . ( ) notice to all masters and commanders of ships arriving from abroad; signed, francis freeling, secretary g.p.o., june, . ( ) letter from francis freeling to g. huddlestone, th october, , _re_ letters forwarded by the ship "paragon" from the port of bristol. ( ) letter from ship letter office, london, to postmaster of bristol _re_ inland prepaid rate and captain's gratuity ( th sept., ). ( ) correspondence from g. huddlestone ( th july, ) _re_ process of receipt of ship letters, and making up of the mails; also process of receipt and distribution of ship letters inward. ( ) notice to the public and instructions to all postmasters; signed w.l. maberly, secretary g.p.o., nd september, . ( ) receipt from postmaster of bristol for packet directed "o.h.m.s. ship mail; per 'victory'" from bristol to cork (sept. th, ). ( ) letter containing solicitor's opinion that master of steam vessel cannot be compelled to sign receipt ship letter; signed jas. campbell ( th october, ). ( ) notice to postmasters; signed w.l. maberly, secretary g.p.o., june, . ( ) circular of instructions; signed rowland hill, g.p.o., th october, . ( ) notice to the commanders of ships arriving from foreign ports; signed w.l. maberly, secretary g.p.o., june, . ( ) circular of instructions; signed rowland hill, secretary g.p.o., july, . ( ) circular of instructions to postmasters at the outports; signed rowland hill, secretary g.p.o., th august, . ( ) circular of instructions; signed rowland hill, secretary g.p.o., th january, . ( ) reduction of the ship letter rate of postage; signed rowland hill, secretary g.p.o., th december, . ( ) circular of instructions; signed rowland hill, secretary g.p.o., january th, . ( ) instructions; signed rowland hill, secretary g.p.o., th march, . ( ) _re_ letters to portugal; signed geo. dumeldenger, for sub. con., th march, . ( ) note _re_ loose letters, rd march, . bristol, th december, . this old book relating to the ship letter duty at bristol was considered suitable for the muniment room at st. martin's-le-grand, as an historical record, and is retained there for preservation. it is considered fortunate that it has survived so long. as the public eye was for a long time directed towards the redland post office, bristol, which to meet the wants of the community has been located by the department at no. , white ladies road, black boy hill, and is carried on apart altogether from any trade or business, it may be well, in view of connecting links with the past being rapidly effaced in the march of modern progress, to take an historical retrospect of this local post office so far as evidence is forthcoming, and thus endeavour to put on record the traditions of the past. it would appear, then, according to the earliest evidence obtainable, that mr. w. newman had the appointment of postman and town letter receiver conferred upon him in , offices which he held until . the post office was carried on by him in a small house approached by garden and steps immediately adjoining the old king's arms inn, which stood on the site of the present inn of that name. it was newman's mission in those pre-penny stamp days to serve the wide and then open district bordered by pembroke road, white ladies gate, cold harbour farm, redland green, red house farm, stoke bishop, cote house, and sea mills. he delivered about letters daily. the area owing to the growth of population and the spread of education, with the consequent development of letter writing, has now seven post offices; is served by no fewer than postmen, and has a delivery of , letters. in mr. newman's early post office days mail coaches ran up and down black boy hill on their way to and from the new passage, and called at the redland post office. newman is said to have had a jackdaw. the bird, as the mail coach ran down the narrow road on black boy hill, called "mail, mail, quick, quick!" to attract his master's attention, and, waggish bird as he was, he not infrequently gave a false alarm, and called his master at the wrong time. after some years mr. newman moved with the post office to the east side of black boy hill, to a house near the present porter stores. he was succeeded by mr. enoch park. the next sub-postmaster was the late mr. buswell, who for some years occupied premises on mid-hill, before moving the post office to a site lower down the hill. [illustration: mr. f.p. lansdown.] mr. f.p. lansdown retired from the post of medical officer to the bristol post office at the end of the year . he had occupied the position for the period of years, and it was felt that such long service could not be allowed to terminate without due recognition at the hands of the officers of the postal and telegraph services, to whom he had rendered professional aid from time to time. he was, therefore, given a solid silver table lamp, subscribed for by over members of the staff. the presentation took place on post office premises, and was very largely attended. twenty-seven of the bristol telegraph staff served in the campaign in south africa. in times of peace many royal engineers are employed in the instrument room of the bristol post office, and the duties of linesmen are mainly undertaken by men from that corps. on the outbreak of hostilities, these were at once withdrawn for active service, and then came the call for volunteers for the telegraph battalion, when seven civilians attached to the local staff volunteered, and were selected. great interest was taken by their confreres in the progress of the war, especially during the siege and the relief of ladysmith, where two of the bristol r.e.'s were among the besieged. one of the staff went through the siege of kimberley, and another for his pluck was awarded the d.s. medal. a hearty welcome awaited their return, and this was manifested by means of a supper and musical evening at st. stephen's restaurant, dec. , . not all of them came back--two had fallen and helped to swell the large number who had sacrificed their lives for their king and country. whilst civilian telegraphists and officers of the sorting department thus volunteered for military service in south africa, the present postmaster-general himself, lord stanley, to whom this book is dedicated, also was not slow in placing himself at the disposal of his country, and he went through two years of the campaign, acting first as press censor and afterwards as private secretary to the commander-in-chief lord roberts. he was twice mentioned in despatches and was awarded the companionship of the bath. bristolians generally, with great enthusiasm, rallied to the cry for volunteers, and special mention may here be made of mr. j. paul bush, who ungrudgingly gave up his large and fashionable practice as a surgeon in clifton, and, at very brief notice, hurried off to south africa to occupy the position of senior surgeon to the princess christian hospital. he was mentioned by lord roberts in despatches, and the companionship of the order of st. michael and st. george was conferred on him. small wonder then, that on mr. lansdown's retirement from the bristol medical officership at the end of , lord stanley should have selected mr. paul bush to fill the appointment. mr. bush had the further claim to the appointment as being a medical man born in the city of bristol, and having for an ancestor paul bush, the first bishop of bristol, who was born in . he is the son of the late major robert bush, th regiment, who was particularly patriotic in having largely assisted in the formation of the st bristol rifle volunteer corps, of which he became colonel in command. in addition to certain honorary medical and surgical appointments in the city, mr. bush holds the position of chief surgeon to the bristol constabulary. [illustration: mr. j. paul bush, c.m.g.] chapter xiv. small (the post office) street, bristol. its ancient history, influential residents, historic houses; the canns; the early home of the elton family. from time immemorial small street, in the city and county of bristol, two-thirds of the west side of which the post office occupies, has been an important street. one of the nine old town gates was at the bottom of it, and was known as st. giles's gate, having obtained this name from a church dedicated to st. giles, the patron saint of cripples and beggars, which in the fifteenth century stood at the end of "seynt-lauren's-laane." here, history says, was the "hygest walle of bristow," which has "grete vowtes under it, and the old chyrch of seynt gylys was byldyd ovyr the vowtes." the cutting of the trench, from the old stone bridge to near prince street bridge, for the new channel of the froom, was completed in . before this date ships could only lie in the avon, where the bottom was "very stony and rough"; but the bed of the new course of the froom having turned out to be soft and muddy, it became the harbour for the great ships, and small street from this time became a principal thoroughfare. then to this quarter of the town came bristol's greatest merchants. from the centre of the town to the old custom house, at the lower end of pylle street (now st. stephen street) there was no nearer way than down small street and through st. giles's gate. the existence of gardens in the th and th centuries at the backs of the houses in small street is evidenced by the wills of old bristolians. in that of william hoton, merchant, of st. werburgh's parish, who died in , is mentioned "the garden of sir henry hungerford, knight," near the cemetery of st. leonard's church, and john easterfield, merchant, of st. werburgh's parish, who died in , bequeathed to his wife his dwelling-house in small-strete, and also "the garden in st. leonard's lane, as long as she dwelleth in the said house." [illustration: elton mansion, small street, bristol.] in this historic small street, and just within the old city walls, have for two or three hundred years stood certain premises, in olden times divided into three separate holdings, the freehold of which was purchased in from the bristol water works company by the post office, for much-needed extensions to its already large building. the facts respecting these three edifices have been culled from ancient parchments which would fill a large wheelbarrow. the premises are not of very ornate exterior now. they are interesting, however, as denoting an old style of architecture; but the exteriors have, no doubt, been so altered and pulled about to meet the requirements of successive occupiers as to be not quite like what they were originally. the structures appear to have been erected in the middle of the th century, probably at the end of the reign of king charles i. ( ). the plan of brightstowe, published in by hofnagle, shows that the church of st. werburgh and its churchyard occupied one-third of the frontage of the street, on the west, or post office, side, and that there were only five other separate buildings, which were each detached, and covered the remainder of the length of the street. millerd's "exact delineations of the famous cittie of bristoll," published in , does not so clearly illustrate the houses standing in small street on its west or post office side as could be desired. the deeds hereafter alluded to indicate, however, that of the three premises under consideration, the elton mansion, at least, was standing before , as richard streamer, who died in that year, is named as having formerly dwelt therein. there is no earlier record, and as streamer only came to fame as councillor in , it may, perhaps, be assumed that the mansion was erected about the year ; and as a member of the cann family is the first known owner of the property, no doubt the house was erected for him. the style of architecture appears to bear out that assumption as to date, and the frontages indicate that the three houses under special review were erected about the same time. while there may be a little regret when these mediæval buildings disappear, there will be the advantage of the street being considerably widened by their removal. it is now only feet wide from house to house, and gives a very good idea of its appropriate appellation--small street. taking first the property which formed the middle holding, now ( ) known as , small street, and which was not, therefore, actually contiguous to the existing post office, the earliest date alluded to in the parchments is the year . in a deed of the th august, , it is stated that sir abraham elton, merchant, under indenture of lease dated th february, , had bought from sir thomas cann, of stoke bishopp, in the county of gloucester, esq., "all that great messuage or dwelling-house situate standing and being in small street within the parishes of st. walburgh (_sic_) and st. leonard." the indenture was between sir abraham elton, bart., on the one part, and christopher shuter, of the same city, on the other part, and was worded thus: "now this indenture witnesseth that for and in consideration of the sum of five shillings of lawful money of great britain to the said sir abraham elton in hand paid by the said christopher shuter the receipt whereof the said sir abraham elton doth hereby confess and acknowledge and for divers good causes and considerations him the said sir abraham elton hereunto moving hath granted bargained sold assigned and set over ... unto the said christopher shuter all the said messuage and tenements to have and to hold unto the said christopher shuter his executors administrators and assigns from henceforth for and during all the rest and residue of the above recited terms of years which is yet to run and unexpired in trust for said sir abraham elton." the next record is that bearing date of the next day, thus:--"mr. cann's lease for a year of a messuage in small street to sir abraham elton. date th august, ." robert cann "doth demise grant bargain and sell unto the said sir abraham elton all that great messuage or dwelling house situate standing and being in small street within the parishes of st. walburgh and st. leonards or one of them within the said city of bristol wherein richard streamer esq. (who died in ) formerly dwelt and wherein sir william poole, knt. (no trace of him can be found in local records) afterwards dwelt and now ( ) the dwelling of and in the possession of the said sir abraham elton (first baronet) (where also sir abraham elton, the grandson, successively dwelt, and, after that, william thornhill, surgeon) and fronting forwards to the street called small street and extending backwards to a lane called st. leonard's lane and bounded on the outside thereof with a messuage in the holding of william donne, ironmonger, and afterwards ( ) john perks, tobacconist (now , known as no. in small street and actually adjoining the post office) and on the other side thereof with a messuage in the tenure of william knight, cooper (and afterwards of richard lucas, cooper) (now , known as no. small street and last occupied by messrs. bartlett and hobbs, wine merchants), together with all and singular cellars, sellars vaults, rooms, halls, parlors, chambers, kitchens, lofts, lights, basements, backsides, pavements, court yards and appurtenances whatsoever"--for one whole year, yielding and paying therefor the rent of a peppercorn on the feast of st. michael the archangel (if the same shall be demanded). signed and sealed, robert cann. in the abstract of title it is noted that william knight, who occupied the house on the "other side," was succeeded in the tenure by richard lucas, cooper. on the th august, , sir abraham elton ( rd bart.) and assignees leased the premises as before described to dr. logan, of the city of bristol, doctor in physick, for s., as in the case of christopher shuter. the house of william donne, ironmonger, adjoining, was in this deed mentioned as occupied by john perks, tobacconist. the property appears to have been sold by william logan, of pennsylvania, esq., and nephew and heir of the above-mentioned dr. logan, doctor of physick, of the city of bristol, to the "small street company (richard reynolds, edward garlick, richard summers, james harford, william cowles, james getly)" on the th may, . in the year the property was leased to the bristol water works company, and purchased by the company in . the several owners and occupiers of this "great house" were persons of no mean degree, as the following statement of their local positions indicates. according to playfair's "british family antiquity," vol. vii., mr. robert cann was the eldest son of sir thomas cann, who was the eldest son of sir robert cann, the first baronet. sir robert cann was the eldest son of william cann, esqr., alderman of bristol. he married the sister of sir robert yeomans, who was beheaded at bristol for supporting the cause of charles i. sir robert was councillor, - ; sheriff, - ; treasurer, merchant venturers, - ; master, merchant venturers, - ; mayor, - ; knighted, ; created baronet, ; alderman - ; mayor, - . under the south window of st. werburgh's church was a handsome monument, with a half-arch, for the family of sir robert cann, of compton-greenfield, bart. richard streamer was councillor, - ; sheriff, - ; alderman, - ; mayor - ; master, merchant venturers, - ; died . sir william pool cannot be traced in the local histories which have been consulted. sir abraham elton (first baronet), baptized july, , at st. philip and st. jacob church, was the son of isaac and elizabeth elton, of that parish. from entries in the registers, it may be seen that the family was settled there as early as , about which time the members of it migrated from near ledbury to the neighbourhood, attracted doubtless by the splendid field for enterprise offered by the second city of the kingdom, as bristol undoubtedly was at that period, and for some time afterwards. they were puritans, and held some land in barton regis on the gloucestershire side of the city. richard elton, bap. at st. philip and st. jacob, april, , was a colonel in fairfax's army, and he published one of the earliest text books in the english language on military tactics; hence the family motto, "artibus et armis." a copy of this book is now in clevedon court library, with its quaint frontispiece, portrait and inscription: "richard elton, of bristol, , aetas suae ." sir abraham was apprenticed in to his eldest brother, jacob elton, but in went to sea. he married in mary, daughter of robert jefferies, a member of a well-known mercantile family of that day. he served in many public offices, thus:--president, gloucestershire society, ; councillor, - ; sheriff, - ; master, merchant venturers, - ; mayor, - ; alderman, - ; governor, incorporation of poor, - ; high sheriff of gloucestershire, ; created baronet, ; mayor, september, ; m.p., - . [illustration: [_from an original painting at clevedon court._ a.e. the first sir abraham elton, bart.] [illustration: [_from an original painting at clevedon court._ m.e. mary, wife of the first abraham elton, bart.] the portraits of abraham and mary elton which are here given, are reproduced, with sir edmund elton's kind consent, from photographs by mr. edwin hazell, of linden road studio, clevedon. the original oil paintings hang in the picture gallery at clevedon court. according to barrett, in the st. werburgh's vestry room, over the door on the inside, as part of a long latin inscription, was the name of "abrahamo eltono, guardianis, ." the baronetcy was conferred on him in recognition of his staunch support of the hanoverian succession during the jacobite riots of - , to the great disgust of stewart, the local jacobite chronicler. in the board room, at st. peter's hospital, under the date , abraham elton's name appears as a benefactor for £ . in , sir abraham elton, bart., gave £ s. per annum to five poor housekeepers in st. werburgh's parish not receiving alms, paid september , £ . he died at his house in small street in the same year-- . having bequeathed considerable sums in local charities, he settled his estates in somerset, gloucestershire, and wilts, on various members of his family. he was for many years head of the commerce of bristol, a pioneer of its brass and iron foundries, owner of its principal weaving industry, and of some of its glass and pottery works, besides largely controlling the shipping of the port. his wife survived him by only two months. they are both buried in the family vault in ss. philip and jacob parish church, within the altar rails near sir abraham's parents. the house in small street was their town house from about down to the date of their deaths. sir abraham elton (second baronet), baptized june, , at st. john the baptist, broad street, was councillor, - ; sheriff, - ; mayor, - ; master, merchant venturers, - ; alderman, - ; baronet, ; m.p., - ; died october th, . he married on the th of may, , abigail, daughter of zachary bayly, of charlcot house, wilts, and of northwood park, somerset. sir abraham elton (third baronet), born , was councillor, - ; sheriff, - ; baronet, ; mayor, - ; died november th, . he died unwed. christopher shuter was councillor, - ; sheriff, - ; mayor, - ; alderman, - ; governor, incorporation of poor, - ; warden, merchant venturers, - ; died . william thornhill was surgeon to the infirmary, - . william logan was physician to the infirmary, - ; died december, , aged . the neighbours on the right and left of the elton mansion, mentioned hereafter, were not of great social consequence. there is, however, mention of one of them, a john knight, having been warden of the merchant venturers' society in - . the other premises ( and -- ) stand on the upper and lower sides respectively of the old elton mansion. they belonged in to eleanor seager, who mortgaged them to edward cook for £ . the property was described in the mortgage deed thus:-- "all those two messuages or tenements situate and being in small street in the parish of st. walburg (_sic_) in the city of bristol in one (no. -- ) of which said messuages john knight gent now liveth and in the other of them (no. -- ) one m.e. balley now doth or lastly did inhabit and dwell, in the said city of bristol and all houses, outhouses, edifices, buildings, courtyards, and backsides to the said messuage or tenement." [illustration: gargoyle in elton mansion wall.] the two messuages were leased to mary knight by eleanor seager for s. in money by indenture of june, , thus:--"between john saunders of hazell in the parish of olveston in the county of gloucester, esq., and eleanora his wife the only daughter and heirs of william seager late of hazell aforesaid on the one part and mary knight of the city of bristol widow, on the other part. "hath granted bargained sold all these two several messuages or tenements situate being in small street in one of which said messuages or tenements john knight, deceased, formerly dwelt and wherein the said mary knight his widow doth now dwell and in the other of them thomas balley painter and glazier doth also dwell (afterwards in tenure or occupation of john mason broker and thomas taman gunsmith) and all the outhouses," &c, &c, &c. (as in mortgage deed). in ( june) there was a conveyance of the two messuages from miss knight to mr. samuel page (one of the partners with edward garlick, richard reynolds, &c.) for £ . it was this same firm which purchased the elton "great house" in . the firm was known as messrs. reynolds, getley and company, by virtue of an indenture of co-partnership, dated st june, . the document was signed and sealed by richard reynolds, edward garlick, richard summers, james harford, william cowles, james getley, samuel page, william weaver, john partridge, and john partridge, jun. the firm was engaged in the iron and tin-plate trades, and, according to the _london gazette_ of saturday, march th, , it was being carried on under the style of harfords, crocker, and co. the partnership dissolved on the th day of june, , by alicia calder, elizabeth weaver, and sarah davies retiring from the firm, and by reason of the death of the philip crocker. the business was continued by richard summers harford, samuel harford, john harford, william green, and william weaver davies, under the firm of harford brothers and co., under the date of th day of february, . these two tenements became the property of the bristol water works company at the same time as the great house, in , and a portion of ground at the back, facing st. leonard's lane, belonging to the st. werburgh's charities, in . [illustration: chimney-piece in elton mansion, small street, bristol.] the old chimney-piece--a fine specimen of mediæval stone carving--which stood in the principal upstairs room of no. , used as a boardroom by the water works company, the richly decorated ceiling, and the panelled walls, marked the period at which the eltons occupied the house; and the initials a. and m.e., representing abraham and mary elton (mary, daughter of robert jefferies, whom he married in ), and the date, , quaintly cut, are on the chimney-piece. the chimney-piece has been removed, and re-erected in the new water works building in telephone avenue. the inquirer of the far-distant future may be misled when he finds it in this spot, unless, indeed, there be some tablet provided to indicate and perpetuate the history of this antique stone carving. the ceiling and panelling have been purchased by sir edmund elton, and taken to clevedon court. in letters to the _bristol times and mirror_ newspaper, certain writers have, in treating of the water works premises, sought to establish that the great philanthropist, edward colston, possessed a mansion on the east side of small street, and lived therein. no tangible facts have, however, been adduced to substantiate the statements. on the other hand, there is very conclusive evidence to the contrary contained in the notes on "colston's house," read at the annual meeting of this society, in , by the late historian of bristol, john latimer. mr. latimer demonstrated, beyond doubt, that thomas colston purchased the mansion of the creswicks, on the west side of small street, upon the site of which the present post office stands. it was in that house that edward colston resided, if, indeed, at any time he ever did live for more than a short period at one time in small street. when king charles ii, as prince of wales accompanied his father to bristol, and the court was located in small street on that very site, probably he rode into, and about, the city in a coach such as is given in the illustration at page , but there is no doubt, that in later days, after the battle of worcester, he rode in on horseback as a fugitive on his way to abbotsleigh. his start on the long journey from boscobel mounted on the miller's pony, sans wig and sans royal garb, was not altogether dignified, although the incident here depicted is not wanting in pathetic interest, as indicating the attachment to his majesty of the five faithful penderel brothers. [illustration: [_from a painting in the merchant venturers' hall, bristol._ edward colston, - . _(copyright.)_] [illustration: [_by permission of mr. john lane, the bodley head, vigo st., london._ charles ii. _(from "after worcester fight," by allen fea.)_] in a report to the general board of health on a preliminary enquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary conditions of the inhabitants of the city and county of bristol in , it was stated in a petition from messrs. h.j.j. hinton & son, small street, "there is a filthy lane, called leonard's lane, near the bottom of small street, and which leads round into corn street. the state of it, in a general way, is so bad as to be quite sufficient to produce pestilence." according to the report the parish of st. werburgh contained houses. its population in was , and its area was square yards. it had one burial ground, and the average number of interments was per annum. leaden coffins were always required. the "inspector of lamps, etc.", reported that there were houses in small street. [illustration: [_by permission of mr. john lane, the bodley head, vigo street, london._ charles ii. after battle of worcester on road to bristol. _(from "after worcester fight," by allen fea.)_] chapter xv. the post office trunk telephone system at bristol.--the columbia stamping machine. the post office in bristol commenced to undertake telephone business in . it began with trunk telephone lines working to bath, birmingham, cardiff, exeter, london, taunton, and weston-super-mare. at the outset the conversations averaged about daily. in that same year the department took over from the national telephone co., cardiff, gloucester, newport and sharpness lines, and the conversations soon increased to nearly per day. at the present time the department has from to (according to size of town) trunk lines to bath, bradford-on-avon, birmingham, cardiff, exeter, gloucester, london, lydney, plymouth, newport, sharpness, southampton, swansea, taunton, tiverton, and weston-super-mare. an increased number of wires has had marked effect in diminishing the delays which at first occurred through paucity of trunk lines, but as the business is constantly increasing, the department is still looked to for additional lines. that the better accommodation is appreciated, however, is indicated by the fact that now the bristol conversations average nearly , a day, or considerably over a quarter of a million a year. on sundays the trunk telephones are available, but use is made of them only to a small extent, there being only about conversations per sunday. the total number of trunk wire transactions throughout the kingdom during the last year, according to the postmaster general's annual report, was , , , or, reckoning each transaction as involving at least two spoken messages, a total number of , , (an increase of . per cent. over that of the preceding year). the revenue was £ , (an increase of . per cent.), and the average value of each transaction was s. d. there is a silence box in the public hall of the bristol post office, from which conversations can be held with all parts of the kingdom, with belgium and france. of course, the greater number of trunk line telephone conversations are held through the medium of the national telephone company's local exchange, but many important bristol firms have contracted with the post office for private telephone wires in actual connection with the trunk line system, independent altogether of the national co.'s exchange. the intermingling of the national telephone business with that of the post office telegraphs has had a further development in a system under which subscribers to the national company telephone communications to the post office to be sent on thence as telegrams over post office telegraph wires. this privilege is taken advantage of at bristol to the extent of seven or eight hundred messages weekly. the accession of the trunk telephone business to the already over-crowded office has had the effect of necessitating the detachment of some part of the staff from the post office headquarter premises in small street, and the friendly relations between the telephone company and the post office have been further strengthened by the bristol post office having taken certain rooms in the headquarters of the national telephone co., and located its returned letter office therein. another new feature in post office development is the use of stamping machines for the rapid obliteration of the postage stamps and for the impression of the day's date on letters. quite recently a machine of the kind has been introduced into the bristol post office. the machine, which is of modern invention, goes by the name of the "columbia" cancelling machine, and is manufactured by the columbia postal supply company, of silver creek, new york, u.s.a. it is said to be in use in many post offices in the large towns of america and other countries. the public will no doubt have noticed the new cancelling marks on the postage stamps, as the die and long horizontal lines are very striking. the cancelling and date marking operation is performed at the rate of or letters per minute. the motor power of the machine is electricity. [illustration: columbia stamping machine.] chapter xvi. the post office benevolent society: its annual meeting at bristol.--post office sports: terrible motor cycle accident.--bristol post office in darkness. the united kingdom postal and telegraph service benevolent society held its biennial meeting at bristol, in june, , and a banquet was given by the bristol branch to the members of the conference. such a visit to bristol occurs only once in about years, so it was regarded as an event of no small importance in the local post office community; and it is, perhaps, worthy on that account of record in this publication, which aims to be somewhat historical in character. in the following account of the banquet there has been withdrawn the seasoning of the "hear, hear," "laughter," "applause," "loud cheers," etc. the reader can add it to his or her liking. the attendance at the banquet was large, and the guests closely filled the large central hall of the royal hotel, college green. the high sheriff, mr. weston stevens, presided, and amongst those present were the lord bishop of bristol, colonel c.e.h. hobhouse, m.p., rev. a.n. blatchford, messrs. j. mcmurtrie, s. humphries, r.c. tombs, i.s.o. (postmaster and surveyor of bristol), e. bennett, j.t. francombe, j. asher, j.c. gilmore, l.j. botting (the bristol central secretary), e.c. taylor (the chairman of conference), and many others. the speeches were interesting as throwing a light on the post office working, and on post office benevolence. when he received the invitation to attend that dinner, mr. francombe said, he was at a loss to know why he should be so honoured. he thought that possibly some gentleman engaged in the dead-letter office knew he was a member of the education committee of bristol, and that he might give a hint to the rising generation to write better, and so save him a great deal of trouble. if that was the reason, he certainly would attend to it. afterwards he said he knew why it was; it was because sir francis freeling was born in redcliff, where he (mr. francombe) happened to be schoolmaster of the parish. sir francis worked his way up to high rank in the postal service, which was something to be proud of. he hoped members of the conference would not go away from bristol without visiting redcliff church and seeing the slab to his memory. but his duty was to propose the toast of the bishop and ministers of religion of that ancient city. they did not know as much about the bishop as he should like them to know. they in bristol believed him to be physically, mentally, and spiritually fit to be a leader in the great city. he believed the work of a bishop was something like that of a policeman--not altogether a happy one. his lordship attended many functions, gave a fillip to every one of them, and all he said was reported and saved up ready to be cast in his teeth sometimes. if he were of a tender disposition he would say, "i could weep my spirit from mine eyes." but he was not one of that sort. his toast was "ministers of religion." he thought it would have been "ministers of all denominations." there was one denomination in bristol that had no ministers, and it went on wonderfully well. he referred to the society of friends. he was sure his lordship would agree. they only spoke when _the_ spirit moved them, but a good many spoke when _a_ spirit moved them. some denominations were better without a minister, and some ministers would be better without denominations. in the city of bristol there was room enough for all, and they need not spend time in attacking each other, but might do the work god sent them to do. they had one present that night--a broad-minded gentleman who did his work like the bishop, and minded his business, and did not interfere with other people--mr. blatchford. they always listened in bristol with special pleasure to a speech from their friend mr. francombe, the lord bishop said. he desired to thank mr. francombe for the pleasant manner in which he had spoken of him. the clergy and ministers had looked about in the world for the faces that were on the side of right, besides the purely spiritual faces and spiritual work, and he was always thankful to think a great deal of good was done in the country by that great service represented that evening. their army of postmen and employés of the post office were a very great factor indeed in keeping steady a state like their own. he always said the same of certain other bodies, but of the postmen it seemed to him they were so particularly careful about their business, they learned of necessity to be so sober and so well conducted, or they would lose their place, that he looked upon them and the railway men as two of the greatest civilising influences they had among them, apart from such work as mr. blatchford and he were called upon officially to do. he desired to express, on his own part, his extreme gratitude to those gentlemen for another reason--the wonderful accuracy with which they delivered the letters. that gentleman who laughed might once in his life have missed a letter addressed to him, but it did not happen to the bishop. in the five and a half years he had been in bristol, with a large correspondence, he was not conscious of having lost one single letter. he should have been exceedingly glad if a good many had been lost. it so happened he gave the post office a good deal of trouble. he lived at a place called the palace. now henry viii. created a bishop's residence in bristol, a palace, and it was supposed that a palace must mean something royal. the real fact was, the name was derived not from a king's palace but from that of a shepherd--a most suitable thing for a bishop. henry viii., besides creating his residence a palace, created bristol a city in the same document. the name palace gave a certain amount of trouble, because there were palaces in some cities where other things than bishops were sold. there was a palace where a certain innocuous drink was sold, and letters sometimes went there. there was also a most delightful place of entertainment called the people's palace in bristol, and letters sometimes went there. when grave clergymen from a distance came to stay at his house they were occasionally driven up to the doors of the people's palace, and the cabmen expected that they were going to purchase tickets for the entertainment. a letter came to bristol addressed "march th, bristol." the postmaster was puzzled at first. then it occurred to him that the assizes were on, and justice day was the judge, and that his wife was lady day. he should like to tell them one thing more from history. admirable as the post office was now, a little more than , years ago, a letter was sent to his predecessor, st. aldhelm, from ireland. the only address given was from an anonymous scot. the letter said, "you have a book which it is only the business of a fortnight to read; i beg you to send it to me." that was all. he did not name the book. the post office in those days was so marvellous a thing that, as far as they knew, aldhelm just took the book, put it in the post, addressed to an anonymous scot, and he supposed it found its way to him in ireland. he did not think they could beat that to-day. few people knew how much the country was saved in taxation by people who had a large correspondence. their letters were the most agreeable and easy way of paying their taxes. when they came to see the budget analysed it was surprising what a large amount of taxation was paid in this innocent way. he could not see how it was done. it seemed that the work for which a penny was charged must cost at least a penny. he could only understand it on the principle of the old irish lady who lost on every single apple she sold, but, by the blessing of god, sold so many that she got a good living out of it. he was not surprised, the rev. a.n. blatchford said, that the toast should be so heartily received in a city known as the city of churches. the church had thrown herself from ancient time into the cause of the people; progress and religion had been indissolubly linked together. in proposing the toast "the postal and telegraph service," mr. sidney humphries, j.p., present president of the chamber of commerce, said that when he was asked to propose the next toast on the list, his thoughts naturally turned to the reason for his being put forward to do this duty, and the only explanation that had occurred to him was that having had the hardihood to be one of a deputation to the postmaster-general quite recently, on the question of their local postal service, those who had had the arrangement of this function, mikado like, had lured him to his punishment; but still, being in for it, many interesting thoughts had arisen. the first, as to the foresight of that worcestershire schoolmaster, rowland hill, who, feeling the pinch of expense, made an agreement with his sweetheart to only write once a fortnight, the rates of postage in his early days varying from d. to s. in accordance with the distance at which they were separated. fortunately, his thoughts were directed to the penny postage for all distances within the united kingdom, and although many spoke of him as an over-sanguine dreamer, still events had proved his wisdom, and to-day they had a postal service that dealt with over , million letters, postcards, and papers per annum, giving per head of the population, as against millions years ago, with the comparatively small number of per head then. whilst speaking of the enormous growth of the postal business, they must not lose sight of the wonderful growth of both the telegraph and savings bank business. the former, since it was taken over by government in , had more than justified that step, for in the following year-- --the number of telegrams sent was millions, whilst last year the number was well over million messages. then as regards the savings bank, they could flatter themselves as to the proof it furnished of the increased wealth of the country, for whilst the total savings bank capital in was - / millions, in it stood at over millions. but whilst all this progress had been made, many helpful suggestions had been made by men of moderate position. take, for instance, a time so long ago as : the credit of first suggesting the mail coach was made by a mr. palmer, who was then the manager of the theatre in their neighbouring city of bath. this was a great improvement as to speed and safety of delivery when compared with the old postboy; but think of the mail coach when compared with the mail trains that covered now over three millions of miles per annum. but with all this progress there had been many other changes. think of the notice that was issued to all postal employés in , that none were to vote or advise electors how to vote. this was very different to running a candidate on postal lines, as was to take place at the next election at york. and in considering what for a better term he might call the commercial side of the question, there were instances that ought not to be overlooked in great numbers of devotion to duty--for example, take that of the scotch mail carrier, who, feeling himself overcome by the gale and snow, hung his mail-bag on a tree so that the letters should not be lost, even if his life were sacrificed. then this postal system seemed to develop a special shrewdness. one local case had been mentioned by the bishop as having recently occurred, and there was another in which a pictorial address of daniel in the lion's den found its rightful owner, who had become talked about by his visit to a menagerie just before. but in case they should all think that at last perfection had been reached, there was another circumstance that he could relate from his own personal experience. wanting to send a parcel to sir michael hicks-beach, he foolishly sent it to his private address, at , portman square, instead of his official residence, he being chancellor of exchequer at the time, and judge of his own astonishment when he received an official announcement, "cannot be delivered owing to address being unknown." but this did not tell against their bristol friends, a body of men, he ventured to say, who for smartness and anxiety at all times to meet the various calls made upon them could not be surpassed, and therefore he called upon them all to drink heartily the toast of the postal and telegraph service, coupling with it the name of their local postmaster and surveyor, who was always to the fore in anything that would help forward bristol or bristol interests. [illustration: postmaster of bristol. _(the author.)_] in replying, the postmaster thanked them all for the cordial reception of the toast of the postal and telegraph services, and especially mr. humphries, the proposer, for the kind and considerate and genial way in which he had alluded to his department. in the first place, he wished to extend to the delegates assembled there--and they came from all parts of the united kingdom, north, south, east, and west--the right hand of good comradeship. welcome, delegates to bristol, thrice welcome, he said. he supposed, in response to this important toast, they would expect that he should say something of the postal system. the lord bishop had taken them back some hundreds of years-- years back, when bishop aldhelm wrote a letter. he must go a little further back than that. his friend, mr. humphries, found a parallel in holy scripture--daniel in the lion's den. he found in holy writ, the only book of ancient date he had to refer to, that posts and letters were of respectable antiquity. they would find recorded in kings ii. this passage in connection with the account of that pathetic incident of the little israelitish maiden suggesting the means whereby naaman might be cured--"go to," said the king of syria, "i will send a letter to the king of israel." in the wisdom of solomon were the words, "my days are like a shadow that passeth away, and like the post that hasteth by." so they saw in those ancient days it was all hurry for the postman. he would skip a few thousand years and come to . it was recorded that the means of communication in this country were almost non-existent, and news was carried to and fro by means of travelling merchants, pedlars, and pilgrims. in letter posts were established by charles i. king charles stopped in the building that stood on the site of their local st. martin's-le-grand, but little could he have thought that the day would come when it would be possible for a man to stand on that spot and speak to a friend and recognise his voice, as far away as wexford. sir francis freeling had been named. he became secretary to the post office. he served in the bristol office two or three years before being translated to london to become the associate of palmer, of mail-coach renown. the old city of bristol had been under a cloud. in the year they had only one postman, and two or three years later two. now they had . in the last years the letters posted and delivered in bristol increased from millions to millions in the year. this was an enormous increase, and showed that bristol was going to forge ahead again. it made them glad that the old city had once again aroused herself. the post office had become a giant in the kingdom, but it exercised its power as a kindly giant. they heard the demand for all sorts of reforms, but they felt that mr. austen chamberlain was equal to the occasion. "the postal and telegraph benevolent society" was submitted by lieut.-colonel hobhouse, m.p., who said he was not sure that before long they would not have to add to their service, and include the telephonic operators as well. he noticed they depended in their work, and for the relief which they gave to their members, entirely upon the donations of their own members. that was satisfactory, not only to them, but to him as a member of parliament, because members of parliament seldom came to gatherings of that sort without being requested to make some contribution, direct or indirect, to the funds of the society, so good as to give them a dinner. he understood the provision of the society was in addition to the official pension of the post office. in reply, mr. botting said they must all feel very much flattered by the terms in which colonel hobhouse had referred to their society. he felt that they might almost suggest to the government that the questions of old age pensions and the financial position of friendly societies might be handed over to them to deal with. he might remind them of a remark made at the meeting, although having an m.p. present, perhaps he should not refer to it, that their society got through more work in a day than the house of commons did in a month. he considered they had at their conference got through a good day's work. he would not give a long string of statistics, but he must mention that the society had a membership of , , had been in existence nearly years, and during that time had paid to the nominees of deceased members just upon £ , , made up chiefly of penny contributions. such payments had been in many cases all that had stood between the widows and orphans and absolute destitution. in considering this, they must not forget his friend beside him, whose fertile brain had created the society. they must all regret to learn of mr. asher's retirement from the service through ill-health, and they would all hope that the release from official work would prove beneficial to him. he (mr. botting) hoped that so long as the society existed the name of mr. asher would never be forgotten. mr. asher was received very heartily. he said the proposal that such a society should be formed was regarded as the day dream of a sanguine mind, but it was something to reflect upon, the immense amount of good that had been done in the course of years. more practical help he could not imagine rendering to the fellows in the service. he trusted that the work of that day's conference might re-echo and redound to the credit of the bristol meeting, and he desired, in thanking their bristol friends, to couple with them the names of mr. e.c. taylor and the reception committee. in proposing "the city and county of bristol," mr. edward bennett said that he had attended a great number of these banquets, and had had on several occasions to propose the toast of the particular town which was for the moment entertaining the society. for this reason he was, perhaps, looked upon as a special pleader, and when he was praising a provincial city his tongue was thought to be in his cheek, and london was written on his heart. when stella was told that dean swift had composed a poem, not in honour of her, but of vanessa, she replied, with exquisite feminine amenity, that it was well known that the dean could be eloquent over a broomstick. if he that night extolled bristol above her other rivals, it would be said of him that he was a verbose individual, who had called in past years leeds a beautiful and inspiring city, liverpool a rising seaport, and glasgow a town where urbanity and sweet reasonableness prevailed. it might be remembered of him that he had praised the birmingham man for his childlike humility, and the edinburgh man for his excessive modesty. it was his first visit to bristol, and it was presumption on his part to speak on the subject at all. silence was the better part when a man was situated as he was. there were some exquisite lines he learnt as a child which conveyed a deep moral lesson to all day trippers:-- there was a young lady of sweden she went by the slow train to weedon, when she arrived at weedon station she made no observation, but returned by the slow train to sweden. that was what he ought to have done. his heart went out to that young lady, and he often had pondered whether it was disgust, astonishment, or admiration which had inspired her silence. there was a special reason why civil servants should be drawn to bristol. doubtless even the bristol chamber of commerce was acquainted with the process known as "passing over"--many persons in that room had perhaps undergone the operation--and those who read the history of bristol felt a pull at their heart strings when they realised the fact that she also had been "passed over" by younger and more pushful rivals. but the capable civil servant never admitted the justice of being passed over. in many instances he established his case, and he did not rest satisfied until he had retrieved his position, and in time caught up his quondam rivals. that, he took it, was the position of bristol at the present time. she had relied too much on her ancient name, and had allowed mushroom places like liverpool and manchester to steal a march on her. she was coming to the front again; she had a glorious past, but she was going to have a brilliant future. he coupled with the toast the name of the high sheriff. if he knew any evil of the high sheriff he would not mention it that evening. he had still hours to spend in bristol, and a man could do a lot of evil as well as good in that time. the high sheriff made a short speech in reply to the toast. other good speeches followed. the post office cycling and athletic clubs have for some years past been in the habit of holding sports at the county ground in bristol. these annual sports, having been held on saturday afternoons, have usually been successful, and have attracted large crowds. in , the sports, held on the rd may, attracted no fewer than nine thousand persons, owing to the unusual feature of motor cycle races having been arranged as a novelty--motor cycle racing not having been carried on in bristol before. there were several competitors, and london as well as local men, took part in the motor cycle races. unfortunately, the track, which had been made some sixteen years previously for ordinary cycle competitions, was not suitable for motor racing at great speed. in one of the heats bailey, of bristol, was leading barnes, of london, a noted motor cyclist, and through some mishap at or soon after the moment of barnes getting past bailey, his machine having run rather wide on the track, got out of his command, and dashed into the fringe of sightseers who were lying on the bank to get the best point of view. the result was a fearful carnage, and ten or eleven people were carried away insensible and much injured. in the end, three poor boys died in the hospital, and fortunately the seven or eight other people who were injured, slowly recovered from their concussions and contusions. at the inquest, the verdict was "accidental death." on the rd december, , shortly after five o'clock p.m., the civic supply of electricity in bristol failed, and shops, business premises, and houses depending upon it for light, were plunged into darkness in all parts of the city. this was soon known to be due to a fire having broken out at temple back generating station, and the glare in the sky suggested that the outbreak had reached serious proportions. the bristol post office has a full installation of electric light; and the failure could not have occurred at a more inconvenient time, as the pressure incidental to christmas was being experienced. fortunately, not only for the post office, but also for the general public, the large staff engaged in the interior of the building was able to cope with the extensive work before them practically without interruption, as throughout the whole of the department, gas is still laid on, and, beyond the shifting of one or two desks to within reasonable distance of gas jets, no inconvenience was caused after the burners and fittings--somewhat out of order through non-usage--were put to rights. the public hall, however, suffered most, as, when thus robbed of the electric light at one of the busiest periods of the evening, only scattered gas jets were available, and they had to be supplemented by lighted candles set at intervals around the semi-circular counter. some of the candles were in primitive holders, stuck in blocks of wood, and plugged firmly with nails; others were even without these supports. the counter officers had, therefore, to work under difficulties; but they got through their manifold duties expeditiously. the greatest inconvenience was occasioned at st. james's parish hall, which was being temporarily used as a post office. here, there was no gas service available, and when the electric lights "gave out," the staff had to scurry hither and thither to get illuminants, which took the form of postmen's lamps, table lamps, candles in improvised holders, and such few hurricane lamps as were procurable at the shops, in the general run on them. the electric light was fully restored in the evening of the next day. this fire recalls an occasion when at st. martin's-le-grand, the gas supply failed, and the largest post office business of the world was placed at a standstill. the officials, however, were equal to the emergency, and cartloads of candles were quickly obtained. the staff of carpenters employed on the building improvised receptacles, and the postal work was proceeded with, candles as they burnt out being replaced by men told off for the purpose. some time afterwards, it was suggested that the stock of candles left over should be disposed of, but it was then found that these had been devoured by the innumerable rats which infest the old building. chapter xvii. quaint addresses and the dean's peculiar signature.--amusing incidents and the postman's knock.--humorous applications. the members of the bristol post office staff have to display no little perspicacity in elucidating quaint addresses on letters going through the post. to postman wade must go the credit of having correctly surmised that the letter addressed simply " th march, clifton," to which allusion has already been made, was intended for lady day, the wife of the judge of assize, mr. justice day, then staying in clifton. a letter addressed to "w.d. & h.o.", without street or town being named, came from a distant county, and was delivered to the firm of messrs. w.d. & h.o. wills & co., in bristol, for whom it was found to be intended. the pictorial illustrations herewith demonstrate two instances of letters correctly delivered by the post office officials after the address had been deciphered by their _sherlock holmes_. in the _bristol royal mail_ particulars were given of the peculiar way in which correspondents addressed their envelopes to the post office, bristol. since that publication was issued, other peculiar instances have occurred. the following are cases of the kind, viz.:--the head postmaster (master's parlour). the honourable the postmaster. postmaster number (in answer to query on form "postmasters no. "). master, general post office, bristol. the dean of bristol in the preface of his very interesting book "odds and ends," writes of the many liberties people take with his surname in their communications, and says that none of their imaginary names are so pleasing to him as his own proper name of pigou. that his correspondents are not altogether to be blamed may be gathered from the fact that the dean, in an official letter to the bristol post office, signed his name thus: [illustration: signature] the signature was submitted to officers who decipher the badly addressed letters at the "blind" division, at "head quarters," in the general post office, london, and their interpretations were as follows, viz.:--j. rogers, j. egan, ryan, j. lyon, roper, j. or t. rogers, j. rogers, j. logan, j. lyon, j. logan, j. pogon, t. lyon, j. rogers, j. goson, j. rogers, j. eason, t. egan, j. goyfer, j.g. offin, j. lyons, j. pyon, j. pijou. [illustration: letter correctly delivered to dr. w.g. grace, at bristol.] [illustration: quaint address.] it is only fair to the "blind writers" to say, that the address heading of the dean's letter was withdrawn before the signature was submitted to them. with that clue they would readily have been able to find out the writer's correct name from their books of reference, so that the dean is not likely to suffer delay of his letters in the returned letter office through peculiarity of signature. during a recent christmas season a parcel, containing a lb. roll of butter was received, without address, in the returned letter office, bristol, from a devonshire town. as the parcel could not be returned to the sender within such a time as the contents remained good, the butter was sold for cooking purposes. when placed upon the kitchen table, the edge of a yellow coin was observed to be slightly protruding from the roll. the coin turned out to be a sovereign, and search was made to ascertain whether any more money had been so strangely hidden, but only the £ was found. the money was at once forwarded to the proper post office authorities, and subsequently returned to the sender, but would-be imitators are warned that such practices are strongly deprecated by the post office department as tending to lead to dishonesty. the corporation of bristol erected electric light ventilators in different parts of the city. at a distance, possibly, these ventilators appear, to the short-sighted, to be post office pillar boxes, as they are iron boxes placed on the pavement near the kerbstones. they differ in many respects from the familiar post office boxes, for, instead of being round, they are square; they are painted of a different colour, and are only about two feet high. they are without indicators, notice plates, and doors. there is a slightly raised top for the passage of air. through this opening of one of the boxes letters have been recently posted by three separate persons. such carelessness is astonishing. the electric lighting authorities, to prevent further mishaps of the kind, arranged to have the apertures closed by means of perforated zinc. even in these days of primary and secondary education, people have still a very elementary knowledge of matters relating to the postal and telegraph services, in which everyone is vitally concerned. recently, an intelligent servant who had received a board school education was sent with a telegram to a telegraph office, and told to pay for a reply. having paid for the reply, she expected to get one there and then, and it was only with very great reluctance that she was induced to leave the telegraph office without a reply to convey back to the person who entrusted her with the commission. a complainant to the post office expressed himself thus:--"jan. st, . dear sir,--your postman on th by the first post in the morning, with a newspaper,) my sister was at the back at the time getting sum cole in. he could not stop a few minets; but nock so hard that he brock a new nocker on the door and then run off, we not seen him since,) i. think he ought to bye nother nocker. ther to much that boy game with sum them the paper after came with nother postman, he was on a bike wot broke the nocker and off at once and left the peces on the door step, the postman got a cast in his eye.) i. should not think he wood want us to pay for a nother why dont him coum as a man and pay for one sir. i. must conclued with best regurds to you, yours truley, f.h.g." travellers from north and east to the west of england and _vice versa_ are aware that the bristol joint great western and midland station is a busy railway centre. at a recent christmas season, there was much remark on the part of the railway passengers with respect to the platforms being blocked up with barrows containing mails and the large stack of parcel baskets to be met with at every point. said one traveller, "it's all blooming post office on the platform and no room for travellers to get about." said another, "the late arrival of the train was all due to that 'parcel post.'" a sub-postmaster in the bristol district was called to account for employing on the delivery of letters a boy of fourteen years of age, instead of a person of sixteen years of age or upwards. he nominated another person, who, he stated, was of proper age, being over years old. a year or two afterwards a question of discipline arose about this individual, and it then transpired that he was years of age--rather too old to commence life in his majesty's service! the phrase "guileless ministers" in the speech of a former prime minister on the fiscal question ( ) became in course of telegraphing "guileless monsters," and so reached the bristol press. fortunately, the newspaper proof readers were wide awake, and the error was corrected in time. correspondents have a peculiar idea of the functions devolving on a postmaster, as the following letters will indicate, viz.:-- "brighton, march th, . to the postmaster; sir,--would you have pleased to try and get me a small tin of very light coloured dry snuff (i think it is called lundifoot) from one of the leading tobacconists in bristol. if you will let me know the amount thereof i will send you the money for the same before you send it. i am, yours, etc., j.s.a. "scarborough, th august, ; sir,--would you please be good enough to let me know by return, whether the nightingale is in song in clifton woods at the present time. thanking you in anticipation, and apologising for troubling you. believe me, yours truly, (sd.) (mrs.) f.f." "cardiff, april th, . sir,--may i ask you the favour to hand over the enclosed bristol blister to the chemist who sells it in your town, when some person of your office passes the shop. i received considerable benefit from the blister. i shall be very much obliged to you and the chemist if he will be so good to let me know how he sells them. i am, yours truly, (sd.) t.b." [illustration: facsimile of a receipt for £ given by the trustees of the bristol prudent man's fund submitted for payment years after issue.] not only are the articles themselves of a diversified character that pass through the parcel post, but the mode of packing often produces a certain amount of dubiousness in the minds of the parcel department officials as to which is really the "right side up," and how to handle the packages. the sender of a rabbit, however; left no doubt on the matter, as he had arranged poor defunct "bunny" in such a way that its head was securely tied between its hind legs, and the latter formed a convenient handle, the front legs being tucked under the neck, and the rabbit presenting the appearance of a ball. another incident was of rather an amusing character. the "tie-on" labels had become detached from two packages which reached bristol. a label which properly belonged to a bottle of cough medicine was attached in the returned letter office to an old slipper, and the label proper to the medicine was delivered without packet or other attachment to the shoemaker for whom the slipper was intended. fortunately, upon inquiry being made by the interested parties, the medicine and slipper were delivered to the rightful addressees. the facsimile herewith of a receipt for £ given by the trustees of the bristol prudent man's fund of savings recently submitted for payment, years after issue, will be interesting to post office savings bank investors of the present day. chapter xviii. postmasters-general. (rt. hon. a. morley and the marquis of londonderry) visit bristol.--the postmaster of the house of commons.--the king's new postage stamps.--coronation of king edward vii.--loyalty of post office staff.--mrs. varnam-coggan's coronation poem. mr. arnold morley, during his term of office as postmaster-general, visited bristol, and was presented by the chamber of commerce with an address, worded thus:--"the bristol incorporated chamber of commerce and shipping. to the right honorable arnold morley, m.p., her majesty's postmaster general. sir,--the council of the bristol incorporated chamber of commerce and shipping are glad to embrace the opportunity afforded by your visit to this city of expressing their high appreciation of the services rendered to the state in general and to the commercial community in particular by the energy and enterprise displayed in your administration of the postal and telegraphic departments of the public service. we recognise that in matters such as are ranged under your control there can be no finality, and that however excellent our present postal and telegraphic arrangements may appear, your departments must be quick to discern the arrival of fresh needs such as our rapidly developing civilization must constantly bring. we rejoice in the abundant evidence that you have thoroughly appreciated the absolute necessity for continual advance and adaptation, and that you are labouring with such zeal to keep the complicated machinery of the general post office up to date and equal to the immense and ever increasing strain it has to bear, whilst the council think it only right to acknowledge the marked and unvarying urbanity with which, at all times, you and your officials receive and discuss any suggestions for the improvement of the services, emanating from chambers of commerce and other sources. in conclusion, the council recognise in your person the son of a late highly-esteemed parliamentary representative of the city of bristol, mr. samuel morley, who for many years took an active interest in the proceedings of this chamber and of the association of chambers of commerce of the united kingdom; and the council take this occasion to tender you their sincere congratulations on the high position you have attained in the councils and government of this great empire. we remain, sir, your obedient servants, (sd.) george h. perrin, president; e. burrow hill, mark whitwill, vice-presidents; h.j. spear, secretary. bristol, st nov., ." the marquis of londonderry, when postmaster-general, was the chief guest at the annual banquet of the bristol chamber of commerce, held at the royal hotel, bristol, under the presidency of mr. t.t. lindrea, on the th april, . among those present were earl waldegrave, sir herbert ashman, j.p., sir frederick wills, m.p., judge austin, j.p., mr. c.e. hobhouse, m.p., mr. lewis fry, the lord mayor (mr. colthurst godwin), the high sheriff (mr. e.b. james), etc. in responding to the toast of "his majesty's ministers," lord londonderry alluded to the great growth that had taken place in the population, trade, and prosperity of bristol during the late queen's reign. last february, he said, in eighteen days, the amount paid on goods taken out of bond reached £ , . of this sum, no less than £ , was paid in the last eight days, and of this £ , came from a single firm for withdrawals of tobacco from bond. this included the enormous single cheque paid by that firm one day for a quarter of a million--the largest single cheque ever known at his majesty's customs at bristol. he also congratulated bristol on the great development to her trade that must come through the inauguration in february last of the new service to the west indies. this, he was sure, would do much not only to strengthen the ties that bound this country to the west indian colonies, but also to restore to bristol some measure of that position she had once enjoyed in the trade of the united kingdom. he was rather glad his good friend the chancellor of the exchequer was not there that night, for if he heard how much was spent in benefiting those who relied on the post office, and how little they handed over to the national exchequer, he would not be inclined to meet him when he suggested certain postal reforms, as he intended to do next year. he hoped they would invite him to meet sir michael in bristol, for he might then be inclined to grant him (the speaker) any request he might make. he wanted them to recognise that the postmaster-general's good intentions, and they were many, were controlled by parliamentary and statutory exigencies. he had also been asked to improve their rates on foreign letters and parcels, as well as to cheapen the delivery of letters and parcels from abroad; but it was entirely forgotten that he had to reckon with foreign powers. a postal reformer had declared, in a letter, that it was possible to create an ideal post office. he wished he could accede to every one of his requests, but he had to consider parliament; he was not master himself. he thought that if they were to meet the requirements of the public as they were anxious to do, they must proceed in the course in which they were moving at present--with steadiness and sureness, and not promise things which it was impossible to fulfil. the ex-postmaster of the house of commons, mr. e.w. pike, is a somersetshire man; he was born at ilchester, and his grandfather was the last governor of the gaol of that town. when mr. pike was ten years of age, his father received an appointment under the act constituting the new county court system, and removed to temple cloud in the bristol district. the family afterwards moved to the adjacent village of clutton, and mr. pike went there with the other members. mr. pike remembers that the post office at temple cloud was held by mrs. carter, and after her death john spear had the office. mr. pike's active service in the post office terminated on wednesday, the th september, . his experience in the post office was unique, and no wonder that he felt proud on retiring, that during a service of nearly years he had given full satisfaction to his superiors in the post office, and to have had the approbation of the members of the house of commons specially expressed to him by the prime minister, mr. a.j. balfour. there was no small stir at the public counter of the bristol post office on the first day of january, , the day of issue of the new / d., d., - / d., and d. postage stamps, bearing the medallion portrait of king edward the viith. people were very anxious to become possessed of specimens, and many of the stamps sold were evidently intended to adorn collector's books. the sales on the st january, , were:-- / d., £ ; d., £ ; - / d., £ s.; d., £ s., and were slightly in excess of the average. the general public demanded the new kind almost without exception, but firms took old stamps to the extent of per cent. of the whole lot supplied. the staff of the bristol post office sent an illuminated address to the king for his majesty's coronation day. mrs. pattie e. varnam-coggan, a lady who at the time was postmistress of chipping sodbury composed the following hymn in connection with the event. god save our king! up to the sky let loyal voices ring, joy to the land this festal day shall bring. roar guns! and peal o bells! as loud the anthem swells-- god save our king! god save our queen! a nobler consort ne'er hath england seen! bless her pure life with love and peace serene. crown her with heavenly grace. strength for her royal place-- god save our queen! god save our land! as suppliants now before thy throne we stand, craving for gifts from thine all-powerful hand. let none make us afraid, foes find us undismayed-- god save our land! great king of kings! ruler supreme o'er men and earthly things, eternal source from which all goodness springs! bless thou the royal pair, grant them thy joy to share, great king of kings! god! thanks for peace! praised be thou who makest war to cease, o'er all our empire wide thy reign increase! let all men seek for good, in one blest brotherhood-- god! thanks for peace! the staff also made elaborate arrangements to take an active part in the grand procession which had been organized at bristol to celebrate the coronation, but, alas, the procession had to be postponed in consequence of the king's sudden illness on the th june, and finally was abandoned altogether. the post office section, which was to have been honoured with first place in the procession, was designed to give the bristol public some idea of the working of this most useful branch of the public service. the section was to have been arranged as follows:--telegraph messengers' drum and fife band. company of telegraph messengers, with carbines. telegraph messengers' cycle corps. company of postmen. mail carrier tricycle. country mail cart--present day. town mail van--present day. london to bristol royal mail coach of years since, with coachman and guard in royal livery of the period. guard carrying an ancient mail guard's blunderbuss, borrowed from the armoury of mr. rawlins, of syston court. post office tableau, illustrative of the collecting, stamping, and sorting of letters, and the despatch of mail bags; also the sending of telegrams. [illustration: address to the king.] the following acknowledgment of the address was received on the king's recovery:-- "home office, whitehall, sept., . sir,--i am commanded by the king to convey to you hereby his majesty's thanks for the loyal and dutiful address of the staff of the postal and telegraph services at bristol. i am, sir, your obedient servant, a. akers douglas. the surveyor postmaster, post office, bristol." the address to his majesty is here reproduced, and as the sentiments contained in it represent the writer's wishes for king and queen, it may, perhaps, fittingly close the chapters of "the king's post." index. page aberystwith, mail coach, addresses, quaint, , african war, p.o. volunteers, aldhelm, bishop, allen, col., , allen, ralph, cross posts, " " honoured, , " " medal, , allen, richard, p.m.g., almondsbury, penny post, american mails _via_ plymouth, - anabaptist opinions, anderson, james, bush inn, " " lamb inn, arlington, lord, letters delayed, arno's vale turnpike, arrowsmith, mr. j.w., publisher, asher, mr., speech, avon motor co., avonmouth dock, new, baptist college, bear inn, devizes, beaufort, dukes of, , benevolent society, p.o., banquet at bristol, bennett, mr. e., speech, , birmingham, coach, , , " george and rose inn, " rose inn, bishop of bristol, speech, , bisshopp, henry, farmer of posts, blatchford, rev. a.n., speech, boar's head inn, botting, mr., speech, brewham, foot post to, brightstowe, plan of, brighton coach, brill, mail coach inspector, bristol cathedral, " copper co., " mail coach robberies, - , , , " rejuvenated, " turnpike gates, " water works co., , broadmead chapel records, broad street, brooks, thos., & co., browne, letter of year , - brunswick, duke of, at white lion, bull and mouth inn, london, , , burglaries, post office, - burnett, mail coachman, killed, , bush, mr. j. paul, c.m.g., in africa, " " " p.o. medical officer, bush inn, bristol, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , canadian mail service, cann family, - , carriers warned, cathedral, bristol, "cavilears" threatening postmaster teig, chamber of commerce, chamberlain, mr. austen, , chaplin, coach proprietor, charles i., charles ii., , , , chatham, lord, friend of allen, cheltenham coach, chichester mail coach, , , chimney-piece, old elton, chronometer, london coach, city chamberlain's account, , city chambers co., clevedon mail cart accident, , , clift, pratt & co., coach accident, kennet hill, coaches, better equipment wanted, coach and horses inn, southampton, coach, long, portsmouth, coachman fined for giving up reins, " musical, " warminster, drunk, coach service to bristol, , , coggan, mrs. varnam, coin secreted in parcel, coleridge, samuel taylor, colston, edward, columbia stamping machine, commons, p.m. of house of, constantine, duke, of russia, visits the white lion, copper co., bristol, cornishman, g.w.r. train, , corn street, coronation poem, mrs. varnam-coggan, " procession projected, cornwallis coach, , " admiral, coutts, thos., cranford bridge, postboy robbed, creswick family, mansion of, cross posts, , crown inn, portsmouth, cumberland, duke of, curious incidents, , , , , dean of bristol's signature, , devizes, bear inn, devon coach, devonport mail snowed up, diligence mail, , disastrous gale and the telegraphs, , ditton, antony, marlboro' mayor, doddington, barth., dolphin inn, - " street, bristol, duchess of st. albans, duke of beaufort, horses burnt, " brunswick visits white lion, " gloster sloop, electric light fails, - elizabeth, queen, - " her progress, , elton family, , , , , , " mansion, , - , , , emerald post coach, exchange avenue, , express posts, exquisite coach, extension of post office, fairfax, lord, feecham, mail guard, fifth clause post, fish, conveyance declined, fittler, james, engraver, flying machine, bath, folwell, mail guard, foot post, the, , francombe, mr., speech, , freeling, miss edith, , " sir francis, birthplace, " " in london, " " on his mettle, " " death of his wife, " " his death, " " obituary notice, " " relics, - , - " sir g.h., freeman and brass co., , " thorough post, fylton hay, the rodney, " niblett's farm, " open post, gascoigne, lays a post, " court postmaster, " extraordinary post, , george iv., king, george, philip, dep. town clerk, bath, gloucester mail coach, gore, thomas, of barrow, gosport mail, , grand hotel, bristol, griffiths, richard, mail guard, " " his post horn, g.w.r. and p.o. arbitration, " in construction, " in contemplation, " night mail train, " service, hare and hounds, harford & co., iron merchants, harper, mr. c.g., hatton garden robbery, hellier, mr., receives letter in , henty, g., "the road", hereford coach, hero, birmingham coach, hicks, james, roads clerk, hill, rowland, hobhouse, lt.-col., speech, , holyhead coach, hope, weston coach, hopton, lord, horne & sherman, coach proprietors, horton post office, huton, william, , humphries, mr. sidney, speech, - hungerford, sir hy., inland revenue dept., jamaica, bristol mail service to, , james i., king, johnston, c., supt. of mail coaches, , joyce, herbert, c.b., karstadt, g.f., kennet hill, coach accident, kent, luke, mail guard, kerans, mr., p.m., bath, king, address to the, king of syria's letter, knowle turnpike, "la france" engine, lansdown, mr. f.p., lavars, messrs., lithographers, lawrence, sir thos., lawford's gate turnpike, letter woman, lewis levy, turnpike contractor, lifeboats and telegraph, lloyd's bank, london and plymouth, mail coach race, londonderry, marquis of, , , , , longleat, queen elizabeth at, louis, mr., luce, thomas, innkeeper, , maberley, lt.-col., "magnet," weston coach, maidenhead turnpike abolished, mail coaches, mail coaches exempt from toll, mail coach, first, mail coach robbers hanged, mail coach system, manchester and liverpool railway, , marlborough post, may, mr., mcadam, mr., roads, , mercury, light motor van, morley, arnold, address to, , motor cars, motor cycle accident, motor van, avon, mount pleasant p.o., london, moysey, a., muniment room, p.o., musical coachman, nash, bill, mail robber, nevill, mail guard, frozen to death, new buildings, newick, r.c., new london inn, exeter, new passage, ice shoals, new royal mail coach, niblett, isaac, niblett, isaac, innkeeper, coach proprietor, , nobbs, m.j., mail guard, norwich--london coach, old passage, , osborne, john, and jere, messrs., oxford mail, packer, the foot post, pack horse, packmen, palace, bishop's, palmer, col., palmer, death of, palmer, john, coach system, palmer, john, honoured, , palmer's mail coach system:-- attacked, , enlarged, extended, pitt's approbation, success, thanks--memorials, troubles, vindicated, , passengers coach, protection of, paul, j., mail coachman, killed, penny posts, pickwick, moses, coaching notice, pike, e.w., mr., , "pike" keepers, pine, henry, postmaster, pitt, rt. hon. w., , "plume of feathers," wine street, plymouth coach, , "port antonio," r.m.s., porter, george, innkeeper, "port kingston," r.m.s., "port royal," r.m.s., portsmouth coach overturned, portsmouth coaches, , portsmouth, crown inn, portsmouth mail, , , portsmouth railway, projected, , postages, postage stamps, king edward issue, post boys, postboy robbed, post bridge turnpike, posts, cross, post, express, post, extraordinary, , post house, post house, the bristol, , post, king's special, postman's knock, postmaster-general, deputation to, , postmaster-general, lord stanley of alderley, postmaster henry pine, " of bristol, speech, - post office buildings, , " all saints' lane, , " bristol, , post, queen elizabeth's, " running, " the foot, - " thorough, pratt, j.j., prideaux, master of posts, primitive post office, prince and princess of wales, , prudent man's fund receipt note, quaint addresses, , randolph, master of posts, ralph allen, cross posts, redland post office, red rover coach, regent coach, registered letters stolen, rennison, sarah, stokes croft baths, roads, , robertson, george, painter, rocket, holyhead coach, romans, the, rose inn, birmingham, royal livery, coachman and guard wear, rummer tavern, bristol, running post, salisbury mail, late, " postboy robbed, saltford turnpike, savage, the foot post, severn, ice shoals, shamrock, london coach, "ship letters", , , shuter, chris., councillor, small street, bristol, , , , , , , , , , , , southampton coach, , " coach and horses inn, sovereign coach, sports, p.o., sproule, verger, st. albans, duchess of, st. giles' gate, st. leonard's lane, , st. martin's-le-grand, st. michael's hill turnpike, st. werburgh, parish of, , , stage coaches, , , stanley, lord, _frontispiece_ " in africa, " of alderley, statistics--bristol p.o., stealing letters, capital offence, stokes croft turnpike, stop gate, horfield, streamer, richard, , stretch, matthew, bush inn, swan inn, , swan with two necks inn, london, symons, thomas, teig or teague, anabaptist postmaster, in peril, , , , telegraphs, lifeboats, and gales, telephones, trunk p.o., , , thatched post office, thornbury, fifth clause post, thorough post, three tuns, bath, , terrill, mr., letter of, , tewkesbury, time bill, old portsmouth, tipsy m.p., todd, anthony, , , , , tokens, mail coach, toll gates, , , , , , , townsend, john--charles, bush inn, tracks unenclosed, traveller, exeter coach, turner, mail coachman, killed, turnpike trusts, , , turpin and langdon, book binders, tyndale, william, tyson, mayor, , uniform, royal, introduced, union post coach, , value of tolls, vidler, mr., mail contractor, , waggons, quaint, water works company, bristol, water works premises, , weaver, hon. john, weeks, john, , , " boniface, " coach monopoly, " mural tablet, " sloop master, weeks, poston & co., wellington, som., werburgh, st., parish, , westbury-on-trym p.o. burgled, , , , , westons, mail robbers, , whitchurch turnpike, white hart inn, bristol, , , , , , white horse cellars, london, white lion, bristol, , , , , , , white's, mr. stanley, coach, " motor car, wimborne minster, wilton, queen elizabeth at, , withering, thomas, wood's office, bristol, young, john, knighted, w.c. hemmons, st. stephen street, bristol. transcribed from the wells gardner, darton, & co. edition by david price, email ccx @pglaf.org friarswood post-office by c. m. yonge, author of "the heir of redclyffe" with coloured illustrations by a. g. walker sculptor london: wells gardner, darton, & co., ltd. & paternoster buildings, e.c. and victoria street, westminster, s.w. chapter i--the strange lad 'goodness! if ever i did see such a pig!' said ellen king, as she mounted the stairs. 'i wouldn't touch him with a pair of tongs!' 'who?' said a voice from the bedroom. 'why, that tramper who has just been in to buy a loaf! he is a perfect pig, i declare! i only wonder you did not find of him up here! the police ought to hinder such folk from coming into decent people's shops! there, you may see him now!' 'is that he upon the bridge--that chap about the size of our harold?' 'yes. did you ever see such a figure? his clothes aren't good enough for a scare-crow--and the dirt, you can't see that from here, but you might sow radishes in it!' 'oh, he's swinging on the rail, just as i used to do. put me down, nelly; i don't want to see any more.' and the eyes filled with tears; there was a working about the thin cheeks and the white lips, and a long sigh came out at last, 'oh, if i was but like him!' 'like him! i'd wish something else before i wished that,' said ellen. 'don't think about it, alfred dear; here are miss jane's pictures.' 'i don't want the pictures,' said alfred wearily, as he laid his head down on his white pillow, and shut his eyes because they were hot with tears. ellen looked at him very sadly, and the feeling in her own mind was, that he was right, and nothing could make up for the health and strength that she knew her mother feared would never return to him. there he lay, the fair hair hanging round the white brow with the furrows of pain in it, the purple-veined lids closed over the great bright blue eyes, the long fingers hanging limp and delicate as a lady's, the limbs stretched helplessly on the couch, whither it cost him so much pain to be daily moved. who would have thought, that not six months ago that poor cripple was the merriest and most active boy in the parish? the room was not a sad-looking one. there were spotless white dimity curtains round the lattice window; and the little bed, and the walnut of the great chest, and of the doors of the press-bed on which alfred lay, shone with dark and pale grainings. there was a carpet on the floor, and the chairs had chintz cushions; the walls were as white as snow, and there were pretty china ornaments on the mantel-piece, many little pictures hanging upon the walls, and quite a shelf of books upon the white cloth, laid so carefully on the top of the drawers. a little table beside alfred held a glass with a few flowers, a cup with some toast and water, a volume of the 'swiss family robinson;' and a large book of prints of animals was on a chair where he could reach it. a larger table was covered with needle-work, shreds of lining, scissors, tapes, and ellen's red work-box; and she herself sat beside it, a very nice-looking girl of about seventeen, tall and slim, her lilac dress and white collar fitting beautifully, her black apron sitting nicely to her trim waist, and her light hair shining, like the newly-wound silk of the silk-worm, round her pleasant face; where the large, clear, well-opened blue eyes, and the contrast of white and red on the cheek, were a good deal like poor alfred's, and gave an air of delicacy. their father had been, as their mother said, 'the handsomest coachman who ever drove to st. james's;' but he had driven thither once too often; he had caught his death of cold one bitter day when lady jane selby was obliged to go to a drawing-room, and had gone off in a deep decline fourteen years ago, when the youngest of his five children was not six weeks old. the selby family were very kind to mrs. king, who, besides her husband's claims on them, had been once in service there; and moreover, had nursed miss jane, the little heiress, ellen's foster-sister. by their help she had been able to use her husband's savings in setting up a small shop, where she sold tea, tobacco and snuff, tape, cottons, and such little matters, besides capital bread of her own baking, and various sweet-meats, the best to the taste of her own cooking, the prettiest to the eye brought from elbury. oranges too, and apples, shewed their yellow or rosy cheeks at her window in their season; and there was sometimes a side of bacon, displaying under the brown coat the delicate pink stripes bordering the white fat. of late years one pane of her window had been fitted up with a wooden box, with a slit in it on the outside, and a whole region round it taken up with printed sheets of paper about 'mails to gothenburg,--weekly post to vancouver's island'--and all sorts of places to which the friarswood people never thought of writing. altogether, she throve very well; and she was a good woman, whom every one respected for the pains she took to bring up her children well. the eldest, charles, had died of consumption soon after his father, and there had been much fear for his sister matilda; but lady jane had contrived to have her taken as maid to a lady who usually spent the winter abroad, and the warm climate had strengthened her health. she was not often at friarswood; but when she came she looked and spoke like a lady--all the more so as she gave herself no airs, but was quite simple and humble, for she was a very good right-minded young woman, and exceedingly fond of her home and her good mother. ellen would have liked to copy matilda in everything; and as a first step, she went for a year to a dress-maker; but just as this was over, alfred's illness had begun; and as he wanted constant care and attendance, it was thought better that she should take in work at home. indeed alfred was such a darling of hers, that she could not have endured to go away and leave him so ill. alfred had been a most lively, joyous boy, with higher spirits than he quite knew what to do with, all fun and good-humour, and yet very troublesome and provoking. he and his brother harold were the monkeys of the school, and really seemed sometimes as if they _could not_ sit still, nor hinder themselves from making faces, and playing tricks; but that was the worst of them--they never told untruths, never did anything mean or unfair, and could always be made sorry when they had been in fault. their old school-mistress liked them in spite of all the plague they gave her; and they liked her too, though she had tried upon them every punishment she could devise. little miss jane, the orphan whom the colonel and mrs. selby had left to be brought up by her grandmother, had a great fancy that alfred should be a page; and as she generally had her own way, he went up to the grange when he was about thirteen years old, and put on a suit thickly sown with buttons. but ere the gloss of his new jacket had begun to wear off, he had broken four wine-glasses, three cups, and a decanter, all from not knowing where he was going; he had put sugar instead of salt into the salt-cellars at the housekeeper's dining-table, that he might see what she would say; and he had been caught dressing up miss jane's skye terrier in one of the butler's clean cravats; so, though puck, the aforesaid terrier, liked him better than any other person, miss jane not excepted, a regular complaint went up of him to my lady, and he was sent home. he was abashed, and sorry to have vexed mother and disappointed miss jane; but somehow he could not be unhappy when he had harold to play with him again, and he could halloo as loud as they pleased, and stamp about in the garden, instead of being always in mind to walk softly. there was the pony too! a new arrangement had just been made, that the friarswood letters should be fetched from elbury every morning, and then left at the various houses of the large straggling district that depended on that post-office. all letters from thence must be in the post before five o'clock, at which time they were to be sent in to elbury. the post- master at elbury asked if mrs. king's sons could undertake this; and accordingly she made a great effort, and bought a small shaggy forest pony, whom the boys called 'peggy,' and loved not much less than their sisters. it was all very well in the summer to take those two rides in the cool of the morning and evening; but when winter came on, and alfred had to start for elbury in the tardy dawn of a frosty morning, or still worse, in the gloom of a wet one, he did not like it at all. he used to ride in looking blue and purple with the chill; and though he went as close to the fire as possible, and steamed like the tea-kettle while he ate his breakfast and his mother sorted the letters, he had not time to warm himself thoroughly before he had to ride off to leave them--two miles further altogether; for besides the bag for the grange, and all the letters for the rectory, and for the farmers, there was a young gentlemen's school at a great old lonely house, called ragglesford, at the end of a very long dreary lane; and many a day alfred would have given something if those boys' relations would only have been so good as, with one consent, to leave them without letters. it would not have mattered if alfred had been a stouter boy; but his mother had always thought he had his poor father's constitution, and therefore wished him to be more in the house; but his idleness had prevented his keeping any such place. it might have been the cold and wet, or, as alfred thought, it might have been the strain he gave himself one day when he was sliding on the ice and had a fall; but one morning he came in from elbury very pale, and hobbling, as he said his hip hurt him so much, that harold must take the letters round for him. harold took them that morning, and for many another morning and evening besides; while poor alfred came from sitting by the fire to being a prisoner up-stairs, only moved now and then from his own bed to lie outside that of his mother, when he could bear it. the doctor came, and did his best; but the disease had thrown itself into the hip joint, and it was but too plain that alfred must be a great sufferer for a long time, and perhaps a cripple for life. but how long might this life be? his mother dared not think. alfred himself, poor boy, was always trying with his whole might to believe himself getting better; and ellen and harold always fancied him so, when he was not very bad indeed; but for the last fortnight he had been decidedly worse, and his heart and hopes were sinking, though he would not own it to himself, and that and the pain made his spirits fail so, that he had been more inclined to be fretful than any time since his illness had begun. his view from the window was a pleasant one; and when he was pretty well, afforded him much amusement. the house stood in a neat garden, with green railings between it and the road, over which alfred could see every one who came and went towards elbury, and all who had business at the post-office, or at farmer shepherd's. opposite was the farm-yard; and if nothing else was going on, there were always cocks and hens, ducks and turkeys, pigs, cows, or horses, to be seen there; and the cow-milking, or the taking the horses down to the water, the pig-feeding, and the like, were a daily amusement. sloping down from the farm-yard, the ground led to the river, a smooth clear stream, where the white ducks looked very pretty, swimming, diving, and 'standing tail upwards;' and there was a high-arched bridge over it, where alfred could get a good view of the carriages that chanced to come by, and had lately seen all the young gentlemen of ragglesford going home for the summer holidays, making such a whooping and hurrahing, that the place rang again; and beyond, there were beautiful green meadows, with a straight path through them, leading to a stile; and beyond that, woods rose up, and there was a little glimpse of a stately white house peeping through them. hay-making was going on merrily in the field, under the bright summer sun, and the air was full of the sweet smell of the grass, but there was something sultry and oppressive to the poor boy's feelings; and when he remembered how farmer shepherd had called him to lend a hand last year, and how happy he had been tossing the hay, and loading the waggon, a sad sick feeling crept over him; and so it was that the tears rose in his eyes, and he made his sister lay him back on the pillow, for he did not wish to see any more. ellen worked and thought, and wanted to entertain him, but could not think how. presently she burst out, however, 'oh, alfred! there's harold coming running back! there he is, jumping over that hay-cock--not touched the ground once--another--oh! there's farmer shepherd coming after him!' 'hold your tongue,' muttered alfred moodily, as if each of her words gave him unbearable pain; and he hid his face in the pillow. ellen kept silence for ten minutes, and then broke forth again, 'now then, alfred, you _will_ be glad! there's miss jane getting over the stile.' 'i don't want miss jane,' grumbled alfred; and as ellen sprang up and began smoothing his coverings, collecting her scraps, and tidying the room, already so neat, he growled again, 'what a racket you keep!' 'there, won't you be raised up to see her? she does look so pretty in her new pink muslin, with a double skirt, and her little hat and feather, that came from london; and there's puck poking in the hay--he's looking for a mouse! and she's showering the hay over him with her parasol! oh, look, alfred!' and she was going to lift him up, but he only murmured a cross 'can't you be quiet?' and she let him alone, but went on talking: 'ah, there's puck's little tail wriggling out--hinder-end foremost--here he comes--they are touching their hats to her now, the farmer and all, and she nods just like a little queen! she's got her basket, alfred. i wonder what she has for you in it! oh dear, there's that strange boy on the bridge! she won't like that.' 'why, what would he do to her? he won't bite her,' said alfred. 'oh, if he spoke to her, or begged of her, she'd be so frightened! there, he looked at her, and she gave such a start. you little vagabond! i'd like to--' 'stuff! what could he do to her, with all the hay-field and farmer shepherd there to take care of her? what a fuss you do make!' said poor alfred, who was far too miserable just then to agree with any one, though at almost any other time he would have longed to knock down any strange boy who did but dare to pass miss selby without touching his cap; and her visits were in general the very light of his life. they were considered a great favour; for though old lady jane selby was a good, kind-hearted person, still she had her fancies, and she kept her young grand-daughter like some small jewel, as a thing to be folded up in a case, and never trusted in common. she was afraid to allow her to go about the village, or into the school and cottages, always fancying she might be made ill, or meet with some harm; but mrs. king being an old servant, whom she knew so well, and the way lying across only two meadows beyond friarswood park, the little pet was allowed to go so far to visit her foster-mother, and bring whatever she could devise to cheer the poor sick boy. miss jane, though of the same age as ellen, and of course with a great deal more learning and accomplishment, had been so little used to help herself, or to manage anything, that she was like one much younger. the sight of the rough stranger on the bridge was really startling to her, and she came across the road and garden as fast as she could without a run; and the first thing the brother and sister heard, was her voice saying rather out of breath and fluttered, 'oh, what a horrid-looking boy!' seeing that mrs. king was serving some one in the shop, she only nodded to her, and came straight up-stairs. alfred raised up his head, and beheld the little fairy through the open door, first the head, and the smiling little face and slight figure in the fresh summer dress. miss jane was not thought very pretty by strangers; but that dainty little person, and sweet sunny eyes and merry smile, and shy, kind, gracious ways, were perfect in the eyes of her grandmamma and of mrs. king and her children, if of nobody else. alfred, in his present dismal state, only felt vexed at a fresh person coming up to worry him, and make a talking; especially one whose presence was a restraint, so that he could not turn about and make cross answers at his will. 'well, alfred, how are you to-day?' said the sweet gay voice, a little subdued. 'better, ma'am, thank you,' said alfred, who always called himself better, whatever he felt; but his voice told the truth better than his words. 'he's had a very bad night, miss jane,' said his sister; 'no sleep at all since two o'clock, and he is so low to-day, that i don't know what to do with him.' alfred hated nothing so much as to hear that he was low, for it meant that he was cross. 'poor alfred!' said the young lady kindly. 'was it pain that kept you awake?' 'no, ma'am--not so much--' said the boy. miss jane saw he looked very sad, and hoped to cheer him by opening her basket. 'i've brought you a new book, alfred. it is "the cherry-stones." have you finished the last?' 'no, ma'am.' 'did you like it?' 'yes, ma'am.' but it was a very matter-of-course sort of yes, and disappointed miss jane, who thought he would have been charmed with the 'swiss family robinson.' ellen spoke: 'oh yes, alfred, you know you did like it. i heard you laughing to yourself at ernest and the shell of soup. and harold reads that; and 'tis so seldom he will look at a book.' jane did not like this quite as well as if alfred had spoken up more; but she dived into her basket again, and brought out a neat little packet of green leaves, with some strawberries done up in it, and giving a little smile, she made sure that it would be acceptable. ellen thanked vehemently, and alfred gave feeble thanks; but, unluckily, he had so set his mind upon raspberries, that he could not enjoy the thought of anything else. it was a sickly distaste for everything, and miss selby saw that he was not as much pleased as she meant him to be; she looked at him wistfully, and, half grieved, half impatient, she longed to know what he would really like, or if he were positively ungrateful. she was very young, and did not know whether it was by his fault or her mistake that she had failed to satisfy him. puck had raced up after her, and had come poking and snuffling round alfred. she would have called him away lest he should be too much for one so weak, but she saw alfred really did enjoy this: his hand was in the long rough coat, and he was whispering, 'poor puck,' and 'good little doggie;' and the little hairy rummaging creature, with the bright black beads of eyes gleaming out from under his shaggy hair, was doing him more good than her sense and kindness, or ellen's either. she turned to the window, and said to ellen, 'what a wild-looking lad that is on the bridge!' 'yes, miss jane,' said ellen; 'i was quite afraid he would frighten you.' 'well, i was surprised,' said jane; 'i was afraid he might speak to me; but then i knew i was too near friends for harm to come to me;' and she laughed at her own fears. 'how ragged and wretched he looks! has he been begging?' 'no, miss jane; he came into the shop, and bought some bread. he paid for it honestly; but i never did see any one so dirty. and there's alfred wishing to be like him. i knew you would tell him it is quite wicked, miss jane.' it is not right, i suppose, to wish to be anything but what we are,' said jane, rather puzzled by the appeal; 'and perhaps that poor beggar-boy would only like to have a nice room, and kind mother and sister, like you, alfred.' 'i don't say anything against them!' cried the boy vehemently; 'but--but--i'd give anything--anything in the world--to be able to run about again in the hay-field! no, don't talk to me, ellen, i say--i hate them all when i see them there, and i forced to lie here! i wish the sun would never shine!' he hid his eyes and ears in the pillow, as if he never wished to see the light again, and would hear nothing. the two girls both stood trembling. ellen looked at miss selby, and she felt that she must say something. but what could she say? with tears in her eyes she laid hold of alfred's thin hand and tried to speak, choked by tears. 'dear alfred, don't say such dreadful things. you know we are all so sorry for you; but god sent it.' alfred gave a groan of utter distress, as if it were no consolation. 'and--and things come to do us good,' continued miss jane, the tears starting to her cheeks. 'i don't know what good it can do me to lie here!' cried alfred. 'oh, but, alfred, it must.' 'i tell you,' exclaimed the poor boy, forgetting his manners, so that ellen stood dismayed, 'it does not do me good! i didn't use to hate harold, nor to hate everybody.' 'to hate harold!' said jane faintly. 'ay,' said alfred, 'when i hear him whooping about like mad, and jumping and leaping, and going on like i used to do, and never shall again.' the tears came thick and fast, and perhaps they did him good. 'but, alfred,' said jane, trying to puzzle into the right thing, 'sometimes things are sent to punish us, and then we ought to submit quietly.' 'i don't know what i've done, then,' he cried angrily. 'there have been many worse than i any day, that are well enough now.' 'oh, alfred, it is not who is worse, but what one is oneself,' said jane. alfred grunted. 'i wish i knew how to help you,' she said earnestly; 'it is so very sad and hard; and i dare say i should be just as bad myself if i were as ill; but do, pray, alfred, try to think that nobody sent it but god, and that he must know best.' alfred did not seem to take in much comfort, and jane did not believe she was putting it rightly; but it was time for her to go home, so she said anxiously, 'good-bye, alfred; i hope you'll be better next time--and--and--' she bent down and spoke in a very frightened whisper, 'you know when we go to church, we pray you may have patience under your sufferings.' then she sprang away, as if ashamed of the sound of her own words; but as she was taking up her basket and wishing ellen good-bye, she saw that the strange lad had moved nearer the house, and timid little thing as she was, she took out a sixpence, and said, 'do give him that, and ask him to go away.' ellen had no very great fancy for facing the enemy herself, but she made no objection; and looking down-stairs, she saw her brother harold waiting while his mother stamped the letters, and she called to him, and sent him out to the boy. he came back in a few moments so much amazed, that she could see the whites all round his eyes. 'he won't have it! he's a rum one that! he says he's no beggar, and that if the young lady would give him work, he'd thank her; but he wants none of her money, and he'll stand where he chooses!' 'why didn't you lick him?' hallooed out alfred's voice from his bed. 'oh! if i--' 'nonsense, alfred!' cried miss jane, frightened into spirit; 'stand still, harold! i don't mind him.' and she put up her parasol, and walked straight out at the house door as bold as a little lioness, going on without looking to the right or left. '_if_--' began harold, clenching his fists--and alfred raised himself upon his bed with flashing eyes to watch, as the boy had moved nearer, and looked for a moment as if he were going to grin, or say something impudent; but the quiet childish form stepping on so simply and steadily seemed to disarm him, and he shrunk back, left her to trip across the road unmolested, and stood leaning over the rail of the bridge, gazing after her as she crossed the hay-field. harold rode off with the letters; and alfred lay gazing, and wondering what that stranger could be, counting the holes in his garments, and trying to guess at his history. one good thing was, that alfred was so much carried out of himself, that he was cheerful all the evening. chapter ii--hay-making there was again a sultry night, which brought on so much discomfort and restlessness, that poor alfred could not sleep. he tried to bear in mind how much he had disturbed his mother the night before, and he checked himself several times when he felt as if he could not bear it any longer without waking her, and to remember his old experience, that do what she would for him, it would be no real relief, and he should only be sorry the next day when he saw her going about her work with a worn face and a head-ache. then every now and then miss selby's words about being patient came back to him. sometimes he thought them hard, coming from a being who had never known sickness or sorrow, and wondered how she would feel if laid low as he was; but they would not be put away in that manner, for he knew they were true, and were said by others than miss jane, though he had begun to think no phrase so tiresome, hopeless, or provoking. people always told him to be patient when they had no comfort to give him, and did not know what he was suffering. he would not have minded it so much if only he could have got it out of his head. somehow it would not let him call to his mother, if it was only because very likely all he should get by so doing would be to be again told to be patient. and then came miss jane's telling him his illness might be good for him, as if she thought he deserved to be punished. really that was hard! who could think he deserved this wearing pain and helplessness, only because he had played tricks on the butler and housekeeper, and now and then laughed at church? 'it is just like job and his friends,' thought alfred. 'i don't want her to come and see me any more!' poor alfred! there was a little twinge here. his conscience could not give quite such an account as did that of job! but he did not like recollecting his own errors better than any of us do, and liked much more to feel himself very hardly used, and greatly to be pitied. thereupon he opened his lips to call to his mother, but that old thought about patience returned on him; he had mercy on her regular breathing, though it made him quite envious to hear it, and he said to himself that he would let her alone, at least till the next time the clock struck. it would be three o'clock next time. oh dear, would the night never be over? how often such a round of weary thoughts came again and again can hardly be counted; but, at any rate, poor alfred was exercising one act of forbearance, and that was so much gain. at last he found, by the increasing light shewing him the shapes of all the pictures, that he must have had a short sleep which had made him miss the clock, and he felt a good deal injured thereby. however, mrs. king was too good a nurse not to be awakened by his first movement, and she came to him, gave him some cold tea, and settled his pillow so as to make him more comfortable; and when he begged her to let in a little more air, she went to open the window wider, and relieve the closeness of the little room. she had learnt while living with lady jane that night air is not so dangerous as some people fancy; and it was an infinite relief to alfred when the lattice was thrown back, and the cool breeze came softly in, with the freshness of the dew, and the delicious scent of the hay-field. mrs. king stood a moment to look out at the beautiful stillness of early dawn, the trees and meads so gravely calmly quiet, and the silver dew lying white over everything; the tanned hay-cocks rising up all over the field, the morning star and waning moon glowing pale as light of morning spread over the sky. then a cock crew somewhere at a distance, and mrs. shepherd's cock answered him more shrilly close by, and the swallows began to twitter under the eaves. 'it _will_ be a fine day, to be sure!' she said. 'the farmer will get in his hay!' and then she stood looking as if something had caught her attention. 'what do you see, mother?' asked alfred. 'i was looking what that was under yon hay-cock,' said mrs. king; 'and i do believe it is some one sleeping there.' 'ha!' cried alfred. 'i dare say it is the boy that would not have miss jane's sixpence.' 'i'm sure i hope he's after no harm,' said mrs. king; 'i don't like to have tramps about so near. i hope he means no mischief by the farmer's poultry.' 'he can't be one of that sort, or he wouldn't have refused the money,' said alfred. 'how nice and cool it must be sleeping in the hay! i'll warrant he doesn't lie awake. i wish i was there!' 'you'll know what to be thankful for one of these days, my poor lad,' said his mother, sighing; then yawning, she said, 'i must go back to bed. mind you call out, alfred, if you hear anything like a noise in the farm- yard.' this notion rather interested alfred; he began to build up a fine scheme of shouting out and sending harold to the rescue of the cocks and hens, and how well he would have done it himself a year ago, and pinned the thief, and fastened the door on him. not that he thought this individual lad at all likely to be a thief, nor did he care much for farmer shepherd, who was a hard man and no favourite; but to catch a thief would be a grand feat. and while settling his clever plan, and making some compliments for the magistrate to pay him, alfred, fanned by the cool breeze, fell into a sound sleep, and did not wake till the sun was high, and all the rest of the house were up and dressed. that good sleep made him much more able to bear the burden of the day. first, his mother came with the towel and basin, and washed his face and hands; and then he had his little book, and said his prayers; and somehow to-day he felt so much less fractious than usual, that he asked to be taught patience, and not _only_ to be made well, as he had hitherto done. that over, he lay smiling as he waited for his breakfast, and when ellen brought it to him, he had not one complaint to make, but ate it almost with a relish. 'is that boy gone?' he asked ellen, as she tidied the room while he was eating. 'what, the dirty boy? no, there he is, speaking to the farmer. will he beg of him?' 'asking for work, more likely.' 'i'd sooner give work to a pig at once,' said ellen; 'but i do believe he's getting it. i fancy they are short of hands for the hay. yes, he's pointing into the field. ay, and he's sending him into the yard.' 'i hope he'll give him some breakfast,' said alfred. 'do you know he slept all night on a hay-cock?' 'yes, so mother said, just like a dog; and he got up like a dog this morning,--never so much as washed himself at the river. why, he's coming here! whatever does he want?' 'the lad?' 'no, the farmer.' mr. shepherd's heavy tread was heard below, and, as alfred said, ellen had only to hold her tongue for them be able to hear his loud tones telling mrs. king that the glass was falling, and his hay in capital order, and his hands short, and asking whether her boy harold would come and help in the hay-field between the post times. mrs. king gave a ready answer that the boy would be well pleased, and the farmer promised him his victuals and sixpence for the day. 'your lass wouldn't like to come too, i suppose, eh?' ellen flushed with indignation. she go a hay-making! her mother was civilly making answer that her daughter was engaged with her sick brother, and besides--had her work for mrs. price, which must be finished off. the farmer, saying he had not much expected her, but thought she might like a change from moping over her needle, went off. ellen did not feel ready to forgive him for wanting to set her to field- work. there is some difference between being fine and being refined, and in ellen's station of life it is very difficult to hit the right point. to be refined is to be free from all that is rough, coarse, or ungentle; to be fine, is to affect to be above such things. now ellen was really refined in her quietness and maidenly modesty, and there was no need for her to undertake any of those kinds of tasks which, by removing young girls from home shelter, do sometimes help to make them rude and indecorous; but she was _fine_, when she gave herself a little mincing air of contempt, as if she despised the work and those who did it. lydia grant, who worked so steadily and kept to herself so modestly, that no one ventured a bold word to her as she tossed her hay, was just as refined as ellen king behind her white blinds, ay, or as jane selby herself in her terraced garden. refinement is in the mind that loves whatsoever is pure, lovely, and of good report; finery is in disdaining what is homely or humble. boys of all degrees are usually, when they are good for anything, the greatest enemies of the finery tending to affectation; and alfred at once began to make a little fun of his sister, and tell her it would be a famous thing for her, he believed she had quite forgotten how to run, and did not know a rake from a fork when she saw it. he knew she was longing for a ride in the waggon, if she would but own it. ellen used to be teased by this kind of joking; but she was too glad to see alfred well enough so to entertain himself, to think of anything but pleasing him, so she answered good-humouredly that harold must make hay for them all three to-day, no doubt but he would be pleased enough. he was heard trotting home at this moment, and whistling as he hitched up the pony at the gate, and ran in with the letter-bag, to snap up his breakfast while the letters were sorted. 'here, let me have them,' called alfred, and they were glad he should do it, for he was the quickest of the family at reading handwriting; but he was often too ill to attend to it, and more often the weary fretfulness and languor of his state made him dislike to exert himself, so it was apt to depend on his will or caprice. 'look sharp, alf!' hallooed out harold, rushing up-stairs with the bags in one hand, and his bread-and-butter in the other. 'if you find a letter for that there ragglesford, i don't know what i shall do to you! i must be back in no time for the hay!' and he had bounced down-stairs again before ellen had time to scold him for making riot enough to shake alfred to pieces. he was a fine tall stout boy, with the same large fully open blue eyes, high colour, white teeth, and light curly hair, as his brother and sister, but he was much more sunburnt. if you saw him with his coat off, he looked as if he had red gloves and a red mask on, so much whiter was his skin where it was covered; and he was very strong for his age, and never had known what illness was. the brothers were very fond of each other, but since alfred had been laid up, they had often been a great trial to each other--the one seemed as little able to live without making a noise, as the other to endure the noise he made; and the sight of harold's activity and the sound of his feet and voice, vexed the poor helpless sufferer more than they ought to have done, or than they would had the healthy brother been less thoughtless in the joy of his strength. to-day, however, all was smooth. alfred did not feel every tread of those bounding limbs like a shock to his poor diseased frame; and he only laughed as he unlocked the leathern bag, and dealt out the letters, putting all those for the lady jane selby, miss selby, and the servants, into their own neat little leathern case with the padlock, and sorting out the rest, with some hope there might be one from matilda, who was a very good one to write home. there was none from her, but then there was none for ragglesford, and that was unexpected good luck. if the old housekeeper left in charge had been wicked enough to get her newspaper that day, alfred felt that in harold's place he should be sorely tempted to chuck it over the hedge. ellen looked as if he had talked of murdering her, and truly such a breach of trust would have been a very grievous fault. 'the reverend--what's his name? the reverend marcus cope, friarswood, near elbury,' read alfred; 'one, two, three letters, and a newspaper. yes, and this long printed-looking thing. who is he, ellen?' 'what did you say?' said ellen, who was busy shaking her mother's bed, and had not heard at the first moment, but now turned eagerly; 'what did you say his name was?' 'the reverend marcus cope,' repeated alfred. 'is that another new parson?' 'why, did not we tell you what a real beautiful sermon the new clergyman preached on sunday? mr. cope, so that's his name. i wonder if he is come to stay.--mother,' she ran to the head of the stairs, 'the new clergyman's name is the reverend mr. marcus cope.' 'he don't live at ragglesford, i hope!' cried harold, who regarded any one at the end of that long lane as his natural enemy. 'no, it only says friarswood,' said ellen. 'you'll have to find out where he lives, harold.' 'pish! it will take me an hour going asking about!' said harold impatiently. 'he must have his letters left here till he chooses to come for them, if he doesn't know where he lives.' 'no, no, harold, that won't do,' said mrs. king. 'you must take the gentleman his letters, and they'll be sure to know at the park, or at the rectory, or at the tankard, where he lodges. well, it will be a real comfort if he is come to stop.' so harold went off with the letters and the pony, and ellen and her mother exchanged a few words about the gentleman and his last sunday's sermon, and then ellen went to dust the shop, and put out the bread, while her mother attended to alfred's wound, the most painful part of the day to both of them. it was over, however, and alfred was resting afterwards when harold cantered home as hard as the pony could or would go, and came racing up to say, 'i've seen him! he's famous! he stood out in the road and met me, and asked for his letters, and he's to be at the parsonage, and he asked my name, and then he laughed and said, "oh! i perceive it is the royal mail!" i didn't know what he was at, but he looked as good-humoured as anything. halloo! give me my old hat, nell--that's it! hurrah! for the hay-waggon! i saw the horses coming out!' and off he went again full drive; and alfred did nothing worse than give a little groan. ellen had enough to do in wondering about mr. cope. news seemed to belong of right to the post-office, and it was odd that he should have preached on sunday, and now it should be tuesday, without anything having been heard of him, not even from miss jane; but then the young lady had been fluttered by the strange boy, and alfred had been so fretful, that it might have put everything out of her head. friarswood was used to uncertainty about the clergyman. the rector had fallen into such bad health, that he had long been unable to do anything, and always hoping to get better, he had sent different gentlemen to take the services, first one and then another, or had asked the masters at ragglesford to help him; but it was all very irregular, and no one had settled down long enough to know the people or do much good in visiting them. my lady, as they all called lady jane, was as sorry as any one could be, and she tried what she could do by paying a very good school- master and mistress, and giving plenty of rewards; but nothing could be like the constant care of a real good clergyman, and the people were all the worse for the want. they had the church to go to, but it was not brought home to them. the rector had been obliged at last to go abroad, one of the ragglesford gentlemen had performed the service for the ensuing sundays, until now there seemed to be a chance that this new clergyman was coming to stay. this interested alfred less than his sister. his curiosity was chiefly about the strange lad; and when he was moved to his place by the window he turned his eyes anxiously to make him out in the line of hay-makers, two fields off, as they shook out the grass to give it the day's sunshine. he knew them all, the ten women, with their old straw bonnets poked down over their faces, and deep curtains sewn on behind to guard their necks; the farm men come in from their other work to lend a hand, three or four boys, among whom he could see harold's white shirt sleeves, and sometimes hear his merry laugh, and he was working next to the figure in brown faded-looking tattered array, which alfred suspected to belong to the strange boy. so did ellen. 'ah!' she said, 'harold ye scraped acquaintance with that vagabond-looking boy; i wish i had warned him against it, but i suppose he would only have done it all the more.' 'you want to make friends with him yourself, ellen! we shall have you nodding to him next! you are as curious about him as can be!' said alfred slyly. 'me! i never was curious about nothing so insignificant,' said ellen. 'all i wish is, that that boy may not be running into bad company.' the hay-fields were like an entertainment on purpose for alfred all day; he watched the shaking of the brown grass all over the meadows in the morning, and the farmer walking over it, and smelling it, and spying up to guess what would come of the great rolling towers of grey clouds edged with pearly white, soft but dazzling, which varied the intense blue of the sky. then he watched all the company sit or lie down on the shady side of the hedge, under the pollard-willows, and tom boldre the shuffler and one or two more go into the farm-house, and come out with great yellow-ware with pies in them, and the little sturdy-looking kegs of beer, and two mugs to go round among them all. there was harold lying down, quite at his ease, close to the strange boy; alfred knew how much better that dinner would taste to him than the best with the table-cloth neatly spread in his mother's kitchen; and well did alfred remember how much more enjoyment there was in such a meal as that, than in any one of the dainties that my lady sent down to tempt his sickly appetite. and what must pies and beer be to the wanderer who had eaten the crust so greedily the day before! then, after the hour's rest, the hay-makers rose up to rake the hay into beds ready for the waggons. harold and the stranger were raking opposite to each other, and alfred could see them talking; and when they came into the nearer hay-field, he saw harold put up his hand, and point to the open window, as if he were telling the other lad about the sick boy who was lying there. he was so much absorbed in thus watching, that he did not pay much heed to what interested his mother and sister--the reports which came by every customer about the new clergyman, who, it appeared, had been staying in the next parish till yesterday, when he had moved into the rectory; and mrs. bonham, the butcher's wife, reported that the rectory servants said he was come to stay till their master came back. all this and much more mrs. king heard and rehearsed to ellen, while alfred lay, sometimes reading the 'swiss robinson,' sometimes watching the loading of the wains, as they creaked slowly through the fields, the horses seeming to enjoy the work, among their fragrant provender, as much as the human kind. when five o'clock struck, harold gave no signs of quitting the scene of action; and mrs. king, in much anxiety lest the letters should be late, sent helen to get the pony ready, while she herself went into the field to call the boy. very unwilling he was to come--he shook his shoulders, and growled and grumbled, and said he should be in plenty of time, and he wished the post was at the bottom of the sea. nothing but his mother's orders and the necessity of the case could have made him go at all. at last he walked off, as if he had lead in his feet, muttering that he wished he had not some one to be always after him. mrs. king looked at the grimy face of his disreputable-looking companion, and wondered whether he had put such things into his head. very cross was harold as he twitched the bridle out of ellen's hand, threw the strap of the letter-bag round his neck, and gave such a re-echoing switch to the poor pony, that alfred heard it up-stairs, and started up to call out, 'for shame, harold!' harold was ashamed: he settled himself in the saddle and rode off, but alfred had not the comfort of knowing that his ill-humour was not being vented upon the poor beast all the way to elbury. alfred had given a great deal of his heart to that pony, and it made him feel helpless and indignant to think that it was ill-used. those tears of which he was ashamed came welling up into his eyes as he lay back on his pillow; but they were better tears than yesterday's--they were not selfish. 'never mind, alfy,' said ellen, 'harold's not a cruel lad; he'll not go on, if he was cross for a bit. it is all that he's mad after that boy there! i wish mother had never let him go into the hay-field to meet bad company! depend upon it, that boy has run away out of a reformatory! sleeping out at night! i can't think how farmer shepherd could encourage him among honest folk!' 'well, now i think of it, i should not wonder if he had,' said mrs. king. 'he is the dirtiest boy that ever i did see! most likely; i wish he may do no mischief to-night!' harold came home in better humour, but a fresh vexation awaited him. mrs. king would not let him go to the hay-home supper in the barn. the men were apt to drink too much and grow riotous; and with her suspicions about his new friend, she thought it better to keep him apart. she was a spirited woman, who would be minded, and harold knew he must submit, and that he had behaved very ill. ellen told him too how much alfred had been distressed about the pony, and though he would not shew her that he cared, it made him go straight up-stairs, and with a somewhat sheepish face, say, 'i say, alf, the pony's all right. i only gave him one cut to get him off. he'd never go at all if he didn't know his master.' 'he'd go fast enough for my voice,' said alfred. 'you know i'd never go for to beat him,' continued harold; 'but it was enough to vex a chap--wasn't it?--to have mother coming and lugging one off from the carrying, and away from the supper and all. women always grudge one a bit of fun!' 'mother never grudged us cricket, nor nothing in reason,' said alfred. 'lucky you that could make hay at all! and what made you so taken up with that new boy that ellen runs on against, and will have it he's a convict?' 'a convict! if ellen says that again!' cried harold; 'no more a convict than she is.' 'what is he, then? where does he come from?' 'his name is paul blackthorn,' said harold; 'and he's the queerest chap i ever came across. why, he knew no more what to do with a prong than the farmer's old sow till i shewed him.' 'but where did he come from?' repeated alfred. 'he walked all the way from piggot's turnpike yesterday,' said harold. 'he's looking for work.' 'and before that?' 'he'd been in the union out--oh! somewhere, i forgot where, but it's a name in the postal guide.' 'well, but you've not said who he is,' said ellen. 'who? why, i tell you, he's paul blackthorn.' 'but i suppose he had a father and mother,' said ellen. 'no,' said harold. 'no!' ellen and alfred cried out together. 'not as ever he heard tell of,' said harold composedly, as if this were quite natural and common. 'and you could go and be raking with him like born brothers there!' said ellen, in horror. 'd'ye think i'd care for stuff like that?' said harold. 'why, he sings--he sings better than jack lyte! he's learnt to sing, you know. and he's such a comical fellow! he said mr. shepherd was like a big pig on his hind legs; and when mrs. shepherd came out to count the scraps after we had done, what does he do but whisper to me to know how long our withered cyder apples had come to life!' such talents for amusing others evidently far out-weighed in harold's consideration such trifling points as fathers, mothers, and respectability. alfred laughed; but ellen thought it no laughing matter, and reproved harold for being wicked enough to hear his betters made game of. 'my betters!' said harold--'an old skinflint like farmer shepherd's old woman?' 'hush, harold! i'll tell mother of you, that i will!' cried ellen. 'do then,' said harold, who knew his sister would do no such thing. she had made the threat too often, and then not kept her word. she contented herself with saying, 'well, all i know is, that i'm sure now he has run away out of prison, and is no better than a thief; and if our place isn't broken into before to-morrow morning, and mother's silver sugar-tongs gone, it will be a mercy. i'm sure i shan't sleep a wink all night.' both boys laughed, and alfred asked why he had not done it last night. 'how should i know?' said ellen. 'most likely he wanted to see the way about the place, before he calls the rest of the gang.' 'take care, harold! it's a gang coming now,' said alfred, laughing again. 'all coming on purpose to steal the sugar-tongs!' 'no, i'll tell you what they are come to steal,' said harold mischievously; 'it's all for ellen's fine green ivy-leaf brooch that matilda sent her!' 'i dare say harold has been and told him everything valuable in the house!' said ellen. 'i think,' said alfred gravely, 'it would be a very odd sort of thief to come here, when the farmer's ploughing cup is just by.' 'yes,' said harold, 'i'd better have told him of that when i was about it; don't you think so, nelly?' 'if you go on at this rate,' said ellen, teased into anger, 'you'll be robbing the post-office yourself some day.' 'ay! and i'll get paul blackthorn to help me,' said the boy. 'come, ellen, don't be so foolish; i tell you he's every bit as honest as i am, i'd go bail for him.' 'and i _know_ he'll lead you to ruin!' cried ellen, half crying: 'a boy that comes from nowhere and nobody knows, and sleeps on a hay-cock all night, no better than a mere tramp!' 'what, quarrelling here? 'said mrs. king, coming up-stairs. 'the lad, i wish him no ill, i'm sure, but he'll be gone by to-morrow, so you may hold your tongues about him, and we'll read our chapter and go to bed.' harold's confidence and ellen's distrust were not much wiser the one than the other. which was nearest being right? chapter iii--a new friend the post-office was not robbed that night, neither did the silver sugar- tongs disappear, though paul blackthorn was no farther off than the hay- loft at farmer shepherd's, where he had obtained leave to sleep. but he did not go away with morning, though the hay-making was over. ellen saw him sitting perched on the empty waggon, munching his breakfast, and to her great vexation, exchanging nods and grins when harold rode by for the morning's letters; and afterwards, there was a talk between him and the farmer, which ended in his having a hoe put into his hand, and being next seen in the turnip-field behind the farm. to make up for the good day, this one was a very bad one with poor alfred. there was thunder in the air, and if the sultry heat weighed heavily even on the healthy, no wonder it made him faint and exhausted, disposed to self-pity, and terribly impatient and fretful. he was provoked by ellen's moving about the room, and more provoked by harold's whistling as he cleaned out the stable; and on the other hand, harold was petulant at being checked, and vowed there was no living in the house with alfred making such a work. moreover, alfred was restless, and wanted something done for him every moment, interrupting ellen's work, and calling his mother up from her baking so often for trifles, that she hardly knew how to get through it. the doctor, mr. blunt, came, and he too felt the heat, having spent hours in going his rounds in the closeness and dust. he was a rough man, and his temper did not always hold out; he told alfred sharply that he would have no whining, and when the boy moaned and winced more than he would have done on a good day, he punished him by not trying to be tender-handed. when mrs. king said, perhaps a little lengthily, how much the boy had suffered that morning, the doctor, wearied out, no doubt, with people's complaints, cut her short rather rudely, 'ay, ay, my good woman, i know all that.' 'and can nothing be done, sir, when he feels so sinking and weak?' 'sinking--he must feel sinking--nothing to do but to bear it,' said mr. blunt gruffly, as he prepared to go. 'don't keep me now;' and as alfred held up his hand, and made some complaint of the tightness of the bandage, he answered impatiently, 'i've no time for that, my lad; keep still, and be glad you've nothing worse to complain of.' 'then you don't think he is getting any better, sir?' said mrs. king, keeping close to him. 'i thought he was yesterday, and i wanted to speak to you. my oldest daughter thought if we could get him away to the sea, and--' 'that's all nonsense,' said the hurried doctor; 'don't you spend your money in that way; i tell you nothing ever will do him any good.' this was at the bottom of the stairs; and mr. blunt was off. he was the cleverest doctor for a good way round, and it was not easy to mrs. king to secure his attendance. her savings and matilda's were likely to melt away sadly in paying him, since she was just too well off to be doctored at the parish expense, and he was really a good and upright man, though wanting in softness of manner when he was hurried and teased. if mrs. king had known that he was in haste to get to a child with a bad burn, she might have thought him less unkind in the short ungentle way in which he dashed her hopes. alas! there had never been much hope; but she feared that alfred might have heard, and have been shocked. ellen heard plainly enough, and her heart sank. she tried to look at her brother's face, but he had put it out of sight, and spoke not a word; and she only could sit wondering what was the real drift of the cruel words, and whether the doctor meant to give no hope of recovery, or only to dissuade her mother from vainly trying change of air. her once bright brother always thus! it was a sad thought, and yet she would have been glad to know he would be no worse; and ellen's heart was praying with all her might that he might have his health and happiness restored to him, and that her mother might be spared this bitter sorrow. alfred said nothing about the doctor's visit, but he could eat no dinner, and did not think this so much the fault of his sickly taste, as of his mother's potato-pie; he could not think why she should be so cross as to make that thing, when she knew he hated it; and as to poor harold, alfred would hardly let him speak or stir, without ordering ellen down to tell him not to make such a row. ellen was thankful when harold was fairly hunted out of the house and garden, even though he betook himself to the meadow, where paul blackthorn was lying on the grass with his feet kicking in the air, and shewing the skin through his torn shoes. the two lads squatted down on the grass with their heads together. who could tell what mischief that runaway might be putting into harold's head, and all because alfred could not bear with him enough for him to be happy at home? they were so much engrossed, that it needed a rough call from the farmer to send paul back to his work when the dinner-hour was over; whereupon harold came slowly to his digging again. hotter and hotter did it grow, and the grey dull clouds began to gain a yellow lurid light in the distance; there were low growlings of thunder far away, and ellen left her work unfinished, and forgot how hot she was herself in toiling to fan alfred, so as to keep him in some little degree cooler, while the more he strove with the heat, the more oppressed and miserable he grew. poor fellow! his wretchedness was not so much the heat, as the dim perception of mr. blunt's hasty words; he had not heard them fully--he dared not inquire what they had been, and he could not endure to face them--yet the echo of 'nothing will ever do him good,' seemed to ring like a knell in his ears every time he turned his weary head. nothing do him good! nothing! always these four walls, that little bed, this wasting weary lassitude, this gnawing, throbbing pain, no pony, no running, no shouting, no sense of vigour and health ever again, and perhaps--that terrible perhaps, which made alfred's very flesh quail, he would not think of; and to drive it away, he found some fresh toil to require of the sister who could not content him, toil as she would. slowly the afternoon hours rolled on, one after the other, and alfred had just been in a pet with the clock for striking four when he wanted it to be five, when the sky grew darker, and one or two heavy drops of rain came plashing down on the thirsty earth. 'the storm is coming at last, and now it will be cooler,' said ellen, looking out from the window. 'dear me!' she added, there stopping short. 'what?' asked alfred. 'what are you gaping at?' 'i declare!' cried ellen, 'it's the new clergyman! it is mr. cope, and he is coming up to the wicket!' alfred turned his head with a peevish sound; he was in the dreary mood to resent whatever took off attention from him for a moment. 'a very pleasant-looking gentleman,' commented ellen, 'and so young! he does not look older than charles lawrence! i wonder whether he is coming in, or if it is only to post a letter. oh! there he is, talking to mother! there!' a vivid flash of lightning came over the room at that moment and made them all pause till it was followed up by the deep rumble of the thunder, and then down rushed the rain, plashing and leaping up again, bringing out the delicious scent from the earth, and seeming in one moment to breathe refreshment and relief on the sick boy. his brow was already clearing, as he listened to his mother's tones of welcome, as she was evidently asking the stranger to sit down and wait for the storm to be over, and the cheerful voice that replied to her. he did not scold ellen for, as usual, making things neat; and whereas, five minutes sooner, he would have hated the notion of any one coming near him, he now only hoped that his mother would bring mr. cope up; and presently he heard the well- known creak of the stairs under a manly foot, and his mother's voice saying something about 'a great sufferer, sir.' then came in sight his mother's white cap, and behind her one of the most cheerful lively faces that alfred had ever beheld. the new curate looked very little more than a boy, with a nice round fresh rosy face, and curly brown hair, and a quick joyous eye, and regular white teeth when he smiled that merry good-humoured smile. indeed, he was as young as a deacon could be, and he looked younger. he knocked his tall head against the top of the low doorway as he came into the room, and answered mrs. king's apologies with a pleasant laugh. ellen knew her mother would like him the better for his height, for no one since the handsome coachman himself had had to bend his head to get into the room. alfred liked the looks of him the first moment, and by way of salutation put up one of his weary, white, blue-veined hands to pull his damp forelock; but mr. cope, nodding in answer to ellen's curtsey, took hold of his hand at once, and softening the cheery voice that was so pleasant to hear, said, 'well, my boy, i hope we shall be good friends. and what's your name?' 'alfred king, sir,' was the answer. it really was quite a pleasure not to begin with the old weary subject of being pitied for his illness. 'king alfred!' said mr. cope. 'i met king harold yesterday. i've got into royal company, it seems!' alfred smiled, it was said so drolly; but his mother, who felt a little as if she were being laughed at, said, 'why, sir, my brother's name was alfred; and as to harold, it was to please miss jane's little sister that died--she was quite a little girl then, sir, but so clever, and she would have him named out of her history of england.' 'did miss selby give you those flowers?' said mr. cope, admiring the rose and geranium in the cup on the table. 'yes, sir;' and mrs. king launched out in the praises of miss jane and of my lady, an inexhaustible subject which did not leave alfred much time to speak, till mrs. king, seeing the groom from the park coming with the letter-bag through the rain, asked mr. cope to excuse her, and went down- stairs. 'well, alfred, i think you are a lucky boy,' he said. 'i was comparing you with a lad i once knew of, who got his spine injured, and is laid up in a little narrow garret, in a back street, with no one to speak to all day. i don't know what he would not give for a sister, and a window like this, and a miss jane.' alfred smiled, and said, 'please, sir, how old is he?' 'about sixteen; a nice stout lad he was, as ever i knew, till his accident; i often used to meet him going about with his master, and thought it was a pleasure to meet such a good-humoured face.' alfred ventured to ask his trade, and was told he was being brought up to wait on his father, who was a bricklayer, but that a ladder had fallen with him as he was going up with a heavy load, and he had been taken at once to the hospital. the house on which he was employed belonged to a friend of mr. cope, and all in the power of this gentleman had been done for him, but that was not much, for it was one of the families that no one can serve; the father drank, and the mother was forced to be out charing all day, and was so rough a woman, that she could hardly be much comfort to poor jem when she was at home. alfred was quite taken up with the history by this time, and kept looking at mr. cope, as if he would eat it up with his eager eyes. ellen asked compassionately who did for the poor boy all day. 'his mother runs in at dinner-time, if she is not at work too far off, and he has a jug of water and a bit of bread where he can reach them; the door is open generally, so that he can call to some of the other lodgers, but though the house is as full as a bee-hive, often nobody hears him. i believe his great friend is a little school-girl, who comes and sits by him, and reads to him if she can; but she is generally at school, or else minding the children.' 'it must be very lonely,' said alfred, perceiving for the first time that there could be people worse off than himself; 'but has he no books to read?' 'he was so irregularly sent to school, that he could not read to himself, even if his corner were not so dark, and the window so dingy. my friend gave him a bible, but he could not get on with it; and his mother, i am sorry to say, pawned it.' ellen and alfred both cried out as if they had never heard of anything so shocking. 'it was grievous,' said mr. cope; 'but the poor things did not know the value, and when there was scarcely a morsel of bread in the house, there was cause enough for not judging them hardly, but i don't think jem would allow it now. he got some of his little friend's easy scripture lessons and the like, in large print, which he croons over as he lies there alone, till one feels sure that they are working into his heart. the people in the house say that though he has been ill these three years, he has never spoken an ill-tempered word; and if any one pities him, he answers, "it is the lord," and seems to wish for no change. he lies there between dozing and dreaming and praying, and always seems content.' 'does he think he shall get well?' said alfred, who had been listening earnestly. 'oh no; there is no chance of that; it is an injury past cure. but i suppose that while he bears the will of god so patiently here, his heavenly father makes it up to him in peacefulness of heart now, and the hope of what is to come hereafter.' alfred made no answer, but his eyes shewed that he was thinking; and mr. cope rose, and looked out of window, as a gleam of sunshine, while the dark cloud lifted up from the north-west, made the trees and fields glow with intense green against the deep grey of the sky, darker than ever from the contrast. ellen stood up, and alfred exclaimed, 'oh sir, please come again soon!' 'very soon,' said mr. cope good-humouredly; 'but you've not got rid of me yet, the rain is pretty hard still, and i see the beggarmen dancing all down the garden-walk.' alfred and ellen smiled to hear their mother's old word for the drops splashing up again; and mr. cope went on: 'the garden looks very much refreshed by this beautiful shower. it is in fine order. is it the other monarch's charge?' 'harold's, sir,' said ellen. 'yes, he takes a great pride in it, and so did alfred when he was well.' 'ah, i dare say; and it must be pleasant to you to see your brother working in it now. i see him under that shed, and who is that lad with him? they seem to have some good joke together.' 'oh,' said ellen, 'harold likes company, you see, sir, and will take up with anybody. i wish you could be so good as to speak to him, sir, for lads of that age don't mind women folk, you see, sir.' 'what? i hope his majesty does not like bad company?' said mr. cope, not at all that he thought lightly of such an evil, but it was his way to speak in that droll manner, especially as ellen's voice was a little bit peevish. 'nobody knows no harm of the chap,' said alfred, provoked at ellen for what he thought unkindness in setting the clergyman at once on his brother; but ellen was the more displeased, and exclaimed: 'nor nobody knows no good. he's a young tramper that hired with farmer shepherd yesterday, a regular runaway and reprobate, just out of prison, most likely.' 'well, i hope not so bad as that,' said mr. cope, 'he's not a bad-looking boy; but i dare say you are anxious about your brother. it must be dull for him, to have his companion laid up;--and by the looks of him, i dare say his spirits are sometimes too much for you,' he added, turning to alfred. 'he does make a terrible racket sometimes,' said alfred. 'ay, and i dare say you will try to bear with it, and not drive him out to seek dangerous company,' said mr. cope; at which alfred blushed a little, as he remembered the morning, and that he had never thought of this danger. mr. cope added, 'i think i shall go and talk to those two merry fellows; i must not tire you, my lad, but i will soon come here again;' and he took leave. heartily did ellen exclaim, 'well, that is a nice gentleman!' and as heartily did alfred reply. he felt as if a new light had come in on his life, and mr. cope had not said one word about patience. ellen expected mr. cope to come back and warn her mother against paul blackthorn, but she only saw him stand talking to the two lads till he made them both grin again, and then as the rain was over, he walked away; paul went back to his turnips, and harold came thundering up-stairs in his great shoes. alfred was cheerful, and did not mind him now; but ellen did, and scolded him for the quantity of dirt he was bringing up with him from the moist garden, which was all one steam of sweet smells, as the sun drew up the vapour after the rain. 'if you were coming in, you'd better have come out of the rain, not stood idling there with that good-for-nothing lad. the new minister said he would be after you if you were taking up with bad company.' 'who told you i was with bad company?' said harold. 'why, i could see it! i hope he rebuked you both.' 'he asked us if we could play at cricket--and he asked the pony's name,' said harold, 'if that's what you call rebuking us!' 'and what did he say to that boy?' 'oh! he told him he heard he was a stranger here, like himself, and asked how long he'd been here, and where he came from.' 'and what did he say?' 'he said he was from upperscote union--come out because he was big enough to keep himself, and come to look for work,' said harold. 'he's a right good chap, i'll tell you, and i'll bring him up to see alfy one of these days!' 'bring up that dirty boy! i should like to see you!' cried ellen, making _such_ a face. 'i don't believe a word of his coming out of the union. i'm sure he's run away out of gaol, by the look of him!' 'ellen--harold--come down to your tea!' called mrs. king. so they went down; and presently, while mrs. king was gone up to give alfred his tea, there came mrs. shepherd bustling across, with her black silk apron thrown over her cap with the crimson gauze ribbons. she wanted a bit of tape, and if there were none in the shop, harold must match it in elbury when he took the letters. ellen was rather familiar with mrs. shepherd, because she made her gowns, and they had some talk about the new clergyman. mrs. shepherd did not care for clergymen much; if she had done so, she might not have been so hard with her labourers. she was always afraid of their asking her to subscribe to something or other, so she gave it as her opinion, that she should never think it worth while to listen to such a very young man as that, and she hoped he would not stay; and then she said, 'so your brother was taking up with that come-by-chance lad, i saw. did he make anything out of him?' 'he fancies him more than i like, or mother either,' said ellen. 'he says he's out of upperscote union; but he's a thorough impudent one, and owns he's no father nor mother, nor nothing belonging to him. i think it is a deal more likely that he is run away from some reformatory, or prison.' 'that's just what i said to the farmer!' said mrs. shepherd. 'i said he was out of some place of that sort. i'm sure it's a sin for the gentlemen to be setting up such places, raising the county rates, and pampering up a set of young rogues to let loose on us. ay! ay! i'll warrant he's a runaway thief! i told the farmer he'd take him to his sorrow, but you see he is short of hands just now, and the men are so set up and grabbing, i don't know how farmers is to live.' so mrs. shepherd went away grumbling, instead of being thankful for the beautiful crop of hay, safely housed, before the thunder shower which had saved the turnips from the fly. ellen might have doubted whether she had done right in helping to give the boy a bad name, but just then in came the ostler from the tankard with some letters. 'here!' he said, 'here's one from one of the gentlemen lodging here fishing, to cayenne. you'll please to see how much there is to pay.' ellen looked at her postal guide, but she was quite at a fault, and she called up-stairs to alfred to ask if he knew where she should look for cayenne. he was rather fond of maps, and knew a good deal of geography for a boy of his age, but he knew nothing about this place, and she was just thinking of sending back the letter, to ask the gentleman where it was, when a voice said: 'try guiana, or else south america.' she looked up, and there were paul's dirty face and dirtier elbows, leaning over the half-door of the shop. 'why, how do you know?' she said, starting back. 'i learnt at school, cayenne, capital of french guiana.' sure enough cayenne had guiana to it in her list, and the price was found out. but when this learned geographer advanced into the shop, and asked for a loaf, what a hand and what a sleeve did he stretch out! ellen scarcely liked to touch his money, and felt all her disgust revive. but, for all that, and for all her fear of harold's running into mischief, what business had she to set it about that the stranger was an escaped convict? meanwhile, alfred had plenty of food for dreaming over his fellow sufferer. it really seemed to quiet him to think of another in the same case, and how many questions he longed to have asked mr. cope! he wanted to know whether it came easier to jem to be patient than to himself; whether he suffered as much wearing pain; whether he grieved over the last hope of using his limbs; and above all, the question he knew he never could bear to ask, whether jem had the dread of death to scare his thoughts, though never confessed to himself. he longed for mr. cope's next visit, and felt strongly drawn towards that thought of jem, yet ashamed to think of himself as so much less patient and submissive; so little able to take comfort in what seemed to soothe jem, that it was the lord's doing. could jem think he had been a wicked boy, and take it as punishment? chapter iv--paul blackthorn 'i say,' cried harold, running up into his brother's room, as soon as he had put away the pony, 'do you know whether paul is gone?' 'it is always paul, paul!' exclaimed ellen; 'i'm sure i hope he is.' 'but why do you think he would be?' asked alfred. 'oh, didn't you hear? he knows no more than a baby about anything, and so he turned the cows into darnel meadow, and never put the hurdle to stop the gap--never thinking they could get down the bank; so the farmer found them in the barley, and if he did not run out against him downright shameful--though paul up and told him the truth, that 'twas nobody else that did it.' 'what, and turned him off?' 'well, that's what i want to know,' said harold, going on with his tea. 'paul said to me he didn't know how he could stand the like of that--and yet he didn't like to be off--he'd taken a fancy to the place, you see, and there's me, and there's old caesar--and so he said he wouldn't go unless the farmer sent him off when he came to be paid this evening--and old skinflint has got him so cheap, i don't think he will.' 'for shame, harold; don't call names!' 'well, there he is,' said alfred, pointing into the farm-yard, towards the hay-loft door. this was over the cow-house in the gable end; and in the dark opening sat paul, his feet on the top step of the ladder, and caesar, the yard-dog, lying by his side, his white paws hanging down over the edge, his sharp white muzzle and grey prick ears turned towards his friend, and his eyes casting such appealing looks, that he was getting more of the hunch of bread than probably paul could well spare. 'how has he ever got the dog up the ladder?' cried harold. 'well!' said mrs. king, 'i declare he looks like a picture i have seen--' 'well, to be sure! who would go for to draw a picture of the like of that!' exclaimed ellen, pausing as she put on her things to carry home some work. 'it was a picture of a spanish beggar-boy,' said mrs. king; 'and the housekeeper at castlefort used to say that the old lord--that's lady jane's brother--had given six hundred pounds for it.' ellen set out on her walk with a sound of wonder quite beyond words. six hundred pounds for a picture like paul blackthorn! she did not know that so poor and feeble are man's attempts to imitate the daily forms and colourings fresh from the divine hand, that a likeness of the very commonest sight, if represented with something of its true spirit and life, wins a strange value, especially if the work of the great master- artists of many years ago. and even the painter murillo himself, though he might pleasantly recall on his canvas the notion of the bright-eyed, olive-tinted lad, resting after the toil of the day, could never have rendered the free lazy smile on his face, nor the gleam of the dog's wistful eyes and quiver of its eager ears, far less the glow of setting sunlight that shed over all that warm, clear, ruddy light, so full of rest and cheerfulness, beautifying, as it hid, so many common things: the thatched roof of the barn, the crested hayrick close beside it; the waggons, all red and blue, that had brought it home, and were led to rest, the horses drooping their meek heads as they cooled their feet among the weed in the dark pond;--the ducks moving, with low contented quacks and quickly-wagging tails, in one long single file to their evening foraging in the dewy meadows; the spruce younger poultry pecking over the yard, staying up a little later than their elders to enjoy a few leavings in peace, free from the persecutions of the cross old king of the dung-hill;--all this left in shade, while the ruddy light had mounted to the roofs, gave brilliance to every round tuft of moss, and gleamed on the sober foliage of the old spreading walnut tree. 'poor lad,' said mrs. king, 'it seems a pity he should come to such a rough life, when he seems to have got such an education! i hope he is not run away from anywhere.' 'you're as bad as ellen, mother,' cried harold, 'who will have it that he's out of prison.' 'no, not that,' said mrs. king; 'but it did cross me whether he could have run away from school, and if his friends were in trouble for him.' 'he never had any friends,' said harold, 'nor he never ran away. he's nothing but a foundling. they picked him up under a blackthorn bush when he was a baby, with nothing but a bit of an old plaid shawl round him.' 'did they ever know who he belonged to?' asked alfred. 'never; nor he doesn't care if they don't, for sure they could be no credit to him; but they that found him put him into the union, and there an old woman, that they called granny moll, took to him. she had but one eye, he says; but, mother, i do believe he never had another friend like her, for he got to pulling up the bits of grass, and was near crying when he said she was dead and gone, and then he didn't care for nothing.' 'but who taught him about cayenne?' asked alfred. 'oh, that was the union school. all the children went to school, and they had a terrible sharp master, who used to cut them over the head quite cruel, and was sent away at last for being such a savage; but paul being always there, and having nothing else to do, you see, got on ever so far, and can work sums in his head downright wonderful. there came an inspector once who praised him up, and said he'd recommend him to a place where he'd be taught to be a school-master, if any one would pay the cost; but the guardians wouldn't hear of it at no price, and were quite spiteful to find he was a good scholar, for fear, i suppose, that he'd know more than they.' 'hush, hush, harold,' said his mother; 'wait till you have to pay the rates before you run out against the guardians.' 'what do you mean, mother?' 'why, don't you see, the guardians have their duties to those who pay the rates, as well as those that have parish pay. what they have to do, is to mind that nobody starves, or the like; and their means comes out of the rates, out of my pocket, and the like of me, as well as my lady's and all the rich. well, whatever they might like to do, it would not be serving us fairly to take more than was a bare necessity from us, to send your master paul and the like of him to a fine school. 'tis for them to be just, and other folk to be generous with what's their own.' 'mother talks as if she was a guardian herself!' said alfred in his funny way. 'ah, the collector's going his rounds,' responded harold; and mrs. king laughed good-humouredly, always glad to see her sick boy able to enjoy himself; but she sighed, saying, 'ay, and ill can i spare it, though thanks be to god that i've been as yet of them that pay, and not of them that receive.' 'go on the parish! mother, what are you thinking of?' cried both sons indignantly. poor mrs. king was thinking of the long winter, and the heavy doctor's bill, and feeling that, after all, suffering and humbling might not be so very far off; but she was too cheerful and full of trust to dwell on the thought, so she smiled and said, 'i only said i was thankful, boys, for the mercy that has kept us up. go on now, harold; what about the boy?' 'why, i don't know that he'd have gone if they had paid his expenses ever so much,' said harold, 'for he's got a great spirit of his own, and wouldn't be beholden to any one, he said, now he could keep himself--he'd had quite enough of the parish and its keep; so he said he'd go on the tramp till he got work; and they let him out of the union with just the clothes to his back, and a shilling in his pocket. 'twas the first time he had ever been let out of bounds since he was picked up under the tree; and he said no one ever would guess the pleasure it was to have nobody to order him here and there, and no bounds round him; and he quite hated the notion of getting inside walls again, as if it was a prison.' 'oh, i know! i can fancy that!' cried alfred, raising himself and panting; 'and where did he go first?' 'first, he only wanted to get as far from upperscote as ever he could, so he walked on; i can't say how he lived, but he didn't beg; he got a job here and a job there; but there are not so many things he knows the knack of, having been at school all his life. once he took up with a man that sold salt, to draw his cart for him, but the man swore at him so awfully he could not bear it, and beat him too, so he left him, and he had lived terrible hard for about a month before he came here! so you see, mother, there's not one bit of harm in him; he's a right good scholar, and never says a bad word, nor has no love for drink; so you won't be like ellen, and be always at me for going near him?' 'you're getting a big boy, harold, and it is lonely for you,' said mrs. king reluctantly; 'and if the lad is a good lad i'd not cast up his misfortune against him; but i must say, i should think better of him if he would keep himself a little bit cleaner and more decent, so as he could go to church.' harold made a very queer face, and said, 'how is he to do it up in the hay-loft, mother? and he ha'n't got enough to pay for lodgings, nor for washing, nor to change.' 'the river is cheap enough,' said alfred. 'do you remember when we used to bathe together, harold, and go after the minnows?' 'ay, but he don't know how; and then they did plague him so in the union, that he's got to hate the very name of washing--scrubbing them over and cutting their hair as if they were in gaol.' 'poor boy! he is terribly forsaken,' said mrs. king compassionately. 'you may say that!' returned harold; 'why, he's never so much as seen how folks live at home, and wanted to know if you were most like old moll or the master of the union!' alfred went into such a fit of laughter as almost hurt him; but mrs. king felt the more pitiful and tender towards the poor deserted orphan, who could not even understand what a mother was like, and the tears came into her eyes, as she said, 'well, i'm glad he's not a bad boy. i hope he thinks of the father and the home that he has above. i say, harold, against next sunday i'll look out alfred's oldest shirt for him to put on, and you might bring me his to wash, only mind you soak it well in the river first.' harold quite flushed with gratitude for his mother's kindness, for he knew it was no small effort in one so scrupulously and delicately clean, and with so much work on her hands; but mrs. king was one who did her alms by her trouble when she had nothing else to give. alfred smiled and said he wondered what ellen would say; and almost at the same moment harold shot down-stairs, and was presently seen standing upon paul's ladder talking to him; then paul rose up as though to come down, and there was much fun going on, as to how caesar was to be got down; for, as every one knows, a dog can mount a ladder far better than he can descend; and poor caesar stretched out his white paw, looked down, seemed to turn giddy, whined, and looked earnestly at his friends till they took pity on him and lifted him down between them, stretching out his legs to their full length, like a live hand-barrow. a few seconds more, and there was a great trampling of feet, and then in walked harold, exclaiming, 'here he is!' and there he stood, shy and sheepish, with rusty black shag by way of hair, keen dark beads of eyes, and very white teeth; but all the rest, face, hands, jacket, trousers, shoes, and all, of darker or lighter shades of olive-brown; and as to the rents, one would be sorry to have to count them; mending them would have been a thing impossible. what a difference from the pure whiteness of everything around alfred! the soft pink of the flush of surprise on his delicate cheek, and the wavy shine on his light hair. a few months ago, alfred would have been as ready as his brother to take that sturdy hand, marbled as it was with dirt, and would have heeded all drawbacks quite as little; but sickness had changed him much, and paul was hardly beside his couch before the colour fleeted away from his cheek, and his eye turned to his mother in such distress, that she was obliged to make a sign to harold in such haste that it looked like anger, and to mutter something about his being taken worse. and while she was holding the smelling salts to him, and sprinkling vinegar over his couch, they heard the two boys' voices loud under the window, paul saying he should never come there again, and harold something about people being squeamish and fine. it hurt alfred, and he burst out, almost crying, 'mother! mother, now isn't that too bad!' 'it is very thoughtless,' said mrs. king sorrowfully; 'but you know everybody has their feelings, alfred, and i am sorry it happened so.' 'i'm sure i couldn't help it,' said alfred, as if his mother were turning against him. 'harold had better have brought up the farmer's whole stable at once!' 'when you were well, you did not think of such things any more than he does.' alfred grunted. he could not believe that; and he did not feel gently when his brother shewed any want of consideration; but his mother thought he would only grow crosser by dwelling on the unlucky subject, so she advised him to lie still and rest before his being moved to bed, and went down herself to finish some ironing. presently alfred saw the curate coming over the bridge with quick long steps, and this brought to his mind that he had been wishing to hear more of the poor crippled boy. he watched eagerly, and was pleased to see mr. cope turn in at the wicket, and presently the tread upon the stairs was heard, and the high head was lowered at the door. 'good evening, alfred; your mother told me it would not disturb you if i came up alone;' and he began to inquire into his amusements and occupations, till alfred became quite at home with him, and at ease, and ventured to ask, 'if you please, sir, do you ever hear about jem now?' and as mr. cope looked puzzled, 'the boy you told me of, sir, that fell off the scaffold.' 'oh, the boy at liverpool! no, i only saw him once when i was staying with my cousin; but i will ask after him if you wish to hear.' 'thank you, sir. i wanted to know if he had been a bad boy.' 'that i cannot tell. why do you wish to know? was it because he had such an affliction?' 'yes, sir.' 'i don't think that is quite the way to look at troubles,' said mr. cope. 'i should think his accident had been a great blessing to him, if it took him out of temptation, and led him to think more of god.' 'but isn't it punishment?' said alfred, not able to get any farther; but mr. cope felt that he was thinking of himself more than of jem. 'all our sufferings in this life come as punishment of sin,' he said. 'if there had been no sin, there would have been no pain; and whatever we have to bear in this life is no more than is our due, whatever it may be.' 'every one is sinful,' said alfred slowly; 'but why have some more to bear than others that may be much worse?' 'did you never think it hard to be kept strictly, and punished by your good mother?' alfred answered rather fretfully, 'but if it is good to be punished, why ain't all alike?' 'god in his infinite wisdom sees the treatment that each particular nature needs. some can be better trained by joy, and some by grief; some may be more likely to come right by being left in active health; others, by being laid low, and having their faults brought to mind.' alfred did not quite choose to take this in, and his answer was half sulky: 'bad boys are quite well!' 'and a reckoning will be asked of them. do not think of other boys. think over your past life, of which i know nothing, and see whether you can believe, after real looking into it, that you have done nothing to deserve god's displeasure. there are other more comforting ways of bringing joy out of pain; but of this i am sure, that none will come home to us till we own from the bottom of our heart, that whatever we suffer in this life, we suffer most justly for the punishment of our sins. god bless and help you, my poor boy. good night.' with these words he went down-stairs, for well he knew that while alfred went on to justify himself, no peace nor joy could come to him, and he thought it best to leave the words to work in, praying in his heart that they might do so, and help the boy to humility and submission. finding mrs. king in her kitchen, he paused and said, 'we shall have a confirmation in the spring, mrs. king; shall not you have some candidates for me?' 'my daughter will be very glad, thank you, sir; she is near to seventeen, and a very good girl to me. and harold, he is but fourteen--would he be old enough, sir?' 'i believe the bishop accepts boys as young; and he might be started in life before another opportunity.' 'well, sir, he shall come to you, and i hope you won't think him too idle and thoughtless. he's a good-hearted boy, sir; but it is a charge when a lad has no father to check him.' 'indeed it is, mrs. king; but i think you must have done your best.' 'i hope i have, sir,' she said sadly; 'i've tried, but my ability is not much, and he is a lively lad, and i'm sometimes afraid to be too strict with him.' 'if you have taught him to keep himself in order, that's the great thing, mrs. king; if he has sound principles, and honours you, i would hope much for him.' 'and, sir, that boy he has taken a fancy to; he is a poor lost lad who never had a home, but harold says he has been well taught, and he might take heed to you.' 'thank you, mrs. king; i will certainly try to speak to him. you said nothing of alfred; do you think he will not be well enough?' 'ah! sir,' she said in her low subdued voice, 'my mind misgives me that it is not for confirmation that you will be preparing him.' mr. cope started. he had seen little of illness, and had not thought of this. 'indeed! does the doctor think so ill of him? do not these cases often partially recover?' 'i don't know, sir; mr. blunt does not give much account of him,' and her voice grew lower and lower; 'i've seen that look in his father's and his brother's face.' she hid her face in her handkerchief as if overpowered, but looked up with the meek look of resignation, as mr. cope said in a broken voice, 'i had not expected--you had been much tried.' 'yes, sir. the will of the lord be done,' she said, as if willing to turn aside from the dark side of the sorrow that lay in wait for her; 'but i'm thankful you are come to help my poor boy now--he frets over his trouble, as is natural, and i'm afraid he should offend, and i'm no scholar to know how to help him.' 'you can help him by what is better than scholarship,' said mr. cope; and he shook her hand warmly, and went away, feeling what a difference there was in the ways of meeting affliction. chapter v--an unwelcome visitor 'the axe is laid to the root of the tree,' was said by the great messenger, when the new and better covenant was coming to pierce, try, and search into, the hearts of men. something like this always happens, in some measure, whenever closer, clearer, and more stringent views of faith and of practice are brought home to christians. they do not always take well the finding that more is required of them than they have hitherto fancied needful; and there are many who wince and murmur at the sharp piercing of the weapon which tries their very hearts; they try to escape from it, and to forget the disease that it has touched, and at first, often grow worse rather than better. well is it for them if they return while yet there is time, before blindness have come over their eyes, and hardness over their heart. perhaps this was the true history of much that grieved poor mrs. king, and distressed ellen, during the remainder of the summer. anxious as mrs. king had been to bring her sons up in the right way, there was something in mr. cope's manner of talking to them that brought things closer home to them, partly from their being put in a new light, and partly from his being a man, and speaking with a different kind of authority. alfred did not like his last conversation--it was little more than his mother and miss selby had said--but then he had managed to throw it off, and he wanted to do so again. it was pleasanter to him to think himself hardly treated, than to look right in the face at all his faults; he knew it was of no use to say he had none, so he lumped them all up by calling himself a sinful creature, like every one else; and thus never felt the weight of them at all, because he never thought what they were. and yet, because mr. cope's words had made him uneasy, he could not rest in this state; he was out of temper whenever the curate's name was spoken, and accused ellen of bothering about him as much as harold did about paul blackthorn; and if he came to see him, he made himself sullen, and would not talk, sometimes seeming oppressed and tired, and unable to bear any one's presence, sometimes leaving ellen to do all the answering, dreading nothing so much as being left alone with the clergyman. mr. cope had offered to read prayers with him, and he could not refuse; but he was more apt to be thinking that it was tiresome, than trying to enter into what, poor foolish boy, would have been his best comfort. to say he was cross when mr. cope was there, would be saying much too little; there was scarcely any time when he was not cross; he was hardly civil even to miss jane, so that she began to think it was unpleasant to him to have her there; and if she were a week without calling, he grumbled hard thoughts about fine people; he was fretful and impatient with the doctor; and as to those of whom he had no fears, he would have been quite intolerable, had they loved him less, or had less pity on his suffering. he never was pleased with anything; teased his mother half the night, and drove ellen about all day. she, good girl, never said one word of impatience, but bore it all with the sweetest good humour; but her mother now and then spoke severely for alfred's own good, and then he made himself more miserable than ever, and thought she was unkind and harsh, and that he was very much to be pitied for having a mother who could not bear with her poor sick boy. he was treating his mother as he was treating his father in heaven. how harold fared with him may easily be guessed--how the poor boy could hardly speak or step without being moaned at, till he was almost turned out of his own house; and his mother did not know what to do, for alfred was really very ill, and fretting made him worse, and nothing could be so bad for his brother as being driven out from home, to spend the long summer evenings as he could. ellen would have been thankful now, had paul blackthorn been the worst company into which harold fell. not that paul was a bit cleaner; on the contrary, each day could not fail to make him worse, till, as ellen had once said, you might almost grow a crop of radishes upon his shoulders. mrs. king's kind offer of washing his shirt had come to nothing. she asked harold about it, and had for answer, 'do you think he would, after the way you served him?' either he was affronted, or he was ashamed of her seeing his rags, or, what was not quite impossible, there was no shirt at all in the case; and he had a sturdy sort of independence about him, that made him always turn surly at any notion of anything being done for him for charity. how or why he stayed on with the farmer was hard to guess, for he had very scanty pay, and rough usage; the farmer did not like him; the farmer's wife scolded him constantly, and laid on his shoulders all the mischief that was done about the place; and the shuffler gave him half his own work to do, and hunted him about from dawn till past sunset. he was always going at the end of every week, but never gone; perhaps he had undergone too much in his wanderings, to be ready to begin them again; or perhaps either caesar or harold, one or both, kept him at friarswood. and there might be another reason, too, for no one had ever spoken to him like mr. cope. very few had ever thrown him a kindly word, or seemed to treat him like a thing with feelings, and those few had been rough and unmannerly; but mr. cope's good-natured smile and pleasant manner had been a very different thing; and perhaps paul promised to come to the confirmation class, chiefly because of the friendly tone in which he was invited. when there, he really liked it. he had always liked what he was taught, apart from the manner of teaching; and now both manner and lessons were delightful to him. his answers were admirable, and it was not all head knowledge, for very little more than a really kind way of putting it was needed, to make him turn in his loneliness to rest in the thought of the ever-present father. hard as the discipline of his workhouse home had been, it had kept him from much outward harm; the little he had seen in his wanderings had shocked him, and he was more untaught in evil than many lads who thought themselves more respectable, so there was no habit of wickedness to harden and blunt him; and the application of all he had learnt before, found his heart ready. he had not gone to church since he left the workhouse: he did not think it belonged to vagabonds like him; besides, he always felt walls like a prison; and he had not profited much by the workhouse prayers, which were read on week-days by the master, and on sundays by a chaplain, who always had more to do than he could manage, and only went to the paupers when they were very ill. but when mr. cope talked to him of the duty of going to church, he said, 'i will, sir;' and he sat in the gallery with the young lads, who were not quite as delicate as alfred. the service seemed to rest him, and to be like being brought near a friend; and he had been told that church might always be his home. he took a pleasure in going thither--the more, perhaps, that he rather liked to shew how little he cared for remarks upon his appearance. there was a great deal of independence about him; and, having escaped from the unloving maintenance of the parish, while he had as yet been untaught what affection or gratitude meant, he _would_ not be beholden to any one. scanty as were his wages, he would accept nothing from anybody; he daily bought his portion of bread from mrs. king, but it was of no use for her to add a bit of cheese or bacon to it; he never would see the relish, and left it behind; and so he never would accept mr. cope's kind offers of giving him a bit of supper in his kitchen, perhaps because he was afraid of being said to go to the rectory for the sake of what he could get. he did not object to the farmer's beer, which was sometimes given him when any unusual extra work had been put on him. that was his right, for in truth the farmer did not pay him the value of his labour, and perhaps disliked him the more, because of knowing in his conscience that this was shameful extortion. however, just at harvest time, when paul's shoes had become very like what may be sometimes picked up by the roadside, mr. shepherd did actually bestow on him a pair that did not fit himself! harold came home quite proud of them. however, on the third day they were gone, and the farmer's voice was heard on the bridge, rating paul violently for having changed them away for drink. mrs. king felt sorrowful; but, as ellen said, 'what could you expect of him?' in spite of the affront, there was a sort of acquaintance now over the counter between mrs. king and young blackthorn; and when he came for his bread, she could not help saying, 'i'm sorry to see you in those again.' 'why, the others hurt me so, i could hardly get about,' said paul. 'ah! poor lad, i suppose your feet has got spread with wearing those old ones; but you should try to use yourself to decent ones, or you'll soon be barefoot; and i do think it was a pity to drink them up.' 'that's all the farmer, ma'am. he thinks one can't do anything but drink.' 'well, what is become of them?' 'why, you see, ma'am, they just suited dick royston, and he wanted a pair of shoes, and i wanted a bible and prayer-book, so we changed 'em.' when ellen heard this, she could not help owning that paul was a good boy after all, though it was in an odd sort of way. but, alas! when next he was to go to mr. cope, there was a hue-and-cry all over the hay-loft for the prayer-book. there was no place to put it safely, or if there had been, poor paul was too great a sloven to think of any such thing; and as it was in a somewhat rubbishy state to begin with, it was most likely that one of the cows had eaten it with her hay; and all that could be said was, that it would have been worse if it had been the bible. as to dick royston, to find that he would change away his bible for a pair of shoes, made mrs. king doubly concerned that he should be a good deal thrown in harold's way. there are many people who neglect their bibles, and do not read them; but this may be from thoughtlessness or press of care, and is not like the wilful breaking with good, that it is to part with the holy scripture, save under the most dire necessity; and dick was far from being in real want, nor was he ignorant, like mr. cope's poor jem, for he had been to school, and could read well; but he was one of those many lads, who, alas! are everywhere to be found, who break loose from all restraint as soon as they can maintain themselves. they do their work pretty well, and are tolerably honest; but for the rest--alas! they seem to live without god. prayers and church they have left behind, as belonging to school-days; and in all their strength and health, their days of toil, their evenings of rude diversion, their sundays of morning sleep, noonday basking in the sun, evening cricket, they have little more notion of anything concerning their souls than the horses they drive. if ever a fear comes over them, it seems a long long way off, a whole life-time before them; they are awkward, and in dread of one another's jeers and remarks; and if they ever wish to be better, they cast it from them by fancying that time must steady them when they have had their bit of fun, or that something will come from somewhere to change them all at once, and make it easy to them to be good--as if they were not making it harder each moment. this sort of lad had been utterly let alone till mr. cope came; and lady jane and the school-master felt it was dreary work to train up nice lads in the school, only to see them run riot, and forget all good as soon as they thought themselves their own masters. mr. cope was anxious to do the best he could for them, and the confirmation made a good opportunity; but the boys did not like to be interfered with--it made them shy to be spoken to; and they liked lounging about much better than having to poke into that mind of theirs, which they carried somewhere about them, but did not like to stir up. they had no notion of going to school again--which no one wanted them to do--nor to church, because it was like little boys; and they wouldn't be obliged. so mr. cope made little way with them; a few who had better parents came regularly to him, but others went off when they found it too much trouble, and behaved worse than ever by way of shewing they did not care. this folly had in some degree taken possession of harold; and though he could not be as bad as were some of the others, he was fast growing impatient of restraint, and worried and angry, as if any word of good advice affronted him. driven from home by the fear of disturbing alfred, he was left the more to the company of boys who made him ashamed of being ordered by his mother; and there was a jaunty careless style about all his ways of talking and moving, that shewed there was something wrong about him--he scorned ellen, and was as saucy as he dared even to his mother; and though mr. cope found him better instructed than most of his scholars, he saw him quite as idle, as restless at church, and as ready to whisper and grin at improper times, as many who had never been trained like him. one august sunday afternoon, mrs. king was with alfred while ellen was at church. he was lying on his couch, very uncomfortable and fretful, when to the surprise of both, a knock was heard at the door. mrs. king looked out of the window, and a smart, hard-looking, pigeon's-neck silk bonnet at once nodded to her, and a voice said, 'i've come over to see you, cousin king, if you'll come down and let me in. i knew i should find you at home.' 'betsey hardman!' exclaimed alfred, in dismay; 'you won't let her come up here, mother?' 'not if i can help it,' said mrs. king, sighing. if there were a thing she disliked above all others, it was sunday visiting. 'you must help it, mother,' said alfred, in his most pettish tones. 'i won't have her here, worrying with her voice like a hen cackling. say you won't let her come her!' 'very well,' said mrs. king, in doubt of her own powers, and in haste to be decently civil. 'say you won't,' repeated alfred. 'gadding about of a sunday, and leaving her old sick mother--more shame for her! promise, mother!' he had nearly begun to cry at his mother's unkindness in running down- stairs without making the promise, for, in fact, mrs. king had too much conscience to gain present quiet for any one by promises she might be forced to break; and betsey hardman was only too well known. her mother was an aunt of alfred's father, an old decrepit widow, nearly bed-ridden, but pretty well to do, by being maintained chiefly by her daughter, who made a good thing of taking in washing in the suburbs of elbury, and always had a girl or two under her. she had neither had the education, nor the good training in service, that had fallen to mrs. king's lot; and her way of life did not lead to softening her tongue or temper. ellen called her vulgar, and though that is not a nice word to use, she was coarse in her ways of talking and thinking, loud-voiced, and unmannerly, although meaning to be very good-natured. alfred lay in fear of her step, ten times harder than harold's in his most boisterous mood, coming clamp clamp! up the stairs; and her shrill voice--the same tone in which she bawled to her deaf mother, and hallooed to her girls when they were hanging out the clothes in the high wind--coming pitying him--ay, and perhaps her whole weight lumbering down on the couch beside him, shaking every joint in his body! his mother's ways, learnt in the selby nursery, had made him more tender, and more easily fretted by such things, than most cottage lads, who would have been used to them, and never have thought of not liking to have every neighbour who chose running up into the room, and talking without regard to subject or tone. he listened in a fright to the latch of the door, and the coming in. betsey's voice came up, through every chink of the boards, whatever she did herself; and he could hear every word of her greeting, as she said how it was such a fine day, she said to mother she would take a holiday, and come and see cousin king and the poor lad: it must be mighty dull for him, moped up there. stump! stump! was she coming? his mother was answering something too soft for him to hear. 'what, is he asleep?' 'o mother, must you speak the truth?' 'bless me! i should have thought a little cheerful company was good for him. do you leave him quite alone? well--' and there was a frightful noise of the foot of the heaviest chair on the floor. 'i'll sit down and wait a bit! is he so very fractious, then?' what was his mother saying? alfred clenched his fist, and grinned anger at betsey with closed teeth. there was the tiresome old word, 'low--ay, so's my mother; but you should rise his spirits with company, you see; that's why i came over; as soon as ever i heard that there wasn't no hope of him, says i to mother--' what? what was that she had heard? there was his mother, probably trying to restrain her voice, for it came up now just loud enough to make it most distressing to try to catch the words, which sounded like something pitying. 'ay, ay--just like his poor father; when they be decliny, it will come out one ways or another; and says i to mother, i'll go over and cheer poor cousin king up a bit, for you see, after all, if he'd lived, he'd be nothing but a burden, crippled up like that; and a lingering job is always bad for poor folks.' alfred leant upon his elbow, his eyes full stretched, but feeling as if all his senses had gone into his ears, in his agony to hear more; and he even seemed to catch his mother's voice, but there was no hope in that; it was of her knowing it would be all for the best; and the sadness of it told him that she believed the same as betsey. then came, 'yes; i declare it gave me such a turn, you might have knocked me down with a feather. i asked mr. blunt to come in and see what's good for mother, she feels so weak at times, and has such a noise in her head, just like the regiment playing drums, she says, till she can't hardly bear herself; and so what do you think he says? don't wrap up her head so warm, says he--a pretty thing for a doctor to say, as if a poor old creature like that, past seventy years old, could go without a bit of flannel to her head, and her three night-caps, and a shawl over them when there's a draught. i say, cousin, i ha'n't got much opinion of mr. blunt. why don't you get some of them boxes of pills, that does cures wonderful? ever so many lords and ladies cured of a perplexity fit, by only just taking an imposing draught or two.' another time alfred would have laughed at the very imposing draught, that was said to cure lords and ladies of this jumble between apoplexy and paralysis; but this was no moment for laughing, and he was in despair at fancying his mother wanted to lead her off on the quack medicine; but she went on. 'well, only read the papers that come with them. i make my girl sally read 'em all to me, being that she's a better scholar; and the long words is quite heavenly--i declare there ain't one of them shorter than peregrination. i'd have brought one of them over to shew you if i hadn't come away in a hurry, because evans's cart was going out to the merry orchard, and says i to mother, well, i'll get a lift now there's such a chance to friarswood: it'll do them all a bit of good to see a bit of cheerful company, seeing, as mr. blunt says, that poor lad is going after his father as fast as can be. dear me, says i, you don't say so, such a fine healthy-looking chap as he was. yes, he says, but it's in the constitution; it's getting to the lungs, and he'll never last out the winter.' alfred listened for the tone of his mother's voice; he knew he should judge by that, even without catching the words--low, subdued, sad--he almost thought she began with 'yes.' all the rest that he heard passed by him merely as a sound, noted no more than the lowing of the cattle, or the drone of the thrashing machine. he lay half lifted up on his pillows, drawing his breath short with apprehension; his days were numbered, and death was coming fast, fast, straight upon him. he felt it within himself--he knew now the meaning of the pain and sinking, the shortness of breath and choking of throat that had been growing on him through the long summer days; he was being 'cut off with pining sickness,' and his sentence had gone forth. he would have screamed for his mother in the sore terror and agony that had come over him, in hopes she might drive the notion from him; but the dread of seeing her followed by that woman kept his lips shut, except for his long gasps of breath. and she could not keep him--mr. blunt could not keep him; no one could stay the hand that had touched him! prayer! they had prayed for his father, for charlie, but it had not been god's will. he had himself many times prayed to recover, and it had not been granted--he was worse and worse. moreover, whither did that path of suffering lead? up rose before alfred the thought of living after the unknown passage, and of answering for all he had done; and now the faults he had refused to call to mind when he was told of chastisement, came and stood up of themselves. bred up to know the good, he had not loved it; he had cared for his own pleasure, not for god; he had not heeded the comfort of his widowed mother; he had been careless of the honour of god's house, said and heard prayers without minding them; he had been disrespectful and ill-behaved at my lady's--he had been bad in every way; and when illness came, how rebellious and murmuring he had been, how unkind he had been to his patient mother, sister, and brother; and when mr. cope had told him it was meant to lead him to repent, he would not hear; and now it was too late, the door would be shut. he had always heard that there was a time when sorrow was no use, when the offer of being saved had been thrown away. when ellen came in, and after a short greeting to betsey hardman, went up- stairs, she found alfred lying back on his pillow, deadly white, the beads of dew standing on his brow, and his breath in gasps. she would have shrieked for her mother, but he held out his hand, and said, in a low hoarse whisper, 'ellen, is it true?' 'what, alfy dear? what is the matter?' 'what _she_ says.' 'who? betsey hardman? dear dear alf, is it anything dreadful?' 'that i shall die,' said alfred, his eyes growing round with terror again. 'that mr. blunt said i couldn't last out the winter.' 'dear alfy, don't!' cried ellen, throwing her arms round him, and kissing him with all her might; 'don't fancy it! she's always gossiping and gadding about, and don't know what she says, and she'd got no business to tell stories to frighten my darling!' she exclaimed, sobbing with agitation. 'i'm sure mr. blunt never said no such thing!' 'but mother thinks it, ellen.' 'she doesn't, she can't!' cried ellen vehemently; 'i know she doesn't, or she could never go about as she does. i'll call her up and ask her, to satisfy you.' 'no, no, not while that woman is there!' cried alfred, holding her by the dress; 'i'll not have _her_ coming up.' even while he spoke, however, mrs. king was coming. betsey had spied an old acquaintance on the way from church, and had popped out to speak to her, and mrs. king caught that moment for coming up. she understood all, for she had been sitting in great distress, lest alfred should be listening to every word which she was unable to silence, and about which betsey was quite thoughtless. so many people of her degree would talk to the patient about himself and his danger, and go on constantly before him with all their fears, and the doctor's opinions, that betsey had never thought of there being more consideration and tenderness shewn in this house, nor that mrs. king would have hidden any pressing danger from the sick person; but such plain words had not yet passed between her and mr. blunt; and though she had long felt what alfred's illness would come to, the perception had rather grown on her than come at any particular moment. now when ellen, with tears and agitation, asked what that betsey had been saying to frighten alfred so, and when she saw her poor boy's look at her, and heard his sob, 'oh, mother!' it was almost too much for her, and she went up and kissed him, and laid him down less uneasily, but he felt a great tear fall on his face. 'it's not true, mother, i'm sure it is not true,' cried ellen; 'she ought--' mrs. king looked at her daughter with a sad sweet face, that stopped her short, and brought the sense over her too. 'did he say so, mother?' said alfred. 'not to me, dear,' she answered; 'but, ellen, she's coming back! she'll be up here if you don't go down.' poor ellen! what would she not have given for power to listen to her mother, and cry at her ease? but she was forced to hurry, or betsey would have been half-way up-stairs in another instant. she was a hopeful girl, however, and after that 'not to me,' resolved to believe nothing of the matter. mrs. king knelt down by her son, and looked at him tenderly; and then, as his eyes went on begging for an answer, she said, 'dr. blunt never told me there was no hope, my dear, and everything lies in god's power.' 'but you don't think i shall get well, mother?' 'i don't feel as if you would, my boy,' she said, very low, and fondling him all the time. 'you've got to cough like father and charlie, and--though he might raise my boy up--yet anyhow, alfy boy, if god sees it good for us, it _will_ be good for us, and we shall be helped through with it.' 'but i'm not good, mother! what will become of me?' 'perhaps the hearing this is all out of god's mercy, to give you time to get ready, my dear. you are no worse now than you were this morning; you are not like to go yet awhile. no, indeed, my child; so if you don't put off any longer--' 'mother!' called up ellen. she was in despair. betsey was not to be kept by her from satisfying herself upon alfred's looks, and mrs. king was only in time to meet her on the stairs, and tell her that he was so weak and low, that he could not be seen now, she could not tell how it would be when he had had his tea. ellen thought she had never had so distressing a tea-drinking in her life, as the being obliged to sit listening civilly to betsey's long story about the trouble she had about a stocking of mrs. martin's that was lost in the wash, and that had gone to miss rosa marlowe, because mrs. martin had her things marked with a badly-done k. e. m., and all that mrs. martin's maria and all miss marlowe's jane had said about it, and all betsey's 'says i to mother,'--when she was so longing to be watching poor alfred, and how her mother could sit so quietly making tea, and answering so civilly, she could not guess; but mrs. king had that sense of propriety and desire to do as she would be done by, which is the very substance of christian courtesy, the very want of which made betsey, with all her wish to be kind, a real oppression and burthen to the whole party. and where was harold? ellen had not seen him coming out of church, but meal-times were pretty certain to bring him home. 'oh,' said betsey, 'i'll warrant he is off to the merry orchard.' 'i hope not,' said mrs. king gravely. 'he never would,' said ellen, in anger. 'ah, well, i always said i didn't see no harm in a lad getting a bit of pleasure.' 'no, indeed,' said mrs. king. 'harold knows i would not stint him in the fruit nor in the pleasure, but i should be much vexed if he could go out on a sunday, buying and selling, among such a lot as meet at that orchard.' 'well, i'm sure i don't know when poor folks is to have a holiday if not on a sunday, and the poor boy must be terrible moped with his brother so ill.' 'not doing thine own pleasure on my holy day,' thought ellen, but she did not say it, for her mother could not bear for texts to be quoted at people. but her heart was very heavy; and when she went up with some tea to alfred, she looked from the window to see whether, as she hoped, harold might be in paul's hay-loft, preferring going without his tea to being teased by betsey. paul sat in his loft, with his bible on his knee, and his head on caesar's neck. 'alfred,' said ellen, 'do you know where harold is? sure he is not gone to the merry orchard?' 'is not he come home?' said alfred. 'oh, then he is! he is gone to the merry orchard, breaking sunday with dick royston! and by-and-by he'll be ill, and die, and be as miserable as i am!' and alfred cried as ellen had never seen him cry. chapter vi--the merry orchard where was harold? still the evening went on, and he did not come. alfred had worn himself out with his fit of crying, and lay quite still, either asleep, or looking so like it, that when betsey had finished her tea, and again began asking to see him, ellen could honestly declare that he was asleep. betsey had bidden them good-bye, more than half affronted at not being able to report to her mother all about his looks, though she carried with her a basket of gooseberries and french beans, and mrs. king walked all the way down the lane with her, and tried to shew an interest in all she said, to make up for the disappointment. maybe likewise mrs. king felt it a relief to her uneasiness to look up and down the road, and along the river, and into the farm-yard, in the hope that harold might be in sight; but nothing was to be seen on the road, but master norland, his wife, and baby, soberly taking their sunday walk; nor by the river, except the ducks, who seemed to be enjoying their evening bath, and almost asleep on the water; nor in the yard, except paul blackthorn, who had come down from his perch to drive the horses in from the home-field, and shut the stable up for the night. she could not help stopping a moment at the gate, and calling out to paul to ask whether he had seen anything of harold. he seemed to have a great mind not to hear, and turned very slowly with his shoulder towards her, making a sound like 'eh?' as if to ask what she said. 'have you seen my boy harold?' 'i saw him in the morning.' 'have you not seen him since? didn't he go to church with you?' 'no; i don't go to sunday school.' 'was he there?' she did not receive any answer. 'do you know if many of the boys are gone to the merry orchard?' 'ay.' 'well, you are a good lad not to be one of them.' 'hadn't got any money,' said paul gruffly; but mrs. king thought he said so chiefly from dislike to be praised, and that there had been some principle as well as poverty to keep him away. 'it might be better if no one had it on a sunday,' she could not help sighing out as she looked anxiously along the lane ere turning in, and then said, 'my good lad, i don't want to get you to be telling tales, but it would set my heart at rest, and his poor brother's up there, if you could tell me he is not gone to briar alley.' paul turned up his face from the gate upon which he was leaning his elbows, and gazed for a moment at her sad, meek, anxious face, then exclaimed, 'i can't think how he could!' poor paul! was it not crossing him how impossible it would seem to do anything to vex one who so cared for him? 'then he is gone,' she said mournfully. 'they were all at him,' said paul; 'and he said he'd never seen what it was like. please don't take on, missus; he's right kind and good-hearted, and wanted to treat me.' 'i had rather he had hearkened to you, my boy,' said mrs. king. 'i don't know why he should do that,' said paul, perhaps meaning that a boy who heeded not such a mother would certainly heed no one else. 'but please, missus,' he added, 'don't beat him, for you made me tell on him.' 'beat him! no,' said mrs. king, with a sad smile; 'he's too big a boy for me to manage that way. i can't do more than grieve if he lets himself be led away.' 'then i'd like to beat him myself if he grieves you!' burst out paul, doubling up his brown fist with indignation. 'but you won't,' said mrs. king gently; 'i don't want to make a quarrel among you, and i hope you'll help to keep him out of bad ways, paul. i look to you for it. good-night.' perhaps the darkness and her own warm feeling made her forget the condition of that hand; at any rate, as she said good-night she took it in her own and shook it heartily, and then she went in. paul did not say good-night in answer; but when she had turned away, his head went down between his two crossed arms upon the top of the gate, and he did not move for many many minutes, except that his shoulders shook and shook again, for he was sobbing as he had never sobbed since granny moll died. if home and home love were not matters of course to you, you might guess what strange new fountains of feeling were stirred in the wild but not untaught boy, by that face, that voice, that touch. and mrs. king, as she walked to her own door in the twilight, with bitter pain in her heart, could not help thinking of those from the highways and hedges who flocked to the feast set at naught by such as were bidden. a sad and mournful sunday evening was that to the mother and daughter, as each sat over her bible. mrs. king would not talk to ellen, for fear of awakening alfred; not that low voices would have done so, but ellen was already much upset by what she had heard and seen, and to talk it over would have brought on a fit of violent crying; so her mother thought it safest to say nothing. they would have read their bible to one another, but each had her voice so choked with tears, that it would not do. that alfred was sinking away into the grave, was no news to mrs. king; but perhaps it had never been so plainly spoken to her before, and his own knowledge of it seemed to make it more sure; but broken-hearted as she felt, she had been learning to submit to this, and it might be better and safer for him, she thought, to be aware of his state, and more ready to do his best with the time left to him. that was not the freshest sorrow, or more truly a darker cloud had come over, namely, the feeling, so terrible to a good careful mother, that her son is breaking out of the courses to which she has endeavoured and prayed to bring him up--that he is casting off restraint, and running into evil that may be the beginning of ruin, and with no father's hand to hold him in. o harold, had you but seen the thick tears dropping on the walnut table behind the arm that hid her face from ellen, you would not have thought your fun worth them! that merry orchard was about three miles from friarswood. it belonged to a man who kept a small public-house, and had a little farm, and a large garden, with several cherry trees, which in may were perfect gardens of blossoms, white as snow, and in august with small black fruit of the sort known as merries; and unhappily the fertile produce of these trees became a great temptation to the owner and to all the villagers around. as sunday was the only day when people could be at leisure, he chose three sundays when the cherries were ripe for throwing open his orchard to all who chose to come and buy and eat the fruit, and of course cakes and drink of various kinds were also sold. it was a solitary spot, out of the way of the police, or the selling in church-time would have been stopped; but as there may be cases of real distress, the law does not shut up all houses for selling food and drink on a sunday, so others, where there is no necessity, take advantage of it; and so for miles round all the idle young people and children would call it a holiday to go away from their churches to eat cherries at briar alley, buying and selling on a sunday, noisy and clamorous, and forgetting utterly that it was the lord's day, not their day of idle pleasure. it was a sad pity that an innocent feast of fruit should be almost out of reach, unless enjoyed in this manner. to be sure, merries might be bought any day of the week at briar alley, and were hawked up and down friarswood so cheaply that any one might get a mouth as purple as the black spaniel's any day in the season; but that was nothing to the fun of going with numbers, and numbers never could go except on a sunday. but if people wish to serve god truly, why, they must make up their minds to miss pleasures for his sake, and this was one to begin with; and i am much mistaken if the happiness of the week would not have turned out greater in the end with him. ay, and as to the owner of the trees, who said he was a poor man, and could not afford to lose the profit, i believe that if he would have trusted god and kept his commandment, his profit in the long run would have been greater here, to say nothing of the peril to his own soul of doing wrong, and leading so many into temptation. the kings had been bred up to think a sunday going to the merry orchard a thing never to be done; and in his most idle days alfred would never have dreamt of such a thing. indeed, their good mother always managed to have some treat to make up for it when they were little; and they certainly never wanted for merries, nay, a merry pudding had been their dinner this very day, with savage-looking purple juice and scalding hot stones. if harold went it was for the frolic, not for want of the dainty; and wrong as it was, his mother was grieving more at the thought of his casting away the restraint of his old habits than for the one action. one son going away into the unseen world, the other being led away from the paths of right--no wonder she wept as she tried to read! at last voices were coming, and very loud ones. the summer night was so still, they could be heard a great way--those rude coarse voices of village boys boasting and jeering one another. 'i say, wouldn't you like to be one of they chaps at ragglesford school?' 'what lots they bought there on saturday, to be sure!' 'well they may: they've lots of tin!' 'have they? how d'ye know?' 'why, the money-letters! don't i know the feel of them--directed to master this and master that, and with a seal and a card, and half a sovereign, or maybe a whole one, under it; and such lots as they gets before the holidays--that's to go home, you see.' 'well, it's a shame such little impudent rogues should get so much without ever doing a stroke of work for it.' 'i say, harold, don't ye never put one of they letters in your pocket?' 'for shame, dick!' 'ha! i shall know where to come when i wants half a sovereign or so!' 'no, you won't.' it was only these last two or three speeches that reached the cottage at all clearly; and they were followed by a sound as if harold had fallen upon one of the others, and they were holding him off, with halloos and shouts of hoarse laughing, which broke alfred's sleep, and his voice came down-stairs with a startled cry of 'mother! mother! what is that?' she ran up-stairs in haste, and ellen threw the door open. the sudden display of the light silenced the noisy boys; and harold came slowly up the garden-path, pretty certain of a scolding, and prepared to feel it as little as he could help. 'well, master, a nice sort of a way of spending a sunday evening this!' began ellen; 'and coming hollaing up the lane, just on purpose to wake poor alfred, when he's so ill!' 'i'm sure i never meant to wake him.' 'then what did you bring all that good-for-nothing set roaring and shouting up the road for? and just this evening, too, when one would have thought you would we have cared for poor mother and alfred,' said she, crying. 'why, what's the matter now?' said harold. 'oh, they've been saying he can't live out the winter,' said ellen, shedding the tears that had been kept back all this time, and broke out now with double force, in her grief for one brother and vexation with the other. but next winter seemed a great way off to harold, and he was put out besides, so he did not seem shocked, especially as he was reproached with not feeling what he did not know; so all he did was to say angrily, 'and how was i to know that?' 'of course you don't know anything, going scampering over the country with the worst lot you can find, away from church and all, not caring for anything! poor mother! she never thought one of her lads would come to that!' 'plenty does so, without never such a fuss,' said harold. 'why, what harm is there in eating a few cherries?' there would be very little pleasure or use in knowing what a wrangling went on all the time mrs. king was up-stairs putting alfred to bed. ellen had all the right on her side, but she did not use it wisely; she was very unhappy, and much displeased with harold, and so she had it all out in a fretful manner that made him more cross and less feeling than was his nature. there was something he did feel, however--and that was his mother's pale, worn, sorrowful face, when she came down-stairs and hushed ellen, but did not speak to him. they took down the books, read their chapter, and she read prayers very low, and not quite steadily. he would have liked very much to have told her he felt sorry, but he was too proud to do so after having shewn ellen he was above caring for such nonsense. so they all went to bed, harold on a little landing at the top of the stairs; but--whether it was from the pounds of merry-stones he had swallowed, or the talk he had had with his sister--he could not go to sleep, and lay tossing and tumbling about, thinking it very odd he had not heeded more what ellen had said when he first came in, and the notion dawning on him more and more, that day after day would come and make alfred worse, and that by the time summer came again he should be alone. who could have said it? why had not he asked? what could he have been thinking about? it should not be true! a sort of frenzy to speak to some one, and hear the real meaning of those words, so as to make sure they were only ellen's nonsense, came over him in the silent darkness. presently he heard alfred moving on his pillow, for the door was open for the heat; and that long long sigh made him call in a whisper, 'alf, are you awake?' in another moment harold was by his brother's side. 'alf! alf! are you worse?' he asked, whispering. 'no.' 'then what's all this? what did they say? it's all stuff; i'm sure it is, and you're getting better. but what did ellen mean?' 'no, harold,' said alfred, getting his brother's hand in his, 'it's not stuff; i shan't get well; i'm going after poor charlie; and don't you be a bad lad, harold, and run away from your church, for you don't know--how bad it feels to--' and alfred turned his face down, for the tears were coming thick. 'but you aren't going to die, alf. charlie never was like you, i know he wasn't; he was always coughing. it is all ellen. who said it? i won't let them.' 'the doctor said it to betsey hardman,' said alfred; and his cough was only too like his brother's. harold would have said a great deal in contempt of betsey hardman, but alfred did not let him. 'you'll wake mother,' he said. 'hush, harold, don't go stamping about; i can't bear it! no, i don't want any one to tell me now; i've been getting worse ever since i was taken, and--oh! be quiet, harold.' 'i can't be quiet,' sobbed harold, coming nearer to him. 'o alf! i can't spare you! there hasn't been no proper downright fun without you, and--' harold had lain down by him and clung to his hand, trying not to sob aloud. 'o harold!' sighed alfred, 'i don't think i should mind--at least not so much--if i hadn't been such a bad boy.' 'you, alfy! who was ever a good boy if you was not?' 'hush! you forget all about when i was up at my lady's, and all that. oh! and how bad i behaved at church, and when i was so saucy to master about the marbles; and so often i've not minded mother. o harold! and god judges one for everything!' what a sad terrified voice it was! 'oh! don't go on so, alf! i can't bear it! why, we are but boys; and those things were so long ago! god will not be hard on little boys. he is merciful, don't you know?' 'but when i knew it was wrong, i did the worst i could!' said alfred. 'oh, if i could only begin all over again, now i do care! only, harold, harold, you are well; you can be good now when there's time.' 'i'll be ever so good if you'll only get well,' said harold. 'i wouldn't have gone to that there place to-night; but 'tis so terribly dull, and one must do something.' 'but in church-time, and on sunday!' 'well, i'll never do it again; but it was so sunshiny, and they were all making such fun, you see, and it did seem so stuffy, and so long and tiresome, i couldn't help it, you see.' alfred did not think of asking how, if harold could not help it this time, he could be sure of never doing so again. he was more inclined to dwell on himself, and went back to that one sentence, 'god judges us for everything.' harold thought he meant it for him, and exclaimed, 'yes, yes, i know, but--oh, alf, you shouldn't frighten one so; i never meant no harm.' 'i wasn't thinking about that,' sighed alfred. 'i was wishing i'd been a better lad; but i've been worse, and crosser, and more unkind, ever since i was ill. o harold! what shall i do?' 'don't go on that way,' said harold, crying bitterly. 'say your prayers, and maybe you will get well; and then in the morning i'll ask mr. cope to come down, and he'll tell you not to mind.' 'i wouldn't listen to mr. cope when he told me to be sorry for my sins; and oh, harold, if we are not sorry, you know they will not be taken away.' 'well, but you are sorry now.' 'i have heard tell that there are two ways of being sorry, and i don't know if mine is the right.' 'i tell you i'll fetch mr. cope in the morning; and when the doctor comes he'll be sure to say it is all a pack of stuff, and you need not be fretting yourself.' when harold awoke in the morning, he found himself lying wrapped in his coverlet on alfred's bed, and then he remembered all about it, and looked in haste, as though he expected to see some sudden and terrible change in his brother. but alfred was looking cheerful, he had awakened without discomfort; and with some amusement, was watching the starts and movements, the grunts and groans, of harold's waking. the morning air and the ordinary look of things, had driven away the gloomy thoughts of evening, and he chiefly thought of them as something strange and dreadful, and yet not quite a dream. 'don't tell mother,' whispered harold, recollecting himself, and starting up quietly. 'but you'll fetch mr. cope,' said alfred earnestly. harold had begun not to like the notion of meeting mr. cope, lest he should hear something of yesterday's doings, and he did not like alfred or himself to think of last night's alarm, so he said, 'oh, very well, i'll see about it.' he had not made up his mind. very likely, if chance had brought him face to face with mr. cope, he would have spoken about alfred as the best way to hinder the curate from reproving himself; but he had not that right sort of boldness which would have made him go to meet the reproof he so richly deserved, and he was trying to persuade himself either that when alfred was amused and cheery, he would forget all about 'that there betsey's nonsense,' or else that mr. cope might come that way of himself. but alfred was not likely to forget. what he had heard hung on him through all the little occupations of the morning, and made him meek and gentle under them, and he was reckoning constantly upon mr. cope's coming, fastening on the notion as if he were able to save him. still the curate came not, and alfred became grieved, feeling as if he was neglected. mr. blunt, however, came, and at any rate he would have it out with him; so he asked at once very straightforwardly, 'am i going to die, sir?' 'why, what's put that in your head?' said the doctor. 'there was a person here talking last night, sir,' said mrs. king. 'well, but am i?' said alfred impatiently. 'not just yet, i hope,' said mr. blunt cheerfully. 'you are weak, but you'll pick up again.' 'but of this?' persisted alfred, who was not to be trifled with. mr. blunt saw he must be in earnest. 'my boy,' he said, 'i'm afraid it is not a thing to be got over. i'll do the best i can for you, by god's blessing; and if you get through the winter, and it is a mild spring, you might do; but you'd better settle your mind that you can't be many years for this world.' many years! that sounded like a reprieve, and sent gladness into ellen's heart; but somehow it did not seem in the same light to alfred; he felt that if he were slowly going down hill and wasting away, so as to have no more health or strength in which to live differently from ever before, the length of time was not much to him, and in his sickly impatience he would almost have preferred that it should not be what betsey kindly called 'a lingering job.' there he lay after mr. blunt was gone, not giving ellen any trouble, except by the sad thoughtfulness of his face, as he lay dwelling on all that he wanted to say to mr. cope, and the terror of his sin and of judgment sweeping over him every now and then. still mr. cope came not. alfred at last began to wonder aloud, and asked if harold had said anything about it when he came in to dinner; but he heard that harold had only rushed in for a moment, snatched up a lump of bread and cheese, and made off to the river with some of the lads who meant to spend the noon-tide rest in bathing. when he came for the evening letters he was caught, and mr. cope was asked for; and then it came out that harold had never given the message at all. alfred, greatly hurt, and sadly worn by his day of expectation, had no self-restraint left, and flew out into a regular passion, calling his brother angry names. harold, just as passionate, went into a rage too, and scolded his brother for his fancies. mrs. king, in great displeasure, turned him out, and he rushed off to ride like one mad to elbury; and poor alfred remained so much shocked at his own outbreak, just when he meant to have been good ever after, and sobbing so miserably, that no one could calm him at all; and ellen, as the only hope, put on her bonnet to fetch mr. cope. at that moment paul was come for his bit of bread. she found him looking dismayed at the sounds of violent weeping from above, and he asked what it was. 'oh, alfred is so low and so bad, and he wants mr. cope! here's your bread, don't keep me!' 'let me go! i'll be quicker!' cried paul; and before she could thank him, he was down the garden and right across the first field. alfred had had time to cry himself exhausted, and to be lying very still, almost faint, before mr. cope came in in the summer twilight. good paul! he had found that mr. cope was dining at ragglesford and had run all the way thither; and here was the kind young curate, quite breathless with his haste, and never regretting the cheerful party whence he had been called away. all alfred could say was, 'o sir, i shall die; and i'm a bad boy, and wouldn't heed you when you said so.' 'and god has made you see your sins, my poor boy,' said mr. cope. 'that is a great blessing.' 'but if i can't do anything to make up for them, what's the use? and i never shall be well again.' 'you can't make up for them; but there is one who has made up for them, if you will only truly repent.' 'i wasn't sorry till i knew i should die,' said alfred. 'no, your sins did not come home to you! now, do you know what they are?' 'oh yes; i've been a bad boy to mother, and at church; and i've been cross to ellen, and quarrelled with harold; and i was so audacious at my lady's, they couldn't keep me. i never did want really to be good. oh! i know i shall go to the bad place!' 'no, alfred, not if you so repent, that you can hold to our blessed saviour's promise. there is a fountain open for sin and all uncleanness.' 'it is very good of him,' said alfred, a little more tranquilly, not in the half-sob in which he had before spoken. 'most merciful!' said mr. cope. 'but does it mean me?' continued alfred. 'you were baptized, alfred, you have a right to all his promises of pardon.' and he repeated the blessed sentences: 'come unto me, all that travail and are heavy laden, and i will refresh you.' 'god so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' 'but how ought i to believe, sir?' 'you say you feel what your sins are; think of them all as you lie, each one as you remember it; say it out in your heart to our saviour, and pray god to forgive it for his sake, and then think that it cost some of the pain he bore on the cross, some of the drops of his agony in the garden. each sin of ours was indeed of that burden!' 'oh, that will make them seem so bad!' 'indeed it does; but how it will make you love him, and feel thankful to him, and anxious not to waste the sufferings borne for your sake, and glad, perhaps, that you are bearing some small thing yourself. but you are spent, and i had better not talk more now. let me read you a few prayers to help you, and then i will leave you, and come again to-morrow.' how differently those prayers and psalms sounded to alfred now that he had really a heart grieved and wearied with the burthen of sin! the point was to make his not a frightened heart, but a contrite heart. chapter vii--harold takes a wrong turn mrs. king was very anxious about alfred for many hours after this visit from the curate, for he was continually crying, not violently, but the tears flowing quietly from his eyes as he lay, thinking. sometimes it was the badness of the faults as he saw them now, looking so very different from what they did when they were committed in the carelessness of fun and high spirits, or viewed afterwards in the hardening light of self-justification. now they did look so wantonly hard and rude--unkind to his sister, ruinous to harold, regardless of his widowed mother, reckless of his god--that each one seemed to cut into him with a sense of its own badness, and he was quite as much grieved as afraid; he hated the fault, and hated himself for it. indeed, he was growing less afraid, for the sorrow seemed to swallow that up; the grief at having offended one so loving was putting out the terror of being punished; or rather, when he thought that this illness was punishment, he was almost glad to have some of what he deserved; just as when he was a little boy, he really used to be happier afterwards for having been whipped and put in the corner, because that was like making it up. though he knew very well that if he had ten thousand times worse than this to bear, it would not be making up for his faults, and he felt now that one of them had been his 'despising the chastening of the lord.' and then the thought of what had made up for it would come: and though he had known of it all his life, and heeded it all too little, now that his heart was tender, and he had felt some of the horror and pain of sin, he took it all home now, and clung to it. he recollected the verses about that one kneeling--nay, falling on the ground, in the cold dewy night, with the chosen friends who could not watch with him, and the agony and misery that every one in all the world deserved to feel, gathering on him, who had done no wrong, and making his brow stream with great drops of blood. and the tortures, the shame, the slow death--circumstance after circumstance came to his mind, and 'for me,' 'this fault of mine helped,' would rise with it, and the tears trickled down at the thought of the suffering and of the love that had caused it to be undergone. once he raised up his head, and saw through the window the deep dark-blue sky, and the stars, twinkling and sparkling away; that pale band of light, the milky way, which they say is made of countless stars too far off to be distinguished, and looking like a cloud, and on it the larger, brighter burnished stars, differing from one another in glory. he thought of some lines in a book miss jane once gave ellen, which said of the stars: 'the lord resigned them all to gain the bliss of pardoning thee.' and when he thought that it was the king of those stars who was scourged and spit on, and for the sake of _his_ faults, the loving tears came again, and he turned to another hymn of ellen's: 'rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee!' and going on with this, he fell into a more quiet sleep than he had had for many nights. alfred had worked up his mind to a point where it could not long remain; and when he awoke in the morning, the common affairs of the day occupied him in a way that was not hurtful to him, as the one chief thought was ever present, only laid away for a time, and helping him when he might have been fretful or impatient. he was anxious for mr. cope, and grateful when he saw him coming early in the day. mr. cope did not, however, say anything very new. he chiefly wished to shew alfred that he must not think all his struggle with sin over, and that he had nothing to do but to lie still and be pardoned. there was much more work, as he would find, when the present strong feeling should grow a little blunt; he would have to keep his will bent to bear what was sent by god, and to prove his repentance by curing himself of all his bad habits of peevishness and exacting; to learn, in fact, to take up his cross. alfred feebly promised to try, and it did not seem so difficult just then. the days were becoming cooler, and he did not feel quite so ill; and though he did not know how much this helped him, it made it much easier to act on his good resolutions. miss selby came to see him, and was quite delighted to see him looking so much less uncomfortable and dismal. 'why, alfred,' said she, 'you must be much better.' ellen looked mournful at this, and shook her head so that miss jane turned her bright face to her in alarm. 'no, ma'am,' said alfred. 'dr. blunt says i can never get over it.' 'and does that make you glad?' almost gasped miss jane. 'no, ma'am,' said alfred; 'but mr. cope has been talking to me, and made it all so--' he could not get out the words; and, besides, he saw miss jane's eyes winking very fast to check the tears, and ellen's had begun to rain down fast. 'i didn't mean to be silly,' said little jane, in rather a trembling voice; 'but i'm sorry--no--i'm glad you are happy and good, alfred.' 'not good, miss jane,' cried alfred; 'i'm such a bad boy, but there are such good things as i never minded before--' 'well then, i think you'll like what i've brought you,' said jane eagerly. it was a little framed picture of our blessed lord on his cross, all darkness round, and the inscription above his head; and miss jane had painted, in tall old english red letters, under it the two words, 'for me.' alfred looked at it as if indeed it would be a great comfort to him to be always reminded by the eye, of how 'he was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities.' he thanked miss jane with all his heart, and she and ellen soon found a place to hang it up well in his sight. it was a pretty bright sight to see her insisting on holding the nail for it, and then playfully pretending to shrink and fancy that ellen would hammer her fingers. alfred could enjoy the sunshine of his sick-room again; and ellen and his mother down-stairs told miss selby, with many tears, of the happy change that had come over him ever since he had resigned himself to give up hopes of life. mrs. king looked so peaceful and thankful, that little jane could hardly understand what it was that made her so much more at rest. even ellen, though her heart ached at the hope having gone out, and left a dark place where it had been, felt the great relief from hour to hour of not being fretted and snarled at for whatever she either did or left undone. thanks and smiles were much pleasanter payment than groans, murmurs, and scoldings; and the brother and sister sometimes grew quite cheerful and merry together, as alfred lay raised up to look over the hedge into the harvest-field across the meadow, where the reaper and his wife might be seen gathering the brown ears round, and cutting them with the sickle, and others going after to bind them into the glorious wheat sheaves that leant against each other in heaps of blessed promise of plenty. paul tried reaping; but the first thing he did was to make a terrible cut in his hand, which the shuffler told him was for good luck! some of the women in the field bound it up, but he was good for nothing after it except going after the cattle, and so he was likely to lose all the chance of earning himself any better clothes in harvest-time. harold grumbled dreadfully that his mother could not spare him to go harvesting beyond their own tiny quarter of an acre of wheat. the post made it impossible for him to go out to work like the labourers; and besides, his mother did not think he had gained much good in hay-time, and wished to keep him from the boys. very hard he thought it; and to hear him grumble, any one would have thought mrs. king was a tyrant far worse than farmer shepherd, working the flesh off his bones, taking away the fun and the payment alike. the truth was, that the morning when harold threw away from him the thought of his brother's danger, and broke all his promises to him in the selfish fear of a rebuke from the clergyman, had been one of the turning- points of his life, and a turning-point for the bad. it had been a hardening of his heart, just as it had begun to be touched, and a letting in of evil spirits instead of good ones. he became more than ever afraid of mr. cope, and shirked going near him so as to be spoken to; he cut ellen off short if she said a word to him, and avoided being with alfred, partly because it made him melancholy, partly because he was afraid of alfred's again talking to him about the evil of his ways. in reality, his secret soul was wretched at the thought of losing his brother; but he tried to put the notion away from him, and to drown it in the noisiest jokes and most riotous sports he could meet with, keeping company with the wildest lads about the parish. that dick royston especially, whose honesty was doubtful, but who, being a clever fellow, was a sort of leader, was doing great harm by setting his face against the new parson, and laughing at the boys who went to him. mrs. king was very unhappy. it was almost worse to think of harold than of his sick brother; and alfred grieved very much too, and took to himself the blame of having made home miserable to harold, and driven him into bad company; of having been so peevish and unpleasant, that it was no wonder he would not come near him more than could be helped; and above all, of having set a bad example of idleness and recklessness, when he was well. if the tears were brought into his eyes at first by some unkind neglect of harold's, they were sure to end in this thought at last; and then the only comfort was, that mr. cope had told him that he might make his sick-bed very precious to his brother's welfare, by praying always for him. mr. cope had talked it over with mrs. king; and they had agreed that as harold was under the regular age for confirmation, and seemed so little disposed to prepare for it in earnest, they would not press it on him. he was far from fit for it, and he was in such a mood of impatient irreverence, that mr. cope was afraid of making his sin worse by forcing serious things on him, and his mother was in constant fear of losing her last hold on him. yet harold was not a bad or unfeeling boy by nature; and if he would but have paused to think, he would have been shocked to see how cruelly he was paining his widowed mother and dying brother, just when he should have been their strength and stay. one afternoon in october, when alfred was in a good deal of pain, mr. blunt said he would send out some cooling ointment for the wound at the joint, when harold took the evening letters into elbury. alfred reckoned much on the relief this was to give, and watched the ticks of the clock for the time for harold to set off. 'make haste,' were the last words his mother spoke--and harold fully meant to make haste; nor was it weather to tempt him to stay long, for there was a chill raw fog hanging over the meadows, and fast turning into rain, which hung in drops upon his eyebrows, and the many-tiered cape of his father's box-coat, which he always wore in bad weather. it was fortunate he was likely to meet nothing, and that he and the pony both knew the road pretty well. how fuzzy the grey fog made the lamps of the town look! did they disturb the pony? what a stumble! ha! there's a shoe off. be it known that it was harold's own fault; he had not looked at the shoes for many a morning, as he knew it was his duty to do. he left peggy with her ears back, much discomposed at being shod in a strange forge, and by any one but bill saunders. then harold was going to leave his bag at the post-office, when, as he turned up the street, some one caught hold of him, and cried, 'ho! harold king on foot! what's the row? old pony tumbled down dead?' 'cast a shoe,' said harold. 'oh, jolly, you'll have to wait!' went on dick royston. 'come in here! here's such a lark!' harold looked into a court-yard belonging to a low public-house, and saw what was like a tent, with a bright red star on a blue ground at the end, lighted up. a dark figure came between, and there was a sudden crack that made harold start. 'it's the unique (he called it eu-ni-quee) royal shooting-gallery, patronized by his royal highness the prince of wales,' (what a story!) said dick. 'you've only to lay down your tin; one copper for three shots, and if you hit, you may take your choice--gingerbread-nuts, or bits of cocoa-nut, or, what's jolliest, lollies with gin inside 'em! come, blaze away! or ha'n't you got the money? does mother keep you too short?' if there was a thing harold had a longing for, it was to fire off a gun! if there was a person he envied more than another, it was old isaac coffin, when he prowled up and down farmer ledbitter's fields with an old blunderbuss and some powder, to keep off the birds! to be sure it was a public-house, but it was not inside one! and mother would call it gambling. oh, but it wasn't cards or skittles! and if he shot away his half-pence, how should he pay for the shoeing of the pony? the blacksmith might trust him, or the clerk at the post-office would lend him the money, or betsey hardman. and the time? one shot would not waste much! pony must be shod. besides, dick and all the rest would say he was a baby. he paid the penny, threw aside his cap, and took the gun, though after all it was only a sham one, and what a miss he made! what business had every one to set up that great hoarse laugh? which made him so angry that he had nearly turned on dick and cuffed him for his pains. however, he was the more bent on trying again, and the owner of the gallery shewed him how to manage better. he hit anything but the middle of the star, and just saw how he thought he might hit next time. next time was barely a miss, so that the man actually gave him a gin-drop to encourage him. that made him mad to meet with real success; but it was the turn of another 'young gent,' as the man called him, and harold had to stand by, with his penny in his hand, burning with impatience, and fancying he could mend each shot of that young gent, and another, and another, and another, who all thrust in to claim their rights before him. his turn came at last; and so short and straight was the gallery, that he really did hit once the side of the star, and once the middle, and thus gained one gingerbread-nut, and three of the gin-drops. it would have been his nature to share them with alfred, but he could not do so without saying where he had been, and that he could not do, so he gave one to dick, and swallowed the rest to keep out the cold. just then the town clock struck six, and frightened him. he had been there three-quarters of an hour. what would they say at the post-office? the clerk looked out of his hole as angry as clerk could look. 'this won't do, king,' he said. 'late for sorting! fine, remember--near an hour after time.' 'pony cast a shoe, sir,' said harold. he had never been so near a downright falsehood. 'whew! then i suppose i must not report you this time! but look out! you're getting slack.' no time this for borrowing of the clerk. harold was really frightened, for he _had_ dawdled much more than he ought of late, and though he sometimes fancied himself sick of the whole post business, a complaint to his mother would be a dreadful matter. it put everything else out of his head; and he ran off in great haste to get the money from betsey hardman, knocking loud at her green door. what a cloud of steamy heat the room was, with the fire glowing like a red furnace, and five black irons standing up before it; and clothes-baskets full of heaps of whiteness, and horses with vapoury webs of lace and cambric hanging on them; and the three ironing-boards, where smoothness ran along with the irons; and the heaps of folded clothes; and betsey in her white apron, broad and red in the midst of her maidens! 'ha! harold king! well, to be sure, you are a stranger! don't come nigh that there hoss; it's mrs. parnell's best pocket-handkerchiefs, real walencines!' (she meant valenciennes.) 'if you'll just run up and see mother, i'll have it out of the way, and we'll have a cup of tea.' 'thank you, but i--' 'my! what a smoke ye're in! take care, or i shall have 'em all to do over again. go up to mother, do, like a good lad.' 'i can't, betsey; i must go home.' 'ay! that's the way. lads never can sit down sensible and comfortable! it's all the same--' 'i wanted,' said harold, interrupting her, 'to ask you to lend me sixpence. pony's cast a shoe, and i had to leave her with the smith.' 'ay? who did you leave her with?' 'the first i came to, up in wood street.' 'myers. ye shouldn't have done that. his wife's the most stuck-up proud body i ever saw--wears steel petticoats, i'll answer for it. you should have gone to charles shaw.' 'can't help it,' said harold. 'please, betsey, let me have the sixpence; i'll pay you faithfully to-morrow!' 'ay! that's always the way. never come in unless ye want somewhat. 'twasn't the way your poor father went on! he'd a civil word for every one. well, and can't you stop a minute to say how your poor brother is?' 'much the same,' said harold impatiently. 'yes, he'll never be no better, poor thing! all decliny; as i says to mother, what a misfortune it is upon poor cousin king! they'll all go off, one after t'other, just like innocents to the slaughter.' this was not a cheerful prediction; and harold petulantly said he must get back, and begged for the sixpence. he got it at last, but not till all betsey's pocket had been turned out; and finding nothing but shillings and threepenny-bits, she went all through her day's expenses aloud, calling all her girls to witness to help her to account for the sixpence that ought to have been there. mrs. brown had paid her four and sixpence--one florin and a half-crown--and she had three threepenny-pieces in her pocket, and twopence. then sally had been out and got a shilling's-worth of soap, and six-penn'orth of blue, and brought home one shilling; and there was the sausages--no one could recollect what they had cost, though they talked so much about their taste; and five-pence-worth of red-herrings, and the butter; yes, and threepence to the beggar who said he had been in sebastopol. harold's head was ready to turn round before it was all done; but he got away at last, with a scolding for not going up to see mother. home he trotted as hard as the pony would go, holding his head down to try to bury nose and mouth in his collar, and the thick rain plastering his hair, and streaming down the back of his neck. what an ill-used wretch was he, said he to himself, to have to rattle all over the country in such weather! here was home at last. how comfortable looked the bright light, as the cottage door was thrown open at the sound of the horse's feet! 'well, harold!' cried ellen eagerly, 'is anything the matter?' 'no,' he said, beginning to get sulky because he felt he was wrong; 'only peggy lost a shoe--' 'lame?' 'no, i took her to the smith.' 'give me alfred's ointment, please, before you put her up. he is in such a way about it, and we can't put him to bed--' 'haven't got it.' 'not got it! o harold!' 'i should like to know how to be minding such things when pony loses a shoe, and such weather! i declare i'm as wet--!' said harold angrily, as he saw his sister clasp her hands in distress, and the tears come in her eyes. 'is harold come safe?' called mrs. king from above. 'is the ointment come?' cried alfred, in a piteous pain-worn voice. harold stamped his foot, and bolted to the stable to put the pony away. 'it's not come,' said ellen, coming up-stairs, very sadly. 'he has forgot it.' 'forgot it!' cried alfred, raising himself passionately. 'he always does forget everything! he don't care for me one farthing! i believe he wants me dead!' 'this is very bad of him! i didn't think he'd have done it,' said mrs. king sorrowfully. 'he's been loitering after some mischief,' exclaimed alfred. 'taking his pleasure--and i must stay all this time in pain! serve him right to send him back to elbury.' mrs. king had a great mind to have done so; but when she looked at the torrents of rain that streamed against the window, and thought how wet harold must be already, and of the fatal illnesses that had been begun by being exposed to such weather, she was afraid to venture a boy with such a family constitution, and turning back to alfred, she said, 'i am very sorry, alfred, but it can't be helped; i can't send harold out in the rain again, or we shall have him ill too.' poor alfred! it was no trifle to have suffered all day, and to be told the pain must go on all night. his patience and all his better thoughts were quite worn away, and he burst into tears of anger and cried out that it was very hard--his mother cared for harold more than for him, and nobody minded it, if he lay in such pain all night. 'you know better than that, dear,' said his poor mother, sadly grieved, but bearing it meekly. 'harold shall go as soon as can be to-morrow.' 'and what good will that be to-night?' grumbled alfred. 'but you always did put harold before me. however, i shall soon be dead and out of your way, that's all!' mrs. king would not make any answer to this speech, knowing it only made him worse. she went down to see about harold, an additional offence to alfred, who muttered something about 'mother and her darling.' 'how can you, alfred, speak so to mother?' cried ellen. 'i'm sure every one is cross enough to me,' returned alfred. 'not mother,' said ellen. 'she couldn't help it.' 'she won't send harold out again, though; i'm sure i'd have gone for him.' 'you don't know what the rain was,' said ellen. 'well, he should have minded; but you're all against me.' 'you'll be sorry by-and-by, alfred; this isn't like the way you talk sometimes.' 'some one else had need to be sorry, not me.' perhaps, in the midst of his captious state, alfred was somewhat pacified by hearing sounds below that made him certain that harold was not escaping without some strong words from his mother. they were not properly taken. harold was in no mood of repentance, and the consciousness that he had been behaving most unkindly, only made him more rough and self-justifying. 'i can't help it! i can't be a slave to run about everywhere, and remember everything--pony losing her shoe, and nigh tumbling down with me, and ross at the post so cross for nothing!' 'you'll grieve at the way you have used your poor brother one of these days, harold,' quietly answered his mother, so low, that alfred could not hear through the floor. 'now, you'll please to go to bed.' 'ain't i to have no supper?' said harold in a sullen voice, with a great mind to sit down in the chimney-corner in defiance. 'i shall give you something hot when you are in bed. if i treated you as you deserve, i should send you to mr. blunt's this moment; but i can't afford to have you ill too, so go to bed this moment.' his mother could still master him by her steadiness and he went up, muttering that he'd no notion of being treated like a baby, and that he would soon shew her the difference: he wasn't going to be made a slave to alfred, and 'twas all a fuss about that stuff! he did fancy he said his prayers; but they could not have been real ones, for he was no softer when his mother came to his bedside with a great basin of hot gruel. he said he hated such nasty sick stuff, and grunted savagely when, with a look that ought to have gone to his heart, she asked if he thought he deserved anything better. yet she did not know of the shooting gallery, nor of his false excuses. if he had not been deceiving her, perhaps he might have been touched. 'well, harold,' she said at last, after taking the empty basin from him, and picking up his wet clothes and boots to dry them by the fire, 'i hope as you lie there you'll come to a better mind. it makes me afraid for you, my boy. it is not only your brother you are sinning against, but if you are a bad boy, you know who will be angry with you. good-night.' she lingered, but harold was still hard, and would neither own himself sorry, nor say good-night. when she passed his bed at the top of the stairs again, after hanging up the things by the fire, he had his head hidden, and either was, or feigned to be, asleep. alfred's ill-temper was nearly gone, but he still thought himself grievously injured, and was at no pains to keep himself from groaning and moaning all the time he was being put to bed. in fact, he rather liked to make the most of it, to shew his mother how provoking she was, and to reproach harold for his neglect. the latter purpose he did not effect; harold heard every sound, and consoled himself by thinking what an intolerable work alfred was making on purpose. if he had tried to bear it as well as possible, his brother would have been much more likely to be sorry. alfred was thinking too much about his misfortunes and discomforts to attend to the evening reading, but it soothed him a little, and the pain was somewhat less, so he did fall asleep, so uneasily though, that mrs. king put off going to bed as late as she could. it was nearly eleven, and ellen had been in bed a long time, when alfred started, and mrs. king turned her head, at the click of the wicket gate, and a step plashing on the walk. she opened the little window, and the gust of wet wind puffed the curtains, whistled round the room, and almost blew out the candle. 'who's there? 'it's me, mrs. king! i've got the stuff,' called a hoarse tired voice. 'well, if ever! it's paul blackthorn!' exclaimed mrs. king. 'thank ye kindly. i'll come and let you in.' 'paul blackthorn!' cried alfred. 'been all the way to elbury for me! o mother, bring him up, and let me thank him! but how ever did he know?' the tears came running down alfred's cheeks at such kindness from a stranger. mrs. king had hurried down-stairs, and at the threshold stood a watery figure, holding out the gallipot. 'oh! thank you, thank you; but come in! yes, come in! you must have something hot, and get dried.' paul shambled in very foot-sore. he looked as if he were made of moist mud, and might be squeezed into any shape, and streams of rain were dropping from each of his many rags. 'well, i don't know how to thank you--such a night! but he'll sleep easy now. how did you come to think of it?' 'i was just coming home from the parson's, and i met harold putting up peggy, in a great way because he'd forgotten. that's all, missus,' said paul, looking shamefaced. 'good-night to you.' 'no, no, that won't do. i must have you sit down and get dry,' said mrs. king, nursing up the remains of the fire; and as paul's day-garments served him for night-gear likewise, he could hardly help accepting the invitation, and spreading his chilled hands to the fire. as to mrs. king's feelings, it must be owned that, grateful as she was, it was rather like sitting opposite to the heap in the middle of mr. shepherd's farm-yard. 'would you take that?' she said, holding out a three-penny piece. 'i'd make it twice as much if i could, but times are hard.' 'no, no, missus, i didn't do it for that,' said paul, putting it aside. 'then you must have some supper, that i declare.' and she brought out a slice of cold bacon, and some bread, and warmed some beer at the fire. she would go without bacon and beer herself to- morrow, but that was nothing to her. it was a real pleasure to see the colour come into paul's bony yellow cheeks at the hearty meal, which he could not refuse; but he did not speak much, for he was tired out, and the fire and the beer were making him very sleepy. alfred rapped above with the stick that served as a bell. it was to beg that paul would come and be thanked; and though mrs. king was a little afraid of the experiment, she did ask him to walk up for a moment. grunt went he, and in rather an unmannerly way, he said, 'i'd rather not.' 'pray do,' said mrs. king; 'i don't think alfred will sleep easy without saying thank you.' so paul complied, and in a most ungainly fashion clumped up-stairs and stood at the door. he had not forgotten his last reception, and would not come a step farther, though alfred stretched out his hand and begged him to come in. alfred could say only 'thank you, i never thought any one would be so kind.' and paul made gruff reply, 'ye're very welcome,' turned about as if he were running away, and tumbled down-stairs, and out of the house, without even answering mrs. king's 'good-night.' harold had wakened at the sounds. he heard all, but he chose to seem to be asleep, and, would you believe it? he was only the more provoked! paul's exertion made his neglect seem all the worse, and he was positively angry with him for 'going and meddling, and poking his nose where he'd no concern. now he shouldn't be able to get the stuff to-morrow, and so make it up; and of course mother would go and dock paul's supper out of his dinner!' if such reflections were going on upon one side of the partition, there were very different thoughts upon the other. the stranger's kindness had done more than relieve alfred's pain: the warm sense of thankfulness had softened his spirit, and carried off his selfish fit. he knew not how kind people were to him, and how ungrateful he had been to punish his innocent mother and sister, and so much to magnify a bit of thoughtlessness on harold's part; to be angry with his mother for not driving him out when she thought it might endanger his health and life, and to say such cruel things on purpose to wound her. alfred felt himself far more cruel than he had even thought harold. and was this his resolution? was this the shewing the sincerity of his repentance through his conduct in illness? was this patience? was it brotherly love? was it the taking up the cross so as to bear it like his saviour, who spoke no word of complaining, no murmur against his tormentors? how he had fallen! how he had lost himself! it was a bitter distress, and threw him almost into despair. he prayed over and over to be forgiven, and began to long for some assurance of pardon, and for something to prevent all his right feelings and wishes from thus seeming to slip away from his grasp at the first trial. he told his mother how sorry he was; and she answered, 'dear lad, don't fret about it. it was very hard for you to bear, and you are but learning, you see, to be patient.' 'but i'm not learning if i don't go on no better,' sighed alfred. 'by bits you are, my boy,' she said; 'you are much less fractious now than you used to be, only you could not stand this out-of-the-way trial.' alfred groaned. 'do you remember what our saviour said to st. peter?' said his mother; '"whither i go thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt follow me afterwards." you see, st. peter couldn't bear his cross then, but he went on doing his best, and grieving when he failed, and by-and-by he did bear it almost like his master. he got to be made strong out of weakness.' there was some comfort to alfred in this; but he feared, and yet longed, to see mr. cope, and when he came, had scarcely answered his questions as to how he felt, before he said, 'o sir, i've been a bad boy again, and so cross to them all!' 'o sir,' said ellen, who could not bear for him to blame himself, 'i'm sure it was no wonder--he's so distracted with the pain, and harold getting idling, and forgetting to bring him the ointment. why, even that vagabond boy was so shocked, that he went all the way to elbury that very night for it. i told alfred you'd tell him that anybody would be put out, and nobody would think of minding what he said.' 'nobody, especially so kind a sister,' said mr. cope, smiling; 'but that is not what alfred is thinking of.' 'no, sir,' said alfred; 'their being so good to me makes it all the worse.' 'i quite believe so; and you are very much disappointed in yourself.' 'oh yes, sir, just when i wanted to be getting patient, and more like--' and his eyes turned to the little picture, and filled with tears. mr. cope said somewhat of what his mother had said that he was but a scholar in patience, and that he must take courage, though he had slipped, and pray for new strengthening and refreshing to go on in the path of pain his lord had hallowed for him. perhaps the words reminded alfred of the part of the catechism where they occur, for he said, 'oh, i wish i was confirmed! if i could but take the holy sacrament, to make me stronger, and sure of being forgiven--' 'you shall--before--' said mr. cope, speaking eagerly, but becoming choked as he went on. 'you are one whom the church would own as ready and desirous to come, though you cannot be confirmed. you should at once--but you see i am not yet a priest; i have not the power to administer the holy communion; but i trust i shall be one in the spring, and then, alfred--or if you should be worse, i promise you that i would bring some one here. you shall not go without the bread of life.' alfred felt what he said to the depths of his heart, but he could not say anything but 'thank you, sir.' mr. cope, still much moved, laid his hand upon that of the boy. 'so, alfred, we prepare together. as i hope and long to prepare myself to have that great charge committed to me, which our saviour christ gave to his apostles; so you prepare for the receiving of that bread and that cup which will more fully unite you to him, and join your suffering to what he bore for you.' 'how shall i, sir?' murmured alfred. 'i will do my best to shew you,' said mr. cope; 'but your catechism tells you best. think over that last answer.' alfred's face lighted sweetly as he went over it. 'why, that's what i can't help doing, sir; i can't forget my faults, i'm so afraid of them; and i'm sure i do want to lead a new life, if i didn't keep on being so bad; and thinking about his dying is the best comfort i have. nor i'm sure i don't bear ill-will to nobody, only i suppose it is not charity to run out at poor mother and ellen when one's put out.' 'perhaps that is what you want to learn,' said mr. cope, 'and to get all these feelings deepened, and more earnest and steadfast. if the long waiting does that for you, it will be good, and keep you from coming lightly to the holy feast.' 'oh, i could not do that!' exclaimed alfred. 'and may i think that all my faults will be taken away and forgiven?' 'all you repent of, and bring in faith--' 'that is what they say at church in the absolution,' said alfred thoughtfully. 'rather it is what the priest says to them,' said mr. cope; 'it is the applying the promise of forgiveness that our saviour bought. i may not yet say those words with authority, alfred, but i should like to hope that some day i may speak them to you, and bring rest from the weight at your heart.' 'oh! i hope i may live to that!' said alfred. 'you shall hear them, whether from me or from another,' said mr. cope, 'that is, if god will grant us warning. but you need not fear, alfred, if you thoroughly repent, and put your full faith in the great sacrifice that has been offered for your sins and the sins of all the world. god will take care of his child, and you already have his promise that he will give you all that is needful for your salvation.' chapter viii--confirmation if harold had known all the consequences of his neglect, perhaps he would have been more sorry for it than as yet he had chosen to be. the long walk and the warm beer and fire sent paul to his hay-nest so heavy with sleep, that he never stirred till next morning he was wakened by tom boldre, the shuffler, kicking him severely, and swearing at him for a lazy fellow, who stayed out at night and left him to do his work. paul stumbled to his feet, quite confused by the pain, and feeling for his shoes in the dark loft. the shuffler scarcely gave him an instant to put them on, but hunted him down-stairs, telling him the farmer was there, and he would catch it. it would do nobody any good to hear the violent way in which mr. shepherd abused the boy. he was a passionate man, and no good labourers liked to work with him because of his tongue. with such grown men as he had, he was obliged to keep himself under some restraint, but this only incited him to make up for it towards the poor friendless boy. it was really nearly eight o'clock, and paul's work had been neglected, which was enough to cause displeasure; and besides, boldre had heard paul coming home past eleven, and the farmer insisted on knowing what he had been doing. under all his rags, paul was a very proud boy, and thus asked, he would not tell, but stood with his legs twisted, looking very sulky. 'no use asking him,' cried mrs. shepherd's shrill voice at the back door; 'why, don't ye hear that mrs. barker's hen-roost has been robbed by dick royston and two or three more on 'em?' 'i never robbed!' cried paul indignantly. 'none of your jaw,' said the farmer angrily. 'if you don't tell me this moment where you've been, off you go this instant. drinking at the tankard, i'll warrant.' 'no such thing, sir,' said paul. 'i went to elbury after some medicine for a sick person.' somehow he had a feeling about the house opposite, which would not let him come out with the name in such a scene. 'that's all stuff,' broke in mrs. shepherd, 'i don't believe one word of it! send him off; take my advice, farmer, let him go where he comes from; ellen king told me he was out of prison.' paul flushed crimson at this, and shook all over. he had all but turned to go, caring for nothing more at friarswood; but just then, john farden, one of the labourers, who was carrying out some manure, called out, 'no, no, ma'am. sure enough he did go to elbury to dr. blunt's. i was on the road myself, and i hears him. "good-night," says i. "good-night," says he. "where be'est going?" says i. "to doctor's," says he, "arter some stuff for alfred king." 'yes,' said paul, speaking more to farden than to his master, 'and then mrs. king gave me some supper, and that was what made me so late.' 'she ought to be ashamed of herself, then,' said mrs. shepherd spitefully, 'having a vagabond scamp like that drinking beer at her house at that time of night. how one is deceived in folks!' 'well, what are you doing here?' cried the farmer, turning on paul angrily; 'd'ye mean to waste any more of the day?' so paul was not turned off, and had to go straight to his work. it was well he had had so good a supper, for he had not a moment to snatch a bit of breakfast. it so happened that his work was to go with john farden, who was carrying out the manure in the cart. paul had to hold the horse, while john forked it out into little heaps in the field. john was a great big powerful man, with a foolish face, not a good workman, nor a good character, or he would not have been at that farm. he had either never been taught anything, or had forgotten it all; he never went near church; he had married a disreputable wife, and had two or three unruly children, who were likely to be the plagues of their parents and the parish, but not a whit did john heed; he did not seem to have much more sense than to work just enough to get food, lodging, beer, and tobacco, to sleep all night, and doze all sunday. there was not any malice nor dishonesty in him; but it was terrible that a man with an immortal soul should live so nearly the life of the brute beasts that have no understanding, and should never wake to the sense of god or of eternity. he was not a man of many words, and nothing passed for a long time but shouts of hoy, and whoa, and the like, to the horse. paul went heavily on, scarce knowing what he was about; there was a stunned jaded feel about him, as if he were hunted and driven about, a mere outcast, despised by every one, even by the kings, whose kindness had been his only ray of brightness. not that his senses or spirits were alive enough even to be conscious of pain or vexation; it was only a dull dreary heedlessness what became of him next; and, quick clever boy as he had been in the union, he did not seem to have a bit more sense, thought, or feeling, than john farden. john farden was the first to break the silence: 'i wouldn't bide,' said he. paul looked up, and muttered, 'i have nowhere to go.' 'farmer uses thee shameful,' repeated john. 'why don't thee cut?' paul saw the smoke of mrs. king's chimney. that had always seemed like a friend to him, but it came across him that they too thought him a runaway from prison, and he felt as if his only bond of fellowship was gone. but there was something else, too; and he made answer, 'i'll bide for the confirmation.' 'eh?' said john, 'what good'll that do ye?' 'help me to be a good lad,' said paul, who knew john farden would not enter into any other explanation. 'why, what'll they do to ye?' 'the bishop will put his hand on me and bless me,' said paul; and as he said the words there was hope and refreshment coming back. he was a child of god, if no other owned him. 'whoy,' said farden, much as he might have spoken to his horse, 'rum sort of a head thou'st got! thee'll never go up to bishop such a guy!' 'can't help it,' said paul rather sullenly; 'it ain't the clothes that god looks at.' john scanned him all over, with his face looking more foolish than ever in the puzzle he felt. 'well,' he said, 'and what wilt get by it?' 'god's grace to do right, i hope,' said paul; then he added, out of his sad heart, 'it's bad enough here, to be sure. it would be a bad look-out if one hoped for nothing afterwards.' somehow john's mind didn't take in the notion of afterwards, and he did not go on talking to paul. perhaps there was a dread in his poor dull mind of getting frightened out of the deadly stupefied sleep it was bound in. but that bit of talk had done paul great good, by rousing him to the thought of what he had to hope for. there was the confirmation nigh at hand, and then on beyond there was rest; and the words came into his mind, 'there the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.' poor, poor boy! he was very young to have such yearnings towards the grave, and well-nigh to wish he lay as near to it as alfred king, so he might have those loving tender hands near him, those kind voices round him. paul had gone through a great deal in these few months; and, used to good shelter and regular meals, he was less inured to bodily hardship than many a cottage boy. his utter neglect of his person was telling on him; he was less healthy and strong than he had been, and though high spirits, merriment, and the pleasure of freedom and independence, had made all light to him in the summer, yet now the cold weather, with his insufficient food and scanty clothing, was dulling him and deadening him, and hard work and unkind usage seemed to be grinding his very senses down. to be sure, when twelve o'clock came, he went up into the loft, ate his bit of dry bread, and said his prayers, as he had not been able to do in the morning, and that made him feel less forlorn and downcast for a little while; but then as he sat, he grew cold, and numb, and sleepy, and seemed to have no life in him, but to be moving like a horse in a mill, when boldre called him down, and told him not to be idling there. the theft in mrs. barker's poultry-yard was never traced home to any one, but the world did not the less believe dick royston and jesse rolt to have been concerned in it. indeed, they had been drinking up some of their gains when harold met them at the shooting-gallery: and mrs. shepherd would not put it out of her head that paul blackthorn was in the secret, and that if he did really go for the medicine as he said, it was only as an excuse for carrying the chickens to some receiver of stolen goods. she had no notion of any person doing anything out of pure love and pity. moreover, it is much easier to put a suspicion into people's heads than out again; and if paul's whole history and each day's doings had been proved to her in a court of justice, she would still have chiefly remembered that she had always thought ill of him, and that ellen king had said he was a runaway convict, and so she would have believed him to the end. ellen had long ago forgotten that she had said anything of the kind; and though she still held her nose rather high when paul was near, she would have answered for his honesty as readily as for that of her own brothers. but hers had not been the charity that thinketh no evil, and her idle words had been like thistle-down, lightly sent forth, but when they had lighted, bearing thorns and prickles. those thorns were galling poor paul. nobody could guess what his glimpses of that happy, peaceful, loving family were to him. they seemed to him like a softer, better kind of world, and he looked at their fair faces and fresh, well-ordered garments with a sort of reverence; a kind look or greeting from mrs. king, a mere civil answer from ellen, those two sights of the white spirit-looking alfred, were like the rays of light that shone into his dark hay-loft. sometimes he heard them singing their hymns and psalms on a sunday evening, and then the tears would come into his eyes as he leant over the gate to listen. and, as if it was because ellen kept at the greatest distance from him, he set more store by her words and looks than those of any one else, was always glad when she served him in the shop, and used to watch her on sunday, looking as fresh as a flower in her neat plain dress. and now to hear that she not only thought meanly of him, which he knew well enough, but thought him a thief, a runaway, and an impostor coming about with false tales, was like a weight upon his sunken spirits, and seemed to take away all the little heart hard usage had left him, made him feel as if suspicious eyes were on him whenever he went for his bit of bread, and took away all his peace in looking at the cottage. he did once take courage to say to harold, 'did your sister really say i had run away from gaol?' 'oh, nobody minds what our ellen says,' was the answer. 'but did she say so?' 'i don't know, i dare say she did. she's so fine, that she thinks no one that comes up-stairs in dirty shoes worth speaking to. i'm sure she's the plague of my life--always at me.' that was not much comfort for paul. he had other friends, to be sure. all the boys in the place liked him, and were very angry with the way the farmer treated him, and greatly to their credit, they admired his superior learning instead of being jealous of it. mrs. hayward, the sexton's wife, the same who had bound up his hand when he cut it at harvest, even asked him to come in and help her boys in the evenings with what they had to prepare for mr. cope. he was not sorry to do so sometimes. the cottage was a slatternly sort of place, where he did not feel ashamed of himself, and the haywards were mild good sort of folks, from whom he was sure never to hear either a bad or an unkind word; though he did not care for them, nor feel refreshed and helped by being with them as he did with the kings. john farden, too, was good-natured to him, and once or twice hindered boldre from striking or abusing him; he offered him a pipe once, but paul could not smoke, and another time brought him out a pint of beer into the field. mrs. shepherd spied him drinking it from her upper window, and believed all the more that he got money somehow, and spent it in drink. so the time wore on till the confirmation, all seeming like one dull heavy dream of bondage; and as the weather became colder, the poor boy seemed to have no power of thinking of anything, but of so getting through his work as to avoid violence, to keep himself from perishing with cold, and not to hurt his chilblains more than he could help. all his quick intellect and good instruction seemed to have perished away, and the last time he went to mr. cope's, he sat as if he were stupid or asleep, and when a question came to him, sat with his mouth open like silly bill pridden. mr. cope knew him too well not to feel, as he wrote the ticket, that there were very few of whom he could so entirely from his heart say 'examined and approved,' as the poor lonely outcast foundling, paul blackthorn, who could not even tell whether he were fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen, but could just make sure that he had once been caned by old mr. haynes, who went away from the union twelve years ago. 'do you think you can keep the ticket safe if i give it you now, paul?' asked mr. cope, recollecting that the cows might sup upon it like his prayer-book. paul put his hands down to the bottom of his pockets. they were all one hole, and that sad lost foolish look came over his wan face again, and startled mr. cope. the boys grinned, but charles hayward stepped forward. 'please, sir, let me take care of it for him.' mr. cope and paul both agreed, and mr. cope kept charles for a moment to say, as he gave him a shilling, 'look here, charles, do you think you can manage to get that poor fellow a tolerable breakfast on saturday before he goes? and if you could make him look a little more decent?' charles pulled his forelock and looked knowing. in fact, there was a little plot among these good-natured boys, and harold king was in it too, though he was not of the confirmation party, and said and thought he was very glad of it. he did not want to bind himself to be so very good. silly boy; as if baptism had not bound him already! mrs. hayward put her head out as paul passed her cottage, and called out, 'i say, you paul, you come in to-morrow evening with our charlie and jim, and i'll wash you when i washes them.' good mrs. hayward made a mistake that the more delicate-minded mrs. king would never have made. perhaps if a pail of warm water and some soap had been set before paul, he might actually have washed himself; but he was much too big and too shamefaced a lad to fancy sharing a family scrubbing by a woman, whatever she might do to her own sons. but considering the size of the hayward cottage, and the way in which the family lived, this sort of notion was not likely to come into the head of the good-natured mother. so she and her boys were much vexed when paul did not make his appearance, and she made a face of great disgust when charles said, 'never mind, mother, my white frock will hide no end of dirt.' 'i shall have to wash it over again before you can wear it, i know,' said mrs. hayward. 'not as i grudges the trouble; he's a poor lost orphant, that it's a shame to see so treated.' mrs. hayward did not know that she was bestowing the cup of cold water, as well as being literally ready to wash the feet of the poor disciple. a clean body is a type and token of a pure mind; and though the lads of friarswood did not quite perceive this, there was a feeling about them of there being something unnatural and improper, and a disgrace to friarswood, in any one going up to the bishop in such a condition as paul. especially, as charles hayward said, when he was the pick of the whole lot. perhaps charles was right, for surely paul was single-hearted in his hope of walking straight to his one home, heaven, and he had been doing no other than bearing his cross, when he so patiently took the being 'buffeted' when he did well, and faithfully served his froward master. but paul was not to escape the outward cleansing, and from one of the very last people from whom it would have been expected. he had just pulled his bed of hay down over him, and was trying to curl himself up so as to stop his teeth from chattering, with caesar on his feet, when the dog growled, and a great voice lowered to a gruff whisper, said, 'come along, young un!' 'i'm coming,' cried paul. though it was not boldre's voice, it had startled him terribly; he was so much used to ill-treatment, that he expected a savage blow every moment. but the great hand that closed on him, though rough, was not unkind. 'poor lad, how he quakes!' said john farden's voice. 'don't ye be afeard, it's only me.' 'nobody got at the horses?' cried paul. 'no, no; only i ain't going to have you going up to yon big parson all one muck-heap! come on, and make no noise about it.' paul did not very well know what was going to befall him, but he did not feel unsafe with john farden, and besides, his lank frame was in the grasp of that big hand like a mouse in the power of a mastiff. so he let himself be hauled down the ladder, into an empty stall, where, behold, there was a dark lantern (which had been at bad work in its time), a pail, a brush, a bit of soap, and a ragged towel. john laid hold of him much as alfred in his page days used to do of lady jane's little dog when it had to be washed, but puck had the advantage in keeping on his shaggy coat all the time, and in being more gently handled, whereas farden scrubbed with such hearty good-will, that paul thought his very skin would come off. but he had undergone the like in the workhouse, and he knew how to accommodate himself to it; and when his rough bath was over, though he was very sore, and stiff, and chilly, he really felt relieved, and more respectable than he had done for many months, only rather sorry he must put on his filthy old rags again; and he gave honest john more thanks than might have been expected. the confirmation was to be at eleven o'clock, at elbury, and john had undertaken his morning's work, so that mr. shepherd grudgingly consented to spare him, knowing that all the other farmers of course did the same, and that there would be a cry of shame if he did not. paul had just found his way down the ladder in the morning, with thoughts going through his mind that to him this would be the coming of the comforter, and he was sure he wanted comfort; and that for some hours of this day at least, he should be at peace from rude words and blows, when he heard a great confusion of merry voices and suppressed laughing, and saw the heads of some of the lads bobbing about near mrs. king's garden. was it time already to set off, he wondered, looking up to the sun; but then those boys seemed to be in an uproarious state such as did not suit his present mood, nor did he think mr. cope would consider it befitting. he would have let them go by, feeling himself such a scare-crow as they might think a blot upon them; but he remembered that charles hayward had his ticket, and as he looked at himself, he doubted whether he should be let into a strange church. 'paul! paul blackthorn!' called harold, with a voice all aglee. 'well!' said paul, 'what do you want of me?' 'come on, and you'll see.' 'i don't want a row. is charlie hayward there? just ask him for my card, and don't make a work.' 'he'll give it you if you'll come for it,' said harold; and seeing there was no other chance, paul slowly came. harold led him to the stable, where just within the door stood a knot of stout hearty boys, snorting with fun, hiding their heads on each other's shoulders, and bending their buskined knees with merriment. 'now then!' cried charles hayward, and he had got hold of the only button that held paul's coat together. paul was bursting out with something, but george grant's arms were round his waist, and his hands were fumbling at his fastenings. they were each one much stronger than he was now, and they drowned his voice with shouts of laughter, while as fast as one garment was pulled off, another was put on. 'mind, you needn't make such a work, it bain't presents,' said george grant, 'only we won't have them asking up at elbury if we've saved the guy to bring in.' 'it is a present, though, old betty bushel's shirt,' said charles hayward. 'she said she'd throw it at his head if he brought it back again; but the frock's mine.' 'and the corduroys is mine,' said george grant. 'my! they be a sight too big in the band! run in, harold, and see if your mother can lend us a pin.' 'and the waistcoat is my summer one,' said fred bunting. 'he's too big too; why, paul, you're no better than a natomy!' 'never mind, my white frock will hide it all,' said charles, 'and here's ned's cap for you. oh! and it's poor alfred's boots.' paul could not make up his mind to walk all the way in the boots, but to satisfy the boys he engaged to put them on as soon as they were getting to elbury. 'my! he looks quite respectable,' cried charles, running back a little way to look at him. 'i wonder if mr. cope will know him?' exclaimed harold, jumping leap-frog fashion on george grant's back. 'the maids will take him for some strange gentleman,' exclaimed jem hayward; 'and why, bless me, he's washed, i do declare!' as a streak of light from the door fell on paul's visage. 'no, you don't mean it,' broke out charles. 'let's look! yes, i protest, why, the old grime between his eyes is gone after all. how did you manage that, paul?' paul rather uneasily mumbled something about john farden, and the boys clapped their hands, and shouted, so that alfred, who well knew what was going on, raised himself on his pillow and laughed. it was rather blunt treatment for feelings if they were tender, but these were rough warm- hearted village boys, and it was all their good-nature. 'and where's the grub?' asked charles importantly, looking about. 'oh, not far off,' said harold; and in another moment, he and charles had brought in a black coffee-pot, a large mug, some brown sugar, a hunch of bread, some butter, and a great big smoking sausage. paul looked at it, as if he were not quite sure what to do with it. one boy proceeded to turn in an inordinate quantity of sugar, another to pour in the brown coffee that sent out a refreshing steam enough to make any one hungry. george grant spread the butter, cut the sausage in half, put it on the bread, and thrust it towards paul. 'eat it--s--s,' said charles, patting paul on the back. 'mr. cope said you was to, and you must obey your minister.' 'not all for me?' said paul, not able to help a pull at the coffee, the mug warming his fingers the while. 'oh yes, we've all had our breakfastisses,' said george grant; 'we are only come to make you eat yours like a good boy, as mr. cope said you should.' they stood round, looking rather as they would have done had paul been an elephant taking his meal in a show; but not one would hear of helping him off with a crumb out of mr. cope's shilling. george grant was a big hungry lad, and his breakfast among nine at home had not been much to speak of; but savoury as was the sausage, and perfumy as was the coffee, he would have scorned to take a fragment from that stranger, beg him to do so as paul might; and what could not be eaten at that time, with a good pint of the coffee, was put aside in a safe nook in the stable to be warmed up for supper. that morning's work was not a bad preparation for confirmation after all. harold had stayed so long, that he had to jump on the pony and ride his fastest to be in time at the post. he was very little ashamed of not being among those lads, and felt as if he had the more time to enjoy himself; but there were those who felt very sad for him--alfred, who would have given so much to receive the blessing; and ellen, whose confirmation was very lonely and melancholy without either of her brothers; besides his mother, to whom his sad carelessness was such constant grief and heart-ache. ellen was called for by the carriage from the grange, and sat up behind with the kitchen-maid, who was likewise to be confirmed. little miss jane sat inside in her white dress and veil, looking like a snowdrop, alfred thought, as his mother lifted him up to the window to see her, as the carriage stood still while ellen climbed to her seat. in the course of the morning, mrs. king made time to read over the confirmation service with alfred, to think of the blessing she was receiving, and to pray that it might rest upon her through life. and they entreated, too, that harold might learn to care for it, and be brought to a better mind. 'o mother,' said alfred, after lying thinking for sometime, 'if i thought harold would take up for good and be a better boy to you than i have been, i should not mind anything so much.' and there was harold all the time wondering whether he should be able to get out in the evening to have a lark with dick and jesse. ellen was set down by-and-by. her colour was very deep, but she looked gentle and happy, and the first thing she did was to bend over alfred, kiss him, and say how she wished he had been there. then, when she had been into her own room, she came back and told them about the beautiful large elbury church, and the great numbers of young girls and boys on the two sides of the aisle, and of the bishop seated in the chair by the altar, and the chanted service, with the organ sounding so beautiful. and then how her heart had beat, and she hardly dared to speak her vow, and how she trembled when her turn came to go up to the rail, but she said it was so comfortable to see mr. cope in his surplice, looking so young among the other clergymen, and coming a little forward, as if to count out and encourage his own flock. she was less frightened when she had met his kind eye, and was able to kneel down with a more quiet mind to receive the gift which had come down on the day of pentecost. alfred wanted to know whether she had seen paul, but ellen had been kneeling down and not thinking of other people, when the friarswood boys went up. only she had passed him on the way home, and seen that though he was lagging the last of the boys, he did not look dull and worn, as he had been doing lately. ellen had been asked to go to the grange after church to-morrow evening, and drink tea there, in celebration of the confirmation which the two young foster-sisters had shared. harold went to fetch her home at night, and they both came into the house fresh and glowing with the brisk frosty air, and also with what they had to tell. 'o mother, what do you think? paul blackthorn is to go to the grange to- morrow. my lady wants to see him, and perhaps she will make mr. pound find some work for him about the farm.' harold jumped up and snapped his fingers towards the farm. 'there's for old skinflint!' said he; 'not a chap in the place but will halloo for joy!' 'well, i am glad!' said mrs. king; 'i didn't think that poor lad would have held out much longer, winter weather and all. but how did my lady come to hear of it?' 'oh, it seems she noticed him going to church in all his rags, and mr. cope told her who he was; so miss jane came and asked me all about him, and i told her what a fine scholar he is, and how shamefully the farmer and boldre treat him, and how good he was to alfred about the ointment, and how steady he is. and i told her about the boys dressing him up yesterday, and how he wouldn't take a gift. she listened just as if it was a story, and she ran away to her grandmamma, and presently came back to say that the boy was to come up to-morrow after his work, for lady jane to speak to him.' 'well, at least, he has been washed once,' said mrs. king; 'but he's so queer; i hope he will have no fancies, and will behave himself.' 'i'll tackle him,' declared harold decidedly. 'i've a great mind to go out this moment and tell him.' mrs. king prevented this; she persuaded harold that mrs. shepherd would fly out at them if she heard any noise in the yard, and that it would be better for every one to let paul alone till the morning. morning came, and as soon as harold was dressed, he rushed to the farm- yard, but he could not find paul anywhere, and concluded that he had been sent out with the cows, and would be back by breakfast-time. as soon as he had brought home the post-bag, he dashed across the road again, but came back in a few moments, looking beside himself. 'he's gone!' he said, and threw himself back in a chair. 'gone!' cried mrs. king and ellen with one voice, quite aghast. 'gone!' repeated harold. 'the farmer hunted him off this morning! missus will have it that he's been stealing her eggs, and that there was a lantern in the stable on friday night; so they told him to be off with him, and he's gone!' 'poor, poor boy! just when my lady would have been the making of him!' cried ellen. 'but where--which way is he gone?' asked mrs. king. 'i might ride after him, and overtake him,' cried harold, starting up, 'but i never thought to ask! and mrs. shepherd was ready to pitch into me, so i got away as soon as i could. do you run over and ask, ellen; you always were a favourite.' they were in such an eager state, that ellen at once sprang up, and hastily throwing on her bonnet, ran across the road, and tapped at mrs. shepherd's open door, exclaiming breathlessly, 'o ma'am, i beg your pardon, but will you tell me where paul blackthorn is gone?' 'paul blackthorn! how should i know?' said mrs. shepherd crossly. 'i'm not to be looking after thieves and vagabonds. he's a come-by-chance, and he's a go-by-chance, and a good riddance too!' 'oh but, ma'am, my lady wanted to speak to him.' this only made mrs. shepherd the more set against the poor boy. 'ay, ay, i know--coming over the gentry; and a good thing he's gone!' said she. 'the place isn't to be harbouring thieves and vagrants, or who's to pay the rates? my eggs are gone, i tell you, and who should take 'em but that lad, i'd like to know?' 'them was two rotten nest-eggs as i throwed away when i was cleaning the stable.' 'who told you to put in your word, john farden?' screamed mrs. shepherd, turning on him. 'ye'd best mind what ye're about, or ye'll be after him soon.' 'no loss neither,' muttered john, stopping to pick up his shovel. 'and you didn't see which way he was gone?' asked ellen, looking from the labourer to the farmer's wife. 'farmer sent un off or ever i come,' replied john, 'or i'd ha' gied un a breakfast.' 'i'm sure i can't tell,' said mrs. shepherd, with a toss of her head. 'and as to you, ellen king, i'm surprised at you, running after a scamp like that, that you told me yourself was out of a prison.' 'oh but, mrs. shepherd--' 'you ought to be ashamed of yourself,' interrupted mrs. shepherd; 'and i wonder your mother allows it. but there's nothing like girls now-a-days.' ellen thought john farden grinned; and feeling as if nothing so shocking could ever happen to her again, she flew back, she hardly knew how, to her home, clapped the door after, and dropping into a chair as harold had done, burst into such a fit of crying, that she could not speak, and only shook her head in answer to harold's questions as to how paul was gone. 'oh, no one knew!' she choked out among her sobs; 'and mrs. shepherd--such things!' harold stamped his foot, and mrs. king tried to soothe her. in the midst, she recollected that she could not bear her brothers to guess at the worst part of the 'such things;' and recovering herself a moment, she said, 'no, no, they've driven him off! he's gone, and--and, oh! mother, mrs. shepherd will have it he's a thief, and--and she says i said so.' that was bad enough, and ellen wept bitterly again; while her mother and harold both cried out with surprise. 'yes--but--i did say i dare said he was out of a reformatory--and that she should remember it! now i've taken away his character, and he's a poor lost boy!' oh, idle words! idle words! chapter ix--robbing the mail there was no helping it! people must have their letters whether paul blackthorn were lost or not, and harold was a servant of the public, and must do his duty, so after some exhortations from his mother, he ruefully rose up, hoping that he should not have to go to ragglesford. 'yes, you will,' said his mother, 'and maybe to wait. here's a registered letter, and i think there are two more with money in them.' 'to think,' sighed harold, as he mounted his pony, 'of them little chaps getting more money for nothing, than paul did in a month by working the skin off his bones!' 'don't be discontented, harold, on that score. them little chaps will work hard enough by-and-by: and the money they have now is to train them in making a fit use of it then.' harold looked anxiously up and down the road for paul, and asked mr. cope's housekeeper whether he had been there to take leave. no; and indeed harold would have been a little vexed if he had wished good-bye anywhere if not at home. there was a fine white frost, and the rime hung thickly on every spray of the heavy branches of the dark firs and larches that overhung the long solitary lane between the grange and ragglesford, and fringed the park palings with crystals. harold thought how cold poor paul must be going on his way in his ragged clothes. the ice crackled under the pony's feet as she trotted down ragglesford lane, and the water of the ford looked so cold, that peggy, a very wise animal, turned her head towards the foot- bridge, a narrow and not very sound affair, over which harold had sometimes taken her when the stream was high, and threatened to be over his feet. harold made no objection; but no sooner were all the pony's four hoofs well upon the bridge, than at the other end appeared dick royston. 'hollo, har'ld!' was his greeting, 'i've got somewhat to say to ye.' 'd'ye know where paul blackthorn is?' asked harold. 'not i--i'm a traveller myself, you must know.' 'you, going to cut?' cried harold. 'ay,' said dick, laying hold of the pony's rein. 'the police have been down at rolt's--stupid fellow left old gander's feet about--mrs. barker swore to 'em 'cause he'd had so many kicks and bites on common--jesse's took up and peached--i've been hiding about all night--precious cold it was, and just waiting, you see, to wish you good-bye.' harold, very much shocked, could have dispensed with his farewells, nor did he like the look of his eyes. 'thank you, dick; i'm sorry--i didn't think--but i'm after time--i wish you'd let go of peggy.' 'so that's all you have to say to an old comrade!' said dick; 'but, i say, har'ld, i'm not going so. i must have some tin to take me to portsmouth. i want to know what you've got in that there bag!' 'you won't have that; it's the post. let go, dick;' and he pushed the pony forward, but dick had got her fast by the head. harold looked round for help, but ragglesford lane was one of the loneliest places in the country. there was not a house for half a mile, and lady jane's plantations shut in the road on either side. 'i mean to have it,' said dick, looking coolly up into his face; 'i mean to see if there's any of the letters with a half-sovereign in 'em, that you tell us about.' 'dick, dick, it would be robbing! for shame, dick! what would become of mother and me?' 'that's your look-out,' said dick; and he stretched out his hand for the bag. he was four years older than harold, and much stouter. harold, with a ready move, chucked the bag round to his back, and shouted lustily in hopes that there might be a keeper in the woods, 'help! thieves! he's robbing the post!' dick's hoarse laugh was all the answer. 'that'll do, my dear,' he said; 'now you'd best be quiet; i'd be loath to hurt you.' for all answer, harold, shouting all the time, dealt him a stroke right over the eyes and nose with his riding-switch, and made a great effort to force the pony on in hopes the blow might have made him slacken his hold. but though one moment dick's arm was thrown over his watering eyes, the other hand held the bridle as firmly as ever, and the next instant his fist dealt harold such a blow, as nearly knocked out all his breath. setting his teeth, and swearing an oath, dick was pouncing on the boy's arm, when from the road before them came bursting a meagre thing darting like a wild cat, which fell upon him, hallooing as loud as harold. dick turned in fury, and let go the bridle. the pony backed in alarm. the new-comer was grappling with the thief, and trying to drag him aside. 'on, on; go on, har'ld!' he shouted, but his strength was far from equal to dick's, who threw him aside on the hand-rail. old rotten rail that it was, it crashed under the weight, and fell with both the boys into the water. peggy dashed forward to the other side, where harold pulled her up with much difficulty, and turned round to look at the robber and the champion. the fall was not far, nor the water deep, and they had both risen, and were ready to seize one another again in their rage. and now harold saw that he who had come to his help was no other than paul blackthorn, who shouted loudly, 'on, go on! i'll keep him.' 'he'll kill you!' screamed harold, in despair, ready to push in between them with his horse; but at that moment cart-wheels were heard in the road, and dick, shaking his fist, and swearing at them both, shook off paul as if he had been a feather, and splashing out of the ford on the other side, leapt over the hedge, and was off through the plantations. paul more slowly crept up towards harold, dripping from head to foot. 'paul! paul! i'm glad i've found you!' cried harold. 'you've saved the letters, man, and one was registered! come along with me, up to the school.' 'nay, i'll not do that,' said paul. 'then you'll stay till i come back,' said harold earnestly; 'i've got so much to tell you! my lady sent for you. our ellen told her all about you, and you're to go to her. ellen was in such a way when she found you were off.' 'then she didn't think i'd taken the eggs?' said paul. 'she'd as soon think that i had,' said harold. 'why, don't we all know that you're one of the parson's own sort? but what made you go off without a word to nobody?' 'i don't know. every one was against me,' said paul; 'and i thought i'd just go out of the way, and you'd forget all about me. but i never touched those eggs, and you may tell mr. cope so, and thank him for all his kindness to me.' 'you'll tell him yourself. you're going home along with me,' cried harold. 'there! i'll not stir a step till you've promised! why, if you make off now, 'twill be the way to make them think you have something to run away for, like that rascal.' 'very well,' said paul, rather dreamily. 'then you won't?' said harold. 'upon your word and honour?' paul said the words after him, not much as if he knew what he was about; and harold, rather alarmed at the sound of the grange clock striking, gave a cut to the pony, and bounded on, only looking back to see that paul was seating himself by the side of the lane. harold said to himself that his mother would not have liked to see him do so after such a ducking, but he knew that he was more tenderly treated than other lads, and with reason for precaution too; and he promised himself soon to be bringing paul home to be dried and warmed. but he was less speedy than he intended. when he arrived at the school, he had first to account to the servants for his being so late, and then he was obliged to wait while the owner of the registered letter was to sign the green paper, acknowledging its safe delivery. instead of having the receipt brought back to him, there came a message that he was to go up to tell the master and the young gentlemen all about the robbery. so the servant led the way, and harold followed a little shy, but more curious. the boys were in school, a great bare white-washed room, looking very cold, with a large arched window at one end, and forms ranged in squares round the hacked and hewed deal tables. harold thought he should tell alfred that the young gentlemen had not much the advantage of themselves in their schoolroom. the boys were mostly smaller than he was, only those of the uppermost form being of the same size. there might be about forty of them, looking rather red and purple with the chilly morning, and all their eighty eyes, black or brown, blue or grey, fixed at once upon the young postman as he walked into the room, straight and upright, in his high stout gaiters over his cord trousers, his thick rough blue coat and red comforter, with his cap in his hand, his fair hair uncovered, and his blue eyes and rosy cheeks all the more bright for that strange morning's work. he was a well-mannered boy, and made his bow very properly to mr. carter, the master, who sat at his high desk. 'so, my little man,' said the master, 'i hear you've had a fight for our property this morning. you've saved this young gentleman's birthday present of a watch, and he wants to thank you.' 'thank you, sir,' said harold; 'but he'd have been too much for me if paul hadn't come to help. he's a deal bigger than me.' the boys all made a thumping and scuffling with their feet, as if to applaud harold; and their master said, 'tell us how it was.' harold gave the account in a very good simple manner, only he did not say who the robber was--he did not like to do so--indeed, he would not quite believe it could be his old friend dick. the boys clapped and thumped doubly when he came to the switching, and still more at the tumble into the water. 'do you know who the fellow was?' asked mr. carter. 'yes, i knowed him,' said harold, and stopped there. 'but you had rather not tell. is that it?' 'please, sir, he's gone, and i wouldn't get him into trouble.' at this the school-boys perfectly stamped, and made signs of cheering. 'and who is the boy that came to help you?' 'paul blackthorn, sir; he's a boy from the union who worked at farmer shepherd's. he's a right good boy, sir; but he's got no friends, nor no--nothing,' said harold, pausing ere he finished. 'why didn't you bring him up with you?' asked the master. 'please, sir, he wouldn't come.' 'well,' said mr. carter, 'you've behaved like a brave fellow, and so has your friend; and here's something in token of gratitude for the rescue of our property.' it was a crown piece. 'and here,' said the boy whose watch had been saved, 'here's half-a-crown. shake hands, you're a jolly fellow; and i'll tell my uncle about you.' harold was a true englishman, and of course his only answer could be, 'thank you, sir, i only did my duty;' and as the other boys, whose money had been rescued, brought forward more silver pledges of gratitude, he added, 'i'll take it to paul--thank you, sir--thank you, sir.' 'that's right; you must share, my lad,' said the school-master. 'it is a reward for both of you.' 'thank you, sir, it was _my_ duty,' repeated harold, making his bow. 'sir, sir, pray let us give him three cheers,' burst out the head boy in an imploring voice. mr. carter smiled and nodded; and there was such a hearty roaring and stamping, such 'hip, hip, hurrah!' bursting out again and again, that the windows clattered, and the room seemed fuller of noise than it could possibly hold. it is not quite certain that mr. carter did not halloo as loud as any of the boys. harold turned very red, and did not know which way to look while it was going on, nor what to do when it was over, except to say a very odd sort of 'thank you, sir;' but his heart leapt up with a kind of warm grateful feeling of liking towards those boys for going along with him so heartily; and the cheers gave a pleasure and glow that the coins never would have done, even had he thought them his own by right. he was not particularly good in this; he had never felt the pinch of want, and was too young to care; and he did not happen to wish to buy anything in particular just then. a selfish or a covetous boy would not have felt as he did; but these were not his temptations. knowing, as he did, that the assault had been the consequence of his foolish boasts about the money-letters, and that he, being in charge, ought to defend them to the last gasp, he was sure he deserved the very contrary from a reward, and never thought of the money belonging to any one but paul, who had by his own free will come to the rescue, and saved the bag from robbery, himself from injury and disgrace. how happy he was in thinking what a windfall it was for his friend, and how far it would go in fitting him up respectably! peggy was ready to trot nearly as fast as he wished her down the lane to the place where he had left paul; and no sooner did harold come in sight of the olive-coloured rags, than he bawled out a loud 'hurrah! come on, paul; you don't know what i've got for you! 'twas a young gentleman's watch as you saved; and they've come down right handsome! and here's twelve-and-sixpence for you--enough to rig you out like a regular swell! why, what's the matter?' he added in quite another voice, as he had now come up to paul, and found him sitting nearly doubled up, with his head bent over his knees. he raised his face up as harold came, and it was so ghastly pale, that the boy, quite startled, jumped off his pony. 'why, old chap, what is it? have you got knit up with cold, sitting here?' 'yes, i suppose so,' said paul; but his very voice shivered, his teeth chattered, and his knees knocked together with the chill. 'the pains run about me,' he added; but he spoke as if he hardly knew what he was doing or saying. 'you must come home with me, and mother will give you something hot,' said harold. 'come, you'll catch your death if you don't. you shall ride home.' he pulled paul from his seat with some difficulty, and was further alarmed when he found that the poor fellow reeled and could hardly stand; but he was somewhat roused, and knew better what he was about. harold tried to put him on the pony, but this could not be managed: he could not help himself enough, peggy always swerved aside, nor was harold strong enough to lift him up. the only thing to be done was for harold to mount, and paul to lean against the saddle, while the pony walked. when they had to separate at the ford, poor paul's walk across the bridge was so feeble and staggering, that harold feared every moment that he would fall where the rail was broken away, but was right glad to put his arm on his shoulder again to help to hold him up. the moving brought a little more life back to the poor boy's limbs, and he walked a little better, and managed to tell harold how he had felt too miserable to speak to any one after the rating the farmer had given him, and how he had set out on the tramp for more work, though with hope so nearly dead in his heart, that he only wished he could sit down and die. he had walked out of the village before people were about, so as not to be noticed, and then had found himself so weak and weary that he could not get on without food, and had sat down by the hedge to eat the bit of bread he had with him. then he had taken the first lonely-looking way he saw, without knowing that it was one of harold's daily rides, and was slowly dragging himself up the hill from the ford when the well-known voice, shouting for help, had suddenly called him back, and filled him with spirit and speed that were far enough off now, poor fellow! that was a terrible mile and a half--harold sometimes thought it would never be over, or that paul would drop down, and he would have to gallop off for help; but paul was not one to give in, and somehow they got back at last, and harold, with his arm round his friend, dragged him through the garden, and across the shop, and pushed him into the arm-chair by the fire, mrs. king following, and ellen rushing down from up-stairs. 'there!' cried harold, all in a breath, 'there he is! that rascal tried to rob me on ragglesford bridge, and was nigh too much for me; but _he_ there came and pulled him off me, and got spilt into the river, and he's got a chill, and if you don't give him something jolly hot, mother, he'll catch his death!' mrs. king thought so too: paul's state looked to her more alarming than it did even to harold. he did not seem able to think or speak, but kept rocking himself towards the fire, and that terrible shivering shaking him all over. 'poor lad!' she said kindly. 'i'll tell you what, harold, all you can do is put him into your bed at once.--here, ellen, you run up first, and bring me a shirt to warm for him. then we'll get his own clothes dried.' 'no, no,' cried harold, with a caper, 'we'll make a scare-crow of 'em. you don't know what i know, mother. i've got twelve shillings and sixpence here all his own; and you'll see what i won't do with it at old levi's, the second-hand clothes man, to-night.' harold grew less noisy as he saw how little good the fire was doing to his patient, and how ill his mother seemed to think him. he quietly obeyed her, by getting him up-stairs, and putting him into his own bed, the first in which paul had lain down for more than four months. then mrs. king sent harold out for some gin; she thought hot spirits and water the only chance of bringing back any life after such a dreadful chill; and she and ellen kept on warming flannels and shawls to restore some heat, and to stop the trembling that shook the bed, so that alfred felt it, even in the next room, where he lay with the door open, longing to be able to help, and wishing to understand what could have happened. at last, the cordial and the warm applications effected some good. paul was able to say, 'i don't know why you are so good to me,' and seemed ready to burst into a great fit of crying; but mrs. king managed to stop him by saying something about one good turn deserving another, and that she hoped he was coming round now. harold was now at leisure to tell the story in his brother's room. alfred did not grieve now at his brother's being able to do spirited things; he laughed out loud, and said, 'well done, harold!' at the switching, and rubbed his hands, and lighted up with glee, as he heard of the ragglesford boys and their cheers; and then, harold went eagerly on with his scheme for fitting up paul at the second-hand shop, both mrs. king and alfred taking great interest in his plans, till mrs. king hearing something like a moan, went back to paul. she found his cheeks and hands as burning hot as they had been cold; they were like live coals; and what was worse, such severe pains were running all over his limbs, that he was squeezing the clothes into his mouth that he might not scream aloud. happily it was mr. blunt's day for calling; and before the morning was over he came, and after a few words of explanation, he stood at paul's bedside. not much given to tenderness towards the feelings of patients of his degree, mr. blunt's advice was soon given. 'yes, he is in for rheumatic fever--won't be about again for a long time to come. i say, mistress, all you've got to do is to send in your boy to the union at elbury, tell 'em to send out a cart for him, and take him in as a casual pauper. then they may pass him on to his parish.' therewith mr. blunt went on to attend to alfred. 'then you think this poor lad will be ill a long time, sir?' said mrs. king, when mr. blunt was preparing to depart. 'of course he will; i never saw a clearer case! you'd better send him off as fast as you can, while he can be moved. he'll have a pretty bout of it, i dare say. 'it is nothing infectious, of course, sir?' said the mother, a little startled by this hastiness. 'infectious--nonsense! why, you know better than that, mrs. king; i only meant that you'd better get rid of him as quick as you can, unless you wish to set up a hospital at once--and a capital nurse you'd be! i would leave word with the relieving officer for you, but that i've got to go on to stoke, and shan't be at home till too late.' mrs. king's heart ached for the poor forlorn orphan, when she remembered what she had heard of the nursing in elbury union. she did not know how to turn him from her door the day he had saved her son from danger such as she could not think of without shuddering; and yet, what could she do? her rent and the winter before her, a heavy doctor's bill, and the loss of alfred's work! slowly she went up the stairs again to the narrow landing that held the bed where paul blackthorn lay. he was quite still, but there were large tears coursing one after the other from his eyes, his hollow cheeks quite glazed with them. 'is the pain so very bad?' she said in her soft voice, putting her hand over his hot forehead, in the way that alfred liked. 'i don't--know,' he answered; and his black eyes, after looking up once in her face with the piteous earnest glance that some loving dogs have, shut themselves as if on purpose to keep in the tears, but she saw the dew squeezing out through the eye-lashes. 'my poor boy, i'm sure it's very bad for you,' she said again. 'please, don't speak so kind,' said paul; and this time he could not prevent a-sob. 'nobody ever did so before, and--' he paused, and went on, 'i suppose they do it up in heaven, so i hope i shall die.' 'you are vexing about the union,' said mrs. king, without answering this last speech, or she knew that she should begin to cry herself. 'i _did_ think i'd done with them,' said paul, with another sob. 'i said i'd never set foot in those four walls again! i was proud, maybe; but please don't stop with me! if you wouldn't look and speak like that, the place wouldn't seem so hard, seeing i'm bred to it, as they say;' and he made an odd sort of attempt to laugh, which ended in his choking himself with worse tears. 'harold is not gone yet,' said mrs. king soothingly; 'we'll wait till he comes in from his work, and see how you are, when you've had a little sleep. don't cry; you aren't going just yet.' that same earnest questioning glance, but with more hope in it, was turned on her again; but she did not dare to bind herself, much as she longed to take the wanderer to her home. she went on to her son's room. 'mother, mother,' alfred cried in a whisper, so eager that it made him cough, 'you can't never send him to the workhouse?' 'i can't bear the thought, alfy,' she said, the tears in her eyes; 'but i don't know what to do. it's not the trouble. that i'd take with all my heart, but it is hard enough to live, and--' 'i'm sure,' said ellen, coming close, that her undertone might be heard, 'harold and i would never mind how much we were pinched.' 'and i could go without--some things,' began alfred. 'and then,' went on the mother, 'you see, if we got straitened, and matilda found it out, she'd want to help, and i can't have her savings touched; and yet i can't bear to let that poor lad be sent off, so ill as he is, and after all he's done for harold--such a good boy, too, and one that's so thankful for a common kind word.' 'o mother, keep him!' said alfred; 'don't you know how the psalm says, "god careth for the stranger, and provideth for the fatherless and the widow"?' mrs. king almost smiled. 'yes, alf, i think it would be trusting god's word; but then there's my duty to you.' 'you've not sent harold off for the cart?' said alfred. 'no; i thought somehow, we have enough for to-day; and it goes against me to send him away at once. i thought we'd wait to see how it is to-morrow; and harold won't mind having a bed made up in the kitchen.' tap, tap, on the counter. some one had come in while they were talking. it was mr. cope, very anxious to hear the truth of the strange stories that were going about the place. ellen and alfred thought it very tiresome that he was so long in coming up-stairs; but the fact was, that their mother was very glad to talk the matter over without them. she knew indeed that mr. cope was a very young man, and not likely to be so well able as herself, with all her experience, to decide what she could afford, or whether she ought to follow her feelings at the risk of debt or of privations for her delicate children; but she also knew that though he had not experience, education had given him a wider and clearer range of thought; and that, as her pastor, he ought to be consulted; so though she did not exactly mean to make it a matter for his decision (unless, indeed, he should have some view which had not occurred to her), she knew that he was by far the best person to help her to see her way, and form her own judgment. mr. cope heard all the story with as much eagerness as the ragglesford boys themselves, and laughed quite out loud at harold's spirited defence. 'that's a good lad!' said he. 'well, mrs. king, i don't think you need be very uneasy about your boy. when a fellow can stand up like that in defence of his duty, there must be the right stuff in him to be got at in time! and now, as to his ally--this other poor fellow--very kind of you to have taken him in.' 'i couldn't do no other, sir,' said mrs. king; 'he came in so drenched, and so terribly bad, i could do nothing but let him lie down on harold's bed; and now dr. blunt thinks he's going to have a rheumatic fever, and wanted me to send in to the relieving officer, to have him removed, but i don't know how to do that; the poor lad doesn't say one word against it, but i can see it cuts him to the heart; and they do tell such stories of the nurses at the union, that it does seem hard to send him there, such an innocent boy, too, and one that doesn't seem to know how to believe it if one says a kind word to him.' the tears were in mrs. king's eyes as she went on: 'i do wish to let him stay here and do what i can for him, with all my heart, and so does all the children, but i don't hardly know what's right by them, poor things. if the parish would but allow him just one shilling and sixpence a week out of the house, i think i could do it.' 'what, with your own boy in such a state, you could undertake to nurse a stranger through a rheumatic fever!' 'it wouldn't make much difference, sir,' said mrs. king. 'you see i am up a good deal most nights with alfred, and we have fire and candle almost always alight. i should only be glad to do it for a poor motherless lad like that, except for the cost; and i thought perhaps if you could speak to the guardians, they might allow him ever so little, because there will be expenses.' mr. cope had not much hope from the parish, so he said, 'mr. shepherd ought to do something for him after he has worked for him so long. he has been looking wretchedly ill for some time past; and i dare say half this illness is brought on by such lodging and living as he got there. but what did you say about some eggs?' mrs. king told him; and he stood a moment thoughtful, then said, 'well, i'll go and see about it,' and strode across to the farm. when mr. cope came back, ellen was serving a customer. he stood looking redder than they had ever seen him, and tapping the toe of his boot impatiently with his stick; and the moment the buyer had turned away, he said, 'ellen, ask your mother to be kind enough to come down.' mrs. king came, and found the young curate in such a state of indignation, as he could not keep to himself. he had learnt more than he had ever known, or she had ever known, of the oppression that the farmer and his wife and tom boldre had practised on the friendless stranger, and he was burning with all the keen generous displeasure of one new to such base ways. at the gate he had met, going home to dinner, john farden with mrs. hayward, who had been charing at the farm. both had spoken out, and he had learned how far below the value of his labour the boy had been paid, how he had been struck, abused, and hunted about, as would never have been done to one who had a father to take his part. and he had further heard farden's statement of having himself thrown away the eggs, and mrs. hayward's declaration that she verily believed that the farmer only made the accusation an excuse for hurrying the lad off because he thought him faltering for a fever, and wouldn't have him sick there. this was shocking enough; mr. cope had thought it merely the kind-hearted woman's angry construction, but it was still worse when he came to the farmer and his wife. so used were they to think it their business to wring the utmost they could out of whatever came in their way, that they had not the slightest shame about it. they thought they had done a thing to be proud of in making such a good bargain of the lad, and getting so much work out of him for so little pay; in fact, that they had been rather weakly kind in granting him the freedom of the hay-loft; the notion of his dishonesty was firmly fixed in their heads, though there was not a charge to bring against him. this was chiefly because they had begun by setting him down as a convict, and because they could not imagine any one living honestly on what they gave him. and lastly, the farmer thought the cleverest stroke of all, was the having got rid of him just as winter was coming on and work was scarce, and when there seemed to be a chance of his being laid up to encumber the rates. mr. cope was quite breathless after the answer he had made to them. he had never spoken so strongly in his life before, and he could hardly believe his own ears, that people could be found, not only to do such things, but to be proud of having done them. it is to be hoped there are not many such thoroughgoing tyrants; but selfishness is always ready to make any one into a tyrant, and mammon is a false god, who manages to make his servants satisfied that they are doing their duty. it was plain enough that no help was to be expected from the farm, and neither mrs. king nor the clergyman thought there was much hope in the guardians; however, they were to be applied to, and this would be at least a reprieve for paul. mr. cope went up to see him, and found harold sitting on the top step of the stairs. 'well, boys,' he said, in his hearty voice, 'so you've had a battle, i hear. i'm glad it turned out better than your namesake's at hastings.' paul was not too ill to smile at this; and harold modestly said, 'it was all along of he, sir.' 'and he seems to be the chief sufferer.--are you in much pain, paul?' 'sometimes, sir, when i try to move,' said paul; 'but it is better when i'm still.' 'you've had a harder time of it than i supposed, my boy,' said mr. cope. 'why did you never let me know how you were treated?' paul's face shewed more wonder than anything else. 'thank you, sir,' he said, 'i didn't think it was any one's business.' 'no one's business!' exclaimed the young clergyman. 'it is every one's business to see justice done, and it should never have gone on so if you had spoken. why didn't you?' 'i didn't think it would be any use,' again said paul. 'there was old joe joiner, he always said 'twas a hard world to live in, and that there was nothing for it but to grin and bear it.' 'there's something better to be done than to grin,' said mr. cope. 'yes, i know, sir,' said paul, with a brighter gleam on his face; 'and i seem to understand that better since i came here. i was thinking,' he added, 'if they pass me back to upperscote, i'll tell old joe that folks are much kinder than he told me, by far.' 'kinder--i should not have thought that your experience!' exclaimed mr. cope, his head still running on the shepherds. but paul did not seem to think of them at all, or else to take their treatment as a matter-of-course, as he did his union hardships. there was a glistening in his eyes; and he moved his head so as to sign down- stairs, as he said, 'i didn't think there was ne'er a one in the world like _her_.' 'what, mrs. king? i don't think there are many,' said mr. cope warmly. 'and yet i hope there are.' 'ay, sir,' said paul fervently. 'and there's harold, and john farden, and all the chaps. please, sir, when i'm gone away, will you tell them all that i'll never forget 'em? and i'll be happier as long as i live for knowing that there are such good-hearted folks.' mr. cope felt trebly moved towards one who thought harshness so much more natural than kindness, and who received the one so submissively, the other so gratefully; but the conversation was interrupted by harold's exclaiming that my lady in her carriage was stopping at the gate, and mother was running out to her. rumours of the post-office robbery, as little miss selby called it, had travelled up to the grange, and she was wild to know what had happened to harold; but her grandmamma, not knowing what highway robbers might be roaming about friarswood, would not hear of her walking to the post-office, and drove thither with her herself, in full state, close carriage, coachman and footman; and there was mrs. king, with her head in at the carriage window, telling all the story. 'so you have this youth here?' said lady jane. 'yes, my lady; he was so poorly that i couldn't but let him lie down.' 'and you have not sent him to the workhouse yet?' 'why, no, not yet, my lady; i thought i would wait to see how he is to- morrow.' 'you had better take care, mary,' said lady jane. 'you'll have him too ill to be moved; and then what will you do? a great lad of that age, and with illness enough in the house already!' she sighed, and it was not said unkindly; but mrs. king answered with something about his being so good a lad, and so friendless. and miss jane exclaimed, 'o grandmamma, it does seem so hard to send him to the workhouse!' 'do not talk like a silly child, my dear,' said lady jane. 'mary is much too sensible to think of saddling herself with such a charge--not fit for her, nor the children either--even if the parish made it worth her while, which it never will. the union is intended to provide for such cases of destitution; and depend on it, the youth looks to nothing else.' 'no, my lady,' said mrs. king; 'he is so patient and meek about it, that it goes to one's very heart.' 'ay, ay,' said the old lady; 'but don't be soft-hearted and weak, mary. it is not what i expect of you, as a sensible woman, to be harbouring a mere vagrant whom you know nothing about, and injuring your own children.' 'indeed, my lady,' began mrs. king, 'i've known the poor boy these four months, and so has mr. cope; and he is as steady and serious a boy as ever lived.' 'very likely,' said lady jane; 'and i am sure i would do anything for him--give him work when he is out again, or send him with a paper to the county hospital. eh?' but the county hospital was thirty miles off; and the receiving day was not till saturday. that would not do. 'well,' added lady jane, 'i'll drive home directly, and send price with the spring covered cart to take him in to elbury. that will be better for him than jolting in the open cart they would send for him.' 'why, thank you, my lady, but i--i had passed my word that he should not go to-day.' lady jane made a gesture as if mary king were a hopelessly weak good-natured woman; and shaking her head at her with a sort of lady-like vexation, ordered the coachman to drive on. my lady was put out. no wonder. she was a very sensible, managing woman herself, and justly and up-rightly kind to all her dependants; and she expected every one else to be sternly and wisely kind in the same pattern. mrs. king was one whom she highly esteemed for her sense and good judgment, and she was the more provoked with her for any failure in these respects. if she had known paul as the kings did, it is probable she might have felt like them. not knowing him, nor knowing the secrets of elbury union, she thought it mrs. king's clear duty to sacrifice him for her children's sake. moreover, lady jane had strict laws against lodgers--the greatest kindness she could do her tenants, though often against their will. so to have her model woman receiving a strange boy into her house, even under the circumstances, was beyond bearing. so mrs. king stood on her threshold, knowing that to keep paul blackthorn would be an offence to her best friend and patroness. moreover, mr. cope was gone, without having left her a word of advice to decide her one way or the other. chapter x--christmas day things are rather apt to settle themselves; and so did paul blackthorn's stay at the post-office, for the poor boy was in such an agony of pain all night, and the fever ran so high, that it was impossible to think of moving him, even if the waiting upon him in such suffering had not made mrs. king feel that she could not dismiss him to careless hands. his patience, gratitude, and surprise at every trouble she took for him were very endearing, as were the efforts he made to stifle and suppress moans and cries that the terrible aches would wring from him, so as not to disturb alfred. when towards morning the fever ran to his head, and he did not know what he said, it was more moving still to see that the instinct of keeping quiet for some one's sake still suppressed his voice. then, too, his wanderings shewed under what dread and harshness his life had been spent, and what his horror was of a return to the workhouse. in his senses, he would never have thought of asking to remain at friarswood; but in his half-conscious state, he implored again and again not to be sent away, and talked about not going back, but only being left in a corner to die; and mrs. king, without knowing what she was about, soothed him by telling him to lie still, for he was not going to that place again. at day-break she sent harold, on his way to the post, for an order from the relieving officer for medical attendance; and, after some long and weary hours, the union doctor came. he said, like mr. blunt, that it was a rheumatic fever, the effect of hardship and exposure; for which perhaps poor paul--after his regular meals, warm clothing, and full shelter, in the workhouse--was less prepared than many a country lad, whose days had been much happier, but who had been rendered more hardy by often going without some of those necessaries which were provided for the paupers. the head continued so much affected, that the doctor said the hair must be taken off; which was done by old master warren, who singed the horses in the autumn, killed the pigs in the winter, and shaved the men on saturday night. it was a very good thing for all parties; and he would take no pay for his trouble, but sent down a pitcher with what he called 'all manner of yarbs' steeping in it, with which, as he said, to 'ferment the boy's limbs.' foment was what he meant; and mrs. king thought, as it was kindly intended, and could do no harm, she would try if it would do any good; but she could not find that it made much difference whether she used that or common warm water. however, the good will made paul smile, and helped to change his notion about its being very few that had any compassion for a stranger. so, too, did good mrs. hayward, who, when he was at the worst, twice came to sit up all night with him after her day's work; and though she was not as tender a nurse as mrs. king, treated him like her own son, and moreover carried off to her own tub all the clothes she could find ready to be washed, and would not take so much as a mouthful of meat or drink in return, struggling, toil-worn body as she was. the parish, as might have been foreseen, would afford nothing but the doctor to a chance-comer such as paul. if he needed more, he might come into the house, and be passed home to upperscote. but by the time this reply came, mrs. king not only felt that it would be almost murder to send a person in such a state four miles on a november day, but she was caring so much for her patient, that it sounded almost as impossible as to send alfred away. besides, she had remembered the cup of cold water, she had thought of the widow's cruse of oil and barrel of meal, and she had called to mind, 'inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me;' and thereupon she took heart, and made up her mind that it was right to tend the sick lad; and that even if she should bring trouble and want on herself and her children, it would be a heaven- sent trial that would be good for them. so she made up her resolution to a winter of toil, anxiety, and trouble, and to lady jane's withdrawal of favour; and thinking her ungrateful, which, to say the truth, grieved her more than anything else, excepting of course her forebodings for alfred. ellen was in great distress about my lady's displeasure. not that she dreamt of her mother's giving up paul on that account; but she was very fond of her little foster-sister, and of many of the maid-servants, and her visits to the grange were the chief change and amusement she ever had. so while mrs. king was busy between the shop, her work, and paul, ellen sat by her brother, making the housekeeper's winter dress, and imagining all sorts of dreadful things that might come of my lady being angry with them, till alfred grew quite out of patience. 'well, suppose and suppose,' he said, 'suppose it was not to happen at all! why, mother's doing right would be any good for nothing if she only did it to please my lady.' certainly this was the very touchstone to shew whether the fear of man were the guide. and ellen was still more terrified that day, for when she went across to the farm for the evening's supply of milk and butter, mrs. shepherd launched out into such a torrent of abuse against her and her mother, that she came home trembling from head to foot; and mrs. king declared she should never go thither again. they would send to mrs. price's for the little bit of fresh butter that was real nourishment to alfred: the healthy ones would save by going without any. one word more as to the shepherds, and then we have done with him. on the sunday, mr. cope had an elder brother staying with them, who preached on the lesson for the day, the second chapter of the prophet habakkuk; and when he came to the text, 'woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house,' he brought in some of the like passages, the threats to those that 'grind the faces of the poor,' that 'oppress the hireling in his wages,' and that terrible saying of st. james, 'behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the lord of sabbath.' three days after, the curate was very much amazed to hear that mr. and mrs. shepherd did not choose to be preached at in their own church, and never meant to come thither again. now it so happened that he could testify that the sermon had been written five years ago, and that his brother had preached it without knowing that the shepherds were in existence, for he had only come late the night before, and there was so much to say about their home, that the younger brother had not said a word about his parish before church, though the kings and their guests were very near his heart. but it was of no use to say so. it was the _truth_ that wounded the farmer and his wife, and no one could make that otherwise. they did not choose to hear their sin rebuked, so they made an excuse by pretending to take offence, and except when they now and then went to the next parish to a meeting-house, cut themselves off from all that might disturb them in the sole pursuit of gain. it is awful to think of such hardening of the heart, first towards man, then towards the warnings of god. and mind, whoever chooses profit rather than mercy, is in the path of farmer shepherd. some certainty as to lady jane selby's feelings came on the second evening of paul's illness. mrs. crabbe, the housekeeper, was seen with infinite trouble and disgust getting her large person over the stiles across the path fields. a call from her was almost a greater event than one from my lady herself. why! mother had been her still-room maid, and always spoke to her as 'ma'am,' and she called her 'mary,' and she had chosen matilda's name for her, and had given her a silver watch! so when mrs. crabbe had found her way in, and had been set down to rest in the arm-chair, she proceeded to give 'mary' a good round scolding against being weak and soft-hearted, saying at last that my lady was quite in a way about it. she was sure that harold would catch his death of cold, putting him to sleep in the kitchen, upon the stones--and so--my lady had sent off the cart with the little chair-bed, that would take down and put up again--mattress, bed-clothes, and all. that was a comfortable finish to the scolding! not that it was a finish though, for the thanks made mrs. crabbe afraid the family thought themselves forgiven, so she went on to declare they all would be pinched, and get into debt, and she should advise her god-daughter, matilda, not to help them with a farthing of her wages, and as to going without their full meals, that was what none of them were fit to do. with which it appeared that the cart was bringing a can of broth, a couple of rabbits, some calves'-feet jelly, and a bottle of port wine for alfred, who lived on that and cod-liver oil more than on any other nourishment. at that rate, lady jane's displeasure did not seem likely to do much harm; but there was pain in it too, for when mrs. crabbe had managed to get up-stairs, past the patch-work quilt that was hung up to shelter paul from the draught, and had seen alfred, and been shocked to find how much wasted he was since she last had seen him, she said, 'one thing you know--my lady says she can't have miss selby coming down here to see alfred while this great lad is always about. and i'm sure it is not proper for her at any time, such a young lady as she is, over all those inconvenient stiles. i declare i shall speak to mr. price about them.' losing miss jane's visits was to alfred like losing a sunbeam, and his spirit felt very dreary after he had heard this sentence. ellen knew her well enough to suspect that she was very sorry, but that she could not help herself; and mrs. king caught the brother and sister making such grumbling speeches to each other about the old lady's crossness, that her faithful, grateful spirit was quite grieved, and she spoke strongly up for the just, right-minded lady to whom she had loyally looked up for many and many a year, though, with the right sort of independence, she would not give up to any one's opinion what she knew to be her duty. 'we all knew it must cost us something,' she said, 'and we'll try to be ready with it, though it does go to one's heart that the first should be what vexes you, my alfy; but it won't be for long.' 'no, mother; but if it ain't here long? oh! i don't seem to have nothing to look to if miss jane ain't coming here no more, with her pretty ways!' and there were large tears on his cheeks. mrs. king had tears in her eyes too, but she bent down over the boy, and turning his eyes to the little picture on the wall, she said in a whisper in his ear, 'didn't he bear his cross for the sake of other people?' alfred did not answer; he turned his face in towards the pillow, and though ellen thought he was crying, it did not seem to her to be so sadly. cost them something their kindness did. to be sure, there came a party of boys with the master from ragglesford, when there had been time for them to write the history of the robbery to their homes; and as it came just before the monthly letter which they all had to write by way of practice, to be shewn up to the master, it was a real treasure to them to have such a story to tell. some of their friends, especially the uncle who gave the watch, had sent small sums of money for the lad who had behaved so well, and these altogether came to a fair amount, which the boys were highly pleased to give over into mrs. king's hands. she, like harold, never made the smallest question that it was all for paul's benefit, and though, when she mentioned it to him, he gave a cheery smile, and said it would lessen the cost of his illness to her, yet she put it all aside with the first twelve-and-sixpence. she told ellen that it went against her to touch the orphan's money, and that unless it came to very bad times indeed, it should be kept to set him up decently when he should recover. no one else could afford aid in money, not mr. cope, for he had little more than a maintenance for himself; indeed, mrs. king was not in a station where it would seem becoming to offer alms to her. lady jane gave help in nourishing food, but the days when this would come were uncertain, and she had made a resolution against undertaking any share of the expense, lest she should seem to encourage mary king, as she said, in such weak good nature--cramming up her house with a strange boy like that, when she had quite enough to do with her own son. so they had to fight on as they could; and the first week, when paul's illness was at the height, ellen had so much more to do for alfred and about the house, and was so continually called off her work, that she could not finish mrs. crabbe's gown as soon as was expected; and the ladies' maid, who was kept waiting, took huff, and sent her new purple silk to elbury to be madeup. it is not quite certain that ellen did not shed a few tears. harold had to go without his butter, and once took it much to heart that his mother would buy no shrimps for tea, but after some one had whispered to him that if there were a trouble about rent, or about mr. blunt's bill, peggy would be sold, he bore it all pretty well; and after all, alfred and paul were so apt to give him tastes of their dainties, that he had not much loss! rent was the care. the pig was killed and cut up to great advantage; mrs. king sold a side of it at once, which went a good way towards it, but not the whole; and there was a bad debt of john farden's for bread, contracted last winter, and which he had never paid off in the summer. that would just have made it up, but what hopes were there of that? just then, however, came a parcel from matilda. it was her way of helping her family to send them the clothes which her mistresses allowed her to have when they left them off, when mrs. king either made them up for herself or ellen, or disposed of them at elbury. what a treat those parcels were! how curious were all the party at the unpacking, looking at the many odd things that were sure to come out, on the happy doubtful certainty that each one would be remembered by the good sister. so there were the little directed parcels--a neat knitted grey and black handkerchief for mother to wear in the shop; a whole roll of fashion-books for ellen, and a nice little pocket-book besides; and a bundle of 'illustrated news' to amuse the boys; a precious little square book of 'hymns for the sick' for alfred; and a famous pair of riding-gloves, like bears' paws, for harold. and what rolls besides! worn flimsy dresses, once pretty, but now only fit for the old-clothes man, yet whose trimmings ellen pulled out and studied; bonnets that looked as if they had been sat upon; rolls of soft ragged cambric handkerchiefs, on which mrs. king seized as the most valuable part of the cargo, so useful would they be to poor alfred; some few real good things, in especial, a beautiful thick silk dress which had been stained, but which dyeing would render very useful; and a particularly nice grey cloth mantle, which matilda had mentioned in her letter as likely to be useful to ellen--it was not at all the worse for wear, except as to the lining of the hood, and she should just fancy ellen in it. ellen could just fancy herself in it. she had a black silk one, which had come in the same way, and looked very well, but it was just turning off, and it was not warm enough for winter without a shawl under it. that grey looked as if it was made for her, it suited her shoulders and her shape so well! she put it on and twisted about in it, and then she saw her good mother not saying one word, and knew she was thinking of the sum that was wanting to the rent. 'well, mother,' said ellen, 'i'll go in and take the things to betsey on the next market-day, and if we can get thirty shillings on them without the mantle--' 'yes, if you can, my dear,' said her mother; 'i'm sure i should be very glad for you to have it, but you see--' and mrs. king sighed. ellen passed by paul on the landing, and saw him with his face flushed with pain and fever, trying to smile at her. she remembered how her unkind words had brought trouble on him, and how her mother had begun by telling her that they must give up their own wishes if they were to nurse him. ellen went to elbury on the market-day, and by the help of betsey hardman, she got great credit for her bargaining. she brought home thirty shillings, and ten shillings' worth of soap for the shop, where that article was running low; but she did not bring home the cloak, though betsey had told her a silk cloak over a shawl looked so mean! and she feared all the servants at the grange would think the same! 'they always were good children to me,' said mrs. king to mr. cope, 'but somehow, since paul has been here, i think they are better than ever! there's poor alfred, though his cough has been so bad of late, has been so thoughtful and so good; he says he's quite ashamed to find how patient paul is under so much sharper pain than he ever had, and he's ready to send anything to paul that he fancies will do him good--quite carried out of himself, you see; and there's harold, so much steadier; i've hardly had to find fault with him since that poor boy made off--he's sure to come in in time, and takes care not to disturb his brother, and helps his sister and me all he can.' mr. cope was not at all surprised that the work of mercy was blessed to all the little household, nor that it drew out all the better side of their dispositions. there was no positive change, nor sudden resolution, to alter harold; but he had been a good deal startled by dick's wickedness, and in him had lost a tempter. besides, he considered paul as his own friend, received for his sake, and therefore felt himself bound to do all he could for him, and though he was no nurse, he could do much to set his mother and ellen free to attend to their patients. and paul's illness, though so much less dangerous, frightened and subdued harold much more than the quiet gradual pining away of alfred, to which he was used. the severe pain, the raging fever, and the ramblings in talk, were much more fearful things to witness than the low cough, the wearing sore, and the helpless languor, though there was much hope for the one, and scarcely any for the other. while to harold's apprehension, alfred was always just the same, only worsening visibly from month to month; paul was better or worse every time he came in, and when fresh from hearing his breath gasp with sharp pain, or receiving his feeble thanks for some slight service, it was not in harold to go out and get into thoughtless mischief. moreover, there were helpful things to do at home, such as harold liked. he was fond of chopping wood, so he was very obliging about the oven, and what he liked best of all was helping his mother in certain evening cookeries of sweet-meats, by receipts from mrs. crabbe. on the day of the expedition from ragglesford, the young gentlemen had found out that mrs. king's bottles contained what they called 'the real article and no mistake,' much better than what the old woman at the turnpike sold; and so they were, for mrs. king made them herself, and, like an honest woman, without a morsel of sham in them. she was not going to break the eighth commandment by cheating in a comfit any more than by stealing a purse; and the children of friarswood had long known that, and bought all the 'lollies' that they were not naughty enough to buy on sundays, when, as may be supposed, her shutters were not shut only for a decent show. and now harold did not often ride up to the school without some little master giving him a commission for some variety of sweet-stuff; and though mrs. king used to say it was a pity the children should throw away their money in that fashion, it brought a good deal into her till, and harold greatly liked assisting at the manufacture. how often he licked his fingers during the process need not be mentioned; but his objection to ragglesford was quite gone off, now that some one was nearly certain to be looking out for him, with a good-natured greeting, or an inquiry for paul. he knew one little boy from another, and felt friendly with them all, and he really was quite grieved when the holidays came, and they wished him good-bye. the coach that had been hired to take them to elbury seemed something to watch for now, and some thoughtful boy stopped all the whooping and hurraing as they came near the house on the bridge. some other stopped the coach, and they all came dropping off it like a swarm of black flies, and tumbling into the shop, where mrs. king and her daughter had need to have had a dozen pair of hands to have served them, and they did not go till they had cleared out her entire stock of sweet things and gingerbread; nay, some of them would have gone off without their change, if she had not raced out to catch them with it after they were climbing up the coach, and then the silly fellows said they hated coppers! and meeting harold and his post-bag on his way home from elbury, they raised such a tremendous cheer at him that poor peggy seemed to make but three springs from the milestone to the bridge, and he could not so much as touch his cap by way of answer. somehow, even after those droll customers were gone, every saturday's reckoning was a satisfactory one. more always seemed to come in than went out. the potatoes had been unusually free from disease in mrs. king's garden, and every one came for them; the second pig turned out well; a lodger at the butcher's took a fancy to her buns; and on the whole, winter, when her receipts were generally at the lowest, was now quite a prosperous time with her. the great pressure and near anxiety she had expected had not come, and something was being put by every week towards the bill for flour, and for mr. blunt's account, so that she began to hope that after all the savings bank would not have to be left quite bare. quite unexpectedly, john farden came in for a share of the savings of an old aunt at service, and, like an honest fellow as he was, he got himself out of debt at once. this quite settled all mrs. king's fears; mr. blunt and the miller would both have their due, and she really believed she should be no poorer! then she recollected the widow's cruse of oil, and tears of thankfulness and faith came into her eyes, and other tears dropped when she remembered the other more precious comfort that the stranger had brought into the widow's house, but she knew that the days of miracles and cures past hope were gone, and that the christian woman's promise was 'that her children should come again,' but not till the resurrection of the just. and though to her eye each frost was freshly piercing her boy's breast, each warm damp day he faded into greater feebleness, yet the hope was far clearer. he was happy and content. he had laid hold of the blessed hope of everlasting life, and was learning to believe that the cross laid on him here was in mercy to make him fit for heaven, first making him afraid and sorry for his sins, and ready to turn to him who could take them away, and then almost becoming gladness, in the thought of following his master, though so far off. not that alfred often said such things, but they breathed peace over his mind, and made scripture-reading, prayers, and hymns very delightful to him, especially those in matilda's book; and he dwelt more than he told any one on mr. cope's promise, when he trusted to be made more fully 'one with christ' in the partaking of his cup of life. it used to be his treat, when no one was looking, to read over that service in his prayer- book, and to think of the time. it was like a kind of step; he could fix his mind on that, and the sense of forgiveness he hoped for therein, better than on the great change that was coming; when there was much fear and shrinking from the pain, and some dread of what as yet seemed strange and unknown, he thought he should feel lifted up so as to be able to bear the thought, when that holy feast should have come to him. all this made him much less occupied with himself, and he took much more share in what was going on; he could be amused and playful, cared for all that ellen and harold did, and was inclined to make the most of his time with his brother. it was like old happy times, now that alfred had ceased to be fretful, and harold took heed not to distress him. one thing to which alfred looked forward greatly, was paul's being able to come into his room, and the two on their opposite sides of the wall made many pleasant schemes for the talk and reading that were to go on. but when the day came, alfred was more disappointed than pleased. paul had been cased, by lady jane's orders, in flannel; he had over that a pair of trousers of alfred's--much too long, for the kings were very tall, and he was small and stunted in growth--and a great wrapping-gown that mr. cope had once worn when he was ill at college, and over his shaven head a night-cap that had been their father's. ellen, with many directions from alfred, had made him up a couch with three chairs, and the cushions alfred used to have when he could leave his bed; the fire was made up brightly, and mrs. king and harold helped paul into the room. but all the rheumatic pain was by no means over, and walking made him feel it; he was dreadfully weak, and was so giddy and faint after the first few steps, that they could not bring him to shake hands with alfred as both had wished, but had to lay him down as fast as they could. so tired was he, that he could hardly say anything all the time he was there; and alfred had to keep silence for fear of wearying him still more. there was a sort of shyness, too, which hindered the two from even letting their eyes meet, often as they had heard each other's voices, and had greeted one another through the thin partition. as paul lay with his eyes shut, alfred raised himself to take a good survey of the sharp pinched features, the hollow cheeks, deep-sunk pits for the eyes,--and yellow ghastly skin of the worn face, and the figure, so small and wasted that it was like nothing, curled up in all those wraps. one who could read faces better than young alfred could, would have gathered not only that the boy who lay there had gone through a great deal, but that there was much mind and thought crushed down by misery, and a gentle nature not fit to stand up alone against it, and so sinking down without exertion. and when alfred was learning a verse of his favourite hymn-- 'there is a rill whose waters rise--' paul's eye-lids rose, and looked him all over dreamily, comparing him perhaps with the notions he had carried away from his two former glimpses. alfred did not look now so utterly different from anything he had seen before, since mrs. king and ellen had been hovering round his bed for nearly a month past; but still the fair skin, pink colour, dark eye-lashes, glossy hair, and white hands, were like a dream to him, as if they belonged to the pure land whither alfred was going, and he was quite loath to hear him speak like another boy, as he knew he could do, having often listened to his talk through the wall. at the least sign of alfred's looking up, he turned away his eyes as if he had been doing something by stealth. he came in continually after this; and little things each day, and harold's talk, made the two acquainted and like boys together; but it was not till christmas day that they felt like knowing each other. it was the first time paul felt himself able to be of any use, for he was to be left in charge of alfred, while mrs. king and both her other children went to church. paul was sadly crippled still, and every frost filled his bones with acute pain, and bent him like an old man, so that he was still a long way from getting down-stairs, but he could make a shift to get about the room, and he looked greatly pleased when alfred declared that he should want nobody else to stay with him in the morning. very glad he was that his mother would not be kept from ellen's first holy communion. owing to the curate not being a priest, the feast had not been celebrated since michaelmas; but a clergyman had come to help mr. cope, that the parish might not be deprived of the festival on such a day as christmas. harold, though in a much better mood than at the confirmation time, was not as much concerned to miss it as perhaps he ought to have been. thought had not come to him yet, and his head was full of the dinner with the servants at the grange. it was sad that he and ellen should alone be able to go to it; but it would be famous for all that! ay, and so were the young postman's christmas-boxes! so paul and alfred were left together, and held their tongues for full five minutes, because both felt so odd. then alfred said something about reading the service, and paul offered to read it to him. paul had not only been very well taught, but had a certain gift, such as not many people have, for reading aloud well. alfred listened to those psalms and lessons as if they had quite a new meaning in them, for the right sound and stress on the right words made them sound quite like another thing; and so alfred said when he left off. 'i'm sure they do to me,' said paul. 'i didn't know much about "good- will to men" last christmas.' 'you've not had overmuch good-will from them, neither,' said alfred, 'since you came out.' 'what! not since i've been at friarswood?' exclaimed paul. 'why, i used to think all _that_ was only something in a book.' 'all what?' asked alfred. 'all about--why, loving one's neighbour--and the good samaritan, and so on. i never saw any one do it, you know, but it was comfortable like to read about it; and when i watched to your mother and all of you, i saw how it was about one's neighbour; and then, what with that and mr. cope's teaching, i got to feel how it was--about god!' and paul's face looked very grave and peaceful. 'well,' said alfred, 'i don't know as i ever cared about it much--not since i was a little boy. it was the fun last christmas.' and paul looking curious, alfred told all about the going out for holly, and the dining at the grange, and the snap-dragon over the pudding, till he grew so eager and animated that he lost breath, and his painful cough came on, so that he could just whisper, 'what did you do?' 'oh! i don't know. we had prayers, and there was roast beef for dinner, but they gave it to me where it was raw, and i couldn't eat it. those that had friends went out; but 'twasn't much unlike other days.' 'poor paul!' sighed alfred. 'it won't be like that again, though,' said paul, 'even if i was in a union. i know--what i know now.' 'and, paul,' said alfred, after a pause, 'there's one thing i should like if i was you. you know our blessed saviour had no house over him, but was left out of the inn, and nobody cared for him.' paul did not make any answer; and alfred blushed all over. presently alfred said, 'harold will run in soon. i say, paul, would you mind reading me what they will say after the holy sacrament--what the angels sang is the beginning.' paul found it, and felt as if he must stand to read such praise. 'thank you,' said alfred. 'i'm glad mother and ellen are there. they'll remember us, you know. did you hear what mr. cope promised me?' paul had not heard; and alfred told him, adding, 'it will be the ember- week in lent. you'll be one with me then, paul?' 'i'd like to promise,' said paul fervently; 'but you see, when i'm well--' 'oh, you won't go away for good. my lady, or mr. cope, will get you work; and i want you to be mother's good son instead of me; and a brother to harold and ellen.' 'i'd never go if i could help it,' said paul; 'i sometimes wish i'd never got better! i wish i could change with you, alfred; nobody would care if 'twas me; nor i'm sure i shouldn't.' 'i should like to get well!' said alfred slowly, and sighing. 'but then you've been a much better lad than i was.' 'i don't know why you should say that,' said paul, with his hand under his chin, rather moodily. 'but if i thought i could be good and go on well, i would not mind so much. i say, alfred, when people round go on being--like tom boldre, you know--do you think one can always feel that about god being one's father, and church home, and all the rest?' 'i can't say--i never tried,' said alfred. 'but you know you can always go to church--and then the psalms and lessons tell you those things. well, and you can go to the holy sacrament--i say, paul, if you take it the first time with me, you'll always remember me again every time after.' 'i must be very odd ever to forget you!' said paul, not far from crying. 'ha!' he exclaimed, 'they are coming out of church!' 'i want to say one thing more, while i've got it in my head,' said alfred. 'mr. cope said all this sickness was a cross to me, and i'd got to take it up for our saviour's sake. well, and then mayn't yours be being plagued and bullied, without any friends? i'm sure something like it happened to our lord; and he never said one word against them. isn't that the way you may be to follow him?' illness and thought had made such things fully plain to alfred, and his words sank deep into paul's mind; but there was not time for any answer, for harold was heard unlocking the door, and striding up three steps at a time, sending his voice before him. 'well, old chaps, have you quarrelled yet? have you been jolly together? i say, mrs. crabbe told ellen that the pudding was put into the boiler at eight o'clock last night; and my lady and miss jane went in to give it a stir! i'm to bring you home a slice, you know; and paul will know what a real pudding is like.' the two boys spent a happy quiet afternoon with mrs. king; and charles hayward brought all the singing boys down, that they might hear the carols outside the window. paul, much tired, was in his bed by that time; but his last thought was that 'good-will to men' had come home to him at last. chapter xi--better days for paul paul's reading was a great prize to alfred, for he soon grew tired himself; his sister could not spare time to read to him, and if she did, she went mumbling on like a bee in a bottle. her mother did much the same, and harold used to stumble and gabble, so that it was horrible to hear him. such reading as paul's was a new light to them all, and was a treat to ellen as she worked as much as to alfred; and paul, with hands as clean as alfred's, was only too happy to get hold of a book, and infinitely enjoyed the constant supply kept up by miss selby, to make up for her not coming herself. then came the making out the accounts, a matter dreaded by all the family. ellen and alfred both used to do the sums; but as they never made them the same, mrs. king always went by some reckoning of her own by pencil dots on her thumb-nail, which took an enormous time, but never went wrong. so the slate and the books came up after tea, one night, and ellen set to work with her mother to pick out every one's bill. there might be about eight customers who had christmas bills; but many an accountant in a london shop would think eight hundred a less tough business than did the king family these eight; especially as there was a debtor and creditor account with four, and coals, butcher's meat, and shoes for man and horse, had to be set against bread, tea, candles, and the like. one pound of tea, _s._ _d._, that was all very well; but an ounce and a half of the same made ellen groan, and look wildly at the corner over alfred's bed, as if in hopes she should there see how to set it down, so as to work it. 'fourpence, all but--' said a voice from the arm-chair by the fire. ellen did not take any particular heed, but announced the fact that three shillings were thirty-six pence, and six was forty-two. also that sixteen ounces were one pound, and sixteen drams one ounce; but there she got stuck, and began making figures and rubbing them out, as if in hopes that would clear up her mind. mrs. king pecked on for ten minutes on her nail. 'well,' she said, 'paul's right; it is fourpence.' 'however did you do it?' asked ellen. 'as to . , so ,' quoth paul quickly. 'three halves into ; and is ; by , gives and fifteen-sixteenths. you can't deduct a sixteenth of a penny, so call it fourpence.' ellen and alfred were as wise as to the working as they were before. next question--paul's answer came like the next line in the book--mrs. king proved him right, and so on till she was quite tired of the proofs, and began to trust him. alfred asked how he could possibly do such things, which seemed to him a perfect riddle. 'i should have had my ears pretty nigh pulled off if i took five minutes to work _that_ in my head,' said paul. 'but i've forgotten things now; i could do it faster once.' 'i'm sure you hadn't need,' said mrs. king; 'it's enough to distract one's senses to count so fast. all in your poor head too!' 'and i've got to write them all out to-morrow,' said ellen dismally; 'i must wait till dark, or i shan't set a stitch of work. i wish people would pay ready money, and then one wouldn't have to set down their bills. here's mr. cope, bread--bread--bread, as long as my arm!' 'if you didn't mind, maybe i could save you the trouble, miss ellen,' said paul. 'did you ever make out a bill?' asked mrs. king. 'never a real one; but every thursday i used to do sham ones. once i did a jeweller's bill for twelve thousand pounds and odd! it is so long since i touched a pen, that may be i can't write; but i should like to try.' ellen brought a pen, and the cover of a letter; and hobbling up to the table, he took the pen, cleared it of a hair that was sticking in it, made a scratch or two weakly and ineffectually, then wrote in a neat clear hand, without running up or down, 'friarswood, christmas.' 'a pretty hand as ever i saw!' said mrs. king. 'well, if you can write like that, and can be trusted to make no mistakes, you might write out our bills; and we'd be obliged to you most kindly.' and so paul did, so neatly, that when the next evening mr. cope walked in with the money, he said, looking at harold, 'ah! my ancient saxon, i must make my compliments to you: i did not think you could write letters as well as you can carry them.' ''twas paul did it, sir,' said harold. 'yes, sir; 'twas paul,' said mrs. king. 'the lad is a wonderful scholar: he told off all the sums as if they was in print; and to hear him read--'tis like nothing i ever heard since poor mrs. selby, miss jane's mother.' 'i saw he had been very well instructed--in acquaintance with the bible, and the like.' 'and, sir, before i got to know him for a boy that would not give a false account of himself, i used to wonder whether he could have run away from some school, and have friends above the common. if you observe, sir, he speaks so remarkably well.' mr. cope had observed it. paul spoke much better english than did even the kings; though ellen was by way of being very particular, and sometimes a little mincing. 'you are quite sure it is not so?' he said, a little startled at mrs. king's surmise. 'quite sure now, sir. i don't believe he would tell a falsehood on no account; and besides, poor lad!' and she smiled as the tears came into her eyes, 'he's so taken to me, he wouldn't keep nothing back from me, no more than my own boys.' 'i'm sure he ought not, mrs. king,' said the curate, 'such a mother to him as you have been. i should like to examine him a little. with so much education, he might do something better for himself than field-labour.' 'a very good thing it would be, sir,' said mrs. king, looking much cheered; 'for i misdoubt me sometimes if he'll ever be strong enough to gain his bread that way--at least, not to be a good workman. there! he's not nigh so tall as harold; and so slight and skinny as he is, going about all bent and slouching, even before his illness! why, he says what made him stay so long in the union was that he looked so small and young, that none of the farmers at upperscote would take him from it; and so at last he had to go on the tramp.' mr. cope went up-stairs, and found ellen, as usual, at her needle, and paul in the arm-chair close by alfred, both busied in choosing and cutting out pictures from matilda's 'illustrated news,' with which harold ornamented the wall of the stair-case and landing. mr. cope sat down, and made them laugh with something droll about the figures that were lying spread on alfred. 'so, paul,' he said, 'i find mrs. king has engaged you for her accountant.' 'i wish i could do anything to be of any use,' said paul. 'i've half a mind to ask you some questions in arithmetic,' said mr. cope, with his merry eyes upon the boy, and his mouth looking grave; 'only i'm afraid you might puzzle me.' 'i can't do as i used, sir,' said paul, rather nervously; 'i've forgotten ever so much; and my head swims.' the slate was lying near; mr. cope pushed it towards him, and said, 'well, will you mind letting me see how you can write from dictation?' and taking up one of the papers, he read slowly several sentences from a description of a great fire, with some tolerably long-winded newspaper words in them. when he paused, and asked for the slate, there it all stood, perfectly spelt, well written, and with all the stops and capitals in the right places. 'famously done, paul! well, and do you know where this place was?' naming the town. paul turned his eyes about for a moment, and then gave the name of a county. 'that'll do, paul. which part of england?' 'midland.' and so on, mr. cope got him out of his depth by asking about the rivers, and made him frown and look teased by a question about a battle fought in that county. if he had ever known, he had forgotten, and he was weak and easily confused; but mr. cope saw that he had read some history and learnt some geography, and was not like some of the village boys, who used to think harold had been called after herod--a nice namesake, truly! 'who taught you all this, paul?' he said. 'you must have had a cleverer master than is common in unions. who was he?' 'he was a mr. alcock, sir. he was a clever man. they said in the house that he had been a bit of a gentleman, a lawyer, or a clerk, or something, but that he could never keep from the bottle.' 'what! and so they keep him for a school-master?' 'he was brought in, sir; he'd got that mad fit that comes of drink, sir, and was fresh out of gaol for debt. and when he came to, he said he'd keep the school for less than our master that was gone. he couldn't do anything else, you see.' 'and how did he teach you?' 'he knocked us about,' said paul, drawing his shoulders together with an unpleasant recollection; 'he wasn't so bad to me, because i liked getting my tasks, and when he was in a good humour, he'd say i was a credit to him, and order me in to read to him in the evening.' 'and when he was not?' 'that was when he'd been out. they said he'd been at the gin-shop; but he used to be downright savage,' said paul. 'at last he never thought it worth while to teach any lessons but mine, and i used to hear the other classes; but the inspector came all on a sudden, and found it out one day when he'd hit a little lad so that his nose was bleeding, and so he was sent off.' 'how long ago was this?' 'going on for a year,' said paul. 'didn't the inspector want you to go to a training-school?' said alfred. 'yes; but the guardians wouldn't hear of it.' 'did you wish it?' asked mr. cope. 'i liked my liberty, sir,' was the answer; and paul looked down. 'well, and what you do think now you've tried your liberty?' paul didn't make any answer, but finding that good-humoured face still waiting, he said slowly, 'why, sir, it was well-nigh the worst of all to find i was getting as stupid as the cows.' mr. cope laughed, but not so as to vex him; and added, 'so that was the way you learnt to be a reader, paul. can you tell me what books you used to read to this master?' paul paused; and alfred said, '"uncle tom's cabin," sir; he told us the story of that.' 'yes,' said paul; 'but that wasn't all: there was a book about paris, and all the people in the back lanes there; and a german prince who came, and was kind.' 'you must not tell them stories out of that book, paul,' said mr. cope quickly, for he knew it was a very bad one. 'no, sir,' said paul; 'but most times it was books he called philosophy, that i couldn't make anything of--no story, and all dull; but he was very savage if i got to sleep over them, till i hated the sight of them.' 'i'm glad you did, my poor boy,' said mr. cope. 'but one thing more. tell me how, with such a man as this, you could have learnt about the bible and catechism, as you have done.' 'oh,' said paul, 'we had only the bible and testament to read in the school, because they were the cheapest; and the chaplain asked us about the catechism every sunday.' 'what was the chaplain's name?' paul was able, with some recollection, to answer; but he knew little about the clergyman, who was much overworked, and seldom able to give any time to the paupers. three days after, mr. cope again came into the post-office. 'well, mrs. king, i suppose you don't need to be told that our friend paul has spoken nothing but truth. the chaplain sends me his baptismal registry, for which i asked. just seventeen he must be--a foundling, picked up at about three weeks old, january th, . they fancy he was left by some tramping musicians, but never were able to trace them--at least, so the chaplain hears from some of the people who remember it. being so stunted, and looking younger than he is, no farmer would take him from the house, and the school-master made him useful, so he was kept on till the grand exposure that he told us of.' 'ah! sir,' said mrs. king,' i'm afraid that master was a bad man. i only wonder the poor lad learnt no more harm from him!' 'one trembles to think of the danger,' said mr. cope; 'but you see there's often a guard over those who don't seek the temptation, and perhaps this poor fellow's utter ignorance of anything beyond the union walls helped him to let the mischief pass by his understanding, better than if he had had any experience of the world.' 'i doubt if he'll ever have that, sir,' said mrs. king, her sensible face lighting up rather drolly; 'there's harold always laughing at him for being so innocent, and yet so clever at his book.' 'so much the better for him,' said mr. cope. 'the son of sirach never said a wiser word than that "the knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom." why, mrs. king, what have i said? you look as if you had a great mind to laugh at me.' 'i beg your pardon, sir,' said mrs. king, much disconcerted at what seemed to her as if it might have been disrespect, though that was only mr. cope's droll way of putting it, 'i never meant--' 'well, but what were you thinking of?' 'why, sir, i beg your pardon, but i was thinking it wouldn't have been amiss if he had had sense enough to keep himself clean and tidy.' 'i agree with you,' said mr. cope, laughing, and seeing she used 'innocent' in a slightly different sense from what he did; 'but perhaps union cleanliness was not inviting, and he'd not had you to bring him up to fresh cheeks like harold's. besides, i believe it was half depression and want of heart to exert himself, when there was no one to care for him; and he certainly had not been taught either self-respect, or to think cleanliness next to godliness.' 'poor lad--no,' said mrs. king; 'nor i don't think he'd do it again, and i trust he'll never be so lost again.' 'lost, and found,' said mr. cope gravely. 'another thing i was going to say was, that this irreverent economy of the guardians, in allowing no lesson-books but the bible, seems to have, after all, been blest to him in his knowledge of it, like an antidote to the evil the master poured in.' 'yes, sir,' said mrs. king, 'just so; only he says, that though he liked it, because, poor lad, there was nothing else that seemed to him to speak kind or soft, he never knew how much it was meant for him, nor it didn't seem to touch him home till he came to you, sir.' mr. cope half turned away. his bright eyes had something very like a tear in them, for hardly anything could have been said to make the young clergyman so happy, as to tell him that any work of his should be blessed; but he went on talking quickly, to say that the chaplain gave a still worse account of alcock than paul's had been, saying that some gentlemen who had newly become guardians at the time of the inspector's visit, had taken up the matter, and had been perfectly shocked at the discoveries they had made about the man to whom the poor children had been entrusted. on his dismissal, some of the old set, who were all for cheapness, had talked of letting young blackthorn act as school-master; but as he was so very young, and had been brought up by this wretched man, the gentlemen would not hear of it; and as they could not afford to accept the inspector's offer of recommending him to a government school, he had been sent out in quest of employment, as being old enough to provide for himself. things had since, the chaplain said, been put on a much better footing, and he himself had much more time to attend to the inmates. as to paul, he was glad to hear that he was in good hands; he said he had always perceived him to be a very clever boy, and knew no harm of him but that he was a favourite with alcock, which he owned had made him very glad to get him out of the house, lest he should carry on the mischief. mr. cope and mrs. king were both of one mind, that this was hard measure. so it was. man's measure always is either over hard or over soft, because he cannot see all sides at once. now they saw paul's side, his simplicity, and his suffering; the chaplain had only seen the chances of his conveying the seeds of ungodly teaching to the workhouse children; he could not tell that the pitch which paul had not touched by his own will, had not stuck by him--probably owing to that very simplicity which had made him so helpless in common life. having learnt all this, mr. cope proposed to paul to use the time of his recovery in learning as much as he could, so as to be ready in case any opportunity should offer for gaining his livelihood by his head rather than by his hands. paul's face glowed. he liked nothing better than to be at a book, and with mr. cope to help him by bright encouragements and good-natured explanations instead of tweaks of the ears and raps on the knuckles, what could be pleasanter? so mr. cope lent him books, set him questions, and gave him pen, ink, and copy-book, and he toiled away with them till his senses grew dazed, and his back ached beyond bearing; so that 'mother,' as he called her now, caught him up, and made him lie on his bed to rest, threatening to tell mr. cope not to set him anything so hard; while ellen watched in wonder at any one being so clever, and was proud of whatever mr. cope said he did well; and harold looked on him as a more extraordinary creature than the pie-bald horse in the show, who wore a hat and stood on his hind legs, since he really was vexed when book and slate were taken out of his hands. he would have over-tasked himself in his weakness much more, if it had not been for his lovingness to alfred. to please alfred was always his first thought; and even if a difficult sum were just on the point of proving itself, he would leave off at the first moment of seeing alfred look as if he wanted to be read to, and would miss all his calculations, to answer some question--who was going down the village, or what that noise could be. alfred tried to be considerate, and was sorry when he saw by a furrow on paul's brow that he was trying to win up again all that some trifling saying had made him lose. but alfred was not scholar enough to perceive the teasing of such interruptions, and even had he been aware of it, he was not in a state when he could lie quite still long together without disturbing any one; he could amuse himself much less than formerly, and often had most distressing restless fits, when one or other of them had to give him their whole attention; and it was all his most earnest efforts could do to keep from the old habit of fretfulness and murmuring. and he grieved so much over the least want of temper, and begged pardon so earnestly for the least impatient word--even if there had been real provocation for it--that it was a change indeed since the time when he thought grumbling and complaint his privilege and relief. nothing helped him more than paul's reading psalms to him--the st was his favourite--or saying over hymns to him in that very sweet voice so full of meaning. sometimes ellen and paul would sing together, as she sat at her work, and it almost always soothed him to hear the psalm tunes, that were like an echo from the church, about which he had cared so little when he had been able to go there in health and strength, but for which he now had such a longing! he came to be so used to depend on their singing the evening hymn to him, that one of the times when it was most hard for him to be patient, was one cold evening, when ellen was so hoarse that she could not speak, and an unlucky draught in from the shop door had so knit paul up again, that he was lying in his bed, much nearer screaming than singing. most of all, however, was alfred helped by mr. cope's visits, and the looking forward to the promised feast, with more earnestness as the time drew on, and he felt his own weakness more longing for the support and blessing of uniting his suffering with that of his lord. 'in all our afflictions he was afflicted,' was a sound that came most cheeringly to him, and seemed to give him greater strength and good-will to bear his load of weakness. there was a book which young mrs. selby had given his mother, which was often lying on his bed, and had marks in it at all the favourite places. some he liked to look at himself, some for paul to read to him. they were such sentences as these: 'my son, i descended from heaven for thy salvation; i took upon me thy miseries; not necessity, but charity, drawing me thereto, that thou thyself mightest learn patience, and bear temporal miseries without grudging.' 'for from the hour of my birth, even until my death on the cross, i was not without suffering and grief.' and then again: 'offer up thyself unto me, and give thyself wholly for god, and thy offering shall be acceptable.' 'behold, i offered up myself wholly unto my father for thee, and gave my whole body and blood for thy food, that i might be wholly thine, and that thou mightest continue mine unto the end.' so he might think of all that he went through as capable of being made a free offering, which god would accept for the sake of the one great offering, 'consuming and burning away' (as the book said) 'all his sins with the fire of christ's love, and cleansing his conscience from all offences.' it was what he now felt in the words, 'thy will be done,' which he tried to say in full earnest; but he thought he should be very happy when he should go along with the offering ourselves, our souls, and bodies, to be a 'reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice.' each of mr. cope's readings brought out or confirmed these refreshing hopes; and paul likewise dwelt on such thoughts. hardship had been a training to him, like sickness for alfred; he knew what it was to be weary and heavy laden, and to want rest, and was ready to draw closer to the only home and father that he could claim. his gentle unresisting spirit was one that so readily forgot ill-will, that positively harold cherished more dislike to the shepherds than he did; and there was no struggle to forgive, no lack of charity for all men, so that hope and trust were free. these two boys were a great deal to the young deacon. perhaps he reckoned on his first ministration as a priest by alfred's bedside, as much or even more than did the lad, for to him the whole household were as near and like-minded friends, though neither he nor they ever departed from the fitting manners of their respective stations. he was one who liked to share with others what was near his heart, and he had shewn alfred the service for the ordination of priests, and the prayers for grace that would be offered, and the holy vows that he would take upon him, and the words with which those great powers would be conferred--those powers that our chief shepherd left in trust for the pastors who feed his flock. and once he had bent down and whispered to alfred to pray that help might be given to him to use those powers faithfully. so wore on the early spring; and the morning had come when he was to set out for the cathedral town, when harold rode up to the parsonage door, and something in his looks as he passed the window made mr. cope hasten to the door to meet him. 'o sir!' said harold, bursting out crying as he began to speak, 'poor alfred is took so bad; and mother told me to tell you, sir--if he's not better--he'll never live out the day!' poor harold, who had never seemed to heed his brother's illness, was quite overwhelmed now. it had come upon him all at once. 'what is it? has the doctor been?' 'no, sir; i went in at six o'clock this morning to ask him to come out, and he said he'd come--and sent him a blister--but alf was worse by the time i got back, sir,--he can't breathe--and don't seem to notice.' and without another word, nor waiting for comfort, harold dug his heels into peggy, passed his elbow over his eyes, and cantered on with the tears drying on his face in the brisk march wind. there was no finishing breakfast for the curate; he thrust his letters into his pocket, caught up his hat, and walked off with long strides for the post-office. it shewed how different things were from usual, that paul, who had hardly yet been four times down-stairs, his thin pointed face all in a flush, was the only person in the shop, trying with a very shaky hand to cut out some cheese for a great stout farm maid-servant, who evidently did not understand what was the matter, and stared doubly when the clergyman put his strong hand so as to steady paul's trembling one, and gave his help to fold up the parcel. 'how is he, paul?' paul was very near crying as he answered, 'much worse, sir. mother has been up all night with him. o sir! he did so want to live till you came home.' 'may i go up?' asked mr. cope. paul was sure that he might, and crept up after him. it was bad enough, but not quite so bad as harold, in his fright, had made mr. cope believe. poor boy! it had all come upon him now; and seeing his brother unable to speak and much oppressed, he fancied he did not know him, whereas alfred was fully sensible, though too ill to do more than lift his eyes, and put out his weak fingers as mr. cope came into the room, where he was lying raised on his pillows, with his mother and sister doing all they could for him. a terrible pain in the side had come on in the night, making every breath painful, every cough agonizing, and his whole face and brow were crimson with the effort of gasping. paul looked a moment but could not bear it, and went, and sat down on the top of the stairs; while mr. cope kindly held alfred's hot hand, and mrs. king, in her low patient tone, told how the attack had begun. she was in the midst, when mr. blunt's gig was seen at the gate. his having thus hastened his coming was more than they had dared to hope; and while mrs. king felt grateful for the kindness, ellen feared that it shewed that he thought very badly of the case. mr. cope was much hurried, but he could not bear to go till he had heard mr. blunt's opinion; so he went down to the kitchen, tried to console paul by talking kindly to him, wrote a note, and read his letters. they were much comforted to hear that mr. blunt thought that there was hope of subduing the present inflammatory pain; and though there was much immediate danger, it was not hastening so very fast to the end as they had at first supposed. yet, in such a state as alfred's, a few hours might finish all. there was no saying. already, when mr. cope went up again, the remedies had given some relief; and though the breaths came short and hard, like so many stabs, alfred had put his head into an easier position, and his eyes and lips looked more free to look a greeting. there was so much wistful earnestness in his face, and it deeply grieved mr. cope to be forced to leave him, and in too much haste even to be able to pray with him. 'well, alfred, dear fellow,' he said, his voice trembling, 'i am come to wish you good-bye. i am comforted to find that mr. blunt thinks there is good hope that you will be here--that we shall be together when i come back. yes, i know that is what is on your mind, and i do reckon most earnestly on it; but if it should not be his will--here, ellen, will you take care of this note? if he should be worse, will you send this to mr. carter, at ragglesford? and i know he will come at once.' the dew stood on alfred's eye-lashes, and his lips worked. he looked up sadly to mr. cope, as if this did not answer his longings. mr. cope replied to the look--'yes, dear boy, but if it cannot be, still remember it is communion. he can put us together. we all drink into one spirit. i shall be engaged in a like manner--i would not--i could not go, alfred, for pleasure--no, nor business--only for this. you must think that i am gone to bring you home the gift--the greatest, best gift--the one our lord left with his disciples, to bear them through their sorrows and pains--through the light affliction that is but for a moment, but worketh an exceeding weight of glory. and if i should not be in time,' he added, nearly sobbing as he spoke, 'then--then, alfred, the gift, the blessing is yours all the same. it is the great high priest to whom you must look--perhaps you may do so the more really if it should not be through--your friend. if we are disappointed, we will make a sacrifice of our disappointment. good-bye, my boy; god bless you!' bending close down to his face, he whispered, 'think of me. pray for me--now--always.' then, rising hastily, he shook the hands of the mother and sister, ran down-stairs, and was gone. chapter xii--rest at last the east wind had been swept aside by gales from the warm south, and the spring was bursting out everywhere; the sky looked softly blue, instead of hard and chill; the sun made everything glisten: the hedges were full of catkins; white buds were on the purple twigs of the blackthorns; primroses were looking out on the sunny side of the road; the larks were mounting up, singing as if they were wild with delight; and the sunbeams were full of dancing gnats, as the curate of friarswood walked, with quick eager steps, towards the bridge. his eyes were anxiously bent on the house, watching the white smoke rising from the chimney; then he hastened on to gain the first sight at the upper windows, feeling almost as he could have done had it been a brother who lay there; so much was his heart set on the first whom he had striven to help through the valley of the shadow of death. the window was open, but the blind was not drawn; and almost at the same moment the gate opened, some one looked out, and seeing him, waved his hand and arm in joyful signal towards some one within, and this gesture set mr. cope's heart at rest. was it harold? no, it was paul blackthorn, who stood leaning on the wicket, as he held it open for the clergyman, at whom he looked up as if expecting some change, and a little surprised to find the same voice and manner. 'well, paul, then he is not worse?' 'no, sir, thank you, he is better. the pain has left him, and he can speak again,' said paul, but not very cheerfully. 'that is a great comfort! but who's that?' as a head, not ellen's, appeared for a moment at the window. 'that's miss king, sir--miss matilda!' 'oh! well, and how are the bones, paul? better, i hope, since i see you are come out with the bees,' said mr. cope, laying his hand kindly on his shoulder (a thing fit to touch now, since it was in a fustian coat of poor alfred's), and accommodating his swift strong steps to the feeble halt with which paul still moved. 'thank you, sir, yes; i've been down here twice when the sun was out,' he said, as if it were a grand undertaking; but then, with a sudden smile, 'and poor caesar knew me, sir; he came right across the road, and wagged his tail, and licked my hand.' 'good old caesar! you were his best friend, paul.--well, mrs. king, this is a blessing!' mrs. king looked sadly worn out with nursing, and her eyes were full of tears. 'yes, sir,' she said, 'indeed it is. my poor darling has been so much afraid he was too much set on your coming home, and yet so patient and quiet about it.' 'then you ventured to wait?' and mr. cope heard that the attack of inflammation had given way to remedies, but that alfred was so much weakened, that they could not raise him again. he was sustained by as much nourishment as they could give him: but the disease had made great progress, and mr. blunt did not think that he could last many days. his eldest sister had come for a fortnight from her place, and was a great comfort to them all. 'and so is paul,' said mrs. king, looking for him kindly; 'i don't know what we should do without his help up-stairs and down. and, sir, yesterday,' she added, colouring a good deal--'i beg your pardon, but i thought, maybe, you'd like to hear it--alfred would have nobody else up with him in morning church-time--and made him read the most--of that service, sir.' mr. cope's eyes glistened, and he said something huskily of being glad that alfred could think of it. it further appeared that alfred had wished very much to see miss selby again, and that mrs. king had sent the two sisters to the grange to talk it over with mrs. crabbe, and word had been sent by harold that morning that the young lady would come in the course of the afternoon. mr. cope followed mrs. king up-stairs; alfred's face lighted up as his sister matilda made way for the clergyman. he was very white, and his breath was oppressed; but his look had changed very much--it had a strange, still sort of brightness and peace about it. he spoke in very low tones, just above a whisper, and smiled as mr. cope took his hand, and spoke to him. 'thank you, sir. it is very nice,' he said. 'i thank god that he has let you wait for me,' said mr. cope. 'i am glad,' said alfred. 'i did want to pray for it; but i thought, perhaps, if it was not his will, i would not--and then what you said. and now he is making it all happy.' 'and you do not grieve over your year of illness?' 'i would not have been without it--no,' said alfred, very quietly, but with much meaning. '"it is good for me that i have been in trouble," is what you mean,' said mr. cope. 'it has made our saviour seem--i mean--he is so good to me,' said alfred fervently. but talking made him cough, and that brought a line in the fair forehead so full of peace. mr. cope would not say more to him, and asked his mother whether the feast, for which he had so much longed, should be on the following day. she thought it best that it should be so; and alfred again said, 'thank you, sir,' with the serene expression on his face. mr. cope read a psalm and a prayer to him, and thinking him equal to no more, went away, pausing, however, for a little talk with paul in the shop. paul did not say so, but, poor fellow, he had been rather at a loss since matilda had come. in herself, she was a very good, humble, sensible girl; but she wore a dark silk dress, and looked, moved, and spoke much more like a lady than ellen: paul stood in great awe of her, and her presence seemed all at once to set him aloof from the others. he had been like one of themselves for the last three months, now he felt that he was like a beggar among them; he did not like to call mrs. king mother, lest it should seem presuming; ellen seemed to be raised up the same step as her sister, and even alfred was almost out of his reach; matilda read to him, and paul's own good feeling shewed him that he would be only in the way if he spent all his time in alfred's room as formerly; so he kept down-stairs in the morning, and went to bed very early. nobody was in the least unkind to him: but he had just begun to grieve at being a burden so long, and to wonder how much longer he should be in getting his health again. and then it might be only to be cast about the world, and to lose his one glimpse of home kindness. poor boy! he still cried at the thought of how happy alfred was. he did all he could to be useful, but he could scarcely manage to stoop down, could carry nothing heavy, and moved very slowly; and he now and then made a dreadful muddle in the shop, when a customer was not like mrs. hayward, who told him where everything was, and the price of all she wanted, as well as mrs. king could do herself. he could sort the letters and see to the post-office very well; and for all his blunders, he did so much by his good-will, that when mrs. king wanted to cheer him up, she declared that he saved her all the expense of having in a woman from the village to help, and that he did more about the house than harold. this was true: for harold did not like doing anything but manly things, as he called them; whereas paul did not care what it was, so that it saved trouble to her or ellen. talking and listening to harold was one use of paul. now that it had come upon him, and he saw alfred worse from day to day, the poor boy was quite broken-hearted. possibly, when at his work, or riding, he managed to shake off the remembrance; but at home it always came back, and he cried so much at the sight of alfred, and at any attempt of his brother to talk to him, that they could scarcely let him stay ten minutes in the room. then, when paul had gone to bed on the landing at seven o'clock, he would come and sit on his bed, and talk, and cry, and sob about his brother, and his own carelessness of him, often till his mother came out and ordered him down-stairs to his own bed in the kitchen; and paul turned his face into the pillow to weep himself to sleep, loving alfred very little less than did his brother, but making less noise about it, and feeling very lonely when he saw how all the family cared for each other. so mr. cope's kind manner came all the more pleasantly to him; and after some talk on what they both most cared about, mr. cope said, 'paul, mr. shaw of berryton tells me he has a capital school-master, but in rather weak health, and he wants to find a good intelligent youth to teach under him, and have opportunities of improving himself. five pounds a year, and board and lodgings. what do you think of it, paul?' paul's sallow face began growing red, and he polished the counter, on which he was leaning; then, as mr. cope repeated, 'eh, paul?' he said slowly, and in his almost rude way, 'they wouldn't have me if they knew how i'd been brought up.' 'perhaps they would if they knew what you've come to in spite of bringing up. and,' added mr. cope, 'they are not so much pressed for time but that they can wait till you've quite forgotten your tumble into the ragglesford. we must fatten you--get rid of those spider-fingers, and you and i must do a few more lessons together--and i think mrs. king has something towards your outfit; and by whitsuntide, i told mr. shaw that i thought i might send him what i call a very fair sample of a good steady lad.' paul did not half seem to take it in--perhaps he was too unhappy, or it sounded like sending him away again; or, maybe, such a great step in life was more than he could comprehend, after the outcast condition to which he had been used: but mr. cope could not go on talking to him, for the grange carriage was stopping at the gate, and matilda and ellen were both coming down-stairs to receive miss jane. poor little thing, she looked very pale and nervous; and as she shook hands with the curate, as he met her in the garden-path, she said with a startled manner, 'oh! mr. cope--were you there? am i interrupting--?' 'not at all,' he said. 'i had only called in as i came home, and had just come down again.' 'is it--is it very dreadful?' murmured jane, with a sort of gasp. she was so entirely unused to scenes of sadness or pain, that it was very strange and alarming to her, and it was more difficult than ever to believe her no younger than ellen. 'very far from dreadful or distressing,' said mr. cope kindly, for he knew it was not her fault that she had been prevented from overcoming such feelings, and that this was a great effort of kindness. 'it is a very peaceful, soothing sight--he is very happy, and not in a suffering state.' 'oh, will you tell grandmamma?' said jane, with her pretty look of earnestness; 'she is so much afraid of its much for me, and she was so kind in letting me come.' so miss selby went on to the two sisters, and mr. cope proceeded to the carriage, where lady jane had put out her head, glad to be able to ask him about the state of affairs. having nothing but this little grand- daughter left to her, the old lady watched over her with almost over-tender care, and was in much alarm both lest the air of the sick- room should be unwholesome, or the sight too sorrowful for her; and though she was too kind to refuse the wish of the dying boy, she had come herself, in order that 'the child,' as she called her, might not stay longer than was good for her; and she was much relieved to hear mr. cope's account of alfred's calm state, and of the freshness of the clean room, in testimony of which he pointed to the open window. 'yes,' she said, 'i hope mary king was wise enough; but i hardly knew how it might be with such a number about the house--that boy and all. he is not gone, is he?' 'no, he is not nearly well enough yet, though he does what he can to be useful to her. when he is recovered, i have a scheme for him.' so mr. cope mentioned mr. shaw's proposal, by which my lady set more store than did paul as yet. very kind-hearted she was, though she did not fancy adopting chance-comers into her parish; and as long as he was not saddled upon mary king, as she said, she was very glad of any good for him; so she told mr. cope to come to her for what he might want to fit him out properly for the situation; and turning her keen eyes on him as he stood near the cottage door, pronounced that, after all, he was a nice, decent-looking lad enough, which certainly her ladyship would not have said before his illness. miss jane did not stay long. indeed, alfred could not talk to her, and she did not know what to say to him; she could only stand by his bed, with the tears upon her cheeks, making little murmuring sounds in answer to mrs. king, who said for her son what she thought he wished to have said. meanwhile, jane was earnestly looking at him, remarking with awe, that, changed as he was since she had last seen him--so much more wasted away--the whole look of his face was altered by the gentleness and peace that it had gained, so as to be like the white figure of a saint. she could not bear it when mrs. king told her alfred wanted to thank her for all her kindness in coming to see him. 'oh, no,' she said, 'i was not kind at all;' and her tears would not be hindered. 'only, you know, i could not help it.' alfred gave her a bright look. any one could see what a pleasure it was to him to be looking at her again, though he did not repent of his share in the sacrifice for paul's sake. no, if paul had been given up that miss jane might come to him, alfred would not have had the training that made all so sweet and calm with him now. he turned his head to the little picture, and said, 'thank you, ma'am, for that. that's been my friend.' 'yes, indeed it has, miss jane,' said his mother. 'there's nothing you ever did for him that gave him the comfort that has been.' 'and please, ma'am,' said alfred, 'will you tell my lady--i give her my duty--and ask her pardon for having behaved so bad--and mrs. crabbe--and the rest?' 'i will, alfred; but every one has forgiven that nonsense long ago.' 'it was very bad of me,' said alfred, pausing for breath; 'and so it was not to mind you--miss jane--when you said i was ill for a warning.' 'did i?' said jane. 'yes--in hay-time--i mind it--i didn't mind for long--but 'twas true. he had patience with me.' the cough came on, and jane knew she must go; her grandmother had bidden her not to stay if it were so, and she just ventured to squeeze alfred's hand, and then went down-stairs, checking her tears, to wish matilda and ellen good-bye; and as she passed by paul, told him not to uncover his still very short-haired head, and kindly hoped he was better. paul, in his dreary feelings, hardly thought of mr. cope's plan, till, as he was getting the letters ready for harold, he turned up one in mr. cope's writing, addressed to the 'rev. a. shaw, berryton, elbury.' 'that's to settle for me, then,' he said; and harold who was at tea, asking, 'what's that?' he explained. 'well,' said harold, 'every one to his taste! i wouldn't go to school again, not for a hundred pounds; and as to _keeping_ school!' (such a face as he made really caused paul to smile.) 'nor you don't half like it, neither,' continued harold. 'come, you'd better stay and get work here! i'd sooner be at the plough-tail all day, than poke out my eyes over stuff like that,' pointing to paul's slate, covered with figures. 'here, nelly,' as she moved about, tidying the room, 'do you hear? mr. cope's got an offer of a place for paul--five pounds a year, and board and lodging, to be school-master's whipper-in, or what d'ye call it?' 'what do you say, harold?' cried ellen, putting her hands on the back of a chair, quite interested. 'you going away, paul?' 'mr. cope says so--and i must get my living, you know,' said paul. 'but not yet; you are not well enough yet,' said the kind girl. 'and where did you say--?' 'to berryton.' 'berryton--oh! that's just four miles out on the other side of elbury, where susan congleton went to live that was housemaid at the grange. she says it's such a nice place, and such beautiful organ and singing at church! and what did you say you were to be, paul?' 'i'm to help the school-master.' 'gracious me!' cried ellen. 'why, such a scholar as you are, you'll be quite a gentleman yet, paul. why, they school-masters get fifty or sixty pounds salaries sometimes. i protest it's the best thing i've heard this long time! was it mr. cope's doing, or my lady's?' 'mr. cope's,' said paul, beginning to think he had been rather less grateful than he ought. 'ah! it is like him,' said ellen, 'after all the pains he has taken with you. and you'll not be so far off, paul: you'll come to see us in the holidays, you know.' 'to be sure he will,' said harold; 'or if he don't, i shall go and fetch him.' 'of course he will,' said ellen, with her hand on paul's chair, and speaking low and affectionately to console him, as she saw him so downcast; 'don't you know how poor alfy says he's come to be instead of a son to mother, and a brother to us? i must go up and tell alf and mother. they'll be so pleased.' paul felt very differently about the plan now. all the house congratulated him upon it, and matilda evidently thought more of him now that she found he was to have something to do. but such things as these were out of sight beside that which was going on in the room above. alfred slept better that night, and woke so much revived, that they thought him better: and harold, greatly comforted about him, stood tolerably quietly by his side, listening to one or two things that alfred had longed for months past to say to him. 'promise me, harold dear, that you'll be a good son to mother: you'll be the only one now.' harold made a bend of his head like a promise. 'o harold, be good to her!' went on alfred earnestly; 'she's had so much trouble! i do hope god will leave you to her--if you are steady and good. do, harold! she's not like some, as don't care what their lads get to. and don't take after me, and be idle! be right-down good, harold, as paul is; and when you come to be ill--oh! it won't be so bad for you as it was for me!' 'i do want to be good,' sighed harold. 'if i'd only been confirmed; but 'twas all along of them merries last summer!' 'and i was such a plague to you--i drove you out,' said alfred. 'no, no, i was a brute to you! oh! alfy, alfy, if i could only get back the time!' he was getting to the sobs that hurt his brother; and his sister was going to interfere; but alfred said: 'never mind, harold dear, we've been very happy together, and we'll always love each other. you'll not forget alf, and you'll be mother's good son to take care of her! won't you?' so harold gave that promise, and went away with his tears. poor fellow, now was his punishment for having slighted the confirmation. like esau, an exceeding bitter cry could not bring back what he had lightly thrown away. well was it for him that this great sorrow came in time, and that it was not altogether his birthright that he had parted with. he found he could not go out to his potato-planting and forget all about it, as he would have liked to have done--something would not let him; and there he was sitting crouched up and sorrowful on the steps of the stairs, when mr. cope and all the rest were gathered in alfred's room, a church for the time. matilda and ellen had set out the low table with the fair white cloth, and mr. cope brought the small cups and paten, which were doubly precious to him for having belonged to his father, and because the last time he had seen them used had been for his father's last communion. now was the time to feel that a change had really passed over the young pastor in the time of his absence. before, he could only lead alfred in his prayers, and give him counsel, tell him to hope in his repentance, and on what that hope was founded. now that he had bent beneath the hand of the bishop, he had received, straight down from the twelve, the power from on high. it was not mr. cope, but the lord who had purchased that pardon by his own most precious blood, who by him now declared to alfred that the sins and errors of which he had so long repented, were pardoned and taken away. the voice of authority now assured him of what he had been only told to hope and trust before. and to make the promise all the more close and certain, here was the means of becoming a partaker of the sacrifice--here was that bread and that cup which shew forth the lord's death till he come. it was very great rest and peace, the hush that was over the quiet room, with only alfred's hurried breath to be heard beside mr. cope's voice as he spoke the blessed words, and the low responses of the little congregation. paul was close beside alfred--he would have him there between his mother and the wall--and the two whose first communion it was, were the last to whom mr. cope came. to one it was to be the food for the passage into the unseen world; to the other might it be the first partaking of the manna to support him through the wilderness of this life. 'from the highways and hedges,' here was one brought into the foretaste of the marriage supper. ah! there was one outside, who had loved idle pleasure when the summons had been sent to him. perhaps the misery he was feeling now might be the means of sparing him from missing other calls, and being shut out at last. it seemed to fulfil all that alfred had wished. he lay still between waking and sleeping for a long time afterwards, and then begged for paul to read to him the last chapters of the book of revelation. matilda wished to read them for him; but he said, 'paul, please.' paul's voice was fuller and softer when it was low; his accent helped the sense, and alfred was more used to them than to his visitor sister. perhaps there was still another reason, for when paul came to the end, and was turning the leaves for one of alfred's favourite bits, he saw alfred's eyes on him, as if he wanted to speak. it was to say, 'brothers quite now, paul! thank you. i think god must have sent you to help me.' alfred seemed better all the evening, and they went to bed in good spirits; but at midnight, mr. cope, who was very deeply studying and praying, the better to fit himself for his new office in the ministry, was just going to shut his book, and go up to bed, when he heard a tremulous ring at the bell. it was harold, his face looking very white in the light from mr. cope's candle. 'oh! please, sir,' he said, 'alfred is worse; and mother said, if your light wasn't out, you'd like to know.' 'i am very grateful to her,' said mr. cope; and taking up his plaid, he wrapped one end round the boy, and put his arm round him, as he felt him quaking as paul had done before, but not crying--too much awe-struck for that. he said that his mother thought something had broken in the lungs, and that he would be choked. mr. cope made the more haste, that he might judge if the doctor would be of any use. paul was sitting up in his bed--they had not let him get up--but his eyes were wide open with distress, as he plainly heard the loud sob that each breath had become. mrs. king was holding alfred up in her arms; matilda was trying to chafe his feet; ellen was kneeling with her face hidden. the light of sense and meaning was not gone from alfred's eyes, though the last struggle had come. he gave a look as though he were glad to see mr. cope, and then gazed on his brother. mrs. king signed to harold to come nearer, and whispered, 'kiss him.' his sisters had done so, and he had missed harold. then mr. cope prayed, and alfred's eyes at first owned the sounds; but soon they were closed, and the long struggling breaths were all that shewed that the spirit was still there. 'he shall swallow up death in victory, and the lord god shall wipe away tears from all eyes.' one moment, and the blue eyes they knew so well were opened and smiling on his mother, and then-- it was over; and through affliction and pain, the young spirit had gone to rest! the funeral day was a very sore one to paul blackthorn. he would have given the world to be there, and have heard the beautiful words of hope which received his friend to his resting-place, but he could not get so far. he had tried to carry a message to a house not half so far off as the church, but his knees seemed to give way under him, and his legs ached so much that he could hardly get home. somehow, a black suit, just such as harold's, had come home for him at the same time; but this could not hinder him from feeling that he was but a stranger, and one who had no real place in the home where he lived. there was the house full of people, who would only make their remarks on him--miss hardman (who was very critical of the coffin-plate), the school-master, and some of the upper-servants of the house--and poor mrs. king and matilda, who could not help being gratified at the attention to their darling, were obliged to go down and be civil to them; while ellen, less used to restraint, was shut into her own room crying; and harold was standing on the stairs, very red, but a good deal engaged with his long hat-band. poor paul! he had not even his usual refuge--his own bed to lie upon and hide his face--for that had been taken away to make room for the coffin to be carried down. there, they were going at last, when it had seemed as if the bustle and confusion would never cease. there was alfred leaving the door where he had so often played, carried upon the shoulders of six lads in white frocks, his old school-fellows and paul's confirmation friends. how paul envied them for doing him that last service! there was his mother, always patient and composed, holding harold's arm--harold, who must be her stay and help, but looking so slight, so boyish, and so young, then the two girls, ellen so overpowered with crying that her sister had to lead her; mrs. crabbe with betsey hardman, who held up a great white handkerchief, for other people's visible grief always upset her, as she said; and besides, she felt it a duty to cry at such a time; and the rest two and two, quite a train, in their black suits: how unlike the dreary pauper funerals paul had watched away at upperscote! that respectable look seemed to make him further off and more desolate, like one cut off, whom no one would follow, no one would weep for. alfred, who had called him a brother, was gone, and here he was alone! the others were taking their dear one once more to the church where they had so often prayed that he might have a happy issue out of all his afflictions. they were met by mr. cope, ending his loving intercourse with alfred by reading out the blessed promise of resurrection--the assurance that the body they were sowing in weakness would be raised in power; so that the noble boy, whom they had seen fade away like a drooping flower, would rise again blossoming forth in glory, after the image of the incorruptible--that image, thought mr. cope, as he read on, which he faithfully strove to copy even through the sufferings due to the corruptible. his voice often shook and faltered. he had never before read that service; and perhaps, except for those of his own kin, it could never be a greater effort to him, going along with alfred as he had done, holding up the rod and staff that bore him through the dark valley. and each trembling of his tone seemed to answer something that the mother was feeling in her peaceful, hopeful, thankful grief--yes, thankful that she could lay her once high-spirited and thoughtless boy in his grave, with the same sure and certain hope of a joyful resurrection, as that ripe and earnest-minded christian his father, or his little innocent brother. it was peace--awful peace, indeed, but soothing even to ellen and harold, new as they were to grief. but to poor paul at home, out of hearing of the words of hope, only listening to the melancholy toll of the knell, and quite alone in the disarranged forlorn house, there seemed nothing to take off the edge of misery. he was not wanted to keep alfred company now, nor to read to him--no one needed him, no one cared for him. he wandered up to where alfred had lain so long, as if to look for the pale quiet face that used to smile to him. there was nothing but the bed-frame and mattress! he threw himself down on it and cried. he did not well know why--perhaps the chief feeling was that alfred was gone away to rest and bliss, and he was left alone to be weary and without a friend. at last the crying began to spend itself, and he turned and looked up. there was alfred's little picture of the crucified still on the wall, and the words under it, 'for us!' paul's eye fell on it; and somehow it brought to mind what alfred had said to him on christmas day. there was one who had no home on earth; there was one who had made himself an outcast and a wanderer, and who had not where to lay his head. was not he touched with a fellow-feeling for the lonely boy? would he not help him to bear his friendless lot as a share of his own cross? nay, had he not raised him up friends already in his utmost need? 'there is a friend who sticketh closer than a brother.' he was the friend that paul need never lose, and in whom he could still meet his dear alfred. these thoughts, not quite formed, but something like them, came gently as balm to the poor boy, and though they brought tears even thicker than the first burst of lonely sorrow, they were as peaceful as those shed beside the grave. though paul was absent in the body, this was a very different shutting out from harold's on last tuesday. paul must have cried himself to sleep, for he did not hear the funeral- party return, and was first roused by mrs. king coming up-stairs. he had been so much used to think of this as alfred's room, that he had never recollected that it was hers; and now that she was come up for a moment's breathing-time, he started up ashamed and shocked at being so caught. but good motherly mrs. king saw it all, and how he had been weeping where her child had so long rested. indeed, his face was swelled with crying, and his voice all unsteady. 'poor lad! poor lad!' she said kindly, 'you were as fond of him as any of them; and if we wanted anything else to make you one of us, that would do it.' 'o mother,' said paul, as she kindly put her hand on him, 'i could not bear it--i was so lost--till i looked at _that_,' pointing to the little print. 'ay,' said mrs. king, as she wiped her quiet tears, 'that cross was alfred's great comfort, and so it is to us all, my boy, whatever way we have to carry it, till we come to where he is gone. no cross, no crown, they say.' perhaps it was not bad for any one that this forlorn day had given paul a fresh chill, which kept him in bed for nearly a week, so as gently to break the change from her life of nursing to mrs. king, and make him very happy and peaceful in her care. and when at last on a warm sunny sunday, paul blackthorn returned thanks in church for his recovery--ay, and for a great deal besides--he had no reason to think that he was a stranger cared for by no one. chapter xiii--six years later it is a beautiful morning in easter week. the sun is shining on the gilded weathercock, which flashes every time it veers from south to west; the snowdrops are getting quite out of date, and the buttercups and primroses have it all their own way; the grass is making a start, and getting quite long upon the graves in friarswood churchyard. 'really, i should have sent in the saxon monarch to tidy us up!' says to himself the tall young rector, as he stepped over the stile with one long stride; 'but i suppose he is better engaged.' that tall young rector is the reverend marcus cope, six years older, but young still. the poor old rector, mr. john selby, died four years ago abroad; and lady jane and miss selby's other guardians gave the living to mr. cope, to the great joy of all the parish, except the shepherds, who have never forgiven him for their own usage of their farming boy, nor for the sermon he neither wrote nor preached. the saxon monarch means one harold king, who looks after the rectory garden and horse, as well as the post-office and other small matters. the clerk is unlocking the church, and shaking out the surplice, and mr. cope goes into the vestry, takes out two big books covered with green parchment, and sees to the pen. it is a very good one, judging by the writing of the last names in that book. they are francis mowbray and jane arabella selby. 'captain and mrs. mowbray will be a great blessing to the place, if they go on as they have begun,' thinks mr. cope. 'how happy they are making old lady jane, and how much more mrs. mowbray goes among the cottages now that she does more as she pleases.' then mr. cope goes to the porch and looks out. he sees two men getting over the stile. one is a small slight person, in very good black clothes, not at all as if they were meant to ape a gentleman, and therefore thoroughly respectable. he has a thin face, rather pointed as to the chin and nose, and the eyes dark and keen, so that it would be over-sharp but that the mouth looks so gentle and subdued, and the whole countenance is grave and thoughtful. you could not feel half so sure that he is a certificated school-master, as you can that his very brisk- looking companion is so. 'good morning, mr. brown.--good morning, paul,' said mr. cope. 'i did not expect to see you arrive in this way.' the grave face glitters up in a merry look of amusement, while, with a little colouring, he answers: 'why, sir, matilda said it was the proper thing, and so we supposed she knew best.' there are not so many people who _do_ talk of paul now. most people know him as mr. blackthorn, late school-master at berryton, where the boys liked him for his bright and gentle yet very firm ways; the parents, for getting their children on, and helping them to be steady; and the clergyman, for being so perfectly to be trusted, so anxious to do right, and, while efficient and well informed, perfectly humble and free from conceit. now he has just got an appointment to hazleford school, in another diocese, with a salary of fifty pounds a year; but, as charles hayward would tell you, 'he hasn't got one bit of pride, no more than when he lived up in the hay-loft.' there is not long to wait. there is another party getting over the stile. there is a very fine tall youth first. as betsey hardman tells her mother, 'she never saw such a one for being fine-growed and stately to look at, since poor charles king when he wore his best wig.' a very nice open honest face, and as merry a pair of blue eyes as any in the parish, does harold wear, nearly enough to tell you that, if in these six years it would be too much to say he has never done _anything_ to vex his mother, yet in the main his heart is in the right place--he is a very good son, very tender to her, and steady and right-minded. whom is he helping over the stile? oh, that is mrs. mowbray's pretty little maid! a very good young thing, whom she has read with and taught; and here, lady-like and delicate-looking as ever, is matilda. bridemaids before the bride! that's quite wrong; but the bride has a shy fit, and would not get over first, and matilda and harold are, the one encouraging her, the other laughing at her; and mr. blackthorn turns very red, and goes down the path to meet her, and she takes his arm, and harold takes lucy, and mr. brown miss king. very nice that bride looks, with her hair so glossy under her straw bonnet trimmed with white, her pretty white shawl, and quiet purple silk dress, her face rather flushed, but quiet-looking, as if she were growing more like her mother, with something of her sense and calmness. how mr. blackthorn ever came to ask her that question, nobody can guess, and harold believes he does not know himself. however, it got an answer two years ago, and mrs. king gave her consent with all her heart, though she knew betsey hardman would talk of picking a husband up out of the gutter, and that my lady would look severe, and say something of silly girls. yes--and though the rich widower bailiff had said sundry civil things of miss ellen being well brought up and notable--'for,' as mrs. king wrote to matilda, 'i had rather see ellen married to a good religious man than to any one, and i do not know one i can be so sure of as paul, nor one that is so like a son to me; and if he has no friends belonging to him, that is better than bad friends.' and ellen herself, from looking on him as a mere boy, as she had done at their first acquaintance, had come to thinking no one ever had been so wise or so clever, far less so good, certainly not so fond of her--so her answer was no great wonder. then they were to be prudent, and wait for some dependence; and so they did till mr. shaw recommended paul blackthorn for hazleford school, where there is a beautiful new house for the master, so that he will have no longer to live in lodgings, and be 'done for,' as the saying is. harold tells ellen that he is afraid that without her he won't wash above once in four months; but however that may be, she is convinced that the new school-house will be lost on him, and that in spite of all his fine arithmetic, his fifty pounds will never go so far for one as for two; and so she did not turn a deaf ear to his entreaties that she would not send him alone to hazleford. they wanted very much to get 'mother' to come and live with them, give up the post-office, and let harold live in mr. cope's house; but mother has a certain notion that harold's stately looks and perfect health might not last, if she were not always on the watch to put him into dry clothes if he comes in damp, and such like 'little fidgets,' as he calls them, which he would not attend to from any one but mother. so she will keep on the shop and the post-office, and try to break in that uncouth girl of john farden's to be a tidy little maid; and mr. and mrs. blackthorn will spend their holidays with her and harold. she may come to them yet in time, if, as paul predicts, master harold takes up with lucy at the grange--but there's time enough to think of that; and even if he should, it would take many years to make lucy into such a mrs. king as she who is now very busy over the dinner at home, but thinking about a good deal besides the dinner. there! paul and ellen have stood and knelt in an earnest reverent spirit, making their vows to one another and before god, and his blessing has been spoken upon them to keep them all their lives through. it is with a good heart of hope that mr. cope speaks that blessing, knowing that, as far as human eye can judge, here stands a man who truly feareth the lord, and beside him a woman with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. they are leaving the church now, the bridegroom and his bride, arm in arm, but they turn from the path to the wicket, and harold will not let even matilda follow them. just by the south wall of the church there are three graves, one a very long one, one quite short, one of middle length. the large one has a head-stone, with the names of charles king, aged forty years, and charles king, aged seven years. the middle-sized one has a stone cross, and below it 'alfred king, aged sixteen years,' and the words, 'in all their afflictions he was afflicted.' it was matilda who paid the cost of that stone, miss selby who drew the pattern of it, and 'mother' who chose the words, as what alfred himself loved best. at the bottom of ellen's best work-box is a copy of verses about that very cross. she thinks they ought to have been carved out upon it, but paul knows a great deal better, so all she could do was to write them out on a sheet of note-paper with a wide lace border, and keep them as her greatest treasure. perhaps she prizes them even more than the handsome watch that mr. shaw gave paul, though less, of course, than the great bible and prayer-book, in which mr. cope has waited till this morning to write the names of paul and ellen blackthorn. so they stand beside the cross, and read the words, and they neither of them can say anything, though the white sweet face is before the eyes of their mind at the same time, and ellen thinks she loves paul twice as much for having been one of his great comforts. 'good-bye, alfred dear,' she whispers at last. 'no, not good-bye,' says paul. 'he is as much with us as ever, wherever we are. remember how we were together, ellen. i have always thought of him at every holy communion since, and have felt that if till now, no one living--at least one at rest, were mine by right.' ellen pressed his arm. 'yes,' said paul; 'the months i spent with alfred were the great help and blessing of my life. i don't believe any recollection has so assisted to guard me in all the frets and temptations there are in a life like mine.' generously made available by cornell university digital collections) the postal service of the united states in connection with the local history of buffalo. * * * * * read before the society, january , . * * * * * by hon. n. k. hall[a] and thomas blossom.[b] no very satisfactory account of the origin and progress of the postal service of the country, in its more immediate connection with the local history of buffalo, can now be compiled. the early records of the transportation service of the post-office department, were originally meager and imperfect; and many of the books and papers of the department, prior to , were destroyed or lost when the public edifices at washington were burned in , and also when the building in which the department was kept was destroyed by fire, in december, . for these reasons the hon. a. n. zevely, third assistant postmaster-general--who has kindly furnished extracts from the records and papers of the department--has been able to afford but little information in respect to the early transportation of the mails in the western part of this state. indeed, no information in respect to that service, prior to , could be given; no route-books of older date than are now in the department, and those from to are not so arranged as to show the running time on the several routes. the records of the appointment office, and those of the auditor's office of the department, are more full and perfect; and from these, and from various other sources of information, much that is deemed entirely reliable and not wholly uninteresting has been obtained. erastus granger was the first postmaster of buffalo--or rather of "buffalo creek," the original name of the office. he was appointed on the first establishment of the office, september , . at that time the nearest post-offices were at batavia on the east, erie on the west, and niagara on the north. mr. granger was a second cousin of hon. gideon granger, the fourth postmaster-general of the united states, who held that office from to . the successors of our first postmaster, and the dates of their respective appointments, appear in the following statement: julius guiteau, may , . samuel russel, april , . henry p. russell, july , . orange h. dibble, august , . philip dorsheimer, june , . charles c. haddock, october , . philip dorsheimer, april , . henry k. smith, august , . isaac r. harrington, may , . james o. putnam, september , . james g. dickie, may , . israel t. hatch, november , . almon m. clapp, (the present incumbent[c]) march , . the buffalo post-office was the only post-office within the present limits of the city until january, , when a post-office was established at black rock. the appointments of postmasters at black rock have been as follows: james l. barton, january , . elisha h. burnham, july , . morgan g. lewis, june , . george johnson, july , . daniel hibbard, (the present incumbent) june , . in july, , the post-office of black rock dam, now called north buffalo, was established. the name of the office was changed to north buffalo, february , . the appointments to that office have been as follows: henry a. bennett, july , . charles manly, march , . george argus, may , . william d. davis, july , . george argus, (the present incumbent) . the buffalo post-office was kept, during mr. granger's term of office, first on main street, near where the metropolitan theater[d] now stands, and afterwards in the brick house on the west side of pearl street, a few doors south of swan street, now no. pearl street. mr. guiteau first kept the office on main street, opposite stevenson's livery stable; then on the west side of main street about the middle of the block next south of erie street; and afterwards on the northwest corner of ellicott square. it was kept in the same place for a short period at the commencement of judge russel's term of office, but was soon removed to the northwest corner of the next block above, where it remained until after the appointment of mr. dibble. it was removed by mr. dibble about , to the old baptist church then standing on the corner where the post-office is now kept, and it was kept in that building until after mr. haddock took the office. he removed the office to the northwest corner of main and seneca streets, where it remained until it was removed, in august, , into the government building in which it is now. the gross receipts of the post-office at buffalo, for the years given in the following table, have been as follows: $ . $ , . . , . . , . . , . . , . . , . . , . imperfect returns. , . . [e] , . [f] , . , . , . the gross receipts at the offices of black rock, black rock dam and north buffalo, for the years named have been as follows: _at black rock:_ $ . $ . . . . . . . . . . . . } . . to july .} _at black rock dam (north buffalo):_ $ . $ . . . . } . . to july .} the aggregate amount of the postage received at the different post-offices must always depend, in a greater or less degree, upon the extent and frequency of the mail transportation by which such offices are supplied, and the rates of postage charged, as well as upon the number, education, character and occupation of the population within the delivery of such offices. other causes, some of them local or temporary, may at times affect the revenue of an office, but only the population of the neighborhood, the frequency and extent of the transportation service, and the general rates of letter postage, will be here considered. the first census under the authority of the united states was taken in ; probably in july and august of that year. in that portion of new york lying west of the old massachusetts preëmption line it was taken by general amos hall, as deputy marshal, and an abstract of his list or census-roll is given in turner's "history of phelps and gorham's purchase." the number of heads of families then residing west of genesee river, and named in that list, was ; but it is probable that the deputy marshal did not visit this locality, as neither winney the indian trader, nor johnston the indian agent and interpreter, is named; although it is probable that both of them resided here. winney, it is quite certain, was here in , and it is supposed came about . the whole population west of the massachusetts preëmption line, which was a line drawn due north and south across the state, passing through seneca lake and about two miles east of geneva, as given by turner from general hall's census-roll, was , , as follows: males, ; females, ; free blacks, ; slaves, . in the state census report of , the population of ontario county in (which county then embraced all that territory) is stated at , . the difference between the two statements is caused by the omission of the slaves from the latter statement. in the population of the same territory (then the counties of ontario and steuben) was , free persons and slaves. in the county of niagara (embracing the present counties of niagara and erie) was organized, and its population in was , . of these , were inhabitants of the present county of niagara, and , of the present county of erie. there were then in the county slaves, which number should probably be added to the aggregate above stated. in the population of niagara county was , , of which , were inhabitants of the present county of erie. there were then slaves in the whole county of niagara. in , the county of erie was organized with its present boundaries. its population at each census since has been as follows, viz: , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; and , , . it is probable that in , winney and johnston were the only white residents upon the territory now embraced within our city limits. in , there were but four buildings in all that territory--as stated by the late joseph landon. in , there were about a dozen houses. this number, it is said, had increased to more than houses, when, on the st of december, , the village was burned by the british and indians;--only the house of mrs. st. john, reese's blacksmith shop, the gaol, and the uncovered frame of a barn escaping the general conflagration. the white population of the territory now comprised in our city limits did not, in , probably exceed . the earliest census report which gives any information in regard to its population is that of when the population was , . it was , in ; , in ; , in ; , in ; , in ; , in ; , in ; , in ; and , in . it is believed that it is now about , . but little reliable information in regard to the transportation of the mails west of albany from to , can now be obtained; and as the transportation service and the origin and progress of the system of posts, by which, even now, much of this transportation service is performed, are believed to be the most interesting of the topics of the present paper (as that service itself is the most essential of those connected with the post-office establishment), it has been deemed proper to refer to the probable origin of that system;--a system which in its continued extension and constant improvement, has grown into the post-office establishment of the present day. these are now, almost universally under the control of the state or sovereign power, and they are certainly among the most important and beneficent of the institutions of civil government. it is said that the assyrian and persian monarchs had their posts, at a day's journey from each other, with horses saddled, ready to carry with the utmost dispatch, the decrees of these despotic rulers. in the roman empire, couriers on swift horses carried the imperial edicts to every province. charlemagne, it is said, established stations for carriers who delivered the letters and decrees of the court in the different and distant parts of his dominions. as early as the xith century the university of paris had a body of pedestrian messengers, to carry letters and packets from its thousands of students to various parts of europe, and to tiring money, letters and packets in return. posts for the transmission of government messages were established in england in the xiiith century, and in louis xi. established a system of mounted posts, stationed four french miles apart, to carry the dispatches of the government. government posts, as the convenience and interest of the people at large began to receive some attention from their rulers, were at times allowed to carry private letters, and private posts for the transmission of general correspondence were sometimes established. this was at first but an irregular and uncertain service, without fixed compensation; but considerable regularity, order and system were the results of the public appreciation of their convenience, and of the gradual improvements which followed their more general employment. in the french posts--which had previously carried only the letters of the king and nobles--were first permitted to carry other letters; and in charles v., emperor of germany, established a riding post throughout his dominions. it was not until the reign of james i. that a system of postal communication was established in england, although edward iv., in , had established posts twenty miles apart, with riders, to bring the earliest intelligence of the events of the war with the scots. it was not until about that a weekly conveyance of letters, by post, was established throughout that kingdom. mail coaches were first used at bristol, in england, in . they were placed on the post routes in , and their use became general throughout england. the mail service of north america, which in its magnitude and regularity, and in the extension of its benefits to every settlement and fireside, has, it is believed, no superior, probably had its beginning in private enterprise; although perhaps sanctioned at the very outset, by local authority. as early as mr. john hayward, scrivener, of boston, mass., was appointed by the general court to take in and convey letters according to their direction. this was probably the first post-office and mail service authorized in america. other local arrangements, necessarily very imperfect in their character, were made in different colonies soon after; some of them having the sanction of colonial governors or legislatures. thomas dongan, the governor of new york under the duke of york, in a letter to the duke's secretary, dated february , , says: you are pleased to say i may set up a post-house, but send me noe power to do it. i never intended it should be expensive to his royal highness. it was desired by the neighboring colonies, and is at present practiced in some places by foot messengers. in the same letter gov. dongan says he will endeavor to establish a post-office in connecticut and at boston. under date of august , , sir john werden, the duke's secretary, wrote to gov. dongan: as for setting up post-houses along the coast from carolina to nova scotia it seems a very reasonable thing, and you may offer the privilege thereof to any undertakers for ye space of or years, by way of farm; reserving wt part of ye profit you think fit to the duke. at least as early as january, , there was what was called a public post between boston and new york, and in there was a post of some kind from new york to virginia, and from new york to albany. this was during the war with the french, and these posts were probably established by the military authorities. on the th of april, , thomas neele, having obtained a patent to establish post-offices throughout the american colonies, appointed andrew hamilton (afterwards governor of new jersey), his deputy for all the plantations. mr. deputy hamilton brought the subject before gov. fletcher and the new york colonial assembly in october following, and an act was immediately passed "for encouraging a post-office." in lord cornbury, the governor of new york, informed the lords of trade of the passage by the new york assembly of "an act for enforcing and continuing a post-office," which he recommended his majesty to confirm "as an act of necessity," without which the post to boston and philadelphia would be lost. in the british parliament passed an act authorizing the british postmaster-general "to keep one chief letter-office in new york and other chief letter-offices in each of his majesty's provinces or colonies in america." deputy postmasters-general for north america were afterwards, and from time to time, appointed by the british postmaster-general in england. dr. franklin was appointed to that office in , and it is said that in he startled the people of the colonies by proposing to run a "stage waggon" from boston to philadelphia once a week, starting for each city on monday morning and reaching the other by saturday. in he spent five months in traveling through the northern colonies for the purpose of inspecting and improving the post-offices and the mail service. he went as far east as new hampshire, and the whole extent of his five months' tour, in going and returning, was about sixteen hundred miles. he made such improvements in the service as to enable the citizens of philadelphia to write to boston and get replies in three weeks instead of six weeks, the time previously required. in dr. franklin was removed from office; and on the th of december, , the secretary of the general post-office gave notice that, in consequence of the provincial congress of maryland having passed a resolution that the parliamentary post should not be permitted to travel on a pass through that province, and of the seizure of the mails at baltimore and philadelphia, the deputy postmaster-general was "obliged, for the present, to stop all the posts." it is supposed that this terminated the regular mail service in the old thirteen colonies, and that it was never resumed under british management. before this suspension of the parliamentary posts, mr. william godard of baltimore had proposed to establish "an american post-office"; and in july, , he announced that his proposals had been warmly and generously patronized by the friends of freedom, and that postmasters and riders were engaged. during the preceding six months he had visited several of the colonies in order to extend and perfect his arrangements, and there appears to have been a very general disposition to abandon the use of the british post and sustain that established by mr. godard. in may, , mr. godard had thirty postmasters, but mr. john holt of new york city was the only one in this state. in that year partial arrangements for mail service in rhode island, connecticut, new hampshire and massachusetts were made by the provincial congress of each of those colonies. the old continental congress first assembled in september, ; and on the th of july, , it resolved "that a postmaster-general should be appointed for the united colonies who should hold his office at philadelphia and be allowed a salary of $ , for himself and $ for his secretary and comptroller; and that a line of posts should be appointed, under the direction of the postmaster-general, from falmouth, in new england, to savannah, in georgia." dr. franklin was then unanimously chosen postmaster-general. the ledger in which he kept the accounts of his office is now in the post-office department. it is a half-bound book of rather more than foolscap size, and about three-fourths of an inch thick, and many of the entries are in dr. franklin's own handwriting. richard bache succeeded dr. franklin november , , and mr. bache was succeeded by ebenezer hazard. the articles of confederation, adopted in , gave to the united states, in congress assembled, "the sole and extensive right and power of establishing and regulating post-offices from one state to another"; but the increase of mail service was comparatively trifling until after the organization of the post-office department by the first congress which assembled under the constitution of the united states. this gave it efficiency and value, and provided for the early extension of its benefits to the inhabitants of the several states. the national congress, organized under the constitution, commenced its first session on the th of march, , but it was not until september , , that an act was passed for establishing, or rather continuing, the postal service. the act then passed provided that a postmaster-general should be appointed, and that the regulations of the post-office should be the same as they last were under the resolutions and ordinances of the congress of the confederation. in there were but seventy-five post-offices and , miles of post-roads in the united states, and the whole amount of postages received for that year was $ , . the population of the united states, as shown by the census of that year, was only , , ; and the whole mail service was performed upon our seaboard line, passing through the principal towns from wiscassett in maine, to savannah in georgia, and upon a few cross or intersecting lines, on many portions of which the mail was carried only once a fortnight. on the d of march, , the postmaster-general was authorized to extend the carrying of the mail from albany to bennington, vermont. it is probable that the post-office at albany was a special office until late in that year, as in an official list of post-offices, with their receipts for the year ending october , , new york is the only office in this state; and by an official statement dated april , , it appears that the contractor from albany to new york received the postages for carrying the mail, and that that was the only mail service in this state north or west of new york city. it is stated in a "history of oneida county" that the first mail to utica was brought by simeon post in , under an arrangement with the post-office department authorizing its transportation from canajoharie to whitestown at the expense of the inhabitants on the route; and that in or , the remarkable fact that the great western mail, on one arrival at fort schuyler (utica), contained six letters for that place, was heralded from one end of the settlement to the other. it is added that some were incredulous, but the solemn and repeated assurances of the veracious dutch postmaster at last obtained general credence. on the th of may, , sundry post-routes were established, among which is one "from albany by schenectady, johnstown, canajoharie and whitestown, to canandaigua"; and in july, , four-horse "stages" were run from albany to schenectady daily. the passenger fare by these stages was only three cents per mile. on the st of july, , the postmaster-general, timothy pickering, advertised in the albany _gazette_ for proposals for carrying the mails in this state, as follows: ( .) "from new york by peekskill, fishkill, poughkeepsie, rhinebeck, redhook, clermont, hudson and kinderhook to albany," to leave new york every monday and thursday at p. m., and arrive at albany on wednesday and saturday by in the evening. ( .) "from albany by schenectady, johnstown and canajoharie to whitestown," to leave albany every thursday at a. m., and arrive at whitestown on saturday by p. m. ( .) "from canajoharie through cherry valley to the court house in cooperstown," to leave every friday at p. m., and arrive on saturday by p. m. ( .) "from whitestown to canandaigua once in two weeks"; to leave whitestown every other monday at a. m., and arrive at canandaigua the next thursday by p. m. this advertisement bears date july , . it does not state the mode of conveyance required. on the d of march, , congress established a post-road "from kanandaigua in the state of new york, to niagara." this route was run through avon and leroy, and probably through batavia, and thence on the north side of the tonawanda creek, and through the present town of lockport to niagara. in the "history of onondaga county" it is stated that a mr. langdon first carried the mail through that county on horseback from whitestown to genesee in or [g]; that he distributed papers and unsealed letters by the way before intermediate offices were established; that a mr. lucas succeeded mr. langdon in transporting the mail, which, in , had become so heavy as to require a wagon to transport it that the first four-horse mail-coach was sent through in ; and that in jason parker ran a four-horse mail-coach twice a week from utica to canandaigua. from an advertisement at canandaigua, copied by turner, it appears that a mail-coach was that year run twice a week between albany and canandaigua. it is stated in turner's "history of phelps and gorham's purchase" (p. ), that luther cole was the first to carry the mail from whitestown to canandaigua--on horseback when the roads would allow, but often on foot. the same history states that the mail-route from canandaigua to niagara was established "about " ( ) and that the mail was carried through by jasper marvin--who sometimes dispensed with mail-bags and carried the mail in his pocket-book--and that he was six days in going and returning. the route, it is stated, was the usual one from canandaigua to buffalo and then down the river on the canada side, to fort niagara; but other, and it is believed more reliable authority states, that the mail at this time was carried through cold springs, in the present town of lockport, and did not pass through buffalo creek. the surveys upon the holland land company's purchase were commenced in the spring of , and the first wagon track on the purchase was opened that year. before that time parties came through from canandaigua on the old indian trail. in , mr. ellicott, the holland land company's agent, procured the establishment of a post-office at batavia, and the appointment of james brisbane as postmaster.[h] in the holland land company's survey of the inner lots of the present city of buffalo was made, and on the th of march in that year congress passed an act in relation to post-routes which provides that the post-route from canandaigua to niagara shall pass by buffalo creek. from this it is clearly to be inferred that the mail to niagara had been previously carried upon a different route, as above stated. in the buffalo directory of is the following statement: the first mail received here was in march, , on horseback. it was conveyed from the east once in two weeks, in this manner, until . a weekly route was then established and continued until . in the mode of conveyance was changed and a stage-wagon was used. this statement is substantially repeated in several subsequent directories and is probably _nearly_ correct; although it will be recollected that the post-office at buffalo was not established until september, , and it appears by extracts from a canandaigua paper that a "stage road to niagara" was advertised, in , to leave canandaigua every monday, at o'clock a. m., and arrive at niagara _via_ buffalo every thursday at a. m. these stages were run by john metcalf, who, in april, , had obtained from the legislature of this state a law giving him the exclusive right, for some years, of running stages from canandaigua to buffalo, and imposing a fine of $ on any other person running wagons on said route as a stage line. he was required to provide at least three wagons and three stage sleighs with sufficient coverings and a sufficient number of horses. the fare was not to exceed six cents a mile for a passenger and fourteen pounds of baggage; and for every one hundred and fifty pounds additional baggage he was to be entitled to charge six cents a mile or in that proportion. he was to start on regular days, and between the first day of july and first day of october he was to accomplish said route between canandaigua and buffalo at least once in a week, unavoidable accidents excepted. in a report made to congress by the hon. gideon granger, postmaster-general, on the st of february, , it is stated that in march, , it required to write from portland to savannah and receive an answer forty days, and that it then required but twenty-seven; that in it required between new york and canandaigua twenty days, and then required but twelve; and that most if not all the other mails have been expedited proportionably according to their relative importance. on the th of april, , congress established a post-route "from sheldon, by willink and hamburg, to buffalo," and it appears from the books of the post-office department that mail service, once in two weeks, leaving sheldon every other friday at a. m. and arriving at buffalo the next day at a. m., and leaving buffalo the same day at m. and arriving at sheldon the next day by p. m., was the same year put upon the route. in , the mail was carried from buffalo to erie once a week, leaving buffalo on saturday at m. and arriving at erie on monday at p. m., and leaving erie tuesday at a. m. and arriving at buffalo on thursday by a. m. in , the mail between buffalo and youngstown was carried twice a week, twelve hours being allowed for a trip either way. on the rd of march, , a post-route "from moscow by the state road to buffalo," and one "from canandaigua, by bristol, richmond, livonia and genesee to sheldon" were established. about the first of the year the post-office at buffalo was made a distributing office, and it has continued to be a distributing office ever since. from to , the arrangements of the department for mail service from new york city to buffalo, thence to niagara, and from buffalo to erie, pa., were as follows:--leave new york daily at a. m., and arrive at albany next day by . p. m.; leave albany at a. m. and arrive at utica the same day by p. m. ( p. m. in winter); leave utica the next day at a. m. and arrive at canandaigua the next day at p. m.; leave canandaigua at a. m. on mondays, wednesdays and fridays and arrive at buffalo the next day at p. m.; leave buffalo mondays, wednesdays and fridays at a. m. and arrive at niagara the same day at p. m.; and also to leave buffalo tuesdays at p. m. and arrive at erie the next day by p. m. it will thus be seen that a letter which left new york on monday morning at o'clock would reach this city at o'clock the next sunday evening, and erie three days later, if the mails were not behind time. this frequently happened in bad weather, and it is possible that the interest of contractors, as connected with the transportation of passengers, sometimes induced them to reach buffalo in advance of their schedule time. on the rd of march, , a post-route was established "from buffalo in erie to olean in the county of cattaraugus, passing through the towns of boston, concord and ellicottville." on the th of july, , the mail routes by which the buffalo office was supplied, and the service thereon, were as follows: canandaigua to buffalo, three times a week; niagara to buffalo, three times a week; erie to buffalo, twice a week; and moscow to buffalo, once a week. from to , the mail was generally carried from new york to albany by steamboats, six times a week, during the season of navigation, and probably three times a week, by land, in winter; and the mail from buffalo to albany was carried twice a week, by one line in three days and four hours, and by the other in four days. the mails from buffalo to youngstown and from buffalo to erie were carried each way three times a week. it is stated in the buffalo directory of , that the number of mails then arriving and departing weekly from the buffalo post-office was thirty-five. an advertisement by the late bela d. coe, esq., states that the pilot mail-coach left buffalo every evening, arrived at geneva the first day, utica the second, and albany the third; and that the diligence coach left buffalo every morning at o'clock, arrived at avon the first night, auburn the second, utica the third, and albany the fourth. on the th of june, , a post-route was established "from buffalo, erie county, by aurora, wales, holland, sardinia, china, fredonia, caneadea and belfast to angelica in allegany county"; after which no other post-routes, commencing or terminating at buffalo, were established prior to , except that by the act of july , , all the railroads then existing (in which the buffalo & niagara falls railroad must be included), or thereafter to be completed in the united states, were declared post-roads, and the postmaster-general was thereby authorized, under certain restrictions, to contract for carrying the mails thereon. as the last link in the chain of railroads from albany to buffalo was completed early in , there was then, or soon after, continuous mail transportation by railroad from boston, through worcester, springfield and albany to buffalo. the completion of the hudson river railroad, and of the new york and erie railroad in , gave us direct railroad communication with new york, philadelphia, baltimore and washington, and the completion of the buffalo & state line railroad and other roads in or before , gave us further railroad service for the supply of the buffalo office. as the receipts of our post-office are, to a large extent, determined by the rates of postage charged, especially of letter postage, which probably constitutes nine-tenths of those receipts, a very brief statement in regard to the rates of letter postage since the post-office of buffalo creek was established, will form the concluding portion of this paper. from until the single rate of letter postage was charged on each single letter, and an additional single rate on each additional piece of paper; and if a single or other letter weighed an ounce or more it was charged four single rates for each ounce. during this period of fifty-three years--from to --the changes in the rates of inland letter postage were very slight. there were generally from five to eight different single rates, according to the distance the letter was carried, the lowest being, at different times, six or eight cents, and the highest uniformly twenty-five cents, except for a short period, near the close of the war of , when, in consequence of the expenses of the war, the rates were temporarily increased fifty per cent. from to the rate for a single letter carried not over thirty miles was - / cents; over thirty and under eighty miles, cents; over eighty and under one hundred and fifty miles, - / cents; over one hundred and fifty and under four hundred miles, - / cents; and over four hundred miles, cents. by an act of congress passed in , the rate of inland letter postage (after the st of july in that year), was fixed, irrespective of the number of pieces of paper contained in a letter, as follows: for a letter not exceeding half an ounce in weight, carried under three hundred miles, cents; over three hundred miles, cents, and an additional rate for every additional half ounce or fraction of half an ounce. drop letters and printed circulars were by the same act, to be charged cents each. this was considered by the post-office department as an average deduction of per cent. from the previously existing rates. in an act was passed which reduced the single rate of inland letter postage (from and after the th of june in that year), for any distance not exceeding three thousand miles, to cents, when prepaid, and cents when not prepaid; and for any distance over three thousand miles to cents when prepaid and cents when not prepaid. drop letters and also unsealed printed circulars for any distance not exceeding five hundred miles were, by the same act, to be charged cent each. this, it is believed, was an average reduction of about fifty per cent. on the reduced rates of inland letter postage established by the act of . these rates did not apply to foreign letters, for which different provision was made. the postal treaty with great britain made in , the postal arrangements made in for direct and frequent postal communication with the canadas and other british provinces, and the postal arrangements soon after made with prussia and other foreign countries, increased to a considerable extent the amount of postages received at the buffalo offices on letters sent to and received from foreign countries. in an act was passed under which all inland postage was required to be prepaid and which fixed the single rate of inland letter postage for any distance not exceeding three thousand miles at cents, and for any distance exceeding three thousand miles at cents. in the single uniform rate of inland letter postage was fixed at cents, without regard to distance, and was required to be prepaid by stamps; the postage on drop letters was increased to cents the half ounce; and all letters reaching their destination without prepayment of postage were to be charged with double the rate of prepaid postage chargeable thereon, thus allowing letters to be sent without prepayment and leaving the general rate of inland letter postage when prepaid as it was fixed for distances under three thousand miles by the act of , but increasing it cent beyond the rate of when sent unpaid; also increasing the rate of on unsealed printed circulars from to cents, and on drop letters from cent the letter to cents the half ounce; and reducing the rates of postage to and from california and oregon from to cents when prepaid and from to cents when not prepaid. that the revenues of the department have been perennially diminished by these reductions cannot be denied; but it is believed that this diminution has been slight in comparison with the public benefits which have followed the adoption of rates of postage, which (the cost of transportation consequent upon the vast extent over which our more remote settlements are scattered, the general sparseness of our population and the high prices of clerical and other labor being considered) are believed to be the cheapest which have ever been adopted by any government of ancient or modern times. footnotes: [a] [b] respectively postmaster-general and postmaster of buffalo.--ed. [c] succeeded in by joseph candee (died nov. , ); succeeding postmasters of buffalo have been: isaac m. schermerhorn; thomas m. blossom (appointed in , died feb. , ); isaac m. schermerhorn (second appointment, april, ); john m. bedford (appointed april , ); john b. sackett (appointed march , ); bernard f. gentsch (appointed may , , died aug. , ); howard h. baker (appointed june , ), present incumbent.--ed. [d] predecessor of the academy of music, east side of main, between seneca and swan streets.--ed. [e] last quarter only. [f] stamps sold for currency $ , more, furnished from buffalo p. o. [g] author's note--this is probably erroneous as it will be seen that the post-road from whitestown to canandaigua was established and service thereon advertised for in . it is quite certain that there was mail service on this route as early as . [h] author's note.--this was stated on the authority of turner's "history of the holland purchase" and it was supposed there could be no doubt of its accuracy. but in vol. ., _miscellaneous_, of the american state papers, published by gales & seaton, is a list of post-offices in (p. ), and of those established in (p. ), and in the latter is "batavia, n. y., sanford hunt, postmaster." it may be that mr. hunt did not accept the appointment and that mr. brisbane was appointed in . transcriber's note: minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. generously made available by the internet archive/canadian libraries) the history of the post office in british north america cambridge university press c. f. clay, manager london: fetter lane, e.c. [illustration] new york: the macmillan co. bombay } calcutta } macmillan and co., ltd. madras } toronto: the macmillan co. of canada, ltd. tokyo: maruzen-kabushiki-kaisha all rights reserved the history of the post office in british north america - by william smith sometime secretary of the post office department of canada cambridge at the university press printed in great britain by richard clay & sons, limited, brunswick st., stamford st., s.e. , and bungay, suffolk. preface my purpose, in the searches for material which led to the present volume, has been to give as complete an account as it lay in my power to do, of the beginnings and growth of the canadian post office, with which i was associated for thirty-six years. as my studies progressed, however, i found it would be necessary to widen my field. the canadian post office did not come into being as an independent organization. it was but the extension into newly-acquired territories, of a system which had been in operation for nearly three-quarters of a century, with well-established modes of administration. obviously, either reference should be made to well-known works on the older colonial postal system, or an account of it must be attempted in this volume. although careful studies of some aspects of this history have been made, this part of colonial history has, on the whole, received less of the attention of students than has been devoted to throwing light upon other phases of that history; and, what was important for my purpose, little has been done in the way of describing the relations between the colonial postal system and the general post office in london, to which it was subordinate. the materials for this portion of the history are to be found in the records of the general post office, london, the british museum, and in the journals of the colonial legislatures. a very interesting document is franklin's account book, which is in the boston public library. the materials for the history of the post office in the provinces now composing the dominion of canada, are in the records of the general post office, the larger portion of which have been transcribed for the public archives of canada; in the correspondence between the colonial governors and the colonial office, which can be found either in the original or in transcripts in the public archives, and in the journals of the provincial legislatures. in the preparation of the chapter on the postal service of newfoundland, i had the advantage of a rather close acquaintance with that service, due to my having had charge of it some years ago for a period of several months. the material on which the chapter is founded has been gathered from the records of the general post office, and the legislative papers of the colony. in collecting my material, i have received ready assistance from all to whom i have applied. to all these my hearty gratitude is tendered. a word of special acknowledgment is due to mr. edward porritt, author of _the unreformed parliament of great britain_, who kindly read the manuscript, and to whose experience i am indebted for many valuable suggestions. william smith. _august ._ contents page chapter i beginnings of postal service in former american colonies. chapter ii colonial post office under queen anne's act--early packet service. chapter iii communications in canada prior to the conquest--extension of colonial postal service to canada--effects of colonial discontents on post office. chapter iv the post office during the revolution--its suppression. chapter v beginnings of exclusively canadian postal service-- administration of hugh finlay--opening of communication with england by way of halifax--postal convention with united states. chapter vi administration of george heriot--extension of postal service in upper canada--irritating restrictions imposed by general post office--disputes with the administrator of the colony. chapter vii administration of daniel sutherland--postal service on the ottawa river, and to eastern townships--ocean mails. chapter viii postal conditions in upper canada--serious abuses--agitation for provincial control. chapter ix thomas allen stayner deputy postmaster general--restrictions of general post office relaxed--grievances of newspaper publishers--opinion of law officers of the crown that postmaster general's stand is untenable--consequences. chapter x the beginnings of the postal service in the maritime provinces--complaints of newspaper publishers--reception given to imperial act to remedy colonial grievances. chapter xi continuance of agitation in the canadas for control of the post office--much information obtained by committees of legislatures--difficulty in giving effect to reforms. chapter xii durham's report on the post office--effects of rebellion of on the service--ocean steamships to carry the mails--the cunard contract--reduction of transatlantic postage. chapter xiii diminution of powers of deputy postmaster general--commission on post office appointed--its report--efforts to secure reduction of postal charges. chapter xiv continuation of account of post office in maritime provinces-- departmental inquiry into conditions--agitation for reduced postage. chapter xv reversal of attitude of british government on post office control--instructions to lord elgin--provincial postal conference--control of post office relinquished to colonies. chapter xvi provincial administration of the post office--reduced postage-- railway mail service--arrangements with united states. chapter xvii canadian ocean mail service--want of sympathy of british government therewith. chapter xviii canadian ocean mail service (_cont._)--series of disasters to allan line steamers. chapter xix postal service of manitoba, the north-west provinces and british columbia--summary of progress since confederation. chapter xx the post office in newfoundland. index portraits william henry griffin, c.m.g. _to face page_ william white, c.m.g. " robert millar coulter, m.d., c.m.g. " history of the post office in british north america chapter i beginnings of postal service in former american colonies. benjamin franklin relates that when the news reached america in that peace had been concluded between england and france, he made preparations to visit canada, for the purpose of extending to it the postal service of the north american colonies, and that the joy bells were still ringing when he left philadelphia on his journey northward. franklin has universal fame as a philosopher and statesman, but is perhaps less widely known as one of the deputies of the postmaster general of england. he had, however, a long and useful connection with the post office a quarter of a century before this time. he was appointed postmaster of philadelphia in ,[ ] and for many years combined the duties of this office with that of newspaper publisher. he became deputy postmaster general in .[ ] canada had been in the hands of the british since , and until a regular system of government was established in , its affairs were administered by a military council, which among other matters provided a rudimentary postal service. the merchants of quebec were desirous of a regular post office; and, owing to franklin's promptness, the post office was the first of the institutions of government which was placed on a settled footing after canada became a british province. on arriving at quebec, franklin opened a post office there with subordinate offices at three rivers and montreal,[ ] and established a monthly service between the canadian post offices and new york, arranging the trips so that the courier should make as close connection as possible with the packet boats which sailed monthly each way between new york and falmouth, england. the postal system into which canada was thus incorporated was of vast extent. it stretched from the river st. lawrence to florida. new york was its pivotal point, the mail couriers running north and south connecting there with one another, and with the packets from england. the system was under the control of two deputies, of equal authority, one of whom was franklin, and the other john foxcroft. as this system had a long history when canada came to be comprised in it, it seems essential to a proper presentation of the subject that a sketch of that history should be furnished. the first notice of a post office in north america appears in the records of the general court of massachusetts bay for the year . the colony was just ten years old. letters from home, always eagerly looked for, were then awaited with double anxiety in view of the distracted state of england. king charles was at this time midway in the course of his great experiment in absolute government, which ten years before had driven these people from their homes, and ten years later was to carry him to the block. some effective arrangement for the exchange of correspondence between new and old england was a necessity. until there was none. on the english side, it was the practice for sea captains, who intended making a trip to america, to give public notice of the fact, and to place a bag for the reception of letters in one of the coffee houses. on the day of sailing, the bag was closed and taken on board the vessel to america. it was at this point that the scheme failed. there was no one in america charged with the duty of receiving and distributing the letters; and consequently, many letters were misdelivered, and many not delivered at all. it was to provide a remedy for this state of things that an ordinance[ ] was passed on the th of november, . by this ordinance public notice was given that all letters from beyond the seas were to be taken to the tavern kept by richard fairbank, in boston, who engaged that they should be delivered according to their addresses. he was to receive a penny for every letter he delivered, and was to answer for all miscarriages due to his neglect. the fairbank's tavern was a resort of some prominence. through the correspondence of the time, it appears as the meeting place for various committees of the colony, and returns to the surveyor general were ordered to be made at fairbank's in . the ordinance of , besides giving directions for the receipt and delivery of letters coming to boston from beyond the sea, also authorized fairbank to provide for the despatch of letters posted at his house, and addressed to places abroad. he was licensed to receive letters from the citizens of boston for transmission across the sea; but the ordinance laid it down carefully that "no man shall be compelled to bring his letters thither unless he please." this proviso is quite in keeping with the spirit of the time. at present and for more than two centuries past, the exclusive right of the post office to engage in the conveyance of letters is conceded without question. but at that time, its claims to a monopoly in letter carrying were contested on all sides. indeed anything presenting the appearance of a monopoly found small favour. the natural jealousy with which every claim to exclusive privilege is viewed, was heightened to the point of hatred during the struggle for constitutional government, by the fact that trading monopolies which were granted to courtiers, not only enhanced unreasonably the price of many of the necessities of life, but also furnished the means, which enabled the king to pursue his illegal and arbitrary courses in defiance of parliament. the privy council in england had adopted in a scheme for the administration of the post office, one of the features of which was the bestowal upon it of the sole right to carry on the business of conveying and delivering letters in england. this was contested in the courts, and in was pronounced illegal. the claim had received an earlier blow at the hands of the long parliament, which in condemned the post office monopoly. the arguments for monopoly, however, were not long to be gainsaid; and when cromwell took up the question of the post office, and passed a comprehensive act on the subject in , the monopoly as regards the conveyance of letters was conferred on the post office in express terms. this act was confirmed after the restoration in ; and the post office has remained undisturbed in the enjoyment of its monopoly since that date. in the north american colonies, the post office monopoly was never popular, though, owing to the ease with which it was evaded, it was regarded with indifference until close upon the war of the revolution. in , the english government began to see the necessity for a postal service between england and its colonies in america. on the st of june of that year, the king wrote to the governor of barbados[ ] that it had become a matter of daily complaint that there was no safe means of communication with virginia, new england, jamaica, barbados and other colonies in america; and he directed the governor to establish a post office within barbados and the caribbee islands. the post office was to be under the control of the postmaster general of england, to whom the accounts should be sent; and the rates of postage were to be the same as those fixed for england by the act of . nothing seems to have been done at this time towards establishing a post office in either virginia or new england. so far as the interests and convenience of the people of new england were concerned, these in no way suffered from the lack of attention on the part of the home government. the coffee house on the one side, and the tavern on the other, with the vessels passing between as often as business warranted, answered every reasonable demand. in virginia it would not appear that the legislature at this period took any steps towards providing a place of deposit and delivery, such as fairbank's, for letters passing between the colonists and their correspondents beyond the sea. but the want of this convenience caused little restriction on the exchange of letters by means of the trading vessels which visited jamestown. new york contained the only other considerable group of settlers at this time. it was a recent acquisition, having passed into the hands of the english in . the dutch, the former possessors, had arrangements for the exchange of letters with amsterdam, not dissimilar from those in force in new england. in the dutch west india company informed their director general in new amsterdam, that having observed that "private parties give their letters to this or that sailor or free merchant, which letters to their great disadvantage are often lost through neglect, remaining forgotten in the boxes or because one or the other removes to another place," they had a box hung up at their place of meeting in which letters might be deposited for despatch by the first vessel sailing; and they directed that the same step might be taken in new netherland.[ ] seven years later, finding that the people of new netherland persisted in disregarding the measures taken for the safety of their letters, the company repeated their order, and reinforced it by a fine of one hundred carolus guilders for each infraction.[ ] for some years after , the trade between england and its new possession was of small proportions, and the opportunities for sending letters from one to the other, few. lord cornbury, as late as ,[ ] informed the lords of trade that there were so few vessels running between new york and ports in england that he had to depend for his correspondence on boston or philadelphia, which places had regular communication with the mother country. nor was the case of new york materially improved in . cornbury, in that year, pleaded with the board of trade for a regular packet service to some part of the american continent. sometimes many months elapsed, without his hearing in any way from home. before he received his last letters in may, he had heard nothing from england for fifteen months. there were but two safe ways of sending letters to england, which were the virginia fleet, and the mast fleet of new england. from virginia there was no post, and it was very hard to know when that fleet would sail. from boston there was a post by which cornbury could hear once a week in summer, and once a fortnight in winter, so that they had a sure conveyance by the mast fleet. advantage had to be taken, as opportunity offered, cornbury informed the board of trade, of the packets running from the west indies to england, but as several of the packet boats had been captured, this was a very uncertain mode of communication. but, although the three groups of colonies had each its own connection with england, until there was no connection whatever between these groups. nor was any thought to be necessary. the groups were separated from one another not only by space, but by social and political differences. the puritans of new england and the cavaliers of virginia, had little in common but the memories of a quarrel, which was still warm; and new york was still largely dutch, though even at that date it was taking on the cosmopolitan character, which has since distinguished it. as for the trade of the colonies, mr. woodrow wilson stated--"the main lines of trade run straight to the mother country, and were protected when there was need by english fleets. both the laws of parliament and their own interest bound the trade of the colonies to england. the navigation act of forbade all trade with the colonies except in english bottoms; forbade also, the shipment of tobacco any whither but to england itself; and an act of forbade the importation of anything at all except out of england, which it was then once for all determined must be the entrepôt and place of staple for all foreign trade. it was the dutch against whom these acts were aimed."[ ] as has happened so often, however, that which could not be accomplished by reason of the feebleness of the common interest was brought about by the presence of impending danger. in , war broke out between the english and the dutch, the object of which was maritime supremacy and colonial expansion. the stakes were the colonies in africa, the east indies, the west indies and america. the english having ousted their rivals from new york presented a strong front on the north american continent; and the only thing lacking was cohesion among the several colonies. at the outbreak of the war, the king directed governor lovelace, of new york, to see what could be done towards establishing a regular postal communication between the colonies. lovelace arranged for a monthly service by courier between new york and boston.[ ] there was no road between the two places; and governor winthrop was asked to provide an expert woodman, who would guide the courier by the easiest road. the courier was directed to blaze the route, and it was hoped that a good road might be made along the route pursued. the courier made his trips for a few months only, when new york was captured by a dutch fleet which came suddenly upon it. the town was restored to the english at the conclusion of the war in , and with the disappearance of the danger, the communication also was dropped. a few years later danger of a more serious character threatened from another quarter, and again the colonies were compelled to recognize the necessity of yielding something from the attitude of jealous independence, which characterized them. between the english colonies and the french in canada there was a steady rivalry for the possession of the fur trade of the western country. each had indian allies, whose methods of warfare carried terror among their opponents. the english were in numbers very much superior to the french; and if united and determined could have overwhelmed them. the unwillingness of the english to take any action in common was costing them dearly, as the outlying parts of all the colonies were being constantly harassed by the indian tribes in league with the french. in a conference took place at albany between the representatives of the several colonies and of the iroquois nations. this conference was important in several respects, but particularly in the fact that it was the first in which all the colonies took part. even remote virginia sent a delegate. while the colonies were in this mind, colonel dongan, governor of new york, determined to make an effort to establish a permanent postal service among them. his plan was to establish a line of post houses along the coast from the french boundaries to virginia. the king, who was much pleased with the proposition, directed dongan to farm out the undertaking to some enterprising contractor, for a period of three or five years, and to turn over at least one-tenth of the profits to the duke of york.[ ] the duke appears to have had a claim on the revenues of the post office on two grounds. he was proprietor of the colony of new york; and under the post office act of , he was recognized as entitled to a share in the profits from the english post office. how far dongan succeeded with this extensive scheme does not appear. he planned to visit connecticut, boston, and, if possible, pemaquid. in march , he had an ordinance adopted in the council of new york for a post office throughout the colonies, and fixed the charges for the conveyance of letters at threepence for each hundred miles they were carried, and for the hire of horses for riding post, threepence a mile. dongan's jurisdiction did not, however, extend beyond the colony of new york; and the records of the other colonies are silent as to their acquiescence in this arrangement. the only evidence that has appeared as to the operation of the service, and it establishes the fact that the service was performed for a time at least, is that leisler, an insurrectionary leader, who seized the government of the colony in , arrested the mail carrier on his way from new york to boston, and confiscated his letters.[ ] in july , a weekly post was established in pennsylvania. letters were carried from philadelphia to the falls of delaware for threepence; to chester for twopence; to new castle for fourpence; and to maryland for sixpence.[ ] as part of the scheme of james ii for the confederation of the new england states under a royal governor, a postmaster was appointed for the united colonies. the choice fell upon edward randolph, who had just previously been made secretary and registrar of the new province. the appointment was dated rd of november, .[ ] he seems to have discharged the duties of postmaster[ ] until the fall of the andros government, which followed closely the deposition of james ii in . until this time, then, the post office would be classed generally among the merely temporary conveniences of the state, and not among its permanent institutions. when william iii was settled on his throne, he managed, amid his cares at home and abroad, to give some attention to the affairs of the colonies. those in north america had been growing rapidly, and at the end of the period of the revolution in england, the population is believed to have been about , . the greater part of the increase was in the middle states of new york, new jersey and pennsylvania; though in the south, the colonies of maryland and virginia showed considerable gain, and a beginning was made in the settlement of the carolinas. the question of providing the american colonies with a postal system was submitted to the king by thomas neale, master of the mint, who coupled his representations on the subject with a petition for authority to establish such a system in america at his own charges. he pointed out in his memorial that there had never been a post for the conveying of letters within or between virginia, maryland, delaware, new york, new england, east and west jersey, pennsylvania, and northward as far as the king's dominions reach in america; and that the want thereof had been a great hindrance to the trade of those parts. the king thereupon, on the th of february, , granted a patent to neale, conferring upon him authority to set up one or more post offices in each of the chief ports of the several islands, plantations and colonies in america, and to carry on all the functions of postmaster, either in person or by deputy. he might collect as his own, the postage accruing from the business, the rates being fixed by the english post office act of ; or he was at liberty to charge such other rates "as the planters and others will freely agree to give for their letters or packets upon the first settlement of such office or offices." in order to secure to neale a monopoly of the postal business, the patent imposed a prohibition on any person except neale from setting up post offices during the term of the patent, which was twenty-one years. neale was held bound to provide an efficient service; in case of dissatisfaction, or of his failure to put the service in operation within two years, the patent was to become invalid. the consideration that neale was to give for the patent was merely nominal; he was to remit six shillings and eightpence to the exchequer each year at the feast of st. michael the archangel. having secured his patent, neale sought a suitable person to act as his deputy. his choice fell upon andrew hamilton, an edinburgh merchant, who after seven years' residence in new jersey, was made governor of that province in . hamilton was a man of energy and ability; and in the difficult task of conciliating sensitive legislatures, and bringing them into agreement with his views, he had much success. it was to him that the colonies were indebted for their first effective postal system. neale's patent did not give him power to set up a postal service, and fix his charges without regard to the will of the people. he might either apply the rates fixed by the act of ; or come to terms with the people or their representatives as to the rates they would agree to pay. the latter was the alternative chosen. accordingly, during the year , hamilton addressed himself to the several colonial governments, setting forth his plan, and begging that they might "ascertain and establish such rates and terms as should tend to quicker maintenance of mutual correspondence among the neighbouring colonies and plantations, and that trade and commerce might be better preserved." the colonies having responded favourably to his overtures, hamilton prepared a draft bill, which he submitted to the legislatures for their acceptance. this bill provided for a general post office or chief letter office in the principal town of each colony, the postmaster of which was to be appointed by hamilton. the monopoly conferred on neale by his patent was enforced in the proposed bill by considerable penalties for infringements. the postal charges, as well as the privileges and appurtenances to be granted to post masters and mail couriers, were discussed between hamilton and the several legislatures. there was some variety in the privileges allowed to postmasters and couriers. in massachusetts, pennsylvania, and connecticut, the mail couriers were granted free ferriage over the rivers and other water courses which lay along their routes. in the acts passed by new york and new hampshire, there was no mention of free ferries, but in each of these acts a rather peculiar exemption is made in favour of the postmasters, that they should not be subject to excise charges on the ale and other liquors which formed the stock in trade of their business as innkeepers. the postmasters in all the colonies were made exempt from all public services, such as keeping watch and ward, and sitting on juries. shipmasters on arriving at a port with letters in their care were enjoined to deliver them to the nearest post office, where they would receive one halfpenny for each letter.[ ] the principal postal rates, as settled between hamilton and the legislatures concerned were as follows: on letters from europe or from any country beyond sea, if for massachusetts, new hampshire and pennsylvania twopence; if for new york ninepence. in the interchange among the colonies themselves, the charge on a letter passing between boston and philadelphia was fifteen pence, and between new york and philadelphia fourpence-halfpenny. there was a peculiarity in the postage on letters passing between boston and new york. it differed according to the direction the letter was conveyed. a letter from new york to boston cost twelvepence; while ninepence was the charge from boston to new york. this is one of the consequences of the separate negotiations carried on by hamilton with the different legislatures. the massachusetts act fixed the charge on the letters for delivery in boston; and the new york act on the letters for new york. from virginia, to philadelphia, new york and boston, the charges were ninepence, twelvepence and two shillings respectively. all the acts concurred in the stipulation that letters on public business should be carried free of charge. the foregoing contains the substance of the acts passed by new york and pennsylvania. massachusetts went a step further. to that legislature it appeared desirable to put a binding clause requiring hamilton to give a satisfactory service. massachusetts was as willing as the others to grant a monopoly of letter carrying to hamilton, but it was of opinion that the exclusive privilege should carry an obligation with it. the postal service was being established as a public convenience; and if hamilton was to have the power to prevent any person else from providing the convenience, he should be bound to meet the public requirements himself. the massachusetts legislature, after authorizing hamilton to settle a post office in boston, fixing the postal charges, and conferring a monopoly on him, accordingly added a clause binding hamilton to maintain constant posts for the carriage of letters to the several places mentioned in the act; to deliver the letters faithfully and seasonably; and it imposed a fine of £ for each omission. in order that the public might be in a position to detect any delays in the delivery of letters after they reached a post office, the postmaster was required to mark on each letter the date on which it was received at his office. new hampshire followed massachusetts in adding this clause to its post office acts. the four acts were sent to london, and laid before the king in council, as all colonial acts were. the acts of new york, pennsylvania and new hampshire passed council and became law. on the advice of the governors of the post office, the massachusetts act was disallowed.[ ] the grounds for the discrimination against massachusetts are difficult to understand. the massachusetts act undoubtedly contained departures from the terms of the patent. but they were such departures as might be expected when an act is drawn up, by a person unlearned in the law, who, having the patent before him, aims at substantial rather than at literal conformity therewith. there can be no question that the drafts presented to the several assemblies were prepared by one person. their practical identity establishes the fact. there can be equally little doubt that the draftsman was hamilton himself. the governors of the post office, who framed the objections,[ ] noted first that the patent provided that the appointment of neale's deputy should, at his request, be made by the postmaster general; whereas the massachusetts act appeared to appoint andrew hamilton postmaster general of the colonies, independently of the postmaster general of england, and not subject to the patent. the patent required neale to furnish accounts at stated intervals to enable the treasury to establish the profits from the enterprize. it also stipulated for the cancellation of the patent in certain eventualities. both these terms are omitted from the act. insufficient care was taken in safeguarding the post office revenue, and no provision was made for a successor in case of the removal of hamilton from his position. the points to which the post office drew attention were, as will be seen, far from wanting weight; and if they had not been pressed against the massachusetts bill alone, would have excited little comment. but the massachusetts general court noted and resented the discrimination. when neale was informed of the disallowance, he begged the governors of the post office to prepare a bill which they would regard as free from objections, and to lend their efforts to have it accepted by massachusetts.[ ] a bill was drawn up; and lord bellomont, the governor of new england, was instructed to invite the favourable consideration of the massachusetts legislature to it.[ ] the bill was laid before the general court on june , , and it was ordered to be transcribed and read.[ ] five days later it came up for consideration, but it was resolved that the committee on the bill should "sit this afternoon,"[ ] and it appeared in the assembly no more. the rejection of the bill, however, was of little or no practical consequence. the post office was too great a convenience to be refused; and so it was established and conducted as if the bill were in operation, except that it had no monopoly in that colony. but the legislature, which was evidently desirous of extending in its own way all reasonable aid to hamilton, passed an order in [ ] requiring shipmasters to deliver all letters they brought with them from oversea at the post office of the place of their arrival, for which they were to receive a halfpenny each from the postmaster. massachusetts equally with the other colonies made an annual grant to the post office for the conveyance of its public letters. so far the narrative deals only with the northern colonies. the proposition for a post office, however, was submitted to virginia and maryland as well. it would seem, however, that the mode of approaching these governments differed from that taken in laying the proposition before the northern colonies. in case of the northern colonies hamilton dealt with the legislatures in person. the draft bill which he prepared was submitted as a basis for discussion. so far as it went it was accepted, and hamilton agreed to such additions as the legislatures considered necessary in view of local circumstances. virginia and maryland were approached quite differently. they were advised of the scheme not by hamilton, but by the english court. in the minutes of council of both governments,[ ] it is recorded that the proposition was laid before them in a letter from the queen. this fact will account for the very different consideration the proposition received from these colonies. maryland rejected it outright. on the th of may, , the scheme was laid before the house of burgesses. it was set aside,[ ] and nothing more was heard of it. virginia gave attentive consideration to the proposition to establish a post office, though the ultimate results were no greater than in maryland. there had been since an arrangement for the transmission of letters concerning the public affairs of the colony.[ ] an order was issued by the council that all letters superscribed for the public service should be immediately conveyed from plantation to plantation to the place and person directed, and that any delay should subject the person at fault to a fine of one hogshead of tobacco. no arrangements of a systematic nature were made for the conveyance of private letters. when information of the patent granted to neale reached virginia, the colony showed immediate interest. the council on the th of january, , appointed peter heyman deputy postmaster,[ ] and proceeded to draw up a post office bill. this bill, which became law on the rd of april ,[ ] authorized neale to establish a postal system in the colony, at his own expense. the conditions were that he was to set up a general post office at some convenient place, and settle one or more sub-post offices in each county. as letters were posted in the colony or reached it from abroad, they were to be forthwith dispersed, carried and delivered in accordance with the directions they bore, and all letters for england were to be despatched by the first ship bound for any part of that country. the rates of postage were to be threepence a single letter within an eighty mile radius; fourpence-half penny for single letters outside the eighty mile radius; and eighteen pence for each ounce weight. public letters were to pass free of postage. no provision was made for postage on letters addressed to places beyond the boundaries of the colony; and it was expressly stipulated that the act did not confer a monopoly on neale. merchants were not restrained by this act from employing the services of shipmasters and others, to carry their letters abroad. the virginia act of was local in its scope and provincial in its character. there is a certain simplicity in the extent of its demands as compared with the paucity of its concessions. neale, at his own cost, was to establish a postal system, comprising a general post office at a place agreed upon, and one or more subordinate offices in each county. couriers were to be available to take letters anywhere within the colony--without postage if on public business, at rates fixed by the colony if they were private letters. but no person need employ the post office, should any other more convenient or cheaper mode of conveyance offer itself. a post office, like other kindred accommodations, creates business for itself; but virginia did not intend that neale should have any assurance of the business he had brought into existence. as soon as it reached a point at which it was worth struggling for, a competitor might step in and deprive neale of the fruits of his enterprise. the act of seems to have been adopted before the colonies were made aware of hamilton's connection with the american post office. when the council of virginia were advised of hamilton's appointment, they opened communication with him. the notes of the correspondence as they appear in the minutes of council[ ] do not give much information, but they show that hamilton's proposition when submitted to council was not found acceptable; and as subsequent communications failed to remove the difficulties, matters remained as they were until after the neale patent had expired. in , the subject was reopened, and the governor reported to the board of trade, that for two months past he had been expecting hamilton to visit virginia, for the purpose of opening a post office, and connecting it with the other colonies. the governor believed that the scheme was feasible, and would do his utmost to encourage it. he foresaw a difficulty in the lack of small currency, tobacco which was the only specie, being in the governor's words "very incommodious to receive small payments in, and of very uncertain value."[ ] the line of posts established by hamilton extended from portsmouth, new hampshire, to philadelphia. over this long line, couriers travelled with the mails weekly each way.[ ] the volume of correspondence carried cannot be ascertained, as the great mass of it, being on public business, would be free of postage. but the postage collected throughout north america during the first four years, from to , was only £ _s._ _d._, an average receipt of considerably less than £ a year. by way of comparison it may be noted that, in , the revenue between london and edinburgh was £ ; and it was explained that nearly the whole of that amount was for government despatches. the expenses of the portsmouth-philadelphia service during those years were £ _s._ _d._[ ] the deficit of £ _s._ _d._ fell upon neale. results such as these would be sufficiently discouraging. but neale and his deputy, hamilton, were hopeful, and drew comfort from the fact that the revenue of new york which was quite insignificant the first year had doubled itself in the third year. at the end of the sixth year, the revenue had increased to the point at which all the expenses were met, except hamilton's salary.[ ] in , hamilton went to england, and joined neale in an appeal to the treasury.[ ] after pointing out the benefits accruing to the colonies from the post office--the increase in the transatlantic and intercolonial trade, the rapid diffusion of intelligence in time of war, and the facilities afforded for the delivery of public letters--they declared that unless steps were taken to secure to them the transmission of the whole, and not a mere portion of the oversea correspondence, they might be compelled to abandon the undertaking. the plan neale and hamilton proposed to this end, was to put a stop to the collection of letters at the english coffee houses, and to compel the shipmasters to take all their letters from the local post office, where they would be made up in sealed bags. besides ensuring to neale, by this means, the postage on all the correspondence passing between the mother country and the colonies, the measure proposed would prevent certain abuses which were incident to the existing arrangement. where the bag hung open in a coffee house, any person might examine its contents on the pretext that he wanted to get his own letter back, and when the ship had reached its destination it was the practice of some captains to delay the delivery of the letters in their hands until they are ready to sail again, and then they got rid of their letters in any way they could. if the mails were made up in post offices, and the captains were compelled by law to deliver them to the post office at the port of destination before they broke bulk, these evils would be corrected, and a large revenue now lost to the post office would be saved. neale and hamilton also submitted a revised tariff of postal charges, in which there was a general increase. the postmasters general in england rather deprecated the increased postal rates, stating that experience had taught them that low rates were found to be more productive of revenue than those which placed the post office beyond the reach of the mass of the people. they approved of the suggestion that post offices should be established in england for the handling of oversea mails, and hoped that a few years of good management would make the service a remunerative one. at this point the postmasters general in london threw out a suggestion, which was worth discussion. they doubted whether a post office in private hands would ever commend itself to the colonies in the same way as if it were directly in the hands of the king. the post office depended for its prosperity on the maintenance of its monopoly, a thing naturally distasteful. the monopoly was easily evaded, even if the colonial governments supported it heartily, but any lack of inclination on their part would leave it valueless. they were of opinion that it would require all the authority possessed by the king to induce the colonial governments to co-operate with the heads of the post office in the efforts of the latter to put the service on a sound footing. neale, who was sinking deeper and deeper into debt, seized on this expression of opinion, and offered to surrender his patent at any time, on such consideration as seemed just. the treasury, however, were not yet ready to take over the american posts, but they directed the postmasters general to give hamilton every assistance in their power, and requested the governors of the colonies to do the same, adding that when the value of the post office could be ascertained, they would give the question of the resumption of the patent, further consideration. neale's indebtedness to hamilton for salary now amounting to £ , he assigned his patent to hamilton, and to one robert west, who had made some advances to neale some years before. the new patentees besought the government to extend their term, which in ordinary course would expire in . their confidence in the eventual success of the scheme, however, suggested to the postmasters general that the time was now ripe for the crown to take back the patent, and manage the postal service through the general post office in england. the transfer was made; and john hamilton,[ ] son of the founder of the american post office, who died in , was entrusted with the management of the service, as the deputy of the postmaster general. the results were no better than when the service was privately administered. in , there was a yearly deficit of £ ; and as the queen would not allow her losses on this head to be augmented, the postmasters were not being paid.[ ] the postmaster of new england made a strong representation to the government of massachusetts, pointing out that he had received nothing from the government since , although he had saved the colony £ a year by the delivery of the public letters. the remonstrance was fruitless, and he renewed his application in . the legislative council on each occasion was prepared to pay what was due to the postmaster, but the assembly could not be brought to authorize it. footnotes: [ ] parton, _life and times of benjamin franklin_, i. . [ ] _ibid._, p. . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury letter-book_, - , p. . [ ] _coll. mass. hist. soc._, third series, vii. . [ ] _calendar of state papers, america and west indies_, - , no. . [ ] _new york colonial documents_, xiv. . [ ] _ibid._, p. . [ ] _n. y. col. docs._, iv. . [ ] _a history of the american people_, ii. . [ ] _coll. mass. hist. soc._, fifth series, ix. - . [ ] _cal. s. p. col. am. and w. i._, - , no. . [ ] _n. y. col. docs._, iii. . [ ] winsor, _narr. and crit. hist of am._, iii. . [ ] _edward randolph_, i. (publications of the prince society). [ ] samuel sewall to thomas glover, july , (_sewall letter-books_, i. ). [ ] the several colonial acts were as follows: new york, passed november , (_laws of colony of n. y._, i. ); massachusetts, june , (ch. , sess. _province laws_, i. ); pennsylvania, may , june , (_duke of york's laws_, p. ); new hampshire, june , (_n. h. prov. laws_, p. ); connecticut, may , (_pub. rec. of conn._, - p. ). [ ] note to this effect attached to the act (ch. , sess. , _province laws_, i. ). [ ] _cal. s. p. col. am. and w. i._, - , no. . [ ] _cal. s. p. col. am. and w. i._, - , no. . [ ] _ibid._, no. . [ ] _prov. laws of mass._, i. . [ ] _ibid._, p. . [ ] _coll. mass. hist. soc._, third series, vii. . [ ] minutes of council, virginia, january , , _cal. s. p. col. am. and w. i._, - , no. ; minutes of council, maryland, september , , _ibid._, no. . [ ] minutes of council, maryland, _ibid._, no. . [ ] hening's _statutes at large_, i. . [ ] minutes of council, virginia, _cal. s. p. col. am. and w. i._, - , no. . [ ] hening's _statutes at large_, iii. ; _journals of the house of burgesses_, / -- , pp. - . [ ] minutes of council, virginia, may , november , ; october , , ; may , july , ; _cal. s. p. col. am. and w. i._, - , nos. , , , , , . [ ] _spottswood letters_ (published by virginia hist. soc.), i. . [ ] minutes of council, new hampshire (_n. h. prov. papers_, -- ), p. . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, ii. . [ ] _cal. treasury papers_, - , p. [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, ii. . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, vi. . john hamilton was appointed deputy postmaster general by the queen in . [ ] _coll. mass. hist. soc._, third series, vii. . chapter ii colonial post office under queen anne's act--early packet service. for some years various circumstances had been arising which made it necessary that the post office in great britain and the colonies should be established on a footing different from that on which it then stood. the legislative union between england and scotland in called for a uniform postal service throughout britain; but without additional legislation the postmaster general of england could not dispose of the revenues of the post office in scotland. the colonies were in their infancy when the english law of was enacted, and they were not mentioned in it at all. the only clause in that act which affected the colonies in any way was that which required all masters of ships who brought letters with them from beyond the seas, to deposit them at the nearest post office. there was no penalty attached to the disregard of this clause, and the attempt to induce the shipmasters to obey the law by paying them a penny for every letter they delivered in the english post office was pronounced by the auditors to be illegal, and there was a threat made that these payments would be disallowed in the accounts. there were a number of other circumstances arising out of the growth of the kingdom and its colonial expansion, which compelled the postmaster general to take action in advance of legal authority. when the treasury, after the union of england and scotland, learned that a new post office law was necessary, they determined to take advantage of the fact to serve their own purposes. the war of the spanish succession, which began in , while ruinous to france, also seriously crippled england; and the treasury saw that the enactment of a new post office act might be utilized to increase the postal charges, and additional sums raised for carrying on and finishing the war. in , accordingly, a post office bill was presented to parliament.[ ] it was passed by parliament; and this act was the first measure which dealt in a comprehensive way with the british post office. substantially it was the law of the post office for more than a century afterwards. the effect of the new law on the colonial post office was profound. until the terms and conditions under which the post office in the colonies was operated, were matters of arrangement between hamilton and the several legislatures. while the neale patent enabled hamilton to set up post offices in the colonies, the postal charges were fixed by the colonial legislatures at such rates as "the planters shall agree to give." the neale patent had been resumed by the crown in , but not abrogated. hence, until the new act came into force, the crown simply stood in the place of the patentees, and operated under the legislation agreed upon between hamilton and the colonial governments. new york and pennsylvania, as their short term acts expired, renewed them with the crown; and new jersey, which established a postal system in , fixed the rates of postage by act of the legislature, but placed the management of the service in the hands of the postmaster general. the post office act of made it no longer necessary to consult the colonial legislatures as to the charges to be made for the conveyance and delivery of letters in north america. the supreme control of the postal system throughout the british dominions, beyond the sea, as well as at home, was vested in the postmaster general of england. the rates of payment were fixed by the act, and the mode in which the surplus revenues were to be disposed of was set forth in the same enactment. in america, the general post offices at boston, new york and philadelphia, which stood quite independent of one another, were reduced to the rank of ordinary offices, and made parts of the system, the headquarters of which were placed by the act in new york.[ ] the administration of the system, as reconstructed, was continued in the hands of john hamilton. as in all other parts of the british dominions, the rates of postage were sensibly increased.[ ] under the neale patent, a letter from new york for philadelphia cost fourpence-halfpenny. the act of queen anne raised the charge to ninepence, just double the former rate. a letter posted in boston, and addressed to philadelphia, which under the neale patent cost for postage fifteen pence, cost twenty-one pence under the act of . but these figures give no adequate idea of the magnitude of the postal charges as fixed by the act of queen anne. an explanation of the system to which these rates applied will make the matter clearer. at the present time the postage on a letter passing anywhere within the british empire, or from canada to any part of the united states or mexico, is two cents per ounce weight, whether the letter is addressed to the next town or to the farthermost post office in the yukon. in , and indeed in canada until , the distance a letter was carried was an element which entered into the cost. it would have been thought no more proper to ignore the element of distance in fixing the postage on a letter than in fixing the charge for the conveyance of a parcel of goods. by the act of the postage on a single letter passing between two places sixty miles apart or less was fourpence; where the places were from sixty miles to one hundred miles apart the charge was sixpence. besides the distance, however, there was another factor which helped to determine the amount of the postage. this factor will appear from a description of the classes into which letters were divided. letters were single, double, and treble, and ounce. a single letter was one consisting of one sheet or piece of paper, weighing less than one ounce. if with this single sheet letter, a piece of paper was enclosed, no matter how small, the letter was called a double letter. the treble letter was a letter consisting of more than two sheets or pieces of paper, under the weight of an ounce. whatever the postage of a single letter might be, the postage on a double letter was equal to that of two such single letters; and that on a treble letter was three times that on a single letter. there were no envelopes in use at this period, and the sheet on which the letter was written was so folded that an unwritten portion came on the outside, and on this space the address was written. the question will occur as to how the presence of enclosures could be detected among the folds of the larger single sheet. there were several means of detection born of ingenuity and experience. the approved method and the one long in service, was to hold every letter up to a lighted candle, and by some skilful manipulating, the taxable enclosures could be seen. but it was not only enclosures to which the attention of the officials was directed. the postal charges were found so oppressive that several merchants who had letters to send to the same town used to write their several communications on the same sheet, which on reaching the person addressed was by him passed on to the others, whose letters were on the same sheet. in the post office the practice was much condemned. as it was not specifically provided against in the act, it had to be tolerated until the act was amended; and thereafter when several letters were written on one paper, each was to be charged as a distinct letter. the letter inspectors then had to satisfy themselves that there was no more than one person's handwriting in the sheet, which was, of course, carefully sealed with wax. the ounce letter needs no explanation. at present the ounce is the unit of weight for letters sent from canada to every part of the civilized world. in this aspect it corresponds with the single letter of the pre-penny postage days. but the ounce letter of and of over a century afterwards was far removed from the single letter in the matter of postage. in that respect the ounce letter was equal to four single letters, and was charged four times the rate of the single letter. thus, while a single sheet weighing less than an ounce could pass between two neighbouring towns not over sixty miles apart for fourpence, if it tipped the ounce weight it was chargeable with sixteen pence. the act of offered a problem to the paper makers. a sheet of paper had to be made stout enough to stand the handling of the post office without the protection of an envelope, and be yet so light as to allow the largest space possible within the ounce weight. under this system, in which distance, number of enclosures and weight were all factors, the charges for letters, such as are posted by thousands in our larger offices every day, were very high. an ounce letter, which at the present time costs but two cents to convey to the remotest post office in the north west of canada, or to southern mexico, in cost three shillings to carry from new york to philadelphia. from new york to boston, the postage on the same letter was four shillings. between the outermost points of the north american postal system in --portsmouth, n.h., and charlestown, n.c.--the postage for an ounce letter was ten shillings. the act of queen anne's reign, so long the charter of the british postal system, also greatly increased the charges on letters passing between the mother country and the colonies. in place of the penny or twopence which satisfied the captains for the delivery in america of the letters which had been placed in the letter bags hung up in the london coffee houses, the postage on a single letter passing from london to new york became one shilling. if the letter weighed an ounce, the charge was four shillings. captains of vessels, moreover, were no longer at liberty to disregard the requirements of the post office that they should deliver their letters at the post office of the port of arrival. if they failed, they laid themselves open to a ruinous fine. remembering the resentment with which half a century later the americans greeted every scheme, which could be construed into imposing a tax without their consent, one wonders how the post office act of was regarded in the colonies. the question is interesting enough to warrant some inquiry. the legislative records have been searched carefully, and also, so far as they were available, the newspapers of the period. with one exception about to be mentioned, the only reference to the post office act which has been discovered is in the new hampshire records. there it is stated that the act was read before the council on the th of september, , and afterwards proclaimed by beat of drum in the presence of the council and of some members of the house of representatives. the case in which the act came into question occurred in virginia. this colony had no post office in , nor for a considerable period afterwards; and it was the attempt to put the post office in operation in which led to the protest and the countervailing action. virginia seems to have had no desire to be included in the american postal system. in hamilton reported on the proposition of extending the system southward to virginia.[ ] the extension would cost £ ; and hamilton declared that the desire for communicating with the northern colonies was so slight that he did not believe there would be one hundred letters a year exchanged between virginia and maryland and the other colonies. practically all the correspondence of the two colonies was with great britain and other countries in europe. in the autumn of , steps were taken to establish a post office in the two colonies, and to connect them with the other colonies. postmasters were appointed in each colony. couriers carried the mails into several of the more populous counties; and a fortnightly service was established between williamsburg and philadelphia. this was quite satisfactory, until the people began to read the placards which they observed affixed to every post office wall, directing that all letters, not expressly excepted by the act of parliament, should be delivered to the local postmasters. here was matter for thought. a glance at the tariff showed that the charge made by the post office on a letter from england was one shilling for a single letter. the letters from england were the only letters the people of virginia cared anything about, and they were accustomed to pay only a penny as postage for them. there was some little trouble, and perhaps a slight risk attending the safe delivery of letters by the existing arrangement. virginians were, however, used to it, and had no great fault to find. it might be that if they could have received their letters at the post office for the same charge as they paid for receiving them direct from the ship captains, they would have preferred going to the post office. but the difference in convenience between the two places of receipt was not worth the difference between one penny and one shilling; and indeed it looked uncommonly as if the government were using this means to tax them elevenpence on every letter they received. the people, on realizing the condition of things, made a great clamour.[ ] parliament, they declared, could levy no tax on them but with the consent of the assembly; and besides that, their letters were all exempted from the monopoly of the postmaster general because they nearly all, in some way or other, related to trade. the virginians were putting an unwarrantably broad interpretation on an exemption, which appears in all post office acts, in favour of letters relating to goods which the letters accompany on the vessel. it has always been the practice to allow shipmasters, carrying a consignment of goods, to deliver the invoice to the consignee with the goods, in order that the transaction might be completed with convenience. it would not be practicable, however, to confine this exemption to invoices accompanying goods, as this would require a knowledge of the contents of letters, which could not be obtained without an intolerable inquisition. consequently, it has been customary to allow all letters accompanying consignments of goods to be delivered with the goods, without asking whether they relate to the goods or not. but the scope of the exemption is clearly defined, and has never been allowed to include ordinary business letters, not accompanied by goods. the virginians, however, were not content to leave their case to the precarious chances of a legal or constitutional argument. they set about neutralizing the post office act by an effective counter measure. a bill was submitted to the legislature which, while it acknowledged the authority of the post office act, imposed on postmasters giving effect to it certain conditions which it was impossible to fulfil, and attached extravagant penalties for the infraction of those conditions. the postmasters were to be fined £ for every letter which they demanded from aboard a ship--letters of a character which the british statute exempted from the postmaster general's exclusive privilege. now every ship's letter bag would contain probably many letters relating to goods aboard the ship, as well as many which were in no way so related. but how was the postmaster to tell the letters accompanying goods from those which did not? even if the ship's captain assisted to the best of his ability, which was more than doubtful, there would be many letters about which the postmaster could not be certain, and with a £ penalty for every mistake, his position was not an enviable one. another clause in the bill of the legislature of virginia contained a schedule of hours for every courier. the terms of the schedule were so exacting that compliance with it was impossible. the penalty attached to every failure to observe the hours set forth, was twenty shillings for each letter delayed.[ ] as the governor pointed out, the difficulties of travel during the winter season, owing to the number of great rivers to be passed, would subject the postmasters to the risk of a fine for every letter they accepted for transmission at that period of the year. the bill of , when sent up for the governor's assent, was promptly vetoed; but on the other hand, the intention of the deputy postmaster general to establish a post office in virginia was not pressed. it was not until , when the governor had relinquished his office, and had himself been appointed deputy postmaster general, that virginia was included in the postal system of north america. even after that date the post office in virginia was on a somewhat irregular footing, at least in regard to the conveyance of the mails. in a gazetteer published in ,[ ] it is stated that while regular trips are made by mail courier from portsmouth to philadelphia, southward to williamsburg the courier's movements were uncertain, as he did not set out until there were sufficient letters posted for the south, to guarantee his wages from the postage on them. there was a post office at this period as far south as charlestown, but the post carriage for that office was still more uncertain. with the exception of the virginian contretemps, the period from until after the middle of the eighteenth century was one of quiescence. deputy postmaster general succeeded deputy postmaster general; and the annals of their administrations carry little that is interesting. after the retirement of hamilton in , a change was made in the relations between the deputy postmaster general and the general post office, by which the post office in london was relieved of all expense in connection with the maintenance of the north american postal system. hamilton had a salary of £ a year. but the profits from the post office did not quite cover that amount, as on his withdrawal, there was due to him £ arrears of salary. in recommending the claim to the treasury, the postmaster general stated that the post office in america had been put on such a footing that if it produced no profit, it would no longer be a charge on the revenue.[ ] the facilities given to the public were not increased during that period. indeed, in , they were diminished, as the courier's trips between boston and philadelphia, which in were performed weekly throughout the year, were reduced to fortnightly during the winter months, and they remained at that frequency until . it is obvious that the post office was not used by the public any more than was absolutely necessary, and that every means was taken to evade the regulations designed to preserve the postmaster general's monopoly. thomas hancock, in a letter written in , to governor talcott of connecticut, told him that he saved the colony from forty shillings to three pounds every year, through the interest he had with the captains of the london ships, who delivered the letters to him instead of handing them over to the post office.[ ] the line of undistinguished representatives of the british post office in america came to an end in , when benjamin franklin was made deputy postmaster general, jointly with william hunter of virginia. franklin, besides being a man of eminent practical ability, brought to his task a large experience in post office affairs. he had been postmaster of philadelphia for fifteen years prior to his appointment to the deputyship; and for some time before had acted as post office controller, his duty being to visit and instruct the postmasters throughout the country. at the time franklin and hunter entered upon their office they found little to encourage them. the couriers who conveyed the mails were much slower than most other travellers on the same roads. it took six weeks to make the trip from philadelphia to boston and back, and during the three winter months, the trips were made only once a fortnight. the new deputies so reorganized the service that the trips were made weekly throughout the year, and they shortened the time by one-half; and many other improvements were made.[ ] for a time the expenditure of the post office largely outran the revenue. but the usual rewards of additional facilities to the public followed. in , when the outlay had reached its highest point, and the public response to the increased facilities was still but feeble, the post office was over £ in debt to the deputy postmasters general. three years later this debt was entirely cleared off, and the operations showed a surplus of £ . in the surplus reached the amount of £ , and this sum was transmitted to the general post office in london. the receipt of this first remittance was the occasion of much satisfaction to the postmasters general. for a generation the post office in america had been nearly forgotten. since , it had cost the home office nothing for its maintenance, and for long before that time it had yielded nothing to the treasury, and so it had been allowed to plod along unregarded. a remittance from this source was quite unexpected, and one can imagine the pleasure with which the entry was made in the treasury book, and the words added "this is the first remittance ever made of its kind."[ ] but though the first, it was by no means the last; for until franklin's dismissal in , a remittance from the american post office was an annual occurrence. franklin declared that, at the time of his dismissal, the american office yielded a revenue three times that from ireland.[ ] the success of the post office under franklin's regime suggests the question, as to the share franklin had in that success. during the whole course of his administration, he had with him an associate deputy postmaster general, william hunter, from until , and john foxcroft, from until his connection with the post office ceased. little is known of the capacity of either of these officials; of hunter, practically nothing. foxcroft was certainly a man of intelligence, but nothing is known to warrant the belief that he possessed unusual qualities. that the routine of post office management was left in the hands of the associates, may be inferred not so much from the multifarious character of franklin's activities, for he seems to have been equal to any demands made upon him, as from the fact that out of the twenty-one years of his administration, fifteen years were spent in england as the representative of the province of pennsylvania in its negotiations with the home government. that franklin's occupations in england did not absorb all his time is amply proven by his voluminous correspondence which shows him to have been engaged in abstruse speculations in science, and in economic and philosophic studies. but to administer an institution like the post office one must be on the spot, and the atlantic ocean lay between him and his work from may , until november , and from november , until his dismissal in . franklin was in america while the measures were taken which put the post office on an efficient footing, and again in , when the treaty of paris confirmed england in her possession of canada. franklin's contribution to the north american post office consisted mainly, it would seem, in certain important ideas, the application of which turned a half century of failure into an immediate success. it is a commonplace that money spent in increased facilities to the public is sure of a speedy return with interest, and in private enterprises competition keeps this principle in fairly active employment. this is not the case with an institution like the post office, until, at least, each new application of the principle had been justified by success. a post office is a monopoly, and at certain stages of its history that fact has been its bane. to-day when the demands of social and commercial intercourse make an efficient vehicle for the transmission of correspondence a necessity, the evils inherent in monopolies sink out of sight so far as the post office is concerned. a peremptory public takes the place of competitors as a motive for alertness. the faults of the institution are freely exposed, and correction insisted upon; and, what is as much to the point, the public contributes of its ingenuity for the improvement of the service. when, towards the end of the eighteenth century, the british public was disgusted with the slowness of its mail carts, and dismayed at the number of robberies, palmer, a bath theatre manager, came forward with his scheme for the employment of fast passenger coaches for the conveyance of the mails. a half century later the public united in a demand for lower postage rates; and rowland hill, a schoolmaster, produced a scheme, which for originality and efficacy, has given him a high place among the inventors of the world. to-day the universal postal union affords a medium by means of which the results achieved by every postal administration are brought into a common stock for the benefit of all. but when franklin took hold of the north american post office, he had none of these aids to improvement. the measure of the public interest in the post office may be taken from the fact that its total revenue during the first three years of his administration, from to , was £ _s._ _d._--but little more than £ a year. as for encouragement or stimulus from the outside, there was none. the only connection the american post office had was with the home office; and it is doubtful whether, even if it had been disposed, the british post office could have lent any helpful advice in those days. the british post office was at that time passing through one of its unprogressive periods. it had come to know by long years of observation what was the volume of correspondence which would be offered for exchange, and it provided the means of transmission, taking care that these should not cost more than the receipts. franklin's merit lay in his rising above an indolent reliance on his monopoly, and in his generous outlay for additional facilities, by means of which he not only drew to the post office a large amount of business, which was falling into other hands, but called into existence another class of correspondence altogether. it is tolerably certain that had franklin's work lay in england instead of america, he would have anticipated palmer's suggestion that the stage coaches be used for the conveyance of the mails, instead of the wretched mail carts which came to be regarded as the natural prey of the highwayman. at the beginning of the post riders between new york and philadelphia made three trips a week each way; and at such a rate of speed that a letter could be sent from one place to the other and the answer received the day following.[ ] in reporting this achievement to the general post office, franklin states that the mails travel by night as well as by day, which had never been done before in america. franklin planned to have trips of equal speed made between new york and boston in the spring of , and the time for letter and reply between the two places reduced from a fortnight to four days. when his arrangements were completed a letter and its reply might pass between boston and philadelphia in six days, instead of three weeks. as a result of these arrangements franklin anticipated that there would be a large increase in the number of letters passing between boston and philadelphia and great britain by the packets from new york. that the fruits of his outlay answered his expectations is clear from the fact that the revenues, which up to the year had scarcely exceeded £ a year, mounted up to £ [ ] in , and that became the normal revenue for some time after. it was during this period that the british government began to employ packet boats for the conveyance of the mails to the american colonies. until this time there had been no regular arrangements for the conveyance of the mails between great britain and the colonies. there were no vessels under specific engagement to leave either great britain or america at any fixed time. this is not, of course, to say that there were no means of exchanging correspondence between england and america, or even that the post office had no control over the vessels by which letters were carried. vessels were continually passing between falmouth or bristol and new york or boston in the course of trade; and these were employed for the conveyance of mails. sometimes the letters were made up in sealed bags by the post office before being handed to the shipmasters; and sometimes they were handed loose to the captains, or picked up from the coffee houses. the captains were under heavy penalties to hand over to the post office all letters in their possession, when they reached their port of destination, and they were entitled to one penny for each letter so delivered to the local postmasters. by this arrangement, the cost of carrying the letters across the atlantic fell in no degree upon the post office. indeed, after the act of , the post office made a very good bargain of the business. the postmasters paid the shipmasters a penny a letter, and the act of authorized them to collect a shilling for each letter delivered to the public. a service so irregular had its disadvantages, however. captains were of all degrees of trustworthiness. some could be depended upon to deliver the letters at the post office as the law directed; others were careless or unfaithful. these either did not deposit their letters with the postmasters promptly as they should have done, or they had private understandings with friends by which the letters did not go into the post office at all, but were delivered by the captains directly to the persons to whom they were directed. in the board of trade called attention to the great "delays, miscarriages and other accidents which have always attended the correspondence between this kingdom and his majesty's colonies in america, from the very precarious and uncertain method in which it has been usually carried on by merchant ships." the remedy sought was a line of sailing vessels devoted entirely to the conveyance of correspondence. services of this class were not uncommon, although they were usually confined to a time of war. during the war of spanish succession, packet ships ran regularly to holland and to france. it was during this war when french and spanish privateers held the southern seas, that the first line of mail packets was established, which ran to north america. in , the british government contracted for five vessels of one hundred and forty tons each, to carry the mails to and from the west indies.[ ] each vessel was to carry twenty-six men and ten guns. the contractor was paid £ , a year. a curious feature of the contract was that the contractor was required to enter into a warranty that the receipts from the vessels for mails and passengers would not be less than £ . if they did not come up to this amount, the contractor had to make up the shortage, up to the sum of £ a year. the contract was for three years certain, with an additional two years if the war should last so long. the postal business of the west indies was comparatively large at the beginning of the eighteenth century. the receipts for the two years ending january --£ , [ ]--make the american continental business, even under franklin's capable management, very small by comparison. in the receipts from the colonial post office of north america were only £ . this packet service to the west indies was maintained until the peace of utrecht in . during the same period, repeated efforts were made by english merchants, to have a packet service to the north american colonies. in a petition was presented to the government for a mail service between england and new york.[ ] the petitioners asked that the vessels be employed for letters only, in order that by their greater speed they might outrun the merchant vessels on their homeward trips and by giving timely notice, make it possible to send out cruisers to meet the merchant vessels and escort them home in safety. they observed that, in the year before, eighteen of the virginia fleet were captured because they had set out later than was expected. the treasury were unimpressionable. they read the memorial, and after adding to it the curt query "whether the merchants intend to be at the charge," they dismissed it from further consideration. in , the question was again brought to the attention of the treasury, and they asked blathwayt, a commissioner of trade, to give them a report upon it. blathwayt was hearty in support of the proposition.[ ] he declared that "her majesty's plantations in america are at present the chief support of the kingdom without impairing their own proper strength and yet capable of very great improvements by their trade and other means." he pressed for the establishment of a service with trips six or eight times a year. in view of the war, however, blathwayt considered it inadvisable to fix upon a certain rendezvous on either side of the atlantic, as this would enhance the opportunities for interception by the enemy. the treasury were willing to have one or two experimental trips made to ascertain what revenue might be expected from the service, if these could be secured without expense; and they accepted a proposition, made about this time, by sir jeffry jeffrys, who was preparing to make two trips to new york.[ ] jeffrys asked that his vessel might be commissioned as a packet boat, and that he might be allowed to retain the postage on all the correspondence which he carried between england and america. there is no record of the result, but from what is known of the postal business in america, it cannot be supposed that it would be of a magnitude to encourage the establishment of a packet service. other offers were made to the government, but they were not seriously considered until the outbreak of the war in america between england and france in . orders were at once given for the restoration of the packet service to the west indies; and in armed packets again carried the mails on this route.[ ] the service was very expensive; for though the revenue reached the respectable figure of £ in the first year, this amount was far from covering the outlay; and as soon as the treaty of aix-la-chapelle was signed in , the packets were discontinued. the peace, which followed the treaty of aix-la-chapelle, was of short duration. so far as america was concerned, the treaty did little more than to impose upon the combatants a momentary suspension of arms. it did nothing to remove the causes of war, and while these remained a permanent peace was impossible. the grounds of dispute were almost entirely territorial. the french claimed the whole vast stretch of country to the west of the alleghanies, and set up a line of forts along the valley of the alleghany and ohio rivers. the english disregarded these claims, and their traders pushed over the mountains into the disputed territory. the french displayed so much energy in dispossessing the encroaching english, that the border country was kept in a state of alarm, and the governors of the english colonies appealed to have a regular means of communication established between the mother country and the colonies, so that help might be obtained if required. the representations of governors shirley of massachusetts, delancey of new york, and dinwiddie of virginia, were vigorously supported by governor lawrence of nova scotia.[ ] the situation of nova scotia was one of peculiar danger. the province was hemmed in between cape breton, with its powerful fortress at louisburg, on the one side, and canada on the other. the control which the french exercised over the valley of the st. john, and over the isthmus of baie verte, gave them a safe and easy passage from canada to cape breton, by way of the st. john river, the bay of fundy, the isthmus of baie verte, and the straits of northumberland. the acadians who were scattered over nova scotia were naturally in hearty sympathy with their own people in cape breton; and in order to send supplies of cattle to the fortress, they made a small settlement at tatamagouche, on the straits of northumberland, which served as an entrepôt.[ ] the first result of the appeal of the governors was the establishment of a post office at halifax, in the spring of ,[ ] and the opening up of communication with new england by the vessels which plied to and from boston. it required a ruder prompting before the government could be induced to spend the money necessary for a packet service, and this was not long in coming. in the early spring of , general braddock, with two regiments, was sent to america to oppose the large claims made by the french. in concert with the governors of massachusetts and virginia, a plan of attack was arranged which involved movements against four different points as widely separated as fort duquesne on the ohio river, and beausejour on the bay of fundy. braddock undertook the expedition against fort duquesne, which if successful would break down the barrier which was confining the english colonies to the atlantic seaboard, and relieve the more westerly settlements of virginia and pennsylvania from the harassing attacks which were making life on the frontiers unendurable. the execution of his part of the campaign was beset by difficulties, arising partly from the mountainous and woody character of the country through which he had to pass, and partly from his ignorance of the methods of forest warfare, in which his enemies excelled. whatever could be accomplished by dogged energy was done successfully. braddock managed to get his army within sight of his destination. but here his good fortune left him. while still in the thick woods he was attacked by the french and their indian allies. employing methods to which braddock was a stranger, methods which would have seemed to him to be unworthy of soldiers, the french and their allies managed to keep themselves in perfect cover, while the british army stood exposed, the easiest of marks. there could be but one outcome. the british were overwhelmed and braddock slain; and the only result of the campaign was to redouble the fury of the enemy against the unfortunate border settlements. the disaster and its consequences were brought home to the government with a directness that put an end to all hesitation about establishing the closest possible communication between the mother country and the colonies. on the th of september, the board of trade, which administered the affairs of the colonies, approached the treasury on the subject. after emphasizing the inconveniences of the existing arrangements, the board insisted that it was of the highest importance that the king should have "early and frequent intelligence of what is in agitation" in the colonies, and recommended that packet boats be established to new york.[ ] the treasury approved, and directed the postmasters general to arrange for regular monthly trips to new york, and to restore the west indian service, which was discontinued in . four vessels of tons each were provided for the latter route.[ ] they were to carry twenty-six men each, and be fully armed for war. for the new york route, larger vessels were thought necessary, owing to the roughness of the winter seas; the vessels placed on this line were each of tons, and carried thirty men. the carrying of any merchandise was forbidden, so that the vessels were devoted entirely to the service of the post office. in the elaborate instructions which the commanders received, they were directed, when they had a mail for a place at which a postmaster had not been appointed, to open the bags themselves, and deliver the letters for that place to a magistrate or other careful man, who would undertake to have the letters handed to the persons to whom they were addressed. in case the vessel was attacked, and could not avoid being taken, the commander must, before striking, throw the mails overboard, with such a weight attached as would immediately sink them, and so prevent them from falling into the enemy's hands. the new service was a most expensive one, and when peace was concluded in , the question of continuing it came up for immediate consideration. during the seven years of its course, the new york service cost £ , ; while the produce in postage was only £ , . the service was popular, however; and the revenue had been increasing latterly, and an effort was made to reduce the cost.[ ] in this the postmasters general were successful, and as the treasury saw reasons for indulging the hope that before long the service would be self-sustaining, they sanctioned the amended terms. so far as the district in the neighbourhood of new york was concerned, the service was very satisfactory. but the people in the more remote southern colonies had ground for complaint in the length of time it took for their letters to reach them after arriving at new york. no time was lost in despatching the couriers to the south; but, at the best, between bad roads and no roads at all, there were great delays in delivering the mails to charlestown. in the fall of , a proposition was made to extend the west indies service to the mainland, and to require the mail packet to visit pensacola, fort st. augustine and charlestown, before returning to falmouth. the extended scheme, which was accepted in , involved an entire reorganization of the postal service of the southern colonies. the colonies to the south of virginia were separated from the colonies to the north and, with the bahama islands, were erected into a distinct postal division, with headquarters at charlestown.[ ] a sufficient number of vessels were added to make a regular monthly service,[ ] but in spite of this, the arrangements did not give satisfaction. the route was too long to make it possible to deliver the mails at charlestown within a reasonable time. the postmasters general reported that letters for those parts often lay forty or fifty days in london before starting on their way. it was then resolved to break up the connection between the mainland and the west indies, and have a separate monthly service between falmouth and charlestown. to secure the greatest measure of advantage from this service a courier was sent off with the mails for savannah and st. augustine as soon as they arrived at charlestown from england.[ ] there were thus, from , three lines of sailing packets running between england and the north american colonies--one to new york, another to charlestown, and a third to the west indies. there was but one defect in these arrangements. they did not provide connections between the several systems except through the mother country. a letter sent from new york to charlestown or to the west indies had to travel across to london and back again by the first outward packet to its destination. to connect the two systems on the mainland, a courier travelled from charlestown northward to suffolk, virginia, where he met with the courier from new york. in dealing with the means for establishing communication between the mainland and the west indies, the treasury were called upon to consider a petition from the merchants who traded to florida. the termination of the war was followed by the withdrawal of the troops which were stationed at pensacola, the principal trading settlement in florida, and the merchants feared the savages would plunder their goods, if succour could not be easily obtained from the sister provinces. the first step taken to meet the difficulty was to run a small forty-five ton vessel from jamaica to pensacola and on to charlestown. this was satisfactory as far as it went, but as it took eighty-three days to cover this route and return to jamaica, this service had to be doubled before the people concerned were content. footnotes: [ ] statutes of the united kingdom, anne, c. . [ ] new york did not become the headquarters of the postal system until the reconstruction of . [ ] the postal rates as fixed by the act of queen anne were as follows: london to jamaica, barbadoes, _s._ _d._; to new york, _s._ new york, to west indies, _d._; to new london or philadelphia, _d._; to boston or portsmouth, _s._; to williamsburg, va., or piscataway, _s._ _d._; to charlestown, _s._ _d._; to within miles, _d._; to within miles, _d._ these charges were for single letters. [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, ii. . [ ] governor spottswood to the board of trade, june , (_va. hist. coll._, new series, ii. ) [ ] _journal of the house of burgesses_, may , _passim_. [ ] douglas' _historical and political summary_. [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, vi. - . [ ] _talcott papers_, vol. . [ ] "the ledger-book of benjamin franklin," in the boston public library. [ ] g.p.o., _treasury letter-book_, - , p. . [ ] _works of benjamin franklin_ (federal ed.), i. . [ ] franklin to todd, january , , smyth, _life and writings of benjamin franklin_, xii. . [ ] g.p.o., _general accounts_, - . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, iii. . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_ volume. [ ] cal. treasury papers, - , p. . [ ] _treasury papers_, cii. . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, iii. . [ ] _cal. treasury books and papers_, - , p. . [ ] _c. o._ . [ ] _c. o._ , vol. . [ ] _boston evening post_, april , . (this note was furnished by mr. c. w. ernst of boston.) [ ] _c. o._ , bundle . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, vii. - . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, vol. . [ ] the first deputy postmaster general for the southern division was benjamin barons, who was appointed december , (g.p.o., _orders of the board_, ii. ). he resigned on august , , and was succeeded by peter delancy, who was killed in a duel with dr. john hale, in august . his successor was george roupell, who held office until displaced by the revolution (g.p.o., _orders of the board_, - , ii. _b_). [ ] g.p.o., _instructions_, pp. - . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, june , . chapter iii communications in canada prior to the conquest--extension of colonial postal service to canada--effects of colonial discontents on post office. having described the several arrangements, which were made to enable the older british colonists to correspond with the mother country and with one another, we shall now turn to canada. in the first place an account must be given of the route pursued by the courier, who was shortly to begin regular trips between new york and montreal. the route is the oldest in north america and the best known. before either frenchman or englishman came to america, the indian tribes, dwelling on the stretch of land which lies between the waters running south and those running north, passed and repassed over this natural highway in the prosecution of their perpetual wars; and in the long struggle between france and england for mastery of the continent, many of the most decisive battles were fought at different places on the route. the forts erected by each nation at the several strategic points on the route within its territory indicate their conviction that this was the ordinary course of passage from one country to the other. a glance at the map confirms this view. from new york to the boundaries of canada, the few miles of watershed between the hudson and the lake champlain systems are the only part of this long route, which could not be easily travelled by vessel. the first long stretch on the journey from new york to montreal was that between new york and albany. this part of the trip was made in one of the sloops, which were employed by the merchants of albany to carry furs, lumber and grain to new york, and which usually returned to albany empty or with a cargo of brandy, which was considered necessary in their dealings with the indians. the trip up the river occupied about three days. from albany northward, there was a good road on the west side of the hudson as far as fort edward, which stood at the bend of the river, where it made a sharp turn to the west. at fort edward there was a choice of routes, one leading directly north to lake george, and the other to the north-east to wood creek, from which there was a navigable course into lake champlain. the lake george route also led into lake champlain, though the difficulties of the passage from one lake to the other subjected the traveller to the inconvenience of a portage. lake champlain offered an uninterrupted course to st. john's in canada, from which point there was a pleasant trip by carriage to laprairie, followed by a sail across the st. lawrence to montreal. the time taken by travellers over this route was from nine to ten days. the population of canada at the period when it became a british province was about seventy thousand, all of whom dwelt on the shores of the st. lawrence and its tributaries. travellers between montreal and quebec taking the river passage were wont to declare that they seemed to be passing through one long village, so closely were the settlements on each side of the river drawn to one another. below quebec, the country on the north shore in the _seigneuries_ of beauport and beaupré, as far east as cap tourmente, was as thickly populated as any part of canada. beyond that point settlement rather straggled on to murray bay. on the south shore from levis eastward, the census of showed a population of over ten thousand. a gentleman travelling from rivière du loup to quebec a few years later stated that there were from twelve to sixteen families to every mile of road. although people travelling in canada preferred making their journey by boat, there was a good road from montreal to quebec and, what was unique in america at the time, there was a regular line of post houses over the whole road, where _calèches_ or carrioles were always kept in readiness for travellers. each _maître de poste_ had the exclusive privilege of carrying passengers from his post house to the next, which was usually about nine miles distant, his obligation being to have the horse and carriage ready on fifteen minutes' notice during the day, and in half an hour, if he were called during the night. this facility for travel, the advantages of which are obvious, was a gift from france, where it had been in operation since the fifteenth century. when the road between montreal and quebec was completed in ,[ ] the post road system was at once established upon it. it was a convenience which cost the government nothing, the habitant who was appointed _maître de poste_ receiving his pay from the persons whom he conveyed within his limits. the government confined its attention to seeing that the _maître de poste_ furnished the horses and vehicles promptly. in september , when the english became masters of canada by the capitulation of montreal, sir jeffery amherst, commander-in-chief of the british forces, issued new commissions to the _maîtres de poste_, and fixed the rate at which they should be paid for their services, but gave directions that they should let their horses to no person, who was not provided with a written order from the governor.[ ] a question of much interest is suggested by the fact that the post road between montreal and quebec had its origin during the french regime. in france the post roads were part of the postal system of the country, and the question occurs, by what means were letters conveyed within canada during the period of french rule? it is probable that there was a considerable correspondence between canada and france, and the lines on which the business of the country was conducted would seem to call for a fairly large interchange of letters within the colony itself. though the great mass of the people were unable either to read or to write, they differed but little in this respect from the same class of people in other countries. it was not the custom of the time to look to the working classes for patronage for the post office, though even here it is to be observed that the girls of canada had many opportunities for securing the elements of education, which did not fall in the way of the young men, and with the instinct for graceful expression, which is nature's endowment to french women, it is probable that many letters came from this class. from the towns, however, there would be a relatively large correspondence. although the populations of quebec and montreal were less than that of many of our country towns, and three rivers would not bear comparison in that respect with many villages, the social life in these towns was on a high plane. from charlevoix to montcalm, every visitor to canada expressed his astonishment at the refinement and even elegance which he found in the towns. this society, with its _seigneurs_, military officers, clergy and civil service, would beyond doubt have an extensive correspondence with friends at home. indeed, mention of the clergy brings up that remarkable series of letters written by jesuit missionaries from the wilds of canada, known as the jesuit relations, which forms so large a part of the foundation on which the history of the country in the seventeenth century rests. the commercial correspondence was, also, considerable. all the trade between canada and france was carried on through the merchants of quebec. montreal from its situation at the junction of the st. lawrence and ottawa rivers had been the chief town for the indian trade in furs for over a century, but it did not send its furs directly to france. the quebec merchants had been the intermediaries for this trade, and they held jealously to the profitable privilege. the imports from france which included a large part of the necessities and conveniences of life, were also handled by the quebec merchants, who acted as wholesalers to the merchants in montreal and the other parts of the colony. it will be obvious from a view of all these circumstances that there must have been a large volume of correspondence to and from as well as within canada during the french regime. the greater part of it would be between quebec and the ports of france and the means by which this was carried on, are known. in the _royal almanach_ for , it is announced that on letters to canada there would be a charge of seven sols (about seven cents) which would pay for the conveyance from paris to rochelle, while between rochelle and canada, letters were carried free of all charge. between old and new france, therefore, there was little restriction on correspondence. if a letter going to france were destined for paris, it would be carried there for seven cents; if for other parts of france, local and personal arrangements would have to be made for their delivery. the case was the same with letters coming to canada, but addressed to other places than quebec. persons living in montreal, three rivers or any other place, who had correspondence with france would arrange with friends in quebec to take their letters from the captain of the incoming ship, and send the letters to them by the first opportunity. kalm, the swedish naturalist, who was travelling through canada as the guest of the governor, states that, on the way up to montreal on the governor's _bateau_, they put in at three rivers in order that the officer in charge might deliver some letters, which had been entrusted to him. the question of establishing such a postal system as existed in france was laid before the governor as early as . in that year nicholas lanoullier, a clerk in the treasury, made application for the exclusive privilege of carrying on a postal system between montreal and quebec. he pointed out that the only means for the conveyance of letters between quebec, three rivers and montreal was the canoe, and as there was no regular canoe service, a person desiring to send a letter had either to hire a canoe, or wait until some person would be found willing to take the letter in the course of his journey. either mode was obviously unsatisfactory. lanoullier proposed to open post offices at the three towns, for letters and couriers, and to maintain _messageries_ or an express service, and a line of post houses. there was no road between montreal and quebec at this time, and as lanoullier's scheme involved the construction of a road, the governor granted the application, and in addition gave lanoullier the exclusive privilege of establishing ferries over the rivers, which would cross the road he undertook to build. as the total population of canada in did not exceed , , and the towns of quebec, three rivers and montreal contained no more than , and people respectively, an enterprise of that magnitude could not possibly be profitable. lanoullier no doubt realized this, for he did nothing in pursuance of the scheme. it was ten years after this period before any serious effort was made to construct a continuous road from quebec to montreal, and by that time nicholas lanoullier's connection with the work had ceased entirely. by a somewhat curious coincidence, when the governor and intendant resolved that the road should be constructed, the duty of superintending the work fell upon a brother of lanoullier, who was appointed grand voyer or general overseer of the roads of the colony. the office of grand voyer had existed in the colony since , but until lanoullier's time, it seems to have been neglected, and when the habitants along the road were called upon to work upon it, they obeyed with much reluctance. lanoullier's difficulties were increased by the hostility of the _seigneurs_ through whose estates the road was to pass, and who resented his making his surveys without deference to their wishes and opinions. he pushed forward the work with much energy, however, and by the road was opened. the intendant, hocquart, who had followed the road building with much interest, reported to the king that he himself had made the journey in a carriage from quebec to montreal in four days. as soon as the road was declared fit for travel post houses were placed upon it at intervals of about nine miles, and ferries were established for transportation across the broader rivers which crossed the road. but although no regular postal system was in operation during the french regime, an arrangement existed from an early period, by which the letters of the governor and intendant were carried by an appointed messenger, who was permitted to take with him, in addition to the official letters, any that might be entrusted to him by private persons. the fee allowed the messenger by the intendant's commission was ten sous for a letter carried from quebec to montreal and five sous to three rivers, with proportionate charges for greater or shorter distances. the commission which was issued in by raudot, the intendant, to pierre dasilva dit portugais, made no provision for regular conveyance, but as the messenger conveyed all the governor's despatches within the colony, it is probable that he made his trips with fair frequency. another messenger, jean morau, received a commission in , though he had been performing the duties of the service for ten years before that date.[ ] a curious fact is disclosed in a memorandum prepared during the period between the capitulation of canada in and the treaty of paris, which settled definitively the possession of the country. the writer, who had hopes that the country would be restored to france, was discussing several measures for improving the administration, when the french returned to the government. among these was the establishment of a royal post office. in submitting his suggestion he pointed out that the system of royal messengers was expensive to the country, as the letters of private persons were carried and delivered free of charge. by the establishment of a post office, the charges of maintaining it would fall on the persons whose letters were carried, and the treasury would be relieved of the expense.[ ] as has been already stated, when franklin learned that canada was to remain a british possession, he came to quebec to arrange for the establishment of a postal service between quebec, three rivers and montreal, and for a regular exchange of mails between those places and new york. at quebec he met with hugh finlay, a young scotchman who had been in the country for three years and who had been performing the very important duties of justice of the peace. in , finlay was made a member of the governor's council, and until his death, thirty-six years later, took a leading part in the affairs of the colony. franklin opened a post office in quebec with finlay as postmaster and put under his charge subordinate offices at three rivers and montreal. a monthly service by courier was established between montreal and new york, whose duty it was to have the canadian mails in new york in time to place those for great britain on board the outgoing packet. in making his arrangements for the exchange of mails between the canadian offices themselves, finlay sought and obtained the co-operation of the governor, who directed the _maîtres de poste_ to provide saddle horses for the mail couriers at sixpence a league, which was just half the charge made to the public for the same service, and who issued orders to the ferrymen along the route to pass the couriers over their rivers promptly and without charge.[ ] the captains of boats running on the river were instructed in their duty to deliver the letters in their hands to the nearest postmasters who would pay them one cent for each letter. the courier's trips between montreal and quebec were made weekly each way, and each trip took about thirty hours. as the distance is one hundred and eighty miles, the advantages of the post house system in facilitating the movements of the couriers are manifest. a difficulty for which provision had to be made was the extreme magnitude of the postage charges. in the american post office was still working under the act of , which was enacted at a time when canada as an english colony was not in contemplation. the system for which provision was made by the act extended from piscataway (now portsmouth, new hampshire) to charlestown; and if letters were sent beyond the range of this system, the charge for single letters conveyed up to sixty miles was fourpence; and when the conveyance was from sixty to one hundred miles the charge was sixpence. at the rate of sixpence for one hundred miles, it cost two shillings to send a single letter from new york to montreal and three shillings from new york to quebec. this rate was quite prohibitive. governors murray of quebec, and gage of montreal, in , represented to the home government[ ] that the people of canada were almost destitute of cash, and that they would not write to their friends in england until they found private occasions to send their letters to new york. the governors suggested that every interest would be better served if the rates could be made so that the charge on letters between any two places in america might not exceed one shilling and sixpence for a single letter. in , the act of was amended to meet the governor's views.[ ] the scale of fourpence for sixty miles and sixpence for one hundred miles was not changed, but an addition was made to it by providing that for each one hundred miles or less beyond the first hundred miles, the additional charge was to be twopence. the reduction for the longer distances was very considerable. between new york and montreal, the act of lowered the charge for a single letter from two shillings to one shilling, and between new york and quebec from three shillings to one shilling and fourpence. halifax, which had had a post office since , had until this time but little benefit from it owing to the excessive charges. but the amendment of provided a rate of fourpence on single letters passing between any two seaports in america, and thus put halifax in comparatively easy communication with boston and new york. here then in its entirety is the postal system of north america as it was completed by the inclusion within it of the new province of canada. the most important communications were those between america and great britain. of these there were three: with new york, charlestown and the west indies. between each of these places and great britain, packet boats carried the mails once a month. these several divisions were united with one another by a small packet from jamaica to charlestown, and by a courier from charlestown to suffolk, virginia, where he met with a courier from new york. within the northern district, the centre of which was at new york, there was a well-organized mail service, in which all existing travelling facilities were employed to the limit of their usefulness.[ ] mails were transported regularly as far south as virginia and as far north and east as quebec and halifax. within the better settled parts of the country, the service was excellent. before the revolution, two trips were made weekly between new york and boston, and three between new york and philadelphia. from quebec to montreal, there were two trips every week. the courier service at this time was quite equal, if not superior, to the service in england. the financial affairs of the american post office flourished. for the three years ending july , there was a surplus revenue of £ .[ ] the succeeding years, though satisfactory, were not equal to those up to .[ ] but the political troubles were rendering the post office an object of unpopularity, and making it a duty on the part of the patriots to employ agencies other than the post office for the transmission of their letters. as these unofficial agencies were usually satisfied with a much lower compensation than the post office demanded, the pleasant circumstance arose for the patriot that the line of interest coincided with the line of duty. during the period between the establishment of the post office in canada in , and the outbreak of the war of the revolution in , the post office pursued on the whole an even, uneventful course. canada did not entirely escape the influence of the sentiments which in the older colonies were leading to the revolution; and, as the war approached, the post office was made to feel the effects. there were, at the time of the peace of , along with the seventy thousand canadians which made up nearly the whole of the population, a number of the older british subjects, most of whom had come from the british american colonies. at this time they numbered about two hundred, and when the war broke out in , the number had doubled. these new-comers to canada were not without the usual practical ability of americans, and they very soon gathered into their hands the greater part of the business of the colony. they were, however, a source of much trouble and offence to the governor, and to their canadian fellow subjects. the governor reported that their arrogance, and repugnance to the social and religious customs of the new subjects--the former subjects of france--as well as the factious opposition they displayed to the mode of government then existing, retarded seriously the progress of the efforts which were made towards conciliating the canadians to the new regime. nothing short of the complete domination of these few hundred english-speaking people over the french canadians would have satisfied them. the spirit of rebellion grew no faster in the older british colonies than among the few of english extraction in canada, and the mutual distrust between these people and the government hampered the work of the post office a few years later. in finlay was called upon to remove a certain friction which had arisen between the _maîtres de poste_ and the travelling public. the regulations, which confined travelling by post to persons having special permits from the governor, were no longer insisted upon. any person desiring to do so was at liberty to hire horses and carriages at any of the post houses for travel to the next post house. the easing of restrictions enlarged the business of the _maîtres de poste_. but it evidently did not give unmixed satisfaction, as complaints were made that many persons riding post imposed upon the postmen, "threatening and abusing them contrary at all law." finlay had no actual warrant for interfering on behalf of the _maîtres de poste_, but as postmaster of the province, he had a strong motive for picking up the reins of authority where he found them lying in slack hands. he required the services of the _maîtres de poste_ to help him with the conveyance of the mails, and as those services were rendered for half the charge which was made to the travelling public, he kept the _maîtres de poste_ under his influence by constituting himself their champion. finlay pointed to the fact that in england the postmaster general was also general master of the post houses, and declared that as deputy of the postmaster general he would take the same position in canada. there was the essential difference between the situation in england and in canada that the postmaster general had statutory authority for exercising control over the post houses in england, whereas there was no such authority for control over the post houses in canada. however, finlay was a member of the legislative council, and he assumed, without opposition or question, the charge of the _maîtres de poste_, and in issued public notice that the post house system was to be under the same regulations as were in force in england.[ ] the _maîtres de poste_ were confirmed in their monopoly, and protected against imposition on the part of the public. finlay's energetic management of the affairs of the canadian post office attracted the attention of his superiors, and as franklin had resided continuously in england since as agent for pennsylvania and other of the american colonies, the expanding scope of the american post office demanded a greater degree of supervision than franklin's associate, foxcroft, was able to give. it was resolved to create another office, until then unknown in america, called a surveyorship. the duties of the surveyor in england are the same as those of the inspector in the canadian or united states services, and call for a general control over the postal service within certain defined limits. the office of surveyor was established in , and finlay was appointed to the position. he was allowed to retain his charge of the post office in canada, though his salary here underwent an abatement. the first duty assigned to finlay as post office surveyor was to explore the uninhabited country beyond the last settlements on the river chaudiere extending over the height of land into new england.[ ] the purpose of the trip was to ascertain the practicability of a direct road between quebec and new england. the merchants of quebec had made much complaint of the slowness and irregularity of the ordinary communication with new york, which was by way of montreal, and they hoped that the proposed road would materially shorten the journey to the principal places in the northern colonies. the road which the merchants of quebec desired to see built was a project which had occupied public attention at various times for over a century before this time. when louis xiv, colbert his minister, and talon the intendant, were devising schemes for the creation of a new france in north america, they observed that the long canadian winters, which shut up the port of quebec, made it desirable that there should be free access to an ocean port. the treaty of breda confirmed england in in its possession of new york and new jersey, and also established the right of france to acadia, which in the french view comprised not only nova scotia and new brunswick, but also that section of the state of maine which lies east of the kennebec river. in [ ] the king directed talon to see what could be done towards constructing a road between the mouth of the chaudiere and fort pentegoet at the mouth of the penobscot, which was the headquarters of the french governor in acadia. the purposes of the king were not unlike those of the fathers of the present confederation. canada was french and so was acadia, and the association of the inland with the maritime settlements could not but be productive of good. the populations were small: canada had six thousand seven hundred, and acadia four hundred and forty-one,[ ] but, for a short period, imperial ideas prevailed. talon in despatched two explorers to pentegoet. they took different routes, although following the watercourses, and their reports confirmed talon as to the desirability of establishing permanent communication between the two provinces. his plans embraced a line of settlements on the penobscot and kennebec rivers with a view to imposing a barrier to the advances of the english. but talon's health gave way, and he returned to france in the fall of , and as the king's ardour towards canada was cooling off, owing to his absorption in his european wars, the road was abandoned. the project was revived eleven years afterwards by de meulles, a later intendant. he was persuaded that if communication were opened, the merchants of quebec might secure the trade of the acadians which went entirely to new england, and the acadians would become attached to canada. the road would have to be settled upon, and de meulles' plan was to place old soldiers upon it, as he did not think the canadians could be induced to give up their comfortable lives, to enter upon a venture of that kind. de meulles' proposition, however, fell upon deaf ears, as did all others calling for the outlay of money, and the scheme was allowed to lie until finlay took it up. from the new england side a movement towards the height of land separating canada from the english colonies was made in .[ ] governor shirley of massachusetts in the early part of that year, set out from falmouth (now portland) with eight hundred men on an expedition up the kennebec river. his purpose was to dislodge any frenchman who might be settled on the height of land, and to establish a fort to secure the country against attack. fort halifax was erected at the junction of a stream called the sebastoocook with the kennebec, and the plymouth company built a storehouse at the head of navigation on the kennebec. a carriage road was laid between the fort and the storehouse. the governor anticipated that with fort halifax as base he might secure the mastery of the chaudiere and even threaten quebec. as talon in , and shirley in , so finlay in was persuaded that a direct road from quebec to new england was altogether desirable, and that it might be made without unusual difficulty. it was not, however, in the scheme of things that finlay should succeed any more than his predecessors. his preparations were soon made. he explained his views to lieutenant governor cramahe, who headed a subscription to pay finlay's expenses, and inside of twenty-four hours he had ample means at his disposal for his purpose.[ ] finlay set out in september with a party of indians, and reached falmouth after seventeen days of canoeing and following trails. having become satisfied as to the practicability of the road, he addressed himself to the task of securing the co-operation of those who might be supposed to benefit by the enterprise. at portsmouth, new hampshire, he discussed the subject with governor wentworth. the governor was eager to help with the scheme of establishing a further connection between canada and the colonies to the south, but was of opinion that the best route would be over the tract of country between the connecticut river and the st. francis river in canada. this route had several advantages. it avoided the watercourses which made the road from montreal to new york, and the proposed kennebec road, useless for so long a period every year; the passage over the height of land was easy, and the country along the line of the route between the height of land and the st. francis was favourable for settlement. as finlay was prepossessed with the governor's plans, the governor set about putting them into execution. he laid a carriageable road along the connecticut to the boundary of his province, and by april had a line of settlements along the road so that the post rider would always have a stage at which to pass the night, and generally have one within four hours' travel from any point on the road. governor wentworth lent to finlay the services of his own surveyor to explore the country on the canadian side of the route, but before anything could be accomplished in this way, the discontents in the south had broken out in acts of rebellion, and the post office was the first of the institutions of government to be suspended. at boston, finlay laid his plans before governor hutchinson.[ ] the interview was not encouraging. the governor declared that, in the existing temper of the people, it would be enough for the legislature to know that the governor favoured a scheme, to ensure its defeat. the new englanders had, besides this, but moderate grounds for assisting in establishing further communication with canada. the proposed road would be beneficial to massachusetts in so far as it aided colonization in the northern parts of the province, but as the tract through which the proposed kennebec road would run lay largely in the grants of the plymouth company, it would be this company which would be the chief beneficiary of the enterprise, and the legislature considered that the company should bear the burden of the expense. the company were not averse from assisting, but they indulged the hope that with their interest in the legislature the government might be induced to bear the cost. another circumstance that tended to cool the interest of the legislature was the belief that in a short time this northern country was to be detached from massachusetts, and erected into a separate government. altogether finlay concluded that unless the british government undertook the scheme on the new england side, it would not be accomplished at all. finlay's tour of exploration was ended by his arrival in falmouth at the beginning of october. he then entered upon the more extensive duty of inspecting the whole postal service from maine to georgia.[ ] he travelled southward from falmouth, inspected every post office, studied the conditions under which the mails were carried, and made a full report of his investigations to the postmaster general. it is plain from his report that the service had deteriorated seriously since franklin and foxcroft had made their last inspection ten years before. franklin, it will be remembered, had resided in england since , and foxcroft undoubtedly found it impossible to give proper attention to the post offices throughout the country, and at the same time to keep abreast of the official routine at the head office. the postmasters on the whole impressed finlay favourably. they understood their duties and seemed to be making a commendable struggle against the demoralization which confronted them however they turned. only a small proportion of the letters which circulated within the colonies passed through the post office, although their conveyance by any other means was illegal. the consequence was that the revenues of the post office were small. at falmouth the greater part of the letters from boston were delivered by the masters of sailing vessels. the postmaster on one occasion attempted to enforce the law against illegal conveyance by seizing the letter bag on one of the incoming ships; but the populace made so marked a manifestation of its displeasure that he did not venture on that course a second time. it was not so much, however, by direct defiance of the postal law, although instances of this were not wanting, as by evasions of it, that the monopoly of the post office was broken down. but in many cases the evasions were so palpable that they could deceive nobody. a popular mode of escape from the penalties attaching to the breach of the monopoly was to seek shelter under one of the exceptions which the post office act allowed. in none of the acts, for instance, is objection made to a person sending a letter to a correspondent by his own servant, or by a friend who happened to be journeying to the place where the letter should be delivered. another exception to the monopoly was made in favour of letters which accompanied merchandise to which letters related. thus a merchant in filling an order for goods has always been at liberty to send with them the invoice, or any other communication, having presumable reference to them. this was the excepted article, which served the turn of those eluding the monopoly. what finlay saw at new haven illustrates fairly what was going on throughout the colonies. riders came in from other towns, their carts laden with bundles, packages, boxes and canisters, and every package had a letter attached. some of the parcels consisted of no more than little bundles of chips, straw, or old paper, but they served their purpose. if the postmaster made objection to the number of letters they carried, the riders asserted their right to carry letters accompanying goods, and the public saw to it that neither postmaster or magistrate took too narrow a view of what constituted goods. on the route between boston and newport the mail carrier was a certain peter mumford, who did a much larger business in the illegal conveyance of letters than as the servant of the post office. at newport the postmaster declared that there were two post offices--the king's and mumford's--and the latter did the larger business. there was no remedy, as the postmaster declared that whoever should attempt to check the illegal practice would be denounced as the friend of slavery and oppression and the declared enemy of america. many of the couriers did so large a carrying business that the conveyance of the mails became a mere incident with them. as he approached new haven, finlay was accosted with the inquiry whether he had overtaken the post bringing in a drove of oxen, which the courier had engaged to do, when he came in with the mail. in all respects but one, the situation described by finlay presented no unexpected features. there had been no general inspection since franklin made his tour in , at the time he opened the post office in quebec. this fact fully explains the shortcomings of the postmasters and couriers. that the postmasters were chargeable with so few irregularities in their accounts, or were open to so little censure for faults in management, is high testimony to their intelligence and fidelity to duty. mail couriers have always been less completely identified with the postal service than postmasters. they are held by contract, not by appointment, and their engagements are for short terms. there is nothing irregular in their practice of combining the conveyance of the mails with other means of gaining a livelihood, but in the absence of supervision there was a constant tendency to give undue attention to what should have been merely auxiliary employments of carrying passengers and parcels. people employing the couriers demanded prompt service, while there was no person to insist on the prior claims of the post office, and indeed there were probably few people in any community at that time to whom an hour more or less was of any consequence in the receipt of their letters. the evasion of the postmaster general's monopoly also was too common to excite particular remark. it was beyond doubt a breach of the law, but that it was wrong was a proposition to which few even good citizens gave assent, at least by their practice. thomas hancock made a merit of his saving the colony of connecticut from thirty to forty shillings a year through the interest he had with certain captains, which enabled him to secure the colonial letters, as they came over in the ships, and thus prevent their passing through the post office. in england, also, the practice was wellnigh universal. the increased rates imposed by the act of gave an immense impetus to clandestine traffic. every pedlar and driver of public coaches lent himself to the profitable business of carrying letters for a few halfpence a letter. in london an effort was made to stop the practice by having officials of the post office frequent the roads leading into the city, for the purpose of searching the vehicles of those who had made themselves objects of suspicion. it is interesting to note that the work for which the post office surveyors or inspectors were first appointed was to detain the mail couriers in the course of travel, and check the contents of the mail bags, and thus prevent postmasters from becoming parties, as they too frequently were, to frauds on the revenue, to their own great advantage. as late as , when rowland hill[ ] laid his penny postage scheme before a public which was impatient for its adoption, richard cobden declared to a committee appointed to report on the scheme, that five-sixths of the letters passing between manchester and london were conveyed by private hand. this state of things continued until the postage rates were brought down to a point, at which the service offered by the post office was cheaper as well as better than any other. the only certain means by which a government monopoly in a free country can maintain its position is to outbid its rivals. there is no safe dependence to be placed in legal process. in ordinary times, then, the evasion of the exclusive privilege of the postmaster general by any community would deserve no more than passing mention. it is as part of a general boycott of the government that the action of the americans is worthy of note. from the time of the passage of the stamp act in , the attitude of the colonies towards all schemes in which taxation by parliament could be detected was one of resistance active or passive. when this act went into operation, the americans bound themselves to import nothing from england, a self-imposed obligation which in the undeveloped state of their manufactures entailed much inconvenience and even distress. there was an essential difference between the english and the american methods of avoiding the penalties for infractions of the post office law. in england, and to some extent doubtless in america as well, men engaged in the illegal conveyance of letters did their best to conceal their operations from the authorities. the efforts of a public coach driver were directed to rendering the search made by the post office inspectors fruitless. if letters were found in his possession, he suffered the legal penalties as the smuggler does to-day. it was one of the chances of his trade. in the colonies men who were bent on circumventing the post office pursued another course. they indulged their taste for legal technicalities by carrying their letters openly, and maintaining that the packages which accompanied them took them outside the monopoly, and they gave scope to their humour by making the packages as ridiculous as possible. they incurred no great risk, for the active spirits in every community threatened a prosecutor with a coat of tar and feathers. the stamp act was repealed in the year following its enactment, and for the moment trade resumed its wonted course. but it was not for long. the british government was determined that the legislative supremacy of parliament should be recognized in america, and the colonies were equally persistent in their denial of this supremacy; and in the conflict which ensued the principle weapons employed by the americans until the outbreak of the war were non-importation and non-exportation agreements. as the british merchant exercised a preponderating influence with the government, the stoppage of trade with america, as the result of a constitutional dispute, was an effective instrument in making the government consider the situation seriously. the difficulty with the government was to understand the attitude of mind which prevailed among the americans. the government had no quarrel with the principle that representation should be a condition of taxation. it would have asserted the principle on any occasion, but it could not see that the course it was pursuing was a violation of that principle. parliament, it declared, was the great council of the nation, representing those parts beyond the sea as well as those at home, and its measures bound the whole nation. it was still, it must be remembered, half a century before the time when the agitations which preceded the great reform bill of had familiarized the country with the distinction between virtual and actual representation. the british parliament was far from being, and indeed made no pretence of being a representative assembly in the sense in which the phrase is now used. the right to send members to parliament had for centuries been exercised by the electors of counties and certain ancient boroughs, and no enlargement of the representation was made from until ,[ ] in spite of the great changes in population and industrial importance which had taken place in the course of time. great manufacturing towns such as manchester and leeds sent no members to represent them in parliament, while old sarum which did not contain a single house elected two members. to a people, who saw nothing in this state of things inconsistent with the theory of representative government, the colonial view would be quite incomprehensible. the colonist on the other hand with his strict representation in town meetings and colonial assemblies, and without the historical aids to an understanding of the point of view of the home government, saw little of a truly representative character in the british system. but he did see, what the home government did not, that a body of distinct and separate interests had grown up in america of which parliament had a very inaccurate conception, and with which it was in no way qualified to deal. the attitude of the colonists did not appear to the government to be quite free from insincerity. for half a century and more, the government declared, the colonists had been subject to taxes in the shape of post office charges imposed by the act of , and they had never raised a question. in the newcastle correspondence, there is a paper, dated , containing a discussion on the legality of a tax on the trade with the spanish west indies. in the course of the paper it is asserted that parliament, by the post office act of queen anne, imposed an internal tax on the colonies without their presuming to dispute the jurisdiction of parliament over them. the disturbances in america which followed upon the attempts to enforce the stamp act surprised and alarmed the government, and a committee of parliament was appointed to consider what their future course would be. franklin who, as the representative of several of the colonies, had been in london for a considerable time, was among the witnesses examined by the committee. his examination took a wide range, but the point of interest was the question as to what ground in principle the americans stood upon in objecting to the stamp act, since they had accepted the post office act of . for franklin this was a crucial question, as he had been not only administering the post office in america for twelve years past, but he did not conceal his satisfaction that by his management he had been able for several years to send substantial sums to great britain as profits from the institution. franklin answered the questions with much ingenuity. the money paid for the postage of a letter was not in the nature of a tax; it was merely a _quantum meruit_ for a service done; no person was compellable to pay the money if he did not choose to receive the service. a man might still, as before the act, send his letter by a servant, a special messenger, or a friend, if he thought it safer and cheaper. the answer would have been quite just, if the postmaster general of england had not held a monopoly of letter carrying in america. while a person is free to use or not to use a certain service, the charge for the service is not in the nature of a tax. if a person does not like the price demanded by the post office for its services, he may seek other means of having his letters carried. but the post office act does not leave a person free to employ other agencies for the conveyance of his letters. the monopoly has attached to it heavy penalties for its infringement. it is true, as franklin said, that the post office act leaves it open to a man to employ a servant, special messenger, or friend in the course of his travel, to carry his letters. but the mention of these agencies shows the absurdity of franklin's contention. a merchant in new york having business to transact by letter with a customer in boston or philadelphia could not afford to pay the expenses of his messenger or servant unless the transaction were one of considerable magnitude. nor could he await the chance of a friend's making a visit to either of these places. he might, if he were free to do so, have entrusted his letters to a coach driver who made a business of passing between new york and the other two towns, but the monopoly of the post office stood in his way, and the coachman would have made himself liable to a heavy fine. in short, if the merchant had to correspond with neighbouring places he was compelled to employ the post office. with a country so extended and so highly civilized as the american colonies were at that day, a postal system was an absolute necessity; and if the system maintained by the government were protected by a monopoly, its charges were a tax on the users of the system in so far as those charges exceeded the strict cost of carrying on the service. furthermore, since the post office act of was imposed on the colonies without their consent, and since franklin's good management had enabled him to pay all the expenses of the service and send a considerable surplus to england for some years past, it is plain that to the extent of the yearly surplus the colonies had been subject to a tax laid on them without their consent, and that franklin himself was the tax gatherer. this was undoubtedly where the point lay in the question which was asked of franklin. franklin's views on the constitutionality of the post office charges were part and parcel of his views on taxation generally. for instance, he drew a clear line of distinction between a tax on imported goods and an internal tax such as the stamp act. a duty on imported goods it was permissible for parliament to impose on the colonies, while an internal tax could not properly be levied without consent. the stamp act required that all commercial and legal documents and newspapers should be written or printed upon stamped paper which was sold by agents of the government at varying prices prescribed by the law. as this was a tax which could not be avoided so long as men carried on their business in the ordinary way and by the ordinary means, it was one for which the consent of the colonies was necessary. an import tax stood on a different footing. it was simply one of the elements entering into the price of the goods imported. if people objected to the price as enhanced by the tax, it was open to them to decline to buy the goods. a tax of this sort was in franklin's view quite within the powers of the sovereign state. the ultimate test applied by franklin to determine whether a tax could in a given case be constitutionally imposed, was whether or not there was a legal mode of escape from the tax. if the tax were an avoidable one, it was constitutional, since submission to it implied consent. if, on the other hand, the tax were one which from the necessities of the case could not be avoided, it ought not to be imposed until it had been assented to by the people. opinions may differ as to which of the two classes the application of the test would place postal charges in. they constituted a tax beyond any question since they turned into the government a surplus of revenue after all expenses had been met. whether they were to be regarded as an avoidable tax to be paid or not as one cared to employ the services of a post office or not, or whether as a tax which the circumstances of the community made it necessary to accept, will depend on one's views as to whether a post office is indispensable to the community. it is difficult to see how franklin, who of all men of his generation knew best the requirements of a highly developed industrial community, could believe that the necessities for the interchange of correspondence on the part of a people like the american colonists could be satisfied by private messengers, or travelling friends, or indeed by any agency less comprehensive than a national postal system. footnotes: [ ] _can. arch._. c. , lxiv. (report of progress by grand voyer). [ ] _mémoires de la société historique de montréal_, , pt. . i. . [ ] _ordonnances des intendants_, i. , and ix. . [ ] _public archives of can._, c. , x. . [ ] order of lieutenant governor burton, to the _maîtres de poste_ (_mémoires de la société historique de montréal_, , pt. . i. ). [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, - , p. . [ ] _imperial statutes_, , geo. iii. c. . [ ] journal kept by hugh finlay, surveyor of the post roads on the continent of north america, - (published by frank h. norton, brooklyn, ). [ ] g.p.o., _general account book_, account april , . [ ] _ibid._, account april , . the net revenue for the four years ending was £ . [ ] _quebec gazette_, february , . [ ] finlay's _journal_. [ ] _lettres, instructions et mémoires de colbert_, tome iii. pp. and . [ ] _census of canada_, - , p. xvi. [ ] _c. o._ , xiv. (_can. arch._). [ ] _can. arch._, b. , p. . [ ] _can. arch._, b. , p. . [ ] finlay's _journal_, brooklyn, . [ ] _life of sir rowland hill and hist. of penny postage_, by g. birkbeck hill, , i. . [ ] cf. porritt, _the unreformed house of commons_, i. - . chapter iv the post office during the revolution--its suppression. but the time was well past when the question as to what was or what was not an allowable tax possessed any but an academic interest. though the stamp act was repealed a few months after it went into operation, the trouble it aroused was not allayed. the gratitude of the colonists which followed upon the repeal gave way to renewed irritation when it was found that the ministry in london had only postponed, not definitely abandoned, its schemes of taxation, and the late triumph gave vigour to the determination of the colonists to continue their resistance. step followed step. all went to widen the breach, and diminish the chances of a peaceful settlement. the post office soon became involved. as we have seen, the ministry endeavoured to convict the colonists of, at least, inconsistency when they objected to the stamp act, while tolerating the post office. franklin explained what seemed to him the points of difference between the two things, without convincing the ministry. the colonists had fully shared franklin's opinions, but the attitude of the ministry caused them to look more thoughtfully into the matter. they finally agreed that the ministry might be right in insisting that the post office charges were a tax, and refused to use the institution any longer. finlay found that everywhere the view prevailed that the post office was unconstitutional, and it was becoming hazardous to patronize it. while finlay was in the southern states the boston tea riots took place, and before he reached new york on his return home, franklin had been dismissed, and he had been appointed to replace franklin. the reasons which led to franklin's removal have been frequently stated. they must be related again in order to complete the narrative. franklin had become possessed, by means still unrevealed, of a number of private letters written by hutchinson, governor of massachusetts, and oliver, the lieutenant governor, to a friend in england. the letters dealt with the condition of affairs in the colony, and discussed the situation with the full freedom which a confidential correspondence is apt to encourage. hutchinson and oliver dwelt upon the turbulent disposition of boston, expressed grave doubts as to the possibility of allowing the full measure of english liberty in the colonies, and asserted the necessity of a military force to support the government. when these letters were brought to franklin, he saw the advantage that a knowledge of them would give the colonists in the struggle then going on, and as the agent for massachusetts, he asked for permission to send the letters to the colony for perusal by a few of the leading men. permission was granted on franklin's express undertaking, that the letters should not be printed or copied. in boston, the letters were passed from hand to hand among the popular leaders, and were finally discussed at a secret sitting of the assembly. the assembly adopted resolutions strongly condemnatory of hutchinson and oliver, as sowers of discord between the mother country and the colonies, declared the letters to be incitements to oppression on the part of the ministry, and petitioned the king to remove hutchinson and oliver from their government. the publication of the letters gave rise to great astonishment in england, and one of the consequences, before franklin confessed his part in the transaction, was a duel between a brother of the person to whom the letters were written, and a gentleman whom he accused of disclosing them to the public. in england franklin met with universal condemnation, and he was at once dismissed from his position as deputy postmaster general in america. it is noteworthy as illustrating, partly franklin's good nature, and partly the apparent inability of the officials of the post office to understand the state of mind of the ministry, that in spite of his dismissal or of the reasons for it, franklin remained on good terms with the heads of the post office. there was some delay in settling the accounts of franklin with the post office, but that was due to a lack of promptness on the part of foxcroft, franklin's official associate, in rendering the accounts. when the balance due by franklin was paid, his relations with the post office did not entirely cease; for he offered himself, and was accepted, as one of the sureties for foxcroft on the re-appointment of the latter as joint deputy postmaster general with hugh finlay. for some time previous to the events which led to franklin's removal from the service, plans were being considered for putting the administration of the post office on a better footing. although new york was, by the terms of the act of , made the official headquarters of the service, it had not been so up till this time. there seems to have been no fixed official residence. in , the deputy postmaster general resided in virginia, and his predecessor in north carolina. franklin and foxcroft both happened to live in philadelphia, and that city accordingly became the headquarters of the postal system. it was determined in england that, after the th of october, , new york should be the permanent administrative centre. a central office was to be established, a general secretary appointed, and suitable clerical assistance provided for the carrying on of the work of administration. when finlay was made joint deputy postmaster general in franklin's place, he continued to act as travelling surveyor. but the plans under contemplation did not come to maturity. already measures were on foot which in a short time deprived the post office of its business in america. in march , the colonists began a movement to establish a postal system, which would be independent of the regular post office. the committee of correspondence in boston, which was the organ through which the opponents of government carried on their work, wrote to the committee in salem introducing william goddard, and suggesting the advisability of establishing a post office in america.[ ] the present post office, it was stated, was founded on an act of the british parliament for raising a revenue from the colonies without their consent, and for that reason was as obnoxious as any other revenue act. the post office was being used as a precedent against the colonies when they contested the right of parliament to tax them, and furthermore, was now being employed to prevent the dissemination of popular intelligence. goddard, for whom the boston committee bespoke good will, would explain to their associates in salem by what means certain newspapers identified with the people's cause were prevented from circulating. goddard was not ill-fitted to take the lead in the agitation against the post office. he was the son of the postmaster of new london, and had been himself for two years postmaster of providence, and in this way was quite familiar with the details of work in a post office. moreover, during his residence in providence, and afterwards in philadelphia and baltimore, he was constantly engaged in newspaper enterprises. as goddard's schemes were, for the most part, unsuccessful, his wits never lost the edge that adversity usually gives. his grievance was that the post office charged rates so excessive on the newspapers he wished to circulate that he was unable to send them to his readers throughout the colonies. what measure of truth there was in goddard's statements we have no means of ascertaining. but there was no doubt that the charge might be true, without the post office exceeding its legal rights. the fact was that newspapers had no special legal standing under the post office act. that act was passed in , when newsletters in manuscript were in service and newspapers were too few and unimportant to engage the attention of the post office or of parliament at the time the law was being framed. consequently no express provision was made for them in the act. if newspapers were to be carried by the post office under the authority of the act, it could only be by treating them as letters, and a glance at the scale of charges will show the impossibility of newspapers bearing so burdensome a tax. the newspapers of that day were inconsiderable in size compared with those that are now published, but few even at that time would weigh less than an ounce, and an ounce letter passing between new york and philadelphia called for a postal charge of three shillings or seventy-two cents. this sum was the lowest charge in the scale for ounce letters passing between any two places of importance in america. clearly newspapers could not circulate by means of the post office if they were to be regarded as letters. but as they were not mentioned in the act, newspapers had at least the advantage of not being subject to the postmaster general's monopoly. publishers were free to turn to account any means of conveyance that happened to be available, for the distribution of their newspapers. unfortunately, however, this freedom was of little benefit at that period, as there were no courier services regularly operating between the towns in america. there was nothing for it but for publishers to take advantage of the postal system if this were at all possible, and the possibility appeared through one of those curious devices, which are the derision of logical foreigners, but which afford a means of escape from the inconveniences of a law, which it is not desired to alter at the time. in england, where the situation of newspaper publishers was the same as it was in america, the privilege of franking newspapers for transmission through the mails was conferred upon certain officials of the post office, called clerks of the road. clothed with this privilege the clerks of the road bargained with publishers for the conveyance of their newspapers in the ordinary mails, and put the proceeds into their own pockets. it was a practice that was not regarded as in any way irregular. the post office was quite aware that its vehicles were being used for the conveyance of newspapers, from which it received no revenue, and it congratulated itself that it had hit upon a contrivance for serving the public without having to tamper with the act under which it operated. the privilege of franking newspapers, which was enjoyed by the clerks of the road in england, was also conferred upon the deputy postmasters general in america, and colonial newspapers were distributed by the post office under arrangements similar to those described. while the act itself made no provision for the conveyance and delivery of newspapers, this peculiar plan offered great advantages to the publisher. there was, however, one serious objection to it. not resting on the law, but on the good will of those in authority, it could be terminated at any time, and the post office might legally charge sums as high as the postage on letters for the conveyance of newspapers. with this power in its hands the post office had complete control over the fortunes of newspaper publishers. if for any reason it desired to suppress a newspaper, all that was necessary was to cancel the special arrangement between the deputy postmaster general and the publisher, and leave to the latter the option of paying letter rates or of finding some other means of conveyance. whether this power was exercised in goddard's case, is not known; that it would be, if considered necessary, is beyond doubt. in , the clerks of the road in england were directed to take particular care that no newspapers were sent by the post office which contained reflections on the government,[ ] and to assure themselves on the point, they were to send no newspapers into the country at all, except such as were purchased from a single dealer named in the order, whose loyalty and judgment were not open to question. the possession of this power by the government was quite sufficient to arouse reasonable apprehensions. goddard appears to have succeeded in his mission to salem, as a few days later the committee of that town, responding to the letter from boston, declared that the act of the british parliament establishing the post office in america, was dangerous in principle and demanded peremptory opposition.[ ] a considerable sum was raised for the fund to set up a colonial post office, although salem was in financial straits at the time. having succeeded in the first part of his campaign, goddard went a step forward, and drew up a plan for an independent american post office, and laid it before the committees of correspondence in all the colonies.[ ] his proposition was that the colonial post office should be established and maintained by subscription, and that its control should be vested in a committee to be appointed annually by the subscribers. this committee would appoint postmasters and post riders, and fix the rates of postage. the immediate management of the service was to be under the direction of a postmaster general to be selected by ballot, and who should hold his office by a yearly tenure. goddard set about procuring subscribers for his scheme, and, it would seem, with much success. in the meantime, however, events were taking place which brought into being a body of more authority than the committees of correspondence, and this body took over the establishment of an american post office. the punitive measures of the ministry which followed upon the boston riots had the unexpected result of uniting all the colonies into common cause with boston. in september , the delegates of the colonies assembled in congress at philadelphia, and by degrees took upon themselves all the functions of government. on the th of may, , the question of providing for the speedy and secure conveyance of intelligence was submitted to the congress, and a committee, of which benjamin franklin was the leading member, was directed to make a report.[ ] with the report before it, on july , the congress resolved[ ] to appoint a postmaster general for the united colonies, whose office would be at philadelphia, and who was empowered to appoint a secretary and as many postmasters as seemed to him proper and necessary. a line of posts should be established from falmouth to savannah, with as many cross posts as the postmaster general saw fit. goddard was a candidate for the position of postmaster general, but benjamin franklin was chosen. goddard's friends then made an effort to secure to him the secretaryship. in this, also, he was disappointed, as franklin selected his son-in-law, bache, for the place, an appointment which brought down upon franklin a charge of nepotism. it seems certain, however, that in no case would he have entrusted the secretaryship to goddard. goddard had been postmaster of providence, and when he relinquished the office, he was a defaulter for a considerable amount.[ ] as the loss from goddard's defalcation fell partly upon franklin, as joint deputy postmaster general, the latter would be reluctant to place him a second time in a position of responsibility. notwithstanding the claims he would seem to have created for himself by his work in organizing the colonial post office, goddard had to be contented with the surveyorship of the posts.[ ] shortly after the service had been put in operation, the continental congress discussed whether it would not be advisable to suppress the king's post office.[ ] those in favour of the measure argued that the ministerial posts were no longer necessary to the people; that they merely subserved the interests of the enemy, and that the postmasters held their offices by an illegal tenure. on the other hand, it was urged that, closely watched as they were, the ministerial posts could not lend themselves to harm, and that they furnished the people with so many more means of communication. the argument which finally prevailed, however, was presented by the opponents of the proposition. they pointed out that this would be an extreme and irretrievable measure, an act of hostility, which would not be warranted by the position in which they stood. all that the colonies desired, they declared, was a return to the conditions which prevailed in , when the conquest of canada removed the last of the obstacles which impeded their progress, and the relations of the colonies with the mother country seemed permanently and satisfactorily established. late advices from england indicated that parliament was showing a renewed spirit of conciliation, and any course was to be deprecated which would prevent an easy return to the old conditions. the matter was laid over, but it was settling itself in another way. great britain was recognizing the futility of persisting in its efforts to maintain the post office in the colonies. as early as march , the home office advised its deputies in america that all that was to be expected from the postmasters in the colonies was that they should act with discretion to the best of their abilities and judgment.[ ] it ceased for the time to give positive directions. finlay, who, at some personal risk, had gone to new york to make up his accounts, reported that the post office was doing but little business, as the rebels were opening and rifling the mails, and were notifying the loyally disposed that it was unconstitutional to use the king's post office. there was swift punishment visited upon erroneous constitutional views at that time. finlay foresaw that the post office could not long continue, and he proposed that the work of distributing the mails should be done on one of the war vessels in new york harbour.[ ] at last, on christmas day , the secretary of the post office at new york gave public notice that on account of the interruptions to the couriers in several parts of the country the inland service would cease from that date, and thus was closed an important chapter in the history of the british post office in north america.[ ] with the outbreak of the war, the postal connection between new york and montreal instantly ceased. when this event took place the service to and from canada was in a very efficient state. two couriers travelled each week between montreal and new york, one passing by way of lake george, and the other pursuing the route through skenesborough (now whitehall); and post offices were opened at crown point and fort edward. it was far, however, from the wishes of the provincial congress of new york to allow the communication with canada to be broken. this body, after a conference with price, a gentleman from montreal, despatched a letter to the merchants of that place, expressing their strong desire that the intercourse existing between new york and canada should be maintained.[ ] they disclaimed any intention of aiming at independence, protested their loyalty to the king, and their attachment to the house of hanover, which they ranked "among our most singular blessings." all congress desired was the rights belonging to them as british subjects. they proposed to establish a postal courier between new york and either ticonderoga or crown point, leaving it to canadians to open a communication between montreal and such of these two places as might be decided upon. when the american troops, continuing their advance northward, captured montreal, franklin established a post office there, appointing as postmaster george measam, who afterwards entered the american service.[ ] in the ledger kept by franklin, as postmaster general of the united colonies, the account of the postmaster of montreal appears in its place among the colonial post offices. the postage on letters from new york to montreal was fixed at four pennyweight, and to quebec at five pennyweight.[ ] until relief arrived, finlay was confined within the walls of quebec, and foxcroft's usefulness was equally curtailed by the fact that he and dashwood, the departmental secretary, were held prisoners at new york.[ ] while the british were being thus deprived of all the usual means of communication, the american service was being put in a high state of efficiency. in this, as in other respects, the colonists were fortunate in having the services of franklin. in august, following upon the proclamation of independence, franklin was directed to arrange a system of communications whereby post riders were placed at intervals of twenty-five or thirty miles over the whole stretch from falmouth (now portland) to georgia, the mails being carried from post to post from one end of the country to the other, three times a week.[ ] the riders were to travel night as well as day, and there was to be no more delay at the changing posts than was necessary to pass the mails from one rider to the other. three advice boats, also, were employed to run from north carolina, south carolina and georgia to the place of assembly of the continental congress. after the royal post office was driven off the mainland, it took refuge on one of the war vessels, which lay in new york harbour. the postmaster of new york received and opened the mails on board the ship, and all letters were advertised, so that they might be obtained either directly or through friends. the americans, however, had a keen sense of the importance of communications, and from the beginning of the struggle, made every effort to intercept the packets. early in may , while the more cautious americans were opposing any step that would lead to extremities, finlay reported that he was on board the ship "king fisher," and that a vessel manned by sixty resolute fellows was cruising about sandy hook, in the hope of intercepting the packet "mercury," which was due to arrive.[ ] in consequence of the burning of falmouth by a british naval expedition, letters of marque and reprisal were issued in november by the province of massachusetts bay; and in the following march, the continental congress sanctioned the fitting out of private armed vessels to prey upon british commerce.[ ] seaport towns were enjoined that on no account should they furnish provisions to war vessels coming to them. the ministry were under no delusions as to the situation. at the end of september, the packets were withdrawn from general post office duty, armed as for war, and placed at the orders of the war office. the movements of the packets were clothed with secrecy, and it was only when the vessels were bound for halifax that the public were notified that a mail was being despatched. from halifax, the mails were taken by the first opportunity to boston or new york. the attitude of the post office to all these preparations for war was very curious. it seemed incapable of understanding why exceptional measures were necessary at that time. a steady murmur of discontent was kept up against the war office. remonstrance after remonstrance was directed against the commander-in-chief for the detention of the packets beyond what seemed a reasonable delay, and there was continual complaint against the restrictions placed upon the post office. until the middle of the year , although the service had been on a complete war footing for some months past, there had been no actual clash between the british and american vessels. the correspondence, however, reveals a state of great anxiety for the safety of the despatches, and as the vessels put out, the masters were placed under strict injunctions to sink the mails if there was any likelihood of capture. the first recorded engagement in which the packets on any of the north american stations were concerned, took place on the th of july. the master of the "lord hyde" reported[ ] that on his passage from falmouth to new york, he saw at four o'clock in the morning of that day a ship and a brig three or four leagues distant. they spoke to one another, and then gave chase to the packet. the ship fell out of sight, but the brig followed hard, and at four in the afternoon came up with the packet and began to fire, at the same time running a red english ensign to the topmast head. the master of the packet, seeing no chance for escape, shortened sail and prepared for action. the brig came up alongside, replacing the english ensign by a flag of thirteen stripes with a small union in it, and without more ado poured into the packet a broadside from eight carriage guns, and a number of swivels and small arms. the packet returning the fire, a warm engagement followed for an hour and a half at a distance of fifty or sixty yards. the brig then bore away. the packet was much shattered in her sails and rigging, but wonderful to relate, the only casualties were the slight wounding of five persons. the "sandwich" packet, which left new york on the th of august, reported[ ] an encounter with a fast schooner bearing the new england colours, a white field with a pine tree in the middle. after some manoeuvring, in which it appeared that the plan of the schooner was to keep in the wake of the packet outside the range of the latter's guns, but near enough to take advantage of the superior weight of her own guns, the packet managed to bring the schooner into an action which lasted for nearly two hours. the rigging, sails and masts of both vessels were much damaged, but the packet came out of the encounter without any person being even wounded. the third engagement was a more serious affair. the packet "harriott," on the new york station, was attacked on the th of september by a privateer of twelve guns and over one hundred men. the packet, which was armed and equipped in the same manner as the other packets on this station, had twelve guns, but only forty-five men. of these five were killed, including the captain, and nine were wounded. through the gallantry of the mate, spargo, the packet managed to avoid capture. for his good conduct on this occasion, spargo was made master of the "harriott." on the st of march, , the "harriott," in violation, it would seem, of the instructions given to all the masters of packets to avoid a fight, if possible, captured the american vessel "sea nymph," of one hundred and twenty tons burden, laden with gunpowder, saltpetre, gun flints and other wares, and brought it into new york.[ ] while the packet boats were thus occupied in foiling the enemy's attempts upon them, the course of events had restored to the post office a footing on land in america. the arrival of assistance from england in may enabled carleton to attack the american force which had held quebec in siege since the november previous, and the retreat of the americans which ensued was not stayed until they had been driven entirely out of canada. finlay, who had spent the winter in quebec, and who has been credited with one of the best anonymous accounts which have come down to us of the conditions of the city during the siege, at once prepared to resume his duties as deputy postmaster general. new york, also, fell again into the hands of the british, owing to the withdrawal of washington's army in september, before the superior forces of howe. here foxcroft, the deputy postmaster general, and dashwood, the departmental secretary, were prisoners of war; and antill, the postmaster of new york, had taken up quarters in one of the war vessels in the harbour. antill lost no time in returning to the city; and foxcroft and dashwood were set free by an exchange for two american officers which took place shortly after.[ ] like finlay, foxcroft made preparations for the resumption of business; but for both finlay and foxcroft an unexpected thing happened. vessels with mails began to arrive at quebec and new york, but the mails were not taken to the post office, although the statute laid it upon shipmasters as their duty to deliver the mails at the post office before they broke bulk.[ ] on the arrival of the vessels, the commanders-in-chief directed the masters to send the letters up to their headquarters, where they were gone over by confidential officers, on whom were imposed the duties of handling the incoming mails. the reason of this step will be sufficiently obvious, although the post office professed that they had never seen any good purpose served by it. even where there was no suggestion of disloyalty among the citizens, there were infinite possibilities of harm in the unguarded utterances, which are constantly occurring in familiar letters. matters, which it is of the highest importance to keep concealed from the enemy, may be within the knowledge of every citizen, and it becomes necessary either to induce or to compel citizens not to write of such matters. but it was not only against the undesigned harm which loyal people might do, that it was necessary to guard. there was good reason to suspect that in quebec, as well as in new york, there was a considerable proportion of english speaking people who were by no means well affected towards the government, and who would not hesitate to impart to the enemy any information which they thought might be of assistance. the king, in his instructions to carleton[ ] as governor, enjoined him to signify to the loyal merchants and planters the necessity for caution against allowing their letters to become the means of conveying information to the enemy, and directed him to use every possible effort to frustrate the schemes of the disloyal carried on through the medium of correspondence. the method employed by the governor to forestall danger from this source was the simple one of standing guard over the channel through which correspondence must ordinarily pass. in this way, he would discover many of the disaffected, and at the same time show such people the danger to them of being implicated in matters of that kind. to merchants, however, the governor's course was a great inconvenience. all their letters were delayed, and many not delivered at all, for the governor's staff had neither the training in post office work, nor the sense of the importance of mercantile correspondence necessary to assure the merchants of the safety of their letters, when these passed out of the accustomed courses. the merchants remonstrated against the governor's action, and called upon finlay to assert the determination of the post office to secure respect for the act, which was being violated by the governor. finlay was a man of tact, and a member of the governor's executive council as well, and he counselled patience to the merchants. they acquiesced for a time, hoping that the governor's surveillance over their correspondence would be relaxed, but the governor continued firm. each season as the vessels began to come up the river, orders were issued for the renewal of the unpopular practice. what took place at quebec was repeated at new york; and during the short period of the british occupation of philadelphia, in that city, also. the postmaster of philadelphia, who had retired to england when the british office was closed in , returned on hearing that the city was again in the king's hands, but only to find that the letters were delivered to the commander-in-chief, who distributed them not only to the army and navy, but also to the merchants, and no steps were taken to collect the postage.[ ] at that time, and indeed until a quite recent date, the postage on letters was not paid until the delivery of them was effected, and when, as during the war of the revolution, the mails were diverted from their usual channel, the post office was unable to collect anything to meet the expenses it was incurring. to-day, owing to the greater cohesiveness among the departments of government, the post office would rest content in the fact that the loss of revenue was due to the action of the government as a whole, and could not be imputed to any failure on its own part, but, at that time, it viewed the situation as a private institution would. the loss of revenue seemed to affect it alone, and again and again the post office declared to the war office that, unless the revenue was maintained, it would be obliged to cut off the internal services between montreal and quebec. there was another matter arising out of the governor's lack of confidence in the english-speaking people in canada which was a source of much inconvenience to the deputy postmaster general. it has been the practice in canada to grant exemption to postmasters from the billeting of the troops upon them. the barracks which had been erected in montreal were destroyed by fire, and it was necessary that the soldiers should be provided for by the citizens. but the duty was grudgingly undertaken, and indeed the disfavour with which the soldiers were regarded in montreal was one of the chief grounds of complaint on the part of the governors. exemption from billeting was an ancient privilege of postmasters. in several of the colonies it was expressly granted, and the continental congress relieved its postmasters from all military duties. in canada the advantages the post office was able to offer to its postmasters were small and insignificant, and one of the most valued privileges was the assurance of relief from billeting. the postmaster of montreal complained to finlay that, in disregard of the understanding on which he had accepted the postmastership, an officer and his servant had been quartered upon him and he demanded their removal. finlay, nothing doubting, laid the postmaster's letter before the governor, who, to finlay's surprise, took exception to what he termed the extraordinary and peremptory tone of the letter, and commanded finlay to dismiss the postmaster.[ ] to finlay this order was a great embarrassment, as suitable postmasters were difficult to find, and, besides, the postmaster had accepted the office merely to oblige finlay. finlay laid these facts before the governor and pleaded for a reconsideration, but the governor was inexorable. carleton relinquished the governorship at this time, and finlay appealed to haldimand, who succeeded carleton, but with no better success. the post office encountered the same kind of ill-will here as elsewhere from the military authorities. with the greatest vigilance on their part, much correspondence was passing backward and forward of which they could know nothing, and the suspicions natural under the circumstances were heightened by what they knew of the opinions of many of the people. the regularity of the trips between quebec and montreal, which were resumed soon after the americans had withdrawn from the country, seemed to haldimand a source of danger. although there was no large hostile force in the province, affairs were still unsettled, and a mail courier whose movements were known in every detail could easily be waylaid by the marauding parties which infested the long route on the banks of the st. lawrence. haldimand would have preferred holding the regular service in suspense until peace was obtained, depending on occasional expresses to maintain necessary communications. during the year there was no material change in the situation. when the british occupied new york in the autumn of , the monthly trips between england and new york were resumed. but the activity of the privateers was greatly increased; and while none of the packets on the new york station were taken, the "swallow" on its way to lisbon in february was captured by the war vessel which had carried franklin to france,[ ] and the "weymouth," which was taking the mails from the west indies was obliged to strike to the "oliver cromwell" of new london, a privateer carrying twenty guns and one hundred and fifty-three men.[ ] france, though not at war with england, saw in the revolt of the colonies an opportunity for revenge for late humiliations, and she strained the laws of neutrality to the utmost in her effort to assist the americans. cruisers bearing american names, but armed with french guns, and manned by french sailors ranging the channel, wrought havoc with british merchant shipping, and carried their prizes into the harbours of normandy and brittany. some regard, however, had to be paid to appearances so long as france had not actually broken with england; and it was not until the alliance between the americans and the french was consummated in february , that the hands of the french were quite free. from that time england's position on the sea was changed greatly for the worse, and the record of the packet service was one of almost unbroken disaster. on the th of june the packet "le despencer" on her way from falmouth to new york, was set upon by two privateers, the "nancy" with sixteen guns and one hundred and twenty men, and another having fourteen guns and one hundred and fifteen men. after an hour's fighting, in which his vessel was disabled, the captain of the "le despencer" was obliged to yield to superior force.[ ] in september, the "duke of york," on one of the north american stations, was taken by a french frigate of thirty-six guns;[ ] and in the same month, the "harriott" and the "eagle," the one bound for new york, and the other for carolina, both fell as prizes to the "vengeance," a privateer of twenty guns and one hundred and ten men, belonging to paul jones' fleet and commanded by a frenchman, captain ricot.[ ] from the year until , nine packets on the several north american stations were captured, and seven were more or less seriously damaged. some idea of the extent to which the packet service was crippled during the war of the revolution may be gathered from the fact that of the five vessels on the new york station in , four were taken and one damaged. of the six on the west indian station, four were taken and one damaged, and of the three on the carolina station two were taken.[ ] the importance of these facts in their influence on the outcome of the war has not so far received the attention the subject merits. footnotes: [ ] _pickering papers_, vol. (_mass. hist. soc._). [ ] g.p.o., _document in record room_. [ ] _pickering papers_, vol. . [ ] _ibid._, vol. . [ ] _journals, continental congress_, ii. . [ ] _ibid._, ii. . [ ] foxcroft to todd, _c. o._ , vol. . [ ] _am. arch._, fourth series, vi. . [ ] _journals, continental congress_, iii. . [ ] g.p.o., _american letter-book_, - , p. . [ ] _c. o._ , vol. . [ ] _am. arch._, fourth series, iv. . [ ] _ibid._, ii. . [ ] _am. arch._, fifth series, i. . [ ] placard signed by franklin, _papers cont. cong._, no. , p. . [ ] _c. o._ , vol. . [ ] _journals, continental congress_, v. . [ ] finlay to todd, _c. o._ , vol. . [ ] _the american revolution_, by c. h. van tyne, p. . [ ] _c. o._ , vol. . [ ] _c. o._ , vol. . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, ix. - . [ ] _hist. mss. com._, , amer., i. . [ ] _c. o._ , vols. and ; also _can. arch._, b. , p. and g.p.o., _treasury_, x. . [ ] _can. arch._, m. , p. , art. . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, x. - . [ ] _can. arch._, b. series, cc. [ ] _c. o._ , vol. . [ ] _ibid._, . [ ] _c. o._ , vol. . [ ] g.p.o., _treasury_, ix. . [ ] _ibid._ [ ] _ibid._, x. . chapter v beginnings of exclusively canadian postal service-- administration of hugh finlay--opening of communication with england by way of halifax--postal convention with united states. a point has now been reached, beyond which the sequence of events in the american post office no longer forms an integral part of the narrative. there had, indeed, been no actual postal connection between canada and the revolted colonies since the beginning of war. communication between quebec, montreal and new york had been interrupted in may by the capture of ticonderoga. the abandonment of the colonial post office by the home authorities at the end of the same year, left the four post offices on the banks of the st. lawrence the sole remnants of the system which had extended from quebec to georgia. though finlay was nominally the associate deputy postmaster general for the district between canada and the southern boundary of virginia, his real authority was confined to the service of quebec, three rivers, berthier and montreal. finlay occupied important positions in the government of the country, from his arrival in the year when canada fell into the hands of the british, until his death in . his knowledge of the french language procured for him a nomination as justice of the peace, the duties of which office were, owing to the circumstances of the time, delicate and responsible. two years after a regular government was established, finlay was nominated to the legislative council, and a glance over the proceedings of that body will show that he always took an important, and often a leading part in its transactions. he was clerk of the crown in chancery and provincial auditor, and, for a number of years, chairman of the land committee, the duties of which were to superintend the distribution of the crown lands to the settlers, who came into the country in large numbers. finlay was much attached to the french canadians. he became their advocate in council, and incurred some displeasure on the part of the governor for his pertinacity on their behalf. the _maîtres de poste_ were the objects of his special attention. he endeavoured, though unsuccessfully, to assimilate their position to that of the masters of the post houses in england. as their standing and rights were but roughly defined, they had to endure much hardship and oppression from the ill-nature and rapacity of travellers, and finlay's championship was of substantial service to them.[ ] when canada was invaded by the americans in , finlay drew up a form of pledge for the _maîtres de poste_ to sign, in which they bound themselves to defend the country from the king's enemies, to give to the government all useful information they might become possessed of, and to render faithful service in the conveyance of the mail couriers. all the _maîtres de poste_ except three signed the engagement.[ ] to finlay, in truth, the maintenance of the organization of _maîtres de poste_ was indispensable. without them the mails could not be carried, except at an outlay which the revenues were not able to bear. it has always been the practice of the post office in this country to take advantage of any carrying agencies which might be operating on a route, to secure the transportation of the mails on approximately the same terms as those at which ordinary freight of the same bulk would be conveyed. thus, by utilizing a stage coach, the cost of conveyance between two towns was a mere fraction of what it would be, if the same conditions of speed and security were required in a conveyance used exclusively for the mails. in the _maîtres de poste_ finlay had a transportation agency, which was unexcelled at that period, and by protecting them and confirming to them the exclusive right to provide for passenger travel along the road from montreal to quebec, he obtained not only all the ordinary advantages accruing to the public from the operation of this agency, but secured the conveyance of his couriers from stage to stage at half the charge paid by travellers. finlay's efforts on behalf of the _maîtres de poste_ were first exerted in the legislative council.[ ] he desired to obtain an ordinance defining their duties, and declaring their right to the exclusive privilege of providing horses and vehicles to travellers. having succeeded in this, he endeavoured to have himself appointed superintendent of the _maîtres de poste_. in this he had to encounter the opposition of the governor who, though personally friendly to finlay, was unwilling to allow himself to be occupied with the matter, while he was engaged with the more important duty of providing for the defence of the country. finlay was a man of much persistence, and when he found the governor indisposed to give him the appointment, he sought the aid of the postmaster general, to whom he represented that on his control over the _maîtres de poste_ depended his ability to secure the conveyance of the mails at a reasonable charge.[ ] governor haldimand resented the pressure thus brought on him, declaring that the postal service of canada was quite equal, if not superior, to the service in england. not long afterwards, however, the governor relented so far as to give finlay a temporary holding of the position he coveted, and when conditions became settled, his appointment was made permanent.[ ] the stoppage of the service to new york made it necessary to provide otherwise for the maintenance of the connection with great britain. while navigation was open on the st. lawrence occasional visits were made to quebec by war vessels and merchantmen, and all such opportunities to send mails to england were taken advantage of. with halifax, also, communication was opened by means of a vessel which ran from quebec to tatamagouche, on the straits of northumberland, from which point the journey to halifax was an easy overland trip.[ ] during the summer, therefore, communication with great britain was maintained without special difficulty. when navigation on the st. lawrence closed, however, and vessels could no longer reach quebec, the situation was entirely changed. haldimand, in a letter to a friend, written in november , bemoans his isolation. he will receive no news whatever, unless the rebels should manage to get into the province, an eventuality he has done his best to prevent by destroying their supplies on lake champlain. the only possible means of establishing a winter communication with great britain was to send couriers by the inland route to halifax. at this period and for a long time afterwards, this route presented many difficulties. it was very long, and at certain seasons the natural obstacles in the way of travel were nearly insuperable. the connecting links between the maritime provinces and quebec were the portages between the waters running into the st. lawrence and those running into the st. john river. of those there were several, but the one which was adopted ran from notre dame du portage, a few miles west of river du loup, in south-easterly direction until it reached lake temiscouata. during the french regime, despatches were not infrequently carried between the governor of quebec and the governor of louisburg. the courier, who had despatches from the governor of quebec for halifax, would travel on foot over a fair road on the south shore of the st. lawrence, to the portage between kamouraska and river du loup. from this point his course ran over the portage between the st. lawrence and the st. john river systems. after a toilsome journey of thirty-seven miles over a country alternating between mountains and swamps, the courier reached lake temiscouata. having crossed this lake, he came to the entrance of the madawaska river, which runs due south until it empties into the st. john river. from this point to fort howe, the site of the present city of st. john, there was a long river journey of two hundred and twenty-eight miles. the trip from st. john to halifax took the courier across the bay of fundy to annapolis, thence along the annapolis valley to windsor, and so on to halifax. the distance from quebec to halifax by this route was six hundred and twenty-seven miles. this route was followed frequently by couriers during the winters of the years of the war of the revolution. in , finlay proposed to introduce some system into the arrangements by having couriers from quebec and halifax meet at fort howe for the exchange of despatches. while the war lasted, the arrangement was to be kept secret. in , the merchants in london who traded to quebec urged the adoption of this route for a regular winter service, but the danger of having the couriers intercepted by prowling parties of americans on the long unprotected stretches made it impossible to have more than an occasional trip. the trips, also, cost at least £ each, a not unimportant consideration in those days. finlay's activity as deputy postmaster general was confined to the inland service in canada, and he gave his attention to improving the conditions under which the service was performed. the state of the roads was a matter which occupied him considerably. they were probably, as finlay reported, as bad as they could be. for many years before canada passed into the possession of the british, the habitants were fully occupied with the war, and when peace was restored, the roads remained as the war had left them. work on the roads was never willingly undertaken by the habitants. when lanoullier constructed the great highway between montreal and quebec, it was only by his personal superintendence that he was able to keep the habitant to his task. as soon as his eye was withdrawn the work lagged. lanoullier lived until , and during the last few years of his service he failed to maintain the energy that had been an earlier characteristic; and after his death, the country was in a constant state of war, so that even if there had been an efficient grand voyer to succeed him, the general neglect into which the domestic affairs fell must have affected the condition of the roads. the procedure employed in calling upon the habitants to work upon the roads was that the grand voyer issued an order to the local captains of militia, who published the order to the habitants by notice at the church doors. the grand voyer complained to finlay that it was impossible to induce the habitants to work upon the roads. when the order was read at the church, the habitants would dismiss the matter with a shrug, and the remark "c'est un ordre anglais." the consequence of this neglect was seen in the details of finlay's reports[ ] as he travelled from quebec to montreal. as he passes from post house to post house, his journals are a monotonous, though indignant, recital of ruts, bogs and rocks. the roads were unditched, and the bridges dangerous trap holes. the bridges were no more than rows of poles lying crosswise, and scarcely longer than the width of a _calèche_. when the water rose, the poles were set afloat. the post houses should have been three leagues apart, but the difficulty of inducing the habitants to undertake the irksome and thankless duties of _maître de poste_, often compelled finlay to choose persons whose houses were at a considerable distance from where they should have been, and consequently post houses were found quite close together. there were places where the post houses were no more than one league apart. as a _maître de poste_ could not carry passengers beyond the next adjoining post house, the inconvenience of the frequent changes of horses was very great. the mail couriers were bound to travel by night as well as by day; and it is not difficult to believe finlay when he says that the courier travels by night at the risk of his neck. when other means of obtaining help with the road work failed, finlay offered to put the road in good condition and keep it so if given the services of twelve soldiers of the german legion, and a grant of £ . an application was made to finlay in for a postal service to the settlements and forts along the richelieu river. this was one of the most prosperous sections of the country. when catalogne made his report on the state of canada in , he was particularly struck with the evidences of comfort in some of the parishes bordering on the richelieu. it was not on this account, however, that it was thought necessary to extend to this district the benefits of the postal service. the valley of the richelieu was the pathway along which travel from lake champlain pursued its course into the heart of canada. settlements were established along the river at different times by french and english to oppose a barrier to incursions from the south. british forces were stationed in at st. johns, chambly and sorel; and it was to keep up a communication with these forces that a postal service was desired. the detachments at st. johns and chambly received their letters and despatches from montreal, but as the most important communications were with the governor, whose headquarters were at quebec, the commandant of the forces in this district, colonel st. leger, wished to have a regular exchange with sorel at the mouth of the river. although sorel was on the south side of the st. lawrence, it had maintained connection with the couriers on the grand route between quebec and montreal, by means of a courier who crossed the river to berthier, where a post office had been established since . the postmaster general was disinclined to open a route between sorel and st. johns, and the military authorities took the matter into their own hands. the conclusion of peace in and the recognition of the independence of the united states was immediately followed by the dissolution of the old establishment which administered the postal system of the northern district of north america. the services of finlay, as deputy postmaster general of that system, ceased forthwith; and in july , he was appointed to the much humbler position of deputy postmaster general of canada. foxcroft, finlay's associate in the deputyship was made british agent at new york for the packet boat service, which was resumed between great britain and the united states. dashwood, the departmental secretary of the old establishment, was appointed postmaster general of jamaica in .[ ] the first question of importance to occupy finlay under the new order of things was the means by which communication between great britain and canada was thereafter to be carried on. the merchants of quebec and montreal hearing that a line of sailing packets was to be re-established between falmouth and new york,[ ] at once demanded that the service between canada and new york should be restored. conditions were not favourable to its resumption. the rancours of the war were not yet abated, and one or two messengers, who were sent down to new york by finlay, were insulted and maltreated by the americans. the postmaster general of the united states, hazzard, also set up difficulties.[ ] finlay's plan was to have the canadian mails taken down as far as albany by his courier, and to pay the american postage on them from albany to new york. but at this time there were no regular couriers between albany and new york; and consequently the canadian mails, having to depend on chance conveyance, would often miss the packet boats for which they were intended. finlay thought to overcome this difficulty by having his courier take the mails past albany and on to new york. hazzard, however, objected to this plan, and informed finlay that he would have the courier prosecuted if he attempted to go farther south than albany. finlay met this objection, but at a ruinous cost. he arranged with the postmaster at albany that the canadian courier should go on to new york, and that at the same time finlay would pay for this privilege at the rate of three shillings sterling per ounce for the mail, the bag being included in the weight. thus, if the mail bag weighed twenty pounds--no very great weight--finlay had to pay £ , the cost of wayleave for his courier to travel from albany to new york. he had, of course, to pay his courier's expenses as well. nor did the situation show a prospect of improvement. the united states perceived that the toll which the canadian post office would have to pay for leave to pass over their territory might be greatly increased by the simple expedient of establishing a post office near the canadian boundary, and compelling the canadian post office to pay a wayleave equal to the ordinary postage for the distance between that post office and new york, as well as the courier's wages and necessary expenses, for the americans did not propose to be at any expense in the matter. this scheme would net the americans four shillings an ounce. but as has happened so often since in the relations of canada with her neighbour to the south, the canadian post office was driven by these oppressive charges to the development of the alternative, though naturally much less favourable, opening to the sea. the distance from quebec to halifax by the temiscouata route was six hundred and twenty-seven miles as against rather less than four hundred miles, which is the distance from montreal to new york. the route to new york was the natural highway, which for a century and more had been pursued by indians, soldiers and travellers on their way from the british american colonies to canada. on the journey southward from montreal to new york, there was a good road from laprairie, opposite montreal to fort st. john, which was connected by the river richelieu with lake champlain. the trip down the lake from fort st. john to crown point (or fort frederic) was easily and pleasantly made by canoe or _bateau_. from crown point, the traveller had a choice of routes to the hudson river, which bore him to new york. kalm, the swedish naturalist who visited canada in , entered the country by the route described, and his account of the trip suggests no unusual difficulties.[ ] before the war the mail couriers from montreal to new york made the journey in from nine to ten days. the journey to halifax was of a very different character. at the best it could not be made in less than a month, and during a considerable period at the beginning and the end of each winter season the trip was very arduous and dangerous. there has been preserved the journal of a courier, durand, who carried a mail from quebec to halifax and back in the early winter months of .[ ] his trip downwards, starting on the th of january, offered no features unusual in a winter journey, most of which must be made on foot through a country a large part of which was unsettled. he reached halifax on the th of february, seven weeks from starting. the journey homeward was exceedingly toilsome and dangerous, and as conditions remained unchanged for many years, at this season when winter was relaxing its hold, it may be worth while to note some of the incidents on the route. at the bay du portage, on the lower st. john, durand and his three companions broke through the ice, and they with their mails were rescued with difficulty. they managed to get as far as presqu' isle, partly on the honeycombed ice, and partly in the woods, when they found themselves face to face with an ice jam. as it was impossible for durand to land his dogs on the shore, he clambered up the hill of ice, and he and the dogs had to make their way as best they could over the broken heaped-up pieces for twenty miles, when they came upon a stretch of water as clear as in summer. durand's guide had abandoned him and taken to the woods, but finding the snow too soft for his snow-shoes, after a league's trudging, he rejoined durand on the ice. the swift and swollen waters, which they now reached, compelled them to wait till they could build a canoe. embarking they poled their way for a couple of miles, as the speed of the current prevented rowing, when the ice began again to come down upon them in great masses. harnessing their dogs to an indian cart, they hauled their canoe another stretch, and on the th of april they reached grand falls. above the falls the ice, though bad, was firm enough; and having constructed a sled, they carried their canoe and baggage on it for fifteen leagues. from this point onward, although their difficulties were by no means at an end, they struggled on to the st. lawrence, and reached quebec on the th of april. the trip was a great disappointment to finlay. he had no intention of having it made at this time; but sir john johnston, superintendent general of indian affairs, had informed him that he was about to make a trip to halifax, and would be prepared to take a mail with him. finlay lost no time in advertising the fact throughout the colony, and had gathered a large number of letters when johnston changed his plans and did not go to halifax. there was nothing for finlay to do but to send a special courier. durand whom he engaged could not tell him what the cost would be, but from the figures furnished by another courier who had frequently carried despatches, he thought that £ would be about the expense. imagine his dismay when the account was shown to be £ , and he had collected less than £ as postage on the letters contained in the mail. there was no choice open to the colony. at whatever cost, an easy road must be made between quebec and halifax. dependence on a foreign, and, at the time, hostile nation, for communication with the mother country was not to be thought of, still less endured. indeed, in january , before the peace was signed, haldimand had taken steps to establish a road between canada and nova scotia. he sent a surveyor with two hundred men down to work on the temiscouata portage, and at the same time urged governor parr of nova scotia to do what was necessary to facilitate travel in his province. haldimand had observed that a considerable part of the expense of a mail service by this route arose from the extortionate charges for guides and forwarding, which were made by the acadians settled at aupaque, a few miles above fredericton.[ ] his plan, therefore, was to gather into his own hands all the agencies for transportation on the route; and with that end in view, he proposed to establish some experienced men at the head of lake temiscouata, with canoes and other facilities for travel, whose business it should be to convey passengers and mail couriers across the lake, down the madawaska river, and on down the st. john river as far as grand falls, where he intended to settle another post. from an acadian courier, named mercure, whom haldimand frequently employed to convey despatches to halifax, he learned that a number of acadians desired to take up land on the upper st. john, in order that they might be nearer ministers of religion, in the parishes on the st. lawrence. the plan was to place these acadians on the lands along the river from grand falls up to lake temiscouata, and it was hoped that the settlement thus formed would extend eventually to the st. lawrence. the governor of nova scotia responded heartily to haldimand's proposals, and the settlement, once begun under their united efforts, made rapid progress. when finlay travelled by this route to halifax in july , he found no settlers at all on the madawaska, and only some twenty acadians huddled together on the south bank of the st. john, opposite the mouth of the madawaska.[ ] from this point downwards to the grand falls, a distance of forty miles, the country was entirely unoccupied. in , a gentleman from scotland, who was making a tour through canada remarked with satisfaction on the regularity of the settlement over an extent of fifty miles of very rich country, and on the evidences of material well-being observable on every side.[ ] the people carried the modes of life of a self-dependent community with them, as the traveller says that the settlement was entirely isolated and self-contained, electing its own magistrates, and that a high degree of comfort prevailed. governor carleton, of new brunswick, who had assisted materially in the formation of the settlement, obtained a troop of soldiers from lord dorchester, and by manning the posts at presqu' isle, fredericton and st. john, he provided the means for keeping the road in good order. the section of the long route between quebec and halifax, which commenced at the northern end of the temiscouata portage, and ended at the mouth of the st. john river, was the one presenting most difficulties. but the other parts of the route, that is, the section between quebec and the temiscouata portage, which was entirely within the jurisdiction of the governor of quebec, and the section from st. john to halifax, which was partly in new brunswick, and partly in nova scotia, remain to be mentioned. the courier had a comparatively easy journey from quebec down the south shore of the st. lawrence to the entrance of the portage. there had been a fair road for some years through that part of the country, and in finlay, by the governor's orders, settled post houses on the route in order to facilitate the travel of mail couriers and others. the gentleman whose travels through canada have been mentioned, observed that it was a comfortable trip through these parts, and that the country was thickly settled, there being from twelve to sixteen families to the mile. the eastern end of the long route, that is, the part from st. john to halifax, consisted of a trip across the bay of fundy from st. john to annapolis, and a journey by land through the annapolis valley from annapolis to windsor, thence to halifax. the road from annapolis to halifax is described by finlay as very rough, but it was covered in three days in a one-horse carriage, and in two days on horseback. the maintenance of a continuous communication between quebec and halifax was effected in the following manner.[ ] canada controlled the section from quebec to fredericton, and provided couriers who made fortnightly trips over this part of the route. the section down the st. john river from fredericton to st. john, and thence by the bay to annapolis, was under the supervision of the government of new brunswick; while the eastern part, which lay entirely in nova scotia, was naturally managed by that government. in the summer of , the governor, lord dorchester, sent finlay over the route to halifax, to see what improvements would be required in order to enable this service to compete with the service over the shorter route from montreal to new york. dorchester at the same time submitted the whole scheme to the colonial office, intimating that if the home government saw fit to establish a packet service between england and halifax, the arrangements for the inland conveyance through the provinces would be found satisfactory. lord sydney, the colonial secretary, expressed the king's approval of the measures taken,[ ] and stated that the postmasters general had directed finlay to carry the plans into execution in a manner correspondent to lord dorchester's wishes. the lack of sufficient packet boats would prevent the establishment of a regular service from england for the moment, but it was hoped that vessels enough might be spared for the route, to make the service though not exactly regular yet of substantial benefit to the colonies. finlay in the course of his visit to st. john and halifax found much to encourage the hope that, with the improvement of the route, a satisfactory outlet from canada to the sea would be obtained at halifax. the chief trouble, he foresaw, lay in the divided responsibility for the maintenance of an efficient service, owing to the fact that post office authorities in the several provinces were entirely independent of one another. indeed, at that very time, the deputy postmasters general of new brunswick and nova scotia were at strife with one another, and were carrying on an active newspaper war as to which of the two was accountable for certain defects in the service.[ ] the distribution of the expense of the part of the service they had undertaken to maintain was another cause of complaint. finlay came back to canada after his trip to halifax bringing with him two strong convictions. one was that the service to be successful must be in the hands of one person. the other was that the correspondence between the provinces themselves was not of sufficient volume to cover the outlay, and that unless there were frequent english mails exchanged at halifax, the service would have to be dropped for lack of revenue to meet the large expense. he considered that if six mails a year could be exchanged between england and halifax, the postage arising would more than pay the expenses of the service. dorchester lost no time in transmitting to england the substance of finlay's recommendations, adding his own opinion that as soon as a continuous road to st. john had been constructed, and a sufficient number of people had been settled upon it to keep it open in winter, the foot couriers would be replaced by horsemen, and then the mails would be carried more speedily and securely than by way of new york. the governor, also, suggested that the postal service in all the provinces be put under the direction of finlay, who was a man of much experience, zeal, and practical ability, and who was entitled to this consideration from having lost a similar appointment by the late war.[ ] the home government approved of dorchester's recommendation as to finlay, whose commission as deputy postmaster general was extended to comprise the whole of the colonies in british north america. at the same time dorchester received the gratifying news that the post office had managed so to arrange matters that commencing with march the packet boats which ran between falmouth and new york would pass by way of halifax, stopping there two days on both the inward and the outward voyages. the service to halifax was to be limited, however, to eight monthly trips between march and october, as the admiralty had been informed that the prevailing winds off the nova scotia coast during the winter months were so contrary as to make it impracticable for the packets to call there during those months.[ ] in winter, therefore, it was still necessary to send the mails from canada for england by way of new york. the mails between nova scotia and england during the winter months were exchanged by means of a schooner, which the governor of nova scotia put on the course between halifax and new york. in the winter of , the conditions were made somewhat easier for the nova scotians, by the british post office directing that the packet agent at new york should send the nova scotia mails from new york to boston, so that the governor's schooner was not required to go further south than boston. to canada, the calling of the packet at halifax, was a great boon. it settled the seaport problem, which had many perplexing aspects. canada could never dispense with the new york route, unless the charges for transmission through the united states were made quite extortionate, and the success which had attended the efforts of canada to make an outlet through british territory would not be lost upon the americans when it became necessary to re-arrange the terms for transit through the united states. to merchants and others in quebec who depended exclusively on the halifax post office for their correspondence with england, the service of the packet boats, curiously enough, developed a grievance, which had a real foundation, as will be seen from the following case. the postmaster of halifax reported to the postmaster general that the admiral of the "leander," which was on the point of sailing for england, expressed much dissatisfaction because a mail was not sent by his ship.[ ] in explanation of his refusal to do this the postmaster stated that before the packet boats began to call at halifax, he made up and despatched a mail by every ship of war and merchantman that sailed from halifax for england, but since the commencement of the packet service, he despatched no mails by any other vessels than the packets. the understanding of the arrangement by the postmaster was that the packet boats would not have been sent to halifax if they were not to be employed exclusively, and he would no more think of sending a mail by any other steamer than he would send the letters to annapolis by the first traveller who happened to be going in that direction. the explanation was acceptable to both the post office and the admiralty, but there can be no question that the employment of the packet boats curtailed the opportunities which the nova scotians had enjoyed of corresponding with england. before leaving the quebec-halifax service, it seems proper to mention a remarkable scheme which was submitted to the postmaster general by william knox, late under secretary of state, for a packet service between england and north america, and between the several parts of the latter.[ ] knox was under secretary of state during the war, and had in a large measure directed the operations of the packet service on behalf of the army in america. the proposition, which was the result of a request by lord walsingham, the postmaster general, for an expression of knox's views, was based on the sound principle that, until the post office provided facilities adequate to the requirements of the correspondence which passed between england and north america, it could never compete successfully with the number of private ships continually crossing the atlantic. knox pointed out that there was only a monthly service between england, halifax and new york, and that, at the very best, five months must elapse before an answer could be returned to a letter written in england and addressed to any of the interior parts of british north america. the plan knox unfolded to walsingham was to have a fleet of fast sailing vessels ply between england and caplin bay, newfoundland. at caplin bay there would be other vessels awaiting the british packets, and, on their arrival, one of these would set off with the mails for halifax and rhode island, and another for bermuda and virginia, each vessel returning by its own route, to caplin bay. these services were to be looped together by auxiliary services, and connected with other lines further south, until great britain, newfoundland, canada, the united states and the west indies were all bound together by an elaborate system of intercommunication, which would give an exchange of mails, between all the parts three times a month. this scheme, it is needless to say, was never carried into execution. the results of the war had other important consequences for canada, besides that of forcing upon quebec and the maritime provinces the first of the series of steps in the direction of common action, which led eventually to confederation. when peace was concluded in , the disbanded soldiers and other adherents of the british cause came and settled in canada, and there was an early demand for postal accommodation in the newly peopled districts. the first settlement in upper canada was at niagara, where four or five families took up land in . these were reinforced in , by a number of the men of butler's rangers, and at the end of that year, the settlement was increased to over six hundred. americans came over in large numbers, and between them and the steady stream inwards of loyalists, the district from niagara to the head of the lake at hamilton was rapidly settled. a gentleman travelling through that part of the province in remarked that it was all under settlement.[ ] at the other end of the province, settlement was going forward with much rapidity. from the eastern boundary westward as far as the township of elizabethtown, near the present site of brockville, there was a continuous line of settlers. the extreme east was taken up by highland scotch as far as dundas county, and the western part of this county was occupied by germans. both highlanders and germans came from the same district on the mohawk river in new york state. westward from dundas county the settlers were more largely of british-american origin. at elizabethtown there was a break in the settlement until frontenac county was reached, as the land in that intermediate district did not appear so favourable. at kingston, settlement was recommended, and from that point to the western end of the bay of quinte, farms were taken up with an alacrity that was unsurpassed in any part of the province. the incomers were all from the states to the south, and in their old homes had enjoyed many of the conveniences of civilized life. in , as soon as they had become fairly established, they petitioned the government for the extension of the post office into the new districts, and two years later post offices were opened at lachine, cedars, coteau du lac, charlottenburg, cornwall, new johnston, lancaster, osnabruck, augusta, elizabethtown and kingston.[ ] this was as far as the regular mail couriers ran. trips were made once a year during the winter, and in summer, every opportunity afforded by vessels going up to lake ontario, was taken advantage of for the despatch of mails. in the first advertisement of the service of the new districts, it was stated that the mails would be despatched every four weeks, but this regularity could not be attained without a considerable outlay, and it was found better to utilize such means of conveyance as happened to be offering, for the carriage of the mails. though the line of post offices along the st. lawrence terminated at kingston, reasonable provision was made for communication with the remote settlements of niagara, detroit and michillimackinac. detroit and michillimackinac are in the territory of the united states, but the forts at these places were detained in the hands of the british until as security, until the obligations imposed on the americans by the treaty of paris were fulfilled. offices were established in each of the three settlements mentioned, and the post office undertook to send the mails forward from kingston as opportunities occurred of doing so with safety.[ ] in the first postal convention to which canada was a party, was concluded with the united states. under its terms[ ] the united states post office engaged to act as intermediary for the conveyance of mails passing between canada and great britain. when a mail for canada reached new york by the british packet, it was taken in hand by the british packet boat agent, who after assorting it, placed it in a sealed bag, which he delivered to the new york post office. the postmaster of new york sent this bag forward by messenger as far as burlington, vermont, from whence it was taken to montreal by a canadian courier, who travelled between montreal and burlington every two weeks. in these trips were made weekly. for this service the canadian post office agreed to pay the united states department the sum which the latter would have been entitled to collect on the same number of united states letters passing between burlington and new york. as the mails were contained in a sealed bag, the united states post office had no means of arriving at the amount due to them for this service, and they agreed to accept the sworn statement of the british and canadian officials on this point. the convention, also, provided for the interchange of correspondence between canada and the united states. according to the practice of the period, a letter from montreal for new york, for instance, was chargeable with the postage due for conveyance from montreal to the united states boundary. this was collected by the canadian post office. in addition to this, the united states post office charged the postage due to it for the conveyance from the boundary to new york. the arrangements for the collection of the postage due to each administration were somewhat peculiar. on a letter from canada to the united states, the canadian postage as far as burlington had to be paid at the time the letter was posted. the united states postage was collected from the person to whom the letter was delivered. on letters passing the other way, that is, from the united states to canada, another arrangement was possible. the sender could, of course, if he chose, pay the united states postage to burlington, and the canadian post office would collect its own postage from the addressed. but besides this arrangement, which was common to letters passing in either direction, a person in the united states could post a letter for canada entirely unpaid, and the total amount due would be collected on the delivery of the letter to the person addressed in canada. in this case, the postage due to the united states was collected by the postmaster at montreal, who assumed the duties of agent, in this respect, for the united states post office. the united states did not allow any of their postmasters to act as agents for the collection of canadian postage in the united states, alleging that there were too many post offices in that country for burlington to look after them properly. the convention of contained a feature which was at that time novel in post office arrangements. it provided for the conveyance of periodical magazines between canada and great britain, charging for its services the unusually low figure of eight cents a magazine. the convention was signed by the deputy postmaster general of canada and the postmaster general of the united states. under this convention the arrangements for the exchange of correspondence between canada and great britain were very satisfactory. during the eight months when the packet boats called at halifax, the mails passed by the route through the maritime provinces. in the winter, while the packet boats did not visit halifax, the mails were sent by way of new york. the improvements in the roads on the route through the united states, reduced greatly the time of conveyance between montreal and new york. travellers from montreal to new york in noted that there was a rough road as far as burlington, and a rather better one to skenesborough (whitehall), while from this place to new york, the journey was made by coach.[ ] in upper canada, postal affairs were brought into some prominence when that part of the country was erected into a separate province by the constitutional act of . as will be recalled, the service beyond kingston was conducted in rather haphazard fashion. it was maintained largely in the interest of the little garrisons at niagara, detroit and michillimackinac. the first governor of the new province, general simcoe, was a man of great energy, and zealous in the discharge of any duty laid upon him. the total population in upper canada at the time did not exceed ten thousand. but though these were not neglected, it was in preparation for the thousands whom simcoe foresaw thronging into the province, that his attention was chiefly occupied. before he left london for canada, simcoe had written to the government several letters, some of them of great length, discussing every conceivable topic of colonial policy. in submitting the list of officials which he considered necessary for the government of the province, the newly appointed governor stated that he had in mind a proper person who would go to canada as printer, if he had a salary, and the governor thought that by making this person provincial postmaster[ ] as well as government printer, a salary might be raised from the two offices, sufficient to induce him to go. when simcoe reached quebec in november , he consulted with finlay on the subject, and was confirmed in his opinion as to the desirability of a post office establishment in upper canada. there was, however, a preliminary question of great importance which it appeared to him necessary to have settled. the question was akin to that which formed the subject of a later controversy between the home government and the colonies, as to whether sums collected from the public as postage were to be regarded as a tax, and as such would require the consent of the colonies before they could be appropriated to the use of the postmaster general in great britain. franklin, it will be remembered, contended that these sums were not a tax, but simply compensation for services rendered by the post office. the government, which founded an argument for the legality of its course in laying taxes in america, on the fact that the colonies had hitherto contentedly paid postage on the letters conveyed by the post office, and made no objection that the profits of the american post office should be sent to england, insisted that the postage collected was a tax. simcoe had no doubt on the subject himself. he fully shared the earlier view of the british government, and proceeded to a further discussion of the subject. in , in a belated attempt to stay the progress of the rebellion in the colonies by a course of conciliation, the government, by an act of parliament,[ ] renounced the right it had hitherto claimed of taxing the colonies except so far as might be necessary for the regulation of commerce; and in the case of such regulative duties, the proceeds from them were to ensure to the benefit, not of the home government, but of the colony from which the duties were collected. whether a post office tax was to be classed among duties for the regulation of commerce was a point on which simcoe could not quite make up his mind. but if it were to be so regarded, then by the act of , which was embodied in the constitutional act of , the net produce from the upper canadian post office should be appropriated to the use of the province, and the question simcoe asked was whether it did not lie with the general assembly of the province, rather than with the parliament of great britain, to superintend the public accounts of duties so levied and collected.[ ] in order that the whole matter might be placed beyond doubt, simcoe suggested that when a post office bill for the new province came to be drawn up, it should contain a preamble describing its connection with duties for the regulation of commerce, and vesting the collection of the tax in the deputy postmaster general of lower canada, who should be made accountable for the revenue so raised, to the legislature of upper canada. dundas,[ ] the home secretary, to whom the matter was submitted, expressed no decided opinion upon it, but suggested that bills of that nature ought not to be passed upon by the governor, but should be reserved in order that the king's pleasure might be signified regarding them. the question of a separate establishment for upper canada, as will be seen hereafter, occupied the attention both of the local government and of the general post office in england, but though several propositions were submitted by both sides, the objections to it were found insuperable. the only other event of importance occurring in upper canada at this period which affected the history of the post office was the founding of the city of toronto. until , when the lines of the present city were laid out under the direction of governor simcoe, and for some years later, the future capital of ontario[ ] was in a state of the most complete isolation. on the way up lake ontario, settlement reached no further than the western end of the bay of quinte. an official sent from york, as toronto was named in , to kingston, to meet and accompany immigrants to york, found very few desirous of going so great a distance from all settlements. the country to the west of toronto was equally unsettled. the line of farm holdings from niagara westward, came to an end at the head of the lake about the site of the present city of hamilton. from that point to york, the country was occupied by the mississauga indians. when it was determined to remove the seat of government to york in , the chief justice complained that the lack of accommodation of any kind was so great that the larger part of those whom business or duty called to york must remain during their stay there, either in the open air, or crowded together in huts or tents, in a manner equally offensive to their feelings and injurious to their health.[ ] the exact date on which the post office was established at york, and the name of the first postmaster are unfortunately not disclosed by the records, which are far from complete. there is a probability, however, which amounts to practical certainty, that the post office was opened in either or , and that the first postmaster was william willcocks. lieutenant governor hunter states that in , excepting the single trip made annually from montreal to niagara, there was no service beyond kingston, the mails for the posts west of that point being taken by the king's vessels, and their distribution effected by the commandants at the posts.[ ] in , there was certainly a regular postmaster at york, as the legislative council in that year directed the surveyor general to give wilcox, the postmaster, such information as would enable finlay to answer certain questions asked by the governor general respecting the establishment of regular couriers between quebec and york.[ ] besides the inhabitants of the rapidly growing town of york, the post office at that place served to accommodate for many years the german settlement in markham township, which was begun in under the leadership of berczy, an enterprising promoter. in october , finlay's connection with the post office in canada ceased, and it is unpleasant to add that he was dismissed as a defaulter. he admitted an indebtedness to the postmaster general, amounting to £ . to the lieutenant governor finlay explained[ ] that a large part of the debt arose in from the disallowance for a number of years past, of certain items of credit, which had been accepted and passed at the general post office. the death in bankruptcy of the postmaster at three rivers increased considerably the amount of finlay's obligations to the postmaster general. finlay pointed out, with truth, that he had not only successfully maintained the post office in canada under very trying circumstances, but that through the relations he had established with the _maîtres de poste_, he had saved to the postmaster general not less than £ , . he pleaded, therefore, that as large an allowance as possible be made, on account of these considerations, and that he might be given time to pay any balance which might thereafter be found due. finlay's plea was strongly supported by the leading merchants in the colony, and by the lieutenant governor, who represented that he was the oldest servant of the crown in canada, being senior executive and legislative councillor. when the land committee was formed he was made chairman, and on him fell practically all the onerous duties devolving on the committee during that period. he was seventy years of age, forty of which had been spent in the service of the colony, and was suffering from an incurable disease, from which he died not long after his dismissal. notwithstanding these pleas, judgment was obtained for the amount of the debt, and some land which had been granted to him in stanstead county as a special recognition of his services, was attached by the orders of the postmaster general. either the claim was not pressed rigorously, or the land did not suffice to cover the debt, for after standing on the departmental books as uncollectable for many years, finlay's debt was finally wiped off in . footnotes: [ ] notice in _quebec gazette_, february , . [ ] _can. arch._, b. series, cc. . [ ] finlay "papers," _can. arch._, m. . [ ] _c. o._ , vol. . [ ] _can. arch._, b., cc. . [ ] _ibid._, lxii. . [ ] _can. arch._, b., cc. _passim_. [ ] g.p.o., _commission book_, - . [ ] _quebec gazette_, november , . [ ] finlay's _report to legislative council_, july , . [ ] peter kalm, _travels into north america_, , vols. and . [ ] _can. arch._, b., lxxi . [ ] _can. arch._, b., cl. and . [ ] finlay papers, _can. arch._, m. . [ ] p. campbell, _travels in north america_ (edinburgh, ). [ ] finlay's "report," _can. arch._, m. . [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] finlay's "report," _can. arch._, m. . [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] record office, _admiralty-secretary in letters_, bundle . [ ] record office, _admiralty-secretary in letters_, bundle . [ ] _extra official state papers_ (knox), london and dublin, . [ ] _freer papers_, i. . [ ] _quebec gazette_, may , . [ ] _quebec gazette_, may , . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, i. [ ] _freer papers_, i. . [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] , geo. iii. c. . [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] the affairs of the colonies were at this period managed by the home secretary. [ ] the province of upper canada became known in political geography as ontario in . [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, c. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, q. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , pp. - . chapter vi administration of george heriot--extension of postal service in upper canada--irritating restrictions imposed by general post office--disputes with the administrator of the colony. george heriot, who succeeded finlay, had been a clerk in the board of ordinance for many years before his appointment as deputy postmaster general. he was a man of some literary ability, his history of canada which was published in being a high-priced item in catalogues of americana. of heriot's zeal and intelligence the general post office had no reason to complain, but he had a sensitive self-esteem, which was a most unfortunate possession as matters then stood. ordinarily, personal characteristics such as these would call for no mention, but the relations between the post office and the provincial authorities at this time were so difficult that the utmost tact on the part of the deputy postmaster general would scarcely gain more than a tolerable success. the position of the deputy postmaster general towards the governor and the legislatures was peculiar. as an official of the general post office in london, he was subject to the orders of the postmaster general and to no other authority whatever. neither the governors nor the legislatures had the least right to give him instructions. although the postal service was indispensable to the conduct of the official and commercial transactions of the colony, and its maintenance in a state of efficiency a matter of first importance to the colony, the power of the colonial authorities went no further than the submission of their views and desires to the postmaster general or to his deputy in canada. to a community jealous of its rights of self-government, the situation was irritating enough, but the natural annoyance might have been largely relieved by an appreciative regard, on the part of the post office, for the wants of the rapidly increasing settlements. this, however, was the last trait the post office was likely to show at this period. the post office was subordinate to the treasury, a relationship it never permitted itself to disregard. the deputy postmaster general was under strict injunctions not to enter upon any scheme for the extension or improvement of the postal service, unless he was fully satisfied that the resulting expense would be covered by the augmented revenue. each application for improvement in the service was dealt with from this standpoint. the fact that the service in any part of the country was very profitable to the post office was held to be no justification for applying any portion of the profits to make up the deficiencies of revenue in districts less favourably situated. on one occasion, where the needs in some new districts in course of settlement appeared to heriot to demand special consideration, he directed that for a time the whole of the surplus revenue from upper canada should be applied to extensions and improvements. when his action was reported to the postmaster general, it was promptly disavowed, and he was compelled to cancel the arrangements he had made.[ ] a policy of this kind was ill-adapted to colonies, which were steadily expanding by the implanting of small, widely-separated communities, and the man on whom devolved the duty of carrying on a postal service under these conditions had no easy task. finlay had certain advantages as a member of the legislative council which heriot did not enjoy, and moreover his difficulties were not so great. it was only after finlay had ceased to be deputy postmaster general that the settlements in upper canada began to insist on a regular postal service; and in cases where demands were made upon him which his instructions forbade him to grant, he could always depend on the good will of his associates in the council to relieve him from unreasonable pressure. as superintendent of post houses, his influence with the _maîtres de poste_ enabled him to keep the cost of their services on the main routes at a low figure. although finlay's connection with the post office was terminated under disagreeable circumstances, no attempt was made to deprive him of his provincial appointments, which he held until his death at the end of . heriot then lost no time in applying to be appointed to the vacancy in the legislative council, and to the superintendency of post houses. he was successful in neither case. heriot was uniformly unfortunate in his relations with the governors of the colony. his self-assertiveness irritated those who were accustomed to look for nothing but deference from the persons about them. heriot seems to have accepted the decision as respects the council as final. but he made a strong effort to force the hand of lieutenant governor milnes with regard to the post houses. he appealed to the postmaster general in england, who made representations to the colonial office in the matter. the post office had already begun to feel the inconvenience of separating the control of the _maîtres de poste_ from the office of the deputy postmaster general, as these officials declined to continue to carry the mail couriers on terms more favourable than those granted to the ordinary travelling public. the colonial office was inclined to the post office view on the subject, but the lieutenant governor was firm in maintaining the position he had taken. the _maîtres de poste_, he stated, were habitants who possessed, each of them, a small property which rendered them quite independent. their service, which was to carry passengers on the king's road, was an onerous one, and the advances in the price of the articles of life, coupled with the fact that their exclusive privilege was systematically disregarded, made them reluctant to take the appointments. men of this kind, milnes declared, required management as they would not submit to coercion. finlay through his personal influence with the _maîtres de poste_ had managed to obtain the conveyance of the mails at sixpence a league, which was only half the charge made to the public for the same service. for some time before his death, finlay had difficulty in inducing the _maîtres de poste_ to continue this favourable arrangement, and on his death they refused to work under it any longer. the _maîtres de poste_ had the full sympathy of the lieutenant governor who saw no reason for the discrimination in favour of the post office. although he endeavoured to obtain a favourable arrangement for the mail couriers, he considered it would be most impolitic on the part of the post office to insist on continuing to occupy their position of advantage. but valuable as the post house system was in the early period of the country's growth, it soon had to yield to a higher class of travelling facility. as travel in the colony increased the two-wheeled _calèches_ drawn by a single horse and barely holding two persons would no longer do. the changes at the post houses, every hour or little more, with the long delays while the horses were secured and harnessed, were very wearisome. before heriot's term expired, stage coaches had been placed on the principal roads. in leaving the old system and its ways, it will be interesting to record the impressions of hugh gray, an english gentleman, who travelled from quebec to montreal in .[ ] the mode of travel, he said, would not bear comparison with that in england, and the inns were very far from clean, but he found many things to lighten the hardships of travel in canada. if, leaving england aside, he compared the accommodations in canada with those in spain, portugal, or even in parts of france, he found the balance in favour of canada. the politeness and consideration gray received at the inns in canada offset many inconveniences. often on the continent, after a day of fatiguing travel, sometimes wet and hungry, he was obliged to carry his own luggage into the inn at which he had arrived and see, himself, that it was put in a place of safety. but in canada he was charmed with the politeness and urbanity with which he was welcomed at every inn: "voulez-vous bien, monsieur, avoir la complaisance d'entrer; voilà une chaise, monsieur, asseyez vous, s'il vous plait." "if they had the thing you wanted," continued gray, "it was given to you with a good grace; if they had not they would tell you so in such a tone and manner as to show they were sorry for it." "je n'en ai point. j'en suis mortifié." "you saw it was their poverty that refused you, not their will. then if there was no inn to be had, you were never at a loss for shelter. there was not a farmer, shopkeeper, nay, nor even a _seigneur_ or country gentleman who, on being civilly applied to for accommodation, would not give you the best in the house and every accommodation in his power." the determination of the lieutenant governor to hold heriot at arm's length, and allow him no part in the local government was unfortunate, as it prevented the mutual understanding between the colonial authorities and the post office which must have been beneficial to both. heriot made several later efforts to secure the control of the _maîtres de poste_, but always without success. the principal feature of heriot's administration was the establishment of a regular mail service to the settlements in upper canada. the single opportunity for the exchange of correspondence afforded by the post office authorities during the many months when navigation was closed was absurdly inadequate to the needs of the rapidly increasing province. the courier set out from montreal in january of each year, travelling on foot or snow-shoes with his mail bag slung over his shoulder. he did very well when he covered eighteen miles a day. the journey to niagara, with the return to montreal, was not accomplished until spring was approaching, three months later. the lieutenant governor of upper canada, general hunter, was anxious to improve the communication in that province, and opened correspondence with heriot on the subject.[ ] heriot laid the lieutenant governor's proposition before the postmaster general with his warm commendation. he pointed out that the rapid increase in the population, the salubrity of the climate, and the fertility of the soil, all encouraged the belief that upper canada would soon become one of the first of the british settlements in north america. general hunter, heriot also reminded the postmaster general, had in course of construction a road from the bay of quinte to york, which in a few months would allow of easy travel by any of the common conveyances of the country. more, his excellency when informed of the views held by the post office on proposals involving expenditure, readily undertook that the province should make up any deficiency arising from the carrying of his schemes into execution. this was the first considerable proposition submitted by heriot since his appointment, and the postmaster general made it the occasion of an admonition as to the considerations heriot should have in mind in dealing with a proposition of that kind. he sent extracts of letters addressed to finlay on the question of establishing new posts, pointing out that they served to show that unless any new proposition had for its object both the public convenience and the interests of the revenue, it was not to be encouraged. the system of posts, the postmaster general went on to say, might be made, comparatively speaking, as perfect in canada as in great britain, but the question was, would the board as a board of revenue be justified in so doing when the amount of the revenue was so trifling. however, he directed heriot to report fully on the several aspects of the lieutenant governor's proposition, not overlooking the general's offer of indemnification in the event of the postage not amounting to sufficient to defray the expense. the lieutenant governor having repeated his assurance that any insufficiency in the revenue to meet the additional expense would be made up from the provincial treasury, heriot set about improving the service--but cautiously. at that time he contented himself with providing monthly instead of yearly trips to upper canada during the winter. in summer he continued to depend on the occasional trips of the _bateaux_ on the river and the king's ships on the lake. in order to assist heriot, who had some difficulty in procuring the services of suitable couriers for the winter trips, the lieutenant governor directed the commandants at kingston and york to place trusty soldiers at the disposal of the post office. there were few letters carried during this period except for the public departments, and they found it less expensive to employ a messenger of their own to visit the several posts and take the bulky accounts and vouchers which constituted the greater part of their correspondence, than to utilize the services of the post office. when it was pointed out to the lieutenant governor that by his failure to employ the post office, he was setting a bad example to the inhabitants who used every means to evade the postmaster general's monopoly, the lieutenant governor agreed to have the correspondence from the outposts carried by the mail couriers. the territory served by the regular post office did not extend beyond niagara. but at amherstburg, the western end of lake erie, and over two hundred miles beyond niagara, there were a military post and the beginnings of a settlement, which it was desirable to provide with the means of communication. during his visit to niagara in , heriot devised a plan[ ] for this purpose, which appears to have contained all the advantages of a regular postal service, with the charges so much less than the ordinary postage rates as to give the people of the district cause to regret the advent of the regular postmaster and mail courier. heriot proposed that the postmaster of amherstburg should receive letters for despatch, and, from time to time as one of the vessels on the lake happened to be going to fort erie, at the eastern end of the lake, make up a bag, seal it with the official seal, and deliver it to the captain of the vessel. at fort erie the bag was to be placed on one of the flat-bottomed _bateaux_, which traded between that village and chippewa and the niagara river. between chippewa, queenstown and niagara, on the niagara portage, there were stage coaches running, and the bag was taken to niagara by this means. if the letters were intended for places beyond niagara, they were put into the regular post office at that point. this arrangement was quite as safe and expeditious as the postal service between niagara and kingston, and yet the charges were very much less than if the letters had been carried the same distance within the authorized system. the ordinary postage on a letter from amherstburg to fort erie by land would be tenpence. heriot did not consider that he could properly charge more than twopence a letter. from fort erie to niagara the postage would have been fourpence, which was the rate heriot proposed to charge. the question will arise, in what regard this scheme differed from the ordinary postal arrangements, the charges for which were fixed by statute. the point of difference lay simply in this, that heriot did not propose to administer the oath of office to the courier, who effected the transportation of the mails from amherstburg to niagara. there would be none but trustworthy men employed to look after the mails, and the couriers were under effective supervision in the fact that the postmaster in making up the mail enclosed with it a certificate as to the number of letters in it, which the receiving postmaster verified before the courier was paid for his services. heriot's scheme, then, was identical with the ordinary arrangements in all respects but one, and that one was purely formal. heriot's scruples would lead one to suspect a desire to show how excessive the ordinary charges were. there was no change in the arrangements for the postal service in upper canada until , though before that date there had been some agitation for improvements. in , the legislative assembly requested that a regular service be established through the year, instead of monthly trips during the winter merely. further representations were made on the insufficiency of the existing service, and in heriot provided fortnightly trips throughout the year between montreal and kingston, but owing to the badness of the road beyond kingston, he was unable to give a regular service to york except in the winter. during this period, however, the trips between kingston and york were made fortnightly. efficient roadmaking throughout canada was attended with many difficulties, owing to the great stretches of land which were in the hands either of the crown or held as clergy reserves or which were held by speculators. these absentee holders were not bound by the obligation which lay on the residents to make and maintain good roads through their property, and consequently, even where roads were made by the government through the province, they soon fell into disrepair in those districts, where there were no resident owners to keep them up. general hunter in and had a road made from kingston to york, and then on to ancaster, near hamilton, where it connected with the road to niagara, but at their best such roads were little more than bridle paths through the woods. in the autumn of heriot yielded another step and placed couriers fortnightly on the road from kingston to niagara by way of york. he also arranged for a courier to go to amherstburg or sandwich as often as commercial requirements demanded it. heriot at this time took a step which drew upon him the sharp attention of the home authorities. he directed the postmaster at york to hold the surplus revenue from the western part of the province instead of sending it to quebec for transmission to england, and to apply it to improving the arrangements in that section of the province. the secretary of the general post office expressed a doubt as to whether the whole of the revenue should have been applied towards improving the service, and intimated that approval of his action should be held for the postmaster general. shortly after, heriot was informed that his action had not been approved, and that it would be necessary to cancel his instructions to the postmaster of york.[ ] this incident fairly illustrates how far heriot's hands were tied by orders from home, and how little he deserved the censures so freely meted out to him for his unwillingness to provide the country with a system of communication adequate to its requirements. in yielding to any extent to the reasonable demands of the provincial authorities, he was courting disapproval and even reprimand from his superiors. but in spite of the determination of the postmaster general that no expenditure should be made for postal service, which did not promise an immediate return equal to or greater than the outlay, the country was growing too rapidly to permit of any great delay in providing increased facilities for correspondence. while the post office held on to the monopoly in letter carrying, it had to make some sort of provision for doing the work itself. in , when peace had been concluded with the united states, sir gordon drummond, the commander of the forces, and administrator of canada, directed heriot to arrange for two trips a week between montreal and kingston, heriot invited tenders for this service, and was dismayed to find that the lowest offer was for £ , an amount double the anticipated revenues. with his instructions from the postmaster general before him, an outlay of that magnitude was not to be thought of, but heriot did go the length of authorizing weekly trips over the whole route between montreal and niagara and arranged for fortnightly trips to amherstburg from dundas, a village on the grand route between york and niagara.[ ] the mails were carried between montreal and kingston by coach; between kingston and niagara on horseback or by sleigh; and between dundas and the settlements at the western end of lake erie on foot. in reporting these arrangements to the postmaster general, heriot explained that, with the close of the war, military expresses had been discontinued, and it became necessary to provide additional accommodation to the commissariat and other military departments, but the increased postage more than covered the expense incurred. in march the lieutenant governor of upper canada pressed for further improvements in order to facilitate communication between the several courts of justice and every part of the province, so that notices might be sent to jurors and others having business with the courts.[ ] in concluding his letter to the general post office recommending the application of the lieutenant governor, heriot added that there was a strong desire on the part of influential people in upper canada that there should be a deputy postmaster general for that province, as well as one for lower canada. heriot favoured the idea and recommended william allan, postmaster of york for the position. the postmaster general, however, disapproved of the proposal of an independent deputy for upper canada. he agreed with heriot that there would be advantages in having an official residing in upper canada with a wider authority than that ordinarily exercised by a mere postmaster, but thought that the postmaster of york might without change of title be made to answer all the requirements of an assistant to the deputy postmaster general. before leaving the service in upper canada, an incident should be mentioned, showing the difficulties military men stationed far from a post office had in corresponding with great britain. at the end of the campaign of in the niagara peninsula, the officers of the right division, which was quartered at stoney creek, presented a memorial to the governor general laying before him their hard case, and praying for relief.[ ] they desired to write to their friends and relatives at home, but could not do so, owing to the post office regulation which required that all letters sent to great britain should have the postage paid on them as far as halifax. the sea postage did not require to be paid, as that could be collected from the person receiving the letter, but unless the letter was fully paid to halifax, it was detained and returned to the writer. as the nearest post office in operation was york, nearly fifty miles away, and as they had no acquaintance there or at montreal or quebec, who might pay the postage for them, they were without the means of relieving the anxiety of their parents, wives and others who could not learn whether they were alive or not. they asked that a bag be made up monthly, as lord wellington did from portugal, and sent free of expense to the horseguards in london, from which place the letters might be carried to the post office for delivery. the postal service in lower canada and eastward underwent no change from the time of heriot's accession to office until the war of . as in , the couriers between montreal and quebec still left each place on monday and thursday mornings, and meeting at three rivers, exchanged their mails, and returned, reaching their points of departure two days later. the mails between quebec and fredericton continued to be exchanged fortnightly in summer, and monthly in winter, and between fredericton and st. john, and st. john and halifax, there were weekly exchanges as in finlay's time. lower canada still found its principal outlet to great britain in the weekly mail carried between montreal and one of the towns of the united states near the canadian boundary. in , the place of exchange of mails between lower canada and boston and new york was swanton, a small town in vermont. but, though the service arrangements remained unchanged, they by no means escaped criticism. in , sir james craig, the governor general, complained of the slowness of the communication with the united states and with the maritime provinces.[ ] letters from new york seldom reached quebec in less than fifteen or sixteen days, and it usually took a month for the courier to travel from halifax to quebec. for the course of the post from new york, the governor was not disposed to blame heriot entirely, as he knew the connections from new york to swanton to be faulty, but he thought that, by a little exertion, heriot could do much to remedy the defects. as for the movement of the couriers between quebec and halifax, the governor had been informed by certain london merchants that the journey could be made in six days. he would not insist on a speed equal to that, but sixteen or seventeen days ought to be easily within the capacity of the couriers. dealing with the quebec-halifax complaint first, heriot was aware that the journey from halifax to quebec had been made in six days, but as the distance was six hundred and thirty-three miles, three hundred and sixty-eight of which could not be travelled by horse and carriage, he regarded the trip as an extraordinary performance. the circumstances, however, were unusually favourable. the weather was at its best, and no expense was spared to make the journey as rapidly as possible. but it was useless, heriot insisted, to compare speed of that kind with that which was within the power of a courier who had to carry a load sometimes weighing two hundred pounds on his back, for a distance of forty miles, after having rowed and poled up rivers and across lakes for two hundred miles. if the contractor was able to disregard considerations of expense, and employ as many couriers as could be done with advantage, much time might doubtless be saved. heriot was sure there were no grounds for believing that there would be any material increase in the revenue as the result of such expenditure. the commerce between the canadas and the maritime provinces was so trifling that it was all carried on by three or four small coasting vessels. indeed, were it not for the correspondence between the military establishments, it would be better to drop regular trips between quebec and halifax, as the british mails could be carried much more cheaply and with greater celerity by expresses. the connection with new york offered matter for criticism, but heriot could not be reproached for remissness in this regard. he had proposed to the authorities at washington that his couriers should carry the mails all the way between montreal and new york, offering to pay the united states just as if their couriers had done the service within their territory, but the united states department would not entertain the proposition. he had also endeavoured, without success, to have the british mails landed at boston during the winter months, instead of at new york. if this could have been accomplished, there would have been a considerable saving in the time required for the delivery of the british mails at montreal and quebec. the war of had noticeable effects on the postal service. the mails passing between quebec and halifax had to be safeguarded against attack on the part of hostile parties from across the border and against privateers, who infested the lower waters of the st. john river and the bay of fundy. from the time the courier on his way eastward left the shores of the st. lawrence, he was in danger of surprise. the portage between the st. lawrence and lake temiscouata was wild and uninhabited, and it would have been an easy matter for the enemy to waylay the courier if he travelled unprotected. when he reached the st. john river his course lay along the united states border. indeed a considerable part of his route lay in territory which was afterwards adjudged by the ashburton treaty to belong to the united states. heriot facilitated the couriers' journey over the portage by placing twenty-two old soldiers with their families at intervals on the route. they were supplied with arms, ammunition and rations, as the country was so mountainous, sterile and inhospitable, that no man could derive a subsistence from the soil. the couriers on entering the portage were, also, accompanied by an escort of two soldiers, who travelled with them as far as the madawaska settlement. from that point downwards, the local captains of militia had orders to render all needful assistance and protection to the couriers. at fredericton an entire change was made in the route. the route had till then followed the course of the st. john river to the city of st. john, from which place the couriers were taken across the bay of fundy to annapolis, in a small sloop. in order to avoid the chances of capture on the water stretches or in the bay, the couriers were sent across the country through the centre of the province to cumberland, as amherst was then called, and thence on to halifax. this arrangement left st. john unprovided with connection with either quebec or halifax, but it was brought into the scheme by a separate courier who met the couriers on the main route at sussexvale. the travel on the new route was at first very bad, but the lieutenant governors of the two maritime provinces, who were interested in the success of the scheme, promised to do their best to induce their assemblies to put the roads in good condition. in changing the route from fredericton to halifax, and requiring the couriers to travel inland, instead of along the waterways, the deputy postmaster general was taking a measure in the direction of safety, but those who had a particular interest in the transmission of their correspondence intact could not look without concern at the exposure of the mails on the long stretch between the foot of lake temiscouata and fredericton. the lieutenant governor of nova scotia and the admiral of the halifax station were both uneasy at the possibility of their despatches being intercepted by the americans, and grasped eagerly at a suggestion thrown out that the courier from halifax should not go to fredericton at all, but on leaving amherst should pursue a north-westerly course till he reached the matapedia river at the western end of the bay of chaleurs. from this point, the route would lie across the bottom of the gaspe peninsula to the st. lawrence near metis. the suggested route encountered the strong opposition of heriot.[ ] "the heights of the interior," he declared, "are more elevated than those towards the sea, and some of them with snow on their summits which remain undissolved from one year to the other. the land between the mountains is probably intersected by rugged defiles, by swamps and by deep and impracticable gullies. a region so inhospitable and desolate as from its interior aspect, and its latitude as this may without exaggeration be conceived to be, can scarcely be visited by savages. suppose a road were cut through this rugged desert, it would not be possible to find any person who would settle there, and no courier could proceed on foot for a journey of some hundred miles, through a difficult and dreary waste alike destitute of shelter and of the prospect of assistance." heriot's conviction was that the present route was the only possible one, and if the enemy threatened to cut off communications, it might be necessary to establish two additional military posts, one at the head of the madawaska settlement, the other between grand falls and presqu' isle. a blockhouse at each point, with a non-commissioned officer, a few privates and two savages attached, would in heriot's opinion afford sufficient protection. the enemy would scarcely incur the trouble and expense of marching one or two hundred men from an immense distance to take or destroy these forts with the precarious and doubtful prospect of interrupting a courier, to whom the nature of the country presented a variety of means of eluding their utmost vigilance. the idea of establishing a route between nova scotia and the st. lawrence, which would follow the northern shore of new brunswick, was not carried into effect at once, but as will be seen it occupied attention from time to time and was eventually realized. the war affected the postal service in lower canada to the extent of causing the conveyance of the mails between montreal and quebec to be increased from twice a week to daily.[ ] sir george prevost having pointed out to heriot the necessity for more frequent communication on account of the war, the latter expressed his willingness to increase the trips, but stipulated that the men employed in the service should not be subject to enlistment as it was very difficult to secure trustworthy men. the governor agreed, and directed the colonels of militia that they were to impose no military duties on post office employees. on the conclusion of the war, the couriers' trips were reduced from six to five weekly, at which frequency they remained for many years. the last year of heriot's administration was marked by a disagreeable quarrel with sir gordon drummond,[ ] who was administrator of canada on prevost's retirement. in the beginning of , the legislature of upper canada adopted an address pointing out that the postal arrangements were very defective, and expressing the opinion that the revenue from upper canada was ample to meet the additional expense necessary to put the service on a satisfactory footing. if an efficient service were provided, and it turned out that they were wrong in their anticipation of increased revenues, they were prepared to pay higher rates of postage. herein lay a difficulty for the postmaster general. the postal charges in canada were the same as those in great britain, and were collected by the authority of the same act of parliament. the postmaster general was not free from doubts as to the legality of the proceedings of the post office in taking postage in canada, and he did not wish to raise the question by the enactment of a special act for canada. he intimated to heriot his disinclination to bring the question into prominence in canada, and asked heriot to give his mind to the proposition for an improvement in the service. about the time the letter from the postmaster general containing this instruction reached heriot, drummond himself wrote to heriot, drawing attention to the shortcomings in the service, expressing his conviction that the necessary improvements would lead to enhanced revenues, and concluding with an intimation that unless he were provided with adequate facilities for communicating with that part of his command which was in upper canada, he would be obliged to restore military expresses. sir gordon drummond's services to canada during the war were such as to entitle him to an honourable place in the memory of canadians, but he did not appear at his best in his controversy with heriot. he exhibited too much of that arbitrariness and impatience with other people's views which is commonly observed among military chiefs. heriot replied promptly to the governor's letter, stating that he had invited tenders for a semi-weekly service between montreal and kingston, and that the offers he received were quite beyond any possible revenue to be derived from the service. he had, however, accelerated the existing service by having the couriers travel on horseback, the horses being changed at convenient distances along the route. as regards the service beyond york, heriot directed the postmaster of york to arrange for a regular weekly courier to niagara, and to set about securing a postmaster at amherstburg to replace the former incumbent, who had resigned. heriot wound up his letter by stating that he would have been particularly gratified if he had the power to meet his excellency's wishes in every point, but expressed his regret that his instructions obliged him to act on principles of economy. the letter was courteously expressed, and showed an evident desire to go as far as his instructions would allow, in meeting the governor's wishes. but drummond was not satisfied. his wrath rose at the appearance of opposition. in repeating his views that increased revenue would follow upon improvements in the service, he declared that the existing arrangements were slovenly and uncertain, and, in the opinion of merchants, insecure. moreover, he did not believe that heriot's instructions were intended to be injurious to the interests of upper canada. drummond then most unreasonably found fault with heriot for leaving to allan the duty of attending to the requirements of niagara and amherstburg, when his excellency had ordered heriot to give the matter his personal attention. heriot's time was very fully occupied at quebec with the ordinary duties of his office, a fact of which drummond could not have been ignorant; and to order him to leave these duties, and make a journey to the western end of the province, involving a travel of scarcely less than twelve hundred miles, to do a piece of work which any subordinate in the district could do equally well, argued either an indifference as regards the daily calls upon heriot's time, or a determination to annoy him, either of which was discreditable to the governor general. heriot was steadily respectful, however, but maintained that with the powers entrusted to him it was impossible to meet drummond's views. he cited the incident of , when his recommendation that the whole of the revenue from upper canada should be expended on extensions and improvements had been disapproved, and the arrangements founded upon these suggestions had to be cancelled. as for his employment of allan to secure a postmaster at amherstburg, allan knew the district while he himself did not, and in his circumstances he was compelled to rely upon his officials as he did in the west and at halifax. the whole of the case was laid by heriot before the postmaster general. his situation, he declared, was very disagreeable, as people seemed to imagine that he had carte blanche as to the disposal of the post office revenue. every governor on coming to canada assailed heriot with his particular scheme for improvement. prevost, who had come from the governorship of nova scotia, insisted on a large expenditure on the service in that province. drummond, whose interests lay in upper canada, was peremptory in regard to the claims of that part of the country. the consequence of all this was correspondence always lengthy and frequently unpleasant. what heriot desired to know was whether his conduct was approved or condemned by his superiors. the official silence left him in uncertainty and suspense. heriot concluded by asking to be relieved of the office and to be allowed some remuneration for past services. after a short lull, trouble broke out afresh, and this time drummond managed to put heriot clearly in the wrong. a very sharp letter from the governor drew from heriot the reply that the deputy postmaster general in canada was governed by several acts of parliament, and by instructions from the general post office, and he was not subject to any orders, but through the secretary of the post office. he would, however, afford every necessary information when applied to in the mode of solicitation or request. this was not the tone to take in addressing the chief executive in the colony; and the governor promptly laid the whole matter before the colonial secretary, condemning heriot for his incapacity, insubordination and insolence, and declaring that nothing but the fear of embarrassing the accounts prevented him from instantly suspending heriot. he urged his dismissal. a fortnight later drummond reported further grievances. indeed, heriot seems now to have cast prudence as well as respect for the governor's office to the winds. the governor had demanded to see the postmaster general's instructions to heriot, and it was not until the demand had been twice repeated that heriot saw fit to obey. among those instructions was one directing the deputy postmaster general to keep the orders of the postmaster general and the table of rates in his office, for his own guidance, and for the satisfaction of all persons desiring to see them. this drummond insisted on reading as a direction to the deputy postmaster general to make all his communications from the postmaster general public, and he dilates on the disrespect of heriot in withholding from the governor what he is under orders to disclose to the first comer. all this is, of course, manifestly disingenuous, and does not impose on heriot's superiors in the general post office. the secretary of the general post office in discussing drummond's complaints, has words of commendation for heriot's zeal and alacrity. he always considered heriot a judicious, active and efficient officer. governors, he affirmed, too commonly entertain the idea that the whole revenue of the post office should be devoted to extending the communications. whatever view might be held as to the principle, heriot at all events was precluded by his instructions from acting upon it without the express authority of the postmaster general. while heriot had, beyond question, given ample grounds for irritation on drummond's part, it should be remembered, in dealing with the demand for heriot's dismissal, drummond was told that he had been sixteen years in the service, and had on many occasions received the thanks of the board. it might be sufficient to enjoin upon heriot a more respectful attitude towards the governor, and consult with him as to the extension of communications, and the interests of the revenue. the postmaster general concurred in the secretary's views. but the quarrel was now past mending, and when after repeated requests to be relieved, heriot declared that no motive of interest or advantage could induce him to stay in the service longer than was necessary to appoint his successor, the postmaster general decided to accept his resignation. footnotes: [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. . [ ] hugh gray, _letters from canada_, london, . [ ] _can. arch._, c. , pp. - . [ ] _can. arch._, c. , p. . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. . [ ] _can. arch._, c. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _can. arch._, c. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, q. , pp. , and . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _can. arch._, c. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. chapter vii administration of daniel sutherland--postal service on the ottawa river, and to eastern townships--ocean mails. on heriot's retirement, a number of london merchants who traded to canada, recommended that the postmaster of montreal, daniel sutherland, be appointed as his successor, and the appointment was made in april .[ ] sutherland entered upon his duties with full knowledge of the postal service in canada, as he had been postmaster of montreal since . an effort was made at this time to remove the headquarters of the department from quebec to montreal, but it was not encouraged. the postmaster general was of opinion that, although there were no direct official relations between the governor general and the head of the postal service, it would be inadvisable to diminish in any way the opportunities that then existed of enlisting the good will of the governor towards the post office by the pursuit of a more tactful course than had been taken by sutherland's predecessor. if, while relations between the chief executive and the deputy postmaster general were thus strained, the office of the latter had been removed to montreal, the chances of establishing a more cordial feeling on the part of the governor towards the post office would have greatly lessened. the wisdom of the postmaster general in this matter was soon shown. it was not long before the post office incurred the hostility of the legislatures in both upper and lower canada and its case would have been hard indeed, if it had not obtained the steady support of the governors and the executive councils in the two provinces. a notable feature of sutherland's administration was the extension of the service into settlements, which lay far off the beaten lines. the first of these to be provided with a post office was the settlement of perth. in the summer of , a number of scotch artisans and peasants sailed from greenock, attracted by the inducements held out to settlers in british north america, and of these about sixty families spent the winter in brockville on the st. lawrence. when spring opened, they proceeded inland till they reached the rideau river, and took up homes about the site of the present town of perth. the new settlement was almost immediately joined by a large number of disbanded troops, who were set free on the conclusion of peace with the united states. by october , there were over sixteen hundred settlers in the district. they were fortunate in securing the interest of sir john sherbrooke, the governor general, at whose instance a post office was opened, and fortnightly trips were made with the mails from brockville.[ ] a road was broken between the two places, but little could be said for it for some time. dr. mountain, the son of the first anglican bishop of quebec, and himself afterwards third bishop of quebec, accompanied his father on an episcopal trip into upper canada in . among the places he visited was perth. of the road he said: "all the roads i have described before were turnpike and bowling green to this."[ ] the road was divided into three stages of seven miles each, and the best the party could do was three hours for each stage. in , another settlement was formed in the same part of the country about thirty miles north of perth. it was a military settlement, being made up of officers and men of the th and th regiments. this group did not enter upon its lands by way of the st. lawrence, but is notable as the first considerable body to come into upper canada by way of the ottawa river. they landed on the site of the present city of ottawa, but did not stop there longer than was necessary to break a road through to their lands, which were situated about twenty miles to the westward. the settlement was called richmond, in honour of the duke of richmond, the governor general, and this circumstance gave ottawa its first name--richmond landing. it was at richmond that the duke came to his melancholy end that same summer, as the result of the bite of a fox. the duke had shown his interest in the settlement which bore his name in a number of ways, and shortly before his death he induced the deputy postmaster general to open a post office there. in order to provide it with mails, a blazed trail was made between the new settlement and perth.[ ] the settlement at richmond was not the first, however, in the upper ottawa district. in , philemon wright, a new englander, who had made one or two exploratory tours into the country, determined to form a settlement at hull, on the lower canadian side of the river, and in that year he brought with him a group of his neighbours from malden, massachusetts. these settlers were thrifty and intelligent, and by , they had brought their settlement to a pitch of prosperity, which won special mention from bouchette, the surveyor general. at that time there were about thirty families in the district, whose farms were in a respectable state of cultivation; and a large trade in timber, pot and pearl ashes was carried on. the little settlement was so far from montreal--one hundred and twenty miles--that it was at first impracticable to give it the benefit of the postal service. the isolation did not last long. little bodies of settlers were taking up land at different points, both above and below the long sault rapids; and for some time before , there had been a steamer running between lachine and carillon, at the foot of the long sault.[ ] in , a steamer was put on the upper ottawa, running between the head of the long sault and hull, and the duke of richmond appealed to sutherland to open post offices on the river route. the deputy postmaster general at first demurred on the ground of expense, but he withdrew his objections on a guarantee being given by a number of gentlemen interested in the district, that the post office should be saved against any loss which might ensue. offices were accordingly opened at st. eustache and st. andrews on the lower ottawa, and at grenville, hawkesbury and hull on the upper part of the river.[ ] another part of the country to which the postal system was extended during this period was the eastern townships in lower canada. these townships lie along the northern border of eastern new york, vermont and new hampshire. owing to their contiguity to the united states, the settlement of these townships gave the british government much concern. lord north, at the close of the war of the revolution, desired to settle this border country with old soldiers. haldimand, the governor general, was of another opinion, believing that the interests of peace would be best served by keeping the country uncultivated, that it might serve as a barrier to the restless spirits from the south. some effort was made to give effect to this view but without much success. indeed the governors who followed haldimand made grants in the townships freely; and in , it was estimated that there were not less than , people settled there. lord bathurst, the colonial secretary, on learning in the state of affairs, was highly displeased that the policy of the government had been disregarded in this manner, and directed the governor to do what he could to discourage further settlement, and wherever possible to restore the cultivated country to a state of nature. mentioning particularly the townships at the western end of the province, the colonial secretary directed that no new roads were to be run into them, and advantage was to be taken of any circumstances that presented themselves of letting the roads already made fall into disuse. for five years this desolating policy was carried into execution. in , lord dalhousie, the governor general reported that the result was an utter failure. "these townships," he says "are the resort of all the felons escaping from justice within his majesty's province or from the united states. forgery, coining, and every crime is committed there with impunity. american lumbermen are cutting everywhere the best timber, and sit down where they please, and move about where they find it convenient." a reversal of the mistaken policy resulted from the dalhousie report. the first post office opened in the townships was at stanstead,[ ] the centre of a comfortable, well-settled population of about . the village lay on the main stage route from quebec into the state of vermont. the post office at stanstead was opened in , and with three other offices opened at the same time had a weekly exchange of mails with quebec by way of three rivers. during sutherland's administration, there were a considerable number of post offices opened, and many of them established at this period afterwards attained great importance. in , when he became deputy postmaster general, there were only ten offices in lower canada and nine in upper canada. when he retired in , there were forty-nine in lower canada and sixty-five in upper canada. in , belleville post office was opened under the name of bay of quinte: in , hamilton, london, brantford, and st. thomas were provided with post offices. in lower canada, besides those already mentioned, a post office was opened at sherbrooke in , replacing an office established in aston township in . a curious fact appears in the post office list of . at this date toronto was still called york, and hamilton was without a post office altogether. nevertheless a post office called toronto was on the list of as having been opened in , with charles fothergill as postmaster, and another called hamilton was opened in with james bethune as postmaster. there was nothing to indicate where these post offices were situated until changes were made in the names, and toronto was converted into port hope and hamilton into cobourg. fothergill, who had the post office established at port hope, appears more than once in the course of post office history. he was member of the house of assembly and king's printer, as well as postmaster. about this time the house began to express dissatisfaction with the service provided by the post office, and to demand information as to its affairs, which the deputy postmaster general was not prepared to furnish. among the critics was fothergill, who was speedily punished for his independence. he was dismissed from the office of king's printer by the governor.[ ] * * * * * the conveyance of the mails between canada and great britain occupied much attention during sutherland's term. the packets, that is the vessels employed expressly for the conveyance of the mails, had at this date almost ceased to be employed for the transmission of any but official correspondence. the interests of the governors and other officials in british north america and bermuda, and of the british minister at washington and consuls in the united states, were the only interests considered in the arrangements for this service. speedy transmission was sacrificed without a thought, to provide against imagined dangers to safe transmission. when the packet service was established, the vessels made monthly trips during the summer from falmouth, in england, to halifax and thence to new york, returning by the same route. the mails for bermuda were landed at halifax, and taken to their destination in a war vessel. during the winter, the vessels from falmouth did not run to halifax, but proceeded directly to new york. in , at the instance of the admiralty, orders were given that, whenever possible during the winter, the packets should touch at bermuda on their way to new york.[ ] on the eve of the war of , prevost, the governor general, who was fearful for the safety of the mails, begged that this course might be adopted as the regular winter course, and that mails for canada and other parts of british north america should be put off at bermuda, and conveyed from there to halifax. to make the mails for canada go as far south as bermuda seems outrageous, but prevost was willing to put up with any slowness in transmission rather than have his despatches touch united states soil. this course was pursued until the war ended in , and continued for many winters after that time. but it was too bad to escape criticism from officials themselves. at the end of the summer of , when the packets were about to be taken off the halifax route, the rear-admiral on the north american station asked that the packets should continue to call at halifax during the winter, and, by way of satisfying the post office of the feasibility of his suggestion, furnished a list of some seventy vessels which had entered halifax during the previous winter, which was allowed to be the severest for many years, and found no more trouble in making this port than the port of new york.[ ] the suggestion aroused great opposition--an opposition which would be quite incomprehensible to-day. the agent of the packet service at falmouth assembled all commanders who happened to be in port, and asked them their opinion. they were unanimous in the belief that the only safe course to halifax would be to go first to bermuda, thence to new york, and finally to halifax.[ ] the prevalence of north-westerly winds during the winter would make a direct sailing from falmouth to halifax impracticable. the commanders did not consider it advisable, however, to adopt this course, as it would lengthen the trip by from two to three weeks, and as the voyages would be much rougher, there would be few passengers. the wear and tear on the packets would be greater, and besides the men would require great coats and spirits. during the late war each packet took sixty gallons of rum each way. lord dalhousie became governor general in and he made bitter complaint of the length of time taken in the delivery of his winter despatches.[ ] the despatches leaving england in november and , did not reach him until the following february, and his february despatches arrived in quebec in may. he asked that the mails containing his correspondence should not be put off the packet at bermuda, but that they be carried to new york, where he would have his messenger on hand to receive them. it is difficult to see why this should not have been done. ever since the establishment of peace in , there had been a british packet agent at new york, whose sole duty it was to act as intermediary for the despatch by the outgoing british packet boat, of all correspondence reaching him from the governors or other officials in british north america, or from the ambassadors or consuls in the united states.[ ] dalhousie's messenger took his outgoing despatches to the packet agent, and the governor could not understand the objections to allowing the same messenger to carry the incoming despatches back with him. the packet agent at new york strongly supported the governor's request, and pointed out how his own office might be made of much greater utility, if he were employed freely, not only for the transmission of official correspondence, but for the interchange of general correspondence between canada and great britain. he declared that the united states government had shown the utmost courtesy to the governor's messengers. they had not been molested in any way, and for some time past, the earlier practice of requiring the couriers to be provided with passports had been allowed to drop.[ ] the agent proposed that during the winter the english exchange office should make up separate bags for upper and lower canada, which on arrival at new york would be delivered to his office. he would then see that the bags were forwarded by special messenger without delay. his plan, however, was open to strong objection, and the british post office, which was averse to making any change in the direction proposed, was quick to seize upon it. while acknowledging the good will of the united states government regarding the conveyance of official despatches through their territory by british messengers, the secretary stated that the conveyance of ordinary mails by the same means was a very different matter, which would give rise to a justifiable claim on the part of the united states department, and if the charges which would have to be paid to the united states department were added to the other postage rates, the total postage to be collected from the recipients of the letters would be very large. but the argument of the secretary was based on the supposition that the mails would be carried as the despatches were, by canadian messengers from new york, and that the letters they carried would be subject to a double charge, viz:--the expenses of the messenger, and the sum which the united states might exact for the mere transit over its territory. if the british mails arriving at new york by the packet were handed over to the united states post office for transmission, as had been the case before the war of , there would have been no such excessive charge. this was what was desired on all sides in canada. the service would have been much faster, and for montreal and all places in upper canada the postage would have been lower. since the spring of , steamboats were employed to carry the mails between new york and albany twice a week, and with other improvements on the route, the time between new york and montreal was shortened to three days in summer and five in winter. from new york to york took from nine to eleven days by way of montreal, and a day less if the mails were carried from new york along the mohawk valley route to queenston on the niagara river, and thence to york. compare this with the time occupied between halifax and quebec. a month was the average, and to that had to be added two days to montreal and eight days to york. no advantage enjoyed by halifax over new york on the sea trip could compensate for the disparity from which the land route between halifax and montreal suffered in comparison with the route from new york to montreal, and as montreal was the gateway to upper canada, the whole of the new province suffered in equal measure with that city. the gain in time by the new york route was submitted to the general post office, but the proposition to land the mails at that port was opposed by the secretary. he found that there would be eightpence less postage on each letter to quebec, if it were sent through the united states instead of through the maritime provinces, and, besides, he was doubtful as to the propriety of sanctioning any scheme which would permit private and mercantile letters to reach quebec before the government despatches, which in any case must come by way of halifax. but though the comings and the goings of the packets were a matter of much concern to lord dalhousie and to others, whose correspondence had to be carried by this means, they were of little moment to the general public, who had found a very satisfactory means for the conveyance of their correspondence. in , the treasury set on foot inquiries as to the arrangements for the conveyance of correspondence across the atlantic, and the information they obtained must have surprised them.[ ] there were three modes of sending letters to canada from great britain. the first was by the official sailing packets. the usefulness of the packets, however, was limited to the conveyance of official despatches. the high charges and the slowness of the service abundantly account for the failure of the public to employ this means of transmission. the postage on a single letter, that is a single sheet of paper weighing less than an ounce, was two shillings and twopence sterling from london to halifax by way of falmouth. to this must be added the postage from halifax to points in canada, which was one shilling and eightpence to quebec; one shilling and tenpence to montreal; two shillings and twopence to kingston; two shillings and sixpence to york; and three shillings to amherstburg. thus, employing the more familiar decimal currency, the postage on a single sheet, weighing less than one ounce, posted in london and sent by packet to halifax and thence to its destination in canada was, to quebec ninety-two cents; to montreal ninety-six cents; to kingston one dollar and four cents; to york one dollar and twelve cents; and to amherstburg one dollar and twenty-four cents. remembering dalhousie's complaint that it took upwards of seventy days for one of these precious letters to reach him, the unpopularity of the packet service can be appreciated. the second agency for conveying letters from england to canada, was by private ship, but through the medium of the post office. a person desiring to send a letter from london to a post office in canada would write on the cover a direction that the letter was to be sent by a ship which he would name, and post it in the ordinary way. the post office would accept the direction, and would charge just one half the packet postage for the conveyance to halifax or quebec, that is, instead of two shillings and twopence for the sea conveyance, the letter would only be charged one shilling and one penny. but the high charges between the port of arrival in british north america and the offices in inland canada prevented the extensive use of this means of conveyance. the third mode of conveyance was irregular, but it was universally employed. there were lines of sailing vessels, called american packets, running between liverpool and new york, which were fast sailers, and which would carry letters from england to the united states for twopence a letter, without regard to its weight or the number of enclosures it contained. the agents of these lines kept bags in their offices in london and liverpool, and when the vessels were due to sail, the bags were sealed and placed on board. the conveyance of the letter bags from london to liverpool by the messengers of the sailing lines was illegal, as the postmaster general had the exclusive right to convey letters within the united kingdom. there could have been no possibility of carrying on the traffic in a clandestine manner, as it was wholesale in character, and comprised the correspondence of the most eminent merchants in london. on inquiry it was learned that one merchant alone sent one thousand letters by this means, and not one by the official packets, and the practice was universal.[ ] on the arrival of the american packets at new york, the letters for canada were deposited in the new york post office, and forwarded to the canadian border office in the united states mails, and thence to their destination. the postage by this course was very much less than by either of the other routes. it was made up of three factors: the ocean postage of four cents, the united states postage of nineteen or twenty-five cents--according to the point at which the canadian border was reached--and the inland canadian postage. the charge on a single letter to quebec was forty-seven cents instead of ninety-two cents, which would be due if sent by the packet route. to montreal, kingston, york and amherstburg, the postage on a letter from london or liverpool was thirty-one cents, forty-seven cents, forty-one cents and sixty-one cents, as against ninety-six cents, one dollar and four cents, one dollar and twelve cents and one dollar and twenty-four cents respectively. letters to york coming from new york had the advantage of a daily conveyance to lewiston, where the transfer to the canadian border office at queenstown was made, and of the lower charges which the united states post office imposed for long distances. these figures, the lowest then attainable, inevitably suggest comparisons. it is only a few years since good citizens were rejoicing that the postage rate between the mother country and canada was brought down from five cents to two cents a letter. here was a link of empire of daily utility. communication could be kept up between the british immigrant and his friends at home without too heavy a draft on slender purses. his heart would remain british, and as he prospered he would induce others of his friends and neighbours to come over and settle. a glance backward will show how little these agencies of empire were able to effect in our grandfather's time. the lowest possible postage charge from london to york fifty years ago was forty-one cents, and that would carry no more than one sheet of paper weighing less than an ounce. if within the folds of this sheet were found another piece of paper no larger than a postage stamp, the charge of conveyance from new york to york was doubled, and with the ocean postage of four cents, the poor immigrant would have to pay seventy-eight cents for his letter. if the letter weighed an ounce, that is, if it were such a letter as would pass anywhere within the british empire for four cents, the charge for it coming from london to york would be one dollar and fifty-two cents. finally, if this ounce letter were sent by the all-red route, that is by the british packet to halifax and thence over british soil to york, the postage charge would be four dollars and forty-eight cents. imperial sentiment must have rivalled wit in economy of expression in those days. while the british post office was unwilling to encourage the use of the united states mails for the conveyance of letters between canada and great britain, it was anxious to put the british packet service on a better footing. but the service had been going from bad to worse, and it had reached a stage where it satisfied nobody. of the three points to which mails were carried--halifax, new york and bermuda--the last named always held the position of advantage during the winter. until the winter of the packet called first at bermuda, leaving canadian mails there, and continuing on to new york. at the beginning of the winter of a change was made.[ ] the packet sailed to bermuda, put off the united states mails there, and sailed northward to halifax, omitting new york. the united states mails were conveyed by mail boat from bermuda to annapolis, maryland. this scheme remedied none of the defects of its predecessor, and brought with it the additional disadvantage that it cut off all direct connection between the british minister at washington, and the governors of the british colonies. the secretary of the post office in explaining the arrangements to the postmaster general washed his hands of all responsibility for them. he declared that the plan originated with the admiralty, and was sanctioned by the foreign and colonial secretaries as a practical measure. the postmaster general on reviewing the correspondence was not surprised at the general dissatisfaction, and was glad that the arrangements could not be laid at the door of the post office. the ocean mail service was beyond the control of the deputy postmaster general of canada. the postal relations with the united states were not, and he exerted himself to improve these. a hardship under which canadian merchants doing business with the united states laboured was that they had to pay the postage on all their letters as far as the united states border. it will be difficult to-day to see wherein the grievance of the early canadian merchants lay. but at that time the postage was a considerable item in every transaction, and the merchant could not afford to disregard it. when he sold a bill of goods to a customer in the united states, he was obliged to throw on the customer the burden of the postage on the correspondence relating to the goods, and the only sure way of doing this was to post the letters unpaid, and leave the customer to pay the postage on the delivery of the letters. if he had to pay from eight to twenty cents which were required to take each single letter as far as the border, he was apt to lose this sum. to protect themselves the canadian merchants used to employ private messengers to carry their letters as far as the nearest post office in the united states, and post them there. from this united states office the letters would go to their destination without pre-payment. sutherland informed the postmaster general that some of the leading mercantile houses in canada sent hundreds of letters into the united states by private hand.[ ] the united states merchant selling goods in canada stood in a better position as regards his correspondence. he was able to post his letters for canada unpaid, and the letter came into canada and went to its destination, where the person addressed paid the postage on delivery of the letter. this was made possible by an arrangement between the deputy postmaster general of canada, and the post office department at washington, by which the former undertook to collect and pay over to the latter the share of the postage which was due to the united states department, receiving twenty per cent. for his trouble. the arrangement was a purely private one, for which sutherland did not feel called upon to account to the general post office. what he desired was that there should be some postmaster in the united states who would act as agent for the collection of canadian postage on letters entering the united states from canada, and he found the postmaster of swanton, vermont, quite willing to act in this capacity. as swanton was the united states post office through which all correspondence passed from lower canada into the united states, the postmaster was well situated for this duty. the only difficulty was about the commission of twenty per cent., which would have to be paid to the postmaster as compensation. it was necessary to obtain the consent of the british post office to this arrangement, as the deputy postmaster general had no power to make abatements in the postage due to canada, without the authority of the postmaster general. but this consent the postmaster general was not disposed to give.[ ] besides the objection that the canadian post office would receive only eighty per cent. of the postage due on letters going to the united states, the secretary suggested to the postmaster general that it would seem inadvisable, politically, to encourage unlimited correspondence between all sorts of persons in the two countries, without possibility of restriction or of learning (should it be necessary) with whom any particular person was in correspondence. indeed, the secretary had his doubts as to the legality of the arrangement by which sutherland acted as agent for the collection of the united states postage on letters coming from that country into canada. the rates of postage, said he, are distinctly specified in various acts of parliament, and the canadian post office had no power to demand more than the sum required by the statutes. if it were thought advisable to have canadian postmasters collect united states postage, a new legislative provision would have to be made, which would lead to similar applications from other countries, and the result would be confusion and loss of revenue. whatever might have been the consequence of a strict interpretation of the law, as intimated by the postmaster general, the deputy postmaster general did not discontinue the convenient, and, to him, profitable practice of providing for the transmission of unpaid letters from the united states addressed to canada. so far from that, sutherland improved on this arrangement. at the solicitation of canadian merchants, he obtained the consent of the united states department to having british mails, landed at new york, passed on to canada without being held for the united states postage. the postage due for the conveyance of the letters through the united states was collected by the deputy postmaster general, and transmitted by him to washington, and the delays incident to having this work done in the united states were avoided.[ ] on the th of february, , a memorial[ ] was addressed to the british government by the marquess of ormonde, the knight of kerry and simon mcgillivray, proposing to establish communication between great britain and the british north american colonies by steam vessels, and asking for the exclusive privilege of providing such a service for fourteen years. at this time steamboats were in pretty general use in the inland and coastal waters of great britain, united states and canada, but nothing had up to this time been done to demonstrate that it would be practicable to cross the atlantic by a steamboat. in , a sailing vessel, the "savannah," fitted up with a boiler and engine and provided with a pair of paddles which could be hauled on deck at will, started from savannah, georgia, for liverpool. the voyage occupied twenty-seven days. only for three days and eight hours was the "savannah" under steam. there was nothing in this experiment to induce the conviction that steam could be successfully employed as a means of propulsion on the transatlantic service, and as a matter of fact the machinery was removed from the "savannah" on her return to her american port, and she spent the rest of a short existence as an ordinary sailing vessel between new york and savannah. lord ormonde and his associates were convinced of the practicability of steam navigation across the atlantic, but to make an enterprise of that kind a success, they would have to satisfy the public on the point, and this would involve a large outlay. in asking for a fourteen years' monopoly, they argued that their proposition would not produce the ordinary ill-effects of a monopoly, as any tendency they might exhibit towards excessive charges would be held in check by sailing vessels, and by steamships, which would inevitably be run between the united states and ports on the continent of europe. the proposed line was to consist of six vessels, three of tons, and three of tons, which would make their way across the atlantic in pairs, one large and one small steamer. the vessels would sail together between valentia, ireland, and halifax, nova scotia. on arrival at halifax, the vessels would separate, one going to new york and the other to quebec. when the two vessels reached valentia on the voyage home, one would proceed to glasgow, and the other to bristol. the memorial was not entertained, and the project dropped. sutherland, in his personal relations, showed much more tact than heriot; and in the controversies which arose between him and the colonial legislatures, sutherland contrived to range himself on the side of the governors, thus making the post office one of the matters of which the ultra-british parties undertook the defence against the attacks of the radicals. but the situation of the deputy postmaster general was too difficult for him to secure unalloyed success. the various interests he had to serve, and, as far as possible, to reconcile, were too antagonistic for complete success. on the one side was a country being settled rapidly and clamouring for postal service in all directions. on the other stood the general post office fixed in its determination that its profits should not be diminished, and scanning anxiously every fresh item of expenditure. any serious inclination in one direction was sure to arouse resentment in the other. a curious instance of this occurred in , three years after sutherland had taken office. a number of merchants and others in montreal appointed a committee to wait on the deputy postmaster general with a memorial containing an expression of their opinions and desires respecting the postal service in canada. the post office in montreal it was urged had become unsuitable as regards site and space for the accommodation of the public, and the assistance employed by the postmaster was unequal to the requirements of an efficient service. the communications with the united states, upper canada and within the province, should be increased in frequency, and an interchange of mails should be opened with the genesee and other settlements in new york state by way of prescott and ogdensburg. the memorialists also desired that letters might be sent to the united states without prepayment of postage. sutherland, in his reply to the memorial, dealt with the committee with an engaging frankness.[ ] he was well aware, he said, that the accommodation in montreal post office was inadequate, but what was to be done? the postmaster had only £ a year salary, and out of that he had to pay office rent and stationery. it was not to be wondered at, that the postmaster endeavoured to economize in every way possible. he, himself, had on more than one occasion advised the postmaster general of the necessity for greater clerical help, but so far without the desired effect. only the year before, sutherland told the memorialists, he had submitted to the postmaster general with his strongest recommendation, a petition from the postmaster of montreal for increased salary and assistance, but the petition was refused. as for the increase in the frequency of the communications it was beyond his power to authorize such an expenditure. he had done his best on two recent occasions to induce the postmaster general to allow letters to go into the united states without the prepayment of postage, but was told that british postage must be paid on letters going into foreign states. the memorial and sutherland's reply were transmitted to the general post office. there they excited much indignation. freeling, the secretary, in a minute to the postmaster general, professed his inability to understand whether this unreserved disclosure of sutherland's proceeded merely from indiscretion or from some other motive. the postmaster general was, in effect, accused of inattention and supineness in the discharge of his duties. his decisions were placed in the most invidious light before the inhabitants of montreal. indeed the whole circumstance had to freeling the air of an understanding between sutherland and the committee. the postmaster general was equally indignant, and ordered sutherland's dismissal. but, as so often happened, freeling changed his attitude, urging a number of countervailing circumstances against this extreme measure, and the postmaster general, who appeared to do little more than to convert the opinions and suggestions which freeling so humbly submitted into departmental decisions, concurred in this recommendation.[ ] in , sutherland met with a serious financial loss. the postmaster at montreal became a defaulter to the extent of £ . sutherland took action against the postmaster's sureties, but owing to informalities his suit was thrown out. he appealed to the general post office, alleging that the reason of his non-suit was its failure to answer certain questions which he had put to the postmaster general. the appeal was not allowed. in , sutherland retired owing to ill-health, and was succeeded by his son-in-law, thomas allen stayner, the last and, in some respects, the most distinguished of the representatives of the british post office in canada. footnotes: [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _can. arch._, c. , p. . [ ] _memoir of g. j. mountain, d.d._, montreal, , p. . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] c. f. grece, _facts and observations respecting canada_, london, , p. . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _quebec almanac_, , and _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, ii. [ ] _quebec gazette_, july , . [ ] record office, _admiralty-secretary in letters_, bundle . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _ibid._ [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, c. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _memorandum of w.b. felton_, october (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, ii.). [ ] at the inquiry respecting hill's proposition for penny postage, the assistant secretary of the general post office stated that the american packet, which sailed from england every ten days, carried letters each voyage, which did not pass through the post office (_life of sir rowland hill_, by george birkbeck hill, i. ). [ ] _can. arch._, g.p.o., br. p.o. transcripts, ii. [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _ibid._, q. , p. . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _ibid._, ii. chapter viii postal conditions in upper canada--serious abuses--agitation for provincial control. to those who have followed the course of events thus far, noting the uncompromising attitude of the general post office towards all propositions for the extension of the postal system in canada, it will be obvious that a struggle for the means of communication impended, which the rapid growth of the country was fast precipitating. the general post office claimed that it, and it alone, had power to establish a postal service in any part of the country, and it used its arrogated powers in the same manner as any commercial monopoly would be exercised. post offices were opened in all the better settled parts of the country, where they could be operated profitably. they were refused in the newer districts, unless satisfactory guarantees were given that there would be no loss in working them. a population was coming into the country rapidly, and was tending towards the inland parts of the province far from the line of post offices which skirted the shores of the st. lawrence and lake ontario, and the situation was becoming embarrassing, as well as humiliating to the sensitive pride of the people. it was easy enough to open post offices on the route pursued by the mail courier from the eastern boundary of the province to niagara. but it was frequently expensive to open new routes, and the provincial government of upper canada was disinclined to give guarantees against loss on particular routes, while it had evidence that considerable profits were being taken from the older routes, and sent to the general post office in london. just how acute the position of matters was becoming will be clear from a survey of the distribution of population in upper canada at this time, with a view of the post offices provided for the accommodation of the several parts. we are able to throw out our sketch of the state of settlement in upper canada, by employing the results of the census of . the total population of the province in was , , of whom , were in the western district, that is, west of york. between the eastern boundary of the province and york, there were twenty-six post offices. four of these--perth, lanark, richmond and hawkesbury--served inland settlements, the nearest of which was over twenty-five miles from the st. lawrence. the line of settlements which these four offices served was scattered over a territory over one hundred miles in length, and from twenty to thirty in width. it comprised a population of , . the remaining twenty-two offices, east of york, were, with one exception, situated on the shores of the river st. lawrence and lake ontario. each afforded accommodation to a district about fourteen miles in length, and between twenty and thirty miles in depth. the mails were carried twice a week over this route. these arrangements gave a fair service to the settlements through which the couriers passed, but they compared meanly with the daily service from new york to buffalo, on the other side of lake ontario. but it was the inland settlements west of york that had most reason to complain of the lack of facilities for communication. the niagara peninsula, embracing the territory between lake ontario and lake erie, and lying west of a line dropped perpendicularly from hamilton to lake erie, contained a population of , , distributed with fair evenness over a stretch of country forty-five miles in length, and from twenty-five to thirty in breadth. the people of this district were served by four offices on its northern border--dundas, grimsby, st. catherines and niagara--and one office--queenstown--on its eastern border. although there were settlements in every part of the district, there was not a single post office within it on the lake erie shore, or, indeed, anywhere farther inland than three miles from the shore of lake ontario, or of the niagara river. poorly provided as the niagara district was, the people living in it had less ground for grievance in respect of post office facilities than the settlers in the london district. this district was an immense irregular block made up of the counties of middlesex, oxford, brant, norfolk and elgin. it measured eighty miles in length, and from forty to fifty miles in depth. it contained in a population of , , which, as in the other districts, was distributed through every part. this great district had but five post offices in it, one in each county. the two offices on the lake erie shore--vittoria and port talbot--were sixty miles apart; while the three offices--burford, woodstock and delaware--were twenty miles from lake erie. as illustrating the difficulty of moving the general post office to recognize the responsibility, which its claims of a monopoly seemed to impose on it, dr. rolph, who represented the county of middlesex in the house of assembly, stated[ ] that before the post office was opened at delaware, he had made application to the deputy postmaster general for a post office in middlesex county, and was told that the office would be established in the county if he would guarantee the expenses of the conveyance of the mails, but that his application could not be considered on any other terms. as individual effort was plainly hopeless, the subject was taken up by the house of assembly of upper canada. the house dealt with the question vigorously, but not on the lines suggested by the foregoing review of the state of the postal service. more serious aspects of the case engaged their attention. men on the streets and in farm houses believed that they were victims of imposition on the part of the deputy postmaster general, and that he was charging them more for the conveyance of their letters than the imperial statutes warranted, high as the legitimate charges were. discussion on these grievances brought the people forward to another point, and they asked themselves by what right the british government imposed on a self-governing community an institution like the post office, which not only fixed its charges without reference to the people of upper canada, but which insisted on preventing the people from establishing an institution of the same sort under their own authority. it was to these questions that the house of assembly addressed itself. the rates of postage which were charged in canada, were collected under the authority of an act of the imperial parliament passed in . this act amended the act of queen anne's reign, which was regarded as the charter of the post office in british america. the rates, as fixed by the act of , were, for a single sheet of paper weighing less than an ounce, fourpence-halfpenny currency, if the distance the letter was carried did not exceed sixty miles; if the distance were from sixty to one hundred miles, the charge was sevenpence; from one hundred to two hundred miles, ninepence, and for every one hundred miles beyond two hundred miles, twopence. the first inquiry of the house was as to whether these rates, and no more, were charged for conveyance in upper canada. on february , , william allan, postmaster of york, was called to the bar of the house, and questioned as to the rates charged by him for letters to the several post offices in upper canada. allan did not know the distance to the post offices, but he furnished the table of rates which had been given to him. the house asked one of its members, mahlon burwell, a land surveyor, to state the several distances, when it appeared that every rate charged by the postmaster of york, was higher than the imperial act warranted.[ ] thus the legal charge on a letter to dundas was fourpence-halfpenny. the charge made by the postmaster of york was sevenpence. on letters to grimsby, st. catharines, niagara and queenston, the legal charge was sevenpence--allan charged tenpence. amherstburg, which was at the western limit of the province, was between two hundred and three hundred miles from york, and the charge should have been elevenpence. instead of this sixteen pence was charged. so far the house had made out its case, and on the following day it adopted a resolution that for several years past the rates of postage charged in upper canada had exceeded the charges authorized by law, and that the lieutenant governor should be requested to submit the question to the imperial authorities for a remedy. peregrine maitland, the lieutenant governor, did as he was requested, and, when the resolution came before the postmaster general in england, freeling, the secretary of the general post office, admitted, in reply[ ] to the postmaster general's request for information, that the rates in british north america were regulated by the imperial act of , but he held that there were other circumstances to be considered. freeling did not know whether the ordinary rates would produce sufficient revenue to cover the expenses of the service. if not, then he would refer the postmaster general to a letter written by general hunter, the lieutenant governor in , which contained an undertaking on the part of the lieutenant governor that, in case there was a deficit, the amount of the shortage would be made good either from the contingencies of the province, or by a vote of the legislature. freeling would call upon the deputy postmaster general in canada to report whether the legal postage would be equal to the expense. if so, there was no reason to require the province to grant any aid. this explanation, like so many which had to be made at that period, lacked the essential element of sincerity. hunter's engagement was to make good deficits, not by allowing illegal postal charges to be made, but by withdrawing the amount of the deficit from the provincial treasury. this was a point on which freeling himself insisted on several occasions. in sir gordon drummond's time, there was an application from the military authorities for a more frequent service between kingston and montreal, which was coupled with an offer to pay such extra postage as would be necessary to cover the cost of the service desired. freeling declared that such an offer could not be accepted, unless the additional charges were sanctioned by the british parliament.[ ] another case, involving the same principle, arose about this time. sutherland, the deputy postmaster general, desired to facilitate the interchange of correspondence with the united states, and reported to the postmaster general that he had arranged to have the american postage on letters coming from the united states to canada collected by postmasters in canada, at the same time as they collected the canadian postage. freeling objected to this arrangement as of doubtful legality, on the ground that the act of prescribed the amount which postmasters should take on every letter, and it might be necessary to amend the act to permit this scheme.[ ] the house of assembly, however, did not wait for the answer to their remonstrance. in the following session they gave themselves up to the consideration of the more vital questions, as to "how far the present system is sanctioned by law, and whether and in what manner the same can be beneficially altered." this was not the first occasion on which the right of the british post office to collect postage in canada was called in question. governor simcoe, in ,[ ] assumed it as indisputable that, when a postal system was established in upper canada, it would be under the control of the legislature, unless the british government by express enactment, retained the management of it in the hands of the british post office, paying over to the local government all surplus revenues arising therefrom. the question was not decided at that time, and it was only when the course pursued by the general post office was so unsatisfactory to canadians that it was again raised. a committee was appointed in , to investigate the subject with dr. w. w. baldwin as chairman. on december the report was laid before the assembly.[ ] the committee had little help from the post office in pursuit of its inquiries. the only official available, the postmaster of york, was examined, but whether from unwillingness or want of knowledge, he contributed little information to the inquiry. allan stated that he was appointed by the deputy postmaster general under his hand and seal. he occasionally received instructions from the deputy postmaster general, but had no idea as to the authority under which the latter acted. he had never been referred to any particular statute for his guidance, and, indeed, the postage on letters within the province had been charged at arbitrary rates, which were fixed by the deputy postmaster general. some valuable information respecting the revenue of his office was submitted by allan, which completely disproved the intimation of the secretary of the general post office, that the offices in that part of the country were conducted at a loss. the post office at york yielded an annual revenue of between £ and £ , which was remitted to the deputy postmaster general at quebec. the committee found it impracticable to call the postmasters of the more distant offices, but having regard to all the circumstances, they were satisfied that there was remitted each year to the deputy postmaster general at quebec an amount exceeding £ , of which perhaps ten per cent. or eleven per cent. was foreign postage collected in canada, and, therefore, due to great britain or the united states. next the committee addressed themselves to the question as to how this surplus was disposed of, which, after deducting the amount owing to the other postal administrations was probably more than £ . allan believed, though he was unable to give it as a fact, that the money was passed over to london. what was beyond doubt, however, was that this revenue in no way inured to the benefit of upper canada. assuming, as the committee felt they might safely do, that the surplus from canada was made part of the revenue of the general post office in london, the committee then sought to ascertain how the revenue of the general post office was dealt with, and whether any part of it was employed for the benefit of the colonies. the post office acts of [ ] and [ ] made this point clear. it appeared that after certain deductions had been made for pensions, the revenue of the post office was applied in various specified ways to the service of great britain, the postal rates being avowedly levied for raising the necessary supplies, and for making a permanent addition to the public revenue. the committee could find no instance in which any part of the post office revenues was devoted to the use of the colonies. taking it, then, as established that a sum exceeding £ was raised each year in upper canada as profit from its post office, and that this sum was applied, not for the benefit of upper canada, but for the purposes of the public service in great britain, the committee next turned its attention to the laws bearing on the situation. there was an act passed in [ ] in the hope of staying the rising rebellion in the american colonies entitled "an act for removing all doubts and apprehensions concerning taxation by the parliament of great britain in any of the colonies and plantations in north america and the west indies." it declared that the king and parliament would not impose any duty, tax or assessment whatever, payable in any of the colonies in north america or the west indies, except any such duties as it might be expedient to impose for the regulation of commerce. but although the collection of such duties should be made by officials of the british government, it was not intended that the proceeds should go into the british treasury; for it was provided that the net produce from them should be paid over to the colony in which they were levied, to form part of the general revenue of such colony. this seems sufficiently explicit, but that there might be no doubt as to the applicability of the provisions of this act to the provinces of canada, they were expressly incorporated in the constitutional act of , which was the charter under which the provinces of upper and lower canada were established. as in the act of , there was reserved to the british parliament, in the general interest of the empire, the power to make laws for the regulation of commerce, but there was also the same stipulation that the proceeds from such laws should be applied to the use of the province in which the taxes were levied, and in any manner the legislature of the province might think fit. applying the acts of and to the circumstances of the case in hand, the committee were of opinion that the collection of postage could not be regarded as a regulation of commerce, and as such within the scope of imperial legislation. but even if it should appear that they were wrong in this opinion, and that the british government had the power to set up a post office in upper canada with the exclusive right to carry letters within the province, there was one thing the british government could not properly do. while the constitutional act of remained unrepealed, the british government could not take the net produce from the post office in upper canada, and use it as part of the general revenue of great britain. having satisfied themselves that, however strong the grounds might be on which the postmaster general of england had proceeded in establishing a post office in canada, they could not prevail against the acts which have been considered, the committee next gave their attention to inquiring what those grounds might be, and how far they would bear out the pretensions of the postmaster general. the two acts, which it seemed to the committee the postmaster general would most likely depend upon, were the acts of and of . the act of , which was the charter for the post office in british america, was dismissed from consideration as not even by its own provisions applying to the colony of canada, and as annulled so far as concerned any of the colonies by the act of , and as regards canada by the constitutional act of . the second of the two acts--that of --repealed all the rates of postage enacted by the act of , and fixed new rates for great britain, but made no mention of new colonial rates. hence, since , there had been no colonial postage rates having the sanction of law, and the committee concluded that the colonies were designedly omitted, when the rates for great britain were fixed by the act of , for the reason that the act of supervened, which made it illegal for the british parliament to impose a tax on a colony for the financial benefit of great britain. the committee admitted that it was a matter for argument whether the unrepealed parts of the act of might not be held applicable to canada, but conceding the whole argument on this point, the utmost power remaining in the act was to authorize the establishment of a postal system in canada. all power to fix the postal charges was taken away by the act of . as for the act of , which established a scale of rates, by no liberality of construction could it be made to apply to canada, because the act of was against it, and the constitutional act of was against it, and the fact that the revenues to be raised by the act were to be appropriated to the purposes of the united kingdom made it illegal for the postmaster general to enforce it in the province. there were other acts passed by the imperial parliament affecting the postage rates, but an examination of these disclosed no intention to make the acts operative in the colonies. rates were fixed for conveyance in the united kingdom, and to and from the colonies in america, but nothing was said as to the rates within the colonies. it was quite clear to the committee, therefore, that the only acts, which by any possibility could be made applicable to the colonies, were inoperative in the canadas. the committee clinched the argument by a survey of the laws passed by the british parliament, levying taxes on the colonies. they showed that whenever such taxes were imposed, the proceeds were never applied to the purposes of the united kingdom, but always to the use of the colony concerned. there was an act passed in imposing duties on the sugar plantations. the revenue was devoted to the protection of their trade. the quebec revenue act of [ ] was the other case. this act imposed duties on rum, brandy, and other liquors coming into the province, and employed the proceeds for the establishment of a fund to aid in defraying the charges of the administration of justice and of the civil government in the province of quebec. it was clear, then, that the acts of and contained no new principle, but were simply declaratory of the steady policy of the british government as disclosed by a review of its earlier practice; and everything combined to satisfy the committee that the legislature of the mother country never contemplated the raising of a tax by inland postage in the colony of upper canada. the committee concluded by submitting for the acceptance of the house a resolution to the effect that the present system of public posts for the conveyance of letters within the province had grown into use without the sanction of law, and that a bill should be introduced establishing public posts and fixing the rates of postage on letters and packets for the purpose of raising a permanent revenue, applicable solely to the improvement of the roads throughout the province. the proposition of the assembly was thoroughly conservative. it was simply that the profits from the post office should be devoted to improving the means by which the post office was carried on. settlements were springing up in all parts of the province which reason and policy made it necessary to connect with the more central districts, and it was only proper that the profits arising from the system should be used for improving and extending it. at this period and for a long time afterwards the roads throughout the province were in a wretched condition. one of the principal mail contractors informed a committee of the house in , that all the main roads in the province were very bad, and that those in the neighbourhood of york were bringing discredit on the inhabitants. the deputy postmaster general informed the same committee that he had just been advised that the contractors on the road from montreal to niagara had to swim their horses over some of the rivers on the route, the bridges having been carried away. peregrine maitland, the lieutenant governor of upper canada, forwarded the report of the committee of to the colonial office, with a letter in which he explained that what the legislature desired was to have the control of the provincial posts vested in them, or at least to have a deputy postmaster general for upper canada. with the latter request he fully sympathised, as he was convinced that a deputy postmaster general residing in quebec could not possibly appreciate the requirements of the rapidly rising communities, situated so far from his headquarters. the lieutenant governor shared the opinion of the legislature that it was contrary to the acts of and to send remittances from canada to england, but he did not believe that the legislature would have concerned themselves with the subject, if the post office authorities had provided a satisfactory service. at the general post office in london the report was turned over to the solicitor with directions to prepare a case for submission to the law officers of the crown. the law officers were requested to give their opinion as to whether the postmaster general of the united kingdom had the right to control and manage the internal posts in the provinces of north america, and, if so, whether the proceeds derived from the inland conveyance of letters in north america ought to be paid into the exchequer of the united kingdom or whether they ought to be applied to the use of the province from which they were taken. but the case as prepared did not reach the law officers. the postmaster general had the good sense to see that his case was precarious, and he did not care to risk an adverse decision. freeling, accordingly, wrote to maitland,[ ] admitting that the postal transactions of upper and lower canada together showed a small surplus, but he inclined to the view that the share of upper canada in the surplus must be very small. a number of post offices had been opened in upper canada and the impression in the general post office was that they were unprofitable. if, as maitland had intimated, the wishes of upper canada would be satisfied by the appointment of a separate deputy postmaster general for upper canada, the postmaster general, freeling informed the governor, would make no difficulty on the point, but would naturally select for the position one of the more experienced officers such as the postmaster of york or of kingston. in the meantime, while the report of was being discussed by the secretary of the post office and the lieutenant governor, the members of the assembly were endeavouring to procure further information to strengthen the position they had taken. they desired to learn definitely the amount which was sent to london as postal revenue. the postmaster of york could tell them little beyond the transactions of his own office, but the contribution from that office made it clear that the revenue from the whole province must be considerable. no information could be obtained by direct inquiry of the deputy postmaster general, but it was thought that the post office would not refuse to answer a question on the subject asked by a member of parliament. a question was accordingly put in the house of commons in , but freeling informed the representative of the post office[ ] in the house of commons that the information should not be given, as the provinces were manifesting a disposition to interfere with the internal posts, and to appropriate their revenues to their own purposes, instead of allowing them to flow into the exchequer of the united kingdom. the maintenance of the packet service, he declared to be of the greatest political importance, as ensuring despatches against passing through foreign hands. the course pursued by the post office under the influence of freeling was in no way creditable to it. at a time when it was making grudging admissions that there was a small profit from the canadian post offices, there was being sent over to london from the two provinces a sum exceeding £ a year, an amount which, wisely spent, would have been a considerable contribution to the road fund of the provinces. the packet, the importance of which freeling emphasized, was scarcely of any utility to the people of the canadas. the service by the packets was so slow and expensive that it was not employed at all for commercial or social correspondence, the merchants in london and liverpool using exclusively the lines of sailing vessels running between liverpool and new york. but freeling was obstinate and often disingenuous in maintaining his view that it was proper that the surplus revenues from the provincial post offices should be turned into the british exchequer. the disinclination of the general post office to discuss the question of the colonial post office was not likely to suppress the subject for long. the assembly of upper canada had too strong a case. the political grievances from which the province was suffering were bringing into the political life of upper canada a group of men to voice the general dissatisfaction with the state of affairs, and so undeniable an abuse could not remain unexploited. the house, which adopted the resolution of , was on the whole favourable to the lieutenant governor and his advisers. the succeeding house, which was elected in , contained a majority opposed to the government. this fact did not, however, lead to the overthrow of the lieutenant governor's advisers. they were his own choice and were in no sense responsible to the house. it was not until sixteen years later that responsible government, as now understood, was established in canada. the turn of affairs in , which placed the control of the house in the hands of the opponents of the government had its effect on the attitude of the parties towards the provincial post office. in , the lieutenant governor cordially supported the views of the house, and did what he could to make them prevail with the postmaster general. in , when the post office grievance was brought up for discussion, the lieutenant governor's party upheld the position taken by the postmaster general in england. the consequence was that, for the opposition, the post office was but one more of the many matters calling for redress, while for the government party it was another element in the burden which they had to sustain in their resistance to reform. in the beginning of , william lyon mackenzie presented a petition to the house of assembly to have the affairs of the post office investigated. mackenzie, who had come to upper canada in , was engaged in business until , when, impressed with the various political abuses from which the country was suffering, he abandoned what had every appearance of a successful career, and gave himself to agitation. he established a newspaper--_the colonial advocate_--in , and in secured a seat in the house of assembly. these vehicles of publicity he employed in ceaseless attacks on the governing clique, which from the intimacy of the ties binding its members together was known as the family compact, and became the principal actor in the abortive rebellion of . the post office as then managed incurred his unremitting hostility. a committee was appointed having as chairman captain john matthews, who represented the county of middlesex along with dr. rolph, subsequently one of the leaders of rebellion in . matthews was a retired army officer, who entertained advanced political views, which were irritating to the lieutenant governor. he was later on made to feel the lieutenant governor's resentment for his opposition. as chairman of the committee matthews reported on the th of march, ,[ ] that it was in evidence that there were abuses which would be remedied, if the post offices in the province were, as they should be, under the control and supervision of the legislature. the committee found that there were many populous districts, in which post offices were much required; that many postmasters performed their duties indifferently, letters and newspapers being opened and read before being delivered; and that complaints to the deputy postmaster general had no appreciable effect. the mail bags, the committee also discovered, were often filled with goods, having nothing to do with the post office, to the injury of contractors as well as of the post office revenues. editors of newspapers, it was also ascertained, suffered from the hardship of having to pay the postage on their newspapers in advance, and the committee recommended that the postage on newspapers should be collected as the postage on letters was, from those who received the newspapers. letters on public business should, in the opinion of the committee, be carried free of postage; and the surplus revenue should be expended on the public roads and bridges which were in a deplorable state. the final conclusion of the committee was that the provincial legislature should take on itself the entire management of the post office, even though this should involve some temporary expense. it was not anticipated that such would be the case, but in any event the deficits would be of short duration. in the following session-- --the post office was again discussed. this time the discussion was on a motion of charles fothergill to take into consideration the state of the province. fothergill was king's printer, and had been postmaster of port hope. he was dismissed from the post office for his criticism of the administration, and was soon to be deprived of the office of king's printer, on account of his advocacy of measures distasteful to the lieutenant governor. fothergill in his attack on the post office,[ ] had the advantages of experience, and of some inside knowledge. arguing from the revenue of port hope, he declared his belief that the sum remitted to london each year could not be less than £ , , and that the business was increasing so rapidly that in a few years the surplus revenue from the post office would pay the whole expenses of civil government in the province. some of the postmasters, fothergill complained, acted with much insolence towards those not in favour with the government. their newspapers were thrown about. their letters were handed to them open. the mails were often opened in public bar rooms. sutherland, the deputy postmaster general, had admitted to fothergill that he was ignorant of the geography of the province, which was a strong reason for the appointment of a resident deputy postmaster general. fothergill's great objection to the existing arrangements was that they were unconstitutional, and that the tax on newspapers was so oppressive as to check their circulation. to test the feeling of the house fothergill offered a resolution declaring that the acts of and were part of the constitution of the province. john beverly robinson, the attorney general, traversed fothergill's statements, and desired the house to take satisfaction from the fact that all the other colonies sent their surplus post office revenues to the general post office, without remonstrance. he did not believe that any large sum was sent from canada. indeed, freeling told him (what was quite untrue) that the canadian post office was a burden on the home department. fothergill was supported by rolph, and also by bidwell, one of the leaders of the opposition, and afterwards speaker of the house. rolph recalled that the postmasters who had appeared before the committee testified that the provincial post office was a remunerative institution. he was satisfied that it could not be otherwise, as he had learned by experience that a post office, however much required, would not be opened until the deputy postmaster general was guaranteed against any loss which might arise. but even if the post office could be shown to be unproductive, he would propose to take it off the hands of the mother country while it was a burden to her, and not to wait until it began to be profitable. rolph moved an address to the king affirming that the present system was being carried on contrary to the act of , an act which was held by the house to be a fundamental part of the constitution of the province; that a well-regulated post office, responsible to the constituted authorities of the province, and extended in the number of its establishments would tend to correct and prevent abuses which were found to exist under the present system, would facilitate commercial intercourse, promote the diffusion of knowledge and would eventually become an important branch of the provincial revenue. the assembly therefore begged, with many expressions of loyalty and gratitude, that the control and emoluments of the post office so far as they concerned the province might be conceded to them. there was some opposition to rolph's motion. eventually the address was adopted by a vote of nineteen to five. the address, which it will be recalled had originated with the opposition, was laid before the colonial office under very different circumstances from those attending the report of . on that occasion, the memorial was brought to the foot of the throne with the good wishes of both the government and the legislature. it was accompanied by a letter from the lieutenant governor, commending it to the favourable consideration of the home authorities. the address of was also accompanied by a letter[ ] from the lieutenant governor, but so far from commending it, the purpose of the letter was to suggest an answer confuting the arguments of the assembly. dealing first with the allegation of the assembly that the postage charges were a tax, and as such repugnant to the act of , maitland recalled franklin's contention before the british house of commons in , that postage duty was not a tax, but rather a consideration for a service performed, and exacted only from those who chose to avail themselves of that service. assuming, as the governor did, that the revolted colonies generally acquiesced in the justice of franklin's view, while objecting to other duties as unconstitutional, he could not see on what valid grounds the legislature rested its case. this reasoning is directly the opposite of the view expressed by the lieutenant governor in . he then gave it as his opinion that the acts of and made it illegal for the canadian post office to make remittances to london of surplus revenue, but that the matter would not have been noticed in the province, if a satisfactory service had been given by the deputy postmaster general. indeed, maitland left no doubt that his real opinion was unchanged, for he went on to intimate that he would not depend upon franklin's argument, if it could be shown that there was any considerable surplus from the postal operations in upper canada. the lieutenant governor enjoyed his little excursions among the statutes, however, and although the postmaster general had the benefit of the advice of the law officers of the crown, sir peregrine did not scruple to take on himself the rôle of legal adviser of the general post office. even if the duties were declared to be a tax within the meaning of the act of , since the duties were collected under the amendment of to the act of which was anterior to the act of , maitland argued that it was questionable whether their collection could be regarded as a violation of the act of . but there was one person to whom this gratuitous argument carried no conviction, and that was the propounder of it himself. he would still hark back to his underlying idea, and intimated his persuasion that the british government had no desire to raise a revenue from the colonies through the post office, and suggested that if it could be shown that the post office yielded a large revenue after paying the charges, the government would be prepared to reduce the rates or to place the surplus at the disposal of the colony. although the assembly stated that it would be desirable in the interests of the province to have the post office under the control of its legislature, the lieutenant governor believed that the preponderance of the better opinion, whether in or out of the assembly, would be found opposed to that proposition. it would be impossible to carry on an independent system in an inland province, and the attempt to do so would involve the colony in heavy expenditure. the lieutenant governor discredited entirely the allegations that there were abuses in the service, and he had much reason for thinking that sutherland, the deputy postmaster general, discharged his duties to the general satisfaction of the public. maitland's letter, which bears all the marks of having been written by the attorney general, beverly robinson, is a capital illustration of the vicious circle of deception sometimes practised by persons having a common purpose with reference to a scheme. the official class in york, as well as the secretary of the general post office, desired to defeat the wishes of the house of assembly respecting the post office, the family compact group, because any victory gained by the house threatened the privileges enjoyed by that class; freeling, secretary of the post office, because it would diminish the revenues of which he was a most zealous guardian. freeling told the attorney general that the canadian post office was a burden on the revenues of the general post office, and the attorney general, accepting this statement, told the secretary that such being the case, the statutes on which the house of assembly relied were not applicable. the secretary's statement was demonstrably incorrect, but it furnished the foundation for the opinion which he desired, that the law did not require, nor did expediency suggest, the transfer to the upper canadian legislature of the control of the post office in that province. robinson wrote to freeling supporting the views of the lieutenant governor; and at the same time freeling received a letter from markland, a member of the executive and legislative council of upper canada, protesting against the attempt on the part of the assembly to interfere with the post office as the assumption of a right to which they had not the least pretension. the best-intentioned and the best-informed people in the province were against such interference. by way of parrying the demand of the assembly for control over the post office, markland suggested that it would be well to appoint a post office superintendent for the upper province. upper canada was entirely distinct from lower canada in all matters of government. the post office alone was subject to the control of a person, outside of the province, who never visited it. the people of upper canada were, he declared, energetic and enterprising, and immigration was coming in on a full tide. freeling considered this an important letter, and laid it before the postmaster general. the agitation in upper canada aroused a flutter of interest in london. when newspaper reports of the discussions in the house of assembly in december , reached st. martins-le-grand, they fell under the notice of the postmaster general, who was moved to ask freeling what it all meant. freeling replied that the accounts related to great disputes in canada as to the application of the rates of postage levied in that country, whether the rates should not be devoted to local purposes. at that time, freeling stated, the rates formed part of the consolidated fund. the colonial office and the treasury also made inquiries. the colonial office was informed that the revenues of upper and lower canada were blended, and that for seven years previous there had been a surplus from the two provinces which amounted on the average to £ a year.[ ] it was also pointed out that the estimated cost of the packet service was £ , a year. robinson,[ ] the chancellor of the exchequer, with whom freeling had an interview in october ,[ ] did not fall in with freeling's views quite as readily as the others had done. he expressed the opinion that canada's contention was in the main sound. the net revenue from the canadian post office ought in fairness to be applied to colonial purposes, not in the mode or on the principle put forward by the assembly, but under the direction of the home government. it should be in the nature of a civil list. freeling was alarmed at the chancellor's utterances, and reminded him that what was granted to canada could not be withheld from jamaica. the chancellor admitted this to be the case. freeling insisted that there could be no doubt as to the legality of the present practice, though he confessed that the law officers gave no opinion on the case prepared in . indeed, it had not been submitted to them, as lord chichester, the postmaster general, had an invincible reluctance to taking their opinion, and would not do so unless positively instructed by the government. then there were the packets. freeling could not let the opportunity pass of mentioning canada's obligations with respect to the packet service. he did not, however, endeavour to impose on the chancellor of the exchequer his view that the cost of this service should be set against canada's post office surplus. in his memorandum of the interview, freeling merely notes that the opinion between them inclined to the view that as the packets were maintained for the benefit of canada as well as of nova scotia, some part of the expense should be borne by canada. up to this point, the agitation against the post office was confined to upper canada, which indeed was the more aggressive province during the whole course of the dispute. in , however, the legislative assembly of lower canada took a hand in the controversy, contributing a strictly legal and even technical memorandum embodying an argument in favour of its contention that the colonies should participate with the united kingdom in the profits of the general post office.[ ] the memorandum pointed out that the act of queen anne established a general post office for, and throughout great britain and ireland, the colonies and plantations in north america and the west indies, and all other of her majesty's dominions and territories; and that of the duties arising by virtue of this act, £ a week were to be paid into the exchequer for public purposes in great britain. certain annuities and encumbrances charged on the postal revenues by earlier acts, were continued by the act of queen anne. when these charges amounting to £ , _s._ _d._, and the £ a week already mentioned were satisfied, one-third of the remaining surplus was reserved to the disposal of parliament "for the use of the public." the house of assembly argued that this act, which by later acts was declared to be in force in canada, applied to the people of england, ireland and colonies of north america and in the west indies. the word "public," therefore, being used without limitation, or qualification, could not signify exclusively the people of great britain and ireland, or of the colonies. on the contrary, being equally applicable to all who were within the purview of the act, it designated the people of all the dominions of the crown in which the postal revenue was to be levied. the statute thus carried on the face of it a parliamentary declaration that the colonies were entitled to a share of the post office revenues, and it enacted, by implication, that the amount of the share should be determined by parliament at some future period. here followed a novel and ingenious application of the statute of , which was enacted for the purpose of conciliating the colonies by conceding the point at issue between them and the mother country. the assembly stated that by this act it was declared that, for the peace and welfare of his majesty's dominions, the net produce of all duties, which after the passing of that act were imposed by parliament upon the colonies, should be applied to the use of the colony in which it is levied. unlike the assembly of upper canada, the assembly of lower canada did not maintain that the act of queen anne was annulled by the act of . it will be remembered that the british post office rested its claim to collect the colonial postages on queen anne's act with its amendments, while the upper canada assembly asserted that the act of , which was made part of the constitutional act of , deprived the british government of any right it formerly had to impose a tax on the colonies. the lower canadian house of assembly made another use of the act of . it submitted that, so far as postal revenues were concerned, it was the complement of the act of queen anne. the earlier act, in the view of the assembly, left the amounts of the shares of the postal revenues to which the colonies were entitled, to be determined by a future act of parliament, and the act of had this effect, if not in the letter, at least in its spirit; and consequently lower canada, as one of the colonies had a fair and equitable claim to the net produce of the post office revenue levied within the province, after deducting the expenses of the post office established therein. shortly before the house of assembly at york took into its consideration the question of the legality of the postal system in operation in upper canada, the home authorities were discussing a matter, which was a source of much embarrassment to the deputy postmaster general. the steamboats, which had been running since , between montreal and quebec, had so far improved that they outdistanced the mail couriers, who travelled on the shore of the river, and a great many letters were carried between the two towns by the steamers. the deputy postmaster general made provision for the conveyance of letters by steamers, by placing official letter boxes on the boats. he allowed the captains twopence for each letter they carried, and charged the public the regular postage rates. but the public paid little attention to the letter boxes. they simply threw their letters on a table in the cabin, and when the steamer reached its destination, those expecting letters sent down to the landing and got them, paying a small gratuity to the captain. moreover, in cases where the letters had been deposited in the letter boxes on the steamer, and were delivered by the captain at the post office, many of the people to whom the letters were addressed refused to pay the same charges as if the letters were conveyed by land, alleging that such charges were illegal. the deputy postmaster general laid the facts before his superiors in england in , asking for some document of an authoritative character, which, when published, would put a stop to the illegal practices. the solicitor of the post office to whom the matter was referred had no doubt that the acts complained of were illegal, and would render the offenders liable to penalties, if the practice were carried on in england, but he could not be sure that penalties for the infraction of the post office act could be recovered in canada. freeling, the secretary, thereupon made a suggestion[ ] which must have caused him some pain. the right of the post office to protect its monopoly was quite clear, and the natural course of the postmaster general would be to direct his deputy in canada to enforce the law. but as the legislatures had in several instances manifested an inclination to interfere with the internal posts, he recommended that, instead of taking proceedings to protect his majesty's revenues, and, as he says, to enable them to continue to flow into the exchequer of the united kingdom, the postmaster general should state the circumstances to the colonial secretary, and request his opinion before instructions were sent out to the deputy postmaster general. bathurst, the colonial secretary, fully concurred in the view of the postmaster general that the subject was one of great delicacy, and wrote to the governor general, lord dalhousie, setting forth the facts and stating that under ordinary circumstances he would have had no difficulty in recommending a prosecution. in view of the attention which the house of assembly had been giving to the revenues of the colonial post office, and of the doubt which had been suggested as to the right of great britain to receive those revenues, the colonial secretary thought it possible that the enforcement of those rights at that time might embarrass the governor general by giving the assembly an additional ground for contention with the mother country. he, therefore, had given directions that the deputy postmaster general should communicate with the governor general on the subject, and should not institute proceedings without the full concurrence of the latter. the deputy postmaster general was instructed in this sense in september , and matters remained in abeyance until , when the deputy postmaster general, presumably with the concurrence of the governor general requested the opinion of the attorney general of lower canada on the subject. the attorney general, james stuart (afterwards sir james) advised that the right of the post office was clear, and he conceived that there should be no difficulty in recovering pecuniary penalties for the infringement of the postmaster general's privilege. but no action was taken on this opinion. the relations between the provincial governors and the assemblies were becoming more strained as time went on, and the governor general had no desire to augment the grievances of the assemblies by introducing irritating matters, in which the right of the home government might with reason be held to be disputable. footnotes: [ ] in course of debate in assembly, december , (report in _colonial advocate_). [ ] _journals, house of assembly_, march , . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _ibid._ [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] _journals of assembly_, u.c., . [ ] _imperial statutes_, , anne, c. . [ ] _ibid._, , geo. iii. c. . [ ] _ibid._, , geo. iii. c. . [ ] _imperial statutes_, , geo. iii. c. . [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] freeling to s. r. lushington, june , _(can. arch._, q. , p. ). [ ] _journals of assembly_, u.c. [ ] _house of assembly_, december , (report of the _colonial advocate_). [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. [ ] freeling to horton, july , (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, ii.). [ ] afterwards earl of ripon: well remembered in canada as viscount goderich. [ ] october , (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, ii.). [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] freeling to goulborn, december , . chapter ix thomas allen stayner deputy postmaster general--restrictions of general post office relaxed--grievances of newspaper publishers--opinion of law officers of the crown that postmaster general's stand is untenable--consequences. owing to failing health, sutherland retired from the service in . he was succeeded by his son-in-law, thomas allen stayner, the last of the deputies of the postmaster general of england, and in many respects the most notable. stayner was brought up in the post office, and at the time of his appointment to the position of deputy postmaster general he was in charge of the quebec post office. a man of unusual ability, stayner gained the confidence of his superiors in england, to a degree at no time enjoyed by his predecessors. what was equally important, he managed to keep on good terms with the governments of the two provinces. when the houses of assembly in upper and lower canada denounced the post office as inefficient and unconstitutional, and proposed to take the management of it into their own hands, the governors and legislative councils in the two provinces took the side of stayner, and while they urged upon him and the postmaster general the expediency of meeting the reasonable demands of the assemblies, they set their faces steadily against any revolutionary propositions respecting the control of the department. this attitude was in a measure due to a change in the policy of the postmaster general and his advisers in england. the earlier deputies were held by so tight a rein, and their suggestions and recommendations so little regarded, that they occupied a rôle scarcely more important than that of being the hands and voice of a department, which, unpopular at home on account of its illiberality, aroused general discontent in canada by adding to its administrative vices, an entire ignorance of the situation with which it had to deal. at the outset of his administration stayner's powers were as much restricted as were those of the deputies who preceded him. a few months after his appointment, he opened a post office at guelph. he assured the postmaster general that he had not done so until he had satisfied himself that the prospective revenue would more than meet the expense. but he did not escape a warning and an intimation that the departmental approval would depend on the financial results. shortly afterwards, stayner established an additional courier on the route between st. john and st. andrews in new brunswick, the point at which the mails between the maritime provinces and the united states were exchanged. this action, though most desirable in the public interest, brought down upon him a rebuke, and a reminder that the postmaster general's sanction must be obtained in all possible cases, before lines of communication were opened which were attended with expense. the circumstances of the country were making a continuance of this repressive course impossible. settlements were springing up too rapidly, and the demands for postal facilities were becoming too insistent to leave it possible to delay these demands until formal sanction was obtained from england. in november , stayner informed the postmaster general that, in upper canada, the lieutenant governor, the legislature, the merchants, and indeed the whole population, were calling for increased postal accommodation. in the united states, stayner pointed out, almost every town and village had a daily mail, and this excited discontent with the comparative infrequency of the canadian service. he suggested that he be allowed to expand the service, and to increase the frequency of the courier's trips, wherever he was convinced that the ensuing augmentation of correspondence would more than meet the additional expense. stayner had been so fortunate as to impress the postmaster general with the fact that a very considerable discretion might safely be left with him. besides this, the postmaster general was under a growing sense of the insecurity of the legal foundations of the post office in the colonies. to stayner's gratification he received a letter from the postmaster general[ ] enjoining him to make it his study to extend the system of communication in all directions where the increase of population and the formation of new towns and settlements seemed to justify it. this was a wise step. it gave the department a representative, zealous in its interests, as intimately acquainted with local conditions as the assemblies themselves, and thoroughly competent to undertake the responsibility devolving upon him. stayner's commission placed new brunswick as well as upper and lower canada, under his charge. but before the close of the service in new brunswick was transferred to the control of the deputy postmaster general for nova scotia.[ ] this change was made at the instance of the deputy of nova scotia, who, being in england at the time, explained to the postmaster general how much more closely new brunswick was associated with nova scotia than with quebec, and pointed out that orders from home affecting new brunswick and requiring immediate attention were delayed in that they had to pass from halifax through new brunswick, and then return to new brunswick. all the other branches of the imperial service in new brunswick had their local headquarters in halifax. at the time stayner was placed in charge of the postal service in the canadas, the system of communication was still simple enough to be described in a few lines. there was a trunk line from halifax, nova scotia, to niagara and amherstburg on the western boundaries of upper canada. the distances were to niagara, one thousand three hundred and fifty-six miles, and to amherstburg, one thousand five hundred and sixteen miles. the frequency of the trips made by the mail couriers over the several stretches of this long route varied considerably. between halifax and quebec, a courier travelled each way weekly. the section between quebec and montreal, the most populous in the country, was covered by couriers, who passed five times each way weekly between the two cities. from montreal westward along the shores of the st. lawrence and lake ontario to niagara and amherstburg, there were semi-weekly trips. running out from this trunk line there were six cross routes, four in lower canada, and two in upper canada. two of these left the trunk line at three rivers--one running to sorel, by way of nicolet, with semi-weekly mails; and the other to sherbrooke, stanstead and other places in the eastern townships. there was a weekly service over this route. mails were carried up the ottawa river from montreal as far as hull, and southward to st. johns; in both cases twice weekly. in upper canada, the only cross routes were one from cornwall to hawkesbury, with weekly mails, and another from brockville to perth, with mails twice a week. from perth there was a weekly courier to richmond. the two principal points of connection with the united states were at st. johns, south of montreal, and queenston on the niagara river. as early as , the united states post office had a daily service by steamer on lake champlain, which ran as far northward as st. johns. in , stayner made a notable improvement in the mail service from montreal to niagara, increasing the frequency of the trips to five each week, and reducing the time of conveyance between the two points to six days. the appointment of stayner in no way diminished the energy with which the houses of assembly pursued their campaign against the administration of the post office. in march , the assembly in upper canada named a committee consisting of fothergill, ingersoll, matthews and beardsley, to inquire into the state of the post office. their report, which was made in , did not disclose any new facts. indeed, it would not seem that the assemblies, in the series of inquiries, which were ordered from year to year, thought so much of obtaining new light on the question as of keeping the public alive to the grievances, which they were made to appear to suffer. the committee of , after affirming the illegality of the existing system and declaring that the surplus revenue which was sent annually to great britain, was the result of starving the service, recommended the establishment of a provincial post office, subject to the legislatures. post routes should be opened to every court house, and the charges on letters and newspapers conveyed by steamboats should not exceed twopence and one farthing each respectively. the lieutenant governor, sir john colborne, though friendly to stayner, and appreciative of his efforts to meet the demands of the public in upper canada, was not altogether satisfied with the system. he maintained that it was impossible for stayner from his headquarters in quebec to follow the rapid changes in the conditions of settlement in upper canada, and was of opinion that the remedy for the existing shortcomings of the post office in that province was to appoint an official of a rank equal, or nearly so, to that held by stayner, and station him in toronto. colborne, in communicating the view to the colonial office,[ ] also requested that arrangements should be made for a regular interchange of correspondence between upper canada and great britain, by way of new york. freeling, the secretary of the post office, was quite willing to meet the views of the lieutenant governor, but was inclined to the view that the people on both sides of the atlantic had already settled the question their own way. he explained that there was a plan in full operation by which the correspondence between liverpool and upper canada was conveyed across the ocean independently of the post office at twopence a letter, and that there was little likelihood that the public would seek the aid of the post office to have this conveyance done for them, and thereby become subject to charges four times as great. the people of liverpool, who had the largest correspondence with the united states, freeling reminded colborne, scarcely sent one letter per week by post, though thousands were sent outside the post office, by the same vessels as carried the mails for the post office. as for the appointment of a resident deputy in upper canada, freeling thought there would be no objection to such an arrangement. in this opinion stayner by no means concurred. he could see no good reason for such an appointment. the postmaster general was more impressed with the representations on behalf of the province than freeling thought desirable. freeling reminded the postmaster general that his powers might not be equal to his desires. he observed that in the lieutenant governor's letter, a question was involved as to whether, and if so, to what extent, the revenues of the post office could be devoted to the general improvement of communications for the public advantage, and he conceived that this was a point of view from which the postmaster general was not empowered to regard the subject. but the forces were gathering for an attack on the post office, which promised to be much more formidable than any which had preceded it. until that time, the assailants of the system had been confined to what the official clique regarded as the radicals and republicans and grievance-mongers. in the houses of assembly the grievances of which they complained became the motive of highly effective speeches and resolutions, but the injuries they alleged really hurt nobody. the rates of postage on letters were, according to present day standards, exorbitant. but they were no higher than those charged in england; and after all the post office was but little used by the masses of the people. it is doubtful if the post office were employed in any more freely than the telegraph is to-day. in their contention that it was a violation of constitutional guarantees to send the surplus post office revenue to england, the assemblies were undoubtedly correct, but loyal people bear many things of that kind easily. at this time, however, the question was taken up by a body to whom the postage rates were a personal grievance, and who at the same time possessed the means of successful agitation. in the beginning of , a number of newspaper publishers in lower canada approached the governor general, sir james kempt, with a request that they might be relieved of the payment of postage on the newspapers which they sent to subscribers.[ ] they did not ask that the postage be remitted altogether. all they desired was that the postage should be collected from the subscribers and not from themselves. they also suggested that the charge might be fixed at one penny per copy. stayner declared that he had no power to enter into such an arrangement. the publishers thereupon changed their request, and asked that they might be put on the same footing as the newspaper publishers in england stood, and be thus entirely exempt from postage on their newspapers. british publishers had enjoyed this concession since , but as they still had to pay a heavy excise duty on the paper they used, they could not be regarded as free from public charges. in canada there was no stamp duty on paper. this difference between their situation and that of their brethren in england was pointed out to the publishers, but the explanation failed to satisfy. one of the publishers, who had some inkling of the fact that the newspaper postage did not go into the public revenue, but formed part of the emoluments of the deputy postmaster general, observed that with as much consistency a toll keeper might insist on farmers paying high charges to him, because they paid no tithes. with the publishers awake to the fact that they had something to complain of, they made the most of their grievance. they were experts in this line of exploitation. they found that the newspaper charges, which they were convinced had no legal sanction, had been steadily advancing for forty years past. in , a shilling a year was all that was charged as postage for each copy of a weekly newspaper. this rate was increased by degrees to one shilling and threepence, one shilling and eightpence, two shillings, two shillings and sixpence, until, in , it had risen to four shillings a year on weekly papers, and to five shillings for papers published twice a week. the discontent of the publishers was not lessened by the knowledge that in the maritime provinces, the yearly rate for weekly papers was two shillings and sixpence for each copy. the agitation against the newspaper charges was set in motion by robert armour, proprietor of the _montreal gazette_. it had come to his knowledge that the sums collected from the publishers did not appear in the accounts of the postmasters with the department, and he suspected that in some way they were retained by stayner, though on this point he had no certain information. after armour learned that the rates had been subjected to a continuous process of enhancement, he made diligent search for any warrant that might exist for the successive advances or indeed for the original charge. finding none, he turned to the authorities for information. it was he who led the deputation to the governor general for relief in some form. when this step failed, armour demanded of the deputy postmaster general his authority for the newspaper charges. getting no answer from that quarter, armour endeavoured to bring matters to an issue by refusing to pay the postage on the copies of his paper which he posted in montreal. the postmaster declined to accept the papers without the postage, and armour appealed to the postmaster general in london. in due time the reply from the department was received, and while it offered no immediate relief, it put armour in possession of some exclusive information, which, as a newspaper man, he must have considered valuable. freeling, the secretary, informed armour that the postmaster of montreal had failed in his duty, in refusing to transmit the newspapers simply because the postage was not paid. the postmaster should have sent the newspapers forward, and since the postage demanded by stayner was not paid, it fell upon the postmasters of the offices to which the papers were directed to collect the postage, at the same rates as were charged on letters. as each paper was under this ruling chargeable with the rate which was due on four letters, it may well be imagined that no publisher would offer to pay the post office for the distribution of his papers by that means. on these conditions, the postage on each copy sent from montreal to any of the post offices on the island of montreal, to st. johns or to the nearer settlements in upper canada would be thirty-two cents. each copy sent to three rivers or to any points between sixty and one hundred miles from montreal would cost the subscribers forty-eight cents. it is needless to pursue the charges into districts where the copies were sent over one hundred miles. freeling went on to explain that, as the post office act had no provision for the conveyance of newspapers, the postmaster general, in order to accommodate the publishers permitted the deputy postmaster general to make private arrangements with them for the transmission of their newspapers. by ancient and authorized custom, the deputy postmaster general was allowed to treat the receipts from this source as his own perquisite. this information with the comments thereon greatly enlivened many issues of the _gazette_. freeling was denounced as a sinecurist, who permitted impositions in the colonies which he dared not make at home. armour announced that he would carry the matter into the legislature, and, if necessary, into the courts. he had no desire to escape the payment of postage. all he demanded was the establishment of an equitable rate, placed on a legal basis. his idea was that the postmasters who handled the newspapers should be paid from five to ten per cent. of their cost. the rates charged by stayner amounted to from twenty to twenty-five per cent. of the subscription price. armour would resist stayner's claim to be a sleeping partner in his business, who, contributing neither capital nor talent, dictated what his share of the revenue should be. armour could write well, and his onslaught caused stayner much uneasiness. in a letter to the postmaster general[ ] he attributed it to some neglect or indignity, which armour fancied he suffered at the hands of a former deputy postmaster general, while, he stated, other newspapers were recognizing with gratitude stayner's efforts to satisfy the reasonable demands of the public. every side of stayner's work was vigorously attacked in the _gazette_. complaints were made of a lack of necessary mail routes, and of an insufficiency of service on existing routes. it was charged also that stayner's attention was confined to the older and more thickly settled districts, which yielded the largest revenues. but, according to stayner, armour's silence could have been purchased by a share of the official printing which stayner declined to give him. whatever grounds stayner had for making the insinuation, there can be no question as to the energy with which armour bent himself to the task of exposing the methods of the post office. when his papers were held in the montreal post office on account of his refusal to prepay the postage, he entered actions for large amounts against stayner. these failed, as the courts declined to deal with the cases. he then addressed himself to the legislature. in the beginning of , armour and a number of other publishers presented a petition to the house of assembly of lower canada, setting forth the high rates they had to pay as postage for the transmission of their newspapers, and the impropriety of stayner's practice in appropriating the proceeds; and asking that they might be put on an equal footing with the publishers in great britain. the petition was handed over to a committee of the house, who proceeded to investigate the facts. in this they were only moderately successful, as the only person who was in a position to give them the information they desired, declined to answer the interrogatories put to him.[ ] stayner, in reply to inquiries as to the financial condition of the post office and the disposition of the surplus revenues, pleaded that he was employed by a branch of the imperial government, which in none of its instructions had recognized the right of the assembly to institute the inquiries being made. to answer the questions put to him by the committee might lead to disclosures, which would involve him with his superior officers until he had received specific instructions from them on the point. but though little was learned from stayner, the committee had obtained some useful information from inquiries made in the british house of commons by joseph hume. it appeared that the large sum of £ , had been received by the british treasury as surplus revenue for the years and . stayner endeavoured to lessen the importance of this fact by declaring that more than half the amount was postage paid by the army, which was not properly chargeable with postage at all. the committee declined to accept this view; and while perfectly friendly to stayner, and admitting that he had effected some considerable improvements, they were persuaded that the service was far from being what the people had a right to expect. looking outwards from quebec, the committee observed that there was no postal service whatever in the counties of montmorency and saguenay, which embraced the earliest settlements in the country. on the south shore of the st. lawrence, and along the etchemin and chaudiere rivers, there was a wide stretch of well-settled country entirely lacking the means of communication with the capital, though but a short distance from it. from quebec eastward to the new brunswick boundary there were over , people, and the only postal accommodation for this great extent of territory was afforded by seven post offices lying along the line of the post route between quebec and halifax. the peninsula of gaspe, with a line of fishing settlements all along the coast, had but two mails each year. the committee regretted particularly the situation as regards the conveyance of newspapers. the post office was under no legal obligation to carry them except as letters, and yet there was no other means available for their circulation. if the law had not conferred on the post office a monopoly of carrying letters, the publishers would have a resource. they might establish a transportation system, and meet their expenses by carrying letters as well as newspapers. the secrecy with which the affairs of the post office were surrounded was much deprecated by the committee, as giving ground for speculation and suspicion that could not fail to do harm to the institution. if, under the present system of imperial control, an adequate service were rendered, there would have been no just grounds for complaint. but if the interests of the province were not regarded, the people were entitled to object to their being limited to a means of conveyance which did not meet their requirements, and to assume that the revenue arising from the service was not properly applied. the committee in conclusion expressed their confidence in the good will of both the postmaster general and his deputy in canada, and their belief that their complaint had only to be laid before the governor general to secure favourable consideration. before concluding to withhold from the house of assembly, the information it sought, stayner with characteristic prudence had enlisted the support of the governor general, who coincided with him in his view as to the impropriety of his submitting to the questioning of the house regarding the affairs of a branch of the imperial service. when he laid the course he had pursued before the postmaster general, stayner also gained his approval for the zeal and sagacity he had shown. but armour persisted in his attacks in the _gazette_, and in the two sessions which followed managed to alienate from stayner a large measure of the good will of the house of assembly. stayner's determination to withhold information from the assembly was a source of irritation. the facts which had come to their knowledge through questions in the house of commons at westminster, the ungracious admissions which the possession of these facts enabled the house to extort from stayner, and his specious and unconvincing defence of his perquisites, all combined to change the house from an attitude of friendliness to one of criticism and even hostility. the house no longer rested in the belief that, to obtain satisfaction, all that was necessary was to lay their grievances before the department. in , it denounced the methods of the department, and presented an address to the governor general praying that the home government might place the post office under the control of the legislature.[ ] in the session of , the pertinacious armour again appeared before the assembly. he had no new facts to present, but managed to sustain the interest of the house in the facts already before it. the assembly on this occasion set forth its views at greater length. in an address to the king,[ ] it represented that the post office should not be a means of raising a revenue greater than was needed to enable it to establish offices wherever they might be required; that if the rates were higher than was necessary for that purpose they should be lowered; and that any surplus revenue should be at the disposition of the legislature for the improvement of communications by post throughout the country; also, that newspapers should pass through the post office in lower canada, free of postage. in the assembly in upper canada the post office was also vigorously assailed. there was general agreement on the proposition that the existing arrangements were not satisfactory, but on the point of remedy opinions differed sharply. the reformers, of whom dr. duncombe was the spokesman, adopting the argument of the baldwin committee of , insisted that the post office had no legal basis in upper canada. duncombe and his associates held that it was a violation of the constitution to send any surplus revenue to great britain, and that it was the obvious duty of the legislature to pass an act, taking to itself the control of the provincial post office. they believed that the revenues from the service would amply suffice to cover all its expenses, but if it should turn out that such was not the case, they were prepared to meet the deficiency from the general revenues of the province. the government party, on the other hand, always ready to fight for things as they were, did not accept the argument of the baldwin committee. they held that the post office was an institution necessary to commerce, and, as such, it was not placed by the acts of and under the jurisdiction of the provincial legislature. they did not believe that the provincial post office furnished a revenue sufficient to cover the expenses, but if it should be shown that they were wrong, and that the post office yielded a surplus, they were convinced that the imperial government had no desire to retain the surplus for its own purposes. colborne, the lieutenant governor, was in general agreement with the government party. but he believed that, having regard to the great distances between quebec, and the rapidly rising settlements in the remoter parts of upper canada, an administrator, having his headquarters at quebec could never understand the necessities of the new districts, and that it was indispensable that there should be stationed at toronto an officer with powers nearly, if not quite, equal to those of the deputy postmaster general at quebec. in the sessions of and , the subject was warmly debated.[ ] the views of the reformers were presented by duncombe and bidwell. they were opposed by the attorney general (henry john boulton), the solicitor general (christopher hagerman), and burwell, who was postmaster at port burwell. it was one of the complaints of the reformers that there were in the house of assembly a number of postmasters who voted not according to their own convictions, but according to the orders of stayner. as the result of the discussion, it was resolved to present an address to the king, asking that an annual statement of the revenue and expenditure of the department be laid before the legislature; that newspapers should be distributed throughout the province free of postage; that the correspondence of the members of the legislature should pass free during sessions; and finally, that in the event of a surplus being obtained, the postage rates should be reduced, or that the surplus should be devoted to the improvement of the roads. stayner, in sending to the postmaster general, copies of the addresses from upper and lower canada, expressed his gratification that the assemblies in both provinces appeared to have dropped the idea of independent provincial establishments, and gave it as his opinion that the legislatures would look for nothing further than such reasonable modifications of existing laws and regulations as the imperial government might determine. that some changes were necessary stayner was quite convinced. the postage on newspapers, for instance, could not long remain in its present position, as regards either the amount of the charges or the mode in which the revenue therefrom was disposed of. as for the request of the legislatures that newspapers should be distributed by the post office free of charge, there seemed no sound reason why this should be done. a moderate rate should be fixed, and some arrangement made for the disposal of the revenue from this source. the present plan aroused dissatisfaction, and indeed the amount collected was fast becoming too large to be appropriated in the existing manner. the postmaster general expressed his satisfaction with stayner's report, and indeed it appeared at that moment to be of more than usual consequence to him that the colonies should be well affected towards the post office. it will be remembered that when the baldwin report reached england in , the postmaster general was sufficiently impressed with the cogency of the argument against the legal standing of the british post office in the colonies, to call for the opinion of the law officers upon it. when the case was prepared by the solicitor for the post office, it was still more impressive, and the postmaster general thought better of his desire to have a definite opinion upon it, as it appeared more than probable that the opinion might be against the post office. he accordingly directed that the papers should be put away, and they lay undisturbed for eleven years. but the repeated remonstrances of the colonial assemblies, joined to the rising dissatisfaction with the general political conditions in upper and lower canada, made it desirable to remove any real grievances which might be found to exist in the control and management of the postal system. the first step taken in this direction was to ascertain whether there was any foundation for the contention of the assemblies that the whole system rested on an illegal basis, and that the revenues collected by the post office in the colonies were taken in violation of the fundamental principle governing the relations between the mother country and the colonies. the case was accordingly submitted to the attorney general and the solicitor general in ; and on the th of november of that year a decision was given, upholding the colonial contentions on all points.[ ] the questions upon which the opinions of the law officers were required were (first) whether the power to establish posts, and the exclusive right to the conveyance of letters given by the acts of and , had the force of law in the canadas, and (second) whether the postage received for the inland conveyance of letters within those provinces ought to be paid into the exchequer and applied as part of the revenue of the united kingdom, or whether it ought to be devoted to the use of the province in which it is raised. the law officers gave the case the attention its importance called for. it appeared, they stated, to involve practical considerations of the highest political importance, bringing directly into question the principle of the declaratory act of , respecting internal taxation of the colonies by the mother country. their opinion was that the rates of internal postage could not be considered as within the exception of duties imposed for the regulation of commerce, but that if they could be so considered, they would by the terms of that act be at the disposal of the province, instead of constituting a part of the revenues appropriated for the general purposes of the empire. it had been contended, as a question of law, that since the act of , by which the colonial rates were finally determined, was in operation at the time of the declaratory act of , it had not been annulled by the latter act, the language of which was, not that rates then existing should be no longer levied, but that after the passing of the act of , no tax or duty should be levied. but the law officers had no great confidence in the argument. in their own words they were of opinion that "it would not be safe to agitate the question as a question of law with the colony, and if it could be so discussed, it would not succeed, and that it could not be enforced." the opinion of the law officers could not have been unexpected, but it gave the postmaster general much concern. in a note appended to the decision, he accepted the opinion of the law officers as conclusive. the department, he said, was beaten off its first position, and his view was that a plan should be drawn up by which the post office should relinquish to the provinces any surplus revenue after the expenses were paid, and permit an account of the receipts and expenditures to be laid on the tables of the legislatures. while forced to concede this much the postmaster general was convinced that the appointment of the officers of the department should remain with the crown. otherwise he foresaw the ruin of the colonies, so far as correspondence was concerned; for the postmaster general and legislature of upper canada would be at perpetual strife with the postmaster general and legislature of lower canada. however, he concluded that before taking any step in the matter he would consult goderich, the colonial secretary. it was not until the following march that the postmaster general saw goderich respecting the post office. the interview was quite satisfactory. the colonial secretary agreed to the propositions. legislation would be necessary, and to that end stayner was called to london to give his assistance. at this time the government received assurances from an unexpected source that the plan settled upon would be satisfactory to the canadian people. william lyon mackenzie, and denis benjamin viger, representing as they maintained, the body of the public in the two provinces, visited england for the purpose of laying before the government the grievances of the canadian people. on reaching london, mackenzie and viger wrote to the secretary of the post office, requesting an interview with the postmaster general. the request was refused on the ground that the postmaster general did not feel authorized to communicate with any person but the colonial secretary on colonial matters. the delegates then addressed themselves to goderich, who cordially invited them to lay their case before him. mackenzie, thus encouraged, prepared a statement, which, though long and detailed, was studiously moderate in tone.[ ] on all other points of colonial policy, mackenzie declared, people would be found to differ, but as regards the post office there was absolute unanimity. there must be a change. stayner himself admitted that the arrangements were imperfect. the colonial governments were in favour of separate establishments, but mackenzie was of stayner's opinion that such would be impracticable. his own belief was that the only feasible scheme would be to bring all the colonies of british north america under one deputy postmaster general, who should be responsible to the postmaster general of england. mackenzie apparently would be quite satisfied to see the office of deputy postmaster general vested in stayner, whom he described as a persevering, active officer. the other suggestions of mackenzie were in line with the more conservative recommendations of the colonial assemblies. on one subject, however, he expressed himself strongly. he said the packet service between the canadian provinces and the mother country was so indifferent that it went far to convince canadians that great britain desired as little correspondence with canada as possible. as an instance of the inferiority of the packet service, mackenzie told goderich that he had shortly before received a letter by the halifax packet, which was sixty-five days on the way, and which cost five shillings and fourpence-halfpenny for postage, and another by way of new york, which was only thirty-four days in coming, and cost only one shilling and fourpence-halfpenny. the announcement of the arrival of the english mail by the halifax packet was scarcely heeded, whereas no sooner was it known that the liverpool mail had arrived from new york than the montreal post office was crowded. mackenzie's statement on this point was fully confirmed by stayner on his arrival in london in june. stayner, when informed of the opinion of the law officers, was not disposed to acquiesce in it as readily as the postmaster general had done. colonial lawyers, always more imperial and more conservative than the eldons and lyndhursts in london, had assured him that the necessity of imperial control of the colonial post office was the strongest reason for believing that parliament never intended to divest itself of the power by the act of . the conviction of the necessity of imperial control was held by all persons qualified to have an opinion, and, stayner declared, by the legislatures themselves. the firm belief of stayner was that, if the imperial parliament failed to legislate on the present critical situation then they must give up all idea of ever having the question settled. the several colonies could never be brought to concur in their views on this or any other subject. they knew this, and did not ask to have the matter submitted to their own legislation. stayner certainly overstated the reluctance of the legislatures to deal with the question of the provincial post office. but, as his opinion had the support of so ultra a radical as mackenzie, the postmaster general could not be blamed for accepting, and, as far as possible, acting upon it. there was, however, a difficulty. indeed, the way back into right courses seemed beset with difficulties. the postmaster general was quite willing to furnish the legislatures with annual statements of the revenue and expenditure, to leave with the colonies all surplus revenues, and to satisfy all the reasonable desires of the provinces. but by what steps should he proceed, to legalize the course he proposed? if the necessary legislation could be enacted by the imperial parliament, all would be well. with a free hand, he would have no trouble in satisfying all the interests concerned. but if the bills had to originate with the provincial legislatures, the postmaster general would despair of bringing the matter to a successful conclusion, as he was convinced that the requisite action on the part of the several provincial legislatures would never be taken. the postmaster general again turned to the law officers. it was essential that they be consulted on the question. the points on which opinion was desired were two. the first was whether, without any further authority of parliament, the surplus of any postal revenue raised within the colonies under the act of , could be appropriated and applied under the direction of the respective legislatures for the use of the province in which such surplus might arise. the second was whether it would be competent for the british parliament to fix a new set of rates for the colonies, or whether the acts of and made it necessary that the authority for such rates should proceed from the respective colonial legislatures. both of these questions were answered adversely to the hopes of the postmaster general.[ ] the law officers had no doubt that the act of was applicable to the canadas, and that, if objections were raised in the provinces to the payment of postages fixed by the british parliament, whether by the act of or by an act to be thereafter passed, the legality of the charges could not be maintained, nor could payment of them be enforced in the absence of authority from the legislature of the province concerned. the proper procedure to be followed, in the opinion of the law officers, was for the british parliament to repeal the act of , and leave it to the provinces to establish a new set of rates. the law officers were aware of the difficulties which would arise, if after the act of had been repealed, the colonial legislatures failed to agree on a scheme of rates or on the necessary arrangements for a uniform postal system throughout the provinces. in such a case, there would be a period in which there would be not even the semblance of legal authority for the postal service within the colonies. after a further interchange of correspondence between the postmaster general and the law officers, it was decided to introduce into the imperial parliament a bill repealing the act of , but making the operation of the bill contingent upon suitable legislation being adopted by the legislatures of the several provinces. in order to facilitate the passage of identical legislation by each of the legislatures, a draft act was prepared by the solicitor of the general post office, and a copy was sent to the lieutenant governor in each of the provinces for submission to his legislature. the act of the imperial parliament was passed and received the king's assent on the th of march, .[ ] it contained but two clauses. the first provided for the repeal of the imperial act of , so far as that act authorized the collection of postage in the colonies, but stipulated that it should not become operative until acceptable legislation had been adopted in the several provinces, authorizing the collection of postage and making suitable arrangements for a postal service throughout the provinces. the second clause stipulated that, in the event of the revenues from the colonial post offices exceeding the expenditures, the surplus should no longer be sent to london to form part of the revenues of the united kingdom, but should be divided among the several colonies in the proportion of their gross revenues. the draft bill, prepared by the solicitor of the general post office, provided for a complete postal system in each of the provinces.[ ] under this bill, the postmaster general at st. martin's-le-grand was to be the head of each provincial system, and the appointment of a deputy postmaster general in each province, who should reside in the province and manage the system therein, was to be in his hands. the postage rates were to be the same in the several provinces; and in the case of correspondence between the provinces, the charge for postage was to be fixed in accordance with the entire distance the articles were carried, without regard to provincial boundary lines. it will be seen that if the provincial legislatures adopted the bills framed in london for them, there would be no change whatever in the practical working of the colonial system. the postmaster general in london would, as theretofore, control the arrangements, and the charges were fixed, regardless of provincial boundaries. as the imperial act stipulated that any surplus which should arise from the system should be distributed among the colonies, so the proposed provincial bills provided for the contingency of a deficit in its operations. each provincial bill empowered the postmaster general to demand from the legislature the amount, which it was agreed that the province should be held responsible for, to make up the deficit. upper and lower canada were to bind themselves to pay in such a case up to £ from each province. nova scotia was to pay up to £ ; new brunswick up to £ ; and prince edward island up to £ . in anticipation of the adoption of the bills by the several legislatures, the postmaster general appointed an accountant, who should have general charge of the financial transactions of all the colonies. he was to be established at quebec. his position in relation to the deputy postmaster general of lower canada was somewhat peculiar. while, in general, he was subordinate to the deputy postmaster general, in all matters touching the accounts, he was independent of the deputy, and responsible only to the postmaster general in london. there were also appointed two travelling surveyors or inspectors in the canadas, one of whom was stationed at quebec, and the other at toronto. nothing could have been more necessary for the proper administration of the service, and for the expansion of the system to meet the requirements of the new settlements. it was impossible for stayner to give personal attention to the duty of supervising postmasters, or to inquiries into the merits of the numerous applications from all parts of the country for new post offices. the necessity for assistance in this direction was impressed on stayner by a number of robberies which took place on the grand route between montreal and toronto--episodes in post office economy which he was helpless to investigate. two of these robberies have incidents connected with them, which are deserving of mention. in february , on a stormy night, the mail bag dropped off the courier's sleigh somewhere in the neighbourhood of prescott, and it could not be found. as the contents of the bag included banknotes to the value of from £ , to £ , , a reward of £ was offered for the conviction of the thief and the recovery of the money. within half an hour after the placard was on view in prescott, a man who heard it read, exclaimed excitedly: "i know all about it, i have the bag at home." it turned out that this man had found the bag, rifled it, and used part of the money, and, carried away with the prospect of the large reward, had actually informed on himself. the other case is noteworthy on account of the energy displayed by the loser of a valuable letter, in pursuing and securing the conviction of the thief. the letter, which contained £ , was posted in toronto, and addressed to a gentleman living near l'original. as the department, owing to the lack of effective aid, was limited in its efforts to advertising the loss in the newspapers and by placards, the loser of the letter took the inquiries into his own hands. he spent nearly a year in his investigations, travelling up and down the country between montreal and toronto, and in the state of new york, covering a distance of upwards of two thousand one hundred miles. it is satisfactory to be able to say that he managed to locate and secure the arrest and conviction of the thief. so well had he done his work, that the deputy postmaster general adjudged him to be entitled to the £ reward offered by the department. footnotes: [ ] freeling to stayner, august , . [ ] freeling to stayner, september , . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, ii. [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _journals of assembly_, l.c., , app. f.f. [ ] _journals of assembly_, l.c., - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _report, journals of assembly_, - , app. . address to king, _journals_, - , p. . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iv. [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] november , , _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iv. [ ] _imperial statutes_, , william iv. c. . [ ] the bill for upper canada is printed in app. to the _journals of the assembly_ for . those submitted to the other provinces were identical except as to the maximum to be contributed by the province in the event of a financial deficit. chapter x the beginnings of the postal service in the maritime provinces--complaints of newspaper publishers--reception given to imperial act to remedy colonial grievances. up to this point the narrative since the american revolution has been confined to upper and lower canada. the maritime provinces have been mentioned only in so far as it was necessary to describe the means by which the canadas maintained communication with great britain. it is now time to relate the events connected with the beginnings of the inland posts in the maritime provinces. the post office in halifax was the first opened in the provinces now of the dominion of canada. it was established as part of the general scheme for closer and more regular communications between the colonies and the mother country which was set on foot as a consequence of the general alarm which seized the british colonies after the annihilation of braddock's army by the french and indians at fort duquesne. with the placing of a direct line of packets on the route between falmouth and new york for the conveyance of mails and despatches a post office was demanded at halifax, in order that nova scotia might participate with the other colonies in the benefits of the new service. when in the post office was opened at halifax, the english settlements in the maritime provinces were very recent and very few. the city was founded but six years before, for the purpose of providing a military and naval station; and in the year following, the capital of the province was transferred thither from annapolis. in the only other settlement attached to the british interest at this time was commenced. a number of germans, attracted by the advertising of the british government, arrived at halifax. after a short stay most of them re-embarked, and sailing along the southern shore reached malagash harbour, where they laid the foundation of the town of lunenburg. the settlement was augmented by further arrivals in the two following years, and in its population numbered slightly over . in the total population in the two settlements of halifax and lunenburg was about , and these comprehended all that could be regarded as british subjects. few additions were made to the population within the next few years, though the government made a strong effort to re-people the districts from which the acadians had just been expelled. the only other new settlement founded in the maritime provinces until the french power in america was broken by the capture of louisburg and of quebec, was at windsor, where a group from new england entered upon the lands from which their former possessors had been removed. with the passing of the danger of molestation by the french, there was an active movement into the provinces for a few years. the beginnings of settlements were laid all along the annapolis valley from windsor to annapolis; also at several points on the south shore between halifax and liverpool, and at the western extremity of the province in the present county of yarmouth. little groups established themselves at truro and amherst, and on the adjacent lands of new brunswick, at sackville and hopewell. on the st. john river, a trading village was laid out in at portland, now part of the city of st. john; and in an important agricultural community was formed farther up the river, at maugerville, a few miles below fredericton. in a census was taken of the province, and the total population was found to be over , . of these were in the territory afterwards forming part of the province of new brunswick, and there were in prince edward island. the remaining number were in nova scotia proper. the first movement of immigration had now spent itself, and it was not until after the revolting colonies had gained their independence that any great accession was made to the population. the incoming of the loyalists was an event of the first magnitude for the maritime provinces. during the years and , the population increased to threefold what it was when the migration from the revolted american colonies began. they took up lands in all parts of the provinces. eighteen hundred householders made homes for themselves in and about annapolis, while digby, which until that time was quite unsettled, leaped into the position of a village with a population of . nearly all the settlements formed at this period had within them the elements of permanence, and they became the foundations of the towns, villages and farming communities which cover the maritime provinces. until the arrival of the loyalists, there were practically no inhabitants east of halifax and colchester counties. pictou was not entirely unoccupied, as a small group from pennsylvania and maryland had come into the district in , who were joined by a few highland scotch families in . but the total number was insignificant, and the two counties to the eastward, antigonishe and guysboro, were still practically in a state of nature. they were settled later by scotchmen who came to pictou and prince edward island. new brunswick benefited to a relatively greater extent than nova scotia by the loyalist movement. at the close of the war, the number of english colonists in this province did not exceed . these were scattered in small groups on passamaquoddy bay, on the st. john river, and on the chignecto bay and petitcodiac river at the eastern end of the province. by , when the loyalists had settled themselves, there was a continuous line of settlements along the bay of fundy from the united states boundary at the st. croix river to st. john harbour, and with longer intervals onward to the eastern limits of the province. on the st. john river and tributaries over people were settled. the cities of st. john and fredericton, and the towns of st. stephen and st. andrews sprang into existence during this period. on the north and east coasts of new brunswick permanent settlement had begun, the people being mostly acadians. there were small scotch fishing settlements on the miramichi and the restigouche rivers. communication among these settlements was carried on mostly by water. fishing vessels ran constantly between halifax and the harbours and coves on the seaboard. the settlements on the bay of fundy and the st. john river were brought into connection with halifax by way of windsor, which lies near the mouth of the avon, one of the tributaries of the bay of fundy. between windsor and halifax a road had been built by the acadians shortly after halifax was founded, to enable them to carry their cattle and produce to the new and promising market. the inland settlements along the annapolis valley had the advantage of an ancient road, made by the acadians running from pisiquid, as windsor was first called, to the annapolis basin. the loyalists and disbanded soldiers settled in the provinces found themselves not ill-supplied with facilities for communicating with one another, but the means of corresponding with the mother country left much to be desired. on the establishment of the packet service between falmouth and new york in , the mails for halifax brought out by the packets were sent from new york to boston, the postmaster of which town was instructed to send them to halifax by the first suitable war or merchant vessel that offered. until the war broke out, there were numerous opportunities for sending the mails to halifax. the trade returns for show that during six months of that year one hundred and forty-eight vessels entered halifax harbour, much the greater proportion of which were from new york or boston. but with the outbreak of the war, communication with the revolted colonies was carried on at great risks, and the naval and military authorities at halifax made bitter complaint of the delays to their correspondence with the home government. with the restoration of peace, an immediate demand was made for a direct packet line to halifax, and there seemed every likelihood at the time that the line would be established. lord north wrote to the lieutenant governor of nova scotia in august [ ] that halifax would doubtless increase in importance in becoming the rendezvous of the fleet, and that he was asking the postmaster general to put on a monthly packet to halifax. but other views prevailed. in november, the postmaster general re-established the packet service to new york, and as there were not sufficient vessels available for a separate line to halifax, the settlements in the maritime provinces had to depend on the new york service for their correspondence with the mother country. the british post office maintained a packet agent at new york, whose duty it was to take over the despatches and mails brought by the packets for the british colonies, and send them forward by the first opportunity. the difficulties finlay found in maintaining correspondence between canada and great britain by way of the new york packets have been related. the nova scotia post office had no less difficulty. there were few british vessels running between halifax and the ports of the united states, and consequently the delays to the correspondence were often intolerable. the complaints of the officials and of the merchants in halifax were incessant. a memorial was presented to the government in by the merchants of halifax, pointing out the great injury to their trade from the faulty arrangements. lieutenant governor parr, in forwarding the memorial, expressed his entire concurrence in its terms, and added that the mails which left england by the november packet did not reach halifax until the th of april following. but fortunately canada was now adding an insistent voice in support of the demand of the maritime provinces. before peace was declared, the governors of canada and nova scotia were canvassing the possibilities of facilitating communication between their provinces. despatch couriers passed between quebec, fort howe and halifax, and efforts were made to overcome the obstacles to travel, particularly on the portage between the st. lawrence and lake temiscouata. the results had not been specially encouraging, but the determination of the americans to exact the last farthing that could be got out of the exchanges between canada and great britain, which passed over their territory, and their unwillingness to assist in expediting the exchanges in any way, compelled the canadian government to keep before it the question of the connections by way of halifax. in the legislative council of quebec discussed the question. finlay, who besides being deputy postmaster general, was a member of the legislative council, impressed on his colleagues the necessity of liberating canada from its dependence on the united states in its correspondence with the mother country. the refusal of the postmaster general of the united states to allow canadian couriers to travel to new york, although there was no regular exchange between new york and any united states post office on the road to canada, led to delays and exorbitant charges, which were unendurable. finlay urged as a first step that canada should make a passable road as far as the new brunswick border, believing that the home government would see that the governments of new brunswick and nova scotia would provide the facilities for travel within those provinces. dorchester, the governor general, who had taken much interest in the question, sent finlay in to make a survey of a route from quebec to halifax, and to arrange for couriers to pass monthly between the two places. the british government gave its approval to his efforts to establish a connection between the british provinces, and on its part, arranged that, commencing in march , the packets which ran between falmouth and new york should call at halifax during the eight months from march to november of each year.[ ] the call of the packets at halifax, and the exchange of the mails between great britain and canada at that port marked the commencement of the inland services in the maritime provinces. post offices were opened at the important points on the route between halifax and quebec. the couriers passed through fredericton and st. john in new brunswick, and digby, annapolis, horton (now wolfville) and windsor in nova scotia.[ ] st. john post office was opened in , the office of postmaster and king's printer being combined. the courier between st. john and fredericton travelled over his route fortnightly, and a service of the same frequency was maintained on the route in nova scotia. in order that the post office should have the advantage of conveying the military despatches between the posts on the route, the expresses which had been employed in this duty were suppressed, much to the distaste of the military authorities, who would henceforward have to pay the very high postal charges on their letters. these charges were prohibitive for all but very urgent letters. a letter consisting of a single sheet cost twelve cents to carry it from st. john to fredericton if it weighed less than an ounce. if it weighed over an ounce the charge was quadrupled. the following are the rates charged by the postmaster at halifax to the several post offices in nova scotia: to windsor fourpence; to horton sevenpence, and to annapolis and digby ninepence. at the risk of repetition, the reader is reminded that these charges are for letters consisting each of a single sheet, weighing less than one ounce, and that in case the letters should weigh above an ounce, the rates given were multiplied by four, as a letter weighing over an ounce was regarded as equal to four letters. the postage from fredericton to london, england, was sixty-four cents for a single letter. as one glances over the long newsy letters in the published correspondence of the time, he is persuaded that those letters did not pass through the post office. the lately published winslow correspondence[ ] is full of such letters, but they let us into the secret of how they came to be sent. leading loyalists, men who had given up their comforts and taken on themselves the severest hardships for the sake of the old connections, thought no more than the merest rebels of evading the postal laws, and sending their letters by any convenient means that presented themselves. ward chipman, the solicitor general of new brunswick, in writing to edward winslow in london, tells him that he would write more freely if it were not for the enormous expense, but he would tax the good will of every person he could hear of, who was going to england. no person was allowed to go on a journey, long or short, without a pocketful of letters entrusted to him by his friends, unless he were unusually disobliging. when he reached his destination, he either delivered the letters in person, or posted them in the local post office, whence they were delivered at a penny apiece. the service as established in was carried on unchanged until the war of made certain alterations in the routes necessary to secure the safe conveyance of the mails. the presence of american privateers in the bay of fundy rendered the passage of the packets between st. john and digby hazardous. the course down the st. john river and across the bay to digby was, therefore, temporarily abandoned.[ ] the courier with the mails from quebec did not continue the river route farther south than fredericton. at that point he turned inland, taking a road which led to the juncture with the old westmoreland road which ran from st. john to fort cumberland, on the eastern boundary of new brunswick. the road from fort cumberland was continued on through truro to halifax. for a short period before the war and during its course, the deputy postmaster general was under steady pressure on the part of the provincial governors to extend the means of communication throughout the province of nova scotia.[ ] population was increasing rapidly--the census of gave it as , --and settlement was well distributed over all parts of the province. the governors for their part were anxious to have the means of corresponding easily with the militia, who were organized in every county. the deputy postmaster general was in a position of considerable embarrassment. his orders from the home office as respects the expenditure of the postal revenue were as explicit as those under which heriot was struggling in canada. he won through his difficulties, however, with more success than attended heriot's efforts, although he did nothing that heriot did not do, to meet the two incompatible demands of the post office, on the one side, that he should establish no routes which did not pay expenses, and of the local administration on the other, that he should extend the service wherever it seemed desirable to the governor. howe brought a little more tact than heriot seemed capable of, in dealing with the provincial authorities. he laid the commands which had been impressed on him by the secretary of the general post office before the legislature, and obtained the assistance of that body in maintaining routes, which did not provide sufficient postage to cover their expenses. on his part he engaged, in disregard of the injunctions of the secretary, to allow all the sums which were collected on a route to be applied to paying the postmasters and mail couriers as far as these sums would go, the legislature undertaking to make up the deficiencies. in april ,[ ] howe made a comprehensive report of the mail services in operation at that date, together with the arrangements for their maintenance. there were two principal routes in the province. the first in local importance was that through the western counties from halifax to digby and thence by packet to st. john. the section between halifax and digby cost £ a year, of which the legislature paid £ . the packet service across the bay was maintained by the legislatures of the two provinces. the settlements beyond digby as far as yarmouth and on to shelburne, were served by a courier who received £ from the legislature, and all the postage on letters going to the settlements, which amounted to £ a year. the second leading route was that between halifax and fredericton by way of truro. this route, which was begun in , was discontinued at the close of the war. it had been found so advantageous, however, that it was re-established in the beginning of , as the permanent route between quebec and halifax. from truro, a courier travelled through the eastern counties to pictou and antigonishe. this was a district which howe regarded with much satisfaction. he wrote that the large immigration from scotland and other parts of great britain had increased the number of settlements and thrown open the resources of this part of the province to that extent, that the revenue of the eastern districts would soon surpass that from those in the west. antigonishe collected the letters from all the eastern harbours and settlements, and although the post office had been open for only about nine months, the results, as howe conceived them, were very encouraging. the expenses of the courier at this period far outran the revenues, and accordingly the legislature made a contribution of £ . the remainder of the shortage was made up partly by postages and partly by private subscriptions. howe, the deputy postmaster general, set forth the favourable aspects of the service with an eagerness that betokened nervousness, and indeed there was some reason for this feeling. when his statement reached england, the secretary at once drew the attention of the postmaster general to the fact that, while howe had done extremely well, his actions in appropriating the revenue to any specific object and in establishing new routes and making new contracts without first receiving departmental sanction were inconsistent with the principles which governed the post office. but it was something that, while heriot's official zeal was embroiling him with the governor general of canada, howe was managing to secure the good will of the lieutenant governor of his province, and his compromises with post office principles were passed over with a slight warning. howe retired in on account of old age, and was succeeded by his son, john howe, junior. the postal service of new brunswick did not advance with equal step with that of nova scotia. until there was no progress made in improving the system, except that the conveyance between st. john and fredericton had been increased from fortnightly to weekly. the first district off the established lines to manifest a desire for postal accommodation was that on the miramichi river.[ ] there were two flourishing settlements on the river--chatham and newcastle--largely engaged in lumbering and fishing, and some means for the exchange of letters was a necessity. for some years before a courier travelled between these settlements and fredericton along the course of the nashwaak river. he was paid partly by a subsidy from the legislature of new brunswick, and partly by private subscription. those who did not subscribe to the courier, might or might not receive their letters. it depended on the caprice of the courier. if he chose to deliver them, he exacted a payment of eleven or twelve pence for each letter. this arrangement was far from satisfactory, as the following illustration will show. in february , a brig from aberdeen reached halifax, bringing a mail, which contained sixty letters for the miramichi settlements. these letters were forwarded to fredericton by the first courier. it happened that among the persons to whom the letters were addressed were a number who were not subscribers, and the courier refused to take the letters for these persons with him. the consequence was that the letters had to be returned to halifax, to take the chance of the first vessel that might happen to be sailing in that direction. to guard against any similar mishap in future, howe left the letters for the miramichi districts with the captains who had brought them over, and allowed them to arrange for their onward transmission. the lieutenant governor of new brunswick urged the establishment of a regular post office on the miramichi. the trade of the district was of considerable proportions. in , four hundred and eight square-rigged vessels from the united kingdom loaded on the miramichi. there was some bargaining between the deputy postmaster general and the lieutenant governor. the expense of the courier would be heavy, and the revenue from it would not be large. howe proposed that the postages from the route be devoted to its maintenance, and the balance be made up by the legislature. howe does not seem to have had his usual success in these negotiations, for the governor declined to deal with him, insisting on corresponding directly with the postmaster general in england. this caused some delay, and it was not until that the post office was sanctioned. the year was a notable one in the history of the new brunswick post office. in that year several important offices were opened. howe, in his report to the postmaster general, gives an interesting account of his trip in establishing these offices.[ ] he took a vessel from st. john to dorchester, where he opened an office; thence to baie verte, from which point he sailed to miramichi and to richibucto. returning to dorchester he travelled to sussexvale. howe appointed postmasters at all these places. on arriving at st. john, he was met by the request of the lieutenant governor to open an office at st. stephen. he finished up his tour by visiting gagetown and kingston where offices were opened. the very considerable enlargement of the system in new brunswick gave much satisfaction to the lieutenant governor. but as usual the deputy postmaster general received a douche of criticism from the secretary of the post office, who could not bear to sanction an extension of the service which did not turn in something to the treasury. howe had, indeed, been careful that the post office should not be even a temporary loser by his arrangements. he had gone no further than to apply the postages collected at the new offices to pay the postmasters and couriers, as far as these sums would go. the postmaster general took a larger view of howe's activities, and expressed his gratification at what had been accomplished. it was during this period that cape breton was brought within the postal system of the maritime provinces. this island, which had been the scene of great exploits during the french and english wars, had not begun to come under permanent settlement until after the close of the american revolution. after the fall of louisburg, in , the island was attached to nova scotia, and remained a part of that province until , when it was erected into a separate government. the first lieutenant governor of cape breton, major desbarres, in casting about for a suitable site for his capital, had the advantage of an intimate knowledge of the coast line of the island, acquired during a series of surveys of the coasts and harbours of the maritime provinces. contrary to what might have been expected, he turned away from louisburg, and placed his capital in a town which he established at the head of the southern arm of spanish river. desbarres called the town sydney, in honour of lord sydney, the secretary of state for the colonies. after an inglorious career of thirty-six years, notable only for the perpetual strife which reigned among the administrative officials, during which the domestic affairs of the colony were almost entirely neglected, the colony of cape breton was re-annexed to nova scotia in . the growth of population during this period was slow. in there were people on the island, including some roving bands of indians. on the west coast, about arichat and petit de grat, there were persons, all french. about st. peters there was a mixed english and french population numbering ; and on the east coast in a line running north and south of louisburg there were tiny settlements containing in all persons, nearly all english. so little progress had been made during the last quarter of the eighteenth century, that at the end of the population was only , of whom were in the sydney district, and in and about louisburg. the remainder were strung along the west coast from arichat to margaree harbour. the increase on the west coast was due to a number of highland scotch immigrants, who reached cape breton by way of pictou, and took up land between the gut of canso and margaree harbour. in , the scotch movement into cape breton began to assume considerable proportions. a ship bringing settlers into sydney, was followed by others year after year, until, at the date when cape breton again became part of nova scotia, the population had reached between eight and nine thousand, most of whom were highland scotch. the district about arichat remained french. there was a post office in cape breton as early as . it was at sydney, with a. c. dodd as postmaster.[ ] dodd was a man of prominence on the island, being a member of the legislative council and afterwards chief justice. he held the postmastership until , when he was succeeded by philip eley, who was in office in , when the lieutenant governor, general ainslie, pointed out to the home government the necessity of improving the communications between the island and great britain. the exchange of correspondence was slow and uncertain. the cape breton mails were exchanged by the halifax packet, but it was usual for two months to elapse between the arrival of the letters from england and the first opportunity of replying to them. half the delay, ainslie thought, might be avoided, if the packets on their homeward voyages would lie off the harbour of louisburg for an hour or two to enable a small boat to reach the packet. the commanders in port at falmouth were consulted, and gave it as their opinion that the fogs and currents, which prevailed about louisburg would make it inadvisable to attempt to land the mails there, and the proposition was rejected. in the winter of , an overland communication was opened between sydney and halifax, an indian carrying the mails between the two places once a month during the winter.[ ] when the annexation of cape breton to nova scotia took place in , the lieutenant governor of nova scotia, sir james kempt, managed to obtain a weekly mail between sydney and halifax.[ ] the earliest period in which we find a postal service in operation in prince edward island is .[ ] john ross is mentioned as postmaster of the island in that year. he was succeeded by benjamin chappell, in whose hands and in those of his family, the postmastership remained for over forty years. the connections with the mainland and the mother country were maintained for some years by such vessels as happened to visit the island. the postal service of the island was within the jurisdiction of nova scotia. it was not, however, until , that the deputy postmaster general made any mention of the island service in his reports to the general post office in london. howe then informed the postmaster general[ ] that when lord selkirk was in nova scotia some years before, that nobleman urged upon him the necessity of a courier service to pictou, and thence to prince edward island by packet. this service was established in , and an arrangement was made with the island government, by which the postage was to be applied as far as it would go to maintain the packet and pay the postmaster's salary, and the government would make up the balance. there were no accounts between the island post office and the general post office. the postmaster simply presented to the deputy postmaster general periodical statements of the postages collected, and his expenses, together with a receipt for the deficiency which was paid by the government. this arrangement had the immense advantage that from the very first the island service was in the hands of the local government, which carried on the post office with no more than a formal reference to the general post office. the postage on a single letter from charlottetown to halifax was eightpence. the communication between the maritime provinces and the mother country was the subject of some discussion. halifax was determined to retain, and extend the utility of the packet service at all costs. owing to the greatness of the charges, and the long delays, the canadian merchants made but little use of the halifax packets, but had their letters sent by way of new york. the merchants of new brunswick insisted on the same privilege. the provincial government established two courier services between st. john and fredericton, and st. andrews on the united states boundary, and the united states post office arranged to have the british mails for new brunswick conveyed by its couriers to robbinstown, a point in maine a short distance from st. andrews. against this nova scotia protested. john howe, the elder, came out of his retirement in , and made a strong plea for an exclusive packet service between england and halifax, the vessel to remain at halifax for one week before returning. he would have the public despatches for new york and bermuda brought to halifax, and from that place forwarded to their destination by one of the war vessels in the harbour or by a packet kept for the purpose. buchanan, the british consul at new york, urged the opposite view, that all the british mails for the colonies should be sent by way of new york. dalhousie, who was lieutenant governor in nova scotia, at the time supported howe's view, and matters remained as they were. the question of newspaper postage was agitated in the maritime provinces, as well as in the provinces of canada. indeed it would be inconceivable that publishers anywhere could be satisfied with the arrangements then in operation. but, most curiously, when the question came before the house of assembly in nova scotia, the sympathies of that body ran, not with the publishers, but with the deputy postmaster general. in , edmund ward, a printer, who published a newspaper in fredericton, petitioned the legislature to be relieved of the charges for the conveyance of his paper. the post office committee of the house of assembly in nova scotia took the application into their consideration. the committee reported[ ] to the house that, having examined the imperial acts, they were of opinion that it was no part of the duty of the deputy postmaster general to receive, or transmit by post, newspapers printed in the colonies, or coming from abroad except from great britain. they found, moreover, that the secretary of the general post office in london, under this view of the case, had for a long time made a charge for each paper sent to the colonies by packet, the proceeds from which he retained to his own use. it also appeared that about sixty years before that date (that is about ), the deputy postmaster general made a charge of two shillings and sixpence per annum on each newspaper forwarded to country subscribers by post, which was acquiesced in by all the publishers at that time. the committee believed, therefore, that the deputy postmaster general was fully justified in the charges he made, but they were much in favour of having newspapers transmitted free. in accordance with this idea, the committee suggested that the assembly should take on itself the charges due for the conveyance of newspapers. they found that there were seventeen hundred newspapers of local origin distributed by post each week, and three hundred british or foreign newspapers. the assembly did not act on this suggestion. though the deputy postmaster general was fortunate enough to have the support of the legislature in his contention with the publishers, his position was by no means free from criticism. indeed, there were certain features in his case, which were peculiarly exasperating to the publishers. howe was not only deputy postmaster general, but was king's printer, and had in his hands the whole of the provincial printing. he was also interested either directly or through his family in most of the newspapers published in nova scotia. _the nova scotian_, _the journal_, _the acadian_ and _the royal gazette_, were all controlled by the howe family, and it appeared in the examination that all these newspapers were distributed by the post office free of postage. there were two other newspapers published in halifax--_the acadian recorder_ and _the free press_--and the publishers felt, not unnaturally, that in being compelled to pay two shillings and sixpence for each copy transmitted by post, while their rivals had the benefit of distribution by the post office free of charge, they were being subjected to an unjust and injurious discrimination. the publishers of _the recorder_ and of _the free press_ presented a petition to the king, asking that they, also, might be relieved from the burden of paying postage on their newspapers.[ ] just as their claim appeared to be, it had no support from the authorities in the colony. the lieutenant governor in sending the petition to the colonial office, took occasion to speak of the high character of howe and of his father, the preceding deputy postmaster general, and to express his opinion that the small fee collected on newspapers could not be regarded as an extravagant compensation for the trouble the deputy postmaster general had in the matter. the case of the publishers came before the postmaster general in . freeling, the secretary, then reminded him that there was no urgency in the matter, as they were engaged at the time in adjusting the relations between the colonial governments and the post office, and if the provincial legislatures accepted the settlement proposed by the home government, the question of newspaper postage would be satisfactorily disposed of. in the meantime, the petition was easily answered. the practice, argued the secretary, was not illegal as it was founded on an act of parliament empowering the postmaster general to give to certain of his officers the right to distribute newspapers by post. this right had been in existence since the first establishment of a post office and of a newspaper in the colony. consequently the petitioners, in entering upon the business of publishing a newspaper, must have been aware of the charges to which the publishers would be liable. the imperial bill of , together with the draft bill prepared by the post office for the acceptance of the provinces reached the lieutenant governors of the provinces in january . the object of the plans, it will be remembered, was in effect to have the stamp of legality placed on the existing arrangements, by obtaining for them the sanction of the several provincial legislatures. on the adoption by the legislatures of the several bills, which were identical in form, the postmaster general would relinquish the powers he had until that time exercised over the revenues of the provincial system, and allow the surplus, if any should arise, to be distributed among the provinces, leaving it also with them to make up the deficit in case the expenditure exceeded the revenue. the proposals of the postmaster general were received characteristically by the different provinces. nova scotia and new brunswick had no fault to find with the existing arrangements. so far from objecting to the irregular emoluments of the deputy postmaster general for the maritime provinces, they recommended, when the question arose, that his emoluments be increased. whenever the lieutenant governor or the legislature of either of the provinces desired the extension of the postal system into sparsely settled and unremunerative districts, the local governments without demur took the deficiencies on themselves, and did not ask why the profits from the more populous districts were not devoted to meeting these shortages. when the imperial scheme for settling the difficulties of the colonial postal system was laid before the legislatures of the maritime provinces, it found them quite unprepared to discuss it. until then, they had apparently not realized that any such difficulties existed. the thirteen years controversy between the british post office and the assemblies in upper and lower canada appears to have excited no attention in the lower provinces. when the proposition from the british post office was submitted to the assembly in new brunswick, it was put aside until the following session, and then, as it appeared not to suit the views of the assembly, it was dropped. in nova scotia, the subject received more consideration. the draft bill was referred to a committee of the legislature, which went thoroughly into its merits. the committee were of opinion[ ] that, if modified in certain respects, the bill would be well adapted to accomplish the object in view. in their view the bill should not be a permanent one, but should be renewable every three years, in order that any defects, which experience might disclose, could be remedied. it also seemed advisable to the committee that the chief administrative officer in the province should be selected, not by the postmaster general, but by the governor of the province, who would be more conversant with the character and abilities of persons qualified to discharge the duties of the office. as the legislatures of canada and new brunswick had declined to adopt the bill, the committee would not recommend that any bill should be adopted that session. the only point to which they invited the attention of his majesty's government was the salary of the deputy postmaster general, which was not only inadequate, but would not bear comparison with the emoluments of the deputy in the other provinces. the nova scotian assembly did not, however, rest at this point. though they had acquiesced quite contentedly in the arrangements made by howe, the deputy postmaster general, and had shown no disposition to join the canadas in their agitation, the implied admission of the home government that the surplus post office revenues belonged of right to the colonies, put a different face on the subject. the post office committee called the deputy postmaster general before them, and on going over the accounts with his assistance, they discovered that there was a considerable amount remitted annually to england, as profit from their inland posts, and satisfied themselves that if this amount were retained by the deputy postmaster general, and devoted to paying for the unremunerative services, the sum contributed by the province for the maintenance of these services would be much reduced, if not wiped out altogether. the legislature, thereupon, with a boldness which seemed to betoken ignorance of the course of events in canada, resolved to take over the control of the provincial post office. a bill for that purpose was adopted in ,[ ] and received the assent of the lieutenant governor. by it, the deputy postmaster general was directed to pay into the provincial treasury any surplus revenue, and the legislature on its part undertook to make good any deficiency, if such should arise. the position of matters as regards the inland service of nova scotia was complicated by the geographical situation of the province with reference to the other provinces. the british packets, by which mails were exchanged between great britain and the north american colonies, landed at halifax, and it was essential that the conveyance of the mails across nova scotia between halifax and the inland provinces should be maintained unimpeded. the legislature recognized this fact, and agreed to provide for this through service at its own cost, on condition that the british post office should pay the salaries of the deputy postmaster general and his staff at halifax, from the revenues of the packet service. the home government disallowed the nova scotia bill as being inconsistent with the objects sought to be accomplished by the imperial act of . the aim of that act was to secure a uniform code of laws for the regulation of the posts in british north america. any partial legislation would be unacceptable, and this was particularly the case with legislation on the part of nova scotia, the key to british north america. by obtaining control over the expenditure for the mail service through the province, the legislature of nova scotia would have the entire power over the postal communications with the interior, and they might not only object to defray the expense of particular services, but might interdict them altogether, as, in their opinion, unnecessary. the colonial secretary added another consideration to this argument of the postmaster general. one of the chief advantages which the government hoped to derive from the mission of lord durham, who was then in canada, was that of devising some plan for the regulation of questions, which, like that of post office communications, was the subject of common interest to the colonies collectively. the assembly showed some resentment at the rejection of their bill. the despatch informing the governor that the measure had been disallowed, also contained notice of the refusal of the home government to sanction several other acts adopted by the nova scotia legislature. in the resolution expressing regret that the measures in question had not been allowed to go into operation, the assembly were careful to intimate their confidence in the disposition of her majesty to meet the reasonable expectations of the assembly, and attributed the several disallowances to a want of correct information on the part of the home government due to its not going to the proper sources therefor. in order to remove the misunderstanding which the assembly conceived to exist between themselves and the home government, william young and herbert huntingdon were sent as delegates to confer with the colonial secretary on this and other subjects lying open. in london the delegates were brought into communication with the treasury.[ ] as the chief objection to the nova scotia bill for the regulation of the post office was that it would give the government of that province control over the posts to the provinces in the interior, the delegates lost no time in disclaiming any desire to exercise control over any but their own inland service. they were willing that the great through lines should remain within the jurisdiction of the postmaster general of great britain, and that the provincial authority should be confined to the management of the side or cross posts. this proposed dual control was, of course, obviously impracticable, as the whole provincial service, with its main lines and cross lines, was so blended together, that any attempt to treat them as under two different administrations could not fail to lead to unfortunate results. the mission of the delegates was, however, far from fruitless. the fact that the legislature had without complaint paid out considerable sums each year for the maintenance of the service, appeared to the british government to entitle nova scotia to liberal treatment, as these payments would not have been demanded if the post office had understood the matter. the treasury, therefore, decided that so long as the revenue from the inland post office was sufficient to meet the expenditure for the inland communications, no demand for that purpose should be made upon the provincial funds. should, however, the legislature deem it advisable to add to the lines of communication, the treasury would rely upon the legislature to defray the expenses of such additional communications, so far as these were not covered by the augmented postage receipts. there was no more than justice in this decision, but the concessions of the treasury did not stop at this point. it also intimated its willingness to allow all the packet or ocean postage collected in the colonies to remain at the disposal of the local government, whenever the imperial act of should come into operation. the british government did not desire to force the imperial act upon the colonies, if, as appeared to be the case, there were valid objections to it. it was prepared to consider any amendments which might be proposed to meet those objections. the packet postage, it should be explained, belonged entirely to the british government which provided and paid all the expenses of the packet service, so that the offer to allow the local governments to retain for their own use the packet postage they collected, was a real concession. footnotes: [ ] _c. o. rec._ (_can. arch._), n.s., a. , p. . [ ] see p. . [ ] _quebec gazette_, december , . [ ] _winslow papers_, - (printed under the auspices of the new brunswick historical society, ). [ ] heriot to howe, august , (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii.). [ ] howe to freeling, june , (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii.). [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, april , iii. [ ] freeling to postmaster general, august , , with enclosures (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii.). [ ] howe to freeling, october , (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, ii.). [ ] _quebec almanac_, , p. . [ ] capt. im thurm to freeling, april , (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii.). [ ] kempt to colonial office, march , . [ ] _quebec almanac_, , p. . [ ] _can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iii. [ ] _journals of assembly_, nova scotia, , p. . [ ] hay to freeling, january , , and accompanying papers (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, iv.). [ ] _journals of assembly_, nova scotia, , app. . [ ] _journals of assembly_, nova scotia, , app. . [ ] letters from young and huntingdon to baring, june , , and accompanying papers (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, viii.) chapter xi continuance of agitation in the canadas for control of the post office--much information obtained by committees of legislatures--difficulty in giving effect to reforms. the proposals of the british post office for removing the objections to the existing arrangements without endangering the efficiency of the colonial postal system had a very different reception in the assemblies of upper and lower canada from that which they met with in the maritime provinces. owing to a general indisposition on the part of the legislatures of nova scotia and new brunswick to push their contentions to extremes, and doubtless also, to the fortunate relationship between the deputy postmaster general of the maritime provinces and joseph howe, the leader of the reform party in nova scotia, the post office had been subject to no authoritative criticism in those provinces up to the time when the plans of the british post office were laid before the legislatures. in the canadas the situation was exactly the reverse, as regards both the state of public feeling and the claims of the deputy postmaster general upon the forbearance of the assemblies. the discussion of political grievances was arousing in the popular party a bitterness which was fast carrying the agitation for remedies beyond constitutional bounds; and as for stayner, he had quite alienated from himself the good will of the assemblies in upper and lower canada, by his open identification of himself with the government party. when, therefore, the british proposals were laid before the assembly of upper canada by the lieutenant governor in , they were rejected with the contemptuous observation that the provisions of the proposed bill were so absurd and inapplicable that no benefit could be expected from any attempt to amend them.[ ] the legislatures were not aware of the circumstances which had led to the british proposals. the fact that the views for which they had contended had been upheld by authorities so eminent as the law officers of the crown was withheld from them. the changed attitude of the postmaster general was therefore regarded by the assemblies as a proof of the success of their agitation, and they girded themselves up for renewed efforts. as a preliminary to fresh attacks the assemblies in both provinces demanded from stayner a mass of information, the extent of which filled him with dismay. but no further refusals on his part were possible. the colonial office was scarcely more pleased with stayner and his methods than the provincial assemblies were, and the postmaster general was requested to see there were no more concealments. the work which fell upon stayner in the preparation of the returns called for was enormous. as printed by the legislature of lower canada, the documents produced filled two hundred and sixty-eight quarto pages. stayner appears to have withheld nothing. he became as effusive as he had formerly been reticent. he published letters written by himself to his official superiors, which must have proved embarrassing to them. in the correspondence stayner disclosed was a letter from the postmaster of montreal, pleading for a more suitable room for his post office.[ ] from this letter it appears that in , the post office in montreal was in the upper storey of a building standing between the _gazette_ printing establishment and a boarding house, and underneath it was a tailoring and dry goods shop. to get to the post office the public had to grope up an unlighted flight of stairs at the risk of their limbs, and when they reached the top they had to make their way across a small lobby half-filled with firewood. as an inducement to the department to provide more suitable quarters, the postmaster stated that the merchants were so sensible of the inconvenience and danger from fire, that the postmaster thought they would help with the erection of a proper building, if applied to. stayner also produced the copy of a letter he had written a short time before, to the secretary of the general post office protesting his inability to meet the wants of the provinces with the means which the postmaster general had placed at his disposal. the letter deals chiefly with the conditions in upper canada, and as a description of the situation in that province it could not be bettered. the occasion of the letter was a complaint made by a gentleman in england that it had taken from the th of june until the th of october for a letter, addressed by him to his son in barrie, to reach its destination. stayner in reporting on the subject, admitted that this was quite likely the case, but insisted that no blame was imputable to him. the nearest post office to barrie was from thirty to forty miles distant, and it was probable that the letter had lain a couple of months at that office before being called for. the case of the barrie settlers was typical of that of thousands of well-educated people inhabiting the back parts of upper canada, where they had formed thriving towns and villages from twenty to fifty miles from the existing posts. these people with whom postal accommodation was almost a necessity of life were entirely without the means of corresponding with their distant friends, unless they sent and received their letters by private agency. stayner declared that he was well within bounds in saying that at that moment there were between two hundred and three hundred distinct societies of people spread over the country in upper canada alone, who, like the settlers in barrie, were suffering from want of that accommodation which he would fain give them, if he had the power to do it. the case was to be the more lamented from the fact that the reasonable wants of these people could be supplied without burdening the post office revenue. so active was the spirit of enterprise amongst the class of persons crowding into the new settlements throughout the whole extent of upper canada, as well as in many parts of the lower province, and so great was their disposition for letter writing, that stayner was sure in a short time the increased revenue would amply repay the outlay required. but with the assistance allowed him, it was impossible to meet those demands. it was indispensable that he should have at least two travelling officers, whose duty it should be to examine into the merits of applications, to settle questions of site, and arrange for mail carriers. as for mail carriers, stayner believed that the surveyors would save their salaries by that item alone, as in the absence of officials who would make arrangements on the spot, the post office was being constantly exposed to imposition by carriers, against which it was impossible to provide. during the first five years he had been in office, stayner had increased the number of offices under his control from ninety to two hundred and seventy, but beyond that it was impossible for him, with his present assistance, to go. the parts of the country where new offices were called for were so remote, and the means of information so unsatisfactory that it would be improper for him to open offices and make contracts for serving them, without the advice of persons acting under his orders, upon whose judgment he could rely. at that moment, stayner further told the committee, the provinces of upper and lower canada required not less than five hundred offices, that is, practically double the number then in operation, and in ten years, at least one thousand offices would be necessary to provide the requisite accommodation. with proper assistance he could establish and put into successful operation all that were wanted at the rate of one hundred a year. less than that scale of advancement would fail to satisfy the public. the complaints of the people had become so loud and threatening that, unless they were speedily met, stayner was apprehensive they would be engrafted upon the catalogue of provincial grievances. before he left england, stayner had the postmaster general's promise that two surveyors would be at once appointed. he had waited as long as he felt that he dared, but the situation had become so alarming, that he had taken it upon himself to appoint two surveyors who would act under his directions, until regular appointments could be made. after stayner laid before the houses of assembly in the two provinces the various returns they had called for, committees were struck in each house to consider the information contained in the statements. the committee in lower canada took the evidence of stayner and of william lyon mackenzie who happened to be in quebec at the time, conferring with the reform leaders in lower canada. mackenzie's statement was a general arraignment of the administration of the post office. he declared that, as then constituted, the post office in the opinion of the assembly of upper canada, was an illegal institution, monopolizing the conveyance of epistolary correspondence which it taxes heavily, and appropriating the proceeds in england, without the knowledge and consent of the assembly. it arbitrarily and often capriciously, the reformer from upper canada complained, fixed the sites of post offices, and dismissed and appointed the incumbents. it resolved that one section of the country, though thickly settled, should have no post offices, while another part which was almost destitute of inhabitants had regular mails. newspapers were taxed at such a rate as the post office thought fit, and the proceeds were held by the deputy postmaster general as his perquisite. in short, mackenzie was emphatic in his declaration that the establishment was a poor substitute for a provincial post office, which would be regulated by law, and its revenues disposed of by the authority of the legislature. he gave some curious illustrations of the inequalities which marked the operation of the newspaper regulations. while mackenzie was in england, joseph hume secured the production of a number of documents relating to the canadian post office, which the legislatures in canada had tried in vain to obtain from stayner. among these was a statement showing the amount paid by the several newspaper publishers for the distribution of their papers by the post office. on looking over the list mackenzie was surprised at the very moderate amounts paid by publishers of some of the most widely-circulated papers. _the montreal gazette_, for instance, distributed nearly two thousand copies by post, but paid postage on only two hundred and fifty copies. mackenzie made some further inquiries, and found that all sorts of irregularities prevailed, which stayner in the weakness of his position was fain to connive at. the publisher of one paper in kingston told mackenzie that he entered seventy-five copies as sent by post, while mailing four hundred copies; another reported sixty copies and sent three hundred. a third publisher, who objected to paying the usual charge of four shillings per copy per annum, was let off with two shillings and sixpence per copy; while a fourth publisher paid no postage at all for several years. until that time mackenzie had been paying the regular charges for all copies of his newspaper--_the colonial advocate_--which he sent by mail. but he determined to be no longer the victim of such barefaced discrimination, and he accordingly began to enter for postage only a part of the total issue distributed through the mails. in order that he might not be open to a charge of dishonesty, and perhaps also to help in the exposure of a vicious system, mackenzie told the postmaster at toronto what he was doing, and at the same time published the facts in his newspaper. this, of course, could not be tolerated by stayner, and he demanded from mackenzie the full postage on all his papers sent through the mails. mackenzie refused to pay, but declared that if stayner would allow the case to go before a jury in toronto, stayner might employ all the counsel in the colony to support his demand, and if the jury could be persuaded to render a verdict against him, he pledged himself to pay the demand and all expenses. the offer was, of course, declined and the claim was dropped. in the course of a long examination, stayner was taken over all the points in controversy between the postmaster general and the canadian provinces. dr. o'callaghan,[ ] who soon afterwards acquired notoriety as a leader in the rebellion, was chairman of the committee. he and his associates in the inquiry had sat on several earlier committees and were well versed in the points at issue. with the aid of the documents produced, the o'callaghan committee managed to elicit from stayner a fairly complete statement of the position of the post office in the canadas in - . asked as to his authority for appropriating to his own use the proceeds of the newspaper postage, he was unable to point to it. but he stated that he knew it had been repeatedly recognized by the head of the department in london, and he had never considered it incumbent upon him or even proper to inquire into the date or form of the authority. to a committee convinced that everything appertaining to the post office bore the marks of illegality, this answer could not be satisfactory. stayner was consequently next asked whether he considered that any usage, precedent or custom could give him a right to tax any portion of his majesty's subjects without the express consent of parliament. to this he replied in the negative, but added that he never doubted that the postmaster general, in permitting his deputy in canada to send newspapers through the post for a compensation to himself, was borne out by law. what the statute was which the postmaster general held to be his authority, stayner could not, with confidence, say. but it occurred to him that it might be an act passed in ,[ ] which confirmed certain officers attached to the principal secretaries of state and to the postmaster general, in the privilege which they long enjoyed of franking newspapers and other printed matter. as a matter of fact, this was the statute cited by the postmaster general when required to produce his authority for allowing stayner and other deputies to treat the proceeds from newspapers as their perquisites, and as we consider this act, we may admire the prudence with which stayner declined an argument as to its sufficiency as authority for the practice. stayner was on firmer ground when he pointed out that the post office act had made no provision for the conveyance of newspapers, and that, as things stood, the only alternatives before the publishers were to pay the prohibitive letter rates on their newspapers, or to come to terms with him, under the permission of the postmaster general. the committee were loath to leave this controversial advantage with stayner and asked him whether, since the newspapers were carried in the mail bags, he paid from the newspaper postage any part of the mail couriers' wages. he said he did not, and then committed himself to the extraordinary proposition that it cost nothing to carry newspapers because they were in the same bags with the letters. the committee did not waste any time arguing such a point as that, but called the contractor for the conveyance of the mails between montreal and quebec, who testified that if he were relieved of the newspapers, he could carry the mails on horseback, at a saving of £ a year. the o'callaghan committee in their report to the assembly--a report which was made on the th of march, , invited attention in the first place to the large sums which were sent by the deputy postmaster general to england from the revenues of the canadian post office. during the thirteen years ended in , the large amount of £ , sterling had been remitted to the british treasury on this account, and the remittances for the last four years averaged annually £ , sterling. these remittances, and the usage under which they were made, the committee denounced as a violation of the fundamental rights of the people of the colony, and as an instance of the disregard of the declaratory act of , which had cost great britain her american colonies, "now the flourishing and happy united states of america." regarding the imperial act of as an admission that the british government had acted illegally in appropriating to its own use the surplus canadian postal revenues, the committee assumed that the deputy postmaster general would cease to make remittances of canadian revenues to england. on discovering that this was not the case, the committee gave stayner notice that the assembly would probably hold him personally responsible for any further remittances thus improperly made. stayner, however, paid no attention to this warning, as he had but a short time before deposited $ , in the commissariat office for transmission to london. stayner's course in treating the newspaper postage as his perquisite came in for the strongest reprobation. the statutory authority which he ventured to put forward was easily shown to be no authority at all, and the committee declared it to be a monstrous absurdity that the head of the department should, in defiance of all law, presume to fix the charges on newspapers, and put the proceeds in his pocket. from the statement furnished by stayner, it appeared that no less than £ currency had been appropriated by him from this source during the six years he had held the office of deputy postmaster general, and the committee suggested that, as he had no shadow of right to any part of this large sum, legal proceedings should be taken by the province to recover the amount from him. the total income which stayner acknowledged having received was beyond belief. in each of the three years ending with and including , his emoluments amounted on the average to £ currency. these emoluments were described graphically by the committee as nearly equal to the salary of the governor general, three times more than the salary of any of the puisne judges in the province, almost equal to the whole amount paid as compensation to the one hundred and thirty-seven postmasters in upper canada, and one-third more than the total amount received by the one hundred and seventeen postmasters in lower canada. the committee endeavoured to convict stayner of having misled the postmaster general as to the magnitude of his income. they were unsuccessful in this attempt, as the postmaster general was quite aware of the amount stayner was receiving, and had expressed no disapproval. the committee as a conclusion to its report urged that the provincial government should take over the control of the provincial post office, and they submitted the draft of a bill which they had prepared for the purpose of sanctioning the action recommended. the house of assembly adopted the report of the committee, and having passed the bill, sent it up to the legislative council for approval. in the legislative council the bill was rejected. the majority of the council were stayner's friends, and they saw that he had a full chance to express his views before a committee appointed by the council. he set the draft bill prepared by the postmaster general beside the assembly bill, and effectively contrasted the strong points of the former with the weakness of the latter. the imperial bill, stayner emphasised before the committee of the council, dealt with british north america as one territory as regards regulations and charges, and in his opinion, unless the several provinces were to be so regarded, an efficient service among the provinces themselves, and between the provinces and other countries, would be impossible. in order to encourage correspondence between the distant parts of the colonies, the imperial bill fixed the comparatively low rate of eighteen pence for all distances beyond five hundred miles. thus a letter could be sent from amherstburg to halifax or charlottetown for that sum. if each colony had its own separate postal administration the charge on letters passing between those places would, in the most favourable circumstances, cost two or three times as much. stayner was far from agreeing that, in all its details, the imperial bill was perfect, but he was convinced that the principle on which it was based was the only practicable one. the great objection stayner saw in the bill of the assembly was that it was a local bill operative only within the province. intercourse between lower canada and the other provinces had to be provided for, since where there are several states under one supreme head, the free exchange of correspondence between them is indispensable. the british government, whose interests in the different provinces required that communication between them and the mother country should be uninterrupted, could never consent, stayner was sure, to any local arrangements by which those communications might be jeopardized. the cost of communication between province and province would be prohibitive, and the consequence would be moral isolation. the separate states of the american union, jealous as they were of any impairment of their rights, recognized the necessity of a common postal service. stayner dwelt convincingly on the technical difficulties of accounting and distributing the charges on inter-provincial correspondence, and on correspondence between canada and great britain. as it happened at the time, most of the letters sent between canada and england passed by way of the united states. but that was a courtesy on the part of the united states government which might be terminated at any time, and then the canadian provinces would be entirely dependent on the province by the sea. if each province charged its full local rates on correspondence passing through it, and stayner could see no reason why any of the provinces should favour its neighbours at the expense of its own people, the charge on a letter sent from upper canada to england would not be less than six or seven shillings, while under the british draft bill, the charge would scarcely ever exceed two shillings. the legislative council adopted stayner's reasoning entirely. it admitted that if the post office were an institution of merely local utility, there would be little to amend in the bill sent up by the assembly. since, however, there were several provinces concerned, whose concurrent action was essential, the conflict of interest which must inevitably arise would make the harmonious working of the separate parts of the system difficult, if not impossible. as an instance of the difficulties springing out of the divergence of interest among the provinces, the council recalled the fact that it became necessary to invite the intervention of the mother country to settle the apportionment of the customs revenues between the provinces of upper and lower canada. the council suggested to the governor general that if this line of reasoning were found acceptable, a satisfactory settlement of the whole question would be reached by requiring the deputy postmaster general to furnish annually full information as to the conditions, financial and other, of the post office. the free transmission of the correspondence of members of the legislature, the council urged, should be provided for. the deputy postmaster general should be removable on the joint address of the two houses of the legislature; the salaries of all officials should be fixed, and perquisites of every kind withdrawn. finally such alterations should be made in the rates of postage, such post offices established and such arrangements adopted for the regulation and management of the service, as were called for by the joint address of the two houses. the plans elaborated by the british post office for the settlement of the colonial difficulties found no more favour in upper canada than in the other provinces. the assembly condemned the draft bill as unworthy of consideration. the terms in which the scheme was dismissed by the assembly were sufficiently slighting, but the colonial secretary was not in the mood to be resentful. lord glenelg was impressed with the substantial justice of the claims of the assemblies in the two provinces, and would not make a stand on a point of manners. as sir francis bond head was about to come to upper canada to take up the lieutenant governorship in succession to colbome, glenelg, in his letter of instructions[ ] directed head to make every effort to bring the post office question to a satisfactory conclusion. noticing the opinion given by the assembly on the postmaster general's scheme of settlement, glenelg thought it right to say that the bill had the very careful consideration of the postmaster general before being sent to the several provinces. the government, however, had no desire to urge the adoption of any measure to which well-founded objections existed. they were content that the bill should be withdrawn, to make way for any better bill that might be proposed by the house. the assembly might find, on approaching the subject more closely, continued glenelg, that unexpected difficulties would crop up, particularly with regard to intercourse by post with places beyond the limits of the province. the lieutenant governor was authorized to assent to any judicious and practicable measure which the house might incorporate in a bill, and to regard as of no importance, when opposed to the general convenience of the public, any considerations of patronage or revenue derivable from this source. notwithstanding this conciliatory statement, the house proceeded along the same lines as those followed by the assembly in lower canada. they drew up a series of resolutions[ ] providing for the establishment of a post office department with headquarters in toronto. specified sums were allotted for the maintenance of a head office, and for the salaries of the postmaster general and his staff. the rates were fixed on letters and newspapers, and the percentage of revenue to be allowed postmasters as salaries was defined. the house was unsparing in its condemnation of stayner. they estimated that during the ten years preceding, the large sum of £ , had been withdrawn from the province through the exactions of the post office, an amount which they said would have sufficed to establish five district banks, suited to the wants of as many different sections of the country. the advantages of a provincial establishment appeared to the house to be very great. a large amount of wealth would be kept in the province, which was sent to quebec, either for transmission to england, or to make up the perquisites of officials; post offices could be opened wherever they were required, and no distant part of the province would be without the means of cheap and convenient accommodation; postmasters would be better paid, and the postage on letters and newspapers would be reduced; and extravagance could be checked and abuses corrected. the house was fully aware of the objections to a local post office system, but in their opinion those objections were not to be mentioned beside the numerous advantages the provincial post office would provide. it would be far easier for the department to open accounts with the present or any other post office department that might be organized, than it was to arrange with the united states for the interchange of correspondence with that country, and yet there was a very extensive exchange between canada and the united states without the aid of any law whatever. in considering the terms of a post office bill, the house had before it a list of conditions--thirty-one in number--which a committee recommended for consideration. many of these were obvious. others concerned matters of detail. some were trivial. one peculiar condition was that £ a year should be allotted for the purchase of books and instruments, which might be useful in helping to keep the roads in a proper state of repair. the plans for the establishment of a post office department in upper canada did not reach completion, as the assembly was dissolved a month after the resolutions were adopted, in consequence of its refusal to vote supplies. the termination of these agitations in the assemblies of upper and lower canada, mark the close of a period in the relations between the provincial legislatures and the post office. the resolutions which were directed against the constitutional status of the post office, and the demands for separate provincial establishments ceased at this point. this was due rather to the disappearance of the opponents of the existing system than to the removal of the causes for complaint. the lower canadian assembly held a session of less than a fortnight at the end of september and the beginning of october , and another of a week in august , when it was dissolved, not to be resumed. during those sessions the affairs of the post office were not mentioned. in upper canada the election, which followed upon the dissolution of may , resulted in a great victory for the government party. before resuming the narrative of events in the british north american provinces, it will be convenient to see how the late proceedings were regarded by the home government. lord gosford, the governor general, in transmitting to the colonial secretary the bill framed by the assembly of lower canada, observed that it was intended as a substitute for the imperial bill of , which did not suit the ideas of the house. one of the reasons adduced against the post office was that the money which the deputy postmaster general sent to england was the produce of an illegal tax levied in violation of the act of . in december , some of the members of the assembly waited on gosford, and requested him to stop the remittance of about £ which was being made by stayner to the department in england. gosford declined to take such a step for reasons which he set forth. the members, also, asked that the governor should take measures to recover from stayner the sums which he was shown to have taken as newspaper postage. gosford replied that as this allowance was permitted by the imperial department, and had been sanctioned by the duke of richmond as late as , he could not assume to do what they asked, but he would bring the subject to the attention of the home government. the whole arrangement regarding newspapers appeared to gosford to be improper. he was of opinion that the emoluments received by stayner were unreasonably large, and that the practice of allowing the deputy postmaster general to draw a considerable private income from the public business was wrong in principle. but the post office in london was already in possession of the lower canadian bill. stayner had sent a copy to the secretary immediately on its adoption by the assembly, and before the legislative council had had time to consider and reject it. at the post office the receipt of the bill with the notice that it would go into operation on the st of may, , gave rise to great perturbation among the officials. freeling, in passing the bill on to the postmaster general, declared it to be perhaps the most important document he had ever received.[ ] it was neither more nor less than an entire suppression of the postmaster general's patent, and of the powers of an act of parliament, authorizing the levying of certain rates of postage and the payment of the amount of all such postages into his majesty's exchequer. freeling was a very old man--he was born in --on the point of retiring from the charge, which he had held for forty-five years, and it may be that he had forgotten that four years before, the law officers had given it as their opinion that there was no act of parliament giving the postmaster general authority over the colonial post office and postages. at freeling's instance the postmaster general hastened to put the matter into the hands of glenelg, the colonial secretary. having taken time to consider the situation, the colonial office drew up a statement of the subject for the attention of the postmaster general.[ ] observing that the assembly of lower canada, not being satisfied with the imperial bill of , had drawn up a bill of their own, and that the legislative council, in declining to approve of this bill, had asked the intervention of the home government with the british parliament, the colonial secretary stated that the british government was not prepared to accede to this proposition. by the act of , the regulation of the post office in the several colonies was referred to the local legislatures, and his majesty's government, the colonial office concluded, could not call in the authority of the imperial parliament for the solution of any difficulties that may arise until it could be shown conclusively that there were no other means of settling them; and then it would be only with the concurrence of the legislatures to whom the matter had been submitted. but while determined that, in matters involving legislation, the colonies should be left to work out their own salvation, the colonial secretary observed that there were certain matters within the competence of the postmaster general which, if given effect to, would ameliorate the situation. the legislative council had among their requests asked ( ) that all information required by the legislature should be furnished; ( ) that the accounts of receipts and expenditures should be laid before the legislature annually; ( ) that the officers of the department should be placed on moderate fixed salaries, in lieu of all perquisites and fees. these objects, glenelg pointed out, would have been to a certain degree attained by the bill of . but as it had not become law, no time should be lost in putting these changes into effect, as they did not require legislative sanction. the colonial secretary also animadverted on the emoluments of stayner. these he considered entirely excessive, and besides they were levied on an objectionable principle. the postmaster general was requested to put an end forthwith to the receipt by the deputy postmaster general of any fees on account of the transmission of newspapers. his salary should not be excessive. as a guide to the postmaster general in fixing it, the colonial secretary gave a list of the salaries of the principal officers in the colony. omitting that of the governor general, the highest salary in canada was that of the receiver general which was £ a year. no other salary exceeded £ a year. as against these, stayner's emoluments of £ for each of the three preceding years were out of all proportion. glenelg further impressed upon the postmaster general the anxiety of his majesty's government that no time should be lost in removing any real grievances which might be shown to exist. the postmaster general concurred with glenelg as to the necessity of removing all reasonable grounds of complaint, and stated that steps had been, or were about to be, taken to that end. to the postmaster general the newspaper postage question was one of real difficulty, in view of the absence of necessary legislation. as matters stood, newspapers could only be sent as letters or under the deputy postmaster general's privilege. if the law officers could see any way out of the difficulty, the postmaster general would be glad to adopt it. as the law officers' ingenuity was not equal to the difficulty, the situation remained essentially unchanged for some years. meantime stayner was enjoying to the full the peace and quiet which followed upon the altered conditions in the two provincial assemblies. it was some years since he had heard a complimentary reference to himself in either house, though no man could have shown more zeal for the improvement of the service he administered. but an agreeable change was at hand. on february , , the legislative council of upper canada had before it the report of a committee it had appointed to inquire into the post office. the chairman of the committee was john macaulay, formerly postmaster of kingston, and stayner's chief support in upper canada. when there was a question of appointing an assistant deputy postmaster general for upper canada, it was macaulay that stayner desired for the position. the burden of the report of the committee of the council of was that the interests of the several provinces could be maintained only by preserving to the post office its character as an imperial institution. in stayner's hands the service would be carried on efficiently, now that he had been furnished with the assistance he had applied for. indeed the magnitude of his labour could be understood only by those connected with the service. the committee drew up a series of conditions which they considered would place the institution on an efficient footing. the conditions were very similar to those suggested by the legislative council of lower canada in . the bill of the lower canadian assembly appeared to the committee to illustrate the impracticability of any scheme such as that proposed by the imperial government in . if the acceptance of a post office bill was left to the provincial legislatures, they would almost certainly insist upon a scheme of low rates, based entirely on local considerations. the excessively reduced scale of rates proposed by the lower canadian assembly could not fail to leave a large deficit. hence the wisdom of leaving the rates as they stood until their effects could be seen. ten days after the committee of the legislative council made its report, the house of assembly adopted an address to the king, in which the same ideas were embodied, and in the following month a joint address was prepared by the assembly and the legislative council.[ ] the address began with a recital of the facts making up the existing situation, and then proceeded to an effective criticism of the imperial scheme of . it pointed out that the colonial secretary had stated that, in order to conform to the imperial plans, a uniformity of views should pervade the bills passed by the several provinces; that a careful consideration of the bill prepared for the acceptance of the provinces, and of the action taken upon it in the province discloses no reasonable grounds for the hope that the legislatures would soon (if indeed ever) arrive at such uniformity as would ensure the establishment of a practicable system. even if such unanimity on the terms of a bill were reached, it would doubtless happen frequently, the committee conceived, that amendments in this bill would be necessary, but as all the legislatures would have to be convinced of the necessity of the amendments which seemed desirable or even indispensable to any one of them, the difficulties in the way of making needful alterations to meet the changing conditions in progressive communities would be insuperable. these conditions led inevitably to the conclusion on the part of the committee that the only means of securing a practicable system in which all interests, provincial and imperial, would be considered, was to maintain the supremacy of the british post office, and to continue to entrust to it the supreme power of making laws and regulations for the management of the post office in the several provinces. the interests of the provincial legislatures would be amply safeguarded, the committee was confident, if their demands for information respecting the post office were acceded to, and if it were understood that complaints against the deputy postmaster general, preferred by petition to the legislature and supported by the joint address of the two houses, would have the attention of the postmaster general in london. the turn which affairs had taken was naturally gratifying to stayner, who urged the postmaster general to give careful heed to the terms of the joint address, which, if carried into effect, would, in his opinion, provide a remedy for all warranted dissatisfaction. the secretary of the post office did not share stayner's hopefulness. he observed to the postmaster general that, however desirable uniformity of system might be in the post offices of british north america, the success of any act of the imperial parliament would be jeopardized, if it involved the imposition of a tax upon the colonies. the secretary was prepared, however, to listen to any suggestion stayner might have to make in the way of improving the existing system. although stayner's friends were in control of both legislative chambers in upper canada, his peace of mind on that account was not of long duration. in april , both houses passed a franking act, under which the members were authorized to send their letters free, during the sittings of the legislature. this act, as stayner pointed out to the postmaster general, subverted the imperial acts, upon which the existence of the post office depended, and he was placed in a very awkward situation. stayner, according to his letter to the postmaster general, had either to violate the instructions from st. martins-le-grand or to bring himself into collision with both the legislature and the executive. this act appeared to stayner to be a fresh illustration of the unfitness of local legislatures to deal with an institution like the post office. if part of the revenues could be withheld, as would be the case where members did not pay their postage, any of the legislatures might, by passing an act for the purpose, oblige him to pay into the local treasury the whole of the revenue which came into his hands, or it might in any other way supersede the laws of the british parliament. the bill had received the assent of the governor. constitutionally it had thereby become an act. but on stayner's remonstrance the governor admitted to the colonial office that he should not have given his sanction to it. the act was disallowed by the home government. the question of franking the correspondence of the provincial governments and of the members of the legislatures was one upon which the legislatures in the several provinces had particularly strong convictions. for a considerable period before , the legislatures of upper and lower canada had not paid their accounts for postage. the account against upper canada, which amounted to £ , was paid in the beginning of ; while the account against lower canada was not paid until after the dissolution of the last assembly at the time of the rebellion. it amounted to £ . the governor general, gosford, in reporting the payment of the account of lower canada, suggested to the colonial secretary that the sum might be remitted as an act of grace on the part of the imperial government, and he urged that if the home government should not feel warranted in making this concession in its entirety, the correspondence of the governor general and his civil secretary, which embraced all the executive business of the province, might be exempt from postage charges. gosford's suggestions were in harmony with the whole character of his administration. indeed his persistence in his policy of conciliation brought down upon him the distrust of the ultra-loyalists. stayner, to whom gosford's suggestion was referred, opposed it vigorously. if, he argued, this concession were made to lower canada, immediate demands of the same character would be made by the other provinces. this would be followed by requests for the free transmission of members' correspondence, and the post office would speedily find itself in a deficit. it would be specially inadvisable to grant this privilege to lower canada, stayner averred, as the postage received from that province, after deducting the british packet postage, which was the admitted due of the british post office, barely sufficed to pay the expenses of the service in the province. the revenues from upper canada exceeded the expenses by a considerable sum, and any extension of the advantages now enjoyed by lower canada, would be at the expense of the upper province. the first of the annual statements of revenue and expenditure for which the legislatures had been contending for many years was presented to the legislatures on the th of january, . the statement contained an undivided account of the operations in upper and lower canada. this was not quite satisfactory to the house in upper canada, but as the services for the conveyance of the mails ran from one province into the other, it was impossible to assign accurately to each province its share of the expense for their maintenance. as the statement showed a surplus of £ , for the years - , the legislature of upper canada saw no reason for hesitating to press its demand that the franking privilege be granted to its members. they went, indeed, much further, and asked that the whole amount of the surplus revenue, which arose from the post office business in upper canada, be transferred to them. in support of their request, the legislature pointed out that, in the imperial act of , it was provided that as soon as the consent of his majesty should be signified to the bills of the several colonial legislatures, the net revenue from the post office in british north america should be distributed among the several provinces in the proportion indicated by their gross revenues; that the suspension of the legislature in lower canada, in consequence of the rebellion, made it impossible to procure joint legislative enactments; and the financial condition of upper canada made it necessary that the province should have at its disposal all the means to which it was legally entitled. the terms of this memorial were entirely in accord with stayner's views as to the proper settlement of this long standing difficulty, and he urged the postmaster general to do what was possible to give effect to the petition. he pointed out that, with mackenzie and papineau out of the country, and fugitives from justice, there was no further disposition on the part of the legislatures to wrest from the imperial post office the control of the postal systems in the provinces, and that the appropriation of the surplus revenues to provincial purposes removed the only valid argument against existing arrangements. the postmaster general, however, was not to be moved from the position he had taken. he replied to the address stating that no disposition could be made of the surplus post office revenues, until the several colonial governments had come to an agreement on the subject. footnotes: [ ] seventh report of the committee on grievances (_journals of assembly_, , app. ). [ ] second report of a committee of the house of assembly of lower canada, - . [ ] this gentleman was afterwards the editor of the monumental _documentary history of new york_. [ ] , geo. iii. c. . [ ] glenelg to head, december , . [ ] _journals of assembly_, upper canada, , p. , and appendix, no. , to these _journals_. [ ] freeling to postmaster general, march , (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, vii.). [ ] june , (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts, vi.). [ ] _journals of assembly_, , p. . chapter xii durham's report on the post office--effects of rebellion of on the service--ocean steamships to carry the mails--the cunard contract--reduction of transatlantic postage. the long controversy which had agitated the legislatures of the provinces was approaching its end. the decision on the constitutional point was given in their favour, though they did not know it; but the specific thing for which they had contended, they were constrained to relinquish. the upper canada legislature which had commenced the agitation, and elaborated the argument against the constitutional standing of the british post office in the colonies, had become convinced that the provincial system, which they demanded, was not in the interest of either the mother country or the colonies. they therefore asked the british government to put the stamp of legality on the existing system, by suitable legislation in the imperial parliament. but the argument of upper canada had done its work too well, and it became the turn of the british government to employ it, to show the impossibility of meeting the desires of upper canada. the difficulty now, however, was not one of principle, but of ways and means. the british government were quite willing that the colonial legislatures should have full information as to the financial operations of their post offices, and that the surplus revenue, if any, should be divided among them. all they required was that the colonial legislatures should by concurrent action devise the means by which the ends in view might be effected. the british parliament was, in the opinion of the law officers, precluded from interposing its authority in the settlement of the difficulty. durham, who was sent out to canada as high commissioner to inquire into, and, if possible, remedy the defects in the system of government, which kept the colonies in a chronic state of dissatisfaction, was directed to give his attention to the condition of affairs in the post office. in his general report, he dealt briefly with this topic, expressing full sympathy with the colonial view, and giving it as his opinion that if his proposition for a union of the provinces should be adopted the control of the post office should be given up to the colonies.[ ] but he added the recommendation that, whatever arrangements of a political nature might be made, the management of the post office throughout the whole of british north america should be conducted by one general establishment. this suggestion was not realized until the confederation of the provinces in . the rebellion in upper and lower canada in and the following year was productive of much embarrassment to the post office. many of the postmasters, particularly in lower canada, were open sympathisers with the rebels, and, through the opportunities afforded by their post office duties, assisted largely in the carrying out of their leaders' schemes. stayner had realized the impolicy of many of the appointments to post offices in lower canada. but as the local government was continually appointing to the highest offices men who were conspicuous in the support they lent to the views of papineau, he did not conceive himself warranted in noticing facts which were ignored by the governor. there were at least from thirty to forty postmasters besides several mail couriers in lower canada implicated in the rebellion. the governor general in lower canada, and the lieutenant governor in upper canada gave their attention to the conditions, each after his manner. gosford, the governor general, having been informed of the disloyalty of the postmasters at stanstead and lacolle, suggested that these officials should be dismissed as soon as it could be done without prejudice to the service.[ ] bond head, the lieutenant governor of upper canada, directed the local surveyor to dismiss the postmaster at lloydtown instantly, for having, as he said, sent to mackenzie a series of traitorous resolutions to which the postmaster had attached his name as corresponding secretary of the west king and tecumseth political union. head explained to stayner that he was aware that the usual course was to have the dismissal made by the deputy postmaster general, but as he desired to produce a certain moral effect by instant punishment, he was compelled to act through stayner's agent. furthermore, bond head asked that stayner should delegate to berezy, the surveyor, the power to dismiss peremptorily any person connected with the post office whom the lieutenant governor should judge to have failed in loyalty. head was an arbitrary personage, who never gladly suffered the execution of his wishes to linger after their utterance. a painful instance of the hardships inflicted upon innocent men in times of political turmoil was the dismissal of howard, the postmaster of toronto.[ ] his offence was not disloyalty. even bond head would not venture to say that he was disloyal--but merely that his friendships were so far inclusive as to embrace men of widely differing political opinions. james howard had been connected with the post office in toronto for eighteen years, during eight of which he had been postmaster. testimony abounded as to his zeal and efficiency as a public official. stayner reported to the postmaster general that howard was a man of excellent character, and one of the best officers in the service. an aspect of howard's conduct, which won stayner's warm commendation, was his withholding himself from all forms of political activity. "people in our department," wrote stayner to howard, some years before, "cannot too carefully abstain from identifying themselves with factions or parties of any kind." secure in the approbation of his chief, howard, following his natural inclination, moved quietly through the troubled times, which were heading for an outbreak, and delivered the letters to loyalist and reformer, to tory and radical, with even-handed indifference. it would seem, too, that in the choice of his friends, he exhibited a like insensibility to the explosive possibilities of some of their opinions. a few days after the public disturbances began, it was intimated to howard that his general attitude towards affairs was not quite satisfactory, and he at once demanded an investigation. there was nothing to investigate. but a hint was conveyed to him that he was too intimate with "those people." it was decided to have the correspondence of suspects placed under surveillance. but the duty was not confided to howard. letters supposed to contain information of the rebels were sent to the bank of upper canada, where they were subjected to scrutiny. on december , , eight days after the rebellion broke out, at montgomery's tavern, toronto, howard was removed from his office by the orders of the lieutenant governor. he was replaced by berezy, the post office inspector, who throughout the rebellion was active as the confidential agent of bond head. howard appealed to the lieutenant governor, protesting his perfect loyalty, and declaring that so far from concerning himself with politics, he had never voted in his life. no statement could have been more unfortunate. head, always a partisan, was unable to understand how a man could suppose himself to be loyal, and confess to such a degree of indifference, when the safety of the country was at stake. the admonition of the deputy postmaster general was pleaded. bond head would not listen. friends of the government, of the tried qualities of fitzgibbon, vouched for howard's loyalty. it was to no purpose. the lieutenant governor declared that he had his reasons for believing, not only that howard favoured the disaffected party, but that he had actually become "subservient to the execution of the treasonable plans." no evidence has ever been produced to support these accusations. but head, in his flamboyant style, prated about the struggle being waged between monarchy and democracy, and contrasted howard's indifference with the zealous devotion of the chief justice and one of the judges, who, shedding the ermine, took up their muskets in the defence of the country--and their jobs and perquisites. head indulged himself in several similar excesses of authority, always justifying himself on the ground that he was a protagonist in a death struggle with the arch-enemy democracy. when quiet was restored, howard renewed his appeals for redress, but the clique surrounding the governor contrived to frustrate all his efforts in that direction. in the spring of , a robbery of the mails took place on the grand route, at a point between kingston and gananoque, under circumstances of peculiar aggravation.[ ] the robbers, who lived on an island in the st. lawrence, within the territory of the state of new york, made no attempt at concealment. they openly declared that this was only the first of a series of similar interferences with the courier passing between upper and lower canada. the new york state authorities, who were appealed to, were powerless to act, but the secretary of state at albany intimated that it would not be regarded as a breach of amity if the canadian officials arrested the robbers on the island. in view, however, of the excitement which prevailed at that period on both sides of the border, it was thought prudent to refrain from so provocative a proceeding. while durham was occupied with his preparations for his mission to canada, events occurred which were not only of unsurpassed importance to communication between europe and america, but which seemed to promise a strengthening of the relations between the mother country and her colonies. in april , two steamships sailed from the united kingdom for new york--the "great western" from bristol, and the "sirius" from cork--and reached their destination safely, the former in fifteen days, and the latter in seventeen days.[ ] as the voyages were made in the face of stiff, westerly winds, the speed of the "great western" and the "sirius" gave much satisfaction, and it was accepted as settled that thereafter steam would be the motive power in the faster vessels employed in the transatlantic trade. the rapidity with which this conviction established itself was remarkable. there is nothing surprising in the immediate recognition of this new achievement of steam by speculative publicists, who saw in the events only the realization of their visions, but the british treasury, the arcanum of conservative caution, yielded with almost equal readiness to the argument provided by the two vessels. the british consul at new york was the first to bring to official attention the importance of this advance in the art of navigation. by the return of one of the vessels, he suggested to the colonial office that all official despatches and commercial letters for the canadas should be directed to the consulate at new york. he undertook to assort the correspondence, and forward it to montreal and toronto by queen's messengers. by avoiding the delays to which the regular couriers were subject, and taking advantage, wherever possible, of the steamboats running on the inland waters and of the railroads, which were beginning to be constructed throughout the eastern states, the messengers would be able to provide a greatly accelerated service. the answers to letters sent from london or liverpool to canada should be back in those cities in from thirty to thirty-five days--approximately the time taken by the halifax packets on a single trip. the british post office saw reasons for declining the proposal, so far as it regarded commercial correspondence. it was, however, prepared to transmit official despatches by this means, and to arrange for their conveyance from new york in the manner indicated by the consul. the people of halifax--who had always regarded with a jealous eye the disposition of the inland british colonies, to use the port of new york in preference to their own--managed, at this juncture in the history of ocean transport, by an appeal to imperial considerations to make a strong case for their port. by a happy chance, the "sirius" on its first homeward voyage, overtook the mail packet from halifax, and the captain of the packet, impressed by the higher speed of the steam vessel, induced the captain of the "sirius" to take the mails, with the result that their arrival was advanced by several days. joseph howe and some other gentlemen from the maritime provinces who happened to be passengers on the sailing packet when this incident occurred, were struck with this demonstration of the superiority of steam, and discussed among themselves whether this fact might not indicate the means of overcoming, in favour of halifax, the advantage enjoyed by the port of new york. on the arrival of howe in london, a meeting was called of men interested in the subject, and it was resolved to press their views on the attention of the government. several of the gentlemen wrote to the colonial secretary, and a memorial of a more formal character was submitted, bearing the signatures of howe, as representative of nova scotia, and of william crane, a member of the legislature of new brunswick, as representative of that province.[ ] the views and arguments were of a character similar to those employed by imperial federation leagues since that period--the shorter sea voyage, the fostering of common interests among the provinces, and the desirability of an interchange within the empire of news and correspondence, uncontaminated by passage through a foreign channel. at that period, the last of these points had a peculiar timeliness. the rebellion in upper canada had just been subdued, but the embers were ready to blaze up afresh with the first favouring breeze; while in lower canada the outbreak was still unchecked. the fast sailing packets on the new york-liverpool route so far outsailed the post office packets which ran to halifax, that the news carried by way of new york was sometimes weeks in advance of that which arrived by the halifax packets. as american popular sympathies, as distinct from official sympathy at washington and albany, lay mainly with the rebels, and as newspaper publishers were in general less scrupulous as to the veracity of their news than they are to-day, it often happened that the british public, and even the government in downing street, were grossly misled as to the movement of events in the canadas. the truth reached england eventually, but it had the proverbial difficulty in catching up with the nimble fiction, which had earlier circulation. in september the treasury made its decision.[ ] in the early part of that month, the great western steamship company, which was organized in for the purpose of providing a steam service between great britain and america, and which had been for some months past demonstrating the entire feasibility of this class of service, applied to the government for a contract for the conveyance of the mails to new york. but the plea of howe and crane for a direct service prevailed. on september the treasury announced the substitution of steam vessels for the sailing packets on the halifax route, and directed that tenders should be invited for such a service as the admiralty and post office considered most suitable. the treasury deprecated the haste with which the plans were being pushed forward, suggesting that a winter's experience would be valuable in dealing with so important a matter. but there were strong reasons for avoiding unnecessary delay. relations with the united states were causing some anxiety, and as regards transatlantic correspondence, that country stood in a position of advantage, which it seemed the business of great britain to equalize as far as possible. tenders were invited for a steam packet service between liverpool and halifax in november. but none of those submitted satisfied the conditions prescribed by the government. samuel cunard, of halifax, who had had a large experience as a contractor for packet services, visited england, and as the result of negotiations, entered into a contract with the admiralty. the contract called for two trips monthly each way between liverpool and halifax, and for trips of the same frequency between halifax and boston, and between pictou on the gulf of st. lawrence and quebec: the vessels to be employed to be of three hundred horse power for the transatlantic service, and of one hundred and fifty horse power for the other two routes. the contract was signed on may , , the rate of payment being £ , a year. this rate underwent a rapid series of augmentations. two months after the contract was made £ a year was added to the rate on consideration that the vessels should leave the american ports, as well as liverpool, on fixed dates. on september , , the decision was reached that vessels of a larger size than in the service should be employed, and to secure these the rate was raised to £ , . two years later, in consequence of representations by the contractors that the amount of payment was insufficient to enable them to carry on the service, £ , was added to the subsidy; and further additions were made as the result of changes in the arrangements, which will be detailed in their proper place. in addition to the provision for the exchange of mails by the cunard steamers, between great britain and canada and the united states, arrangements were made for subsidiary services to newfoundland and bermuda. halifax, indeed, was being made the pivotal point of the most extensive scheme ever attempted for the distribution of mails. all the communications between great britain and the north american continent were comprised in the plans. the first trip by steamer between liverpool and halifax was made by the "britannia," which left liverpool on july , . the vessel reached halifax after a passage of twelve and a half days. the mails for canada were carried overland from halifax to pictou, from which point they were delivered at quebec five and a half days after their landing at halifax. as the vessel conveying the mails up the st. lawrence from pictou to quebec was delayed a day in the gulf by fog, there was reason for hope that the passage from liverpool to quebec would not materially exceed fifteen days. the post office authorities at halifax bent every effort to make the enterprise a success. as an instance of their zealous energy, the "britannia," on its september sailing, reached halifax on a morning at seven o'clock. at a quarter to nine the mails for canada were on their way to pictou; at ten the "britannia" set out for boston; and by noon the vessels for newfoundland and bermuda had left for their destinations. prince edward island did not at once enjoy the full benefits of these efficient operations, but by a slight improvement in the arrangements, the island was put on an equal footing with the other colonies. the scheme, however, admirable as it was in conception, and successful as it appeared to be in operation, had weaknesses, which were revealed by time--weaknesses which before many years led to its abandonment. the test of the success of such a scheme lay in its capability to provide adequately for the exchanges with canada. the mails to and from upper and lower canada were not only much greater in volume than those exchanged with the other provinces, but owing to the existing political conditions in the canadas, were at the time of greater importance; and, if, owing to any lack of co-operation on the part of the provinces participating in the transmission of the mails between halifax and quebec, or through other causes, these mails required a notably greater length of time in their passage by the halifax route than they would have taken if landed at a port in the united states, the halifax route must be considered a failure. this is exactly what happened. when the british government decided to give the scheme a trial, it reminded the provinces concerned that there were several months in every year when the mails must be carried between halifax and quebec overland, and that this could be done successfully only if the roads in nova scotia, new brunswick, and quebec, over which the mails must pass, were put in a condition to permit of fast travel by carriage, night as well as day. at the time-- --the steamships began to run to halifax, the situation as regards the land routes was as follows: the distance from halifax to quebec--seven hundred miles--was rarely covered by the mail couriers in less than ten days. in the depth of winter, when the sleighing was good, and advantage could be taken of the ice road on the st. john river between fredericton and the mouth of the madawaska river, the journey was made in some hours less than six days. but it was seldom that conditions combined to make so fast a journey possible, and it was not considered prudent to reckon on an average of less than ten days. in the spring and autumn this length of time was often greatly exceeded. stayner, who went over the route in the autumn of , after calculating the effect of all practicable ameliorations, did not believe that the time could be reduced to less than seven days. as against this possible time, there was the fact that the journey from new york to quebec occupied only six and a half days in winter. the farther west the point of comparison was carried, moreover, the greater the disadvantage at which halifax stood. the shortest time to be anticipated in conveying the mails from halifax to montreal, after all improvements had been made, was nine days. the courier from new york, who had but half the distance to travel, delivered his mails in montreal in five days. toronto, the capital of upper canada, and the entrepôt for the thriving and rapidly-spreading settlements in the west, was still more easily reached from new york than from halifax. the journey from halifax to toronto covered a distance of one thousand two hundred and twelve miles, and occupied more than two weeks. new york was only five hundred and forty miles from toronto, and the mails were carried between the two places in seven days in winter. halifax is five hundred and fifty miles nearer liverpool than is new york, and consequently gained two days on the ocean voyage. but, in point of time, the odds were hopelessly against halifax, as the landing port for the canadian mails. the obvious political reasons, however, for maintaining halifax as the port of exchange between the north american provinces, as a whole, and the mother country, provoked a determined effort to remove, as far as possible, the natural obstacles which seemed to prevent the achievement of that end. inquiry was directed first to the question of the best route. from halifax to fredericton, the first important point at which the courier arrived on his western journey, there were alternative routes, both of which had been used in the conveyance of the mails to canada. since the war of , the courier had travelled along the northern shore of the bay of fundy, passing truro, dorchester and the bend of the petitcodiac, now moncton. this route was adopted first to avoid the necessity of the mails crossing the bay of fundy from annapolis to st. john, with the risks of falling in with american privateers, but after the termination of the war, it was continued from choice. the earlier route, from halifax to windsor and along the annapolis valley to annapolis, still had its advocates, however; and inquiry was made as to the advisability of returning to it. under certain ideal conditions, a better journey could be made by this route, but as these involved heavy additional expense, and a nicety of connection between the couriers and the packet boat at annapolis, which was frequently unattainable, the proposition was rejected. the real difficulties for the courier began when he left fredericton on his journey to quebec. the route lay along the shore of the st. john river to the point where the madawaska empties into it; thence in a generally northern direction until the st. lawrence is reached at the head of the portage. at this period-- --there was no road whatever over any part of this section of the route, though in , a road called the royal road was in course of construction between fredericton and grand falls. the schemes for the building of a road were embarrassed by the fact that for nearly one hundred miles, the proposed road lay in the territory claimed by the state of maine, with the resulting risk that the expenditure upon it might be lost. the only mode of travel from fredericton northward to the mouth of the madawaska was by canoe in summer. in the winter, when the ice was well set, travel was very easy. but during the early spring and late autumn, the floating ice made the journey in this part of the country one of great hardship. on a trip made in april , it required three men and twelve horses to carry over this section a mail weighing not more than seven or eight hundred pounds. the special council of quebec, which was in existence in - , owing to the suppression of the legislature due to suspension of the constitution of in lower canada, at the urgent instance of sydenham, appropriated £ for a road over the portage between the st. lawrence and the st. john rivers. the legislature of new brunswick also made a liberal grant for the section lying in that province. it is evident, therefore, that halifax stood at an insurmountable disadvantage as compared with the new york route during the winter season. but, at least so far as concerned eastern canada, the provincial route was not greatly inferior to that through the united states, during the period of open navigation on the st. lawrence. the passage from liverpool to quebec did not usually exceed sixteen days, and to montreal eighteen days. an essential link in this conveyance was the overland route from halifax to pictou. as this service furnished the connection between the steamers on the atlantic and those on the st. lawrence, it was of the first importance that the route should be traversed at a high rate of speed. the route had been in use for many years for the exchange of local mails, but the means of conveyance, which were sufficient for that purpose, were entirely inadequate to the requirements of the ocean mail service. cunard--who had every motive for expediting not only the mails, but the passengers and freight passing to and from the canadas--drew attention to the necessity for ample provision for the new conditions. unless he were able to afford a fast and comfortable conveyance at a moderate charge to his canadian passengers, he could not hope to hold the business. as it was desirable that he should be able to exercise control over this part of the passage, he offered to provide the service between halifax and pictou on terms, which were accepted by the deputy postmaster general of nova scotia. the service afforded left little to be desired in point of efficiency. four horse stages ran over the route three times each way weekly in summer, and twice weekly in winter; the trip was to be made within seventeen hours, and the charge to passengers was not to exceed £ _s_. the charge for each person had been, until the contract was made, £ . but accommodation such as this necessarily entailed considerable expense, and the compensation to cunard under the contract was so great as seriously to embarrass the financial position of the post office in nova scotia. this amount--£ per annum--was £ in excess of what had been paid for this route before the british mails were carried over it. the revenues of the provincial post office were quite unequal to this demand upon, them, and relief was sought from the legislature. that body agreed to contribute £ , and canada was asked to add £ to that sum. when howe reported the facts to the postmaster general, the latter was disposed to tax him with having acted without consideration, and sydenham was asked to give his opinion of the bargain. the governor general laid the subject before the post office commission, which was then sitting, and they denounced the whole arrangement. the rate was extravagant, and the service provided for was entirely beyond the necessities of the ocean mails. as the steamers were to sail only twice a month, an express conveyance of that frequency was all that was required. as for canada's being at any expense for this service, the commission scouted the idea. the cunard contract called for the transportation of mails between great britain and canada, which was to be effected by two steamers, one running between liverpool and halifax, and the other between pictou and quebec. any expense there might be for overland conveyance should fall upon the packet postage, that is, it should be a charge upon the postage collected by the british post office for the transmission of letters between great britain and canada. the british post office took a somewhat curious course in the difficulty. it resented the criticism of the commissioners, and sanctioned the agreement made by the deputy in halifax, for a term of eight years. it made no effort to convince the canadian authorities of the error in their views, which would indeed have been impossible; and, on the other hand, it refused to allow the additional expense to be thrown upon the packet postage. there was but one alternative--nova scotia must bear the whole charge. and that was the decision of the postmaster general. the resentment throughout nova scotia at the injustice of this decision, and the manifest inability of the provincial post office to carry the added burden determined the postmaster general to make an effort to put an end to the situation. in he sent an officer of the department to halifax to inquire into the whole provincial system, instructing him to give his special attention to the question of the expediency of continuing the use of the port of halifax as the entrepôt for the canadian mails. the thing to be avoided was the long carriage by land, and the agent was directed to consider the ports of st. john, new brunswick and boston with this end in view. boston was regarded with particular favour on account of the railway lines, which were being extended inland from that port. st. john was dismissed from consideration on a report from the admiralty that until some progress had been made in the survey of the bay of fundy, especially of its tides and soundings, it would be very hazardous to send the mails by that route. on the question of the comparative advantages of the halifax and boston routes there was practical unanimity in canada. all classes of the mail-using public were agreed as to the superiority of the boston route. the editors of newspapers complained that the british newspapers on which they depended for their foreign news--newspapers which were transmitted by way of halifax--were useless by the time they reached canada, as the news they contained had been received from new york or boston several days earlier. as for the objection to having the exchange of mails between great britain and canada carried on through a foreign country, the publishers made light of it. the mails from england for india, were carried across the continent through france and italy; and there was no reason why the mails from england for canada should not be carried through the united states. these views were strongly presented by stayner, and reinforced by the secretary of the post office, who laid them before the postmaster general. the cunards also rendered assistance to the same end. they represented to the postmaster general that the service proved to be much more expensive than they had anticipated when they undertook the contract, and that the steamer on the st. lawrence was a very heavy burden. in discussing the question of an increased subsidy, the company expressed their willingness to regard relief from the river service as equivalent to £ , a year. these concurrent appeals, together with the fact that the change in the seat of government from kingston to montreal, established the governor in the city which would derive the maximum of benefit from the boston connection, decided the government to make boston the landing port for the canadian mails; and the british minister at washington was instructed to open negotiations for an arrangement by which the british mails would be permitted to cross the territory of the united states.[ ] it had long been an object of desire with the united states government to retain the hold its geographical situation has given it upon the correspondence between great britain and canada. before steam service was a practicable scheme, the president in a message to congress suggested that, to that end, the sailing packets should be put under post office regulations, and a greater degree of security to the mails thereby effected. the united states government consequently were prepared to accept very moderate terms. they based their offer on the terms of the contract between the british and french governments for the conveyance of the indian mails from calais on the channel to marseilles on the mediterranean. the british government paid the french government two francs per ounce of letters and ten centimes for each newspaper transmitted across french territory, and as the distance from boston to st. johns in lower canada was rather less than half that from calais to marseilles, they proposed that the british government should pay them half the rates paid to the french government. these rates were regarded by the postmaster general of england as unusually favourable, and the proposal of the united states government was at once accepted. under this arrangement, the postmaster general calculated that, besides the great saving in time that would be effected, there would be a reduction in the charges for the inland conveyance of the mails to and from canada of £ per annum. the course of conveyance across the territory of the united states was to be, in summer, from boston to burlington, vermont, towards which a railway line was approaching completion, and from burlington to st. johns by steamer on lake champlain. in the winter, the mails were to be carried from boston to highgate, vermont, where they would be taken over by couriers attached to the canadian post office. the time occupied would, under usual conditions, be forty-eight hours between boston and st. johns, and fifty-three hours between boston and highgate. thus was the great experiment brought to its appointed end. it had its origin in one of those imperial impulses, which seem to come most frequently from the colonies, and which now and then carry the briton off his feet. but, as conditions stood, the scheme was foredoomed to failure. it was not until the construction of the canadian pacific railway in , across the state of maine between montreal and st. john, that a canadian ocean port was able to enter into successful competition with a united states port, as the point of exchange for mails passing between great britain and canada. while the plans for substituting steam for sailing vessels were being brought to maturity, the question of a substantial reduction in the postage between great britain and the colonies in north america were being discussed.[ ] stayner pointed out that it would be useless to enter upon an expensive scheme for reducing the time occupied in conveying the mails between great britain and canada, unless the postage were brought down to a figure that would place the steamship service within reach of the farmers in western canada. as sydenham observed, the new settlers, while living in great material comfort, had little money at their disposal. to them it was an impossibility to pay the postage--four shillings or more--which had accumulated on a letter on its way from the inland parts of the united kingdom to the backwoods in which they were making homes for themselves. they were served, and far from inefficiently, by the american ocean sailing packets, which left liverpool weekly for new york; and unless the steam line were able to provide for the exchange of their letters at rates as low as they were paying, they would no more patronize the new line than they had the ten-gun sailing brigs, by which the british packet service was then carried on. stayner, with full knowledge of the conditions he had to meet, was convinced that the first step towards an effective reform was to sweep away the cumulative rates made up of the inland charges in the united kingdom, the ocean postage and the inland colonial charge; and replace them by one fixed rate which would carry the letter from any post office in the united kingdom to any post office in the colonies. when he first laid the proposition before the postmaster general, the duke of richmond, he recommended that this uniform rate should be two shillings a single letter. but after some years' opportunity for reflection, aided beyond doubt by the argument of rowland hill for penny postage in great britain, stayner concluded that his proposed rate was too high, and that, at one shilling and sixpence, or even one shilling and threepence, the increased patronage of the line by the public in the motherland and the colonies, would bring about an actual augmentation of the revenue. how great the reduction in the charges would be, if stayner's proposition were carried into effect, may be gathered from the fact that one of the elements making up the total postage was much in excess of the whole sum suggested by stayner. on the supposition that the steamships landed the canadian mails at halifax, every letter brought by that means to toronto would be subject to a charge of two shillings and ninepence for the conveyance from halifax to toronto, to say nothing of the shilling charge for its passage from liverpool to halifax, and the postage from the office of posting in the united kingdom to liverpool. while negotiations with cunard were still in progress, and the colonies waited expectantly for what was to be achieved by the new service, stayner was much surprised and gratified to receive from the general post office in london a circular addressed to the postmasters in the united kingdom stating that the postmaster general had decided to do away altogether with the inland rate or rather to incorporate it with the ocean rate which thenceforward would be one shilling. this was beyond any anticipations stayner had formed, and he lost no time in apprizing the public in canada of the boon conferred upon them. there was rejoicing in canada over the prospect of easy communication with the mother country, and the postmaster general received many commendations on his statesmanlike measure.[ ] but the rejoicing was not of long continuance. with the first intimation at the general post office of the announcement made in canada there was despatched a letter from the secretary informing stayner that he had quite mistaken the purport of the circular. though sent to stayner for his information, it was not intended to apply to canada. the intention was merely to take off the british inland postage, and to leave the colonial inland postage to be collected as before. the reduction, in reality, amounted to very little, as the bulk of the postage on letters from great britain to canada passing by way of halifax had been that part levied for the conveyance from halifax to the office of delivery in canada. stayner was in no way to blame for the interpretation he placed on the circular, and he had the satisfaction of knowing that his misconception made the continuance of the high postage impossible. the public on both sides of the ocean had tasted the blessings of communication with their relatives on the other side, at an expense not considered beyond their means, and they were determined not to have the benefit withdrawn. accordingly when poulett thomson, afterwards earl of sydenham, came out as governor general with special instructions to remove all legitimate causes of dissatisfaction, he addressed himself to this question, and after a conference with stayner, wrote to the colonial secretary urging the adoption of the shilling rate. the colonial secretary submitted the governor general's views to the postmaster general, and in practical coincidence with the sailing of the first steamer under the cunard contract, instructions were issued to make the total charge on letters to the british north american colonies one shilling, if the letter was addressed to halifax, and one shilling and twopence, if its destination was inland, however distant.[ ] at the same time, a change of great importance was made in the principle on which the postage was based. it had been the practice to charge postage, according to the number of enclosures the letter contained. when penny postage was introduced in england a few months previously, one of the features of the new plan was the establishment of the weight principle in determining the charge on a letter, in substitution of the principle under which letters were taxed according to the number of their contents. the operation of the new plan in great britain caused much confusion and loss in the correspondence with the colonies. the british or irish people, who had become accustomed to having their postage fixed by the application of the rate of one penny for each half ounce, could not in many cases be made to understand why the same principle did not apply to their letters to their friends and relatives beyond the seas. hence many letters weighing less than half an ounce were sent to canada, which on examination were found to contain enclosures, and the postage was, in accordance with the regulations, doubled or even trebled, though their weight would not call for a charge of more than one shilling and twopence. poulett thomson drew attention to the obvious embarrassment occasioned by the application of the two different principles, and he had the satisfaction of finding a ready acquiescence in his views on the part of the postal authorities at home. accordingly, by the treasury minute of july th, , the rate on letters conveyed by direct packet from any post office in the united kingdom to halifax was made one shilling the half ounce. if, for any other post office, the rate was one shilling and twopence. footnotes: [ ] _report on the affairs of british north america_ (oxford, ), p. . [ ] stayner to governor general's secretary, december , (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] maberly to postmaster general, march , , and accompanying papers (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts), and q. - _passim_. [ ] _can. arch._, q. , p. . [ ] colonial office to post office, may , (_can. arch._, br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] _speeches and public letters of joseph howe_, , i. . [ ] the succession of measures taken regarding the cunard service may be followed in the br. p.o. transcripts for - - . [ ] maberly to postmaster general, april and september , , with accompanying papers (br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] the papers on the reduction of the ocean postage rates are gathered together as accompaniments to a letter from mr. poulett thomson, the governor general, to lord russell, of april , . see q. , p. . [ ] stayner to maberly, may , , and accompanying documents (br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] treasury minute, july , (br. p.o. transcripts). chapter xiii diminution of powers of deputy postmaster general--commission on post office appointed--its report--efforts to secure reduction of postal charges. the arrival of poulett thomson as governor general marks the passing of the uncontrolled authority of stayner as administrator of the post office in the canadas. by the terms of their commissions, the deputies of the postmaster general in the colonies, were responsible to the postmaster general alone for the conduct of the affairs of the post offices within their jurisdiction. subject to the approval of the postmaster general, the deputies opened all post offices, appointed all postmasters and other officers of the department, and made all contracts for the conveyance of the mails. until stayner's time, the department at home exercised a watchful oversight in one particular. it insisted that the deputy postmaster general should not extend the system, or increase the accommodation within it, unless he could satisfy st. martins-le-grand that the additional outlay required should be met by a corresponding increase in the revenue. assured on this point, the department gave the deputies a practically free hand. insistence on the point of finances brought the general post office into sharp collision with the colonial legislatures for a number of years. but shortly after stayner's assumption of office, the department in london loosened the reins, and directed him to study the wants of the rising communities, and extend postal accommodation to whatever districts seemed to him to require it. the confidence bestowed by the postmaster general on his young deputy in the canadas was not misplaced. stayner was a man of energy and authority, who had grown up in the service under the administration of his father-in-law, who was his predecessor in office, and his loyalty to the interests of both the postmaster general and the community he served stood unquestioned. with his appointment to his high office, he fell heir to a dispute which had been waged for a number of years between the general post office and the legislatures of upper and lower canada, involving the legal right of the post office to do business in the colonies under existing conditions. stayner was fortunate in finding in each province differences between the administration and the houses of assembly, which gave little promise of settlement, and he promptly attached himself to the side of the administration. this, indeed, was the only course open to him, in view of his accountability to a department, which, in according him a certain freedom of action, took jealous heed that he should not abuse it. but stayner had important interests of his own, which called for protection by the government. his extra-official emoluments--from the postage on newspapers, and from his agency for the collection of united states postage, due in canada--now far exceeding his official salary, began to excite public attention, and he required all the support he could gather to himself, to enable him to brave it out with the assemblies, when they insisted on his showing by what right he took these emoluments. his position, however repugnant to popular notions, was officially unassailable, and as he managed to identify his interests with those of the administrations, the governors of the two provinces remained steadily his friends and protectors. he had even the gratification of being commended for his great services by the assembly of upper canada in . but a change was coming for stayner, and indeed had come. ever since the amount and the sources of his income became known to the home government, there had been disapprobation. the secretary of the post office, a large part of whose income had been derived from similar extra-official sources, deprecated the criticism which began to spring up, and the postmaster general weakly and reluctantly agreed that stayner's exceptional services entitled him to exceptional emoluments. the colonial secretary, lord glenelg, however, was of another mind. the two provinces were seething with dissatisfaction, and it was not clear to him in what the grievances of the colonials consisted. a committee of the house of commons had sat in , heard evidence, and reported, and the leaders of the assembly in lower canada had declared that if the recommendations of the committee were carried into effect, the province would be content. guiding his policy by that report, and seeking every opportunity to make good its findings, the colonial secretary observed that the political dissatisfaction and unrest, so far from disappearing, was spreading year by year. his bewilderment sharpened his eyes, and as they rested on stayner's case, he saw a condition which offended his sense of justice, and he at once demanded of the postmaster general that he should remove this obvious wrong. for a time stayner's tactics, or his luck, held him scatheless. the postmaster general and the colonial secretary had agreed that the remedy for all the ills that afflicted the post office was to be provided by the bill adopted by the imperial parliament in . this bill, however, could not become operative until the acceptance by the several colonial legislatures of a common measure for the regulation of the post office in the several provinces by the postmaster general of england. as all the colonies had rejected this measure, the situation remained unchanged. stayner continued to take his exorbitant emoluments, and the government was helpless. the postmaster general asked the colonial secretary to furnish him with an expedient for settling the matter, but the colonial secretary could think of nothing, to which overriding legal or political objections could not be made. while, however, stayner enjoyed immunity from attacks by the government, he was a marked man, and when poulett thomson came to canada, he lost no time in making stayner realize that the period of his exceptional fortunes was at an end. poulett thomson's special mission to canada was to lay the foundations of responsible government in the country, and he began by taking things into his own hands. in dealing with the post office he sent for stayner, and, instead of treating him as an officer of independent authority, thomson informed stayner that it was his intention to reform the post office in its construction and duties. all the governor general required of stayner was that the latter should furnish him with any information he considered necessary. although thomson had never had any actual experience in the workings of a post office he had opportunities of acquiring a sound theoretical knowledge on the subject. he was a member of the committee of the house of commons which was appointed in to examine the proposition of rowland hill for penny postage. as hill's scheme involved an entire change in post office methods, the _modus operandi_ at that time pursued was thoroughly set out to the committee, its weaknesses exposed, and the merits of the new proposition fully discussed. no observant man could attend the work of that committee without gaining definite views as to the principles upon which a post office should be conducted. in june , stayner reported to the secretary of the general post office a state of affairs that indicated that thomson had taken the direction of post office affairs into his own hands. he had ordered stayner to enter into negotiations for the conveyance of mails by steamer between quebec and montreal, and upon lake ontario, and when the negotiations failed, he expressed a determination to obtain authority to build vessels for post office purposes. he also directed stayner to draw up a bill for the administration of the post office in british north america upon principles to be determined by the governor. the colonial secretary, in july, instructed the governor to appoint a commission to investigate and report upon the post office in the colonies in all its bearings. the committee as appointed consisted of dowling, legal adviser to the governor, davidson, senior commissioner of crown lands, and stayner. in point of ability the committee was a competent one. its members all had that sort of experience in public affairs, which would enable them to apprize fairly the mass of information laid before them--evidence which would satisfy the public as to the justice of their conclusions. but having in mind the aims of the committee, its composition was not such as to give hope for harmonious co-operation among its members. the colonial secretary in instructing the governor general to appoint the committee, directed that it should investigate and report on the state of the british north american post office, including its administration. the work of the committee was necessarily a scrutiny into the methods of the administration of stayner, and involved an attitude of defence on his part. and the other members of the committee did not fail to make him feel the difficulty of his dual position. although he signed the report as a commissioner, he appended a note to it stating that he did so, merely because he conceived it to be his duty as a commissioner. but he also intimated that he was far from agreeing with all the conclusions of his associates; and a few months later he presented a statement to the governor general, pointing out the respects in which he differed from the other commissioners, and defending himself against charges which were set forth in the report. the committee entered upon their work by calling upon the deputy postmasters general of canada and the maritime provinces for a body of statistics and other matter, which, when furnished, provided them with a survey of the whole colonial system, and its methods of operation. detailed information was given in tabular form of every post office in the colonies--the name and date of appointment of its postmaster, the revenue of the office, and the several items that composed the postmaster's income; and of every mail route, with its cost of maintenance. all regulations for the guidance of postmasters in the management of their offices were submitted to the commission. the commissioners addressed circular letters to all the postmasters, and to prominent people in every section of the colonies, inviting them to give their views on the post offices in their locality, and asking particularly as to the extent letters were carried by agencies other than the post office, and their opinions as to why these other agencies were employed in preference to the post office. the information obtained was most voluminous, and the report of the commission based upon it was comprehensive.[ ] it began with a historical sketch of the post office in the colonies, from its origin down to the time of the commission; passed on to a survey of the institution as it then stood; pointed out the defects they discovered in its arrangements; and concluded by a number of recommendations for the removal of the defects, and the improvement of the system. the defects which most impressed the commissioners were the want of uniformity within the system, and the uncontrolled power of the representatives of the postmaster general in the colonies. as illustrating the lack of uniformity, they pointed out that though the colonies were in postal theory an undivided whole, they were under the control of two deputies of the postmaster general, who were entirely independent of one another, and that no effort seemed to have been made to co-ordinate the practice in the two jurisdictions. the absence of organization was more noticeable in the maritime provinces, a condition which the commissioners attributed to the failure of the deputy at halifax to establish general regulations, and to the want of travelling surveyors or inspectors, who might have introduced uniformity of practice among the postmasters. a striking instance of unauthorized variation from usual post office practice was the existence of way offices. these were, to all intents and purposes, post offices, and yet they had no official recognition as such. these way offices were set up at any convenient place along the line of the post roads. they were put in operation, sometimes by local magistrates, or other people of importance in the districts; sometimes by neighbouring postmasters, and sometimes by the deputy postmaster general. they had no accounting relations with the head of the department, but carried on their work under the control of an adjacent postmaster who was held responsible for the postage collected by them. in spite of their anomalous character, these way offices had a usefulness of their own; for they were not abolished until after the nova scotia post office was absorbed in the post office department of the dominion in . the commission in support of their second conclusion, that the power of the deputies of the postmaster general were subject to no practical control, and that the abuses usually associated with irresponsibility were not absent from the administration of the colonial post office, submitted two cases which had come under their notice, and which seemed to show that in these cases at least stayner was chargeable with maladministration and nepotism. stayner in his rejoinder defended himself with vigour and success against the imputations of his colleagues, and retorted upon dowling, the chairman, with charges of unfairness and studied discourtesy towards himself. the bearing of dowling was so offensive that stayner was with difficulty restrained from severing his relations with the commission. the remedies proposed by the commission for the two cardinal defects to which they had drawn attention, were simple and efficacious. they would place the whole colonial postal system in the hands of a single deputy postmaster general, who should own responsibility, not only to his official superior in england, but also, in all points which did not conflict with his primary duty, to the executive heads of the several provinces, so far as related to the parts of the system within their respective jurisdictions. the headquarters of the deputy postmaster general, the commission urged, should be at the capital of the province of canada, and he should be under the orders of the governor general. the authority of the deputy postmaster general in the other provinces should be vested in local inspectors, whose relations with the lieutenant governors were to be identical with those which should subsist between the deputy postmaster general and the governor general. in cases occurring in the other provinces, which appeared to transcend the powers of the local inspectors, the lieutenant governors might correspond with the governor general, and the inspectors with the deputy. stayner objected to the plan proposed, in so far as it took the appointments to postmasterships and other offices out of the hands of the representative of the postmaster general, and made them the subject of political patronage. having disposed of the questions relating to the organization and administration of the department, the commissioners proceeded to discuss matters bearing upon its operations. the first of these was the rates of postage. in dealing with this subject the commission had before them a mass of evidence from all parts of the colonies, which convinced them that the great bulk of the letters exchanged, did not pass through the post office. it was asserted by responsible persons that, in some parts of the country, scarcely ten per cent. of the letters written were conveyed by the post office, and in few cases was the estimate of letters carried by private means less than fifty per cent. though various other reasons were given for this systematic evasion of the only lawful means of conveying letters--the infrequency of the couriers' services, and the public distrust in the security of the mails--there was practical unanimity in the declaration that the chief obstacle in the way of the public's using the post office was the excessive rates of postage. the commission found that there was a strong sentiment among their correspondents, favouring the adoption of the system then recently introduced into england by the genius of rowland hill. until , the postal rates in england were substantially the same as those which hampered the post office in the colonies; and the general avoidance of the post office by the merchants and other writers of letters in that country was as marked as it was in canada. richard cobden declared that not one-sixth of the letters exchanged in england were transmitted through the post office, and other observers of equal authority bore similar emphatic testimony. the displacement of the complicated system of charges based on the number of enclosures and the distance the letters were carried, and the adoption of a penny rate carrying letters to all parts of the united kingdom, immediately turned all the streams of correspondence into the channels of the post office. not only were the private letter-carrying agencies put out of business, but the low, easily comprehended rate called into existence a vast body of new correspondence. few people in canada believed in the possibility of a rate as low as a penny for the canadian post office, but many were attracted by the fascination of a uniform charge even though it should be higher than that, which was so vastly augmenting correspondence in england. to all such, whether the uniform rate they advocated were a penny or higher, the commission addressed themselves, pointing out that the geographical, social and industrial differences between england and the colonies, made it impracticable to base an argument for the one upon the experience of the other. uniform penny postage was an immediate success in the united kingdom because in the united kingdom there were three thickly-populated countries, with highly developed social and industrial systems. hill discovered, by a study of the postal statistics laid before the house of commons, that in consequence of the great volume of correspondence exchanged, the comparatively short distances letters were as a rule carried, and the highly developed system of transportation, the average cost of carrying a letter in the united kingdom did not exceed one farthing. a sum equally small covered the expenses of administration and the maintenance of post offices. a further discovery of equal importance, which surprised hill as much as it did anybody, was that the difference in expense between carrying a letter the shortest and the longest possible distances in the kingdom was so small that it could not be expressed in the least valuable coin in use. in these facts lay the whole case for uniform penny postage. at a penny a letter, there was a clear profit to the post office, and the augmentation in the number of letters as a result of this inducement to correspondence made almost any imaginable profits possible; and the insignificant difference in cost between carrying letters long and short distances, led inevitably to the ideal uniform rate. the conditions in the british north american colonies were in all respects the reverse of those existing in england. the vast extent of their territories, the sparseness of their populations, and their undeveloped state, socially and industrially, all combined to make the postal system very costly, and the returns meagre; and the great, almost unsettled, stretches between the centres of population made the difference in the cost of conveyance between long and short distances very considerable. the commission, with such statistics as were available before them, estimated that the average expense of delivering a letter was threepence for conveyance, and twopence-halfpenny for overhead and maintenance charges. these figures showed the impracticability of either low or uniform postage rates, unless the legislatures were willing to take on themselves the yearly deficits, which were certain to occur. the commission, however, were prepared to recommend considerable reductions in the charges, even though these should result in a noticeable shrinkage in the revenue. indeed, it seemed to them a distinct advantage that the revenue should be brought down to a point, at which it would no more than meet the expenses. they took it as settled that the british government would adhere to the principle of the imperial bill of , under which the surplus revenues were to be divided among the colonies; and they foresaw serious difficulties among the provinces in dealing with the problem of distributing the surplus. the rates they recommended--ranging from twopence a letter when the conveyance did not exceed thirty miles up to one shilling for a distance over three hundred miles--were much lower than those charged at that time by the post office. dealing with the question of newspaper postage, the commission condemned the impropriety of allowing the sums accruing under this head to pass into the pockets of the deputies of the postmaster general, and recommended that newspapers should be charged at the rate of one-halfpenny each, and that the proceeds should go with the other postage into the treasury. a point, interesting as illustrating one of the differences of view between ourselves and our grandfathers, was that the commissioners strongly recommended that the prepayment of postage on newspapers should not continue to be compulsory, but that it should be optional whether the sum should be paid by the sender or recipient of the newspaper. it had never been held that the sender of a letter should pay the postage; and to the public it appeared a hardship that there should be a different practice as regards newspapers. indeed the committee saw very good reasons from the standpoint of the post office why the payment of postage on newspapers should be deferred. if postmasters could add to their revenues, and consequently to their salaries, by collecting the postage when delivering newspapers, they would have a strong motive for seeing that the papers were delivered. the commission closed their report by noting a number of the details of post office practice: the demand for more post offices throughout the provinces, which they endorsed; complaints of the inconvenience of sites of post offices; the hours post offices should be open to the public, and the time for closing the mails; special handling of money letters, and the enforcement of the terms of mail contracts, and the salaries of postmasters. on all these matters they commented at length, and made a number of helpful suggestions. the report was presented to the governor general on december , . while it was in course of preparation--on november , --the post office building in quebec was destroyed by fire. for stayner this was a serious misfortune. not only was he compelled to withdraw his attention from the affairs of the commission, in order to make provision for carrying on the departmental work, but he was crippled in drawing up his rejoinder by the fact that all his papers were consumed with the building, and material upon which he had depended for explanation and justification of transactions called in question was no longer available. his statement was not laid before the governor general until the april following. in it, besides confuting the conclusions of the other commissioners on the matters affecting his administration of the post office, stayner discussed a number of questions, in which he differed in opinion from his colleagues. he expressed a qualified approval of the scale of postage rates recommended in the report, and agreed entirely with them in their proposals respecting the postage on newspapers. but stayner was convinced that his colleagues took entirely too favourable a view as to the effect of the postage reductions on the revenue of the department, and he strongly recommended that, before the proposed changes should be approved, the whole scheme should be submitted to the provincial legislatures, with its probable financial consequences, in order that an assurance might be obtained from them that the deficits which he foresaw should be made good by the provinces. the first of the measures taken by the government on the report of the commissioners was to deprive stayner of a portion of his power. the proposal to place him under the direction of the governor general was not entertained in its entirety. but in august , the appointment of his postmasters was taken out of his hands, and transferred to the governor general.[ ] stayner protested that it would be out of his power satisfactorily to discharge his responsibility as resident head of the post office if he were deprived of the selection of his officials. the postmaster general may have agreed with stayner, but the decision of the matter was not allowed to rest with him. consequently, he had no choice, but to inform stayner that the question was closed, and that he would have to conform to the new conditions. so much freedom of action, however, was still left with stayner that he was not expected to retain the services of any official who failed to satisfy his requirements. but he could no longer dismiss peremptorily. the official under condemnation was to be afforded an opportunity for defence before his case was finally disposed of. thereafter, and until the post office was transferred to the control of the canadian government, whenever a vacancy occurred among the postmasters, the nomination was made by the governor, and the official appointment of the person selected, was made by the postmaster general. in august , lord stanley, the colonial secretary, notified the governor that on assuming office, he found awaiting him the report of the commission, but owing to the complexity of the matters involved, and to the fact that further representations on the same subject had been received from the colonies, the government was unable to arrive at a conclusion until that time.[ ] the decisions arrived at by the government and imparted to the governor were of far-reaching importance. the practice which had prevailed ever since the post office was established, of fixing the postage on letters, according to the number of enclosures they contained was to be abolished, and the weight system to be introduced to replace it. a single letter thereafter was to be one which weighed less than half an ounce, and the postage determined by the number of half ounces it weighed. the rates themselves were not changed, nor was the principle of regarding the distance a letter was carried any factor in the postage, in any way affected. but though the effect of the substitution of the weight system for that based on enclosures was not great, so far as concerned the amount of postage required on a letter, much was gained in the direction of simplicity and propriety, when there was no longer the constant appeal to the postmaster's curiosity, and, at times, cupidity, which was made by the regulation requiring him to hold up every letter between him and a lighted candle, in order to satisfy himself as to the number of its contents. another reform, no less welcome to the public, was the abolition of the privilege conceded to the deputy postmaster general of putting into his own pocket the proceeds of the postage on newspapers. the recommendation of the commission that newspapers should be charged one-halfpenny each, the proceeds to form part of the post office revenue, was adopted by the government. these changes went into operation on the th of january, . by way of compensation to the deputy postmaster general for the loss of his newspaper and other perquisites, he was given the not unhandsome salary of £ sterling a year. this was an amount much beyond what the treasury considered should be paid as salary for this office, in the absence of the special circumstances of stayner's case, and the salary of his successor was fixed at £ a year.[ ] the merchants and other large users of the post office, while perhaps not unmindful of what had been gained, still had little cause for satisfaction with the results of the labours of the commission. substantial reductions in the postage were still unattained. the movement in the colonies was greatly stimulated by the course of events in england as regards penny postage. post office officials had, from various motives, decried the great reform, and ministers of the crown, with their eyes on the diminished revenue, doubted whether the public benefits had been commensurate with the cost. opposition to the continuance of the experiment had reached a point when it became a question whether modifications in the direction of higher charges should not be made. in the government appointed a committee of the house of commons to inquire as to the measure of public benefit that could fairly be attributed to penny postage. the committee made no report, but they submitted a mass of evidence taken from every quarter of the kingdom, and from every walk in life, that effectually silenced objectors, and aroused a desire in all civilized countries for the enjoyment of a similar boon, to the extent that their circumstances would permit. the united states, in , after a period of agitation, reduced its charges to five cents a letter, where the conveyance did not exceed a distance of three thousand miles, doubling the charge for greater distances. the british north american colonies shared to the full in the general desire for the abatement of the impediments to the freer circulation of correspondence. the canadian legislature, in , was called upon to deal with a number of memorials on this subject, and asked stayner for his advice. stayner was prepared to welcome any reductions that the legislature might be able to obtain, but he warned them that whatever might be the ultimate effect of lowered postage rates on the augmentation of correspondence, there would be an intermediate period, in which the shrinkage of revenue would be considerable, and it was for the legislature to determine whether the general financial condition of the province would warrant their incurring even a temporary deficit in the post office. the legislature having in view the fact that the surplus revenue of the post office was only £ at the time, decided that it would be unwise to embark on any undertaking that threatened them with additional financial burdens.[ ] but the public in canada were of a different opinion. the boards of trade of montreal, toronto and quebec petitioned the postmaster general for a rate of twopence-halfpenny a letter, and, in , the legislature casting caution aside presented a strong address to the queen. in it they pointed out the hardship endured by british subjects in one portion of the empire, in being compelled to pay extravagant charges for that which is enjoyed by others at merely nominal cost; and begged to be put on an equal footing in this regard with the citizens of the united states. the legislatures of the maritime provinces were pressing on the home government demands of a similar character with equal vigour, and as the policy adopted by the home government was the result of the combined pressure, and affected all the colonies identically, it is desirable, before dealing with that policy, to bring the narrative of events in the maritime provinces forward to this point. footnotes: [ ] this report, with the data obtained by the commissioners, is printed as appendix f to the _sessional papers of canada for_ . [ ] circular letter of instructions, august (_journals of assembly_, n.b., , p. ). [ ] _journals of assembly_, canada, , p. . [ ] maberly to stayner, july , (br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] _journals of assembly_, canada, - , app. p.p.p. chapter xiv continuation of account of post office in maritime provinces-- departmental inquiry into conditions--agitation for reduced postage. the information elicited from howe by the general post office in london, and the house of assembly of nova scotia, in the course of the inquiry as to the financial position of the post office in that province, disclosed matter for considerable surprise to both of them. the general post office learned for the first time that for some years the provincial post office was carried on partly with the assistance of the legislature. the assembly on its side was equally unaware of the fact that, while they were making annual grants in aid of the provincial establishment, a very considerable sum was being remitted each year by the deputy postmaster general to the british treasury as surplus postal revenue. this anomalous state of affairs was corrected, and a more satisfactory footing was established as the result of the mission of the nova scotia delegates to england in . but one is inclined to wonder how this condition of ignorance could continue with howe, a perfectly honest man, in constant communication with his official superiors in england on the one hand, and with the legislature on the other. it would seem to have arisen from the fact that the post office in nova scotia was a much more intimate institution than the post office was in canada. circumstances, as has been seen, maintained a gulf between the post office in canada and the provincial legislatures. the antagonism of the legislatures in the two canadas towards the post office, arising from their belief in the illegality of its foundation, and the steady struggle on their part to bring the institution within the sphere of their authority, operated to prevent the establishment of intimate relations between the legislatures and the deputy postmasters general. all these separative factors were absent in nova scotia. the howes, father and son, had administered the post office for nearly forty years. they were constantly occupied with the public life of the province. they published the principal newspapers, and joseph howe, son of the one, and brother of the other, was one of the leaders in the legislature. the younger howe was also a commissioner for the summary trial of actions, and for the poor, both of which appointments he held without salary. the interests of the howes were as much engaged to the affairs of the province, as to those of the general post office, and this fact was recognized by the legislature. when, therefore, there was a question of extending the postal lines into new districts, howe was fully sympathetic, and it was felt, by the assembly, when he informed them that they must be prepared to make up any deficiencies in the cost of the new services, that he spoke as one of themselves, but with authority, and there was no more question. as a consequence, new routes sprang up gradually in different parts of the province, under the simple arrangement that the postage collected on the route would be applied as far as it would go to meet the expenses of the postmasters and mail couriers, and that the legislature would make up what was lacking. thus, on the western line, from halifax to yarmouth, and around the shore to lunenburg, the revenue collected was in only £ , whereas the expenditure was rather more than £ beyond this sum. on the eastern line, the shortage to be made up by the legislature was over £ . the northern line, that is, through londonderry, amherst, wallace, dorchester and parrsboro nearly paid its expenses. the province had to contribute no more than £ , to cover the deficiency.[ ] all that the general post office had been informed regarding these routes was that the revenues from them were being held to pay expenses. they had no idea that there were heavy deficiencies, which the legislatures provided for by annual votes, arranged between howe and the post office committee of the legislative assembly. howe held, when brought to account for his remissness, that as these routes were under the authority of the province, and not of the postmaster general, there was no object in embodying them in his accounts. the general post office did not know of the existence of the post offices of yarmouth, shelburne, liverpool and lunenburg on the west and south coasts; antigonishe, wallace and parrsboro on the north; and arichat and sydney in cape breton, all of which had been in operation for a number of years. the only route in the province that yielded a revenue sufficient to meet expenses was the grand route leading to canada, with its branch to pictou. as the grand route was employed for the conveyance through the provinces of the valuable mails exchanged between canada and great britain, it was naturally very remunerative. the agreement with the treasury, satisfactory as it was in appearance, had in it the seeds of misunderstanding. the treasury announced its willingness that, so long as the revenue from the internal post office was sufficient to meet the expense of the internal communications, no demand for this object should be made upon the provincial funds. the terms of the minute seem to lack nothing in clearness, unless some of the words employed were held to have a significance other than that usually accepted. that is what was the case in this minute. the treasury, in selecting the words it used, meant nothing more or less than that, if the revenue collected on letters passing within the territories of nova scotia were sufficient to cover the expense of maintaining the post offices and mail couriers within the province, the provincial authorities would be exempt from all liability. the legislature accepted this view of the case on all but one point. they maintained that halifax post office existed mainly for imperial purposes,[ ] in that its chief function was to provide for the interchange of the mails between canada and great britain, and that its value as a provincial institution was fully offset by the advantages extended by nova scotia to great britain and canada in providing for the transmission of their mails across its territory. holding this view, the assembly examined the accounts laid before them by howe, and satisfied themselves that, omitting the expenses of halifax post office from consideration, the internal postage practically covered the expenses of the internal service. they therefore resolved that no vote would be required during that session. they pledged themselves, however, in case the revenue of that year should prove inadequate, to provide for the deficiency, so that the services should not be interrupted or diminished. in the following year, , there was an unquestionable surplus of revenue over expenditure; consequently no demand was made upon the legislature. in , the friction, which was certain to develop when howe's loose methods were subjected to any strain, began to make itself felt. in april of that year, howe advised the lieutenant governor, lord falkland, that the funds available for the payment of the post office expenditure were deficient to the extent of £ .[ ] he, at the same time, submitted to the lieutenant governor his correspondence with the general post office in london, from which it appeared that the general post office, fearing that the omission of the legislature to make any provision for the service would lead to a deficiency, intimated that it might be necessary to make some curtailments, and asked whether some of the less productive routes might not be discontinued. howe, following his usual practice, had consulted with several members of the legislature, and being satisfied that the legislature would make up any shortage that arose, concluded that there would be no necessity of abandoning any of the lines. it was only when the legislature was prorogued without making provision for a possible shortage, that howe submitted the question to the governor. falkland was rather embarrassed by the responsibility thus unnecessarily thrust upon him. but as he was of opinion that it would cause much inconvenience to stop any of the mail routes, he directed the amount of the shortage to be paid. the lieutenant governor, however, in relating the circumstances to the colonial secretary, took occasion to complain of howe's methods. the communications respecting the post office passed him by entirely, unless some trouble arose which made an appeal necessary. in the present case, if he had been made acquainted with the circumstances in time, he would have laid them before the legislature, and left them to decide whether any of the services were to be dropped, or the deficit made up. as a result, howe was admonished that his irregular practice must cease, and that when recourse to the legislature was necessary, he should approach them through the lieutenant governor alone. in , the situation became more acute. the assembly had before them the accounts of , in which figured the additional expenses due to the ambitious transatlantic steamship scheme. at the best, the revenues from the inland services were no more than sufficient to meet its expenses, and the increase in the cost of the conveyance between halifax and pictou from £ a year to £ (£ sterling), and the additional expense in the halifax post office from £ a year to £ due to a large augmentation in the staff, involved the legislature in a situation, to which they were disinclined to submit. the trouble was precipitated by a letter from howe to the lieutenant governor, informing him that, as the sum of £ had been advanced by him from the packet postage, which belonged to the british treasury, and as the legislature had appropriated only £ to meet this advance, there was still the sum of £ due to his majesty. the assembly to whom howe's communication was referred, took the opportunity of reviewing the whole situation. it was beyond doubt that, in , the internal postal service was self-supporting. this condition was disturbed to the detriment of the financial position of the post office by burdening it with the total expense of the pictou service, which was maintained principally for the benefit of new brunswick and canada, and of the halifax post office, which since the establishment of the ocean steam service for all the colonies was in reality much more an imperial than a provincial institution. as, in justice, the inland colonies were chargeable with the major part of the outlay for the pictou service, and the maintenance of halifax post office should properly be defrayed from the packet postage, the legislature declined to meet the demand made upon it by the post office. the lieutenant governor was in full sympathy with the legislature, and after fortifying himself with the opinions of his law officers as to the legal aspects of the case, appealed to the governor general to induce the canadian government to take on themselves the proper share of the charge. the canadian government for the reasons given could not see the propriety of their taking on themselves any part of the expense of conveying mails to their outport at quebec, and the british government were powerless to bring pressure on the canadians, since the treasury was in receipt annually of large remittances from stayner as surplus post office revenues, which the british government, by their act of , admitted to belong to the colonies, and which only awaited colonial legislation to be handed over to the several legislatures. the treasury was willing also as a measure of grace to allow the colonial legislatures to retain the part of the packet postage collected in the colonies, if they would only adopt the scheme involved in the act of . but it was not prepared to admit that any part of the packet was, as a matter of right, chargeable with the maintenance of the post office at halifax or of the pictou coach service, and as it was becoming plain that the scheme of making halifax the distributing centre for the canadas, was not proving the success they hoped for, they determined to inquire as to the feasibility of having a port in the united states utilized in the exchange between canada and great britain. to that end, an official of the british post office, w. j. page, was sent to nova scotia to investigate this subject, and at the same time to make a thorough inquiry into the condition of the nova scotia post office, which had been animadverted upon rather severely by the royal commission, in its report of . by means of page's reports and of the report of this commission, we are enabled to give a clear account of the nova scotia post office in the beginning of the forties. there were eighteen post offices in the province at this period, and fifty-one sub-offices. the mails were carried on the route from halifax to pictou and st. john three times a week in summer and twice a week in winter. from pictou the mails were carried to antigonishe twice a week, and with the same frequency from halifax to annapolis. mails were carried in all directions throughout the province, but, with the exceptions mentioned, only once a week. the management of this considerable system was in the hands of the deputy postmaster general and his assistant. it was impossible with the work demanding their attention in halifax, and the deficiency of facilities for travel, that these two could give any attention to the offices which were not under their immediate eye, and consequently all attempts to exercise control over the operation of the system came by degrees to be abandoned. when postmasters were appointed, all the instructions they received were a few short directions from the deputy postmaster general, or from an outgoing predecessor, whose knowledge was a combination made up of the official instructions and the interpretations placed upon them, when occasion arose that required some action or decision on his part. the way offices--those peculiar products of the maritime provinces--excited the ridicule of english and canadian trained officials. page, in a letter to the secretary of the general post office, expressed his despair of comprehending the varieties of origin or practice of these offices. not one in ten of the keepers of these offices were appointed by howe; nor did he or any one in his office know the names of many of them, though howe considered the offices to have been sanctioned by him. what happened was like this: a postmaster would write to howe telling him that there ought to be a house for leaving letters at, in such or such a village or settlement. if any person were mentioned as willing to take charge of the letters, howe generally agreed to his being appointed, and considered the matter settled. if no particular person was mentioned, howe agreed to the suggestion that there should be a receiving house in the place indicated, and left the selection to the postmaster. the whole affair was considered as a private matter between postmaster and way office keeper; no letter bills or forms of any description were ever supplied to the way office keepers, and so long as they paid to the postmasters the amount of postage due on letters sent to them for delivery, the very existence of these offices was ignored. these way offices were known locally as twopenny offices, that is, the keepers charged twopence on every letter passing through their hands. an instance will explain the mode of operation in these offices. a gentleman living in port hood, on the west coast of cape breton, stated that he had sent a double letter weighing less than half an ounce a distance of fifty miles; and as it had to pass through five way offices, the charge was one shilling and eightpence (thirty-three cents). he received letters from england, which cost one shilling and fourpence (twenty-seven cents) from england to the straits of canso; but the conveyance from that point to his home, a distance of twenty-six miles, cost one shilling and fourpence more. the anomalies were due partly to the mixed character of the control of the system in the province, and partly to the inability of the deputy postmaster general, owing to his lack of efficient help, to supervise the system. howe was under the authority both of the postmaster general in england, and of the provincial government, which provided for the maintenance of a number of offices, which would not have been sanctioned by the postmaster general on account of the expense. illegal conveyance of letters was the rule in this province, as well as in all the others. the great proportion of the correspondence between the towns and villages on the long coast was carried by trading vessels. on some of the main routes, notably from halifax to pictou and to annapolis, there were fast four-horse coaches. they travelled eight miles an hour in summer and five in winter. they were employed to carry the mails, but it never happened that the mail bags contained as many letters as the pockets of the passengers. in cape breton there was not a single carriage road in the island. most of the roads were mere bridle paths, and in many parts there were no roads of any kind. it took five days to carry the mail bag from halifax to sydney during the summer, and from eleven to eighteen in the winter. the deputy postmaster general had a salary of £ a year, which was supplemented by the amounts collected as newspaper postage. in , the amount of this perquisite was £ a year. it was a cause of complaint on the part of rival publishers that the _nova scotian_, the leading newspaper in the province, paid no postage. as the circulation of this paper-- copies a week--was more than double that of any other paper in the province, the grievance was a real one. in explanation of the exemption, howe stated that for ten years before he purchased the _nova scotian_, the proprietor, joseph howe, had assisted him in the management of the office for eleven months while the deputy postmaster general was in england, taking full management of the provincial system. for these services joseph howe had asked no compensation, and the deputy postmaster general had therefore taken no remuneration for mailing the newspapers.[ ] there were only two towns in the province where letters were delivered by carriers--halifax and yarmouth. in halifax, the city was divided between two carriers, whose pay consisted of the fees they were entitled to take from the recipients of the letters they delivered, at a penny a letter. they attempted to charge the same sum for the delivery of each newspaper, but many persons would not pay the fee. the carriers received £ _s._ and £ a week respectively. yarmouth also had two carriers, whose penny fees gave them each about £ _s._ a year. the relations between the deputy postmaster general and the provincial government were the subject of much critical comment on the part of page. the fact that the government contributed to the maintenance of the less remunerative routes and post offices gave the executive and the assembly a colour of title to interfere in the management of the post office, which was exercised, in page's opinion, beyond all due bounds. the governor's secretary was in the habit of giving howe orders, and if howe showed any hesitation in complying with them, he became offensively peremptory. investigations into complaints against postmasters were taken into the hands of a committee of the assembly, in disregard of howe's authority. as it appeared to page, there was a determined effort to set aside the authority of the postmaster general and to take over the management of the system by the government. howe at page's instance, took a firm stand and informed the governor that, in case of conflict between the directions he received from england, and those given by the governor, it was the directions from st. martins-le-grand he was bound to obey. the disappointment in the general post office over the failure of the plan to remove the difficulties with the government of nova scotia, which was largely due to the hopeless complication of the accounts, changed the attitude of the officials at home towards howe from one of good will to one of censure, which reached the point that nearly determined them to dismiss howe. page pointed out the injustice of such a step. howe's position was one in which it was impossible to escape criticism from either the provincial authorities or his official superiors, whose views were frequently in sharp antagonism to one another. the part of the provincial system under howe as deputy of the postmaster general in england had its accounting scheme, and the part, which was maintained by the legislature, had another, separate and distinct. but the passing of letters between the recognized post offices and those established by the legislature, gave rise to accounts between the two systems under howe's management, which it was practically impossible to adjust satisfactorily, unless by the adoption of a give-and-take system, to which neither the general post office nor the legislature showed any disposition. howe's death in january closed the question as to whether or not his administration was deserving of censure. it also brought to an end an era, within which the postal service had expanded from the single route extending from halifax to annapolis and digby, over which the mail courier travelled but once a month, to the network of routes whose ramifications covered every part of the province. judged by the only possible test, the administration of the canadian service under heriot, sutherland and stayner, the administration of the two howes must be pronounced a conspicuous success. the deputies in canada were faithful to their superiors in london, but they were so at the expense of the popularity of the postal service in the provinces. the howes managed to extend their service equally with their canadian colleagues, and at the same time held the good will of the authorities in the province. howe was a man who left no enemies. the governor, in discussing the postal difficulties of the province with page, expressed the utmost good will for howe himself, the only ground of complaint against him being an embarrassing intimacy with the members of the legislature. page, who visited nova scotia for the purpose of inspecting howe's administration, bore testimony, before howe's death, to his kindly disposition and to the high respect in which he was held, officially and in private life. his rectitude in all his relations was never in question.[ ] howe's successor was arthur woodgate, who had served in the post office in jersey. woodgate administered the post office in nova scotia until the provincial system was absorbed in that of the dominion, when the confederation of the several provinces took place; until , he was, as were his predecessors, deputy of the postmaster general in england; after that date he was postmaster general for the province of nova scotia. an immediate consequence of the death of howe was the removal of the post office in halifax from the site it had occupied to the dalhousie college building. the merchants objected to the continuance of the post office in its former situation, and in the search of a more convenient location, it was observed that the ground floor of the college building, which was occupied as a tavern, offered advantages, which satisfied the mercantile community. a lease was effected for the new quarters on the th of july, , and the post office surveyor reported to the secretary that there was at the disposal of the department, a large and capacious room solely for the purposes of the inland sorting office; a delivery office, and a large room for sorting papers, all on the ground floor; while in the second storey there was ample accommodation for the deputy postmaster general and his staff.[ ] the question of a reduction in the postage rates engaged the attention of the legislature every session, after the beneficial results of penny postage in great britain became known. in march , the assembly, which was at this time under the speakership of joseph howe, petitioned to have the charges taken entirely off newspapers and pamphlets. as newspapers were almost the only vehicles of information in the province, and the postal charges were collected entirely from the rural parts, they were a heavy burden on people who could least bear it. the postmaster general in reply stated that the proposition to relieve newspapers altogether from postage could not be considered, but a reduction in the charge was at that time being considered by the treasury. newspapers were increasing so rapidly, at the existing rates, that it was becoming a question, with the bad state of the roads, as to how to provide for their transmission. pamphlets were being charged as letters in england, and it would be impossible to sanction their free conveyance in the colonies. at the same time the assembly requested the lieutenant governor to have inquiries made as to the feasibility and effect on the revenue of a uniform rate on letters of fourpence per half ounce within the province. the deputy postmaster general, to whom the question was referred, was strongly opposed to the proposition. he was convinced that the increase in the correspondence would be slight, and that, at the rate mentioned, the revenue would not be sufficient to pay the cost of any one of the principal routes in the province. at the beginning of , the changes, already mentioned, of charging letters by weight instead of number of enclosures, and of charging newspapers a halfpenny per sheet, came into operation in the maritime provinces. these ameliorations went as far as the officials of the post office were prepared to recommend, in the existing state of the finances of the provincial post office. the assembly in nova scotia were persistent in their demand for a reduction in the charges on letters. they had before them the evidence taken that year in england as to the effect of penny postage, which had then been in operation three years. the resolutions the assembly adopted were fully borne out by that evidence. they resolved that the experience of the parent state had clearly established that "the introduction of a uniform rate of penny postage has had a beneficial effect upon the social and commercial classes of the united kingdom; has largely increased the number of letters passing through the post office and prevented the illicit transmission of letters by private opportunities, and that its effect has been fully counterbalanced by the other important consequences resulting from it."[ ] the assembly were therefore satisfied that a fourpenny rate established under the same regulations as to the use of postage stamps, would promote the public interests, not add materially to the labour of management, and ultimately increase the public revenue. coupled with this resolution was another to the effect that it would be desirable to have the provincial post office under the control and management of the legislature. with this point, the secretary of the post office dealt at length in a memorandum to the postmaster general. in his opinion very great advantage resulted from the present system, by which the control of the post offices in the greater part of the british colonies was vested in the postmaster general. to abandon it would be extremely prejudicial, and would have the effect of breaking up the existing organization (which he was at that time endeavouring to make as uniform as possible for the whole empire) into various conflicting systems framed according to the views and feelings of each separate colony, to the great detriment of the general interests of the empire. loud complaints, the postmaster general was reminded by the secretary, were being made respecting the post offices in australia, where four different scales of rates of postage were in operation, resulting in inconveniences which a recently appointed commission of inquiry were authorized to obviate. he regarded it as a great advantage that one uniform system of management and one uniform scale of rates of postage should prevail in the north american provinces, in newfoundland and in the west indies. the reply of the postmaster general, which was based on the secretary's report,[ ] received the cordial assent of the legislature. after reviewing the condition of the colonial post offices in their relation to the imperial system, the postal committee of the legislature declared that "the promptness and celerity of intercourse is unrivalled in the world, and has greatly contributed to the commercial advancement of the nation. so complicated is the british postal system that, without the details, it is not possible to obtain a conception of its present perfection. nowhere is inviolability of letters more respected than in england and the united states, and by the constitution of the latter, adopted in , exclusive power is given to congress to establish post offices and post roads, thus preventing the difficulties which would have resulted from leaving this department to the several states." on this point, then, the committee advised that the house should yield to the wisdom of the imperial parliament. they returned, however, to the question of a uniform fourpenny rate for letters, which in their opinion would facilitate intercourse, and ultimately carry the revenue far beyond the amount expended for the maintenance of the service. since hill made the use of postage stamps an integral and important part of his scheme for penny postage, the legislature, in again expressing its faith in the benefits and feasibility of the uniform fourpenny rate, directed attention to the merits of postage stamps. the postmaster general was of opinion that this suggestion should not be entertained. any proposal for allowing postage stamps to be used in the colonies had hitherto been resisted from a fear, amongst other objections, that forged stamps would find their way into circulation with little fear of detection. the solicitor of the post office was of opinion that if forgery were committed in the united kingdom it could not be punished in the colonies, whilst on the other hand, if committed in any of the colonies, it could be visited with no penalty on parties in the united kingdom. with the acquiescence of the nova scotia legislature in the view of the general post office as to the desirability of maintaining a centralized imperial postal system, and the only outstanding question on which there was disagreement that of a reduction of postage rates, it will be expedient to bring forward the narrative of events with respect to the post office in new brunswick. the information amassed by the royal commission makes this an easy task. what strikes one at first glance is the little progress that had been made since , when howe made his official tour through the province. in , the population stood at , , and in it had risen to nearly , . the increase was distributed with considerable evenness over every part of the province, though the preponderance found its way to the outlying districts. the numerous settlements thus established would seem to call for a wide extension of the postal service. but little was done to meet the requirements. there were nine post offices in the province in : in , when the population had more than doubled and was scarcely less than half what it is to-day, there were no more than twenty-three. between fredericton and woodstock, a stretch of sixty-two miles of well-settled country, there were no post offices. the districts lying between fredericton and sussexvale, eighty-eight miles, and between fredericton and chatham, one hundred and fifteen miles, embracing many farming communities, were equally unprovided for, which is the more inexplicable since couriers travelled through all these districts to the several points mentioned, and the expense for post offices would have been more than covered by the revenues of the offices. the system of mail routes can be described shortly. from halifax there was a main post road, which entered new brunswick a few miles west of amherst, and following in its general lines the course of the inter-colonial railway passed the bend at moncton, and continued its way on to st. john. at a point near the present norton station, called the fingerboard, there was a route to fredericton. over these routes the courier travelled twice each way weekly. between fredericton and chatham, there was a service of the same frequency. chatham was the distributing point for the line of settlements, skirting the shore, northward to campbellton, and southward to dorchester. on the former route, the trips were made weekly, and on the latter, twice a week. mails were carried daily between fredericton and woodstock, fredericton and st. john and st. john and st. andrews. though, in comparison with the other provinces, the mail conveyance in new brunswick was not greatly open to criticism in point of frequency, the post office was no more popular there than elsewhere. steamers, which ran daily between st. john and fredericton, were employed by the post office to carry the mails, but though the steamer carried many every trip, there were few of which the post office got the benefit. there was a practice of taking letters to the steamer and tossing them on to the table in the cabin. on the arrival of the steamer in port, a crowd of messenger boys who were awaiting it picked up the letters from the table and delivered them through the town at one penny or twopence each. the stage coaches were laid under contribution in the same irregular manner. every passenger between st. john and fredericton was expected to take with him all his friends' letters, which he either delivered to the persons to whom they were addressed, or deposited in the post office, the postmaster receiving a penny each for delivering them. a stratagem sometimes employed was to place letters in the midst of a bundle of paper and sticks of wood, the freight of the bundle being less than the postage on the letters it contained. it was at this time that the legislature of new brunswick began to manifest an interest in the management of the post office. in , a special committee of the assembly reviewed the operation of the system, and among the questions discussed was the authority. the committee expressed the opinion that no arrangement could be satisfactory which did not combine provincial control of the local post office with a general imperial oversight over the whole system; and they recommended that a deputy postmaster general should be appointed whose duty it should be to prescribe mail routes, open post offices, appoint postmasters, and generally to manage the business of the post office in the province.[ ] the question of local management the general post office proposed to solve, not in the manner desired by the assembly, but by separating new brunswick from the jurisdiction of the deputy postmaster general at halifax, and establishing a department in the province, under a deputy postmaster general who should be stationed at st. john, and who should be, as the deputies in the other provinces were, subject to the postmaster general of england. local control was partially effected, as in the other provinces, by vesting the appointment of all officials, except the deputy postmaster general and the inspector, in the lieutenant governor. on the th of july, , a separate establishment was set up in new brunswick with john howe, the son of the late deputy postmaster general for nova scotia, in charge as deputy postmaster general. the arrangement had, at first, only a qualified success. it was criticized by the legislature as having nearly doubled the expense of the establishment, and by the post office officials on the ground that it introduced the local politician into the system. as illustration of the introduction of local political mechanics, page reported to the secretary of the post office that the deputy postmaster general, having had to dismiss a postmaster for very gross mismanagement, applied to the lieutenant governor for a nomination for the vacant office.[ ] the lieutenant governor nominated the dismissed man, and when the nomination was refused, he proposed to appoint the late postmaster's son. the explanation was that the postmaster was a leading politician, and his re-nomination had been insisted upon by the political manager, whom the governor consulted. the lieutenant governor viewed with no favour the independent powers of the deputy postmaster general. in the course of a dispute over the dismissal by the deputy postmaster general of a person whom he had appointed, the lieutenant governor laid his opinions and desires energetically before the colonial secretary. he requested that the general post office should be removed from st. john to fredericton in order that the latter might be more effectually under the control of the lieutenant governor; and that the post office surveyor or inspector should make his reports to himself and not to the deputy postmaster general. his views were held to be quite untenable, the postmaster general pointing out that if carried into effect, they would make the governor the deputy postmaster general. st. john and fredericton were the only towns in new brunswick in which correspondence was delivered by letter carrier. in st. john there were two carriers, who covered the city together, one delivering letters, the other newspapers. they were paid a penny for each letter or newspaper. in fredericton there was only one carrier, who was in the employ of the postmaster, who retained the sums collected as his own perquisite. new brunswick was in no respect behind the sister provinces in its demand for the essential thing--a reduced rate of postage. the chamber of commerce of st. john, in , petitioned the postmaster general to reduce the rate on letters exchanged between any of the post offices on the route between st. john and halifax to threepence, arguing that british letters for places anywhere in the colonies were carried from halifax inward for one penny (the rate was really twopence), and that letters were exchanged between the remotest places in the united states for one shilling and threepence. to the point respecting the conveyance of british letters, the postmaster general replied that this part of the service was carried on at a heavy loss, which was only to be justified as an imperial measure. a legislative committee sitting in the same year went beyond the chamber of commerce in its recommendations.[ ] it was of opinion that there should be a uniform rate on letters circulating within the province, and that that rate should not exceed twopence. they, also, recommended that newspapers, legislative papers and small pamphlets, being for the political education of the people, should be exempt from postage altogether. they foresaw a temporary loss if their recommendations were carried into effect, but considered that any such loss should be made good by the legislature. in the legislature took up the subject again, repeating their desire for free newspapers, and requesting that the rate on letters exchanged within the province be fixed at threepence a single letter.[ ] the assembly, in , addressed the king on the whole question of the post office.[ ] after remonstrating on the large increase in the cost of the provincial service, as the result of erecting a separate establishment, they complained that, in order to bring the expenditure within the revenue, the department had cut off several routes and reduced the frequency of the couriers' trips on others. the charges on letters and newspapers were so high as to impede correspondence. the assembly in this address gave it as their opinion that if the charges on letters were reduced by one-half, and were abolished altogether as regards newspapers, the receipts would soon be greater than they were. the legislature had expended £ , on the main roads during the preceding ten years, and it was disheartening that the postal accommodation was less than it had formerly been. in their requests in for reduction of charges, the legislature were more conservative than they had been in earlier sessions. still maintaining that newspapers should circulate free of postage, they were content to ask that the charges on letters should range from sixpence to twopence, according to the distance they were carried. they asked that the deputy postmaster general be required to establish such additional service as the legislature might see fit to demand; that the accounts of the provincial system be laid annually, in full detail, before the legislature, and that any surplus revenue be devoted to extending the facilities for inter-provincial communication. in consideration of the foregoing requests being granted, the legislature pledged themselves to provide such additional sums as might from time to time be required to defray the current charges. the colonial office replied to this address in october of the same year.[ ] the principal points dealt with were the petition for free newspapers, and the complaint that the accommodation to the public had been diminished. on the latter point, the colonial secretary stated that no services had been affected, except where they were unnecessary. as for the question of free newspapers, if new brunswick could be dealt with separately from the other provinces, there could be no objection to meeting their wishes, but in view of the fact that the effect on the other provinces had to be considered, the request of new brunswick could not be granted. the legislature in the following session took issue with the colonial secretary on this point. it was quite open to nova scotia or any of the other provinces to adopt the same policy as new brunswick considered advisable. the legislature took a course, which had not hitherto been pursued by the other provinces. they besought the co-operation of a sister province in an effort to have their desires carried into effect. they sent a copy of the address of the previous session to canada and suggested a joint effort to secure reduced rates for the north american colonies, by guaranteeing a sufficient sum in proportion to the business of the respective provinces to make up any deficiency of a temporary nature that might be caused by such reduction. the post office in prince edward island was involved in none of the controversies, which agitated the people of the other provinces. it owed its immunity to its low estate. its revenues were never equal to the cost of its maintenance, and consequently it was not a subject for exploitation. a post office was opened at charlottetown in the beginning of the nineteenth century, and until it was the only institution of the kind in the island. letters addressed to persons dwelling outside of charlottetown, no matter how far, remained in the post office in that town until called for. this state of things led to many inconveniences, but it was not until that it received official attention. lieutenant governor ready, in the course of his speech at the opening of the legislature in that year, pointed out the necessity of establishing a postal system in the island, "as affording the means of a speedy and safe communication with our distant population, and of conveying to them a knowledge of the laws and proceedings of the government, which, while it contributes to the security of the people, serves also to guard them against the effects of misrepresentation and misconception."[ ] the legislature having expressed their concurrence in these views, the postmaster of charlottetown was directed to open a number of post offices, and establish the necessary courier routes. the system began operations on the st of july following. there were three routes established. the western courier exchanged mails at new london, malpeque, traveller's rest and tryon river, his route being nearly ninety miles in length. the eastern courier served st. peter's road, st. peters, bay fortune and grand river. this route was upwards of one hundred miles. the south-east courier travelled fifty-three miles, and exchanged mails at seal river and three rivers. the couriers performed their services weekly in summer and fortnightly in winter. the rates of postage were fixed by the legislature without regard to the postmaster general of england, and were twopence a letter and one-halfpenny a newspaper. the report of these proceedings rather disturbed the deputy postmaster general at halifax, whose jurisdiction included prince edward island and who expressed his disapproval of the course pursued by the authorities. he notified the postmaster of charlottetown that there was no power possessed by the government of any colony of great britain to establish post offices and set up couriers, and demanded to be furnished with the orders under which the postmaster had acted. the secretary of the general post office, in a letter to the postmaster general, pointed out that the measures taken by the legislature of prince edward island were entirely illegal, but that it was a question how far it might be expedient or politic to interfere in a settlement where the deputy postmaster general had not thought it necessary to establish internal communications; particularly when the communications, if established, would probably not produce revenue sufficient to cover the expenses. he therefore suggested no interference be made for the present with the arrangements in the island, and that howe, the deputy postmaster general, should watch the financial results of the system. if it should appear that a revenue should arise, then the local authorities might be advised that the postmaster general would take the arrangements into his own hands, under the powers given by his patent, and by various acts of parliament. the postmaster general concurred, and howe was duly instructed. as it appeared at the end of the first year's operations, that the revenue derived from the posts set up by the legislature amounted to £ , while the expenses were £ , the postmaster general decided to leave the service in the charge of the legislature, with instructions to howe to keep his attention alive to the subject in case a change in the financial results might make it desirable for the postmaster general to assert his authority. the outcome of the negotiations was that the revenue collected by the post office in its internal system was passed over to the provincial treasury, which defrayed the cost of maintaining the couriers. the situation remained unchanged until , when the control of the post office was formally transferred to the colonial legislature. the financial results of the system were at no time of any considerable magnitude, and the expenses constantly outran the revenue, though not sufficiently to make the post office a serious burden on the provincial revenues. in the year , the total net receipts were £ , and the expenditure was £ . footnotes: [ ] howe to lawrence, september , (br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] _report of committee of assembly_, february , (enclosure in howe to maberly, april , , br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] falkland to colonial office, april , (br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] _journals of assembly_, canada, , app. f. (e). [ ] howe's death took place on january , . [ ] watson to secretary, g.p.o., july , (br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] _journals of assembly_, . [ ] _journals of assembly_, , and br. p.o. transcripts for and . [ ] _journals of assembly_, n.b., , p. . [ ] page's _inquiry_, ii. (br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] _journals of assembly_, n.b., , p. . [ ] _journals of assembly_, n.b., , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] howe to freeling, june and september , (br. p.o. transcripts). chapter xv reversal of attitude of british government on post office control--instructions to lord elgin--provincial postal conference--control of post office relinquished to colonies. the ministry formed by lord john russell, which took office on july , , gave its immediate attention to the condition of the post office in the north american colonies, and a few weeks after taking office, lord clanricarde, the postmaster general, laid a proposition before the treasury[ ] which had for its object the severance of the relations between the colonial system and the general post office and the withdrawal of the latter from all responsibility respecting the service in the provinces. the reversal of policy in this case was as remarkable for suddenness as that which, in the same year, had brought about the abolition of the corn laws. as late as june , the secretary of the post office submitted a proposition from stayner for a substantial reduction in the rates, with many doubts as to the propriety of accepting it. he pointed out that it would involve, at least temporarily, so great a shrinkage in the revenues, that the treasury would be faced with alternatives almost equally distasteful, but one of which it would be obliged to adopt. the treasury must be prepared either to take on itself the deficits certain to arise, or must call upon the colonial legislatures to meet them. while the treasury was deliberating, a new postmaster general supervened, who was quite prepared to face the idea of colonial postal systems over which he ceased to have control. with the insistent petitions from canada and new brunswick before him, he came to the conclusion that the time had arrived when it was no longer expedient for the general post office to continue responsibility for postal systems, which had to subserve interests understood only by those whom they concerned. with certain safeguards, he had no fear for the impairment of imperial interests. the course of reasoning by which clanricarde reached the conclusions he communicated to the treasury were as follows: the unanimity of the demands of the colonial legislatures left no doubt that the postage rates must undergo a very considerable reduction; and there was equally little doubt that the consequences of this reduction would be a diminution of revenue so considerable that a large deficit would be inevitable. new brunswick, the new postmaster general recalled, had undertaken to make good its portion of the deficiency, and there was every probability that the other provinces would assume the same obligation. in these deficiencies, however, in spite of the utmost good will on the part of the provinces, lay the seeds of certain trouble. the principle governing the establishment of a postal system, and its expansion to meet local requirements, was fundamentally different in a new country from the principle by which they were guided at home. in a new country a postal system was expected to afford the means of extending civilization, and to advance with equal step with settlement, whereas in a long settled country, the postal system followed in the train of civilization. the consequence of this difference is naturally a frequent clashing of opinion between the authorities at home and the public in the colonies. disputes were constantly arising as to the extent of the accommodation to be given to new settlements, the amount of the salaries to be paid to officials, and above all as to the principle upon which new and expensive posts should be established. as to this last point, the general post office had just disposed of an application, which threw a strong light on the different elements, which had sometimes to be taken into consideration in dealing with questions of extensions of the system in a country like canada.[ ] sir george simpson, the deputy governor of the hudson bay company, represented that the company had a post at sault ste. marie, for which postal accommodation was desirable. the post office having but one test to apply was disposed to reject the application on account of the insufficiency of the prospective revenue to cover the cost of the service. gladstone, at that time colonial secretary, sought information from lord cathcart, administrator of the government, as to the merits of the application and learned that, besides the hudson bay interest, there were prospects of large mining developments in the district, and that a body of troops was about to be sent to fort garry, which would certainly require regular communication with headquarters. these were considerations which post office officials in great britain would seldom have to take into account, and while the accommodation was authorized in this case, owing to the standing of its advocates, there would be many cases, where the necessity would appear equally great to local authorities, which would not impress the authorities at home sufficiently to cause them to disregard their customary regulations. parenthetically it may be stated, as instances, that when the north-west territories were taken over by canada in , it became necessary to establish a mail service over a stretch of nine hundred miles between winnipeg and edmonton, at a cost of $ , a year, while the revenue from the route would scarcely exceed as many hundreds; and for many years after the canadian pacific railway was carried to vancouver in , the expenditure of the post office for the conveyance of mails into that country exceeded the revenue by some hundreds of thousands of dollars. on this point the postmaster general says: "there is no more fertile source of contention in the north american colonies than the establishment of new posts; and if the means of extending such posts throughout the colonies were provided by funds not of the post office, but granted from the general colonial revenue, however well administered a department might be, i fear it would constantly be subjected to accusations of favouritism and of undue influences." clanricarde conceded that it would only be reasonable to expect that the legislative assemblies would endeavour to ascertain whether by rearrangements, or other alterations in the administration, the deficiency would not be diminished, and whether economy could not be introduced with respect to salaries. the struggle of members for local advantages would heighten the feeling with which the department administered from england would be regarded. the postmaster general summed the situation up by declaring his conviction that any measure producing a large deficiency in the post office revenue would be tantamount to a surrender of the administration by the postmaster general; and as he was of opinion that the general colonial interests called for a large reduction in the postage rates, he considered that it would be better that the postmaster general should resign his control over the post offices at once. the imperial interests, which had determined the department in the past to retain its control over the arrangements remained in undiminished strength; and in order to safeguard these, it would be necessary to stipulate for certain conditions to which the colonies would be required to agree, before the colonial post offices were relinquished to the colonial legislatures. the first was that correspondence passing between two colonies through the territory of a third, should not be subject to a charge on the part of the latter for transportation. this stipulation ensured that an intermediate colony should not have the power to compel the colonies on either side of it to raise their charges to meet exorbitant rates for transportation. the second condition was that, in the case of correspondence passing between great britain and the colonies, the postage on which was one shilling and twopence, the part of this amount, which was for the inland conveyance, viz. twopence, should remain in operation, unless the ordinary inland rate should be less than twopence. in this case the correspondence to and from great britain should have the benefit of the lower rate. the third condition was that prepayment or payment on delivery should be optional with respect to correspondence passing from one province to another, and, in order to avoid complicated accounts between the provinces, the practice should be for each province to treat as its own all the postage it collected whether it were on letters paid at the time of posting, or on letters from other provinces, the postage of which, being unpaid at the office of posting was collected at the office of delivery. the postmaster general also suggested, as highly desirable, that a uniform system and rate of postage should be maintained throughout the provinces. as the proposition of the postmaster general provided for the reservation to the treasury of the full amount of the packet postage, part of which had until that time been used in the colonies to defray the expenses of their services, there could be no objection in point of finances to leaving to the colonies the control of their post offices. lord elgin, who came out as governor general in the beginning of , brought with him instructions to convey this information to the several legislatures. in these instructions lord grey, the colonial secretary, after alluding to the great change in the economic policy of the united kingdom towards the colonies as a consequence of the adoption of the principle of free trade--the abolition of the preferential tariff which the colonies had hitherto enjoyed, and the concomitant removals of the restrictions, which had existed on their trade with foreign countries--pointed out that in order that they might reap the largest measure of benefit from the greater freedom of trade, it was necessary that they should be united for customs purposes, on lines perhaps similar to those of the german zollverein. grey further intimated that it was also desired, in order to complete the commercial association of the colonies, that some arrangement should be come to for settling the affairs of the post office. he suggested that a conference of the representatives of the colonies should be held in montreal, to discuss these important subjects, and to endeavour to arrive at some agreement as to the principles to be adopted in giving effect to united colonial action. elgin delivered his message to the canadian legislature in opening the session of , on the th of june. he stated that he was enabled to inform the legislature that his majesty's ministers were prepared to surrender to the provincial authorities, the control of the department in the colonies as soon as, by consent between the several legislatures, arrangements should be matured for securing to british north america the advantage of an efficient and uniform postal system. but before this official intimation reached the colonies, action had been taken in one of them, on lines so closely parallel to those defined in the letter of the postmaster general to the treasury, as to suggest that elgin, on his arrival in boston on the th of january, had at once despatched a message to halifax, since, on the th of january, the question of the post office was brought up for discussion in the legislature of nova scotia. a committee was appointed to inquire generally into the conditions of the post office, and, particularly, into the advantage of one general system being adopted for the colonies, and the best means of accomplishing such an object.[ ] their task was to submit such a scheme as should be likely to command the approval of the other colonies and of the imperial authorities. this scheme should be founded upon some principle of central supervision and management of the various colonial post offices that would ensure uniformity in their operations, security against conflict with the general post office of the empire, and a proper degree of responsibility of the local heads to their legislatures. addressing themselves first to the question of postage rates, the committee at halifax decided, though with some misgivings, to recommend for adoption the rates proposed by the commission approved by sydenham to investigate the affairs of the post office. these rates were based on the principle of charging according to the distance letters were carried. the preference of the committee was for a single uniform rate. but they were prepared to waive it, and adopt the rates proposed by the commission, "because those suggestions had already received the sanction of able men well acquainted with the subject, because they believed their adoption would involve very great benefits to the people of this colony, and because they believed those suggestions were more likely to be concurred in by the authorities in england, and by the other colonies, than would be any that proceeded directly from themselves." the concurrence of the legislatures of the other provinces should be obtained in the recognition of common principles, and of the necessity for an independent authority placed in one of the colonies, whose function it should be to organize and centralize the department within certain limits to be prescribed and defined. the report of the committee was submitted to the assembly of nova scotia on the th of march, and was adopted on all points, except the important one of the rates of postage. the house was not disposed to concur in the continuation of a system of postal charges, which had been definitely abandoned in great britain and the united states, and which had been condemned by every public body in the colonies, which had considered the subject. the assembly substituted for the rates proposed by the committee the uniform rate of threepence, and were prepared to face such deficits as should result. the lieutenant governor was requested to send the resolutions to the other colonies, with the earnest desire that they would be pleased to give them consideration. on the th of june, the nova scotia resolutions were laid before the canadian legislature, and no time was lost in carrying into effect the suggestion of a conference between representatives of the colonies on the mainland. wm. cayley, the inspector general of canada (in practice the minister of finance), j. w. johnston, the solicitor general of nova scotia and r. l. hazen, of the executive council of new brunswick, were appointed representatives of their respective provinces. these representatives of three of the four provinces met in montreal, on the invitation of elgin; and in october, the result of their deliberations was presented to the governor general.[ ] in considering the question of the establishment of an independent management within the provinces, thus taking over the functions of the general post office so far as they related to the colonies, the delegates discussed the relative advantages of a scheme of a central department for the four provinces with united revenue and management such as then existed, or of one that would place the management of the postal arrangements in the hands of the local governments of each province, with no greater central control than should be necessary for securing imperial and inter-colonial interests. the former of the two alternatives was rejected, as open to practically all the objections that had arisen from the control being continued in england. there was the further consideration that the most practical security against an imprudent excess in postal accommodation would be found in the consideration that undue encroachments on the general revenue for the benefit of the postal service would diminish the means required for other and not less valuable purposes. this motive, powerful when confined within the limits of a single province, might lose much of its force, were the postal revenues of the four provinces gathered into one fund. the other alternative appeared free from the objections mentioned. the delegates, therefore, recommended that the post office departments in the several provinces should be separate and distinct from one another, and under the control, each, of its own provincial government, which should appoint all officers, make arrangements for mail service, pay all expenses, and retain all collections, except the balances due to great britain on packet postage. for expenditures common to all the provinces, there should be an office of central audit in canada of which the postmaster general of canada should be the head. the duties of the office were to audit the accounts of the several provinces, returns of which should be presented annually to the different legislatures; to collect and transmit to england the balances due from the four provinces on the packet service; and, in concert with the postmaster general in each province, to make all necessary arrangements for the transmission of the mails along the chief or central route from canada to halifax and between nova scotia and prince edward island. this office was anomalous in character, implying the inability of the several independent provincial departments to make all necessary business arrangements among themselves, and when the provinces assumed control of their post offices, it was not established. in dealing with the question of the rates of postage, the delegates had before them the various representations from the several provinces as to the desirability of establishing, if possible, a low uniform rate of postage; and the success of penny postage in great britain and of the rates adopted in the united states in encouraged the belief that a low uniform postage would not only confer immeasurable commercial and social benefits, but would within a reasonable time be productive of a revenue ample for all the needs of the service. it was, therefore, agreed to recommend to their respective governments the adoption of the threepenny or five-cent rate for each half-ounce letter. lest, however, any of the provinces should fear for the financial results of conveying letters over the greater distances for this sum, they confined their recommendation to letters carried less than three hundred miles, leaving it optional to charge a double rate for letters carried beyond that distance. for the purpose of fixing the charge the provinces were to be regarded as one territory. no change was recommended in the charges on newspapers, parliamentary documents, or other printed papers, but the several legislatures were left free to exempt these from postage, if they thought fit to do so. prepayment or payment on delivery of letters should be optional, and franking abolished. the treasury to whom this report was submitted, approved of the arrangements proposed, except that relating to the payment for the british mails to and from the port of destination in america. but they contented themselves with observing that this remained a matter of negotiation between the home and the colonial departments; and stated that as soon as the arrangements had been sufficiently matured, the requisite steps would be taken for the transfer of the postal communications to the provincial authorities. nova scotia, which had taken the leading part in the negotiations which had brought matters to the point they had reached, again took up the leadership. on the st of march, , the legislature adopted the report of the commissioners, and directed the attorney general to prepare a bill based on the view of grey and clanricarde, pledging themselves to make good any deficiency which might take place in the post office revenue of that province. the bill to effect this arrangement was adopted by the legislature on april .[ ] thus all necessary action on the part of that province was complete, and the measure was ready to be put into operation, as soon as the british government and the other colonies had taken the necessary action on their part. following up the enactment of this measure, the nova scotia legislature appointed james b. uniacke, the chairman of the post office committee, to visit canada, and lay before the governor general the views of nova scotia on the subject of the provincial post office and to endeavour to settle with canada the questions necessary to be disposed of before the post office could be established. uniacke arrived in montreal on the th of june, and had interviews with elgin and the executive council. two days later the council adopted a report drawn up in terms differing but slightly from those of the commission of , and recommending the adoption of a uniform rate of threepence (five cents) throughout british north america. the other recommendations were the same as those submitted by the committee, with the addition that postage stamps should be issued for the use of the public. the council were of opinion that the provisions recommended should be introduced in a bill, to be laid before parliament, and expressed the hope that the postmaster general might be given full discretionary powers in matters referring to the colonial post office, and that her majesty's government might be persuaded to adopt the above rates and regulations without further delay, the council pledging the administration to make good any excess of expenditure over revenue which may possibly arise in carrying out such arrangement.[ ] the government of nova scotia then approached that of new brunswick, the lieutenant governor at fredericton being informed of the result of uniacke's visit to canada and that all that was now required was the assent of the government of new brunswick and the approval of the imperial authorities. the governor general added a word to the intimation of the lieutenant governor of nova scotia, and it was settled that legislation would be introduced into the new brunswick legislature in accordance with the terms agreed upon.[ ] all requisite measures for establishing the colonial post offices on an independent footing were matured, so far as could be done, by the legislatures themselves, and nothing now remained but the imperial sanction. this the law officers were of opinion would require an act of the imperial parliament, and on the th of july, ,[ ] an act was passed empowering the legislative authorities in any of the colonies to establish and maintain a system of posts, to charge rates of postage for the conveyance of correspondence, and to appropriate to their own uses the revenue to be derived therefrom. with this action taken, the control of the imperial government over the colonial posts should cease and determine. the government of prince edward island, though invited by elgin to participate in the conference at montreal in october , took no part in it. in november , johnston, one of the representatives from nova scotia, sent to the lieutenant governor a copy of the report of the montreal commission, requesting an expression of his sentiments, and inquiring as to the prospect of the legislature concurring in the opinions contained in the report. the deputy postmaster general in the course of an examination of the report pointed out that the only valid objection the government of prince edward island could have to the adoption of its conclusions, was that the uniform charge of threepence on inter-colonial correspondence would make a serious inroad in the receipts of the prince edward island post office. the island post office had been in the practice of adding to the postage charged on inter-colonial letters, the inland rate of twopence a letter. if the terms of the report were adopted in their entirety, and a uniform rate were charged throughout the provinces of threepence a letter, the island would have to relinquish its inland charge. the deputy postmaster general took a serious view of the effect of the proposed relinquishment of the inland postage. the revenue for was £ . applying his estimates of the proportions by which the receipts from the several classes of correspondence would be reduced, he concluded that, under the scheme submitted, the revenue would probably not exceed £ .[ ] notwithstanding this unfavourable anticipation, the government gave its assent to the scheme agreed upon by the other colonies, and the rate of postage on letters exchanged with other colonies became threepence per half ounce, while the charge on letters exchanged within the island remained twopence per half ounce. footnotes: [ ] _can. arch._, g. series v. (august , ). [ ] cardwell to postmaster general, june , , and accompanying papers (br. p.o. transcripts). [ ] _journals of assembly_, n.s., . [ ] _journals of assembly_, canada, , app. b.b.b. [ ] _journals of assembly_, n.s., . [ ] _journals of assembly_, canada, , app. b.b.b. [ ] _ibid._, n.s., [ ] _imperial statutes_, and vict., c. . [ ] _journals of assembly_, p.e.i., , app. h. [illustration: william henry griffin, c.m.g. (_deputy postmaster general_ - )] chapter xvi provincial administration of the post office--reduced postage--railway mail service--arrangements with united states. the several provinces took over the post offices within their territories in , canada on the th of april, and nova scotia and new brunswick three months later. the postmaster general of canada was made a member of the executive council--the provincial cabinet--from the beginning. the postmaster general of nova scotia was never a member of the council, but administered the department as a subordinate official. in new brunswick, the department was administered on the same plan until , when the postmaster general was made a member of the government. during the period of separate provincial administrations, which continued until , when they were merged in the post office department of the dominion of canada, the record is on the whole one of steady uneventful progress. postal accommodations were extended, always as occasion demanded, and seldom as immediate prospective revenues warranted, with the result that the expenses generally outran the revenues. this condition, however, caused little or no discontent, as the provincial governments realized, as the british government could not, that on the efficiency of the postal service depended in no small measure the welfare of their people. stayner, in his valedictory to the postmasters of canada, took credit for the thriving and effective state in which he left the post office. he believed that the improvements had fully kept pace with the growth of the country during the period of his administration. in that period, he pointed out, the increase in the number of post offices, amount of revenue, and in the number of miles annually travelled with the mails was more than six hundred per cent., a measure of progress not exceeded by any public institution within the province. stayner's words contained no more than the truth. when he entered on the office of deputy postmaster general he brought with him considerable experience as a subordinate in the service. he gained early, and retained to the end, the esteem and confidence of his superiors in england, and if he lost popularity for a period in this country, it was because he saw the folly of trying to serve two masters. no one perceived more keenly than stayner the inadequacy of the accommodation he was permitted to extend to the rapidly expanding settlements of the country; and no one could be more persevering in bringing the facts to the attention of the postmaster general. the contrast between the mail service on the north and south side of lake ontario affected him, as it did the people of kingston and toronto, and he risked the regard of st. martins-le-grand by expressing sympathy with the general feeling. the postal accommodation, which did not hold out the prospect of, at least, self-maintenance, the authorities there did not desire to have brought to their notice. while sharing the general sense of the necessity of postal communication in many parts of the country, stayner took on himself the blame that they were not provided. fortunately for him, he was abundantly able to take care of himself. by attaching himself to the government party he earned a measure of the odium, which fell on them. but he entrenched himself against too violent attack, and secured champions whom the british government would willingly listen to. he managed to secure a very large income from obnoxious perquisites, but it would seem from later developments that this was rather a matter of good fortune, than of any deliberate effort on his part. the postmaster general and the colonial secretary had the strongest objections to these perquisites, but when they sought the means to get rid of them, they tried for some years in vain. the perquisites would fall to somebody, since they were of the appurtenances of that position. that stayner served the country, as well as his relations with the department in england would permit, admits of no doubt. william lyon mackenzie, who abhorred the post office and all its ways, was fain to concede that stayner was the man, whom, of all he knew, he would most readily support for the position of deputy postmaster general. with how vigorous a hand the postmaster general of canada set about his task of providing adequate postal accommodation for the country, may be judged from the fact that the number of post offices which in was six hundred and one, was increased to eight hundred and forty-four during the first twelve months.[ ] the system was extended in canada as far west as kincardine. the courier services to sarnia and goderich on lake huron were made daily, as was that to bytown (afterwards ottawa). within five years the number of post offices had risen to one thousand three hundred and seventy-five; and in , ten years after the postal service was taken over by the canadian government, the number had been augmented to one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five offices, practically threefold the number in operation in . when canada entered confederation it took into the postal system of the dominion two thousand three hundred and thirty-three post offices. the people of canada responded with great readiness to the invitation to use the post office, which was offered through the reduction in the charges. when the canadian post office was taken over, the rates varied according to the distance letters were carried. the postmaster general estimated that they yielded on the average ninepence a letter. the reduction to threepence was, therefore, a diminution of two-thirds. it is noteworthy how completely fulfilled was the prediction that the low rates would so increase the number of letters carried that, in a short time, the revenue, which was certain to fall for the moment, would recover itself and return to the figures of . for the year ending april , the last year of the high rates, the revenue was $ , . in the following year, with the reduction of the rate to one-third of what it had been, the revenue fell to $ , . but it was observed that the number of letters posted had increased by over fifty per cent. in the effect of the reduction, coupled with the extension of the facilities to the public, was to produce a revenue of $ , . ten years after the great reduction in the rates the revenue had risen to $ , , and at the time of entering confederation it was $ , . among the most important of the facilities introduced in were postage stamps, the values being threepence, sixpence, and one shilling. curiously enough, the obvious advantages of postage stamps did not strike the people at the time. this is in large measure accounted for by the fact that the use of stamps involved a change in attitude on the question--who should pay the postage. the old theory was that the service rendered to an individual by the post office should not be paid for until the letter was actually delivered. there was always a certain proportion of letters the postage of which was paid at the time they were handed in at the post offices, but the proportion was small. the regular practice was to allow the recipient of the letter to pay for it. this attitude had to be overcome, and natural conservatism delayed the change for some time. indeed, it was not until a fine in the shape of additional postage was imposed in cases where letters were not prepaid, that the practice was entirely changed. the charges on the transmission of newspapers in canada were among the matters that received early attention. there was a strong feeling throughout the colonies, that, in the absence of libraries, the high price of books precluded their general diffusion in the several communities, and it was therefore necessary that newspapers, the only remaining means for extending public information should be distributed at the cost of the government. in the agreement on the conditions, under which the several colonies should assume the administration of their post offices, it was stipulated that, while threepence should be the charge on letters, and one-halfpenny on newspapers, the several legislatures should have the power to provide for the free circulation of newspapers through the post offices. nova scotia abolished the charges altogether when she took over control; and new brunswick took the same measure with the restriction that the newspapers to which the free conveyance would apply should not exceed two ounces in weight. in canada the same end was reached but with more deliberation. the rate charged at the close of the old regime--one-halfpenny per sheet--was continued until . in that year this rate was reduced on general newspapers, and was abolished altogether on periodicals devoted exclusively to the furtherance of the special objects of agriculture, education, science and temperance. the postmaster general calculated that this measure would reduce the revenue by $ , . in the year following, the final step was taken, and the charges on provincial newspapers circulating within the british north american colonies were removed altogether. the money order system was established in canada in , on the plan of that in operation in the united kingdom. the amount which might be sent by a single order was limited to $ , and there was a uniform charge of twenty-five cents for each order. in , the amount transmissible by single order was raised to $ , but after a short experience, it was reduced to $ , and the charges were fixed at one-half of one per cent. for the smaller amounts, and at three-quarters of one per cent. for amounts above $ . on the st of june, , a money order exchange was established between canada and the united kingdom, the limit of a single order being fixed at $ . this was an accommodation which had been called for for a number of years. the colonial secretary, as early as , wrote to the postmaster general of england, pointing out the large increasing emigration to the colonies, and the desire of persons prospering there to assist their relatives to follow them. he estimated that over £ , , was sent yearly through the agency of private firms for this purpose. this the colonial secretary declared to be worthy of encouragement, and he asked the postmaster general to consider the question of extending to the colonies the system of money orders which had proved so successful in great britain. this appeal produced no immediate result. in , a registration system was introduced. long previous to this time, there had been a practice of entering money letters on letter bills accompanying the mails, but as receipts were not given to those posting such letters, nor taken from those to whom they were delivered, the practice was defective as a measure of safety. under the regulation of receipts were given and taken, the charge being two cents. the greatest advantage the post office was enabled to extend to the public during this period was due to the opening of railway lines. for some years progress in this respect was tardy. the first line built ran from laprairie, opposite montreal to st. john's. it was constructed in , and its purpose was to improve the communications between the canadian metropolis and the cities of new england and of the state of new york. no further steps were taken in this direction until , when another link was laid in the connections between montreal and the eastern states by the building of a line between montreal and lachine. these two short lines, with one opened the same year between montreal and st. hyacinthe, were all the railway lines in operation in canada until . during this and the following year, additional lines were laid, but their object was still the same, to improve the facilities for transportation between montreal and the cities of the united states. the line from montreal to st. johns was extended to rouse's point, new york, on lake champlain, and that to st. hyacinthe was carried on to sherbrooke and the international boundary, where it joined with the atlantic and st. lawrence railway (an american line), and opened a connection by railway between montreal and the atlantic seaboard at portland. this city became the winter port of the canadian steamship line, the operations of which began in the winter of . until , no part of what could be described as the canadian railway system had been built. the lines then under operation were all for the purpose of bringing montreal within the benefits of the american system. but this year-- --three extensive schemes of communication were begun: the grand trunk company started building the line running from quebec to the western limits of the province at sarnia; the great western company built a line across the niagara peninsula from the niagara river to detroit river; and the northern company, a line from toronto northward to georgian bay at collingwood. these lines brought the advantages of railway communication to every rising settlement in upper and lower canada. as construction progressed the new lines were utilized by the post office department until the completion, in october , of the grand trunk from brockville and toronto brought quebec into direct communication by means of the great western railway with windsor at the western end of the province. the reduction in time, which the railways had made it possible to effect in the delivery of the mails between quebec and the leading points in the western part of the province was great. in the ordinary time for the winter mails to travel from quebec to kingston was four days; in , they were carried between the two places in thirty-one hours; to toronto the saving in time was the difference between seven days and forty hours. before the era of railways ten and a half days were occupied in the journey from quebec to windsor. the railway carried the mails regularly in forty-nine hours. the use of travelling post offices, with mail clerks assorting and distributing the mails from the railways in the course of their trips, was an early feature of the postal service in canada. this mode of utilizing the railways had been in operation in england since , and before the leading railways in canada were completed, an officer of the post office department was sent to england to study the system. thus, by , this system, which is the leading feature of mail conveyance and distribution, was in full course in this country seven years earlier than in the united states. but gratifying as were the results from the use of railways in the conveyance of mails, through the sparsely-settled districts over the immense stretches of our territory, the substitution of steam for horse conveyance introduced a perplexing financial problem. the postmaster general noted the peculiar fact that while passengers and merchandise reaped the benefit of improved speed with an accompanying reduction in the expense, the change threatened to burden the public with a vastly augmented charge for the mail service. comparing the service by railway with that by stage, it was noted that, while the stage driver waited at each office he visited, until the mail he brought was assorted, and arranged for his farther conveyance, it was impossible owing to the brevity of the stops at the stations, to do this in the case of the mails carried by railway. the post office consequently was compelled to train and employ a distinct class of clerks to travel on the trains, and perform that duty while the train was in movement. a portion of a car--generally about one-third--was partitioned off and fitted up exclusively for postal service. the salaries of these clerks constituted what the postmaster general regarded as the enormous expenditure of $ , a year; and the necessity created by the nature of the railway service for the provision of an office on the trains, formed the principal ground on which a comparatively high rate of compensation was claimed by the companies. but that was not all. the railways not being able, like the stage coach, to exchange the mails directly with the post offices of the towns along the line, side services of an expensive character were required to maintain the connection between the post offices and the stations. the expenditure for this class of service, coupled with that for the employment of the clerks who travel on the railway, exceeded, in most cases, the whole of the previous expenditure for the superseded service by stage; and then there were the demands of the railways to be satisfied. the rate of compensation for the conveyance of the mails was a subject of dispute between the postmaster general and the railway companies. the claims of the latter, however legitimate, were considered by the postmaster general as out of the power of the department to meet from its revenues. several tentative settlements were made, but the final adjustments were not reached until the appointment of a royal commission in , which, after hearing the statements of both sides, decided the terms on a basis which lasted practically unchanged for nearly half a century. nova scotia entered on the administration of the postal service of the province with much energy.[ ] there were one hundred and forty-three offices in the province in . these were rapidly augmented and on the more important routes, that is, those radiating from halifax to the eastern and western ends of the province, and to new brunswick, were given a frequency, conformable to the importance of the communications. the number of post offices was in nova scotia doubled in four years; trebled in ten years; more than quadrupled in fifteen years; and had reached a total of six hundred and thirty when the provincial office was absorbed into the postal service of the dominion. communication with canada was confined to the land route, seven hundred miles in length, over which it took ten days travel to reach the nearest point of importance. by , two other modes of communication had presented themselves. the cunard steamers, which called at halifax on their way to boston and new york, were laid under contribution to carry mails between halifax and canada; and the completion of the railway between montreal and portland, maine, afforded an opportunity of a connection which was made by a steamer running between portland and st. john, new brunswick. the value of this service was not as great as it afterwards became when there was a complete railway connection between halifax and st. john, but it nevertheless effected a considerable reduction in time. thus, in november , mails were carried between quebec and halifax by way of st. john and portland in four days, though the average, through the winter, was about a day more. the steamer carried the mails between st. john and portland three times a week in summer, and twice a week during the balance of the year. the postage on letters circulating throughout the north american provinces was threepence a half ounce, and newspapers were transmitted free of all postage. the registration of letters was introduced in , the fee being sixpence; and a money order system established in . the limit on the amount of a single order was fixed at the low sum of $ and the charge on each order was the rather high one of tenpence an order. by a fully equipped postal system was in operation in nova scotia. the revenue of the department responded with fair readiness to the accommodation afforded to the public. for the last year under the old system, when rates were excessively high, and the accommodation limited, the revenue was $ , . the immediate consequence of the great reduction was a shrinkage in the revenue by $ in the following year. five years after the low rates were established, the revenue for the year was surpassed, and in thirteen years it was practically doubled. in , the last complete year under the provincial regime the revenue had reached the respectable sum of $ , . the steady expansion of the service entailed an outlay which considerably surpassed the revenue. in , the first complete year under the provincial administration, the deficit was $ , . this deficiency steadily mounted until for the years to , it averaged $ , . thereafter it descended as steadily as it had risen, and during the last three years before the provincial system was absorbed by the post office department at ottawa the shortage was $ , a year. neither nova scotia nor new brunswick had the advantage of an extended railway mail service until some years after canada had been in enjoyment of it. the service by railway began at the commencement of , the mails being carried between halifax and grand lake, a distance of twenty-two miles. in the following year it was extended to truro and windsor, which was the total extent of the railway mail service at the time of confederation. it was resolved at the time new brunswick assumed the administration of its postal system, to make the postmaster general a member of the provincial cabinet. but the legislature did not act on its resolution until , the postmaster general in the interim being, as in nova scotia, merely an officer of the government. in , the post office in new brunswick had, in regular post offices and way offices, exactly one hundred offices.[ ] these were increased with much rapidity. after five years, the number had increased to two hundred and forty-six offices; and at the period of confederation, there were four hundred and thirty-eight post offices in new brunswick. the conditions under which letters and newspapers were carried in new brunswick were the same as those which prevailed in the other provinces. the postage was threepence per half ounce for letters, and newspapers were carried without charge. the effect on the revenue was the same as in the other provinces. in the first year after the low charges were introduced, the reduction in the revenue was considerable. on comparing the revenue for the first six months under the reduced rates with the revenue for the corresponding period of the preceding year, there was found to be a diminution of $ . but the rebound was as rapid as it was in canada. in , the revenue had nearly attained the figures of - . thereafter the progress of the revenue was steady, reaching the sum of $ , in . as in nova scotia, the cost of maintaining the service at its existing efficiency outran considerably the revenue produced. the deficiency of revenue to meet expenses amounted in to $ , . this shortage increased to nearly $ , in the years and . there were variations during the years that followed, but in the last three years the average annual deficit was rather more than $ , . the department at fredericton took a philosophical view of these deficits which the government were called upon annually to make good. the large expenditure, it was maintained, might be fairly viewed in the same light as the amounts annually granted by the legislature for roads and bridges and for the support of common schools. "the mail carriage to all parts of the province secures to the travelling public conveyances which would not otherwise exist, and the very large amount of newspapers, etc., which passes through the post office affords strong evidence that the department may be considered a branch of our educational system." some friction existed between the three provinces, arising from their geographical relations to one another. the british government made an arrangement in for the conveyance of the canadian mails through the united states to and from the port of boston, paying the united states on the basis of the weight of mails carried. the letters were carried under this arrangement. but, as the newspapers were not regarded as so important, the government decided that they should not be carried on to boston, but landed them at halifax, leaving them to be carried by the couriers who conveyed the mails overland from that city to quebec. it was an arrangement which gave no satisfaction to any of the provinces. nova scotia complained that it had to bear the expense of conveying this mail matter for canada and new brunswick across its territory without any sort of compensation. new brunswick declared its case was no better than nova scotia's, as it had to forward the canadian matter through that province, while canada protested that the matter complained of was due to no action or desire on its part, as the arrangements delayed the delivery of the newspapers until they were useless. a combined representation to the british government removed the grievance, by the newspapers as well as the letters being thereafter sent by way of boston. the relations between canada and the united states were, as was to have been expected, cordial. a convention was made in between great britain and the united states, providing for the conveyance of the mails exchanged between canada and great britain, and in this convention it was stipulated that the letters and newspapers exchanged between canada and the united states should be subject to the combined postage of the two countries. thus the postage on any letter weighing not more than half an ounce, and sent from canada to any part of the united states was ten cents. an exception was made in the case of letters passing between canada and california and oregon. the charge in these cases was fifteen cents. the construction of the great western railway between niagara falls and windsor afforded an opportunity to the united states to improve its postal communications between the eastern and the western states, while, on the other hand before the grand trunk railway was built, canada took advantage of the lines in the united states running along the south shore of lake ontario to accelerate the mails exchanged between toronto and montreal. footnotes: [ ] the facts respecting the growth of the post office in canada are to be found in the reports of the postmaster general, which began in . [ ] the facts respecting the post office in nova scotia are to be found in the reports of the department, in the appendices to the _journals of the assembly_ from onwards. [ ] the facts respecting the post office in new brunswick are to be found in the reports of the department, in the appendices to the _journals of the assembly_ from onwards. chapter xvii canadian ocean mail service--want of sympathy of british government therewith. the progress of the cunard line had a consequence which was neither anticipated nor welcomed by the british government. the plan of the government to concentrate its transatlantic communications on halifax had been given a thorough trial and had proven a failure, and as the expressed wish of the canadians to have their correspondence with the mother country exchanged at either boston or new york coincided with the interests of the owners of the steamers, the principal port of call on this side of the atlantic shifted through a series of arrangements from halifax to new york. in , the contract between the british government and the cunards provided for a direct service of weekly frequency between liverpool and new york, with a subordinate service by slower steamers to halifax and boston. the subsidy had also undergone successive augmentations until, in , it reached the immense sum of £ , a year.[ ] but although the service was now to all appearances anglo-american in character the british government assumed to regard it as anglo-colonial, as imperial, because it provided the means for exchanging the mails between great britain and canada. in , the british government set on foot one of those large colonial schemes which ought to have excited mistrust both as to its practicability and its expediency. it proposed to establish a low and uniform rate between great britain and all her dependencies excepting india, cape of good hope, mauritius and van diemen's land. the postage was to be reduced from one shilling to sixpence per half ounce letter.[ ] coupled with the reduction in rate was a proposal that arrangements should be made by which the maintenance of the services, which had hitherto fallen entirely upon the mother country, should be shared by the colonies having the benefit of them. [illustration: william white, c.m.g (_deputy postmaster general_ - )] canada's participation in the scheme was invited, and the arrangement made by the british government with the australian colonies was submitted to the canadian government.[ ] under this arrangement the british government was to make the contract for the service, and the colonies should pay half the expense involved. the proposal found no favour in canada. the cunard service, the expense of which canada was expected to share, was far from being an unmixed advantage to the british north american provinces. it was indeed a most serious obstacle to the realization of plans, which canada conceived essential to its expansion on the lines marked out by nature. for many years the thought of upper canadians had turned to the advantages which were to be derived from the utilizing of the great water system extending through lake and river, from the head waters of the lake superior to the ocean, and measures had been carried forward to overcome the obstacles caused by the falls and rapids on the course of the passage. by , the canal system was completed, which permitted the free passage of inland vessels from the upper lakes to montreal, and it was anticipated that the greater part of the movement of immigration and freight to and from upper canada and the western states, would be upon canadian waterways. merchandise could be carried from lake erie to quebec at less cost than from buffalo by the erie canal to new york. but in spite of these facts, trade on the erie canal increased largely and steadily, while the trade on the canadian water routes increased but slowly. the principal reason for the apparent disregard of the economic law that trade will follow the superior route was found in the fact that for a large proportion of the traffic the destination was europe, and that the charges to the out-ports of new york and quebec were only a part of the total charge to which the traffic were subject. if, for any reason, the conveyance across the atlantic from new york to europe was so much cheaper than the conveyance from quebec, that the total charge from lake erie to europe was lower by way of new york than by way of quebec, then it is obvious that the trade would not be attracted to the route which seemed to be naturally the superior one. this was the case at that time. owing to the large subsidies given by the british government to the steamers sailing to and from new york, vessels running to and from quebec could not compete with those from the rival port. the assistance to the cunard line, therefore, which the british government desired canada to give in part, was a positive detriment to the development of the transport business of upper and lower canada. the question of establishing a steamship line from a st. lawrence port had engaged the attention of the legislature of the united provinces as early as . in that year a resolution was offered to the house of assembly, setting forth the advantages of the canadian route, and the fact that these advantages were offset by the aid given by the british government to the cunard and collins lines (the latter was owned by an american company), and asking that the british government be approached with a request that they grant assistance to a canadian line similar to that given to the lines running in and out of new york.[ ] a committee of the assembly took the subject into consideration, and in the following year a contract was made with a british firm,[ ] which was shortly afterwards converted into the canadian steam navigation company, for a service from liverpool to quebec and montreal during the season of open navigation in the st. lawrence, and to portland, maine, during the five months when the river route was not practicable. the trips were to be fortnightly to the canadian ports and monthly to portland; and the steamers to be employed were to be of at least tons burthen. twenty-four thousand pounds a year were to be paid to the company by way of subsidy--£ , by the government of canada, £ by the atlantic and st. lawrence railway (later a section of the grand trunk railway) and £ by the city of portland. trips were made during the winter of , and throughout the summer of , but there was so general a disregard of the terms of the contract, that it was terminated, and a contract was made with hugh allan in september .[ ] the new contractor entered upon his engagement with laudable energy; and at the end of the first season the postmaster general of canada was able to make a comparison between the canadian service and that to the port of new york.[ ] on the westbound voyages the canadian steamers were practically a day slower than the cunard steamers--the allan steamers taking twelve days, twenty and a half hours, to eleven days and twenty-two hours occupied by vessels of the cunard line. the canadian steamers were also slower than the collins line on these trips by four hours. but on the voyage to great britain, the canadian line made the speediest trips of the three. these steamers took but eleven days two hours, while the cunard steamers were eleven hours and the collins thirty hours longer in reaching liverpool. it was with the successful inauguration of the canadian service that the friction with the british government began. there developed immediately a clash of interests. the first note of dissatisfaction came from great britain. the postmaster general communicated to the colonial secretary[ ] the information that the earnings of the packet service were much reduced by the fact that the canadian post office was sending its correspondence by the first steamer that sailed whether it was british or american, and not confining its despatches to the steamers of the cunard line. to the british post office, the canadian line was an american line, and in spite of all protests and remonstrances, it insisted on treating the allan line steamers as foreign. ordinarily there would be no practical consequence of this wilful misunderstanding, but as letters conveyed by the cunard line were charged eightpence the half ounce, while those carried by the american lines were made to pay fourteen pence, the hostility to the canadian enterprise was marked. the postmaster general did not stop at this point, and leave the public on both sides of the atlantic to consult their own interests as to whether they would send their letters by the canadian or british subsidized lines. taking up the case of interests adversely affected by the discriminatory rates, he pointed out that, as many unpaid letters were sent by the american lines, recipients of these letters had to pay sixpence more than if the letters were sent by the cunard line. that the remedy lay in the hands of the postmaster general, of reducing the rates on letters carried by the canadian (or american line as he persisted in calling the allan line) was not to the point. he called upon the colonial secretary, if the secretary concurred in his views, to remonstrate with the canadian government as to the course it has chosen without reference to the home government. these views do not seem to have been communicated to canada. but shortly afterwards the british government submitted for the consideration of the canadian government, the australian scheme for a postal service to practically all the self-governing colonies of this period. the postmaster general of canada had doubts as to the applicability of the australian arrangement to the canadian service.[ ] he presumed the proposition was limited to the cunard line, and would not be extended to the equally british line running directly from canadian ports to liverpool. special interests, similar to those which had induced the british government to subsidize the cunard line, had led the canadian government to extend assistance to the allan line, and it seemed scarcely expedient for the canadian government to lend aid to the british government in the maintenance of the cunard line in the absence of any evidence of intention on the part of the british government to reciprocate with regard to the canadian line. it was further observed by the postmaster general of canada that even if the canadian government should concede the equity of the british proposition it would be impossible to determine satisfactorily the proportion of the cost which should be borne by the north american provinces, since much the larger part of the mails carried by the cunard line was exchanged between great britain and the united states. the position taken by the canadian government gave rise to great irritation in great britain. fortunately the expression of this feeling was not communicated to the canadian government until some years later, when the question, though by no means settled, had passed out of the irritation and friction phase. it is fortunate, also, that the intermediaries between the two governments were men of good sense, with an appreciative understanding of the view of the colonial government. the duke of argyle, postmaster general, in the palmerston government of - , declared that the measures taken by the canadian government afforded no relief whatever to the british government. they had, indeed, withdrawn from the british government part of the postage it was entitled to expect when it embarked on the cunard contract. if on the expiration of the contract existing, which had still five or six years to run, the canadian government should undertake to perform half of the effective service, it might fairly claim exemption from all share in the other half of the service, and furthermore might claim a right to apply the amount received by way of sea postage, towards defraying the cost of the canadian packets. but, argyle affirmed, the british government could hardly admit the propriety of a demand made upon it for assistance to a line of steamers, which was established by the colony--a line which had no other effect than to diminish the postal revenue upon which the british government relied to meet the outlay occasioned by the contract with the cunard company. labouchere, the colonial secretary, to whom the duke's views were communicated, declined to submit them in their existing shape to the colonial government. if the british government had been in no way parties to the agreement made by the canadian government with allan, the canadian government were equally unconsulted when the british government entered into the contract with the cunard company; and labouchere pointed out that the british government were without the means of enforcing its views on the canadian government. if the postmaster general or the treasury, which coincided in his views, were of a different opinion, labouchere desired to know what steps they proposed to take in the highly probable case that the province declined the responsibility it was sought to impose upon it. on the whole, the colonial secretary thought the preferable course would be to allow the present arrangements to subsist until the cunard contract had expired, and then enter upon negotiations with the canadian government for sharing with it upon equitable terms in the general expense of the transatlantic service. the correspondence between the departments of government in london--the tenor of which has been described--was submitted, confidentially, to the governor general of canada for his opinion on the th of july, . sir edmund walker head replied, confidentially, to labouchere, and set out canada's position with gratifying clearness. a canadian, he observed, looked at the circumstances from a point of view rather different from that in which they had presented themselves to the postmaster general at st. martins-le-grand. the canadian asked: "why are we canadians obliged to pay a subsidy at all for a line of steamers running into the st. lawrence to a british port, by a route which we hold to be the most advantageous route? the merits of the route itself might make our bounty unnecessary, were it not that her majesty's government gives a large bounty to a line running into foreign ports." "it might be admitted," continued the governor general, "that canada was benefited by the rapid transmission of mails through the united states; but she was no party to an arrangement as one that could never be revoked. canada, then, thought that she could arrange for the conveyance of her own mails to and fro by way of quebec in summer and portland in winter, more rapidly and advantageously than by boston and new york. why should her majesty's government discourage this new enterprise on behalf of her majesty's subjects and by a large subsidy drive the business to the united states ports? "canadians entertained the hope," the governor general further observed, "that no course would be pursued by the british government adverse to the principles of free trade, by the continuance of a large bounty to the boston and new york lines. leave the natural resources of the canadian route to find their own level, and in the meantime do not use all the influence of the british post office so as to bear as hardly as possible on the first effort of the colony to open the st. lawrence to a regular line of british steamers." head disclaimed the idea of giving these arguments as his own, but stated that, they expressed the opinion of many canadians, among whom were some of the members of his council. in december, labouchere informed the governor general that his view had prevailed, and that it was decided to leave the matter as it stood, until the cunard contract expired, when it was hoped that an arrangement might be made more in conformity with what was regarded as an equitable consideration for the finances of the united kingdom. the lack of cordiality displayed by the government of the mother country towards the ocean transport enterprise of her colony in its initial stages yielded to no warmer feeling with the progress of the scheme. the allan service was performed during and , as the postmaster general stated, with meritorious punctuality.[ ] in the beginning of the quebec-portland service attracted the attention of the british post office, which intimated a desire to utilize it for the conveyance of mails between great britain and the united states during the period of the year when the allan steamers made portland their port of arrival and departure.[ ] sidney smith, the postmaster general of canada, was of the opinion that the canadian line would be found the preferable one during all seasons, particularly for those parts of the united states bordering on the great lakes, as they were brought into direct connection with the ocean at quebec by means of the grand trunk railway. as an additional attraction to use the canadian line, smith offered to reduce the charge for sea postage, that is, the portion of the total postage between great britain and north america, which was allocated to the ocean conveyance, from eightpence to fourpence a letter. this would enable the public on both sides of the atlantic to send their letters for eightpence instead of twelvepence. on consideration of this proposition by the governments of great britain and the united states, it was found open to the objection that the postage of letters carried by the cunard line must remain at one shilling, owing to the sea postage claimed by the british government on letters carried by that line. until arrangements could be made between the british government and that of the united states by which the charge on letters passing between the two countries by the cunard line could be reduced from one shilling to eightpence, it was deemed inadmissible to accept the canadian proposition. that seemed a reasonable decision, and it would have been supposed that until the canadian proposition could be accepted the amount of sea postage paid for the cunard service would be applied to the canadian service. the british post office took no such view. it maintained that the canadian post office was entitled to no more than the rate which it offered to accept, viz., fourpence, and as this rate added to the land postage in great britain and the united states, would only call for an eightpenny postage, it proposed that the difference between the eightpence and the shilling, which the public were actually charged, should be divided equally between the post offices of great britain, the united states and canada. smith protested that his proposition was part of the scheme to reduce the postage from a shilling to eightpence sea postage, and that until the reduction of the postage between canada and great britain to eightpence was affected, the canadian government were entitled to eightpence sea postage as much as the british government were for the letters carried by the cunards. alexander tulloch galt, inspector general of canada, who was in london at the time, laid the whole case before the colonial secretary, pointing out that the attitude of great britain, in attempting to make the united states a party to the scheme to force canada to take one-half the amount for sea postage that was claimed by and conceded to the united states and great britain in respect to their subsidized lines, was the more objectionable, as there was no reason for believing that the united states had attached any such stipulation to their consent to use the canadian line. galt's remonstrance had the effect of inducing the british government to withdraw from its untenable position in this instance. in the course of his communication galt mentioned the disappointment with which it was learned in canada that the cunard contract, which would not have expired until january, , had been renewed in june . this action on the part of the british government, galt insisted, did not seem consistent with the assurance given by the colonial secretary to the governor general in december , when he wrote that the lords of the treasury had apprised him "that the existing arrangements with respect to the canadian mail service will continue until the expiration of the cunard contract, when they hope arrangements may be affected more in conformity with what they would regard as an equitable consideration for the finances of this country." the canadian legislature on the first opportunity, voted an address to the queen, expostulating strongly against the course of proceedings so injurious to the interests of canada. the action of the british government in prolonging the arrangements with the cunards was set in a strong light by a review of several circumstances connected with it.[ ] the application of the cunard company, for an extension of their contract, was made in october , only nine months after the discussion with the canadian government. it was referred by the treasury to the admiralty and to the postmaster general. the treasury recommended that it be granted, while the postmaster general deprecated an extension, for reasons not connected with the canadian representations. on march , the treasury decided that it was premature to discuss either an extension or a renewal of the contract, though they expressed their readiness to consider favourably, any application that cunard might make when the contract had advanced nearer to its termination. on the th of the same month, cunard made another application on the same general grounds; and this time the treasury, without further light on the subject, yielded, and directed the extension, requesting the postmaster general to communicate his views as to any modifications that might be introduced into the contract, without materially affecting the basis of the existing agreement. the postmaster general, in reply, pointed out that the rate of payment made to cunard was considerably higher than that for any other packet service, also that he had before him another offer for the conveyance of the transatlantic mails for an amount much less than was paid to cunard. the new offer was from inman, agent for the liverpool, new york and philadelphia line, whose vessels made their voyages at a speed not much inferior to cunard's, and who agreed to convey the mails for the amount of the sea postage. the offer had been received on the st of march, nineteen days before the application of cunard; and as the postmaster general had had occasion to correspond with the postmaster general of the united states respecting inman's offer, he had not thought it necessary to communicate this proposal to the treasury, nor did the treasury consider that their duty required them to make any further investigation before awarding the contract for £ , a year. these facts are taken from the report of a select committee appointed by the house of commons in , to inquire into the manner in which contracts have been made for the conveyance of mails by sea. the committee found that, in the making of these contracts, there was an extraordinary division of duty and consequent responsibility, between several departments of government. the parties by whom these contracts were actually entered into, were the lords of the admiralty, but the authority for making them rested with the treasury, who prescribed their terms and conditions. the treasury before coming to the decisions which they communicated to the admiralty, consulted with the postmaster general, the colonial secretary, and with the admiralty themselves, in reference to the postal, colonial and nautical questions involved. theoretically, the arrangements were scarcely open to criticism. it was proper that the information necessary for a decision, respecting, in the first place, whether a service was required at all, and, in the next place, what the terms and conditions should be, on which the service should be performed, should be concentrated somewhere, and there seemed no place more fitting as a focal point than the lords of the treasury, who were responsible for obtaining and spending the money required for the maintenance of all the services called for by the government. but the fault lay not in the organization. it was to be found in the lack of co-ordination among the contributory departments. several instances are given of the results of the failure of the departments to co-operate with one another. one which has a certain piquancy is the provision for the mail service to australia. it will be remembered that the first jarring note in the relations between great britain and canada concerning mail services arose when canada declined to fall in with the proposition that the british government should arrange for the conveyance of the mails across the atlantic, and that canada should pay its share of the resulting outlay. the colonial secretary submitted, as the model arrangement, one which had been made between the governments of great britain and the australian colonies, under which each government should pay half the cost of the service. the contract was to be arranged for entirely by great britain, and the colonies were assured that such care should be exercised in the arrangements that they could depend on their interests being safeguarded. how the government acquitted itself of the trust it assumed on the behalf of australia, the parliamentary report shall relate. "that contract involved a yearly subsidy of £ , , of which one-half was to be paid by the australian colonies, who had no opportunities of being consulted in the framing of the contract; so that special circumspection was required. the tender accepted was that of a new company without experience, and who had no ships fit for the work. "one of their vessels," continues the report of the committee, "the 'oneida' which was reported against, by the professional officer of the admiralty, and had not the horse power or tonnage required by the contract, broke down on her first voyage. time was not kept, and though the colonies complained, it appears that no steps were taken to ensure the fulfilment of the contract with suitable vessels." "the company," added the report of , "in one year lost their capital, £ , ; the service proved a complete failure, and great risk of an interruption in postal communication was incurred. this contract had been entirely arranged by the then financial secretary, whose acts in these matters do not appear to have received confirmation by any other authority." it is not perhaps surprising, with the australian venture in mind, that an explanation involving the same sort of incompetence on the part of the departments of government should be made regarding the cunard contract. the explanation of the cunard contract was that when the decision of the treasury granting the renewal was made, the then financial secretary, who had only entered office with the change of ministry in the month of march immediately preceding, was not aware of the existence of the correspondence between the home government and that of canada in ; nor, though that correspondence was among the records of the treasury, and the authority on which the colonial secretary had written his despatch of december , , was a minute of the treasury, did the proceedings appear to have been known to any of the officers of the department charged with this branch of the business. the committee observed that they had not received any satisfactory explanation of the circumstance that a matter so recent, and of such importance, should have been lost sight of. but the painful story of the relations between the government of the mother country and that of her north american colony with respect to the ocean transport enterprise set on foot by canada, does not end here. in the autumn of , an irish company known as the lever or galway company, which had a contract with the newfoundland government for a mail service between galway and st. johns, proposed to the british government to establish a service with fortnightly frequency between galway and america. this scheme excited considerable interest, particularly in ireland; and several representations were made to the government, by deputations and by memorials from chambers of commerce, setting forth their sense of the advantages which it would confer on the trade of that country. the publicity given this project brought into the field the two applicants who had been disappointed when the cunard contract had been extended in . inman on october protested against the granting of a subsidy to a new line, and expressed the hope that, if it should be decided to give assistance to a line from galway, the proposed service should be put up to public competition. the treasury replied to inman, informing him that when a new service was about to be established by the government it was their practice to invite tenders by public advertisement, thereby affording to all parties the opportunity of tendering therefor. inman heard no more from the government on the subject before the contract with lever was concluded. the canadian government, also, advanced its claims for consideration. galt wrote to the colonial secretary on november , , and the london agent of the canadian line on january , , submitted an application to the treasury. he pointed out that the effects of this subsidized line would be disastrous to the prospects of his company, and expressed the trust of his principals "that before interfering to crush a provincial company of such magnitude, your lordships will at least afford the company we represent an opportunity of being heard." this appeal was so far successful, that it obtained for the company the honour of an interview at the treasury. they were promised that their representations would be considered; but no further notice was taken of their application. on the same day on which the canadian company's letter was dated, viz., january , the lever company submitted an offer for the conveyance of the mails from galway to portland, boston and new york, calling at newfoundland for £ a voyage. the treasury, following the practice laid down for their guidance, asked the postmaster general for his opinion on the proposal. the postmaster general reported adversely, observing that it was not expedient to enter into any contract for the service, which would bind the government to a heavy annual payment. he was also of the opinion that the vast mercantile traffic between the two countries afforded abundant opportunities to secure additional service that might be desired on favourable terms. here then were three strong reasons to call for the government staying their hands from entering into a contract with lever: the remonstrance of inman, coupled with the intimation from the treasury that in the event of their deciding to establish the service, they would put it to public tender; the expostulation of galt on november , , and the appeal of the canadian company for an opportunity to be heard on january ; and the unfavourable report of the selected adviser of the treasury. yet, in the face of all these circumstances, the treasury on february , authorized a contract to be made for a fortnightly service to galway and new york, and galway and boston, alternately, at the rate of £ a voyage. the parliamentary committee in seeking an explanation for this extraordinary course, examined lord derby, the chancellor of the exchequer, as to the reasons which moved him to authorize this service. derby stated that he was influenced mainly by the consideration of the social and commercial advantages which this service would confer on ireland, and of the preference due to the lever company on account of its enterprize, in first establishing a line of steamers from galway. derby stated, however, that when he authorized the service he had not before him some materials, nor had he in view some considerations, which, the committee believed, should have been held essential elements in the determination of the question. he had no knowledge of the correspondence which had passed between the home government and that of canada, and between the treasury and inman. consequently then, in the words of the committee of the house of commons, derby's decision was given "in ignorance of the strong feeling in canada as to the injury done to their interests by the system of subsidizing what they deemed rival lines; of the assurance given in , on which the canadian government relied, as a pledge that they would have an opportunity of being heard before that system was renewed or extended; and of the surprise and dissatisfaction already occasioned by the renewal, without hearing them, of the cunard contract; and in ignorance, also, of the implied pledge given to mr. inman, that the new service would be thrown open to public competition. "it was likewise given," the committee added, "without any consideration of the question, whether, assuming the interests of ireland warranted the establishment of the service from galway, that object might not have been secured by an arrangement which would, at the same time, have provided for the wants, and satisfied the just claims of canada." the round condemnation by a committee of the house of commons, of the course pursued by the government, gave smith, the postmaster general of canada, a handle of which he was not slow to make full use. the report of the committee was laid before the house of commons on may , and on the th of the same month, smith again approached the government on the subject, setting forth the grounds of his appeal to the british government, and concluding by asking that the government should aid the canadian line by a subsidy of £ , a year. he pledged the canadian government to give a like amount for the same purpose. the application was refused, and smith, whose resources seemed endless, approached the subject from another angle.[ ] the contract which was made with the lever company called for a fortnightly service, the consideration being £ a trip, or £ , a year. the lever company was in no position to fulfil the terms of its contract, and smith opened negotiations with the company to take over their contract, stipulating to allow the company £ , of the £ , which the contract would bring, as the consideration for the assignment. an agreement was concluded on these terms, and the deeds were signed on july , . the only condition now was the consent of the british government to the arrangement, which was required by the contract, but which under the circumstances was regarded as purely formal. the terms being laid before the secretary of the treasury and the postmaster general, secured the approval of both those authorities; and on the th of july, the sailing arrangements under the contract were settled between smith and the official in charge of the post office packet service. success seemed now assured, but before the day was over, the situation had undergone an entire change, for the british government had refused its assent to the assignment of the contract. no reason was given for the refusal of the british government to sanction the transfer of the lever contract to the canadian line. smith wrote to the secretary of the treasury for an explanation. he pointed out that the negotiations were made with the assent of lord palmerston and the treasury, that the arrangements had all been made on the secretary's assurance, and that in view of the strong feeling already existing in canada on account of the treatment meted out to canada in regard to its ocean mail service, he would be wanting in respect to the imperial authorities if he accepted the secretary's intimation literally, and in its full significance. the secretary in his reply, gave away the whole case of the government. he admitted that for himself he had never concealed his opinion that the arrangement proposed by the canadian government would have been a desirable one, but insisted that he had not used palmerston's name beyond that. he had ascertained palmerston's views as to the importance of meeting the wishes of canada, sufficiently to warrant him, not in concluding negotiations, but in advancing them to the point where a definite proposal might be made to the government. the ground on which the treasury based refusal of assent to the agreement made between the lever company and the canadian government, was that the contract contemplated the grant of £ , a year for a fortnightly service from galway, in addition to the other ocean services which were then in operation, while the transfer of the lever contract to the allan's would have the effect of merely substituting one contract for another, leaving the service just where it stood before--with an additional charge of £ , a year against the government. there was another consideration and an extraordinary one. the government had suffered severe condemnation at the hands of the committee of the house of commons for their disregard of the pledge given, that, before a contract was awarded it would be put up for public competition. their action in awarding the contract to the lever company without tender was an undeniable injury to the interests of canada, and now this censure was made the cover for another blow at those same interests. the secretary of the treasury observed that the pledge formerly given and unfortunately overlooked had acquired much notoriety and must in any contingency afterwards arising be treated with rigour. "if the galway contract be considered binding," he concluded, "the government cannot be accused of breaking this pledge as long as they simply continue to pay the subsidy for the same services and to the same parties." but the case became different if they sanctioned a new arrangement involving material modifications, particularly when the arrangement transferred the contract to a party of undoubted, from one of questioned, solvency. smith next addressed palmerston, and his letter shows clearly the incomprehensible and provoking course pursued by that statesman. at every step in the negotiations the treasury was consulted, and its approval gained. the solicitor of the galway company was also in frequent communication with the treasury, and he actually altered the form of the deed of transfer upon the suggestion of the secretary. the resolution of the galway company, accepting the proposal of the canadian government, was adopted, and on the same day the treasury was informed of the fact. a week later--on july , --smith and galt, the canadian minister of finance, waited on the secretary of the treasury, who informed them that palmerston was much gratified that the arrangements had been made, and on the strength of these assurances smith executed the assignment of the contract, and provided securities for the purchase money, of all of which palmerston expressed his high approval. the matter was regarded as so far concluded that on july a meeting took place between the canadian representatives and the officials of the treasury and post office, the details of the scheme were reduced to writing, and the secretary of the post office received the approval of a communication to the postmaster general of the united states informing him of the arrangement, and that thereafter the canadian ships would be considered as british and not as united states packets. considering the arrangements as completed, smith and galt decided to return to canada, and on the th they called on palmerston for the purpose of taking their leave, when, to their utter stupefaction, they were informed that the government peremptorily refused to sanction the transfer. the reasons put forward for this unusual action on the part of the government lacked even the merit of plausibility. it was first argued that the lever contract contemplated the grant of £ , a year for a fortnightly service from galway, in addition to all the ocean service which might be existing, while the transfer would have the effect of substituting the galway service for one of the existing services, and thus continuing the charge of £ , a year with a positive diminution of public accommodation. smith had a conclusive reply to this argument. he pointed out that at the time the galway contract was entered into, that is on may , , the canadian service was only fortnightly; and the arrangement for which the sanction of the government was sought would have given exactly the accommodation contemplated when the contract was given--a weekly service between ireland and america. as for the modifications in the contract, which formed part of the ground of the government's refusal to sanction it, the first was that "the arrangement transferred the contract to a party of undoubted, from one of questioned, solvency." smith's only comment on this was to complete the sentence by adding "or in other words would ensure its performance efficiently." the only other important modification sought by canada in the terms of the contract was the substitution of canadian for united states terminal ports in america. apart from the slight to canadian interests involved in putting forward such a reason, it must be clear that the cunard line, in which the british government did not conceal its interest, would have been benefited and not injured by the withdrawal of a line running to united states ports. smith concluded his protest by pointing out the distinction which the canadian people could not fail to draw in comparing palmerston's refusal, with that of previous governments. the grants to the cunard and galway lines were stated to have been made in ignorance of the canadian interests, and the inability of the government to remedy these and other evils was deplored. in the case under consideration the british government, smith pointed out, deliberately opposed themselves to that which would have benefited canada, and had determined that the competition of which they complained should be maintained. the protest was quite without avail. the galway company entered on the performance of its contract, but its service was marked with so much irregularity, that the postmaster general was compelled to cancel it. footnotes: [ ] first report of select committee on packet and telegraphic contracts, may (_br. parl. papers_, no. ). [ ] report of p.m.g. of united kingdom, . [ ] _sess. papers_, canada, , no. . [ ] _journals of assembly_, , p. . [ ] report of commissioner of public works, - . [ ] report of p.m.g. to council, december , (_sess. papers_, , no. ). [ ] annual report of p.m.g., . [ ] _br. parl. pap._, , xxii. [ ] _br. parl. pap._, , xxii. [ ] report of p.m.g., . [ ] _sess. papers_, canada, , no. [ ] first report of the select committee on packet and telegraphic contracts may (_br. parl. papers_, no. ). [ ] _sess. papers_, canada, , no. . chapter xviii canadian ocean mail service (_cont._)--series of disasters to allan line steamers. the year was a notable one in the history of transportation in canada. in may, the steamers of the allan line commenced their weekly trips between liverpool and quebec. in november, the completion of the victoria bridge over the st. lawrence carried the lines of the eastern division of the grand trunk into montreal, thus connecting by uninterrupted railway communication the cities of quebec and portland with the metropolis, and establishing a continuous line of railway from the atlantic seaboard to the western boundary of the provinces. in the same month, also, the grand trunk extended its line across the border as far as detroit, bringing, by means of allied systems in the united states, the cities of chicago and new orleans into communication with the eastern states and with europe by the railway system along the shores of the great lakes and the st. lawrence. the system of land transportation between the ports of the atlantic and the cities on the mississippi being thus perfected, and available for the conveyance of mails between europe and the heart of north america by practically continuous conveyance, the postmaster general of canada, sidney smith, proceeded to europe to improve, as far as possible, the communication between the important cities of great britain and the sailing ports of the canadian vessels, and to arrange for the exploitation of this transportation system, in the interests of canada. before leaving for england smith paid a visit to washington, and laid before the postmaster general there the advantages offered by the system under his control. he pointed out that, by the grand trunk railway, the journey between portland and chicago was made in forty-nine hours, and between quebec and chicago in forty-five hours, and, by making cork a port of call for the mails, the voyage between land and land would be several hundred miles shorter than by any other route. smith's proposition was to convey the united states mails to and from europe for the sea postage only, and to allow these mails to be carried across canada without charge on the understanding that the canadian mails to and from great britain should be carried free across the united states territory during the period of winter when the steamers called at portland. the proposition was accepted by the postmaster general of the united states. in london, where he arrived at the end of november, smith submitted his scheme to the postmaster general,[ ] who made the objection that the sailing arrangements interfered with the plans made for the other transatlantic mail steamers. fortunately smith had the support of the postmaster general at washington, who was much impressed with the merits of the canadian scheme, and who, in his annual report expressed the opinion that it would afford the most direct and probably the most expeditious communication between chicago and liverpool. at the instance of the department at washington, the general post office agreed to send by the canadian steamers the correspondence for both the eastern and western states, and also agreed to smith's request for special trains for the mail service from london to cork. this special railway service, with its connecting mail boat service across the irish channel gave the british public a full business day more to prepare their correspondence for the states. the mails had, in ordinary course, to be prepared in london early wednesday morning to catch the outgoing steamer which left liverpool the same evening, but the special train from dublin to cork enabled correspondents to hold over their urgent letters until wednesday evening and send them by the evening mail to ireland, where connection was made on thursday morning with the steamer which had left liverpool on the previous evening. but this was not the only, or perhaps the greatest, of the advantages of the scheme. transatlantic cables were still in the future, but the telegraphic systems on both sides of the atlantic were fully developed, and messages for new york or montreal could be addressed to the steamer, which would deliver them at father point, on its way up the st. lawrence, from there they were sent by telegraph to their destination. one of the leading london papers declared that the plan would save two full days for telegrams, and permit transactions on the stock exchange in london up to thursday afternoon to be communicated to the stock exchanges in the united states on the saturday of the following week, and the action taken in these centres transmitted to london by the canadian steamers leaving quebec the same day. having completed these arrangements in london, smith next addressed himself to the postal administrations of france, belgium and prussia. in the month that had elapsed since the negotiations with london had been concluded, the steamers had crossed the atlantic both ways, and the canadian postmaster general was able to inform the continental administrations that on the first voyage the mails from chicago had reached london in twelve days, and that the conveyance from new orleans, in which france had a special interest, ought to be effected in less than fifteen days. the french government, to whom smith offered the same terms for conveyance by steamer and railway in canada as had been accepted in the united states, immediately closed with smith on these terms, subject to the consent of great britain. in a few days belgium took similar action, while prussia deferred acceptance until the postmaster general of canada could confer with the united states. entirely satisfied with the success of his mission to the continent, smith returned to london to conclude the transaction by obtaining the permission of the british post office to act as intermediary for the payments which would be made by the french and other continental governments to canada for the conveyance of their mails to america. the necessity for having great britain as the intermediary for the settlement of these accounts arose from the following considerations. great britain had open accounts with all these countries. the mails from these countries were carried to the united states by british steamers, for which they became indebted to the british government; while on the other hand mails from great britain for the countries of eastern europe and for india, passed over one or other of these countries through their postal systems, which gave rise to an indebtedness on the part of great britain. under conventions with each of them, settlements were made from time to time. none of this accounting machinery existed between canada and any of these countries. the only country in europe with which canada had an open account was great britain. in consequence of canada's isolation in this respect the only way these countries could settle their debts to canada was by direct payments. this, however, would involve legislation, at least in the case of france, which would have delayed the beginning of the plans for many months. canada, therefore, had but one way open, which was to ask the british post office to receive from france the amounts due by that country to canada, and apply these sums to the account between great britain and canada. the favour to canada appeared slight enough but the british post office refused to grant it. first, it objected that the arrangements would involve a great deal of trouble; and afterwards, when driven from that ground, it took an extraordinary position. the british post office declared that the british mails exchanged with the united states were treated in that office as mails carried by packets under contract with the united states, and that it would be inconvenient and objectionable to treat french mails, carried by the same canadian vessels, as mails conveyed by british packets. it maintained, furthermore, that the postmaster general of the united states, having entered into an agreement with the canadian post office for the transmission of united states mails by the canadian vessels, might very naturally object to any arrangement between the british and french post offices under which the french mails were paid for as mails conveyed by great britain's packets. the pettifogging of disobliging illwill could go no further. in no single respect did the service rendered to the united states by the british government, in conveying the mails of that country to great britain, differ from the services rendered to the united states by the canadian government in the conveyance of the united states mails to great britain by the steamers of the canadian line. both were paid by the united states for the service, and the fact that the british took pay from the united states no more rendered the cunard an american line, than a similar fact regarding the canadian government made the canadian an american line. smith, in dwelling upon this point, affected to discover that the ground of the british official objection, was that the cunard company received a subsidy from the british government, while the canadian company did not. if this were indeed the difficulty at which the british office stumbled, and the canadian line could be made british by granting a subsidy for its maintenance, it was important that it should have impressed upon it this distinctive mark of british nationality. but these arguments fell upon deaf ears. the french office tried to make the british officials see reason, but their success was no better. the situation became one of real difficulty. the french could have invoked the assistance of the united states and asked that country to act as intermediary in the settlement of the account between france and canada, but there would have been much delay, as the united states would almost certainly seek an explanation of the attitude of great britain toward her colony, and that would not have been easy to give. the british post office, however, suggested a way out of the difficulty. taking its stand on the ground that the canadian steamers were part of the united states packet service, the british post office held that the proper course for france was to arrange the matter of payment with the united states post office. but as the negotiations between the united states and france might delay the start of the service, the british expressed its willingness as a temporary measure to take from the french government the sums due to canada, and pay them over to whom? to the canadian government to whom alone they belonged? not at all. it would pay these sums to the postmaster general of the united states. smith, the postmaster general of canada, contended no further. he thanked the postmaster general of england for his consideration, and addressed himself to the director of the french posts, and to the postmaster general in washington. but the director was completely puzzled, and sought an explanation of the british post office. disclaiming the right to interfere in any agreement between the british and canadian offices, he declared himself unable to understand why this payment should be made to the united states, or how it could possibly happen that the united states should have any right to claim any sea rate. he set out all the facts of the case, and after looking them over carefully, he repeated that he did not understand why the amount paid by the french government to the british office for conveyance under the british flag by canadian packets should be paid over to the united states office.[ ] by the middle of february , smith was back in the united states, and at washington. within a day he concluded arrangements by which, among the other matters, the united states post office agreed to accept the sums due to canada by france and the other continental countries. provision was also made for the exceptional handling of correspondence for new orleans and other southern cities by the officials of the canadian service. the matter of accounting having been arranged on this basis the canadian line began to be employed extensively on both sides of the atlantic. two changes were made in , which augmented its efficiency. as it was found that cork was out of the way of steamers from quebec to liverpool, in may, londonderry, at the north of ireland was substituted as the last port of call. this change had the additional advantage that it enabled the steamers to take a later mail from scotland, and it avoided the rivalry with the cunard and inman lines, which made cork their port of call in ireland. the other amelioration in this arrangement was the taking on and the disembarkation of mails at riviere du loup, a point on the st. lawrence one hundred and twenty miles below quebec. the extension of the grand trunk railway to this point shortened the sea-voyage by some hours, as the stretch of water between quebec and riviere du loup present difficulties, and not infrequently dangers, which prevent rapid travel. with the arrangements thus complete, the st. lawrence route was much superior to any other as far as the canadian mails were concerned. in , four-fifths of the mail carried between canada and britain were carried by the canadian steamers, the remainder being taken by the cunards. in order to participate in the exchange between great britain and the united states, it was necessary to make its arrangements conform with the arrangements made by those countries. under this scheme, the week was divided into two parts, great britain providing for the total conveyance for one of the parts and the united states the other. thus the united states took upon itself the accumulated mails for the first three days of the week from england, and the cunard steamers, which left england on saturday, took those of the last part. there was an american steamer which sailed from southampton on wednesday, which took all the mails for the united states that could be gathered at that point until the time of its departure, and the canadian steamer, which was adopted by the american post office, took those which could be gathered at liverpool for the sailing from that point on thursday and at londonderry on the following day. the canadian steamers offered great advantages to northern england and to ireland and scotland. in the conveyance from this side of the atlantic, the arrangements were reversed, the british steamers sailing from new york on wednesday, and the american later in the week. the allan company were fortunate in securing saturday as their sailing day from quebec, as their steamers were able to take a large american mail as well as nearly all that from canadian offices. most of the foreign correspondence of michigan, wisconsin, iowa, illinois, minnesota and indiana were carried by the canadian route, while, during the winter months, half the mail from new england and a large volume from new york were despatched by this line. by the arrangements with the post offices of france, belgium and prussia, a considerable quantity of mails were exchanged by this line between the united states and nearly every country in europe. the achievement of the canadian steamship line, in the face of unusual difficulties, was a matter of pride to the people of canada, and the postmaster general, who had exhibited noteworthy energy in exploiting the possibilities of the service, dwelt with much satisfaction, in his several reports to the legislature, on the measure of success attained in competition with the lines running to the ports of the united states. but these successes were bought at a heavy price. in the weekly race across the atlantic, much was sacrificed to speed. risks were taken which, with the imperfect knowledge then existing of the sailing route, could lead to but one result. vessel after vessel was lost under circumstances that excited a growing horror and resentment among all classes of the people. during the seven years between june , , and february , , no less than eight of the finest vessels in the service went down, carrying with them many hundreds of human beings. the first mishap took place within six months of the commencement of the service by the allan line. in november , the "canadian," in her course up the st. lawrence, ran ashore, owing to either the negligence or the ignorance of the pilot. she was got off without injury. but the "canadian" was less fortunate in june , when, from the same cause, she again ran ashore. this time it was impossible to free her, and she had to be abandoned, a total loss. the year passed without trouble of any kind, and as the voyages were increased from fortnightly to weekly, confidence was high that the superiority of the canadian line was to be demonstrated, and the supremacy of the atlantic wrested from the cunards. but with the inauguration of the weekly service, and of the declared competition with the steamers sailing in and out of new york, a series of disasters commenced, which threw a shadow over the whole enterprise. in the five years following the establishment of weekly service, the canadian line lost more first class vessels than all the other companies engaged in transatlantic conveyance, and during the same period, as if to remove any doubt as to the locality to which these disasters were attributed, every vessel lost went down on this side of the atlantic.[ ] in the winter of , two of the finest vessels of the line were lost, and with them a great number of lives. the winter route of the allan steamers between liverpool and portland ran westward from ireland to cape race, the south-eastern extremity of newfoundland, thence to the waters between sable island and nova scotia, the coast of which the steamers skirted for its whole length. after getting clear of cape sable, the southerly point of nova scotia, vessels had a deep water passage for the rest of the voyage. the nova scotia coast was a source of much anxiety to navigators. the "columbia," the only vessel of the cunard line which was lost until this time, was wrecked on this coast, as were also the "humboldt" of the american line and the "city of manchester" of the inman line. it was on this coast also that the two allan ships were wrecked. on the th of november, the "indian," on her way out from liverpool, ran ashore on the "deal ledges" near the fishing hamlet of marie joseph. parting amidships, some sixty of her passengers were lost. it was made clear that the captain had taken every precaution after leaving cape race, but he had been misled by defective charts. three months later, on the th of february, , the "hungarian" went down among the rocks off cape sable, and not a soul on board was saved. this steamer was the pride of the fleet. she was a new vessel, and had a record of three consecutive passages in twenty-seven days and twenty-three hours. the facts disclosed by the investigation were few. but it did transpire that the captain was noted for a certain dash rather than for seamanly prudence. it was said that by his skill in shaving sharp corners and scudding over shoals, and by his recklessness in keeping up a head of steam, he had converted the slowest of the canadian steamers into the fastest. news of the disaster to the "hungarian" soon reached montreal. it was melancholy news for the city, and public grief was soon followed by popular anger with the allan company and with the postmaster general. smith was denounced by the legislature as _particeps criminis_ in the destruction of the lives which had been lost on the "hungarian." a parliamentary investigation was ordered into the circumstances, and the report[ ] of the committee is instructive in the information it gives on the coast lights, and on the problems, which the substitution of iron for wood in the construction of steam vessels raised for those dealing with questions of navigation. neither sable island nor cape sable, on the winter route, were provided with lighthouses; and the lower st. lawrence was most inadequately furnished with the indispensable guides for sailing by night. from forteau bay on the straits of belle isle, a vessel ran four hundred and fifty miles before it passed a lighthouse, and it then entered a stretch of one hundred and twenty miles which it was obliged to make without the assistance of lights. on the comparative merits of iron and wooden vessels, expert opinion was unanimous in favour of wooden vessels. it was considered that, in the event of a vessel being wrecked or stranded, there was less liability of loss of life in the wooden vessel. there was also the effect of the material of which the vessels were built on the working of the compass. in iron vessels, the compasses were a source of great and continued anxiety. before the vessels proceeded to sea, the local attraction from the ship was neutralized by magnets and, thus adjusted, the compasses acted with tolerable accuracy while the vessel was at sea and beyond the influence of land attraction. but when approaching the land the compasses were not to be depended upon. there was, it was asserted, an attraction from the land, but whether the mass of iron in the vessel was first acted upon by the land attraction, was a problem of which the existing state of science did not afford a solution. the cunard line at this time-- --consisted of ten vessels. only two were of iron; and it was noted that the irregular action of the compass on the iron vessel "persia," after it left cape race, led the vessel into danger which was only averted by unusual care with the soundings. the committee of the legislature concluded by expressing a fear that, until new light had been thrown on the susceptibilities and workings of the mysterious magnetic forces, it might be necessary to abandon the construction of iron vessels. misfortune continued to dog the course of the canadian steamers. in two more vessels were lost--both on the st. lawrence route. the "canadian," the second of the name, launched in , set out from quebec for liverpool on the st of june. reaching the straits of belle isle two days later she encountered a heavy gale and great masses of ice. about eight miles from cape bauld, the northernmost point of newfoundland, the vessel was struck by a sunken floe, which tore a hole in her side under the water-line, and she sank in two hours. twenty-nine of the passengers and crew were drowned, including james panton, the mail officer, who neglected the means of safety in his endeavours to save the mail. the only criticism made by the board of trade court was that the straits route being a perilous one except at the height of the season, the sailing instructions which gave masters a discretion of taking this route after the th of may ought to be amended by fixing the earliest date at a month later. at the end of the season--on the th of november--the "north briton" ran ashore in an attempt to make the passage between the island of anticosti and the mingan islands. the circumstances that the vessel entered the passage an hour after midnight, with a heavy sea running, were noted by the marine court. but they confined themselves to a censure on the captain for some lack of vigilance, not considering it necessary to deprive him of his certificate. again there was a burst of public indignation, and a demand that the government should dissociate themselves from the contract. the postmaster general pleaded that such action would, in the eyes of the foreign governments, be tantamount to a confession that canadians had lost faith in their route. he assured the legislature that he was bringing effective pressure on the allan company to compel them to perform their contract satisfactorily. the complete immunity from accident during seemed to indicate that the measures forced upon the company by the postmaster general were successful. but the faith of the canadian in the superior advantages of their route was soon to be put to further trials. between the th of april, , and the nd of february, --a scant ten months--three vessels of the line were lost. the first of these, the "anglo-saxon," which crashed into the rocky coast of newfoundland, a few miles above cape race, gave some point to the observations of the commission as to the disturbing influences operating upon the compasses of vessels as they approached land. the "anglo-saxon" left liverpool on the th of april, and for the first nine days made an uneventful voyage. a clear, bright day on the th gave the captain an opportunity to make observations, and ascertain the ship's position; and as the weather was steady, he was able to run under full steam and sail. next morning it was foggy; and john young--a former commissioner of public works, and one of the chief advocates of the canadian ocean service--asked the captain if it was his intention to make cape race. the captain said it was not, as by noon they would be twenty miles south of the cape. about eleven o'clock young's attention was directed to what appeared to be a huge iceberg close at hand. he ran towards the deck, but before he could reach it the ship struck, and he found himself facing a precipitous mass of rock so lofty that in the fog he could not see the top of it. instead of being sixteen or seventeen miles south of cape race, the vessel was four miles above it. though they were so close to land that many passengers saved themselves by creeping along the mast to the shore, passengers were drowned, including the captain, whose faulty seamanship had brought about the calamity. this shore is the most dangerous on the north atlantic. besides the magnetic influences, there is an underplay of powerful currents, which makes navigation in these waters difficult and dangerous. the newfoundland government published a list in showing that seventy-seven vessels, great and small, had been lost on the cape or within a few miles to the north or west of it. not quite two months later than the disaster of april , , while excitement in canada was still running high, the public were dumbfounded by the news of another disaster. the "norwegian," a vessel built only two years, left liverpool on the th of june. on the th she entered a dense fog which continued at short intervals until the th. at noon that day the fog lifted and the steamer put on full steam. at two o'clock in the morning land was sighted, which the captain took to be newfoundland. the ship's course was altered in accordance with that view, and although the fog fell densely, speed was not reduced. at seven o'clock there was a cry of breakers, and before the steamer could be checked or turned, she struck heavily upon the rocks of st. paul's island, a point in the gulf of st. lawrence, a few miles north of cape breton. the ship's position was so dangerous that the passengers were landed on the island. afterwards the cargo and mails were secured. the public were bewildered by the accumulation of disasters. the captain of the "norwegian" was especially known as a careful and skilful navigator, and there was a persistent and vigorously expressed demand on the allan company for an explanation. to their plea of the danger of the route, the answer was that the "hungarian," "indian," and "anglo-saxon" were wrecked on a route over which the cunard steamers had been passing in safety for years. iron vessels accordingly came in for condemnation. except two, all the cunard steamers were of wood, and these iron vessels were run only between liverpool and new york, over a route all the way on the broad ocean. the wreck of the "african" of the cunard line on the coast of newfoundland, which took place about this time, under circumstances similar to those attending the loss of the "anglo-saxon," showed, it was claimed, the superiority of the wooden vessels, when overtaken by accident. she was pierced in several places, but was not smashed as an iron hull would have been. consequently, when the vessel got free of the rocks it was able to reach st. johns where it put in for repairs. the remainder of the summer of passed without incident, and a considerable part of the winter, when on the nd of february, , the "bohemian" in her passage to portland, struck on alden's rock, close to her destination, and overturned, sinking within an hour and a half. the passengers and crew numbered persons, and of these forty-three were drowned by the capsizing of one of the lifeboats. the court of inquiry attributed the catastrophe to the neglect of the captain to take the ordinary precautions, when confronted with a perilous situation, and he was deprived of his certificate for twelve months. during the period between the wreck of the "canadian" the first, in , and the sinking of the "bohemian" in , there were thirteen vessels lost, of all lines engaged in the transatlantic trade, and of these eight were of the canadian line. the canadian government and the allan company were subjected to a pitiless condemnation; and, with a change of administration in , the new government lost no time in taking steps to end the contract. oliver mowat, the new postmaster general, on the th of august, , presented a report to the executive council recounting the attempts of the canadian government to establish a canadian line of steamers from , when the first contract was made with the liverpool firm of mackeen, mclarty and company. the contract with this firm called for a fortnightly service in summer and monthly in winter, with screw steamers of not less than tons, the subsidy from which was to be £ , a year. in consequence of the default of the contractors, a new contract was made with hugh allan. the frequency of the service, and the amount of the subsidy remained unchanged, but allan engaged to employ vessels of tons, instead of . on the th of october, , a new contract was entered into with allan for weekly service to commence on the st of may, . the size of the vessels required was again increased, and the new steamers had to be built to tons. the subsidy was to be £ , . by , three vessels had been lost, and allan, having found that the loss in carrying on the weekly service was far beyond his calculations, notified the government of his intention to terminate. the government, believing that it was essential to hold public confidence in the route, and that this could be best done by enabling the contractor to provide larger and more powerful vessels to replace those which had been lost, determined to offer a much larger subsidy, and to stipulate for vessels of tons. a new contract embodying these conditions was made, and the compensation was fixed at £ , . in brief this was the situation when mowat became postmaster general, though there had been negotiations between smith and the allan company for a reduction of the subsidy. with the sanction of the government, mowat cancelled the contract on april , , and began negotiations for a new contract. mowat perceived that, unless there was to be a lapse in the service on the st of april, he must make his arrangements with allan, since there was no other vessel owner in a position to take up the service on the termination of the contract. mowat was the less reluctant to renew an engagement with allan, as he recognized the courage, energy and perseverance of the latter, and was convinced that allan's experience would give him a great advantage over any other contractor. the new contract contained provisions which were a confession that the government had been far from blameless for the losses of the several vessels of the allan line. the mail steamers were expressly forbidden to approach cape race when the weather was so foggy or tempestuous as to make it dangerous to do so; when the presence of fog or ice should render it perilous to run at full speed the captain was to be impressed with the duty of slackening speed or of stopping the vessel as the occasion dictated, and the time so lost was to be allowed to the contractor in addition to the time specified for the length of the voyage. other precautions were taken by the contractor. the first vessel lost--the "canadian" in june --was cast on shore by the incompetency of the pilot, and the contractor made it his business to secure the best pilots, instead of taking the first that presented himself, as the practice had been. another vessel was wrecked on a dangerous shore of the island of anticosti. this channel was thereafter abandoned by the vessels of the line. as a consequence of these provisions and precautions, aided, doubtless, by greater care on the part of the sailing masters, accidents to the vessels ceased altogether. during the twenty-five years that ensued there was but one vessel lost. the outstanding feature of the whole business was the dogged resolution of allan to justify his faith in the possibility of the canadian route, and in his ultimate success he rendered an incalculable service to canada. footnotes: [ ] _sess. papers_, canada, , no. , contain all the papers bearing on the continental negotiations narrated. [ ] a lengthy review of the papers included in the _sess. papers_, no. , of , appears in the _toronto leader_, the leading government organ of march , . the writer notes that "lord elgin and rowland hill seem to have been firmly convinced, in their own minds, that a canadian steamer is an american steamer," and observes that "the english officials shifted the grounds of their objections several times, till finally, as rheumatism is said to do after shifting from one part of the body to the other, they vanished altogether before the force of mr. smith's arguments, till nothing but naked obstinacy remained." [ ] p.m.g.'s report to council, december , (_sess. papers_, canada, , no. ). [ ] _journals of assembly_, canada, , app. . chapter xix postal service of manitoba, the north-west provinces and british columbia--summary of progress since confederation. when sir adams archibald, the first lieutenant governor of the newly-formed province of manitoba, reached winnipeg in the summer of for the purpose of taking over his government, he made a survey of the administrative system which he found there. the postal arrangements were very simple.[ ] there were but four post offices in the province, and three mail routes. the principal route, that upon which the settlement depended for its communication with the outer world, ran down the red river from pembina, on the border, to winnipeg. the second followed the river down as far as st. andrew's; and the third connected the town of portage la prairie with winnipeg, by a weekly-courier service along the assiniboine river. the mails on the other two routes were carried twice each week. the carriage of the mails between pembina and winnipeg was originally a private enterprise, but was afterwards assumed by the government of assiniboia. there was a postage charge of one penny on all letters and of one-halfpenny on all newspapers, passing in and out of the territory, in addition to the postage due for conveyance between pembina and the place of origin or destination. the system in the settlement was not recognized by the united states government, and letters were not considered as regularly posted until they were deposited in pembina post office. consequently the only postage stamps were those of the united states, which were sold in the post offices of the settlement. the letters and newspapers passing between winnipeg and pembina during the month of august were counted, and it was found that within that period, there were letters and newspapers sent from winnipeg to pembina, and letters and newspapers passed into the settlement. the opportunity afforded by the extension of the united states postal service into the northern parts of minnesota was a great boon to the inhabitants of the isolated settlement. until that time, the only communication between the red river and the world outside was by means of the semi-annual packets, by which the hudson's bay company maintained its communication with its posts, which were scattered over its vast territories.[ ] once in each year a vessel sailed from the thames for york factory on the western shore of hudson's bay bringing the goods used for barter with the indians, and carrying back to london the peltries which were the produce of the previous year's trade. to meet this vessel, a brigade of dog-sleighs set out from fort garry about december , when, the ice having formed and the snow fallen, travelling was easy. the first stopping place was at norway house, at the northern end of lake winnipeg. the distance, about miles, was travelled in eight days. here the contents of the packet were separated, one portion being detained for the posts in the west, and the other for york factory. the couriers with the mails from the ship in hudson's bay connected at norway house with those from red river, and after mails had been exchanged, each returned to his point of departure. the mail from england reached fort garry in february. the other means of communication was by the packet which was despatched overland in the winter to montreal. the courier returned to the settlement in the spring, travelling by canoes from lachine up the ottawa river and along the mattawin to lake nipissing, thence down the french river to georgian bay. crossing the bay and lakes huron and superior, the travellers entered the kaministiquia at fort william, and passing by alternate water stretches and portages into the winnipeg river, they made their way by canoe to lake winnipeg, and landed at the outlet of the red river, eighteen miles north of fort garry. this journey occupied about six weeks. the extent of the isolation of the settlement during the early period is thus vividly described:--[ ] "thus matters went on during the first forty years of our existence as a settlement. we were kept in blissful ignorance of all that transpired abroad until about eight months after actual occurrence. our easy-going and self-satisfied gentry received their yearly fyles of newspapers about a twelvemonth after the date of the last publication, and read them with avidity, patiently wading through the whole in a manner which did no violence to chronology. wars were undertaken and completed--protocolling was at an end and peace signed, long before we could hear that a musket had been shouldered or a cannon fired." the hudson's bay packets were placed at the service of the settlers, but not quite without reserve. the company, which employed the packets primarily for the conduct of their business, did not intend that they should be used against their interests. they had a monopoly of the fur-trade, which they proposed to hold, as far as possible, intact. there were a number of traders in the settlement, who bought on their own account, and made use of such means of transport as they were able to discover, to get their furs out of the country. to prevent the operations of these interlopers, the company had recourse to a measure which was vastly unpopular in the settlement. the governor of assiniboia, in a proclamation, dated december , , directed that all letters intended to be despatched by the winter express, must be left at his office on or before the st of january. every letter must bear the writer's name, and if the writer was not one of those who had lodged a declaration against trafficking in furs, he was obliged to deposit the letter open, to be closed at the governor's office.[ ] this obnoxious order remained in force until . this arbitrary measure on the part of the company excited intense feelings among the settlers, and disposed them to hail with satisfaction the approach of the lines of the american postal service towards the company's southern borders. in , when the american government established a post office at fort ripley, a number of the settlers in the red river settlement formed a post office at fort garry, and opened a monthly communication with the post office in minnesota.[ ] at the same time a post office was also opened in the settlement of st. andrews, fourteen miles further down the red river. in , the united states postal service was extended to the company's border, at pembina, and the infant system in the settlement was connected with this office. the relation of dependence, which the red river settlement was beginning to assume towards the united states, attracted attention in canada, and fears were expressed as to the political future of the great hinterland. in , the toronto board of trade addressed a memorial to the government,[ ] pointing out the situation in the north-west, and urged the expediency of establishing a post route and telegraph line between canada and british columbia, over canadian and hudson's bay territory. the government acted upon the suggestion without loss of time. a mail service was opened in the summer of to the red river settlement.[ ] mails were carried twice a month between collingwood and fort william by steamer, and from the latter point to the red river by canoe. when winter closed the water routes, a monthly packet by dog-sleigh carried the mails, the carrier travelling along the north shore of lakes huron and superior. but this effort to establish a direct connection between canada and the north-west was not a success. the difficulties of travel placed this route at a hopeless disadvantage with that through the united states, which gave the people of the settlement a direct communication with but seventy miles of transportation on their part. the service was abandoned after two years, and shortly afterwards the improvements in the service of pembina in the united states system, enabled the settlers on the red river to exchange mails with the outer world twice each week. but the failure of this scheme was merely the prelude to the greater scheme, advocated by the toronto board of trade. the canadian government opened a correspondence with the hudson's bay company on the questions of a post road and telegraph across the continent.[ ] on its part, the government was prepared to adopt any measure which would facilitate travel over the stretch which lay between the settled parts of canada and the hudson's bay territory. appropriations were made for roads through to red river, and it was hoped that free grants of land would induce people to settle along the route. the discovery of gold on the saskatchewan, with the anticipated influx of gold-seekers from the united states made the question one of great urgency. the only access to the territories was through the state of minnesota, and it was feared that the settlement at red river would inevitably imbibe principles inimical to the british interests. unless canada could offer a passage into the territories, equal in accommodation to that afforded by the united states, the territories would in no long time be occupied by foreigners, british rule would virtually have passed away, and the key to the trade to british columbia and ultimately to china surrendered to rivals. dallas, the resident governor of the hudson's bay company, looked at the question from the standpoint of the company's interests. he pointed out that the establishment of a line of communication across the territories of the company would be seriously prejudicial to those interests. the red river and saskatchewan valleys, though not in themselves fur-bearing districts, were the sources from which the main supply of winter food were procured for the northern posts, from the produce of the buffalo hunts. a chain of settlements through these valleys would not only deprive the company of these vital resources, but would indirectly, in other ways, so interfere with their northern trade as to render it no longer worth prosecuting on an extended scale. it would necessarily be diverted into various channels, possibly to the public benefit, but the company could no longer exist on its present footing. the canadian government was far from satisfied with this answer. as they saw it, the question resolved itself into simply this: should these magnificent territories continue to be merely the source of supply for a few hundreds of the employees of a fur-trading company, or be the means of affording new and boundless contributions to civilization and commerce? should they remain closed to the enterprise and industry of millions, in order that a few might monopolize all their treasures and keep them for all time to come, as the habitation of wild beasts and the trappers engaged in their pursuit? the postmaster general in making his report to the council estimated that the cost of a road and water connections with red river would cost £ , , and from that settlement to the passes of the rocky mountains, £ , , and recommended that the canadian parliament should appropriate $ , a year for a number of years for this project. the red river settlement approached the canadian government on the subject, undertaking to build a road to the head of the lake of the woods, if the canadian or british government would construct a practical passage from lake superior to meet this road. the british government, to whom a copy of this memorial was sent by sandford fleming, replied that plans were almost matured for establishing a postal and telegraphic communication with british columbia, and it was expected that with the aid of the two colonies, the scheme would be entered upon at no distant date. an obstacle to the settlement of the plans lay in the indeterminate nature of the claims of the hudson's bay company to the territory over which the means of communication should pass, and the canadian government declined to participate in the project while these claims remained unsettled. they opened correspondence with the british government with the view to determine the questions in dispute, maintaining at the same time the right of canada to take over all that portion of central british america which was in the possession of the french at the period of the session in .[ ] the question of postal communication was as a consequence postponed to the larger question of canada's acquiring these territories, and this was not settled until . in , the hudson's bay company sent dr. john rae, the arctic explorer, to ascertain the practicability of establishing communication by telegraph across the continent. his report was favourable, and the company went so far into the scheme as to send a quantity of telegraph wire into the territory. but as their continued ownership and monopoly of the territory became increasingly uncertain, the company suspended operations, and these were not resumed. in april the governor and council of assiniboia by an ordinance established a postal system in the settlement. james ross was appointed postmaster in the middle section of the settlement, with a salary of £ per annum; and thomas sinclair, postmaster of the lower section, with a salary of £ per annum. a mail was to be carried between the settlement and pembina at the public expense, in connection with the united states mail to pembina. the postal charges between the settlement and pembina were fixed at a penny per half ounce for letters, twopence for each magazine or review, and one-halfpenny for each newspaper. for books, the charges were fivepence for half a pound or under, one shilling for one and a half pounds, and twopence for each additional half pound.[ ] this embryo system was in operation when sir adams archibald arrived in the new province as lieutenant governor. he lost no time in putting the system on as efficient a footing as the circumstances permitted, and in incorporating it into the postal system of the dominion. the postmaster general arranged with the post office department of the united states for the transmission across its territory by way of chicago and st. paul, of mails between windsor, ontario and winnipeg. the postal rates in force in the dominion were applied to the new province; and in november the post offices were provided with canadian postage stamps, to replace those of the united states, which had been used until that time. the means of transportation through the united states was gradually improved, and advantage was taken of these ameliorations to improve the communication of manitoba. in the completion of the railway between the pembina and winnipeg left little to be desired in the facilities enjoyed by the province for the exchange of correspondence. but it was still dependent on the good will of the united states for these facilities. it was not until that the completion of the canadian pacific railway between winnipeg and eastern canada provided a connection across canadian territory. * * * * * the need for a regular postal service in british columbia did not arise until , the year in which the gold discoveries in the mainland brought large numbers of miners to seek their fortunes in that country. the colony of vancouver island had been in the process of settlement by the hudson's bay company since , but the success of the company had been but moderate. the whole population in --scarcely equal to that of a small town--was gathered together in victoria and its environs, and their requirements as regards correspondence were limited to a communication with great britain. the home government gave early attention to the question of providing these means. on august , , the day after the act providing for the government of the new colony had been adopted, the colonial secretary wrote to the treasury, pointing out that the establishment of the new colony, and the large influx of immigrants thereto, made it desirable that some safe and regular communication should be formed between the colony and the kingdom, and asking that the lords commissioners should consider the possibility of such a suggestion.[ ] the treasury consulted the admiralty and the post office. neither department could suggest a scheme which would not involve an outlay much beyond the ideas of the treasury as to the importance of the objects to be attained. the post office proposed sending mails to colon, at the entrance to the panama railway by the steamers of the royal mail packet company, thence to panama by railway. the voyage occupied from sixteen to twenty days and the passage across the isthmus about five hours. the conveyance from panama to victoria offered greater difficulties. the connection between british mail steamers arriving at colon and the united states steamers running from panama to san francisco, was so faulty, that the mails would have to lie at panama as long as two weeks before they were taken forward. the passage to san francisco occupied two weeks, and from this point to victoria from four to five days. the delay at the isthmus was usually avoided by taking the steamer from england to new york, from whence a line of steamers ran to colon in close connection with the pacific steamers from panama. by the latter route the journey from london to victoria was made in about forty-five days. but the important consideration with the treasury was the very considerable cost. the preference of the government was for an all-british conveyance. this could be arranged by having a steamer, subsidized by the government, take the mails from the cunard vessels at either halifax or new york, and carry them to colon, and by providing other vessels under its control to make the conveyance from panama to victoria. the enormous cost of these services precluded the adoption of this scheme, until the colony had grown to an extent that it could bear, at least, part of the cost. it was estimated that the steamer on the atlantic coast would call for an outlay of £ , a year, while the pacific line would cost not less than £ , a year. a solution of the difficulty was found through the good offices of the united states government. there was a service carried on twice a week between st. louis, missouri and san francisco. the route was , miles in length, and it was covered by four-horse coaches with great regularity in twenty-two days. this service, the united states government placed at the disposal of the british post office for the exchange of its correspondence with its distant colony. the mails on their arrival at san francisco were delivered to the british consul, who arranged for their transmission to their destination. at the best, the isolation of the new settlement was extreme. there had been a newspaper in victoria since june . it was published weekly, and for two weeks out of three, its columns were confined to purely local news. the third issue presented the appearance of a modern newspaper. the steamer "eliza anderson" had arrived from olympia, bringing with it the despatches from san francisco, containing news from all parts of the world. how belated the news was may be gathered from a glance over one of the issues. the issue of march contained news from san francisco, not later than february , and from st. louis, the latest date was february . as st. louis was within the eastern telegraph system, the papers from the city contained despatches from all parts of the united states and canada. it was observed that among the items of news was the arrival of the steamer "bohemia" at new york, with the liverpool newspapers of january . so that under ordinary circumstances, news from england was fifty days old before it reached the public in victoria. the construction of a telegraph line to the pacific in the autumn of , and the extension of the lines of the california state telegraphic company to portland, oregon, in , did much to relieve the situation, so far as concerned news important enough to be sent by telegraph to the newspapers in san francisco. but the ordinary news from canada did not reach victoria by telegraph, and the length of the delay in the transmission of news from canada by letter may be seen from the fact that the _british colonist_ of november , , contained a newsletter from canada, dated september --six weeks earlier. governor kennedy in his annual report to the colonial secretary on the state of the colony in observed that "expensive and defective postal and other communications are the great bar to progress, and reflect but little credit on the two great nations--england and america. a _times_ newspaper costs fourpence postage, and that for a book is entirely prohibitory." arrangements of a simple character were made for the conveyance of letters into the sections occupied by the miners. in november , governor douglas reported that the men at the mines--nearly all of whom were on the course of the fraser river--numbered , . he also stated that he had arranged a postal system on a small scale, which provided for the wants of the country, at an expenditure which was fully covered by the receipts. the earliest letter delivery in this region was carried on by the express companies, whose operations were extended from california to british columbia, with the migration of the miners to the newly-discovered gold districts. this mode of delivery is described by a british naval officer, who spent four years in the country, as one of the safest imaginable. he states that "so great is his faith in them that he would trust anything in even that most insecure country (california) in an envelope bearing the stamp of the wells fargo and company's express."[ ] in may the colonial administration arranged with the private expresses for conveyance of letters anywhere within the colonies of british columbia and vancouver island on condition of the prepayment of five cents per letter, as colonial postage.[ ] this rudimentary arrangement was replaced in by a regular departmental postal service with headquarters at new westminster.[ ] the charges on letters and newspapers sent by post were fixed as follows: for every letter to and from british columbia and vancouver island, delivered at victoria or new westminster, threepence per half ounce; on every newspaper posted under the same circumstances, one penny; on every letter from a post office at any one place in the colony to a post office at any other place in the colony, sixpence per half ounce; for a newspaper posted for delivery under the same circumstances, sixpence; on letters from any other place than vancouver island, threepence in addition to the foreign postage. the year following the union of the two governments of british columbia and vancouver island, an ordinance was passed by the government, dated april , , in which a new set of rates were established. on a letter passing between any two post offices in vancouver island or between any of these offices and new westminster or any port in the colony, the rate was five cents; between vancouver island or new westminster on the one side and clinton or savona's ferry, the rate was twelve and a half cents; where letters pass beyond those distances the charge was twenty-five cents. for letters exchanged between any two post offices above yale, hope or douglas, the rate was twelve and a half cents. in each case the unit of weight was an ounce. the charge on newspapers passing between any two post offices in the colony was two cents each. at this period there were eighteen post offices on the mainland and eight on the island. the situation of the post office in british columbia stood thus when the colony became one of the provinces of the dominion. by the act of confederation the postal service was incorporated into the federal system which was administered by the post office department at ottawa. the rates of postage in british columbia were made uniform with the charges in the other provinces, viz., three cents per half ounce for letters, and one cent for newspapers. communication between british columbia and canada east of the rocky mountains was far from satisfactory. until the completion of the canadian pacific railway in , the eastern provinces had to depend entirely upon the united states postal system for the means of communication with british columbia. at the time of the entrance of the province into the confederation, the opportunities for an exchange of correspondence were limited to twice a week. the mails were conveyed from san francisco by railway and stage to olympia, between which point and victoria, semi-weekly trips were made by steamer. there was also a service twice a month, between victoria and san francisco. the maintenance of these connections between san francisco and vancouver island was stipulated for among the conditions of union of british columbia with the dominion of canada. within the province, the mails were carried by the steamer "sir james douglas" along the east coast of vancouver island and comox. the mainland was supplied with mails by a steamer which ran twice a week between vancouver and new westminster. in the interior of the province, the mails were carried by steamer up the fraser river to yale, thence northward to barkerville. the distance between new westminster and barkerville was miles. the service from yale to barkerville was by means of stages, drawn by four or six horses. this service was carried on weekly during summer, and fortnightly during the winter. striking off westward from this route at quesnelle, there was another to omenica, miles, over which the mails were carried monthly.[ ] * * * * * in bringing the narrative to a point where the several provincial systems were incorporated into one system controlled by the post office department at ottawa, i have completed the task i undertook. it remains only to note in a summary manner the progress that was made by the post office from confederation to the great war. [illustration: robert millar coulter. m.d., c.m.g. (_deputy postmaster general since _)] on the formation of the present department, there were post offices in the system. in this number had been increased to , . the expansion of the lines of the service in the four older provinces, though considerable, is not comparable with that in the provinces comprehended in the territories west of the great lakes. in nova scotia, new brunswick, and the better settled parts of quebec and ontario, the characteristic of the increase is the greater frequency of travel on already established roads, and, particularly, the acceleration of correspondence by the introduction of railways into the parts of the provinces. in there were but miles of railway in canada. in the forty-seven years which followed this mileage was augmented to , . the narrow line of settlement in ontario from the quebec boundary to toronto had expanded to a breadth, covering the extent of country from lake ontario to the watershed, dividing the waters flowing south from those running into hudson's bay. but the great expansion has taken place in the provinces on the plains between the great lakes and the rocky mountains--in the new canada beyond the great lakes. on entering confederation, the postal arrangements in this vast territory comprised but six post offices, with a system of mail service of no more than miles. since a system has been created in these western provinces containing in over , miles, of which , miles are of railroad. the number of post offices in this year was . the expansion in british columbia if not equal in magnitude to that in the prairie and grain-growing provinces, keeps full pace with the requirements of that province. there were thirty post offices in the province in when the colony entered confederation. these had increased to in . the system in the earlier period comprised miles. this had increased to over , miles in ; of these were by railroad, and by steam or sailing vessel. the outstanding feature of the interchange of correspondence between the several provinces at the time they entered confederation is the dependence on the postal service of the united states for the means by which it was carried on. as between the old province of canada and the maritime provinces, there was indeed a mail service by coach between truro, sixty miles west of halifax, and riviere du loup, miles east of quebec. but, apart from the fact that the trips were made no more frequently than three times a week, the utter inadequacy of such a mode of conveyance over a route miles in length was obvious to those who could use the railways of the united states for the same purpose. the provinces had been united politically for nine years before the completion of the inter-colonial railway provided the means of direct communication between them. until the usual course for the mails between the maritime provinces and the old province of canada was by railway from st. john, new brunswick to bangor, maine, thence to portland, where connection was made with the grand trunk system. as the western provinces came into the confederation they exhibited in an even more marked degree the dependence on the good will of the united states for communication with the older provinces. the construction of the canadian pacific railway westward around the head of lake superior and the continuance of its course across the plains of the north-west territories, and over the rocky mountains to the pacific ocean, gradually relaxed that dependence. but manitoba had been a province of the dominion for fourteen years before the first train ran over an all-canadian route between that province and ontario, and it was two years later before british columbia was linked up with its sister provinces by this means. during these periods the mails for manitoba were despatched from windsor by way of chicago, st. paul's and pembina, dakota: those for british columbia, by way of san francisco. fortunately, the geographical position of canada with reference to the western and north-western states, enabled the post office of this country to reciprocate, more or less adequately, the services rendered in the maintenance of communication between the several provinces. concurrently with the expansion of the postal system has gone a steady reduction in the postal rates. the charge of five cents per half ounce on letters was lowered to three cents per half ounce in the first session of parliament after confederation. the effect of the reduction on the volume of correspondence exchanged was manifested in the fact that, although the reduction was the very considerable one of forty per cent., the revenue in was greater by $ , than the amount collected three years before. the rate of three cents per half ounce, which was fixed in , remained unchanged for twenty-one years, when the unit of weight was changed from half an ounce to one ounce, the rate becoming in three cents per ounce. the final reduction in the rate was made on january , , two cents being substituted for three cents as the rate of postage for an ounce letter. in canada became a member of the universal postal union, an organization whose purpose it was to make in effect a single postal territory of the whole world. the obstacles to the interchange of correspondence between the various countries owing to differences in charges and regulations, had long been felt as a serious impediment to the cultivation of social and commercial relations which there was a general desire to foster, and some tentative efforts had been made, notably by the united states, to ameliorate the conditions governing international correspondence by the establishment of uniform regulations for this class of correspondence. twenty-two states, comprising the leading countries in europe, the united states, and egypt sent delegates to a conference that assembled at berne in , and the result of their deliberations was a convention which established a code of regulations and fixed uniform postage rates respecting correspondence passing anywhere within the union. the benefits conferred by the union on those, who, for any reason, had to carry on correspondence with foreign countries were inestimable. some illustrations drawn from the case of canada will be enlightening. in letters sent to india were subject to two different rates, according to the route by which they were directed. if sent by canadian steamers to great britain, and thence on to their destination, the charge was twenty-two cents; if sent by the united states, the charge was thirteen cents. to chili, peru, and ecuador, there were two routes and two rates; by way of england, the charge was forty cents, by way of the united states, twenty-five cents. the extreme instance of variation in the charges according to the route chosen was in the case of letters from the united states to australia. there were six different routes, and the postal guide set out the different charges: five cents, thirty-three cents, forty-five cents, fifty-five cents, sixty cents, and one dollar, according to the route by which the letters were sent. difficulties of an accounting nature arising from different standards of weights hampered the operations of the officials in preparing the mails. thus a letter from great britain to germany, passing through france was taxed at a certain rate per half ounce in england, another rate per ten grams in france, and, finally, a third rate per loth[ ] in germany. many of these trammels to correspondence were removed by special conventions before the postal union came into being. but how many remained may be judged from the fact that the canadian postal guide, issued shortly before canada was admitted to the postal union, contained a list of rates to different countries, which must be consulted by correspondents and postal officials before the charge on a letter going abroad could be ascertained. the immediate effect of coming into the union was the removal of these extensive and complicated lists from the postal guide, and their replacement by a single sentence, in which the charge on letters for all the countries in the union was stated to be five cents per half ounce. the postal union did not at that time comprehend all countries, though it did all the most important, but since then adhesions have been made from year to year until to-day there is scarcely a country to which letters are written, which does not come within its scope. in , at canada's instance, a closer union was formed for penny postage within the british empire. it went into effect on christmas day of that year. it did not include all parts of the empire at the time it was formed, australia being deterred from associating itself with the scheme, by financial considerations. a few years ago australia found itself able to adjust the difficulties with which it was confronted when the union was formed, and the imperial penny postage scheme is operative in all parts of the empire. in the postmaster general of canada opened negotiations with the administrations of the various parts of the empire for a reduction of the postal rates on newspapers. his proposition was to allow newspapers to circulate throughout the empire at the same rates as were charged for their transmission within the countries from which they were sent. the proposition encountered much opposition at the outset, but it made gradual progress, and to-day a newspaper may be sent from canada to great britain and several other portions of the empire at the same rate as would carry it from one place to another in canada. the auxiliary postal services--the money order and the savings bank--have expanded in their operations enormously between the period of confederation and the present time. in there were money order offices in the provinces comprising the dominion, and the amount of the orders issued by them was $ , , . the corresponding figures for were offices, which issued orders to the amount of $ , , . the post office savings bank was not in operation prior to confederation. it was established in april , and at the end of the first year post offices were charged with the duty of receiving and paying out savings deposits. the deposits at the end of the first year amounted to $ , . in there were post offices doing savings bank business, and the deposits amounted to $ , , , and the balance standing at the credit of depositors was $ , , . the financial operations of the canadian post office have undergone a great expansion. the revenues which at the end of the first year of confederation were $ , , , have, in spite of the steady reduction in the charges, been multiplied sixteen-fold within the forty-eight years since that period. in the amount collected for its services reached $ , , . it is interesting, as illustrating the much greater use made of the post office by the public in canada, to note that while the revenue has increased sixteen times, the population has not much more than doubled within the same period. in , when the population of the four original provinces was given as , , , the amount paid to the post office was $ , , ; in , when the population was , , the revenue was $ , , . thus, notwithstanding the fact that for every letter posted during the first year of confederation five cents was exacted by the post office, while in two cents only was demanded, the average expenditure for each member of the population was in , rather less than twenty-seven cents, while in it was a small fraction over two dollars. the canadian post office has been on a sound footing as a business institution for a number of years past. this fact is more notable than would perhaps appear. the postal system of this country embraces a territory more extended than that served by any other system on earth, except the united states and russia; and the population to utilize its services, and thereby furnish its revenues, is very much less than that of either of these countries. circumstances, incident to the expansion of settlement or the providing of new facilities, are constantly arising, which compel the department to embark on expenditures from which adequate returns can be expected only in the distant future. as instances, when manitoba and the north-west territories were added to the dominion, one of the early measures of the department was to establish a line of mail route from winnipeg to edmonton, at a cost of $ , , while the receipts from the whole north-west territories was considerably less than $ . the completion of the canadian pacific railway to vancouver in involved the department in outlays, which exceeded the revenues by over $ , a year. nor has it been only by the weight of unavoidable expenditure that the department has been impeded in its efforts to make ends meet. the policy of the government has also operated to deprive it of what in all other countries is regarded as a source of legitimate revenue. newspapers have always been circulated through canada by the post office on terms most advantageous to the public. in publishers were permitted to send their papers to subscribers at the rate of one cent per pound. even this small charge was removed in , and for the following seventeen years newspapers addressed to subscribers were exempt from all charges. in a small charge was imposed, which, after some variations, was fixed at a quarter cent per pound. as the cost to the post office of handling and transmitting newspapers is estimated as from four cents to six cents per pound, it is clear that the loss to the department on this head reaches a large amount each year. in spite of these facts, however, the revenues of the department have steadily increased, and since , when they first surpassed the outlay, they have maintained an ascendancy which it is improbable will be overcome. footnotes: [ ] _sess. papers_, canada, , no. . [ ] hargrave's _red river_, p. . [ ] _the nor'-wester_, january , . [ ] minutes of evidence taken before the select committee on the hudson's bay company, ques. (_house of commons papers_, ). [ ] hargrave's _red river_, p. . [ ] _journals, leg. assy._, canada, , p. . [ ] report of p.m.g. of canada, . [ ] _sess. papers_, canada, , nos. and . [ ] _sess. papers_, canada, , no. . [ ] _ibid._, , no. , p. . [ ] _house of commons (british) papers_, . [ ] mayne's _four years in british columbia and vancouver island_ ( ), p. . [ ] begg's _history of british columbia_, p. . [ ] postal act of british columbia, may , . [ ] report of the p.m.g. of canada, . [ ] varying from to grains troy. chapter xx the post office in newfoundland. the position of newfoundland, as regards postal requirements, was very similar to that of the other colonies situated on the atlantic seaboard. the social and commercial relations of the island were almost exclusively with the mother country, and the trade was from an early period very considerable. a number of vessels sailed each year from the ports of great britain to those of the colony, which provided the means for the interchange of correspondence. on this side but one thing was needed--a fixed place in st. johns at which letters for despatch by outgoing vessels could be deposited, and at which captains on their arrival could deliver the letters with which they had been entrusted in great britain. the first post office was established in by sir erasmus gower, who appointed simon solomon postmaster. the governor communicated with the secretary of the general post office, who though not prepared to include newfoundland in the british postal system, promised to forward all letters addressed to the island, by the first outgoing vessels. three years later, the number of merchants settled at brigus, harbour grace and carbonear on conception bay made necessary an arrangement, by which the letters reaching st. john for any of those places were forwarded to their destination by any vessels which might be going thither. the charge on letters passing through the london post office to newfoundland was one shilling and threepence, if conveyed to halifax by packet, and eightpence, if sent by private vessel, to which sums was added the postage from the place in great britain at which the letter was deposited, to london. there can be little doubt that but a small proportion of the correspondence passing between newfoundland and great britain was exchanged by these expensive means. advantage would be taken of the departure of any vessel, to place the letters in charge of the captain, who would collect the sum of a penny or twopence for each letter from the person to whom he delivered them at the port of arrival. the course of post within the island was also very expensive. the owners of sailing vessels running between st. john's and ports on conception bay collected a shilling for each single letter they delivered. governor cochrane, in , appealed to the postmaster general in london to establish a regular post office in st. john's, in order that his despatches from the colonial office might reach him with security. failing that, he asked that the despatches might be sent, to a company in london, which was in constant communication with newfoundland. the chamber of commerce of st. john's, in , presented a memorial to the colonial office, asking that the sailing packets running between falmouth and halifax might call at st. john's on their voyages. but the governor, in forwarding the memorial, deprecated the application, on account of the fogs and gales which prevail on those coasts, and the ignorance of the sailing masters regarding the localities. the admiralty refused to entertain the application. with the establishment in of the cunard steamship line to run between halifax and liverpool, and the inauguration of the scheme to make the nova scotia port the distributing centre for the mails for all parts of north america, provision was made for a sailing vessel of not less than tons to leave halifax for st. john's in connection with the steamer arriving at halifax, and the post office at st. john's was incorporated into the imperial system. the postmaster, simon solomon, who had died in december , was succeeded by his son, william lemon solomon, and the latter was placed on the pay-roll of the general post office with a salary of £ per annum. governor prescott gave his attention to the inland post office and endeavoured to have established a regular colonial system, but the assembly to which he directed his recommendation did not act upon it. the governor had, however, managed to secure to the postmaster some regular compensation for his services in attending to the exchanges on the island. there was at this period a communication every second day with the ports of brigus, harbour grace and carbonear, by a sailing vessel, which carried passengers and letters. the postmaster received a payment of sixpence each upon all letters, and twopence on all newspapers received from other places, and twopence each upon letters despatched from his office. this brought him an income of between £ and £ a year. the establishment of the post office and its peremptory intervention in the exchange of communications between the merchants of st. john's and their correspondents abroad was a novelty, which was not wholly welcomed in that city. although the post office had been at their service for thirty-five years, it was without official authority to claim exclusive right to the transmission of correspondence. the merchants could use it or not as suited their convenience. there were few communities that could dispense with the benefits of a post office more easily than st. john's. the merchants all did business on water street, and their warehouses looked out on the harbour; consequently the arrival or departure of a vessel was known to every person interested, and letters could be placed in the hands of an outgoing captain or received from one who had just arrived, with the least possible inconvenience. they could be delivered up to the last moment before the vessel left the harbour, and received as soon as it had been made fast at the docks. the necessary formalities of a post office proved inexpressibly irksome to the merchants of st. john's, and solomon was made to feel the irritations of their impatience. he seems to have been one of those officials who make much of the functions of their offices. he delighted in the parti-coloured pencils, which his regulations prescribed. he was indignant with the merchants, who could not be made to understand why he used a red pencil to indicate that a letter had been prepaid, and a blue one to show the receiving postmaster in england that the postage had not been paid. all the trappings dear to the accountant's soul, were to them merely hindrances to the prompt posting and receiving of their letters. then there were difficulties of another sort. one of the merchants was notified that there was a packet in the post office for him, on which postage to the amount of five shillings and threepence was due. he, at first, refused to accept the packet, declaring that it could only contain newspapers, but, yielding to curiosity, he took it, and finding his surmise to be correct, endeavoured to return the packet to the postmaster, declining to pay the postage. the postmaster reported the case to england for instructions. he was told that the acceptance of the parcel carried with it the necessity on the part of the merchant of paying the postage, but whether the postmaster succeeded in bringing the recalcitrant merchant to a sense of his obligation is not recorded. the postal situation in newfoundland remained unchanged until , when elgin, the governor general, of the british north american provinces announced to the government of the island, that the british government had decided to grant autonomy to the several administrations in the colony, and called a conference in montreal to settle the questions arising from this concession. newfoundland was not represented at the conference, but the decisions adopted and the course taken by the other colonies stimulated the newfoundland government to establish a postal system within the island. on april , , a committee of the assembly was appointed to inquire into the subject. that the question had been fully discussed before this action was taken by the assembly is evident from the fact that three days later the report of the committee was presented to the house. the interval between the time of its appointment and the date on which it made its report precluded the committee from making anything like exhaustive inquiries. they were satisfied, however, from the information they had obtained as to the volume of correspondence passing to and from the ports of conception bay, that a scheme would be practicable for establishing a system, which should carry postal facilities to the principal settlements as far north as twillingate and as far as gaultois on the south-west coast. they were encouraged to make the proposition by the rapid progress made by the post office at st. john's during the eight years of its operation. the revenue of this office had increased from £ in to £ in . the committee proposed as an interim measure that the stipendiary magistrates in the ports at which post offices should be established, might be called upon to act as postmasters in those places. the foundation of the service to the north would be a conveyance by messenger from st. john's to portugal cove. from this point, a sailing vessel would carry the mails to brigus, harbour grace and carbonear; from carbonear, a messenger would cross the peninsula to heart's content on trinity bay; a sailing vessel would serve trinity and catalina on the other side of the bay, and from the latter point a messenger would continue the transmission to bonavista. from bonavista, the mails would be carried to the outermost points of the system, greenspond, king's cove, cat harbour, fogo and twillingate, by vessel and messenger. it was estimated that the several services within this part of the system would cost £ a year. to the south, there would be couriers down the coast to trepassey, serving ferryland on the way; and to placentia, by way of salmonier and st. mary's; thence on to gaultois with stopping places at burin and garnish. the southern route should be covered for £ a year. these routes would displace services by vessel to placentia, bonavista and fogo, as well as couriers to ferryland and st. mary's, which with expenses for the incidentals were a charge of £ upon the colony. it was expected that the improved services proposed would provide travelling accommodation for the judges, school inspectors and other officials, and by the savings thus effected, the increased outlay for the postal system would be largely made up. in the following year ( ) an act was passed by the legislature providing £ for the establishment and maintenance of the inland post office proposed by the committee. the appointment of all postmasters was vested in the governor, and the management of the system was to be placed in the hands of the postmaster of st. john's. his salary was to be £ a year (doubtless in addition to the £ sterling, which he held under his imperial appointment), the postmasters of harbour grace and carbonear were to receive, each, £ a year, and the other postmasters £ . the postage on letters passing anywhere within the island was fixed at threepence per half ounce; and on books, twopence where the weight did not exceed six ounces, and threepence on greater weights up to sixteen ounces. the scheme outlined came into operation on october , . the first report of the postmaster general was a serious disappointment. the total receipts for the year amounted to no more than £ _s._ _d._, and this amount was received entirely from st. john's and the three offices on conception bay. letters, on which postage somewhat under £ was due, were sent to other offices, but not one penny was collected upon them. the committee of the assembly which examined the accounts inclined to the opinion that the postal system might, for the time, be restricted to the offices on conception bay. solomon was rather alarmed by these expressions of the committee, and in his next report he dealt, in some fulness, with the peculiar difficulties that attended the establishment of a postal system in the colony. no very great regularity, he declared, could be anticipated while the couriers were retarded by the marshy and swampy nature of the roads on the most important lines. under the most favourable circumstances, their journeys were made over mere tracks or footpaths, while the less frequented routes lay through wilds where neither roads nor paths had been formed and where unbridged rivers and streams had to be crossed, the couriers being often obliged to wade to a considerable depth, exposed to strong, rapid currents. the postmaster general acknowledged that it was on his advocacy of the system that delaney, the chairman of the committee, introduced the subject into the assembly. he was under no illusions as to the rapid growth of the revenue; his object was to secure to the inhabitants, who were excluded for the greater part of every year from the advantage of communication with the capital, a ready means of maintaining intercourse with the centre of the social and commercial life of the island. he was encouraged by the increasing revenue to believe that his efforts were being crowned with success. the step the committee feared might be forced upon them was not taken. on the contrary, the postal system was extended liberally in every direction in which it seemed to be required, in adherence to the principle which guided the postmaster general in advocating the inland service. in , the colony, having decided on the desirability of direct communication with the mother country, sent to england two delegates--little, the attorney general and lawrence o'brien--to confer with the government and leading shipowners on the subject of a steam service from a british port to st. john's. when the delegates made their first report, they had not succeeded in their objects, but they were encouraged by the recognition accorded to the scheme by the british government and by the promise of a subsidy of £ a year to any satisfactory service the government of newfoundland might arrange for. it was not long before plans were submitted for their consideration. in the same year, the north atlantic royal mail steam navigation company laid before little a proposition for a regular service between liverpool, st. john's and a port in the united states. the company were prepared to undertake a contract for trips of a frequency of not less than one every four weeks, with additional trips during april, july and august, for £ , a year. a contract was made on this basis, the understanding being that the british government would contribute £ of this amount. but the british government, being satisfied from earlier experiences with the personnel of this company that they could not be depended upon to fulfil their arrangement, declined to sanction the contract, and the arrangement fell through. in intimating to the newfoundland government their refusal to endorse the contract, the british government expressed their willingness to assist in procuring a competent contractor; and in october of the same year, an agreement was made with the atlantic royal mail steam navigation company, known more generally as the lever or galway company, for a service of virtually the same frequency as that provided for in the earlier contract, between galway, st. john's and a united states port. the rate of compensation was to be £ , a year, of which the british government was to contribute £ a year. though for political reasons, this company enjoyed an unusual degree of favour on the part of the british government, it failed entirely to satisfy the conditions of the contract, and after a short period of futile effort, it ceased altogether. it was not until that an arrangement with the allan line provided the first direct communication with great britain. in , on the death of solomon, john delaney, who had made the postal service his special care while a member of the assembly, was appointed postmaster general. his first measure was to provide for st. john's what he described as a penny delivery service. after consultation with the chief post office inspector in canada, he submitted his scheme to the legislature. he proposed to divide the city into two sections, to each of which he proposed to appoint a letter carrier to deliver the letters from door to door, not gratuitously as at present, but for a compensation of a penny for each letter delivered. the plan was put into operation on september , , but it had little success at the time. steps were also taken in to improve the accommodation to the outports by substituting a steam vessel for the sailing boats, by which the exchange of mails was effected. in november , a contract was made with aaron degraw, of new york, for a service north and south from st. john's. the steamer "victoria" was to run twice in each month to twillingate on the north, and to la poile on the south-west coast, calling at all the post offices _en route_. the consideration was £ a year. the contract provided for the service for five years. but a few months after it went into operation, the contractor represented that he was unable to continue, unless the terms were modified. he asked that the trips on the northern section might be reduced from fortnightly to monthly during the winter, and that he might omit certain of the ports of call; or, if the legislature were unwilling to lower their requirements, that he might have his compensation increased by £ a year. the application of degraw was not entertained by the legislature, and the contractor dropped his service shortly after. recourse was had to the sailing vessels until , when a more satisfactory arrangement was concluded with robert grieve on june , . the contract stipulated for fortnightly trips in each direction, and the compensation was fixed at £ . the "ariel" was the steamer employed by grieve for the service. the coastal service, thus satisfactorily established from st. john's down the east and along the south coasts as far as la poile, was extended to port aux basques on the south-west corner of the island by a sailing vessel. this completed the postal communications on the southern shore of the island. the west coast was still to be comprised in the system. in , arrangements of an experimental nature were made to send mails from port aux basques (or channel as the post office was called) to st. george's bay, bay of islands and bonne bay on this coast. a courier service was also set in operation to provide communications to those settlements during the winter, but many difficulties were encountered owing to the inacquaintance with the country on the part of the couriers, who had to pass on their way between channel and these bays. the arrangement thus experimentally entered upon continued until , when the sailing craft, which carried the mails to bonne bay was withdrawn, and the steamer "curlew," by which channel post office received its mails from st. john's, extended its trips up the north-west coast as far as bonne bay. the conveyance of the mails up this coast was carried on to the top of the island in the following year. two trips were made by couriers from bonne bay to flower cove at the gulf entrance to the straits of belle isle. from flower cove, the journey of the courier ran along the shore of the straits to pistolet bay at the northernmost point of the island, and thence on the griquet which looked from the north of the island on the atlantic, and down the atlantic coast to st. anthony. another courier set out from flower cove and travelling due east across the island carried the mail to conche, which served the settlements on hare bay. at the same time that the process of encirclement was proceeding from the western side, the settlements of western cove, mings and coachman's cove on white bay, the northernmost of the series of great bays by which the atlantic coast is indented, were having the benefits of communication extended to them from bett's cove, in notre dame bay. the benefits of these trips were so greatly appreciated by the fishermen in the northern parts of the island that the department arranged for regular fortnightly services during the winter from bonne bay along the west coast to the top of the island, and thence down the east coast as far as canada bay. on the other side the steamers which carried the mails northward from st. john's to the settlements on notre dame bay, also conveyed bags for the settled districts in white bay. these were sent forward monthly from bett's cove. thus was completed the system of coastal service by which every part of the island was brought into communication with the capital of the colony. on the larger and more thickly settled bays, it was obviously impossible for the steamers which sailed from st. john's to stop at any but the more populous villages, and within each of these bays smaller craft plied to the less important settlements. in , there were eight such sailing vessels in the service of the post office: one each in bonavista and trinity bays, three in placentia bay, two in fortune bay, and one which effected the exchange of mails at harbour breton. in conception bay, where there were two towns and several villages a steamer was employed. but though the settlements in newfoundland were at this period practically all on the coasts, and depended mainly on seacraft for the means of communication, the conveyance of mails to the northern settlements was in the winter one of great danger and difficulty. as early as , it was determined to make the experiment of serving these settlements by couriers who should travel over an overland route. in february of that year, smith mckay undertook the delivery by land, so far as that was possible, to greenspond, on the stretch of coast between bonavista and notre dame bay, and to fogo and twillingate, islands in notre dame bay. the success attending this trip induced the postmaster general to make a contract for three trips each winter. the government also planned the construction of a road, which would make communication easier between the northern outports and st. john's. the work was entered upon with vigour, the reports of progress making an interesting feature of the annual papers of the legislature. in , a serviceable road was constructed to gander bay, an inlet of notre dame bay, whence the mails were conveyed to the important villages of twillingate and fogo by sailing vessel. in the road was complete. it was estimated to be miles in length. there were six relay stations on the route, and ten men employed in the conveyance. the course pursued by the courier took him from harbour grace, his starting point, down the shore of conception bay; thence along the isthmus separating trinity from placentia bay, serving the settlements on each side of the isthmus. from the top of the isthmus, the road maintained a northerly direction, running generally parallel with the atlantic coast, as far as greenspond, from which point it turned westward across the country to gander bay. the postal accommodation on the peninsula of avalon was greatly augmented by the completion of the railway between st. john's and harbour grace in . on january , , all the principal offices at the bottom of conception bay were supplied with mails daily, and heart's content and other offices on trinity bay had their mails three times a week. the extension of the branch to placentia in october gave that village the benefit of an expeditious service three times a week. the northern settlements were given the benefit of the more speedy service afforded by the railway. the winter arrangements were expedited and extended. in , when this service was put on a settled footing, ten couriers were employed. in , their number was increased to fifty-four. the mails for the northern districts were despatched from st. john's by railway to broad cove station, where they were taken over by the couriers. their greater number enabled the couriers, not only to shorten their relays, but to establish a trunk line to the settlements of hall's bay and little bay on notre dame bay, with branch lines running to the more important settlements to the east and west. the overlapping of the western and northern courier systems at white bay gave the dwellers in those remote regions the opportunity of replying to their letters without loss of time. communication was established with the settlers on the labrador coast in . previous to that time, mails were sent as the opportunity was afforded by sailing vessels visiting that coast. in that year, a regular fortnightly service was put in operation, the steamer by which the mails were carried connecting with the steamer on the northern route. the "ariel," which was first employed on this route having been lost in september of the same year, its place was taken by the "walrus," whose work gave much satisfaction to the department. in , an arrangement was made by which the steamer running on the northern route from st. john's extended its trip to battle harbour, where it was met by the labrador vessel, which served all the settlements as far north as nain. a money order system was an early adjunct to the primary functions of the post office. in the postmaster general of prince edward island proposed on exchange with newfoundland, on the basis of the arrangement between that colony and canada. the postmaster general, delaney, was eager to accept the proposition, but there were delays, and it was not until that an exchange was adopted. this exchange was not with prince edward island, however, but with great britain. at the beginning of exchanges were established with canada, nova scotia and prince edward island, and in with new brunswick. in a domestic exchange was set on foot, the system embracing the twelve leading post offices besides st. john's. delaney endeavoured to come to an arrangement of the same character with the united states, but the department at washington was unable to adopt the proposition at the time, and it was only in that arrangements were completed for an exchange through the intermediation of the canadian service. the comparative lack of banking facilities in the island gave the money order system an unusual utility. at the end of , the amount of the money orders exchanged was $ , . in the first ten years the business expended to $ , ; in twenty years, its volume had increased thirteen-fold, being $ , . though a steam vessel could make the voyage from the shores of cape breton to the south-west coast of newfoundland in a few hours, the course of communication between the island and canada and the united states was lamentably infrequent. as late as , mails were exchanged with these countries no more frequently than once a week. the completion, however, of the railway across the island in the autumn of , changed the aspect of affairs. trains travelled from st. john's to port aux basques, three times a week, touching in their course the bottoms of the great bays, which mark the coast lines on either side of the island. on each of the bays, steamers plied in close connection with the trains, thus giving all the settlements of the island the maximum of benefit to be obtained from a single line of railway. a steamer ran from the western end of the line at port aux basques to north sydney in cape breton, and by a night's voyage, newfoundland was brought into connection with the system of communications on the continent of north america. the exchange of mails between canada and newfoundland remained at a frequency of three times a week until when it was increased to a daily service each way; and the inland service has been so improved that there is no district in the island, however remote, has not at least a weekly communication with the capital, while nearly all the towns and villages of any importance exchange mails with st. john's every day. in the sphere of telegraphy the progress has not been less marked. unlike canada and the united states, but as in the mother country and most other countries, the telegraphs are under the control of the government, and administered by the postmaster general. until , this was not the case. by a concession granted by the legislature in , the anglo-american telegraph company obtained the exclusive privilege of communicating abroad by telegraphy, and of erecting and operating lines within the colony. the system established under this privilege was naturally confined to the more populous districts, and indeed, it covered little beyond the peninsula of avalon. the outlying parts of the island, embracing all the settlements on bays north of trinity, and west of placentia bays were, in general, without the means of communicating with the capital by telegraph. the company turned a deaf ear to all appeals which did not promise an augmentation of their profits. they had no objection to the government running lines to the remoter regions, as such messages as would be sent to st. john's from those parts must pass over the company's lines when they came within the system marked out by the company for themselves in virtue of their monopoly. the government would, in that case, bear the loss entailed by the maintenance of these lines, and the company would absorb the additional revenue arising from the transmission of these extra-territorial messages over their lines. with the development of the fishing, mining and lumbering industries in all parts of the island, the extension of the means of telegraphic communication beyond the peninsula of avalon became a necessity, and the government had no option but to provide these means, wherever the importance of the districts seemed to demand it. thus there grew up two systems, an inner and an outer one, the latter depending on the former for the means of access to the capital of the island. all messages to and from the outer system were subject to a double charge, for transmission over both systems. while messages circulating within the peninsula of avalon had the advantage of the moderate charge of twenty-five cents for ten words, messages from outside the peninsula were subject to double that rate. the government were helpless in the matter. they endeavoured vainly to come to terms with the company by which they might erect a line of their own from st. john's to whitbourne, a village about sixty miles from st. john's, at which the lines of the outer system connected with those belonging to the company. the company, however, stood firmly on the letter of the bond, and it was not until the approach of the time when the monopoly, which was for a period of fifty years, would expire, that they became at all unbending. an event of far-reaching importance took place in november in the arrival of marconi to experiment as to the possibility of opening communication across the atlantic by his wireless system of telegraphy. early in december, he caught at his station on signal hill near st. john's some signals sent out from the lizards in cornwall, thereby establishing a new agency for conducting communication between europe and america. when he had assured himself of the success of his experiments, he set about obtaining a site for a permanent station on cape spear. but no sooner had the anglo-american company become aware of his intentions than they notified him that his proposed measures would be an infringement of their monopoly. thus blocked, marconi resolved to return to england, but an opportune invitation from the canadian government led him to turn his attention to the advantages that might be obtained on the eastern coast of cape breton. he was not long in selecting a site at table head, near glace bay, where he erected a station, and has demonstrated the feasibility of wireless communication across the atlantic for commercial purposes. _index_ allan, william, postmaster of york, recommended to be deputy postmaster general of upper canada, amherstburg, post office opened at, "anglo-saxon" steamship of allan line wrecked, annapolis, post office opened in, antigonishe, distributing office for all settlements to eastward, antill, (john), postmaster of new york, augusta, post office opened at, bache, richard, appointed secretary of the revolutionary post office, baie verte, post office opened at, barbadoes, postal arrangements for, barons, benjamin, deputy postmaster general for southern division, , note belleville, post office opened at, under name of bay of quinte, bermuda, canadian mails from great britain, sent to, berthier, post office opened at, "bohemian" steamship of allan line wrecked, boston, post office opened in, ; communication with new york, ; postage between philadelphia and, ; postage from virginia, ; cunard steamers land canadian mails at, brantford, post office opened at, "britannia," cunard steamer, makes first trip to halifax, british columbia, beginnings of postal service to, ; inland service, , ; rates of postage, ; incorporation into dominion postal service, ; completion of canadian pacific railway, ; expansion of service between confederation and, , british north america, royal commission recommends postal systems in, be put under one superior, buchanan, james, british consul at new york, advocates communication between colonies and great britain by way of new york, canada, post office in-- _pre-revolutionary period._ post office established by franklin, ; connected by mail service with new york, ; arrangements under french régime, ; postage rates as fixed by act of , _revolutionary period._ connection with new york discontinued, ; americans make proposals for its continuance, ; service between montreal and quebec resumed after expulsion of americans, ; haldimand's objections to resumption of regular service, _post-revolutionary period._ united states forbid canadian couriers to carry mails over its territory, ; canadian post office obliged to send mails for england by halifax route, ; its disadvantages, ; sketch of postal system in , ; financial statements to be submitted to legislatures, ; fixed salaries to be paid, with exclusion of all perquisites, ; difficulties in way of satisfactory arrangements for administration, ; first financial statement laid before legislature, ; legislature of upper canada demands surplus revenues, ; lord durham's recommendations regarding post office, ; defects of postal administration disclosed by royal commission, ; legislature concurs in resolutions of interprovincial postal conference, ; provincial governments assume control of post office, ; great expansion of, ; reduction in postage rates, ; revenue from to , _post-office of dominion of canada._ number of post offices in and , ; railway mail service expansion, ; reductions in postage, ; canada becomes a member of the universal postal union, ; imperial penny postage introduced, ; imperial scheme of newspaper postage proposed by postmaster general of canada, ; expansion of money order and savings bank system, "canadian" (the first) steamship of allan line wrecked in st. lawrence, "canadian" (the second) steamship of allan line, wrecked, cape breton, establishment of postal service in, cayley, william, inspector general of canada, representative at postal conference in montreal, cedars, post office opened at, chambly, arrangements for delivery of mails at, charlestown, delays in postal service of, ; included in packet system, charlottenburg, post office opened at, chester, pa., postal rate from philadelphia to, "city of manchester" steamship of inman line lost off nova scotia coast, colonial postal systems, in their relations to great britain, policy regarding extensions of service, , , ; remonstrance of upper canada against excessive and illegal postage, ; reply to these remonstrances, ; legality of control of colonial systems by great britain, , ; great britain refuses information as to revenues, ; considerable profit on colonial service, ; reception given to address from upper canada, ; attack on administration of canadian post office, ; contentions against imperial absorption of surplus revenue from, sustained by law officers, ; acceptance of decision by postmaster general, ; course of procedure to establish proper relations, ; act of imperial parliament, , william iv. c. , ; draft act for adoption of legislatures, ; accountant appointed, ; how the british proposals were viewed in maritime provinces, , in upper canada, , , in lower canada, ; stayner on british proposals, ; stayner's views accepted by legislative council of lower canada, ; british government willing to amend proposals, ; royal commission appointed to investigate conditions in colonial service, ; commission recommends that postal system in british north america be put under one resident deputy postmaster general, ; proposition of postmaster general to withdraw from control of, ; conditions of withdrawal, ; lord elgin instructed by colonial secretary on subject, ; his message to canadian legislature, ; legislative committee in nova scotia consider the subject, ; conference of provincial representatives in montreal, ; their report, as laid before governor general, ; british treasury approves generally conclusions of report, ; nova scotia legislature adopts terms of report in act, ; canada and new brunswick concur, ; act sanctioning arrangement passed by imperial parliament, ; prince edward island enters arrangement, "columbia" steamship of cunard line lost off nova scotia coast, committees of correspondence take measures to establish colonial post office, connecticut, terms of first post office bill in, cornwall, post office opened at, coteau du lac, post office opened at, crane, william, urges direct steamship service between great britain and halifax, crown point, post office opened at, cunard, samuel, awarded contract for transatlantic steam service, dashwood, secretary of colonial post office prisoner of war, ; liberated by exchange, ; appointed postmaster general of jamaica, delancy, peter, deputy postmaster general for southern division, note delaware, falls of, postal rate from philadelphia to, deputy postmaster general, relations to governor, ; limitations on his freedom of administration, ; agent for collection of united states postage, ; newspaper postage, perquisite of, ; nomination of postmasters withdrawn from, detroit, postal communication opened with, digby, post office opened in, dongan, thomas, governor of new york, endeavoured to establish postal service in colonies, dorchester, new brunswick, post office opened at, durand, details of his journey between quebec and halifax with mails, durham, lord, recommendations respecting canadian post office, eastern townships, mail communication opened between three rivers and, elizabethtown, post office opened at, fairbank, richard, first postmaster in boston, falmouth, maine, defiance of post office monopoly at, finlay, hugh, appointed postmaster of quebec, ; interferes on behalf of _maîtres de poste_, ; appointed post-office surveyor, ; explores country between quebec and new england, ; inspects postal service from maine to georgia, ; appointed joint deputy postmaster general of northern division of north america, ; reputed author of account of siege of quebec, ; his activities outside post office, ; appointed superintendent of _maîtres de poste_, ; loses position of deputy postmaster general of northern division of north america, and becomes deputy postmaster general of canada, ; report on route between quebec and halifax, ; appointed deputy postmaster general of british north america, ; removal from this position, ; death, fort edward, post office opened at, fothergill, charles, postmaster of port hope, ; attacks post office management, foxcroft, john, joint deputy postmaster general, , ; prisoner of war, ; liberated by exchange, ; appointed british packet boat agent at new york, franking act, passed by legislature of upper canada, ; on stayner's objections it was disallowed, franklin, benjamin, postmaster of philadelphia, ; deputy postmaster general, , , ; established post office in canada, ; increases postal facilities, ; nature of his influence in administration of post office, ; his views on post office revenues as taxes, ; his dismissal as joint deputy postmaster general, ; his continued good relations with officials of general post office, ; appointed postmaster general of revolutionary post office, ; his views on nature of postage quoted in support of imperial control, fredericton, post office opened in, gagetown, post office opened at, gaspé, slender postal accommodation in, goddard, william, labours for establishment of revolutionary post office, ; his career, ; draws up scheme, ; unsuccessful candidate for postmaster generalship, ; appointed surveyor, grand trunk railway, construction of, great western railway, construction of, grenville, post office opened at, guelph, post office opened at, halifax, post office established at, , ; postage rates to, by sea, in , ; petition that halifax be terminal port of transatlantic steamers, ; british government agrees, ; contract awarded to samuel cunard, ; scheme for concentrating all mails from great britain for north america at, ; its failure, ; nova scotia asks that the post office at, should be maintained by imperial post office, ; removal of post office to dalhousie college building, hamilton, post office opened at, hamilton, andrew, deputy of patentee for american post office, ; his plans for establishment of postal service, ; his death, hamilton, john, succeeds his father, andrew hamilton, as deputy postmaster general, hawkesbury, post office opened at, hazen, r. l. of executive council of new brunswick, representative at postal conference in montreal, head, sir francis bond, orders dismissal of postmaster of lloydtown, ; demands authority to dismiss postmasters whom he deemed guilty of disloyalty, ; orders removal of postmaster of toronto, heriot, george, succeeds finlay as deputy postmaster general, ; personal characteristics, ; unsuccessful aspirant to seat in legislative council, and to superintendency of _maîtres de poste_, ; in disfavour with governor, ; altercation with sir gordon drummond, ; retirement, heyman, peter, appointed postmaster of virginia, horton, post office opened in, howard, james, dismissed from postmastership of toronto, on charge of disloyalty, howe, john, the elder, deputy postmaster general of maritime provinces, ; his capable management, ; his retirement, howe, john, the younger, succeeds his father, ; controlled majority of newspapers in halifax, ; criticism of, ; his death, howe, joseph, urges direct steamship service between great britain and halifax, hudson's bay company, conveys the mails to and from manitoba and north-west territories, ; limitations on correspondence, hull, post office opened at, "humboldt" steamship of the american line lost off nova scotia coast, hume, joseph, m.p., obtains information respecting canadian postal service, "hungarian" steamship of allan line wrecked, hunter, peter, lieutenant governor, had road constructed from bay of quinte to york, ; endeavours to secure mail service to upper canada, hunter, william, joint deputy postmaster general, huntingdon, herbert, confers with general post office respecting nova scotia post office, illegal conveyance of letters in canada, ; in nova scotia, ; in new brunswick, "indian" steamship of allan line wrecked, johnston, j. w., solicitor general of nova scotia, representative at postal conference in montreal, kennebec route, finlay explores, kingston, upper canada, post office opened at, kingston, new brunswick, post office opened at, knox, william, scheme of communications between england and north america, labrador, mail service opened between newfoundland and, lachine, post office opened at, lancaster, post office opened at, lanoullier, nicholas, obtained privilege to establish post office in canada, ; his plans, ; failure, lanoullier de boisclair, his difficulties in maintaining roads, owing to popular indifference, ; his death, letters, mode of calculating postage on, lloydtown, postmaster of, dismissed for part in affairs of , london, post office opened at, lovelace, francis, governor of new york, arranged for postal service between new york and boston, lower canada, condition of route between montreal and quebec, in , ; mode of communication with great britain, ; frequency of service between quebec and montreal, , ; report of assembly on surplus postal revenues, , ; stayner declines to give information to committee of assembly, ; lack of postal accommodation in, , ; address of assembly to king respecting post office, ; report of legislative committee on postal affairs, , ; stayner admonished to cease sending surplus revenue to england, ; agitation caused in general post office over post office bill of lower canada, macaulay, john, former postmaster of kingston, chairman of committee of legislative council on postal affairs, mackenzie, william lyon, presented petition for investigation of post office, ; interviewed colonial secretary respecting postal affairs, ; his views on administration of post office, ; evidence of, before lower canada committee on newspaper postage, ; challenges action on underpayment, _maîtres de poste_, lack of regulations for, ; finlay's interference on behalf of, ; unsuccessful efforts to assimilate their position to that of masters of post houses in england, ; indispensable for the carrying of mails, ; character of their service, ; amenities on post road, manitoba, and north-west provinces, early postal arrangements in, - ; proposition for direct overland service with canada, ; manitoba incorporated into canadian postal system, ; united states postal service utilized for communication with other provinces, ; direct railway communication with eastern canada, ; expansion of service between confederation and, , marconi, guglielmo, proved success of transatlantic wireless system of telegraphy in newfoundland, maritime provinces, early means of communication between places in, ; with great britain, maryland, postal rate from philadelphia to, ; proceedings of legislature respecting establishment of post office, massachusetts, terms of first post office act in, , ; postal rates to, ; post office act of, disallowed, ; rejects draft of new bill, matthews, captain john, chairman of post office committee of assembly of upper canada, michillimackinac, postal communication opened with, miramichi, arrangements for delivery of mails at, ; post office opened at, money order system, establishment of, in canada, ; in nova scotia, ; in newfoundland, ; expansion of operations between and , montreal, post office opened at, , ; description of route between new york and, ; post road between quebec and, ; mail service opened between new york and, ; mail service opened between quebec and, ; frequency of service between new york and montreal at outbreak of revolutionary war, ; embraced in revolutionary postal system, ; postmaster resents having soldiers billeted on him, ; governor orders his dismissal, ; daniel sutherland postmaster of, ; conditions in post office at, ; mean situation of post office, _montreal gazette_, proprietor of, begins attack on stayner respecting newspaper postage, neale, thomas, given patent for american post office, ; assigns his patent, new brunswick, postal system of, transferred to control of deputy postmaster general of nova scotia, ; establishment of inland service in, ; postal charges in, ; changes in routes as result of war of , ; no additions to service until , ; communication with great britain by way of united states, ; objections of nova scotia to arrangement, ; condition of, in , ; report of legislature, ; erected into separate department, ; demands for reduced postage, ; legislature concurs in resolutions of interprovincial postal conference, ; provincial government assumes control of, ; expansion of postal service, ; rates of postage, ; revenue and expenditure, ; attitude of government towards deficits, new castle, pa., postal rate from philadelphia to, new england, confederation of, postmaster appointed for, ; direct route from quebec to, surveyed, ; governor wentworth of new hampshire assists in establishment of another route to canada, ; governor hutchinson of massachusetts not encouraging as to route, newfoundland, post office in, early mode of communication with england, ; postage rates to, ; connection with england by cunard steamers at halifax, ; inland postal system established, ; efforts to secure direct service to england, ; improvements and extensions of inland service, - ; railway available between st. john's and harbour grace, ; communication with labrador, ; money order system established, ; government telegraphs, new hampshire, terms of first post office act in, , ; postage rates to, ; act allowed by privy council, new haven, modes of evading post office monopoly at, new johnston, post office opened at, newspapers, transmission of, not provided for in imperial postal act, ; arrangements for distribution of, by post, ; defects in scheme, ; agitation for change in method of collecting postage, ; rates charged, ; postage is perquisite of deputy postmaster general, ; attack on this system, ; stayner advises change of system, ; question of postage in maritime provinces, ; w. l. mackenzie's evidence on evasions, ; stayner's defence of his practice in taking perquisites, ; abolition of postage, as perquisite, and establishment of fixed rate, ; postage after provinces take control of post office, ; imperial scheme of postage proposed, ; rates between and , new york, city of, earliest postal arrangements for, ; communication with boston, ; postage rates from philadelphia, boston and virginia, ; headquarters of colonial postal system, , ; john antill postmaster of, new york, colony of, terms of first post office act in, ; postage rates to, ; act allowed by privy council, niagara, postal communication opened with, north american colonies (now united states), extent of postal system, ; first post office, ; mode of communicating with england, , ; early attempts at postal service between, , ; patent for postal service granted to thomas neale, ; line of posts established in , ; revenue of postal system, - , ; proposed arrangement for exchange of mails with england, ; effect of imperial act of on status of colonial post office, ; deficient revenues from postal system, ; evasion of postmaster general's monopoly, , ; increase in facilities under franklin, , ; prosperous condition of postal system, ; sailing packets established between england and, , ; arrangements for service to southern colonies, ; establishment of southern division of the postal system, ; summary of packet service in , ; summary of whole postal system, ; surplus revenue in , ; unpopularity of the post office, ; inspection report of system from maine to georgia, ; new york, administrative centre, ; proposition to suppress colonial post office, ; post office ceases its function, ; foxcroft and dashwood, prisoners of war, "north briton" steamship of allan line wrecked, northern railway, construction of, "norwegian" steamship of allan line wrecked, nova scotia, establishment of inland postal service, ; postal charges in, ; changes in route as result of war of , ; difficulties of deputy postmaster general in complying with demands for increased service, ; his success, ; state of postal service in , ; legislature assisted in maintaining mail service, , ; legislature determines to take control of postal service, ; bill to that end disallowed, ; satisfactory arrangement arrived at, ; mail service between pictou and halifax improved at greatly augmented cost, ; friction with canada over maintenance of this service, ; defects in postal service disclosed by royal commission, ; characteristics of post office as compared with the canadian post office, ; demand of legislature that halifax should be maintained by imperial post office, ; deficit in revenue of, ; investigated by british post office official, ; findings of investigation, ; salary of deputy postmaster general, ; interference of local government with, ; arthur woodgate succeeds howe as deputy postmaster general on death of latter, ; agitation for reduced postage, ; legislative committee discuss question of provincial control, ; legislature adopts conclusions of interprovincial conference, ; provincial government assumes control of, ; expansion of service, ; mode of communication with canada, ; postage rates, ; registration, and money order system introduced, ; revenue and expenditure, ; railway mail service in, at confederation, o'callaghan, dr. e. b., chairman of legislative committee on postal affairs, ormonde, marquess of, makes proposals for ocean steamship service, osnabruck, post office opened at, ottawa, first known as richmond landing, ottawa river, steamer on river between long sault and hull, pennsylvania, beginnings of postal service in, ; terms of first post office act in, ; postage rates to, ; act allowed by privy council, pensacola, included in packet system, perth, opening of post office at, philadelphia, postal arrangements between, and outlying places, ; postage rates from boston, new york and virginia, postage rates, in former colonies (now united states), , , , , , , ; mode of calculating postal charges, , ; in canada under act of , , ; under revolutionary postal system, ; general practice to collect on delivery, , ; mode of collection between canada and united states, , ; governor simcoe's view as to disposal of surplus postage, ; between canada and great britain, under post office regulations, and by private ship, , ; postage rates in new brunswick, ; great reduction in rate between canada and great britain, - ; royal commission report on inland rates, ; weight system introduced, ; agitation for reduction, , , ; recommendations of nova scotia legislature, ; recommendations of interprovincial conference, ; reductions in canada, , in nova scotia, , in new brunswick, ; rates in british columbia, ; imperial penny postage, ; imperial newspaper rates, ; inland rates two cents per ounce, ; between st. john's, newfoundland, and england, ; inland postage in newfoundland, ; rates under colonial postal system, postage stamps, introduced in canada, postal revenues, from to , ; surplus in , ; surplus from canada in , ; average surplus from canada for seven years ending , ; average surplus from canada for and , ; imperial act of to transfer revenues to provinces, ; reception of act in maritime provinces, , in upper canada, ; surplus for period ending , ; governor general declines to stop remitting to england, ; legislature of upper canada petitions for surplus, ; surplus from canada, ; expansion of revenue, - , postmasters, exempt from billeting, ; postmaster at montreal represented that he had been excepted from regulation, ; nomination of, removed from deputy postmaster general to governor general, ; stayner's fruitless objections thereto, post office commission, personnel, and duties, ; report of, post office convention, between canada and united states, ; between great britain and united states, post office surveyorship, established, ; finlay appointed to, ; two appointed, post road, between montreal and quebec, account of, ; constructed by lanoullier de boisclair, post roads, arrangements with _maîtres de poste_ for conveyance of post office couriers, prince edward island, early arrangements for postal service, ; condition of postal service, - , ; post office managed by provincial government, ; legislature concurs in resolutions of interprovincial postal conference, quebec and halifax mail service, details of route, ; trip by durand in , ; measures to open communication by land, ; improving new brunswick section of route, ; proposition to follow bay of chaleurs route, ; conditions of service in , quebec, post office opened at, ; post road between montreal and, ; mail service opened between montreal and, ; route from, to new england surveyed, ; account of earlier explorations of this route, ; expense of journey met by subscription in quebec, ; post office building in, destroyed by fire, railways, beginnings and development in canada, ; economy of time effected by use of, ; postal cars employed on, ; augmentation of expenses through using, ; rates of payment for mail service on, fixed by royal commission, ; railways in nova scotia at confederation, ; uninterrupted line between atlantic seaboard and chicago and new orleans, randolph, edward, postmaster of confederation of new england, rebellion of , effects of, on post office, registration, introduced in canada, revolutionary post office, suggested, ; scheme for, ; franklin made postmaster general, bache, secretary, and goddard, surveyor, ; extended to montreal, ; postage rates to canada, ; arrangements for mail service, revolutionary war, mails taken possession of, by commanders-in-chief, who direct their distribution, richelieu river, efforts to obtain mail service to settlements on, richibucto, post office opened at, richmond, upper canada, post office opened at, roads, between montreal and quebec, , ; between bay of quinte and york, ; between york and kingston, and york and ancaster, (see quebec and halifax). robbery of mail, between montreal and toronto, ; curious disclosure by robber, ; by sympathizers with disaffected, robinson, john beverly, defends imperial control of canadian postal service, , rolph, dr. john, correspondence with deputy postmaster general about opening post office at delaware, ; advocates provincial control of postal system, roupell, george, deputy postmaster general for southern division, , note st. andrews, lower canada, post office opened at, st. augustine, fort, included in packet system, st. eustache, post office opened at, st. john, n.b., post office opened in, st. john's, newfoundland, post office opened at, ; embraced in imperial system, ; objections of merchants to regular post office, ; revenue from to , st. john's, quebec, arrangements for delivery of mails to, st. stephen, post office opened at, st. thomas, upper canada, post office opened at, sault ste marie, post office opened at, savings bank, post office, opening of, and expansion of operations, sherbrooke, post office opened at, sorel, arrangements for delivery of mails at, stanstead, post office opened at, stayner, thomas allen, succeeds sutherland as deputy postmaster general, ; gains confidence of superiors and a freer hand in administration, ; declines to give information to committee of lower canada assembly, ; sustained by governor general and postmaster general in his refusal to give information, ; convinced that arrangement by which newspaper postage became his perquisite should cease, ; compelled to disclose information regarding post office, ; disregards admonition of lower canada legislative committee to cease sending surplus revenue to england, ; his income from newspapers and other sources, ; powers curtailed by governor general, ; his character ; nomination of postmasters withdrawn from him, ; perquisites abolished, and fixed salary substituted, ; relinquishes control of post office in canada, ; his administration characterized, steamboats, illegal conveyance of letters by, ; no action taken upon, sussexvale, post office opened at, sutherland, daniel, succeeds heriot as deputy postmaster general, ; retires, , sydney, cape breton, post office in, telegraphs in newfoundland, sketch of system, three rivers, post office opened at, , toronto, postmaster of, dismissed by bond head for lack of loyalty, (see york). transatlantic mail service-- _old colonial period._ earliest arrangements for exchange of correspondence with england, ; regular packet service established, , ; service between england and west indies, ; re-arrangement, ; summary of system in , _revolutionary period._ packets withdrawn from regular routes, ; attacked by privateers, ; "lord hyde" attacked, ; "sandwich," ; "harriott," ; "swallow" captured, ; "weymouth" captured, ; "le despencer" captured, ; "duke of york" captured, ; "harriott" and "eagle" captured, ; number of packets captured or damaged, _post-revolutionary period._ packet service resumed between england and new york, ; merchants in canada demand re-opening of service to england by way of new york, ; established between england and halifax, , , ; winter arrangements for british mails to halifax, ; elaborate scheme proposed by william knox for communications between england and north america, ; conditions of service between and , ; proposition of marquess of ormonde for ocean steam service, ; communication between colonies and great britain almost entirely through united states, ; comments of w. l. mackenzie upon, _steamship service._ steamers "great western" and "sirius" carry mails from british ports to new york, ; petition that halifax be terminal port for steamers, in north america, ; british government agrees, and contract is awarded to samuel cunard, ; comprehensive scheme for concentrating all mails from great britain for north america at halifax, ; its failure, ; advantages of boston as terminal port for canadian mails, ; boston substituted for halifax, ; arrangements with united states post office for transit across its territory, ; cunard steamers make new york principal port of call, _canadian ocean mail service._ canada invited to join imperial scheme for colonial service, ; objections of canada, ; beginnings of, ; contract made with hugh allan, ; comparison in speed of canadian, cunard and collins lines, ; unfriendly attitude of british government towards canadian line, ; views of canadian government on this attitude, ; negotiations for employment of canadian steamers for conveyance of british and united states mails, ; favourable treatment accorded to cunard line, ; report of select committee of house of commons, on steamship service, ; partiality to galway line at expense of canadian and inman lines, ; condemnation of government of great britain by select committee of house of commons, ; disingenuous conduct of british government towards postmaster general of canada, ; weekly service of steamers between quebec and liverpool, ; postmaster general of canada negotiates with governments of great britain and france for use of improved facilities, ; and with governments of france, belgium and prussia, ; difficulties owing to hostility of general post office, ; great proportion of mails between canada and great britain carried by canadian line, ; series of disasters to steamships of canadian line, - ; parliamentary investigation, ; new contract with allans, united states post office, postal convention with, ; goodwill of, towards communication between canada and great britain, ; cordial relations with, ; convention of with, ; its services utilized for conveyance of mails to maritime provinces, , to manitoba, , to british columbia, ; dependence on, for interprovincial correspondence, universal postal union, canada becomes member of, ; beneficent results of, upper canada, opening of post offices in, ; simcoe's plan for separate post office department in, ; regular mail service established in, ; arrangement between amherstburg and niagara, ; increased service to, , ; deputy postmaster general recommended for, ; difficulties of correspondence in, ; postal conditions in, in , ; legislature begins agitation for improvements, ; exorbitant charges on letters circulating in, , ; protest of legislature, ; raises question of legality of imperial control of canadian postal system, ; report of assembly on subject, ; report of committee of assembly in , ; recommendation that postal system should be controlled by province, ; lieutenant governor opposes pretentions of legislature, ; report of assembly in , ; proposition for high administrative officer in, , ; continues agitation against postal administration, ; legislature rejects imperial act respecting disposition of surplus revenues, ; lack of postal facilities in, ; legislative assembly of, draw up scheme for provincial post office, ; report of legislative council on post office, ; address to king on post office, ; legislature passes franking act, ; legislature demands surplus revenue, ; time occupied in conveying british mails to, by halifax and by new york, victoria, british columbia, extreme isolation of, viger, denis benjamin, interviewed colonial secretary respecting postal affairs, virginia, proposition to establish post office in, ; rates of postage to philadelphia, new york, and boston, ; proceedings of legislature respecting establishment of post office, ; early arrangements, ; efforts to attach to colonial system, ; frustration of scheme to impose act of in, ; included in colonial system, way offices, a peculiarity of maritime provinces, ; explained, west indies, packet boats established between great britain and, ; large postal revenues of, ; packet service restored, windsor, nova scotia, post office opened in, wolfville, post office opened under name of horton, woodgate, arthur, succeeds howe as deputy postmaster general of nova scotia, york, first post office at, york, duke of, claim of, on american postal revenues, young, william, confers with general post office respecting nova scotia post office, * * * * * transcriber's notes . passages in italics are surrounded by _underscores_. . footnotes have been renumbered and moved from the middle of the text to the end of the chapters in which they appear. . obvious punctuation errors have been repaired. . the following misprints have been corrected: "temiscoueta" corrected to "temiscouata" (page ) "horten" corrected to "horton" (page ) "govenorship" corrected to "governorship" (page ) "inofrmation" corrected to "information" (page ) "be a hugh" corrected to "be a huge" (page ) "that that of either" corrected to "than that of either" (page ) . other than the corrections listed above, printer's inconsistencies in spelling, hyphenation, and ligature usage have been retained. note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see -h.htm or -h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ / -h/ -h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ / -h.zip) transcriber's note: text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. the carat character (^) indicates that the following letter is superscripted (example: y^e). if two or more letters are superscripted they are enclosed in curly brackets (example: hon^{able.}). archaic spelling and punctuation have been retained. the history of the post office from its establishment down to by herbert joyce, c.b. of the post office [illustration: publisher logo] london richard bentley & son, new burlington street publishers in ordinary to her majesty the queen contents chapter i introduction--master of the posts--posts centred in the sovereign-- instructions for their regulation--travelling post--object of the post office monopoly page chapter ii the post through the county of kent--this post put under the care of de quester--stanhope of harrington, as master of the posts, asserts his rights--vacillating decisions of the privy council--sir john coke--thomas witherings chapter iii decadence of the posts--witherings's plan--introduction of postage-- concessions to the common carrier--post-haste--witherings appointed master of the inland as well as the foreign posts--his dismissal--philip burlamachi--dissensions between the lords and commons--edmund prideaux appointed witherings's successor chapter iv prideaux's activity--unauthorised post set up to scotland--system of farming--prideaux ceases to be master of the posts--secretary thurloe-- the posts become the subject of parliamentary enactment--rates of postage--letters circulate through london--the travelling post not a source of revenue--clement oxenbridge chapter v frequent change of farmers--tediousness of the course of post--existence of the posts not a matter of common knowledge--dockwra's penny post--introduction of postmarks--penny post incorporated into the general post--dockwra's dismissal chapter vi posts regarded as vehicles for the propagation of treason--wildman-- cotton and frankland--post office establishment--revenue--building in lombard street--dispersion of letters--salaries and wages--newspapers-- drink and feast money--post-horses--quartering of soldiers-- postmasters' emoluments--scotland--ireland--bye-letters--illicit traffic--treasury control--post offices grouped together and let out to farm--stephen bigg--expresses--flying packets--state of the roads-- progress of the penny post--appointment of secretary and solicitor-- purchase of premises in lombard street chapter vii state of the packet service--ship letters--special boats built for the harwich station--m. pajot, director of the french posts--establishment of west india packets--edmund dummer, surveyor of the navy--regulations for the management of the packet stations--conditions of employment-- smart and bounty money--passes required for passengers--and for goods-- regulations habitually infringed--smuggling--packets forbidden to give chase--practice on capture of a prize--packet stations at falmouth and at harwich conducted on different principles--packets employed to carry recruits--letters not to be carried in foreign bottoms--court-post-- restoration of packet service with flanders--john macky, packet agent at dover--the postmasters-general act as purveyors of news to the court-- their interview with godolphin--posts set up for the army in flanders-- packet establishment placed on a peace footing--dummer's bankruptcy and death chapter viii american posts--thomas neale--andrew hamilton--ocean penny postage--posts transferred to the crown--become self-supporting chapter ix condition of the post office in scotland at the time of the union-- inaction of the english post office--charles povey--william lowndes-- diversion of postage from the crown to the public--postage rates increased--electoral disabilities--restrictions on the common carrier-- modification of the penny post--post-horses--franking--illicit traffic in letters--treasury inconsistency--post office farmers converted into managers--treaty with france--matthew prior--single and double letters-- change of postmasters-general--disagreements with merchants--twopenny post--comparative statement of revenue--gross and net revenue confounded chapter x allen's contract--general review--the secretary's dismissal--earl of abercorn's complaint--sketch of allen's plan--his qualifications for carrying it into effect--his local knowledge--his difficulties with postmasters--post-boys--illegal conveyance of letters--contrast between allen's mode of procedure and that of the post office--posts increased in frequency--opening of letters--falmouth packets--late delivery of foreign letters--erection of milestones--letters containing patterns and writs--apertures to letter-boxes--expresses--highwaymen--bank notes-- decadence--allen's chapter xi penny post--franking--newspapers--clerks of the roads--numbering of houses--scotch and irish posts--receiving offices--gratuities on delivery--appeal to the courts--appointment of letter-carriers--attempt to curtail the limits of the penny post frustrated--benjamin franklin-- post office monopoly in matter of horses abolished--disfranchising act-- causes of disquietude chapter xii palmer's plan--objections--first mail-coach--post-coach--increase in rates of postage--restrictions upon franking--obstruction alleged-- anthony todd--transitional period--stages--earlier closing of the general post office--emoluments from bell ringing--internal dissensions-- tankerville's dismissal--corruption--surveyors--conditions of palmer's appointment--abuses--fees and perquisites--expresses--registration-- palmer's improvements--packet service--smuggling--flagitious expenditure--todd's emoluments--pitt's indisposition to expose abuses-- lord walsingham--daniel braithwaite--essays in cause of economy--milford haven and waterford packets--pitiable condition of the clerks of the roads--the king's coach--his illness and prayer for his recovery-- strange treatment of official papers--george chalmers--palmer's jealousy--mail guards--creation of a newspaper office--walsingham attempts to check irregularities--his inveterate habit of scribbling-- exposes an attempt at imposition--curious practice as regards the delivery of foreign letters--earl of chesterfield--insubordination on palmer's part--appeal to pitt--charles bonnor--palmer's suspension-- chesterfield's letter--interview with pitt--a second interview--palmer's dismissal--bonnor's promotion chapter xiii model of mail coach--patent coaches--thomas hasker--his pithy instructions--roof-loading--the king's interest in his coach--general result of palmer's plan--condition of the country post offices--francis freeling--enlargement of the general post office--communication with france--bank notes cut in half--letter-carriers put into uniform--grant to post office servants--development of the penny post--edward johnson--excessive absence among the letter-carriers--by the penny post prepayment ceases to be compulsory--the ten-mile limit--origin of the twopenny post--dead letter office--american and west indian correspondence--correspondence for the india house--post with the channel islands--further restrictions on franking--bankers' franks-- patterns and samples--metropolitan cart service--horse and cross posts--rates of postage increased--mysterious doings of the packets-- brilliant engagements--post office usage--counsels' fees--new years' gifts--todd's indifference to censure--his death chapter xiv ship-letter office--increase in rates of postage--abolition of the penny post--invoices and bills of lading--convention posts--prosecutions-- auckland's pleasantries--repressive powers--guarding the horse-mails-- recovery of stolen mail bag--troubles with contractors--surveyors deprived of their post offices--rates of postage again increased-- threepenny post--post office revenue--william cobbett--early or preferential delivery--treatment of foreign newspapers--newspaper summaries--the _times_--olney post---death-blow to convention posts-- turnpike trusts--exemption from toll--roads discoached--yet further increase in rates of postage--bewildering complications--want of publicity--exemption from toll abolished in scotland--returned-letter office--new ship-letter act--mail service to india and the cape-- generosity of the east india company--eulogistic letter chapter xv the irish post office--british mail office--earl of clancarty--edward smith lees--abuses--express clerks and clerks of the roads--alphabet-- provision for soldiers' wives--thomas whinnery, postmaster of belfast-- charles bianconi--holyhead packets--opposition packets started by lees--steam packets--competition--land communication with ireland--london and holyhead coach--sir arthur wellesley--state of the roads--road between holyhead and shrewsbury--thomas telford--john london macadam--road between shrewsbury and london--postage over the conway and menai bridges chapter xvi appointment of second postmaster-general abolished--other economies-- transfer of the falmouth packets to the admiralty--speed of mail-coaches--mail-coaches the disseminators of news--newspapers--sir henry parnell--royal commission--general review--gerrard street-- headquarters of the general post office removed to st. martin's-le-grand--branch offices--morning delivery expedited--first mail sent by railway--duke of richmond--incorporation of the irish post office with the post office of great britain--lord althorp-- limits of the general post delivery--packet service put up to public competition--abolition of the newspaper privilege--dissatisfaction with the post office--money order office--unsatisfactory returns to the house of commons--indisposition to carry out reforms--more unsatisfactory returns--new contract for mail-coaches--freeling's despondency--and death appendix index errata [see transcriber's note at the end of the book.] page , sixth line from bottom, _for_ _read_ . " , first line, _for_ _read_ . history of the post office chapter i early posts - the early history of the posts is involved in some obscurity. what little is known on the subject is touched upon in the first annual report of the post office, the report for ; but the historical summary there given is, as it purports to be, a summary only. the object of the following pages is nothing more than to fill up the gaps and to supply some particulars for which, though not perhaps without interest, an official report would be no fitting place. the origin and progress of an institution which has so interwoven itself with the social life of the people as to have become one of the most remarkable developments of modern civilisation can hardly, we think, be considered a subject unworthy of study. it seems almost certain that until the reign of henry the eighth, or perhaps a little earlier, no regular system of posts existed in england, and that then and for some considerable time afterwards the few posts that were established were for the exclusive use of the sovereign. "sir," writes sir brian tuke to thomas cromwell in , "it may like you to understonde the kinges grace hathe no moo ordinary postes, ne of many days hathe had, but bitwene london and calais ... and sens october last, the postes northewarde.... for, sir, ye knowe well that, except the hakney horses bitwene gravesende and dovour, there is no suche usual conveyance in post for men in this realme as is in the accustumed places of france and other parties." sir brian tuke held the appointment of master of the posts, and he had received the king's commands to set up posts "in al places most expedient." before henry's reign the only letters of which any record exists, letters to or from the court and on affairs of state, were sent by couriers employed for the particular occasion. these couriers, styled "nuncii" and "cursores," appear to have answered to the queen's messengers of our own time, and, as is evident from records still extant and dating back to the reign of henry the third, must have formed an important branch of the royal establishment. to establish posts and to control them when established was not all or nearly all that brian tuke had to do. he had also to see, even where no posts existed, that the royal couriers were not kept waiting for horses; and this probably was his original function. the horses were provided by the townships, and the townships were kept up to their duty by the master of the posts. in some cases, indeed, special provision appears to have been made. at leicester,[ ] for instance, the members of the corporation bound themselves under penalty to keep four post-horses in constant readiness for their sovereign's use; but this can hardly have been a common practice. where horses were not provided voluntarily, the magistrates and constables had orders to seize them wherever they could be found. [ ] april, elizabeth.--further att the same common hall [of the town of leicester] it was for dyuers cawses thought good and mete for the service of the prince to have at the chargies of the towne certen poste horses kepte, whearevppon theare was appoynted foure to be kepte, which, thees persouns vnderwritten have vndertaken to kepe, and to serve from tyme to tyme so oft as nede shalle requier, for and dureinge the space of one wholle yeare nexte after the date hereof, viz. mr. roberte eyricke, one; fraunces norris, chamberlayn, twoe; thomas tyars, one. for the which theyre is allowed vnto them of the towne for euerie horse thurtie-three shillinges and foure pence, that is to say for foure horses vili. xiiis. iiiid. provyded always that if theye the said robert eyricke, frauncis norrys, and thomas tyars doe not kepe good and able horses for that purpose and to be readie vppon one half howres warnynge to forfitt, lose, and paye for euerie tyme to the chamber of the towne of leycester the somme of fyve shillinges. for the payement of the said xxli. nobles it is further agreed vppon, in the manner and forme followinge, that is to saye, the mayor and euerie of his bretherene called the xxiiii. to paye iis. a pece, and euerie of the xlviii. xiid. a pece, and the resydue that shalbe then lackinge to be levied of the commonaltie and inhabitantes of the said towne and the liberties thereof.--appendix to the eighth report of the royal commission on historical manuscripts, p. . the close connection between the posts and the sovereign continued long after the reign of henry the eighth. in thomas randolph, master of the posts to queen elizabeth, rendered an account of the charges to which he had been put in the execution of his trust during the preceding five years; and in this account, which is given in considerable detail, not a single post is mentioned without some qualification identifying it with the person of the sovereign--a post daily serving her majesty, a post for her majesty's service and affairs, a post during the time of her majesty's progress, a post for the conveyance of her majesty's letters and those of her council. as late as all the posts of the kingdom, which even then were only four in number, started from the court. i. "the courte to barwicke," _i.e._ the post to scotland. ii. "the courte to beaumoris," _i.e._ the post to ireland. iii. "the courte to dover," _i.e._ the post to the continent. iv. "the courte to plymouth," _i.e._ the post to the royal dockyard. the setting up of a post for a particular purpose and letting it drop as soon as the purpose had been answered was another peculiarity of these early times. the post to plymouth, ordained in to be one of the standing posts of the kingdom, had been dropped since , having then been declared to be unnecessary except in time of war. even the post to ireland had at one time been dropped and was not revived until . in the same year a second post to ireland, irish affairs being then considered to require "oftner dispatches and more expedition," was set up by way of bristol, and this in its turn disappeared. indeed, it would probably not be too much to say that at the beginning of the seventeenth century no post set up in england during a war had lasted longer than the war itself. this practice of dropping a post as soon as it had served its purpose, a practice which must almost necessarily have existed from the earliest times, would seem to explain brian tuke's meaning when, after stating that in except those he mentioned "the kinges grace hathe no moo ordinary postes," he adds, "ne of many days hathe had." for the regulation of the posts the earliest instructions of which we have any record were issued by queen elizabeth. every "post" was to keep and have constantly ready two horses at least, with suitable "furniture." he was to have at least two bags of leather well lined with baize or cotton, and a horn to blow "as oft as he meets company" or four times in every mile. he was, after receiving a packet, to start within fifteen minutes, and to run in summer at the rate of seven miles an hour and in winter at the rate of five. the address of the packet and the day and the hour at which he received it were to be carefully entered in a book to be kept for the purpose. but the packets which were thus to be treated were only such as should be on the queen's affairs or the affairs of state. "all others" are dismissed in a word. these, the instructions state, are "to passe as by-letters." to pass as by-letters probably means that the letters were to go when and as best they might, but that the post was not to go for the purpose of taking them. this view is confirmed by an order of the subsequent reign, that "no pacquets or letters," except such as were on the king's affairs, should "binde any poste to ride therewith in post." but be the meaning what it may, the expression seems to shew that even in the reign of elizabeth letters other than state letters had begun to be sent to the post-houses, and that such letters, if barely recognised, were yet not excluded. but the conveyance of the sovereign's letters was not the only purpose which the posts as originally established were designed to serve. another and hardly less important purpose was that there should be stationed and in constant readiness, at given distances along the chief roads of the kingdom, a relay of horses by which persons travelling on their sovereign's concerns, even though not the bearers of letters, might pass between one part of the country and another. of this second purpose a few words implanted in the english language, such as post-horse, post-boy, and travelling-post, are all that we have now left to remind us. but long after the public had been admitted to the free use of the post, the two objects of providing for letters and providing for travellers continued to be treated as inseparable. hence the history of the posts during the seventeenth century and far into the eighteenth becomes complicated with the history of travelling.[ ] [ ] the two posts were, at first, distinguished by different names. the travellers' post was called "the thorough poste," and the letter post was called "the poste for the pacquet." indeed, there can be little doubt that it was as a means of travelling and not as a means of correspondence that the post first came to be used by others than those employed on affairs of state. writing, during the sixteenth century, was an accomplishment possessed by comparatively few, whereas any one might have occasion to travel; and the resources of travelling, so far as these partook of an organised system, were in the hands of the sovereign. wherever there were posts, it was at the sovereign's charge and for the sovereign's use that horses were maintained; and where there were no posts, it was only for the use of the sovereign that the townships were under obligation to supply horses. the natural consequence followed. people pretended to be travelling on their sovereign's affairs who were really travelling on affairs of their own, and so procured the use of horses which would otherwise have been denied them. the horses, moreover, were overridden and overloaded, and the persons by whom they were hired not rarely forgot to pay for them.[ ] [ ] austria, in the infancy of her post office, appears to have had much the same experience. "the postmasters," writes m. læper, director of posts at markirch, "were in no way protected from the most outrageous behaviour on the part of travellers, and were unable to prevent them from overloading the horses and vehicles with unreasonably heavy things, chests, boxes, and similar articles, by which the conveyance of the same was delayed. they could not hinder many travellers from riding heavily-laden horses at full speed over hill and dale without drawing rein, so that the animals were crippled, disabled, or even ridden to death, and in consequence the postmasters were frequently unable to carry out the service for want of horses. the worst treatment, however, which the postmasters experienced was at the hands of cavaliers and couriers, who often demanded more horses than they needed, took them by force, overloaded the coaches with two or three servants, and with an immoderate quantity of luggage, and paid an arbitrary sum, just whatever they pleased, often not half what was due."--l'union postale of october , . no sooner had james the first come to the throne than he issued a proclamation having for its object to check these abuses. only those were to be deemed to be travelling on public affairs who held a special commission signed by one or more of the principal officers of state. no horse was to be ridden, in summer, above seven miles an hour, and in winter above six; nor yet, without the knowledge and consent of the owner, beyond the next stage. the load, besides the rider, was not to exceed thirty pounds in weight. persons riding with special commission were to pay for each horse - / d. a mile, besides the guide's groats, and "others riding poste with horse and guide about their private businesses" were to make their own terms. in all cases payment was to be made in advance. the proclamation contained another and most important provision, the effects of which were felt far into the next century. this was that, wherever posts existed, those who had the horsing of the posts were also to have the exclusive letting of horses to travellers. if the post-houses could not supply horses enough, the local constables with the assistance of the magistrates were to make good the deficiency. the proclamation of was soon followed by another, prohibiting all persons not being duly authorised by the master of the posts from being concerned in the collecting, carrying, or delivering of letters. the effect, therefore, of the two proclamations together was that, except by private hand, no letter and, except along the bye-roads where posts did not exist, no traveller could pass between one part of the kingdom and another without coming under the observation of the government. it has been suggested that the state monopoly of letters had its origin in a desire on the part of the sovereign to reserve to himself the revenue which the letters brought; but in , when the monopoly was created, the posts were maintained at a clear loss to the crown of £ a year, and this loss, as matters then stood, the erection of every fresh post would serve to increase. however it may have been in after years, the original object of the monopoly, the object avowed indeed and proclaimed, was that the state might possess the means of detecting and defeating conspiracies against itself. a system such as this object implies is absolutely abhorrent to our present notions; and yet it is a fact beyond all question that the posts in their infancy were regarded and largely employed as an instrument of police. it was not until the reign of william the third that they began to assume their present shape of a mere channel for the transmission of letters. but we are anticipating. in the cloud which obscures the earlier history of the posts begins to break, and from that year it is possible to present a tolerably connected narrative of their progress. chapter ii the battle of the patents - at the beginning of the seventeenth century the established posts were only four in number,--the post to scotland, the post to ireland, the post to plymouth, and the post to dover; and of these the most important by far, because the most used, was the last, the post through the county of kent. it was through this county that the high-road to the continent lay, and, while commercial relations as between one town and another within the kingdom were yet a thing of the future, the foreign trade of the country had already reached very considerable proportions. the persecutions in france and the low countries had driven a large number of foreigners to london, and here the flemings introduced the manufacture of wool into cloth. in this commodity alone the exports from england to the netherlands in the time of philip the second amounted to five millions of crowns annually.[ ] in education no less than manufactures the flemings were far in advance of our own countrymen. there was scarcely a peasant among them that could not both read and write. while, therefore, the other three posts of the kingdom were still being little used except for letters on affairs of state, the post to the continent had already become matter of public concern. [ ] an amusing illustration of the value which, at the end of the sixteenth century, was set upon cloth made in london is afforded by a letter from frederick the second of denmark to queen elizabeth. this letter, dated the th of june , is thus summarised in the th annual report of the deputy-keeper of the public records, appendix ii., page : "has for some years past had cloth prepared in london of different colours and after a particular pattern, for his use in hunting both in summer and winter. hears now that certain german merchants, having found this out, have had similar cloth manufactured, which they sell everywhere, outside his court and family, to many inquisitive and foolish imitators, at a very dear rate. it is no concern of his what anybody may wear, but still, as this cloth was made of a special kind and colour for himself, he takes it ill that it should be sold to others, and begs her therefore (on the application of his agent, thomas thenneker) strictly to prohibit the sale." this post had long been jealously watched, the foreign merchants in london claiming to send their letters by their own agents, and the crown insisting that they should be sent only through the established channel. it was an old feud, extending far back into the sixteenth century. in a proclamation on the subject had been issued. this, in respect to the post through the county of kent, established that state monopoly of letters which was not made general until eighteen years afterwards. it was to the protection of the same post that the proclamation of had been directed, the proclamation reserving to those who horsed the posts the exclusive right of letting horses to travellers. but these measures had been of little avail. the foreign merchants still employed their own agents to carry their letters, and these agents, instead of resorting to the post-houses, still procured horses where and as best they could. once more recourse was had to a proclamation, which differed little from others that had gone before except in one important particular. this was the open avowal that among the chief cares of the state it had been and continued to be by no means the least "to meete with the dangerous and secret intelligences of ill-affected persons, both at home and abroad, by the overgreat liberty taken both in writing and riding in poste, specially in and through our countie of kent." the magistrates were enjoined to take care that horses were procured at the post-houses alone. no letters were to be sent except through the post, and notice to this effect was to be served upon all the merchants of the city of london, "both strangers and others." unauthorised persons suspected of having letters upon them were, before entering or leaving the kingdom, to be searched. and any packets or letters found to be illicitly conveyed were to be sent up to the privy council, and the bearers of them to be apprehended and kept in safe custody pending the council's orders. at this time the office of master of the posts was held by lord stanhope of harrington, and under lord stanhope, to superintend the foreign post, was employed a foreigner of the name of de quester. this man, with the assistance of his son, appears to have discharged his duties efficiently. he made communication with the continent both cheaper and more expeditious. his promptitude in forwarding the public despatches had attracted the attention of his sovereign. in , in recognition of these services, the king created the control of the foreign post into a separate appointment, independent of lord stanhope, and conferred it upon de quester and his son, under the title of "postmaster of england for foreign parts out of the king's dominions." it is possible that de quester's appointment, though ostensibly a reward for good service, was dictated in part by policy. but if designed to appease the foreign merchants, it signally failed of its object. the truth seems to be that they were animated by feelings of profound distrust. many years later, when de quester had retired, the english merchants, in a petition to the king, protested against the choice of a successor being left to the "strangers." this, they said, would be to their own great prejudice. even the letters patent by which that successor was appointed give as a reason for not letting the strangers have a post of their own that thus the secrets of the realm would be disclosed to foreign nations. such being the feelings on one side, it would be strange indeed if they had not also existed on the other. de quester's appointment, while displeasing to the foreign merchants, gave dire offence to lord stanhope. the letters patent by which this peer held his office had expressly declared that not only the internal posts of the kingdom were to be under his direction, but also those "beyond the seas within the king's dominions." this expression, repeated from former patents, applied, no doubt, to calais. and yet, could it in reason be contended that his rights were not being infringed if the post through which all letters between london and the continent passed were transferred to other hands? except for the practice of granting offices in remainder, stanhope's death at this time would have settled the difficulty. as a matter of fact, however, the difficulty had only begun. by a deed granted thirteen years before, his son and successor in the title succeeded also to the office of master of the posts, and it soon became evident that the younger stanhope had no intention, without a struggle, of letting the grant to himself be whittled away by a subsequent grant to another. the council, not composed of laymen alone, but comprising among its members coventry, soon to become lord keeper, and heath, the solicitor-general, advised the king that "both grants might well stand together, being of distinct places." stanhope rejoined that his was "an ancient office tyme out of minde," and that by prescription it carried with it the control of letters passing between england and the continent as well as others. again the council reported against his claim. in support of it, they said, no patent or proofs had been adduced before them more ancient than the time of henry the eighth. stanhope, who remained unconvinced, now proceeded to assert his rights, or what he conceived to be his rights, with remarkable vigour. he caused de quester to be molested in the discharge of his duties; he placarded the city of london, cautioning all persons against sending letters except by his own agents; he instituted proceedings in the court of king's bench; and he even stirred up the foreign merchants to make common cause with himself against the intruder. the probable explanation of stanhope's conduct is that de quester's appointment touched him in that most sensitive part, the pocket. his salary as master of the posts was £ : : a year, and this he would of course receive in any case; but on letters to the continent there were certain fees to be paid, a fee of d. on each letter to or from amsterdam, and a like sum between london and antwerp or london and hamburgh, and these, as seems to have been admitted in the suit at law, were the motive cause. in vain the king proclaimed against stanhope's proceedings. the privy council met to consider the question as between him and de quester, and separated without coming to a conclusion. four more meetings were held, and with an equally unsatisfactory result. clearly there was a conflict of opinion at the council board. meanwhile the decisions as regards the merchants were marked by extraordinary vacillation. first, the merchant adventurers were "to have a post of their owne choice" to the city of hamburgh and town of delph, "where the staples of cloth are now fetched or to such other place or places whither the same shall happen to be removed"; then they were summoned before the council to shew cause why they also should not send their letters by de quester; then the concession was not only confirmed in the case of the merchant adventurers, but extended to all other "companies of merchants"; and then in the case of these other companies the concession was withdrawn, but only, in the course of a few weeks, to be restored. only few restrictions were imposed. no one carrying the merchants' letters was to "keepe any publick office," to "hange up any tables," or to "weare any badge"; nor was he to be employed until his name had been submitted to the secretary of state for approval. it was also provided that in times of war or danger the secretary of state, if he required it, was to be "made acquainted" with the letters and despatches which the messenger carried. the final decision of the council, which left the merchants in possession of a post of their own, practically superseded de quester's appointment, and this drew forth an indignant protest from sir john coke. the two secretaries of state, of whom coke was one, had been specially charged with the protection of de quester's office, and the decision had been arrived at in their absence. meanwhile a broker, of the name of billingsley, was carrying the merchants' letters, and the same man was being employed by stanhope. coke's indignation knew no bounds. "i confess," he said, "it troubleth me to see the audacity of men in these times, and that billingsley, a broker by trade, should dare to attempt thus often to question the king's service, and to derive that power of foreign letters unto merchants which in all states is a branch of regal authority." can any place in christendom be named where merchants are allowed to send their letters except through the authorised post? it is true that, as an act of grace, the merchant adventurers here have been suffered to send and receive their letters by private hand; but such letters have been only to and from their own mart towns and concerning their private business. that this man of theirs should be suffered to carry any letters he please--letters from merchants in general, and even from ambassadors, is a thing that has never been heard of nor durst any attempt it before. "indeed the merchants' purse hath swayed very much in other matters in former times, but i never heard that it encroached upon the king's prerogative until now." a pretty account will those who are charged with the peace of the realm be able to give in their places "of that which passeth by letters in or out of the land if every man may convey letters, under the covers of merchants', to whom and what place he pleaseth." coke went so far as to suggest that advantage had been taken of a small attendance at the council table to extort the concession from the king upon wrong or imperfect information. surely his majesty cannot have been informed "how unfit a time this is to give liberty to every man to write and send what he list." nor did coke's indignation confine itself to words, for it is impossible not to conclude that he was at the bottom of the high-handed proceeding that followed. stanhope had gained his suit at law; yet the council, far from revoking de quester's patent, granted him an order consigning billingsley to prison. it was not until he had been there for three months that parliament, which had recently passed a vote against arbitrary imprisonments, petitioned the king for his release. of the final issue of the contest nothing is known. but it seems probable that the foreign merchants were not deterred by the treatment which billingsley had received from keeping up a post of their own. other and more serious matters were beginning to occupy the attention of the court, and it may well be believed that irregularities which had been challenged before might now be allowed to pass unnoticed. be that as it may, in de quester, who had lost his son, and had become old and infirm, associated with himself in the execution of his office two men named frizell and witherings, and to these persons he shortly afterwards assigned his patent. frizell appears to have been little more than a sleeping partner; but witherings soon established a high character for ability and powers of organisation. the foreign post had not been under his charge for more than three years before the king commissioned him to examine also into the inland posts, and to put them on another and better footing. chapter iii thomas witherings -- armed with the king's commission, witherings lost no time in applying himself to his task. and, indeed, the state of things which he found existing afforded ample scope for his energies. except to plymouth and through the county of kent, posts existed rather in name than in reality. nominally there was a post to scotland, and this post james had busied himself in improving, in anticipation of his progress to london; but since then it had languished and died, or nearly died, of inanition. between the kingdoms of england and scotland there had, up to the date of witherings's commission, as expressed in the commission itself, been no certain or constant intercourse. the only remaining post, the post to ireland, was in an equally forlorn condition. this decadence can only be attributed to two causes, the paucity of travellers and the necessities of the king. had travellers been numerous, the posts would have been kept up for the sake of the profit to be derived from the letting of horses. in the absence of travellers, the keepers of the post-houses were dependent upon their established wages, and these had long remained unpaid. as far back as a petition on the subject had been presented to the council. the " poore men," as the petitioners styled themselves, had received no wages for nearly seven years; the arrears then due to them amounted to £ , ; some of them were already in prison, and many more were threatened with arrest. in , as a consequence, doubtless, of their necessitous condition, they had ceased to keep horses, and letters were being carried on foot. in this manner a distance of only sixteen to eighteen miles was accomplished in a day, and to obtain from scotland or from ireland a reply to a letter written in london took "full two monthes." witherings was not long in producing his plan. within the city of london was to be appointed an office or counting-house for the receipt and despatch of letters, and thence were to be established trunk lines of post to the principal towns of the kingdom, with corresponding branch posts, either foot posts or horse posts, according to distance, to the smaller towns. the branch posts were to be so fitted to the main posts that there was to be no waiting on the part of either; and these latter were to start and return at stated times, and to run night and day so as to cover miles in twenty-four hours. from london to edinburgh the course of post which had been full two months was to be only six days; and to holyhead or plymouth and back the distance was to be accomplished in the same time. even witherings himself appears to have been carried away by the brilliancy of the prospect. "anie fight at sea," he says, "anie distress of his majestie's ships (which god forbid), anie wrong offered by anie other nation to anie of ye coastes of england or anie of his majestie's forts ... the newes will come sooner than thought." an example has been left us of the process to be followed. the letters for scotland were to be put into a "portmantle" directed to edinburgh, into which were also to be put small bags containing letters for towns on the same line of road. at cambridge, for instance, as soon as the portmantle arrived, the bag for that town was to be taken out, and a foot-post, "with a known badge of his majestie's arms," was upon the market days to go to all towns within six, eight or ten miles, and there deliver the letters, at the same time receiving any that might be handed to him. these he was to bring back to cambridge in time for the return-post from scotland. the return was to be on a particular day, and at a particular hour, and the letters were to be ready without fail, "upon the verie instant comeing back of the portmantle." the same process was to be adopted at huntingdon and all other towns on the road. it was an essential part of witherings's plan that the posts should be not only regular and certain but also self-supporting. during the earlier part of the century they had been maintained at a cost to the crown of £ a year, and this was a burden which the crown was no longer in a position to bear. that they should be made to pay their own way was, therefore, an indispensable condition. but how was this to be accomplished? witherings's sagacity left him at no loss for a reply. he discerned that to carry a letter is to perform a service for which a payment may fairly be demanded in return; and that the demand would meet with a ready response must have been plain to him from what he saw going on in the west of england. in , or two years before he produced his plan, the mayor and aldermen of barnstaple had set up a post between their town and exeter. this post was to leave barnstaple every tuesday at o'clock in the morning, and to be in exeter early on the following day, in time to catch the king's post on its way from plymouth to london. the king's post was maintained at the expense of the king; but for the local service, as a means of defraying the cost, the corporation imposed a small charge, a charge of d. for a single letter and of d. for a double one. other towns in devonshire had adopted a similar course. that witherings was aware of the existence of these posts is evident from the special allusion that is made to them in the proclamation which he prevailed upon the king to issue;[ ] and it was their success, probably, which suggested his own undertaking. concluding that what private enterprise was effecting on a small scale the state would be able to effect on a large one, he proposed--and the proposal received the royal sanction--that for every letter sent by post a "port" or charge for carriage should be levied after the following rates:-- +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | |single letter.|double letter.|"if bigger."| +------------------------------+--------------+--------------+------------+ |under miles | d. | d. | d. an oz. | | miles and not exceeding | d. | d. | d. " | |above miles | d. | d. | d. " | |to or from scotland | d. | ? | ? | |to or from ireland | d. | after two ounces, d. the | | | | ounce. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [ ] the proclamation enjoined that on letters "to plymouth, exeter, and with the two other places in that road," witherings should "take the like port that now is paid, as near as possibly he can." this was the introduction of postage. the object of the exceptional rate in the case of ireland was to avoid interference with a proclamation which had been recently issued by the lord deputy and council there. henceforth the posts were to be equally open to all; all would be at liberty to use them; all would be welcome. important as this provision was, it followed as a natural consequence from the imposition of postage. the carriage of the subjects' letters was now to be a matter of purchase, and, unless the purchasers were sufficiently numerous, the posts would not be self-supporting. the custom of the public, therefore, was a necessity of their very existence. in other respects the regulations remained much as they had been, except that now there would be the means of enforcing them. every postmaster was to have ready in his stable one or two horses, according as witherings might direct, the charge to be for one horse - / d. a mile and for two horses d. this d., however, was to include the cost of a guide who was always to accompany the horses when two were taken. on the day the post was expected, the horses were not to be let out on any pretext whatever, this being the first indication on record of letters enjoying precedence over travellers. and finally, with certain specified exceptions, no letters were to be carried or delivered in any part where posts should be established except by such persons as witherings might appoint. the letters excepted were those sent by a friend, by a particular messenger employed for the particular occasion, and by common known carrier. on the common carrier, however, restrictions were imposed. he was to confine himself to his ordinary known journey, and was not, for the sake of collecting or delivering letters, to lag behind or outstrip his cart or horse by more than eight hours. the reason for this last exception is not far to seek. the established posts were few in number, and even where they existed in name they had fallen into disuse. the common carriers had thus become the chief carriers of letters, and witherings, in the furtherance of his project, was anxious to disarm their opposition. this he had already attempted to effect by argument; and now, as a practical step in the same direction, he procured their exemption from the state monopoly. but what may have appeared and was probably intended to appear as a valuable concession was really no concession at all. the carrier took eight days to go miles. by the posts the same distance was to be accomplished in a day and a night. the carrier's charge for a letter from cambridge to london, a distance of about sixty miles, was d. a postage of d., according to witherings's plan, was to a carry a letter for eighty miles. if the posts were to be both faster and cheaper than the common known carrier, it might safely be predicted that as a carrier of letters he could not long survive. in october witherings, having completed the necessary arrangements, proceeded to carry his plan into effect. the results he anticipated from it, as shewn in a memorandum which he delivered to the secretary of state, were promotion of trade and intercourse and the cultivation of better relations with scotland and ireland. that the posts might one day be more than self-supporting, that they would become a source of revenue, does not appear to have entered into his calculations; or, if it did, his silence on the point would seem to shew that, as compared with the other advantages, he deemed it too insignificant to mention. it was probably about this time that the practice of writing "haste, post, haste" on the outside of letters began to be discontinued. the term "post," as here used, meant nothing more than the carrier or bearer of the letter; and an injunction to make the best speed he could, properly as it might be given to a messenger who had a particular letter to carry, would be altogether out of place if addressed to a general letter-carrier who was bound by his instructions not to exceed a given distance within a given time. "for thy life, for thy life" had sometimes been added, as in the case of protector somerset's letter to lord dacre. "to our very good lord, the lord dacre, warden of the west marches, in haste; haste, post, haste, for thy life, for thy life, for thy life";[ ] and it seems probable, if the barbarity of the punishments in those days is considered, that this was no empty threat. it was "on payn of lyfe" that, according to sir brian tuke, all townships were to have horses ready for their sovereign's service. among the ashburnham manuscripts is a letter from sir edward nicholas to sir john hippisley, lieutenant of dover castle, written in or eight years before the introduction of postage. this letter is endorsed by george villiers, duke of buckingham, and the cover is inscribed "for his majesty's special affairs; hast, hast, hast, post, hast, hast, hast, hast, with all possible speede." the absence of any threat in this instance may of course have been due to the individual character of the writer, but it is more agreeable to think of it as a sign of the advance of civilisation. [ ] _her majesty's mails_, by william lewins, p. . in , lord stanhope having surrendered his patent, witherings was appointed in his room, and thus became centred in one person the offices of postmaster for inland and for foreign letters. in the same year a letter office, the erection of which had formed an important part of witherings's plan, was opened in the city of london, and nothing remained to hinder him from carrying his project into full effect. but, fair as everything promised, hardly three years had elapsed before witherings met with the fate which has overtaken so many of his distinguished successors. in , on a charge of divers abuses and misdemeanours in the execution of his office, this eminent man was deprived of his appointment. whether the charge was well or ill founded we have no means of judging. only the fact has come down to us that after this miserable fashion ended the career of one who had the sagacity to project and the energy to carry out a system, the main features of which endure to the present day. among those who had lent money to the king was philip burlamachi, a naturalised british subject, and one of the principal merchants of the city of london. he had advanced, on the security of the sugar duties, no less than £ , , an immense sum in those days; and it was probably this fact rather than any special qualification on his part that pointed him out as witherings's successor. be that as it may, into burlamachi's hands the office of master of the posts was sequestered, subject to the condition that he was to discharge the duties under the control of the secretary of state. the sequestration was announced to the public by means of placards fixed up on the old exchange, and witherings lost no time in fixing up counter-placards by way of protest. and now began an unseemly contention which, arising ostensibly out of the rights of individuals, went far to bring the two houses of parliament into collision. in , after struggling for the best part of two years to maintain his position, witherings assigned his patent to the earl of warwick, and, under the influence of this peer, both houses declared the sequestration to be illegal and void. meanwhile burlamachi had fallen into the power of one in whose hands he was the merest puppet. this was edmund prideaux, afterwards one of the commissioners of the great seal and attorney-general under the commonwealth. at his instigation burlamachi still kept possession of the letter office. in vain the lords ordered him to give it up to lord warwick, and summoned him before them to explain his contumacy. it was true, he replied, that the office was still kept at his house, but this house and his servants had been hired by mr. prideaux, and it was he that disposed of the letters. incensed at such contempt of their orders, the lords authorised warwick to seize the mails. after one or two half-hearted attempts to carry this authority into effect, arrangements were made for a more strenuous effort. on the th of december two of warwick's agents lay in wait at barnet and there surprised the mail as it came from chester. seizing the letters and the man that carried them, they made the best of their way towards london, but had not proceeded further than the foot of the hill beyond highgate when they were themselves surprised by five troopers "on great horses with pistols," who barred the road, and, in the name of the house of commons, captured the captors. meanwhile a still more exciting scene was enacting before warwick's office near the royal exchange. there two of his men kept watch for the mail from plymouth, and, as it passed on its way to burlamachi's house hard by, they dashed into the street and seized the letters. their success was but for the moment. before they could regain the office, prideaux had swooped down upon them at the head of some half-dozen adherents, and with his own hands had torn the letters away. "an order of the house of commons," cried one of the bystanders, "ought to be obeyed before an order of the house of lords." on these occurrences being reported to the lords, burlamachi and all others who had been concerned in them, prideaux alone excepted, were ordered to prison. among these was the man who had been captured at barnet and afterwards rescued, one hickes by name; and this fellow proved to be prideaux's own servant. on the part of that wily politician one looks in vain for any effort to procure burlamachi's release, or even for the slightest indication of concern that he had been arrested; but the arrest of his own servant, the servant of a member of the house of commons, excited his keenest resentment. this, in prideaux's view, was a clear breach of privilege, and the house was pleased to agree with him. no sooner, therefore, had hickes been imprisoned by the lords than he was released by the commons, and no sooner had he been released by the commons than the lords ordered him to be imprisoned again. matters having come to this pass, the two houses held a conference. the result might easily have been foreseen. the lords yielded to the commons, and burlamachi, on rendering an account which had long been called for, was released from custody together with the others who had been imprisoned at the same time. concerning the next two years little is known; but it seems probable that burlamachi, who in his petition praying for release had pleaded old age and infirmities, did not long survive the indignity to which he had been exposed. at all events, in , either by death or resignation, the office of master of the posts had become vacant, and, as burlamachi's successor, the house of commons appointed prideaux. thus ended the battle of the patents, which had raged more or less fiercely for more than twenty years. it was long indeed before lords warwick and stanhope ceased urging their claims, warwick as witherings's assignee, and stanhope on the allegation that at the council table the lord keeper coventry had cajoled him into surrendering his patent; but after prideaux's appointment there was no farther appeal to force. chapter iv edmund prideaux and clement oxenbridge -- hardly had prideaux assumed the direction of the letter office before he gave public notice that there would be a weekly conveyance of letters into all parts of the kingdom. there is reason to doubt, however, whether under his rule as much or nearly as much as this was accomplished. next to norwich, yarmouth was then, as it is now, the chief town in the eastern counties; and yet it is certain that a post to yarmouth was not established until after prideaux's rule had ceased; and more than fifty years later we find his successors lamenting that, while lincolnshire generally was ill provided with posts, there were several towns in that county which had no post at all. but to whatever extent prideaux's professions exceeded his performance, it is beyond question that he spared no effort to extend the posts, and that he is justly entitled to the credit, not indeed of improving upon witherings's scheme, but of carrying that scheme into more general effect. despite his exertions, however, he failed to keep pace with the wants of the time. indeed, what facilities for intercourse had been given already seem to have created a demand for more. in the common council of the city of london, not content with a post only once a week to scotland, established a post of their own. along the whole line of road between london and edinburgh they appointed their own postmasters and settled their own postage, and the same plan they proceeded to adopt in other parts. prideaux, who to his office of master of the posts had recently added that of attorney-general, was highly incensed. only a few years before, the state monopoly of letters, when the state was represented by the crown, had been the object of his fiercest denunciation, and now this same monopoly was a cherished possession to be defended at all hazards. first he remonstrated. then he threatened. and neither threats nor remonstrances having any effect upon the city authorities, he reported their proceedings to the council of state, and the council of state reported them to parliament. parliament was in no mood for concession. the city posts were promptly suppressed, and more than thirty years elapsed before private enterprise again embarked upon a similar venture. the report which prideaux made to the council of state had another result, which probably he little contemplated. in that report he had taken credit to himself that, although the charges of management had risen to £ a year, or about twice the amount they had been in witherings's time, he had relieved the state from the whole of this burden. in other words, the posts had become self-supporting, but, so far as appeared from the report, were nothing more. the house of commons was not satisfied. accordingly the council was instructed to examine and report whether the terms on which the letter office was held were the best that could be obtained. the investigation was soon made. heretofore, in consideration of his defraying the charges, prideaux had been allowed to receive the postage and make what he could out of it. for the future, besides defraying the charges, he was to pay to the state a fixed rent of £ a year. this was the introduction of the system of farming, a system which, as regards the posts generally, continued to nearly the end of the seventeenth and, as regards the by-posts, beyond the middle of the eighteenth century. in prideaux ceased to be master of the posts. two years before he had been elected a member of the council of state, and shortly after his election, and probably as a consequence of it, the arrangements for communicating with the army had reached a high state of perfection. between the council and the forces in scotland messengers, we are told, were passing almost every hour. but, useful as he may have made himself, prideaux seems to have been altogether wanting in those qualities which are calculated to inspire confidence. at the treaty of uxbridge, where he was one of the commissioners, even his own colleagues had regarded him as a spy. this feeling of distrust may possibly explain how it happened that, after the expulsion of the long parliament, he was forced to content himself with his appointment as attorney-general. the council of state, as then reconstructed, did not include him among its members, and one of the first acts of the new council was to relieve him from the responsibilities of the letter office. grasping as he was, it is impossible to suppose that this can have been done by his own wish, for the appointment of master of the posts, though weighted with a rent of £ a year, was still a very lucrative one. his successor paid a rent of double that amount, and is reputed to have derived from his farm an enormous profit. after prideaux's death in august , it transpired that his interest in the letter office had not ceased when he ceased to administer it. what was the interest he retained we do not know; but the matter seems to have been considered sufficiently serious to call for parliamentary inquiry. in the following february the house of commons ordered "that the whole business concerning the post office, and what has been received by mr. prideaux, late attorney-general, out of the same, and what account hath been made thereof he referred to a committee to examine, and to state matter of fact and report it to the parliament and their opinion therein." to this order, however, no return appears to have been made. it is probable that at the restoration the committee had not concluded its labours. oldmixon speaks of prideaux as "a very fierce republican, who got a great estate by his zeal against the church and churchmen"; and it is certain that to that estate his zeal for the post office brought him no inconsiderable addition. of the destination of a part of his wealth we are not left uninformed. towards the close of the century a judge, before whose ferocity even prideaux's pales, set out on a circuit, the infamy of which will endure to the end of time. arrived in somersetshire, he found residing at ford abbey, in the neighbourhood of axminster, an inoffensive country squire, son of the former master of the posts, and named after him, edmund prideaux. from this gentleman, apparently because he was his father's son, and for no better reason, jeffreys under threat of the gallows extorted £ , , and he bought with the money an estate "to which," lord macaulay tells us, "the people gave the name of aceldama, from that accursed field which was purchased with the price of innocent blood." in the posts were farmed to captain manley at a rent of £ , a year; and in , manley's contract having expired, cromwell on the advice of his council placed them in the hands of mr. secretary thurloe, on his giving security to the same amount. the change of management was followed two years later by an important step in advance. this was the passing of an act of parliament intituled an act for settling the postage of england, scotland, and ireland. legislative sanction was now given to what had hitherto rested on no better authority than proclamation or order in council. a general office, to be called the post office of england, was to be established for the receipt and despatch of letters; and under the title of postmaster-general and comptroller of the post office an officer was to be appointed who was to have the exclusive right of carrying letters and of furnishing post-horses. at the restoration the act of , the "pretended" act as it was now called, could not of course be recognised as possessing any legal validity, and so it was replaced by another; but the later act was little more than a re-enactment of the earlier one. virtually, it is to the act of that the general post office owes its origin, although the act of , as being unimpeachable, has been commonly called its charter. similar as the two acts are in the main, there is one important difference between them. the act of gives as a reason for making the posts the subject of parliamentary enactment that they are and have been "the best means of discovering and preventing many dangerous and wicked designs which have been and are daily contrived against the peace and welfare of this commonwealth, the intelligence whereof cannot well be communicated but by letter of escript." to the odious practice here implied no countenance is given in the act of . but, indeed, it needed not this evidence to prove that during the commonwealth the post office was largely used as an instrument of police. thurloe's "intercepted" letters are matter of history; and the journals of the two houses of parliament shew that the foreign mails, both inward and outward, were stopped for whole weeks together, and committees appointed to open and read the letters. on one occasion the venetian ambassador, whose letters had shared the same fate as the rest, entered an indignant protest. "he could not persuade himself," he said, "that the government of england, so noble and generous, should have so inferior a mind as to open the letters of an ambassador, and by this means to violate the laws, and to give an example to the world so damnable, and of so little respect towards the minister of the serenissima respublica." nor was his indignation appeased until four peers had waited upon him in the name of the house of lords, and tendered an ample apology. the rates of postage prescribed by the act of were only slightly varied by the act of . as finally adjusted, they were as follows:-- +--------------------------------+--------------+--------------+----------+ | | on | on | | | |single letter.|double letter.|per ounce.| +--------------------------------+--------------+--------------+----------+ | miles and under | d. | d. | d. | |above miles | d. | d. | d. | |to or from berwick | d. | d. | d. | | from berwick within scotland--| | | | | miles and under | d. | d. | d. | | above miles | d. | d. | d. | |to or from dublin | d. | d. | d. | | from dublin within ireland-- | | | | | miles and under | d. | d. | d. | | above miles | d. | d. | d. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ how these rates compare with those which had gone before we have no means of judging. we only know that during prideaux's management the postage on a single letter was d.; that at some time between and it was reduced to d.; and that the credit of this reduction was due to clement oxenbridge. oxenbridge, after acting as deputy first to prideaux and then to manley, appears to have taken a farm under thurloe; and, rightly or wrongly, he affirmed that, as soon as he had improved the posts at a cost to himself of more than £ , and had made his farm profitable, he was turned adrift by cromwell. if the comparison be carried forward instead of backward, and the rates of be contrasted with those of later years, there is an important consideration which cannot be too carefully borne in mind. it is this, that in cross posts did not exist. between two towns not being on the same post road, however near the towns might be, letters could circulate only through london; and the moment london was reached an additional rate was imposed. hence the apparent charges, the charges as deduced from the table of rates, might be very different from the actual charges. bristol and exeter, for instance, are less than eighty miles apart; but in and for nearly forty years afterwards letters from one to the other passed through london, and would be charged, if single, not d. but d., and if double, not d. but s. that is to say, the postage[ ] or portage, as it was then called, would consist of two rates, and each of these rates would be for a distance in excess of eighty miles. david hume, writing more than a hundred years later, observes that before letters paid only about half as much postage as they did in his own time. this, no doubt, is true if rate be compared with rate according to the distance; but the fact we have mentioned very materially qualifies the force of the remark. [ ] the term "postage," in the sense of a charge upon a letter, is comparatively modern. the act of is the first so to use it. the term is indeed used in the act of , but there it signifies the hire of a horse for travelling. "each horse's hire or postage." on foreign letters the rates ranged from d., the lowest rate for a single letter, to s., the highest rate for a double letter, and from s. d. to s. an ounce for letters of greater bulk. no provision was made for any charge except on letters from europe. letters came indeed from other parts; but as the post office did not bring them and paid nothing for their carriage, no postage was demanded. from india, for instance, a letter brought to england and posted there would pay only the home postage. for post-horses the charge was fixed at d. a mile for each horse, besides d. to the guide of every stage. two concessions were made to the public. horses were no longer to be seized without the consent of the owners; and a traveller if kept waiting half an hour without being supplied might hire a horse wherever he could. that the seizure of horses had been a source of intense annoyance seems beyond question. in a proclamation of , as a reason for helping the postmasters to keep horses in sufficient number for the service of the posts, the townships are reminded of "the ease and quiet they reape thereby"; and long after the immunity from seizure had been granted, the allusions to the former practice leave no room for doubt that, though the sore was healed, the recollection of it still rankled. according to lord macaulay, a part of the post office revenue was derived from post-horses.[ ] with all deference to that eminent authority, and with all modesty we venture to think that such was not the case. the proclamation of , which was the origin of the monopoly, while giving to those who horsed the posts "the benefit and preheminence of letting horses" to all comers, expressly provided that, except for the service of the posts or for the use of persons travelling on affairs of state, no postmaster need keep horses unless he pleased, and that, if he did so, he should be at liberty to make his own terms. on this last point the words are, "but of all others riding poste with horne and guide about their private businesses, the hire and prices are left to the parties discretions to agree and compound within themselves." again, an account is still extant, dated , or twenty years after the monopoly had been established, and giving in minute detail the particulars of the expenses of the posts as they then were; records also exist extending in almost unbroken succession over more than eighty years of the period during which the monopoly lasted, and dealing with every variety of post office question; and neither in the records nor the account is there the remotest allusion to the receipt of any sums on account of post-horses. yet one reason more for the opinion we hold. about the middle of the eighteenth century, as the result of legislation which then took place, the roads were measured, and the measured mile proved to be shorter than the computed mile. as a consequence of this discovery the charge for post-horses was raised. a distance which had hitherto been reckoned as eight miles proved to be ten miles, and a charge as for ten instead of eight miles was made. travellers were up in arms, and complained that the post office had raised its charges. the answer was that the post office had nothing to do with the matter; that the postmasters were entitled by law to so much a mile; and that the whole of the charge went into their own pockets. for these reasons we think that no part of the post office revenue was derived from the letting of post-horses. indirectly, no doubt, the monopoly was a source of profit because, except for it, those who horsed the posts would not have been content with the wages they received. these, according to the account of , ranged from s. a day to d. a day. to supplement the postmasters' pay without expense to the crown was, we make bold to suggest, the object with which the monopoly was granted. and, of course, the better the object was secured, the more carefully would the monopoly be guarded. [ ] lord macaulay's words are:--"the revenue of this establishment was not derived solely from the charge for the transmission of letters. the post office alone was entitled to furnish post-horses; and, from the care with which this monopoly was guarded, we may infer that it was found profitable." in may clement oxenbridge, to whose exertions the act of would seem to have been largely due, petitioned the council of state to reimburse him the expenses to which he had been put in improving the posts, and the council of state, after investigating the claim, reported the particulars to the house of commons for directions. it was not, however, until after william and mary had ascended the throne that any further step was taken. oxenbridge, whose necessities had become greater as his age advanced, was then by the king's direction given an appointment under the post office of the annual value of £ ; and this salary he continued to draw, although too old to discharge the duties for which it was paid, until his death in . chapter v william dockwra - at the restoration the post office was leased to henry bishopp of henfield in sussex, for the term of seven years at a rent of £ , a year, or more than double the amount which had been paid by the previous farmer. before three years had elapsed, however, bishopp surrendered his lease, and was succeeded for the remainder of his term and at the same rent by daniel o'neile, groom of the king's bedchamber. o'neile had loyally adhered to charles during his exile, had attended his sovereign on his visit to scotland, had been banished that kingdom, and in connection with his banishment had achieved a singular distinction. he had given a written undertaking consenting to his own death if he ever returned. even at a rent of £ , , as the court had doubtless by this time learned, the post office was not a bad investment. o'neile, like bishopp, was to enjoy a monopoly of the carrying of letters, and to make what he could out of it; but he was rigidly to adhere to the rates of postage prescribed by the act, charging neither more nor less. old posts were not to be altered nor new posts erected, without the sanction of the secretary of state; and the secretary of state was to possess a veto on appointments and, as occasion might require, to "have the survey and inspection of all letters." to these conditions was afterwards added another. this was that no postmaster or other officer was to remain in the service who should not within six months obtain and forward to the postmaster-general a certificate, under the hand and seal of the bishop of the diocese, to the effect that he was "conformable to the discipline of the church of england." in , o'neile's lease having expired, lord arlington, secretary of state in the cabinet known as the cabal, was appointed postmaster-general; and, after a while, the office was again let out to farm, this time at a rent of £ , a year. rapidly as the rent had grown, the public demands had grown more rapidly still, and little, if any, effort had been made to satisfy them. how inadequate the posts were, about this time, to meet the public requirements may be judged from a circumstance connected with bishopp's appointment. the letters patent appointing him were to take effect from the th of june , but their validity was to depend on an act of parliament, the act reconstituting the general post office, which did not pass until some months afterwards. meanwhile a whole crop of posts had sprung up between london and the country, which could not be suppressed until the act was passed. as compensation for the loss he sustained by this encroachment on his monopoly between the th of june and the th of september bishopp claimed and received no less than £ . there is preserved in the guildhall library a letter from the duke of buckingham, to which the following note is appended:--"the great fire of london broke out on the nd of september . it is seen by the date of this letter that the duke of buckingham, at that time in the highest position at court and in the zenith of his power, was at worthing, and did not receive intelligence of the awful calamity until after the city had been burning for five days." we do not know by what means the duke was informed of the calamity, nor is it material to our present purpose that we should do so. all we desire now to observe is that if, as is not improbable, he was informed of it by letter, the letter--as we proceed to shew--reached him in due course of post. the fire broke out at midnight on the nd of september, and the nd of september was a saturday, after which, except to the downs and to places abroad, there was no post out of london until tuesday the th, or rather, as the mails started after midnight, until early in the morning of wednesday the th. arundel was then the post-town for worthing, and for the first part of the distance the course of post was, as it continued to be until the day of railways, through tooting, ewell, epsom or ebbesham as it was still called, leatherhead, and dorking. continuing thence, not, as in later times, through horsham, but through the hamlet of coldharbour, the post-road skirted the foot of leith hill and passed through stone street, billinghurst, and amberley to arundel, which would be reached late in the afternoon of wednesday. between arundel and worthing the distance is ten miles, and the postmaster would not, at the earliest, take out the letter for delivery until the morning of thursday the th, or five days after the fire had broken out. indeed, it may be permitted to us to doubt whether the letter, if letter there was, would have been delivered as early as the th, had it been for a less important personage. meagre as the means of communication were in those days, even such means as existed were not matter of common knowledge. the post office did not advertise its wares; and no newspapers then existed to do for the post office what the post office omitted to do for itself. what towns possessed post-houses of their own, and how these towns stood in relation to other towns which did not enjoy the same advantage, might well be considered essential information; yet even of this no public announcement was given. blome, in his _britannia_, printed in , remarks upon this defect, and for the benefit of his readers proceeds to supply it. after commenting upon the convenience which the post office affords, and lamenting that this convenience is not more generally known, he gives a list of the post towns which each county possesses, and supplements it with a series of county maps, so that, as he explains, persons desirous of writing to any particular place may be able to find out for themselves where the nearest post-house stands. as late as the end of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries separate maps appear to have been published with the same object, as a matter of private enterprise. in these maps the post towns are indicated by a castle surmounted by the royal standard. but it was within the metropolis itself that the public need was greatest. between london and the country posts went at unequal intervals indeed, and at intervals in some cases unduly long, and yet with regularity. to kent and the downs there was a post daily; to other parts of england and to scotland a post every other day; and to wales and to ireland a post twice a week. but between one part of london and another there was no post at all. a resident in london having a letter for delivery within the metropolitan area had only one choice, to take the letter himself or to send it by another. and let the bearer of a letter be who he might, there was an inconvenience to which he was constantly exposed. the houses were not numbered, and were mainly to be recognised by the signs they bore. later on, men who delivered letters over the same ground day after day complained that it was not always easy to find the address. without local knowledge it must have been sometimes impossible. happily, in england the spirit of enterprise is such that an acknowledged want affecting any considerable section of the public is seldom suffered to endure very long. and so it proved in the present instance. the man who now undertook to relieve the capital from the intolerable inconvenience under which it laboured was william dockwra, a merchant of the city of london. dockwra had been a sub-searcher in the custom house, and through some little interest he possessed at court had been allowed to dispose of his place. the idea of the penny post is said indeed to have originated with robert murray, an upholsterer in paternoster row; but, be that as it may, to dockwra belongs the credit of giving it practical shape. a man of less resolution or less convinced of the inherent merits of his undertaking might well have been daunted by the difficulties he had to encounter. the undertaking had been conceived in so bold a spirit that to carry it out would involve an expense which dockwra's unaided resources were altogether unable to bear. a difficulty still greater than the want of funds was the determined opposition of the duke of york. in the profits of the post office had been settled on the duke for his support and maintenance, and, with an eye ever intent on his own interests, he discerned or thought he discerned in the new project an infringement of his rights. undeterred by these difficulties, dockwra persevered in the task he had taken in hand. at length the appointed day arrived. on the st of april ,[ ] london, which had hitherto had no post at all, suddenly found itself in possession of one in comparison with which even the post of our own time is cast into the shade. for the purposes of the undertaking london and its suburbs were divided into seven districts with a sorting office in each. from hackney in the north to lambeth in the south, from blackwall in the east to westminster in the west, there was not a point within the bills of mortality which the new post did not reach. between four and five hundred receiving offices were opened in a single morning. placards were distributed and advertisements inserted in the public intelligences announcing where these offices were. messengers called there for letters every hour. these, if for the country, were carried to the general post office, and if for the town, to the respective sorting offices. from the sorting offices, after being sorted and entered in books kept for the purpose, they were sent out for delivery, to the inns of court or places of business ten or twelve times a day, and to other places according to distance from four to eight times. nor was the service confined to letters. it extended also to parcels, the only condition being that neither parcel nor letter should exceed one pound in weight,[ ] or ten pounds in value. subject to these limitations the charge between one part of london and another was one penny. an exception indeed was made in the case of hackney, islington, newington butts, and lambeth, which were then separate towns. there one penny carried only to the receiving office, and for delivery at a private house the charge was one penny more. delivery in the street was not allowed. [ ] curiously enough, the post office report for gives the year as ; but this is an error. [ ] here also the post office report for is in error. it says that at first there was no limit to the weight of a packet. but it was not only in the matter of weight and frequency of delivery that the new undertaking was conceived in the most liberal spirit. provided a letter or parcel was securely tied and sealed and its contents endorsed on the outside, the charge of one penny covered not only cost of conveyance but insurance as well, up to a limit of ten pounds. that is to say, subject to this limit, if a parcel or a letter or its contents were lost, dockwra would, the conditions being observed, make the value good. there is yet another novelty which dockwra introduced. as a check upon his messengers he supplied the seven sorting offices with stamps bearing their own initial letters and denoting the several hours of the day. with one of these stamps all letters and parcels were impressed as they passed through the post, and if in the busy parts of the capital they were not delivered within little more than an hour from the time denoted by the impression, the public were encouraged to complain. the following are specimens of the stamps which dockwra used:-- [illustration: three stamps] this was the introduction of postmarks. in the first and last impressions mor. signifies of course o'clock in the morning, and af. , o'clock in the afternoon. in the second or middle impression the initial letter l signifies lyme street, where the principal office of the penny post was held at dockwra's private dwelling-house, formerly the dwelling-house of sir robert abdy. the general post office, until lately in bishopsgate street, stood at this time in lombard street, where it occupied a site on part of which the branch office now stands. there the persons employed, all told, numbered . in the country and dependent on the chief office were postmasters, viz. in england and scotland and in ireland. twelve persons were also employed in the office in dublin. altogether and throughout the whole of the kingdom the general post office, in , gave employment to persons, a number very much less than that which dockwra employed in london alone. on saturday nights the penny post closed, in winter at six, and in summer at seven. on other nights of the week, sundays excepted, it must have remained open to at least o'clock, for at that hour the country letters were collected from the receiving offices and carried to the general post office. besides sundays, there were eight days in the year on which the post did not go, viz. three days at christmas, two days at easter, two days at whitsuntide, and also the th of january, the anniversary of the death of king charles the first. in spite of the enormous advantages it conferred, the penny post was not at first received with unqualified satisfaction. some fanatics denounced it as a popish contrivance; and lord macaulay tells us how the porters complained that their interests were attacked, and tore down the placards on which the scheme was announced to the public. even unprejudiced persons and persons who had no interests to protect complained that a large number of things were posted and not delivered. this dockwra himself admitted, explaining that it was due to the illegible writing of the address or to the omission of some important particular by which the persons addressed might be identified, the omission of their trade, or of the signs which their houses bore, or of some well-known place or object in their vicinity. the manifest utility of the enterprise, however, soon bore down all opposition; and in little more than a year from its introduction the penny post, though weighted with a scheme of insurance, was very nearly paying its own expenses. the establishment of the penny post had one effect which had probably not been contemplated. it increased largely the number of letters for the country. every man had now a post office at his own door. it is true that dockwra's four or five hundred receiving offices were intended primarily for town letters; but country letters might be posted there, and, as we have seen, were collected at a stated hour every evening. hitherto the case had been very different. up to the st of april , incredible as it may appear, the general post office in lombard street was the only receptacle for letters in the whole of london. there and nowhere else could letters be posted. little wonder if, before , persons whom the cost of postage might not deter from writing were yet deterred by their distance from the post office. dockwra might reasonably now expect to reap some of the rewards of success. a small band of citizens who had joined in the original venture had afterwards deserted him, and for six months he had carried it on at his sole charge. others had then come to his aid, and a fresh partnership had been formed. the undertaking prospered, became self-supporting, and at length gave promise of large returns. this very promise excited the greed of the duke of york. so long as the outgoings exceeded the receipts dockwra remained unmolested; but no sooner had the balance turned than the duke complained of his monopoly being infringed, and the courts of law decided in his favour. not only was dockwra cast in damages, but the undertaking which he had impoverished himself to establish was wrested out of his hands, and the penny post, in less than five years from its introduction, was incorporated into the general post office.[ ] [ ] the exact date of incorporation is uncertain. the decision in the court of king's bench was given in michaelmas term ; but the first public advertisement of the penny post does not appear to have been issued by the postmaster-general until the th of march / . generosity formed no part of james's character, and, so long as he sat on the throne, dockwra's services remained without the slightest recognition. in , however, upon an address from the house of commons, william and mary granted him a pension of £ for seven years, and in the grant was renewed for three years longer. in the same year as the renewal of the grant, but a little earlier, he was appointed comptroller of the penny post at a salary of £ , and this appointment he retained until . then, both appointment and grant came to an abrupt termination together, for, on charges brought against him by his own subordinates, dockwra, like witherings, was dismissed. such was the tribute paid to the man who had conferred on his country benefits which he never tired of predicting would endure to all posterity. of the charges against dockwra two deserve special notice, as shewing that the penny post, after its acquisition by the state, continued to be conducted on the same principles as before. these two charges were-- st, that, contrary to his duty, he "forbids the taking in any band-boxes (except very small) and all parcels above a pound"; and nd, that he takes money out of letters and "makes the office pay for it," thereby clearly indicating that at that time the state carried on a parcel post and continued the practice of making losses good. a third charge, the truth of which it is more easy to credit, imputed to dockwra that he spoke and acted as if his object were to get the penny post into his own hands again. it is worthy of remark, as characteristic of the times in which he lived, and may perhaps be regarded as affording some presumption of his innocence, that dockwra appears to have been at less pains to refute the charges than to prove that he had taken the oath of supremacy, or the oath which had been recently substituted for it, and that he had received the holy sacrament. we have said that to us who live at the end of the nineteenth century it may appear incredible that up to april the general post office in lombard street was the only receptacle for letters in the whole of london. but it is by no means certain that our descendants may not think it more incredible still that london, with all its boasted progress, has only now recovered a post which, in point of convenience and cheapness, at all approaches that which an enterprising citizen established more than two hundred years ago. when and under what circumstances this post lost its original features will have to be considered hereafter. chapter vi cotton and frankland _inland service_ - in , on the death of charles the second, the revenue of the post office was settled on james, his heirs and successors. rochester, the high treasurer, became postmaster-general; and for the actual discharge of the duties a deputy was appointed under the title of governor. two years before, the panic caused by the discovery of the rye-house plot had led to the issue of a proclamation which, if differing little from others that had gone before, acquires importance from the circumstances under which it appeared. unauthorised posts had again sprung up in all directions, simply, no doubt, because there was a demand for the accommodation they afforded; but the government, no less than the persons who denounced dockwra's undertaking as a popish contrivance, seem to have been possessed with the idea that these posts were mere vehicles for the propagation of treason. to prevent treasonable correspondence was the avowed object of the present proclamation, and the means by which the object was sought to be attained was the suppression of private and irregular posts, for by these, the proclamation went on to declare, the conspirators had been materially assisted in their designs. mayors, sheriffs, justices of the peace, constables and others were enjoined to make diligent search for letters passing otherwise than through the regular post. special officers were to be appointed for the same purpose. all such letters, wherever discovered, were to be deemed to be "of dangerous consequence"; and not only were they to be seized and carried to the secretary of state or the privy council for the purpose of being opened and inspected, but both the bearers and senders of them were to be proceeded against at law. on james's accession to the throne the proclamation of was succeeded by another in almost identical terms; and it is certain that during his reign the liberties taken with post letters were hardly less than they had been in the worst days of the commonwealth. only a few months before rochester's dismissal, for no better reason than to gratify curiosity, orders were given that the bags from scotland should be transmitted to whitehall, and during a whole week not a single private letter from beyond the tweed was delivered in london. happily, however, this state of things was soon to cease. after the revolution the appointment of postmaster-general was conferred upon persons who were otherwise unconnected with affairs of state, and the effect of this change was, as william no doubt intended, at once to lift the post office out of the region of politics. in the eyes of the rochesters, the arlingtons, and the thurloes, busied as they were in the detection of conspiracies against the state, the post office had been little else than an instrument which might be usefully employed as a means to that end. with plain citizens unversed in the ways of government, the only consideration was how best they could accomplish the object for which they had been appointed; and this object was so to manage and improve the posts of the country as to secure to their sovereign the highest possible revenue. but, before william could give effect to his views, there was an adherent to be provided for. this was colonel john wildman, who was appointed postmaster-general in july . of wildman's career at the post office little is known, except that he was profuse in making promises which he never performed. he might, perhaps, himself have pleaded that he was not given time to perform them, for after eight months' tenure of the appointment he was dismissed for some reason which is, and will probably continue to be, a mystery. far different is the record left behind them by wildman's immediate successors. these were sir robert cotton and mr.--afterwards sir thomas--frankland, who became joint postmasters-general in march , and served in that capacity for nearly twenty years. they had sat in james's parliament, the one for cambridgeshire, and the other for the borough of thirsk, and these seats they retained under william. from the writings they have left behind them we are able to see these two men not as a biographer might dress them up, but as they really were. everything about them, their virtues, their foibles, their habits, their ailments, their devotion to duty, their unwillingness to believe evil of any one, their hatred of injustice or oppression, their unbounded credulity, their anxiety about their re-election, their gratitude for any little scrap of news which they might carry to court, their fondness for a glass of port wine, their attacks of gout, their habit of taking snuff, even the hour of their going to bed--all this and more is there revealed, and makes up a record of simplicity and benevolence which it is a delight to read. the establishment over which these two simple gentlemen were called upon to preside had recently received a considerable addition. out of london, the post office servants remained much as they had been ten years before, at about in number, of whom all but twelve were postmasters; but in london the force employed at the general post office had been raised from to . the penny post office, which had now been wrested out of dockwra's hands, accounts for the greater part of the difference. this gave employment, exclusive of receivers, to persons--a comptroller, an accomptant, and a collector, sorters and messengers--at a total charge for salaries of £ a year. another part of the establishment, and by no means the least important or the least difficult to manage, consisted of the packet boats. these, in , were eleven in number, viz.--two for france, two for flanders, two for holland, two for the downs, and three for ireland. owing to the war, however, the boat-service to france was now in abeyance. little more than half a century had elapsed since the introduction of postage, and meanwhile the revenue had risen by strides which were for those times prodigious. in the posts were maintained at a cost to the crown of £ a year. within fifteen years not only had they become self-supporting, but a rent was paid for the privilege of farming them. this rent was, in , £ a year; in , £ , ; in , £ , ; and some time before , £ , . in the net revenue was probably about £ , . in , according to a return made to the house of commons two years later, it was £ , . the headquarters of the post office were at this time in lombard street. here the postmasters-general resided; and here, far from shutting themselves up, they were to be found at all hours by any one who might wish to consult them on business connected with their office. freedom of communication with those among whom they lived, and not inaccessibility, appears indeed to have been a part of their policy. with the foreign merchants especially they maintained the most friendly intercourse, and were wont to defer to their wishes and suggestions in the arrangement of the packets. besides giving constant attendance during the day, the postmasters-general sat as a board every morning and night. to these board-meetings they attached the highest importance, especially on the nights of tuesdays, thursdays, and saturdays, when mails were despatched into all parts of the country. these were known as the "grand post nights," and the others as "bye-nights." the post office building appears to have been not ill adapted to its purpose. a massive gate opened into a court of oblong shape. this court was paved from end to end for the merchants to walk in while waiting to receive their letters. on the right was the board-room with the residence of the postmasters-general attached; on the left the office for foreign letters; and in front, immediately facing the entrance, was the sorting office. the office for the letter-carriers was in the basement. the rest of the building was devoted to the use of the post office servants, who, owing to their unseasonable hours of attendance, were required to live in the office itself or else in its immediate vicinity. the machinery for the dispersion of letters was very simple. for post office purposes the kingdom was divided into six roads--the north road, the chester or holyhead road, the western road, the kent road, and the roads to bristol and to yarmouth; and these roads were presided over by a corresponding number of clerks in london whose duty it was to sort the letters and to tax them with the proper amount of postage. at the present time, when, owing to the system of prepayment, there is comparatively little taxing to be done, no less than clerks and sorters are engaged every evening in despatching the letters into the country. two hundred years ago the whole operation was performed, both sorting and taxing together, by the six clerks of the roads, and they had not even a sorter to assist them until . the letters, as soon as they had been sorted, were despatched into the country, the usual hour of despatch being shortly after midnight; but, of course, with a force to prepare them of only six persons, a rigid punctuality such as that which now distinguishes the operations of the post office could hardly be observed. an instance remains on record of the disturbance caused by any unusual pressure. the th of february , we are told, was a foreign post night, and it happened that the letters for the country as well as abroad were more than ordinarily numerous. on this occasion the mails which should have gone out before three o'clock in the morning could not be despatched until between six and seven. once clear of london, the letters passed into the hands of the postmasters, who were alone concerned in their transmission and distribution. at the present time, multifarious as the duties of a postmaster are, it is not one of them to transport the mails from town to town. but such was not the case in . the post roads were then divided into sections or, as they were commonly called, stages; and these stages were presided over by a corresponding number of postmasters, whose duty it was to carry the mails each over his own stage. this had been the original object of their appointment, the object for which they had been granted the monopoly of letting post-horses, and it still remained their primary duty, to which every other was subordinate. and yet traces of this original function were already beginning to disappear. the posts settled on the six main roads of the kingdom had not been long in extending themselves to other roads; and on these branch roads one postmaster would be charged with the carrying of the mails over two or more stages, leaving another without any transport duty at all. kendal, for instance, lay on a branch road leaving the holyhead road at chester; and from wigan the letters for kendal were fetched by the postmaster of preston, who passed not only his own town but the town of lancaster on his way. in no provincial town had a letter-carrier of its own, as that term is now understood. even at bristol and at norwich, which ranked next to the capital in size and importance, there was for all post office purposes one single agent, and that was the postmaster. upon him and him alone devolved all the duties which now, at all but the smallest towns, a body of sorters and letter-carriers is maintained to perform. whether out of london there was any settled mode of delivery is uncertain; but there seems little doubt that, soon after the establishment of the post office, to deliver letters in his own town had come to be a part, though a secondary part, of a postmaster's duty. at maidstone, indeed, the delivery appears to have reached a high state of perfection. the postmaster there fetched the mails from rochester and carried them to ashford, dropping the letters for his own town as he passed through. these were at once taken out by two men of his own and delivered, so that, as he took pride in relating, a letter from london arriving by the morning post at noon could he answered by the return post, which left maidstone at six o'clock in the evening. but this must have been an exceptional case. except perhaps at the largest towns, letters were yet too few to make such an arrangement necessary; and it seems probable that the hour at which the delivery was made and the area over which it extended were very much in the postmaster's discretion. one check there was, and, so far as appears, one only. this was the letter bill which accompanied the letters, and in which was inserted the postage which a postmaster had to collect and bring to account; but it frequently happened that he advanced the amount himself, and of course, where this was so, there was nothing to shew that any particular letter had been delivered, still less that it had been delivered within a particular time. far more effective, it may well be believed, than any official check was the desire, the natural desire, to stand well with his neighbours; and the substantial marks of kindness which they seldom failed to bestow upon him whenever he was so unfortunate as to get into trouble, preclude the idea that, in the matter of delivery or otherwise, remissness or inattention can have been at all general. in london, owing to recent malpractices there, attention had been directed to the salaries, and these had been improved. the six clerks of the roads received four of them £ a year, one £ , and one as much as £ . the sorters received £ a year, and the general post letter-carriers s. a week. the wages of the penny post letter-carriers or messengers, as for distinction's sake they were called, were s. in addition to their salaries the clerks of the roads enjoyed the privilege of franking newspapers or, as they were then called, gazettes. this privilege, which dated from the first establishment of the post office, had arrested the attention of james when duke of york, and he had desired to take it away; but, on learning that compensation would have to be given, he decided to let it continue. by post the gazettes would have cost from d. to d. apiece. the clerks of the roads supplied them for d. the emoluments from this source kept steadily growing during william's reign. at first the longer and more frequent sessions of parliament, and, later on, the war in which england was engaged, excited an appetite for news to which the two previous reigns afford no parallel. a statement which the postmasters-general made to the treasury about this time, while evincing perhaps some little credulity, evinces also how keen, in the judgment of two shrewd and intelligent men, was the hunger after early intelligence. "in england," they say, "there are many postmasters, who some of them serve without salary, others for less than they would otherwise do, in consideration of their being allowed gazets by the office ffrank." another curious custom prevailed in , and continued indeed for nearly a century afterwards. this was the distribution among the post office servants in london of a certain sum annually as "drink and feast money." the sum so distributed in had been no less than £ ; and this was in addition to two "feasts" which were given them at the expense of the crown, one at midsummer and the other at christmas. in the country, where there was no one to watch over the postmasters' interests, the salaries were merely nominal. the postmaster of sudbury in suffolk received a salary of £ a year; and for this he had, three times a week, to carry the letters to braintree and back, a distance of thirty-two miles, over a road that was barely passable. at maidstone, in order to keep the delivery up to his own standard of excellence, the postmaster expended s. a day in what he called "horse-meate and man's-meate," yet his salary was only £ . many postmasters received no salary at all. even at bristol, which stood next to london in population and wealth, the salary was only £ , having been recently raised to that amount from £ . nor was it only in the matter of salary that the postmasters were objects of compassion. the disturbed state of the country during the last few years had brought back old abuses. officers of the army and others who had not the officers' excuse of urgency would override the post-horses, and when, as frequently happened, these were lamed or killed, no compensation appears to have been given. another class of persons infested the roads, persons who, taking advantage of the general confusion, would hire post-horses and not return them. during the last twelve or thirteen years of the seventeenth century many postmasters were languishing in prison through inability to pay what they owed for postage; and among these there were few who did not trace their misfortunes to the fact that immediately before and after william's accession to the throne their horses had been killed or spoiled through reckless riding or else run away with. but neither the loss of their horses nor the inadequacy of their remuneration was so galling to the postmasters as the liability to which they now became subject, of having soldiers quartered upon them. a standing army had been recently authorised, and there was little or no barrack accommodation. hence a liability, which in our own time might be little more than nominal, was, in , tantamount to a heavy tax. under charles and james[ ] the postmasters had been exempt from this annoyance; but the exemption had been granted by virtue of the royal prerogative, and william could not be induced to continue it. in vain it was urged that, if a burden were cast upon them as novel as it was oppressive, justice demanded that their salaries should be increased. the king resolutely refused to make a distinction which the law did not recognise, and, except in a few isolated cases, the salaries remained unchanged. [ ] in the reigns of charles ii. and james ii. the practice of billeting, illegal as it then was, was necessarily resorted to in order to provide quarters for the troops they maintained in time of peace; and even billeting in private houses was not unknown. an act of , the second mutiny act, as it is called, while forbidding billeting in private houses, authorised it at "inns, livery stables, ale houses, victualling houses, and all houses selling brandy, strong waters, cyder or metheglin, by retaile, to be dranke in their houses." despite these drawbacks, there is no reason to think that the appointment of postmaster was not eagerly sought for, or that when obtained there was any general disposition to throw it up. the explanation is obvious. in the first place the appointment carried with it the exclusive right of letting post-horses. this monopoly, at all events on the more frequented roads, must have been remunerative; and it must have been especially remunerative where, as appears to have been generally the case, the postmaster was also innkeeper. travellers were drawn to his house, for it was only there that they could procure horses to pursue their journey. he was, in a word, assured of custom. other sources of emolument were-- st, gratuities, varying according to distance, from d. to d., on every letter he collected or delivered; and nd, what were technically called "bye-letters." this term, whatever may have been the case a century before, had now a distinctive meaning. it meant letters which stopped short of london,[ ] letters upon which at that time there was no check. in the postage on these letters was probably not large; but, large or small, the whole or all but the whole of it found its way into the pockets of the postmasters, and it was one of the first cares of the new postmasters-general to consider how the diversion might be stopped. [ ] in the agreement with ralph allen, dated thirty years later, bye-letters are defined to be "letters not going or coming from, to, or through london." such, in england, was the condition of the post office when cotton and frankland assumed the direction of it in the month of march . in scotland the posts were under separate direction, the direction of the secretary of state for that part of the kingdom, and subject to the control of the scotch parliament. for purposes of convenience, however, an arrangement had been made between the two post offices. on letters between london and edinburgh in both directions the english post office took not only its own share of the postage but the whole; and, in return, it paid the salaries of all the postmasters and defrayed the cost of all expresses between the border town of berwick-on-tweed and edinburgh. the correspondence at this time passing between the two capitals was of the slightest. it is true that for the three years ending march the amount due to the london office for postage on letters to edinburgh was £ , or at the rate of £ a year; but the correspondence of the secretary of state for scotland, or "black-box" as it was called, from the colour of the box in which it was carried, would probably account for nearly the whole. in , which no doubt was a busy year in consequence of the act of union, the cost of carrying this box to and fro averaged £ a month. in ireland the post office was managed by a deputy-postmaster, who was directly responsible to the postmasters-general in london. the method of business was the same as in england. instead, however, of six "roads," there were only three--the munster road, the ulster road, and the connaught road. the dublin establishment, clerks and letter-carriers included, consisted of twelve persons, of whom five received £ a year, and no one, the deputy-postmaster excepted, more than £ . the deputy-postmaster himself received £ . such at least was the normal establishment; but all was now confusion. the battle of the boyne had not yet been fought, and tyrconnel was still lord deputy. by his direction the post office servants in dublin, down to the youngest letter-carrier, had been turned out of their appointments; and the mails from england, instead of being opened at the post office, were being carried to the castle and opened there. the new postmasters-general had not long taken up their quarters in lombard street before they began to feel serious alarm for the revenue committed to their charge. it was in the matter of bye-letters that their apprehensions were first aroused. london, as the metropolis, sent and received more letters than any other town, more probably than all the other towns of the kingdom put together. through london, too, as the centre of the post office system, many letters passed in those days which would not so pass now, because there were no cross-posts. still there was a residue, a residue considerable in the aggregate, consisting of letters which did not touch london in any part of their course; and of these comparatively few were accounted for. some thirty years later, after a check had been established, the revenue derived from bye-letters was only a little over £ a year. at the end of the seventeenth century it probably did not amount to as many hundreds. it was, however, not the letters that fell into the post, but those that were kept out of it, the illicit traffic in fact, that caused the greatest concern. this traffic was assuming larger proportions every day. under charles and james searchers had been appointed, men who searched for letters as baggage is searched at the custom house. no suspected person, no suspected vehicle, was safe from inspection. but there was no legal sanction for the practice, and it had ceased on william's accession. early in the present reign it had been mooted whether a prosecution should not be undertaken, at all events against the principal offenders; but the king refused to consent to a step which he regarded as impolitic and calculated to excite discontent. license waxed bolder with impunity. along the road from bristol to worcester and from worcester to shrewsbury men might be seen openly collecting and delivering letters in defiance of the law. openly or clandestinely the same thing was being done in other parts. "wherever," wrote the postmasters-general, "there are any townes which have commerce one with another so as to occasion a constant intercourse by carryer or tradesman, there we do find it a general practice to convey at the same time a considerable number of letters." but the illicit traffic between one part of the country and another, large as were the dimensions it had assumed, was insignificant as compared with that which was taking place between the country and london. this was the natural result of the establishment of the penny post. at the first introduction of postage care had been taken so to fix the rates that for single letters the post should be cheaper than the common carrier. but the common carrier, in competition with the state, had one enormous advantage. he could reduce his terms at will. so long, therefore, as there was a profit to be made, the relative cheapness of the post had proved only an imperfect check. a far more efficient check, in the case of the metropolis at least, had been the difficulty of dispersion. it was one thing to bring letters to london and another to deliver them. in a maze of streets consisting of houses which bore no numbers, a comparative stranger to the town attempting anything in the shape of a general delivery would have been simply bewildered. but all this was now altered. the penny post supplied the very machinery, the want of which had hitherto kept the illicit traffic within bounds. once within the orbit of that post, a letter consigned to any one of dockwra's four or five hundred receiving offices would be delivered in any part of what was then known as london for d., and in the suburbs for d. and these charges would carry up to one pound in weight; whereas a quarter of one pound by the general post, even from places no further distant from london than croydon or kingston, would be charged s. d. of course, under such conditions, to carry letters across the border-line, the line which separated the general post from the penny post, had soon become a regular traffic; and this traffic, in consequence of the impunity it enjoyed, was now being carried on with little concealment. no stage-coach entered london without the driver's pockets being stuffed with letters and packets, and he was moderate indeed if he had not a bagful besides. the waggoner outstripped his waggon and the carrier his pack-horse; and each brought his contribution. the higgler's wares were the merest pretext. it was to the letters and packets he carried that he looked for profit. so notorious had the abuse become that two private persons, unconnected with the post office, offered their services with a view to its correction. these persons were gentlemen by birth, and yet it is difficult to conceive an office more odious than the one which they were prepared to assume. they proposed to erect stands or barriers in westminster, southwark, and other places in the outskirts of london, and there to demand of suspected persons as they passed any letters they might have about them which did not concern their private business. they further proposed to deliver these letters by messengers of their own, and to collect the postage, and to proceed against the bearers of them for the recovery of the penalties. it is significant of the extent to which the traffic had grown, that in return for their services they asked no more than two-thirds of the postage they should collect, and even pleaded the heavy expenses to which they would be put as an apology for asking so much. the remaining third they would undertake to make over to the postmasters-general. they did not explain, however, how it was proposed to distinguish letters which concerned the private business of the bearers from those which did not, or how, while checking others, they were to be checked themselves. nor indeed was any such explanation needed, for the postmasters-general very clearly discerned that the proposed remedy would be worse, far worse, than the disease. cotton and frankland were sorely perplexed. they knew perfectly well that the true policy was to supplant and not to suppress; and experience had taught them that to facilitate correspondence was to increase it. these views they never ceased to inculcate; but their power of giving effect to them was extremely limited. they could not lower the rates of postage, for these were fixed by act of parliament. they could not set up a new post nor alter an old one without the king's permission. neither was this permission so easy to obtain as it had been. the post office revenue was settled upon william just as it had been settled upon james; but while james kept the control in his own hands william left it to his ministers.[ ] constitutionally sound as the change of practice was, it had its drawback. james might care little for the convenience of trade and commerce; but self-interest would prompt him not to withhold facilities where these might be given at small cost and with the prospect of comparatively large returns. ministers, on the contrary, even the most enlightened, concerned themselves mainly with the balance-sheet of the year, and no promise of future and remote profit would easily reconcile them to a diminution of present receipts. that the post office must sow before it can reap is a truism which those who hold the purse-strings have, at all times, found it hard to accept. [ ] occasionally, even after william's accession, the postmasters-general addressed the king direct. the remonstrance against quartering soldiers upon postmasters was so addressed. this document is dated the st of february / . the ministers charged with the control of the post office were the lords of the treasury. how little the postmasters-general were left to act on their own responsibility will best be shewn by examples. warwick, according to the computation of those days, was sixty-seven miles from london; but letters for that town passed through coventry, thus traversing a distance of eighty miles. and not only was the route a circuitous one but it involved an additional charge for postage, the rates for a single letter being, for eighty miles, d., and for less than eighty, d. the postmasters-general desired to send the letters direct; but even so simple a matter as this they were not competent to decide for themselves. a change of route involved a reduction of charge; and a reduction of charge might affect the king's receipts. before, therefore, the route could be altered, the king's assent had to be signified through his appointed ministers. in a post was established between exeter and bristol. this was the first cross-post set up by authority in the british isles. it ran twice a week, leaving exeter on wednesdays and saturdays at four in the afternoon, and arriving at bristol at the same hour on the following days. from bristol the return post, which went on mondays and fridays, started at ten in the morning. but in this case as in the other, the postmasters-general had not the power to act of their own motion. hitherto letters between the two towns had passed through london, and so had been liable to a double rate of postage, to one rate of d. from exeter to london, and to another rate of equal amount from london to bristol, or d. altogether. for the future, the towns being less than eighty miles apart, the charge would be d. large as this reduction was, the postmasters-general strongly advocated it. the existing post, they said, was both tedious and costly, and had been little used in consequence. a direct post, it was true, would require a small outlay to start it; but, this outlay notwithstanding, the post was certain to prove remunerative. increase facilities for correspondence, and correspondence would assuredly follow. besides, it would promote trade and be an inestimable boon to the public generally. to these representations the treasury yielded; and before three years were over, the postmasters-general had the satisfaction of reporting that the new post was producing a clear profit of more than £ a year. but complaisant as the treasury had been on this occasion, their co-operation was fitful and uncertain. the post office could not advance a step without incurring some trifling expense; and the treasury only too often acted as if to save expense, however trifling, were the highest proof of statesmanship. the postmasters-general were indeed heavily handicapped. even with a free hand their position would have been one of great embarrassment. but bound hand and foot as they were, what could they do? they did what was perhaps the very best thing that could have been done in the circumstances. they grouped large numbers of post offices together and let them out to farm. these groups, or branches as they were called, spread over a wide area. the buckingham branch, for instance, not only included the county of bucks but extended as far as warwick. the hungerford branch comprised sixteen post offices in the counties of berks, wilts, and somerset. the chichester branch covered a large part of surrey as well as sussex; and the six remaining branches, for eventually there were nine altogether, were equally extensive. this, though by no means a perfect remedy for the existing evils, went far to mitigate them. the farmer, of course, could not alter the rates of postage; but with this single exception he was free from the restraints which hampered the postmasters-general. within the area over which his farm extended he had only to consult his own interests; and, happily, his own interests and the interests of the public were identical. he improved and extended the posts, because to improve and extend the posts added to the number of letters and made his farm more profitable. he stopped the practice of levying gratuities on the delivery of letters, because this practice, by adding to the cost of the post, and so deterring persons from using it, diminished his own receipts. for the same reason he took good care that no agent of his own should omit to account for bye-letters, and, if other than his own agents continued to send letters by irregular means, that it should not be for want of facilities which he could himself supply. to this community of interest as between himself and the public may be ascribed the exceptional feelings with which, at the close of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries, the post office farmer was regarded. the very name of farmer in connection with other branches of the revenue had become a by-word for all that was rapacious and extortionate. only recently the farmer of the customs and the farmer of the hearth money had been stamped out as moral pests. the post office farmer, on the contrary, was welcomed wherever he came as a public benefactor. in his case outrages and exactions such as had disgraced the others were impossible. before he could collect a single penny he had a service to perform; and according as this service was performed well or ill, he repelled or attracted custom. the real secret of his welcome, however, was that he supplied an urgent demand; and how urgent this demand was may best be judged by the conditions on which he was glad to accept his farm. these conditions were a lease of no more than three years, and a rent equivalent to the highest amount which the post offices included in his farm had in any one year produced. for his profits he had nothing to look to but the increase of revenue resulting from his own management; and even of this he received the whole only in the first year, when he would, presumably, be establishing his plant. in subsequent years he received two-thirds, the remaining third going to the post office. if under such conditions as these it were possible to toil and grow rich, great indeed must have been the field of operation. among those who were commissioned to supply the accommodation which the postmasters-general were precluded from supplying themselves was one who deserves to be specially mentioned. this was stephen bigg of winslow, in buckinghamshire. bigg farmed the buckingham branch. he appears to have possessed and to have deserved the confidence of the postmasters-general. of ample means, and endowed with no ordinary powers of organisation, he had probably embarked on his undertaking less with a view to profit than from a desire to improve the posts. be that as itmay, the same means which conduced to the one end conduced also to the other; and when the time arrived for him to render an account of his proceedings, he not only made over to the post office a handsome sum as one-third share of the profits, but had earned for himself the gratitude of the large district over which his farm extended. his success in his own county encouraged him to enlarge the sphere of his operations. passing through lancashire in the last year of the century, he was struck with the wretched accommodation which the posts afforded. as compared with those under his own control, they were slow, irregular, and, owing to the system of gratuities, costly. on his return to london he offered to take in farm the post offices of the whole county. the offer was accepted, and a lease was signed fixing the rent, as ascertained in the usual manner, at £ . the history of this farm is curious. bigg had not long been engaged in his new undertaking before the cross-post which had some few years before been set up between exeter and bristol was extended to chester. it is not very clear how this interfered with bigg's proceedings; but, as a matter of fact, it appears to have tapped an important source of supply. on this being pointed out to the postmasters-general, they at once, with that high sense of justice which distinguished all their proceedings, released him from his engagement and cancelled the lease. the next county to which bigg turned his attention was lincolnshire. if lancashire had bad posts, lincolnshire had next to none. five post towns were all of which lincolnshire could boast--stamford and witham and grantham, lincoln and boston; and of these only two were off the great north road which ran through the extreme west of the county. it is true that other towns received letters; but they received them only by virtue of a private arrangement, and heavily had they to pay for the luxury. from lincoln, for instance, the postmaster went twice a week to gainsborough and to brigg, to horncastle, louth, and grimsby, charging as his own perquisite on each letter he collected or delivered the sum of d. over and above the postage; but, so far as depended on any official post, these and all the intervening towns were absolutely cut off from the rest of the world.[ ] bigg procured a farm of the district in favour of his son, and the lease was signed on the th of august . on the st of october in the same year posts began to run, and gratuities on the delivery of letters had become a thing of the past. one penny on each letter collected was the only charge that remained over and above the postage. [ ] in the case of grimsby it is the more surprising that this should have been so, because out of the only five towns in the kingdom which the act of mentions by name grimsby is one. according to this act the post was to go there once a week. it would be less than justice not to recognise the important part which about this period the farmer played in the history of the post office; nor is it possible not to admire the sagacity of those who, when they found the posts to be slipping through their fingers, summoned this extraneous agency to their aid. it was no mere venture which by a happy accident happened to turn out well. the postmasters-general had foreseen and foretold exactly what would be the result--that under a system of farming the public would be better served, letters would become more numerous, and the revenue, when it should revert to the crown at the termination of the lease, would be higher than when the lease began. next to lincolnshire in poverty of the means of correspondence stood cornwall. until the post to falmouth, after leaving exeter, ran through ashburton to plymouth and thence along the south coast. of the towns in mid cornwall launceston alone possessed a post office. at others, indeed, letters were delivered, but only by virtue of a private arrangement and on payment of a gratuity of d. apiece. no farmer, unfortunately, offered his services here. but, what was perhaps the next best thing, the gentry of the county, headed by lord granville, took the matter up. thus supported, the postmasters-general proceeded to concert their arrangements. they desired the postmasters of exeter, plymouth, and launceston to meet together and prepare some scheme for facilitating the correspondence of the midland towns. such a scheme was soon submitted, and, although it involved a cost of £ a year, authority for its adoption was not withheld. henceforth the post for the extreme west of england was to go, not by way of plymouth, but direct from exeter to st. columb, and thence through truro to falmouth. a single post through a wide extent of country might ill accord with our present views of what the public convenience requires; and yet at the beginning of the eighteenth century mid cornwall, by the mere alteration of the route for the falmouth mails, obtained facilities for correspondence not inferior to those enjoyed by other parts of the country. the speed at which the post travelled at the end of the seventeenth century only slightly exceeded four miles an hour. this slow rate of progress, added to the fact that, except to the downs, the post left london only on alternate days, gave occasion for the not infrequent use of expresses. these were mounted messengers sent specially for the occasion. whether for expresses there was any prescribed rate of speed is not known; but it seems probable that their instructions were to go as fast as they could. the charge for an express was d. a mile and d. a stage, a stage being on the average about twelve miles. the total sum which the post office received on this account during the half-year which ended the th of september was £ . occasionally several expresses would be required at one time. in , on the discovery of barclay's plot to assassinate the king, orders were given to close the ports; and these orders the postmasters-general sent, as they were instructed to do, by express. some twenty years afterwards similar orders were given, and an account is still extant shewing how on the later, and probably the earlier, occasion they were carried into effect. the english ports were sixty-two in number; and to only ten of these were expresses sent direct from lombard street, the others being either taken by the way or reached by branch expresses furnished by the towns through which the expresses from london passed. altogether the distance traversed was miles, the number of stages , and the sum which the post office received for the service from the commissioners of customs £ : : . from expresses it seems almost natural to pass to flying packets, although between the two there is, so far as we are aware, no necessary connection. what was a flying packet? the term "flying," at the end of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries, was, no doubt, used in the sense of running. for this season, writes lord compton's private tutor to lady northampton, under date september , "the coach has done flying." in like manner "flying post," a term as old as the post office itself,[ ] meant nothing more than what in scotland was called a runner. possibly because the idea of expedition was conveyed by the term "flying," flying packet came to be regarded as synonymous with express. "i despatch this by a flying pacquett," writes lord townshend to the duke of argyll in ; and again, "my lord, after writing what is above, a flying packet brings letters from edinburgh of the th." "by the flying pacquett which arrived last night," writes secretary stanhope about the same date, "i received the honour of your grace's of the st inst." here, by flying packet is obviously meant express. and yet, curiously enough, this is a sense in which the postmasters-general never employed the term. by them it was always designed to signify the thing transmitted, and not the means of transmission. what they called a flying packet might be sent by ordinary post no less than by express; and when sending one by express they never failed to state that it was being so sent. "you are therefore," they write in , "on the receipt of the bag so delivered to your care [_i.e._ a small bag containing letters for the court], to dispatch the same imediately by a flying packet from harwich to this office, and to send a labil therewith expressing the precise time of the arrival and your having dispatched the same per express." on receipt of the holland mail, they write again in the following year, "you are to take out the court letters, and to forward the same express by a flying packet directed to mr. frankland at the post office at newmarket." "the inclosed box being recommended to our care by his grace the duke of queensberry, one of her majesty's principall secretarys of state, we do send the same by a flying pacquet.... you are to send us advice by the first post of the safe comeing of this pacquet to your hands." in short, flying packet, in its original sense, appears to have meant simply a packet of which the enclosures were designed for some other person than the one whose address the packet bore. within the post office it is occasionally necessary to employ technical terms which would not be intelligible to persons without; but this, so far as we are aware, is the only instance of the same term being used within and without in two totally different senses. [ ] . feb. rd. robert reade to charles spellman. "att the right honourable my lord townshend's in the old palace yard, westminster." the writer says that he has as yet received no command from mr. spellman or from lord townshend, "nor do i wonder at it, because the flying post lay drunke last friday at fakenham (being the day that he should have binn at thetford to take those letters then there which he should bring hether on saterday), and had not changed his quarter yesterday as i am informed by one of scott's men who saw him pittyfully drunke. the cuntry complaines of him."--historical manuscripts commission, eleventh report, appendix, part iv. p. . of the state of the roads about this period the highway act affords, perhaps, not the least trustworthy evidence. to incidents which have resulted in nothing more than temporary inconvenience travellers are apt to give a touch of humorous exaggeration. an act of parliament, on the contrary, deals with facts as they are, and concerns itself not with imaginary ills. what, then, is to be thought of the condition of the roads when provisions such as these were necessary?--no causeway for horses was to be less than three feet in breadth, nor was the breadth of any cartway leading to a market town to be less than eight feet. in highways of less breadth than twenty feet no tree was to be permitted to grow, or stone, timber, or manure to be heaped up so as to obstruct progress; and hedges were to be kept trimmed, and boughs to be lopped off, so as to allow a free passage to travellers, and not to intercept the action of the sun and wind. of any breach of these and other provisions the road-surveyor was, on the sunday next after it became known to him, to give public notice in the parish church immediately after the conclusion of the sermon. long after the passing of the act of , and perhaps in consequence of it, the causeway formed an important feature of the roads. this causeway, or bridle-track, ran down the middle; while the margin on either side was little better than a ditch, and being lower than the adjoining soil, and at the same time soft and unmade, received and retained the sludge. but, in truth, the state of the roads concerned the post office far less at the close of the seventeenth century than it did at the close of the eighteenth. the mails were carried on horseback; and, even so, they were carried mainly over the six great roads of the kingdom. these roads, as compared with others, were good; and execrably bad as we might now think them, they were probably not altogether ill adapted to riding. the disasters which history refers to this period, as illustrating the difficulties of travelling, occurred generally on the cross-roads, and always with wheel traffic. for both wheel traffic and horse traffic the six great roads had, probably from the earliest times, been kept in some sort of repair. on the great kent road, nearly a hundred years before, a young dane, with his attendants, had on horseback accomplished the distance between dover and london in a single day.[ ] in couriers had ridden from london to york and back, a distance of about miles, in thirty-four hours,[ ] a feat barely possible except on the assumption that the road was in tolerable order. now and again, indeed, some postmaster, pleading for the remission of his debt to the crown, would urge the losses he had sustained in horse-flesh by reason of the badness of the roads; but these roads were always cross-roads--roads along which, if he had delivered letters, he had delivered them on his own account. of the six great roads as a means of transit for the mails there were no complaints. [ ] the forty-sixth annual report of the deputy-keeper of the public records, appendix ii. p. . [ ] _clarendon's life_, vol. i. p. . it was when the post office required something to be done which involved transmission from place to place otherwise than on horseback that its troubles began. such an event occurred in . sir isaac newton was then busy at the mint, devoting to the coinage those powers of intellect which were soon to astonish the world. the clipping of the coin had gone to such lengths that within the space of one year no less than four acts of parliament were passed with a view to abate the evil. milled money was to take the place of hammered money. the clipped pieces had already been withdrawn from circulation, and now a date was fixed after which no broad pieces were to be received in payment of taxes except by weight. this date was the th of november, and collectors of the public revenue were allowed until the th of the following month to pay them over to the exchequer. if not paid over by the th of december they were to be taken by weight and not by tale, and the collectors were to lose the difference. here was a clear month's grace, and the postmasters were under a strong inducement to see that the period was not exceeded. from oxford the hammered money was sent by barge. no sooner had it started than a severe frost set in, and lasted for six weeks, the consequence being to delay the arrival in london until the th of january. to take the money by weight and not by tale would have been equivalent to a fine of about £ . from this, however, the postmaster was excused on the ground that the barge was the safest means of conveyance he could have employed. as a "flying coach"--a coach which travelled at the speed of about four miles an hour--had for many years been running between oxford and london, it must be assumed either that it had stopped for the winter or else that for some cause or other, possibly on account of highwaymen, it was not considered safe. from sandwich, in kent, the hammered money was sent by hoy, which did not reach the thames until the th of january. again the postmasters-general urged that the delay might be overlooked on the ground that no earlier means of conveyance would have been safe. altogether, when the th of december arrived, more than £ of hammered money was still outstanding in the postmasters' hands; and in every case the want of conveyance or the badness of the roads was assigned as the cause. the penny post office, since it had passed into the hands of the government, had undergone but little change. its headquarters had been removed from dockwra's house to seven rooms prepared for the purpose, not, indeed, at the post office in lombard street, where want of space was already beginning to be felt, but probably in the immediate neighbourhood. it had also, in the language of the time, been eased from a multitude of desperate debts. but the conditions on which it was conducted remained as they had been,--the same limit of weight, the same frequency of delivery, and the same rule as to compensation in case of loss. dockwra, with the view, no doubt, of propitiating the authorities, had provided for the conveyance to lombard street of all general post letters left at his receiving offices; and this duty, when he was dispossessed, passed to the persons by whom those offices were kept. the result was not satisfactory. the receivers, in their desire to get the work done as cheaply as possible, employed to do it the most needy and most worthless persons, persons who could not get employment elsewhere. at length the miscarriages and losses became so frequent that the post office appointed its own messengers to go round and collect the letters. nor is it by any means certain that the character of the receivers themselves was above suspicion. the plain truth is that they were, with few exceptions, keepers of public-houses. the collector who called there periodically to adjust accounts complained that often four and even five visits were necessary before he could obtain payment, and that the opportunity was taken to pass upon him bad money. times have changed indeed. with public-houses for receiving offices, with inn-keepers for postmasters, and with a considerable sum expended annually on drink and feast money, it can hardly be denied that the post office at the end of the seventeenth century was a good friend to the licensed victualler. at the present time no postmaster may keep an inn; no receiving office may be at a public-house; and not many years ago, when a hotel with its stock-in-trade was purchased with a view to the extension of the post office buildings in st. martin's-le-grand, some excellent persons were shocked because, under the sanction of the postmaster-general, were exposed for sale by auction some few dozen bottles of port. of the extent to which the penny post was used at this period we are not, so far as the suburbs are concerned, without some means of judging. according to the original plan, which had been adhered to in its integrity, one penny was to carry a letter within such parts of london as lay within the bills of mortality. beyond these limits one penny more was charged; and this penny, which was technically called the second or deliver penny, constituted the messengers' remuneration. as this soon proved to be more than enough for its purpose, the messengers were put on fixed wages, and the second pennies were carried to the credit of the post office. of the amounts derived from this source during the sixteen years from to a record is still extant. the lowest amount for any one year was £ , and the highest £ , the average being £ . it would hence appear that for such parts of london as lay outside the bills of mortality, for what in fact were at that time the suburbs, the number of letters at the end of the seventeenth century was about , a year, or, counting working days to the year, about a day. on one point the postmasters-general were determined, that the penny post office should not be let out to farm. all overtures to this effect they resolutely declined. the penny post and the general post had become so interwoven, and, outside london, so short a distance separated the limits within which the one ceased and the other began to operate, that it was considered of the highest importance, both on the score of convenience and as a protection against fraud, that the two posts should not be under different management. the same considerations were not held to apply to dublin. in dublin, rapidly as that city was now growing in size[ ] and population, a penny post, it was thought, could not possibly answer. yet in a spirited lady sought permission to set one up. this was elizabeth, countess-dowager of thanet. a desire to supplement a jointure, originally slender and now reduced by the taxation consequent on the war, was the simple reason assigned for the enterprise, and yet with the highest professions of public spirit it might have been difficult to render to the community a more signal service. the duke of ormonde, who was then lord lieutenant, approved the proposal, and the postmasters-general had made preparations for carrying it into effect. the new post was to extend for ten or twelve miles in and around dublin; no receiving office was to be within two miles of the first stage of the general post; the lease was to be for fourteen years; and one-tenth part of the clear profits was to go to the crown. at the last moment, however, the treasury withheld their assent, and for no less than seventy years from this time dublin remained without a penny post. [ ] writing in , mr. manley, the postmaster-general's deputy in dublin, says, "there are not less than a thousand more houses now than there were at my first coming here [_i.e._ in ]. besides, there are many new streets now laid out and buildings erecting every day." of the internal affairs of the post office during the first fifteen years of cotton and frankland's administration of it little need be said. at first their only assistant was a clerk at £ a year to copy their letters. in they procured a new appointment to be created, the appointment of secretary to the post office. the secretary to the post office at the present time has duties to discharge, of the variety and importance of which his mere title gives a very inadequate idea. in he was little more than a private secretary. one thing indeed he had to do, to which a private secretary of our own time might perhaps demur. during the night, if an express were wanted, he had to rise from his bed and prepare the necessary instructions. the salary of the appointment, originally £ , was raised to £ in . in this year a solicitor was appointed, also at a salary of £ . two years later a transaction was completed on which the postmasters-general had long set their hearts. this was the purchase of a part of the post office premises in lombard street. as far back as sir robert viner, the owner, had offered the freehold for sale, but the revolution had put a stop to further proceedings. in , after sir robert's death, his nephew and executor again proposed to sell, and sir christopher wren, on behalf of the crown, surveyed the property with a view to its purchase. on examination, however, the title proved to be defective, and it was not until , after the defect had been remedied by act of parliament, that the crown secured the freehold for the sum of £ . at the present time it matters not where post office servants reside, so long as they attend punctually. at the beginning of the eighteenth century it was considered important on account of the unseasonable hours of attendance that they should reside "in and about" the post office. the post office was, in effect, a barrack, and, except the premises in lombard street, there were none in the immediate neighbourhood that would well answer the purpose. hence the anxiety to purchase the freehold; and the anxiety was all the greater because it had been threatened that if not purchased by the crown the property would be sold to the speculative builder or, as he was then called, the projector. chapter vii cotton and frankland _packet service_ - of the packet service prior to we have no particulars; but that some such service had long existed, though probably on a very limited scale, hardly admits of a doubt. to ireland, as to other parts of the kingdom, a regular post had been established in ; and it is difficult to suppose that a mail on arriving at holyhead would be left to a chance vessel to carry it across the channel. the probability of some organised means of transport is still stronger in the case of dover. dover was the town through which all letters for the continent passed; and our trade with the continent had for a century and more been considerable. hence it was that the post through the county of kent had been carefully nursed while as yet no other part of the country had any post at all. but if, as seems certain, both dover and holyhead were packet stations long prior to , it is almost equally certain that these were the only two in the kingdom. in that year the arrangements, whatever they were, for carrying the mails between england and france came to an end, and a new service was established between dover and calais and between dover and ostend or nieuport. this was succeeded in the following year by a similar service between england and holland. both services were to be carried on by contract. in the one case the contractor was to receive £ a year, and also to have the management of the letter office at dover. in the other the payment was to be £ a year, for which sum three hoys were to be maintained, two of sixty and one of forty tons, and carrying six men each. for the service to holland the packet stations were, on this side of the water, harwich, and, on the other, the brill. to the letters which came to this country by regular packet must be added those that were technically termed ship letters--letters which were brought by ships arriving at uncertain times from any part of the world. these letters, according to the provisions of the act of , were to be given up to the postmaster at the port of arrival, so that they might be forwarded to london, and thence despatched to their destination after being charged with the proper amount of postage. in this particular, however, the act proved of little effect. masters of ships were offered no inducement to deliver the letters to the postmaster, and incurred no penalty for omitting to do so. the post office was then in farm; and desirous as the farmers were to make what they could out of their undertaking, they soon found that it would be well worth their while to incur some expense which should secure obedience to the law. accordingly they undertook that for every letter which a shipmaster should bring to this country, and deliver to the postmaster at the port of arrival, he should receive the sum of one penny. this was the origin of ship letter money--a form of payment which has since received legal sanction, and exists at the present day. it was into the port of london that ship letters chiefly came, and here the number which found their way to the post office in lombard street was seriously affected by the establishment of the penny post. that this was only natural will appear from a simple illustration. from marseilles to london the postage was s. for a single letter. on one hundred such letters, therefore, the charge would be £ . but if, instead of taking these hundred letters to the general post office, a shipmaster on his arrival in the pool dropped them into the penny post, they would all be delivered for s. d. it is true that he would thus lose his gratuity of one penny a letter; but the difference between the two rates of postage was such as to leave an ample margin of profit, even after making him full--and more than full--compensation for his loss. indeed, if he had been bent on cheating his employer as well as the post office, he might with very little risk of detection have put the whole of the difference into his own pocket. in the number of ship letters accounted for to the post office was , ,[ ] a number which, forming as it did the basis of a payment, may be taken as absolutely correct, because the post office would take good care not to pay more, and shipmasters not to receive less, than was absolutely due. it is to be regretted that no similar account is forthcoming for previous years, so that it might be seen what was the extent of the influence which the penny post exercised; but that this influence was considerable is certain from the continual references made to it by successive postmasters-general during a long series of years. it is to be observed, however, that they always speak of it as a thing that was past and gone, a thing baneful enough while it lasted, but as having been of only short duration. the explanation is no doubt to be found in the fact that in two officers were appointed, whose duty it was to collect letters from all vessels arriving in the port of london. the boat employed in this service had assigned to it special colours of its own, on which was depicted a man on horseback blowing a post horn.[ ] [ ] "to divers masters of shipps for letters by them brought from forreigne parts this year at one penny each according to the usage--£ : : ."--extract from writ of privy seal for passing the accounts of "our right trusty and right well-beloved couzen and councellor lawrence earle of rochester, late our high treasurer of england." [ ] "this is to give notice that lancellot plumer and william barret are appointed by the postmaster-general of england to receive all such letters and pacquets from masters of ships and vessels, mariners and passengers as shall be by them hereafter brought in any ships or vessels into the port of london, to the end the same may be delivered with speed and safety according to their respective directions and the laws of this kingdom; and that all masters of ships or vessels and all mariners and passengers may the better take notice thereof, the right honourable the lords of the admiralty have directed that the boat employed in this service do carry colours, in which there is to be represented a man on horseback blowing a post horn."--_london gazette_, no. , from monday st december to thursday th december . in , on the breaking out of the war with france, the dover boats ceased to run, and, in order to provide for the letters to spain which had hitherto passed through that country, a service was established between falmouth and the groyne. on this service two boats were employed of two or three hundred tons each. they carried from eighty to ninety men besides twenty guns, and ran once a fortnight. the harwich boats were at the same time increased both in number and in strength. the three hoys were replaced by four boats--boats of force as they were called, carrying fifty men each. it may well be believed that, with so large a crew under his command, the captain of a well-armed vessel was loth to confine himself to the monotonous task of carrying the mails to and fro, and went in quest of adventure. but be that as it may, william, who since his accession to the throne had taken an extraordinary interest in the harwich service, was not satisfied with the performances of these boats. it was his opinion that the first requisite in a mail packet was speed and not strength. strength might indeed enable it to engage an enemy, but speed would enable it to avoid one. accordingly, by the king's direction, the post office with the assistance of edmund dummer, the surveyor of the navy, built four small boats of its own--boats "of no force," but remarkable for their speed. the change was not carried out without much grumbling. the boats were low built, and, except in the calmest weather, shipped a good deal of water. the sailors complained that they seldom, from one end of the voyage to the other, had a dry coat to their backs. the absence of any armament was still more unpalatable to them. they dared not leave the harbour, at least so they said, when the enemy was to windward; and, as though to confirm their words, they sometimes after leaving returned. we shall probably do them no wrong if we distrust these excuses. no british sailor, or soldier either, cares to turn his back on the foe, and that this was expected of them, that they were required to run and not to fight, we suspect to have been the real grievance. eventually, but not until some had refused to serve and others had deserted, matters quieted down. an increase of wages was given all round, raising the pay above that given in the royal navy, and, in order to compensate for the additional cost, the complement of the crew was reduced from thirty to twenty-one. it is a striking confirmation of the soundness of william's view that during the next twenty-four years, although no less than nineteen of them were years of war, only two of these boats were taken. until the harwich packets had been self-supporting, the receipts from freight and passengers being enough to cover the cost. in that year, as a consequence of the war, the fares were raised. passengers to holland who had hitherto paid s. were now to pay s., and those who had paid s. were to pay s. recruits and indigent persons passed free. in the carriage of goods and merchandise was prohibited. this prohibition afterwards became common in times of war, but in the present instance it was imposed in the vain hope of stopping the exportation of silver. in exchange for silver, gold had long been pouring into the country, as much as ounces coming by a single packet; and advices had been received from amsterdam and rotterdam that future consignments would not be restricted even to that quantity. the reform of the currency, which alone could check this movement of the precious metals, was expeditiously accomplished; but the prohibition against the carriage of merchandise remained. on the conclusion of peace in the service between dover and calais and between dover and ostend recommenced, but only to be discontinued again on the resumption of hostilities in . during these five years the relations between the english and french post offices had at no time been friendly, and latterly had become very highly strained. under the terms of a treaty concluded with france in , the mails, as soon as they arrived on this side at dover and on the other at calais, were to be forwarded to the respective capitals by express. england faithfully fulfilled her part of the engagement. by france the engagement was treated as a dead letter. the mails from england, on their arrival at calais, instead of being forwarded to paris by express, were kept back for the ordinary post; and this post went only once a day, leaving at three in the afternoon. if, therefore, the packet arrived at four or five o'clock, the letters were detained for the best part of twenty-four hours. at lyons the letters between england and italy were being treated after much the same fashion. on arrival in that town--such at least was the complaint in the city--instead of being forwarded with all despatch, they were forwarded seldom in due course and sometimes not at all. m. pajot was then director of the french posts; and in this capacity he had signed the treaty. in vain cotton and frankland called his attention to the breach of its provisions. their letter was not even acknowledged. for the transit of british mails across french territory england had agreed to pay to france the sum of , livres[ ] a year, and a remittance in payment of the instalment due was sent to paris; but not even of this could an acknowledgment be obtained. let the nature of the communication to him be what it would, pajot maintained an obstinate silence. when war broke out afresh, all intercourse between the two post offices had ceased for nearly three years, and the debt due to france had accumulated to the amount of , livres. [ ] equal, at the then rate of exchange, to £ : s. the cessation of the dover packets in was soon followed by that of the packets between falmouth and the groyne, but the want of any regular means of communication with the peninsular proved so inconvenient that, before many months had passed, the service was re-established in a slightly altered form. the boats, instead of stopping short at the groyne, were to run on to lisbon; and two years later their number was increased from two to five. this increase was due to political rather than commercial reasons. it is true that an important commercial treaty was about this time concluded with portugal; but, what was considered of far greater moment, the archduke charles after passing through london had recently proceeded to that country in furtherance of his pretensions to the throne of spain. it was at once resolved that communication with lisbon should henceforth be weekly instead of only once a fortnight, and for this purpose less than five boats were deemed insufficient. but of all the packet services in existence at the beginning of the eighteenth century none perhaps possesses more features of interest than the service to the west indies. in james the second's reign a post office had been established in jamaica, and rates of postage had been settled not only within the island itself but between the island and the mother country. this was a new departure. in the original scheme of postage as propounded by witherings no charge had been imposed except in return for some service. the same principle had been scrupulously adhered to in the acts of and . under these acts, except where a service was rendered or where payment for a service was made to another country, no charge was provided for. yet between england and jamaica, although the crown was not at the cost of maintaining means of transport, postage rates were fixed of d. a single letter, s. a double letter, and s. an ounce. this was a pure tax, and the precedent, bad as it was and of questionable legality, was soon extended to the case of letters to america. the war of , while deranging other services, called the service to the west indies into being. the west india merchants, a designation even then in vogue, were a large and important body, and, as opportunities of intercourse by private ship became rare and uncertain, a demand arose for some established means of communication. with the assistance of dummer, surveyor of the navy, sloops were provided to carry mails to the plantation islands, and by way of helping to defray the cost, the postage rates were increased by about one-half. the vessels sailed at uncertain intervals, but otherwise the service was performed with regularity, the voyage out and home occupying from to days. dummer was so well satisfied with the result of his management that, rather than continue as mere agent for the postmasters-general, he desired to perform the service on his own account. for the sum of £ , a year he undertook to provide a monthly communication, and for this purpose to build and equip five boats of tons each, and carrying twenty-six men and ten guns. these boats were to have two decks, and any of them that should be lost or taken by the enemy were to be replaced at his own cost. of the £ , no more than £ was to be paid down. freight, which was limited to five tons out and ten tons home, passenger fares, and postage were to go in part payment, and from these dummer expected to make up the difference. postage alone he set down at £ ; and that it might produce this sum he made it an express stipulation that the rates to the west indies should be raised to the same level as those to portugal, namely s. d. a single letter, s. d. a double letter, and s. an ounce. to double the postage, he took for granted, was to double the returns. abler men than he and men living nearer to our own times have fallen into the same error; but seldom, probably, has it been sooner or more strikingly exposed. the new rates came into operation in england in march, and in the west indies in april. the effect of the alteration, as would now be predicted with confidence, was only slightly to increase the amount of postage and largely to reduce the number of letters. it is so seldom that in matters of this kind cause and effect are brought into such close approximation, that we offer no apology for giving the postage which the correspondence produced immediately before and immediately after the change:-- _to the west indies._ date on which the packet sailed from england. amount of postage. jan. , £ feb. " mar. " (new rates) apr. " may " june " july " _from the west indies._ date on which the packet arrived in england. amount of postage. feb. , £ apr. " (new rates) aug. " sept. " oct. " of course, the mails immediately after the change would carry what may be called surprised letters, letters which had been posted before the issue of the new regulations or before these regulations had become generally known; and the mail arriving in august would bring also the letters which had accumulated since the preceding april. what at the present time is calculated to excite surprise is not that the aggregate amounts of postage should not have increased in proportion to the rates, but that these amounts should have been as high as they were. trade with the west indies was, no doubt, considerable. and yet, after making ample allowance on that score, of what sort can the correspondence have been to produce postage of between £ and £ by a single mail; and why should the amount in one direction have been nearly five times as heavy as the amount in the other? the answer, we think, is to be found in a letter which the postmasters-general wrote about this time. a small box for the commissioners for the sick and wounded had come from lisbon charged with postage of £ : s. from this charge the commissioners sought to be relieved on the ground that the box contained nothing but office accounts, which, besides being of no intrinsic value, were on her majesty's business. to such arguments, however, the postmasters-general turned a deaf ear. with the contents of the box they were not concerned. all they knew or cared to know was that it weighed eighty-seven ounces, and this weight, at the rate of s. an ounce, gave £ : s. forego the charge in the present instance, and how, they asked, could charges be any longer maintained on other packets not less on her majesty's business than this box, packets from the prize office, the salt office, the customs and the navy, and also, they added, on the large bundles of muster-rolls from the regiments stationed in the west indies? in short, we entertain little doubt that the postage by the homeward mails was largely derived from official correspondence, correspondence which at the present time bears no postage at all. the good fortune which had attended dummer while acting as manager for the postmasters-general entirely deserted him as soon as the service came into his own hands. during the first twelve months the postage fell short of his expectations by about one-third; and freight and passengers, which he had estimated to produce £ , produced little more than one-sixth of that amount. nor was this the worst. the very first packet that sailed under his contract was taken by the enemy. another, not many months later, was cast away on the rocks off the island of inagua; and a third fell into the hands of a privateer in the channel. a series of disasters which would have daunted most men seems only to have inspired dummer with fresh energy. of the ultimate success of his undertaking he entertained no doubt. he held as strongly as we can hold at the present day, that trade and correspondence act and react upon each other; and that these should thrive he considered nothing more to be necessary than speed and regularity of communication.[ ] with good heart, therefore, he applied himself to replace the boats which had been lost, fully determined that on his part no efforts should be wanting to supply the conditions on which alone he conceived success to depend. [ ] "it being a certain maxim," he wrote to the postmasters-general on the th of february , "that as trade is the producer of correspondence, so trade is governed and influenced by the certainty and quickness of correspondence." the packet stations at this time were four in number. dover was closed. harwich and falmouth were in full activity. holyhead was a mere home station for the transmission of the irish correspondence; and, the service being under contract, suffice it to say that the mails to dublin went twice a week and were transported with marked regularity. of the harwich and falmouth stations, managed as they were by the postmasters-general, we propose to give some account. each station was presided over by an agent, whose province it was to see that the packets were properly equipped and victualled, to arrange the order of sailing, to keep the captains to their duty, and generally to maintain order and regularity among the unruly spirits of which the establishment was composed. the outward mails, on their arrival from london, were to be despatched, if for holland or for portugal, immediately, and if for the west indies, within two days; and, as soon as they were put on board, weights were to be attached to them so that they might be sunk at once if in danger of being taken by the enemy. so important was this precaution held to be that, although enjoined in the general instructions, it was continually insisted upon in particular cases. "be sure," write the postmasters-general to one of their agents, "that before the captain sails, he prepares everything to sink the mail in case he shall be attacked by the enemy that he can't avoid being taken"; and to another, "we would have you take care to affix a sufficient weight to the mail so soon as 'tis on board"; and to a third, "we do not doubt but the mails will be ready slung with weights sufficient to sink them in case of danger of falling into the enemy's hands." another rule to which the postmasters-general attached great importance was that more than two mails were not to go by the same boat. this rule, however, could not always be observed, for the boats had an awkward habit of finding themselves on the wrong side, and, by the time one had arrived, there was an accumulation of mails to be disposed of. the inward mails, as soon as they reached the port of arrival, were forwarded to london by express. from harwich the letters for the court, or state letters,[ ] as they were now beginning to be called, were sent in advance of the ordinary mail, arrangements having been made at the brill to put these letters into a special bag by themselves. from falmouth, where no provision had been made for distinguishing one class of correspondence from another, the same express carried the whole. when, as was sometimes the case, packets of documents reached the port unenclosed with the rest of the letters, these were to be chained to the "grand mail"; and on the label was always to be inserted the number of passengers that had arrived by the boat, so that the postmasters along the line of road might know for how many persons they had to provide horses. between falmouth and london the mails when sent express travelled at the rate of about five miles an hour; and this speed appears to have been regularly maintained. expresses to carry a single letter or a message, or to overtake the lisbon mail, were continually passing to and fro, and these of course went faster. from harwich the mails would sometimes reach london in eleven hours, being at the rate of six and a half miles an hour; but on this line of road there was so much irregularity that the time ordinarily occupied in the journey cannot be stated with certainty.[ ] [ ] in , court or state letters, for at this time the terms were used indiscriminately, were defined to be letters directed to "the queen, his royal highness the prince, the lord high treasurer, and the two principal secretarys of state and their clarks." sometimes, but more rarely, they were called "queen's letters." [ ] here is one among many similar complaints addressed by the postmasters-general to the packet agent at harwich: "we admire to find the two bags with the states letters brought over by the prince and dispatch which arrived at harwich june st at in the morning should not be dispatcht till the same day; as also at the comeing in of the mayls, one of which being dispatcht at arrived here at at night, yet the other came not till next morning." the seamen on board the packets were paid in no case more than s. a month and generally less; but the employment carried with it one great advantage. this was exemption from impressment. even the carpenters hired to do odd jobs when the boats were in harbour were furnished with protection orders.[ ] partly on this ground, and partly, no doubt, on account of the gains to be derived from contraband traffic, admission to the packet service appears to have been eagerly sought. at one time, indeed, it threatened to become a matter of patronage; but the consequences of a first step in that direction effectually prevented another. the _godolphin_ packet had been taken and carried by the enemy into st. malo. her captain, a brave and experienced officer, did not hesitate to attribute the loss of his vessel to sheer cowardice on the part of the crew. one, at the first shot that was fired, had run down to the doctor and declared that he was wounded, whereas no sign of a wound was to be found upon him; another had taken shelter behind the mainmast; a third had been heard to declare that he would not hazard the loss of his little finger to save the packet. this conduct, as unprecedented as it was scandalous, led to a searching investigation, when it transpired that the so-called sailors were, many of them, no sailors at all, but mere landlubbers who had been taken on out of complaisance to the local gentry. [ ] the following is a specimen of the protection order given:-- to all commanders and officers of our shipps, pressmasters and others whome it may concerne. james r. you are not to imprest into our service any of the six persons hereunder named belonging to the jane of dover, whereof richard moone is master, the said vessell being employed in our service as a pacquett boate at dover. given at our court at whitehall the th of october . by his majesty's command. pepys . anth. deleau. . jasper moore. . david williams. . pet. foster. . dennis matthew. . wm. ambross. each packet boat carried its own surgeon. a surgeon was also provided for the care of the sick on shore. this medical supervision was remunerated by means of a capitation allowance, an allowance of so much per head; but whereas it would now be in respect to all persons under the surgeon's charge, whether well or ill, it was then only in respect to those that were ill-- s. a day for each sick person and s. d. for each cure--a mode of payment which did not perhaps conduce to a speedy recovery. to provide for casualties, a fund was established, towards the support of which each seaman contributed d. a month out of his pay. if he were killed in action, provision was made for his widow, and, if he were wounded, he received a small annuity or, as it was called, smart and bounty money, the amount of which was nicely apportioned to the nature of his injury. thus-- for each arm or leg amputated above the elbow or knee he would receive £ a year. for each arm or leg amputated below the elbow or knee " for the loss of the sight of one eye " for the loss of the pupil of the eye " for the loss of the sight of both eyes " for the loss of the pupils of both eyes " it is a ghastly bill of fare; and yet the sailors laid great store by it. on one occasion, indeed, until assured that the transfer of a boat to dummer's management would not affect their claim to these annuities, they absolutely refused to go to sea. with few exceptions, no passenger was allowed on board a packet boat without a pass from the secretary of state. the exceptions were shipwrecked seamen, recruits, and officers in charge of recruits. shipwrecked seamen went free, free from any charge for passage-money or for maintenance. recruits and officers in charge of recruits not being above the rank of lieutenant were charged for maintenance but not for passage-money. all others, though furnished with a passport, paid or were expected to pay for both. of these rules, however, there would seem to have been no public announcement, and this led to constant dispute and bickerings. an interesting event was expected in one of the many english families which at this time flocked to the court of portugal, and dr. crichton was despatched to lisbon with a cow. furnished with a pass by the secretary of state he stoutly maintained his right to a free passage; and this right the postmaster-general as stoutly disputed. nor, assuming the right to exist, could they conceal their surprise that under the circumstances it should have been claimed. to demur to a paltry charge of £ indeed! was it not notorious that for his mission to portugal he was to receive £ ? lord charlemont with a number of attendants had crossed from lisbon to falmouth. the passage-money had been paid, and, pleased with his entertainment, he desired to gratify the captain. the captain's answer was to present a bill shewing what the entertainment had cost, and, on payment being refused, he detained some valuable silks which lord charlemont had consigned to his care. lord charlemont, on his arrival in london, at once proceeded to lombard street and complained of this treatment, when he learned for the first time that the passage-money, which he had supposed to cover everything, was simply the queen's due, and that his entertainment had been provided at the captain's own cost. even the packet agents themselves appear to have been insufficiently instructed. on one occasion the queen's domestic servants on their return from lisbon, whither they had been despatched in attendance on the archduke charles, were allowed to pass free. on another, passage-money was omitted to be collected from some workmen who had been sent to portugal by the board of ordnance. in both cases the act of their subordinate was repudiated by the postmasters-general. proper as it might be that the queen's domestic servants should have their passage provided--was this to be done at the expense of the post office? forego payment in this instance, and where were they to stop? they must press their demand; and the demand was eventually satisfied. from the board of ordnance they did not even attempt to recover, aware probably of the futility of any such step; but the act of their agent in letting the workmen pass free evoked an earnest remonstrance. does not the board of ordnance, they asked, charge us for the very powder we use; and yet, forsooth, you take upon yourself to give to their workmen a free passage. "every office," they added--and the maxim might still, perhaps, be observed with advantage--"ought to keep its own accompt distinct." but it was with officers of the army who were continually passing to and fro that the most frequent disputes arose. they apparently did not understand, and possibly the post office might have had some difficulty in explaining, why lieutenants in charge of recruits should be exempt from payment of fare and not officers of higher rank when employed on similar business; or why indeed officers engaged in fighting their country's battles should not have a free passage on board her majesty's packets. it had been the custom not to collect the fares until the end of the voyage; but it was found that, the voyage once accomplished, payment of the fares was not uncommonly refused. accordingly it was determined that they should be collected beforehand, and that no officer not being a recruiting officer and producing a certificate to that effect should be received on board on trust. recourse was thereupon had to every sort of artifice in order to evade payment. officers above the rank of lieutenant would represent themselves as being of that rank, and they would even enrol their own servants as recruits to make it appear that they were engaged in recruiting business. through harwich, now that dover was closed, lay the only route to the continent; and among the passengers frequenting this route were some to whom, for one reason or another, special attention was given. baron hompesch and brigadier-general cadogan are on their way to holland. the packet is to be detained "till thursday noon, at which time they think to reach harwich." m. rosenerantz, the danish envoy, is returning to his own country. no passengers are to be admitted on board until he and his suite have been accommodated. a queen's messenger is coming with "one castello," who is in custody. this person is to be made over to the captain of the packet that sails next, and on arrival at the brill is to be set on shore. dirick wolters is expected from holland, if indeed he be not already arrived and secreted in harwich. no pains are to be spared to discover and apprehend him, and to secure the sealed box he carries "directed to a person of note in london." goods, like passengers, were not allowed to be carried by the packets without the express permission of the secretary of state; and this permission was seldom given except in the case of presents to royal personages and of articles for the use of persons of note residing abroad. hence, such things as the following were being continually consigned to the care of the postmasters-general, with a request that they might be forwarded by the next boat:-- fifteen couple of dogs for the king of the romans. necessaries for her majesty the queen-dowager's service at lisbon. three pounds of tea from lady arlington for the use of her majesty the queen-dowager of england. two cases of trimming for the king of spain's liveries. two bales of stockings for the use of the portuguese ambassador. three suits of clothes for some nobleman's ladies at the court of portugal. a box of medicines for the use of the earl of galway. as the packets and everything on board of them were exempt from examination by the customs authorities, there are no means of knowing how far a pass, where a pass had been obtained, was confined to its ostensible object. but it is impossible not to entertain suspicions on the subject. on one occasion the portuguese envoy obtained permission to send by the packet six cases, which he certified to contain arms for the use of his sovereign. the lightness of the packages when brought to the scale excited suspicion, and on examination they were found to contain not arms but dutiable goods. to a tradesman at truro, in exception to rule, a pass had been granted which authorised him to send by the lisbon packet ten tons of hats. ten tons weight of hats, or what purported to be hats, had long been exported, and yet more and more hats were being regularly despatched by every packet. but although without passes goods and passengers were prohibited on board the packets, it is certain that the prohibition was habitually infringed. the packet agents' instructions were to keep a record of the names and quality of all passengers, and to transmit a copy to london. even if this were a complete and faithful record, the postmasters-general could not know that each passenger had produced his pass. the secretaries of state, however, appear to have possessed some means of information unknown to the post office, and, in the matter of passengers, they were continually complaining of the regulations being broken. at one time it is mr. joseph percival, a merchant of lisbon, who comes over without a passport--which, from the tenor of lord sunderland's letter, the postmasters-general apprehend to be "an affair of moment." at another it is a mr. jackson who, also without a passport, crosses from harwich to holland. in this case mr. secretary boyle affirms that the packet agent received a bribe of two guineas. to let passengers come by the harwich packets without passports, he declares later on, has become a common practice. in the matter of goods the evidence of irregularity is still stronger. captain culverden of the _queen_ packet boat brings into falmouth thirty-six bags and seven baskets of salt, and there lands it clandestinely. captain rogers smuggles over twenty bags and one cask of the same material. captain urin from the west indies makes plymouth instead of falmouth. stress of weather is pleaded in excuse; but the postmasters-general feel sure that he might have made falmouth, had he not "had private instructions otherwise." "we are uneasie," they say, "thus to find the west india boats for the most part driven to plymouth, or to liverpool or some port contrary to what is prescribed by our instructions." but of all the captains there was none who in the audacity of his proceedings equalled francis clies. clies had recently succeeded his father in the command of the _expedition_ packet boat. on his very first voyage home from lisbon he was much behind time, having according to his own account been driven upon the coast of ireland. on his second voyage he was later still. the time of his arrival at falmouth had long passed, and serious apprehensions began to be entertained for his safety. at length a letter came from him dated at kinsale, explaining that want of provisions had obliged him to put in there. "we have," wrote the postmasters-general, "very impatiently expected the arrival of the _expedition_, which has been very long wanting, and are much concerned to find the second voyage even more tedious than the first; but are glad to find her at last safe arrived." "we would know," they added, "for how many days provisions had been put on board, and whether the _expedition_ sails not as well as formerly." before a reply could be received to this pertinent inquiry, the commissioners of customs had lodged at the post office a formal complaint, in which captain clies was charged with bringing over from ireland several bales of friezes and other woollen manufactures. the postmasters-general were deeply shocked. not only was this a breach of the packet boat regulations, but to transport goods from what would now be one part of the united kingdom to another was at that time prohibited by law under heavy penalties. if this charge be proved, they wrote to their packet agent at falmouth, "we shall not be much to seek why the captain should be two succeeding voyages forced upon the coast of ireland, when we have not had above one instance of that kind besides himself during this war." narrow as was clies's escape on this occasion, not four months elapsed before the postmasters-general were again condoling with him on another "very tedious voyage." it may here be mentioned, as an instance of the inconsistency of human nature, that, although the packets were not provided with chaplains, there were two boats on board of which prayers were regularly said every morning and evening, and that of these two boats the _expedition_ was one. outwards as well as inwards the packet boats were, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, carrying goods in defiance of regulation and of law. sir paul methuen, the author of the famous commercial treaty which bears his name, was at that time our ambassador to portugal. his attention had been arrested by the large quantities of merchandise which the packet boats were continually bringing over from england, and in he made to the postmasters-general a formal representation on the subject. "in lisbon," he stated, "there is a public market for english goods as often as the boats come in." nor was the allegation denied by the persons implicated. they must, they said, live somehow. and this plea, generally the refuge of the idle and worthless, had in it in the present instance more force than might at first be supposed. the crews of the packets were paid only once in six months, and, as a check upon their conduct, six months' pay was always kept in arrear. thus, before receiving any pay at all they had to work twelve months, and even at the expiration of twelve months there was not always money at hand with which to pay them. at harwich, there can be no doubt, the same malpractices were going on as at falmouth; but, owing to the almost unequalled facilities which the east coast affords for clandestine traffic, detection less speedily followed. in the movements of the packet boats there was much that was mysterious. their frequent disappearance for long periods together when the wind was blowing from the quarter most favourable to their return, and their occasional punctuality when the wind was contrary and they were least expected, involved a contradiction which the postmasters-general found it hard to reconcile. "in our whole experience," they wrote to the packet agent on the rd of october , "the passage of the mails was never so unconstant as it has been this last year." "you must be very sensible what reproach we have been brought under" in consequence. the ink was hardly dry on their pen before information reached them that on the nd of the month two packet boats had returned to harwich, of which one had been gone since the th and the other since the th of september. meanwhile the winds had been fair, and had carried out the men-of-war and transports from spithead. "we have writ you so often," wrote the postmasters-general to the laggard captains, "upon these neglects of yours," and you have paid so little regard to our admonitions, that "you may expect to find when too late that we are not to be trifled with." the effect of this caution, if effect it had, was of short duration. "we are," they wrote only a few months later, "under a perpetual uneasiness and distrust," on account of the irregularity of the harwich boats. "our reputation has very much suffered in consequence, and we are looked upon at court as remiss in our duty." hitherto we have ever been ready to "take any appearance of reason or probability to excuse the commanders, but do now, having had these frequent provocations so often repeated, resolve to do justice to ourselves, and to have no other regard than the merit of the service." "pray make inquiries," they say on another occasion, when no less than three boats are unaccountably behind time. it is of no use writing to mr. vanderpoel, "for he always favours the captains' pretences." mr. vanderpoel was packet agent at the brill. he had stood high in william's favour, and was still drawing an allowance of £ a year which, as an act of grace, that king had bestowed upon him in addition to his salary. "when we last waited on the lord high treasurer and secretary of state," wrote the postmasters-general again on the th of june , "we found them in their former opinion that there must be some secret more than ordinary that the boats should so frequently when least expected make their passage, and when the winds have in all appearance been most favourable, the mails then most delayed." a secret no doubt there was; but, profoundly dissatisfied as the postmasters-general were, no suspicion appears to have crossed their minds that the packet boats were engaged in other and more exciting pursuits than the transport of mails. the captains of the packet boats were strictly forbidden to give chase. their instructions were to fight, if fight they must, to avoid fighting wherever possible, and in no case to go in quest of adventure. in the case of the falmouth boats, carrying as they did a considerable number of men and of guns, there can be little doubt that the prohibition was habitually infringed. even cotton and frankland, with all their credulity, would seem to have entertained suspicions on the point; and yet when notice was given them that a fat prize had been captured, their instincts as englishmen prevailed, and with a chuckle of satisfaction they would accept the result of their servants' prowess without too minutely inquiring into the circumstances under which that result had been achieved. "well done," they would say in effect. "we heartily congratulate you. it has indeed been a tedious voyage; but of course you did not pursue. this, as you are aware, would be contrary to our instructions, which are to do nothing that might retard or endanger her majesty's mails. we shall make known your gallantry to the lord high treasurer, and move his royal highness the prince to bestow on you some signal mark of favour." the prince was at this time lord high admiral, and the captains of the packet boats having only sailing commissions, were not, like the captains in the royal navy and the commanders of letters of marque, entitled as of right to the prizes they took. these were the perquisites of the lord high admiral, and were by him resigned to the queen. when a prize was captured, it was seldom taken in tow. this would have retarded the progress of the mails. the practice was for the two captains, the victor and the vanquished, to agree upon the amount of ransom, and to give and receive bills for the amount, one or more hostages being taken as security for payment. the agreement was reduced to writing and made out in duplicate, so that each captain might have a copy, and it set forth where and to whom the money was to be paid. as a rule, the conditions appear to have been honourably observed. some few exceptions, no doubt, there were. in the _james_ packet was captured, and, after the amount of ransom had been inserted in the agreement, the french captain fraudulently altered the figures. a still worse case occurred on the english side. the _prince_ packet boat captured a vessel which was ransomed for pieces of eight.[ ] this vessel, as it afterwards transpired, was plundered both before and after the ransom was agreed upon; and, more than this, the english captain refused or neglected to give her a protection order, the consequence being that, subsequently falling in with some merchant ships, she was taken and plundered again. but these were exceptions, and it is some satisfaction to know that the last-mentioned captain was soon driven out of the service.[ ] [ ] equal to £ : s. [ ] this captain had long been noted for his truculent conduct. here is a letter which the postmasters-general had written to him two or three years before:-- general post office, _may , _. captain chenal--we received the mail from portugal brought over by you in the _mansbridge_ packet boat which arriv'd here on wednesday last. we yesterday received your letter and journal of the said voyage, with the certificate from the sailors who remained in the service the last voyage. we are concern'd to find such differences among persons imploy'd under us, but do think the best way to compose them is to advise every one to mind their proper business and duty. we do think you may keep all your officers and sailors to strict duty without so rugged a treatment as is complain'd of. as we are desirous of good discipline, so are we of good agreement, to which we would have our agent and yourself to contribute your endeavours. we herewith send you a specimen of a method to keep an abstract of your journal by which you would save yourself and us much trouble by observing.--we are, your loving friends, r. cotton. t. frankland. pending payment of the ransom, the hostages were kept in prison. ordinarily, their confinement was not of long duration; and if we cite an instance to the contrary, it is because it aptly illustrates the rough-and-ready sort of justice which was administered in those days. clies, the captain of the _expedition_, after many desperate engagements in which he had come off victorious, had been forced at last to strike his colours. four french men-of-war had surrounded him, and having lost his masts, he had no choice but to yield. the ransom agreed upon was £ , and as security for payment of this amount the master of the _expedition_ and clies's son, who was a midshipman on board the same vessel, were taken as hostages. this was in february, and they did not return to england until november. meanwhile they had been imprisoned at cadiz, where they endured the severest privations. cold and damp and the want of the common necessaries of life, while affecting the health of both, had permanently disabled the master and brought him to the point of death. this appeared to the postmasters-general to be a case for compensation. and yet whence was compensation to come? they were not long in solving the question. it was a mere accident, they argued, that these particular hostages had been selected. the selection might have fallen upon any others of the ship's company. yet these others had been receiving their pay and enjoying their liberty. surely it was for them to compensate those at whose cost they had themselves escaped captivity and its attendant horrors. accordingly the ship's company were mulcted in a whole month's pay, amounting to £ , of which sum the midshipman received £ and the master £ ; and the decision appears to have evoked neither murmur nor remonstrance. in one respect the two packet stations were conducted on different principles. at falmouth the agent was also victualler. at harwich victuals and all other necessaries were provided by the post office. neither plan was entirely free from objection. where the agent was victualler, he naturally desired to make what he could out of his contract; and hence arose frequent complaints from the seamen as to both the quantity and quality of their food. nor were such undertakings well adapted to those days of violent fluctuations of prices. the years and were years of scarcity, during which the cost of all provisions was nearly doubled. fortunately, when the first of these years arrived, the packet agent's contract to victual for a daily allowance of d. a head had just expired, or the consequences to him or to the seamen must have been disastrous. but, from a public point of view, the chief drawback to the union of the offices of agent and victualler was that the victualling arrangements were apt to interfere with the movements of the boats. the _prince_ packet boat was due to start on a particular day, and to an inquiry whether she would not be ready, the answer which the postmasters-general received was, "no; our beer is not yet brewed." at harwich the inconvenience of a contrary system, a system under which the post office undertook its own victualling, was illustrated in a striking manner. there no bill for provisions represented what the provisions had really cost. to the actual cost was habitually added a further sum, which, under the name of percentages, went into the pockets of those by whom the order had been given. of the extent to which these overcharges were carried we are not informed in the particular case of victuals; but other cases in which information is given will perhaps serve as a guide. holland-duck for the use of the packet boats was brought over from holland freight-free. yet in harwich the post office was charged for it s. d. a yard. in london a yard of the same material, freight included, cost s. in london the price of cwt. of cordage was s.; in harwich it was s. for piloting a packet boat from harwich to the downs the post office was charged £ . inquiry at the admiralty elicited that for ships of the same size belonging to the royal navy the charge never exceeded £ : s. the plain truth seems to be that both at harwich and at falmouth the packet agents were in the power of the captains, and the captains in the power of the packet agents, and that they all combined to impose upon the postmasters-general. of the number of letters which the harwich and falmouth packets carried we know little or nothing. in the one case we have absolutely no information. in the other there remains on record a single letter-bill applicable to a particular voyage. of this letter-bill we will only observe that, for reasons immaterial to the present purpose, it became the subject of a good deal of correspondence, and it is not unreasonable to suppose that, had the number of letters entered in it been much above or much below the average, the point could hardly have escaped remark. the document is as follows:-- april . received on board the _prince_ packet boat the following packets and letters. zech: rogers ... commander. from my lord ambassador ... a bag of letters directed to mr. jones.[ ] sixteen packetts and letters for her majestie's service. from the king of spain ... a very large packett. for london and holland ... double and single letters ... two hundred and ninety six. thirteen packetts do. devonshire letters ... double and single ... twenty nine ... and three packetts. for falmouth ... double and single letters ... six. two mails for london. outward-bound. no passengers. homeward-bound. one english merchant. three dutch gentlemen. four poor sailors discharged from her majestie's ship _antelope_ being incapable for the service. [ ] the packet agent at falmouth. there were persons who thought that the packet boats might well be employed to do something more than carry to and fro a mere handful of letters. among those who held this opinion was colonel stanwix. he contended that the lisbon packets should be required to carry not only the mails, but recruits for the english forces in portugal. by transport the fixed charge for each recruit was £ . this expense would be saved to the public, and the regiments would receive additions to their strength not fitfully, but at regular intervals. subject to certain conditions, the postmasters-general resolved to give the plan a trial. the conditions were that not more than fifty recruits should go in one boat, and that, instead of passing free, as colonel stanwix had proposed, they should be charged £ apiece--that is, s. for victualling, and s. for freight. the experiment was attended with deplorable results. it was midwinter. the recruits had been huddled together in pendennis castle, under a strong guard, to prevent desertion. half-naked and only half-fed they were led or driven to the boat, and hardly were they on board before the distemper broke out among them. many fell victims to it; many others, on arrival at lisbon, were carried to the hospital, and even the strongest among them were barely able to stagger ashore. the return voyage was hardly less disastrous. the crew now took the disease, and as they lay dying and dead upon the deck, a vessel of french build was to be seen bearing down upon them. resistance in the circumstances was out of the question, and nothing remained but to save the guns. these, ten in number, were with difficulty thrown overboard, and no sooner was the task accomplished than the vessel, which had by this time come within speaking distance, proved to be her majesty's ship _assurance_. the liberty allowed to the royal navy to employ for its own purposes prizes taken at sea did not extend to the packet service. the post office was forbidden, under severe penalties, to use foreign bottoms. often had convenience and economy to yield to the stern dictates of the law. now it is a french shallop, admirably adapted for a packet boat, which has to be discarded simply because it is french; and now an express to lisbon is on the point of being delayed because the regular packets are on the wrong side, and the only boat to be hired in falmouth is not english built. on the th of september the queen, attended by her court, set out for newmarket. in this visit there was nothing unusual, but it will serve as well as any other to demonstrate that the close connection which had once subsisted between the posts and the crown was not yet completely severed. in attendance upon his royal mistress was court-post. this office, to which appointment was made by patent, had until lately been held by sir thomas dereham. court-post's duty was to carry letters between the court and the nearest stage or post-town, a duty deemed so arduous that his stipend had been recently doubled, and now stood at £ a year. at newmarket and at windsor, indeed, he had no long distance to traverse, these towns being post-towns; but when the court was in london or at hampton his journey was longer. in london he had to carry the letters between kensington or whitehall and lombard street; and when at hampton, hampton not being a post-town, he had to carry them to and from kingston. besides court-post there was now in the royal train the comptroller of the london sorting office, william frankland, son of one of the postmasters-general. what frankland's precise functions were we are not informed, but he was, in the language of the time, "in attendance on her majesty in the care of her letters." at harwich, as soon as the mail arrived from holland, the seals of the bags were to be broken, and the letters for the court to be picked out and sent to newmarket by express. this was, in effect, to establish a cross-post at a time when cross-posts did not exist. moments, which would now be judged precious, appear to have been then of little account. of the letters before they left harwich the addresses were to be copied; and on arrival at newmarket the express was to take them, not to the palace, but to the post office, whither they were to be addressed under cover to frankland. the post office once reached, how frankland and court-post were to adjust their respective duties is a point as obscure as it is, perhaps, unimportant. at the present day, when the palace possesses no postal facilities which are not enjoyed by the cottage, a single provision in the statute-book is all that is left to remind us that at one time the posts were centred in the sovereign. this provision, in exception to the practice which jealously excludes the sovereign's name from all parts of an act of parliament except, indeed, the preamble, prescribes that the posts shall be settled, not as the secretary of state or the lords commissioners of the treasury may direct, but according to the directions of her majesty. to her majesty alone the law still leaves the supreme control over the posts, although it may well be believed that the ministers would claim to act on her behalf.[ ] [ ] the provision is as follows: "and for the better management of the post office, be it enacted that the postmaster-general shall observe such orders and instructions concerning the settlement of posts and stages upon the several roads, cross roads, and byeways within the united kingdom and other her majesty's dominions, as her majesty shall from time to time give in that behalf."-- vic. cap. xxxiii. sec. . after the battle of ramillies, which put the confederates in possession of ostend, the packet service between england and flanders, which had been suspended four years before, was re-established. the result disappointed expectations. the government appear to have thought that it was only necessary to revive the service and the correspondence would at once resume its old proportions. but meanwhile the letters from flanders to england had found a new channel. no sooner had ostend been closed than they were diverted through holland. to reverse this arrangement, involving as it would a readjustment of the internal posts, must, in any case, have been a work of time; and it was a work on which the flemish authorities were little likely to embark so long as the neighbourhood of ostend or any considerable portion of it remained in the enemy's hands. of all this the postmasters-general were perfectly well aware, and they can have felt no disappointment that, on the first reopening of the ostend route, the letters passing that way were extremely few; but the ministers, who had not the postmaster-generals' experience to guide them, grew impatient with a service which was maintained at heavy cost, and produced little or no return. accordingly, having restored the service in june, they discontinued it in august; and no sooner were the boats dispersed than orders were given to restore it again. this sudden change of purpose, we think there can be little doubt, was due to the influence of the duke of marlborough, who began about this time to take a lively interest in the postal communication with flanders. though not surprised at the meagreness of the correspondence, the postmasters-general were little prepared to find that, after the confederates became masters of ostend, the passage between that port and dover would be even less safe than it had been before. yet such was the case. the flemish seamen, no longer able to obtain employment at home, flocked across the french border and joined with their foes of yesterday in preying upon the english shipping. as a consequence the channel now swarmed with privateers. on the th of january a dover packet, named _ostend_ after the port to which she ran, was taken by a nieuport privateer of ten guns and eighty men. the captain who brought this intelligence had himself had a narrow escape. five privateers had extended themselves from nieuport to ostend in order to intercept him, and, after a sharp engagement, in which he was nearly captured, had forced him to make harwich. in this conjuncture the postmasters-general acted with remarkable energy, but with little regard to what would now be considered official propriety. not content with making representations to the secretary of state, they wrote direct to the english ambassador at the hague, desiring him to urge upon the states of flanders and brabant the necessity of at once fitting out three or four ships of the ostend squadron, with the twofold object of recalling the seamen to their duty and of clearing the coast. they at the same time waited upon m. van vrybergh, the envoy extraordinary from the states-general to the court of st. james', and exacted from him a promise that he would exercise his influence in the same direction. but relief was soon to come, and from an unexpected quarter. lewis the fourteenth, by way of creating a diversion in the netherlands, resolved to assist the pretender in making a descent upon scotland, and with this view he assembled a squadron before dunkirk. england had no choice but to follow suit. within an incredibly short space of time she equipped a fleet, and this fleet, under the command of sir george byng, left deal for dunkirk in the spring of . how the pretender evaded byng, and how byng pursued the pretender and frustrated his object, are matters of history; but what concerns us at the present moment is that, before starting in pursuit, byng detached a squadron for the purpose of bringing over some of the english troops which were about to be embarked at ostend. it is probable that this squadron, after its immediate object had been accomplished, remained in or about the channel, for after this time we hear no more of depredations on the post office packets. experience shews that there is a class, and not an inconsiderable class, of persons who, in time of war, find it hard to reconcile themselves to the pursuits of peace. john macky, the packet agent at dover, was one of these. the proximity of the battle-field, its easy access from dover, and the stirring accounts arriving by every packet fired his imagination and filled him with martial ardour. under the influence of this excitement he addressed a memorial to the postmasters-general, praying that he might be commissioned to go over to flanders and settle posts for the army. this application he appears to have supported by the most unfortunate arguments. he urged not that it was a thing in itself reasonable and proper that the army should have posts of its own, and that his experience might be useful in establishing them, but that at dover, though his salary was comparatively high, he had little or nothing to do, and that the commission for which he asked would give him employment more congenial to his tastes. the postmasters-general could not conceal their astonishment at the audacity of the proposal and the grounds on which it was based. "we were never before made sensible," they wrote, "that the business of the agent to the packet boats at dover was so very inconsiderable as you have represented it to be, nor do we think that for so inconsiderable a business so high a salary can be needed." "we can only say," they added, "that if the present allowance be too much for the work, or if the employ be too mean for your expectations, we doubt not but that we shall be able to find those who will thankfully accept the post with an allowance that is much less." but macky's restlessness was not to be subdued by a mere admonition. as he could not prevail on the postmasters-general to send him to flanders on official business, he asked to be allowed to go on his own account. this permission they readily gave, accompanying it, however, with a remarkable caution. "we must expect," they said, "that you do not intermeddle in any ways upon the business of the flanders correspondence, or enter into any sort of treaty for the port of letters or jobbing of places which may bring us under any inconveniencys or our authority under any disreputation. we expect you take particular caution of these matters and wish you a good journey." within four months from the date of this caution macky's relations to the post office had greatly altered. to the position of packet agent he now added that of contractor, having undertaken himself to provide for the dover and ostend service. for the sum of £ a year he was to supply four boats between twenty and thirty tons each, and to be at all risks from sea and enemy. one effect of this arrangement, by which macky the contractor was to be controlled by macky the packet agent, was to prolong his visit to flanders. under the pretext of keeping the captains to their duty he remained there until march or april , when he returned to england, after an absence of eight or nine months. meanwhile the packets to ostend, like those to holland and to portugal, had been engaged in illicit practices. according to a complaint received from the commissioners of customs immediately before macky's return, clandestine traffic was being systematically carried on, and the very last boat that had arrived had brought parcels of lace concealed in the flap of the mail. the postmasters-general were deeply annoyed. "let this go on," they exclaimed, "and the mails themselves will be searched, to the great scandal of the office and of our management." we have been thus particular in recording macky's movements, because in connection with the service under his control an incident now occurred which brought the post office into serious discredit. the postmasters-general, in virtue of their office, which gave them control over the communications of the country, were in the habit of receiving priority of intelligence; and this at a time when intelligence travelled slowly and the means of disseminating it did not exist or existed only in the rudest form. hence they acquired an importance which the mere office of postmaster-general, as that office is now understood, would not have conferred. an interest attached to them as to men who were reputed to possess exclusive information. they were welcome at court, and not only welcome but often anxiously expected. indeed, to act as purveyor of news to the court had come to be regarded as one and by no means the least important of their duties; and with a view to its more effectual discharge their agents throughout the country had standing orders to send to headquarters the earliest intimation of any remarkable event that might happen in their locality. when any one of these persons was venturesome enough to send to his chiefs a present, the thanks he received were of the coldest,--"we thank you for the snuff," or, "we thank you for the port wine," and then was pretty sure to follow a sharp rebuke for some trifling irregularity, which, except for the present, would probably have passed unnoticed. but when a piece of news was sent, the thanks were warm and hearty; and woe betide the unfortunate agent who had news to send and omitted to send it. "we observe you give us no advice of the fleet under sir george byng being seen off falmouth the th, tho' we saw letters from falmouth which advised thereof. we are desirous to have the first advice of any remarkable news." "we received two flanders mails on sunday morning, and therewith your letter of the th advising of the duke of marlborough's being arrived at flushing, for which account we thank you." "we do heartily congratulate your safe return, and do thank you for being so full and particular in the advices you have given us of what occurrences have come to your knowledge." "we are obliged to you for the news of the nassau and burford's prizes of which we had received advice before by some galleys from gibraltar, and for your kind promise of communicating to us any considerable occurrences that may happen in your parts." "we thank you for sending us an account of all news and remarkable occurrences in your letters which we desire may be sent in the mails or annext to the labels." "we cannot but take very ill the captain's conduct on this occasion, for mr. bowen's intentions in sending his son over to bring so great a piece of news as that of the victory[ ] to us ought to be esteemed as a great piece of civility, and, if the captain had not refused to sail when mr. bowen pressed him, we might have had the satisfaction of carrying the first account of that victory." [ ] the victory at oudenarde. who mr. bowen was we are not informed. it was in the early summer of , when this greed after news was at its height, that intelligence of vast import to the country was expected to arrive in london. preliminaries of peace, after being arranged in flanders, had been forwarded to paris for confirmation. would the king sign them? or must the war which had already lasted more than six years be continued? a period of anxious suspense followed. the exhaustion of france, and the humiliating terms which were sought to be imposed upon her, made it certain that there would be neither ready acceptance nor ready rejection; and yet the latest date had passed on which a decision was expected and none had arrived. london was in a fever of expectation. each mail from ostend, as it reached the post office in lombard street, was eagerly seized and opened. the month of may was drawing to a close. on saturday the th there was not only no news but no mail. sunday came and, to the consternation of the postmasters-general, there was still no mail. the wind was in the right quarter. at harwich the packets from holland were arriving regularly. what could hinder the passage from ostend? at length on monday the th a mail arrived, and with it the news. the king had refused to sign the preliminaries of peace. frankland and evelyn[ ] hurried off to the lord treasurer. little were they prepared for the reception that awaited them. godolphin's words have unfortunately not been preserved, but we know the substance of them. the news, he said, had reached the city the day before, having been conveyed there clandestinely. the packet agent or sub-agent at ostend had sent it. of this he held in his hand conclusive evidence. what means had been employed, and whether others were concerned in the nefarious transaction, it was for his hearers to ascertain; and the sooner they addressed themselves to the task the better. in short, the power of the purse had again prevailed, and the post office had been outwitted by the stock exchange. [ ] mr. (afterwards sir john) evelyn had recently succeeded sir robert cotton as postmaster-general. it is difficult to suppose that the intelligence can have been conveyed from ostend to london without macky's connivance. and yet frankland and evelyn believed or affected to believe that he had had no hand in the business. their position was, no doubt, one of embarrassment. organised as the post office then was, they possessed no means of making an independent investigation. they contented themselves, therefore, with calling upon macky to ascertain and report how it was that a letter from ostend had reached london on sunday, although on that day there had been no mail. the result might easily have been foreseen. brown, the sub-agent at ostend, whose letter it was, stood self-condemned, and macky was required to dismiss him. and here the scandal ended. macky's own character, with himself as reporter, may be presumed to have been cleared. at all events he appears to have been taken back into confidence, and, before many weeks were over, the postmasters-general had despatched him on an important mission. this mission was no other than to lay down posts for the army in flanders. the tardiness with which intelligence arrived from the seat of war had long been matter of complaint. in the city especially the dissatisfaction had been intense, and the recent scandal had not been calculated to allay it. with a view to remedy this state of things, godolphin called upon the postmasters-general to devise some means for securing more rapid communication. the army was now in the neighbourhood of lisle, and operations were about to begin anew. there was, therefore, no time to be lost. the postmasters-general had recourse to macky, and in a few days he produced a plan with which godolphin expressed himself highly pleased. between lisle and ostend, and between ostend and other places where the army might be, stages were to be settled; at each stage were to be relays of horses with postilions ready to start at any moment; responsible persons were to be appointed to collect and deliver the letters and to receive the postage; and the postage was to be regulated by distance and to be at the same rates as in england, and to go to the english post office. macky, to his extreme gratification, was commissioned to carry out his own plan. he was to repair at once to flanders, to report himself to the duke of marlborough, and, having obtained his sanction, to proceed with the arrangement of details. above all, he was to keep a close watch upon the sailing of the packets from ostend, and to insist upon a rigid punctuality. from this time no more complaints were heard of the tardy arrival of intelligence from the seat of war. as postilions were employed on one side of the water, so expresses were employed on the other; and these, with punctual sailings between port and port, constituted a service which for those days might be considered excellent. at first, indeed, the employment of expresses from dover to london appears to have been a little overdone, and the postmasters-general, eager as they were to obtain early intelligence, found it necessary to regulate the practice. an express had arrived bringing a letter from macky in flanders. "altho' we should be very well satisfied," they wrote to his deputy at dover, "to receive an extraordinary piece of good news by a messenger hired for greater dispatch' sake, yet on ordinary occasions it might be more warrantable and make less noise and expectation to have the same sent by a flying pacquet under cover to us annext to the labell." this was written in august , within six weeks of macky's arrival in flanders; and we know of no passage in the whole of the post office records which more forcibly brings home to us the difference between the london of to-day and the london of years ago. crowds no longer congregate at the doors of the post office eagerly waiting for news; nor is the neighbourhood of st. martin's-le-grand transported with excitement at the approach of a man on horseback. on the cessation of hostilities at sea, which took place in the summer of , although the treaty of utrecht was not signed until the following year, the postmasters-general proceeded to put the packets on a peace footing. the boats from harwich to the brill and from dover to ostend were reduced in number. the routes between dover and calais and between dover and dunkirk were reopened. the service between falmouth and lisbon, which during the war had been once a week, was now to be only once a fortnight; and the five boats engaged on this service, as carrying more hands than would any longer be necessary, were to be disposed of by public sale and their place to be taken by three of the largest from harwich. the result of these several changes was to reduce the establishment, in point of numbers, by rather more than men, and, in point of cost, from £ , to £ , . as affecting the cost, hardly less important than the reduction of numbers was the permission now given to the packet boats to resume the carriage of merchandise. this was a source of profit to which the postmasters-general had long been looking as some set-off against the heavy expense. meanwhile dummer's contract for the west india service had come to an abrupt termination. that contract had not been long in force before he began to realise how onerous was the condition that, out of a total sum of £ , , he should receive only £ in money, and depend, for the difference on fares, freight, and postage. the postage, which from the first had fallen short of his expectations, did not increase; and the fact of his having, within a few months from the commencement of his undertaking, lost three of his boats, procured for him--what in the world of commerce is almost incompatible with success--the reputation of an unlucky man. the west india merchants enjoined their correspondents on no account to send goods by dummer's boats. thus the profits which he had expected to derive from freight had no more existence in fact than the profits from postage. hoping against hope, dummer struggled on; but ill-luck continued to pursue him. in little more than five years he lost no less than nine boats. in order to replace them he mortgaged his property to the full extent of its value and obtained advances on his quarterly allowance. this, of course, could not go on, and at length the crash came. the day had arrived for the west india mail to be despatched, and there was no boat to carry it. the whole of dummer's property, boats included, had been seized for debt. the rest is soon told. the mortgagees, believing that they had the postmasters-general in a corner, refused to continue the service except at a preposterous charge, which frankland and evelyn declined to pay. fortunately three private ships with consignments for the west indies were then loading at teignmouth and other ports in the south-west of england, and these relieved the post office from what might otherwise have been a serious dilemma. bankrupt and broken-hearted, edmund dummer died in april , within eighteen months of the termination of his contract. it is his honourable distinction that he succeeded in all that he undertook for others, and that it was only in what he undertook for himself that he failed. chapter viii american posts - american progress has long been the wonder of the world, and in nothing perhaps has it displayed itself more remarkably than in the matter of the posts. the figures which the united states post office presents to us year after year--figures as compared with which even those of the post office of great britain fall into insignificance--make it difficult to believe that only two hundred years ago an enterprising englishman was struggling to erect a post between new york and boston. an order in council dated the nd of july , after prescribing the rates of postage to be charged not only between england and the island of jamaica, but within the island itself, ended with these words: "and his majesty is also pleased to order that letter offices be settled in such other of his majesty's plantations in america as shall by the said earle of rochester be found convenient for his majesty's service, and the ease and benefitt of his subjects, according to the method and rates herein settled for his majesty's island of jamaica." nearly four years later, namely, in february , thomas neale obtained a grant from the crown authorising him to set up posts in north america. the grant was secured by letters patent, which were to hold good for twenty-one years. neale, who appears never to have set foot out of england, appointed as his representative in america andrew hamilton; or rather, as the patent required, neale nominated and the postmasters-general appointed him. the patent also required that at the expiration of three years neale should render an account showing his receipts and expenditure; but it was not until the year that this condition was fulfilled, and in the same year hamilton came to england to report progress. by this time a post, to run once a week, had been established along seven hundred miles of road, from boston to new york, and from new york to newcastle in pennsylvania. what the postage rates were we do not know, except indeed that the charge on a letter between new york and boston was s. on other points the account which hamilton furnished on neale's behalf gives full information. a salary of £ a year is paid to "mr. sharpus that keeps the letter office at new york." mr. sharpus also receives two allowances, one of £ a year "for carrying the mail half-way to boston," and another of £ "for carrying the mail from new york to philadelphia." of the former allowance, hamilton states that after the th of november he "retrenched" it from £ to £ . there is also a salary of £ "allowed to him that keeps the letter office at philadelphia"; and "an allowance of £ sterling per annum given by mr. neale himself to peter hayman, deputy-postmaster of virginia and maryland." hamilton's own salary was £ , and his travelling expenses are thus stated in his account:-- to my expense of a journey from new york to road island, boston, and eastward of it and back again, when i settled the post office there £ to my expense of a journey from new york to maryland and virginia and back again to settle the office there to several other journeys and incident charges relating to the post office in america as in england, from the first erection of the posts, the correspondence went on steadily increasing year after year. thus, in the first year beginning the st of may the "new york post" produced £ ; in the second, £ ; in the third, £ ; and in the fourth year, ending the st of may , it produced £ . the same progress is to be seen in what were called the "boston, road island, connecticut and piscataway posts." in the first two years beginning also in may these produced £ or at the rate of £ a year; in the third year they produced £ ; and in the fourth, £ . the returns of the philadelphia post also kept improving; but here hamilton encountered difficulties of management, as will be seen by his own entries:-- by the produce of the philadelphia post from the nd of august to the rd of april , at which time i was forced to change the postmaster £ by the produce of the same post from the rd of april to the th of february , at which time i was forced to change the postmaster again the virginia and maryland posts were the single exception. of these hamilton records "the virginia and maryland posts never yielded anything, but cost mr. neale near £ ." however much these posts might be improved, he dared not reckon upon the correspondence exceeding one hundred letters a year. there is only one more entry which we will quote from hamilton's account. it is this:-- by cash which the postmaster of new york gathered up upon the road in connecticut for letters £ promising as the prospect was on the whole, neale's receipts from the posts fell far short of his expenses in erecting and maintaining them. his expenses up to may were £ , and his receipts £ , leaving him not only out of pocket to the amount of £ , but with his means and his credit exhausted. it was admitted on all hands that the posts must before long become self-supporting, even if they should not prove remunerative. but meanwhile how were they to be carried on? hamilton had his own plan to propose. this was first that within america the postage rates should be raised, and "that the post and his horse should go fferry-free"; and second, that between england and america rates should be settled, and that shipmasters should be required on the other as on this side of the atlantic to take their letters at once to the post office of the port at which they first touched, and hand them to the postmaster, receiving as remuneration one penny a letter. for inland letters the increased rates which hamilton proposed were as follows, all but the first two entries being in his own words:-- pence. where the distance from new york does not exceed miles where it exceeds , and does not exceed miles to and from boston and new york, miles to and from boston and jersey, miles to and from boston and philadelphia, miles to and from boston and annapolis in maryland, miles to and from boston and james towne in virginia, miles to and from new york and annapolis, miles to and from new york and james towne, miles, and many broad and dangerous bays and rivers to be ferryed over it may surprise our readers to learn that between england and america there actually existed, years ago, what now is little more than the dream of the postal reformer,--an ocean penny postage. yet such is the fact. in it was the custom of the masters of ships bound for america to hang up bags in coffee-houses, and any letters that might be dropped into these bags they carried, and were glad to carry, over for one penny or twopence a letter, according as it was a single or a double one. this custom, as hamilton pointed out, was liable to abuse. in the first place, any one who had put a letter into a coffee-house bag might, under pretence of wanting his own letter back, possess himself of the letter of somebody else. and secondly, on arrival in america, the shipmasters being under no obligation to make a prompt delivery, were apt to deliver the letters, not when they reached a port, but when they were on the point of leaving it, and after they had disposed of their lading. all this would be remedied if rates of postage were settled between england and america. the letters would then be in the custody of the post office until delivered to the shipmaster, and the shipmaster would be bound to restore them to the same custody as soon as he arrived at his destination. but hamilton's main argument in favour of establishing sea-rates of postage was the impossibility of things remaining as they were. neale was without resources, and the posts were not self-supporting. unless, therefore, some means should be devised for increasing the receipts, the posts must be given up. let sea-rates be imposed, and the receipts would be increased at once, for all letters from europe, which on arrival in america were now being delivered by private hand, would then fall into the post, and be forced to pay american postage. it was true that between the mother country and her colonies a packet service did not exist, and that to impose a charge where no service was rendered in return would be contrary to post office usage; but the object to be gained was too important to allow this consideration to prevail. such were the arguments by which hamilton supported his proposal that on letters between england and america postage should be charged--of d. for a single letter, s. for a double letter, and s. d. for "a packet." there were one or two points on which cotton and frankland did not agree with hamilton. experience had taught them, as they stated on another occasion, that the way to improve the post office revenue was to "make the intercourse of letters easy to people." so now, in their representation to the treasury, they condemned the inland rates which hamilton proposed as altogether too high. they had been long enough at the post office, they said, to know that "the easy and cheap corresponding doth encourage people to write letters, and that this revenue was but little in proportion to what it is now till the postage of letters was reduced from d.[ ] to d." [ ] this is an allusion to the period antecedent to . hamilton had contemplated the passing of a fresh act of parliament in order to impose sea-rates and to oblige shipmasters to give up their letters as soon as they reached port. cotton and frankland were not satisfied that a fresh act of parliament was necessary; nor did they express any opinion as to the particular rates which should be imposed. they recommended, however, the appointment of an officer whose duty it should be "to take care of" all letters for america, and to put them into a special bag to be sealed with the office seal. public notice should at the same time be given prohibiting the collection of such letters by other persons. to the shipmaster to whom the bag might be delivered the inducement to take it without delay to the post office of the port at which he should first arrive would be that he would there receive one penny for each letter the bag might contain. hitherto, under the coffee-house arrangement, the penny had been paid in england; for the future, it would be paid in america. in other words, the shipmaster, instead of receiving his recompense in advance, would receive it after his work was done and only provided it was done properly. on one point the postmasters-general held a decided opinion. towards the support of the posts the government of new york had made an annual contribution of £ , in consideration of which the government letters appear to have been carried free; but otherwise neale's undertaking had not received from the authorities that countenance and support which, in cotton and frankland's opinion, were essential to its success. they expressed themselves convinced that, for want of due encouragement, the posts would never prosper in private hands, and recommended that they should be transferred to the crown. whether any, and if so, what action was taken upon the postmaster-general's representation we do not know. there is some reason to think that between england and america sea-rates of postage were settled, as had been done a few years before in the case of jamaica; but we possess no certain information on the point. all we know is that, upon neale being informed of the postmaster-general's opinion that the inland posts should be transferred to the crown, he immediately offered to surrender his patent, and that the offer was not accepted. the payment he demanded was either a capital sum of £ or else £ a year for life or for the unexpired term of his grant. hamilton returned to america. the next we hear of him is in . neale was then dead, having shortly before his death assigned his interest in the posts as security for his debts. to hamilton he owed £ , and to an englishman of the name of west he owed for money advanced £ ; and into the hands of these two persons, in default of any one willing to act as neale's executor or administrator, the posts now came. in april hamilton also died; and for three or four years his widow carried on the posts at her own charge. in mrs. hamilton and west urged that their patent, which had seven and a half years yet to run, might be enlarged for a further term of twenty-one years, and that they might have permission to set up packet boats between england and america. to this cotton and frankland were opposed, being still of opinion that the posts should not remain in private hands; and they recommended, as a more politic measure, that the patent should be purchased for £ , a sum which the patentees had expressed themselves willing to accept. whether this was the sum actually given we know not; but in the following year the patent was surrendered and the posts of america became vested in the crown. in connection with the transfer john hamilton, andrew's son, was appointed to his father's place of deputy postmaster-general, and this appointment he retained until , when he resigned. it was then and not until then that the posts became self-supporting. "we have now," write the postmasters-general on the th of august in that year, "put the post office in north america and the west indies upon such a foot that for the future, if it produce no profit to the revenue, it will no longer be a charge to it, but we have good reason to hope there will be some return rather from thence." such, hardly years ago, were the humble beginnings of a post office with which, in the magnitude and diversity of its operations, no other in the world can now compare. chapter ix the post office act of in , on the passing of the act of union between england and scotland, the first step taken by the postmasters-general was to alter the colours of the packets. the cross of st. andrew, with its blue ground, united with the red cross of st. george, now became the national ensign; and the packets no less than the ships of the royal navy were under obligation to carry it. the post office in scotland was at this time held in farm at a rent of £ a year. the lease expired on the th of november, and from that date the postmasters-general held themselves responsible for the scotch no less than the english posts. they at once proceeded to frame an establishment. george main, the farmer, was appointed deputy-postmaster of edinburgh at a salary of £ , this being the amount which one year with another he had made out of his contract. three persons were appointed to assist him, an accomptant and two clerks. these, with three letter-carriers at a crown a week each, and a postmaster at the foot of the canongate, constituted the edinburgh establishment. in the country there were thirty-four postmasters, of whom only twelve were paid by salary, the remaining twenty-two receiving as their remuneration a certain proportion of the postage on inland letters. thus, three had one-half of this postage, one had one-third, and eighteen had one-fourth. the highest salaries were given to the postmasters of haddington and cockburnspath, who received £ apiece, the reason being no doubt that these two towns were on the direct line of road between edinburgh and london. at aberdeen, the postmaster's salary was £ ; at glasgow, £ ; at dundee, montrose, and inverness, £ ; and at dumfries and ayr, £ . runners[ ] at a fixed charge were maintained between town and town--as, for instance, between edinburgh and aberdeen at £ a year, between aberdeen and inverness at £ a year, and between inverness and thurso at £ a year: but except at edinburgh there was no letter-carrier, and except between edinburgh and berwick there was no horse-post north of the tweed. the establishment charges for the whole of scotland, edinburgh included, were less than £ a year. [ ] these runners or post-boys carried the mail through the whole journey, resting by the way. it was not, according to common repute, until about the year that the mail began to be carried from stage to stage by different post-boys. but something more was necessary than to frame an establishment and to alter the colours of the packets. serious doubts had arisen whether, as the law stood, the postmasters-general of england were competent to deal with the posts of scotland; and, this vital consideration apart, between the two divisions of the kingdom certain inequalities existed which only fresh legislation could redress. under the scotch act of the postage on a single letter between edinburgh and berwick was d. under the english act of , d. would carry a single letter from berwick northwards for only forty miles, and considerably more than forty miles separated berwick from edinburgh. this difference arose no doubt from mere inaccuracy of reckoning on the english side; and yet it was one which nothing less than a new act, an act by the united parliament, would adjust. it is the more singular that at this time the postmasters-general should not have taken steps to promote legislation, because, in connection with the english no less than the scotch post office, there were several matters on which fresh legislation had become necessary. the statute on which the very existence of the post office itself depended had been found difficult to deal with, on account of its loose and ambiguous wording. the postage to america and the west indies rested on no legal sanction. for the pence paid upon ship-letters the postmasters-general had no authority to produce, and the auditors had threatened to disallow, the payment. even the penny post was of doubtful legality. the courts had indeed decided that dockwra's undertaking was an infraction of the rights of the crown; but they had not decided, nor had they been called upon to decide, whether in the hands of the crown the same undertaking would be legal. the law, as it stood, prescribed no postage lower than twopence. by the penny post the postage was one half of that amount. with these and other matters requiring adjustment, it might well be supposed that the postmasters-general would have been glad of the opportunity which the act of union afforded to set their house in order. yet, so far from taking any steps in that direction, they now remained perfectly passive. of the reason for this inaction we are not informed; but we venture to suggest an explanation. cotton and frankland were advocates of cheap postage. should fresh legislation be entered upon, what guarantee had they that postage would not be made dearer? so far, indeed, as they could judge, such was much more likely than not to be the case. as early as william's reign they had been asked to estimate how much an additional penny of postage would produce; and the necessities of the civil list which had prompted the inquiry had since become more and more pressing. it is not impossible that there was another, though subordinate, reason. between whitehall and lombard street communications had been passing from time to time, which might fairly raise the presumption that advantage would be taken of any fresh act to insert a clause under which all post office servants, the postmasters-general included, would be disfranchised. cotton and frankland, who still retained their seats, the one for cambridgeshire, and the other for the borough of thirsk, were not the men to be deterred by personal considerations from doing what they conceived to be their duty; but if on principle they objected to an increase in the rates of postage, it was little calculated to reconcile them to a measure which they regarded as mischievous that, as a probable consequence of its introduction, they would lose their seats. but be the reason what it might, the fact remains that, whereas at one time they were continually suggesting the propriety of fresh legislation in order to clear up ambiguities in the existing statute, no such suggestion had been recently made, and they now remained perfectly silent. thus matters stood when, in october , or a year and a half after the act of union had passed, an incident occurred which made silence no longer possible. letters of privy seal had been issued granting salaries payable out of the revenue of the scotch post office to certain professors of the universities of edinburgh and glasgow, and warrants for payment of these salaries were sent to lombard street to be signed. the postmasters-general, being in doubt whether their signature would be valid, took the precaution of consulting the law officers. the law officers' opinion, which was not given until the end of december, must have struck dismay into the hearts of those who sought it. it was to the effect that the postmasters-general of england could not act as postmasters-general of scotland until they had been to edinburgh and taken the oaths prescribed by the scotch law. a journey to edinburgh in those days, especially in the depth of winter, was no light undertaking. but this was not all. and as soon--the opinion proceeded--as they have taken the oaths and qualified as postmasters-general of scotland, they will cease to be postmasters-general of england. the warrants were returned to the treasury unsigned. and now that silence had once been broken, the postmasters-general offered suggestion after suggestion, each having for its object to remove the difficulty. might not a clause be inserted in some bill now before parliament, a clause under which they should be constituted postmasters-general of great britain, and be given jurisdiction over the scotch as over the english post office? would not the scotch bill for drawbacks answer the purpose, or if that were likely to be displeasing to the north british members, some one of the many money-bills that were then pending? would not the requirements of the law be satisfied if for the management of the scotch post office some one were appointed by letters patent under the privy seal of scotland, and placed under the orders of the postmasters-general of england? or in view of a recent act passed by the united parliament, might not the english postmasters-general themselves be so appointed? to these suggestions, of which the first was made in december , and the last in april , the lord treasurer returned no reply. it was clear that godolphin had other intentions. meanwhile events had taken place in london which must have gone far to convince the postmasters-general that, impolitic as an increase in the rates of postage might be, the need for fresh legislation was urgent. charles povey had set up a halfpenny post or, as he called it himself, a "half-penny carriage." for the sum of one halfpenny he undertook to do what dockwra had done, and what the postmasters-general were now doing, for the sum of one penny. there were indeed points of difference. the penny post extended not only over the whole of london proper, but to the remote suburbs; the halfpenny post was confined to the busy parts of the metropolis, to the cities of london and westminster and to the borough of southwark. for the halfpenny post, again, letters were collected by the sound of bell. that is to say, povey's men carried bells, which they rang as they passed along the streets, and so gave notice of their approach. this, though no doubt intended merely as an advertisement, possessed the merit of convenience. people had only to await the coming of one of these bell-ringers, and letters and parcels which they must otherwise have carried to the post themselves were carried for them. povey fancied himself a second dockwra; but the two men were as unlike as the circumstances under which their undertakings were launched. dockwra was gentle and conciliatory. povey was violent and aggressive. dockwra disclaimed all intention of transgressing the law. it was only necessary that his undertaking should become better known, and his royal highness, he felt sure, would withdraw his opposition. povey expressed the utmost indifference whether his undertaking was legal or illegal, and defied the law to do its worst. dockwra was a pioneer. when he established his penny post, there was nothing in existence at all resembling it, nothing with which it competed, and by supplying an acknowledged want he conferred an inestimable boon upon the community. povey, on the contrary, was a mere adventurer. his halfpenny carriage was in direct opposition to an institution already existing and in full activity, an institution which supplied every reasonable want, and which it was the sole purpose of his enterprise to supplant for his own advantage. so impudent an infringement of the rights of the crown could not, of course, be tolerated, and the postmasters-general called upon povey to desist from his undertaking. povey's reply must have extinguished any hope they may have entertained of avoiding an appeal to the courts. he should certainly not, he said, be so unjust to himself as to lay down his undertaking at their demand. if they were resolved on trying the matter at law, he was quite content. and happily, he added, we live not under such a constitution as dockwra lived, a constitution made up of an arbitrary government and bribed judges. thus defied, the postmasters-general had only one course to pursue, and that was to bring an action. as a preliminary step povey and the keepers of the shops at which he had opened offices were served with notices setting forth the illegality of their proceedings. the shopkeepers closed their offices at once, and povey was left alone with his bell-ringers. the man now revealed himself in his true character. when first informed that an information would be filed against him, he published a pamphlet in which, after loading the postmasters-general with ridicule and abuse, he dared them to proceed to trial, declaring that a trial in the court of exchequer was the very thing he desired; but as time drew on and he found them to be in earnest, he became alarmed and desired to effect a compromise. with this object he attended at the post office and pleaded his cause in person. if only his bell-ringers might continue to collect letters for the general post and "such as pass between man and man," he would pay to the crown one-tenth more than had yet been received from the penny post. or let him take the penny post to farm, and he would pay double what that post had ever produced. or was it to his bells that exception was taken? if so, and if only proceedings were stayed, his bells should cease to-morrow. but even if at one time such overtures could have been listened to, it was now too late, and the postmasters-general so informed him. at this announcement, and while they were still speaking, povey bounced from his chair and flung himself out of the room. the case came on for hearing in easter term , and povey was fined £ . it may here be mentioned that the practice of collecting letters by the sound of bell did not cease with the halfpenny carriage. it was adopted by the post office, became general throughout the kingdom, and continued down to a time well within the recollection of persons still living.[ ] [ ] in london the practice continued until the end of ; and in dublin, which was the last town in the united kingdom to give it up, until september . although the postmasters-general had won their suit, they were not altogether satisfied. what povey had done might be done by others, and his proceedings, they did not attempt to conceal, had caused them great annoyance. as soon as he found them bent on suppressing his undertaking, he had had recourse to artifice. in order that his bell-ringers might escape molestation, he had changed them about from place to place and made them assume fictitious names, so that the man who appeared in holborn to-day under one name might appear in westminster to-morrow under another. the task of fixing evidence had thus been made extremely difficult, and the postmasters-general had at one time almost given it up in despair. they also bitterly complained of the law's delays. for no less than seven months--from the th of october to the th of may --the halfpenny post had been in full activity, to the serious injury of the penny post. must the institution which had been committed to their charge remain, for periods of longer or shorter duration, at the mercy of any unscrupulous person who might choose to follow povey's example? or against future assaults of the same kind was it not possible to provide themselves with some less cumbrous weapon than they had now to their hands? whether the act which subsequently passed conferred upon the postmasters-general all the powers they desired may be open to question, but there can be no doubt that, after the experience of the past few months, the prospect of fresh legislation, if not actually welcome, had lost half its terrors. for fresh legislation, however, the time had not even yet arrived. it is true that povey's case, pending the consideration of which nothing of course could be done, had been heard and determined; but now political difficulties arose. godolphin, the lord treasurer, gave way to harley; and harley's advent to power was followed by a general election. it was not until the beginning of november, or three weeks before the houses met, that a decision was at last announced. subject to the consent of parliament, the rates of postage were to be increased, and a bill to carry out the object was to be prepared at once. the office of secretary to the treasury was at this time held by william lowndes, member of parliament for the borough of seaford. lowndes had written a silly book on the currency, a book in which he endeavoured to prove that an act of parliament, by calling a sixpence a shilling, can double its purchasing power. he had seriously believed, when the postmasters-general recommended that the course of post to warwick should be direct instead of by way of coventry, that the recommendation was due to a bribe. when the postmasters-general were at their wits' end to put a stop to the illicit traffic in letters, he had suggested--and it was the only consolation which he had had to offer them--that in order to defray the expenses of the civil list every letter passing through the post should be charged with an additional rate of d. such was the man to whom was now entrusted the oversight of the post office bill. if confidence in the merits of the measure which the bill was designed to promote were any recommendation, a better selection could not have been made. lowndes had long advocated an increase in the rates of postage. he had, there can be little doubt, brought godolphin over to his views, and now, under godolphin's successor, he obtained permission to carry them into effect. at the post office, unfortunately, there was at this time no one to sound a note of alarm. cotton was no more. evelyn, cotton's successor, was new to his duties. frankland was old and gouty. between frankland and lowndes, moreover, relations we suspect were somewhat strained. at all events, the fact remains that the postmasters-general, who never tired of inculcating as the result of experience that low postage attracts correspondence and high postage repels it, received notice of the intention to raise the rates without even an attempt to avert the mischief. by the middle of december, or little more than six weeks from the time of the post office receiving notice to prepare for fresh legislation, the bill was in lowndes's hands. containing as it did some fifty clauses, and dealing with a matter of no little complexity, such despatch might do no discredit even to our own days of high pressure. at the beginning of the eighteenth century it was out of the common. but the explanation is simple. swift, the solicitor to the post office, who was profoundly dissatisfied with the law as it stood, had for years past employed his leisure moments in framing clauses founded upon his conception of what the law ought to be, less probably in the hope of seeing them passed than with the view of giving relief to his feelings. these clauses he now collected, arranged, and added to, producing what he conceived to be a model measure. but while the bill had taken only six weeks to prepare, nearly double that period was occupied in revising it. whatever may be thought of lowndes's understanding, there can be no question about his industry. day after day during the next three months he devoted to the task he had undertaken every moment he could snatch from his numerous other engagements. in conjunction with swift, who now passed most of his time at whitehall, he went through the bill clause by clause, discussing and arguing every point, and not seldom making alterations. swift, as the representative of the post office, knew well what the post office wanted; but lowndes knew, or thought that he knew, better, and in this as in other instances superior authority passed current for superior knowledge. it was not, however, to what for distinction's sake may be called the post office clauses of the bill that the chief interest attached. to these lowndes added others, of which one, while dealing with a matter of the most delicate character, revealed an intention of which the post office had had no previous notice. the preparation of this clause severely taxed the abilities of its framers. as the post office revenue was at this time vested in the crown, the crown would, of course, in the absence of express provision to the contrary, reap the benefit of any increase which additions to the rates of postage might produce. to divert the increase, or part of the increase, from the crown to the public was the object of the clause on which lowndes and swift were now engaged. this clause having at length been settled to their satisfaction, the bill came before parliament, and was with some modifications passed. the new rates as compared with the old were as follows:-- +------------------+--------------------------+------------------------+ | | . | . | |from london. +---------+--------+-------+--------+--------+------+ | | single. |double. |ounce. |single. |double. |ounce.| +------------------+---------+--------+-------+--------+--------+------+ | miles and under| d. | d. | d. | d. | d. | d. | |above miles | d. | d. | d. | d. | d. | d. | |to edinburgh | d. | d. | d. | d. | d. | d. | |to dublin | d. | d. | d. | d. | d. | d. | +------------------+---------+--------+-------+--------+--------+------+ +-----------------------------------+--------------------------+ | | . | |from edinburgh, within scotland. +---------+--------+-------+ | | single. |double. |ounce. | +-----------------------------------+---------+--------+-------+ | miles and under | d. | d. | d. | |above and not exceeding miles| d. | d. | d. | |above miles | d. | d. | d. | | | | | | | from dublin, within ireland. | | | | | miles and under | d. | d. | d. | |above miles | d. | d. | d. | +-----------------------------------+---------+--------+-------+ the old rates during the year ending the th of september had produced £ , , and the new rates were estimated to produce £ , more. of this increase the whole was to be paid into the exchequer by weekly instalments of £ , so that a fund might be established for the purpose of carrying on the war; and of the surplus, if any, over and above £ , , one-third was to be reserved to the disposal of parliament for the use of the public. these provisions were to hold good for thirty-two years, after which the old rates were to be reverted to. we have already seen how difficult the postmasters-general had found it, even with the lower rates of postage, to prevent the smuggling of letters; and of course, in exact proportion as the rates should be increased, the temptation to smuggle would become greater. this consequence had been foreseen and provided for. after declaring in the preamble that, as a condition of the new rates, provision must be made "for preventing the undue collecting and delivering of letters by private posts, carriers, higglers, watermen, drivers of stage-coaches, and other persons," the bill went on to give to the postmasters-general large powers of search. this clause was regarded as of the highest importance. without it, indeed, even lowndes would hardly have ventured to suggest that the rates should be increased. to his dismay, however, and, truth compels us to add, to the dismay also of the post office, the house of commons, while passing the rates, rejected the searching clause. only the declaration in the preamble remained, an enduring monument of a foolish intention. another clause must also be regarded as peculiarly lowndes's own. this clause--which, unlike the foregoing, was not rejected--prohibited the postmasters-general and all persons serving under them from intermeddling in elections. they were forbidden under heavy penalties "to persuade any one to give or to dissuade any one from giving his vote for the choice" of a member of parliament. lowndes can hardly have believed it possible thus to padlock men's mouths. it is still more difficult to suppose that the clause can have been aimed at frankland; and yet assuredly frankland was the only person whom it affected. postmasters and others, it may well be believed, continued to talk and to argue exactly as they had argued and talked before; but frankland had to give up his seat. at the general election in october he had, there can be little doubt, received a hint of what was coming, for after sitting for his pocket borough of thirsk for more than twelve years he retired from the representation. so much of the new act as originated with the post office was mainly directed to clearing up doubts, to supplying omissions, and to making that legal for which the law had not yet provided. thus, legal sanction was given to the penny post, and competition with it was forbidden under severe penalties. pence upon ship-letters were not only authorised but directed to be paid. the rates of postage to america and to the west indies were confirmed; and power was given to impose rates upon letters to other places with which communication might be opened. the act of had conferred upon the postmasters-general the exclusive right of "receiving, taking up, ordering, despatching, sending post or with speed, and delivering of all letters and packets whatsoever"; but it was silent on the subject of carrying. this omission the act of supplied. the later act also imposed restrictions on the common carrier. hitherto it had been left in doubt what letters he might carry. these were now defined to be letters which concerned the goods in his waggon or cart; and they were to be delivered at the same time as the goods and without hire or reward. it was not enough that the penny post should receive legal sanction. by this post, from its first establishment, a single penny had carried only within london proper. for delivery in the outskirts--as, for instance, at islington, lambeth, newington, and hackney, all of which were at this time separate towns--the post office received one penny more. so long, therefore, as the charge by the general post for a distance not exceeding eighty miles stood at d., it was a mere question of convenience whether towns in the neighbourhood of london should be served by that post or by the penny post. in either case the postage on a single letter was the same, namely d. but now that the initial charge by the general post was raised from d. to d., it became necessary to assign a limit beyond which the penny post should not extend; and this limit was fixed at ten miles, measured from the general post office in lombard street. how little the post office had at this time entered into the inner life of the people may be judged by the fact that such restriction was possible. in there were towns distant nearly twenty miles from london--for instance, walton-on-thames, cheshunt in hertfordshire, and tilbury in essex--which had long been served by the penny post; and the penny post carried up to one pound of weight for the same charge for which the general post carried a single letter. yet these towns were now deprived of the facilities which the penny post afforded without, so far as appears, exciting a murmur.[ ] [ ] even the notice to the public announcing the change was as unapologetic as it well could be:--"these are to give notice that by the act of parliament for establishing a general post office all letters and packets directed to and sent from places distant ten miles or above from the said office in london, which before the second of this instant june were received and delivered by the officers of the penny post, are now subjected to the same rates of postage as general post letters; and that for the accommodation of the inhabitants of such places their letters will be conveyed with the same regularity and dispatch as formerly, being first taxed with the rates and stamped with the mark of the general post office; and that all parcels will likewise be taxed at the rate of s. per ounce, as the said act directs." under the new act the post office retained the monopoly of furnishing post-horses. it is to be observed, however, that the charge for each horse, although remaining the same as before--namely, d. a mile, with d. a stage for the guide--was now re-enacted apologetically, as though some compunction had begun to be felt at the interference with the freedom of contract. the explanation is perhaps to be found in the recent introduction of stage-coaches and the low prices at which these vehicles carried passengers. "there is of late," writes an author of the period, "an admirable commodiousness, both for men and women of better quality, to travel from london to almost any town of england and to almost all the villages near this great city, and that is by stage-coaches, wherein one may be transported to any place, sheltered from foul weather and foul ways; and this is not only at a low price, as about s. for every five miles, but with such speed, as that the posts in some foreign countries make not more miles in a day."[ ] if a mode of travelling so luxurious as this appears to have been thought could be secured for less than - / d. a mile, a charge of d. a mile for a horse besides a guerdon to the guide may well have appeared to require justification. [ ] chamberlayne's _state of england_, . it may here be noticed that, although the postmasters-general were under obligation to supply horses on demand, and, failing to do so, became liable to a penalty, the control which they exercised over the travelling post appears to have been of the slightest. it is true that they would now and again complain of a postmaster for keeping bad horses; but the badness would always be with reference to the horses' capacity to carry the mails. whether they were fit or unfit for the use of travellers appears never to have troubled headquarters. except, indeed, for some little exertion of authority on rare occasions and in circumstances out of the common,[ ] it would almost seem that the postmasters-general had ceased to regard the travelling post as a matter in which they had any concern. it is not very clear why this should have been so. but perhaps the explanation is that in the case of the travelling post, unlike that of the letter post, a postmaster's interest and duty were identical; if horses were wanted, he was under the strongest inducement to supply them; and the danger to be apprehended was not that travellers would be neglected, but that they might be accommodated at the expense of the mails. [ ] the following letter affords an instance of the exertion of authority referred to in the text:-- to the deputies between london and tinmouth. general post office, _april , _. gentlemen--the bearer hereof, mr. john farra, being directed by order of the lord high treasurer to proceed to tinmouth on the publick affairs of the government, i am ordered by the postmasters-general to require you to furnish the said gentleman with a single horse [_i.e._ a horse without a guide] if required through your several stages, he being well acquainted with the roads and coming recommended by such authority, which by their order is signified by, gentlemen, your most humble servant, b. waterhouse, _secretary_. on one point, no doubt because it involved a question of prerogative rather than law, the new act was silent; and yet it was a point of high importance and, as it afterwards became the subject of legal enactment, this may be a convenient time to mention it. we refer to the privilege conceded to certain persons to send and receive their letters free of postage, or, to use the term by which it was commonly known, the franking system. the persons who enjoyed this privilege were the chief officers of state and the members of the two houses of parliament. the chief officers of state, or ministers as they had now begun to be called, were entitled to send and receive their letters free at all times and without limit in point of weight. the members of the two houses were so entitled only during the session of parliament and for forty days before and after, and in their case the weight was limited to two ounces. the privilege had already been greatly abused. secretaries of state would not scruple to send under their frank the letters of their friends and their friends' friends as well as their own. in blaithwaite, who was then secretary of war, carried the practice to such an extent as to evoke from the postmasters-general a vigorous remonstrance. "we cannot deny," they said, "but this has been too much a practice in all tymes, and we are sure you will not blame us for wishing itt were amended, being soe very prejudicial to his majestye's revenue under our management." the practice extended, and in a warrant under the sign-manual, after enumerating afresh the officers of state who were entitled to frank, expressly charged them not "to cover any man's letters whatsoever other than their own," and, as regards any letters which might come addressed to their care for private persons, to send them to the post office to be taxed and delivered. the abuses identified with the letters of members of parliament were of wider scope. lavishly as members might use their names as a means of franking, the use was not confined to themselves and their friends. on the part of the london booksellers and other persons who might hesitate to incur the risk of imitating another man's signature it had become a common practice to assume the name of some member of parliament, and under that name to have their letters addressed to them at particular coffee-houses; and as their correspondents in the country adopted a similar device, the letters passing to and fro escaped postage. cotton and frankland had not been long at the post office before this practice arrested their attention, and in the warrant which granted to the members of the new parliament the usual exemption from postage was expressly designed to check the abuse. "to prevent abuses," thus the warrant ran, "that were formerly practised[ ] to the prejudice of our revenue by divers persons who, though they were not members, yet presumed to indorse the names of members of parliament on their letters and direct their letters to members of parliament which really did not belong to them," our will and pleasure is that members "will constantly with their owne hands indorse their names upon their owne letters, and not suffer any other letters to pass under their ffrank, cover, or direction but such as shall concerne themselves." successive warrants issued between and were expressed in the same or nearly the same terms, what little variations there were only serving to shew that the practice against which the warrants were directed had become more general. [ ] in documents intended for the public eye it was the practice of the postmasters-general--and it was by them that these warrants were prepared--to speak of an existing abuse as an abuse that was past. this was, of course, to avoid giving offence. but now the postmasters-general could no longer conceal from themselves that, unwarrantable as might be the liberties taken with members' names, the members themselves were by no means blameless. that they were scattering their franks with boundless profusion was beyond doubt; and the question which the postmasters-general set themselves to solve was, how was this profusion to be checked? as the best expedient they could devise, they prepared for the queen's signature a fresh warrant which, as a hint to members for the regulation of their own conduct, referred to her majesty's condescension in allocating a portion of the post office revenue towards defraying the expenses of the war. of previous warrants copies had been posted up in the lobby of the house and in the speaker's chamber. of the present warrant copies were to be distributed with the votes so as to secure that every member should have a copy. the immediate effect of the act of was, as might have been foreseen, enormously to stimulate clandestine traffic. the post office could do little to check it. in london officers were appointed whose duty it was to frequent the roads leading into the capital and keep a watch on all higglers and drivers of coaches who were notoriously carrying letters in defiance of the law. in the country the postmasters-general could get nothing done. in vain they urged upon the treasury the paramount importance of appointing officers who should travel about the country and be authorised to open the mail bags at odd times and unexpectedly. by no other means, they declared, was it possible to keep any check upon either the london or the country letters. the london letters might not be charged correctly by the clerks of the roads; and of the country letters, it was perfectly well known, only a very small proportion was charged at all. but all to no purpose. the officers whom the postmasters-general proposed to appoint were to receive for remuneration and travelling expenses together £ a day, and the treasury declined to sanction the expense. this, even for the treasury, has always appeared to us a masterpiece of perversity. that large sums were being diverted into the pockets of the postmasters had been admitted in the act itself;[ ] nor could it be denied that the tendency of the act was to make these sums larger. and yet the abuse was to be allowed to go on unchecked because its correction would involve a small outlay. for four years this penny-wise and pound-foolish policy continued, and it was not until , as the consequence of a strong representation from frankland and evelyn's successors, that the officers whose appointment these two postmasters-general had consistently advocated were added to the establishment under the title of surveyors. to surprise the mail bags in course of transit and to check their contents--such was the humble function originally assigned to officers who have since become as indispensable to the post office as the mainspring is to a watch or the driving wheel to a steam engine. [ ] "and whereas divers deputy postmasters do collect great quantities of post letters called by or way letters and, by clandestine and private agreements amongst themselves, do convey the same post in their respective mails, or by bags, according to their several directions, without accounting for the same or endorsing the same on their bills, to the great detriment of her majesty's revenues."-- anne, cap. x. sec. . it may here be noticed that the decisions which the postmasters-general received were not all of them conceived in the same spirit. so different indeed was the treatment of questions relating to home communications and communications with foreign parts as almost to suggest that they had been referred to different tribunals. was the packet service which had come to an end through dummer's misfortunes to be re-established or not? the cost was far, very far, in excess of the receipts; and yet the direction to the post office was to consult the west india merchants, and to be guided by their wishes. the two packets between falmouth and the groyne, which had been left running at the close of the war, were after a time discontinued. they cost £ a year to maintain, and the annual receipts from the letters and passengers they carried were less than £ . yet upon a representation from the merchants trading with spain pointing out the inconvenience which the stoppage had caused them, the boats were restored at once. but all such questions were decided by the lord treasurer himself, and his decisions were communicated under his own signature, or else under the sign-manual. very different was it with questions affecting intercourse within the kingdom. these, urgently as the postmasters-general might press them, received little or no attention. they would seem indeed to have been relegated to subordinates, who having been instructed to keep down expense proceeded to obey their orders without discrimination. whether the packet agent at dover had in his cups refused to drink to the health of the ministers, or whether the postmaster of chester had said that queen anne, had she pursued the same course as was pursued by charles the first, would have met with the same fate--these were questions of vital importance which must be investigated with all convenient speed; but when the question was merely one of improving the internal posts of the country, it was treated at leisure, and no considerations of public convenience, or even of prospective gain, were allowed to weigh against the bugbear of present expense. in , for instance, the lord provost and magistrates of glasgow had petitioned that the foot-post to edinburgh might be converted into a horse-post. the mail would thus arrive sooner and leave later, and, as the petitioners pointed out, letters would fall into it which had heretofore been sent by private hand. between a horse-post and a foot-post the difference in point of cost was £ a year; and for the sake of this small sum the treasury had refused the request, just as they now refused to sanction the appointment of surveyors, although the postmasters-general clearly demonstrated that by no other means could the misappropriation of postage be checked, and that within a few months the cost would be covered many times over. but the addition to the establishment of a few appointments more or less was not the most serious charge which the act of entailed. the post offices over a great part of england were then in farm. how, within the area over which these post offices extended, was the state to derive any benefit from the higher postage? the postage, whatever it might be, was under their leases secured to the farmers; and the farmers were under no obligation to pay any higher rent than that for which they had stipulated. this difficulty, which had without doubt been overlooked, took a most unexpected turn. the farmers had had only a short experience of the new rates before they found that these rates, far from bringing them a golden harvest, were fast contributing to their ruin; that they were in effect prohibitive rates; that the letters passing to and fro were getting fewer and fewer; and that the increase of charge by no means made up for the decrease in number. in short, the crown or those who represented the crown had taken for granted that under the new rates the returns would be relatively higher than under the old, whereas the farmers found to their cost that the returns were actually lower. never, perhaps, has there been a more striking demonstration of the unwisdom of high rates of postage. in this dilemma the postmasters-general had recourse to an expedient which appears to have been considered satisfactory on both sides. they cancelled all the leases, nine in number,[ ] and under the title of managers, appointed the farmers to superintend the post offices embraced within the area over which their farms extended. the managers who had heretofore been at the cost of the postmasters' salaries were to be relieved from this and all other payments; and as remuneration for their services they were to receive one-tenth part of the net produce derived from the postage. [ ] the leases of seven out of the nine branches were cancelled in ; and those of the other two the postmasters-general expressed their intention of cancelling with as little delay as possible. and yet as regards one of the number, viz. the chichester branch, there is reason to doubt whether it did not survive until the year . two questions may here be asked, to neither of which is it easy to give even a plausible reply. of these the first is, how did it happen that the postmasters-general, who without authority from whitehall could not even convert a foot-post into a horse-post, were able on their own motion to sanction an arrangement, the practical effect of which was to add to the establishment not only a large number of small salaries, amounting in the aggregate to a formidable total, but also a dead-weight annuity of nearly £ a year? this is an obscurity which we confess ourselves unable to penetrate. we can only record the fact, a fact the more surprising because only recently godolphin had laid it down under his own hand that in the post office "all extraordinary payments or allowances are to be vouched by warrant from her majesty or myself, or from the lord high treasurer or the commissioners of the treasury for the time being." the second question is hardly less perplexing. how, except in name, did managers differ from surveyors, whose appointment the postmasters-general were urging, and urging in vain? or what could surveyors have done which it was not equally competent to managers to do? this question also we cannot answer. we only know that the very men who as farmers had rendered signal service to the post office, and earned the gratitude of the districts over which their farms extended, were found as managers to be of little use, even if they did not league themselves with the postmasters to intercept the postage. difficulties from an unexpected quarter added to the confusion into which, as the result of the act of , the post office was drifting. as soon as peace was declared, it became necessary to arrive at an agreement with france as to the conditions on which the british mails should pass through french territory. m. pajot was still comptroller of the posts in paris; and he proved to be hardly less untractable than before the war. frankland and evelyn committed their case to the care of matthew prior, who was at that time minister plenipotentiary to the court of france. prior, who had hated his commissionership of customs because, as swift tells us, he was ever dreaming of cockets and dockets and other jargon, could hardly be expected to give his mind to anything so prosaic as postage and letter bills. the matter, moreover, was one of a highly technical character, and, without fuller information than could be contained in the most precise instructions, a far abler negotiator than prior could claim to be might easily have found himself overmatched. pajot, presuming on his superior knowledge, put forward the most extravagant demands; and it was not until an expert had been sent from london, upon whom it would have been useless to attempt to impose, that he abated his pretensions. extravagant demands were now followed by frivolous objections, and at the last moment, when the conditions were practically settled, he actually refused to proceed further unless "her britannic majesty," an expression employed in the post office treaty, were altered to "the queen of great britain." vexatious as these proceedings were, the result was more vexatious still. before the war a lump sum of , livres a year had been paid for the transit of the british mails across french territory. pajot now refused to accept any lump sum at all. he insisted that each letter passing through france should be charged for separately, according to the french postage; and high as the english postage was, the french postage was higher still. in vain the postmasters-general pointed out that by virtue of such an arrangement they would on many letters have to pay more than act of parliament permitted them to receive. pajot replied in effect that this was their affair and not his; and no better terms could they get. the treaty was eventually signed, and its onerous provisions will best be shewn by an example. on a single letter from italy the postage prescribed by the act of was fifteenpence, and on a letter weighing one ounce sixty pence. this was all which the act permitted the postmasters-general to collect; and yet, under the terms of the treaty, the postage for which they had to account to the french post office was in the one case twenty-one sous and in the other eighty-four. to this treaty we are indeed indebted for one piece of information. it gives us--what is not to be found elsewhere--a definition of the terms single and double as applied to letters. it is strange that the acts of and , while imposing distinctive rates on single and double letters, nowhere define what single and double letters are. this omission the treaty of supplies. "that piece," the treaty provides, "is to be esteemed a single letter which hath no sealed letter inclosed, and that to be esteemed a double letter which hath inclosures and is under the weight of an ounce." it will be interesting to note how far the post office adhered to its own definition. on the accession of george the first, when almost every place of honour and profit under the crown changed hands, the post office did not escape; and frankland and evelyn were succeeded by cornwallis and craggs. the natural tendency of the provision which had made members of the house of commons ineligible for the office of postmasters-general was to throw the office into the hands of peers; and although this tendency did not fully develop itself until later in the century, the appointment of lord cornwallis was a first move in that direction. peers have in our own time been among the ablest of the many able administrators who have presided over the post office; but at the beginning of the eighteenth century the conditions attaching to the appointment were in some respects different from what they are to-day. the postmasters-general had to write their own letters; their attendance was both early and late and during fixed hours; and they were expected to reside at the post office. whether from a disinclination to satisfy these conditions, or on the score of health, which he was constantly pleading, cornwallis had not been long in lombard street before he retired into the country, and left the conduct of affairs pretty much to his colleague. craggs--or craggs senior as he was commonly called, to distinguish him from his son, the secretary of state--was an industrious, plain-spoken man; and deeply as he afterwards became implicated in the south sea scheme, there is no reason to suppose that his proceedings as postmaster-general would not bear inspection. cornwallis and craggs had been only a short time at the post office before they became profoundly impressed with what they found there. the managers withholding the postmasters' salaries, the postmasters recouping and a good deal more than recouping themselves out of the postage, the post-boys--for so they had begun to be called--clandestinely carrying letters for what they could get, the inordinate number of franked letters--these were among the abuses which arrested the new postmaster-generals' attention; but what excited their most lively surprise was that there should exist a branch of the king's revenue upon the subordinate agents of which there was absolutely no check. at length, on a representation from them as to the scandal of allowing such a state of things to continue, consent was obtained to the appointment of surveyors; and the dismissal of the managers speedily followed. these remedial measures, though good as far as they went, affected only the internal administration of the post office. of its troubles from without, and how they had been increased by recent legislation, cornwallis and craggs were no less sensible than their predecessors; but here they had no remedy to apply. "the additional penny," they wrote in march , within eighteen months of their appointment, "has never answered in proportion, and we find by every day's experience that it occasions the people to endeavour to find out other conveyances for their letters." "the additional tax," they wrote again two years later, "has never answered in proportion to the produce of the revenue at the time it took place, the people having found private conveyances for their letters, which they are daily endeavouring to increase, notwithstanding all the endeavours that can be used to prevent them." as with the clandestine traffic, so with the abuse of the franking privilege. in isolated cases, where the abuse was more than usually glaring, the postmasters-general would write to the erring member a letter of mild expostulation, affecting to believe him more sinned against than sinning;[ ] but even if this had any effect in the particular instance, to stem the torrent was beyond their power. in great britain alone the postage represented by the franked letters, excluding those which were or which purported to be on his majesty's service, amounted in to what was for that time, relatively to the total post office revenue, the enormous sum of £ , a year. in ireland the members followed the example of their english colleagues, if indeed they did not improve upon it. in the irish parliament sat for three months, and in it sat for nine months; and it was only during the session, and for forty days before and after, that letters could be franked. cornwallis and craggs had now been some years at the post office; and yet, with all their experience of the extent to which the abuse of franking was carried, they were startled to see the effect which the duration of parliament had upon the receipts. in the gross revenue of the irish post office--and in the gross revenue was reckoned the postage on members' letters, the postage which these letters would have paid if they had not been franked--amounted to £ , , and the net revenue to £ . in , although the gross revenue rose to £ , , an amount higher by £ than in the preceding year, the net revenue fell from £ to £ . such was the effect upon the revenue of a difference of six months in the duration of the two parliaments. [ ] here are two letters they wrote:-- to mr. culvert. _nov. , ._ sir--as the three inclosed letters are directed to you in several places we have reason to think that some persons have presumed to take the liberty of your name. this practice is so great an abuse upon this office, and so very prejudicial to his majesty's revenue, that we must desire you'll be pleased to send such letters inclosed that don't belong to you to the office to be charged; and we are very well assured you'll discourage the like practice for the future. --we are, sir, your most humble servants, t. frankland j. evelyn. to sir richard grosvenor, bart. _april , ._ sir--having observed a letter directed to the rev. mr. harwood at billingsgate that arrived here yesterday in an irish mail frank't with your name in ireland, and knowing that you are in england, we have reason to think that somebody in that kingdom has taken the liberty of signing your name to the prejudice of his majesty's revenue, which is a practice that we are convinced you will discourage, and it is in order thereunto that you have this trouble from your most humble servants, cornwallis. james craggs. to add to the postmaster-generals' troubles, the merchants of london, groaning under the onerous rates of postage, had recourse to an expedient in order to evade them. they associated themselves together, and all those who had occasion to write to a particular place, though to different persons, would write on the same piece of paper and under the same cover. the postmasters-general contended that these several writings should be charged as separate letters; the merchants contended that there was but one letter, and that it should pass for a single rate of postage. their next step was to dispute the postmaster-generals' reading of the statute. under the law as passed in , and re-enacted in , merchants' accounts not exceeding one sheet of paper, and all bills of exchange, invoices, and bills of lading, were "to be allowed without rate in the price of letters"; in other words, the weight of these documents was not to be reckoned in the weight of a letter for the purpose of charging it with postage. this exemption, however, had hitherto been allowed only in the case of foreign letters; and the postmasters-general held that such was the intention of the statute. the merchants retorted that no such intention was expressed, and that to act as though it had been brought about this anomaly--that on a letter containing any one of the documents in question the charge from constantinople was actually less than from bristol. was it possible that the legislature could ever have enacted such an absurdity? it was an old contention, as old as the post office itself,[ ] and the merchants took the present opportunity to revive it. on both questions northey, the attorney-general, advised that the post office should adhere to its ancient practice as the best expositor of the meaning of the new law; but excellent as this advice may have been, its adoption failed to satisfy the merchants and it was not until a declaratory act had been passed that they ceased to contest the points. [ ] a strongly-worded petition on the subject was presented to parliament only a year or two after the restoration. this petition, after calling the charge an "abuse and extortion," goes on to say that "it cannot be imagined the parliament should either so far forget themselves, or the countrey for which they served, or the necessary and convenient correspondence, as well as the trade of his majesties dominions, as to put them upon worse and harder tearms than foreigners, or foreign trade, to the prejudice of the kingdom...." much the same sort of thing occurred a few years later in connection with the penny post. from the first establishment of this undertaking d. had carried only within the bills of mortality; for delivery beyond those limits had been charged d. more. some persons now refused to pay the additional penny, on the ground that it was not prescribed by law. this was perfectly true. the penny post owed its legal sanction to the act of ; and this act merely provided that "for the post of all and every the letters and packets passing or repassing by the carriage called the penny post, established and settled within the cities of london and westminster and borough of southwark and parts adjacent, and to be received and delivered within ten english miles distant from the general letter office in london [shall be demanded and received the sum of] d." again an act of parliament had to be passed in order to assimilate law and practice. this act, which was not obtained until , made legal the twopenny post, just as the penny post was made legal by the act of ; although, as a matter of fact, both posts had been in existence since april . in lowndes, who was still at the treasury, called for a return of the post office income and expenditure. ten years had now elapsed since the imposition of the new rates. of these ten years eight, as compared with the eight which preceded them, had been years of prosperity and peace; the population had increased, and the reductions in the packet service had effected a saving of many thousand pounds a year. certainly the circumstances had not on the whole been unfavourable for testing the results of the new policy. the return was rendered. during the year ending the th of september the gross post office revenue was, in , £ , , and in , £ , , being an increase of £ , ; in the cost of management was £ , , as against £ , in ; and the net revenue, which in had been £ , , was in £ , , an increase of £ , . but the case does not end here. under the terms of the act the sum of £ a week, or £ , a year, was to be allocated to a specific object. this sum had been regularly paid into the exchequer, and, after deducting it from the net revenue, there remained for the use of the sovereign a balance of £ , , or less than in by £ . while the contingency of a loss to the civil list had not been either foreseen or provided against, elaborate precautions had been taken for the disposal of a surplus. if the gross post office revenue should exceed the sum of £ , , the excess was to be divided between the sovereign and the public in the proportion of one-third to the public and two-thirds to the sovereign. as a matter of fact, the gross post office revenue in had exceeded, and exceeded by a considerable amount, the sum of £ , ; and yet there was no excess to divide. the plain truth is that, in preparing the act of , lowndes had forgotten the cost of management. it must have sounded strange in the ears of an assistant chancellor of the exchequer to be told, as cornwallis and craggs did not scruple to tell him, that he had confounded gross and net revenue, and that by this blunder parliament had been misled. the act of , disastrous as it proved in its effects on the wellbeing and morality of the nation, is only one more instance of the mischief which may be done with the best intentions; and it was perhaps meet that its author should have remained long enough at his post to witness the results of his own handiwork. chapter x ralph allen - there was one who realised not less fully than the postmasters-general themselves the difficulties by which they were beset. he knew well, even better than they, how letters were being kept out of the post and transmitted clandestinely, and how even on letters which fell into the post the postage was being intercepted. but while the postmasters-general regarded the evil as incurable, he thought that it might at all events be mitigated. this was ralph allen, the postmaster of bath. allen's experience in postal matters was probably unrivalled. he had, it might almost be said, been cradled and nursed in the post office. the son of an innkeeper at st. blaise, he had, at eleven years of age, been placed under the care of his grandmother, who, on the post road being diverted from south to mid-cornwall, was appointed postmistress of st. columb. here the regularity and neatness with which the lad kept the accounts gained for him the approval of the district surveyor when on a tour of inspection; and shortly afterwards, probably through the surveyor's influence, he obtained a situation in the post office at bath. it is said that while in this situation, intelligence having reached him that a waggon-load of arms was on its way from the west for the use of the disaffected, he placed himself in communication with general wade, who was then quartered at bath with his troops, and that it was by this service that he first brought himself into notice; but be that as it may, it is certain that when quash the old postmaster died, allen was appointed in quash's room. in allen offered to take in farm the bye and cross-post letters, giving as rent half as much again as these letters had ever produced. it was a bold offer, and, coming as it did from a young man only twenty-six years of age, and presumably without capital, not one to be accepted precipitately. allen proceeded to london and had frequent interviews with the postmasters-general. the earnestness of his convictions and the modest assurance with which he expressed them invited confidence, and on the th of april a contract was signed, the conditions of which were to come into operation on the midsummer day following. much as we desire to avoid the employment of technical terms, it is necessary here to explain that letters, exclusive of those passing through the penny post, were technically divided into four classes--london letters, country letters, bye or way letters, and cross-post letters. for purposes of illustration we will take bath, the city in which allen resided. a letter between bath and london would be a london letter, and a letter from one part of the country to another which in course of transit passed through london would be a country letter. a bye or way letter would be a letter passing between any two towns on the bath road and stopping short of london--as, for instance, between bath and hungerford, between hungerford and newbury, between newbury and reading, and so on; while a cross-post letter would be a letter crossing from the bath road to some other--as, for instance, a letter between bath and oxford. it was only with the last two classes of letters that allen had to do. the london and country letters were outside the sphere of his operations. on the bye and cross-post letters the postage for the year had amounted to £ . allen was to give £ a year; and in consideration of this rent he was for a period of seven years to receive the whole of the revenue which these letters should produce. some letters indeed were excepted, namely scotch letters, irish letters, packet letters, "all parliament men's letters during the privilege of parliament," and such letters as "usually goe free," that is, letters for the high officers of state or, as we should now say, letters on his majesty's service. no post under allen's control, whether a new or an old one, was to go less than three times a week; and the mails were to be carried at a speed of not less than five miles an hour. he was also to keep in readiness "a sufficient number of good and able horses with convenient furniture," not only for the mails but for expresses and for the use of travellers. one condition of the contract may seem a little hard. allen's own officers were to be appointed and their salaries to be fixed by the postmasters-general, and to these officers he was to give no instructions which had not first been submitted for the postmaster-generals' approval. allen by his sterling qualities had won the confidence of his fellow-townsmen at bath, and there can be little doubt that they now gave him practical proof of the estimation in which he was held. it is difficult to understand how else he can have raised the funds necessary for the purposes of his undertaking. in the very first quarter, between the th of june and the th of september , he expended in what may be called his plant as much as £ , and made himself responsible for salaries to the amount of £ a year. but heavy as the expenses were, the receipts bore a most gratifying proportion. from the bye and cross-post letters the postmasters-general had received, at the highest, £ a year. allen in his first quarter received £ . these first-fruits, while viewed by allen with equanimity, threw the postmasters-general into transports of delight, such delight as men feel when they find themselves to have been true prophets. "see," they said in a letter to the treasury dated the th of november, "how right we were. we told you that the greater part of the postage on these letters was going into the pockets of the postmasters, and that to accept mr. allen's proposal was the only way to check the malversation." but the promise of the first quarter was not fulfilled. the system of check and countercheck on which allen relied for the success of his plan depended largely, as the postmasters were not slow to discover, on their own co-operation; and this they refused to give. nor can we feel surprise that it should have been so. of the postmasters some received no salary at all, while others received the merest pittance. it could not in reason be expected that they would give their services gratuitously or, as the postmasters-general were pleased to think, in return for the copy of a newspaper once a week. postmasters, like other men, must live, and they no doubt reasoned that, as the state did not pay them, they were forced to pay themselves. it must also be remembered that the offence of intercepting postage, heinous as it would now be considered, may in those days have been regarded in a somewhat different light. some postmasters, as remuneration for their services, were authorised to withhold a certain proportion of the postage; and numerous were the complaints that in this particular the liberty accorded to some was not extended to others. it is probable, therefore, that many a postmaster, when accounting for less postage than he had actually received, excused himself on the plea that he was only doing without authority that for which authority had been given to others, and which should not in his judgment have been denied to himself. but whatever apologies they may have found for their conduct, the fact remains that allen's contract had been only a few months in operation before the postmasters resumed their old practices, and, seeing clearly enough that his plan when once fairly floated would deprive them of a profitable source of income, they not only withheld all co-operation but obstructed him by every means in their power. to such an extent indeed was this obstruction carried that at the end of three years allen, far from realising the promise of the first quarter, found himself a loser to the amount of £ . although things now began to improve, the improvement was slow, and in june , when the contract expired, allen had established his plan completely on only four out of the six main roads of the kingdom. on the yarmouth road he had established it only partially, and on the kent road not at all. circumstances so far favoured allen that the demise of the crown, which must in any case have terminated his contract, took place within a fortnight of the date on which the contract would have expired in the ordinary course. the period of seven years for which it was made expired on the th of june , and the king died on the th. a renewal of the contract could not in justice be refused. not only had allen been obstructed in the execution of his plan and put to heavy expenses which, except for such obstruction, would not have been necessary, but in fixing the amount of his rent a mistake had been made to his prejudice. he had agreed to pay half as much again as the bye and cross-road letters had ever produced, and it is true that the postage represented by these letters had amounted to £ a year; but it had been overlooked that the whole of this amount had not been collected, and that for the purpose of fixing the rent the sum of £ should have been deducted on account of letters which could not be delivered, and on which, therefore, no postage had been received. allen, while making no claim for the return of the amount overpaid, pleaded the fact of overpayment as an additional reason for enlarging his term. the postmasters-general were not less solicitous than allen himself that his services should be continued. they had, during the last seven years, received on account of bye and cross-post letters £ a year, where before they had received only £ , or, allowing for the sum not collected, £ ; and during the same period the country letters, far from falling off as had been predicted, had improved to the extent of £ a year, a result which was attributed to the vigilance of allen's surveyors. these reasons were regarded as conclusive, and, subject to the condition that he should appoint an additional surveyor and lose no time in completing his plan, allen's contract was extended for a further period of seven years. while allen is perfecting his arrangements, it may not be amiss to glance at the condition of affairs as he found them. houses were still unnumbered. on letters even to persons of position the addresses could be indicated only by their proximity to some shop or place of public resort. "for the r^{t.} hon^{able.} the lady compton next door to mr. massy's wachmaker in charles street near s^{t.} james's square, london." "to the right hon^{ble.} lady compton next door to the dyall in charles street near s^{t.} james squir--london." "pray derickt for me att my lady norrise near the theater in oxford."[ ] to the court and the downs the post went every day; but to no town, however large, did it go more than thrice a week. of cross-posts there were only two in the kingdom, the post from exeter to chester and the post from bath to oxford. outside london, chester was the only town in england which could boast of two post offices; and these two post offices were not for letters in the same direction. one was for general post letters, and the other for letters by the exeter cross-road, an arrangement which presupposed a knowledge of topography not probably possessed even in the present day. the cathedral town of ripon had no post office at all. not many years before, the inhabitants had asked for one and the request had been regarded as little less than audacious. "we could not think it reasonable," wrote the postmasters-general, "to put her majesty to the expense of a salary to a deputy att ripon." the utmost concession that could be obtained was that the letters for that town should be made up into a packet by themselves and put into the mouth of the boroughbridge bag, and, on arrival at boroughbridge, be despatched to ripon at once by a messenger on horseback. this messenger was to deliver them with all expedition, and to remain at ripon for replies, leaving only in time to catch the return-mail from the north. charges on letters over and above the legal postage were general. not a single letter passed between yarmouth and the great north road without a charge of d. as the postmaster's perquisite. at gosport a perquisite of similar amount was claimed on every bye-letter. in the neighbourhood of chesterfield the inhabitants paid for every letter they received in no case less than d. in addition to the postage, and in some cases as much as d.; and so it was, with variations as to the amount, in every part of the kingdom. only the wealthy could afford to use the post, and even they, on account of the want of facilities, used it sparingly. how far the post was at this time removed from being a matter of common concern might, if other evidence were wanting, be inferred from one solitary fact. in a book was published,[ ] one chapter of which professed to give a detailed account of the posts of the period, and assuredly the account it gave was detailed enough; but of the posts as we understand them, that is to say, as a vehicle for the transmission of letters, there was from the beginning to the end of the chapter not a single word. by the term posts nothing more was meant than the post for travellers, and, for anything that appeared to the contrary, the letter post might have had no existence. [ ] historical manuscripts commission, appendix to eleventh report, part iv. pp. , . [ ] _british curiosities in art and nature, likewise an account of the posts, markets, and fair-towns_, . and perhaps this may be a convenient place to say a few words about those who had presided over the post office during the first five or six years of allen's connection with it. edward carteret and galfridus walpole, who had succeeded cornwallis and craggs in , possessed in a high degree the qualities which endear men to their subordinates,--a sense of justice, consideration for others, and a rooted dislike to high-handed proceedings. in these respects they bore a striking contrast to their immediate predecessors. we will give instances. when cornwallis and craggs assumed the direction of the post office, their first step was to dismiss the secretary, henry weston. the circumstances were peculiarly hard. weston's father had been receiver-general for the county of surrey, and in this capacity he had contracted a heavy debt to the crown. it was the son's ambition to pay off this debt and to provide a home for his mother and sisters. by force of industry and self-denial he had just succeeded in securing both objects when a change of postmasters-general resulted in his summary dismissal. weston naturally appealed against so arbitrary an act. cornwallis and craggs, to whom his antecedents were well known, while commending the young man as an object worthy of the royal benevolence, resented as unreasonable and little short of impertinent his reluctance to give up a situation which they desired for a nominee of their own. far different was the treatment accorded by carteret and walpole to those who were committed to their charge. mary lovell had for more than thirty years kept the receiving office in st. james's street. on the th of march the earl of abercorn entered this office, holding in his hand a letter addressed to his son at cambray, and inquired what postage had to be paid upon it. the woman replied that there was only d. to pay, this being the charge by the penny post, and that the remaining postage of s. would be payable on delivery. abercorn questioned the accuracy of this information, and insisted on paying the entire sum at once. lovell, feeling sure that a mistake had been committed, and anxious about the consequences, hurried to the post office, and having there ascertained that she should have received only d., called at abercorn's residence, and with a humble apology refunded the difference. nothing more was heard of the matter until the following july, when a second very similar mistake appears to have revived the recollection of the first. abercorn, who was then at tunbridge wells, took to the post office there a letter addressed to his son at luneville and handed it to comer, the postmaster, impressing upon him the importance of its prompt despatch, and desiring him to pay whatever postage might be required. it should be explained that at that time letters for germany had to be prepaid, or else they were returned to the writers, whereas letters for france could not be paid except on delivery. comer, jumping to the conclusion that luneville was in france, paid no more than the inland postage of d., the consequence being that three or four days afterwards the letter, after being opened in london, was returned as insufficiently paid. abercorn, naturally enough, was very angry, and, as is apt to be the case with angry persons, was not altogether reasonable. luneville, without the addition of lorraine or germany, was an incomplete address. for this he would make no allowance; neither would he admit that it was necessary to open the letter in order to return it, and that the impression on the seal, a coronet and coat of arms, was not sufficient indication of the writer. all this was natural enough; but it was strange that he should have reverted to the earlier of the two mistakes, and directed his resentment less against comer than against mary lovell. he now charged her with insolence and an attempt at imposition, and declared that nothing would satisfy him except her dismissal. in pursuance of this object abercorn proceeded to the post office, where he was received by carteret and walpole. walpole said little, and what little he said was said courteously. carteret spoke in both their names. he expressed surprise that the return of the amount overcharged on the letter to cambray, accompanied as it had been by lovell's humble apology, had not been considered satisfactory, and inquired what further satisfaction could be expected. abercorn replied that he expected her to be turned out of her office as a person unfit to retain it. carteret expostulated. such a step, he said, would not be in accordance with post office usage; she was a poor and unprotected woman, no previous complaint had been made against her during the thirty years she had held the office; he had seen her himself, and felt sure that her professions of regret that she had given offence to his lordship were sincere. impatient of what he afterwards described as an irksome expostulation, abercorn rose to leave. carteret and walpole rose also, and accompanied him to the door. "i owe it to the north british peers," said abercorn, turning on the threshold, "to acquaint some of their representatives with the treatment that i, their peer, have met with." "and i," haughtily retorted carteret, "should care not if all the sixteen north british representing peers were present at this moment." allen's plan consisted in a system of vouchers and what he called post-bills, by means of which the postmasters might act as a check upon each other. the post-bill which accompanied the letters throughout their course was designed to distinguish the bye-letters from others, and to shew the total amount of postage to be collected; the voucher appears to have been nothing more than the acknowledgment which each postmaster gave of the amount to be collected by himself; and these two documents were sent periodically, once a month or once a quarter, to allen's office in bath, where they underwent a rigid scrutiny. simple as this check was, it was only by ceaseless vigilance on allen's part that he could get it carried out. to make in the post-bills entries which should have been made in the vouchers, to omit to send the vouchers to headquarters, to confound the bye-letters with the london and country letters--these were only some of the devices to which recourse was had in order to defeat the check. allen was better qualified probably than any other man living for the task he had set himself to perform. of a temper which nothing could ruffle, with ample means at his command, and accountable to no one but himself for their disposal, and possessed of an amount of local knowledge which even at the present day is perhaps unrivalled, he enjoyed a combination of advantages which might have been sought elsewhere in vain. his patience indeed was inexhaustible. no subterfuge, not even a transparent attempt at imposition, would call forth more than a passing rebuke. "'tis faulty," he would write, "'tis blameable"; and then, perhaps, from the following words would peep out, in spite of himself, a gleam of merriment at the clumsiness of the contrivance. to a man of less easy temperament even the conditions under which he worked would have been intolerable. under the terms of his contract allen's surveyors were to be the officers of the postmasters-general, and to do as the postmasters-general bid them. this was no mere nominal condition. when allen wanted something done, it may be in the extreme north or the extreme west of england, he might find that the surveyor whose business it would have been to do it had been summoned to london to wait upon the postmasters-general in lombard street. hardly less provoking must have been the condition that the surveyors, though allen's servants, were not to receive from him any instructions which the postmasters-general had not first approved. ordinarily allen was at bath, and it was there that the instructions were prepared; yet they had to be sent to london for approval, and were seldom despatched thence to their destination until seven or eight days after the dates they bore. but to any one of less modest and retiring disposition the severest trial would have been the manner in which the postmasters-general took credit to themselves for improvements which were exclusively his own. it was always "our" surveyors who had been instructed to do this, that, and the other, without the slightest acknowledgment that the instruction had come from allen, and that it was he who supplied the money to pay and the wit to direct them. only when the cost of some new arrangement had to be stated to the treasury did his name appear, and then it was put prominently forward. "your lordships," the postmasters-general would write, with a confidence which must have possessed all the pleasure of a new sensation, "will of course approve our proposals. it is true that the cost they involve is considerable, but the whole of this will fall upon mr. allen, the farmer." but so placid was allen's temper that these petty annoyances, irritating as they might have been to some men, passed unheeded. as a qualification for the task he had undertaken, hardly less important than placidity of temper was the possession of ample means and his unaccountability to others for their disposal. with no one to please but himself, he enjoyed facilities in dealing with postmasters which the post office, under the most favourable circumstances, could never hope to possess. to one he would give what he called a complimentary salary; to another he would give, over and above his salary, a certain proportion of the postage; and a third would receive a substantial increase, not for what he had done or was doing, but for what he might do in the future. all, in short, who could control the actions of others allen bound to himself by a community of interest. but it was the extent of his local knowledge that constituted allen's chief qualification for the task he had set himself to perform. this knowledge, acquired probably during the struggle to introduce his plan, may appear almost marvellous. there was hardly a town in england, and certainly no town of importance, with the trade and manufactures of which, and even with the character and disposition of its postmaster, he was not acquainted. at the present day it is the district surveyor who in post office matters affecting the provinces takes the initiative. in allen's time the initiative came from bath. in a single letter he would treat of some thirty or forty towns, and not only prescribe the order in which they were to be taken and the roads by which they were to be reached, but give the minutest instructions as to what was to be said and done on arrival there. in respect to only one town, a town without a post office, does allen appear to have been uninformed, and that was stowmarket. "when in that neighbourhood," he wrote to one of his surveyors, as though half ashamed of his own ignorance, "go over to stowmarket and ascertain and let me know the distance of that town from ipswich and from eye, and also the nature and extent of its trade." lest we should be thought to exaggerate the difficulties with which allen had to contend, allen himself shall be our witness. the postmasters were strictly enjoined to stamp the bye and cross-post letters. this was their first duty, for without stamping no check was possible. "i need not tell you," allen writes to one of his surveyors, "the mischief which has already attended the omission of this necessary part of their duty, nor the difficulty which i have hitherto met with to get this order observed; but when they find that their neglect will for the future hurt themselves, this evil will be stopped." hardly less difficult did he find it to make the postmasters send in their vouchers with even decent regularity. we will give a few instances out of many. of bodmin and st. columb he writes, "both these deputies are exceeding backward in transmitting their vouchers. order them strictly to send them hither for the future within a week after every quarter." richmond, yorkshire, "instead of sending me his vouchers at the end of every month sends them considerably over the quarter and then in so great disorder as to be of little use to me in fixing my cheque account." gosport, again, "persistently neglects to send his vouchers, without which, as you know, it is not in my power to state an exact account nor to fix the cheques which are necessary to prevent abuses." grantham is little better, and as for wolverhampton, allen writing in april says, "he has sent me no vouchers since last michaelmas, and by this obstinacy destroys my cheque and puts my affairs into great disorder." the dead and missent letters were a source of continual trouble. how to dispose of dead letters and how to get back into their proper channel letters that had been missent were questions which not seldom perplexed even allen himself. but it is not of this particular difficulty that we propose now to speak. our present concern is with these two classes of letters only so far as they affected the relations between allen and the postmasters. according to his instructions a postmaster who should find himself in possession of a dead or missent letter was to send it to bath in order that allowance might be made for the postage with which, otherwise, he would stand charged. hence arose various attempts at imposition, attempts to palm off, as though they were dead or missent, letters which were neither the one nor the other. but let allen again speak for himself. "from lancaster," he writes, "go through kendal and penrith to carlisle, where i believe you will meet with a very great abuse. 'tis thus: his dead letters for a good while since much exceed what can be rationally accounted for at that stage, and upon enquiry the greatest number of those letters appear to be sham letters all written by one hand and sent from different parts of the kingdom, which plainly shews it to be only a blameable contrivance by some people in that office to expect money from me for bits of paper never sent by the post but made by themselves. some instances you will receive with these instructions. be sure to suppress this dangerous abuse. cause me a redress for the injury i have received and leave with mr. pattison a copy of my letter relating to stamps, which is the only method i can think of for an effectual cure of this evil." the method to which allen here refers afterwards became a rule of the office. it was to the effect that no allowance would be made in respect to any dead or missent letters which should not bear on their covers the name of the office whence the postmaster by whom the allowance was claimed had received them. if at that office they had been stamped, that was enough; but if they had been forwarded unstamped--and the stamping was as often omitted as not--the postmaster who received the letters was to write the name upon them. allen's first experience of the working of this rule was a little singular. mrs. wainwright, the old postmistress of ferrybridge, had sent up for allowance a number of unstamped letters without shewing whence she had received them. allen returned the letters, explaining that as such information had not been given no allowance could be made. if mrs. wainwright felt any impatience at what she no doubt regarded as new-fangled ways, no evidence of it was allowed to appear. she simply sent the letters back with the name of the office whence they had reached her neatly written upon each. to allen's dismay, the letters had all been opened and the information obtained from the inside. the new rule, though good as far as it went, proved insufficient to check imposition; and allen felt constrained to add an additional safeguard. for the future no postmaster was to have his claim allowed unless he should verify it on oath. this obligation brought its own troubles. by one the oath was omitted, by another it was objected to on conscientious grounds, a third would treat it as of small account, and all this meant additional work for allen. "this officer," he writes of the postmaster of salisbury, "constantly makes large deductions for missent letters" and on other grounds "without sending me the particulars of his demand or the office oath to the truth of his claim." the postmaster of newark had conscientious scruples and objected to the oath in any form. "you have already," writes allen, "been fully acquainted how tender i am in this respect; but if he still refuses to claim his demand for allowances by an oath framed in any shape, 'tis directly necessary to appoint an officer in that place who will obey their honours' commands, for if his obstinacy should be suffered the rest of the kingdom who have readily complyed may raise new objections." no such scruples afflicted the postmaster of stone in staffordshire. until lately "the errors made to my injury considerably exceeded those made to the hurt of that deputy"; but now "the articles to my hurt are dwindled to a trifle and the others much augmented, which causes mr. barbor to make constant and large claims on me for the difference. only lately i received from him a statement of his demands on this head, with an oath at the bottom of it that the several articles to his prejudice were all true. but if it be the case, as i have always understood, that he never concerns himself with the bye-letters but leaves this business to his uncle, pray enquire of him how he came to send me such an oath." the postmasters had been allowed to receive their correspondence free of postage; but allen soon found that the privilege was being abused. the covers addressed to them would contain letters not for themselves alone but also for their neighbours in trade. indeed the neighbours' letters would predominate, and, ordinarily, the address was a mere subterfuge. to check this abuse allen established a rule that when addressed to postmasters none but single letters--letters without enclosures, were to pass free, and that all others were to be charged with full postage. the postage, however, was to be afterwards remitted in the case of any postmaster who should make oath that the letters in respect to which he claimed remission were on his private business. here again allen's belief in the efficacy of an oath was rudely shaken. the number and magnitude of the claims made upon him from lancaster had arrested his attention, and he had laid them aside to be examined at leisure. meanwhile the explanation came in a curious manner. he received a circular from a man of the name of bracken asking him to subscribe towards the publication of a book relating to the treatment of horses.[ ] this circular, as announced in the document itself, was being issued to all the postmasters in the kingdom; and it was in his capacity of postmaster of bath that allen received it. it further announced that answers should be sent under cover to the postmistress of lancaster, the reason given being that they would thus escape postage. [ ] the book was afterwards published--_the gentleman's pocket-farrier_, by doctor henry bracken of lancaster, . other malpractices were less easy of detection. all the claims, before they were passed, came under allen's personal inspection; and to determine whether these were fraudulent or not needed no special aptitude. but whether at some distant part of the country two or more postmasters were in collusion, or whether without collusion they were bringing to account less postage than they collected, were questions the solution of which demanded qualifications of a different order. as the result of reflection or observation, or more probably of both combined, allen laid down for his own guidance certain propositions as simple as they were no doubt sound. of these one was that the correspondence passing between two given places, far from being liable to violent fluctuations, might be relied on to maintain a nearly uniform level. it is certain that in our own days, when locomotion is easy and the movements of large parts of the population are influenced by the weather and other considerations, the principle which this proposition embodies would not hold good; but in the earlier half of the eighteenth century allen regarded it, and probably not without reason, as a safe guide. when, therefore, the correspondence passing between two places during a certain period had once been ascertained, he adopted this as a standard, and any variation of the amount immediately excited his suspicions. "at christchurch and ringwood," he writes, "fully inform yourself why the letters which formerly were sent between those places and salisbury are now almost entirely sunk." at york, during the quarter ending midsummer , the postage on bye-letters amounted to £ , as against £ during the corresponding quarter of the previous year. this he affirms must proceed, not from "deadness in trade," but from "some mismanagement in the office." between appleby and brough the letters passing in december were fifteen, whereas in the two preceding months they had been only three. "let me know at once," he writes, "the cause of the difference." another proposition which allen established as a rule of conduct was that between two trading towns in the same neighbourhood there must almost of necessity be correspondence. he noticed with surprise that between stone and coventry, according to the vouchers sent him, not a single letter had passed during a whole quarter. "i will not say it is impossible," he writes to the surveyor, "that no letters should during this time pass between such trading places, but during your stay at stone i must in a particular manner desire you will examine whether you receive none." a third proposition was that there could not be what, if it be not a contradiction in terms, we will call a one-sided correspondence. he regarded it as an absolute certainty, amounting almost to an axiom, that whatever number of letters a town might receive, it would send the same or nearly the same number in reply. if, therefore, as between two towns, he found from his vouchers that one was sending to the other more letters than the other sent in return, he immediately concluded that something was wrong. it is interesting to note how his views on this point were confirmed by experience. during the year the postage on letters sent from nottingham to newark amounted to £ , whereas on those sent from newark to nottingham it amounted to only £ . surely, writes allen, the amounts should be nearly equal. ascertain whether this comes "from faults, errors, or a real deadness in the correspondence," and to enable him to do this the surveyor was to take the newark office under his care for a week or a fortnight. here allen speaks with confidence indeed, and yet as though some doubt might exist; but a few years later there is no doubt at all. "in the chipping norton vouchers," he writes, "another remarkable oddness is that the letters received by that deputy appear to be double the number sent from that office, which is not only different from any other well-managed office, but 'tis out of all rules of proportion with respect to correspondence." and again, "the receipt of chipping norton's letters are still double the number of what mr. mackerness in his vouchers enters as sent from his stage. i can't conceive how 'tis possible for this difference to arise where an office is justly managed. fully examine into the cause of it." but there were other irregularities which, as being further removed from observation, were still more difficult to check. between worcester and bewdley there had been great delay. "the account sent me," writes allen, "is that, tho' both these deputys are paid for riding their whole stages, by a private arrangement between themselves they exchange the mails at an alehouse on the road, and neither of them will ride beyond that place, tho' one of them should happen to arrive there several hours before the other can reach it." the postmaster of lynn, in norfolk, who was paid by allen to keep a check upon other postmasters in the neighbourhood, calls his attention to their remissness in delivering letters. sometimes, he states, they keep letters several days. on this account letters that would otherwise go by post are sent by friend or carrier. "i am perfectly ashamed," he adds, and when i remonstrate and "set forth the complaints of our gentlemen," the postmasters plead that they are not paid for delivery, "and therefore think themselves not obliged to send out their letters even to persons inhabiting within their own towns." the post-boys were a constant source of trouble. "by the enclosed letter from mr. floyer of worcester," allen writes to his surveyor, "you will find that the post-boys on the cross-road convey letters between that city and bristol by exchanging them from one hand to another without ever suffering them to be put into the mayl or baggs. pray thank mr. floyer for his letter, diligently search the boys, and make whatever other inspection you find to be necessary. mr. lumley by the last post writ me that at exeter he had made another new and great discovery of this kind, having found nineteen letters on the oakhampton rider." "at plymouth," he writes on another occasion, "formerly there was a particular house where the post-boys frequently met to exchange their letters, which they collected throughout the country from exon to truro. inquire if this is still going on, and, if so, endeavour to detect them." on the cross-road between bristol and tiverton "several of the letters have been actually taken out of the baggs and delivered in some of the trading towns by the post-boys instead of the proper officers. this could not be if, according to instructions, these bags were always chained and sealed." at wells, in somersetshire, the postmaster has deprived the bristol riding-boys of their perquisite of d. a letter "for dropping of letters" at the towns and villages through which they pass; and as to his own boys, he allows them no wages. this "must drive those unhappy boys to almost a necessity to rob the mails for their subsistence." "then proceed to rawcliff, in yorkshire, where mr. carrack, the deputy of that place, will tell you that the riders of the branch between doncaster and hull embezzle great numbers of the bye-letters. take his assistance to detect and then punish those fellows." heretofore we have spoken only of the difficulties with which allen had to contend in dealing with persons more or less under his own control. but he had troubles from without as well as within. "everywhere," he writes, "endeavour to inform yourself of and suppress all illegal conveyance of letters." "at birmingham," he writes again, "endeavour to detect the carriers who, i am told, in the most open manner convey letters from that place to all the trading towns in that country." "use your utmost vigilance to suppress the illegal collection of letters which, i am informed, is now carried on by one twopotts and other persons, to the injury of the revenue, between derby and nottingham." between cowes and southampton the illegal conveyance of letters "is now such a custom that we have seldom any go in the bag." "at every stage which you pass through cause to be fixed to the most public places some of the printed advertizements against the carriers and wherrymen, and take every other reasonable methode to surprize all private, illegal, conveyances of letters, and always have a particular regard of the followers employed in the dispersing of news from the country presses." this last injunction is best explained by another given a year or two later. a printer at northampton was employing a large number of persons ostensibly to disperse newspapers, but really, as allen affirmed, to collect letters. these persons, he wrote, no longer confine their operations to short distances, but "by meeting at the extremity of their divisions the servants of other printers exchange their letters." "pray, therefore," he adds, "wherever country presses are erected, do your best to suppress this evil." allen when dealing with the posts displayed a degree of self-reliance which was hardly to be expected from one of his modest and retiring disposition. we will give an instance, and with the less hesitation because it will serve to shew his general way of transacting business. in the duke of devonshire, who had been spending the summer at chatsworth, was much struck with the length of time which letters took to pass between chesterfield and manchester, and he begged the postmasters-general to apply a remedy. these two towns are about forty-six miles apart, and in there was no post between them. not very long before, indeed, letters from one to the other would have had to pass through london, and even now they were taking a circuitous course by ferribridge, doncaster, and rotherham. the duke's application was referred to allen; and allen, without waiting to consult the local surveyor, proceeded at once to give his instructions. between manchester and chesterfield there should certainly be a post; but this would not be enough. derby must also share the benefit; and this could not be compassed without erecting a stage between that town and nottingham, nottingham being already in direct communication with chesterfield. lincolnshire must also be considered. true, there was a post from nottingham to newark; but between newark and lincoln, though only about seventeen miles apart, there was no communication except through grantham, nor between newark and horncastle and boston except through stilton. the letters, moreover, on reaching the great north road had to await the arrival of the london mail. not only did allen determine that all this must be altered, but he sketched out the particular alterations that were to be made, and merely referred to the district surveyor with a view to ascertain what their effect upon the correspondence was likely to be. the particulars which this officer furnished were curious. at chesterfield, he reported, not a letter was delivered except on payment of a fee of d. or d., and sometimes even of d., over and above the postage. on each letter sent to the post it was the custom to pay d. the entire district, including not chesterfield alone, but sheffield, nottingham, and mansfield, was doing a very considerable trade in manchester wares; but the letters which passed between these towns and manchester were chiefly sent with the goods by carrier. of post letters there were few, the postage for a whole year amounting to only £ . the correspondence might possibly increase by as much as one-third or £ : : a year, if a post were put on between manchester and chesterfield; but this was doubtful, and the annual cost, owing partly to the badness of the road, would be £ . between derby and nottingham a new stage could not be erected for less than £ . nor could the lincolnshire posts be improved as desired for less than £ , making altogether an increased annual charge of £ ; and there was no probability of this increase of cost being covered, or nearly covered, by increase of correspondence. allen was not to be deterred by any such consideration. the whole of the alterations were carried into effect; the postmasters-general received from the duke a warm expression of thanks for their admirable arrangements; and allen, who had devised them, and at whose expense they were made, did not so much as appear in the transaction. in striking contrast with allen's proceedings were those of the post office in the few instances in which it acted independently. allen's energy, far from communicating itself to lombard street, appears to have extinguished what little energy had existed there before. why should the postmasters-general exert themselves to do that which was done better and without expense to the crown by another? and yet there were some, though rare, occasions on which independent action was called for. one such occasion presented itself in , and it serves to shew how wanting the post office was in the local knowledge which allen possessed in so remarkable a degree. application had been made for a post to aylsham in norfolk. among those who had lent their influence in support of the application was lord lovell, who had just been appointed postmaster-general in conjunction with carteret, but who had not yet entered upon his duties; and carteret, to oblige his new colleague, sent an officer specially from london with a view to facilitate arrangements. this officer, john day by name, was furnished with written instructions. he was to proceed to norwich, and there ascertain certain facts, any one of which could have been supplied by allen at bath without rising from his chair in lilliput alley. these were--how far aylsham was from norwich; whether the road between the two towns was a good or a bad one; whether under existing arrangements aylsham ever received any letters, and, if so, how and whence; and particularly--an instruction which could hardly have been given except under the belief that aylsham was south and not north of norwich--whether the setting up of a post between the two towns would be a "hindrance to the grand mail betwixt norwich and london." day, having described the position of aylsham, appears to have considered it unnecessary to give this last piece of information; but he told as news, which perhaps it was, that the london mail left norwich on mondays and wednesdays at midnight, and on saturdays at four in the afternoon. even where local knowledge was not wanting, the lack of funds which they could dispense at discretion placed the postmasters-general as compared with allen at a serious disadvantage. we have seen how allen dealt with the application from chatsworth. not many years later it devolved upon the postmasters-general to deal with a somewhat similar one from kimbolton; and it is interesting to note the difference of procedure. from kimbolton and st. neots the course of post had been through biggleswade and hitchin, and in the inhabitants of the counties of huntingdon and cambridgeshire petitioned that it should be through caxton. the effect of the alteration would be that letters for the two first-mentioned towns coming from the north or from norfolk and suffolk would, regularly three times a week, be brought to the towns themselves, and not, as had hitherto been the case, be left at huntingdon, to be forwarded thence as opportunity offered by carriers and market people. st. neots had a further interest in the matter. a considerable corn-market was held there on thursdays; and the dealers complained that, leaving as the post did at twelve mid-day, they had no time to write their letters, whereas, by way of caxton, it need not leave until five in the afternoon. on the score of convenience the change had everything to recommend it; but there was one drawback. to carry it into effect would involve a cost of £ ; and this, the postmasters-general expressed their apprehension, the treasury would not feel justified in incurring, as the increase of expense might be only partially covered by the increase of correspondence. whether the treasury consent was given or withheld we know not; but the mere fact that such an apprehension should have been expressed, and that the convenience of towns and extensive districts should have been made to depend upon the paltry consideration of a few pounds, goes far to shew that the post office, without the aid of private enterprise, would have made but little progress. allen's contract expired every seven years. in order to obtain a renewal of it he did not, according to a practice not uncommon with reformers, stoop to the pretence that he was on the point of introducing some important measure, which would be lost to the country unless his services were retained. on the contrary, he treated it as a pure business matter, and each time offered higher terms. thus, in , which was the first year of a new septennial period, he guaranteed the country letters to produce £ , ; in he guaranteed them to produce £ , ; and in , £ , . this being the class of letters of which it had been and continued to be predicted that with the extension of cross-posts the number must diminish, the postmasters-general regarded the advance as not unhandsome. but, in consideration of his contract being renewed, there was another and far more important condition, which allen undertook to perform. this was to convert tri-weekly posts into posts six days a week, and to take the whole expense upon himself. accordingly, in , the post began to run every day of the week except sunday between london and bristol, between london and norwich, and between london and yarmouth; and of course all the intervening towns participated in the benefit. in a further instalment followed. this time it was the midlands and the west of england that were to be benefited; and on and after monday the th of december the post went on the three days on which it had not gone hitherto to birmingham, through oxford, and to exeter through bristol. in , the beginning of another septennial period, the six-day service was widely extended. leicester, derby, and nottingham, shrewsbury and chester, warrington, liverpool, and manchester were among the towns which were now to receive letters from london on every day of the week except sunday. from liverpool and manchester the cross-post service to almost every part of the kingdom was at the same time improved. at the close of the nineteenth century, postridden as some of us think ourselves to be, we may find it sometimes difficult to believe that less than years ago there was not a town in the kingdom which received a post from london on more than alternate days. and yet allen's activity, untiring as it was, went only a short way to regain for the post office the popularity it had lost. various causes had contributed to this result. the chief of them, however, as it was the earliest in point of time, was of itself enough and more than enough to account for the distrust and hostility with which the post office appears to have been regarded towards the middle of the last century. as early as members of parliament had begun to complain that their letters bore evident signs of having been opened at the post office, alleging that such opening had been frequent and was become matter of common notoriety; but it was not until six years later, in the course of inquiries which were being made into the conduct of sir robert walpole during the last ten years of his administration, that the state of the case became fully known. it then transpired that in the post office there was a private office, an office independent of the postmasters-general and under the immediate direction of the secretary of state, which was expressly maintained for the purpose of opening and inspecting letters. it was pretended, indeed, that these operations were confined to foreign letters, but, as a matter of fact, there was no such restriction. the office appears to have been established in , and its cost, which was defrayed out of the secret service money, had since increased more than tenfold, and now reached the prodigious sum of £ a year. the establishment, exclusive of a door-keeper, consisted of nine persons, with salaries ranging from £ to £ ; the head of the office or "chief decypherer," as he was called, being dr. willes, dean of lincoln. it was in june that these shameful facts became known, through the report of a committee of the house of commons; and, in the august following, willes was gazetted bishop of st. davids. to ourselves it may seem strange that the state monopoly of letters should have survived so terrible a revelation. it must be remembered, however, that in the middle of the last century the post office, owing mainly to the heavy charges it levied, had hardly become matter of general concern; that public opinion, as we now understand it, was only beginning to exist; and, above all, that the very conditions under which post office work was done precluded the idea of privacy. these conditions were absolutely inconsistent with the sanctity which now surrounds a letter. letters were divided into two classes,--single and double; and to determine whether a letter was the one or the other demanded a close scrutiny, a scrutiny such as could not be exercised except by the strongest light that candles could give. in it had been laid down that a letter, however small, was to be charged as a double one if two or more persons joined in writing it. how could it be ascertained that the whole of a letter was in one and the same handwriting except by prying? even the law itself, by the meagre protection it vouchsafed to letters, discouraged the idea of sanctity. for an offence of the pettiest kind, as for instance for stealing a pocket-handkerchief in a dwelling-house, the penalty was death. for opening or embezzling a letter the highest penalty which the law allowed was a fine of £ . it is significant of the change which has since taken place in the public sentiment that while in the case of almost every other description of offence the penalty has been enormously reduced, in the case of opening and embezzling letters it has been enormously increased. horace walpole, writing more than twenty-five years later, never tired of mentioning the elaborate precautions he had taken to secure his correspondence against inspection. "i shall send this letter by the coach," he says, "as it is rather free-spoken and sandwich[ ] may be prying." "i always say less than i could, because i consider how many post-house ordeals a letter must pass"; and similar observations occur in a hundred different places. all this was sheer nonsense. it tickled the exquisite vanity of the man to affect to believe that his correspondence was of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the state. and yet truth compels us to admit that the infamous practice which the committee exposed did not cease with the exposure. the treasury, while grudging every d. expended on the posts, continued regularly to remit more than £ a year for the maintenance of their inquisitors in lombard street; and it was not until george the third had sat some years on the throne, probably under the rockingham administration, that the corps was finally disbanded. [ ] lord sandwich was postmaster-general in . apart from the grave cause of offence we have mentioned, it is a curious fact that during the last eighteen or twenty years of george the second's reign hardly anything occurred in which the post office was concerned that did not in one way or another cause dissatisfaction to some section of the community. the post office, no doubt, was often to blame, sometimes deeply so; but even where this was not the case, where no blame attached either to itself or to any other office or person, it in no single instance, so far as we are aware, escaped a certain amount of obloquy. this unfortunate result first shews itself in the case of the falmouth and lisbon packets. during the war with spain it had only been necessary, as a defence against some spanish privateers which infested the channel, to provide the dover and harwich packets with arms and to make a small addition to their complement of men; but in , when spain was joined by france, a good deal more had to be done. the dover and calais packets, after the six months' grace allowed by the treaty of utrecht, were taken off; the packets to the west indies which had been discontinued since were revived; and the falmouth and lisbon packets were put on the same footing as during the last war. this the merchants trading with portugal, an important body representing forty-eight firms, protested was not enough. the packets, they argued, afforded the only available means for remitting gold to lisbon in exchange for commodities, and should, therefore, be of at least tons and carry men. it was true that this would be in excess by about seventy tons and forty men of what was provided during the last war; but the fact that during the last war some of the packets fell into the hands of privateers was of itself a proof that they were not of force and burthen sufficient. besides, we had then an army in spain, and the number of soldiers and passengers passing to and fro made fewer sailors necessary. moved by these arguments, the duke of newcastle decided to comply with the merchants' request; but pelham, on learning that the building and equipment alone would cost £ , , revoked the duke's decision. his majesty's opinion he declared to be that the main object of a packet was to carry letters, and that for the carriage of letters light and swift vessels were the fittest. this, it will be remembered, was the opinion which had been expressed by william the third more than fifty years before, and events had proved its soundness. nevertheless, the merchants were highly displeased; and, of course, at that time they were no more able than they are now to distinguish between a refusal which originated with the post office and one that was imposed upon it by superior authority. but the merchants--and here we speak not of those alone who traded with portugal--had other and more serious cause of complaint. their foreign letters were not delivered until twelve o'clock in the day, and, if a mail arrived by as much as a few minutes after twelve, it was not at the earliest delivered until the same hour on the following day. and if on this day a second mail chanced to arrive shortly before noon, the letters by the first mail were kept back so as to be delivered with those of the second in the evening. thus, foreign letters received at the post office in lombard street a few minutes after mid-day on saturday might not be delivered even in lombard street itself until the evening of monday. to make matters worse, the foreign ministers residing in london had their letters delivered soon after the mail arrived, so that any persons whom these ministers might please to favour enjoyed an undue advantage. the merchants now urged that this might be altered. did not sir harry furness, they asked, during the last war obtain permission to have his letters delivered immediately after the arrival of a mail? and was not this permission afterwards revoked on the ground that it had led to abuse? matters were better managed abroad. at amsterdam, for instance, if a mail arrived as late as nine o'clock in the evening, the letters were delivered to those who might call for them at any time before midnight, or else sent out for delivery early the next morning. at rotterdam--this also was urged as an instance of better management--the english letters were never delivered till twelve hours after the mail had arrived, about which time those which had come by the same mail would be in course of delivery at amsterdam. equality of treatment was thus secured, and neither city had priority of intelligence. at hamburg, again, as soon as a mail arrived--if in the day, a notice to that effect was fixed up at the post office and at the exchange, the letters being delivered about three hours later; and if at night, the clerks were called out of bed, so that the letters might be sorted and ready for delivery the first thing in the morning. sundays, moreover, were not excepted. as regards foreign gazettes, too, these all over europe were delivered within a quarter of an hour after their arrival; yet in london the merchants had to wait for them many hours. and this was all the more hard to bear because the clerks in the post office, to whom gazettes were addressed, received them at once and communicated the contents to their friends. what could be more calculated to promote fraudulent insurance, one-sided bargains, and a system of overreaching generally? such was the representation made by the merchants; and they concluded by asking that henceforth, except on sundays, no longer interval should be allowed to elapse between the arrival and delivery of a foreign mail than was absolutely necessary for the purpose of sorting. the postmasters-general had no choice but to refuse the request. to have granted it would have defeated the object with which the treasury were maintaining an office of their own within the post office building. about this time, three or four years short of the middle of the century, the post office got into disgrace with travellers. under the provisions of the numerous turnpike acts which had recently passed, the trustees of the roads were to measure distances and to erect milestones; and on these provisions being carried into effect the statute mile proved to be shorter, much shorter, than the reputed or post office mile.[ ] so great indeed was the difference that the post office may be said to have been almost ridiculously out of its reckoning. thus, from london to berwick-upon-tweed the distance, according to post office computation, was miles; according to measurement, it proved to be miles. to holyhead the actual distance proved to be miles; the post office had computed it at miles. to manchester the distance, according to the post office, was miles; the actual distance was . bristol, which proved to be miles from london, had been reckoned as ; birmingham as instead of ; warwick as instead of ; and so it had been throughout the kingdom. in every case the post office mile proved to be an unduly long one; and of course, as soon as milestones were erected authoritatively recording the statute miles, the postmasters charged accordingly. this change excited many murmurs. the traveller to warwick who, at the rate of d. a mile, exclusive of a guide, had hitherto paid for the use of a horse s. d., had now to pay s. to birmingham he had now to pay s. instead of s. d.; to bristol, s. d. instead of s. d.; and so on. [ ] this, although unknown probably to the postmasters until now, was no new discovery. as far back as john ogilby had called attention to the erroneous reckonings in vogue. ogilby had been commissioned by charles the second to survey and measure the principal roads of england, and having performed his task he published the result of his labours in a large folio volume. in the preface to an abridgment of this work, published in , he thus wrote: "the distances are all along reckoned in measur'd miles and furlongs, beginning from the standard in cornhil, so that the reader must not be surprized when he finds the number of miles set down here exceed the common computation. for example, from london to york are computed but miles, whereas by measure the distance is miles. and computation being very uncertain, it must be granted that no exactness could be observed but [by] adhering constantly to the standard-mile of yards, which contains eight furlongs." the king's messengers fought hardest against the innovation, but without success. finding the expense of their journeys to berwick and holyhead appreciably increased, they appealed to the treasury for redress, and the treasury invited the postmasters-general to explain under what authority they had raised their charges. the postmasters-general replied, as they had replied scores of times before on occasions of complaint from the public, that they had really nothing to do with the matter; that it was the postmasters who made the charges; and that in the opinion of the attorney-general these officers were clearly entitled to be paid according to the new measurements. it had been expressly provided by act of parliament that all persons riding post should pay after the rate of d. for every british mile, and the british mile was a known statute measure common to all his majesty's dominions. the treasury were not satisfied, and insisted that the king's messengers should be charged according to the old scale. but this, as the postmasters-general pointed out, was not feasible, the act of parliament by which they were governed making no exception in favour of particular persons, but on the contrary enacting that all persons without distinction should pay at the rate of d. a mile. at the headquarters in lombard street it was long feared that, on finding that the reputed mile exceeded the statute mile, those postmasters whose remuneration had been fixed according to the distance over which they carried the mails would claim an increased mileage allowance; but this, to their credit be it said, they never did. such forbearance, however, had one ill effect. it tended to perpetuate error. for many years afterwards two sets of distances remained in vogue, the one right and the other wrong; the new set applicable to travellers, and the old set to mails and to expresses sent on the service of the state.[ ] [ ] this explains why in the road books of the time the distance between two places is stated differently in two parallel columns under the initials c and m, the one being the computed and the other the measured distance. the feeling against the post office, which had long been gathering force, now displayed itself in a remarkable manner. it had been the constant and uniform practice ever since the post office was established to charge letters containing patterns or samples with double postage. to this the merchants now demurred. they did not deny that such letters if weighing as much as an ounce should be charged as for an ounce weight; but they contended that if weighing less than an ounce they should be charged as single and not double letters. this contention was founded on the wording of the act of anne, which, after prescribing the postage which "every single letter or piece of paper" not being of the weight of one ounce was to pay, enacted that "a double letter" should pay twice that amount. was a letter to be charged double because it had in it any enclosure--a sample of grain, for instance, or a pattern of cloth or of silk? or to constitute a double letter must not the enclosure be of paper? this question the merchants now resolved to try; and accordingly at bristol, at manchester, and at cirencester proceedings were commenced against the local postmasters for demanding and receiving more than the legal postage. it affords striking evidence of the widespread dissatisfaction then existing that in a practice as old as the post office itself should have been challenged for the first time, still more that it should have been challenged at three separate places, distant from one another, simultaneously. the action against the postmaster of cirencester came on first. it was tried at the gloucester assizes before a special jury, when a special verdict was found upon the words of the statute, whether a letter containing a pattern or sample and not being of the weight of one ounce ought to pay double or single postage. the postmasters-general, anxious to avoid a multiplicity of suits, now opened communications with the merchants of bristol and manchester. would it not be well that their suits should be abandoned? one special verdict would serve as well as a hundred such verdicts would do to settle the point of law between the crown and the subject. having succeeded in one county, what more could they expect in another? or what advantage would follow that had not been already secured? these overtures came too late. the merchants were determined to fight to the bitter end. the suits came on both at bristol and at manchester; and at each of those places a special verdict was given in almost identical terms with that which had been returned at gloucester. meanwhile the attorneys both in london and the country had passed resolutions to the effect that, if the point of law were decided in the merchants' favour, they would refuse to pay double postage on letters containing writs. the postmasters-general became alarmed. single instead of double postage on letters containing writs as well as patterns and samples meant, according to the most moderate computation, a reduction of the post office revenue by £ , or £ , a year. this was a serious reduction, and how to prevent it was the question to which the postmasters-general now addressed themselves. it is characteristic of the time that the first expedient they devised with this object was simply to refuse to carry any more letters containing patterns and samples unless the senders of them should agree beforehand to pay double postage. they argued that, in view of the importance to the merchant to have his letters carried, any unwillingness on his part to enter into such an agreement would be easily overcome. a notice to give effect to their intention was already prepared; but before issuing it they took the precaution to consult the attorney-general. his advice to them was that, admirable as the expedient might be, it was distinctly illegal. should they, then, bring one of the special verdicts on to be argued in westminster hall and abide by the judicial decision? to this the attorney-general could raise no objection, but he warned them that the decision was pretty sure to be against the crown. driven thus into a corner, the postmasters-general adopted a most questionable course. they advocated the passing of an act which should declare a letter containing any enclosure, even though not of paper and not weighing as much as an ounce, to be a double letter; and this advice was followed. in a bill then before parliament, having for its object to prevent the fraudulent removal of tobacco, a clause was inserted which effectually prevented the merchants from sending their patterns or samples and the lawyers their writs for single postage.[ ] [ ] geo. ii. cap. xiii. sec. . it would be difficult to conceive a more irritating course. no doubt there was precedent for it. early in the reign of george the first an act had been passed enacting that bills of exchange written on the same piece of paper as a letter, and also letters written on the same piece of paper and addressed to different persons, should be charged as distinct letters: and, possibly enough, it might have been difficult to explain why a bill of exchange should pay double postage and not a pattern or a writ. it is also true that the fact of three several judges and three several juries in distant parts of the kingdom having been unable to agree as to the intent and meaning of a statute implied a real doubt. and yet it can hardly be denied that to solve that doubt by the brute force of an act of parliament, instead of bringing one of the special verdicts before the courts to be argued, was a most provoking step. nor would it have been calculated to appease the merchants if they had known, as the postmasters-general knew, that the entire rates of postage, as they then existed, rested on no legal sanction. the existing rates were imposed by the act of anne; and that act imposed them for a period of thirty-two years, a period which had now expired, and after which it was expressly provided that the former and lower rates were to revive. it is true that early in the reign of george the first a further act had passed, making perpetual the post office contribution of £ a week to the exchequer; but by a clumsiness of legislation, which is not unknown even in our own day, the latter act, while making perpetual both the contribution and the power to levy it, had omitted to re-enact the rates out of which the contribution was to be paid. virtually, therefore, these rates had lapsed through effluxion of time. and what during the last forty or fifty years had the post office done--done, that is, independently of allen--to promote the public convenience or to make amends for so much that had given offence? it had done four things, and, so far as we are aware, four things only. it had introduced the contrivance, with which we are all familiar, of external apertures in post offices, so that letters could be posted from the outside. it had brought the system of expresses up to a standard which, compared with what it was at the beginning of the century, might perhaps be considered high. it had, indirectly, been the means of eliciting from the courts of law an important decision. and it had accelerated the course of post between london and edinburgh. in the time which the mail took to accomplish the distance was, at the instance of the royal boroughs, reduced between london and edinburgh from hours to , and between edinburgh and london from hours to . the date at which apertures on the outside of post offices were first introduced is unknown to us even approximately. all we can do is to fix two distant dates at one of which the contrivance existed, and at the other it existed not. on the rd of november oxford, the lord treasurer, received an anonymous letter, and, being anxious to discover the writer, he invoked the assistance of the postmasters-general with a view to ascertain where and by whom it had been posted. any such inquiry at the present time would be absolutely futile. one hundred and eighty years ago the postmasters-general, after an interval of twenty-four hours, were able to reply not only that the letter had been posted "at the receiving office of mrs. sandys, a threadshop two doors within blackfryars gateway," but that it had been posted "by a youth of about seventeen years old, in a whitish suit of cloathes, who was without a hat." it is difficult to believe that apertures can have existed then, and that the letter was not posted inside the office. that in the contrivance had come into existence, though possibly in a rude form, is beyond question. in that year an unfortunate woman was put on her trial for stealing a letter, and the sender was called upon to prove the posting. "on tuesday the th of december ," he said, "i put this letter into the post office at the house of mrs. jeffreys at bloomsbury, at about nine o'clock at night.... there is a window and a slip to put it into a little box from out of the street. i was not in the house. it is a very narrow box, and i was afraid my letter was gone down to the ground.[ ] i asked mrs. jeffreys if my letter was safe after i had dropped it into the slip. she said your letter is safe and gone into the box." if the value of a contrivance depended upon the amount of ingenuity displayed in devising it, these apertures would be hardly deserving of mention; but in view of the convenience they afford, this short notice of them may not perhaps be considered out of place. [ ] the box into which the letters fell was at this time an open one, _i.e._ without a cover and movable. it was not until that the letter-box was closed, fixed, and locked. the rebellion of , while disarranging the posts, brought into vogue the system of expresses; and this system once established was not long in extending itself. an express cost d. a mile, and, no doubt, travelled faster than at the beginning of the century. the roads had since been improved; and it may well be believed that the postmasters, as their custom increased, kept better horses. it was probably the speed of the express as compared with the tardiness of the post which induced the wealthy, about the middle of the last century, largely to employ this mode of conveyance for their letters. it had indeed one drawback, a drawback such as in our own time has attended the use of telegrams. it was apt to excite alarm. "let me," writes the good-natured charles townshend to his sister-in-law, lady ferrers, under date september --"let me now desire you to conclude whenever you receive an express that it brings you good news, for otherwise i shall be obliged to defer one day sending you any such account if it should not come to me on a post day, least the express should alarm you. i should not chuse to detain you one minute from the news i know your heart beats for, and yet i should not chuse to frighten you by the sudden manner of its arrival, for which reason i desire you will remember to receive whatsoever express i send with confidence and as a friend." but the purpose for which an express might be employed was jealously restricted. a man might employ an express to carry a letter; but woe betide him if he employed the same agency for the purpose of disseminating news. the licensed carriers at cambridge had recently been prosecuted and the postmasters on the great west road taken severely to task for doing this very thing. what are we to think of the intolerable state of bondage in which men were content to live when even the gentle allen could give the following instruction? "at every stage," he writes to one of his surveyors, "you must forbid the deputies to send any express except to the general post office in london, unless it be for his majesty's immediate service; and all other intelligence must be conveyed either by the common post or particular messenger." in the middle of the last century, and for about thirty years before and after, the mails were being continually stopped and robbed by highwaymen. the reward which the post office offered on these occasions for the apprehension of the robber was invariably £ , this being in addition to the reward of £ prescribed by act of parliament; and if the robbery took place within five miles of london, there was a third reward of £ by proclamation. numerous and diverse as the robberies[ ] were, there is only one of which we propose to speak; and in this case an exception may well be made on account of the important decision which it was the means of evoking from the courts. a highwayman had stopped the worcester mail at shepherd's bush and rifled it of its contents. finding himself in possession of a large number of bank of england notes he adopted a novel expedient for disposing of them. he hired a chaise and four and proceeded along the great north road as far as caxton, passing the notes as he went; and in order to give himself a wider field of operations he took the precaution of going one way and returning another. to caxton he went through barnet, hatfield, stevenage, and bugden, and he returned by way of royston, ware, and enfield. except at barnet, which was probably thought to be dangerously near to london, there was hardly a postmaster along the whole line of road who had not one or more of the notes passed upon him. the question now arose who was to bear the loss,--the person by whom the notes had been sent by post or the postmasters who had changed them into cash. at the present time the law on the subject is so well ascertained that no doubt could exist as to the answer; but such was not then the case. in order to try the point, it was arranged that the notes should be stopped, and that the sender of them should bring an action against the bank of england to recover their value. the trial came on before the king's bench in , and, after learned pleadings on both sides, the lord chief justice pronounced the decision of the court. this was that any person paying a valuable consideration for a bank note to bearer in a fair course of business is unquestionably entitled to recover the money from the bank. [ ] among these robberies there was, so far as we are aware, only one which possessed any feature of interest; and in this case the interest was of a psychological nature. gardner, a postman, was stopped by three highwaymen on winchmore hill, and, on his refusing to give up his letters, they murdered him. atrocities of this kind had been frequent, and executions had failed to check them. but the resources of civilisation were not exhausted. lord lovell--or the earl of leicester, as he had now become--waited upon the king and procured his majesty's assent that, after execution, the highwaymen's bodies should be hung in chains. to be hanged was one thing; after hanging, to have one's body suspended in chains was another. this was an indignity to which no respectable criminal should be called upon to submit. such would seem to be the idea conveyed in the following letter which leicester received:-- to the right hon. the earl of leicester, at holkham, norfolk. thursday, _oct. _. my lord--i find that it was by your orders that mr. stockdale was hung in chains. now, if you don't order him to be taken down, i will set fire to your house and blow your brains out the first opportunity. stockdale was clerk to a proctor in doctors commons. an important legal decision, with which the post office had only the remotest concern, an improved system of expresses following as a natural consequence from circumstances over which the post office had no control, a simple contrivance to facilitate the posting of letters, and an acceleration of the mail between london and edinburgh--this as the record of forty or fifty years' progress is assuredly meagre enough; and yet we are not aware of any omission. the plain truth is that during these years, except in the matter of bye and cross-post letters, the post office had retrograded rather than advanced. the rates of postage were higher now than at the beginning of the century. more, probably, than one-half of the public acts of parliament which passed during the reigns of the first two georges were acts for repairing and widening the roads. the roads had kept steadily improving; and the posts had failed to keep pace with them. while travellers travelled faster than in the reign of queen anne, letters were still being conveyed at a speed not exceeding five miles an hour. the friendly relations which had existed between the postmasters-general and the merchants existed no longer. these had been replaced by feelings of estrangement and animosity. under cotton and frankland and under frankland and evelyn the post office enjoyed a reputation for personal integrity; but even this claim to distinction had now disappeared. barbutt, the secretary, had recently retired under a cloud. bell, the comptroller of the inland office, had been arrested on a charge of fraud.[ ] denzil onslow, the receiver-general, had been declared a defaulter to the amount of £ , ; and stone, onslow's successor, after two or three years' tenure of the appointment, had died in debt to the crown. the post office, when george the third ascended the throne, was thoroughly discredited, and, despite allen's exertions, men were beginning to ask themselves, why cumbereth it the ground? [ ] elsewhere we have expressed a desire to avoid, as far as possible, the use of technical terms, and the propriety of this course will probably not be disputed when we state that the charge against bell was that having "crowned the advanced letters" he failed to account for the proceeds. an "advanced" letter was one on which the postage had been advanced, a letter which, having been undercharged in the country, was surcharged in london. to "crown" a letter was to impress it with the stamp of the crown, denoting that the surcharge had been made. virtually, therefore, the charge against bell was that he had embezzled the surcharges. allen died in , leaving behind him a name which is still venerated, and justly venerated, in the city of bath. for many years before his death he is reputed to have made out of his contract with the post office not less than £ , a year; and the greater part of this noble fortune he spent in acts of benevolence. as early as riches must have come pouring in upon him, for in that year he built for himself the stately house of prior park, not indeed for ostentation's sake, but in order to prove that the stone dug from his quarries on combe down was not the sorry stuff which interested persons in london had represented it to be. that house still stands; but, as was said at the time--and the statement holds good to this day--"his charity is seen further than his house, though it stands on a hill, aye, and brings him more honour too." in allen served as mayor of bath; and in , the year of the rebellion, he raised a company of volunteers, which he clothed at his own cost. at prior park he dispensed a more than decent hospitality, numbering among his guests pitt, pope, and fielding, charles yorke, and warburton. fielding has immortalised allen's character but not his name in the person of squire allworthy; and pope has immortalised both his name and his character in the lines-- let humble allen, with an awkward shame, do good by stealth and blush to find it fame. among post office reformers allen stands absolutely alone in one particular. his connection with the post office, long as it endured, was not abruptly terminated. this we attribute partly to a natural sweetness of disposition, which provoked no enemies, and still more to that which on the part of reformers is the rarest of virtues, an entire abnegation of self. so long as a thing which he thought desirable was done, he cared not that others received the credit.[ ] [ ] of allen's personal appearance the only account, so far as we are aware, is to be found in the correspondence of samuel derrick, master of the ceremonies at bath. derrick writes, under date may , : "i have had an opportunity of visiting mr. allen in the train of the french ambassador. he is a very grave, well-looking old man, plain in his dress, resembling that of a quaker, and courteous in his behaviour. i suppose he cannot be much under seventy."--vol. ii. p. . chapter xi legislation and litigation - brighter days were in store for the post office, but not yet. meanwhile the clouds grew darker and darker. during the twenty years that followed allen's death, partly as the result of ill-considered legislation and still more through the incompetence and helplessness of its rulers, the post office sank to a depth which, in england, probably no other public institution, or at all events none that still exists, has ever reached. in and two acts of parliament were passed, one having for its object to prevent the abuses of franking, and the other to improve the posts. it would be hardly too much to say that both of these acts had an exactly opposite effect to that which was intended. the first, far from preventing the abuses of franking, largely extended them; and the second imposed a deplorable restriction, a restriction for which any little advantages conferred at the same time afforded very inadequate compensation. under the act of , to take the later one first, the postage rates were reduced for short distances. since the charge for carrying a single letter had been d. for eighty miles or under. now it was to be d. for one stage and d. for two stages. for longer distances the charge was to remain unaltered. the speed of the post was raised from five to six miles an hour. power was given to the postmasters-general to erect penny post offices in country towns; and--a provision which we have pronounced deplorable--the weight to be carried by the penny post was restricted to four ounces. compensation for losses by the penny post had long ceased to be given.[ ] [ ] _the present state of great britain and ireland_, published in , states that at that time compensation was still given for losses sustained in the penny post. the words are: "if a parcel happen to miscarry, the value thereof is to be made good by the office, provided the things were securely inclosed and fast sealed up under the impression of some remarkable seal." this is an error; and that an error should be made on the point serves to confirm the view that little was known of the post office and its doings even years ago. that compensation was not at that time given for losses is beyond all question. it happens that in that very year, , a mr. vavasour appealed to whitehall to grant him compensation for the loss of bank notes to the amount of £ which had been stolen from a letter in its transit through the post; and the postmasters-general, after stating that no precedent existed for granting compensation, implored the treasury not to create one. "all persons," they write under date the th of august , "that for their own convenience send notes or bills of value by the post inclosed in letters do so at their own risque without any foundation that we know of for recovery of this office in case they should be stolen or lost by robbery or other accidents. and this we take to be not only reasonable but just in all construction of law." again, in an action for compensation was brought against the post office, and lord mansfield, after delivering the unanimous opinion of the court of king's bench that the postmasters-general were not responsible for losses sustained in their department, proceeded to observe that no similar action had been brought since the year . giles jacob, in his _law dictionary_, published in the last century, gives this account of the matter: "it was determined so long ago as will. iii., in the case of _lane_ v. _cotton_, by three judges of the court of king's bench, though contrary to lord chief justice holt's opinion, that no action could be maintained against the postmasters-general for the loss of bills or articles sent in letters by the post." such was the end of dockwra's post as dockwra had established it. with that eminent man it had been an object of the first importance that the penny post should carry up to one pound in weight; and now the weight was to be reduced to four ounces. and why? because the penny post was little used for packets and parcels above four ounces? exactly the contrary. it was because packets and parcels above four ounces were being largely sent by the penny post that the limit of weight was to be reduced.[ ] these missives had been found a little inconvenient to manipulate and it was resolved, therefore, to exclude them. such was the wretched policy of the time. even in matters vitally affecting their own interests the public had as yet no voice and their wishes were not considered. on account of some trifling inconvenience, which a very little amount of ingenuity would have sufficed to overcome, the inhabitants of london and its suburbs were now deprived of accommodation which they had enjoyed uninterruptedly for eighty-five years. [ ] the reason for the provision was thus given in the preamble: "whereas many heavy and bulky packets and parcels are now sent and conveyed by such carriage which by their bulk and weight greatly retard the speedy delivery thereof...."-- geo. iii. cap. xxv. sec. . in franking became for the first time the subject of parliamentary enactment. to send and receive letters free of postage had been a privilege enjoyed by members of the two houses of parliament from the first establishment of the post office; but whereas it had hitherto been a concession granted by the crown, it was now to be a right conferred by statute. the reason will be obvious. the revenue of the post office had recently been surrendered to the public during the life of the sovereign, in exchange for a civil list charged upon the consolidated, or, as it was then called, the aggregate fund; and the crown, having dispossessed itself of all property in the post office, was no longer competent to remit postage without the authority of parliament. the act which was now passed was designed to correct the abuses which experience had shewn to exist. the limits of weight and of time remained as before; that is to say, only letters not exceeding the weight of two ounces were to be franked, and these only during the session of parliament and for forty days before and after. in other respects the conditions were slightly altered. hitherto it had been enough, in the case of letters sent by a member, that he should sign his name on the outside; for the future not only was the outside to bear his signature, but the whole of the address was to be in his own handwriting. in the case of letters addressed to a member, none were to be exempt from postage unless directed to the place of his usual residence or to the place where he was actually residing, or, of course, to the house of parliament. it had been hoped that these alterations of practice would check the abuses of franking. vain expectation! no sooner had the concession been converted into a right than what little scruples existed before appear to have vanished, and franks were scattered broadcast over the country. before eight years were over, the number of franks passing through the london office alone had nearly doubled, the postage from which they carried exemption being in , the first year after the change, £ , , and in , £ , ; and this, be it observed, was no mere estimate, but the actual result as ascertained by the careful examination of each letter. another effect of the change of practice was to embroil the post office. the post office, in its efforts to protect itself against imposition, would charge letters when addressed to a member at a place where he was supposed not to be; and hence constant disputes and altercations. members, again, who were bankers or were engaged in trade insisted that letters addressed to them at their counting-houses, even though they did not reside there, should pass free. on these the post office claimed postage, and the members refused to pay it. but it was in ireland that the rage for franking broke out into the wildest excesses. in an inspector of franks was sent to several towns on the cross and bye roads, in order that he might ascertain and report to the postmasters-general the extent to which the abuse had grown. this officer visited nine towns altogether, and was absent from dublin for sixty-three days, being at the rate of seven days at each town. at waterford, during his stay there, letters passed through the local post office purporting to be franked. the franks on only of these were genuine; the rest were counterfeit. at kilkenny there were counterfeit franks to that were genuine. at clonmel, counterfeit and genuine. at gowran, counterfeit and genuine; and so with the remaining towns. altogether the number of letters with counterfeit franks was nearly as large as the number with genuine franks, and far exceeded all the other letters combined. however clear might be the evidence of fraud, and however conclusively it might be brought home to particular persons, it was of no use attempting to prosecute. hear what mr. lees says on this point. mr. lees was secretary to the post office in ireland, and he had, under direction from lord north, received instructions to take proceedings against a firm of solicitors in londonderry who had been sending letters under forged franks. "a prosecution," wrote mr. lees, "will not be of the slightest avail. it has been tried over and over again, and, in the face of the clearest evidence, without success." "there is scarcely a magistrate to be found in ireland who will take examinations on the post office laws; and certainly in no instance has this office prevailed in getting the bills of indictment found by a grand jury. this being so universally known, counterfeiting franks is drawn into such general practice that i believe there are very few merchants or attorneys' clerks throughout the kingdom who do not counterfeit in the name of one member or other. nay, if i classed with them almost every little pretty miss capable of joining her letters, i should not exaggerate the abuse." "as i have observed," he wrote further on in the same letter, "in every town of consequence throughout the kingdom the members resident, under their address, cover the correspondence of the principal merchants.... the postage arising on counterfeit covers alone amounts to more than a third of the revenue of this office." under the terms of the franking act newspapers were to go free which should bear a member's signature on the outside or which should be directed to a member at any place of which he had given notice in writing to the postmasters-general. this provision seriously affected the post office, though in a different way from the liberties which were being taken with letters. from the first establishment of the post office the six clerks of the roads had enjoyed the privilege of franking newspapers, and the emoluments derived from this source, originally insignificant, had been continually increasing. in they were certainly not less than £ a year, and may have been more. the franking act sapped this source of emolument. no sooner had that act passed than the members served the post office with notice of the places to which they wished newspapers to be directed. these places did not in the first instance extend beyond the member's own residence and the residences of his constituents and friends; but after a while no such moderation was observed. the booksellers and printers, or news-agents as they would now be called, soon recognised the advantage it would be to them if they could get their customers' addresses put on the post office register, and they experienced little difficulty in finding members who were ready to do them this service. there were four who were noted for their complaisance. these were sir robert bernard, member for westminster; brass crosby, member for honiton and alderman for the city of london; richard whitworth, member for stafford; and richard hiver.[ ] these four members in little more than eighteen months served upon the post office no less than separate notices. altogether, at the close of the year , there were such notices registered in lombard street, of which were on behalf of constituents and friends, and on behalf of printers and booksellers. [ ] for what constituency richard hiver sat we have been unable to discover. his name does not appear in the return of members of parliament presented to the house of commons in . as the natural result the clerks of the roads found their emoluments rapidly dwindling. heretofore they had been, virtually, the great news-agents of the kingdom. enjoying, in common with a few clerks at whitehall, the exclusive privilege of sending newspapers through the post free, they had been exposed to little, if any, competition; but now that in the matter of postage the terms were equal, the advantage was all on the side of the private dealer. the private dealer procured his newspapers in the open market, whereas the clerks of the roads were required to procure them from a particular officer designated by the postmasters-general; and this officer was authorised not only to charge for the newspapers he supplied - / d. a dozen more than he gave for them, but to retain as his own perquisite one out of every twenty-five copies. it may seem of little moment that, as the result of legislation, six persons more or less should find themselves in reduced circumstances. such an event, unhappily, is not so rare as to call for special remark. but there was a good deal more than this in the present case. the profits which the clerks of the roads derived from the sale of newspapers had never been devoted to the exclusive use of the recipients. on the contrary, they were to a large extent common property. out of these profits pensions were provided for post office servants who were past work; and from the same source inadequate salaries were raised to something like a decent maintenance. in additional salaries to brother officers and in pensions to officers who had retired, the clerks of the roads had in contributed as much as £ ; and even now, reduced as their profits were, they were contributing a little over £ . they were, in effect, the mainstay of the establishment, and the falling off of their emoluments was being watched by the postmasters-general, hardly less than by those who were more immediately interested, with the gravest concern. nor was it calculated to reconcile the post office servants to the deprivations which they were already beginning to suffer that the members of other public offices, who had lost from the same cause as the clerks of the roads, but to a much less extent, had received compensation in full. the clerks in the offices of the principal secretaries of state, like the clerks of the roads, had been privileged to frank both letters and newspapers. by the act of the privilege had, as regards letters, been taken away in both cases; and in both cases, as regards newspapers, it remained. yet to the clerks in the offices of the principal secretaries of state was secured, by special act of parliament, compensation to the amount of £ a year, while the clerks of the roads received nothing; and, as though to add to the aggravation, this sum of £ a year was to be paid by the post office. in dublin the same difficulties were being experienced as in london and from the same cause. emoluments were falling off and obligations could not be met. among these obligations, however, there was one which was peculiar to dublin. before the clerks at the castle, like the clerks of the roads, had enjoyed the privilege of franking newspapers, and the exercise of this privilege by the two bodies simultaneously had been attended with so much friction that advantage had been taken of the passing of the franking act to effect a compromise. in consideration of the sum of £ a year to be paid by the clerks of the roads the clerks at the castle undertook to abandon their privilege absolutely. a deed to this effect was prepared, and, in order that nothing might be wanting to give it formality, it was signed by the earl of northumberland, the lord lieutenant, on behalf of the castle, and by lord clermont, the deputy postmaster-general of ireland, on behalf of the post office. whence was the sum of £ to come when the emoluments should be gone? was a price to continue to be paid for the surrender of a privilege which had ceased to be of value? the attorney-general for ireland advised that the clerks of the roads were still liable to the last farthing of their salaries; and the clerks at the castle refused to abate one jot of their claim. but we are anticipating. in the statute-book received an addition which, though differing widely both in intention and effect from the franking act and the postage act, cannot be allowed to pass unnoticed. this was an act for the better paving, lighting, and regulating the streets of london, a first step in fact towards converting the london of hogarth into the london of to-day. the mere preamble[ ] of the act brings home to us, hardly less vividly than hogarth's pencil, the intolerable inconveniences under which our forefathers were content to live; but what concerns us at the present moment is that one section provided not only that the names of the streets should be put up but that the houses should be numbered. this numbering of houses quickly spread, and, although unnoticed by the post office at the time, was destined very materially to assist its future operations. as a consequence, too, and at no long interval, arose a new industry, namely the compilation of directories--a thing that was impossible before--and hence the post office derived still further assistance. [ ] "whereas the several streets, lanes, squares, yards, courts, alleys, passages and places within the city of london and the liberties thereof are in general ill-paved and cleansed and not duly enlightened, and are also greatly obstructed by posts and annoyed by signs, spouts, and gutters projecting into and over the same, whereby and by sundry other encroachments and annoyances they are rendered incommodious and in some parts dangerous not only to the inhabitants but to all others passing through the same or resorting thereto...." about this time considerable improvements took place both in the scotch and irish posts. between london and edinburgh communication had been only thrice a week. in it was increased in frequency to five days a week, and posts on six days a week were at the same time established between edinburgh and the chief towns of scotland. the result was an immediate increase of revenue which much more than covered the increase of expense. two or three years later the course of post between london and dublin came under review. by virtue of an arrangement, which the fact of the communication being only thrice a week goes but a short way to explain, letters from england to ireland were kept lying two whole days in the london office and, similarly, letters from ireland to england were kept lying two whole days in the dublin office. the packet which was due in dublin on saturday night rarely arrived before sunday, and, unless it did so, the letters from england for the interior of ireland did not leave dublin until wednesday morning. nor was this all. the number of packets was extremely limited, and, owing to their constant employment by government as express boats, it frequently happened that two and sometimes three and even four mails were sent by the same packet. in this was altered. additional packet boats were placed on the station, and the post between london and dublin and between dublin and belfast in one direction and cork in another was increased in frequency from three to six days a week. between london and the chief provincial towns in england allen had, as we have seen, established posts six days a week instead of three; but it was not until , or nearly five years after allen's death, that within the metropolis arrangements were made to correspond. meanwhile the offices for the receipt of general post letters were kept open and the bellmen went about ringing their bells on only three nights of the week, namely tuesdays, thursdays, and saturdays, and on the other three nights, except at the general post office, letters could not be posted gratuitously. on the nights of monday, wednesday, and friday a receiver if called upon to take in letters was entitled to charge a fee of d. apiece, and this fee he retained as his own perquisite. beginning with the receiving offices were kept open and the bellmen rang their bells on every night of the week, sundays excepted. an event or rather a series of events now took place, the result of which was largely to alter the character of the post office and to extend its usefulness. recent legislation had done little for the public convenience. it had indeed provided that penny post offices might be established out of london, and advantage had been taken of the provision in one single instance. in dublin a penny post office had been opened on the th of october , or seventy years after the countess of thanet desired to open one and was refused permission at the last moment. but in other respects legislation had accomplished little beyond promoting the very abuses it was designed to prevent, and impairing the utility of dockwra's post. litigation was now to have its turn; and it is interesting to note the result. the machinery for the dispersion of letters remained much as it had been since the first establishment of the post office. in london, in edinburgh, and in dublin there was, as there is now, a body of men whose duty it was to deliver from house to house; but with these three exceptions there was not, years ago, a single town in the kingdom which could boast of its own letter-carrier. the postmaster was the sole post office agent in the place; it was he who delivered the letters if they were delivered at all; and for this service he was left to charge pretty much as he pleased. the public had grown tired of this state of things and strenuous efforts were now made to alter it. the crusade began in the little town of sandwich in kent. it had been the practice of the postmaster there, at some former time, to deliver free the letters arriving by the bye and cross posts, and on the delivery of the london letters to charge a fee as his own perquisite. in a fee was being charged on the delivery of all letters. this charge the inhabitants now determined to contest. the case came on for trial in the court of king's bench and was decided against the postmaster, the court being of opinion that wherever the usage had been to deliver free, there the usage should be adhered to. the postmasters-general were very uneasy. out of the post towns of the kingdom there were known to be not less than seventy-six which were in the same case as sandwich and to which the decision of the court must apply, towns where letters had at one time been delivered free and where they were so no longer; and not a day passed without bringing fresh and unexpected additions to the list. at birmingham and at ipswich, for instance, where a charge was now being made for delivery, old inhabitants could remember how forty or fifty years before letters had been delivered free. was the crown to be at the expense of letter-carriers at all of these towns, or were the postmasters, who were already complaining of the inadequacy of their remuneration, to forego their perquisites and make a house-to-house delivery as part of their duty? the question was still under consideration when the town of ipswich commenced an action. the point raised in this case was whether on the delivery of letters addressed to the inhabitants of the town the postmaster could legally demand any sum over and above the postage, and, if so, whether in the event of the demand being refused he could oblige the inhabitants to fetch their letters. again the decision, this time by the court of common pleas, was in favour of the public and against the post office. the postmasters-general were more than uneasy now. no sooner had the decision in the ipswich case become known than town after town where letters had never yet been delivered free demanded a free delivery and threatened the postmasters-general with actions in the event of their demand being refused. bath and gloucester did more than threaten. they, like ipswich, proceeded to trial; and again, for the third and fourth time, the decision was against the post office. thurlow was at this time attorney-general. he held a strong opinion that in order to comply with the statute it was enough to deliver letters at the post office of the town to which they were addressed, and that there was no obligation to deliver them at the houses of the inhabitants. still clinging to the belief that the decisions of the courts must have proceeded more or less on the usage of delivery, he now determined to try the question in the case of a town where the usage had been for no delivery to be made without payment. the town of hungerford in berkshire was selected for the purpose. there, it could be proved, ever since the beginning of the century, letters had not been delivered except on payment of a fee of d. apiece. the case came on before the court of king's bench in michaelmas term . lord mansfield, the lord chief justice, was the first to deliver judgment. he was surprised, he said, the several acts being so ambiguous and the usage so contradictory, that the post office had not applied to parliament to explain the matter. that was the view of the court when, in the other cases, it avoided the general question. he never liked to avoid general questions, for to decide them tended to prevent further litigation; but an important question of this kind, arising out of acts that had "not yet spoke," and, whichever way it might be decided, involving more or less inconvenience, was essentially one for parliament. and in the bath case there were grounds on which the general question could, without impropriety, be avoided. there the postmaster when delivering a letter had demanded a certain sum as a duty. now, a duty it certainly was not. if on the delivery of a letter parliament had intended to impose a duty, it would have fixed the amount and made it part of the post office revenue; and not have left every postmaster free to fix what amount he pleased or might prevail upon people to give. and what a monstrous inconvenience it would be if every one had to go to the post office to fetch his own letters! how could the court have laid down such a proposition as that? the thing was impossible. and it must be remembered that there could be no middlemen--men between the inhabitants and the postmaster--who for gain could set up an office to distribute the letters, because by law the postmaster could not deliver them except to the persons to whom they were addressed. these were the considerations which in the bath ease induced him to avoid the general question, and he had been glad to feel able to do so, never doubting that the postmasters-general would apply to parliament for a determination; but this, unfortunately, they had not done. then there was the gloucester case. he remembered it well. there the question was not whether there should be a free delivery, for at gloucester letters had always been delivered free, but whether certain houses should fall within the limits of that delivery. all that the court then decided was that in the case of these houses, forming as they unquestionably did a part of what was known as the town of gloucester, the post office could not depart from its own practice. but the present case was different. here the contention was that in the town of hungerford there was not a single house at which the post office was required to deliver letters without being paid for it. practically, no doubt, it was the bath case over again; but the court could not well avoid the general question a second time. the post office, in effect, sought to impose a duty; and this, he said it emphatically, the post office had not the power to do without the authority of parliament, which authority had not been given. his mind was perfectly clear that within the limits of a post-town the post office was bound to deliver free; but how far these limits should extend was a question upon which he did not feel called upon to express an opinion. the other judges were equally emphatic. the post office had urged in support of its contention that it sometimes happened--as, for instance, at hartford bridge---that the stage or post-house was a single house with no other houses near. there, at all events, as soon as it had deposited the letters at the post house, the post office had discharged its duty. and if there, it was asked, why not elsewhere? if, said mr. justice aston, the post house was a single house with no other houses near, the question did not arise; but, in the case, of towns, surely it would not be contended that each individual inhabitant was to resort to the post house every day in order to inquire whether there was a letter for him or not. to demand this penny within the limits of a post town, said mr. justice willes, was contrary to the whole tenor and spirit of the acts of parliament; and where the post town was a small one like hungerford, the demand was far more unreasonable than it would be in the case of london and westminster. yet in london and westminster letters were delivered free. he should pay more regard to the usage of the city of london than to that of fifty such towns as hungerford. mr. justice ashurst was of opinion that even to usage too much importance might be attached. if it were really the case that at hungerford, ever since the passing of the act of anne, a man living next door to the post office had had to pay over and above the postage d. for every letter he received, this in his opinion was a bad usage, an usage for which the act afforded no justification, and the sooner it was laid aside the better. the decision of the court burst upon the postmasters-general like a thunderbolt. they had been assured that it would certainly be in the opposite direction; and now, to their dismay, they found themselves face to face with the prospect of, what they called, an universal delivery. what was to be done? the post office would be ruined. of course the attorney-general would advise an appeal to the house of lords. as a matter of fact the attorney-general advised nothing of the sort. thurlow's private opinion continued to be what it had always been, that the post office was not bound to deliver letters beyond the stage or post house. he even went so far as to admit that, if once the act were construed to require more than that, he knew of no manner of construction that would entitle the postmasters-general to refuse to carry letters into every hole and corner of the kingdom. still, as two courts had decided against the post office, he regarded it as useless to appeal to the house of lords, where, no doubt, the opinion of the same judges would be taken and acted on. then, inquired the postmasters-general, might not a writ of error be brought with a view to hang up the judgment of the court of king's bench until the matter should be settled by parliament. "no," replied thurlow, "i do not approve a writ of error being brought by an office of revenue avowedly to suspend a question." thus ended a controversy which in one form or another had extended over a period of more than two years. the postmasters-general urged indeed that parliament should be asked to avert what they regarded as little short of a catastrophe; but the recommendation was not adopted, and the decision of the court was left to take effect. we have dwelt upon this matter at some length, because it was, in effect, a turning-point in the history of the post office. the enterprising spirit of the small towns, the independence of the judges, and the conspicuous fairness of the attorney-general, make up no doubt a combination which it is pleasing to contemplate; and yet, if this were all, a shorter notice would have sufficed. it is because the post office was now to assume a new character, the character in which it is known to us at the present time, that we have thought it best not to omit any important particular. and how great the change was to be a moment's consideration will shew. cotton and frankland had, early in the century, done what little they could to make the post office popular. they had lost no opportunity of advocating cheap postage; they had lived among the merchants, and, as far as duty would allow, had consulted their wishes; and within the limits assigned to them had spared no efforts to promote the public convenience. but since then a different spirit had prevailed. by cotton and frankland's successors much had been done in restraint of correspondence and nothing, or next to nothing, in promotion of it. the post office had become, insensibly perhaps, but none the less surely, a mere tax-gatherer, and, like other tax-gatherers, its policy had been to exact as much and to give as little as possible. all this was now to be altered. an appeal had been made to the courts; and the courts in the most deliberate and solemn manner had affirmed this principle--a principle now so universally recognised and acted on as to excite our wonder that it should ever have been otherwise--that the post office was to wait upon the people, and not the people upon the post office. it might be supposed that the decision of the courts would have been immediately followed by the appointment of letter-carriers throughout the country, or else by additions to the salaries of the postmasters in consideration of their undertaking to make a house-to-house delivery gratuitously. such, however, was not the case. at the towns which had taken a foremost part in the fray--at hungerford and sandwich, at bath, ipswich, and birmingham--as well indeed as at other towns which were spirited enough to assert their rights, letter-carriers were no doubt appointed; but there was no sudden and general alteration of practice. on the contrary, the obedience which the post office yielded to the law as laid down by the courts was a tardy and grudging obedience. as much as ten or eleven years later we find the postmasters-general acknowledging indeed the obligation under which they lay to appoint letter-carriers at any towns that might demand it, and yet taking credit to themselves that, as a matter of fact, no such appointments had been made except where the inhabitants had refused to continue the accustomed recompense for delivery. the courts of law were at this time the best friends of the people. no sooner had they decided that every town which possessed a post office of its own was entitled to a gratuitous delivery at the door than a somewhat similar question came before them in connection with the penny post. for every letter delivered by the penny post the inhabitants of old street, st. luke's, of st. leonard's, shoreditch, of bethnal green, and spitalfields were required to pay an additional penny, that is a penny over and above the one which had been paid on posting; and this they had long regarded as an imposition. according to dockwra's plan the second or delivery penny was to be confined to islington, hackney, newington butts, and south lambeth, which in his day formed separate towns; but in course of time, as buildings extended, the post office appears to have exacted the same charge at intermediate places. jones, a wealthy distiller of old street, now determined to try the question. again the decision of the courts was against the post office, and not only in old street, but in shoreditch, bethnal green, and spitalfields the additional penny had to be abandoned. while these proceedings were taking place before the courts, the post office had forced upon it a step which, even in those days of indifference, cannot have been taken without a pang. this was the dismissal of its most distinguished servant or rather of its only servant with any claim to distinction, and that of the highest. we refer to benjamin franklin. this eminent man had been appointed postmaster of philadelphia in , and after being employed in several positions of trust, had been promoted to be one of the joint postmasters-general of america in . he had recently been sent to england with the object of averting war between the mother country and her transatlantic colonies, and, his mission having failed, he was now dismissed. the letter in which the decision was announced was as follows:-- to doctor franklin. general post office, _jan. , _. sir--i have received the commands of his majesty's postmasters-general to signify to you that they find it necessary to dismiss you from being any longer their deputy for america. you will therefore cause your accounts to be made up as soon as you can conveniently.--i am, sir, your most humble servant, anthony todd, _secretary_. curt as this communication was, it was perhaps the best of which the circumstances admitted. indeed, we are by no means sure that the terms of it were not arranged with franklin himself. he was in london at the time. his relations with the post office had always been of the most cordial character. he did not, after receiving the letter, cease to visit lombard street; and before his return to america he wrote to the post office intimating that he would cheerfully become security for his colleague, who, as a consequence of his own dismissal, had to enter into fresh bond. at all events, whether franklin had any hand in the preparation of the letter or not, the less said the better would seem to have been the opinion of the writer; just as a desire to let bygones be bygones is plainly shewn in the first letter which passed after correspondence was resumed. this letter is a curiosity in its way. it is dated the th of june , and, ignoring all that had happened during the preceding seven years, begins as follows:-- to doctor franklin at paris. general post office, _june , _. dear sir--i must confess i have taken a long time to acknowledge the last letter you were pleased to write me the th of march from new york. i am happy, however, to learn from my nephew, mr. george maddison, that you enjoy good health, and that as the french were about to establish five packet boats at l'orient, port louis, for the purpose of a monthly correspondence between that port and new york, you were desirous of knowing the intentions of england on that subject....--i am, dear sir, with the greatest truth and respect, your most obedient and most humble servant, anthony todd. in , as part of a licensing act, the monopoly of letting post-horses which the post office had enjoyed uninterruptedly since was taken away. it is curious to note that a measure which years before had been deemed essential to the maintenance of the posts was now withdrawn without, so far as we are aware, exciting a murmur; and, by a strange coincidence, at the very time the measure was being withdrawn in the united kingdom, the deputy postmaster-general of canada, who had recently arrived in london, was urging upon the government a similar expedient as an indispensable condition without which the "maîtres de poste" between quebec and montreal would be constrained to throw up their appointments. such is the difference between a new institution and an institution that is well established. it should here be remarked that with the extinction of this monopoly passed away one of the original functions of the postmasters-general. hitherto, lightly as the responsibility had rested upon them for the last hundred years or more, they had been masters of the travelling-post as well as the letter-post. for the future they were to be masters of the letter-post alone. little remains to be told of the eighteen years of which this chapter treats. in , in consequence of a hint dropped by the lord chief justice in the course of a trial, the post office did an eminently useful thing. it issued an advertisement counselling the public when sending bank notes by post to cut them into two parts and to send one part by one post and another by another. the counsel was adopted, and in an incredibly short space of time the practice became general. in the same year the post office servants were disfranchised. by an act passed in the reign of queen anne they were forbidden either to persuade or to dissuade others in the matter of voting; and now they were forbidden to vote themselves. the only point of interest connected with the two acts is perhaps their termination. while the later act was repealed in , the earlier one was not repealed until ; and meanwhile the postmaster-general sat in the house of commons and offered himself for election. little, probably, did he think that for every vote he solicited he rendered himself not only liable to a penalty of £ but "incapable of ever bearing or executing any office or place of trust whatsoever under her majesty, her heirs, or successors." the internal condition of the post office during the last few years of lord north's administration was simply deplorable. the profits from the sale of newspapers kept growing less and less. the clerks of the roads, after paying the salaries and pensions which formed the first charge on their receipts, had left for themselves the merest pittance. these men, to whom an appeal for help had never been made in vain, were now in sore need of help themselves. the prospect was alarming, for if the clerks of the roads should fail to meet their engagements they would drag down with them a not inconsiderable part of the establishment. it was in , when apprehension was highest, that the commissioners of land tax for the city of london made a new assessment, and suddenly, without a note of warning, every post office servant in the metropolis found himself assessed to the land tax to the amount of s. in the pound. not even the letter-carriers or maid-servants were excepted. at this time and during the two or three following years a general bankruptcy was imminent. eventually the abatements were remitted and the salaries and pensions which had been charged to the clerks of the roads were in part transferred to the state; but not before many of the post office servants had compounded with their creditors and all had endured the severest privations. meanwhile the postmasters from america, ejected from their offices, had been flocking to this country and pleading for pensions on the english establishment. the packets were meeting with a series of disasters so far beyond the experience of former wars as to excite the most hostile comment. during the seven years ending august no less than thirty-seven were captured by the enemy. of these four belonged to the post office, and sums for that time prodigious were expended to replace them. the others were owned by the captains who commanded them, and the owners received as compensation for their loss the sum of £ , . even the fabric of the buildings partook of the general decay. in edinburgh the post office had had to be abandoned at a moment's notice, the arch which supported the main part of the structure having given way. in dublin the roof had fallen in. in both dublin and edinburgh new post offices were being erected at heavy expense; while in london search was being made for new premises on the plea that those in lombard street were insufficient for present requirements. to crown all, ugly rumours were afloat, rumours imputing corruption in the highest quarters. the postmasters-general were indeed to be pitied. the post office in more senses than one was falling about their ears. chapter xii john palmer - the apathy of the post office about this time is incomprehensible. more than twenty years before, the general convention of the royal boroughs of scotland had called the attention of the postmasters-general to the intolerable slowness of the post on the great north road. "every common traveller," they wrote, "passes the king's mail on the first road in the kingdom." at the present time the clerks of the roads were giving as one of the reasons why they were undersold in the matter of newspapers that, whereas they sent their wares by post, the booksellers and printers availed themselves of the more expeditious conveyance by stage-coach. yet it seems never to have occurred to the postmasters-general that what was being done by others they might do themselves. the lesson that was lost upon the postmasters-general was to be learnt and applied by john palmer, proprietor of the theatre at bath. palmer had, while yet at school, been distinguished for a love of enterprise, an indomitable perseverance, and an activity of body which knew no fatigue and set distance at defiance. he had, through sheer persistency, obtained a patent for his theatre at bath, which thus became the first theatre-royal out of the metropolis. at a time when the mail leaving london on monday night did not arrive at bath until wednesday afternoon, he had been in the habit of accomplishing the distance between the two cities in a single day. he had made journeys equally long and equally rapid in other directions; and, as the result of observation, he had come to the conclusion that of the horses kept at the post-houses it was always the worst that were set aside to carry the mail, and that the post was the slowest mode of conveyance in the kingdom. he had also observed that, where security or despatch was required, his neighbours at bath who might desire to correspond with london would make a letter up into a parcel and send it by stage-coach,[ ] although the cost by stage-coach was, porterage included, s. and by post d. not seldom, indeed, the difference would be more than s. d., for to prevent delay on the part of the porters in london one of these clandestine letters would as often as not have written on the back, "an extra sum will be given the porter if he delivers this letter immediately." [ ] thus, mrs. thrale to doctor johnson. writing from bath on the th of july , she says: "i write by the coach the more speedily and effectually to prevent your coming hither."--hayward's _autobiography of mrs. piozzi_, vol. i. p. . starting from these premises palmer, with characteristic energy, set himself to devise a plan for the reform of the post office. this plan was simply that the mails--which, to use his own words, had heretofore been trusted to some idle boy without character, mounted on a worn-out hack, who, so far from being able to defend himself against a robber, was more likely to be in league with one--should for the future be carried by coach. the coach should be guarded, and should carry no outside passenger. for guard no one could be better than a soldier, who would be skilled in the use of firearms. he should carry two short guns or blunderbusses, and sit on the top of the coach with the mail behind him. from this position he could command the road and observe suspicious persons. the coachman also should carry arms; but in his case they should be pistols. a speed should be maintained of eight or nine miles an hour. thus, the distance between london and bath would, stoppages included, be accomplished in sixteen hours instead of thirty-eight; and these stoppages should, in point of time, be largely reduced. as the coach arrived at the end of each stage there would be little more for the postmaster to do than to put into the mail bag the outgoing letters and to take out of the bag the letters that were coming in. surely a quarter of an hour would be ample for the purpose. he must indeed be an inexpert postmaster who could not change his letters as soon as the ostler changes his horses. strict punctuality should be observed. each postmaster should be on the spot and to the moment to receive the mail when it arrived; and if it did not arrive to time, a man on horseback should be despatched to ascertain the cause of delay. this, in the event of the coach having been stopped by highwaymen, would secure immediate pursuit. and how little would be the cost of the proposed reform. it was doubtful indeed whether there would be any additional cost at all. the mails were now being conveyed at a charge for boy and horse of d. a mile. it was certain that men might be found who for this rate of payment would be glad to convey them by coach. especially would this be the case if the coaches which carried the mails were exempt, as they ought to be, from toll. between london and bath, for instance, the toll was, for a carriage and pair, s., and for a carriage and four, s. exemption from this impost would of itself be no inconsiderable boon to the contractors. besides, the speed and security of a mail coach would attract passengers. at all events something, it was clear, must be done. as matters stood it was an intolerable hardship that persons sending letters by coach should be subject to penalties. a coach might go at a time when there was no post; and a letter might require immediate despatch. yet, rather than make use of the coach and pay half a crown, one was obliged to hire an express, which was less expeditious, at a cost of two or three guineas. surely, if no other change were made, this at least should be conceded--that any one taking a letter to the post office and paying the proper amount of postage upon it according to its address should, after the letter had been impressed with the postmark and signed by the postmaster, be at liberty to send it by what channel he pleased. such were the main features of palmer's plan. as a subsidiary, though by no means a necessary, part of it he made two suggestions which it may be well to mention, if only because they were afterwards adopted. these were-- st, that the mails, which from the first establishment of the post office had not left london until between midnight and three o'clock in the morning, should start at eight in the evening; and nd, that they should not be kept waiting for the government letters when these happened to be late. this keeping the mails waiting for the government letters had, at the beginning of the century, been a constant source of complaint. "we take this occasion of representing to your lordship," wrote the postmasters-general to lord dartmouth on the th of march , "the great inconvenience which happened to the business of this office on tuesday's night's post by the inland mails having all been detained here till the receipt of the court letters, which were not brought by the messenger from whitehall before half-past six on wednesday morning." a similar letter of remonstrance was at the same time addressed to mr. secretary st. john. but, of late years, so profound had been the supineness which reigned at the post office that it may, probably enough, have been considered of little consequence whether the mails were delayed or not. palmer was unable to take this view. to him it appeared in the highest degree improper that, for the sake of a few letters which after all might be of no great importance, the post office business of the whole country should be thrown out of gear. far better, he urged, that the mail should leave at the proper hour, and that these letters, if behind time, should be sent after it by express. a third suggestion he made, a suggestion admirable in itself, and yet one that at that time was little likely to be adopted. this was that the post office should take the public into its confidence, and invite them to make known their wants and suggest how best these wants might be supplied. in october , through the intervention of his friend john pratt, afterwards lord camden, palmer's plan was brought under the notice of pitt; and pitt, who was then chancellor of the exchequer in the administration of lord shelburne, at once discerned its merits. nothing, however, could be done until the post office had had an opportunity of offering its opinion on the matter, and when this opinion was given--which was not until july --pitt was out of office; and, although he returned to power as minister in the following december, the struggle in which he then became engaged with an unruly parliament, and afterwards a general election, effectually precluded him from giving attention to the posts until the summer of . meanwhile palmer devoted himself to the perfection of his plan. he traversed the whole of the kingdom by stage-coaches, noting down the time they occupied in accomplishing their journeys, the time they unnecessarily lost, and how they might be better regulated and made serviceable for the transport of the mails. he took the same opportunity of acquainting himself with the course of the post and carefully observed its defects and delays. nor did he trust to his own exertions alone. in order to test the extent of clandestine traffic, he employed persons to watch the bath and bristol coaches as they started for london, and to count the number of parcels which appeared to contain letters. these persons assured him that the number was never less than several hundreds in the week, and in some weeks was as high as . the office of postmaster-general was at this time held by lords carteret and tankerville. carteret had only recently been raised to the peerage. appointed thirteen years before as henry frederick thynne in conjunction with lord le despencer, he had, amid the conflict of parties and the fall of successive ministries, contrived to retain his post. tankerville, on the contrary, had come in and gone out with a change of government. called upon to preside over the post office in , he had left it in and had returned in january of the following year. the part which these two peers took in connection with palmer's plan appears to have been not injudicious. without expressing any opinion of their own as to its feasibility or otherwise, they contented themselves with collecting and forwarding to pitt the opinions of such of their subordinates as were presumably qualified to judge. these were the district surveyors, and their verdict was unanimously against the plan. of the reasons for this judgment a specimen or two will suffice. by one it was objected that there could be no need for the post to be the swiftest conveyance in the kingdom; by another, that to employ firearms for the protection of the mail would encourage their use on the other side, and thus murder might be added to robbery; by a third, that not only did the posts as they stood afford all reasonable accommodation, but it was beyond the power of human ingenuity to devise a better system. of these and other objections pitt made short work. he summoned a conference at the treasury, at which were present the postmasters-general, palmer, and the objectors; and having patiently listened to all that could be urged against the plan, he desired that it should be tried on what was commonly called the bath road, the road between bristol and london. this conference was held on the st of june . on saturday the st of july an agreement was signed under which, in consideration of a payment of d. a mile, five innholders--one belonging to london, one to thatcham, one to marlborough, and two to bath--undertook to provide the horses; and on monday the nd of august the first mail-coach began to run. it is unfortunate that of the early performances of this coach no record remains. we only know that on the first journey it started from bristol and not from london, and that palmer was present to see it off; that, ordinarily, the distance was accomplished in seventeen hours, being at the rate of about seven miles an hour; and that, as a result, the expresses to bristol, which before had been as many as in the year, ceased altogether. ten or twelve years later, indeed, the expresses for the whole of the kingdom were not one-fifth of what, before , was the number for the city of bristol alone. palmer's plan, once introduced, made rapid progress. mail-coaches began to run through norfolk and suffolk in march ; and on the cross-road between bristol and portsmouth in the following may. on the th of july the plan was extended to leeds, manchester, and liverpool, and during the next two months to gloucester and swansea; to hereford, carmarthen, and milford haven; to worcester and ludlow; to birmingham and shrewsbury; to chester and holyhead; to exeter; to portsmouth; to dover and other places. the great north road was reserved to the last, and here the plan was carried into effect in the summer of . it may be convenient here to say a few words on the subject of nomenclature. post-coach, a term in vogue about this time,[ ] might not unnaturally be supposed to denote a coach in use by the post office. such, however, was not the case. the term post-coach, like the kindred term post-chaise, was introduced probably early in the last century, and, so far as we are aware, was never employed in the sense of mail-coach. it should further be noticed that the term mail-coach, although we have employed it to make our meaning clear, did not come into use until after . in that year, and for some little time afterwards, coaches which carried the mails were called diligences or machines, and the coachmen were called machine-drivers. [ ] thus, the act geo. iii. cap. li. sec. --an act passed four years before the mails were carried by coach:-- "that every person who shall keep any four-wheeled chaise or other machine commonly called a diligence or post-coach, or by what name soever such carriages now are or hereafter shall be called or known...." that the term post-coach, as distinguished from mail-coach, was in vogue as late as appears from evidence taken in that year before the commissioners of revenue inquiry--"(q.) are you acquainted with the post-coaches? (a.) not any very great deal. (q.) comparing them with mail-coaches, which do you think are the best formed? (a.) decidedly the mail-coaches, i think."--appendix to eighteenth report, p. . the plan of carrying letters by mail-coach was, on its introduction, sadly marred by a simultaneous or almost simultaneous increase in the rates of postage. pitt had brought forward his budget on the th of june; and among the measures he proposed with a view to replenish an exhausted exchequer was a tax upon coals. the proposal was not well received by the house, and it was afterwards withdrawn in favour of an increase of postage. palmer took credit to himself that he had proposed the substitution. if, as would appear to be the case, the claim is well founded, one can only regret that he should thus wantonly have handicapped his own proceedings. it is true, no doubt, that he was about to make the post both quicker and more secure; that he would have a better article to dispose of, an article that would fetch a higher price. it is also true that his plan, weighted as it was, proved an unqualified success. and yet it is impossible to deny that his reputation as a post office reformer, high as it stands, would have stood still higher if his counsel had been on the side of reduction. the rates prescribed by the act of , as compared with those of , were as follows:-- +-----------------------------+-------------------++-------------------+ | | . || . | | +----+----+----+----++----+----+----+----+ | distance. | s | d | t | o || s | d | t | o | | | i | o | r | u || i | o | r | u | | | n | u | e | n || n | u | e | n | | | g | b | b | c || g | b | b | c | | | l | l | l | e || l | l | l | e | | | e | e | e | . || e | e | e | . | | | . | . | . | || . | . | . | | +-----------------------------+----+----+----+----++----+----+----+----+ | |_d._|_d._|_d._|_d._||_d._|_d._|_d._|_d._| |not exceeding one post stage | | | | || | | | | |exceeding one and not | | | | || | | | | | exceeding two post stages | | | | || | | | | |exceeding two post stages | | | | || | | | | | and not exceeding miles | | | | || | | | | |exceeding and not | | | | || | | | | | exceeding miles | | | | || | | | | |exceeding miles | | | | || | | | | |to and from edinburgh | | | | || | | | | | | | | | || | | | | | | | { the irish post office had only | | { recently been placed under the | | { authority of the irish parliament; | |to and from dublin { and the rates of postage, not only | | { within ireland, but between ireland | | { and great britain, were awaiting | | { revision. | | | | within scotland. | | | | || | | | | | (measured from edinburgh.) | | | | || | | | | |not exceeding one post stage | | | | || | | | | |exceeding one post stage and | | | | || | | | | | not exceeding miles | | | | || | | | | |exceeding miles and not | | | | || | | | | | exceeding miles | | | | || | | | | |exceeding and not | | | | || | | | | | exceeding miles | | | | || | | | | |exceeding miles | | | | || | | | | +-----------------------------+----+----+----+----++----+----+----+----+ the same act which increased the rates of postage imposed, or sought to impose, additional restrictions upon franking. some concessions indeed were made. letters from members of parliament, in order to secure exemption, need no longer be limited, in point of weight, to two ounces and, in point of time, to the session of parliament and forty days before and after. as part of the superscription, however, were now to be given the full date of the letter, the day, the month, and the year, all in the member's handwriting; and the letter was to be posted on the date which the superscription bore. these restrictions, it was confidently expected, would correct the worst abuses and render the concessions harmless. but, curiously enough, like the restrictions of , they had an exactly contrary effect to that which was intended. the members sent to their constituents and friends, for use as occasion should serve, franks that were post-dated. these the post office charged, as coming from places where the members were known not to be. the members remonstrated, demanding to be informed in what respects the conditions of the act had not been satisfied. the dispute waxing warm, the matter was referred to pitt; and pitt, after testing the opinion of the house, decided that pending fresh legislation the charges should be abandoned. practically, therefore, the abuses which the act was designed to prevent were not only not prevented but were given wider scope. palmer maintained to the end of his life that during the two years which followed the starting of the first mail-coach he was thwarted and opposed by the post office. this charge, so far as it refers to those by whom the post office was managed and controlled, we believe to be groundless. that he had difficulties with contractors and postmasters is beyond question. contractors were at all times troublesome persons to deal with, but they were not post office servants; and postmasters might well be excused if they looked askance at the new plan. their salaries, low as they were, had long been shamefully reduced by exactions at headquarters under the name of fees; and what little they had been able to make out of their allowances for riding-work was now threatened by a system under which that work was to be done by contract. but the charge was not confined to contractors and postmasters. it extended to those who controlled and directed the post office, to carteret and tankerville and to their confidential adviser, the secretary; and, as we believe, with very insufficient reason. carteret was indifferent. tankerville was sincerely desirous of a reform of the posts, from whatever quarter it might come. anthony todd, the secretary, was eminently a man of peace. appointed to the post office in , he had arrived at a time of life when to most men ease and quiet are essential; and not only was he well advanced in years but it was not in his nature to thwart or oppose any one. all he wanted was to be left alone; and he was shrewd enough to know that the best way to secure this object was not to molest others. between todd and palmer, indeed, there was little in common. palmer, in everything he undertook, was intensely in earnest. todd, on the contrary, could with difficulty get up even an appearance of earnestness about anything which did not concern himself. even of his duty todd took a view which must have been absolutely repugnant to palmer. lloyds's coffee-house was supplied by the post office with the arrivals and sailings of british ships, and it paid for the information no less than £ a year. one-half of this amount went into todd's own pocket; and yet, according to him, the giving of the information was a concession, an indulgence. "the merchants," he would write, "are indulged with ship news." to the mayor of shrewsbury, who had asked on behalf of the inhabitants for an earlier post, he deliberately wrote, "the arrival of the mail a few hours sooner or later can be of no great consequence." not many years before, a despatch sent by express from lord north to the duke of newcastle had been lost. even to the minister todd was not ashamed to write, "i dare to say there is no roguery in the case, but [that the letter has been] lost and trampled under foot in the dirty roads." between a man who could take this view of his duty and palmer, who was burning to perfect his plan, there could be little sympathy; but there was certainly no active antagonism. that, as palmer extended his plan, doubts as to its merits arose at headquarters is perfectly true; but they were honest doubts, doubts which might excusably be entertained and which, if entertained, the post office was bound to express. palmer, who regarded every one who was not for him as being against him, construed the expression of a doubt into an act of hostility. let us see what some of these doubts were, and whence they originated. in london, before the introduction of palmer's plan, it had been the practice to wait for the arrival of all the mails before any one of them was delivered, so that in the event of a single mail being behind time, no delivery at all might take place until three or four o'clock in the afternoon or even later. palmer, of course, altered this. but now his interest in the bristol coach led him to an opposite extreme. the bristol mail was delivered the moment it arrived; and all other mails, by how little soever they might be later, were kept waiting. again, before the post was frequently diverted from the high road in order that adjacent villages might be served. on the bath road, for instance, although on this road there were fewer diversions than on any other in the kingdom, the post left the turnpike road between hungerford and marlborough in order to go through ramsbury. under the new arrangement it would have defeated palmer's object to leave the direct track, if indeed the state of the roads would have admitted of it; and as the coaches could not go to the villages, the villages had to send to the coaches. not in these cases alone was there, at first, a very general failure to effect a junction. along every road on which a mail-coach was started the bye and cross posts were deranged and thrown into confusion; and, as a consequence, the post office was swamped with complaints from those whose letters had been delayed. had this been all, it would have been little more than might be expected in the course of transition from one system to another; but other causes of dissatisfaction arose. the act of parliament regulated the rates of postage according to stages-- d. in the case of a single letter, for one stage, d. for two stages, and beyond two stages and not exceeding eighty miles d.; but what was meant by the term stage the act nowhere defined. virtually it was in the power of one man, by the simple expedient of reducing the length of the stages and so increasing their number, to raise the rate of postage between any two towns in the kingdom that were not more than a certain number of miles apart. and this is exactly what palmer did. from rochester to dartford, for instance, had been one stage. the single stage was replaced by two stages; and the postage, which had been d., became d. from newbury to devizes had been two stages. the two stages were increased to three; and the postage was raised from d. to d. and so it was throughout the kingdom. well might the postmasters-general write, as they wrote under date the th of december , "we are now at a loss in many instances how to rate letters and what to call by the name of a stage." but not even the increase of postage which resulted from shortening the stages gave so much offence as the earlier closing of the post office in lombard street. the post office had from the earliest times been kept open to at least twelve o'clock at night, and probably a little later. it now closed at seven o'clock in the evening, so as to admit of the mails starting at eight o'clock. palmer had foreseen that objections might be raised to the change; but he was little prepared for the storm of indignation that followed. the first merchants in london, some of them bearing names still honoured in the city,--thellusson, lubbock and bosanquet, herries, quentin dick and hoare,--protested in writing and afterwards waited on the postmasters-general in a body to support their protest. the leather-dealers followed suit, a body representing more than sixty firms. some held that the post office should be kept open till nine o'clock, and others till ten or even eleven o'clock; but all were of opinion that seven was too early an hour to close. at a meeting held at the london tavern, and presided over by one of the sheriffs, resolutions were passed, copies of which were afterwards presented to pitt in person, not only condemning the early hour of closing but calling for the adoption of measures with a view "to remove the inconveniences which had hitherto been experienced from the establishment of mail-coaches." no wonder if the postmasters-general doubted the merits of a plan which exposed them to these complaints. nor was it only from without that troubles came. the letter-carriers were grumbling and more than grumbling; and not without reason. for more than seventy years they had been ringing bells in the streets after the receiving houses were shut--until on the three nights of the week called grand post nights, and since that date on the bye-nights as well--receiving as their own perquisite d. on each letter they collected. hence the men had made a comfortable addition to their wages of s. a week; and now, owing to the closing of the post office at seven, the emoluments derived from this source were rapidly dwindling and promised soon to disappear altogether. between carteret and tankerville differences now arose which, in view of subsequent events, it is impossible to pass unnoticed. on the break-up of the shelburne administration in , when tankerville left the post office and carteret remained, the two postmasters-general had parted with mutual expressions of regard and goodwill. a questionable transaction in which carteret had been concerned, a transaction partaking of the nature of a corrupt bargain, had indeed come under tankerville's notice; but he willingly attributed it to the malign influence exercised by his predecessor, lord le despencer. this favourable construction his later experience had induced him to modify. one case in particular which occurred soon after his return to the post office had aroused the most painful suspicions. on monday the nd of august , the same day as that on which the first mail-coach started, the post office of ireland was separated from the post office of england. into the reasons of this separation, being as they were political, we do not propose to enter. suffice it to say that the government of ireland took advantage of the occasion to displace armit, the secretary to the irish post office, and to reappoint john lees, who had been secretary from to , when he was promoted to the war office. on his reappointment lees wrote to the postmasters-general in london recapitulating the conditions on which he had been appointed ten years before, and stating that to those conditions, onerous as they were, he proposed in the main to adhere. he was indeed under no obligation in the matter, for he owed his reappointment to the irish government; but of this circumstance he had no desire to avail himself. armit had taken over the conditions from lees; and lees would now resume them from armit. let us see what the conditions were. in barham, the packet agent at dover, being compelled by ill-health to retire, was succeeded by walcot, the secretary to the post office in ireland, and walcot was succeeded by lees, who was new to the service. barham, though superannuated, was during his life to receive from walcot the full salary and emoluments of the packet agency, and walcot was during the same period to receive from lees the full salary and emoluments of the secretaryship. lees was meanwhile to receive from walcot a small allowance for acting as secretary. thus far there was nothing unusual in the arrangement. on the contrary, it was an arrangement which in those days was very commonly made. that which was unusual, and which nowhere appeared in the official records, was an undertaking into which lees had entered to the effect that, after barham's death, he would make to a fourth person during that person's life an annual payment of £ . this engagement lees, when reappointed in , expressed himself unwilling to renew. he was quite prepared to resume the payment to walcot, reduced only to the same extent as by recent legislation the secretary's emoluments had been reduced; but the reversionary payment to the gentleman whom he would designate by the initials a. b. rested on different grounds. from this he must beg to be released. now, who was a. b.? this was the question which tankerville asked; and asked in vain. he could obtain no information on the subject. meanwhile carteret, who was extremely displeased and disquieted at the disclosure, caused an expression of his severe displeasure to be conveyed to lees that he should have presumed to make public a transaction which was obviously designed to be private. lees replied that, as he would be unable to keep the engagement, he was bound in honour to state so; that he had made known nothing more than was absolutely necessary in order to obtain an acquittance, namely, that after barham's death an annuity of £ had been agreed to be paid to some one; but who this some one was had been, and would continue to be, a profound secret. in london it had been whispered, and more than whispered, that a. b. was carteret himself. on this point lees was emphatic. the transaction, he said, concerns no postmaster-general, either living or dead. "with lord carteret it has personally no more to do than with the king of france." tankerville, though profoundly dissatisfied, resolved to let the matter drop; and during the next eighteen months the feeling of distrust with which he regarded carteret did not prevent the two postmasters-general from working together harmoniously. it was not until june that an open rupture occurred. some furniture had been ordered for the housekeeper's apartments, and tankerville, regarding it as of too luxurious a nature, refused to countersign the bill unless the secretary could produce a precedent for the expense. this todd might have had some difficulty in doing, as no housekeeper had resided on the post office premises since the year ; but instead of offering an explanation to that effect he waited for the next board meeting, and, having already procured carteret's signature to the bill, put it before tankerville without remark. tankerville, who never signed a document without examining its contents, inquired whether this was not the housekeeper's bill to which he had taken exception, and, on being answered in the affirmative, told todd that he had been guilty of a gross impropriety. carteret, who had made no secret of his opinion that it was no part of a postmaster-general's duty to check tradesmen's accounts, took todd's part; whereupon tankerville, whose temper was always running away with him, observed that he would do no jobs, and that if a good understanding between himself and carteret were only to be procured by such means he would rather that they should continue on their present terms. the next business set down for discussion had a termination still more unfortunate. the office of comptroller of the bye and cross roads had become vacant, and carteret, whose turn it was to appoint, had appointed staunton, the postmaster of isleworth. in addition to a salary of £ a year, the appointment carried a residence in the post office building; and as the residence occupied by the late comptroller had by pitt's desire been given to palmer, carteret proposed that staunton should be recommended to the treasury for an allowance of £ a year as compensation. tankerville, who had been in personal communication with pitt and ascertained that he would object to an allowance for such a purpose, declined to join in the recommendation, explaining the reason. carteret's remarks implied, or seemed to imply, a doubt whether pitt had really been seen on the subject, as alleged. tankerville again lost his temper. high words ensued, and the board broke up, carteret declaring that it was impossible they should continue to act as joint postmasters-general, and that he should at once wait upon pitt and inform him to that effect. carteret was as good as his word. in three days from the date of the board meeting at which the altercation had taken place he waited upon pitt; and pitt, after labouring in vain to effect a reconciliation, at length dismissed tankerville. tankerville, who had been in constant communication with the minister on the subject of the abuses at the post office, and had sedulously applied himself to their correction, was hardly less surprised than he was indignant; and restating the origin of the disagreement between himself and his colleague, he demanded to be informed in what respects he had been to blame. pitt replied that he could not enter into the merits of the question; that all it concerned him to know was that carteret was necessary to him in the house of lords; and that, as carteret had expressed himself unable to act any longer with tankerville, it had become essential to make another arrangement. this decision as between two colleagues, of whom one was as clearly actuated by honesty of purpose as the other was not, a decision given too by a minister who had already established a character for purity of administration, seems so extraordinary that we must look for some further explanation. the truth we believe to be that owing to an ungovernable temper tankerville was simply intractable, and had shewn himself to pitt to be so. even todd, who with all his faults was essentially a man of peace, was unable to get on with him. "i am sorry to say," he wrote on one occasion, "your lordship is the only postmaster-general i have not had the happiness to serve under with his perfect approbation." on another occasion he wrote to carteret: "i have had a very unpleasant day of it. his lordship is so completely jealous and wrong-headed, so that without entering into unpleasing particulars i had better leave him to his own thoughts." tankerville's own letters afford evidence to the same effect. "i shall not be disposed to talk coolly on the subject of mr. dashwood, or hear anything you may have to say, unless you can prove him guilty of fraud, which i do not admit, but now tell you distinctly that i believe lord carteret has been indebted to you for that forced construction." again, "i do not find that i cool very fast," tankerville wrote from brighton a week or so after the incident which had excited his ire. ever his own worst enemy, he now spoiled a good ease, so far as it was possible to spoil it, by intemperate writing. instead of keeping to the main question, he rambled off into side-issues which were all but irrelevant. carteret had spoken of one interview with pitt. pitt had expressed himself as though there had been more than one. the point was absolutely unimportant. yet tankerville fastened upon it, and, declaring that one or the other must have been guilty of untruth, called upon them as men of honour to reconcile the discrepancy. intemperate as tankerville's language had been, it was impossible that things should remain as they were. nothing but a public inquiry would satisfy the justice of the case; and on this he was resolved. it was a matter of regret to him to impeach carteret's conduct; but there was no other method of vindicating his own. "the causes of my removal," he wrote, "shall be made as public as the injury; and, however gratified your lordship and those in concert with you may at present feel by the success of your measures, i will take upon me to foretell that the triumph will soon be at an end. i have been removed; others will be disgraced." "when your lordship," replied carteret, "shall think proper to bring this matter before the public, i flatter myself my conduct will be unimpeached." a parliamentary committee of inquiry was granted, and met for the first time on the th of may . the session terminated on the th of the same month. short as the interval was, evidence enough was taken to substantiate all and more than all that tankerville had alleged. the committee reported that a payment of £ a year had been exacted from lees as a condition of his appointment as secretary to the post office in ireland; that a payment of £ a year had been similarly exacted from dashwood, the postmaster-general of jamaica; that, while lees had engaged to pay only in a future event, the payment in dashwood's case had begun from the date of his appointment; that both payments were in favour of the person who had been designated by the initials a. b.; that the transactions, though protested against at the time, had been insisted upon by lords carteret and le despencer; and that not only had no record of them been made in the official books, but they had been kept carefully concealed. the committee further reported that scandalous abuses had been found to exist at the post office, abuses which should be examined into and corrected forthwith; and that of many of these the first lord of the treasury had been specifically informed by lord tankerville before the latter was dismissed. the chief interest of the inquiry, however, centred in the question--who was a. b.? a. b. proved to be one peregrine treves, a so-called friend of carteret's, who had never performed any public service either in the post office or elsewhere. "are you not a jew and a foreigner?" asked the inexorable committee. "yes," was the reply. "in consideration of what services," the committee continued, "did you receive these grants?" "from friendship entirely," answered treves. tankerville's prediction had been amply fulfilled. it was not he that was disgraced. yet, curiously enough, carteret made no sign. and even pitt did nothing more than expedite the proceedings of a royal commission which was already sitting. this commission had been appointed at his instigation some years before to inquire into the duties and the pay of certain public departments, of which the post office was one. it was now arranged that the post office was to be the next to come under review. during these dissensions at headquarters palmer's plan had made steady progress. many of the irregularities inseparable from the introduction of a new system had been corrected. the cross-posts had been fitted to the mail-coaches, so that failures of connection were daily becoming fewer; and when the merchants found that answers to their letters were being received in less than half the usual time, and with a degree of punctuality never experienced before, their complaints respecting the early closing of the post office appear to have died away. the post office revenue bore evidence to the improved state of things, the net receipt during the quarter ending the th of january being £ , , as against £ , during the corresponding quarter of . according to all experience, the increase in the rates of postage should have had the effect of reducing the number of letters; but so far was this from being the case that the number of letters had increased in spite of the increase of rates. the truth is that clandestine correspondence had to a large extent ceased. there was no longer any temptation to send by irregular means, at a cost of two or three shillings, and at the risk of detection, a letter which would be conveyed at least as expeditiously and for one-third of that amount by mail-coach. palmer, who had to this time been assisted by persons selected by himself and not belonging to the post office, now bestirred himself to procure for them an established position. public and private interests were for once identical. hitherto there had been only three surveyors for the whole of england; and of these one had resided in london. at palmer's instigation, england was now divided into six postal districts, and a surveyor allotted to each. a seventh or spare surveyor was held in readiness to be detached to any part of the kingdom where his services might be required. each surveyor was to reside in the centre of his district, and his functions, shortly stated, were to keep an accurate record of the posts and of the persons under his charge, to see that these persons did their duty, to facilitate correspondence and to remedy complaints. the resident surveyorship, an appointment which had been created in , was abolished as no longer necessary, palmer himself being at hand to give what advice the postmasters-general might require. the mode of remuneration was also altered. hitherto the surveyors had received a salary of £ a year without any allowance for travelling, the consequence being of course that they had travelled as little as possible. for the future the salary was to be only £ ; but as an inducement to them to move about within their own districts, they were to have one guinea a day when absent from their headquarters. the whole of the additional appointments were conferred upon palmer's nominees, and for the seventh or spare surveyorship he selected francis freeling, a young man of promise, who during the last two years had been actively engaged in regulating the mail-coaches throughout the country. it was about this time or a little earlier that the conditions of palmer's own employment were, at length, definitely settled, but not by any means to his own satisfaction. his first stipulation was that, besides being absolutely free from the control of the postmasters-general, he should have a commission of - / per cent upon all increase in the net post office revenue, which should follow as the result of his own plan. thus, the net post office revenue before august being estimated at £ , , he stipulated for one-fortieth part of the excess over that amount. to this pitt agreed; but freedom from the control of the postmasters-general was a point which it was out of his power to concede. the act of parliament constituting the post office would not admit of it. even nominal subjection to the postmasters-general was so irksome to palmer that he was constantly pressing that a special act might be passed to give him perfect freedom. nor was this all. the increase in the rates of postage which came into operation one month after the starting of the first mail-coach was estimated to produce £ , a year, and pitt deemed it only reasonable that this amount should be added to the previous revenue of £ , , making £ , altogether, before palmer could be allowed to draw his percentage. of this variation of the original understanding palmer bitterly complained, not seeing apparently that, as the increase of rates had been recommended by himself, the complaint reflected on his own singleness of purpose in making the recommendation. eventually it was decided that, in addition to a commission of - / per cent upon the net revenue in excess of £ , , palmer should receive a salary of £ ; but even this settlement was not arrived at without grumbling on palmer's part, and without serious misgiving on the part of the post office. pitt highly approved the percentage, holding that it would serve as a constant incentive to exertion. tankerville, while not denying the expediency of such a mode of remuneration, questioned its legality. under the act of anne, which a subsequent act had made perpetual, the post office revenue was appropriated to certain specific purposes; and he doubted the propriety of diverting any part of it as a reward for services, however meritorious. clarendon, tankerville's successor, entertained the same scruples; and except by the postmasters-general no appointment within the post office could be made. palmer's objection, on the contrary, was to the amount of salary, on the ground that £ did not represent the fortieth part of £ , . pitt declined, however, to give way; and on the th of october palmer was appointed comptroller-general of the post office on the terms prescribed by the minister. there can be no question that palmer bargaining for terms is palmer seen in his least pleasing aspect. the best that can be said is that he was candid enough not to disguise his object, which was to amass a fortune. at bath he had in his boyhood seen ralph allen living in a large house and dispensing hospitality on an extensive scale, and he could not bring himself to understand why the difference between his own and allen's remuneration should be in the inverse ratio to the value of their improvements. and not only did palmer exhibit an unworthy jealousy of allen, but he did that good man, as we think, an injustice. when urging his own claims on the minister, he constantly insisted that allen, on the introduction of his plan, had no difficulties to contend with, and that he kept that plan a secret. never was there a more untenable position. that allen had difficulties to contend with and how he overcame them we have seen in a preceding chapter; and the charge of keeping his plan a secret is refuted by the conditions of his contract, which prevented him from giving an instruction even to his own servants until it had been submitted to headquarters. no doubt it was not known until after his death that allen had derived from the post office an income of £ , a year. his wealth had been supposed to come from the stone-quarries he possessed on combe down. but this was not the contention. what palmer insisted upon was that, while he had disclosed his plan, allen had kept his plan secret, and that, if only on that ground, the balance of merit was on his own side. in december the commission of inquiry commenced its labours. exactly a century had elapsed since the post office had undergone a similar ordeal, a period too long for any public department to be left to itself; and meanwhile abuses had taken root and flourished. one hundred years before there had been no sinecures. now the principal officers attended, some of them only occasionally and others not at all; and attendance, when attendance was given, often extended no later than to one or two o'clock in the afternoon. the receiver-general, for instance, attended on three days a week; and the accountant-general attended once or twice in three months, when the quarterly balance had to be made up. court-post employed a deputy, to whom, out of a salary of £ , he made an annual allowance of £ . the solicitor, like court-post, was an absentee, but, unlike him, was careful not to part with even a fraction of his salary. in this case the deputy received as remuneration one-third part of the law charges incurred--a form of payment calculated more perhaps than any other to promote litigation. in the penny post office were three principal officers--a comptroller, an accountant, and a collector. of these the first two gave no attendance, and the third attended only occasionally, their duties being imposed upon the chief sorter, who, in all but salary, was practically the head of the department. meagre salaries were bolstered up by fees and perquisites, many of them of an outrageous character. while the senior letter-carrier was rigidly restricted to candles in the year, a number not perhaps in excess of his actual requirements, there was hardly an officer reputed to be of any position in the post office, whether an absentee or otherwise, who was not provided with coals and candles for his private use. although to some the supply of these articles was greater than to others, the usual annual allowance was, in the case of a subordinate, four, and, in the case of the head of a department, ten chaldron of coals, and in both cases thirty-two dozen pounds of candles. as the holder of two appointments, although he discharged the duties of only one of them, the comptroller of the bye and cross roads received a double allowance. many commuted with the tradesmen whose duty it was to supply the articles for a money payment. altogether the allowance to post office servants for their private use in town and country, and irrespective of what was consumed in the official apartments, exceeded in a single year chaldron of coals and , pounds of candles. the postmasters-general had long ceased to reside in the post office building; and yet to them was supplied, besides coals and candles, what was euphoniously termed tinware, by which is to be understood kitchen utensils. the expenditure on their account under the three heads during two years and a half was, for coals £ , for candles £ , and for pots and pans £ . of stationery there was also a gratuitous supply for private as well as official use. one fee was a peculiarly cruel one, exacted as it was from a class of public servants who were unable to protect themselves. all postmasters whose salaries amounted to as much as £ were forced to renew their deputations every three years, with no other object than to enrich the harpies at headquarters. on each renewal the same fee had to be paid as on appointment, namely £ : s.; and of this amount s. went to each of the postmasters-general, s. to the secretary, s. to the solicitor, and s. to the door-keeper. the remainder was for stamp duty. postmasters were also required to pay a fee of half a guinea before receiving a warrant to exempt them from serving in public offices. christmas-boxes given by the merchants, and designed for the letter-carriers and other subordinates, were to a large extent appropriated by their superiors. from this source the comptroller of the foreign office, with an official income of £ , was not ashamed to derive £ a year. others from the same source derived smaller amounts. newspapers for reading were supplied in profligate profusion. one head of department was allowed for his own use two morning and five evening papers; another was paid £ : s. a year to supply himself with what papers he pleased. all, whether absentees or not, received an annual payment under the title of drink and feast money, the lowest amount being £ : s. and the highest £ : s., and this was in addition to three or four so-called feasts given annually at the cost of the department. these with percentages on tradesmen's bills were some of the fees and perquisites which were now dragged to the light. out of the whole number there was only one which, besides being moderate and unobjectionable, possessed a certain interest as denoting the connection which had at one time subsisted between the post office and the crown. this was a fee of s. received by the chief sorter at the general post office on the occasion of a birthday in the royal family; and as the royal family now consisted of twenty-one members, his emoluments from this source amounted to one guinea in the year. there were two points on which the royal commissioners appear to have received less than full information. these were expresses and registered letters. expresses, according to the old custom of the post, were still going at the rate of only six miles an hour, while the mail-coaches were going at the rate of eight. to this difference the commissioners called attention; but they were silent as to the fees which some expresses paid, being apparently under the impression that all were treated alike. as a matter of fact, however, expresses had by this time been divided into two kinds--the public express and the private express. the public express, that is the express on public affairs, was allowed to pass without a fee, no doubt because the post office dared not impose one; but on every private express, in addition to the authorised mileage, was charged, if from london, a fee of s. d., and if from the country, a fee of s. d.; and of course in this, as in every other case, the fees were for the benefit of individuals. on the subject of registered letters addressed to places abroad the commissioners merely expressed the opinion that the registration fee, instead of being any longer treated as a perquisite, should be applied to the use of the public; but they nowhere stated, and perhaps had not been informed, what this fee was. it may be interesting if we supply the omission. the fee for registering a packet of value was, outwards[ ] s., and inwards s. it seems incredible, and yet such is the unquestionable fact. for every letter registered for abroad the comptroller of the foreign office received s. d., the deputy-comptroller s. d., and six clerks s. apiece. one guinea for registration! and it was all the more monstrous because there can be little doubt that at one time letters had been practically registered without any fee at all. an order in council dated as far back as july had ordained "that the poste between this and the northe should eche of them keepe a booke and make entrye of every letter that he shall receive, the tyme of the deliverie thereof unto his hands with the parties names that shall bring it unto him, whose handes he shall also take to his booke, witnessing the same note to be trewe." in another order in council passed, requiring that "every post shall keepe a large and faire leger paper booke, to enter our packets in as they shalbe brought unto him, with the day of the moneth, houre of the day or night, that they came first to his handes, together with the name of him or them, by whom or unto whom they were subscribed and directed." in dockwra, when establishing his penny post, was careful to provide that letters on reaching any one of his seven sorting offices should be "entered"; and in a mere detail of treatment, it may well be believed, he followed the practice of the general post. in letters from abroad arriving at harwich were not to be forwarded to the court at newmarket until the addresses had been copied. and more than this. in two letters between london and ostend had been delayed, and it became important to discover where the delay had occurred. "we find them," wrote the postmasters-general, "both duly entered in mr. frowde's books, and are satisfy'd they were regularly dispatched from this office." now mr. frowde was comptroller of the foreign office. it may be added that, small as was the force employed at the end of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries, it is difficult to account for the length of time which was then occupied in dealing with a mere handful of letters except on the hypothesis that there was a good deal more to be done than to sort and to tax them. and now the post office, upon no better authority than its own will, was exacting a fee of s. and s., according as the letter was outwards or inwards, for doing what some eighty years before had been done for nothing. the sums extorted from the public under this head were in £ , and in the following year £ . [ ] a foreign registered letter _outwards_ would be a letter registered as far as dover or harwich or falmouth for transmission abroad, and possibly on board ship. a foreign registered letter _inwards_ would not be the exact converse, for there would be no registration from the port of arrival to london. the fee of s. covered the registration of a letter only from london to its destination. as regards the working arrangements, palmer, in virtue of the power he possessed as comptroller-general, had already corrected those that were most faulty. until lately, the letter-carriers' walks had been so extensive that many of the deliveries could not be accomplished within five or six hours. palmer had arranged that no delivery should occupy more than two hours or two hours and a half at the utmost, counting from the time of despatch from the general post office. it had been the practice for the junior clerks, the clerks with the least experience, to sort the letters for delivery, the consequence being that they reached the letter-carriers' hands in so confused a state that they had to be sorted again. hence it had been by no means unusual for an interval of four or five hours to elapse between the arrival of the last mail and the going out of the letter-carriers. by appointing some of the most intelligent letter-carriers to sort the letters in the first instance, palmer had reduced the interval to one hour on ordinary, and to one hour and a half on extraordinary occasions. as many as postmasters had returned their letter-bills in one week, and on the plea of having been overcharged had claimed and been allowed deductions. palmer had checked this abuse by arranging that in the case of those postmasters who were in the habit of returning their letter-bills the charges should be twice told. he had also reduced the amount expended on extra duty by £ a year. heretofore, if a man had chosen to absent himself, the post office had provided a substitute. for the future the substitute was to be provided at the absentee's own expense. but although palmer had already corrected the most faulty of the arrangements, some still existed which could not be pronounced good. the accountant-general was intended to be a check upon the receiver-general; yet, instead of keeping an independent record of the sums received, he merely transcribed or caused to be transcribed the entries from the receiver-general's books. the accountant-general, again, was required to certify every bill before the postmasters-general passed it for payment; but as he was not empowered to call for vouchers or for the authority under which the expenditure had been incurred, his certificate conveyed nothing more than that the bill had been rightly cast. the accounts themselves appear to have been rendered in the strangest manner. the article "dead letters," for instance, was made to serve a variety of purposes. under this article postmasters were accustomed to claim chaise-hire, law charges, and even pensions to private persons. the packet service was a part of the post office which the commissioners would fain have avoided if they could; but the public voice was too strong for them. the enormous expenditure which this service involved had long excited murmurs, and the opportunity which now offered of investigating the causes of it was one which could not with any regard to propriety be missed. accordingly the inquiry was entered upon; but with a desire to restrict it as far as possible the commissioners did not extend their investigations beyond the packet station at falmouth, where more than three-fourths of the expenditure was incurred. to ourselves, who are under no obligation to observe a similar limit, perhaps a little more latitude may be allowed. the continental mails by way of dover and harwich went at this time only twice a week; and by a curious arrangement these mails started from the general post office at midnight, although the inland mails for the same towns and going by the same route started at eight o'clock in the evening. at harwich the packet station had abandoned itself to smuggling. in two packets, the _bessborough_ and the _prince of wales_, were seized for having contraband goods on board. not a single voyage had these packets made during the last two years without committing a similar infringement of the law. the commissioners of customs, whose patience was exhausted, now commenced proceedings in the court of exchequer, and were prevailed upon to abandon them only upon the captains, who were also owners of the vessels, paying by way of fine two-third parts of their appraised value--amounting to £ in one case and to £ in the other--of which sums one-half was to go to the crown and one-half to the officer by whom the goods had been discovered. this high reward was not long in reproducing the occasion on account of which it had been given. in november another seizure took place, this time of three packets simultaneously, two of them being the same as had been seized in . the third was the _dolphin_. on this occasion the commissioners of customs determined that the vessels should be prosecuted to condemnation. in vain the postmasters-general urged that the law was a hard one which made the captains responsible for offences which, it was alleged, they had done their best to check. the customs authorities were inexorable. it was not long, however, before the post office became possessed of certain facts which, when investigated, proved beyond a doubt that there had for years past been collusion of the grossest character. on every voyage contraband goods--chiefly tea, coffee, and gin--had, with the connivance of the local officers of customs, been imported in large quantities; and of these only a part, a comparatively small part, had been seized. thus, the post office servants received from the goods that were left to them ample, and more than ample, compensation for those that were taken away; and the servants of the customs received from their board in london both credit and reward for their vigilance. nor was it by any means certain that the seizure of the packets in and again in was not another phase of the same collusive arrangement. at falmouth the case was somewhat different. smuggling, indeed, was going on there just as it was at harwich. as far back as the customs had issued process against the captains of two of the falmouth packets for having contraband goods on board. the case is only worthy of mention as shewing the loose notions which at that time prevailed even in high quarters on the subject of clandestine traffic. the postmasters-general of the day, lord lovell and sir john eyles, told the board of customs in so many words that their conduct was unhandsome. it was vain, they urged, to endeavour to prevent "these little clandestine importations and exportations" on board the packets; and if violent measures were to be resorted to, as in the present instance, no captain "of real worth and character" would be found to command, and "no fit and able" seamen to serve. again, in the _greyhound_ packet was seized at the port of kingston in jamaica for attempting to smuggle spirits. early in the _queen charlotte_ packet was condemned and sold at the same port and for the same cause. in a special agent sent down to falmouth by tankerville reported that, according to common repute, no packet either proceeded on a voyage or returned from one without hovering about the coast for the purpose of shipping or unshipping goods. but, rife as smuggling was, it was something more than an infringement of the customs laws that now brought the packet station at falmouth into notoriety. during the seventeen years ending the th of april , the cost of the packets had exceeded £ , , ; and of this amount about £ , had been expended at falmouth. at the present day, when a single mail steamer costs perhaps as much as £ , , the sum of £ , , sterling would not go far to create and maintain a fleet; but a century ago it was considered, even when spread over a period of seventeen years, an enormous expenditure, an expenditure such as, in the language of the royal commissioners, almost to surpass credibility. and certainly there seems to have been good ground for this opinion. the packets altogether were only thirty-six in number, of which twenty-one were stationed at falmouth. these were of no more than tons burthen, and were navigated with thirty men, five of them being the property of the post office and fifteen being hired. for each of the hired boats was paid the annual sum of £ , and for each of the others the annual sum of £ , these sums including the charge of manning and victualling. the sixteen packets stationed elsewhere than at falmouth were hired at ridiculously low prices, at dover for £ a year each, at harwich for £ , and at holyhead for £ . to expend upon the packets under such conditions as these more than £ , , sterling in the course of seventeen years required no small amount of ingenuity. how was it managed? this was the question which the royal commissioners now set themselves to solve. the grossest abuses were found to exist. the hire of the packets had been paid when they were under seizure for smuggling, and under repair, and even when they were building. in the case of packets that were building and under repair the victualling allowance paid when there were no men to victual had amounted in twelve years and a half to £ , . when packets had been taken by the enemy the hire of them had been paid for months beyond the date of their capture; and this was in addition to compensation to the owners, which, however old and rotten the packet might be, was fixed at her original value when taken into the service. compensation to the captains had also been given for the loss of their private property and of provisions. for provisions the compensation had always been as for six months' supply, although the supply that was actually on board might not be enough for one month; and for their private property the captains had been compensated at their own valuation. whatever they had asked they had received without examination and without question. this astounding prodigality indulged in at the expense of the state is easily explained. the post office servants in london, down even to the chamber-keeper, had shares in the packets; and of these servants the one who possessed by far the largest number of shares was anthony todd, the secretary. todd also received a commission of - / per cent upon the entire sum expended on the packet establishment of the kingdom. thus, the very man whose duty it was to check the expenditure had a direct personal interest in making the expenditure as high as possible. the salary of the secretary to the post office remained, as it was fixed in , at £ a year; and whatever todd received over and above that amount, he received without authority. let us see what his actual receipts were. in addition to his proper salary of £ , he had what was called a bye salary of £ . bye had at one time meant out of course or clandestine; and this meaning would perhaps not be inappropriate here. he had for coach hire £ a year. he had another £ a year from lloyds's coffee-house. he had from fees on commissions and deputations £ a year. he had every year twenty chaldron of coal and twelve dozen of wax and sixty-four dozen of tallow candles, valued by himself at £ . he had an unfurnished residence with stables in the post office building; and he received annually from the east india company eight pounds of tea and two dozen of arrack. but this was by no means all. as former clerk in the foreign branch, an appointment which he still retained, he had a salary of £ and an allowance of £ a year for so-called disbursements, which he never made. he had also, in his capacity of clerk, £ a year for coach-hire and ten chaldron of coal and thirty-two dozen of candles, valued at £ . besides all this, he had his commission of - / per cent upon the entire packet expenditure of the country, from which source he derived in the year no less than £ . altogether, todd's modest salary of £ a year had, by his own unaided exertions, been converted into an annual income of more than £ . the extent of todd's emoluments, his commission on the packet expenditure, the outrageous character of some of the fees and perquisites which he and others were receiving, the absenteeism, the abuses generally--all this had long been known to pitt. much he had heard from tankerville, and still more, probably, from palmer. but before either palmer or tankerville became connected with the post office, pitt had been aware of many, if not most, of the abuses which prevailed there. as early as one of his first acts after becoming chancellor of the exchequer in the shelburne administration was to give peremptory orders that no more packets were to be either built or purchased without treasury authority. for such authority it had hitherto been the practice to ask before setting up new packets, but not before replacing old ones--packets that were worn out or alleged to be worn out, or that had been lost or captured. this was a distinction which had existed since packets were first established, and to which, nearly a hundred years before, cotton and frankland had attached great importance. it was now to exist no longer. in pitt called for a return of the fees and perquisites received at the post office, and it was not until after this return had been furnished and possibly in consequence of it that the commission of inquiry was appointed. "did you ever communicate this transaction to mr. pitt," inquired the parliamentary committee in . "i did," replied tankerville, "but found him not ill-informed on the subject in general." it may seem strange that with the knowledge which he unquestionably possessed respecting the prevalent abuses pitt should have allowed them to go on so long uncorrected. the explanation we believe to be twofold. in the first place he was unwilling to do or suffer to be done anything which might interfere with the introduction of palmer's improvements. this was a point on which pitt never ceased to betray the utmost anxiety. to embark on any general system of reform might conflict with the new plan. let the plan be established first and the abuses could be corrected afterwards. hence it was, no doubt, that of all the public offices to be inquired into, the post office, in spite of the notoriety which its abuses had acquired, was taken last. but this, although the primary explanation, was not, we suspect, the only one. incorrupt himself, pitt was extraordinarily tolerant of corruption in others. witness his defence of melville. even of carteret's transaction with peregrine treves he could never be brought to admit more than that it was not a proper one. this tolerance in others of what he would have scorned to do himself we attribute to a conviction on his part that abuses were less to be charged against individuals than as the result of a bad system which made the abuses possible; and what, if we mistake not, pitt had proposed to himself was to bring to bear upon this system the force of public opinion. a ruthless exposure, we have little doubt, had been in contemplation; and yet when the time for exposure came, pitt held back. whether it was that the abuses proved too flagrant to be published with safety or that their correction would involve more time or more money than could then be spared, the fact remains that, after receiving the report of the commission, pitt locked it up in his despatch box and kept it there for the space of four years; and not even the postmasters-general could procure a copy. but secret as the report of the commission was kept, the procedure at the post office was about to undergo a radical change. a change indeed had already begun. tankerville, on his dismissal in august , had been succeeded by lord clarendon; and clarendon died in the following december. then followed an interval of eight months, during which carteret alone administered the post office and, as was usual on such occasions, drew the double salary. at length, as carteret's colleague, pitt appointed lord walsingham; and from that moment irregularity and disorder were at an end. nothing escaped walsingham's vigilant eye. to neglect or evasion of work he shewed no mercy. the man honestly striving to do his duty had no better friend. his industry and power of work were simply amazing. all instructions were prepared by him. not a single letter of any importance was received at the post office without the answer to it being drafted in his own hand. generous to a fault with his own money, he regarded the money of the public as a sacred trust, a trust which could not be discharged too scrupulously. carteret's opinion was well known, that it was no part of a postmaster-general's duty to check accounts. walsingham, on the contrary, would allow no account to be passed until he had checked it; and his checking went a good deal beyond the casting. unless the articles were necessary and the charges reasonable, and unless they were proved to be so to his satisfaction, the account had a sorry chance of being passed. the official hours of attendance had hitherto been pretty much what each man chose to make them. to walsingham all hours were alike; and at all hours he exacted attendance from others. "it is utterly impossible," wrote the head of one department, "for the accounts to be ready for your inspection to-morrow evening." "i will not fail," wrote the head of another, "to do myself the honour of waiting upon your lordship to-morrow morning at eight precisely." walsingham, on entering upon his duties at the post office, was concerned to find that to documents requiring to be signed by the two postmasters-general carteret attached his signature first. carteret's peerage dated from , and walsingham's from . surely the peer of older creation should sign first; and such, walsingham found on inquiry, had been the practice hitherto. pitt, though overwhelmed with business, was called upon to decide the momentous question. he was sorry, he said, that in the preparation of the patent the practice of the post office had been overlooked. it was a strange practice, a practice different from that of all other public offices. there the senior, the one who was first to enter the office, took precedence of the junior whatever his rank; and carteret having been mentioned first in the patent must unquestionably sign first. but this, he added, need not be drawn into a precedent, and, on a new patent passing, the old practice of the office might be reverted to. we may here mention that a few years later the earl of chesterfield became walsingham's colleague; but on that occasion walsingham does not appear to have raised the question again or to have been unwilling to conform to the new practice. and, indeed, whether walsingham signed before or after carteret must to every one except himself have appeared of the least possible importance. sign in what order he might, walsingham's influence soon became paramount. carteret might give what instruction he pleased, but unless endorsed by walsingham a post office servant obeyed it at his peril. walsingham, on the contrary, gave instructions without reference to his colleague, and exacted prompt and implicit obedience. with many of the qualities of a great man, walsingham was strangely wanting in one particular. he had no sense of proportion. a trivial point hardly deserving of a moment's consideration he would elaborate as carefully as a measure involving large and important issues; and a clerical error or a slight indiscretion he would visit as severely as misconduct of the gravest character. nor must we omit to mention a habit in which he indulged to an extent that has probably never been surpassed. this was a habit of annotating. nothing came officially before him, whether a letter or a report or a book, without being covered in the margin and every available space with notes and queries; and, to add to the distraction which this mode of criticism seldom fails to cause, they were in so small and crabbed a hand as to be always difficult, and sometimes even with the aid of a magnifying-glass impossible, to decipher. there was only one person that had the slightest influence with walsingham. this was daniel braithwaite, who, holding nominally the situation of clerk to the postmasters-general, was really their private secretary. braithwaite was a fellow of the royal society. of consummate tact and judgment, and endowed with a peculiar sweetness of disposition, he contrived during difficult times to tone down asperities and to accommodate many a dissension which promised to become acute. passing through his hands a harsh admonition was turned into a gentle reproof, and an imperious command into a courteous message. but under this softness of manner and a deference of language so profound that even walsingham quizzed him on the number of "lordships" he would introduce into a single letter, there lay concealed a solidity of character which few would have suspected. honest braithwaite he was called, and well he deserved the epithet. by a simple inquiry, a request for information or the expression of a doubt, he would nip some wild project in the bud, and, where occasion required, he would not hesitate to speak his mind freely. a young man, stokes by name, who had been appointed to assist braithwaite, had miscopied a date in one of walsingham's numerous drafts, or rather, feeling sure that the date as it stood was wrong, had altered it to what he believed to be the right one. walsingham, who was absent from london at the time, wrote back that stokes was to be suspended. braithwaite's sense of justice was shocked, and he refused to carry the order into effect. "if a mistake in copying," he wrote, "deserves so severe a punishment as suspension, what am i not to fear for disobedience, and yet i really cannot execute the task your lordship has imposed upon me. for god's sake, my dear lord," he proceeded, "let me most earnestly entreat you to mitigate the severity of this sentence, and, if a reprimand at the board is not sufficient, give poor stokes a holiday and impose the fine for a substitute upon me. at any rate," he added, "pray leave the case to be decided at a board or refer it to mr. todd." walsingham did refer the case to todd, but not before he had sternly demanded of his refractory henchman whether he had never read beccaria on crimes and punishments. "no," replied braithwaite, "i have not read beccaria on crimes and punishments; but beccaria, say what he may, will never convince me that it can be right to punish a mistake as though it were a crime." honest braithwaite! he prevailed in the end, and stood in walsingham's confidence even higher than before. at a board meeting on the th of july , less than a fortnight after taking up his appointment, walsingham in the presence of the captains who were ashore, and who had been summoned to london for the occasion, gave notice of his intention to reduce the packet establishment at falmouth. that establishment consisted of twenty-one boats of tons each, and manned by thirty men. it was proposed that for the future there should be twenty boats of tons each, and with a complement of eighteen men. these boats would cost about £ apiece to build, and would not be the property of the government. the government would simply hire them, giving as the price of hire £ a year, which was to cover everything, wages and victualling included. the owners would also have the passage money, estimated at £ , for each boat. large as this reduction was, the treasury desired that it should be carried further, that only the boats to america should be of as much as tons, and that those for the west indies and for lisbon should be of . the captains, who had not relished the proposed reduction even to tons, were half-amused and half-indignant. why, they asked, should the boats for america be the largest? were hurricanes unknown in the west indies? and could not the bay of biscay boast of tremendous seas? boats of tons would be positively dangerous. no passenger would go by them; nor would any merchant trust them with bullion, from the freight of which the post office derived a considerable income. the postmasters-general had also on their side the result of experience. in , when the packet service to the west indies, which had ceased in , was re-established, boats of tons had been tried and had proved to be altogether insufficient. moreover, it was in the highest degree important, as a means of checking smuggling, that the boats should not be restricted to one route. the intention was that they should be interchangeable, so that their port of destination should be uncertain; and to this end the tonnage of one should be the tonnage of all. the treasury appear to have remained unmoved by these representations. at all events no decision was received; and walsingham, after waiting for what he no doubt considered an unreasonable time, took silence for assent and proceeded to carry his recommendations into effect. the economical results which had been looked for were not immediately realised. the boats hitherto in use may not perhaps have been built with the view of facilitating smuggling; and yet, crowded as they were between decks with cupboards, they could hardly have been better adapted to the purpose. in the new boats no receptacles were to be allowed in which clandestine goods could be concealed; the holds were to be only large enough to contain the stores and provisions for the voyage; the seamen were no longer to remain unrestricted as to the size and number of their boxes; and in other respects stringent regulations were laid down to prevent illicit traffic. finding what they called their ventures stopped, the crews of the packets refused to go to sea without an increase of pay all round. these ventures, they contended, had been recognised from time immemorial and went in place of so much wages. how else would it have been possible for them, many of them men with wives and families, to subsist on a pittance of s. a month? the post office was forced to yield to the demand; and as the immediate result of his first essay in the cause of economy, walsingham had the mortification of seeing the cost of the packet establishment increased by more than £ a year. from falmouth walsingham turned his attention to other ports where packets were stationed. at dover and at harwich the establishments were too small to admit of any reduction. at the latter port, indeed, what little change took place was on the side of increase, the victualling allowance being raised from - / d. a day for each man to d., so as to be uniform with that given at falmouth; and for the same reason the seamen's wages were raised from s. a month to s. with holyhead the case was different. here walsingham had resolved upon making a reduction, and it was only on an earnest remonstrance from the marquis of buckingham, the lord-lieutenant of ireland, that he abandoned his intention. the holyhead packets were at this time five in number, and they were of seventy tons each and carried twelve hands. walsingham held that this tonnage and complement of men were more than enough; and buckingham maintained a directly contrary opinion. between england and ireland, he urged, the number of passengers was increasing every year, and surely this was not a time to lessen the confidence of the public in the security of the packets. the danger of navigation in those seas could not, he felt sure, be appreciated. he had himself crossed the channel in all weathers. once he had been nearly lost, and not on that occasion alone he had seen the crews, though at their full complement, absolutely prostrate with their exertions. could it be known that, for purposes of passenger traffic, the captains of the holyhead packets had recently built and fitted out at their own expense a sloop named the _duchess of rutland_; and that for this sloop, which, although vastly superior in point of accommodation to any one of the packets, was of no higher tonnage, the complement had been fixed at twelve hands? this would shew what was the opinion on the point of those who were most competent to judge. the fact, moreover, that ireland had undertaken to pay to great britain the sum of d. on every letter passing to and fro placed the english post office under a sort of moral obligation not to reduce the amount of accommodation and security existing at the time the undertaking was given. such were the arguments by which buckingham prevailed upon walsingham to abandon his intention. he at the same time hinted that there were other objects to which walsingham's energies might more properly be directed. "does your lordship know," he asked, "that an immense communication of letters is kept up by the liverpool packets[ ] which sail weekly to dublin?" [ ] _i.e._ boats. at liverpool packets, in the sense of boats commissioned by government to carry letters, did not at this time exist. one line of packets remains, the line between milford haven and waterford. here five boats were employed, of which three were of eighty tons and the others somewhat less; and the service was six days a week. this, though the youngest of the packet stations, was by no means the least interesting. it had been opened in april ; and in the first year the proceeds from passengers alone amounted to more than £ . no doubt had been entertained that in the matter of letters there would be an equally satisfactory account to render; but it soon became evident that all hopes on this score must be given up. the irish post office was no longer subject to the post office of england; and in the supposed interests of dublin, which regarded with jealousy the postal facilities enjoyed by the southern towns, advantage was taken of this freedom from control to checkmate the new service. from waterford the post for cork had been used to start at two o'clock in the afternoon, an hour most convenient for the packets. under orders from dublin it was now to start at twelve; and, as shewing the vexatiousness of the proceeding, an express leaving waterford as late as four o'clock would overtake the mail at carrick, a distance of no more than fifteen miles. under the same orders limerick was forbidden to send letters by way of waterford; and the post between this town and clonmel was reduced from six days a week to three. this was a state of things which, under the system of home rule then existing, walsingham was powerless to remedy. he could only lift his hands in amazement that such perversity should be possible. but it was not exclusively or even mainly to the packet establishment that walsingham's attention was directed. there was no part of the post office with which he did not make himself thoroughly acquainted; and in the course of his investigations nothing struck him more than the pitiable condition of the clerks of the roads. the case of these men had been gradually getting worse and worse. it is true that ten years before a part of the salaries and pensions for which they were responsible had been transferred to the state; but the relief thus afforded had been neutralised and more than neutralised by the decrease which had since taken place in their emoluments from the franking of newspapers. of these emoluments, indeed, little now remained. in the seventeen years from to the notices served upon the post office by members of parliament to send newspapers into the country free had risen from a little more than to , and the number of newspapers which these notices covered amounted to no less than , a week. in the face of such competition the special privilege enjoyed by the clerks of the roads was practically valueless, and walsingham and carteret clearly discerned that to compensate them for the loss of their emoluments by an increase of salary was an act dictated no less by justice than policy. the case indeed was urgent if a catastrophe were to be averted; and carteret, whose experience led him to believe that the salaries would not be increased with the consent of the treasury, proposed to increase them without. walsingham was shocked at the audacity of the proposal, and read his colleague a homily on the constitutional proprieties. "i know," replied carteret, "we shall have the power of increasing salaries with the consent of the treasury, but many may starve before that consent comes." even walsingham admitted the gravity of the occasion; and with the full knowledge that at this time no representation from the post office reached the treasury which did not come under pitt's own observation, the two peers, after recommending a substantial measure of relief, concluded their letter thus: "we shall find ourselves compelled, if the present weight of parliamentary and official duties shall make it impossible for your lordships to give us the authority we request in the course of a week, to take it upon ourselves to issue the money at our own risk, or the persons who are the object of this relief will be unable to attend their duty, and the business of the office will be literally at a stand." whatever pitt may have thought of the somewhat unusual terms of this address, he allowed no sign of dissatisfaction to escape him, and the authority sought was given. as long as walsingham confined his attention to the packets and the clerks of the roads, there was no danger of a collision with palmer. palmer, on the contrary, offered his congratulations to walsingham on the improvement which he had been instrumental in making in these officers' condition. it was when walsingham gave an instruction which even indirectly affected the inland posts that palmer's jealousy was aroused. this he regarded as his own peculiar domain, a domain upon which even the postmasters-general themselves were trespassers; and a trespass or what he considered as such he never lost an opportunity of resenting. the earliest and not the least curious illustration of these pretensions appears in the case of the king's coach. in the summer of the king repaired to cheltenham for the purpose of drinking the waters, and walsingham, who was above all things a courtier, had arranged that during the royal visit a mail-coach should be stationed at that town for the exclusive use of his majesty. the coach was to be a new one, sent down from london for the occasion, and the leading contractor on the cheltenham road, one wilson by name, was to provide the horses. the royal visit at an end, the contractor's bill was sent in, and palmer, in forwarding it to walsingham, professed to be extremely dissatisfied with the magnitude of the charge. on the sale of the horses and harness alone, after only a month's use, there had been a loss of £ . "nothing," he said, "could have been more absurdly or extravagantly conducted." but the thing was done. it would be useless to dispute the payment. besides, it would "soil the compliment" designed to his majesty. "we must," he added, "take more care next time, for, had it been properly settled, the loss at most could not have exceeded £ ." the actual arrangement for the coach had been made not through palmer but through bonnor, palmer's lieutenant; and to him walsingham now applied for further information. bonnor's reply was a strange compound of candour and insolence. it was indeed not to be wondered at, he said, that his lordship's indignation should be roused by the magnitude of the bill. had the matter been left as originally settled under mr. palmer's orders, wilson could never have made so monstrous a claim. by those orders he had been given to understand that, the coach being designed as a mere compliment to the king, not more than d. a mile would be allowed at the outside. and "so the undertaking stood 'till your lordship ordered the circular letter to the horse-keepers respecting sir george baker's[ ] being accommodated with the mail horses if he had occasion. your lordship will recollect that i remonstrated against it, and urged the impossibility of wilson ever allowing his mail horses to be taken out of his stables for posting, and the regularity of the work destroyed, and the cattle drove along by people he knew nothing of; to which your lordship was pleased to say that wilson had no business to trouble his head about that; that, whatever his expenses were, he should be paid; and that no feelings of his about his horses or anything else should prevent the thing being done in the best possible style."... "thinking as little in the delivery of the message as your lordship did in sending it that such an advantage would be taken, i of course obeyed the directions, and it seems that this is the ground upon which the charge is made out as it is." [ ] the king's physician. walsingham was not satisfied, and resolved to contest the bill. palmer now took alarm, and urged every consideration he could think of to dissuade walsingham from his purpose. to have recourse to a court of law might seriously damage his infant undertaking. a legal dispute had been avoided hitherto, and, with a cunning and refractory set of persons such as the contractors were, might have the effect of raising the present terms of conveyance. these terms were low, lower than the post office was likely to obtain again; and the mail-coaches were running smoothly. it would be a thousand pities to introduce an element of disturbance. besides, how unpleasant it would be to his lordship to be subpoenaed as a witness; and, in the hands of an expert counsel, how supremely ridiculous the whole business might be made to appear! the king's jaunt with a mail-coach in attendance! for his own part, when he had been unfortunate enough to be imposed upon, he generally found it best to put up with the imposition and to take more care another time. nor should it be forgotten that the matter might have been much worse. when first he had heard of the arrangement, he had rebuked bonnor for his extravagance; and bonnor had produced two letters from his lordship in justification. these letters shewed not only that no expense was to be spared, but that it had originally been in contemplation to have two coaches, and that it was only owing to bonnor's earnest expostulation that the idea of a second coach had been given up. surely it was cause for congratulation that the bill was no higher. had two coaches been established instead of one, wilson might have clapped on another £ . as the bill stood, it was a gross imposition, an imposition which must condemn him in the eyes of all honest men; and yet it would be pure madness to go to law. these arguments prevailed, and walsingham abandoned his intention of contesting the bill. he did not at this time see, what he saw clearly enough some years later, that in retaliation upon himself for presuming to interfere wilson had been cajoled or coerced into making an exorbitant demand, and that of the several persons who were concerned in the transaction wilson himself was the least to blame. this may be a convenient place to notice a point in which the practice of differed from that of the present time. it was only a few months after his return from cheltenham that the king was taken with the serious illness which so nearly proved fatal. on the th of november the accounts from windsor were such as to leave little room for hope. on the th intelligence reached the post office at three o'clock in the afternoon that, contrary to all expectation, the king was still living; and on the th a form of prayer was issued, to be used in all churches, for his majesty's recovery. at the present time a circular of this kind would reach the post office already addressed to the persons for whom it was intended, and the post office would do nothing more than carry and deliver it like an ordinary letter. but such was not the case in . the form of prayer, as it was issued by the printer, was sent to the post office in bulk, and the post office despatched fifty copies to the postmaster of each town with instructions to distribute them "with all possible expedition to the rectors, vicars, or resident ministers of your town and all places in your delivery." the point is hardly deserving of mention, for, of course, it would make little difference to the postmaster whether the copies were sent in bulk or as single letters. he would be bound to deliver them in either case. it is more worthy of note that, as the number of post offices in england was at this time only , and the area subordinate to each of correspondingly wide extent, to go over the whole of his delivery at one time as these instructions obliged the postmaster to do was no slight undertaking, and one which, owing to the paucity of letters, he had probably not been required to perform on any previous occasion. in this instance, however, we may feel sure that a sense of loyalty alone precluded all disposition to murmur. with far other feelings, it may well be believed, was an order regarded which had been issued rather more than thirty years before. the year was a year of scarcity; and, under direction from whitehall, postmasters were to frequent the local markets and to ascertain and report the price of corn. this is the first instance on record of postmasters having been employed outside their own proper duties as such. it may be added that two years later the duke of newcastle sent down in hot haste to lombard street to inquire the latest prices, when it was explained to his grace that, despite the course which had been adopted in , the post office was not an office for the collection of agricultural returns. it is a common practice to laugh at public offices for their rigid adherence to routine. this, we think, is not quite reasonable. no doubt it is calculated to excite ridicule, and indeed to irritate beyond all endurance when a course obviously proper in itself is condemned because, forsooth, there is no precedent for it; and we are by no means sure that some public servants would not be all the better for taking to heart the maxim--wise men make precedents, only fools require them. but, without the order and regularity which a strict adherence to routine can alone produce, the business of a government department must inevitably drift into a state of hopeless confusion. this is a truth which persons outside the public service have always found it hard to accept; as well indeed as persons inside who have entered late in life or after their habits are formed. palmer was of the latter class; and a striking instance now occurred of his inability to adapt himself to the requirements of his new situation. walsingham had asked whether the surveyors were keeping their journals regularly. these officers, besides a small salary, were now receiving an allowance of one guinea a day when travelling; and not only was a journal indispensable in order to shew whether they had been travelling or not, but the keeping of one had been made an express condition of the allowance being given. no subordinate cared to pass on the inquiry to palmer, implying, as this might seem to do, a doubt. walsingham had no such scruple and wrote to palmer asking that the journals might be sent to him for examination. palmer's reply will explain how it is that the records which now exist respecting himself and his achievements are so surprisingly few. there were no journals, he said. the surveyors' own letters, with their bills of expenses attached, were sufficient evidence of the journeys they had made. and these bills and letters, he added, as soon as the charges which they represent have been paid, "are and must be useless paper, for if i did not constantly clear my office both of their as well as my own and the other officers' rubbish, i should be buried under it." the auditors of the imprests had recently made good progress, but, fortunately for the post office, they were still many years in arrear.[ ] [ ] the post office accounts for the year were not passed until ; and then only through the exertions of lord mountstuart, who had succeeded mr. aislabie as one of the auditors of his majesty's imprests. among walsingham's correspondents was george chalmers, a merchant of edinburgh. chalmers was no mere maker of crude and impracticable suggestions. he had thirty years before been instrumental in shortening the course of post between edinburgh and london. before the great north mail, as it was called, went three days a week and occupied eighty-seven hours in going from london to edinburgh, and hours in going from edinburgh to london. thus, a mail leaving edinburgh at twelve at night on saturday did not reach london until eleven o'clock on friday morning. chalmers, in a paper of singular ability, dwelt upon the absurdity of the various detentions, ranging from three hours at berwick to twenty-four hours at newcastle, which made the course of post longer by nearly two days in one direction than in the other, and shewed how, by avoiding these unnecessary delays and getting rid of a diversion of twelve miles to york, the distance might be accomplished between london and edinburgh in eighty-two hours, and between edinburgh and london in eighty-five. the plan was adopted, and some years later, in recognition of its merits, chalmers received from the government a gratuity of £ . more recently he had prevailed upon the post office to increase from three to six days a week the service between london and edinburgh, and from edinburgh to the principal towns in scotland; and in london, at his suggestion, the letter-carriers who collected letters by the sound of bell, or bellmen as they had begun to be called, were being employed after nine o'clock at night. it was not, therefore, as a novice in post office matters that chalmers now entered into correspondence with walsingham. his present representation was in the nature partly of a suggestion and partly of a complaint. he had been staying some time in london, and was surprised to find that at the capital of the first commercial nation in the world the post office closed as early as seven o'clock in the evening. he contended that it ought not to close before ten. but it was in respect to his own native city of edinburgh that he felt and expressed himself most warmly. edinburgh was without a penny post. he was himself an old man or he would undertake to farm one, although, in his judgment, the farming of such an institution, until at least it was well established, was not for the public interests. but surely, whether farmed or not, a penny post should be opened without delay, and on his return to edinburgh he would let walsingham know how this could best be done. nor was the want of such a convenience by any means the chief thing of which the inhabitants of edinburgh had to complain. since their post had not gone out until eight o'clock at night. now, to suit palmer's arrangements, it went out at half-past three in the afternoon; and, more than this, the diversion to york, which it had cost such pains to get rid of some thirty years before, had been revived. thus, between edinburgh and london the course of post was actually longer now than before the introduction of mail-coaches by as much as five hours. were a little more consideration to be given to the correspondence of the country and a little less to the convenience of passengers, more than these five hours might be saved. at all events the mails might start from edinburgh at eight o'clock as before, and from london at ten, and yet arrive at their destination no later than now. for himself, he thought it hardly decent that passengers should be allowed to travel by the same coaches as the mails, and predicted that a time would come when the mails would have coaches to themselves. much of this, chalmers added, he had pointed out to palmer some time before, and the only result was an angry letter which had terminated a friendship of years. even as he now wrote, another letter had come to hand in which palmer told him, almost in so many words, to mind his own business. walsingham was at this time at old windsor. hither it was his habit to repair whenever he had anything of more than ordinary interest to engage his attention; and such was the case at the present moment. he had recently had lent to him, under a pledge of the strictest secrecy, a copy of the report of the royal commission which had sat upon the post office in the preceding year; and this report he was now having copied under his own eye with a view to the preparation of an elaborate criticism upon it. but though absent from london he relaxed not his hold upon the post office for a single moment. each morning's post brought to lombard street its own budget of drafts, to be written out fair, of questions to be answered, of scoldings to be given, and of instructions to heads of departments in the minutest details of their duty. walsingham absent was a far more important personage than carteret present; and a mandate from old windsor superseded any that might be given on the spot. it was while walsingham was thus engaged that he received one morning from palmer a few hurried lines, of which the last were as follows: "you ought not, meaning as well as you do, to be unpopular anywhere. nor must you. you fret me now and then, tho' you don't intend it, and i am angry with myself for it." a visit from palmer on the following morning, especially as that morning was sunday, was little calculated to lessen the surprise with which walsingham must have read this letter. the truth is that palmer had repaired to windsor with the intention of resigning his appointment; but the courteous reception he met with from walsingham disconcerted his plan, and he returned to london as he had come, with the letter of resignation in his pocket. the reasons which palmer afterwards gave for his conduct on this occasion throw a flood of light upon his character. these reasons were: st, that walsingham was ready to listen to proposals for improving the post office, come from what quarter they might, thus leaving it to be inferred, as palmer put it, either that he was himself incompetent to effect improvements or else that there was a sinister design to detract from his reputation. nd, that from himself, though vitally interested in its contents, a report was being kept which clerks from his own office had been sent down to windsor to copy. rd, that the same feeling of distrust was evidenced in the constant pressure which was being put upon him to require the surveyors to keep journals. how hollow these reasons were, a very little consideration will shew. in the course of the correspondence with chalmers, on which the first of palmer's reasons was obviously founded, walsingham had been careful to state that, while ready to consider proposals for establishing a penny post in edinburgh, he must decline to interfere with any of palmer's arrangements. the second reason, though more plausible, was the merest pretext. not a month before, with the full knowledge of what was going on at windsor, palmer had offered to send down, if required, the whole of his office to assist. and more than this. although walsingham could not in honour disclose a document which had been lent to him under a pledge of secrecy, palmer must have been perfectly well acquainted with so much of the report of the royal commission as dealt with his own undertaking, for it is beyond all question that this part of the report had been written by himself. there was no other man living who was capable of writing it; and even if there had been, the opinions, the recommendations, the mode of expression, the disparagement of ralph allen, all of which are common to the report and palmer's private writings, unmistakably betray the author. the third reason requires little remark. walsingham would have neglected his obvious duty if he had not taken steps to establish some check upon the travelling expenses claimed by the surveyors; and the experience of the hundred years which have since elapsed has failed to devise any better check than the journal. the keeping of the journal, moreover, had been an express condition imposed by the treasury when the allowance of a guinea a day was authorised. walsingham treated palmer on this occasion with great kindness. rightly judging that jealousy was at the root of the whole matter, he followed up the conversation which had taken place at windsor by a letter, in which he exhorted palmer to speak out, to declare his sentiments freely, and to dismiss idle apprehensions. then came a full statement from palmer, written, as he expressly declared, "not as a justification but as an apology for my suspicions," and explaining the object and the motives of his visit on the preceding sunday. "your habits are not my habits," he concluded; "i would give a great deal for but a part of your correctness and inveterate attention to business and accounts." walsingham's reply, which came by return of post, was an invitation to dinner. palmer accepted it, and the courteous and hearty welcome he received called forth his warmest acknowledgments. the duty of the mail guards, as their title implies, was to guard and protect the mails. this body of men, as it existed during the first forty or fifty years of the present century, was one of which the post office might well be proud. the very nature of their employment engendered in them a habit of self-reliance and an independence of character which invested them with a peculiar interest. but it was not always so. when mail-coaches were first established, palmer had it in contemplation to employ retired soldiers as mail guards, on the ground that soldiers would be accustomed to firearms; but constitutional objections prevailed and the contractors who furnished the mail-coaches with horses were required also to furnish firearms arms and the men to use them. the result was not satisfactory. for economy's sake men were employed of little or no character, and the weapons with which they were supplied were of the most worthless description. more than worthless, they were dangerous. "cheap things;" they were declared to be, "that burst and often did mischief." accordingly, at palmer's suggestion, the post office undertook to appoint its own mail guards. honest and faithful as these men always were, it was only by degrees that they grew into the fine body they afterwards became. at first the novelty of their position led them into little excesses such as were never heard of in later years. thus, a statute passed in imposed a penalty of s. on any mail guard who should fire off the arms with which he was entrusted for any other cause than the protection of the mail; and even this enactment appears to have been insufficient to correct the abuse against which it was directed. "these guards," writes pennant two years later, "shoot at dogs, hogs, sheep, and poultry as they pass the road; and even in towns, to the great terror and danger of the inhabitants."[ ] [ ] a letter to a member of parliament on mail-coaches, by thomas pennant, esq., . it must not be supposed, because palmer's name is associated with the establishment of mail-coaches, that to these his attention was exclusively confined. in virtue of his appointment as comptroller-general he exercised control, subject of course to the postmasters-general, over the whole of the post office, the offices of account excepted; and he now took advantage of this position to create a newspaper office. newspapers had long been a source of trouble. by the clerks of the roads they were not only posted in good time but were tied up in bundles, covered with strong brown paper, and addressed to the postmasters of the respective towns, who took out the contents and had them delivered. so long as the newspapers were thus dealt with, no inconvenience resulted from their being mixed up with letters; but from the moment that the distribution passed into the hands of the printers and dealers the case was different. the newspapers were now posted at the last moment, and, being clumsily folded and still wet from the printing press, they damaged and defaced the addresses of the letters with which they came in contact in the mail bags. the inconvenience had been tolerated for years. as early as the postmasters-general had contemplated the creation of a newspaper office, an office in which newspapers might be dealt with separately from letters, but nothing had been done. palmer now took the matter in hand and carried it through with his usual vigour. having satisfied himself that a separate office was necessary, he forthwith established one, appointed to it eighteen sub-sorters and fixed their wages; and not even the postmasters-general were aware of what he was doing until it was done.[ ] [ ] at this time the number of newspapers passing through the london office averaged , a week, of which , were from london to the country and from the country to london. mixed, that is wet and dry together, they were computed to weigh sixteen to the pound. such an instance of energy, worthy as we may think it of imitation, would be impossible on the part of any one who had been brought up in the public service, because he would have learnt that no wages can be fixed or new offices created without the consent of the treasury. in the post office, too, the postmasters-general alone were legally competent to make appointments. but to palmer these were the merest trifles, if indeed he gave them a thought. to create a newspaper office was a right thing to do, and he had done it; and to haggle about the circumstances of the doing appeared to him sheer pedantry. not so thought walsingham. it ill accorded with his sense of propriety that a number of new places should have been created without the requisite authority which the treasury alone could give; but that to these places, whether authorised or not, a subordinate should have presumed to make appointments--a power which by the postmaster-generals' patent was vested in themselves alone--struck him as little short of an outrage. unfortunately for palmer, another irregularity on his part came to light at the same time. the mail guards' wages had been fixed at s. a week; but of this sum palmer paid only s., retaining the balance for the purpose of providing uniforms, pensions, and an allowance during sickness. again, the plan was excellent; but it was unauthorised, and had the effect of leaving in palmer's hands, without any means of checking it, a sum of liberated money amounting to about £ a year. walsingham now called upon palmer to give the details of his plan, with a view to its being properly authorised, and to submit the names of those whom he had appointed to the newspaper office, so that their appointments might be confirmed. palmer would do neither the one nor the other. walsingham persisted in his demand, and palmer persisted in his refusal. no course remained but to submit the matter for pitt's decision; and pitt decided in walsingham's favour. palmer, said the minister, had the power of suspending post office servants but not of appointing them, although the postmasters-general, it might well be believed, would consent as a matter of favour to accept his nominations. pitt also agreed that the mode of dealing with the mail guards' wages was highly irregular. the decision of the minister was communicated to palmer, but it had not the slightest effect upon his conduct. the mail guards' wages continued to be dealt with as before; and the appointments to the newspaper office remained unconfirmed. pitt's decision was not given until the autumn of ; and meanwhile other matters had occurred to strain the relations between walsingham and palmer. chief among these was walsingham's inveterate habit of scribbling. both men were endowed with an amount of energy which nothing could repress; but while palmer expended himself by rushing from one part of the country to another as fast as horses could carry him, walsingham's sphere of activity was restricted to writing. and well he exemplified the law that force asserts itself in proportion to the limits within which it is confined. his notes and questions were literally endless. at one time all the ingenuity of lombard street, with the assistance of erasers and acids, is being exercised to remove remarks he has written upon a document which, not being the property of the post office, had to be returned. at another, he has sent for a blank form of contract, of which only a single copy remains in the office. "i implore your lordship," writes the sender, "to let me have it back, and that the margin may not be written on." palmer, to whom pens, ink, and paper were an abomination, would think nothing of posting a hundred miles and more to avoid the necessity of writing a letter; and by bonnor, palmer's lieutenant, who always aped his master as far as he dared, answers to the questions put to him would be withheld altogether or reserved for the next board meeting. "i can perceive," wrote todd to walsingham about this time, "you are hurt that neither mr. palmer nor mr. bonnor pay a proper regard to your many observations." another matter occurred at this time which, while only indirectly affecting palmer, was not calculated to promote harmonious relations. bonnor, who had sent some accounts to windsor for walsingham's signature, wrote two or three days later, urging that they might be signed and returned at once, and giving as a reason the importunity of the letter-carriers. "what these poor oppressed creatures will do," he said, "i know not. they all came in a body this morning and gave a most affecting description of the distresses with which their wives and families laboured, their credit exhausted, not a shilling to buy bread, and each having between £ and £ of hard-earned wages due to them from a public office whose revenues are every day increasing." this struck walsingham as very strange. the letter-carriers were paid by weekly wages; and what, over and above their wages, they had earned for extra duty should also have been paid weekly. besides, the accounts had been in his hands for only two or three days, whereas for the last twelve months and more he had been pressing for their production, and had only now succeeded in getting them. there was a mystery somewhere, and, as the best means of solving it, walsingham called for the vouchers. bonnor now lost himself in excuses. the vouchers were essential to his reputation. he could not part with them. if once they left his hands, they might be lost. it could not but be known to his lordship how often this had happened with official papers passing to and fro. besides, to inspect the vouchers would be to pry into his private concerns. this was enough for walsingham, and he directed the accountant-general to look into the matter forthwith. the examination revealed a curious state of things. the amounts which the letter-carriers had earned for extra duty had not been paid for a whole year, and a part of the money which had been issued for that purpose had been applied to the payment of the persons irregularly appointed to the newspaper office. more than this. the accounts shewed, or professed to shew, that during the last eighteen months the mail-coach contractors had received in payment of their services the sum of £ , ; but the receipts for more than £ , of this amount bore no dates, and others were signed by bonnor himself. "signed," to use his own words, "by myself for money paid by myself to myself." in short, the so-called vouchers were no vouchers at all. bonnor now made an apology, which, in point of abjectness, has probably seldom been equalled; and walsingham, unwilling to force matters to extremities, let him off with a sound dressing. this disclosure did not tend to restore either harmony or confidence. palmer, it is true, gave no heed to accounts; but bonnor was under his protection, and palmer resented a censure upon his lieutenant and friend even more than a censure upon himself. we doubt whether in england a public department has often been in so singular a position as that which the post office occupied during the six months beginning with september . carteret had been dismissed;[ ] and westmorland, carteret's successor, whose patent had been delayed owing to the absence of the law officers from london, had not even entered upon his duties as postmaster-general before he wrote to announce his appointment as lord-lieutenant of ireland. meanwhile palmer resolutely withheld obedience from the orders of his chiefs, backed though those orders were by the minister; and walsingham was powerless to act. minutes indeed he prepared by the score, proposing the most drastic measures; but carteret refused to sign because he was on the point of going out, and westmorland refused to sign because he had only just come in, and had no intention of remaining. walsingham's signature alone carried no legal force. it was not until the following march, the march of , that the office of postmaster-general was again properly filled by the appointment of lord chesterfield as walsingham's colleague. [ ] how carteret managed to retain his appointment for more than eighteen years is not the least perplexing of post office problems. meanwhile the joint postmaster-generalship had undergone the following changes:-- lord le despencer } from jan. , , right hon. henry f. thynne (afterwards carteret)} to dec. , . right hon. henry f. carteret (sometime thynne) { from dec. , , { to jan. , . right hon. henry f. carteret } from jan. , , viscount barrington } to april , . right hon. henry f. carteret } from april , , earl of tankerville } to may , . right hon. henry f. carteret } from may , , lord foley } to jan. , . right hon. henry f. carteret, created lord } carteret jan. , } from jan. , , earl of tankerville (a second time) } to sept. , . lord carteret } from sept. , , earl of clarendon } to dec. , . lord carteret { from dec. , , { to july , . lord carteret } from july , , lord walsingham } to sept. , . at the risk of interrupting the course of our narrative we cannot refrain from mentioning here in its chronological order memorial which was at this time received from certain merchants of the city of london trading with foreign parts. this memorial, or rather the counter-memorial to which it gave rise, is interesting if only as serving to shew that the conservative instinct--an indisposition to change, is not confined to public offices. the delivery of inland letters had been recently expedited; but foreign letters continued to be delivered as of old. lest the practice in the case of these letters should seem to be overstated, we give it in the memorialists' own words. "it is the practice of the post office," they write under date the th of january , "if a mail does not arrive before one o'clock to withhold the delivery of the letters till the next day, and even to protract the delivery till after the same hour the succeeding day, provided any other mail be expected or due. this happening on a saturday (a case by no means uncommon), the letters are kept back till the monday, when three other mails being due, and they not arriving perhaps till the stipulated hour of one, the delivery of the mail which arrived on saturday is not made till between three and four o'clock on the monday and sometimes later. thus the advice of property shipt to a great amount on which insurances should immediately have been made, the receipt of remittances on which the credit of many persons may depend, and the general information so essential in commercial affairs are cruelly withheld for upwards of fifty hours without the least apparent necessity." the remedy which the memorialists proposed was moderate enough. they asked nothing more than that, in the case of mails arriving before four o'clock in the afternoon, letters might be given out to persons who should call at the post office for them in two or three hours after the mail had come in, such as were not called for being, at the expiration of that interval, sent out by letter-carrier; and that, in the case of mails arriving after four o'clock, the letters might be delivered at ten o'clock on the following morning. the unfortunate merchants who signed this memorial little bethought themselves of the storm they were raising. other merchants, also trading with foreign parts and more numerous than those who advocated an earlier delivery, put forward a counter-memorial strongly protesting against any change. the custom of postponing until the following day the delivery of all foreign letters arriving at the post office after one o'clock was, they said, a wise custom, a "custom recommended by our ancestors," and one that could not be altered save to their own great prejudice. the original memorial had been studiously kept from themselves, and "this most extraordinary proceeding" they could only ascribe to a well-founded apprehension on the part of the promoters that otherwise the impropriety of the "novelty" which they sought to introduce would be exposed. the remonstrants added that many and cogent reasons might be given in support of the existing usage; but, unhappily, they omitted to state what these reasons were. doubtless, however, jealousy lest others should obtain priority of information was at the bottom of the protest; although it is not very clear how, under a regulation that was to be common to all, any one in particular would enjoy an undue advantage. the post office, unassisted in this instance by palmer, declared the change to be, if only on account of want of space, impossible. the average number of letters arriving by each foreign mail were at this time--from france , from holland , and from flanders , or altogether. at the present day, when as many as sacks full of letters come by a single mail, and several mails may arrive simultaneously, letters more or less make little appreciable difference. one hour at most is enough for three men to sort them. but in the office in which the foreign letters were sorted possessed but a single table and a single alphabet or sorting rack. although want of space was the ostensible reason for refusing an earlier delivery, there was another, not avowed indeed, and yet which, there can be no doubt, materially influenced the decision. this will be best explained in the words of the comptroller of the foreign letter department. "the delivery of foreign letters," writes this officer to walsingham, "is so complicated with _the secret office_[ ] that any alteration will deserve the most serious consideration when you come to the board." [ ] sir rowland hill, in his _autobiography_ (vol. ii. p. ), does not hesitate to write as follows: "incredible as it may appear to my readers, it is nevertheless true that so late as a system, dating from some far distant time, was in full operation, under which clerks from the foreign office used to attend on the arrival of mails from abroad, to open the letters addressed to certain ministers resident in england, and make from them such extracts as they deemed useful for the service of government." it would hardly excite surprise if chesterfield, on entering upon his duties in lombard street, had fallen under the influence of a colleague who, besides being possessed of a strong will, had had some years' experience in post office administration; but, as a matter of fact, he does not appear to have surrendered his private judgment. on one point, indeed, he took a view somewhat different from walsingham. walsingham regarded palmer, in so far as he withheld obedience from the postmaster-generals' orders, as simply an insubordinate servant. to chesterfield, on the contrary, palmer was an object of no common interest. that two peers of large social influence, deriving their authority direct from the crown, and to some extent supported by the minister, should be held in check by one man, and that man a subordinate, was an incongruity which struck chesterfield's imagination. it amused him. it interested him. he could not withhold his meed of admiration from the masterful spirit which fought single-handed against long odds, and not always without success. the very terms chesterfield employed, while implying a consciousness of defeat, implied also a certain amount of homage to the victor. it was always as "our master," "our dictator," "our tyrant" that he referred to palmer; and it is difficult to believe that a man who could thus playfully express himself would have proved implacable. for ourselves, we have little doubt that, if at this time palmer had demeaned himself with only moderate reserve, all might yet have been well; but it must be admitted that, from now till the end of his official career, his conduct was strangely aggressive. we have already seen how he made appointments to the newspaper office without reference to the postmasters-general, and how, in their despite, he retained in his own hands a considerable balance arising out of deductions from the mail guards' wages. he now went further. he declined to attend the board meetings: he not only omitted but refused to answer inquiries which the postmasters-general addressed to him; he persistently withheld the surveyors' journals, if, indeed, he had required journals to be kept; he claimed to make contracts and to introduce what measures he pleased without the postmasters-general being so much as consulted; and because walsingham and chesterfield would not admit the claim, he suffered the contracts to expire, and the mail-coaches were run on mere verbal agreements. "except the warrants we have signed," wrote the postmasters-general in october , "there is no record whatever in our possession of any of mr. palmer's proceedings since his appointment." from disobedience palmer proceeded to defiance. we will give instances. the proprietors of the mail-coach between carlisle and portpatrick had demanded payment at the rate of d. a mile, and palmer had agreed to the demand. this was just double the usual rate, and the postmasters-general, fearing that if given on one road it could not be refused on another, determined, before signing the warrant presented for payment, to obtain treasury authority. palmer, knowing that delay would thus be caused, protested that no such authority was necessary, and, in order to enforce his protest, stopped four mail-coaches, for which was being paid more than the usual allowance of d. a mile, namely, the coach to falmouth, the coach to bristol, the coach to plymouth, and the coach to portsmouth--coolly informing the postmasters-general that he had done so "under the idea that appears to influence their lordships, that paying a higher rate to the proprietors on one road might induce others to make a similar demand." he next inquired whether the postmasters-general were to be understood as preferring a cart to the mail-coach, even though a cart should be the more expensive of the two. as nothing had been said about a cart, the postmasters-general remarked that this could only be meant for insult. insult! rejoined palmer, he was as little capable of offering an insult as he was of putting up with one; and then he proceeded to charge the postmasters-general with the grossest partiality. the postmasters-general had increased the salary of the postmaster of tewkesbury beyond what palmer conceived to be necessary. he denounced the transaction as extraordinary and ill advised, and, while himself professing to believe that it proceeded only from motives of benevolence, expressed his conviction that others would regard it as "a job." smuggled goods had been found in the mail-box of the dover coach; and coach, horses, and harness had, in consequence, been seized by the commissioners of customs. the same man who, in order to force a decision, had stopped four mail-coaches in a single morning, now rated the postmasters-general soundly because they did not at once and without inquiry take steps to get the commissioners' proceedings reversed. "the comptroller-general," wrote palmer on another occasion, "has informed their lordships of his motives for not answering several of the postmaster-generals' minutes, which he trusts cannot but be satisfactory to them. the same reasons will prevent him from answering any others their lordships may send but such as appear to him absolutely necessary." but the particular case which brought matters to a climax was connected with scotland. palmer had sent two officers to edinburgh, not to promote the conveyance of mails by coach, but to reform the internal management of the scotch post office; and these officers had given orders for various changes to be made. robert oliphant was at this time deputy postmaster-general for scotland, and from him alone, according to the terms of his commission, were post office servants in scotland to receive instructions. it was by mere accident that the postmasters-general heard of the proceedings of palmer's agents in edinburgh, and, as soon as they did so, they wrote to oliphant desiring that the proposed changes might be suspended until he had reported his opinion upon them and received authority from london for carrying them into effect. they at the same time wrote to palmer, sending him a copy of their letter to oliphant, and giving him to understand that he had exceeded his powers. palmer now threw off all restraint. he charged the postmasters-general with superseding his commission; he cautioned them against further interference with his regulations, and he appealed to the minister, to whom alone he declared himself to be responsible. it was true, he said, that he was nominally responsible to the postmasters-general, but, except for a legal difficulty connected with the constitution of the post office, he would have received an independent appointment. his commission had been made out as it stood merely as a matter of present necessity; and that in such circumstances they should venture to supersede it appeared to him a hasty and ill-advised measure--a measure not consistent with the judgment and temper which usually guided their proceedings. he had a profound veneration for the nobility of the country, and he could give no stronger proof of it than by stating that he still retained his respect and esteem for them in spite of their unhandsome conduct. the more he reflected on this conduct, the more he was struck at the haste and violence of it. was it reasonable to suppose that he would consent to carry out his plan in trammels and fetters, and, liable as the postmasters-general were to change, to submit his regulations to them to be checked and controlled? the considerations for which he had received his appointment were twofold--for the good he had done in the past, and for the good he might do in the future. "when, therefore," he continued, "your lordships from mistake or ill-advice shall send me any commands that i think may go to mischief instead of good, i shall most certainly not observe them; and if i apprehend ill consequences from any you may think proper to send to any of the officers under me, i shall take the liberty, for your lordships' sake as well as my own and the public's, to contradict them." it was impossible that this state of things should continue. palmer had appealed to cæsar; and to cæsar he should go. such at least was the postmaster-generals' intention, and they so far carried it into effect as to state their case in writing; but an interview with the minister, though solicited over and over again, the minister always found some excuse for declining. "we shall wait with the utmost impatience to hear from you that you have found a leisure moment when we may wait upon you to explain the nature of the question between mr. palmer and us." "the postmasters-general," they wrote again after a long interval, "present their compliments to mr. pitt. he will see by the enclosed copy of a minute from mr. palmer how totally the business of this office must stand still, as far as respects the comptroller-general's department, till they can have the honour of seeing mr. pitt." and again, a fortnight later, "the postmasters-general present their compliments to mr. pitt, and take the liberty to remind him of the comptroller-general's two last minutes, and desire to have the honour of waiting upon him on wednesday next at any hour he may be pleased to appoint previous to their holding their usual board." but all to no purpose. the truth is that pitt was heartily tired of these unhappy dissensions. palmer was doing, and doing admirably, the task which he had set himself to do. he might not indeed be all that could be desired. his conduct might be masterful and his pretensions absurd. yet much allowance was to be made for a man who had undertaken a difficult business, and whose efforts had been crowned with success. and lamentable as the dissensions might be, there was no certainty that interference would effect a reconciliation. on the contrary, it might serve only to widen the breach, and, to judge from the past, this was the more likely result. and should the breach prove irreparable and a decision have to be given against the reformer who had done so much for his country, and from whom yet more was expected, it would be little short of a disaster. better that matters should remain as they were than incur such a risk. we can well believe that some such considerations as these influenced pitt in avoiding an interview; and doubtless he was confirmed in his decision by what he learned from another quarter. palmer was a friend of camden's, and camden was a friend of pitt's. to this common friend palmer gave his own version of the differences between himself and his chiefs; and this version, which was altogether different from the one which the postmasters-general gave, was studiously impressed upon pitt to their prejudice. thus matters stood when, early in , in consequence of some discrepancies in the accounts, the postmasters-general determined that letters for the city by the first or morning delivery should be checked. care had been taken that the check should not be of a nature to retard the delivery; and yet, strangely enough, the delivery became later and later every day. at length a public advertisement appeared inviting the merchants and traders to meet at the london tavern on wednesday the th february in order to consider the subject. the meeting was held under the presidency of alderman curtis, one of the members of parliament for the city; and strong resolutions were passed directing the postmaster-generals' attention to the delay, and calling upon them to explain and remove the cause. charles bonnor, the deputy comptroller-general, owed all he possessed to palmer. it was by palmer that he had been brought into the post office in july , and the same influence procured for him shortly afterwards a salary of £ and an allowance of £ a year for a house. warm in his attachments as he was fierce in his animosities, the great reformer extended to bonnor a confidence which probably no other man possessed, and during his frequent absences from london kept up with him a correspondence in which he poured out his inmost thoughts. this person, stung with jealousy at some fancied coolness on palmer's part, now published a pamphlet in which he charged his friend and benefactor with wilfully delaying the delivery of the morning letters, and then promoting the meeting at the london tavern in order to protest against a mischief of his own making. according to bonnor, palmer had spared no effort to induce persons to attend the meeting, and had furnished alderman curtis, the chairman, with materials for denouncing the post office. all this, it was alleged, had been done in order to bring the postmasters-general into discredit, and to create a demand that palmer might have larger powers given him and be left to deal with post office matters according to his unfettered judgment. the postmasters-general were overwhelmed with astonishment. at first they could not bring themselves to believe that the pamphlet was authentic, and it was not until they had been reassured on this point that they began to make inquiries. palmer, of course, denied the charge, and bonnor reaffirmed it. meanwhile the resolutions passed at the london tavern had been sent to the post office; and the postmasters-general, not knowing what to believe, simply referred them to palmer, with a request that he would explain the cause of the late delivery. palmer's reply shews the frame of mind he was in. "the cause of the late delivery," he answered, "as well as every other existing abuse in the post office, arises from the comptroller-general not having sufficient authority to correct it." the postmasters-general naturally inquired in what respects his authority was insufficient to prevent the late delivery, and to what other abuses he referred. palmer, without specifying what these abuses were, replied that among the causes which had produced them were "an unfortunate difference in opinion, and an equally unfortunate interference in his office"; and then he proceeded to ask for larger powers, which the postmasters-general, consistently with the terms of their patent, were unable to give. a few days later palmer did that which should perhaps have been done before. he suspended bonnor. the postmasters-general also took action, but at the very moment when it might have been better if they had remained passive. they inquired the reason of bonnor's suspension, and palmer returned no reply. after waiting a week, the postmasters-general decided that, as no reason had been given, the suspension must be taken off; and bonnor was directed to resume duty. on presenting himself for this purpose, however, palmer refused to give up the key of his room, and sent him word that, if he dared to come to the office again, the constables would have orders to turn him off the premises. the postmasters-general had put themselves in a false position. if their intention was to try conclusions with palmer, they had selected the worst possible ground. their only choice now was between submitting to defiance of their authority and supporting a worthless subordinate against his illustrious chief. they elected the latter alternative; and the suspension which had been imposed upon bonnor was transferred to palmer. an interview with the minister had now become indispensable; and at length, but not without a great deal of pressure, pitt fixed the nd of may for the purpose. chesterfield was at bath, slowly recovering from an attack of the gout. he was reluctant to leave his colleague unsupported on the occasion; and yet for a man who was still far from well it was a long and tedious journey to london. should he go or should he not? a decision could not be longer delayed, as the st of may had already arrived. he ordered horses to be put to his carriage, then he countermanded them, then he changed his mind again, and finally, in response to a sudden twinge of the gout, he finally abandoned his journey, and determined to write to walsingham a letter such as he might shew. chesterfield, unlike walsingham, wrote a beautiful hand, a hand that was clear and easy to read; but on this particular occasion, in order that pitt might have no excuse for not reading the letter, he wrote more clearly and legibly than usual. he had--thus the letter ran--been in fifty minds whether he should not repair to london and take part in the interview with pitt; but he was still so lame that he durst not venture on so long a journey. his desire to be present had not indeed been prompted by the slightest doubt as to what walsingham would do or say. on the contrary, he had the fullest confidence that his colleague would strictly adhere to the resolution which they had adopted, that on no consideration could palmer remain with them at the post office. this resolution the experience which they had gained since his suspension had served to strengthen, for how much better and with how much greater regularity had they gone on since they had in fact as well as in name been postmasters-general. all this would doubtless be pressed upon pitt, and, should he waver in the least, he must be informed of their ultimatum, which nothing could make them change. if, contrary to expectation, they should be driven to that option, they must be satisfied to retire from an office where they had done their duty and could do it no longer. to the full extent of the resolution they went hand in hand to pitt, and this point could not be pressed upon him too strongly. should he begin to propose any middle measures, walsingham should stop him at once. it would be disgraceful to listen to them. "our resolution once taken, no power, no persuasion, no influence ought to shake it, and i am confident nothing will." walsingham waited upon the minister at the appointed time. pitt received him courteously indeed, but coldly. walsingham stated his case. pitt said little, but that little clearly shewed that his leanings were in palmer's favour. palmer had done good service to the public. was it impossible that he should be restored to duty? or, much having been alleged and nothing proved, might not a court of inquiry be held by which the questions at issue between him and his chiefs should undergo a thorough and impartial investigation? after these and other questions had been put and answered, walsingham produced chesterfield's letter. pitt read it from beginning to end, folded it up, and returned it. formal civilities followed, and the interview was at an end. that night a letter from walsingham informed chesterfield that assuredly two persons would be dismissed from the post office, and that of these two persons palmer would not be one. the postmasters-general were in a state of sore perplexity. of pitt's intentions they entertained not the slightest doubt. "the post office chair," wrote chesterfield, "totters under us"; and again, "i see that can the ingenuity of man detect a flaw in our proceedings, we are to be the victims." the doubt which the postmasters-general felt concerned their own conduct. rightly or wrongly, they believed that they were powerful enough to depose the minister, and the question which now agitated their minds was whether they should have recourse to so violent a measure, or whether they should simply resign. bonnor saved them from the necessity of coming to a conclusion on the point. this person had hoarded up the private correspondence which, during years of close intimacy and friendship, had passed between himself and palmer; and among the correspondence were many compromising letters. such of these as he could readily lay his hands upon bonnor, with incredible baseness, now carried to walsingham, and walsingham in an evil moment accepted them. the temptation was no doubt strong. even in the eyes of the postmasters-general themselves it was a comparatively small matter that they were on the point of losing their places. but it was by no means immaterial to them that they should appear to pitt, as they were conscious of appearing at the present time, in the light of false accusers, persons who had brought false charges, or at all events charges which they could not substantiate; and these letters would prove all, and more than all, that had been alleged or even suspected. they laid bare the story of the king's coach. they shewed how on that occasion the contractor had been cajoled into making an exorbitant charge in order that walsingham might be deterred from again interfering in what palmer regarded as his own peculiar province. they shewed also how, from that time to the present, a deliberate plot had existed at headquarters to hinder and thwart walsingham in everything he undertook. and yet they were private letters, letters which had passed under the seal of confidence. it is by no means the least strange part of a strange and painful business that it appears never to have crossed the mind of either walsingham or chesterfield that this was a class of evidence which could not with propriety be used. bonnor, not content with the letters he had already produced, searched his correspondence through from the time that he and palmer became connected with the post office, and hailed any additional testimony he was able to collect against his former friend and benefactor with fiendish delight. he literally revelled in the shameless task he had set himself to perform. evidence-hunting he called it. "we shall not only prove all that has been asserted," he wrote, "but a great deal more; and on the grand point of his premeditating a thorough and complete confusion in the business of the inland office, for the declared purpose of thereby disgracing the postmasters-general, i have proof that for strength and conviction no holy writ can exceed. but," he added, "i have a great deal to work up yet." as soon as the unholy brief was completed, a second interview took place with the minister. pitt appears again to have said little, even less than on the previous occasion. he had been deceived. the postmasters-general must take their own course. the rest is soon told. two official minutes were prepared, the one in lombard street and the other at whitehall. by the postmaster-generals' minute palmer, the insubordinate post office servant, was dismissed.[ ] by the minister's minute palmer, the distinguished post office reformer, was granted a pension equal to double the amount of his salary. his salary was £ , and he derived another £ a year from his percentage. the pension which pitt conferred upon him was £ . to this was added later on, after an interval of many years, a parliamentary grant of £ , . [ ] even in such a detail as the manner of dismissal, pitt shewed his usual consideration for palmer. by the minister's direction palmer was not to be dismissed in so many words. the postmasters-general were simply to make out another nominal list of the establishment, and from this list palmer's name was to be excluded. bonnor--we blush to record it--received as the reward of his infamy the place of comptroller of the inland department. his promotion brought him little pleasure. the post office servants, with all their faults, were loyal to the backbone, and they could ill understand being presided over by one who was branded with the foulest of all private vices, with treachery to a friend and ingratitude to a benefactor. his subordinates would hold no communication with him beyond what their strict duty required. his equals shunned him. outside the post office, go where he would, he received the cold shoulder. never was man left more severely alone. at the end of two years fresh postmasters-general came who, under the plea of abolishing his appointment, dismissed him with a small pension. then he became insolvent, and was thrown into prison. released from confinement at the end of the century, he published pamphlet after pamphlet, having for their object to vindicate what he was pleased to call his good name; but these vindications, though replete with professions of honour, proved nothing more than that the writer was a poltroon as well as a traitor. chapter xiii the nineties: or, one hundred years ago the spirit of activity which palmer had infused into the post office did not cease with the cessation of his official career. those who served under him had been selected by himself; and they had been selected on account of qualities which the withdrawal of his dominating influence was calculated rather to stimulate than to check. these men now came to the fore, and not only ably sustained their late master's work but inaugurated important measures of their own. but before proceeding to chronicle the acts of palmer's successors, we propose to give a few particulars which will serve better perhaps than a mere record of leading events to shew the state of the post office at the time that palmer left it; and in this relation the project with which his name is mainly identified shall have precedence. in sixteen mail-coaches left london every day, and as many returned. these were in addition to the cross country mail-coaches, of which there were fifteen--as, for instance, the coach between bristol and oxford or, as it was commonly called, mr. pickwick's coach.[ ] those leaving london started from the general post office in lombard street at eight o'clock in the evening, and they travelled every day, sundays included. [ ] later on, mr. pickwick would seem to have extended his operations. "(q.) are you in the habit of working coaches to any great distance from london? (a.) i work them half-way to bristol. with mr. pickwick of bath i work to newbury."--evidence of mr. william home, taken on the nd of march before the select committee on the highways of the kingdom. there is still extant at the post office in st. martin's-le-grand the model of an old mail-coach, as fresh and as perfect as the day it was painted. this model bears upon its panels four devices--one a cross with the motto, _honi soit qui mal y pense_; another a thistle with the motto, _nemo me impune lacessit_; a third a shamrock under a star, with the motto, _quis separabit?_ (ah! who indeed?); and a fourth, three crowns with the motto, _tria juncta in uno_. it is commonly reputed to be the model of the first mail-coach, and as such we have seen it represented in foreign publications. we feel constrained in the interests of truth to expose this fiction. the first mail-coach ran between bristol and london. the model bears upon it the words, "royal mail from london to liverpool." the first mail-coach carried no outside passengers. the model has places for several passengers outside. the first mail-coach began to run on monday the nd of august . on the model, below one of the devices, appears in small yet legible figures the date . but although certainly not the model of the first mail-coach, we are by no means sure that it is not still more interesting. we have little doubt that it is a model which, before mail-coaches began to run, was prepared for pitt's inspection. in , owing to the faulty construction of the original mail-coach and the wretched materials of which it was made, hardly a day passed without one or more accidents. occasionally, indeed, the post office would receive notice of as many as three and even four upsets or breakdowns in a single morning. palmer at once discerned the origin of the disease and the remedy; and the latter he proceeded to apply with his usual resolution. having satisfied himself that a patent coach which was being constructed at this time fulfilled the necessary conditions more completely than any other, he agreed with the patentee, one besant by name, to supply whatever number of coaches might be required. it was a mere verbal agreement, an agreement confirmed by no writing of any kind; yet no sooner was it made than palmer addressed a circular to all the contractors of the kingdom, reproaching them with the shameful condition of their coaches. this, he told them, was due to the miserable sums they gave to the coach-maker, sums so low as to oblige him to use the most worthless materials; and as to repairs, even if they made him an allowance for these, it was so inadequate to the continual mending which vehicles constructed of such materials required that he merely put in a clip or a bolt where the fracture might happen to be, and then returned them in as dangerous a condition as before. such a state of things, palmer continued, would no longer be tolerated, and, as fast as besant could turn them out, the new patent coaches would be sent down to replace those that were now in use. for providing them and keeping them in thorough repair, for which of course the contractors had to pay, the patentee's terms would be five farthings a mile or - / d. a mile out and in. after this summary fashion did palmer clear the country of the mail-coaches of original construction. in the only mail-coaches on the road were those supplied by besant. they were constructed to carry five passengers, four inside and one out. the coachman was not a post office servant; yet he, like the mail guard, was provided with uniform. the mail guard carried firearms. he carried also a timepiece; and this timepiece was regulated to gain about fifteen minutes in twenty-four hours, so that, when travelling eastwards, it might accord with real time. of course, in the opposite direction, a corresponding allowance was made. the mail guard's position was one of no little responsibility. not only were the mails under his personal charge, but he had to see that the coach kept time, that there was no undue delay for the purpose of obtaining refreshments, that the harness was in serviceable condition, and, generally, that matters along the road were conducted with order and propriety. if in any one or more of these respects there were any defect, it was the mail guard's duty to report the circumstance. should the harness be reported as in had condition, and the contractors fail to replace it on demand, a new set was sent down from london at their expense; and should a coach persistently keep bad time, a superintendent from headquarters was deputed to travel by it until proper time was kept. this was equivalent to a heavy fine, as the superintendent travelled free, and for the seat he occupied a passenger would have been charged at the rate of d. a mile. the fees which at this time it was usual to pay to the mail guard and coachman were moderate enough, only s. apiece at the end of the "ground"; and if the "ground" was less than thirty miles, only d. even at this rate the gentlemen of devonshire bitterly complained that between exeter and taunton they had to pay two coachmen. the chief superintendent of mail-coaches at this time was thomas hasker, a man whose heart and soul were in his duties. hasker has left behind him copies of letters written by himself or by his instructions; and these letters, though expressed in homely language, throw such a flood of light upon the ways of the road a century ago that we make no apology for quoting from them. "the bristol coach," he writes to the postmaster of marlborough, "is the fastest in the kingdom, and you must not detain it for the coach from bath." again, to the postmaster of ipswich he writes, "tell mr. foster to get fresh horses immediately, and that i must see him in town next monday. shameful work--three hours and twenty-two minutes coming over his eighteen miles." the dover coach had long been keeping bad time. "i must beg you to attend to this directly," writes hasker to the contractors, "or we shall be obliged to put three fresh guards on the coach, and keep a superintendent constantly up and down till time is kept." the contractors for another coach had failed to replace their harness when desired, and a set had been sent down from london. "the harness," writes the indefatigable superintendent, "cost fourteen guineas, but as it had been used a few times with the king's royal weymouth [coach], you will be charged only twelve, which sum please to remit to me." thanks to the widening of the roads, it is only in thoroughfares more or less crowded that the device can now be practised to which the following refers: "your coachman, pickard, lost thirty-seven minutes last night coming up, and by so doing he always hinders the manchester coach; he leaving leicester first keeps on before, and prevents the other coach from passing. this is the case every night that pickard comes up." but it is the instructions to the mail guards which bring home to us most vividly the ways of the road a hundred years ago. thus, to the mail guards on the exeter coach: "you are not to stop at any place whatever to leave any letters at, but to blow your horn to give the people notice that you have got letters for them; therefore, if they do not choose to come out to receive them, don't you get down from your dicky, but take them on to exeter and bring them back with you on your next journey." and again to the mail guards on another coach: "if the coachman go into a public-house to drink, don't you go with him and make the stop longer, but hurry him out." this hurrying out had sometimes to be applied to passengers, and not always with success. "sir," writes hasker to a mail guard who had complained of the futility of his efforts in this direction, "stick to your bill, and never mind what passengers say respecting waiting overtime. is it not the fault of the landlord to keep them so long? some day when you have waited a considerable time (suppose five or eight minutes longer than is allowed by the bill), drive away and leave them behind. only take care that you have witness that you called them out two or three times. then let them get forward how they can. let the innkeeper [of the house] where they dine know that you have received this letter." while thus urged to correct others, the mail guards had sometimes to be corrected themselves. fines ranging from s. d. to s. were imposed for omitting to date the timetable or for dating it wrongly; and on one occasion an unfortunate guard was fined as much as one guinea because some bags for which he should have called at the stafford post office were left behind. also to delegate one's duties was strictly prohibited. "it has been reported to mr. hasker," writes hasker's lieutenant, "that you send your mail to the post office by the person called boots, and do not go with it yourself. you have been wrote to two or three times before on this subject. therefore, if the irregularity be repeated, you will certainly be discharged." occasionally advantage would be taken of a complaint to read a lesson to the complainant. a mail guard had been reported for impertinence by certain contractors who were notorious for the indifferent lights with which they supplied their coach. after replying that he had been severely rebuked for his conduct, hasker slily adds, "but perhaps something may be said for the feelings of a guard that hears the continual complaints of passengers against bad lights and the disagreeable smell of stinking oil, especially when through such things the passengers withhold the gratuity which the guards expect." on the part of the mail guards, however, the commonest irregularity, and the irregularity most difficult to check, was the carrying of parcels and of passengers in excess of the prescribed number. "in consequence"--so runs a general order which was issued about this time--"of several of the mail guards having been detected in carrying meat and vegetables in their mail-box to the amount of pounds weight at a time, the superintendents are desired to take opportunities to meet the coaches in their district at places where they are least expected, and to search the boxes to remedy this evil, which is carried to too great a length. the superintendents," the order proceeds, "will please to observe that mr. hasker does not wish to be too hard on the guards. such a thing as a joint of meat or a couple of fowls or any other article for their own family in moderation he does not wish to debar them from the privilege of carrying." truth compels us to add that at the time to which we refer it was not only meat and vegetables that the mail guards carried. they carried also game. in later years the country gentleman was probably the mail guards' best friend, but at the end of the last century he did not hesitate to charge them with being in league with poachers, and not infrequently threatened prosecution. the mail-box indeed was admirably adapted to purposes of secretion. occupying a part of the space which even in these early days was known as the boot, it opened not, as the boot opened, from behind but from the top, immediately under the mail guard's feet; and no one but himself had access to it. constant were the injunctions to the superintendents to meet the coaches at unexpected places for the purpose of search. "search," writes hasker, "as many mail-boxes as you can, and take away all game not directed and anything else beyond a joint for the guard's family, and send it to the chief magistrate to be disposed of for the benefit of the poor of the parish." the temptation to carry an extra passenger or two was even greater than to carry parcels. what degree of indulgence was shewn to this form of irregularity appears to have depended upon the part of the coach in which the extra seat was provided. to be detected in carrying a passenger on the mail-box was certain dismissal. although it is not our intention to treat of mail-coaches otherwise than as vehicles for the transmission of letters, it may perhaps be permitted to us to pause here a moment and inquire where, at the end of the last century, the passengers' luggage can have been stowed. of the boot a part, as we have seen, was given up to the mail-box; and the roof, upon which, within our own recollection, the luggage would be piled to nearly half the height of the coach itself, was forbidden, or almost forbidden, ground. "to load the roof of the coach," writes hasker, "with large heavy baskets would not only be setting a bad example to other coaches, but in a very short time no passenger would travel with it." "such a thing," he adds, "as a turtle tied on the roof directed to any gentleman once or twice a year might pass unnoticed, but for a constancy cannot be suffered." this objection to a load on the roof appears to have been common to the sovereign and the subject. in the court proceeded to weymouth; and, as usual, a royal mail was in attendance. the king, who took the liveliest interest in the performances of this coach, and examined the way-bill daily, discountenanced roof-loads. the royal injunctions on this head hasker, who was a plain-spoken man and no courtier, conveyed to, his subordinates thus: "take care not to load the royal mail too high, and when any of his majesty's servants travel by it do not load the roof upward, as you know he ordered that no luggage should be put on the top when his servants rode, and, indeed, at all times. now upwards [_i.e._ on return from weymouth to windsor] there can be no occasion, for there are waggons and other conveyances to bring the luggage up." the possible use of waggons and other conveyances notwithstanding, we cannot help thinking that the traveller by coach of a hundred years ago must have been content with a far smaller quantity of luggage than would satisfy the traveller of to-day. that the roof of the coach, whether loaded or not, had its drawbacks for travellers is sufficiently evident from hasker's correspondence. "the york coachman and guard," he writes after a spell of bad weather which had rotted the roads, "were both chucked from their seats going down to huntingdon last journey, and coming up the guard is lost this morning, supposed from the same cause, as the passengers say he was blowing his horn just before they missed him." the king's interest in his mail-coach was not confined to the inspection of the way-bill. it was usual, before the court repaired to weymouth, for the coach to make a certain number of trial trips, and the king would go to the castle gates to see it pass. "his majesty," writes hasker, under date the th of august , "came down to the park gate to see the mail-coach the first and second day, and told me he was much pleased to see it so well done and regular, and that he was glad mr. white did not work it." mr. white had worked it on a previous occasion, and had not given satisfaction. at the end of each season the king gave still more practical proof of the interest he took in his coach by sending thirty guineas for distribution among the mail guards and coachmen. but, gratified as hasker must have been by these marks of royal condescension, there was one thing which, with his concurrence, even the king should not do, and that was, detain the mail. owing to the letters from the court being late, the coach, on several successive days, had not started from weymouth until after the appointed hour. chesterfield was the minister in attendance, and hasker addressed to him a letter of respectful remonstrance. of course he did not know, he said, whether the mail had been detained by his majesty or by his majesty's postmaster-general; but in either case he prayed it might be considered how bad an example it was, and what disorder was being introduced into the service. according to present arrangements, the coach should leave weymouth at four in the afternoon. it might be appointed to leave at five or even six if desired, and yet reach london on the following day in time for the last delivery; but whatever hour might be fixed, he adjured his lordship that it might be observed. how completely the mail-coach had by this time extinguished the express may be judged from the following instruction to the packet agent at yarmouth:[ ] "you will observe the reason why you keep the mail to send by the mail-coach is that, tho' you detain it four or five hours, it arrives as soon at the general post office as if sent by express, for the coach travels in sixteen or seventeen hours, and the express in not less than twenty or twenty-one, sometimes more." nor is it less interesting to note the change of sentiment which had recently taken place as to the importance of despatch. only a few years before, as we have seen, the inhabitants of shrewsbury had been informed that it could be of no consequence whether their letters arrived four or five hours sooner or later. now, in order to accelerate the letters contained in a single bag, no expense is to be spared. "if," the same instruction continues, "any mail arrives within an hour after the mail-coach is gone, perhaps a post-chaise and four might catch it at ipswich." [ ] the packet agency had been removed from harwich to yarmouth during the war. yarmouth, by road, is miles from london. but, to quit details, the broad results were these. palmer, when introducing his plan, had promised security and despatch; but not economy. on the contrary, he had made no secret of his opinion that the use of mail-coaches would involve a considerable increase of expense. the result was a surprise even to himself. before the annual allowance for carrying the mails ranged from £ to £ a mile, £ being paid where the mails were heavy--as, for instance, on the great north road from london as far as tuxford. in the terms on which the mails were carried were exemption from tolls and d. a mile each way, or an annual allowance of a little more than £ a mile. palmer had estimated the total cost of his plan at £ , a year. the actual cost only slightly exceeded £ , . hardly less reason had he to congratulate himself on the score of security and despatch. before scarcely a week passed without the mails on one road or another being robbed. so great had the scandal become that the post office built a model cart--a cart wholly constructed of iron and reputed to be robber-proof. this cart had not long begun to run before it was stopped by highwaymen and rifled of its contents. in eight years had passed since the introduction of palmer's plan; and during this period not a single mail-coach had been either stopped or robbed. this immunity from robbery was in more ways than one equivalent to a further saving. before heavy expenses were incurred annually for prosecutions. one trial alone, a trial which made no little noise at the time, namely that of the brothers weston, cost no less than £ . this source of expense had now, of course, disappeared. as regards despatch, before the post travelled between five and six miles an hour. in the mail-coaches were travelling about seven miles an hour. telford had not yet levelled the hills nor macadam paved the roads; and rollers were unknown. a speed of seven miles an hour at the end of the last century was probably far more trying to horses than a speed of ten miles an hour later on. it would be beyond our province to inquire--interesting as the inquiry would be--to what extent the exchange of commodities between town and town dates from the introduction of mail-coaches; and whether it was not at this period that, with some noted exceptions, the local repute which certain towns enjoyed for the manufacture of particular articles began to spread. ours is a humbler purpose; or we might be tempted even to contend that palmer's plan, by the facilities it afforded for intercourse, exercised an influence--slow it may be, but none the less sure--upon the habits and condition of the people. we will illustrate our meaning. before the introduction of mail-coaches in the town of penzance in cornwall was not indeed without a post; but the post it possessed was hardly worthy of the name. in letters were conveyed there by cart from falmouth regularly six days a week. now, of the condition of penzance not many years before the earlier of these two dates we are informed on unimpeachable authority. "i have heard my mother relate," writes sir humphry davy's brother and biographer, "that when she was a girl[ ] there was only one cart in the town of penzance, and that if a carriage occasionally appeared in the streets it attracted universal attention. pack-horses were then in general use for conveying merchandise, and the prevailing manner of travelling was on horseback. at that period the luxuries of furniture and living enjoyed by people of the middle class at the present time were confined almost entirely to the great and wealthy; in the same town, where the population was about persons, there was only one carpet, the floors of rooms were sprinkled with sea-sand, and there was not a single silver fork. the only newspaper which then circulated in the west of england was the _sherborne mercury_, and it was carried through the country not by the post but by a man on horseback specially employed in distributing it." penzance can never be otherwise than a most interesting town; but one finds it difficult to believe that, after being brought into communication with the outside world on six days of the week, it can long have retained its pristine charm and simplicity. [ ] mrs. davy was born in . let us now see what, at the time of palmer's retirement, was the condition of the country post offices. bristol, after long ranking next to london in wealth and population, had yielded place to other towns. foremost among these stood manchester. manchester, following suit to the capital, had recently numbered its streets; it was publishing local directories; and it enjoyed the reputation of being, the capital itself not excepted, the dearest town in the kingdom. at the present time the post office at manchester gives employment to about persons. in , with the exception of a single letter-carrier, the whole of the post office business there was conducted by an aged widow assisted by her daughter. dame willatt had recently achieved some little local notoriety. she had, as an inducement to persons to post early, imposed a late-letter fee. for this proceeding, not at that time uncommon and not disapproved at headquarters, she had been summoned to the court of the lord of the manor, and had been cast in damages. bath enjoyed a double distinction, a distinction due less probably to its population as compared with that of other towns than to the fact that, being palmer's native place, it was constantly under his eye as it had been under the eye of ralph allen before. this highly-favoured town was, outside london, the only one in the kingdom which could boast of what, with any regard to the meaning of words, could be dignified by the name of a post office establishment; and the postmaster's salary was in excess of that which any other postmaster received. this salary was £ a year, and the establishment, over which ralph allen's successor presided, consisted of one clerk and three letter-carriers. no other town had more than one letter-carrier; and many towns had not even this. whether the accommodation was provided or not appears to have depended less upon the necessities of the place than upon the disposition of the inhabitants. thus, the little towns of sandwich in kent and hungerford in berkshire, in recognition of the gallant conflict they had waged with the authorities, had each a letter-carrier of its own, while norwich, york, derby, newcastle, and plymouth had none. besides bath only four towns received an allowance for a clerk or assistant, namely manchester, norwich, york, and leeds. elsewhere the postmaster and a letter-carrier, if letter-carrier there was, were the sole post office representatives. at bristol the postmaster's salary was £ ,--the next highest after that given at bath. at liverpool, manchester, birmingham, and chester the salary was £ ; at exeter, york, newcastle, leeds, and plymouth £ ; at sheffield £ , to which amount it had been recently raised from £ ; at derby, carlisle, and gloucester £ ; at brighton and nottingham £ ; at leicester £ ; and at southampton £ . at tunbridge the postmaster, in addition to a salary of £ , received an allowance of equal amount for keeping an office at tunbridge wells. ripon, despite the rebuke it had received in for its audacity in asking for a post office, had now been accommodated with one. at chepstow pence were still being paid on the delivery of letters, not because the inhabitants had not discovered their rights but out of consideration to the aged postmistress, whose emoluments they were unwilling to diminish. birkenhead, torquay, and bournemouth,[ ] of course, did not exist. eastbourne existed indeed, but not as we know it now. hither the letters were carried three times a week from lewes. at ramsgate, then a village served from the neighbouring post-town of sandwich, an office for the receipt of letters was kept at a cost of £ a year. the whole of the isle of wight had but one postmaster and one letter-carrier. to the channel islands there was no post. [ ] as late as bournemouth received its letters from poole by donkey and cart. on palmer's retirement the office of chief adviser to the postmasters-general devolved almost naturally upon francis freeling, the surveyor located at headquarters. todd still held the appointment of secretary, but after a service of more than fifty years he was unequal to the exertion which the exigencies of the time required. between todd and walsingham, moreover, there was little in common. their relations, indeed, had always been most friendly; but the views they entertained on post office questions were more often than not at variance. "it is a matter of great entertainment to me," wrote walsingham, as early as october , "to see how totally we differ in all our official opinions." from this time todd took less and less part in the duties of his office, and confined himself almost exclusively to its social amenities. this was a sphere in which he excelled. at his table in lombard street the postmasters-general themselves and such as they might choose to meet them were frequent guests, and "his old hock in his old parlour" passed into a by-word. freeling, on the contrary, possessed advantages which not only pointed him out as todd's successor when todd should be pleased to retire, but peculiarly fitted him to deal with the circumstances of the moment. in the prime of life, of good address and prepossessing appearance, and with a knowledge of every detail of post office organisation such as only constant visits to different parts of the kingdom could give, he soon contrived to make himself not only useful but indispensable; and before any long period had expired the postmasters-general appointed him joint secretary with todd, an arrangement by virtue of which one was to be the acting and the other the sleeping partner; one was to do the work and the other to draw the pay. it was new to the postmasters-general to have about them some one who was not only able but willing and anxious to impart information on every official question as it arose, and they could ill conceal their glee at the altered state of affairs. "one of the complaints made by us of mr. palmer," they wrote about this time, "was that he did what he thought fit without making the least communication to the board, or without there being a single record of anything which he did or objected to either before or after it was done"; ... but "mr. freeling reports distinctly to us upon every application that we refer to him, or that is made to the board, amounting to above two hundred reports every quarter for the current business." freeling was now exposed to a serious danger, a danger to which many a reputation has succumbed, namely, that of being transformed from a man of action into a mere scribe; but this was a temptation which he stoutly resisted. without relaxing his efforts to maintain and improve upon palmer's plan, he was careful not only to keep the postmasters-general informed of what he was doing, but to do nothing which had not first been duly authorised. the period immediately following palmer's retirement was one rather of honest endeavour than of solid achievement. the first and most pressing question to arise was that of insufficiency of accommodation at headquarters. the inland office, this being the office in which the mails were made up for despatch, was not only close and ill-ventilated, but altogether too small for its purpose. more post-towns were required in various parts of the kingdom; but it was impossible to add to the number of towns for which bags would have to be made up until more space should be provided. some persons thought it would be best at once to take a step which in any case would probably have to be taken in the not remote future, and to build a new post office on other and more extensive premises. such, however, was not the opinion of the postmasters-general. they were naturally unwilling to advocate the heavy expenditure which such a measure would involve except upon proof of its absolute necessity. mainly on this ground, but also partly because premises in so central and convenient a position as those which the present post office occupied were not to be had, authority was sought and obtained for nothing more than the erection of a new inland office. but, as the postmasters-general found to their cost, it is one thing to obtain an authority and another thing to carry it into effect. on part of the ground on which the office was to be erected stood two houses, the lease of which had not long to run; and the drapers' company, to whom the property belonged, declined to extend the term. this difficulty was at length overcome, and the houses were in course of demolition, when projecting into the very centre of the space designed for the new office was found the wall of an old house belonging to sir charles watson, and this house he refused to let the post office have unless it would also take seven other houses which he possessed in the immediate neighbourhood. at the present time houses in and about abchurch lane would probably fetch twenty-five years' purchase. fifteen years' purchase was the sum then demanded, and it was considered a hard bargain. eventually watson consented to grant a ninety-nine years' lease; but it was a lease not only of the single house that the post office wanted, but of all eight houses, seven of which it did not want. what they called their mortifications and disappointments at an end, the postmasters-general proceeded to build. still more unsatisfactory was the result of an attempt that was made or intended to be made about this time to improve the post with the continent. communication with france was only twice a week, and walsingham desired to treble it. in france, as in england, the post went to the water's edge on six days of the week, and he could see no reason why, except on two days, it should stop there. he entertained a strong opinion that between the two countries communication should be daily. there was also another matter to be settled with our neighbours. during a period of sixty-six years, namely, from to , the postage on a single letter between london and paris had been d.; and, to avoid the keeping of accounts, this sum had been collected and retained by the post office of the country in which the letter was delivered. in , when owing to the war communication between dover and calais was stopped, letters from paris reached england through flanders, and on these letters when put into the post in paris a charge of d. was made in addition to the d. to be paid on delivery in london. it had been thought that in , on the termination of the war, this charge would be abandoned, and that the old postage of d. would be resumed. such, however, was not the case. the post office authorities in france adhered to the d. charge and defended it. the old postage of d., they argued, was all very well when they had no packets of their own and england performed the sea service. but now france had her own packets, and the distance between paris and calais being far greater than between london and dover, it could not in reason be expected that on a letter between the two capitals she would be content with no higher postage than that which england received. the charge of d. upon letters for london when put into the post in paris must be maintained, even though they no longer went through flanders. it was a matter of internal regulation with which england had no concern. without contesting this view of the case, the home authorities regarded the d. charge as a most vexatious impost. not only had it the effect of diminishing the correspondence, but many of the letters which still passed were carried by private hand from paris to dover and there posted, so that the british post office received upon them only d. apiece, this being the postage from dover to london, instead of d., the postage from paris. in palmer had, by pitt's direction, gone over to france in order to adjust the matter and to promote a six days' post between the two countries; but he returned without effecting either object. circumstances now appearing more favourable, walsingham determined to make fresh overtures. an emissary had already been selected for the purpose, and was on the eve of departure when a new and unexpected difficulty arose; the merchants of london, to whom the intention to increase the frequency of communication with france had become known, met to protest against the project. a hundred years before they would have gone to the post office, talked the matter over with the postmasters-general, and, after an exchange of opinions, an agreement would have been come to as to what was best to be done. now they assembled in their numbers at the london tavern and resolved "that any addition to the present number of post days to france or to any other part of the continent is unnecessary, and would be highly inconvenient and injurious to the merchants of london." the resolution was unanimous, and copies were sent to the postmasters-general and the minister. for the merchants of london walsingham entertained a sincere respect; but in this particular matter, convinced that they did not know what was for their own good, he determined to proceed in their despite. unhappily, however, at this conjuncture the resumption of hostilities with france extinguished for the time all hopes of improved communication with the continent. another project, in which the post office and the merchants possessed a common interest and a common desire, was also doomed to failure. the practice of cutting bank notes into two parts and sending one part by one post and another by another had now become general. the expedient, though efficacious, was a costly one. a letter with an enclosure, however light, paid double postage; and double postage between two places no farther apart than london and birmingham was d. to send two halves of a bank note each in a separate letter would, of course, cost twice that amount. this was a heavy insurance to pay. the post office, in its desire not to discourage a practice which diminished temptation to dishonesty, was hardly less anxious than the merchants themselves that the amount should be reduced. accordingly walsingham proposed that in all cases where a bank note was sent by two separate posts the second letter, that is to say, the letter containing the second half, should, on proof being given of its contents, be charged with only single postage. a notice to the public announcing the change had already been prepared when he learnt to his chagrin that the proposed regulation would be illegal. in the case of a letter with an enclosure the law prescribed double postage, and it was no more in the power of the post office to reduce the amount than to forego it altogether. but these were failures which it is only interesting to record as evidence that at the post office, after palmer had left it, there was no want of directing energy or of a desire to study the interests of the public. it is pleasant to turn to matters in respect to which good intentions were not unattended with results. but before leaving , the year in which these disappointments occurred, we must not omit to notice that it was at the end of this year that the letter-carriers were for the first time put into uniform. palmer, who was now playing the part of the outside critic, condemned the innovation as a piece of unnecessary extravagance. but palmer did not know the reasons for it. the letter-carriers when in private clothes were exposed to temptation from which the wearing of uniform would protect them; and more than one recent case had brought the fact into painful prominence. nor can it be denied that, so long as there was no distinctive dress, letter-carriers in want of a holiday were a little apt to take one without permission, supplying their place by persons of whose character they knew little or nothing. it was in order to check irregularity of this kind and as a means of protection to themselves and the public that uniform was now introduced. the uniform consisted of a scarlet cloth coat with blue lapels and blue linings of padua; a blue cloth waistcoat, and a hat with gold band. it should also be noticed that about this time the post office servants in london were in some measure relieved from the pecuniary cares by which they had long been oppressed. the commissioners of inquiry in their report of had recommended for the post office a new establishment; and now, after an interval of nearly five years, this establishment was approved by the king in council. the new salaries were not high. at the present time they would be considered low; but such as they were, they were higher than the salaries they replaced. jamineau's recent death, moreover, by relieving the clerks of the roads from payment of the commission[ ] which this officer received on all newspapers with which they dealt, enabled them to reduce their price for franking, the result being an immediate extension of sale. on the whole, the post office servants in london were, at this time, in comparatively comfortable circumstances, or at all events above the reach of actual want. the starvation and bankruptcy with which they had at one time been threatened had been staved off by a grant, which pitt renewed year after year while the commissioners' report was under consideration. this grant amounted to £ , of which £ were for distribution in the sorting office, and £ in the other offices. [ ] this was a commission of three halfpence on every dozen newspapers, besides one newspaper in every quire. the year was signalised by a remarkable development of the penny post. this institution, which had as yet been established nowhere but in london and in dublin, was now to be extended to edinburgh, to manchester, to bristol, and to birmingham. in edinburgh the ground had been to some extent preoccupied. the keeper of a coffee-house in the hall of the parliament house had sixteen years before set up an office from which letters were delivered throughout the city at d. apiece; and this office still remained open and prospered. to compare williamson's undertaking with dockwra's would be to compare a mouse with an elephant; and yet it may not be uninteresting to note the different treatment which the two men received. dockwra was prosecuted, fined, and his undertaking confiscated. williamson was granted a pension. "we have also," write the postmasters-general under date the th of july , "to beg your lordship's permission to authorise us to allow to mr. williamson of edinburgh £ per annum, he having long had the profits of d. a letter on certain letters forwarded through his receiving house at edinburgh, which he will lose by our having established a penny post there. we have made it a rule," they add, "always to propose that those who suffer in their incomes from regulations which are certainly beneficial to the public should receive compensation for the loss they sustain." at manchester the establishment of the penny post followed upon other and important alterations. the inhabitants of that town had long complained of the inadequacy of their postal arrangements; and measures had recently been taken, the very extent of which serves to shew how serious must have been the defects which they were designed to supply. the aged postmistress was granted a pension of £ , with the reversion of one-third of that amount to her daughter; and in her room an active postmaster was appointed at a salary of £ . four clerks were at the same time appointed, at salaries ranging from £ to £ , and five additional letter-carriers, making six altogether, at wages of s. a week. thus, manchester suddenly found itself in possession of a post office establishment with which, outside london, that of no other town in the kingdom could compare. as a sequel to this important extension of force a penny post was opened in july ; and no sooner had the boon been conferred upon manchester than it was extended to bristol and to birmingham. it is interesting to note what at these three towns was the financial effect of giving postal facilities. during the year - the penny post brought a clear gain to the revenue--in manchester, of £ ; in bristol, of £ ; and in birmingham, of £ . it is a curious fact that, with this experience to guide them and with an anxious desire to extend the system, the post office authorities, after sparing no pains to inform themselves on the subject, came to the conclusion that neither at liverpool nor at leeds nor at any other town in england would a penny post defray its own expenses. but it was in london that the penny post attained its highest development. this branch of post office business had long been shamefully neglected. of the officers concerned in it those above the rank of sorter were only three in number--a comptroller, an accountant, and a collector. of these the collector attended only occasionally, and the accountant and comptroller not at all. this neglect had its natural effect upon the receipts. during the last twenty years and more, notwithstanding the increase which had during this period taken place in the population and trade of the metropolis, the revenue of the penny post had remained almost stationary. up to the highest sum it had ever produced in one year was £ net. this was in , and for the five following years the receipts went on decreasing until, attention having been called to the decline, there was a sudden rebound. in the revenue was--gross £ , , and net £ . palmer, who was well aware of the discreditable condition into which the penny post office had fallen, proposed to take it in farm, and offered as a consideration to forego his salary and percentage; but this was a proposal the acceptance of which was strongly deprecated by the commissioners of inquiry who sat in no less than by the postmasters-general. it was their unanimous opinion that the penny post should be retained in the hands of the state. palmer, still clinging to the hope that other counsels might prevail, put off effecting improvements which would afford the strongest arguments against the adoption of his own proposal; and in , in spite of the changes which had been going on all around, the penny post office remained much as it had been during the last twenty years. the man who now took the reform of the penny post in hand was edward johnson. johnson was a letter-carrier. he had been appointed by palmer or on palmer's recommendation; and he soon gave proof of more than ordinary ability. palmer not infrequently exposed him to a severe ordeal. when unable or unwilling to attend the postmasters-general himself, he would send johnson in his stead, a substitution which they resented as unseemly; and thus some little prejudice had been excited against him. this prejudice, however, had disappeared with the cause of it, and johnson now stood high, deservedly high, in the postmaster-generals' favour. in , in addition to the numerous receiving houses where letters for the penny post might be taken in, there were in london five principal offices--one known as the chief penny post office, and situated in throgmorton street, opposite bartholomew lane; another called the westminster penny post office, and situated in coventry street, haymarket; a third, the hermitage office in queen street, little tower hill; a fourth, the southwark office in st. saviour's churchyard, borough; and a fifth, the st. clement's office, in blackmore street. between these five offices there was little or no connection; at no two of them were the number of collections or deliveries the same or the hours at which they were made; the letter-carriers were altogether too few for the ground which they had to cover, so that punctuality and despatch were impossible; and even those whose walks lay near the ten-mile limit, before proceeding to deliver their letters, had to come to london to fetch them. johnson proposed to change all this. he proposed to reduce the number of principal offices from five to two, retaining only the chief office and the office in coventry street; to increase the number of collections and deliveries; to give the same number to all parts served by the penny post, namely, six in the town and three in the suburbs, or, as the suburbs were then called, "the country," and everywhere, as far as possible, to observe the same hours; to post these hours up in every receiving house, so that the public might be made acquainted with them and act as a check upon their being observed; and, instead of requiring the letter-carriers in the remoter parts to come to london for their letters, to send their letters to them by mounted messengers. johnson's last proposal, though following almost naturally from what had gone before, well-nigh staggered the postmasters-general. it was that, in order to carry his plan into effect, the number of penny post letter-carriers should be more than doubled. the existing number was eighty-two, and the number which johnson proposed was . this, even at the present time--large as are the numbers with which the post office has been accustomed to deal--would be considered a heavy, an exceptionally heavy, increase. in it was regarded as portentous, and the postmasters-general anxiously sought means to reduce it; but johnson, besides being perfect master of his subject, possessed two faculties which by no means always go together. he possessed the faculty of devising a good scheme and the faculty of explaining it; and the lucid explanation he now gave convinced the postmasters-general that they could not do better than adopt his plan in its entirety. contrasting the time which a letter took to pass between various parts of london with the time which it would take if his suggestions were adopted, johnson had no difficulty in shewing that from his plan the public would derive facilities for intercourse to which they had hitherto been strangers. there were, perhaps, no two places between which the course of post was more difficult to manage than marylebone and limehouse. under the existing plan a letter from one of these two places, however early it might be posted, might not reach the other on the same day, and, even if it did so, an answer could not be received before the afternoon of the following day. under johnson's plan a letter might be received, an answer returned, and the answer answered, all on the same day. places less inconveniently situated in relation to each other were to receive a still larger measure of benefit. between persons residing in lombard street and the haymarket, for instance, five letters might pass to and fro between the hours of eight in the morning and seven in the evening. this was within the town limits. within the country limits the general effect of johnson's plan may be stated thus: that to letters from london answers might be returned sooner by two posts if the letters were for places not more than five miles distant, and, if for places distant between five and ten miles, sooner by a period ranging from one to three days. the last-mentioned places, moreover, were to have three posts a day instead of one post. pitt was no less favourably impressed with johnson's plan than the postmasters-general were; but before sanctioning it he resolved to await the passing of an act for the redress of certain anomalies, or what were considered to be anomalies, in the practice of the penny post. this act was passed in ; and immediate steps were taken for carrying the plan into effect. a proud day for johnson must have been the th of september. on that day a public notice appeared announcing the changes that were about to take place; and this notice bore his signature. only the other day he had been a letter-carrier, and now, by reason of a promotion which did hardly more honour to himself than to the postmasters-general who made it, he signed as deputy-comptroller of the penny post office. the financial results of johnson's plan exceeded all expectation. for the last year of the old system the gross revenue of the penny post was £ , . for the first year of the new system it was £ , ; and for the second year £ , . johnson had proceeded on the principle--a principle which from the first establishment of the post office has never yet been known to fail--increase facilities for correspondence and correspondence itself increases. johnson had made one mistake, a mistake which he frankly acknowledged and did his best to repair. he had fixed the wages of the letter-carriers too low. it was not that he had been indifferent to the interests of the class from which he had recently emerged, but that he had feared to overweight a measure which, even as it stood, he had almost despaired of carrying. the wages, as fixed on his recommendation, ranged from s. to s. a week. then came that terrible winter--the winter of - . we have ourselves been witness to an excessive absence from duty on the part of post office servants during the epidemic of influenza in . but the number that were absent then, relatively to the whole force, were not to be compared to the number that were absent in the spring of ; neither was their absence due to so grievous a cause. in the spring of the penny post letter-carriers, unlike the letter-carriers of the general post, had not yet been supplied with uniform, and, through sheer inability to supply themselves with such articles of clothing and of food as the severity of the weather required, nearly one-half of the whole number were unable to follow their employment. johnson took great blame to himself for what he had done; nor did he rest until he had procured for the letter-carriers a substantial increase all round. this increase ranged from about s. to s. a week for each man, and involved a total cost of £ a year. also in matters of detail johnson effected several improvements, of which we will mention only one. the receptacle for letters at the receiving houses in london had hitherto been an open and movable box. the box was now, on his recommendation, to be fixed and provided with a key. the key was to be kept by the receiver, and he alone was to have access to the letters. the act of contained provisions which it is impossible to pass unnoticed. the penny post from its first establishment in had differed from the general post in this--that letters sent by it had to be prepaid. by the general post prepayment had not indeed been prohibited, but it had been discouraged; by the penny post it had been compulsory. this was now altered, and it was left to the option of persons using the penny post whether they would prepay their letters or not. it is difficult to repress a pang at the disappearance of a provision to which dockwra, the founder of the penny post, attached the highest importance; and yet it must be admitted that the change was not made without a reason. messengers and servants entrusted with letters to post would destroy the letters for the sake of the pence which had been given them to pay the postage; and to such an extent had the abuse been carried that some persons made it a rule not to use the penny post at all unless they could post their own letters. another provision of the act of was to relax a restriction imposed by the act of anne. before the penny post had been so extended as to include many places distant from london as much as eighteen and twenty miles. then came the act of anne, restricting the penny post to a circuit of ten miles. and now the ten-mile limit was abolished, and the postmasters-general were empowered, not in london alone but also in country towns wherever the penny post might be established, to extend it at their discretion. a third provision of the act of was designed to correct what was considered a flaw in a previous act. it is interesting to note what this flaw was. when dockwra established his post, he insisted that on letters going by it the postage should be d. and no more. this penny, however, in the case of letters for places situated beyond the bills of mortality, was to carry only to the receiving house; for delivery at a private house was to be paid a second penny, commonly called the delivery-penny. the act of anne merely provided that letters by the penny post should be charged d., and was silent on the subject of the second or delivery-penny; and a subsequent act, passed in , made the delivery-penny legal. now what was the consequence of all this? the consequence was that as between two letters, the one passing from london to a place outside the bills of mortality and the other passing from a place outside the bills of mortality to london, there was a difference of postage. in the one direction the postage was d. and in the other d. the act of imposed a postage of d. in both directions; and here we see not indeed the origin of the twopenny post but the twopenny post fully established. the reform of the penny post was soon followed by that of the dead letter office. this office was established in . how, before that year, dead letters were treated is perhaps one of the obscurest points of post office practice. we know that letters which could not be delivered and letters which had been missent were always treated together. we know that in these letters had become so numerous that an officer was specially appointed to check them. we know that to ralph allen, fertile as he was in resources, how to deal with this class of letters was a constant source of perplexity. we know that todd, writing to foxcroft, the deputy postmaster-general of america, in february , says: "amongst other regulations made here of late the dead, refused, and unknown letters returned to this office have been opened by the proper officers, and returned to the writers"; but without adding who "the proper officers" were. and we know that as late as there was in london a letter-carrier whose special duty it was to "take care of the unknown and uncertain letters." but when we have stated this, we have stated all. whether there was any recognised mode of dealing with dead letters, or whether any one into whose hands these letters came dealt with them as he judged best, according to circumstances, are questions upon which we have absolutely no information. in only a part of the dead letters and letters that had been missent went to the newly-created dead letter office. another and larger part, consisting of bye-letters or letters that in the ordinary course would not reach london, were dealt with in the bye-letter office. no letter was returned to the writer until after the expiration of six months, and on its return no postage was charged. in palmer reduced from six months to two the period before which letters were returned, and on his own motion, without reference to the postmasters-general, charged them with postage. grave doubts were entertained as to the legality of this charge, and pitt, as soon as he heard of it, ordered it to be discontinued. in barlow, a clerk in the secretary's office, who had charge of the dead letter office, introduced two changes of practice which, obvious as they may now appear, were then regarded as evidence of no little merit. he arranged that missent letters, instead of being sent to london to be dealt with in the dead letter office, should be forwarded to their destination from the place where the missending was discovered; and also--a change which gave great satisfaction in naval and military circles--that letters for the army and navy should be sent where the army and navy were known to be, and not to stations and quarters which they were known to have left simply because the letters were addressed there. about the same time the dead letter office received most valuable help in the discharge of its duties from the publication of what was, virtually, the first county directory. for some years past three post office servants had been engaged in compiling a list of all the names and addresses they could collect throughout the different counties of england. this list, though still far from complete, now filled six large folio volumes. the venture which had been undertaken with a view to profit was financially a failure; but as a means of helping to forward letters with imperfect addresses it proved an unqualified success. thus matters stood in , when barlow proposed a further reform. the inspector of the "bye, dead, and missent letters," as they were called, had neglected his duties. these letters were not sent to london until they had lain for three months in the country offices, and after their arrival he had suffered a still longer period to elapse before proceeding to dispose of them. barlow now proposed that these letters also should be placed under his control, and the proposal being approved, the dead letter office began to assume the shape in which, though under another name, we know it to-day. to the general practice one exception was made. on the first opening of penny post offices in country towns many letters could not be delivered on account of their imperfect addresses. the novelty and cheapness of the post, it may well be believed, induced persons to use it who possessed little skill in writing, and no knowledge of the mode in which superscriptions should be prepared. it was a duty imposed on the surveyor who was engaged in establishing the post to open these letters and return them to the writers on the spot. another office was established about this time, an office for dealing with the american and west indian letters. the merchants had recently complained that these letters were continually missent, letters for one of the west india islands being sent to another, and letters for places served from halifax being sent to quebec and _vice versâ_. the truth is that until lately some profit had been derived from the sorting of these letters; and the most experienced officers, who knew the circulation abroad almost as well as they knew the circulation at home, had been glad to sort them. the comptroller of the inland department--for, curiously enough, it was there and not in the foreign department that the letters were dealt with--had received one guinea a night and the clerks s. a night for dealing with them; but these unauthorised additions to salaries had now been stopped, and the west indian and american mails were left to be sorted, just as any other mails were sorted, by seniors and juniors in common. it was impossible that mistakes should not occur. to assist in the disposal of inland mails there were what were called circulation lists, lists shewing to what towns letters for particular places were to be sent; but in the case of the american and west indian mails there were no such aids to inexperience, and the letters were to a large extent sent haphazard. freeling now altered this. he procured from abroad circulation lists corrected to the latest date. four experienced officers were selected, who were made specially responsible for the west indian and american correspondence; they were to devote to it two hours a night over and above their ordinary hours; and for this extra attendance they were each to receive a special allowance of £ a year. freeling's last safeguard is interesting as shewing what may be done with a limited correspondence. two books were to be kept, of which one was to be reserved for government letters. in this book were to be entered the date on which each individual letter was posted, the date on which it was forwarded to falmouth, and the name of the packet by which it was despatched. the second book was, in freeling's own words, "to contain observations of different kinds to enable the clerks the better to satisfy the merchants applying for information" respecting the letters they had posted. it would perhaps be hardly an exaggeration to say that between england on the one hand and america and the west indies on the other there are at the present time more sackfuls of letters passing than there were single letters one hundred years ago. about the same time, but a little later, an important change took place in the treatment of letters arriving from the east indies in the ships of the east india company. these letters came to the india house in boxes addressed to the directors, and so escaped all but the inland postage. some of them indeed did not pay even that, for if addressed to persons in or near london they were delivered by the company's servants, who charged and retained as their own perquisite a fee varying from s. d. to s. d. on each letter. the practice was of old date, as old probably as the east india company itself, and was held to be not illegal. it is true that a vessel was forbidden under a penalty of £ to break bulk or to make entry into port until all letters brought by the master or his company should be delivered to some agent of the postmasters-general; but both the captain and the directors were held to be exempt from liability under this provision, the captain because he was presumably ignorant of what the boxes contained, and the directors because the penalty attached to the captain and not to them. the legality of the practice not being contested, nothing remained but to make overtures to the directors; and, on this being done, they readily consented that for the future all letters arriving by their ships, except such as were for themselves and their friends, should be forthwith sent to the post office to be dealt with as ship letters. the public derived no little advantage from the change. the postage from india was actually less than what the company's servants had been accustomed to exact as fees; and the letters were now delivered at once, whereas the company's servants would seldom deliver them under three or four days after their arrival at the india house, and sometimes not for a whole month. contemporaneously with the act of parliament regulating the penny post was passed another establishing a post to the channel islands. this was essentially a war post, a post which, except for the war between england and france, might have been postponed far into the present century. hitherto letters for the channel islands had been charged with postage only as far as southampton, and from southampton they had been carried to their destination by private boat. again and again had the post office been urged by those who wanted employment for their vessels to establish a line of packets to the islands; but to all such overtures the postmasters-general turned a deaf ear. boats were passing to and fro regularly four or five times a week, and the owners of these boats were ready and glad to carry the letters for the ship-letter postage of d. a letter. why then, it was asked, should the post office be at the expense of maintaining a line of packets which, unless it were put on a footing out of all proportion to the importance of the service, would give absolutely less accommodation than that which existed already? thus matters stood when war broke out and all communication with the islands was stopped. even now the postmasters-general had grave doubts as to the propriety of establishing a line of packets. it was true that the correspondence with the channel islands was considerable. during the year the number of letters on which ship-letter postage had been paid was , , namely, , at southampton and at dartmouth and other ports on the south coast--making, on the assumption that the letters were as many in the opposite direction, a total correspondence for the year of about , letters. and yet there were serious considerations on the other side. unless an act of parliament were passed providing a packet rate of postage between the mainland and the islands, the post office would have no exclusive right of carrying the letters, and the moment the war ceased the packets might be deserted in favour of the private boats. if, on the other hand, such an act were passed, popular as the measure might be while the war lasted, it could not fail to be unpopular as soon as the war ceased. private boats would then be an illegal means of conveyance, and correspondence would be restricted to the packets, however few these might be in number, and however wide the intervals between the despatches. another expedient remained, but this was one which had been tried during the last war, and the postmasters-general were not prepared to repeat it. the _express_ packet, captain sampson, belonging to the dover station, had been temporarily detached to southampton to keep communication with the channel islands open. as some set-off against the cost, the post office had counted upon saving the ship-letter pence; but here again the want of an authorised packet postage made itself felt. sampson, though in receipt of a salary and at no expense for the boat he commanded, claimed and received the ship-letter pence, the postmasters-general regarding themselves apparently as legally incompetent to resist the demand. without denying that a line of packets might be necessary for purposes of state, the postmasters-general now declined to promote one on post office grounds. of the necessities of the state they were not the judges, and, if the state required the adoption of such a measure, it was for others to take the initiative. the decision at which the government arrived appears in the act of , which established a line of packets between england and the channel islands. the packet station was to be at weymouth, the passage from weymouth being shorter than from southampton, and southampton water being difficult to leave when the wind was contrary. for a single letter the postage, over and above all other rates, was fixed at d., and for a double and treble letter in proportion. thus the cost of a single letter from london to the channel islands would remain the same as before. hitherto there had been paid d. for postage from london to southampton, d. to a factor at southampton, d. for conveyance across, and d. to the island post office--for the islands had a post office, although it was a private one, and not under the control of the postmasters-general--making d. altogether. now the charge would be the same, namely, postage to weymouth d., and d. for the packet postage. by the same act of parliament rates of postage were imposed within the islands similar to those which existed in england. the abuses of franking now came under notice again. ten years had elapsed since the passing of the act which provided that a letter, to be exempt from postage, must bear on the outside, as part of its superscription, its full date written in the member's own handwriting, and be posted on the date which the superscription bore. of course, the object of the provision was to confine the privilege to members themselves, and to prevent them from obliging their friends at a distance with franks; but this object was almost universally defeated by the simple expedient of sending to their friends franks that were post-dated. it was a common occurrence for franks dated on the same day and by the same member to be sent from places three or four hundred miles apart. the bankers who sat in parliament were the chief offenders. little did they think that an exact account was being kept of every frank that passed through the london post office, or assuredly they would hardly have ventured to keep their friends and customers supplied, as it was their practice to do, with the means of evading postage. how many bankers sat in parliament in we are not informed; but whatever the number was, we know that during the three months ending the th of october in that year there passed through the london post office no less than , letters franked by them, a number larger by one-fifth than the letters of the court and all the public offices of the state combined.[ ] during the same period those members of parliament who were merchants and not bankers contented themselves with the comparatively modest number of , . two or three years before it had leaked out that the government were considering whether a strenuous effort should not be made to abolish the franking privilege altogether, and it was no secret to the post office that in anticipation of such an event the banking houses which had a partner in parliament had concerted arrangements for sending their letters by the coaches in boxes. [ ] from this time the expression "banker's frank" passed into a by-word, and was used to denote any frank, whether given by a banker or not, which was in excess of the prescribed number. the government were now resolved that, if the abuses of franking could not be stopped, they should at all events be restricted, and with this object a bill was brought in which passed into law in . under this statute the weight which a member could frank was reduced from two ounces to one ounce; no letter was to be considered as franked unless the member whose name and superscription it bore was within twenty miles of the town at which it was posted either on the day of posting or on the day before; and in the course of one day no member was to send free more than ten letters or to receive free more than fifteen. the same statute which restrained the abuses of franking made a not unimportant concession. in an act passed in a clause had been inserted providing that a letter containing patterns or samples, if it did not weigh as much as one ounce, was to be charged as a double letter and no more. this was now improved upon. under the act of a packet of patterns or samples might, on certain conditions, pass as a single letter. these conditions were that it did not exceed one ounce in weight, that it was open at the sides, and that it contained no writing other than the name and address of the sender and the prices of the articles of which he sent specimens. a few months later another advance was made. at lombard street great inconvenience had been caused by the late arrival of the letters from the west end. the sorting began at five o'clock in the evening, and the mails were despatched at eight; but it was not until nearly seven that the bulk of the letters from the west end were brought in by the runners. thus, while the first two hours of the evening were hours of comparative idleness, the last hour was one of extreme pressure. occasionally, we are told, there would at a quarter before seven o'clock be lying on the sorting table as many as , letters, all of which had to be disposed of by eight. at the present day , letters would be regarded as a mere handful. in it was a number which it taxed the utmost resources of the post office to dispose of within the allotted time. how to relieve the pressure between the hours of seven and eight was now the question to be solved; and the presidents who had succeeded to bonnor's place when this person was got rid of suggested that the object might be attained if, instead of the letters from the west end being brought to the general post office by runners, light carts were employed to bring them. two carts would be enough for the purpose. one might start from charing cross and the other from duke street, oxford street, picking up bags at the different offices on their way. thus the letters would reach lombard street earlier by some thirty minutes than heretofore, and there would be more time to sort and charge them. the drivers should, of course, be armed. the plan was adopted, and answered well; and this was the origin of what is called the london mail-cart and van service, a service in which are now employed daily as many as vehicles. since the introduction of mail-coaches the robbery of mails on the main roads of the kingdom had entirely ceased. now and then, but very rarely, there had been pilfering from a mail-coach as, through the default of those in charge, it stood at an inn door unguarded; and there had, no doubt, been one serious case of theft. on the th of october a man, giving the name of thomas thomas, went down by the mail-coach from london to bristol, and returned on the following day. this journey he repeated on the nd, rd, and th of november, and on the last-mentioned date, when the guard's back was turned, he took advantage of the mail-box being left unlocked to steal the mails. but this was a case of theft, and not of robbery. during the twelve years which had elapsed since palmer's plan was established there had not been one single instance in which a mail-coach had been molested by highwaymen. far otherwise was it with the horse and cross-post mails. in the distance over which these mails travelled was, in england, about miles, and hardly a week passed without intelligence reaching headquarters that in some part or other of their course they had been stopped and robbed. some roads enjoyed an unenviable notoriety in this respect, as, for instance, the road between barton mills and lynn in norfolk, the road between bristol and portsmouth, and, above all, the road between chester and warrington. between these two places, indeed, the mail had only recently been robbed on four different occasions. manchester and other towns now took the matter up, and urged that mail-coaches might be established on the roads where the robberies took place, not because coaches were necessary to carry the letters, but on account of the security which they afforded. freeling proposed as an alternative that the horse and cross-post mails should be guarded. to supply the existing post-boys, or riders, as they were then termed, with firearms would have been worse than useless. they were mere boys--many of them not yet fourteen years of age--and with firearms in their possession they would have been more likely to shoot themselves than their assailants. accordingly, freeling proposed that no riders should be employed who, besides being of approved character, were not between the ages of eighteen and forty-five; that they should each be furnished with a brace of pistols, a cutlass, and a strong cap for the defence of the head; and that, in consideration of an increased allowance to be made by the post office, the postmasters whose servants the riders were should be required to provide them with better horses than those hitherto in use. of all the plans which, through a long course of years, were submitted to pitt for the improvement of the posts this was the only one to which he demurred. he did not, indeed, deny its efficacy; but it would involve a cost of at least £ a year, and, pressed as he was for money, he declined to say more than that the plan might be carried out if the persons interested were willing to bear the additional expense, but not otherwise. for us with our present knowledge it is easy enough to see that the surest and most popular way of transferring the expense to the public would have been to cheapen the postage. in no other way appeared feasible than to make the postage dearer. to this object the postmasters-general now devoted themselves, and before many months were over they had prepared a bill which, with some modifications, was adopted by the government and passed into law. in the new act, which came into operation on the th of january , the ambiguous term "stage" was dropped, and the whole of the rates were fixed according to distance, thus-- +------------------------------------------------------------------+ | on and after the th of january . | +-------------------------------+--------+--------+--------+-------+ | | single | double | treble | | | | letter.| letter.| letter.| ounce.| | +--------+--------+--------+-------+ | | _d._ | _d._ | _d._ | _d._ | |not exceeding miles | | | | | |exceeding and not exceeding | | | | | | miles | | | | | |exceeding and not exceeding | | | | | | miles | | | | | |exceeding and not exceeding | | | | | | miles | | | | | |exceeding and not exceeding| | | | | | miles | | | | | |exceeding miles | | | | | |to and from edinburgh | | | | | +-------------------------------+--------+--------+--------+-------+ within scotland the rates were raised by d. for a single letter, by d. for a double letter, and so on. another important change was made. hitherto, in the case of letters from portugal and america, the packet postage had carried them to their destination. for the future these letters were to be subject to the inland rates as well as the packet rates. thus the packet rate from lisbon had been, on a single letter, s. d. it was now to be s.; but if for london the letter would be charged with the inland rate of d.--this being the postage from falmouth--and if for edinburgh with d. more, or s. d. altogether. as the packet postage from america remained unchanged, namely, s. for a single letter, the inland rate was in this case a pure addition. the postmasters-general were now doomed to a serious disappointment. their proposal to raise the rates of postage was, there can be no doubt, dictated, at all events in part, by a desire to carry out the project of guarding the horse and cross-post mails. pitt had stated that he would approve this project if the persons interested would bear the expense of it; and unquestionably the expense, and much more than the expense, was thrown upon the persons interested by the higher sums which they had now to pay for their letters. the postmaster-generals' object, however, had not been avowed, and no understanding had been arrived at. their proposal to raise the rates of postage had met with ready acceptance. their proposal to guard the horse and cross-post mails, though repeated again and again, continued to be rejected. although much had been done during the last few years to introduce order and regularity among the packets, some little mystery still surrounded their proceedings. in march , out of twenty packets on the falmouth station there was not one in port to carry the mails to jamaica and the leeward islands; and this was the second time within twelve months that the same thing had occurred. the west india merchants waited on the postmasters-general to complain. on this occasion an armed cutter was borrowed from the admiralty to take out the mails; but the fact remained that between the th of april and january no less than nineteen packets, all of them belonging to the falmouth station, had been captured by the enemy, and that the post office had had to replace them at a cost of close upon £ , . the merchants demanded, as they had done a year before, that the packets should be armed. armed indeed in some sort they were already, but only with six four-pounders apiece, and with small arms so as to be able to resist row-boats and small privateers. the merchants urged that this was not enough. the postmasters-general replied that they could do no more, that the true policy was not to arm the packets with a view to their engaging the enemy, but so to construct them that they might outsail him. the merchants met to consider the reply which had been given, and, as the result of their deliberations, they prepared a memorial, copies of which were sent to the postmasters-general and the minister. in this memorial misgivings were expressed which, even at this distance of time, it is impossible not to share. during the last three years the average duration of voyage had been, from falmouth to jamaica, forty-five days, and from jamaica to falmouth, fifty-two days. these, as the memorialists pointed out, were not quick voyages; still less were they quick voyages for vessels which had been specially constructed with a view to expedition. it was extraordinary, too, built and equipped as the packets were, that out of nine that had been recently captured eight should have fallen a prey to private ships of war, which presumably enjoyed far less advantages in point of sailing. the conclusion at which the merchants felt constrained to arrive was that "in the mode of loading or navigating the packets some abuses exist sufficient to counteract the advantages of their construction." and yet, mysterious as their proceedings were, ample evidence is at hand that the packets were both willing and able to fight as occasion required. indeed, to this period belong some of their smartest engagements. we will give one or two instances. on the evening of the th of october the _portland_ packet, captain taylor, was lying becalmed off the island of guadeloupe when a french privateer, the _temeraire_, bore down upon her. the privateer carried sixty-eight men and the packet thirty-two. a light breeze springing up, the _portland's_ head was got off shore, and for the time she contrived to elude her antagonist, who followed her all night under easy sail. at daybreak the same distance separated the two ships as on the preceding evening; but as the _temeraire_ began to overtake the _portland_, taylor fired the first shot. the shot was returned, and the privateer hoisting the bloody flag grappled the _portland_ and boarded her on the lee quarter. laying hold of the jib-stay taylor ordered it to be lashed to the packet, and called upon the passengers and crew to open their musketry. a fierce engagement ensued, which ended in favour of the _portland_. out of sixty-eight men on board the privateer no less than forty-one were either killed or wounded. a treacherous shot fired after she had struck her colours carried off the captain of the packet in the moment of victory, and as he was endeavouring to allay the carnage. among the passengers on board the _portland_ were four military officers, captains in the english army. that these officers in no small measure contributed to the result may be taken for granted; but silent as to their own deeds they extolled in the highest terms the prowess of the captain and crew, and it was from the independent testimony which they and the other passengers bore that the gallant action became known to the postmasters-general. another and still more brilliant engagement had taken place a few years before. on the th of november the _antelope_ packet, captain curtis, sailed from port royal in jamaica with twenty-nine men. she, like the _portland_, had on board a few passengers, among whom were colonel loppinott, an independent witness to the events that followed, and a young man of the name of nodin. nodin had been a midshipman in the royal navy, and, having resigned his commission, was on his way home to england to seek for other employment. on the morning of the st of december, when the _antelope_ was about five leagues off cumberland harbour in the island of cuba, the _atalanta_, a french privateer, hove in sight and immediately gave chase. the privateer carried eight carriage-guns and sixty-five men. the packet carried the usual six four-pounders, and out of her crew of twenty-nine men four had died of fever and two others were prostrate from the same cause, so that her complement was practically reduced to twenty-three. the pursuit continued until the morning of the rd, when, the _atalanta_ coming within gunshot and hoisting french colours and the bloody flag, broadsides were exchanged. the two ships now grappled, and on the part of the privateer an attempt was made to board both fore and aft. fore, the assailing party, fifteen in number, were swept away by the guns; aft, where there were no guns, the assault was also repulsed but at a cost of life which made the disproportion between the numbers on the two sides even greater than before. among those that were killed in this sally was the captain of the packet; and the mate having been severely wounded, the command devolved upon john pascoe, the boatswain. another attempt was now made to board, and, like the first, was successfully resisted. this result was largely due to nodin's intrepidity. standing by the helm and armed with a pike and a musket he alternately used these weapons with deadly effect. as the men climbed the sides, he sprang forward and cut them down with his pike; then he returned to the helm and righted the ship; then seizing his musket he loaded it and flew to quarters; and as he was cool and collected and a sure marksman every shot told. on the repulse of the second attempt to board, the privateer's grappling-rope was cut and she tried to sheer off; but this pascoe prevented by lashing her square sail-yard to the fore-shrouds of the packet. the privateer's fire now began to slacken, which was only a signal to the others to renew their energies. the _antelope_ poured in volley after volley of small-arms; and at length the marauders cried out for mercy and, expecting none, some of them jumped into the sea and were drowned. altogether, when the bloody flag was torn down from the mast-head of the _atalanta_, only thirty men remained out of the sixty-five with which she had begun the combat; and of these thirty one-half were wounded. the troubles of the packet were not yet at an end. as the smoke cleared away she was found to be on fire; and it was not until the mainsail, quarter cloths, and hammocks had been cut away that she was able to carry her prize into anotta bay. the officers and crew of the _antelope_ did not go unrewarded. for distribution among the survivors and the families of those who had been killed the house of assembly in jamaica voted the sum of guineas; guineas were afterwards presented for the same purpose by the society for encouraging the capture of french privateers; the postmasters-general showered small pensions and gratuities; and--what was the highest compliment of all--the _atalanta_, though a droit of admiralty, was given up to the captors. it was always when passengers were on board that the post office heard of these brilliant achievements on the part of the packets. we are not sure that this fact may not help us to unravel the mystery which perplexed the merchants. may it not be that, when the check exercised by the presence of passengers was removed, the packets at the end of the last century, like those of a hundred years before, went in quest of adventure and matched themselves against superior force or otherwise engaged in illicit operations? the series of captures which the merchants could not understand, and, where there were no captures, the dilatoriness of the voyages, would thus be explained. the usage of the post office one hundred years ago differed in not a few particulars from the usage of to-day. at the present time no postmaster-general would think of calling for a daily return of the number of letters passing through the london office with the amount of postage paid or to be paid upon them. yet such a return was, a century ago, sent to the postmasters-general regularly every morning, and it was esteemed the most important paper of the day. at the present time any instruction which may have to be given to the sorting office is entered in what is called the order book; and this book is signed by all whom it concerns. one hundred years ago, all instructions were made known by the presidents reading them aloud in the sorting office on mondays and saturdays, when the men were assembled for the purpose. it was thus that appointments, promotions, and punishments were also announced. one hundred years ago, when a letter-carrier's walk became vacant, a bell was rung, and, the letter-carriers being collected together, the vacancy was offered to the senior, and if the senior declined it, to the next in rotation, and so on. when a post office servant died, his salary was paid not only to the date of death but to the end of the current quarter. another practice then existed, a practice dictated, as some may think, by convenience and common sense. it was that counsel engaged in post office cases gave receipts for their fees. in connection with this practice a curious incident occurred. walsingham had ordered an independent inquiry to be made into the solicitor's accounts, and, in the course of the investigation, the inspector came across a heap of receipts signed, or purporting to be signed, by some of the most eminent lawyers of the day. walsingham had suspected imposition before, and now he was sure of it. the solicitor, had he been asked, would no doubt have explained, as indeed was the case, that the practice dated from , and originated with godolphin, who, failing to see why counsel engaged by public offices should be exempt from doing what all other persons were required to do, issued peremptory injunctions that in legal cases no more fees should be paid by the post office for which receipts were not given.[ ] instead, however, of addressing himself to the solicitor, walsingham referred to kenyon, the lord chief justice; and kenyon's reply, as walsingham himself admitted, filled him with astonishment. it was simply that when attorney-general he had always given receipts for fees from public offices, understanding when he was appointed that such was the practice, and that it had long been so. [ ] this is godolphin's letter:-- treasury chambers, _june , _. gentlemen--my lord treasurer hath commanded me to signify to you his lordship's direction that whenever your sollicitor shall pay any fees to any serjeant or councellor at law, or give any sum or sums of money for coppys to any clerk or clerks or officers in any court or courts of record at westminster, he shall take a ticket subscribed with the hand and name of the same serjeant or councellor or from the clerk or officer testifying how much he hath received for his fee or hath been paid by him for coppys, and at what time and how often, according to the statute in the third year of the reign of king james the first, made and provided in that behalf, and his lordship directs you to take care that what money shall be hereafter expended for law charges relating to the revenue under your management, the same be so expressed in the bill of incidents, that it may appear to his lordship that the above-mentioned directions have been duly comply'd with.--i am, gentlemen, your most humble servant, william lowndes. sir robert cotton, knight, and sir thomas frankland, bart. one more custom we may mention as existing a century ago, a custom which was then abandoned, but not without manifest reluctance on the part of those whose interest it was to keep it alive. at the present time our friends at the treasury are credited with taking advantage of the accident of their position to get themselves appointed to the best situations in all the public offices of the state. one hundred years ago the blackmail which these gentlemen levied upon the public offices took another form, a form a little coarser perhaps but less provoking. at the beginning of each year they exacted tribute which, disguised under the name of new year's gifts, were really new year's extortions. the correspondence which passed between the treasury and the post office, when these extortions ceased, unlike official correspondence generally, is so short and to the point that we cannot do better than give it in full:-- the treasury to the post office. treasury chambers, _oct. , _. my lords--the lords commissioners of his majesty's treasury having had under their consideration a report of the select committee of the house of commons on finance in the last session of parliament respecting this office, i am commanded by their lordships to acquaint you that they have determined that the practice of receiving new year's gifts by any person in this department shall be discontinued, and that your lordships may not send them as heretofore.--i am, my lords, etc., george rose. the post office to the treasury. general post office, _jan. , _. my lords--we beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of mr. rose's letter of the th of october acquainting us of your lordships' determination that the practice of receiving new year's gifts by any person in your department must be discontinued, to which we shall pay proper attention. it is necessary to state to your lordships that mr. rose's letter, although dated the th of october , was not brought to this office until the st of january ; but it was received in due time to enable us to attend to the purport of it.--we are, my lords, etc., chesterfield. leicester. it is needless to add that hitherto these new year's gifts had been despatched from the post office on the evening of the st of december. nine years had now passed since the royal commissioners had reported upon the condition of the public offices; and four years had passed since the report had seen the light. pitt had been deliberate enough in approving the recommendations; but having done so, he had no intention that they should remain inoperative. and yet he had little confidence that such would not be the case unless some external influence were brought to bear. accordingly recourse was had to an expedient which might perhaps with advantage be sometimes adopted at the present day. at pitt's instigation a special committee of the house of commons was appointed to ascertain and report how far the recommendations of the royal commissioners had been carried into effect. the post office, on the whole, came well out of the ordeal. abuses had been corrected; useless offices had been abolished; and men were no longer drawing salaries for duties which they did not perform. there was, however, one notable exception. todd, the secretary, had during many years ceased to do any work; yet he had not ceased to draw his full salary; neither had he ceased to retain his shares in at least one of the post office packets. the committee denounced his conduct in terms which far exceeded the ordinary bounds of parliamentary usage. their language indeed, as applied to a man of more than eighty years of age, might even be pronounced to be cruel. and yet scathing as the censure was, it fell upon callous ears. with a tenacity worthy of a better cause the old man still clung to his place and his shares. the postmasters-general now brought pressure to bear. as regards the shares, which todd had held unknown to his masters, they insisted upon his selling them; but his place of secretary they were either unwilling or unable to wrest from his grasp. death at length put an end to the scandal. in june todd yielded up at once his life and his office; and francis freeling, according to a long-standing promise, became secretary to the post office in his stead. chapter xiv francis freeling - the name of francis freeling has been placed at the head of this chapter, not because, in devising new means of correspondence or extending means that already existed, he is to be classed with the distinguished men who preceded him--with palmer and allen, with dockwra and witherings--but because for more than a generation he exercised a paramount influence in post office matters, and during this long period whatever was done affecting the communications of the country was done upon his advice. the first act of importance in which freeling was concerned after his appointment as secretary was the establishment of the ship letter office, an office which owed its origin to the suggestion of frederick bourne, a clerk in the foreign department. hitherto the packet boats, where packet boats existed, had been the only means by which correspondence could be legally sent out of the kingdom; and yet in the neighbourhood of the exchange there was hardly a place of public resort at which letters for america and the west indies, as well as other places abroad, were not collected for despatch by private ship. there was no concealment about the matter. at lloyds, and the jamaica, the maryland, the virginia and other coffee-houses, bags were openly hung up, and all letters dropped into these bags, including those for places to which there was communication by packet, were taken on board ship, and, without the intervention of the post office, despatched to their destination, the captains receiving for their transport a gratuity of d. apiece. illegal as the practice was, pitt was unwilling to suppress it. the act which made it illegal to send by private ship letters which might be sent by packet had been passed in the time of queen anne, and he could not reconcile it to himself to enforce a law some ninety years old which had never yet been set in motion. bourne's idea was to sweep all ship-letters into the post, and to charge them inwards with a fixed sum of d. and outwards with half the packet rate of postage. if with the place to which a letter was addressed there was no communication by packet, the rate was to be fixed at what presumably it would be if such communication existed. pitt favoured the idea and adopted it--subject, however, to one important qualification. instead of being compulsory the act, should an act be passed, was to be permissive. on this point pitt was determined. it was only in return for some service that the post office was entitled to make a charge. and what was the service here? to seal the bags? this he could not regard as a substantial service--a service for which a charge should be made. the ship was a private ship, her commander was not a servant of the post office, and the bag of letters he carried might be, and not infrequently was, for countries in which neither the post office nor any other branch of the british government had an accredited agent. surely in such circumstances anything in the shape of compulsion was out of the question, and all that should be done was to invite the merchants to bring their letters to the post office, when the post office would undertake to find a private ship that would carry them. a bill on these lines was brought in and passed; and on the th of september the ship letter office was opened, bourne being appointed to superintend it under the title of inspector. the new measure failed of its object. on letters entering the kingdom fourpences were no doubt collected, because, until these letters had been deposited at the local post office, no vessel was allowed to make entry or to break bulk. but letters leaving the kingdom left it just as they had been used to leave it before the ship letter office was established. it was in vain that the post office tempted the keepers of coffee-houses by the offer of high salaries to become its own agents. all overtures to this end were resolutely declined; and during many years the letters by private ship that were sent through the post stood to those that were received through the same agency in no higher proportion than one to eighteen. in the post office was called upon to make to the exchequer a further contribution to the amount of £ , . what would have struck consternation to the hearts of most men was to freeling a source of unmixed pleasure. not only had he a perfect craze for high rates of postage, but it had long been with him a subject of lament that under the law as it stood no higher charge was made for a distance of miles than for a distance of . this in his view was a glaring defect, and he now set himself to remedy it. the new rates--which, as he lost no opportunity of making known, were exclusively of his own devising--were adopted by the government, and having passed the houses of parliament came into operation on the th of april. as compared with the old rates, they were as follows:-- +------------------------------------------------------------------+ | before the th of april . | +-----------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------+ | |single.|double.|treble.|ounce.| | +-------+-------+-------+------+ | | _d._ | _d._ | _d._ | _d._ | |not exceeding miles | | | | | |above and not exceeding miles| | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | |exceeding miles | | | | | +-----------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------+ +------------------------------------------------------------------+ | on and after the th of april . | +-----------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------+ | |single.|double.|treble.|ounce.| | +-------+-------+-------+------+ | | _d._ | _d._ | _d._ | _d._ | |not exceeding miles | | | | | |above and not exceeding miles| | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | |exceeding miles | | | | | +-----------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------+ thus the postage on a single letter was--from london to brighton, d.; from london to liverpool, d.; and from london to edinburgh, s. a letter weighing one ounce is now carried from london to thurso for d. in the charge was s. on letters to or from places abroad, "not being within his majesty's dominions," the postage was at the same time raised by d., d., s., and s. d., according as the letter was single, double, treble, or of the weight of one ounce. but there was worse to come. by the act of the london penny post--that post which had been established years before, and which, its founder had predicted, would endure to all posterity--was swept out of existence. for us who are now living it is difficult to conceive that such an enormity should have been possible. yet there is the fact. after the passing of the act of the london penny post had ceased to be. where d. had been charged before, the sum of d. was to be charged now. the same act contained another provision, which it is impossible to regard otherwise than as a wanton interference with trade. the legislature, from the earliest days of the post office, had shewn indulgence to merchants' accounts not exceeding one sheet of paper, to bills of exchange, invoices, and bills of lading. all these, in the language of the act establishing the post office--the act of --were to be "without rate in the price of the letters"; and a similar provision was contained in the act of anne. owing, however, to a faulty construction of the clause it was doubtful whether the exemption was confined to foreign letters or whether it applied to inland letters as well. the merchants contended that inland letters were included; otherwise, as they pointed out, a letter might "go cheaper to constantinople than to bristol." the postmasters-general, on the other hand, insisted that the exemption applied only to foreign letters, and, in order to set doubts at rest, they early in the reign of george the second procured an act to be passed declaring their interpretation to be the right one. as regards foreign letters, therefore, there had never been the slightest doubt as to either the intention or the practice. when enclosed in letters going or coming from abroad, merchants' accounts not exceeding one sheet of paper, bills of exchange, invoices, and bills of lading had from the first establishment of the post office been exempt from postage; and now after an interval of more than years this exemption, like the penny post, was swept away. henceforth these documents were to be charged as so many several letters. yet one more provision in the act of it is necessary to notice as introducing a novel principle. this act gave power to the postmasters-general to grant postal facilities to towns and villages where no post offices existed, provided the inhabitants were prepared to pay such sums as might be mutually agreed upon. as the postmasters-general were already authorised to establish penny post offices wherever they might see fit out of london, the object of this fresh power may not be very clear. it was not that the post office might be able to charge for the local service more than d. a letter, for in no single instance, so far as we are aware, was more than d. charged, but that in arranging the local service the post office might have a freedom of action which it did not possess under the statute empowering it to establish penny posts. in short, the object of the power was to enable the post office, in concert with the inhabitants of the towns and villages concerned, to try experiments. as a natural consequence of the high rates of postage, the illegal conveyance of letters now became general. this was an offence to which freeling gave no quarter. wherever information could be obtained that letters were being conveyed otherwise than by post, there a prosecution was instituted. the extent to which the policy of repression was carried less than a century ago may seem incredible. in scotland, for instance, every carrier and every master of a stage-coach as well as many others were served with notice of prosecution. in that part of the kingdom alone no less than prosecutions were instituted simultaneously. even parkin, the solicitor to the post office in england, was absolutely aghast at the zeal of his colleague over the border, and counselled moderation. freeling, on the other hand, expressed entire approval, declaring that the scotch solicitor was to be encouraged and not restrained. nor were the prosecutions merely nominal. an unfortunate post office servant, or rider as he was called, had been detected in carrying forty unposted letters. this man, whose wages did not exceed a few shillings a week, was sued upon each letter, and adjudged to pay forty separate penalties of s. apiece. lord auckland and lord charles spencer were at this time postmasters-general. spencer had been only recently appointed. auckland had held his appointment for a couple of years, and by virtue of his seniority took the lead. seldom, perhaps, has there been a more kindly postmaster-general, or one who to an equal extent enlivened by sprightly sallies the dull monotony of official work. the postmaster of tring had opened a letter from freeling to sir john sebright. the postmaster pleaded that the opening was accidental; freeling maintained that it was wilful, and recommended the man's dismissal. auckland ordered him to be reprimanded for culpable negligence. it may, no doubt, he said, have been a wilful act; but it may also have been an act of inadvertence. and then, in order to remove any feeling of soreness which freeling may have entertained at his recommendation being set aside, he good-naturedly added, "_multi alii hoc fecerunt etiam et boni_." "i have," he continued, "a fellow-feeling on the occasion. my appetite for reading is as much sickened as that of any man-cook for the tasting of high sauces; and yet so lately as last night i tore the envelope of a letter which a little attention would have shewn was not for me." on another occasion two postmistresses--the postmistress of faversham and the postmistress of croydon--simultaneously announced their intention of marrying, each for the third time, and asked that their offices, which as married women they would be incompetent to continue to hold, might be transferred to their future husbands. auckland gave the permission sought, adding, in the case of the postmistress of faversham, "i meet the repeated applications of this active deputy with great complacency, and in the words of lady castlemaine's answer to our mutton-eating monarch-- 'again and again, my liege, said she, and as oft as shall please your majesty.'" bennett, the man to whom the postmistress of croydon was engaged, had been known to her for some time, and she bore testimony to his qualifications for the post to which he aspired. "the croydon lady, who is also laudably prone to a reiteration of nuptials," wrote auckland, "rests her case on grounds less solid. i have no doubt of her judgment and testimony respecting the ability of mr. robert thomas bennett; but for the sake of the precedent the sufficiency should be certified either by the surveyor of the district, or by the vicar or some principal inhabitant." with such pleasantries as these auckland beguiled the tediousness of official work; but in serious matters, matters affecting the interests of the public, he appears to have exerted little will of his own. once, indeed, he expressed some misgiving as to the propriety of the course pursued. it was in the case of the scotch prosecutions. "i own," he said, "that i was a little surprised to find that so large a measure as that of commencing prosecutions has been undertaken without our special cognisance; but this circumstance," he added, "is in some degree explained." the reproof, if reproof it can be called, could hardly have been milder; and yet as coming from auckland it was a severe one. it had not the effect, however--nor probably was it designed to have the effect--of checking the general policy on which freeling had embarked. that policy was one of repression, and in england hardly less than in scotland prosecutions went merrily on. indeed, the repressive powers of the post office, large as they were already, were yet not large enough to satisfy headquarters. freeling discerned clearly enough that, if only a sufficiently high consideration were offered, persons would always be found to carry letters clandestinely. might it not be possible to strike at the source of the mischief, and make it penal for persons clandestinely to send them? the tempters would thus be reached as well as the tempted. at all events the experiment should be tried. with this object freeling now devoted himself to the preparation of a bill, one clause of which rendered liable to penalties persons sending letters otherwise than by the post. the bill, which was throughout of a highly penal character, eventually passed into law,[ ] but not without grave misgivings on the part of eldon, the lord chancellor, and ellenborough, the chief justice. it was only in deference to the urgent representations of the post office that these two eminent men consented to the introduction of the measure, and, while waiving their objections to it, they strongly recommended that "great lenity should be used in its execution." it will be interesting to note how far this recommendation was acted on. [ ] george iii. cap. lxxxi. (june , ). having settled the postage rates to his satisfaction, freeling obtained permission to carry out his favourite project of guarding the horse-mails. the arguments in favour of this measure were overwhelming. during the five years which had elapsed since the treasury had refused their assent, these mails had been stopped and rifled of their contents on fifteen different occasions; and on the last of these--when the lewes mail was robbed in the neighbourhood of east grinstead--bills had been stolen to the amount of nearly £ , . during the same period seven persons had been executed for participation in these felonies; three were awaiting trial; and the cost of prosecutions amounted to £ or £ a year. the annual cost of freeling's plan, as he now proposed to modify it, would not exceed £ . moved by these considerations, the treasury gave at length the necessary authority, and the horse-posts throughout the country, except on the less important roads, were provided with a strong cap for the protection of the head, a jacket, a brace of pistols, and a hanger. we have said that during the last five years--the five years ending in august --the horse-mails had been robbed on fifteen different occasions. one of these robberies occurred between the towns of selby and york. it was a commonplace robbery enough, with little or nothing to distinguish it from any other; and yet for a reason which will presently appear we give a copy of the letter in which the particulars were reported to headquarters:-- to francis freeling, esq. post office, york, _feb. , _. sir--i am sorry to acquaint you the post-boy coming from selby to this city was robbed of his mail between six and seven o'clock this evening. about three miles on this side of selby he was accosted by a man on foot with a gun in his hand, who asked him if he was the post-boy, and at the same time seized hold of the bridle. without waiting for any answer he told the boy he must immediately unstrap the mail and give it him, pointing the muzzle of the gun at him whilst he did it. when he had given up the mail, the boy begged he would not hurt him, to which the man replied he need not be afraid, and at the same time pulled the bridle from the horse's head. the horse immediately galloped off with the boy, who had never dismounted. he was a stout man dressed in a drab jacket, and had the appearance of being a hicklar. the boy was too much frightened to make any other remark on his person, and says he was totally unknown to him. the mail contained the bags for howden and london, howden and york, and selby and york. i have informed the surveyor of the robbery, and have forwarded hand-bills this night to be distributed in the country, and will take care to insert it in the first papers published here.--waiting your further instructions, i remain with respect, sir, your obliged and obedient humble servant, thomas oldfield. let us now go forward to the year . in that year this identical bag, for which a reward had been offered at the time without result, was placed in our hands, having been found concealed in the roof of an old wayside public-house situated not far from the scene of the robbery, and then in course of demolition. the original documents were called for and produced; and thus, after an interval of nearly eighty years, the bag and the official papers in which its loss was reported have come together and found one common resting-place. of the identity of the bag there is no question. not only do the form and texture proclaim it to be of the last century, but it bears upon it the word "selby," and a medallion with the letters "g. r."[ ] [ ] this experience is not to be compared with that of inspector dicker, who in wrote to the secretary of the post office as follows:-- "honoured sir ... on arriving at caxton, in the course of conversation with the landlord of the crown public-house respecting the loss of the above-mentioned bag, he informed me he had found a mail bag secreted under an oak floor between the joists that supported the floor in one of the upper rooms of his house, and that the letters it contained were of very ancient date, as far back as the year . i requested to be allowed to see them, and, on his producing them, discovered it to be a london bag labelled tuxford. i desired to be allowed to take two of the letters with me and a bit of the bag, which i gave to mr. peacock the solicitor. the only intelligence i could gain as to the probable cause of the bag being found there was that a post-rider was robbed and murdered about the date of the above-mentioned letters." the two letters are still with the official papers. one of them is undecipherable. the other is nearly as legible as on the day it was written. in it the writer announces to his uncle the death of his mother from "the small pox and purples," and states that this disease is devastating the town of kirtlington. the troubles which had long been brewing with the mail-coach contractors now came to a climax. in an act of parliament had been passed imposing a duty of d. a mile upon all public carriages. the mail-coach contractors bitterly complained of this impost, and not without reason. a penny a mile was all they received for carrying the mails, and the new statute virtually took this d. away, leaving them without any payment at all for their services. it had been overlooked that the mail-coach was not as other coaches were. the ordinary stage-coach was at liberty to carry as many passengers as its proprietor pleased, and it was no unusual thing for eight or nine and even ten to be carried inside, the number outside being limited only by considerations of safety. the mail-coach, on the contrary, was rigidly restricted to five passengers--four inside and one out--and the post office rejected all proposals for so altering the construction of the coach as to admit of its carrying more. then came the year , a year of scarcity, during which all kinds of horse provender reached unprecedented prices. the government refused to bring in a bill exempting the mail-coaches from the new duty; and it only remained for the post office to raise the allowance which the contractors received from d. to d. a mile, a measure involving an additional payment of £ , a year. the second penny, however, was granted only as a temporary allowance, terminable at the end of one year and three-quarters, and, unlike most allowances given under a similar condition, it actually ceased at the appointed time. the clamour of two years before now broke out afresh and with redoubled force. the tax on public carriages remained; and horse provender had become no cheaper. did not justice demand that the additional penny should continue to be paid? the post office was disinclined to contest the claim; but acting under orders from above--orders which assuredly would not have been given had pitt remained minister--it proceeded to bargain, and at length, after much haggling, the contractors were prevailed upon to accept one-half of the temporary allowance or an additional / d. a mile for a further period of eighteen months, viz. from the th of october to the th of april , when the question was to be again considered. a temporary expedient of this nature seldom answers; and the present was no exception to the rule. eventually the post office had to give rather more than need have been given in the first instance, and after the mails were carried at an average rate of - / d. the single or - / d. the double mile. other alterations followed. to the postmasters' salaries an increase was made all round, an increase small indeed individually but large in the aggregate. what had been done for manchester eight years before was now done for liverpool. the post office there was remodelled and a penny post established. an end was, about the same time, put to a most objectionable arrangement. as a reward for their services in promoting palmer's plan, three of the surveyors had been appointed to postmasterships, and these appointments they held in addition to their own proper appointments as surveyor. thus, one of their number was postmaster of gloucester, another postmaster of honiton, and a third postmaster of portsmouth. these appointments were now taken away, but under circumstances calculated to leave the least possible soreness among those from whom they were taken. not only were the salaries of all three raised from £ to £ a year, but the son of the surveyor who was postmaster of gloucester was appointed to gloucester, and the daughter of the one who was postmaster of honiton was appointed to honiton. the postmaster of portsmouth, who had neither son nor daughter to succeed him, was, in accordance with a practice then very common, assigned the sum of £ a year out of his successor's salary. this sum he received in addition to his own salary of £ as surveyor. in , for the third time within eight years, the post office was called upon to make a further contribution to the exchequer; and again freeling devoted himself to the congenial task of revising and increasing the postage rates. unwilling to destroy the symmetry of his own handiwork, he simply suggested that to the rates as prescribed by the act of should be added-- d. for a single letter, d. for a double letter, d. for a treble letter, and d. for a letter weighing as much as one ounce. the suggestion was adopted, and after the th of march, the date on which the new act was passed, the postage on a single letter was--from london to brighton, d. instead of d.; from london to liverpool, d. instead of d.; and from london to edinburgh, s. d. instead of s. but this was by no means all. in london, as we have seen, the penny post had, four years before, been converted into a twopenny post; and now the twopenny post, in respect to letters for places beyond the general post limits, was converted into a threepenny one. thus, abingdon street, westminster, was within the limits of the general post delivery, but millbank was beyond them. accordingly, a letter for millbank, even though posted no farther off than charing cross, was to be charged d., while the charge on a letter to abingdon street remained at d. as before. the act of introduced a still further complication. letters from the country addressed to any part of london that was outside the limits of the general post were to be consigned to the twopenny post, and, in addition to all other postage, to be charged with the sum of d. thus, of two letters of the same weight delivered at the same time and by the same person, one, originating in the country, would have to pay d., and the other, originating in london, would have to pay d. to record, therefore, that in the postage on a single letter--as, for instance, between london and plymouth--was d., although in one sense correct, would give an imperfect idea of the real state of the case. plymouth was one of the towns which possessed village or convention posts. suppose a letter from one of the villages to which these posts extended to have been addressed to knightsbridge or any other part of london situated outside the general post boundary. the postage would have been not d. but d. + d. + whatever might have been agreed upon for the village accommodation. but more than this. there were certain towns through which, though lying off the direct road, the mail-coaches passed for a consideration. such towns were hinckley in leicestershire, atherstone in warwickshire, and tamworth in staffordshire. here, in consideration of the accommodation afforded by the mail-coach passing through, the inhabitants undertook to pay in addition to all other postage d. on each letter. a day came when they sought to be relieved from this impost. vain aspiration! had they not agreed for a penny a letter? and, for any relief that the post office would give, a penny a letter they should pay to the end of time. it may safely be affirmed that at the present day no increase of postage would produce a corresponding increase of revenue. such, unhappily, was not the case at the beginning of the century. people did not then write unless they had something to say which could not be left unsaid without loss or inconvenience. trade, moreover, was rapidly expanding, and, as a consequence of the war, the ports were closed. thus, correspondence was driven inland; and upon inland correspondence, unlike correspondence with foreign parts, the government received the whole of the postage. but be the cause what it might, it must be owned that, in respect to the returns which they brought to the exchequer, the three increases of postage made in , , and answered expectation. this, though not a justification, is perhaps their best excuse. in , the year before the first of the three increases was made, the net post office revenue was £ , ; in , the year after the last of them, it was £ , , . the same result is apparent in the case of what, for distinction's sake, we will still call the london penny post, although the london penny post had become a twopenny and threepenny one. in the net revenue derived from this source was £ ; in it was £ , . among those who about this time criticised the doings of the post office was william cobbett. cobbett was regarded by freeling as a base calumniator with whom no terms were to be kept; and yet on a dispassionate retrospect it is impossible to deny that on the whole his criticisms were just, and that such of them as appeared in print[ ] were expressed in not intemperate language. at the present time far stronger language is used every day under far less provocation. of cobbett's numerous subjects of complaint we will mention only two--the so-called "early delivery" of letters and the treatment of foreign newspapers; and these have been selected because they serve to illustrate, better perhaps than any others, the practice of the post office eighty or ninety years ago. the latter of the two subjects serves also to explain much that would otherwise be inexplicable. [ ] _weekly political register_, nos. and , st and th dec. . the "early delivery"--a species of accommodation confined to london--was not what its name would seem to imply, because no letters were even begun to be delivered before nine o'clock in the morning. it was really a preferential delivery, a delivery restricted to those who chose to pay for it. for a fee or, as the post office preferred to call it, a subscription of s. a quarter or £ a year, any one residing within certain limits, including the whole of the city and extending westward as far as hamilton place, could get his letters in advance of the general delivery. it was managed thus. at nine o'clock or a little after the letter-carriers started from lombard street; and those for the remoter districts, in addition to their own letters, took letters for the districts through which they passed in proceeding to their own and, without waiting for the postage, dropped them at the houses of subscribers. the postage was collected in the course of the week by the regular letter-carrier of the district. against this preferential delivery, a delivery purchased by individuals at the expense of the general public, cobbett very justly inveighed. freeling, on the other hand, defended it as a priceless boon to merchants and traders who desired to receive their letters before the appointed hour. he omitted to explain, however, why a boon which could be bought by some could not be given gratuitously to all. it is a curious fact that this early delivery, essentially unfair as it was, continued to exist for more than thirty years after the period of which we are now writing. as late as and it was still in vogue, and not only the merchants and traders of london but the denizens of the squares were largely availing themselves of it. but it was chiefly in the city that the practice flourished. thus, on the morning of the th of may , out of a total of letters for the lombard street district no less than were "delivered early." the second of cobbett's complaints, or rather the second which we propose to notice, had reference to the treatment of foreign newspapers. what this treatment was at the beginning of the present century may appear hardly credible to us who live at the end of it. except at the letter rate of postage, no newspapers could either enter or leave the kingdom unless they were franked;[ ] and the power of franking them was restricted to post office servants. this power was as old as the post office itself; and so was the practice of exercising it for a consideration. what was new was an arrangement or understanding between freeling and arthur stanhope, the head of the foreign department, by virtue of which stanhope in conjunction with his subordinates franked newspapers for the continent, and freeling franked those for america and the british possessions abroad. [ ] what we have here called "franked" newspapers went free in both directions; but of course it was only newspapers outwards that bore a signature on the superscription. on those inwards a signature was immaterial, as they would in any case go, without being charged, direct from the port of arrival to lombard street. abroad, special arrangements for their transit and delivery were made from london. thus, the london office by means of its private agency could get an english newspaper delivered in paris for d. by post, the charge between calais and paris would have been from s. to s. here was a mine of wealth. newspapers were rapidly increasing in number and postage was rapidly rising. of course, so long as the price charged for franking was kept well below the cost of postage, the demand for franks would be brisk. before the century was sixteen years old freeling and stanhope were drawing from this source more than £ a year each. cobbett had had personal experience of the system. he had paid a visit to america, and having while there been supplied with a newspaper from england, he had on his return been presented with a bill for nine guineas as the price of franking. not only did he refuse to pay the bill, and persist in his refusal in spite of repeated applications, but he inveighed in his paper against the practice which made such a charge possible. this was in . he now, in december , renewed his attack upon the post office; but this time it was in respect to the manner in which newspapers were treated on their arrival in england, a treatment still more extraordinary than that which they received on despatch. the matter is somewhat complicated, and in order to explain it we must go back a few years. till the breaking out of the french revolution and the continental wars which succeeded it, foreign intelligence had long been uninteresting and was little sought after. the few newspapers that were published in london had confined themselves almost exclusively to domestic matters. then came a sudden change. domestic matters fell into the background. the whole country was eager to learn what was taking place on the other side of the channel. newspapers multiplied apace. where there was one before, there were now half a dozen, all hungering for foreign intelligence. here was an opportunity for the clerks in the foreign department of the post office. these clerks, in conjunction with their comptroller, had the exclusive right of franking newspapers for the continent, just as newspapers circulating within great britain were franked by the clerks of the roads. they had also, by virtue of their position, unequalled facilities for getting newspapers from abroad, and of these facilities they now availed themselves to the utmost. it would not be correct to state that at this time they established a foreign news-agency, for this they had done long ago; but what had hitherto been an insignificant business now became a large and important one. it may be interesting to trace its progress. at the time of which we are writing--from onwards--the foreign correspondence was seldom in course of distribution in london till the afternoon, owing to the then established custom of waiting till two o'clock for any mail that might be due. thus, a foreign mail arriving at three o'clock in the afternoon of one day might not be delivered until the same hour in the afternoon of the following day. another curious custom prevailed at this time. it was considered right, as a matter of international courtesy, that no foreign newspapers should be delivered until the foreign ministers had received their correspondence; and this correspondence, though delivered separately from the general correspondence, was seldom delivered earlier. meanwhile the newspapers were held in reserve by the clerks, ready to be delivered to their customers as soon as delivery was permissible by the rule of the office. this was a state of things which readily lent itself to malpractices. the person whom the comptroller appointed to distribute the foreign newspapers was an old woman of the name of cooper, and in her custody they remained during the close time, the time during which the foreign ministers' correspondence was preparing for delivery. this woman had a son who assisted her in the distribution, a young man of some ability and of no principle. he was not slow to take advantage of his position. from the foreign newspapers, while in his mother's custody, he jotted down the points of interest and sold his jottings to the london newspapers. the profits he derived from this source assumed such proportions that in the course of a few years he was reputed to have amassed a not inconsiderable fortune. from one newspaper alone, the _courier_, he received no less than £ in a single year. thus matters went on, save only that owing to the establishment of a second delivery of foreign correspondence the interval during which newspapers lay at the post office was shortened, until the year , when stanhope's appointment as comptroller put an end to one scandal merely to establish another. no sooner had stanhope taken up his appointment than the clerks, who had long protested in vain against cooper's conduct, broke out into fresh complaints; and the arrangement was then made which called forth cobbett's invective. why, argued stanhope, should not that which cooper has been doing clandestinely be done openly and under official sanction? it is true a rule exists that foreign newspapers must not be delivered in advance of the foreign ministers' correspondence; but a carefully-compiled summary of the contents of a newspaper is a very different thing from the newspaper itself. this, surely, might be delivered to the london editors without a breach either of the rule itself or of the considerations on which it was founded. such were stanhope's arguments, and he proceeded to put them into practice. with few if any exceptions, the editors of the london newspapers, both morning and evening, fell into the plan. french and dutch translators were engaged, and into their hands the foreign newspapers were placed as soon as they arrived at the post office. for each summary the charge was one guinea, and as there were generally two summaries a week, the sum which each editor paid was a little over £ a year. the entire proceeds, after payment of expenses, were divided in certain proportions between stanhope and his subordinates. in and again in cobbett had inveighed against a practice which thus amerced the editors of the london newspapers; but he might as well have preached to the winds. the practice was far too remunerative to be abandoned without a struggle. it is true that no one need take a summary unless he liked; but if he omitted to take one, it was at the cost of having only stale news to publish. at the close of circumstances were somewhat altered, and cobbett renewed his attack. communication by dover was closed, and correspondence from the continent could reach england only by holland and gravesend. the best arrangements of which the circumstances admitted were made for keeping up the supply of foreign newspapers and summaries; but after a while they broke down, and the post office was forced to seek the assistance of the alien office. this office had agents at gravesend, and undertook during the emergency to do what had hitherto been done by the post office. cobbett saw his opportunity, and was not slow to take advantage of it. it had been dinned into his ears that it was through the post office alone that foreign newspapers could be legally obtained, and that the department could make what arrangements it pleased for their distribution. but arrangements which in the hands of the post office were tolerated only because they had, or were supposed to have, legal sanction had now been transferred to the alien office. what, then, asked cobbett, had become of the law? to this inquiry the post office did not find it convenient to vouchsafe a reply. but a still more formidable antagonist than cobbett was about to deliver an assault. this was the _times_ newspaper. the _times_, although among what cobbett called "the guinea-giving papers," seldom made use of the summaries which the guineas purchased, regarding them as meagre and unsatisfactory. drawing from other and more fertile sources, it contrived in the matter of priority of intelligence to distance all competitors. on one occasion, indeed--a remarkable feat for those days--it even forestalled the "court," or, as they were now called, the "state" letters, which, unlike the ordinary letters, were delivered the moment the mail arrived. it was in , when george canning was foreign secretary. canning had not yet opened his despatches, and was amazed to find in his morning's paper information of which he had received no previous notice, and which, as he afterwards found, the despatches contained. indignant that his intelligence should have been thus anticipated, he instantly wrote to the post office demanding an explanation. angry as canning was, the reply he received can hardly have failed to evoke a smile. this reply was that the continental newspapers from which the _times_ had derived its information had been obtained not from the post office but from the foreign office, and that they had reached this office in canning's own bag under a cover addressed to himself. the _times_ had long protested against the intolerable delay which foreign newspapers sustained at the post office. especially had it protested against the absurdity of a system which, while withholding the newspapers themselves, yet permitted a summary of their contents to be published. but it had still more personal grounds of complaint. letters for the _times_, sealed letters addressed by permission to the under-secretaries of state, were excluded from the foreign office bag and kept back for the general delivery because, forsooth, the clerks at the post office were pleased to feel sure that these letters contained foreign newspapers, and feared that by forwarding them they would damage their own interests. such were the amazing liberties taken with correspondence in those days. no wonder that the _times_ proceeded to resent the outrage. in its issue of the th of may appeared an article which, after charging the post office with extortions and with sacrificing public convenience to the avarice of individuals, proceeded to declare that its administration was a disgrace to the government. freeling's indignation knew no bounds. that the charge was just never seems to have occurred to him. in his view it was nothing less than a libel--a libel of the most malignant character. never had man been more cruelly wronged than himself. the postmasters-general, lords sandwich and chichester, had been only four days in office, and their chief-officer was as yet unknown to them. obviously the intention was to damage this officer's reputation in the eyes of his new masters. but this intention should be frustrated. a criminal information should be filed. no; not a criminal information, for thus the aggressor's mouth would be closed. it should be a civil suit or action at law; and then the aggressor would be at liberty to tell his own tale, and all the world should see how little justification there was for his aspersions. at this time it was not known to freeling that letters for the _times_ sent under cover to the under-secretaries of state were being diverted from the ordinary course; and when, a little later on, the fact of diversion became known to him, the terms in which he expressed his sense of the impropriety were such as even the aggrieved newspaper would probably have held to leave nothing to be desired. but to apologise and arrest proceedings--these were things which would appear not to have come within the sphere of contemplation. an action had been begun, and it must proceed to the bitter end. a righteous cause is not necessarily one that can be defended at law. such would seem to have been the case in the present instance, for when the action came on for trial, the _times_ failed to appear, and judgment went by default. freeling was jubilant over the result. here was a triumphant vindication of his own and stanhope's proceedings. a charge had been brought--a charge as serious as any that could be levelled against a public department, and not even an attempt had been made to substantiate it. this was a happy termination of an unhappy business. so, at least, thought freeling; but, as a matter of fact, the business was far from being terminated yet. on the th of july, within three weeks of his reporting to the postmasters-general the result of the action at law, appeared a second article headed "post office," in which the iniquities of the system were ruthlessly exposed. strong language, indeed--language such as two months before had brought the _times_ within the meshes of the law--was carefully avoided, and the article confined itself to a bare narrative of facts. but the case against the post office lost nothing on this account. the facts spoke for themselves, and these, stated in their naked simplicity, constituted an indictment, to the weight of which no words could add. we can well believe that from this period the _times_ received its foreign newspapers in due course; but in other respects the only effect which the appearance of the second article had upon the post office was to spoil the triumph which it was celebrating over the result of the first. as to changing their practice and setting their house in order, this appears not to have occurred to either freeling or stanhope. on the contrary, they regarded themselves as deeply-injured persons, and, by dint of sheer importunity, induced the postmasters-general to consent to a second prosecution. wiser counsels, however, prevailed. the attorney-general, to whom the official papers were sent, took care not to return them, and to the present day the post office is without these interesting records. it is time we inquired what measure of success had attended the experimental posts--the posts by which, under mutual agreement between the post office and the inhabitants, small towns and villages were to be connected with post towns. village posts, they were sometimes called; but more commonly fifth-clause posts, from the clause of the act under which they were established. at first they answered well, but in an authoritative decision to the effect that franked letters and newspapers conveyed by a fifth-clause post were exempt from charge tended materially to disconcert arrangements. franked letters, though exempt from charge by the general post, were not exempt either by the penny posts in the country or by the twopenny post in london; and it had been taken for granted that they, as well as newspapers, would not be exempt by the fifth-clause posts. but it had now been decided otherwise, and this made all the difference. in arranging these posts nothing more had been aimed at than to make them self-supporting, and in adjusting the receipts and expenditure franks and newspapers had been counted as so many letters; but if these were to be eliminated, the balance would be on the wrong side. a service that was not self-supporting was, at the beginning of the century, regarded by the post office authorities as an abomination; and saddled as they were with a number of fifth-clause posts which had ceased to pay their own expenses, it became a serious question what was best to be done. a decision was precipitated by the action of the little town of olney in buckinghamshire. olney had at one time received from headquarters in lombard street what was called "an allowance in aid of its post"; but when fifth-clause posts were introduced this allowance ceased, and the inhabitants, in consideration of their being supplied with an official messenger from newport pagnel, agreed to pay over and above all other postage the sum of d. on each letter delivered. this agreement had now existed for several years, and the inhabitants had grown a little tired of it, being of opinion that a private messenger of their own could be procured on easier terms. accordingly they petitioned headquarters to reduce the rate they were paying from d. to / d. a letter, and, the request being refused, they proceeded to consider whether their agreement should not be terminated. this having come to freeling's ears, he stopped the post at once, and the inhabitants were left to get their letters as best they could. not even notice of his intention had been given. nor was this all. these capricious and discontented people, he said, should have imposed upon them a penny post. under a penny post they would still have their pence to pay; and the pence would be payable, not, as under the fifth-clause post, only on the letters delivered, but on those collected as well. this, while operating as a punitive measure, would have the incidental advantage of adding to the revenue. freeling was a bold man, and yet, bold as he was, his courage deserted him in this instance. at the last moment, after arrangements had been made for converting the fifth-clause post into a penny post, the order for conversion was revoked. to impose a penny post, he argued, would be no injustice; it would not even be a hardship, and yet these unreasonable people would be sure to represent it as such. they would urge that at one time their town had received an allowance in aid of its post; that then a foot-messenger had been established, and they paid d. on each letter delivered; and that now because they proposed to replace this messenger, as the act of parliament gave them power to do, by a messenger of their own, who would perform the service at a cheaper rate, an older act was brought to bear upon them which, while obliging them to pay d. on each letter collected as well as delivered, made the employment of their own messenger illegal. such were the arguments by which freeling excused himself to the postmasters-general, as though an excuse were necessary, for not going on with the high-handed proceeding he had originally contemplated. in the result, olney was given a post office of its own, being made in technical language a sub-office under newport pagnel, the post town. a rule was at the same time laid down to the effect that fifth-clause posts should no longer be maintained except in the case of small towns. to connect these with post towns fifth-clause posts might still be continued; but, in the case of villages and hamlets, they were to be replaced by penny posts. from this rule the fifth-clause posts received their death-blow. such of them as were village posts were promptly converted into penny posts; and such as were town posts, as the small towns acquired post offices of their own, became gradually merged in the general posts of the kingdom. the post office, which during the last ten or fifteen years had done much to impair its own utility, was now to receive a check from without; and this in respect to a branch of its service which was perhaps least open to criticism. the mail-coach system had continued to prosper. in the number of mail-coaches constantly running in great britain was about , and the extent of road over which they travelled was between , and , miles a day. the country gentry and the commercial classes vied with each other in demanding an extension of the system. towns lying off the main road were glad to pay d. a letter in addition to the postage on condition of the mail-coach passing through them on its way. the mail-coach, moreover, apart from the facilities it afforded for communication, brought traffic in its train. it gave, in the language of the time, publicity to the roads. palmer had, more than twenty years before, noticed this result and commented upon it. he found as a matter of experience that wherever a mail-coach was set up other traffic followed, and the post-chaises along the road were furbished up and better conducted. but popular as the new system was on the whole, there was one class of persons with whom it was distinctly the reverse. these were the trustees of the roads. with them the exemption from toll which the mail-coaches enjoyed was a constant source of complaint. nor was it calculated to abate their discontent that the post office, in whose favour the exemption was granted, possessed the power, a power which it constantly exercised, of indicting the roads if they were not kept in proper repair. the state of the trusts was at this time far from flourishing. in the neighbourhood of london and other large towns where traffic was considerable the tolls were low and the receipts high; but in the remoter and less populous parts of the kingdom the exact converse held good. there the tolls were high and the receipts low. to take the kingdom as a whole, the case stood thus: in very few instances indeed had any part of the debt on the turnpike trusts been discharged, and in fewer instances still had a sinking fund been established with a view to extinction of debt by process of time. with these rare exceptions, nothing more had been done than to keep up payment of the interest agreed upon, while in many instances no interest at all was being paid or interest at a reduced rate. in some instances indeed, the receipts from the tolls were not enough to defray even the cost of maintenance and repairs. it is not to be wondered at if in these circumstances the trustees of the roads looked with longing eyes to the £ , a year which was the estimated value of the tolls that, except for their exemption, the mail-coaches would have had to pay. of course the postmasters-general were strongly opposed to the surrender of this large amount; and yet there was one consideration which told heavily against them. it was this, that in ireland the mails were not exempt from toll. under an act passed by the irish legislature in , an act which still remained in force, an account was kept of all tolls leviable at the turnpike gates through which the mail passed, and this account was paid quarterly by the post office authorities in dublin. why, it was asked, could not a similar system be adopted in great britain? it was also urged, and not without force, that in the matter of weight the mail bore to the coach which carried it a very small proportion. the coach with its loading complete weighed from thirty-three to forty cwts., while the mail seldom weighed more than one cwt. for the sake of so small a proportion was it equitable that exemption should extend to the whole? a strenuous and united effort was now made to force the mail-coaches to pay toll. the question came before parliament, and a committee was appointed to inquire and report. the result could hardly have been in doubt. it was by the landed proprietors, the men who had seats in parliament, that the turnpike roads had been made, and they were generally the creditors on the turnpike funds. the committee was unanimous in recommending that the exemption from toll which the mail-coaches enjoyed should absolutely cease and determine. on the committee's report no action was taken in the session of ; but if the post office supposed that the matter would be allowed to drop, it was doomed to disappointment. early in the following year spencer perceval forwarded to lombard street for any observations the postmasters-general might have to offer upon it a bill having for its object to repeal the exemption. the postmasters-general suggested certain alterations, but upon the subject-matter of the bill, coming as it did from the prime minister, and their views being already well known, they confined themselves to once more expressing a doubt whether such a measure could be necessary. in may perceval was assassinated; and now the postmasters-general fondly hoped that the matter was at an end. what then was their dismay at learning a month or two later that the government was resolved to proceed with the bill. the same letter that conveyed this intelligence contained a suggestion as strange as it was original. this was that, in order to meet complaints, the mail-coaches on certain roads should be withdrawn. the postmasters-general, little supposing that such a suggestion could take practical shape, simply replied that not a whisper had yet reached them to the effect that mail-coaches were considered in excess; that, on the contrary, they were being constantly urged to increase the number. the bill was finally withdrawn; but heavy was the price which had to be paid. with those who were advocating the measure vansittart, the new chancellor of the exchequer, effected a compromise behind the back of the post office. there was indeed ample room for a satisfactory adjustment. for the conveyance of the mails the mail-coach proprietors received from the post office £ , a year; they paid to the government for stamp duty £ , a year; and the exemption which they enjoyed from toll was estimated to represent £ , a year. these figures seem almost to suggest a feasible arrangement; yet the compromise actually effected took another form. it was that, in accordance with the suggestion of a few months before, mail-coaches should be withdrawn. nor was this mere empty talk; vansittart had pledged himself to specific performance. and now began a general dis-coaching of the roads. the mail-coaches running between warwick and coventry, between shrewsbury and aberystwith, between aberystwith and ludlow, between edinburgh and dalkeith, between edinburgh and musselburgh, between chichester and godalming, between dorchester and stroudwater--all were discontinued at once. notice to quit was served upon the mail-coaches between worcester and hereford, between hereford and gloucester, between hereford and brecon, between alton and gosport, and between plymouth and tavistock. and, what was hardly less important, numerous applications for mail-coaches which, except for treasury interference, would have been granted, were refused. by pitt the mail-coach had been regarded as a pioneer of civilisation; in the eyes of pitt's successors it was a mischievous encumbrance. vansittart, having dealt one deadly blow at the post office, now proceeded to deal another. the war with france had exhausted the exchequer, and, as part of the ways and means, he called upon the post office for a further contribution of £ , a year. once more the screw was turned; and, oppressive as the postage rates were already, they were as from the th of july increased as follows:-- +-----------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------+ | |single.|double.|treble.|ounce.| | +-------+-------+-------+------+ | | _d._ | _d._ | _d._ | _d._ | | +-------+-------+-------+------+ |not exceeding miles | | | | | |above and not exceeding miles| | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | | " " " | | | | | |above miles | | | | | +-----------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------+ this is the highest point to which the rates of postage have ever attained in this country. freeling would have resented so much as a suggestion that the institution which had now for some years been under his exclusive management was not in the most perfect order to which human foresight and ingenuity could raise it; and yet to the dispassionate observer it may be permitted to doubt whether eighty years ago the post office was not in some important particulars more open to criticism than at any time since its first establishment. let us compare for a moment the beginning of the nineteenth with the end of the seventeenth century. in the postage from london to liverpool or to york or to plymouth was, for a single letter, d.; in it was d. in , wherever letters were being carried clandestinely, the policy was to supplant; in the policy was to repress. in the king would not consent to a single prosecution even for the sake of example; in , when the post office revenue had passed from the king to the people, prosecutions were being conducted wholesale. in a circuitous post would be converted into a direct one, even though the shorter distance carried less postage; in a direct post in place of a circuitous one was being constantly refused on the plea that a loss of postage would result. in london enjoyed the advantage of a penny post, and this post carried up to one pound in weight; in the penny post had been replaced by a twopenny and threepenny one, and, except in the case of a packet passing through the general post, the weight was limited to four ounces. in , moreover, the complications were bewildering. in some places there were fifth-clause posts, and in others penny posts; and the charge by these posts was in addition to the charge by the general post. some towns, over and above all other charges, paid an additional d. on each letter for the privilege of the mail-coach passing through them. of two adjoining houses one might receive its letters free of any charge for delivery and not the other. this difference was to be found in towns where building was going on--as, for instance, at brighton--old houses being considered within, and new houses without, what was called the usage of delivery. in london itself the complications, if possible, were more bewildering still. the threepenny post began where the twopenny post ended. thus far the practice was simple enough. but the general post limits did not coincide with the limits of the twopenny post: and the limits of both the twopenny post and the general post differed from those of the foreign post. indeed, it is probably not too much to say that in there was not a single town in the kingdom at the post office of which absolutely certain information could have been obtained as to the charge to which a letter addressed to any other town would be subject. more than ten years later post office experts examined before a committee of the house of commons were unable to state what, even on letters delivered in london, would in certain cases be the proper postage. it may here be asked how it was that with rates so oppressive and so vexatiously levied the public were induced to tolerate them. the mail-coaches were popular except with the road trustees; and there is reason to think that even these, or at all events the principal persons among them, only professed a dislike which they did not really feel. the post office packets were also popular, and well they deserved to be, distinguishing themselves as they were about this time by deeds of even more than usual daring. but these considerations, added to the personal popularity which freeling himself enjoyed, are altogether insufficient to account for the extraordinary patience of the public under the treatment which eighty or ninety years ago they endured at the hands of the post office. the explanation we believe to be that the heavy rates of postage, and not a few of the vexations incidental to the levying of them, were tacitly accepted as a part, a necessary part, of the load of taxation which the people were called upon to bear as a consequence of the war in which england was engaged. we further believe that, in respect to its acts of aggression, the post office escaped criticism mainly because its proceedings, irritating as they were to individuals, were not generally known. this want of publicity is specially noticeable in the matter of prosecutions. at the present day a single prosecution undertaken by the post office would be the subject of comment in every newspaper in the kingdom. eighty or ninety years ago, numerous as the post office prosecutions were, there was not a newspaper in the kingdom that gratuitously published particulars or even announced the fact. often did the postmasters-general lament this reticence, believing as they did that to make known their repressive measures, and the amount of penalties inflicted, must have a deterrent effect upon the illicit traffic; and at length, for want of any better means of securing publicity, they gave directions that, wherever a prosecution took place, hand-bills giving full particulars were to be struck off and affixed to the doors of the local inns. the question which two years before had agitated the minds of the road trustees was now revived in scotland. among those who pressed for the establishment of mail-coaches none were more persistent than the large landed proprietors north of the tweed; and as soon as their demands were acceded to, none were louder in their denunciations of the injustice which exempted mail-coaches from toll. the government yielded at length to the pressure that was brought to bear, and in an act was passed repealing, so far as scotland was concerned, exemption from toll in the case of mail-carriages with more than two wheels. the same act, in order to indemnify the post office for the loss it would thus sustain, imposed an additional postage of / d. upon every letter conveyed by mail-coach in scotland. the post office was not quite fairly treated in this matter. no sooner had the act passed than the trustees of the roads raised the tolls. at the old rates the mail-coaches, had they not been exempt, would have had to pay £ a year; at the new rates, now that they were exempt no longer, they had to pay £ , a year, or more by nearly £ than the additional / d. of postage had been estimated to yield. nor was this all. some of the road acts contained a clause empowering the trustees to demand the sum of d. for every outside passenger. this power had never yet been exercised; but now the demand was rigorously enforced in the case of passengers by the mail-coaches, and by these coaches only. thus unhandsomely dealt with, the post office proceeded to do in scotland what under other circumstances it had done two years before in england. it reduced the number of its coaches. this excited many murmurs. from glasgow, for instance, a mail-coach had been running through paisley to greenock. this was now replaced by a horse post, and the district was not only relieved from the payment of the additional postage of / d. a letter, but--a boon which had long been earnestly sought--was given three posts a day instead of two. yet all three towns refused to be comforted, and bitterly reproached the postmasters-general for depriving them of their mail-coach. the convenience of travellers, however, was not a matter of which the post office took any account. the post office was concerned with the transmission of letters; and wherever these could be transmitted with the same or nearly the same expedition and at less expense by other means, the mail-coaches were discarded. about this time two measures were introduced which shew a strange forgetfulness of what had gone before. of these one was a reorganisation of the returned letter office, and the other the passing of a fresh ship letter act. hitherto, of the letters which could not be delivered only those had been returned to the writers which contained property or enclosures of apparent importance. the others had been torn up and sold as waste paper. now all were to be presumed to be of importance to the writers and to be returned accordingly. the propriety and even the legality of charging such letters had been questioned in palmer's time, and pitt had decided that they were not to be charged. this was now forgotten, and the post office proceeded not only to return every letter that could not be delivered, but to charge it with postage. to freeling, who regarded the post office as a mere engine of taxation, the temptation was no doubt a strong one. the measure, before being definitively adopted, had been tried experimentally for one year; and it was found that out of , letters returned to the writers more than , were accepted, producing a clear revenue of £ . by the new ship letter act the charge on a single letter arriving by private ship was raised from d. to d., and, what was far more important, no letters were to be sent by private ship except such as had been brought to the post office to be charged. the directors of the east india company, who would seem to have strangely overlooked the bill during its passage through the house, implored the government to get the act repealed. it was true, they urged, that their official correspondence was exempted from the operation of the act; but dependent on them in the east was a small army of servants whose private letters had hitherto gone free, and, under the provisions of the act, would go free no longer. with the east indies there was no communication by packet, and surely it was introducing a new principle for the post office to make a charge where it did not perform a service. did not the charge in such a case become a mere tax upon letter-writing? freeling, on the other hand, maintained that no new principle was involved, inasmuch as the previous act, the act of , recognised the sending of letters by ships other than packet boats and charging them with postage. this was perfectly true; but he forgot to add that, whereas the act of was permissive, the act of was compulsory, that under the one act it was optional with the senders of letters whether they would take them to the post office or not; and under the other, if they did not take them to the post office, they rendered themselves liable to severe penalties. he might indeed have gone further, and said that in pitt and the whole of the administration of which pitt was the head scouted the very idea of anything in the shape of compulsion being employed in the matter. the ship letter act of proved a complete failure. it contained no provision obliging private ships to carry letters, and the private ships between england and india were almost entirely in the hands of the east india company. no wonder, therefore, that the company, when asked whether it might be announced to the public that bags would be made up at the post office to be conveyed by their ships, replied in the negative. the court of directors, their letter said, are not without hopes that parliament will consent to revise the act, and meanwhile they "do not see fit to authorise the commanders or owners of any of their ships to take charge of any bag of letters from the post office subjected to a rate of postage for sea conveyance." freeling was filled with dismay. "a vital impediment," he exclaimed, "to the execution of the act." the expectations of the india house were not disappointed. in the next session of parliament the act of was replaced by another which granted larger exemptions to the company and disarmed its opposition. the later act gave power to the post office to establish a line of packets to india and the cape of good hope, and, until a line should be established, to employ as packets any ships it pleased, including ships of war. the mails were to go once a month. by packet--in which term is included the ship which the post office might be pleased to designate as packet for the occasion--the postage on a single letter was fixed at s. d.; by private ship it varied according to direction, outwards s. d. and inwards d. such were the main provisions of the act of ; but there were others which introduced new principles. as a result of the action of the east india company in the preceding year, it was now for the first time made compulsory upon private ships to carry letters when required to do so by the post office,[ ] and the post office was empowered to pay for their carriage a reasonable sum. this sum was to go by way of remuneration to the owners of the vessels, and to be in addition to a gratuity of d. a letter which the commander was to receive as his own perquisite. a still more important provision, a provision which assuredly could not have emanated from the post office, was one in favour of newspapers. by packet the postage on a letter to india or the cape weighing as much as one ounce was to be s.; on a newspaper of no greater weight, if stamped and in a cover open at the side or end, it was to be d. this was the first enactment that provided for newspapers going outside the limits of the united kingdom for less than the letter rate of postage. [ ] one of the first, if not the very first, against whom proceedings were taken under this provision of the statute was robert wetherall, master of the ship _albinia_, from gravesend to the cape of good hope. wetherall had at the last moment refused to take the mails on board, consisting of letters. on the advice of the law officers the post office contemplated proceeding against him by indictment; but the government decided to proceed by information, with a view apparently to give to the case greater importance and notoriety. what was virtually a most interesting experiment was now about to be tried. to india and the cape the post office had no packets of its own; and before private ships could be employed as packets, the consent of the owners had to be obtained and the amount of payment to be agreed upon. practically, the post office was at the mercy of others. mails had to be sent once every month; ships of war could not always be employed; and should the shipping interest combine, the postmasters-general would have to pay pretty much what owners chose to demand. to the credit of that interest nothing in the shape of combination took place. during the first sixteen months the mails were despatched five times by his majesty's ships, four times by ships of the east india company, and seven times by ships belonging to private owners. his majesty's ships carried the mails, of course, without charge. the east india company, with admirable generosity, placed their ships at the disposal of the post office and refused to receive any payment. and the ships belonging to private owners were engaged, the first of them for £ and the other six for sums ranging from £ to £ . altogether, the sum expended during more than a year and a quarter in transporting the mails to india and the cape of good hope did not exceed £ ; and the postage during the same period amounted to £ , . in the following year, the year , even better terms were obtained, the owners of private ships engaged as packets receiving in no case more than £ , and in one case as little as £ . the east india company's generosity was not reciprocated by the post office. his majesty's ship _iphigenia_, which was lying at portsmouth, had been appointed to carry out the mails, and the india house had sent down its despatches to be put on board. in strictness these despatches should have been sent through the post office, inasmuch as the _iphigenia_ had been appointed a packet for the occasion; but as the india house paid no postage on its correspondence, whether sent by packet or by ships of its own, it was a mere technical irregularity. freeling maintained, however, that there was an important distinction which ought to be observed. it was true that no question of postage was involved. it was also true that the india house would have been at liberty to put its despatches on board the _iphigenia_ had she been sailing for india without being appointed a packet boat; but as she had been so appointed, the intervention of the post office was necessary, and without that intervention the commander ought not to have received them. accordingly, freeling urged upon the government, though happily without success, that orders should be sent to portsmouth to have the despatches removed from the ship to the local post office, to be there kept until instructions should be received from lombard street that they might be again taken on board. on the close of hostilities in domestic matters began once more to occupy a place in men's thoughts; and it was next to impossible that the post office should escape attention. its heavy and capricious charges, its high-handed proceedings, its disregard of the public requirements, its prosecutions, its constant indictment of roads which it largely used and yet contributed nothing to maintain, and, above all, the fact that its administration was virtually in the hands of one man, and that man not the nominal head, who could be reached by constitutional means--signs were not wanting that these and other matters had created an amount of dissatisfaction which must sooner or later find expression. yet freeling either could not or would not see. were not his immediate superiors, the postmasters-general, satisfied with his management, so satisfied indeed that they seldom, if ever, found it necessary to pay a visit to lombard street? and had not the contributions which, under his guidance, the post office kept pouring into the exchequer raised him high in the chancellor's favour? if so, what more could a loyal and industrious public servant desire? that freeling was elated with what he considered his unbounded success is clear from a letter which about this time was written to the treasury, enclosing a return of the post office revenue, and shewing how it had responded to the successive increases of rate which had been imposed during his tenure of the office of secretary. this letter, drafted by himself, as all the official letters were, though signed by the postmasters-general, concluded thus: "we flatter ourselves that we shall not be considered as exceeding the limits of our duty in drawing your lordships' attention to a circumstance which has made a strong impression on ourselves in the course of our inquiry, namely, that the office of secretary during the whole of this flourishing period has been executed by the same faithful and meritorious servant of the crown." the return, with a copy of this letter appended, was afterwards presented to parliament. there is no more tolerant assembly in the world than the house of commons; and yet even the house of commons is intolerant of egotism. it may have been, and probably was, a mere coincidence, but the fact remains that from the date of the presentation of this return freeling's influence began to wane. chapter xv ireland - at the union with ireland the irish post office was not merged into the post office of england as the scotch post office was merged at the union with scotland. the existence of two separate establishments, presided over by different heads, who had not always the same objects in view, and were influenced by different considerations, was not unattended with inconvenience. between the post offices of the two parts of the kingdom, moreover, there were differences not only of practice but of law, the statutes passed during the seventeen years that the post offices were separate not having been repealed at the time of the union. thus, the law which regulated franking was stricter in ireland than in england, although, it must be confessed, the practice was looser. the law prohibiting the illicit conveyance of letters was also stricter. in england the post office was not empowered to search for letters; in ireland the post office might search both vehicles and houses from sunrise to sunset. in england the mail-coaches were exempt from toll; in ireland no such exemption was allowed. in ireland, again, the post office was legally bound not, as in england, to deliver letters but only to carry them; and except in dublin there was not a single letter-carrier in the kingdom. even the constitution of the two post offices, though apparently similar, was really different. in ireland, as in england, there were two heads commonly called joint postmasters-general; but whereas in england the assent of both was necessary to make a decision operative, in ireland the assent of one was sufficient. this, while probably designed to facilitate the despatch of public business, was, as will be seen later on, attended with a curious result, a result which the framers of the statute can have little contemplated. of such differences of practice as were not rendered necessary by any difference of law it may be sufficient to mention a few. in england the mail-coach contractors supplied horses only; in ireland they supplied coaches as well. in england the contract was for short periods and for short distances, seldom for more than one or two stages; in ireland, where there was little or no competition, the contract was for the whole of the road over which the coach travelled, and for as much as twenty and even thirty years. meanwhile no alteration was possible except with the contractors' assent. in england the horse-posts were provided upon the most advantageous terms of which each particular case would admit; in ireland the obligation to provide them was imposed upon the local postmasters, who received for the service, cost what it might, one uniform rate of d. a mile. in london there was no despatch on sundays; in dublin the mails were despatched on sundays as on other days. in dublin, again, the men who collected letters by the sound of bell, bellmen as they were now called, received not as in london d. a letter but d. a house, a difference of which the inhabitants were wont to shew their appreciation by sending to a single house for delivery to the letter-carrier the letters of an entire street. in dublin there was one institution to which there was no counterpart in london. this was the british mail office, an office set apart for the management of the mails passing between england and ireland. other mails were dealt with in the inland office; but those to and from england were considered of such paramount importance as to deserve exceptional treatment. at the present day the term "office" as applied to the public service conveys the notion possibly of a palace and certainly of a building or part of a building consisting of several rooms. the british mail office, though destined to play a not unimportant part in the history of the irish post office at the beginning of the present century, consisted of one room only, and this room was exactly six feet square. the establishment of this office was one of many measures which owed their origin to lord clancarty, who was joint postmaster-general with lord o'neill from to . clancarty enjoyed an honourable distinction. other postmasters-general were habitual absentees, their visits to the post office, if visits they made, being confined to the rare occasions on which they passed through dublin on their way to london and back. clancarty, on the contrary, devoted to his official duties all the powers of a keen intellect and a singularly energetic nature. shortly after his appointment he proceeded to london, and having made himself master of the system pursued in the inland office in lombard street, returned to dublin, resolved that, as far as circumstances would permit, a similar system should be established there. a formidable difficulty, however, presented itself in the different hours of attendance in the london and dublin offices. in london the attendance was daily, on every night and every morning; in dublin it was only on alternate days, on every other night and every other morning. how to get rid of this difference was the question which clancarty now set himself to solve. there was at this time in the inland office a clerk of the name of donlevy, whose parts pointed him out as qualified to take the lead among his fellows. clancarty sent for this young man, and told him that under the plan which was about to be introduced he would have to attend daily. donlevy objected that a plan which would involve such attendance was an unreasonable, an oppressive plan, and that no man's constitution, strong as he might be, would stand it. "but," said clancarty, "i will make you vice-president." "my lord," replied donlevy, "i am very much obliged to you; but under the conditions proposed i would not accept even the office of president." "very well," rejoined clancarty, laying his watch on the table, "i will give you three hours to consider of it." long before the three hours had expired, donlevy, who knew the character of the man with whom he had to do, and what would be the penalty of refusal, had accepted the vice-presidentship, and opposition to the introduction of daily attendance was at an end.[ ] [ ] clancarty was afterwards appointed joint postmaster-general of england. this appointment he held from th september to th april , but he never took it up. between the dates mentioned he was employed on missions abroad. but clancarty was an exception to the general rule. lord rosse, who succeeded him and remained postmaster-general in conjunction with o'neill for more than twenty years, was, like his colleague, an habitual absentee; and the consequence was to place large power in the hands of the chief permanent officer on the spot. this was edward smith lees, who had been appointed joint secretary with his father in , and who on his father's death some years afterwards became sole secretary. the power which lees must in any case have possessed as chief resident officer was enormously increased by the fact to which we have already referred, that the signature of either of the two postmasters-general was sufficient. of this fact lees took advantage to an extent which may seem incredible. if the particular postmaster-general to whom the case was referred agreed to the course recommended, no reference to the other appears to have been considered necessary; but if he did not agree, a reference to the other took place without the fact of disagreement being made known, or even an intimation that his colleague had been consulted. by thus playing off one postmaster-general against the other, lees generally contrived to secure approval of his own recommendations; but when, as occasionally happened, such approval could not be obtained from either, he claimed and exercised the right, as chief officer on the spot, to take his own course. thus lees, like freeling, was an autocrat within his own domain; but the means by which the two men attained this result were essentially different. freeling kept the postmasters-general informed of every incident, however trivial. lees gave no information which could with decency be withheld. freeling supported his views by a perfect wealth of explanation. lees explained no more than enough to carry his point. freeling's candour, like his loyalty, knew no bounds. it is to his candour, indeed, that we owe our materials for criticising his own proceedings. lees's candour and loyalty, on the contrary, so far as these can be said to have had any existence, were held in rigid subjection to considerations of expediency and personal advantage. the circumstances attending the appointment of lees's brother, a searcher in the customs at wexford, to a position in the secretary's office only inferior in point of rank and emolument to his own, well exemplify the mode in which the business of the irish post office was conducted during the first two or three decades of the present century. the minute appointing him was signed, not by o'neill and rosse, nor by either of them, but by one of lees's own subordinates, and purported to embody a decision come to at a board at which the two postmasters-general were present. "at the board"--so ran the minute--"present the earls." the whole thing was a fiction from beginning to end. the earls had not been present, and there had been no board. indeed, as lees was afterwards forced to admit before a committee of the house of commons, during a period of twenty years that o'neill and rosse had been joint postmasters-general and he their secretary, he had seen them only once together in the same room, and that was in the drawing-room at parsonstown. the example set in high quarters was not without its effect below. every one seems to have been left to do pretty much as he liked. the force was maintained at a level very far in excess of the actual requirements, and it was no uncommon thing for one-half of the entire number to absent themselves without notice in a single morning. some of the clerks never attended at all, while others gave to their post office duties only such fragments of their time as they could snatch from other and more lucrative employments. thus, one was a clerk in a private bank, another a clerk in a merchant's office, a third was a surgeon, several held appointments under the customs or the imprest office, and many were practising attorneys. to most of these the object of holding an appointment in the post office appears to have been not so much the salary attaching to it as the privilege which they enjoyed, or rather which they assumed to themselves, of sending and receiving their letters free. the attorneys, indeed, were credited with a still less respectable motive. all, as soon as a mail arrived, helped themselves to their own letters and the letters of the firms in which they were interested. the president of the inland office held a valuable appointment in the bank of ireland, and was not in a position to check on the part of his subordinates a license which he allowed to himself. the receiver-general, the highest financial officer on the establishment, was a private banker and money-lender, and, beyond signing the balance-sheet at stated periods, the only post office function he performed was to frank his own correspondence. that in ireland the post office arrangements were made subservient to private interests does not admit of a doubt. a suspicion will indeed now and again cross the mind that even in england the readiness to raise the rates of postage, and the hostility shewn to newspapers except when supplied by the clerks of the roads, were not unconnected with personal considerations; but what in the case of england is at best only a matter of suspicion becomes in the case of ireland an absolute certainty. in ireland, as in england, the clerks of the roads had from the first establishment of the post office enjoyed the privilege of franking newspapers; but soon after the british mail office had been established by clancarty, two other clerks, styling themselves express clerks, undertook to supply newspapers express. their plan was very simple. in london the newspapers were made up in a parcel addressed to the express clerks; and these clerks had in readiness messengers of their own, who proceeded to deliver the newspapers as soon as they arrived in dublin and without waiting, as others had to do, for the sorting of the mail. this alone would have given to the express clerks a considerable advantage over the ordinary news-vendor. but, more than this, the british mail was irregular in its arrival, and the latest hour in the evening at which a delivery by letter-carrier took place in dublin was seven o'clock. the express clerks delivered the english newspapers by their own messengers as late as eleven o'clock. in the case of the country the advantage which the express clerks enjoyed was still greater. the mails for the interior of ireland left the inland office in dublin at seven o'clock in the evening; but under a rule, on the observance of which the authorities rigidly insisted, no mails from the british mail office were to be received in the inland office for despatch the same evening unless they were brought there ready sorted full twenty minutes before that hour. practically, therefore, as the sorting occupied about twenty-five minutes, mails from england arriving later than a quarter past six were detained until the following evening. no such detention, however, was sustained by the express newspapers, which, addressed as they were to the express clerks, could be forwarded up to the last moment. it may readily be supposed that, with such advantages in their favour, the express clerks and the clerks of the roads, for the two bodies had amalgamated and formed one common purse, found many customers. that they realised and fully appreciated their position will be seen from the following advertisement which was issued no longer ago than april :-- british newspaper office, general post office. the clerks of roads and clerks of express newspapers having, under the authority of the postmasters-general, reformed their establishment in this department for the transmission of british and foreign newspapers, lottery, commercial, army and navy lists, periodical and other publications, the nobility and gentry of dublin are respectfully informed that they can be supplied with those articles either by an express delivery (which is made by special messengers immediately on the arrival of the packets) or by the regular course of post. country correspondents will have a peculiar advantage, as upon all occasions when a packet arrives before the despatch of the inland mails but too late for general transmission, their newspapers will be forwarded at the last possible moment. newspapers exchanged at pleasure any time during the period of subscription. subscriptions to be paid in advance. further particulars known by application to messrs. leet and de joncourt, general post office, who will receive subscriptions. daily attendance from twelve till four o'clock. london daily newspapers to dublin by general delivery, £ : : per annum. leet and de joncourt were the two express clerks; but among the clerks of the roads, on whose behalf they wrote as well as their own, was lees, the secretary, who participated in the profits derived from the sale of newspapers, and received the lion's share. the news-vendors bitterly complained. that the newspapers supplied by the express clerks and clerks of the roads should be exempt from postage[ ] was bad enough; but that they should also enjoy priority of transmission and delivery was past all endurance. how was it possible to compete under such conditions as these? the booksellers also complained, for the express service, though originally confined to newspapers, had now extended to periodicals as well. on a _quarterly_ or _edinburgh review_, for instance, when sent by coach from dublin into the country, the bookseller's customers had to pay for carriage from s. d. to s. d., whereas the express clerks and clerks of the roads sent it, through the medium of the post, carriage free. a heavier indictment remains. the law permitted the examination of newspapers passing through the post with a view to ascertain whether they contained unauthorised enclosures; and it was confidently alleged that of this power the post office servants took advantage in order to retard the transmission and delivery of newspapers that were not supplied by themselves. a ring, the news-vendors maintained, had been formed at the post office, and they were the victims. [ ] at one time the express newspapers went all the way from london to dublin post free; but this, at the date of the advertisement, had been stopped, and as far as holyhead their carriage was now being provided for under an arrangement with the london agents. from holyhead to dublin, however, they still went in the mail free of postage, and on arrival in dublin such of them as were destined for the country were franked by the clerks of the roads. the management of what was technically termed the alphabet appears to have been influenced by similar considerations. this was nothing more than a rack with divisions corresponding to the letters of the alphabet, into which might be sorted ready for delivery all correspondence addressed to the post office to be called for. such was its primary object; but in course of time the bankers and merchants, finding that through the alphabet they could get their letters sooner than if delivered by letter-carrier--as soon indeed as the mail arrived--made use of this expedient for their ordinary correspondence, readily paying for the accommodation a fee ranging from three to five guineas a year. this had gone on for a considerable period, when lees appears to have been suddenly seized with compunction at the unfairness of a practice which, in the matter of delivery, gave to one man an advantage over another; and he issued instructions that henceforth, after the arrival of each mail, there should be a certain interval during which letters should not be delivered from the alphabet. the pretence imposed upon no one. men readily discerned that in proportion as the advantages of the alphabet were restricted the express service was rendered more valuable. it would be unjust to the memory of the irish post office of seventy years ago not to mention here one good practice and, as far as we know, the only good one that then existed. by virtue of an arrangement with, the war office, soldiers' wives, on presentation of a formal document with which the military authorities provided them, could draw from any post office in the kingdom a certain sum of small amount until the entire sum mentioned in the document was exhausted. thus, a soldier's wife desirous of joining her husband could pass from one end of the country to another, and, without carrying anything in her pocket, could be supplied with money on her way. of this practice, curiously enough, not a vestige now remains. it is also pleasant, amid so much indifference as was at that time exhibited to the convenience of the public, to be able to record one instance to the contrary. thomas whinnery, the postmaster of belfast, had read an account of the alphabet at liverpool--how the letters were sorted into a rack according to the initials of the merchants to whom they were addressed, so as to be ready to be delivered when they should be called for--and he resolved to introduce something of the same kind into his own office. instead, however, of adopting the alphabetical order he assigned to each merchant a particular number, letting him know what his number was, and instead of a fixed rack as at liverpool he contrived a revolving one; and this, with the numbers conspicuously exhibited over each division, he placed in full view of a window opening to the street. thus, any one looking through the window could see for himself whether there were any letters for him, and was saved the trouble of inquiring. equality of treatment as between man and man had not yet become one of the canons of the post office, and even whinnery, well-meaning as he was, made a distinction as remarkable as it was invidious. belfast not being supplied with an official letter-carrier, he employed a man of his own to deliver the letters, and charged on their delivery d. apiece. the letters, however, instead of all being delivered at one time, were arbitrarily divided into two classes, termed particular letters and ordinary letters; and the delivery of the ordinary letters was not begun until that of the particular letters was finished, a difference in point of time of two and a half hours. in order to maintain the distinction, the man had actually to go over the same ground twice. particular letters were defined to be letters for merchants and other busy men, letters to which it was presumably of importance that replies should be given promptly. we have said that in ireland the mail-coach contracts were not, as in england, for short distances but for the whole of the road over which the coach travelled. the explanation is that, while in england the local inn-keepers were eager to horse the mail for one or two stages, in ireland, where the coach had to be provided as well as the horses, the venture was too serious to be undertaken lightly, and the contracts fell into the hands of a few persons of means who dictated pretty much their own terms. thus, in ireland the cost of conveying the mails by coach was considerably higher than in england, though forage and labour were cheaper.[ ] [ ] in the irish mail-coaches travelled daily a distance of miles at a cost to the post office of more than £ , a year, while in england the cost over the same number of miles would have been only £ . from this, however, it is not to be understood that in one country the cost was four times as heavy as in the other, because the irish mile was longer than the english one by about two furlongs, and in england the contractors did not, as they did in ireland, provide the coaches. all this was soon to be changed. in one of the early years of the century a young lad had arrived in dublin, a lad without means and without friends, a foreigner who was unable to speak one word of english, and yet who, despite these drawbacks, did for the country of his adoption more probably than was accomplished by all the legislation that took place during the fourscore years and more over which his life extended. this was charles bianconi, a man to whom the post office owes a debt of gratitude which, as it seems to us, has never been sufficiently recognised. after serving an eighteen months' apprenticeship to a foreign print-seller in a small way of business, bianconi passed the next two or three years of his life in hawking prints about the country on his own account, and in , at the age of twenty, he turned carver and gilder and opened a shop at carrick-on-suir. from carrick he removed shortly afterwards to waterford, and finally settled down at clonmel. the experience of these few years determined bianconi's future career. while roaming over the country with his prints for sale, he had had forcibly impressed upon him the difference between a pedlar like himself who was doomed to tramp on foot and his more fortunate fellow who could post or ride on horseback. at carrick the want of facilities for travelling had been brought home to him in a hardly less cogent manner. gold-leaf for the supply of his shop he had to fetch from waterford, and waterford is distant from carrick twelve or thirteen miles. between the two towns, however, the only means of communication was by water, and by water, owing to the windings of the river, the distance is twenty-four miles. a single boat, moreover, was then the only public conveyance, and, besides being obliged to wait for the tide, it took from four to five hours to accomplish the journey. from this time bianconi appears to have become possessed with the idea that his mission in life was to devise some cheap and easy means of communication between town and town. imbued with this notion, he gave up his shop in the summer of , and started a single-horse car for the conveyance of passengers from clonmel to cahir, a distance of about eight miles. at the end of the same year he started similar cars from clonmel to cashel and thurles, and from clonmel to carrick and waterford. from such humble beginnings sprang that splendid service of cars which, extending from sligo and enniskillen in the north to bandon and skibbereen in the south, and from waterford and wexford in the east to galway and belmullet in the west, carried passengers daily over more than miles of road at an average cost to each passenger of - / d. a mile. but we are anticipating. the post office, largely as it availed itself in later years of the means of communication which bianconi placed at its disposal, was slow to perceive the advantage which his enterprise offered. the country postmasters were wiser in their generation. located on the spot, and with their perception quickened by the motive of self-interest, they made use of the cars as fast as these were put on the roads. no sooner had a car been started from clonmel than the postmaster sent by it the mails which he had been used to send by horse-post. for this service he received an allowance of d. a mile. bianconi performed the service for him for an allowance of - / d. a mile. the same thing took place elsewhere. it was not until the year , when the post office of ireland was amalgamated with that of england, that bianconi was brought into direct relations with headquarters. meanwhile, through a strange lack of vigilance on the part of the irish authorities, his very existence was ignored, and the postmasters continued to receive d. a mile for a service which, wherever bianconi's cars extended, they were getting done for one-half of that amount. but it is not only with the irish post office in relation to its internal affairs that this chapter proposes to deal. the communication between england and ireland or rather between the capitals of the two countries had, since the act of union, been under constant review, and it becomes important to see how, during the first two or three decades of the present century, this communication stood both by sea and by land. by the act of , which made the irish post office independent of that of great britain--an act not repealed by the union--great britain and ireland were to receive, in respect to letters passing between the two countries, each its own proportion of the postage. the channel service remained; and with this ireland was to have nothing to do, at all events in the first instance. great britain was to provide the packets and to receive the packet postage. ireland, on the other hand, until she should have established packets of her own, was to receive from great britain the sum of £ a year "in lieu as well of the profits of the said packets as in compensation for other purposes." this arrangement appears to have worked smoothly enough until after , when, owing to the increase of correspondence as a consequence of the union, the irish post office began to complain that the conditions were hard, and that great britain had the best of the bargain. surely, under the very terms of the statute, ireland was entitled to have packets of her own; and if this were denied her, did not justice demand that the conditions should be reconsidered? the question had come before successive governments and always with the same result--that the existing arrangement was not to be disturbed. what pitt and portland and perceval had decided was not to be done lees now proceeded to do on his own account. we doubt whether travellers of the present day who cross from holyhead to dublin in the magnificent boats which modern science has provided have any idea of the misery to which our grandfathers were exposed in making the passage. his majesty's packets afforded the best, if not the only means of transit; and these were six in number, and ranged from to tons in burthen. customs duties were at this time levied on goods passing between the two countries, and passengers' luggage was subjected to strict examination. thus, to the discomforts of a sea-passage made in vessels of light tonnage were added the vexations incidental to a rigorous search of personal baggage; and these vexations were rendered all the greater by faulty arrangements. passengers were unnecessarily detained, and often, even after detention, had to proceed on their journey leaving their luggage behind. in course of time, indeed, an exception was made in the case of peers and members of parliament. after december , as the result of incessant complaints, the luggage of these privileged persons was allowed to pass unexamined on their giving a certificate on honour that it contained no articles liable to duty; but at the time of which we are writing, the year , all travellers, whether of high or low degree, were treated alike. despite conditions which at the present day would be considered intolerable, the number of passengers carried to and fro by the holyhead packets was between , and , a year;[ ] and there can be no doubt that the advantage which the british post office derived from this traffic was considerable. it is true that the fares went to the captains; but of course, except for the fares, the post office would have had to pay more for its packets. these were supplied at an annual cost of £ apiece, or £ altogether; and such being the terms on which boats could be hired, lees was confirmed in his opinion that ireland would do better if, instead of receiving from great britain a compensation allowance of £ a year, she were to provide her own packets and share the packet postage. [ ] the exact number of passengers in the year was , , made up as follows: cabin passengers, , ; passengers' servants, ; hold passengers, . freeling took a different view. the better the bargain was for the british post office, the more determined he was that with his consent the terms should not be altered. and, more than this, he little relished the prospect of competition between english and irish packets. indeed, so long had he been accustomed to deal with a monopoly that the very name of competition was hateful to him. at this very time he tried, and tried in vain, to repress a boat which had been set up between weymouth and the channel islands in opposition to the packets. another similar attempt which he made a little later was hardly more successful. the war office had chartered vessels to convey troops between bristol and waterford, and these vessels had assumed the title of "government packets," a title which, according to freeling, induced persons to go by them who would otherwise have gone by the post office packets from milford. lord palmerston was then secretary at war, and we think we see the twinkle in his eye as he replied to freeling's letter of remonstrance. freeling's objection was of course to the bristol boats being styled packets, but he had spoken of them by the title by which they were known of "government packets." the contractors, wrote lord palmerston, had been directed to drop the word government forthwith, and the boats would henceforth be called war office packets, to distinguish them from the packets employed by the post office. attached to the irish post office, by virtue of a contract which had yet some years to run, were boats called wherries. originally designed to carry between the two countries special messengers and despatches during the period immediately succeeding the union, they had long lost their original character, and were now being employed in picking up what goods and passengers they could, and transporting them across the channel in opposition to the packets. these boats were not ill adapted to the purpose which lees had in hand. on the th of july he despatched a letter to freeling, incidentally mentioning that "as the intended packet station at howth had sufficient depth of water for the vessels belonging to the irish post office, it was in contemplation, until such time as the regular packets should be stationed there, that the mails from ireland should be despatched in its own vessels, and that, as soon as the arrangements now in progress should be completed, the measure would take effect." this letter was received in london on the rd of july, and on the next day intelligence reached lombard street that the mail from ireland had been refused to the british packet and had been given to the irish wherry. and now might be witnessed a most unedifying spectacle--in dublin lees placarding the walls of the city with advertisements,[ ] vaunting the merits of his own packets; at holyhead the authorised packets arriving without the mails, and the mails being brought by boats which did not arrive until after the mail-coach for london had started; and in london freeling wringing his hands and invoking the aid of the government to check the vagaries of his brother-secretary on the other side of the channel. "for the first time," he wrote, "the postmasters-general of great britain have not the means of redressing grievances connected with their own department, and the most serious remonstrances may be expected from the merchants and traders of london on this alarming and unnecessary evil." [ ] the following are copies of the advertisements referred to:-- "the howth royal mail-coach sets out every evening at seven o'clock from the cork coach office, dawson street, where passengers and luggage will be booked, and arrives at howth at a quarter after eight, when the packet will immediately sail (independently of the tide) with the irish mails and passengers for holyhead. from the admirable construction of these vessels for fast sailing and excellent accommodation the passage from the pier at howth to holyhead will on the average be performed in one-third less time than by the _pigeon house_. besides, as no more than eight or ten passengers will be admitted into any one of these packets, the public, on the score of expedition and comfort, will soon experience the advantage of going to holyhead by howth. "passengers by the mail-coach have a preference as to berths in the packets. "_july , ._" "howth royal mail-coach, well guarded, sets out from the cork coach office, no. dawson street, at seven o'clock every evening with mails and passengers to his majesty's express packets at howth, from whence one of these excellent vessels sails at half after eight o'clock every night for holyhead. "_july , ._" the prediction was a safe one. not only were the mails often one day behindhand in arriving in london, but the letters they brought were charged with an additional rate of postage in respect of the distance between dublin and howth. the merchants flocked to the post office to inquire the reason. no reason could be given them, and they were invited to let their applications for a return of the charge stand over until the postmasters-general should have informed themselves on the subject. some assented; others accused the postmasters-general of trifling, and demanded instant redress. matters had thus gone on for a fortnight when lord liverpool, to whom an appeal had been made, directed that the wherries should be withdrawn. one is left to suppose that this direction cannot have been communicated in the proper quarter, for as a matter of fact it had no result. in vain the captains of the packets applied at the dublin post office for the british mails. all such applications met with a flat refusal, and the mails continued to be sent by the wherries as before. at length an end was put to the scandal, but not until it had lasted for more than six weeks. the question now arose whether for the forty-four days during which the wherries had acted as packets the compensation of £ a year which ireland received from great britain should not be withheld. freeling had not only taken it for granted that such would be the case, but had been unable to conceal his regret that this was the only penalty of which the circumstances would admit. liverpool, however, decided otherwise. lees might have been wrong-headed and even perverse, but there could be no doubt that law was on his side. accordingly, the compensation was paid for the period during which the packets had not carried the mails, and not long afterwards the government brought in a bill raising the amount which ireland was to receive from £ a year to £ . we now pass over six years. in july a curious invention, which had for some little time been in practical operation on the thames between london and margate, was brought into use between holyhead and dublin. this was no other than a vessel propelled by steam. two vessels of this class were now set up by private individuals styling themselves the dublin steam packet company; and of this company, to the amazement of the authorities in lombard street, lees had become a director. the quality which the new vessels possessed of being able to go against wind and tide, and the comparative speed with which they accomplished the passage, soon commended them to the favour of the public; and the consequence was a reduction to the extent of nearly one-half in the number of passengers by the post office packets.[ ] the matter was serious, for it was in consequence of the fares which the captains received that they let their boats to the post office at little more than a nominal sum: and of course this sum would have to be increased according as the fares diminished. [ ] by the post office packets the number of passengers between holyhead and dublin during the years - was as follows:-- year. number of passengers. , , , private steam packets began to ply in july . we now see the post office at its best. not possessing in the case of passengers a monopoly such as influenced and often perverted its action in the case of letters, the department proceeded to do much as private persons with sufficient capital at command would have done in similar circumstances, namely to build better boats than those already employed, and endeavour by the superior excellence of its service to recover the custom it had lost. orders were given for two steam packets, the best that boulton and watt could build; and on the st of may the _royal sovereign_, of tons burthen, with engines of horse-power, and the _meteor_, of somewhat smaller dimensions, began to ply. "hitherto," wrote the postmasters-general eight days later, "they have answered the most sanguine expectations that had been formed of them; the letters have been delivered in dublin earlier than was ever yet known, and ireland has expressed herself grateful for the attention that has been shewn to her interests." the post office behaved in this matter with a moderation which was altogether wanting where its monopoly was concerned. to be outdone by a private company, to employ inferior boats, boats of an obsolete type and of a low rate of speed--this would not be creditable to a public department, still less to a department whose special function it was to carry the correspondence of the country at the highest speed attainable; and properly enough the post office might take steps to establish its pre-eminence. but it would be quite another thing for a public department to undersell a private company, and, by charging lower fares, to run its boats off the line. this, it appeared to the authorities in lombard street, would exceed the bounds of fair competition. accordingly the fares by the post office steam packets were fixed at the same amounts as those charged by the company; and these fares were somewhat higher than those which had been charged by the sailing packets. by sailing packet, for instance, the charge for a cabin passenger had been one guinea, by steam packet it was £ : s.; for a horse the steam packet charge was £ : s. as against one guinea by sailing packet, and for a coach £ : s. as against three guineas. these charges, which were fixed with the express object of not exposing the company to undue competition, had not been long in force before parliament intervened. the select committee on irish communication protested in the interests of the public against the raising of the fares, and the post office was constrained to submit. the substitution of steam packets for sailing packets bore immediate fruit. the number of passengers carried by the post office between holyhead and dublin, which in had sunk to , rose in to , and in to more than , ; and for some years the holyhead packets were not only self-supporting but produced a clear gain to the revenue of more than £ a year. the change which had been made at holyhead was not long in extending itself to other packet stations from which there was communication with ireland. between milford and waterford sailing packets were replaced by steam packets in april , and between portpatrick and donaghadee in may . by sailing packet the average duration of voyage between the last-mentioned stations had been seven hours and forty-eight minutes. during the winter of - , a winter unexampled for the derangement of sea-communication, the average time which the little post office steamers _arrow_ and _dasher_ took to perform the voyage was less than three hours and a half. and yet, despite these exertions to maintain its superiority, the post office was not to remain in undisputed possession of the irish traffic. private steamers had begun to ply between liverpool and dublin, and the fares by these steamers were lower than by the post office packets from holyhead. as a natural consequence, the passenger traffic to which the post office looked to recoup itself for the heavy expense to which it had been put in replacing sailing packets by steam packets was diverted to liverpool. nor was it only in the matter of passengers that the post office lost by the competition. its reputation also suffered. the mails for ireland left liverpool at three o'clock in the afternoon, before the exchange was closed, and reaching holyhead by way of chester and llangollen at six o'clock on the following morning, did not arrive in dublin until the afternoon. the private steamers, on the contrary, did not leave liverpool until the business of the day was over, and arrived in dublin on the following morning. hence comparisons were drawn not favourable to the post office; and it by no means tended to allay dissatisfaction that the owners of the private steamers were refused permission to carry the mails. this they had offered to do, in one case for nothing more than exemption from harbour and light dues; but at that time, strange as it may appear to us with our present experience, it was a fixed principle with the post office that private firms even of the highest eminence were not to be entrusted with the carriage of the public correspondence. accordingly it was decided that between liverpool and dublin the post office should run its own packets, and the new service began on the th of august . the opening was marred by a lamentable disaster. early in september the _francis freeling_ packet, a recently-built cutter named after the secretary, and reputed to be the finest vessel of its kind afloat, foundered during a heavy gale and all the passengers and crew were lost. the new service, while an unquestionable convenience to the public, did not altogether satisfy the post office. it is true that, as a consequence of the increased accommodation, the letters for ireland passing through liverpool nearly doubled in number; but this satisfactory result was not without alloy. during the past few years the art of building as applied to steamboats had made rapid progress; and not only were the packets on the liverpool station larger than those stationed at holyhead, the horse-power of the engines being in the one case as against in the other, but they were altogether better equipped. the fares by the liverpool route as fixed by the post office were also relatively lower, and to any one proceeding from london or the large manufacturing towns of the north the distance to be travelled by road was shorter. as a consequence, the diversion of traffic from holyhead to liverpool, notwithstanding the longer sea voyage, proceeded still more rapidly than when the steamers from the latter port were in private hands; and the holyhead service, which had for some years produced a clear profit of many thousand pounds a year, was now carried on at a loss. to the post office authorities, indeed, there was in connection with the four packet stations in communication with ireland only one thing which gave them unqualified satisfaction. it was this--that to the post office belonged the credit of being first to demonstrate by practical experience that, to use freeling's words, "steam vessels could force their way at all seasons of the year and in weather in which no sailing vessel, be her qualities what they might, would attempt to put to sea." whether the claim is well founded or not we have no means of judging; we only know that it was made. by land, at the beginning of the present century, communication with ireland was in a more backward state than it was by water; and since the union a very general opinion had prevailed that this communication should be improved. it would perhaps be too much to say that the british post office proved obstructive in the matter; but there can be no doubt that it did not lend the assistance it might have done, and the reasons are obvious. in the first place, a little soreness existed. no sooner had the act of union passed than the government decided that between london and dublin there must be an express in both directions daily. this, as the postmasters-general pointed out, would cost more than £ a year, and, as it was not required for post office purposes, the post office should not bear the cost. accordingly the question as to the source from which the cost should be defrayed was reserved for future consideration; but after the express was well established, the post office received notice that it must defray the cost itself, and it continued to do so for twenty years and more. this was always a sore point with freeling, and he constantly adduced it as an instance of unremunerative work. another reason which kept lombard street back from assisting to improve the communication with ireland was that the british and irish post offices approached the subject from different points of view. with the british post office the main object, an object which in its judgment was sufficiently well attained already, was the transmission of letters; with the irish post office, as indeed with that section of the public which could best make its voice heard, the main object was the transport of passengers. yet a third reason, we can well believe, was the conviction that for any improvement that might be made, though primarily for the sake of ireland, the british and not the irish post office would have to pay. these three reasons, we cannot doubt, were at the root of the manifest indisposition displayed by the british post office to meet what had gradually become a very general demand. the first strenuous effort to induce the authorities in lombard street to improve the communication with ireland was made in , the prime mover in the matter being john foster, the chancellor of the irish exchequer. at this time the mail-coach between london and holyhead went by a circuitous route through chester. foster maintained that it should go direct through coventry and shrewsbury. by coventry the distance was miles, and by chester miles--a difference, in point of time, of more than two hours. it was alleged that by the shorter route other delays which now took place might be avoided; but how important was a saving of even two hours may be judged from the fact that the time of the mail-coach leaving holyhead was fixed with reference, not to the arrival of the packet from dublin, but to the arrival of the coach in london. all the mail-coaches were timed to reach london early in the morning, so that the letters they brought might go out by the morning delivery. to effect this object, the mail-coach by the chester route had to leave holyhead at seven o'clock in the morning, an hour by which it was barely possible for the packet from dublin to have arrived. during the whole of the year , for instance, the dublin mails arrived at holyhead in time to catch the coach to london on only twelve occasions; and, of course, when the mails did not catch the coach, they had to remain idle at holyhead until the following morning. if, argued foster, the route be by shrewsbury and coventry, the coach can leave holyhead so much later that the occasions on which the dublin mail does not arrive in time to catch it will be not as now the rule but the exception. freeling set the suggestion aside as impracticable. the coach, he maintained, must go through chester. at chester centred all the correspondence from the great manufacturing towns of the north, from liverpool and manchester, from hull, halifax, and leeds, indeed from all parts of yorkshire and many other counties besides. was this correspondence of no account? or was it suggested that a second mail-coach should be established? already the post office was paying many thousand pounds a year for an express service between london and holyhead which it did not require. could it in reason be expected to incur the further expense which a second mail-coach would involve? the thing was impossible, and the project could not be entertained. foster, though silenced for the time, was not convinced. in the subject was mooted again. clancarty, who had recently been appointed joint postmaster-general with o'neill, had arrived in london, prepared to argue the point with all the energy of his energetic nature. foster was unable to come; but he had sent a memorandum which no one who was not thorough master of the subject could have produced. a meeting was appointed at lord hawksbury's office. freeling poured out all the old objections, and proceeded to contend, as he had contended three years before, that the project was impracticable. but one was present there who did not believe in impracticabilities. this was the new chief secretary for ireland, sir arthur wellesley. wellesley's opinion was emphatic--that all other considerations must be made subordinate to the one grand purpose of facilitating communication between the two capitals of london and dublin. freeling had encountered a stronger will than his own. what had been impossible before was possible now, and that very evening arrangements were begun to be devised for accelerating the irish mails. even now, what little was done was done grudgingly. the mail-coach from london which ran through oxford and birmingham to shrewsbury was extended from shrewsbury to holyhead, and was met at llangollen by an express from chester bringing the cross-post correspondence. thus matters remained for nine years, when, under pressure which the post office could no longer resist, the coventry route was adopted. the post office opposed the change to the last, even though a parliamentary committee had recommended it, and an address in its favour had been presented to the prince regent. at length vansittart, the chancellor of the exchequer, brought his authority to bear, and in july a mail-coach by way of coventry began to run, accomplishing the distance between london and holyhead in thirty-eight hours. but in order to facilitate communication between england and ireland a good deal more was required than to set up an additional coach or to send an existing coach by another and shorter route. the roads of the country were still in a state to make rapid travelling impossible. much, no doubt, had been done to improve them. between the years and no less than turnpike acts had been passed, and under the turnpike system the roads were better than before. still the making of them had been entrusted to incompetent hands, and they were constructed on false principles. for the bed or foundation of the roads improper or insufficient materials had been used. little or no attention had been paid to drainage. few roads were provided with side channels. not seldom, indeed, the sides were encumbered with huge banks of mud which had accumulated to the height of six, seven, and even eight feet. not only had convexity of surface, as a means of carrying off the water, been disregarded, but the road was frequently hollow in the middle and everywhere cut into deep ruts. high hedges and trees were still allowed to intercept the action of the sun and wind, the importance of a rapid evaporation of moisture being as yet unrecognised. even the roads themselves had been laid out on no fixed principle. their lines of direction were, almost without exception, identical with the footpaths of the aboriginal inhabitants of the country; and these, doubtless to avoid the bogs and marsh lands, and possibly also for purposes of observation, had invariably followed the hills. hence it came to pass that almost every road of any importance was both steep and crooked. where there were no hills and the roads passed across wet and flat land, they were almost always below the level of the adjacent fields, the mud having been carried away by constant use. while such was the general state of the roads during the first twenty years of the present century, the road between shrewsbury and holyhead, over which a mail-coach had been travelling since the summer of , was notoriously one of the worst in the kingdom. "to kenneage,[ ] six miles of narrow road; scarcely room for two carriages to pass, and much out of repair; in winter, the drivers say, the ruts are up to the bed of the coach." "from kenneage to capel curig, road narrow and wants walling to prevent carriages falling down precipices or yards perpendicular." "from capel curig to bangor, side of the road unguarded, and many accidents may happen to passengers by the coach running off the road as the mail passes here in the dark." thus wrote the assistant superintendent of mail-coaches in , and nothing had since been done to remedy defects. [ ] _i.e._ kinniogga, the old name for cernioge. the mail along this line, of road was now to be carried at a higher rate of speed than before, and, if only on this ground, it would have been necessary at least to remove actual causes of danger. even before , however, parliamentary commissioners had been appointed for the improvement of the holyhead road; and these commissioners had summoned to their aid the first of that line of illustrious men who, during the last eighty years, have transformed the face of england. this was thomas telford, who had already achieved distinction by the roads he had made in the highlands of scotland. telford commenced operations in the autumn of ; and now for the first time in england, or at all events for the first time since the ancient ways were laid down by the romans, a road was to be constructed on scientific principles. "every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain." this--we say it without irreverence--is what literally came to pass. easy inclinations, ample breadth, perfect drainings, complete protection, and a smooth and hard surface--these were the distinguishing characteristics of the road which telford now made between holyhead and shrewsbury. a road that had been one of the worst in the kingdom was now the very best. in summer it was not even dusty, and in winter was free from dirt. frost and rain produced upon it but trifling and superficial effects. to crown all, the menai straits were spanned by a noble bridge, where before there had been only an inconvenient ferry. while telford was thus raising the business of road-making to the level of an art, john loudon macadam was demonstrating of what materials the surface of a road should be made. macadam had travelled about the kingdom much as john palmer had travelled about some thirty years before in pursuit of a different object, and, as the result of long observation, he had come to the conclusion that the surface of roads should be made of broken stones; and having in been appointed general surveyor of roads in the british district he proceeded to put his views into practice. with success to recommend it, the new system spread like wildfire, and "a macadamised road" soon became a household word. nor was it to the business of road-making alone that science now lent her aid. what force of traction or power is required to draw carriages over different kinds of road, in what line of direction the power can be best applied--what, in other words, is the proper angle for the traces, and what in the case of hills is the highest inclination up which horses can go at a trot and down which they can with safety be driven at full speed--these were some of the questions which now engaged the attention of the scientific world. some thirty years before, walsingham and chesterfield when postmasters-general had dabbled in matters of the kind;[ ] but now they were reduced to the form of mathematical problems and received a mathematical solution. [ ] "god knows whether we are to remain postmen or not, or whether all the lights which philosophy is now throwing upon coach-making are not to be left by us as an official legacy to some more pliant successors."--chesterfield to walsingham, nd april . the excellence of the road constructed between holyhead and shrewsbury brought into bold relief the imperfections of the road between shrewsbury and london. to this road, which, in comparison with the other, had at one time been pronounced good and was now pronounced execrable, telford proceeded to apply the same principles as before. he raised the valleys, lowered or avoided the hills, and corrected deviations. to give only one instance--an instance taken from the second stage out of london--the old road from barnet to south minims ascended three steep and long hills; the new road avoided two of these hills altogether, and at the same time was shorter than the old one by more than yards. and so it was in a greater or less degree all the way from london through st. albans to coventry, and thence through birmingham and wolverhampton to shrewsbury. it should also be mentioned that at this time, while the country roads were hollow in the centre instead of convex, the roads in and about london within a radius of about ten miles were the exact contrary. here convexity, as a means of carrying off water, had been pushed to so absurd an extent that the road was in the form of a slanting roof, and a carriage, unless kept in the centre, was on a dangerous slope. this, which had been a prolific source of accidents, telford now altered. the effect of his operations upon the first stage out of london, the highgate archway road as it was called, is perhaps best described in the words of one of the principal mail-coach contractors. before telford took this road in hand, he wrote, "it was all we could do to walk up both sides of the archway with six horses, and now we can trot up with our heaviest loads with four." the road from london to shrewsbury, in continuation of the one from shrewsbury to holyhead, was completed in , and, corresponding alterations having been made in the eight miles of road which connect howth and dublin, a line of communication was established between the capitals of england and ireland such as, until the days of railways, could hardly have been improved. some few years before, when the post office had received orders to accomplish the distance between london and holyhead in thirty-eight hours, hasker, the experienced superintendent of mail-coaches, while zealously applying himself to carry the orders into effect, had felt it incumbent upon him as a loyal servant to make a protest in writing against the "extraordinary expedition projected." it would, he urged--and no doubt rightly so as the road then was--be inhuman to horses and dangerous to life. this extraordinary expedition was at the rate of seven miles an hour. along the parliamentary road the distance was accomplished, without hurt to horses and with perfect safety, at the rate of ten miles an hour, and the london and holyhead coach soon became one of what were known as the "crack" coaches of the kingdom. meanwhile the post office had shewn its appreciation of telford's achievement in a remarkable manner. it had imposed an additional charge of d. upon every letter carried over conway bridge, and a second penny for carriage over the menai straits.[ ] [ ] the postage between liverpool and dublin by way of holyhead was d., as thus made up:-- inland postage to holyhead d. for the conway bridge d. for the menai bridge d. sea postage d. ---- d. ---- chapter xvi the beginning of the end - we must now go back a few years. on the cessation of hostilities with france the state of the finances occupied a large share of men's thoughts, and among the plans for relieving the burden upon the taxpayer none perhaps was more obvious than to abolish sinecures and useless offices. on the th of february mr. lambton, member for the county of durham, gave notice of motion for a return shewing the number of boards which had been held by the postmasters-general during the last twenty years, and distinguishing the names of the places where such boards had been held and the persons by whom they were attended. the post office was in a flutter. just twenty years before, the commissioners of inquiry into public offices had recommended, and the recommendation had been approved by the house, that a board should be held by the postmasters-general at least once a week; and from that date to the present not a single board had been held. the position was no doubt embarrassing, and not the less so because the postmasters-general, lords chichester and salisbury, were the one at stanmer and the other at hatfield. nothing could be done without the concurrence of both, and at such distances, little as would be thought of them now, it was a tedious process eighty years ago to arrive at a common understanding. freeling, who regarded it as little short of an outrage that the two noble peers, his masters, should be thus called to account, appealed to the chancellor of the exchequer to have the terms of the motion altered; but vansittart refused, and the return was granted and ordered to be laid on the table of the house. of course it was necessary to admit that no boards had been held; but the work of the post office, the return went on to state, did not lend itself to boards. boards could be held only at intervals, and the work of the post office was so continuous and pressing that, without detriment to the public interests, it could not be kept waiting for a single day. a daily transmission of papers to the postmasters-general was, therefore, necessary; and by such means the business was better conducted than it would be by any system of boards. such was the substance of the return which was now laid before the house. eventually the matter was referred to a friendly committee, and the appointment of second postmaster-general escaped for a time. but it was for a time only. in may , on the motion of lord normanby, an address to the throne was adopted in the following terms: "his majesty's faithful commons, relying upon his majesty's gracious disposition expressed in answer to former addresses of that house to concur in all such measures of economy as the exigencies of the time require, and in such reductions in the civil department of the state as may be consistent with due consideration for the public service, humbly pray that his majesty will be graciously pleased to give directions that the office of one of the postmasters-general may be abolished and the salary thereby saved to the revenue." it was lord salisbury, as the junior of the two postmasters-general, that was affected by the resolution of the house. many men, incensed by such treatment, would have thrown up their appointments in disgust. lord salisbury did nothing of the kind. the very day he received official intimation that the address had been acceded to by the king he gave directions that his salary should be stopped;[ ] but the appointment of postmaster-general he retained, and to the duties of it he gave at least as much attention as before. it was not until his death a year later that lord chichester was appointed sole postmaster-general, and the post office received the constitution under which it still remains. [ ] the official intimation was received at the post office on the th of may. on the same day lord salisbury wrote to the receiver-general as follows:-- general post office, _may , _. sir--i have received instructions from the lords commissioners of his majesty's treasury to acquaint you that on the th of july next you are to retain in your hands the salary of £ hitherto paid to me as joint postmaster-general.--i am, etc., salisbury. r. willimott, esq., receiver-general. other economies followed. all periodical increases of salary were suspended and salaries were for the first time made subject to abatement in order to provide a superannuation fund.[ ] the effect of these two measures was to reduce the post office servants to a state of destitution not very far short of that from which pitt had rescued them some thirty years before. it must not be thought, however, that ministers imposed upon others conditions to which they were unwilling to submit themselves. on the contrary, they procured an order in council to be passed reducing their own salaries and those of all the great officers of state by per cent, and the reduction was to continue for five years. the desire to be just and equal was present; the one thing wanting was a due sense of the difference between superfluity and need. [ ] the sums abated were afterwards returned. it was not until that abatements towards superannuation were imposed by statute. and now a blow which had long been impending fell. this was the transfer from the post office to the admiralty of the packets stationed at falmouth. the question had been discussed again and again during the war; but how it came to be revived at this particular time is not very clear. there had indeed been a mutiny among the seamen at falmouth, and the packets had been temporarily removed to plymouth; but many years had since elapsed, and now, so far as appeared, matters were perfectly quiet. we only know that at the instance of lord liverpool a memorandum was prepared by lord melville, the first lord of the admiralty, and that after a sharp paper-warfare between him and freeling the arguments in favour of the change prevailed. at falmouth thirty packets were employed, nearly double the number at all the other stations put together; and these thirty packets with their crews of seamen, whose deeds of daring had often shed lustre on the post office, were now made over to another department. freeling was in despair. this little fleet had, next perhaps to the mail-coaches, been the object of his keenest solicitude; and it gave him little consolation that the packets at the other stations--at dover and harwich, at weymouth, milford, holyhead, and portpatrick, were to remain under the charge of the post office. some little comfort, however, was at hand. steam packets being beyond the means of the captains to purchase, the government provided them and purchased the sailing packets, which they replaced, at a valuation. thus the post office became once more absolute owner of its own boats. this, though by no means reconciling freeling to the loss of the falmouth packets, was at all events some compensation. "the steam flotilla belonging to the post office," he was able to write in , "consists of no less than nineteen vessels complete, to the aggregate amount of tons, with machinery equal on the whole to the power of horses." exaggerated opinions have been expressed as to the speed of the mail-coaches during the first two decades of the present century. in few mail-coaches travelled as much as eight miles an hour, and only one mail-coach attained to a speed of nine miles, and that for only part of the journey. the exact rates of travelling are shewn in the following table:-- . +---------------+-------+---------+----------+----------+-------------+ | | number| hour | hour | rate of | | | mail coach | of | of | of |travelling| remarks. | |from london to | miles.|despatch.| arrival. | per hour.| | +---------------+-------+---------+----------+----------+-------------+ | | m. f.| | | m. | | |berwick | | . p.m.| . p.m.| - / | the rates of| |berwick to | | | | |travelling | | edinburgh | | -- | . a.m.| - / |include | |birmingham | | . p.m.| . a.m.| - / |stoppages for| |bristol | | " | " | - / |change of | |carlisle by | | | | |horses, but | | manchester | | " | . p.m.| - / |not stoppages| |carlisle by | | | | |for refresh- | | boroughbridge| | " | . p.m.| - / |ment and for | |carlisle to | | | | |post office | | glasgow | | -- | . a.m.| - / |business. | |chester | | . p.m.| . p.m.| - / | | |chester to | | | | | | | holyhead | | -- | . a.m.| - / | | |dover | | . p.m.| . a.m.| | for a | |exeter | | " | . p.m.| - / |considerable | |exeter by bath | | " | . p.m.| - / |part of the | |gloucester | | " | . a.m.| - / |distance the | |holyhead | | " | . a.m.| - / |london and | |leeds | | " | . p.m.| - / |bristol | |liverpool | | " | . a.m.| - / |coach | |norwich by | | | | |travelled at | | ipswich | | " | . a.m.| - / |the rate of | |ipswich to | | | | |nine miles an| | yarmouth | | -- | . a.m.| - / |hour. | |poole | | . p.m.| . a.m.| - / | | |portsmouth | | " | . a.m.| - / | | |worcester | | " | . a.m.| - / | | +---------------+-------+---------+----------+----------+-------------+ it was not until some fourteen or fifteen years later, when the main roads of the kingdom had passed under telford's hands and vehicles of lighter build had been introduced, that mail-coaches attained the speed which is very commonly ascribed to an earlier period. in there were in england mail-coaches, all drawn by four horses. of these the fastest was the liverpool and preston coach, which travelled at the rate of ten miles and five furlongs an hour; and the slowest was the coach between canterbury and deal, which travelled at the rate of only six miles an hour. the average speed of all the mail-coaches in , namely eight miles and seven furlongs an hour, was actually higher than the highest speed attained by any one mail-coach in . it should be added that in , as in , the number of passengers by a mail-coach was limited to four inside and four out. on some mail-coaches, indeed, no more than three outside passengers were allowed. but the mail-coach at the beginning of the present century did something more than carry mails and passengers. it was the great disseminator of news. in times of excitement men would stand waiting along the mail roads and learn the latest intelligence as shouted to them from the tops of the coaches. it may well be believed that this mode of communication did not tend to either accuracy or completeness of statement. we cannot, therefore, be surprised that on important occasions or occasions on which false or inexact intelligence might lead to mischief recourse should have been had to the expedient of printing hand-bills, and sending them to the postmasters with instructions to distribute them in their respective towns. the following are specimens of hand-bills which were so distributed:-- london, _february , _. the statement in the morning papers that several persons have been arrested by warrants from the secretary of state is true. the meeting was held this morning at spa fields; but the arrests which have taken place and the precautions adopted by government caused everything to end peaceably and the town is perfectly quiet. * * * * * _ th november ._ her majesty the queen expired at one o'clock this day. * * * * * the following hand-bill sent to the different ports where vessels from jamaica were likely to arrive is interesting in so far as it shews the exceptional facilities which, even seventy or eighty years ago, the post office possessed for making inquiries:-- general post office, _february th, _. mr. freeling requests the postmaster to make inquiries of the master of any ship arriving from jamaica into the state of the duke of manchester's health, and inform him of the result by the first post. of the reason of this solicitude we are not aware. police notices, notices giving particulars of crimes which had been committed and offering rewards for the apprehension of the criminals, were similarly dealt with. these, like the hand-bills of which specimens have been given, were sent from lombard street under cover to the postmasters with instructions to circulate them in their respective towns. the propriety of this proceeding is not free from doubt. of course, every department of the state is interested in the detection and punishment of crime; and yet it may be a question whether by taking an active part in the distribution of these documents the post office was not to some extent identifying itself with a class of business from which, for obvious reasons, it had better hold itself aloof. while changes were taking place in other directions, the regulations for the transmission of newspapers through the post remained as they had been at the beginning of the century. within the united kingdom newspapers could not pass free except under the frank of either members of parliament or of the clerks of the roads. to the continent of europe and to the colonies they could pass only at the letter rate of postage unless they were franked, in the case of the continent, by the comptroller or clerks of the foreign department, and, in the case of the colonies, by freeling. this privilege of franking was to the post office servants who possessed it a source of considerable profit. freeling's share alone amounted to nearly £ a year; but he, unlike his subordinates, claimed to frank not newspapers alone but the _edinburgh_ and _quarterly reviews_ and other publications of a like nature. the west india merchants had long writhed under this exaction, and now at their instance joseph hume, the member for montrose, brought the matter under the notice of the house of commons. the practice had only to be made known in order to secure condemnation. a bill was brought in and passed extinguishing the privilege so far as the colonies were concerned, empowering the treasury to grant compensation for the loss of it, and providing for the transmission of newspapers at easy rates. these rates were, from the united kingdom to the colonies, - / d. and, from the colonies to the united kingdom, d. for each newspaper, the reason for the difference of charge being that the paper would bear a stamp-duty in one direction and not in the other. in the case of newspapers for the continent the franking privilege remained untouched. it may seem strange that this should have been so; indeed, not more than two or three years had elapsed before members of parliament were expressing surprise that the act which had taken away the privilege in respect to one class of newspapers had not taken it away also in respect to the other. but the explanation, we think, is simple. some nine or ten years before it had been rumoured that in the case of all post office servants the franking privilege was to be abolished, and those who would have been injured by its abolition proceeded to shew cause why in their own case an exception should be made. only by those who franked to the continent were even plausible reasons given; and there can be little doubt that, at all events to some extent, the same reasons operated now. these were that over a great part of the continent, except for the arrangements made by the post office servants in lombard street, english newspapers could not circulate at all or could circulate only under most onerous conditions. in france their circulation was prohibited. to holland they could not be sent unless ordered by some postmaster there. in germany and sweden, unless so ordered, they could not pass through the post except at the letter rate of postage. in portugal the letter rate of postage was always charged. in russia, besides being charged s. d. apiece, they were generally delayed and not seldom suppressed altogether. these obstacles had been overcome by the private arrangements made from lombard street, and, if these should be disallowed, the transmission of newspapers to the continent, instead of being facilitated, would be rendered more difficult and costly. thus in argued those who were interested in the maintenance of the privilege, and we can well understand that in much the same considerations prevailed. the same act of parliament which imposed upon newspapers to the colonies a postage of - / d. allowed newspapers within the united kingdom to pass through the post free from any postage at all. this was the effect of the act, but it was accomplished in a roundabout manner. by a statute passed early in the century[ ] a member of parliament was required, in order to send his newspapers free, to sign his name on the outside in his own handwriting, and, in order to receive them free, to have them addressed to some place of which he had given previous notice in writing at the post office. by the present statute these provisions were repealed. a newspaper, to be exempt from postage, need no longer bear the signature of a member of parliament and need no longer be addressed to a place of which previous notice had been given. in other words, newspapers might pass through the post free; and as a consequence the franking privilege possessed by the clerks of the roads was at an end. [ ] george iii. cap. lxiii. sec. . this, it might naturally be supposed, was a signal epoch in the history of the post office. as a matter of fact, it was nothing of the kind. for many years past the law had been disregarded. it had indeed been insisted upon that a newspaper, in order to pass free, must bear a member's name, without which the full letter rate of postage would be charged; but by whom the name was written, whether it was written at all or only printed, and whether the use of it had been authorised, had long ceased to be considered material. so well was this understood that some of the largest news-vendors in the kingdom adopted a member's name without the slightest reference to the member himself, and had it printed on their newspaper-covers. this laxity in the case of newspapers may appear all the more extraordinary in view of the stringency which was observed in other matters. the chelsea pensioners had by statute enjoyed the privilege of sending and receiving letters at low rates of postage. freeling never rested until the statute was repealed. at the close of hostilities with france letters which had been detained in paris since the war broke out in were forwarded to london, and the merchants urged that they might be delivered free. the treasury were in favour of granting the request; but freeling energetically opposed it. the delivery of such letters free, he insisted, would be a plain breach of the law. on a dissolution of parliament those who had been members lost their privilege in the matter of franking; and yet it might be supposed that a short period of grace would have been allowed, a period sufficient to admit of letters which were already in the post being delivered free. nothing of the kind. these letters were surprised in course of transit and charged with postage.[ ] [ ] this is the circular which was issued to postmasters on the occasion of a dissolution:-- "the parliament is dissolved. the franks of this evening are necessarily charged with postage, and you will immediately charge all letters and packets excepting the letters franked by such public officers as are by law at all times exempted from postage. full instructions will be sent to-morrow." lord salisbury when at the post office contrasted the stringency of later years with the laxity which prevailed in his early manhood. "in the year ," he wrote, "and in many succeeding ones while i took the field with the militia it was the constant practice to write on all regimental papers the words, 'on his majesty's service,' which insured a free delivery; but in process of time the post office became rather stricter and more attentive, and then such a superscription was charged except when addressed to peers and members of parliament, and i have frequently paid for such letters overweight without getting any redress." when such strictness was observed in other matters, one can only wonder at the liberties which were allowed to be taken with newspapers, and it appears all the more strange because the very act which in the case of newspapers was countenanced and encouraged was in the case of letters a highly penal offence. was it not for forging a single frank, the frank of sir william garrow, that the clerical impostor, halloran, was in sentenced to seven years' transportation? the plain truth would seem to be that vested interests were so deeply involved in the matter of newspapers that there was on the part of the post office the utmost indisposition to make them the subject of legislative enactment; and yet, without some concessions to the news-vendors, it would have been impossible to resist the pressure which would have been brought to bear. this, we doubt not, is the true explanation; and it will account for much that is otherwise dark and obscure. it will explain why that which was regarded as a heinous offence in the case of letters was sanctioned and encouraged in the case of newspapers; why, enormously as the circulation of newspapers within the united kingdom increased during the first quarter of the present century, we look in vain for any legislative enactment regulating the conditions under which, except when sent or received by members of parliament, they might pass through the post; and why in , when at length they had conceded to them the right to pass free, the concession was enacted in an indirect and circuitous manner. so far, therefore, as inland newspapers were concerned, the practical effect of the statute which now passed was little more than to make law correspond with usage. during many years newspapers had been passing through the post, as they were to pass for the future, free. the only difference was that, in order to secure exemption, it was no longer necessary to go through the farce of either writing or printing the name of some member of parliament on the outside of the cover. the clerks of the roads were unaffected by the statute. the advantage which these officers had at one time derived from their franking privilege had already been lost to them through the action of the post office in evading the law; and we can well believe that even so they considered themselves fortunate in being permitted to escape with their newspaper-business. this business, long after they had begun to compete with the news-vendors on equal terms, was of large dimensions. during the year , out of , , newspapers despatched from london into the country, , , or more than one-tenth of the whole number were despatched by the clerks of the roads. but it was not only in respect to newspapers that the house of commons began about this time to manifest in the proceedings of the post office an interest such as it had never taken before. committee after committee was appointed to report upon the communications of the country, upon roads, mail-coaches, and steam packets; but without any definite result. obviously the house was not satisfied with things as they were, and yet did not well see how to improve them. only one man appears to have had a clear perception of what he wanted, and to have been possessed of the requisite ability to carry his object. this was sir henry parnell, chairman of the select committee on the holyhead road, a committee the title of which only inadequately denotes either its scope or importance. parnell, presuming on the authority which this position gave him, and convinced no doubt of the feasibility of his scheme of improvement, adopted towards the post office an air of superiority which was peculiarly galling to freeling, who for the first time in his life found himself dictated to in respect to matters in which he had hitherto been regarded as supreme. the effect of this committee was not only to keep the post office busily employed in the preparation of returns but to put it on the defensive. another inquiry which was going on contemporaneously contributed to the same result. early in the reign of george the fourth a commission had been appointed to inquire into the state of the revenue, and this commission, which began with the post office in , did not report the result of its labours until . meanwhile the post office, which was practically on its trial, put forward as few proposals as possible; and even from those that were put forward the treasury withheld assent on the pretext that the commission had not yet reported. hence followed the somewhat curious result that the very period during which the house of commons began to manifest an interest in the post office was on the part of the post office itself a period of more than ordinary inaction. and yet the period in question, though not remarkable for post office progress, is by no means an uninteresting one if only because within its limits the old and the new are brought together in striking contrast. in the express office in the haymarket is closed, an office which had been established in for the purpose of facilitating the receipt and despatch of government expresses. in gas, or oil-gas as it was then called, is introduced into the post office, and at once asserts its superiority over oil in point not only of illuminating power but of cheapness as well. in the post office, by virtue of a warrant under the royal sign-manual, is cleared of its irrecoverable debts. these have been accumulating during a period of years--since , when the post office was first taken out of farm, and now amount to £ , . about the same time thomas gray, writing from brussels, advocates the introduction of steam engines on iron railways and predicts that, once established, they will absorb the carrying trade of the kingdom and displace mail-coaches. in brunel, who has already achieved distinction, offers his services in the construction of a steam engine which shall prove as efficient and as safe at sea as when employed on land. the brilliant engineer receives no encouragement, and gray receives not even the courtesy of an answer. in the same year passes away at tunbridge wells, james sprange, the courtly old postmaster, who up to the date of his last illness might be seen pacing the pantiles scrupulously dressed in the costume of the reign of george the second, even to the long ruffles. in glasgow is pleading, and pleading in vain, for a post office which shall not be kept at a shop. in the roman catholic peers are once more protesting against the outrage which precludes them, on the score of their religion, from exercising the privilege of franking. in waghorn is vainly striving to induce the post office to co-operate in facilitating communication with the east. the inferiority of sailing vessels to vessels propelled by steam has now been conclusively established, and steam packets are being placed on every station. not the holyhead road alone but all the great roads of the kingdom have passed under telford's hands and are beginning to assume the condition in which we see them to-day. and all this while postage remains at the ridiculously high level at which it was fixed in . to windsor the charge on a single letter is still d., to birmingham d., and to liverpool d. letters are still held up to a strong light to see whether they contain an enclosure or not, and are to be charged as single or as double. the first general delivery in st. james' square is not begun before twelve o'clock in the day or finished much before one. offices for the receipt of general post letters are still kept separate and distinct from those for the receipt of letters for the twopenny post. by the twopenny post the postage is not necessarily d., but, according as it is a twopenny post letter, a general post letter, or a foreign letter, may be d., d., or nothing. on a letter for abroad the fee for registration is still one guinea.[ ] an additional penny is still charged upon every letter that crosses the conway or the menai bridge. two hundred and seventy-five post towns still remain without a free delivery, and--what proves a constant source of contention between the post office and the inhabitants--even in those towns in which the letters are delivered free, the limits of the free delivery are not defined. [ ] since receipts had been given for registered letters. in that year mr. h. m. raikes, of portman square, represented that he frequently sent valuable parcels of diamonds between this country and holland, and that these parcels he insured, but that, to be certain of recovering his insurance should any casualty happen, "the london merchant ought to have some proof in his possession of his having delivered such a packet into the charge of the post office." if, he added, the clerks would give a receipt, the merchant would gladly give them for their trouble an additional guinea. the suggestion to charge a second guinea was not adopted; but from that time a receipt had been given for a registered letter in the following form:-- foreign post office. london it is hereby certified that ......... has registered at this office a sealed packet said to contain .......... addressed to ............... which will be forwarded to ............. by the mail of this evening; but for its safe conveyance this office is not responsible. (_signature_) .................... twenty years before, the office in gerrard street, the headquarters of the twopenny post in westminster, had been enlarged. of this office, which ranked next in importance to the general post office in lombard street, the postmasters-general wrote in --not, surely, without a touch of exaggeration: "the sorting office, where fourteen persons are generally employed at a time and nearly one-half of which is occupied by tables, is only seventeen feet long by thirteen wide"; and, again, "the letter-carriers' office, in which fifty persons are employed at a time and one-fourth of which is occupied by tables, is but eighteen feet by sixteen." such were the conditions under which, until lately, the post office servants had been accustomed to work; and now on a site rich in historical associations is rapidly approaching completion a stately edifice which not only provides ample and even lavish accommodation for the present, but will, it is confidently predicted, suffice for all time. the new post office in st. martin's-le-grand was opened on the rd of september . little more than sixty years have since elapsed, and the building has been shorn of its chief attraction, the central hall, and has otherwise been so altered internally that even the accomplished architect, were he to revisit us, would probably fail to recognise his own handiwork. of the old post office in lombard street, with its courts and its alleys and its interesting associations, not a fragment remains. part of the site was retained for post office purposes, and is now occupied by what is known as the lombard street branch office; part was thrown into the street then forming, and to be called after the king, king william street; and the remainder was sold, and has long been covered with banks and counting-houses. it were much to be wished, if only for his own reputation and peace of mind, that freeling had now retired. full of years, recently created a baronet, of ample means, and enjoying the confidence of the government as probably civil servant had never enjoyed it before, he could not have selected a better moment for relinquishing the duties of his arduous post. but a man who has been accustomed to exercise power is seldom willing to give it up. and in freeling's case we suspect there was an additional reason. of the large income which he derived from the post office, exceeding £ a year, considerably more than two-thirds was compensation for the loss of the franking privilege; and this compensation, according to a well-understood rule, was not to count for pension. as the fees which had been received for the exercise of the privilege must have ceased on retirement, so the compensation was to cease also. that freeling would have received a special pension is beyond doubt; but even a special pension, with the utmost goodwill on the part of the government, could not have approached the amount of his official income. and of this freeling must have been well aware, for grumblings were already to be heard. the commissioners of revenue inquiry, indeed, had gone so far as to question his right to receive any fees at all, and, even assuming such right to exist, had impugned the conduct of the government in fixing the amount of his compensation at close upon £ a year. the removal into the new building was celebrated by two important steps in advance. two branch offices were opened, one at charing cross and the other in oxford street, where letters were received without a fee until half-past six o'clock in the evening. up to this time, except in lombard street, no office for the receipt of letters had been kept open later than five o'clock. a still more important step was the earlier delivery of letters in the morning. this was accomplished within the city by the employment of additional letter-carriers, and in the more distant parts by conveying the men to their walks in vehicles. a whole hour was thus gained. in the west end of london the delivery had not been completed until between twelve and one o'clock. it was now to be completed, except on mondays, when the greater number of letters caused delay, between eleven and twelve. it will be convenient here to notice, though not strictly in chronological order, a third step in advance which took place about a year later, a step regarded as of little moment at the time, and yet one which, in view of subsequent events, was of the highest importance. on the th of november the first mail was sent by railway, this being the mail between liverpool and manchester. except as the opening of a new era, the fact would hardly deserve to be recorded, for many years had yet to pass before railways became sufficiently general to afford to the post office any sensible relief. meanwhile the roofs of the mail-coaches groaned under the weight of the mails. time had been when no mail was allowed to be put on the roof or elsewhere than in the mail-box; but, as the correspondence increased, the post office was forced to countenance a practice of which it highly disapproved. what, except for the railways, would have happened on the introduction of penny postage is a question into which, happily, we need not inquire. the new post office had not been long occupied before the government changed hands, and earl grey came into power with the duke of richmond as postmaster-general. it is not often that a change of government affects the proceedings of the post office. one postmaster-general may be more active than another, or he may take a more lively and personal interest in the questions with which he has to deal; but there must, from the nature of the case, be a continuity of policy which can seldom be broken. nor was there in this respect any exception to rule in the present instance. and yet the peer who now assumed the direction of the post office adopted a mode of procedure so different from that of his immediate predecessors that it is impossible to pass over the occasion in silence. richmond on his appointment as postmaster-general declined to receive any salary; and having formed this determination on the ground that the office was notoriously a sinecure, he straightway proceeded to shew that a sinecure was the very thing which in his hands the office was not to be. he devoted himself heart and soul to his new duties. early and late, at his private residence as well as the post office, he was in constant and personal communication with officers of all classes from the highest to the lowest. nothing like it had been seen since the days of walsingham. he frequented the sorting office, saw for himself how the work was done, and with many a kindly word encouraged the men to do their best. with his own hands he on one occasion opened a bag for the colonial office, and, in confirmation of the suspicion which had prompted the act, found it full of letters for bankers, army agents, and others, representing postage to the amount of £ . yet hard as he laboured, the duke's repugnance to receive remuneration for his services could not be overcome. learning that his salary remained undrawn, the treasury addressed to him a letter of gentle remonstrance. to this letter he returned no reply. fourteen months later the treasury wrote again. to gratuitous service there were, in their lordships' opinion, serious objections. the lord privy seal had declined to receive the salary annexed to his office, and a select committee of the house of commons had expressed disapproval of the step as being inconsistent with the wishes and the dignity of the country. could that be right on the part of the postmaster-general which had been held to be wrong in the case of the lord privy seal? richmond now yielded, feeling that it would be indelicate, if not disrespectful to the house, to force gratuitous service where he was authoritatively informed gratuitous service would not be welcome; but while yielding he managed to draw as little of the arrears of salary as possible. his appointment as postmaster-general bore date the th of december , and the views of the committee were for the first time made known to him at the end of april. the end of april, he was pleased to say, was an inconvenient time to begin. it was a broken quarter. he would, in deference to the opinion of the committee, draw salary from the th of july but not before. richmond had been only a short time at the post office when he had a most invidious task to perform. this was the carrying out of the arrangements consequent upon the consolidation of the irish post office with the post office of great britain. the state of things arising from the maintenance within the united kingdom of two independent post offices had long been felt to be intolerable. until four or five years before, not only had the rates of postage in ireland been different from those in england, but on a letter passing from one part of the kingdom to another both the english and the irish rates had been charged. this had now been altered,[ ] but the inconvenience of the dual control remained. a letter from ireland might have miscarried or been delayed. the postmaster-general of england could not answer for its course except on this side of the channel, and for further particulars the complainant had to be referred to dublin. the english packets were timed to arrive in ireland at a particular hour; but on the goodwill of the authorities in dublin it depended whether the irish posts corresponded or whether, as had not been unknown to be the case, their times were perversely fixed so as to keep the english mails waiting. [ ] and george iv. cap. xxi. nor was this all. the revenue inquiry commissioners had recently reported upon the irish post office, and the evidence, on which their report was based, revealed the existence of scandalous abuses such as no government could suffer to continue. for nearly fifty years the irish post office had been independent of the post office of great britain, and it was now determined that this independence should cease. in an act was passed incorporating the two post offices into one, and richmond's patent as postmaster-general of great britain had hardly been completed before another passed constituting him postmaster-general of the united kingdom. upon richmond as postmaster-general of ireland as well as england and scotland it now devolved to sweep out the augean stable; and his stern sense of duty peculiarly qualified him for the task. rosse and o'neill had ceased to be postmasters-general of ireland upon the act of incorporation passing. lees, their secretary, was removed from dublin to edinburgh. only those who had performed their duties in person were retained. all others were summarily dismissed and pensions were refused to them. in the result the irish establishment was reduced in point of numbers by one-half, and in point of cost by nearly £ , a year; and this after the salaries of those who were retained had been increased all round. one important function had yet to be performed. this was to audit the irish accounts, which had not been audited for fourteen years, and were known to be in a state of the utmost confusion. the receiver-general, who carried on the private business of banker and money-lender, had recently died, and speculation was high as to what further scandals the audit would reveal. all preparations had been made, and the persons selected for the task were on the point of starting for dublin when intelligence reached london that the receiver-general's bond was not forthcoming. it had, shortly after his death, been surrendered under an instruction from lees which, like the instruction which conferred upon his brother a valuable appointment, purported to have been given at a board at which were present "the earls." the earls, as a matter of fact, had not been present and had never been consulted on the point. as it was felt that in the absence of the bond an audit would be of little use, the government abandoned their intention, and the irish post office accounts from to remain unaudited to the present day. lord althorp was at this time chancellor of the exchequer, and the position which he assumed towards the post office was probably unique. ordinarily, between the treasury and the post office there is a certain amount of antagonism which, deplorable as it may be, is not difficult to understand. the post office wants to spend money; the treasury wants to save it. the post office knows by experience that it must sow before it can reap; the treasury, while ready enough to reap, has a rooted aversion to sowing, and resolutely shuts its eyes to the fact that between the two processes there is a direct and necessary connection. all this was reversed in althorp's time. often, during his tenure of office, might be witnessed the strange spectacle of a chancellor of the exchequer urging the post office to adopt some improvement, and the post office attempting to frighten him with the bogey of cost. the first matter on which althorp brought his authority to bear was the boundary of the general post delivery. the limits of this delivery were irregular and capricious in the extreme. of two streets, possibly adjoining streets, one might receive its general post letters for the general post rate alone, while the other, though at no greater distance from st. martin's-le-grand, had to pay the twopenny rate as well. the question now forced itself into prominence. belgrave square had been laid out, and the houses were being occupied as fast as they could be built. those of the occupiers who were members of parliament found to their chagrin that every letter they received cost them d., for the franking privilege did not clear the twopenny post; and, of course, by those who were not members of parliament, d. had to be paid in addition to any other postage to which their letters might be liable. althorp insisted that the general post limits should be not only extended but fixed on some definite principle. but what was the principle to be? contiguity of building? this was held to be impracticable. a line drawn on such a basis would extend beyond brentford on the west to hampstead and highgate on the north, and beyond clapham on the south. a line drawn according to parishes would be little better. the parish of st. pancras, which nearly touched holborn in its southern extremity, extended as far as finchley in the north, and the parish of lambeth reached nearly to croydon. another course would be to draw a circle of which the post office should be the centre, and let all letters within this circle be delivered free; but even with a radius of no more than three miles, the additional cost would be £ , a year. this was an outlay which the post office could not recommend, and, if it were incurred, the government must take the responsibility. althorp was not to be daunted, and after april the general post limits extended for a distance of three miles from st. martin's-le-grand. a little later, the threepenny post was extended to a radius of twelve miles. this, boon as it was considered to be sixty years ago, was shorter by some miles than the radius of the penny post when queen anne ascended the throne. althorp was hardly less determined on the subject of the packets. it had been a matter of principle with freeling, that to all places beyond the sea to which there was regular communication the post office should carry its own mails. that they should be carried in vessels belonging to private persons, however respectable these persons might be, appeared to him to be unworthy of the english government, and on this ground many an advantageous offer had been refused. althorp held a different opinion, and an opportunity soon offered of carrying his own view into effect. from harwich the mails to holland and to hamburg were still carried by sailing packet, and the merchants of london, regarding this as an anachronism, urged that the sailing packets might be replaced by steam packets. the request was not unreasonable, but, unwilling that the government should be at the cost of substituting one description of packet for the other, althorp directed that the service should be put up to public competition. here we see the first application of a principle which in the result has furnished us with a fleet of packets such as no other country in the world can produce. the tender of the general steam navigation company was accepted, though saddled with the condition that its vessels should start from the thames. this was a death-blow to harwich. the sailing packets for sweden were, indeed, still retained there; but in little more than eighteen months the swedish government contracted for the mails to be forwarded from hull, and harwich as a packet station was closed. but of all the changes which althorp introduced perhaps the most important, and certainly the one which excited most opposition at the post office, was the abolition of the newspaper privilege. the number of newspapers sent by post from london into the country had, within the last fifty or sixty years, increased enormously. in they averaged a day, in the daily average was , , and in it had risen to , . the rate of increase, moreover, was advancing. in the total number of such newspapers was , , , and in , , ; and more than one-tenth part of the whole number was supplied by the clerks of the roads. the news-vendors now took the matter up in earnest. a general meeting was held to protest against the post office servants being any longer allowed to compete with the private dealers, and a petition to the same effect was presented to parliament. this called forth a vigorous rejoinder from freeling, and it is interesting to note by what arguments he defended his position. so far, he said, from the news-vendors having any ground of complaint against the post office servants, it is the post office servants who have reason to complain of the news-vendors. for their own interest and advantage a few persons engaged in a trade of modern creation are endeavouring by clamour to deprive others of the remains of an old and long-established privilege, which they exercise not only under the sanction of immemorial usage, but by the direct authority of acts of parliament. it is not as though the public were interested in the question. the public have absolutely no interest in it, except indeed to this extent--that, if what remains of the privilege be withdrawn, they will be asked to compensate those whose incomes are reduced in consequence, and to provide higher salaries for their successors; and this "for the sole purpose of transferring their authorised official remuneration to the pockets of a few individuals who, having been admitted to a participation in what was originally an exclusive privilege, have now thought proper to set up a claim to the whole." such were freeling's arguments, but althorp was not convinced by them. by his direction the privilege was withdrawn as from the th of april , and those whose incomes suffered were handsomely compensated. thus ended a practice which had existed from the first establishment of the post office, and which, while the post office was still in its infancy, may perhaps have had this to justify it--that except for the franking privilege possessed by the clerks of the roads the provinces would probably have had to go without even the few copies of newspapers which at that time found their way there. it may appear strange that, while althorp was thus applying his sturdy common sense to the affairs of the post office, no steps were taken to correct what most needed correction--the exorbitant rates of postage. our own belief is that in a very short time, had the government of which he was a member remained in office, a reduction would have been made, and that it was to this result that he and richmond, who worked hand in hand together, were preparing the way. as to richmond's views on the matter there can be little doubt. under previous governments the post office had been accustomed in exceptional cases to appeal to the chancellor of the exchequer to mitigate the severity of its own rates by the exercise of a dispensing power; but richmond set his face against the practice, insisting that the law should be obeyed until it was altered; and, after being released from the trammels of office, he was one of the first to propose an alteration. but if such were indeed althorp and richmond's intention, we cannot regret that it was not carried into effect. the illustrious man who gave us penny postage had not yet directed his attention to the subject; and, as he tells us himself, it was with him a matter of long and careful consideration whether he should devote his energies to the reform of the post office or to the improvement of the printing machine. if in only a moderate reduction had been made in the extortionate rates of postage which were then in force, rowland hill might not have embarked upon his plan, and, even if he had done so, that plan might have failed to evoke from the public sufficient support to overcome opposition in high quarters. in proportion to the extent of the evil did men welcome the remedy. meanwhile, although the demand for cheap postage had not yet taken shape, profound dissatisfaction existed with the conduct of the post office. this, under the reformed parliament, was perhaps to be expected in any case; but there were special circumstances which contributed to the result. nearly five years had elapsed since the royal commission of inquiry had reported upon the post office, and nothing had since been done to carry its recommendations into effect. it is not difficult to understand this inaction. in freeling's view the post office had been brought to a pitch of perfection such as it had never reached before, and he regarded it as little short of sacrilege that a body of outside novices should presume to lay its hands upon the sacred ark which he had now for more than a generation been moulding into form. of the change of opinion which the labours of the commission had wrought he appears to have been utterly unconscious. hitherto the post office had been regarded as a marvellous mystery, which none but experts could understand. this mystery had now been invaded, and men were beginning to wonder, not, as in the past, at the things which the post office was able to do, but how it was that these things were not done better. the commission had also brought to light the existence of abuses, and these on one pretext or another had remained uncorrected. we will give a single instance. the money order office had been established in with the object of facilitating the transmission of small sums from one part of the country to the other by means of orders drawn on the different postmasters. the plan was excellent and deserved success. the only objection to it was that the enterprise was a private one, undertaken by a few post office servants for their own benefit, and that to make it remunerative to the projectors required from the authorities an amount of favour which they had no right to bestow. originally there had been no limit to the amount for which a money order might be drawn;[ ] but long before , in order to prevent interference with the banking interest, the limit had been fixed at £ : s.; and the commission chargeable was at the rate of d. in the £ on the sum remitted. of this amount d. went to the postmaster who issued the order, d. to the postmaster who paid it, and the residue to the proprietors.[ ] [ ] at the outset in the limit had indeed been fixed at £ : s.; but even in the first year this limit was largely exceeded. during the three months ending the th of october , money orders were issued, viz. in london and in the country, representing an aggregate amount of £ , or at the rate of more than £ apiece. [ ] among the records of the post office is still preserved a money order drawn by one postmaster upon another at the beginning of the century. a facsimile of it is given in the appendix. seeing that the postage on a single letter between two towns no farther apart than london and bristol was at this time d., it will be obvious that in respect to orders for small sums the enterprise would have been conducted at a loss unless the correspondence on money order business had been exempt from postage. and such indeed was the case. all letters passing from london to the country were impressed with the official stamp, and those passing from the country to london were enclosed in printed covers addressed to the secretary, and bearing, immediately below the secretary's name, that of the proprietors, "stow and company." for correspondence between themselves on money order business the postmasters were supplied with franks sent down from london in blank. strongly as the commission of inquiry had animadverted on this abuse, nothing had been done to correct it, and the franking privilege was, for money order purposes, being as freely used as ever. the returns which the house of commons called for about this time, and the returns which the post office furnished, shew, more forcibly perhaps than anything else, in what direction men's minds were tending, and how hollow was the foundation on which a part of the post office system rested. more than sixty years had elapsed since the law courts decided that inhabitants of post towns were entitled to a gratuitous delivery of their letters. the house now inquired at how many post towns a charge on delivery was still being made, and by what authority. the return furnished by the post office shewed the number of towns to be eighty-nine, and after giving as the authority for the charge "immemorial usage," went on to state that "the payment is not compulsory if the parties choose to object." it was still the practice to hold up to a strong lamplight every letter that passed through the post in order to see whether it was a single or a double one; and the house called upon the post office to state by what authority this was done. the post office, having no authority to adduce, returned an evasive reply. the house next called for the number of persons who had been prosecuted in the course of the year for the illegal conveyance of letters. the post office return shewed that on this ground, during the last twelve months, as many as prosecutions had taken place, many of them involving a large, and some of them a very large, number of persons, and that the cases were still more numerous in which, in order to avoid prosecution, the transgressors had submitted to fines. and how had the revenue been prospering meanwhile? a return called for by the house in april answers the question. during the last ten years, despite the increase of population, the net post office revenue had actually declined. in the receipts were £ , , gross and £ , , net, as against £ , , net and £ , , gross in . in earl grey was succeeded by viscount melbourne; and one of the first acts of the new government was to appoint another commission of inquiry into the post office, with directions to ascertain and report how it was that the recommendations of the former commission had not been carried out. these recommendations were now set down one by one, and the post office was called upon to explain, opposite to each, whether any and, if so, what steps had been taken to give effect to it. one or two of them had indeed been adopted--such, for instance, as the recommendation that post office servants should cease to deal in newspapers--but only under compulsion. others affecting the internal administration of the post office were certainly not feasible. but there remained not a few which, while excellent in themselves, had been discarded on the merest pretext. the commissioners had recommended that the "early," that is the preferential, delivery of letters should be discontinued. the post office replied that it was impossible. the commissioners had recommended that, instead of the receiving houses for general post letters being separate and distinct from those for the letters of the twopenny post, every receiving house should take in letters of both kinds. the post office replied that the existing arrangement was the best adapted not only to the convenience of the public but to the business of the department. the commissioners had recommended that the letter-carriers, instead of being separated into general post, twopenny post, and foreign letter-carriers, should all form one corps and deliver letters of every description. the post office replied--a reply all the more extraordinary inasmuch as the very arrangement which the commissioners recommended was already in force both in edinburgh and dublin--that "it would be productive of the greatest confusion and delay." the last of the recommendations to which we shall refer was that "the total charge upon all letters should be expressed in one taxation." the post office replied that it was "not possible for country postmasters to know the precise line of demarcation between the general post and twopenny post deliveries." in other words, no postmaster could know what, in the case of letters for london--and, it might have been added, for any other town than his own--the proper charge should be. this was no pretext. it was, on the contrary, perfectly true; and perhaps no more striking testimony could be afforded to the unsoundness of the system then in vogue. it is impossible to conceive that on freeling's part there can have been anything in the shape of contumacy, still less of defiance; but we are by no means sure that the house of commons did not incline to that view. be that as it may, however, the post office was in bad odour, and an unfortunate series of incidents which occurred about this time little tended to remove the unfavourable impression which the unwillingness to carry out the commissioners' recommendations had created. the house, at the instance of the select committee on steam navigation, had called for a return of the casualties which within a given period had happened to the irish packets. the return furnished by the post office omitted two accidents in which one of the members of the committee had himself assisted; and the committee forthwith ordered the attendance of a witness from the post office to explain the omission. another return contained obvious errors, and was sent back to the post office to be corrected. but the two returns which excited most comment referred to the mileage allowance received by the mail-coach contractors, and to the money order office. as regards the mileage allowance the only reply vouchsafed by the post office was that it "has not the means of furnishing any account of the amount paid." the return as regards the money order office was still more unfortunate. the ground on which this office had been condemned by the revenue inquiry commissioners was that it was carried on for the benefit of individuals, and yet in so far as its correspondence was exempt from postage, at the expense of the revenue. several years had since passed, and the house, not doubting that the abuse had been corrected, called for a return shewing the amount of postage derived from letters containing money orders, and to what purpose it was applied. "the money order office"--thus ran the return which the post office furnished--" is a private establishment, and the business is carried on by private capital under the sanction of the postmaster-general; but as no accounts connected in any degree with it are kept at the post office, no return can be made by the postmaster-general to the order of the house of commons." the house was highly incensed, and ordered that, both as regards the money order office and the mileage allowance, proper returns should be rendered at once. the energy of the new commission had now nearly brought the post office into trouble. the contract for the supply of mail-coaches was in the hands of mr. vidler of millbank, who had held it for more than forty years, and little had been done during this period to improve the construction of the vehicles he supplied. designed after the pattern in vogue at the end of the last century, they were, as compared with the stage-coaches, not only heavy and unsightly but inferior both in point of speed and accommodation. moreover, the charge made for them, namely, - / d. a mile in england and d. a mile in scotland, was considered to be high; and the commissioners, altogether dissatisfied with the manner in which the contract had been performed, arranged with the government not only that the service should be put up to public tender, but that vidler should be excluded from the competition. this decision was arrived at in july , and the contract expired on the th of january following. to invite tenders would occupy time, and, after that mail-coaches would have to be built sufficient in number to supply the whole of england and scotland. a period of five or six months was obviously not enough for the purpose, and overtures were made to vidler to continue his contract for half a year longer. vidler, incensed at the treatment he had received, flatly refused. not a day, not an hour, beyond the stipulated time would he extend his contract, and on the th of january all the mail-coaches in great britain would be withdrawn from the roads. a man less loyal than freeling or endued with less generous instincts might have felt a twinge of satisfaction at this result of interference with what he considered his own domain. but such emotion, if indeed he felt it, was not suffered to appear. with a difficulty to overcome, some of his old energy returned, and when the th of january arrived there was not a road in the kingdom from wick to penzance on which a new mail-coach was not running. it was now that the mail-coaches reached their prime. eight or nine miles an hour had hitherto been their highest speed, and now, with vehicles of lighter build, the speed was advanced to ten miles an hour and even more. truth compels us to add that while the fastest mail-coach on the road, the coach between liverpool and preston, travelled at the rate of ten miles and five furlongs an hour, a private coach accomplished within the hour rather more than eleven miles. this was the coach between edinburgh and aberdeen, of which captain barclay of ury was the proprietor. besides coachman and guard it carried fifteen passengers, namely, four inside and eleven outside, while a mail-coach carried four in and four out or eight altogether. nor would captain barclay admit that, in order to attain this high rate of speed, recourse need be had to anything like furious driving. nothing more, he maintained, was necessary than to keep the horses at a "swinging trot." freeling's success in averting a breakdown with the mail-coaches did little or nothing to arrest the tide which had set in against him. after exercising an influence such as probably no civil servant had exercised before, he found himself discredited and the object of vehement and not over-scrupulous attack. of the ministers under whose orders he had acted not a few had passed away, and none were in a position to share his responsibility, while their successors only knew him as identified with a system which had become unpopular. owing to an unusually rapid succession of postmasters-general,[ ] he was without even the solace and support which a chief of some years' standing might have given him. single-handed, the old man had maintained a gallant defence; but his spirit was now broken. in the midst of his exertions to prevent any interruption of travelling facilities the house of commons had called for a return which was calculated to wound him deeply. this return implied not only that he had been guilty of gross mismanagement, but that his salary was higher than he was entitled to receive, that he was drawing unauthorised emoluments, and that the post office was made subordinate to his personal interests. [ ] five within a single year. the duke of richmond ceased to be postmaster-general in july ; and he was followed by lord conyngham, lord maryborough, lord conyngham a second time, and lord lichfield, the last of whom was appointed in may . to the outside world freeling maintained much the same demeanour as before, and few would have suspected the weight that pressed at his heart; but in the solitude of his study he was an altered man. there he brooded over the past and contrasted it with the present. notes jotted down haphazard on official papers that chanced to be on his table reveal the inner workings of his mind. we know few sadder records. he recalls the time when governments consulted him and he stood high in favour with the public. he cannot forget how, in the course of debate in the house of commons, his own proficiency and devotion to duty were urged as reasons for not retaining the second appointment of postmaster. in the recollection of those happy days he endeavours to find consolation for the calumny and detraction of the present. he repudiates as unfounded the charge that he has long ceased to consult the interests of the public, and affirms that in this cause he has of late years laboured even more abundantly than he did of old. then there is a break, after which he takes up his pen again. "cheap postage,"--to this effect he writes. "what is this men are talking about? can it be that all my life i have been in error? if i, then others--others whose behests i have been bound to obey. to make the post office revenue as productive as possible was long ago impressed upon me by successive ministers as a duty which i was under a solemn obligation to discharge. and not only long ago. is it not within the last six months that the present chancellor of the exchequer[ ] has charged me not to let the revenue go down? what! you, freeling, brought up and educated as you have been, are you going to lend yourself to these extravagant schemes? you, with your four-horse mail-coaches too. where else in the world does the merchant or manufacturer have the materials of his trade carried for him gratuitously or at so low a rate as to leave no margin of profit?" [ ] the right hon. thomas spring rice. here the manuscript abruptly ends. it is dated the th of june . within sixteen days from that date francis freeling was no more. * * * * * we have done. from downwards the story of the post office is told, far better than we could tell it, in the autobiography of sir rowland hill and the reports which, since , the department has issued annually. the story of the preceding period is less well known, if indeed it be known at all. to tell the earlier story--to trace the post office from its humble beginnings down to the time when the illustrious reformer took it in hand--this has been the extent of our object, and no one perhaps is more conscious than ourselves how imperfectly it has been accomplished. appendix succession of postmasters-general from to from to the post office was in farm, the farmers being-- to . henry bishopp. rent, £ , . bishopp surrendered his patent, which was for seven years, in . to . (being residue of bishopp's term.) daniel o'neile. rent, £ , . to . henry, earl of arlington. rent for later part of the term, £ , . office managed, at first, by sir john bennet, lord arlington's brother, and afterwards by colonel roger whitley. to . lawrence hyde, earl of rochester. (for part of the time lord treasurer.)[ ] office managed by philip frowde, esq., under the title of governor. [ ] the concentration of the offices of lord treasurer and postmaster-general in one person served to facilitate the transaction of post office business in a manner which those who have had experience of the present system will not be slow to understand. take, for instance, the question of increasing a post office servant's salary. at the present time the postmaster-general may be thoroughly convinced himself that an increase is called for, but--what is a very different matter--he has also to convince the treasury. in the postmaster-general's own conviction was enough. the following will serve as an illustration. thomas cale, postmaster of bristol, applies for an increase of salary, and frowde, the governor, satisfies rochester that an increase will be proper. forthwith issues a document, of which the operative part is as follows:--"you are therefore of opinion that the said salary (£ ) is very small considering the expense the petitioner is att, and his extraordinary trouble, bristoll being a greate citty, but you say that you doe not think all the things he setts downe in the aforesaid accompt ought to be allowed him, the example being of very ill consequence, for (as you informe me) you doe not allow either candles, packthread, wax, ink, penns or paper to any of the postmasters, nor office-rent, nor returnes of mony, you are therefore of opinion that tenn pounds per annum to his former salary of £ will be a reasonable allowance, and the petitioner will be therewith satisfied, these are therefore to pray and require you" to raise his salary from £ to £ accordingly. rochester. whitehall treasury chambers, _dec. , _. july to march . colonel john wildman. to . sir robert cotton, knight, and sir thomas frankland, bart. to . sir thomas frankland, bart., and sir john evelyn, bart. to . charles, lord cornwallis, and james craggs, esq. to . edward carteret, esq., and galfridus walpole, esq. to . edward carteret, esq., and edward harrison, esq. christmas . edward carteret alone to midsummer . to . edward carteret, esq., and thomas, lord lovell, afterwards earl of leicester. to . thomas, lord lovell, and sir john eyles, bart. to . thomas, earl of leicester (sometime lord lovell) alone. to . thomas, earl of leicester, and sir everard fawkener, knight. to . thomas, earl of leicester, alone. june , to november , . william, earl of bessborough, and hon. robert hampden. november , to september , . john, earl of egmont, and hon. robert hampden. september , to july , . thomas, lord hyde, and hon. robert hampden. july , to december , . william, earl of bessborough, and thomas, lord grantham. december , to april , . wills, earl of hillsborough, and francis, lord le despencer. april , to january , . john, earl of sandwich, and francis, lord le despencer. january , to december , . francis, lord le despencer, and right hon. henry frederick thynne, afterwards carteret. december , to january , . right hon. henry frederick carteret (sometime thynne) alone. january to april , . william, viscount barrington, and right hon. henry frederick carteret. april , to may , . charles, earl of tankerville, and right hon. henry frederick carteret. may , to january , . thomas, lord foley, and right hon. henry frederick carteret. january , to september , . charles, earl of tankerville, and right hon. henry frederick carteret. (created baron carteret, january , .) september to december , . thomas, earl of clarendon, and henry frederick, lord carteret. december , to july , . henry frederick, lord carteret, alone. july , to september , . henry frederick, lord carteret, and thomas, lord walsingham. september , to march , . thomas, lord walsingham, and john, earl of westmorland. march , to july , . thomas, lord walsingham, and philip, earl of chesterfield. july , to march , . philip, earl of chesterfield, and george, earl of leicester. march , to february , . george, earl of leicester, and william, lord auckland. february , to march , . william, lord auckland, and george, lord gower. march , to july , . william, lord auckland, and lord charles spencer. july , to february , . lord charles spencer and james, duke of montrose. february , to may , . robert, earl of buckinghamshire, and john joshua, earl of carysfort. may , to june , . john, earl of sandwich, and thomas, earl of chichester. june to september , . thomas, earl of chichester, alone. september , to april , . thomas, earl of chichester, and richard, earl of clancarty. april , to june , . thomas, earl of chichester, and james, marquess of salisbury. since lord salisbury's death on the th of june , no second postmaster-general has been appointed. june , to july , . thomas, earl of chichester. july , to september , . lord frederick montague. september , to december , . william, duke of manchester. december , to july , . charles, duke of richmond. by his first patent, dated the th of december , the duke was appointed postmaster-general of great britain; and by a second patent, dated the th of april , he was appointed postmaster-general of great britain and ireland. july to december , . francis nathaniel, marquess conyngham. december , to may , . william, lord maryborough. may to may , . francis nathaniel, marquess conyngham. may , , to september , . thomas william, earl of lichfield. succession of secretaries to the post office down to . the appointment of secretary was created by treasury warrant dated the th of june . to . name uncertain; but probably willboyl. [in the postmasters-general urge the creation of the appointment of secretary; in they speak of "having sent our secretary down to worcester"; and in october , when reporting on a paper which had been referred to them as far back as june , they explain that "by the death of our late secretary y^e paper has been mislaid and but very lately recovered." that there was a secretary during this period is, therefore, beyond doubt. during the same period the post office letter books are written in a handwriting as peculiar as it is good; and in the same handwriting, of the identity of which there can be no question, there is in the frankland-blaithwaite correspondence, until lately in the possession of sir thomas phillipps, a letter from the general post office dated the th of may , and docketed thus, the docket having obviously been written at the time of receipt:--"from mr. willboyl, commissioner of the post office." now, commissioner of the post office he certainly was not, there being at that time no such appointment; but it is probable that he was secretary, and that with this official title, which had been only recently given, blaithwaite was not acquainted.] to . benjamin waterhouse. to . henry weston. to . james craggs. to (about) . joseph godman. (about) to . w. rouse. to . thomas robinson. september to july . john david barbutt. july to december . george shelvocke. december to july . anthony todd. july to january . henry potts. january to june . anthony todd (again). june to july . francis freeling. [illustration: facsimiles of franks written before and after , when the obligation to date was imposed. _before._ the duke of grafton, first lord of the treasury from to , commonly called junius grafton from the attacks made upon him by junius.] [illustration: _after._ the earl of sandwich, nicknamed by the satirists of the period jemmy twitcher. "see jemmy twitcher shambles--stop, stop, thief"--an allusion to his shambling gait. lord sandwich was postmaster-general from to , and afterwards first lord of the admiralty.] [illustration: facsimile of a paid money order of the year .] index abdy, sir robert, abercorn, james, earl of, his unreasonable complaint, absenteeism, in england, ; in ireland, alien office, assists the post office in procuring foreign newspapers, allen, ralph, postmaster of bath, takes in farm the bye and cross-post letters, ; conditions of his contract, ; success of his enterprise, ; is thwarted by the postmasters, ; his contract renewed, ; nature of his plan and his special qualifications for carrying it into effect, ; his local knowledge, ; his difficulties with the postmasters, _seq._; as a means of check lays down certain propositions, ; instances of imposition practised by postmasters, ; by post-boys, ; by carriers and others concerned in the illegal conveyance of letters, ; the liberality of his arrangements, ; his course of procedure contrasted with that of the postmasters-general, ; pays higher rent and increases the frequency of the post every seven years when his contract is renewed, ; his injunction about the use of expresses, ; his death, ; his character, ; is an object of jealousy to palmer, alphabet, ; ingenious one in use at belfast, althorp, john charles, viscount, urges on post office improvements, ; fixes the limits of the general post delivery, ; throws the packet service open to public competition, ; abolishes the newspaper privilege enjoyed by the clerks of the roads, ; contemplates apparently a reduction of postage, america, posts set up in, ; first postmaster of new york, ; and of virginia and maryland, ; establishment of what was virtually a penny post between england and america, ; american posts become self-supporting, ; postmasters ejected from their offices, amsterdam, practice at, on arrival of the mails, anne, queen, treatment of letters for, when in residence at newmarket, _antelope_ packet, captain curtis, gallant action with privateer, apertures, introduction of, on the outside of post offices, argyll, john, duke of, arlington, henry bennet, earl of, appointed postmaster-general, armit, secretary to the post office in ireland, displaced by lees, ashburnham manuscripts, ashurst, mr. justice, his judgment touching the free delivery of letters, aston, mr. justice, his judgment touching the free delivery of letters, attorneys, their provisional resolution to withhold postage on writs, ; hold appointments in the dublin post office, auckland, william lord, postmaster-general, his pleasantries, auditors of the imprests, _note_ austria, liberties taken with post-horses by travellers in, _note_ aylsham, norfolk, post established to in , baker, sir george, physician to george the third, bank of england notes, robbery of, from mail evokes important legal decision, ; origin of cutting bank notes when sent by post, ; contemplated reduction of postage on letters containing second halves of bank notes, bankers' franks, meaning of term, _note_ barbutt, john david, secretary to the post office, barclay, captain, of ury, high speed of his coach, barclay's plot, expresses sent on discovery of, barham, edmund, packet agent at dover, terms of his agreement with walcot, secretary to the post office in ireland, barlow, clerk in the secretary's office, modifies the practice of the dead letter office, barnstaple, private post set up to exeter in , bath asserts its right to a free delivery, ; right admitted and letter-carrier appointed, ; slowness of post between bath and london, ; amount of toll between the same towns, ; post office establishment at bath and amount of the postmaster's salary in , beccaria, bonesana, his essay on crimes and punishments, belfast, ingenious "alphabet" in use at, ; peculiar usage of delivery, belgrave square, included in the limits of the general post delivery, bell, colonel, comptroller of the inland office, particulars of charge against, _note_ bells, letters collected by ringing of, introduction of system, ; and its termination, _note_; bellmen in england and in ireland paid on different principle, ( , , ) bernard, sir robert, besant's patent coaches, bethnal green, a second penny on penny post letters improperly charged at, bianconi, charles, his enterprise, bigg, stephen, his enterprise as a farmer of the posts, billingsley, henry, a broker, carries letters of foreign merchants, ; and is consigned to prison, bills of exchange and of lading to and from foreign parts exempt from postage until , exemption then withdrawn, birmingham, one of many towns in which a free delivery of letters had ceased, ; free delivery restored and letter-carrier appointed, ; salary of postmaster in , ; penny post opened at, bishopp, henry, farmer of the posts, , "black-box"; the box in which the correspondence of the secretary of state for scotland was carried, blaithwaite, william, secretary of war, remonstrated with on his abuse of the franking privilege, blome's _britannia_, bonnor, charles, deputy comptroller-general of the post office, his conduct in the matter of the king's coach, ; delays replies to the postmaster-general's inquiries, ; practises deception, ; his base ingratitude, ; is suspended by palmer, ; suspension removed by the postmasters-general, ; his treachery, , ; receives the reward of infamy, boulton and watt build the first steamboats used by the post office, bourne, frederick, clerk in the foreign department of the post office; suggests the establishment of a ship letter office, bournemouth, mode of receiving its letters in , _note_ bowen, passenger by packet; brings news of the victory at oudenarde, boyle, henry, secretary of state, charges the packet agent at harwich with receiving a bribe, bracken, henry, author of _the gentleman's pocket farrier_, his device to obtain exemption from postage, braithwaite, daniel, clerk to the postmasters-general, his honesty of purpose, brighton, salary of the postmaster of, in , brill, the, , , bristol, course of post between bristol and exeter in , ; and in , ; salary of the postmaster of, in , ; and in , ; first mail-coach starts from bristol, ; penny post opened there, ; revision of postmaster's salary in , appendix, _note_ brown, sub-agent of packets at ostend, his clandestine letter, brunel, sir marc isambard, offers to construct a steam engine for the post office packets, buckingham, george villiers, duke of, letter endorsed by, in , buckingham, george villiers, duke of, son of the preceding, tedious course of letter addressed to, in , . buckingham, george grenville nugent temple, marquis of, lord lieutenant of ireland, deprecates reduction of packet establishment at holyhead, burlamachi, philip, is appointed master of the posts, ; his title contested, ; is consigned to prison, bye-letters, probable meaning of the term in queen elizabeth's reign, ; its certain meaning in and after, , ; postage upon bye-letters intercepted, , , _note_; bye-letter office, bye-nights, byng, sir george, , cadogan, brigadier-general, packet detained for, camden, john jeffreys, earl, promotes palmer's plan, ; gives to pitt palmer's version of his differences with the postmasters-general, candles, inordinate supply of, to post office servants, canning, george, charges the post office with forestalling his intelligence, carlisle, salary of postmaster of, in , carriers allowed to carry letters under restrictions, ; restrictions more clearly defined, carteret, edward, postmaster-general from to . _see_ postmasters-general, part iv. carteret, henry frederick, lord, postmaster-general from january to september . _see_ postmasters-general, parts v. and vi. carts, first employment of, in london for bringing letters to the general post office, castello, a prisoner on board packet, chalmers, george, his suggestions, ; excites palmer's jealousy, channel islands without an official post in , ; official post provided, ; rates of postage, charing cross, opening of branch office at, charlemont, lord, his misunderstanding as to packet charges, charles, archduke, , chelsea pensioners, their privilege of sending and receiving letters at low rates of postage withdrawn, chenal, captain of packet, rebuked by the postmasters-general, _note_ chepstow, the inhabitants of, though under no obligation, continue to pay pence on the delivery of their letters, chester, in the only town outside london with two post offices, ; salary of postmaster in , chesterfield, philip, earl of, postmaster-general from march to march . _see_ postmasters-general, part vii. chichester, thomas, earl of, postmaster-general from may to july . _see_ postmasters-general, part viii. christmas boxes, intercepted, clancarty, richard, earl of, postmaster-general of ireland from to ; and of england from september to april . [this latter appointment he did not take up.] his decision of character, instance of, ; advocates facilities of communication between england and ireland, clarendon, thomas, earl of, postmaster-general from september to december , , clerks of the roads, their duties, ; their salaries, ; are allowed to frank newspapers, ; their franking privilege invaded, ; mischief resulting from a reduction of their emoluments, ; their financial troubles, , ; extent of their newspaper business after newspapers become exempt from postage, clermont, william henry, earl of, deputy postmaster-general of ireland, clies, francis, captain of packet, his audacious smuggling, ; his attention to religious observances, ; strikes his colours, coals supplied to post office servants in profligate profusion, cobbett, william, inveighs against the early or preferential delivery, ; and against the treatment of foreign newspapers, coke, sir john, his indignant protest against the claim of the foreign merchants to have a post of their own, colours, special colours assigned to the post office boat employed in the pool, ; the colours of the packets altered at the union with scotland, comer, postmaster of tunbridge wells in , common council of london, the, sets up a post of their own to scotland, compensation for losses by the penny post, ; when ceased to be given, conspiracies against the state, to check these the original object of the post office monopoly, ; danger chiefly apprehended from the continent, ; coke's opinion on the subject, ; the same opinion expressed in the act of , constables, the duty of, in certain cases, to seize horses for the service of the posts, , convention posts, establishment of, ; their failure and the reason, ; are gradually absorbed, conway bridge, additional rate of postage on letters passing over, conyngham, francis nathaniel, marquess of, postmaster-general from july to january , and again from may to may , , _note_ cornwall, its posts improved in , cornwallis, charles, lord, postmaster-general from to . _see_ postmasters-general, part iii. cotton, sir robert, postmaster-general from to . _see_ postmasters-general, part i. counsel in post office cases required to give receipts for their fees, country letter, meaning of term, _courier_ newspaper, sum paid by the, for early intelligence from the post office, couriers originally employed to carry letters on affairs of state, court, the, at one time the centre of all the posts, ; a trace of the old state of things to be found in an existing statute, court letters, definition of, in , _note_; mails detained for the court letters, ; these letters, unlike others, delivered the moment they arrived, court-post, his duties, ; duties performed by deputy, coventry, sir thomas, attorney-general, afterwards lord keeper, holds de quester's appointment to be valid, ; cajoles stanhope into surrendering his patent, craggs, james, postmaster-general from to . _see_ postmasters-general, part iii. crichton, doctor, refuses to pay his fare by packet, cromwell, thomas, brian tuke's letter to, on the paucity of the posts, crosby, brass, cross-posts, first post of the kind set up, ; cross-post letters, definition of the term, croydon, postmistress of, auckland's pleasantry on her marriage for the third time, culverden, captain of packet boat, engages in smuggling, culvert, member of parliament, expostulated with as to the irregular use of his frank, _note_ curtis, alderman, , customs, commissioners of, lodge a complaint against the captain of the _expedition_ packet, ; represent that smuggling is carried on by packet from ostend, ; take proceedings against some of the harwich packets, ; are charged by the postmasters-general with unhandsome conduct, ; seize the dover mail-coach, dacre, lord, superscription on protector somerset's letter addressed to, dartmouth, william, lord, his attention called to the late arrival at the post office of the court letters, dashwood, francis, postmaster-general of jamaica, exaction from, as a condition of his appointment, davy, mrs., her account of the condition of penzance before , day, john, sent from london in to establish a post at aylsham in norfolk, his instructions, dead letters, treatment of, a source of perplexity to allen, ; irregular payments claimed under cover of, ; dead letter office, ; returned letters charged with postage, decypherer, the chief, de joncourt, express clerk, delivery, claim made by several towns to have their letters delivered free resisted by the post office and question tried at law, ; claim allowed by the courts, ; decision carried out grudgingly, ; hour of delivery of foreign letters in , ; early, that is preferential, delivery, ; hour of delivery in st. james's square between and , ; in the country, limits of free delivery not defined, ; morning delivery in london accelerated, ; limits of general post delivery fixed at three miles, ; recommendation of royal commission to abolish early or preferential delivery not carried out, delivery penny, meaning of term, denmark, frederick the second, king of, his letter of complaint to queen elizabeth, _note_ de quester, matthew, appointed postmaster for foreign parts out of the king's dominions, ; his appointment offends lord stanhope, ; is superseded by the privy council, ; is restored at the instance of sir john coke, ; assigns his patent, derby, salary of the postmaster of, in , dereham, sir thomas, court-post, his duties, derrick, samuel, master of the ceremonies at bath, his account of ralph allen, _note_ despatch of mails, hour of, in , ; and until , ; indignation caused by the change then made, devonshire, william, duke of, course of post between chesterfield and manchester altered in at the instance of, directories, , distances, inaccuracy of, as computed by the post office, dockwra, william, establishes a penny post in london, ; his right contested and case decided against him, ; is granted a pension and, on the penny post being absorbed into the post office, is appointed comptroller, ; is dismissed, ; provision made by, for the care of general post letters, ; contrast between dockwra and povey, donlevy, william, double letter, definition of, dover, a packet station, ; packets to flanders provided by the packet agent, ; engage in smuggling, ; and bring news clandestinely, ; the dover mail-coach seized by the customs, drink and feast money, , dublin, post office establishment at, in , ; penny post proposed at, in , ; and opened in , ; the clerks at the castle surrender their franking privilege, ; the roof of the dublin post office falls in, ; office in dublin styled british mail office, account of, ; abuses, dummer, edmund, surveyor of the navy, builds packets for the harwich station, ; also for the west india service, ; undertakes this service himself, ; his miscalculations, ; ill-fortune attends him, ; his bankruptcy and death, early, _i.e._ preferential, delivery, , eastbourne, mode of receiving its letters in , east india company, send to the post office letters received at the india house, ; object to the provisions of the ship letter act, ; procure its alteration, ; their generosity, ; unhandsome return contemplated by the post office, east indies, rates of postage to the, in , edinburgh, post to, set up by the city of london, ; post office establishment at, in , ; horse-post between edinburgh and glasgow refused by the treasury, ; course of post between london and edinburgh accelerated in , ; and increased in frequency in , ; edinburgh post office falls into decay, ; penny post established at, eldon, john, lord, reluctantly assents to the giving of repressive powers, elections, parliamentary, post office servants prohibited from intermeddling in, ; and from voting at, ellenborough, edward, lord, evelyn, sir john, postmaster-general from to . _see_ postmasters-general, part ii. exeter, private post set up between, and barnstaple in , ; course of post between exeter and bristol in , ; in , ; salary of postmaster in , expresses, , ; when to be sent from dover, ; employment of, becomes more general about the middle of the eighteenth century, ; is jealously restricted, ; their number reduced on the establishment of mail-coaches, ; fees on expresses, ; express sent daily to and from ireland after the union, express clerks, express office, haymarket, eyles, sir john, postmaster-general from to , falmouth, packet station opened at, in , ; closed and reopened, ; packet regulations, ; systematic smuggling, , ; packet agent also victualler, fares, by packet to holland before and after , ; by steam packet and by sailing packet, comparative statement, farmers of the post office, their popularity and the reason of it, ; are ruined by increase of postage and converted into managers, ; as managers prove useless, farra, john, is supplied with a special travelling order, _note_ faversham, marriage of the postmistress, fees, exacted from postmasters, ; received by the chief sorter on the occasion of royal birthdays, ; on expresses, ; on the registration of foreign letters, ferrers, countess, fielding, henry, his tribute to ralph allen, "fifth-clause" posts, - firearms, worthless quality of those originally supplied to mail guards, fire of london, intelligence of, takes five days to reach worthing, flemings, resort to london, where they introduce the manufacture of wool into cloth, ; instance of value set upon cloth made in london, _note_ flying coach, , flying packet, meaning of the term, ( ) flying-post, _note_ foreign bottoms, employment of, by the post office illegal, foreign merchants claim to set up a post of their own to the continent, ; claim conceded by the privy council, ; and repudiated by coke, foster, john, chancellor of the irish exchequer, his efforts to improve communication with ireland, france, post office treaty with, imperfectly observed, ; a new one made and its onerous conditions, ; postage on letters from, increased, ; improvement of communication with, deprecated by merchants of london, franking, abuses of, in , and means taken to check them, ; effect of franking upon the post office revenue, ; becomes the subject of parliamentary enactment, ; conditions altered, ; franking in ireland, ; of newspapers inland, ; franking privilege possessed by the clerks at dublin castle surrendered, ; franks to be dated and are otherwise restricted, ; further restrictions imposed, ; franks do not clear either the penny, the twopenny, or the convention posts, ; franking privilege withdrawn in the case of newspapers to and from the colonies, ; privilege remains in the case of newspapers to and from the continent, ; and in the case of newspapers circulating within the united kingdom gradually disappears, ; franked letters charged immediately on dissolution of parliament, ; franking privilege withheld from roman catholic peers, ; abuse of franking in the case of the money order office, ; specimens of franks, appendix frankland, sir thomas, postmaster-general from to . _see_ postmasters-general, part i. frankland, william, son of the preceding, comptroller of the inland office, in attendance upon the queen at newmarket, franklin, benjamin, his dismissal, ; amicable relations with, not suspended, free delivery. _see_ delivery freeling, sir francis, appointed surveyor, ; appointed joint secretary with todd, ; devises new arrangements for the sorting of the american and west indian mails, ; his project for guarding the horse and cross-posts, , ; becomes sole secretary, ; his craze for high rates of postage, ; his zeal in repressing illicit correspondence, ; is checked by auckland, ; procures additional measures of repression, ; recommends increase of postage rates, ; his estimate of cobbett, ; his emoluments from franking newspapers, ; his indignation at criticisms in the _times_ newspaper, ; brings an action, ; contemplates a high-handed proceeding towards the town of olney in buckinghamshire, ; procures a charge to be made on returned letters, ; his contention with the india house in the matter of ship letters, ; urges a technical adherence to the provisions of the statute, ; his elation at the increase of the post office revenue, ; contrast between freeling and lees, ; his difference with lees, ; his claim for the post office in the matter of steam vessels, ; opposes improvement of communication with ireland, ; his interview with sir arthur wellesley, ; attempts to get terms of a hostile motion altered, ; his dismay at the transfer of the falmouth packets from the post office to the admiralty, ; his strictness in post office matters, ; is irritated by sir henry parnell's assumption of superiority, ; the probable reason for not resigning on the opening of the new post office in st. martin's-le-grand, ; his view that the packet service should not be thrown open to public competition opposed by althorp, ; defends the newspaper privilege enjoyed by the clerks of the roads, ; his attitude towards the royal commission, ; averts a breakdown with the mail-coaches, ; becomes the object of vehement attack, ; broods over the past, ; his death, frizell, william, frowde, ashburnham, comptroller of foreign office, furness, sir harry, gardner, penny postman, murder of, _note_ garrow, sir william, his frank forged, gas, introduction of, into the post office, general steam navigation company undertakes first packet contract, george the third, when at cheltenham or at weymouth is attended by a mail-coach, ; his illness and distribution of a prayer for his recovery, ; his interest in his coach, ; objects to roof-loading, ; attends trial trip, ; distributes largesse among mail guards and coachmen, gerrard street, crowded condition of post office in, glasgow petitions for a horse-post to edinburgh, ; and for a post office which shall not be kept at a shop, gloucester protests against certain houses being excluded from the free delivery, ; salary of postmaster in , godolphin, sidney godolphin, earl of, his rebuke to the postmaster-general, ; insists upon communication with the army in flanders being improved, ; his instruction about extraordinary payments, ; directs that in post office cases counsel shall give receipts for their fees, ( , , ) grafton, augustus henry, duke of, specimen of his frank, appendix grand mail, grand post nights, , granville, lord, urges improvement of the cornish posts, gratuities, on delivery of letters, , , , , ; legality of, questioned in the case of towns, ; question decided in favour of the public, ; still being charged, gray, thomas, his prediction that mail-coaches would be displaced by railways, grey, charles, earl, , grosvenor, sir richard, member for chester, expostulated with as to the irregular use of his frank, groyne, the, , guide to accompany post-horses when two are taken, guildhall library, letter preserved in, showing tardy course of post in , halfpenny carriage set up by povey, halloran, a clerical impostor, hamburg, practice at, on arrival of the mails, hamilton, andrew, acts as neale's agent for setting up posts in north america, ; his suggestions for improving the posts, ; acquires neale's patent, ; dies and the patent is surrendered to the crown, hamilton, john, son of the preceding, appointed deputy postmaster-general of america, harley, robert, afterwards earl of oxford, raises the rates of postage, ; attempts to trace the writer of an anonymous letter, harwich, a packet station, ; number and strength of its packets, ; packet regulations, ; a hot-bed of smuggling, , ; its exorbitant charges, ; is closed as a packet station, hasker, thomas, chief superintendent of mail-coaches, his pithy instructions, ; is complimented by the king, ; will not suffer even the king to detain the mail-coach, ; enters a protest against the speed of the holyhead mail, hayman, peter, first postmaster of virginia and maryland, heath, sir robert, solicitor-general, hickes, prideaux's servant, imprisonment of, highwaymen, rewards for apprehension of, ; refrain from attacks upon mail-coaches, ; confine their attention to horse and cross-posts, ; instances of the recovery of mail bags stolen by, hill, sir rowland, _note_, , hippisley, sir john, hiver, richard, holt, sir john, chief justice, his opinion respecting compensation for losses by post, _note_ holyhead, packet service at beginning of eighteenth century performed with regularity, ; contemplated reduction of the packet establishment deprecated by the lord lieutenant of ireland, ; conditions of passage between holyhead and dublin in , hompesch, baron, packet detained for, horn, when to be blown, ; a man on horseback blowing a post-horn assigned as a device for post office colours, _note_ horses, to be kept in readiness for affairs of state, ; two to be kept at every post-house, ; use of, obtained under false pretences, ; overridden, overladen, and not always paid for, , ; charge for post-horses in , ; in , ; in , ; not to be supplied except at post-houses, ; to be attended by a guide when two are hired, ; not to be let when the post is expected, ; not to be taken without the consent of the owners, ; only indirectly a source of revenue, ; monopoly of letting horses continued to the post office by the act of , ; control exercised by the post office over horses for travellers merely nominal, exception given, ; charges for post-horses increased by the erection of milestones, ; monopoly of letting post-horses withdrawn, horse and cross-posts, project for checking robberies of, ; authority withheld, ; eventually given, hostages taken on capture of a packet, ; instance of inhuman treatment of, houses numbered, ; their not being so a hindrance to the post office, , hume, david, hume, joseph, hungerford selected to try the question of free delivery, ; question decided in favour of the public and a letter-carrier appointed, , illicit conveyance of letters, between town and town and between the country and london, ; is stimulated by increase in the rates of postage, , ; becomes less after the introduction of mail-coaches, ; prosecutions for, ; return to the house of commons, impressment, persons employed on the packets exempt from, ; specimen of protection order, _note_ instructions to the sorting office communicated by word of mouth, insurance an essential condition of dockwra's penny post, ; this condition abandoned, invoices to and from abroad exempt from postage until , exemption then withdrawn, ipswich asserts its right to a free delivery, ; right admitted and letter-carrier appointed, ireland, tardiness of post to, before , ; postage to, ; method of post office business in , ; abuse of franking in , ; clerks at the castle surrender their franking privilege, ; posts to and within ireland improved, ; penny post office opened in dublin, ; the roof of the dublin post office falls in, ; the irish post office separated from that of england, ; effects of the separation in the case of correspondence by the milford haven and waterford route, ; between the irish and english post offices differences in point of law, ; and of practice, ; office in dublin styled british mail office, account of, ; and improper use made of it, ; clancarty's energy and decision of character, ; lees, secretary to the post office in ireland, his mode of conducting business, ; lees contrasted with freeling, ; the postmasters-general absentees, ; absence also of the subordinates and other abuses, ; the express clerks and clerks of the roads deal in newspapers and are given undue advantages, ; account of the alphabet, ; ingenious one in use at belfast, ; arrangement in favour of soldiers' wives, ; peculiar mode of delivery at belfast, ; mail-coach contracts in ireland different from those in england, ; charles bianconi, ; arrangement between ireland and great britain in the matter of the packets, ; lees is dissatisfied with it, ; and sets it aside, ; freeling's indignation, ; sailing packets replaced by steam packets, ; effect upon the number of passengers carried by the post office, ; irish traffic diverted from holyhead to liverpool, ; and liverpool made a packet station, ; except in the matter of the packets, indisposition of the british post office to improve communication with ireland, ; such improvement urged by foster, chancellor of the irish exchequer, ; and resisted by freeling, ; freeling forced to give way, ; the irish post office consolidated with the post office of great britain, ; and the dublin establishment reformed, ; the auditing of the irish accounts rendered futile, iron mail-cart stopped and rifled of its contents, isle of wight, its post office establishment in , jackson, a passenger by packet without a pass, jacob, giles, _note_ jamaica, post office establishment in, and sea rates fixed, ; duration of voyage to and fro in , ; house of assembly vote sum of money in recognition of the gallant defence of the _antelope_ packet, james, duke of york, afterwards james ii., opposes introduction of the penny post, ; wrests it out of dockwra's hands, ; suffers the clerks of the roads to retain their newspaper privilege, jamineau, isaac, purveyor of newspapers to the clerks of the roads, jeffreys, sir george, afterwards lord, inflicts exorbitant fine upon edmund prideaux, son of the master of the posts, johnson, edward, letter-carrier, improves the penny post, ; is appointed deputy comptroller, johnson, dr. samuel, _note_ jones, distiller of old street, st. luke's, his action against the post office, kent, post through the county of, more carefully nursed than any other, kenyon, lloyd, lord, when attorney-general, gives receipts for fees in post office cases, king's coach, deception practised on walsingham in the matter of the, king's messengers, their complaint against the post office on the erection of milestones, lambton, john george, moves for a return of the number of post office boards, lancashire, the badness of its posts in , le despencer, francis, lord, postmaster-general from to , , leeds, salary of postmaster in , lees, sir john, secretary to the post office in ireland, his testimony to the abuse of franking, ; having been transferred to the war office, recapitulates conditions on which he accepts reappointment to the post office, ; recapitulation gives offence to carteret, ; and leads to carteret's exposure, lees, sir edward smith, son of the preceding, also secretary to the post office in ireland, his method of conducting business, ; deals in newspapers, ; his instruction respecting the alphabet, ; his difference with freeling, ; becomes a director of the dublin steam packet company, ; is transferred to edinburgh, ; his unauthorised surrender of the receiver-general's bond, leet, express clerk, leicester, the corporation of, binds itself to keep post-horses for the use of the sovereign, ; salary of postmaster at, in , leicester, george, earl of, postmaster-general from to , letter-carriers, their pay in , ; as late as , none employed except in london, edinburgh, and dublin, ; are appointed at certain other towns, ; in london their interests suffer from the earlier closing of the post office, ; are put into uniform, ; the sufferings of some of their number during the winter of - , ; select their walks according to seniority, ; deliver letters according to classes, one class for general post letters, another for penny or twopenny letters, and a third for foreign letters, letters, on affairs of state originally sent by courier, ; particulars of, when sent by post, to be carefully recorded, ; letters on other than the affairs of state received at the post-houses, ; not, without the authority of the master of the posts, to be collected, carried, or delivered, ; notice that none are to be sent except through the post served on the merchants of london, ; letters detected in being illicitly conveyed to be sent to the privy council, and their bearers apprehended, ; what letters excepted from monopoly, ; are given precedence over travellers, ; circulate mainly through london, ; their mode of distribution, ; clandestine conveyance of, ; number of penny post letters for the suburbs of london at the end of the seventeenth century, ; letters for america and jamaica charged with postage, although there was no packet service, ; clandestine conveyance of, stimulated by increase of postage, ; definition of single and double letter, ; allen's injunction to check illegal conveyance of, ; are examined by means of a strong light, , , ; penalty for opening letters, ; letters containing patterns or samples, whether to be charged as single or double letters, ; right to make, on the delivery of letters, any charge beyond the postage contested, ; memorials for and against the earlier delivery of foreign letters in london, ; average number of letters for each foreign mail in , ; treatment of dead and missent letters before and after , ; return of the number of letters passing through the london post office submitted to the postmasters-general daily, ; made penal not only to carry letters, but to send them otherwise than through the post, ; on the delivery of letters, despite the decision of the courts, a charge beyond the postage continues to be made, ; owing to the complication of rates, not possible to express the total charge upon a letter in one taxation, lewis xiv. assembles a squadron before dunkirk, ; his delay in refusing to sign the preliminaries of peace, lichfield, thomas william, earl of, appointed postmaster-general may , _note_ lincolnshire, the paucity of its posts before , liverpool, salary of postmaster in , ; penny post established at, ; is opened as a packet station, liverpool, robert, earl of, mediates between freeling and lees, ; transfers the falmouth packets from the post office to the admiralty, lloyds supplied by the post office with ship news, loppinott, colonel, losses by post, compensation for, ; when ceased to be given, lovell, mary, receiver in st. james's street, lord abercorn's complaint against, lovell, thomas, lord, afterwards earl of leicester, postmaster-general from to , ; receives a threatening letter, _note_; his loose notions about smuggling, lowndes, william, secretary to the treasury, takes charge of the post office bill of , ; overbears swift, the solicitor to the post office, ; confounds gross and net revenue, ( _note_) macadam, john loudon, introduces new method of road-making, macaulay, lord, his account of the fine inflicted upon edmund prideaux, son of the master of the posts, ; his statement that a part of the post office revenue was derived from post-horses questioned, ( ) mackerness, thomas, postmaster of chipping norton, macky, john, packet agent at dover, proceeds to flanders, ; receives a remarkable caution, ; having become contractor for the dover and ostend packet service, his boats engage in illicit operations, ; and bring news clandestinely, ; is commissioned to settle posts for the army, his excellent arrangements, maddison, george, magistrates, the duty of, in certain cases, to seize horses for the service of the posts, , ; are enjoined to see that horses are procured at the post-houses alone, maidstone, excellency of the delivery at, in the seventeenth century, ; amount of the postmaster's salary, mails, hour of despatch of the, from the general post office in , ; after , ; cost of conveyance of, before and after the introduction of mail-coaches, ; are exempt from toll in great britain but not in ireland, ; exemption withdrawn in scotland, mail bags, curious instances of recovery of, mail-carts, mail-cart made of iron rifled of its contents, ; first used in london to bring letters to the general post office, mail-coaches, begin to run, ; rapid extension of the system, ; system deprecated by some of the leading merchants, ; their effect upon expresses, ; upon the illicit conveyance of letters, ; a mail-coach in attendance upon the king when at cheltenham, ; are put off the road by palmer, ; number of, in , ; model of mail-coach preserved at the post office, ; mail-coaches of new pattern supplied, ; number of passengers by, restricted, , ; roof-loading, and objections to it, , ; roof not always safe, ; mileage allowance in the case of mail-coaches, ; their freedom from attacks by highwaymen, ; become liable to a duty of one penny a mile, ; are diverted from the direct route for a consideration, ; number of, in , ; their unpopularity with road trustees, ; question considered of withdrawing their exemption from toll, ; mail-coaches withdrawn instead, ; in scotland, are made liable to toll, ; and their number is reduced, ; speed of mail-coaches, , ; the mail-coach the great disseminator of news, ; supply of mail-coaches thrown open to public competition, immediate result, mail guards, not originally post office servants, ; their little excesses, ; their wages, ; treatment of their wages a cause of difference between walsingham and palmer, ; their position one of responsibility, ; their fees, ; specimens of instructions to, ; carry parcels and game, and suffer to be carried excess-passengers, , main, george, deputy-postmaster of edinburgh, maîtres de poste in canada, managers, sometime farmers, of the post office, manchester, its post office establishment in , ; establishment increased and penny post office opened, manley, captain john, post office farmed by, manley, isaac, deputy-postmaster of dublin, _note_ mansfield, william, earl of, his opinion upon compensation for losses by the post, _note_; his judgment as to the duty of the post office in the matter of delivering letters, marlborough, john churchill, duke of, interests himself in the post with flanders, ( , ) maryborough, william, lord, postmaster-general from december , to may , , _note_ master of the posts, his duties, ; no one not authorised by, allowed to collect, carry, or deliver letters, ; his salary and emoluments, melbourne, william, viscount, melville, robert, viscount, advocates transfer of the falmouth packets to the admiralty, menai straits, additional rate of postage imposed on letters crossing the, merchants' accounts to and from abroad exempt from postage until , exemption then withdrawn, merchant adventurers. _see_ foreign merchants methuen, sir paul, ambassador to portugal, calls attention to the irregular proceedings of the packets, mileage allowance, in case of mail-coaches, ; higher in ireland than in england, ; flippant return to the house of commons on the subject of, miles, difference between measured and computed miles, milestones, erection of, ; their effect upon the charge for post-horses, milford haven and waterford, packet service between, missent letters, treatment of, before and after , money order office, ; the subject of a flippant return to the house of commons, ; facsimile of a money order issued in , appendix monopoly of the post office, origin of, in the matter of letters and of post-horses, ; confined in the first instance to the county of kent, ; confirmed by act of parliament, ; withdrawn as regards post-horses, mountstuart, john, viscount, _note_ murray, robert, reputed to have been the first to suggest the penny post, neale, thomas, obtains grants for setting up posts in north america, ; his pecuniary difficulties, ; offers to surrender his patent, ; patent passes on his death to andrew hamilton, newcastle, thomas holles pelham, duke of, his orders about the packets countermanded by pelham, ; sends to the post office to inquire the price of corn, newcastle, salary of the postmaster in , news, hunger after, ; the postmasters-general the great purveyors of, ; news disseminated by the mail-coaches, newspapers, franking of, by the clerks of the roads, ; are received from abroad by post office servants in advance of the general public, ; conditions of franking newspapers altered, effect of alteration, , ; copies of, supplied to post office servants, ; newspaper office established, ; number and weight of newspapers passing through the post office in , _note_; treatment of foreign newspapers, ; newspaper agency at the post office largely developed, ; london newspapers supplied by the post office with early intelligence from abroad, ; newspapers, though franked, not exempt from postage by the penny, twopenny, and convention posts, ; postage on newspapers for the east indies reduced below the letter rate, ; improper dealing with newspapers in ireland, ; on newspapers to and from the colonies special rates established and franking privilege withdrawn, ; this privilege retained in the case of newspapers for the continent, ; newspapers circulating within the united kingdom exempted from postage, ; extent of newspaper business conducted by the clerks of the roads in , ; in , ; newspaper business finally withdrawn, newton, sir isaac, new year's gifts, extortion of, nicholas, sir edward, nodin, passenger on board the _antelope_ packet, his gallantry, normanby, henry constantine, viscount, proposes abolition of the office of second postmaster-general, north, frederick, lord, ; receives singular reply from the post office, northampton, countess of, northey, sir edward, northumberland, hugh, earl of, lord lieutenant of ireland, nottingham, salary of postmaster in , ogilby, john, calls attention to the difference between measured and computed miles, _note_ oldfield, thomas, postmaster of york, oldmixon, old street, st luke's, a second penny charged on penny post letters addressed to, oliphant, robert, deputy postmaster-general for scotland, olney, buckinghamshire, attempts to improve its post and the consequence, o'neile, daniel, farmer of the posts, , o'neill, charles henry st. john, earl, postmaster-general of ireland from to , _seq._, onslow, denzil, opening of letters, during the commonwealth, ; under james ii., ; practice systematically carried on under walpole's administration, ; continued, as regards foreign letters, until , _note_ ordnance, board of, ormonde, james, duke of, oxenbridge, clement, reduces postage, ; receives an appointment under the post office, oxford street, branch post office opened in, packets (sailing), packet establishment in , ; are forbidden to carry merchandise in times of war, ; regulations for control of, ; carry their own surgeon, ; are not, without a pass, to carry passengers, ; or goods, ; fares are not sufficiently made known and inconvenience arises, instances given, ; curious assortment of goods sent free by packet, ; packets bring both passengers and goods without passes, ; engage in smuggling, ; are forbidden to give chase, ; are not entitled to the prizes they take, ; agreement with prizes honourably observed as a rule, exceptions given, ; are victualled at falmouth and at harwich on different principles, objections to both systems, ; copy of letter-bill by the _prince_ packet, ; transport recruits with disastrous results, ; must be of english build, ; engage with privateers, ; are placed on a peace footing, ; colours altered on union with scotland, ; sufficiency of the burthen and crew of the falmouth packets questioned by the merchants, ; the packets generally meet with a series of disasters, ; wholesale smuggling on the part of the harwich packets, ; inordinate growth of the packet expenditure, ; and the reason, ; packets established between milford haven and waterford, ; representation by the merchants as to the number of packets captured, ; their gallant actions with privateers, ; probable explanation of these actions occurring only when passengers were on board, ; mode of procuring packets for the east indies and the cape in , and their cost, ; arrangement in the matter of packets between great britain and ireland, ; steps taken by the dublin post office to set the arrangement aside, ; sailing packets replaced by steam packets between holyhead and dublin, ; between milford haven and waterford, ; between portpatrick and donaghadee, ; the falmouth packets transferred to the admiralty, packets (steam), between holyhe ad and dublin, charges by, as compared with sailing packets, ; number of passengers before the introduction of steam, _note_; and after, ; number of steam packets possessed by the post office in , ; packet service thrown open to public competition, ; irish steam packets, defective return to the house of commons in the matter of, pajot, director of the french posts, his obstinacy, ; his unreasonableness, palmer, john, his activity, ; general sketch of his plan, ; his plan is brought to the notice of pitt, ; and is tried on the bath road, ; extends his plan, ; induces pitt to raise the rates of postage, ; alleges obstruction, ; alters the length of the stages, ; his plan is opposed by the merchants, ; opposition dies away, ; procures appointment of his nominees, ; conditions of his own appointment, ; his jealousy of allen, ; expedites the morning delivery in london, and introduces an improved method of business, ; imposes upon walsingham in the matter of the king's coach, ; his treatment of official papers, ; pays an unexpected visit to walsingham at old windsor, ; betrays his jealousy, ; establishes, but without the necessary authority, a newspaper office, ; and a mail guards' fund, ; is called to account by walsingham, ; takes umbrage at a rebuke administered to his deputy, bonnor, ; disobeys orders, ; becomes aggressive and defiant, ; and appeals to pitt, ; is charged by bonnor with promoting a public meeting antagonistic to the postmasters-general, ; suspends bonnor, ; is suspended himself, ; is dismissed, ; receives a pension and, later on, a parliamentary grant, ; general result of his plan, ( , , ) palmerston, henry john, viscount, his humorous reply to freeling, parkin, anthony, solicitor to the post office, parnell, sir henry, pascoe, john, boatswain of the _antelope_ packet, his gallant resistance to the attack of a privateer, patterns and samples, letters containing, and being less than one ounce in weight, whether to be charged single or double, ; question tried at law, ; settled by act of parliament, ; concessions in favour of, pay. _see_ wages pelham, henry, countermands newcastle's orders about the packets, pennant, thomas, penny post, its introduction by dockwra, ; general plan of, ; carries up to one pound in weight, ; includes a system of insurance, ; days on which it does not go, ; increases number of country letters, ; is absorbed into the general post office, ; establishment of, in , ; stimulates the clandestine conveyance of letters into london, ; on its acquisition by the state its general conditions remain unchanged, ; number of penny post letters for the suburbs at the end of the seventeenth century, ; its contemplated extension to dublin in , ; affects the number of ship letters, ; is without legal sanction, ; legal sanction given, ; its limits restricted to ten miles, ; the charge of a second penny on all letters delivered outside the bills of mortality made legal, ; weight carried by the penny post reduced from one pound to four ounces, ; compensation for losses by the, when ceased to be given, _note_; attempts made by the post office to charge a second penny within the bills of mortality, ; principal officers of the penny post absentees, ; stagnation of the penny post, ; the post is improved by johnson, a letter-carrier, ; financial result, ; prepayment, hitherto optional, made compulsory, ; restriction on limits withdrawn, ; the charge of a second penny, heretofore confined to letters delivered at places outside the bills of mortality, imposed upon letters coming therefrom, ; the penny post converted into a twopenny post, ; and the twopenny post into a threepenny one, . _see_ twopenny and threepenny posts penzance, its post before and after , pepys, samuel, _note_ perceval spencer, , percival, joseph, a passenger by packet without a pass, pickwick, "mr. pickwick's coach," pitt, william, his attention is called to palmer's plan, ; sweeps away frivolous objections and desires that it may be tried, ; raises the postage rates, ; relaxes the restrictions upon franking, ; dismisses tankerville, ; settles conditions of palmer's appointment, ; his knowledge of abuses at the post office and his unwillingness to expose them, ; suppresses report of royal commission, ; authorises increase of salary to the clerks of the roads, ; declares palmer's proceedings to be irregular, ; turns a deaf ear to the postmaster-general's request for an interview, ; interview at length granted, ; a second interview, ; acquiesces in palmer's dismissal and grants him a pension, ; makes to post office servants a periodical grant pending a revision of the establishment, ; promotes plan for improving the penny post, ; disallows practice of charging returned letters, ; modifies arrangements for dealing with ship letters, ; his precepts in this matter afterwards disregarded, plymouth, salary of the postmaster in , _political register_, its criticisms on post office practice, pope, alexander, his lines on ralph allen, portage, portland, william henry, duke of, portland packet, captain taylor, its gallant action with privateer, postage, introduction of, ; settled by act of parliament, ; original meaning of term, _note_; rates of postage in , ; in and , ; in , ; in , ; in , ; in , ; in , ; in , ; in , ; device resorted to in order to evade high rates of, ; rates lapse through effluxion of time, ; rates of postage between london and the channel islands and within the islands themselves, ; from portugal and america, ; financial result of increase of rates, ; bewildering complications, ; extraordinary toleration of the public, explanation suggested, ; an additional rate imposed in scotland on withdrawal of exemption from toll, ; and on letters passing over the menai straits or conway bridge, ; rates of postage to the east indies in , ; instances of exorbitant rates, "poste for the pacquet," _note_ post-boys, post-coaches, post-haste, post-horn. _see_ horn post-horses. _see_ horses post-houses, to have horses in readiness, ; horses not to be let except at, ; pay of keepers of, in arrear, postilions, postmarks, introduction of, postmasters, their duties in , ; their salaries, ; their grievances, ; their contingent advantages, ; intercept postage on bye-letters, , ; their correspondence exempt from postage, ; their moderation on the erection of milestones, ; are enjoined to frequent the local markets and report the price of corn, ; salaries of certain postmasters in scotland in , ; in england in , postmasters-general (i.) [cotton and frankland, to ], their simple-mindedness, ; their accessibility, ; their concern about the illicit correspondence, ; their powerlessness to check it, ; let the posts out to farm, ; refuse to sublet the penny post, ; their difference with pajot, minister of the french posts, ; remonstrate with captains of packets at falmouth, ; and at harwich, ; chuckle over the capture of a prize, ; their rebuke to the captain of a falmouth packet, _note_; instance of their rough-and-ready justice, ; take vigorous measures to protect the packets from flemish privateers, ; their admonition to the packet agent at dover, ; act as purveyors of news to the court, instances given, ; advocate cheap postage to america, ; become, at the union with scotland, responsible for the scotch posts, ; their inaction, explanation suggested, ; action forced upon them, ; are contrasted with their successors, , postmasters-general (ii.) [frankland and evelyn, to ], their interview with godolphin, ; their instruction about expresses from dover, ; treat personally with povey, ; frankland ceases to be a member of parliament, ; concern themselves only slightly about travellers, ; take measures to check the abuse of franking, ; in vain urge the appointment of surveyors, ; negotiate new treaty with france, ; quit office on accession of george the first, postmasters-general (iii.) [cornwallis and craggs, to ], are amazed at the absence of check in the post office, ; note how little the increase in the rates of postage has added to the revenue, ; and how largely it has stimulated the abuse of franking, ; their dispute with the merchants, ; convict lowndes of a ludicrous error, ; their harsh treatment of their secretary, postmasters-general (iv.) [edward carteret and walpole, to ], their kindness to subordinates, ; their interview with abercorn, . [from to carteret had for his colleague edward harrison, and from to lord lovell.] carteret establishes a post to aylsham, postmasters-general (v.) [henry frederick, lord carteret and, for the second time, tankerville, to ], collect opinions on palmer's plan and submit them to pitt, ; entertain doubts as to its feasibility, ; their differences between themselves, ; their open rupture, ; tankerville is dismissed by pitt, ; his ungovernable temper, postmasters-general (vi.) [carteret and walsingham, to ], walsingham's industry and thoroughness, ; questions carteret's right to sign first, ; his preponderating influence, ; his habit of annotating and execrable handwriting, , ; reduces packet establishment at falmouth, ; is dissuaded from carrying out a similar reduction at holyhead, ; is powerless to control the correspondence by the milford packets, ; in conjunction with carteret procures increase of salary for the clerks of the roads, ; is imposed upon in the matter of the king's coach, ; calls for the surveyors' journals, ; his correspondence with chalmers, ; receives an unexpected visit from palmer, ; detects palmer's jealousy and endeavours to allay it, ; calls palmer to account for acting without authority, ; exposes bonnor's attempt at deception, ; carteret's dismissal, ; walsingham inquires into the solicitor's accounts, postmasters-general (vii.) [walsingham and chesterfield, to ], chesterfield's playful allusions to palmer, ; palmer sets the postmasters-general at defiance, ; they seek in vain an interview with pitt, ; receive assurances from bonnor of palmer's disloyalty, ; remove bonnor's suspension and suspend palmer, ; chesterfield's letter, ; walsingham's interview with pitt, ; feel confident of their own dismissal, ; are furnished with evidence by bonnor, ; have a second interview with pitt and dismiss palmer, ; contrast palmer's reticence in official matters with freeling's wealth of explanation, ; walsingham attempts to improve communication with france, ; and to reduce postage on letters containing the second halves of bank notes, ; give attention to coach-building, postmasters-general (viii.) [chichester and salisbury, to ], are called upon for a return of the number of post office boards, ; address to the throne praying that one of the two offices of postmaster-general be abolished, ; salisbury stops his own salary, and on his death chichester becomes postmaster-general sole, ; salisbury's testimony to increase of stringency in post office matters, post office, origin of its monopoly, ; monopoly confined in the first instance to the county of kent, ; a post office opened in the city of london, ; dispute for its possession, ; becomes the subject of parliamentary enactment, ; its position in , ; is the only receptacle for letters in london, ; description of it, ; relations between the post office and the treasury, ; the post office becomes unpopular and the reasons, _seq._; its retrogression, ; assumes a new character, ; loses monopoly of letting post-horses, ; post office buildings in edinburgh and dublin fall into decay, ; indignation caused by the earlier closing of the post office in london, ; this office enlarged, ; state of the post office as between the years and compared, ; the post office disseminates news, ; and police notices, ; becomes object of interest to the house of commons, ; is cleared of more than a century of debt, ; a new post office opened in st. martin's-le-grand, post-runners, posts, paucity of, in time of henry the eighth, ; their close connection with the sovereign, ; instructions for the regulation of, ; designed not only to carry the letters of the sovereign, but for the use of persons travelling on the sovereign's concerns, ; posts originally maintained at loss to the crown, ; at the beginning of the seventeenth century only four in number, ; of these the post to dover the most important, precautions taken lest this post should be used for designs against the state, ; decadence of the posts, ; improved by witherings, ; to be self-supporting, ; thrown open to the public, ; let out to farm, ; rent paid in , ; in , ; in , ; in , ; in become the subject of parliamentary enactment, ; their inadequacy to meet public demands, ; even where they existed, their existence not generally known, ; at what intervals they left london in , ; regarded as vehicles for the propagation of treason, ; again let out to farm, ; resumed by the state, ; as late as , not of general concern, povey, charles, sets up a halfpenny post, ; contrast between him and dockwra, ; his insolence, ; is proceeded against and cast in damages, prideaux, edmund, takes part with burlamachi against warwick, ; rescues the mail from warwick's servants, ; brings the imprisonment of his own servant before the house of commons, ; becomes master of the posts, ; his activity, ; suppresses unauthorised post to scotland, ; makes profit out of the posts and is called upon to pay rent, ; is dismissed, ; retains an interest in the posts, ; oldmixon's estimate of his character, ; destination of a part of his wealth, prideaux, edmund, son of the preceding, prior, matthew, negotiates post office treaty with france, prior park, prizes, practice observed on capture of, prosecutions, for the illicit conveyance of letters, ; measures taken to secure their publicity, ; return to the house of commons on the subject of, protection order, specimen of, _note_ quartering of soldiers, a grievance to postmasters, quash, ralph allen's predecessor as postmaster of bath, queen's letters, meaning of term in , _note_ queen's servants not exempt from fare by packet, queensberry, james, duke of, raikes, a diamond merchant, suggests the giving of receipts for registered letters, _note_ railways, prediction concerning, ; first mail sent by railway, ramsgate, cost of post office at, in , randolph, thomas, master of the posts to queen elizabeth, receiving offices, first opened in london, ; generally kept at public-houses, ; to remain open on six nights a week instead of three, ; letter-boxes at, to be closed and fixed, ; receiving offices for twopenny post letters separate and distinct from offices for letters by the general post, , recruits, exemption of, from fare by packet, ; disputes with officers in charge of, ; packets employed for transport of, registration, exorbitant fees for, of foreign letters, ; amount of these fees in and , ; receipts for foreign registered letters begin to be given, _note_ returned letters. _see_ dead letters revenue of the post office, surrendered by the crown to the public, in part, in , ; and wholly, in exchange for a civil list, in , ; amount of, from to , ; in and , ; in as compared with , ; in and , ; in and , richmond, charles, duke of, postmaster-general from december to july , declines to receive salary, ; his industry, ; becomes postmaster-general of ireland as well as great britain, and reforms the dublin establishment, ; contemplates, apparently, a reduction of postage, ripon, post office at, refused in , ; in possession of one in , roads, condition of, in , ; during the first two decades of the nineteenth century, ; begin to be constructed on scientific principles, ; macadam's plan for dealing with the surface of, ; difference between roads in the country and roads in the neighbourhood of london, rochester, lawrence hyde, earl of, postmaster-general from to , , _note_, , appendix _note_ rogers, captain of packet, engages in smuggling, roof-loading of mail-coaches, , rosencrantz, the danish envoy, to be specially accommodated on board harwich packet, rosse, laurence, earl of, postmaster-general of ireland from to , , rotterdam, practice at, on arrival of the mails, royal boroughs of scotland, royal commission of inquiry into the post office in , , ; in , ; recommendations of this last commission not carried into effect, ; another commission appointed to ascertain the reason, ; this commission procures the contract for mail-coaches to be thrown open to public competition, runners, rye-house plot, the cause of a post office proclamation, sailors on board the packets, their conditions of service, ; receive pensions for wounds, ; their wages withheld, ; their wages increased, st. john, henry, afterwards viscount bolingbroke, st. leonards, shoreditch, a second penny on penny post letters improperly charged at, st. martin's-le-grand, opening of post office at, salaries. _see_ wages salisbury, james, marquess of, postmaster-general from to . _see_ postmasters-general, part viii. samples. _see_ patterns sampson, captain of packet, sandwich, john, earl of, postmaster-general from to , ; specimen of his frank, appendix sandwich, john, earl of, son of the preceding, postmaster-general from to , sandwich, kent, asserts its right to a free delivery, ; right admitted and letter-carrier appointed, , scotland, tardiness of communication with, before , ; communication expedited by witherings, ; postage to scotland, ; post to edinburgh set up by the city of london, ; extent of correspondence with scotland in , ; scotch posts placed under the postmasters-general of england, ; salaries of scotch postmasters, ; course of post between london and edinburgh accelerated in , , ; in posts to and within scotland increased in frequency, ; post office in edinburgh no longer habitable, ; internal administration of scotch post office revised by palmer, ; penny post established in edinburgh, ; postage rates within scotland raised, ; wholesale prosecutions for illicit correspondence, ; exemption from toll withdrawn and an additional postage rate imposed, ; unhandsome conduct of the road trustees, ; roads discoached, search, powers of, refused by the house of commons, sebright, sir john, his letter accidentally opened, secretary of state, clerks in the office of, compensated for the loss of the newspaper privilege, secretary of the post office, appointment of, created in , secret office, , sharpus, postmaster of new york, sheffield, salary of postmaster in , shelburne, william, earl of, ship letters, origin of ship letter money, ; by means of the penny post evade full postage, ; number of, in , ; pence paid upon, without legal sanction, ; legal sanction given, ; ship letter office established, ; rates on, increased and restrictions imposed, ; restrictions modified, ; made compulsory upon private ships to carry mails, ship news supplied by the post office to lloyds, shipwrecked seamen pass free by packet, shrewsbury, curious reply to petition from, for earlier post, single letter, definition of, smart and bounty money, smuggling, on board the packets at falmouth, , ; at harwich, , ; at dover, ; in the dover mail-coach, soldiers' wives, when travelling supplied with money through the medium of the post office, solicitor to the post office, appointment of, created in , ; an absentee and his duties performed by deputy, ; his accounts inspected by walsingham's direction, somerset, protector, superscription of his letter to lord dacre, sorters, pay of, in , southampton, salary of postmaster in , speed of post in queen elizabeth's time, ; in time of james the first, ; at the end of the seventeenth century, ; between london and falmouth and london and harwich, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, ; under allen's contract, ; in , ; after , ; speed of holyhead mail-coach before and after telford's improvement of the road, ; of mail-coaches generally in and , , spencer, lord charles, postmaster-general from to , spitalfields, a second penny improperly charged on penny post letters addressed to, sprange, james, postmaster of tunbridge wells, spring rice, thomas, chancellor of the exchequer, stage, inconvenience resulting from term not being defined, ; term dropped as unit of charge, stanhope of harrington, john, lord, master of the posts, ; resents what he conceives to be an invasion of his patent, ; dies and is succeeded as master of the posts by his son, stanhope of harrington, charles, lord, master of the posts, son of the preceding, vigorously asserts his rights, ; vacillating decisions of the privy council, ; surrenders his patent, ; alleges cajolery, stanhope, arthur, comptroller of the foreign department, his emoluments from franking, ; supplies newspapers with summaries of foreign intelligence, stanhope, james, secretary of state, stanwix, colonel, state letters, _note_ staunton, john, postmaster of isleworth; appointed comptroller of the bye and cross-roads, steam packets, first employment of, by the post office, stock exchange, the, outwits the post office, stockdale, a highwayman, execution of, _note_ stokes, william, stone, george, receiver-general, a defaulter, stowmarket, its position and its trade unknown to allen, strangers' post. _see_ foreign merchants sudbury, duties and salary of postmaster in , sunderland, charles, earl of, surveyors, appointment of, refused by the treasury, ; afterwards sanctioned, ; their original functions, ; their functions and emoluments after , ; their journals, , ; cease to hold postmasterships in addition to their appointments as surveyors, swift, richard, solicitor to the post office, prepares post office bill of , ; is overborne by lowndes, secretary to the treasury, tankerville, charles, earl of, postmaster-general from april to may , and again from january to september . _see_ postmasters-general, part v. telford, thomas, takes in hand the road between holyhead and shrewsbury, ; between shrewsbury and london, ; other roads, thanet, elizabeth, countess dowager of, undertakes to establish a penny post in dublin, "thorough poste," _note_ thrale, mrs., _note_ threepenny post, , thurloe, john, secretary, assumes direction of the post office in , ; intercepts letters, thurlow, edward, attorney-general, afterwards lord chancellor; his opinion as to the duty of the post office in the matter of delivering letters, , thynne, henry frederick, afterwards carteret. _see_ postmasters-general, parts v. and vi. timepieces, mode of regulating mail-guards', _times_ newspaper, its priority of intelligence, ; its criticisms on post office procedure, ; proceedings against, taken by freeling, tinware, supply of, to the postmasters-general, todd, anthony, secretary to the post office; his correspondence with benjamin franklin, ; his indifference, ; comments upon tankerville's temper, ; his compromising position in respect to the packets, ; his emoluments, ; his remark upon bonnor's dilatory replies, ; devotes himself to social amenities, ; unknown to the postmasters-general, retains his shares in the packets, ; his death, toll, mail-coaches exempt from, in england and scotland but not in ireland, ; exemption withdrawn in scotland, townshend, horatio, lord, townshend, charles, deprecates alarm because a letter is sent by express, travellers, obtain use of post-horses under false pretences, ; are not to be supplied with horses except at the post-houses, ; paucity of travellers, ; are not to be supplied with horses when the post is expected, ; have to pay more for horses after the erection of milestones, ; their restriction to post-houses for a supply of horses withdrawn, treasury, its relations to the post office, , ; refuses the appointment of surveyors, ; refuses a horse-post between edinburgh and glasgow, ; experience of its ways a bar to the suggestion of improvements, ; extorts blackmail, treves, peregrine, the recipient of carteret's bounty, tring, the postmaster of, opens a letter addressed to sir john sebright, tuke, sir brian, master of the posts to henry the eighth, his letter to thomas cromwell, ; his duties, ; explanation suggested of statement in his letter, tunbridge, salary of postmaster in , tunbridge wells, old-fashioned postmaster of, in , turnpikes, condition of the trusts at the beginning of the nineteenth century, ; number of turnpike acts passed between and , twopenny post, a second penny charged by dockwra on delivery of letters in the outskirts of london, ; this second penny not legally sanctioned until , ; the twopenny post thus established in one direction established also in the other, ; the penny post converted into a twopenny post, ; and the twopenny post into a threepenny one, ; the revenue of the twopenny post as compared with that of the penny post, ; the crowded condition of the twopenny post office in westminster, tyrconnel, richard talbot, earl of, opens the mails at dublin castle, uniform, letter-carriers put into, urin, captain of packet, makes wrong port, vanderpoel, packet agent at the brill, vansittart, nicholas, chancellor of the exchequer, insists upon mail-coaches being withdrawn from the roads, ; raises the rates of postage, ; changes the route of the holyhead coach, ; refuses to get the terms of a hostile motion altered, van vrybergh, envoy extraordinary from the states-general, venetian ambassador, the, protests against the opening of his letters, vidler, his contract for the supply of mail-coaches terminated, village posts. _see_ convention posts viner, sir robert, wade, general, wages and salaries, of post office servants in , ; of seamen on board the packets, ; of certain postmasters in england, , , and in scotland, ; of mail-guards, waghorn, thomas, wainwright, postmistress of ferrybridge, her original mode of supplying an omission, walcot, john, secretary to the post office in ireland, terms of his agreement with barham, packet agent at dover, walpole, sir robert, maintains an office for the opening of letters, walpole, galfridus, postmaster-general from to . _see_ postmasters-general, part iv. walpole, horace, precautions taken by, to secure his correspondence against inspection, walsingham, thomas, lord, postmaster-general from july to july . _see_ postmasters-general, parts vi. and vii. warwick, robert, earl of, acquires witherings's patent and claims possession of the letter office, ; attempts to obtain it by force, ; continues to assert his claim, warwick, course of post to, altered in , waterhouse, benjamin, secretary to the post office, _note_ watson, sir charles, way letter, meaning of term, weights to be attached to sea-borne mails, wellesley, sir arthur, sets aside objections to improving communication with ireland, west indies, packets to the, established, ; amount of correspondence in , ; service discontinued in , ; resumed in , ; improved arrangements for disposing of the west indian mails, westmorland, john, earl of, postmaster-general from september to march , weston, henry, secretary to the post office, harsh treatment of, weston brothers, trial of, wetherall, robert, master of ship _albinia_, proceedings against, for refusing to take mails on board, _note_ weymouth, constituted a packet station, whinnery, thomas, postmaster of belfast, his revolving "alphabet," ; his mode of delivery, whitworth, richard, wildman, colonel john, postmaster-general from july to march , willatt, dame, postmistress of manchester in , ; granted a pension, willes, doctor, dean of lincoln, afterwards bishop of st. davids; the "chief decypherer," willes, mr. justice, his judgment upon the question of free delivery, william iii., confers a pension upon dockwra, ; refuses to exempt postmasters from the quartering of soldiers, ; is unwilling to prosecute for the illegal conveyance of letters, ; his opinion as to the requirements of a mail packet, ; the soundness of that opinion confirmed, williamson, peter, sets up an office for the delivery of letters in edinburgh, willimott, receiver-general, _note_ wilson, mail-coach contractor, his exorbitant bill for horsing the king's coach, witherings, thomas, succeeds de quester as foreign postmaster, ; is commissioned to examine into the inland posts, ; suggests a scheme of reorganisation, ; introduces postage, ; contemplates posts being self-supporting, ; but not, apparently, a source of revenue, ; becomes postmaster for both inland and foreign letters, ; his appointment is sequestered, ; assigns his patent, wolters, dirick, a suspected person, to be searched for at harwich, worthing, course of post from london to, in , wren, sir christopher, surveys the post office premises in lombard street, york, salary of postmaster in , [illustration: bugler on galloping horse] _j. d. & co._ _printed by r. & r. clark, edinburgh._ * * * * * transcriber's note: page "further period of eighteen months, viz. from the th of october to the th of april " changed to october according to context. two changes were made according to the errata: page "that the practice dated from " changed to . page "further period of eighteen months, viz. from the th of october to the th of april " changed to october according to context. a hundred years by post a jubilee retrospect by j. wilson hyde author of 'the royal mail: its curiosities and romance' [illustration] london sampson low, marston and co., lim. st. dunstan's house fetter lane, fleet street, e.c. [_all rights reserved_] printed by t. and a. constable, printers to her majesty, at the edinburgh university press. to the right honourable henry cecil raikes, m.p. her majesty's postmaster-general, the following pages are, by permission, respectfully dedicated. preface. the following pages give some particulars of the changes that have taken place in the post office service during the past hundred years; and the matter may prove interesting, not only on account of the changes themselves, but in respect of the influence which the growing usefulness of the postal service must necessarily have upon almost every relation of political, educational, social, and commercial life. more especially may the subject be found attractive at the close of the present year, when the country has been celebrating the jubilee of the penny post. edinburgh, _december ._ contents. page _frontispiece_--mail-coach in thunderstorm. past and present contrasted, liberty of subject and public opinion, abuses of power, slow diffusion of news, _illustration_--analysis of london to edinburgh mail of d march , _facing_ state of roads and insecurity of travelling, foot and horse posts, _illustration_--the mail, , _facing_ the mail-coach era, _illustration_--the mail, , _facing_ _illustration_--modern mail "apparatus" for exchange of mails, _facing_ _illustration_--the mail-coach guard, _facing_ dear postage, _diagrams_--roundabout communications, , streets first numbered, postmasters as news collectors, _illustration_--the bellman, _facing_ mail-packet service, _illustration_--holyhead and kingstown packet "prince arthur," _facing_ penny postage, _illustration_--handbill used in penny postage agitation, _facing_ various business of the post office, staff of the post office, _illustration_--tontine reading-rooms glasgow, _facing_ value of early news by post, diffusion of parliamentary news by the telegraph and press, results of rapid communications, [illustration: _frontispiece._ mail-coach in thunderstorm. (_from a print, ._)] a hundred years by post. were a former inhabitant of this country who had quitted the stage of life towards the close of last century to reappear in our midst, he could not fail to be struck with the wonderful changes which have taken place in the aspect of things; in the methods of performing the tasks of daily life; and in the character of our social system generally. nor is it too much to say that he would see himself surrounded by a world full of enchantment, and that his senses of wonder and admiration would rival the feelings excited in youthful minds under the spell of books like jules verne's _journey to the moon_, or the ever-entertaining stories of the _arabian nights_. it is true that he would find the operations of nature going on as before. the dewdrop and the blade of grass, sunshine and shower, the movements of the tides, and the revolutions of the heavenly bodies; these would still appear to be the same. but almost everything to which man had been wont to put his hand would appear to bear the impress of some other hand; and a hundred avenues of thought opening to his bewildered sense would consign his inward man to the education of a second childhood. so fruitful has been the nineteenth century in discovery and invention, and so astounding the advancement made, that it is only by stopping in our madding haste and looking back that we can realise how different the present is from the past. yet to our imaginary friend's astonished perception, nothing, we venture to think, would come with greater force than the contrast between the means available for keeping up communications in his day and in our own. we are used to see trains coursing on the iron way at a speed of fifty or sixty miles an hour; steamships moving on every sea, defiant of tide and wind, at the rate of fifteen or twenty miles an hour; and the electric telegraph outstripping all else, and practically annihilating time and space. but how different was the state of things at the close of the eighteenth century! the only means then available for home communications--that is for letters, etc.--were the foot messenger, the horse express, and the mail coach; and for communication with places beyond the sea, sailing-ships. the condition of things as then existing, and as reflected upon society, is thus summed up by mackenzie in his _history of the nineteenth century_: "men had scarcely the means to go from home beyond such trivial distance as they were able to accomplish on foot. human society was composed of a multitude of little communities, dwelling apart, mutually ignorant, and therefore cherishing mutual antipathies." and when persons did venture away from home, in the capacity of travellers, the entertainment they received in the hostelries, even in some of the larger towns, seems now rather remarkable. if anything surprises the traveller of these latter days, in regard to hotel accommodation, when business or pleasure takes him from the bosom of his family, it is the sumptuous character of the palaces in all the principal towns of all civilised countries wherein he may be received, and where he may make his temporary abode. to persons used to such comforts, the accommodation of the last century would excite surprise in quite another direction. here is a description of the inn accommodation of edinburgh, furnished by captain topham, who visited edinburgh in : "on my first arrival, my companion and self, after the fatigue of a long day's journey, were landed at one of these stable-keepers (for they have modesty enough to give themselves no higher denomination) in a part of the town called the pleasance; and, on entering the house, we were conducted by a poor devil of a girl, without shoes or stockings, and with only a single linsey-woolsey petticoat which just reached half-way to her ankles, into a room where about twenty scotch drovers had been regaling themselves with whisky and potatoes. you may guess our amazement when we were informed that this was the best inn in the metropolis--that we could have no beds unless we had an inclination to sleep together, and in the same room with the company which a stage-coach had that moment discharged." before proceeding further, let us look at some of the circumstances which were characteristic of the period with which we are dealing. liberty of the subject and public opinion are inseparably wedded together, and this seems inevitable in every country whose government partakes largely of the representative system. for in such states, unlike the conditions which obtain under despotic governments, the laws are formulated and amended in accordance with the views held for the time being by _the people_, the government merely acting as the agency through which the people's will is declared. and this being so, what is called the liberty of the subject must be that limited and circumscribed freedom allowed by the people collectively, as expressed in the term "public opinion," to the individual man. in despotic states the circumstances are necessarily different, and such states may be excluded from the present consideration. wherever there is wanting a quick and universal exchange of thought there can be no sound public opinion. where hindrances are placed upon the free exchange of views, either by heavy duties on newspapers, by dear postage, or by slow communications, public opinion must be a plant of low vitality and slow growth. consequently, in the age preceding that of steam, so far as applied to locomotion, and to the telegraph, which age extended well into the present century, there was no rapid exchange of thought; new ideas were of slow propagation; there was little of that intellectual friction so productive of intellectual light among the masses. in these circumstances it is not surprising to read of things existing within the last hundred years which to-day could have no place in our national existence. lord cockburn, in the _memorials of his time_, gives the following instance. "i knew a case, several years after ," says he, "where the seat-holders of a town church applied to government, which was the patron, for the promotion of the second clergyman, who had been giving great satisfaction for many years, and now, on the death of the first minister, it was wished that he should get the vacant place. the answer, written by a member of the cabinet, was that the single fact of the people having interfered so far as to express a wish was conclusive against what they desired; and another appointment was instantly made." going back a little more than a hundred years, the following are specimens of the abuses then in full vigour. they are referred to in trevelyan's _early history of charles james fox_, the period in question being about - : "one nobleman had eight thousand a year in sinecures, and the colonelcies of three regiments. another, an auditor of the exchequer, inside which he never looked, had £ in years of peace, and £ , in years of war. a third, with nothing to recommend him except his outward graces, bowed and whispered himself into four great employments, from which thirteen to fourteen hundred british guineas flowed month by month into the lap of his parisian mistress."... "george selwyn, who returned two members, and had something to say in the election of a third, was at one and the same time surveyor-general of crown lands, which he never surveyed, registrar in chancery at barbadoes, which he never visited, and surveyor of the meltings and clerk of the irons in the mint, where he showed himself once a week in order to eat a dinner which he ordered, but for which the nation paid." the shameful waste of the public money in the shape of hereditary pensions was still in vigour within the period we are dealing with; one small party in the state "calling the tune," and the great mass of the people, practically unrepresented, being left "to pay the piper." during the reign of george iii., who occupied the throne from to , the following hereditary pensions were granted:--to trustees for the use of william penn, and his heirs and descendants for ever, in consideration of his meritorious services and family losses from the american war £ . to lord rodney, and every the heirs-male to whom the title of lord rodney shall descend, £ . to earl morley and john campbell, esq., and their heirs and assignees for ever, upon trust for the representatives of jeffrey earl amherst, £ . to viscount exmouth and the heirs-male to whom the title shall descend £ . to earl nelson and the heirs-male to whom the title of earl nelson shall descend, with power of settling jointures out of the annuity, at no time exceeding £ a year, £ . in addition to this pension of £ , parliament also granted to trustees on behalf of earl nelson a sum of £ , for the purchase of an estate and mansion-house to be settled and entailed to the same persons as the annuity of £ . within the post office too very strange things happened in connection with money paid to certain persons supposed to be in its service. here is a case, in the form of a remonstrance, referring to the period close upon the end of last century, which explains itself. "mr. bushe observes that the government wished to reward his father, gervas parker bushe (who was one of the commissioners), for his services, and particularly for having increased the revenue £ , per annum; but that he preferred a place for his son to any emolument for himself, in consequence of which he was appointed resident surveyor. he expressed his astonishment to find in the patent (which he never looked into before) that it is there mentioned 'during good behaviour,' and not for life, upon which condition alone his father would have accepted it. he adds that it was given to him as totally and absolutely a sinecure, and that his appointment took place at so early a period of life that it would be impossible for him to do any duty." again, the following evidence was given before a commission on oath in , by mr. johnson, a letter-carrier in london: "he receives at present a salary as a letter-carrier of s. per week, making £ , s. per annum; he likewise receives certain perquisites, arising from such pence as are collected in the evening by letters delivered to him after the receiving houses are shut, amounting in to £ , s., also from acknowledgments from the public for sending letters by another letter-carrier not immediately within his walk, amounting in the same year to £ . he likewise receives in christmas boxes £ ,--the above sums, making together £ , was the whole of his receipts of every kind whatever by virtue of his office in ( candles and a limited allowance of stationery excepted), out of which he pays a person for executing his duty as a letter-carrier, at the rate of s. a week, being £ , s. per annum, and retains the remainder for his own use entirely." in a report made by a commission which inquired into the state of the post office in , the following statement appears respecting abuses existing in the department; and in reflecting upon that period the post office servants of to-day might almost entertain feelings of regret that they did not live in the happy days of feasts, coals, and candles. here is the statement of the commissioners: "the custom of giving certain annual feasts to the officers and clerks of this office (london) at the public expense ought to be abolished; as also what is called the feast and drink money; and, as the inland office now shuts at an early hour, the allowances of lodging money to some of the officers, and of apartments to others, ought to be discontinued." but of all allowances, those of coals and candles are the most enormous; for, besides those consumed in the official apartments, there are allowed to sundry officers for their private use in town or country above three hundred chaldrons of coals, and twenty thousand pounds of candles, which several of them commute with the tradesmen for money or other articles; the amount of the sums paid for these two articles in the year was £ , s. d. in the year a payment was being made of £ a year to a mrs. collier, who was servant to the bye and cross road office in the london post office; but she did not do the work herself. she employed a servant to whom she paid £ , putting £ into her own pocket. what a splendid field this would have been for the comptroller and auditor general, and for questioners in the houses of parliament! an abuse that had its origin no doubt in the fact that the nation was not represented at large,[ ] but by members of parliament who were returned by a very limited class, and who could not understand or reflect the views of the masses, was that of the franking privilege. the privilege of franking letters enjoyed by members of parliament was a sad burden upon the revenue of the post office, and it continued in vigour down to the establishment of the penny post. some idea of the magnitude of this arrangement, which would now be called a gross abuse, will be gathered from the state of things existing in the first quarter of the present century. looking at the regulations of , we find that each member of parliament was permitted to receive as many as fifteen and to send as many as ten letters in each day, such letters not exceeding one ounce in weight. at the then rates of postage this was a most handsome privilege. in the year the peers enjoying this extent of free postage numbered over four hundred, and the commons over six hundred and fifty. in addition to these, certain members of the government and other high officials had the privilege of sending free any number of letters without restriction as to weight. these persons were, in , nearly a hundred in number. how the privilege was turned to commercial account is explained in mackenzie's, _reminiscences of glasgow_. referring to the ship bank of that city, which had its existence in the first quarter of our century, and to one of the partners, mr. john buchanan of ardoch, who was also member of parliament for dumbartonshire, the author makes the following statement: "from his position as member of parliament, he enjoyed the privilege of franking the letters of the bank to the extent of fourteen per diem. this was a great boon; it saved the bank some hundreds of pounds per annum for postages. it was, moreover, regarded as a mighty honour." great abuses were perpetrated even upon the abuse itself. franks were given away freely to other persons for their use, they were even sold, and, moreover, they were forged. senex, in his notes on _glasgow past and present_, describes how this was managed in ireland. "i remember," says he, "about sixty years ago, an old irish lady told me that she seldom paid any postage for letters, and that her correspondence never cost her friends anything. i inquired how she managed that. 'oh,' said she, 'i just wrote "free, j. suttie," in the corner of the cover of the letter, and then, sure, nothing more was charged for it.' i said, 'were you not afraid of being hanged for forgery?' 'oh, dear me, no,' she replied; 'nobody ever heard of a lady being hanged in ireland, and troth, i just did what everybody else did.'" but the spirit of inquiry was beginning to assert itself in the first half of the century, and the franking privilege disappeared with the dawn of cheap postage. public opinion had as yet no active existence throughout our commonwealth, nor had the light spread so as to show up all the abuses. and how true is buckle's observation in his _history of civilisation_ that all recent legislation is the undoing of bad laws made in the interest of certain classes. how could there be an active public opinion in the conditions of the times? everybody was shut off from everybody else. hear further what mackenzie says in his _history of the nineteenth century_, referring to the end of last century: "the seclusion resulting from the absence of roads rendered it necessary that every little community, in some measure every family, should produce all that it required to consume. the peasant raised his own food; he grew his own flax or wool; his wife or daughter spun it; and a neighbour wove it into cloth. he learned to extract dyes from plants which grew near his cottage. he required to be independent of the external world from which he was effectively shut out. commerce was impossible until men could find the means of transferring commodities from the place where they were produced to the place where there were people willing to make use of them." so much for the difficulty of exchanging ordinary produce. the exchange of thought suffered in a like fashion. in the first half of the present century severe restrictions were placed upon the spread of news, not only by the heavy postage for letter correspondence, but by the equally heavy newspaper tax. referring to this latter hindrance to the spread of light mackenzie says: "the newspaper is the natural enemy of despotic government, and was treated as such in england. down to the duty imposed was only one penny, but as newspapers grew in influence the restraining tax was increased from time to time, until in it reached the maximum of fourpence." at this figure the tax seems to have continued many years, for under the year mackenzie refers to it as such, and remarks, "that this rendered the newspaper a very occasional luxury to the working man; that the annual circulation of newspapers in the united kingdom was no more than thirty-six million copies, and that these had only three hundred thousand readers." at the present time the combined annual circulation of a couple of the leading newspapers in scotland would equal the entire newspaper circulation of the kingdom little more than fifty years ago. in the year , which is less than a hundred years ago, the _edinburgh evening courant_ and the _glasgow courier_, two very small newspapers, were sold at sixpence a copy, each bearing a government stamp of the value of threehalf-pence. is it surprising, under these conditions, that few newspapers should circulate, and that news should travel slowly throughout the country? but the growth of newspapers to their present magnificent proportions is a thing of quite recent times, for even so lately as the _scotsman_, then sold unstamped for a penny, weighed only about three-quarters of an ounce, while to-day the same paper, which continues to be sold for a penny, weighs fully four and a half ounces. and other newspapers throughout the country have no doubt swelled their columns to a somewhat similar degree. a very good instance of the small amount of personal travelling indulged in by the people a century ago is given by cleland in his _annals of glasgow_. writing in the year , he says: "it has been calculated that, previous to the erection of steamboats, not more than fifty persons passed and repassed from glasgow to greenock in one day, whereas it is now supposed that there are from four to five hundred passes and repasses in the same period." in the present day a single steamboat sailing from the broomielaw, glasgow, will often carry far more passengers to greenock, or beyond greenock, than the whole passengers travelling between the towns named in one day in . for example, the tourist steamer _columba_ is certificated to carry some passengers. in the principal mails to and from london were carried by mail-coaches, which were then running between the metropolis and some score of the chief towns in the country at the speed of seven or eight miles an hour; and so far as direct mails were concerned the towns in question kept up relations with london under the conditions of speed just described. but the cross post service--that is, the service between places not lying in the main routes out of london--was not yet developed, and these cross post towns were beyond the reach of anything like early information of what was going on, not, let us say, in the world at large, but in their own country. the people in these towns had to patiently await the laggard arrival of news from the greater centres of activity; and when it did arrive it probably came to hand in a very imperfect form, or so late as to be useless for any purpose of combined action or criticism. dr. james russell, in his _reminiscences of yarrow_, describes how tardy and uncertain the mail service by post was in the early years of the present century; and what he says is a severe contrast to the service of the present time, which provides for the delivery of letters, generally daily, in every hamlet in the country. dr. russell writes:-- "since i remember (unless there was a chance hand on a wednesday) our letters reached us only once a week, along with our bread and butcher meat, by the weekly carrier, robbie hogg. his arrival used to be a great event, the letter-bag being turned out, and a rummage made for our own. afterwards the moffat carriers gave more frequent opportunities of getting letters; but they were apt to carry them on to moffat and bring them back the following week." another instance of the slow communications is given in a letter written from brodick castle, arran, by lord archibald campbell, on the th september . the letter was addressed to a correspondent in glasgow, and proceeds thus: "your letter of the th did not reach me till this morning, as, in consequence of the rough state of the weather, there has been no postal communication with this island for several days." the time consumed in getting this letter forward from glasgow to brodick was exactly a week, and when so much time was required in the case of an island lying in the firth of clyde, what time would be necessary to make communication with the outer hebrides? even between considerable towns, as representing important centres in the country, the amount of correspondence by letter was small. thus the mail from inverness to edinburgh of the th october contained no more than letters. the total postage on these was £ , s. d., the charges ranging from d. to s. d. per letter. at the present time the letters from inverness to edinburgh are probably nearly a thousand a day; but this is no fair comparison, because many letters that would formerly pass through edinburgh now reach their destinations in direct bags--london itself being an instance. [illustration: analysis of the london to edinburgh mail of the d march . (_after a print lent by lady cole from the collection of the late sir henry cole, k.c.b._)] but coming down to a much later date, and looking at what was going on between london and edinburgh, the capital towns of great britain, what do we find? an analysis of the london to edinburgh mail of the d march gives the following figures; and let it not be forgotten that in these days the edinburgh mail contained the correspondence for a large part of scotland:-- newspapers, weighing lbs., and going free. franked letters, weighing lbs., and going free. parcels of stamps going free. letters, weighing lbs., and bearing postage to the value of £ . these figures represent the exchange of thought between the two capitals fifty years ago. these were truly the days of darkness, when abuses were kept out of sight and were rampant. down to much later times the bonds of privilege remained untied. in the civil service itself what changes have taken place! the doors have been thrown open to competition and to capacity and worth, and probably they will never be closed again. the author of these lines had an experience in --not very long ago--which may be worthy of note. he had been then several years in the post office service, and desired to obtain a nomination to compete for a higher position--a clerkship in the secretary's office. he took the usual step through the good offices of a member of parliament, and the following rebuff emanated from headquarters. it shall be its own monument, and may form a shot in the historical web of our time:-- "i wrote to ---- (the postmaster-general) about the mr. j. w. hyde, who desires to be permitted to compete for a clerkship in the london post office, described as a cousin of ----. "(the postmaster-general) has to-day replied that nominations to the secretary's office are not now given except to candidates who are actually gentlemen, that is, sons of officers, clergymen, or the like. if i cannot satisfy (the postmaster-general) on this point, i fear mr. hyde's candidature will go to the wall."[ ] now one of the chief obstacles in the way of rapid communication in our own country was the very unsatisfactory state of the roads. down to the time of the introduction of mail-coaches, just about a hundred years ago, the roads were in a deplorable state, and travellers have left upon record some rather strong language on the subject. it was only about that time that road-making came to be understood; but the obvious need for smooth roads to increase the speed of the mail gave an impetus to the subject, and by degrees matters were greatly improved. it is not our purpose to pursue the inquiry as to roads, though the subject might be attractive, and we must be content with the general assertion as to their condition. but not only were the roads bad, but they were unsafe. travellers could hardly trust themselves to go about unarmed, and even the mail-coaches, in which (besides the driver and guard) some passengers generally journeyed, had to carry weapons of defence placed in the hands of the guard. many instances of highway robbery by highwaymen who made a profession of robbery might be given; but one or two cases may repay their perusal. on the th march the under-sheriff of northampton was robbed at eight o'clock in the evening near holloway turnpike by two highwaymen, who carried off a trunk containing the sheriff's commission for opening the assizes at northampton. in the autobiography of mary hewitt the following encounter is recorded, referring to the period between - : "catherine (martin), wife of a purser in the navy, and conspicuous for her beauty and impulsive, violent temper, having quarrelled with her excellent sister, dorothea fryer, at whose house in staffordshire she was staying, suddenly set off to london on a visit to her great-uncle, the rev. john plymley, prebend of the collegiate church at wolverhampton, and chaplain of morden college, blackheath. she journeyed by the ordinary conveyance, the gee-ho, a large stage-waggon drawn by a team of six horses, and which, driven merely by day, took a week from wolverhampton to the cock and bell, smithfield. "arrived in london, catherine proceeded on foot to blackheath. there, night having come on, and losing her way, she was suddenly accosted by a horseman with, 'now, my pretty girl, where are you going?' pleased by his gallant address, she begged him to direct her to morden college. he assured her that she was fortunate in having met with him instead of one of his company, and inducing her to mount before him, rode across the heath to the pile of buildings which had been erected by sir christopher wren for decayed merchants, the recipients of sir john morden's bounty. assisting her to alight, he rang the bell, then remounted his steed and galloped away, but not before the alarmed official, who had answered the summons, had exclaimed, 'heavens! dick turpin on black bess!' my mother always said 'dick turpin.' another version in the family runs 'captain smith.'" the _annual register_ of the d october records the following case of highway robbery:-- "the daily messenger, despatched from the secretary of state's office with letters to his majesty at windsor, was stopped near langley broom by three footpads, who took from him the box containing the despatches, and his money, etc. the same men afterwards robbed a gentleman in a postchaise of a hundred guineas, a gold watch, etc. some light dragoons, who received information of the robberies, went in pursuit of the thieves, but were not successful. they found, however, a quantity of the papers scattered about the heath." we will quote one more instance, as showing the frequency of these robberies on the road. it is mentioned in the _annual register_ of the th march . "martin (the mail robber), condemned at exeter assizes, was executed on haldown, near the spot where the robbery was committed. he had been well educated, and had visited most european countries. at the end of the year he was at paris, and continued there till the end of august . he said he was very active in the bloody affair of the th august, at the palace of the tuilleries, when the swiss guards were slaughtered, and louis xvi. and his family fled to the national assembly for shelter. he said he did not enter with this bloody contest as a volunteer, but, happening to be in that part of the city of paris, he was hurried on by the mob to take part in that sanguinary business. not speaking good french, he said he was suspected to be a swiss, and on that account, finding his life often in danger, he left paris, and, embarking for england at havre de grace, arrived at weymouth in september last, and then came to exeter. he said that being in great distress in october he committed the mail robbery." a rather good anecdote is told of an encounter between a poor tailor and one of these knights of the road. the tailor, on being overtaken by the highwayman, was at once called upon to stand and deliver, the salutation being accompanied by the presentation of two pistols at the pedestrian's head. "i'll do that with pleasure," was the meek reply; and forthwith the poor victim transferred to the outstretched hands of the robber all the money he possessed. this done, the tailor proceeded to ask a favour. "my friends would laugh at me," said he, "were i to go home and tell them i was robbed with as much patience as a lamb. suppose you fire your two bull-dogs right through the crown of my hat; it will look something like a show of resistance." taken with the fancy, the robber good-naturedly complied with the request; but hardly had the smoke from the weapons cleared away, when the tailor pulled out a rusty old horse pistol, and in turn politely requested the highwayman to shell out everything of value about him--his pistols not excepted. so the highwayman had the worst of the meeting on that occasion. the incident will perhaps help to dispel the sad reproach of the craft, that a tailor is but the ninth part of a man. it should not be forgotten that these perils of the road had their effect in preventing intercourse between different parts of the country. in such outlying districts as were blessed with postal communication a hundred years ago, the service was kept up by foot messengers, who often travelled long distances in the performance of their duty. thus in a post-runner travelled from inverness to loch carron--a distance across country, as the crow flies, of about fifty miles--making the journey once a week, for which he was paid s. another messenger at the same period made the journey from inverness to dunvegan in skye--a much greater distance--also once a week, and for this service he received s. d. the rate at which the messengers travelled seems not to have been very great, if we may judge from the performances of the post from dumbarton to inveraray. in the year the surveyor of the district thus describes it: "i have sometimes observed these mails at leaving dumbarton about three stones or lbs. weight, and they are generally above two stones. during the course of last winter horses were obliged to be occasionally employed; and it is often the case that a strong highlander, with so great a weight upon him, cannot travel more than two miles an hour, which greatly retards the general correspondence of this extensive district of country." these humble servants of the post office, travelling over considerable tracts of country, would naturally become the means of conveying local gossip from stage to stage, and of spreading hearsay news as they went along. in this way, and as being the bearers of welcome letters, they were no doubt as gladly received at the doors of our forefathers as are the postmen at our own doors to-day. indeed, complaint was made of the delays that took place on the route, probably from this very cause. here is an instance referring to the year . "i found," wrote the surveyor, "that it had been the general practice for the post from bonaw to appin to lodge regularly all night at or near the house of ardchattan, and did not cross shien till the following morning, losing twelve hours to the appin, strontian, and fort-william districts of country; and i consider it an improvement of itself to remove such private lodgings or accommodations out of the way of posts, which, as i have been informed, is sometimes done for the sake of perusing newspapers as well as answering or writing letters." exposed to the buffetings of the tempest, to the rigours of wintry weather, and considering the rough unkept roads of the time, it is easy to imagine how seductive would be the fireside of the country house; and bearing in mind the desire on the part of the inmates to learn the latest news, it is not surprising that the poor post-runner occasionally departed from the strict line of duty. but immediately prior to the introduction of mail-coaches, and for a long time before that, the mails over the longer distances were conveyed on horseback, the riders being known as "post-boys." these were sometimes boys of fourteen or sixteen years of age, and sometimes old men. mr. palmer, at whose instance mail-coaches were first put upon the road, writing in , thus describes the post-boy service. the picture is not a very creditable one to the post office. "the post at present," says he, "instead of being the swiftest, is almost the slowest conveyance in the country; and though, from the great improvement in our roads, other carriers have proportionably mended their speed, the post is as slow as ever. it is likewise very unsafe. the mails are generally intrusted to some idle boy without character, and mounted on a worn-out hack, and who, so far from being able to defend himself or escape from a robber, is much more likely to be in league with him." there is perhaps room for suspicion that mr. palmer was painting the post-boy service as black as possible, for he was then advocating another method of conveying the mails; but he was not alone in his adverse criticism. an official in scotland thus described the service in : "it is impossible to obtain any other contractors to ride the mails at d. out, or ½d. per mile each way. on this account we are so much distressed with mail riders that we have often to submit to the mails being conveyed by mules and such species of horses as are a disgrace to any service." this is evidence from within the post office itself. while young boys were suited for the work in some respects, they were thoughtless and unpunctual; yet when older men were employed they frequently got into liquor, and thus endangered the mails. the records of the service are full of the troubles arising from the conduct of these servants. the public were doubtless much to blame for this. for the post-boys were, as we may suppose, ever welcome at the house and ball, where refreshment, in the shape of strong drink, would be offered to them, and they thus fell into trouble through a too common instance of mistaken kindness. in the year the mail leaving london on tuesday night (in the winter season) was not in the hands of the people of edinburgh until the afternoon of sunday. this does not betoken a very rapid rate of progression; but it appears that in many cases the post-boy's speed did not rise above three or four miles an hour. the post office took severe measures with these messengers, through parliamentary powers granted; and even the public were called upon to keep an eye upon their behaviour, and to report any misconduct to the authorities. mention has already been made of the unsafety of the roads for ordinary travellers; but the roads were in no way safer for the post-boys. in a post-boy carrying certain selby mails was robbed near that place, being threatened with his life, and the mail-pouch which he then carried was recovered under very strange circumstances in . but to come nearer home. on the early morning of the st of august the mail from glasgow for edinburgh was robbed by two men at a place near linlithgow, when a sum of £ or £ was stolen. the robbers had previously been soldiers. they hurried into edinburgh with their booty, got drunk, were discovered, and, when subsequently tried, were sentenced to be executed. the law was severe in those days; and the post office has the distinction of having obtained judgment against a robber who was the last criminal hung in chains in scotland. according to rogers, in his _social life of scotland_, this was one leal, who, in , was found guilty of robbing the mail near elgin. a curious fact came out in connection with the trial of this man leal, showing what may be termed the momentum of evil. it happened that some time previously leal and a companion had been to see the execution of a man for robbing the mail, and, on returning, they had to pass through a dark and narrow part of the road. at this point leal observed to his companion that the situation was one well suited for a robbery. and it was here that he afterwards carried the suggestion then made into effect. when such robberies took place the post-boys sometimes came off without serious mishap, but at other times they were badly injured. on wednesday the d october , a post-boy near exeter was assaulted (as the report says) in "a most desperate and inhuman manner," when his skull was fractured, and he shortly afterwards died. the post-boys were exposed to all the inclemency of the weather both by day and night. sometimes they were overtaken by snow-storms, when they would have to struggle on for their lives. sometimes, after riding a stage in severe frost, they would have to be lifted from their saddles benumbed with cold and unable to dismount. at other times accidents of a different kind happened to them, and, as has been shown, they sometimes lost their lives. mail-coaches were first put upon the road on the th of august . the term of about sixty years, during which they were the means of conveying the principal mails throughout the country, must ever seem to us a period of romantic interest. there is something stirring even in the picture of a mail-coach bounding along at the heels of four well-bred horses; and we know by experience how exhilarating it is to be carried along the highway at a rapid rate in a well-appointed coach. [illustration: the mail, . (_from a contemporary print._)] we cannot well separate the service given to the post office by mail-coaches from the passengers who made use of that means of conveyance, and we may linger a little to endeavour to realise what a journey was like from accounts left us by travellers. the charm of day travelling could no doubt be conjured up even now by any one who would take time to reflect upon the subject. but other phases of the matter could hardly be so dealt with. de quincey, in his _confessions of an english opium eater_, gives a pleasing description of the easy motion and soothing influence of a well-equipped mail-coach running upon an even and kindly road. the period he refers to was about , and the coach was that carrying the bristol mail--which enjoyed unusual advantages owing to the superior character of the road, and an extra allowance for expenses subscribed by the bristol merchants. he thus describes his feelings: "it was past eight o'clock when i reached the gloucester coffee-house, and, the bristol mail being on the point of going off, i mounted on the outside. the fine fluent motion of the mail soon laid me asleep. it is somewhat remarkable that the first easy or refreshing sleep which i had enjoyed for some months was on the outside of a mail-coach.... "for the first four or five miles from london i annoyed my fellow-passenger on the roof by occasionally falling against him when the coach gave a lurch to his side; and, indeed, if the road had been less smooth and level than it is i should have fallen off from weakness. of this annoyance he complained heavily, as, perhaps, in the same circumstances, most people would.... when i next woke for a minute from the noise and lights of hounslow (for in spite of my wishes and efforts i had fallen asleep again within two minutes from the time i had spoken to him), i found that he had put his arm round me to protect me from falling off; and for the rest of my journey he behaved to me with the gentleness of a woman, so that, at length, i almost lay in his arms.... so genial and refreshing was my sleep that the next time, after leaving hounslow, that i fully awoke was upon the pulling up of the mail (possibly at a post-office), and, on inquiry, i found that we had reached maidenhead--six or seven miles, i think, ahead of salthill. here i alighted, and for the half-minute that the mail stopped i was entreated by my friendly companion (who, from the transient glimpse i had had of him in piccadilly, seemed to me to be a gentleman's butler, or person of that rank) to go to bed without delay." night journeys might be very well, in a way, during the balmy days of summer, when light airs and sweet exhalations from flower and leaf gave pleasing features to the scenes, but in the cold nights of winter, in lashing rain, in storms of wind and snow, the unfortunate passengers and the guard and coachman must have had terrible times of it. it is said of the guards and coachmen that they had sometimes, when passing over the fells, to be strapped to their seats, in order to keep their places against the fierce assaults of the mountain blast. the winter experience of travelling by mail-coach in one of its phases is thus described by a writer in connection with a severe snow-storm which occurred in march : "the night mail from edinburgh to glasgow left edinburgh in the afternoon, but was stopped before reaching kirkliston. the guard with the mail-bags set forward on horseback, and the driver rode back to edinburgh with a view, it was understood, to get fresh horses. the passengers, four in number, entreated him to use all diligence, and meanwhile were compelled to wait in the coach, which had stuck at a very solitary part of the road. there they remained through a dark and stormy night, with a broken pane of glass, through which the wind blew bitterly cold. it was nine o'clock next morning when the driver came, bringing with him another man and a pair of horses. having taken away some articles, he jestingly asked the passengers what they meant to do, and was leaving them to shift for themselves, but was persuaded at length to aid one who was faint, and unable to struggle through the snow. he was allowed to mount behind one of the riders; the other passengers were left to extricate themselves as best they could." [illustration: the mail, . (_from a contemporary print._)] many instances might be given of the stoppage of the coaches on account of snow, and of the efforts made by the guards to push on the mails. in a memorable snow-storm took place which disorganised the service, and the occasion is one on which the guards and coachmen distinguished themselves. the strain thrown upon the horses in a like situation is well described by cowper, if we change one word in his lines, which are as follows:-- "the _coach_ goes heavily, impeded sore by congregated loads adhering close to the clogg'd wheels; and in its sluggish pace noiseless appears a moving hill of snow. the toiling steeds expand the nostril wide, while every breath, by respiration strong forced downward, is consolidated soon upon their jutting chests." a melancholy result followed upon a worthy endeavour to carry the mails through the snow on the st february . the dumfries coach had reached moffat, where it became snowed up. the driver and guard procured saddle-horses, and proceeded; but they had not gone far when they found the roads impracticable for horses, and these were sent back to moffat. the two men then continued on foot; but they did not get beyond a few miles on the road when they succumbed, and some days afterwards their dead bodies were found on the high ground near the "deil's beef-tub," the bags being found attached to a post at the roadside, and not far from where the men fell. they perished in a noble attempt to perform their humble duties. the incident recalls the lines of thomson:-- "and down he sinks beneath the shelter of the shapeless drift, thinking o'er all the bitterness of death, mix'd with the tender anguish nature shoots through the wrung bosom of the dying man. his wife, his children, and his friends unseen. on every nerve the deadly winter seizes; shuts up sense; and o'er his inmost vitals creeping cold lays him along the snows, a stiffened corse, stretched out, and bleaching in the northern blast." we have little conception of the labour that had to be expended, during periods of snow, in the endeavour to keep the roads open. in places the snow would be found lying thirty or forty feet deep, and the road trustees were obliged to spend large sums of money in clearing it away. hundreds of the military were called out in certain places to assist, and snow-ploughs were set to work in order to force a passage. the inconvenience to the country caused by such interruptions is well described in the _annual register_ of the th february : "my letter of two days ago is still here; for, though i have made an effort twice, i have been obliged to return, not having reached half the first stage. two mails are due from london, three from glasgow, and four from edinburgh. neither the last guard that went hence for glasgow on thursday, nor he that went on wednesday, have since been heard of; this country was never so completely blocked up in the memory of the oldest person, or that they ever heard of. i understand the road is ten feet deep with snow from this to hamilton. i have had it cut through once, but this third fall makes an attempt impossible. heaven only knows when the road will be open, nothing but a thaw can do it--it is now an intense frost." but the guards and coachmen were put upon their mettle on other occasions than when snow made further progress impossible. the following incident, showing the courage and devotion to duty of a mail guard and coachman, is related by sir thomas dick lauder, bart., in his account of the floods which devastated the province of moray in august . referring to the state of things in the town of banff, sir thomas proceeds: "the mail-coach had found it impracticable to proceed south in the morning by its usual route, and had gone round by the bridge of alva. it was therefore supposed that the mail for inverness, which reaches banff in the afternoon, would take the same road. but what was the astonishment of the assembled population when the coach appeared, within a few minutes of the usual time, at the further end of the bridge of banff. the people who were standing there urged both the guard and coachman not to attempt to pass where their danger was so certain. on hearing this the passengers left the coach; but the guard and coachman, scouting the idea of danger in the very streets of banff, disregarded the advice they received, and drove straight along the bridge. as they turned the corner of the butcher-market, signals were made, and loud cries were uttered from the nearest houses to warn them of the danger of advancing; yet still they kept urging the horses onwards. but no sooner had they reached the place where the wall had burst, than coach and horses were at once borne away together by the raging current, and the vehicle was dashed violently against the corner of gillan's inn. the whole four horses immediately disappeared, but rose and plunged again, and dashed and struggled hard for their lives. loud were the shrieks of those who witnessed this spectacle. a boat came almost instantaneously to the spot, but as the rowers pushed up to try to disengage the horses, the poor animals, as they alternately reached the surface, made desperate exertions to get into the boat, so that extreme caution was necessary in approaching them. they did succeed in liberating one of them, which immediately swam along the streets, amidst the cheering of the population; but the other three sank to rise no more. by this time the coach, with the coachman and guard, had been thrown on the pavement, where the depth of water was less; and there the guard was seen clinging to the top, and the coachman hanging by his hands to a lamp-post, with his toes occasionally touching the box. in this perilous state they remained till another boat came and relieved them, when the guard and the mails were landed in safety. great indignation was displayed against the obstinacy which had produced this accident. but much is to be said in defence of the servants of the royal mail, who are expected to persevere in their endeavours to forward the public post in defiance of risk, though in this case their zeal was unfortunately proved to have been mistaken."[ ] although, as already stated, robberies were frequent from the mail-coaches, and the guard carried formidable weapons of defence, it does not appear that the coaches were often openly attacked. at any rate there do not seem to be many records of such incidents referring to the later days of the mail-coach service. an old guard, now retired, but still or quite recently living in carlisle, relates that only on one occasion did he require to draw his arms for actual defence. this happened at a hamlet called chance inn, in the county of forfar, where the coach had stopped as usual. both the inside and outside places were occupied by passengers, and no additional travellers could be taken. a number of sailors, however, who were proceeding to join their ship at a seaport, wished to get upon the coach; and though they were told that they could not travel by this means, they plainly showed by their looks and demeanour that they were determined to do so. one of them was overheard to say that, when the proper moment arrived, they would make short work of the guard, who, as it happened, was a youngish man. the passengers too were alarmed at the appearances, and appealed to the guard to keep a sharp eye upon the sailors. under these conditions the guard directed the coachman, the moment the word was given, to put the horses to a gallop, so as to leave the seamen behind and avoid attack. the start was signalled as arranged, the guard sprang into his place and faced round to the sailors, one of whom was now in the act of preparing to throw a huge stone at his head with both hands. instantly the guard drew one of his pistols and covered the ringleader, who thereupon dropped on his knees imploring pardon, while his companions, previously so aggressive, scampered off in all directions like a set of scared rabbits. the apparatus by which in the present day bags of letters are dropped from and taken up by the travelling post-office while the trains are running at high speed had its prototype in the days of the mail-coaches. in the one case as in the other the object was to get rid of stoppages, and so to save time. in the coaching days the apparatus was of a most primitive kind, consisting of a pointed stick rather less than four feet long, whose sharpened end was put in behind the string around the neck of the mail-bag, and on the end of the stick the bag was held up to be clutched by the mail guard as the coach went hurriedly by. we are indebted to the sub-postmaster of liberton, a village a few miles out of edinburgh, for a description of the arrangement. he describes how the guards, some fifty years ago, would playfully deal with the youngsters who worked the "apparatus," by not only seizing the bag but also the stick, and causing the young people to run long distances after the coach in order to recover it. the fun was all very well, says the sub-postmaster, in the genial nights of summer; "but when the cold nights of winter came round, it was our turn to play a trick upon the guard, when both he and the driver were numbed with cold and fast asleep, and the four horses going at full speed. it was not easy to arouse the guard to take the bag; and just fancy the rare gift of christian charity that caused us youngsters to run and roar after the fast-running mail-coach to get quit of the bag. it used to be a weary business waiting the mail-coach coming along from the south when the roads were stormed up with snow or otherwise delayed. it required some tact to hold up the bag, as the glare of the lamps prevented us from seeing the guard as he came up with his red coat and blowing a long tin horn." some curious notions were prevalent of the effect of travelling by mail-coach--the rate being about eight or ten miles an hour. lord campbell was frequently warned against the danger of journeying this way, and instances were cited to him of passengers dying of apoplexy induced by the rapidity with which the vehicles travelled. in the postmaster-general gave directions that the public should be warned against sending any cash by post, partly, as he stated, "from the prejudice it does to the coin by the friction it occasions from the great expedition with which it is conveyed." after all, speed is merely a relative thing. [illustration: modern mail "apparatus" for exchange of mail-bags: setting the pouch--early morning.] although, as previously stated, open attacks were not often made upon the coaches, robberies of the bags conveyed by them were quite common--chiefly at night--and we may assume that they were made possible through the carelessness of the guards. it would be a long story to go fully into this matter. let a couple of instances suffice. on the last day of february , in the evening, a mail-coach at barnet was robbed of sixteen bags for provincial towns by the wrenching off the lock while the horses were changing. and on the th november of the same year seven bags for london were stolen from the coach at bedford about nine o'clock in the evening. the authorities had a good deal of trouble with the mail guards and coachmen, and the records of the period are full of warnings against their irregularities. now they are admonished for stopping at ale-houses to drink; now the guards are threatened for sleeping upon duty. then they are cautioned against conveying fish, poultry, etc., on their own account. a guard is fined £ for suffering a man to ride on the roof of the coach; a driver is fined £ for losing time; another driver, for intoxication and impertinence to passengers, is fined £ and costs. the guards are entreated to be attentive to their arms, to see that they are clean, well loaded, and hung handy; they are forbidden to blow their horns when passing through the streets during the hours of divine service on sundays; they are enjoined to keep a watch upon french prisoners of war attempting to break their parole; and to sum up, an inspector despairingly writes that "half his time is employed in receiving and answering letters of complaint from passengers respecting the improper conduct and impertinent language of guards." a story is told of a passenger who, being drenched inside a coach by water coming through an opening in the roof, complained of the fact to the guard, but the only answer he got was, "ay, mony a ane has complained o' that hole," and the guard quietly passed on to other duties. railway travellers are familiar with an official at the principal through stations whose duty it seems to be to ring a bell and loudly call out "take your seats!" the moment hungry passengers enter the refreshment-rooms. how far his zeal engenders dyspepsia and heart disease it is impossible to say. in the mail-coach days similar pressure was put upon passengers; for every effort was made to hurry forward the mails. in a family letter written by mendelssohn in , he describes a mail-coach journey from glasgow to liverpool. among other things he mentions that the changing of horses was done in about forty seconds. this was not the language of mere hyperbole, for where the stoppage was one for the purpose of changing horses only the official time allowed was one minute. it is perhaps a pity that we have not fuller records of the scenes enacted at the stopping-places; they would doubtless afford us some amusement. there is the old story of the knowing passenger who, unobserved, placed all the silver spoons in the coffee-pot in order to cool the coffee and delay the coach, while the other passengers, already in their places, were being searched. there is another story which may be worth repeating. a hungry passenger had just commenced to taste the quality of a stewed fowl when he was peremptorily ordered by the guard to take his place. unwilling to lose either his meal or his passage, he hastily rolled the fowl in his handkerchief, and mounted the coach. but the landlord, unused to such liberties, was soon after him with the ravished dish. the coach was already on the move, and the only revenge left to the landlord was to call out jeeringly to the passenger, "won't you have the gravy, sir?" the other passengers had a laugh at the expense of their companion; but we know that a hungry man is a tenacious man, and a man with a full stomach can afford to laugh. at any rate the proverb says, "who laughs last laughs best." the differences arising between passengers and the landlords at the stopping-places were sometimes, however, of a much more prosaic and solemn character. charles lamb has given us such a scene. "i was travelling," he says, "in a stage-coach with three male quakers, buttoned up in the straitest nonconformity of their sect. we stopped to bait at andover, where a meal, partly tea apparatus, partly supper, was set before us. my friends confined themselves to the tea-table. i in my way took supper. when the landlady brought in the bill, the eldest of my companions discovered that she had charged for both meals. this was resisted. mine hostess was very clamorous and positive. some mild arguments were used on the part of the quakers, for which the heated mind of the good lady seemed by no means a fit recipient. the guard came in with his usual peremptory notice. the quakers pulled out their money and formally tendered it--so much for tea--i, in humble situation, tendering mine, for the supper which i had taken. she would not relax in her demand. so they all three quietly put up their silver, as did myself, and marched out of the room, the eldest and gravest going first, with myself closing up the rear, who thought i could not do better than follow the example of such grave and warrantable personages. we got in. the steps went up. the coach drove off. the murmurs of mine hostess, not very indistinctly or ambiguously pronounced, became after a time inaudible, and now my conscience, which the whimsical scene had for a while suspended, beginning to give some twitches, i waited, in the hope that some justification would be offered by these serious persons for the seeming injustice of their conduct. to my surprise, not a syllable was dropped on the subject. they sat as mute as at a meeting. at length the eldest of them broke silence by inquiring of his next neighbour, 'hast thee heard how indigos go at the india house?' and the question operated as a soporific on my moral feelings as far as exeter." a frenchman was once a traveller by mail-coach, who, although he knew the english language fairly well, was not familiar with the finer shades of meaning attached to set expressions when applied in particular situations. an englishman, who was his companion inside the coach, had occasion to direct his attention to some object in the passing landscape, and requested him to "look out." this the frenchman promptly did, putting his head and shoulders out of the window, and the view obtained proved highly pleasing to the stranger. a stage further on in the journey, when the coach was approaching a narrow part of the road bordered and overhung by dense foliage, the driver, as was his custom, called out to the company, "look out!" to which the frenchman again quickly responded by thrusting head and shoulders out of the window; but this time with the result that his hat was brushed off, and his face badly scratched from contact with the neighbouring branches. this curious contradiction in the use of the very same words enraged the frenchman, who said hard things of our language; for he had discovered that when told to "look out" he was to look out, and that again when told to "look out" he was to be careful not to look out. mackenzie graphically describes the part mail-coaches took in the distribution of news over the country in the early years of the century. referring to the news of the battle of waterloo, he says: "by day and night these coaches rolled along at their pace of seven or eight miles an hour. at all cross roads messengers were waiting to get a newspaper or a word of tidings from the guard. in every little town, as the hour approached for the arrival of the mail, the citizens hovered about their streets waiting restlessly for the expected news. in due time the coach rattled into the market-place, hung with branches, the now familiar token that a great battle had been fought and a victory won. eager groups gathered. the guard, as he handed out his mail-bags, told of the decisive victory which had crowned and completed our efforts. and then the coachman cracked his whip, the guard's horn gave forth once more its notes of triumph, and the coach rolled away, bearing the thrilling news into other districts." the writer of the interesting work called _glasgow, past and present_, gives the following realistic account of the arrival of the london mail in glasgow in war-time:-- "during the time of the french war it was quite exhilarating to observe the arrival of the london mail-coach in glasgow, when carrying the first intelligence of a great victory, like the battle of the nile, or the battle of waterloo. the mail-coach horses were then decorated with laurels, and a red flag floated on the roof of the coach. the guard, dressed in his best scarlet coat and gold ornamented hat, came galloping at a thundering pace along the stones of the gallowgate, sounding his bugle amidst the echoings of the streets; and when he arrived at the foot of nelson street he discharged his blunderbuss in the air. on these occasions a general run was made to the tontine coffee-room to hear the great news, and long before the newspapers were delivered the public were advertised by the guard of the particulars of the great victory, which fled from mouth to mouth like wildfire." the mail-guards, and also the coachmen, were a race of men by themselves, modelled and fashioned by the circumstances of their employment--in fact, receiving character, like all other sets of people, from their peculiar environment. there are now very few of them remaining, and these very old men. these officers of the post office mixed with all sorts of people, learned a great deal from the passengers, and were full of romance and anecdote. we remember one guard whose conversation and accounts of funny things were so continuous that his hearers were kept in a constant state of ecstasy whenever he was set agoing. his fund of story seemed inexhaustible, and we can imagine how hilariously would pass away the hours on the outside of a mail-coach with such a companion. the guard of whom we are speaking was a north countryman, possessed of a stalwart frame and iron constitution, a man with whom a highwayman would rather avoid getting into grips. he used to tell of an occasion on which the driver, being drunk, fell from his box, and the horses bolted. he himself was seated in his place at the rear of the coach. the state of things was serious. he however scrambled over the top of the coach, let himself down between the wheelers, stole along the pole of the coach, recovered the reins, and saved the mail from wreck and the passengers from impending death. for this he received a special letter of thanks from the postmaster-general. it was the custom of this guard, as no doubt of others of his class, to take charge of parcels of value for conveyance between places on his road. on one occasion he had charge of a parcel of £ in bank notes, which was in course of transmission to a bank at headquarters. it happened that the driver had been indulging rather freely, and at one of the stopping-places the coachman started off with the coach leaving the guard behind. the latter did not discover this till the coach was out of sight, and realising the responsibility he was under in respect of the money, which for safety he had placed in a holster below one of his pistols, he was in a great fright. there was nothing for it but to start on foot and endeavour to overtake the coach; but this he did not succeed in doing till he had run a whole stage, at the end of which the perspiration was oozing through his scarlet coat. at the completion of the journey he sponged himself all over with whisky, and did not then feel any ill effects from the great strain he had placed himself under, though later in life he believed his heart had suffered damage from the exertions of that memorable day. before leaving this branch of our subject it may be well to note that while the mail guards received but nominal pay--ten and sixpence a week--they earned considerable sums in gratuities from passengers, and for executing small commissions for the public. in certain cases as much as £ a year was thus received; and the heavy fines that were inflicted upon them were therefore not so severe as might at first sight seem. unhappily these men were given to take drink, if not wisely, at any rate too often. the weaknesses of the mail guard are very cleverly portrayed in some verses on the _mail-coach guard_, quoted in larwood and hotten's work on the _history of signboards_; and while these frailties are the burden of the song, it will be observed how cleverly the names of inns or alehouses are introduced into the song:-- "at each inn on the road i a welcome could find; at the fleece i'd my skin full of ale; the two jolly brewers were just to my mind; at the dolphin i drank like a whale. tom tun at the hogshead sold pretty good stuff; they'd capital flip at the boar; and when at the angel i'd tippled enough, i went to the devil for more. then i'd always a sweetheart so snug at the car; at the rose i'd a lily so white; few planets could equal sweet nan at the star; no eyes ever twinkled so bright. i've had many a hug at the sign of the bear; in the sun courted morning and noon; and when night put an end to my happiness there, i'd a sweet little girl in the moon. to sweethearts and ale i at length bid adieu, of wedlock to set up the sign; hand-in-hand the good-woman i look for in you, and the horns i hope ne'er will be mine. once guard to the mail, i'm now guard to the fair, but though my commission's laid down, yet while the king's arms i'm permitted to bear, like a lion i'll fight for the crown." a good loyal subject to the last. one of the changes that time and circumstances have brought into the postal service is this, that the country post-offices have passed out of the hands of innkeepers, and into those of more desirable persons. in former times, and down to the period of the mail-coaches, the post-offices in many of the provincial towns were established at the inn of the place. in those days the conveyance of the mails being to a large extent by horse, it was convenient to have the office established where the relays of horses were maintained; and the term "postmaster" then applied in a double sense--to the person intrusted with the receipt and despatch of letters, and with the providing of horses to convey the mails. the two duties are now no longer combined, and the word "postmaster" has consequently become applicable to two totally different classes of persons. the innkeepers were not very assiduous in matters pertaining to the post, and the duty of receiving and despatching letters, being frequently left to waiters and chambermaids, was very badly done. often there was no separate room provided for the transaction of post-office business, and visitors at the inn and others had opportunities for scrutinising the correspondence that ought not to have existed. the postmaster was assisted by his ostler, as chief adviser in the postal work, which, however, was neglected; the worst horses, instead of the best, were hired out for the mails; and for riders the service was graced with the dregs of the stable-yard. at the same time the innkeepers were alive to their own interests, for they sometimes attracted travellers to their houses by granting them franks for the free transmission of their letters. the salaries of the postmasters were not cast in a liberal mould, and what they did receive was subject to the charge of providing candles, wax, string, etc., necessary for making up the mails. [illustration: the mail-coach guard.] the following are examples of the salaries of postmasters about a hundred years ago:-- paisley, to , £ dundee, , arbroath, to , aberdeen, to , about glasgow, and clerk constant appeals reached headquarters for "an augmentation," which was the term then applied to an increase of salary, and in the circumstances it is not surprising that the post-office work was indifferently done. attendance had to be given to the public during the day, and when the mail passed through a town in the dead hours of night some one had to be up to despatch or receive the mail. sometimes the postmaster, when awoke by the post-boy's horn, would get up and drop the mail-bag by a hook and line from his bedroom window. an instance of such a proceeding is given by williams in his history of watford, where the destinies of the post were at the time presided over by a postmistress. "in response," says he, "to the thundering knock of the conductor, the old lady left her couch, and thrusting her head, covered with a wide-bordered night-cap, out of the bedroom window, let down the mail-bag by a string, and quickly returned to her bed again." coming thus nightly to the open window must have been a risky duty as regards health for a postmistress. a hundred years ago the chief post-office in london was situated in lombard street. the scene, if we may judge by a print of the period, would appear to have been one of quietude and waiting for something to turn up. in the general post office was transferred to st. martin's le grand, and the departure of the evening mails (when mail-coaches were in full swing) became one of the sights of london. living in an age of cheap postage as we do, we look back upon the rates charged a century ago with something akin to amazement. in the following table will be seen some of the inland and foreign postage charges which were current in the period from to :-- -------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | | | single| double | treble | oz. | | england, . | letter| letter | letter | | | | | | | | |distance not exceeding in +-------+--------+--------+-------+ |miles-- | s. d.| s. d. | s. d. | s. d. | | | | | | | | , | | | | | | to , | | | | | | " , | | | | | | " , | | | | | | " , | | | | | | and upwards, | | | | | | | | | | | |for scotland these rates | | | | | |were increased by | | | | | | | | | | | | foreign. | | | | | | | | | | | |from any part in great | | | | | |britain to any part in-- | | | | | | | | | | | |portugal, | | | | | |british dominions in } | | | | | |america, } | | | | | | | | | | | | . | | | | | | | | | | | |from any part in great | | | | | |britain to-- | | | | | | | | | | | |gibraltar, | | | | | |malta, | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | | . |single |double |treble | oz. | | |letter.|letter.|letter.| | |from any part in great | | | | | | britain to-- +-------+-------+-------+-------+ | | s. d.| s. d.| s. d.| s. d.| | madeira, | | | | | | south america, } | | | | | | portuguese } | | | | | | possessions, } | | | | | | | | | | | | . | | | | | | | | | | | |from any part in great | | | | | | britain to-- | | | | | | | | | | | | cape of good hope,}| | | | | | mauritius, }| | | | | | east indies, }| | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------- over and above these foreign rates, the full inland postage in england and scotland, according to the distance the letters had to be conveyed to the port of despatch, was levied. many persons remember how old-fashioned letters were made up--a single sheet of paper folded first at the top and bottom, then one side slipped inside the folds of the other, then a wafer or seal applied, and the address written on the back. that was a _single_ letter. if a cheque, bank-bill, or other document were enclosed, the letter became a double letter. two enclosures made the letter a treble letter. the officers of the post office examined the letters in the interest of the revenue, the letters being submitted to the test of a strong light, and the officers, peeping in at the end, used the feather end of a quill to separate the folds of the letter for better inspection. envelopes were not then used. these high rates of postage gave rise to frequent attempts to defraud the revenue, and many plans were adopted to circumvent the post office in this matter. sometimes a series of words in the print of a newspaper were pricked with a pin, and thus conveyed a message to the person for whom the newspaper was intended. sometimes milk was used as an invisible ink upon a newspaper, the receiver reading the message sent by holding the paper to the fire. at other times soldiers took the letters of their friends, and sent them under franks written by their officers. letters were conveyed by public carriers, against the statute, sometimes tied up in brown paper, to disguise them as parcels. the carriers seem to have been conspicuous offenders, for one of them was convicted at warwick in , when penalties amounting to £ were incurred, though only £ and costs were actually exacted. the post office maintained a staff of men called "apprehenders of letter carriers," whose business it was to hunt down persons illegally carrying letters. nor must we omit to mention how far short of perfection were the means afforded for cross-post communication between one town and another. while along the main lines of road radiating from london there might be a fairly good service according to the ideas of the times, the cross-country connections were bad and inadequate. here are one or two instances:-- in there was no direct post between thrapstone and wellingborough, though they lay only nine miles apart. letters could circulate between these towns by way of stilton, newark, nottingham, and northampton, performing a circuit of miles, or they could be sent by way of london, up and ½ down,--in which latter case they reached their destination one day sooner than by the northern route. [illustrations: diagrams--roundabout communications] again, from ipswich to bury st. edmunds, two important towns of about , and inhabitants respectively, and distant from each other only twenty-two miles, there was no direct post. letters had to be forwarded either through norwich and newmarket, or by way of london, the distance to be covered in the one case being miles, and in the other ½ miles. according to a time-table of the period, a letter posted at ipswich for bury st. edmunds on monday would be despatched to norwich at . a.m. on tuesday. reaching this place six hours thereafter, it would be forwarded thence at p.m. to newmarket, where it was due at p.m. at newmarket it would lie all night and the greater part of next day, and would only arrive at bury at . p.m. on wednesday. thus three days were consumed in the journey of a letter from ipswich to bury by the nearest postal route, and nothing was to be gained by adopting the alternative route _viâ_ london. in the postal staff in edinburgh was composed of twenty-three persons, of whom six were letter-carriers. the indoor staff of the glasgow post office in consisted of the postmaster and one clerk, and as ten years later there were only four postmen employed, the outdoor force in was probably only four men. liverpool, in the year , when its population stood at something like , , had only three postmen, whose wages were s. a week each. one of the men, however, was assisted by his wife, and for this service the post office allowed her from £ to £ a year. their duties seem to have been carried out in an easy-going, deliberate fashion. the men arranged the letters for distribution in the early morning, then they partook of breakfast, and started on their rounds about a.m., completing their delivery about the middle of the afternoon. it would thus seem that a hundred years ago there was but one delivery daily in liverpool. during the same period there were only three letter-carriers employed at manchester, four at bristol, and three or four at birmingham. in our own times the number of postmen serving these large towns may be counted by the hundreds, or, i might almost say, thousands. the delivery of letters in former times was necessarily a slow affair, for two reasons, namely:--that prepayment was not compulsory, and the senders of letters thoughtfully left the receivers to pay for them, when the postmen would often be kept waiting for the money. and secondly, streets were not named and numbered systematically as they now are, and concise addresses were impossible. it is no doubt the case that order and method in laying out the streets and in regulating generally the buildings of towns are things of quite modern growth. in old-fashioned towns we find the streets running at all angles to one another, and describing all sorts of curves, without any regard whatever to general harmony. and will it be believed that the numbering of the houses in streets is comparatively a modern arrangement! walter thornbury tells us in his _haunted london_ that "names were first put on doors in (some years before the street signs were removed). in houses were first numbered, the numbering commencing in new burleigh street, and lincoln's-inn-fields being the second place numbered." while in our own time the addresses of letters are generally brief and direct, it is not to be wondered at that, under the conditions above stated, the superscriptions were often such as now seem to us curious. here is one given in a printed notice issued at edinburgh in :-- "the stamp office at edinburgh in mr. william law, jeweller, his hands, off the parliament close, down the market stairs, opposite to the excise office." here is another old-fashioned address, in which one must admit the spirit of filial regard with which it is inspired:-- "these for his honoured mother, mrs. hester stryp, widow, dwelling in petticoat lane, over against the five inkhorns, without bishopgate, in london." yet one more specimen, referring to the year :-- "for mr. archibald dunbarr of thunderstoune, to be left at capt. dunbar's writing chamber at the iron revell, third storie below the cross, north end of the close at edinburgh." under the circumstances of the time it was necessary thus to define at length where letters should be delivered; and the same circumstances were no doubt the _raison-d'être_ of the corps of caddies in edinburgh, whose business it was to execute commissions of all sorts, and in whom the paramount qualification was to know everybody in the town, and where everybody lived. all this is changed in our degenerate days, and it is now possible for any one to find any other person with the simple key of street and number. the irregular way in which towns grew up in former times is brought out in an anecdote about kilmarnock. early in the present century the streets of that town were narrow, winding, and intricate. an english commercial traveller, having completed some business there, mounted his horse, and set out for another town. he was making for the outskirts of kilmarnock, and reflecting upon its apparent size and importance, when he suddenly found himself back at the cross. in the surprise of the moment he was heard to exclaim that surely his "sable eminence" must have had a hand in the building of it, for it was a town very easily got into, but there was no getting out of it. a duty that the changed circumstances of the times now renders unnecessary was formerly imposed upon postmasters, of which there is hardly a recollection remaining among the officials carrying on the work of the post to-day. the duty is mentioned in an order of may , to the following effect: "an old instruction was renewed in , that all postmasters should transmit to me (the secretary), for the information of his majesty's postmaster-general, an immediate account of all remarkable occurrences within their districts, that the same may be communicated, if necessary, to his majesty's principal secretaries of state. this has not been invariably attended to, and i am commanded by his lordship to say, that henceforward it will be expected of every deputy." this gathering of news from all quarters is now adequately provided for by the _daily press_, and no incident of any importance occurs which is not immediately distributed through that channel, or flashed by the telegraph, to every corner of the kingdom. a custom, which would now be looked upon as a curiosity, and the origin of which would have to be sought for in the remote past, was in operation in the larger towns of the kingdom until about the year . the custom was that of ringing the town for letters to be despatched; certain of the postmen being authorised to go over apportioned districts, after the ordinary collections of letters from the receiving offices had been made, to gather in late letters for the mail. until the year above mentioned the arrangement was thus carried out in dublin. the letter-box at the chief office, and those at the receiving offices, closed two hours before the despatch of the night mail. half an hour after this closing eleven postmen started to scour the town, collecting on their way letters and newspapers. each man carried a locked leather wallet, into which, through an opening, letters and other articles were placed, the postmen receiving a fee of a penny on every letter, and a halfpenny on every newspaper. this was a personal fee to the men over and above the ordinary postage. to warn the public of the postman's approach each man carried a large bell, which he rang vigorously as he went his rounds. these men, besides taking up letters for the public, called also at the receiving offices for any letters left for them upon which the special fee had been paid, and the "ringers" had to reach the chief office one hour before the despatch of the night mail. this custom seems to have yielded considerable emolument to the men concerned, for when it was abolished compensation was given for the loss of fees, the annual payments ranging from £ s., to £ s. increased posting facilities, and the infusion of greater activity into the performance of post-office work, were no doubt the things which "rang the parting knell" of these useful servants of the period. [illustration: the bellman collecting letters for despatch.] the slow and infrequent conveyance of mails by the ordinary post in former times gave rise to the necessity for "expresses." by this term is meant the despatch of a single letter by man and horse, to be passed on from stage to stage without delay to its destination. in an official instruction of the speed to be observed was thus described: "it is expected that all expresses shall be conveyed at the rate of seven miles, at least, within the hour." the charge made was d. per mile, arising as follows, viz.:-- ½d. per mile for the horse, d. per mile for the rider, and ½d. per mile for the post-horse duty. the postmaster who despatched the express, and the postmaster who received it for delivery, were each entitled to s. d. for their trouble. it will perhaps be convenient to look at the packet service apart from the land service, though progress is as remarkable in the one as in the other. during the wars of the latter half of the last century, the packets, small as they were, were armed packets. but we almost smile in recording the armaments carried. here is an account of the arms of the _roebuck_ packet as inventoried in :-- carriage guns. muskets and bayonets. brass blunderbusses. cutlasses. pair of pistols. old cartouch-boxes. in our own estuaries and seas the packets were not free from molestation, and were in danger of being taken. in the carron company were running vessels from the forth to london, and the following notice was issued by them as an inducement to persons travelling between these places:-- "the carron vessels are fitted out in the most complete manner for defence, at a very considerable expense, and are well provided with small arms. all mariners, recruiting parties, soldiers upon furlow, and all other steerage passengers who have been accustomed to the use of firearms, and who will engage to assist in defending themselves, will be accommodated with their passage to and from london upon satisfying the masters for their provisions, which in no instance shall exceed s. d. sterling." this was the year in which paul jones visited the firth of forth, and was spreading terror all round the coasts. the following was the service of the packets in the year . five packets were employed between dover and ostend and calais, the despatches being made on wednesdays and saturdays. between harwich and holland three were employed, the sailings in this case also taking place on wednesdays and saturdays. for new york and the west india service twelve packets were engaged, sailing from falmouth on the first wednesday of every month. four packets performed the duty between falmouth and lisbon, sailing every saturday; and five packets kept up the irish communication, sailing daily between holyhead and dublin. in the year , a mail service seems to have been kept up by packets sailing from yarmouth to cuxhaven, at the mouth of the elbe, respecting which the following particulars may be interesting. they are taken from an old letter-book. "the passage-money to the office is s. d. for whole passengers, and s. d. for half passengers, either to or from england; d. of which is to be paid to the captain for small beer, which both the whole and half passengers are to be informed of their being entitled to when they embark. " s. d. is allowed as a perquisite on each whole passenger, s. of which to the agent at cuxhaven for every whole passenger embarking for england, and the other d. to the agent at yarmouth; and in like manner s. to the agent at yarmouth on every whole passenger embarking for the continent, and d. to the agent at cuxhaven; but no fee whatever is to be taken on half passengers, so that s. d. must be accounted for to the revenue on each whole passenger, and s. on each half passenger." half passengers were servants, young children, or persons in low circumstances. while touching upon passage-money, it may be noted that in the fare from weymouth to jersey or guernsey, for cabin passengers, was, to the captain, s. d. and to the office s. d.--or £ , s. in all. the mail packets performing the service between england and ireland in the first quarter of the present century were not much to boast of. according to a survey taken at holyhead in july , the vessels employed to carry the mails between that port and dublin were of very small tonnage, as will be seen by the following table:-- uxbridge, tons. pelham, " duke of montrose, " chichester, " union, " countess of liverpool, " the valuation of these crafts, including rigging, furniture, and fitting, ranged from £ to £ . the failures or delays in making the passage across the channel are thus described by cleland in his _annals of glasgow_: "it frequently happens," says he, "that the mail packet is windbound at the mouth of the liffey for several days together"; and we have seen it stated in a newspaper article that the packets crossing to ireland by the portpatrick route were sometimes delayed a couple of weeks by contrary winds. a few years previously an attempt had been made to introduce steam-packets for the holyhead and dublin service; but this improved service was not at that time adopted. referring to the year , cleland writes: "the success of steamboats on the clyde induced some gentlemen in dublin to order two vessels to be made to ply as packets in the channel between dublin and holyhead, with a view of ultimately carrying the mail. the dimensions are as follows:--viz., keel feet, beam feet, with feet draught of water--have engines of horse-power, and are named the 'britannia' and 'hibernia.'" these were the modest ideas then held as to the power of steam to develop and expedite the packet service. in the period from - , when steam had been adopted upon the holyhead and dublin route, one of the first contract vessels was the _prince arthur_, having a gross tonnage of , and whose speed was thirteen or fourteen knots an hour. the latest addition to this line of packets is the _ireland_ a magnificent ship of tons gross, and of horse-power. its rate of speed is twenty-two knots an hour. as regards the american packet service perhaps greater strides than these even have been achieved. prior to the vessels carrying the mails across the atlantic were derisively called "coffin brigs," whose tonnage was probably about . at any rate, as will be seen later on, a packet in which harriet martineau crossed the atlantic in was one of only tons. on the th july , a company, which is now the cunard company, started a contract service for the mails to america, the steamers employed having a tonnage burden of and indicated horse-power of . their average speed was ½ knots. in the packets had attained to greater proportions and higher speed, the average length of passage from liverpool to new york being twelve days one hour fourteen minutes. as years rolled on competition and the exigencies of the times called for still more rapid transit, and at the present day the several companies performing the american mail service have afloat palatial ships of to , tons, bringing america within a week's touch of great britain. [illustration: holyhead and kingstown mail packet "prince arthur"-- tons--period - . (_from a painting, the property of the city of dublin steam packet company._)] going back a little more than a hundred years, it is of interest to see how irregular were the communications to and from foreign ports by mail packet. benjamin franklin, writing of the period , mentions the following circumstances connected with a voyage he made from new york to europe in that year. the packets were at the disposition of general lord loudon, then in charge of the army in america; and franklin had to travel from philadelphia to new york to join the packet, lord loudon having preceded him to the port of despatch. the general told franklin confidentially, that though it had been given out that the packet would sail on saturday next, still it would not sail till monday. he was, however, advised not to delay longer. "by some accidental hindrance at a ferry," writes franklin, "it was monday noon before i arrived, and i was much afraid she might have sailed, as the wind was fair; but i was soon made easy by the information that she was still in the harbour, and would not leave till the next day. one would imagine that i was now on the very point of departing for europe. i thought so; but i was not then so well acquainted with his lordship's character, of which indecision was one of the strongest features. it was about the beginning of april that i came to new york, and it was near the end of june before we sailed. there were then two of the packet-boats which had long been in port, but were detained for the general's letters, which were always to be ready _to-morrow_. another packet arrived; she, too, was detained; and, before we sailed, a fourth was expected. ours was the first to be despatched, as having been there longest. passengers were engaged in all, and some extremely impatient to be gone, and the merchants uneasy about their letters, and the orders they had given for insurance (it being war-time) for fall goods; but their anxiety availed nothing; his lordship's letters were not ready; and yet, whoever waited on him found him always at his desk, pen in hand, and concluded he must needs write abundantly." apart from the manifest inconvenience of postal service conducted in the way described, one cannot wonder that the affairs of the american colonies should get into a bad way when conducted under a policy of so manifest vacillation and indecision. but the irregular transmission of mails between america and europe was not a thing referring merely to the year , for franklin, writing from passy, near paris, in the year , again dwells upon the uncertainty of the communication. "we are far from the sea-ports," he says, "and not well informed, and often misinformed, about the sailing of the vessels. frequently we are told they are to sail in a week or two, and often they lie in the ports for months after with our letters on board, either waiting for convoy or for other reasons. the post-office here is an unsafe conveyance; many of the letters we receive by it have evidently been opened, and doubtless the same happens to those we send; and, at this time particularly, there is so violent a curiosity in all kinds of people to know something relating to the negotiations, and whether peace may be expected, or a continuance of the war, that there are few private hands or travellers that we can trust with carrying our despatches to the sea-coast; and i imagine that they may sometimes be opened and destroyed, because they cannot be well sealed." harriet martineau gives an insight into the way in which mails were treated on board american packets in the year , which may be held to be almost in recent times; yet the treatment is such that a postmaster-general of to-day would be roused to indignation at the outrage perpetrated upon them. she thus writes: "i could not leave such a sight, even for the amusement of hauling over the letter-bags. mr. ely put on his spectacles; mrs. ely drew a chair; others lay along on deck to examine the superscriptions of the letters from irish emigrants to their friends. it is wonderful how some of these epistles reach their destinations; the following, for instance, begun at the top left-hand corner, and elaborately prolonged to the bottom right one:--mrs. a. b. ile of man douglas wits sped england. the letter-bags are opened for the purpose of sorting out those which are for delivery in port from the rest. a fine day is always chosen, generally towards the end of the voyage, when amusements become scarce and the passengers are growing weary. it is pleasant to sit on the rail and see the passengers gather round the heap of letters, and to hear the shouts of merriment when any exceedingly original superscription comes under notice." such liberties with the mails in the present day would excite consternation in the headquarters of the post office department. nor is this all. miss martineau makes the further remark--"the two miss o'briens appeared to-day on deck, speaking to nobody, sitting on the same seats, with their feet _on the same letter-bag_, reading two volumes of the same book, and dressed alike," etc. the mail-bags turned into footstools, forsooth! it is interesting to note the size of the packet in which this lady crossed the atlantic. it was the _orpheus_, captain bursley, a vessel of tons. in looking back on these times, and knowing what dreadful storms our huge steamers encounter between europe and america, we cannot but admire the courage which must have inspired men and women to embark for distant ports in crafts so frail.[ ] it is well also to note that the transit from new york occupied the period from the st to the th august, the better part of four weeks. reference has been made to the fact that a century ago the little packets, to which the mails and passengers were consigned, were built for fighting purposes. it was no uncommon thing for them to fall into the hands of an enemy; but they did not always succumb without doing battle, and sometimes they had the honours of the day. in the _antelope_ packet fought a privateer off the coast of cuba and captured it, after of the men the privateer carried had been killed or disabled. the _antelope_ had only two killed and three wounded--one mortally. in the _lady hobart_, a vessel of tons, sailing from nova scotia for england, fell in with and captured a french schooner; but the _lady hobart_ a few days later ran into an iceberg, receiving such damage that she shortly thereafter foundered. the mails were loaded with iron and thrown overboard, and the crew and passengers, taking to the boats, made for newfoundland, which they reached after enduring great hardships. the introduction of the uniform penny postage, under the scheme with which sir rowland hill's name is so intimately associated, and the jubilee of which occurs in the present year, marks an important epoch in the review which is now under consideration. to enter into a history of the penny postage agitation would be beyond the scope of these pages. like all great schemes, the idea propounded was fought against inch by inch, and the battle, so far as the objectors are concerned, remains a memorial of the incapacity of a great portion of mankind to think out any scheme on its merits. whatever is new is sure to be opposed, apparently on no other ground than that of novelty, and in this bearing men are often not unlike some of the lower creatures in the scale of animated nature, that start and fly from things which they have not seen before, though they may have no more substance than that of a shadow. however this may be, the penny postage measure has produced stupendous results. in , the year before the reduction of postage, the letters passing through the post in the united kingdom were , , . in , under the penny postage scheme, the number immediately rose to nearly , , . that is to say, the letters were doubled in number. ten years later the number rose to , , , and in last year ( ) the total number of letters passing through the post office in this country was , , , . in addition to the letters, however, the following articles passed through the post last year--book packets and circulars, , , ; newspapers , , ; post cards , , . * * * * * _form of petition used in agitation for the uniform penny postage._ uniform penny postage. (form of a petition.) to the honourable the lords spiritual and temporal [_or_, the commons, _as the case may be_] in parliament assembled:-- the humble petition of the undersigned [_to be filled up with the name of place, corporation, &c._] sheweth, that your petitioners earnestly desire an uniform penny post, payable in advance, as proposed by rowland hill, and recommended by the report of the select committee of the house of commons. that your petitioners intreat your honourable house to give speedy effect to this report. and your petitioners will ever pray. * * * mothers and fathers that wish to hear from their absent children! friends who are parted, that wish to write to each other! emigrants that do not forget their native homes! farmers that wish to know the best markets! merchants and tradesmen that wish to receive orders and money quickly and cheaply! mechanics and labourers that wish to learn where good work and high wages are to be had! _support_ the report of the house of commons with your petitions for an uniform penny post. let every city and town and village, every corporation, every religious society and congregation, petition, and let every one in the kingdom sign a petition with his name or his mark. this is no question of party politics. lord ashburton, a conservative, and one of the richest noblemen in the country, spoke these impressive words before the house of commons committee--"postage is one of the worst of our taxes; it is, in fact, taxing the conversation of people who live at a distance from each other. the communication of letters by persons living at a distance is the same as a communication by word of mouth between persons living in the same town." "sixpence," says mr. brewin, "is the third of a poor man's income; if a gentleman, who had , _l._ a year, or _l._ a day, had to pay one-third of his daily income, a sovereign, for a letter, how often would he write letters of friendship! let a gentleman put that to himself, and then he will be able to see how the poor man cannot be able to pay sixpence for his letter." * * * reader! if you can get any signatures to a petition, make two copies of the above on two half sheets of paper; get them signed as numerously as possible; fold each up separately; put a slip of paper around, leaving the ends open; direct one to a member of the house of lords, the other to a member of the house of commons, london, and put them into the post office. * * * _reproduced from a handbill in the collection of the late sir henry cole, k.c.b. by permission of lady cole._ * * * * * should any reader desire to inform himself with some degree of fulness of the stages through which the penny postage agitation passed, he cannot do better than peruse sir henry cole's _fifty years of public work_. the postmaster-general, speaking at the jubilee meeting at the london guildhall, on the th may last, thus contrasted the work of with that of : "although i would not to-night weary an assemblage like this with tedious and tiresome figures, it may be at least permitted to me to remind you that, whereas in the year immediately preceding the establishment of the penny postage the number of letters delivered in the united kingdom amounted to[ ] , , , the number of letters delivered in this country last year was nearly , , , --twenty times the number of letters which passed through the post fifty years ago. to these letters must be added the , , of post-cards and other communications by the halfpenny post, and the enormous number of newspapers, which bring the total number of communications passing through the post to considerably above two billions. i venture to say that this is the most stupendous result of any administrative change which the world has witnessed. if you estimate the effect of that upon our daily life; if you pause for a moment to consider how trade and business have been facilitated and developed; how family relations have been maintained and kept together; if you for a moment allow your mind to dwell upon the change which is implied in that great fact to which i have called attention, i think you will see that the establishment of the penny post has done more to change--and change for the better--the face of old england than almost any other political or social project which has received the sanction of legislature within our history." among the penny postage literature issued in the year there are several songs. one of these was published at leith, and is given below. it is entitled "hurrah for the postman, the great roland hill." the leaflet is remarkable for this, that it is headed by a picture of postmen rushing through the streets delivering letters on roller skates. it is generally believed that roller skates are quite a modern invention, and in the absence of proof to the contrary it may be fair to assume that the author of the song anticipated the inventor in this mode of progression. so there really seems to be nothing new under the sun! hurrah for the postman, the great roland hill.[ ] "come, send round the liquor, and fill to the brim a bumper to railroads, the press, gas, and steam; to rags, bags, and nutgalls, ink, paper, and quill, the post, and the postman, the gude roland hill! by steam we noo travel mair quick than the eagle, a sixty mile trip for the price o' a sang! a prin it has powntit--th' atlantic surmountit, we'll compass the globe in a fortnight or lang. the gas bleezes brightly, you witness it nightly, our ancestors lived unca lang in the dark; their wisdom was folly, their sense melancholy when compared wi' sic wonderfu' modern wark. neist o' rags, bags, and size then, let no one despise them, without them whar wad a' our paper come frae? the dark flood o' ink too, i'm given to think too, could as ill be wanted at this time o' day. the quill is a queer thing, a cheap and a dear thing, a weak-lookin' object, but gude kens how strang, sometimes it is ceevil, sometimes it's the deevil. tak tent when you touch it, you haudna it wrang. the press i'll next mention, a noble invention, the great mental cook with resources so vast; it spreads on bright pages the knowledge o' ages, and tells to the future the things of the past. hech, sirs! but its awfu' (but ne'er mind it's lawfu') to saddle the postman wi' sic meikle bags; wi' epistles and sonnets, love billets and groan-ets, ye'll tear the poor postie to shivers and rags. noo jock sends to jenny, it costs but ae penny, a screed that has near broke the dictionar's back, fu' o' dove-in and dear-in, and _thoughts_ on the shearin'!! nae need noo o' whisp'rin' ayont a wheat stack. auld drivers were lazy, their mail-coaches crazy, at ilk public-house they stopt for a gill; but noo at the gallop, cheap mail-bags maun wallop. hurrah for our postman, the great roland hill. "then send round the liquor," etc. the advantages resulting from a rapid and cheap carriage of letters must readily occur to any ordinary mind; but perhaps the following would hardly suggest itself as one of those advantages. dean alford thus wrote about the usefulness of post-cards, introduced on the st october : "you will also find a new era in postage begun. the halfpenny cards have become a great institution. some of us make large use of them to write short latin epistles on, and are brushing up our cicero and pliny for that purpose." unlike some of the branches of post-office work, other than the distribution of news, either by letter or newspaper, the money order system dates from long before the introduction of penny postage--namely from the year . it was set on foot by some of the post-office clerks on their own account; but it was not till that it became a recognised business of the department. owing to high rates of commission, and to high postage, little business was done in the earlier years. in less than , orders were issued of the value of £ , , while last year the total number of transactions within the united kingdom was , , , representing a sum of nearly £ , , sterling. in the year the post office entered upon the business of banking by the establishment of the post office savings banks. at the present time there are upwards of offices within the kingdom at which post office savings bank business is transacted. the number of persons having accounts with these banks is now , , , and the annual deposits represent a gross sum of over £ , , . in order of time the next additional business taken up by the department was that of the telegraphs. before the telegraph work for the public was carried on by several commercial companies and by the railway companies; but in that year this business became a monopoly, like the transmission of letters, in the hands of the post office. the work of taking over these various telegraphs, and, consolidating them into a harmonious whole, was one of gigantic proportions, requiring indomitable courage and unwearying energy, as well as consummate ability; and when the history of this enterprise comes to be written, it will perhaps be found that the undertaking, in magnitude and importance, comes in no measure short of the penny postage scheme of sir rowland hill. in the first year of the control of the telegraphs by the post office the number of messages sent was nearly , , , excluding , press messages. at that time the minimum charge was s. per message. in the minimum was reduced to d., and under this rate the number of messages rose last year to , , . the most recent addition of importance to the varied work of the post office is that of the parcel post. this business was started in . in the first year of its operation the number of inland parcels transmitted was upwards of , , . last year the number, including a proportion of foreign and colonial parcels, rose to , , , earning a gross postage of over £ , . the uniform rates in respect of distance, the vast number of offices where parcels are received and delivered, and the extensive machinery at the command of the post office for the work, render this business one of extreme accommodation to the public. not only is the parcel post taken advantage of for the transmission of ordinary business or domestic parcels, but it is made the channel for the exchange of all manner of out-of-the-way articles. the following are some instances of the latter class observed at edinburgh: scotch oatmeal going to paris, naples, and berlin; bagpipes for the lower congo, and for native regiments in the punjaub; scotch haggis for ontario, canada, and for caebar, india; smoked haddocks for rome; the great puzzle "pigs in clover" for bavaria, and for wellington, new zealand, and so on. at home, too, curious arrangements come under notice. a family, for example, in london find it to their advantage to have a roast of beef sent to them by parcel post twice a week from a town in fife. and a gentleman of property, having his permanent residence in devonshire, finds it convenient, when enjoying the shooting season in the far north-west of scotland, to have his vegetables forwarded by parcel post from his home garden in devonshire to his shooting lodge in scotland. the postage on these latter consignments sometimes amounts to about fifteen shillings a day, a couple of post-office parcel hampers being required for their conveyance. and we should not omit to mention here the number of persons employed in the post by whom this vast amount of most diverse business is carried on for the nation. of head and sub-postmasters and letter receivers, each of whom has a post-office under his care, there are , . the other established offices of the post office number over , , and there are, besides, persons employed in unestablished positions to the number of over , . thus there is a great army of no less than , persons serving the public in the various domains of the postal service. a century ago, and indeed down to a period only fifty years ago, the world, looked at from the present vantage-ground, must appear to have been in a dull, lethargic state, with hardly any pulse and a low circulation. as for nerve system it had none. the changes which the post office has wrought in the world, but more particularly in our own country, are only to be fully perceived and appreciated by the thoughtful. now the heart of the nation throbs strongly at the centre, while the current of activity flows quickly and freely to the remotest corners of the state. the telegraph provides a nervous system unknown before. by its means every portion of the country is placed in immediate contact with every other part; the thrill of joy and the moan of desolation are no longer things of locality; they are shared fully and immediately by the whole; and the interest of brotherhood, extending to parts of the country which, under other conditions, must have remained unknown and uncared for, makes us realise that all men are but members of one and the same family. the freedom and independence now enjoyed by the individual, as a result of the vast influence exercised by society through the rapid exchange of thought, is certainly a thing of which the people of our own country may well be proud. right can now assert itself in a way which was entirely beyond the reach of our predecessors of a hundred years ago; and wrong receives summary judgment at the hands of a whole people. yet there is a growing danger that this great liberty of the individual may become, in one direction, a spurious liberty, and that the elements of physical force, exerting themselves under the ægis of uncurbed freedom, may enter into conspiracy against intellect, individual effort, and thrift in such a way as to produce a tyranny worse than that existing in the most despotic states. the introduction of the telegraph, and the greater facilities afforded by the press for the general distribution of news, have greatly changed the nature of commercial speculation. formerly, when news came from abroad at wide intervals, it was of the utmost consequence to obtain early command of prices and information as to movements in the markets, and whoever gained the news first had the first place in the race. nowadays the telegraph, and the newspapers by the help of the telegraph, give all an equal start, and the whole world knows at once what is going on in every capital of the globe. the thirst for the first possession of news in commercial life is happily described in _glasgow past and present_, wherein the author gives an account of a practice prevailing in the tontine reading rooms at the end of last century. "immediately on receiving the bag of papers from the post-office," says the writer, "the waiter locked himself up in the bar, and after he had sorted the different papers and had made them up in a heap, he unlocked the door of the bar, and making a sudden rush into the middle of the room, he then tossed up the whole lot of newspapers as high as the ceiling of the room. now came the grand rush and scramble of the subscribers, every one darting forward to lay hold of a falling newspaper. sometimes a lucky fellow got hold of five or six newspapers and ran off with them to a corner, in order to select his favourite paper; but he was always hotly pursued by some half-dozen of the disappointed scramblers, who, without ceremony, pulled from his hands the first paper they could lay hold of, regardless of its being torn in the contest. on these occasions i have often seen a heap of gentlemen sprawling on the floor of the room and riding upon one another's backs like a parcel of boys. it happened, however, unfortunately, that a gentleman in one of these scrambles got two of his teeth knocked out of his head, and this ultimately brought about a change in the manner of delivering the newspapers." [illustration: the tontine reading-rooms, glasgow--arrival of the mail--period: end of last century. (_after an old print._)] another instance of the anxiety for early news is exhibited in a practice which prevailed in glasgow about fifty years ago. the glasgow merchants were deeply interested in shipping and other news coming from liverpool. the mail at that period arrived in glasgow some time in the afternoon during business hours. a letter containing quotations from liverpool for the royal exchange was due in the mail daily. this letter was enclosed in a conspicuously bright red cover, and it was the business of the post-office clerk, immediately he opened the liverpool bag, to seize this letter and hand it to a messenger from the royal exchange who was in attendance at the post office to receive it. this messenger hastened to the exchange, rang a bell to announce the arrival of the news, and forthwith the contents of the letter were posted up in the exchange. the merchants who had offices within sound of the bell were then seen hurrying to the exchange buildings, to be cheered or depressed as the case might be by the information which the mail had brought them. a clever instance of how the possession of early news could be turned to profitable account in the younger days of the century is recorded of mr. john rennie, a nephew of his namesake the great engineer, and an extensive dealer in corn and cattle. his headquarters at the time were at east linton, near dunbar. "at one period of his career mr. rennie habitually visited london either for business or pleasure, or both combined. one day, when present at the grain market, in mark lane, sudden war news arrived, in consequence of which the price of wheat immediately bounded up s., s., and even s. per quarter. at once he saw his opportunity and left for scotland by the next mail. he knew, of course, that the mail carried the startling war news to edinburgh, but he trusted to his wit to outdo it by reaching the northern capital first. as the coach passed the farm of skateraw, some distance east of dunbar, it was met by the farmer, old harry lee, on horseback. rennie, who was an outside passenger, no sooner recognised lee than he sprang from his seat on the coach to the ground. coming up to lee, rennie hurriedly whispered something to him, and induced him to lend his horse to carry rennie on to east linton. rennie, who was an astonishingly active man, vaulted into the saddle, and immediately rode off at full gallop westwards. the day was a wednesday, and, as it was already o'clock forenoon, he knew that he had no time to lose; but he was not the stamp of man to allow the grass to grow under his feet on such an important occasion. ere he reached dunbar the mail was many hundred yards behind. at his own place at east linton he drew up, mounted his favourite horse "silvertail," which for speed and endurance had no rival in the county, and again proceeded at the gallop. when he reached the grassmarket, edinburgh--a full hour before the mail,--the grain-selling was just starting, and before the alarming war news had got time to spread rennie had every peck of wheat in the market bought up. he must have coined an enormous profit by this smart transaction; but to him it seemed to matter nothing at all. he was one of the most careless of the harum-scarum sons of adam, and if he made money easily, so in a like manner did he let it slip his grip." the two following instances of the expedients to which merchants resorted, before the introduction of the telegraph, in cases of urgency, and when the letter post would not serve them, are given by the author of _glasgow past and present_, to whose work reference has already been made:-- "during the french war the premiums of insurance upon running ships (ships sailing without convoy) were very high, in consequence of which several of our glasgow ship-owners who possessed quick-sailing vessels were in the practice of allowing the expected time of arrival of their ships closely to approach before they effected insurance upon them, thus taking the chance of a quick passage being made, and if the ships arrived safe the insurance was saved. "mr. archibald campbell, about this time an extensive glasgow merchant, had allowed one of his ships to remain uninsured till within a short period of her expected arrival; at last, getting alarmed, he attempted to effect insurance in glasgow, but found the premium demanded so high that he resolved to get his ship and cargo insured in london. accordingly, he wrote a letter to his broker in london, instructing him to get the requisite insurance made on the best terms possible, but, at all events, to get the said insurance effected. this letter was despatched through the post-office in the ordinary manner, the mail at that time leaving glasgow at two o'clock p.m. at seven o'clock the same night mr. campbell received an express from greenock announcing the safe arrival of his ship. mr. campbell, on receiving this intelligence, instantly despatched his head clerk in pursuit of the mail, directing him to proceed by postchaises-and-four with the utmost speed until he overtook it, and then to get into it; or, if he could not overtake it, he was directed to proceed to london, and to deliver a letter to the broker countermanding the instructions about insurance. the clerk, notwithstanding of extra payment to the postilions, and every exertion to accelerate his journey, was unable to overtake the mail; but he arrived in london on the third morning shortly after the mail, and immediately proceeded to the residence of the broker, whom he found preparing to take his breakfast, and before delivery of the london letters. the order for insurance written for was then countermanded, and the clerk had the pleasure of taking a comfortable breakfast with the broker. the expenses of this express amounted to £ ; but it was said that the premium of insurance, if it had been effected, would have amounted to £ , so that mr. campbell was reported to have saved £ by his promptitude." "at the period in question a rise had taken place in the cotton-market, and there was a general expectancy among the cotton-dealers that there would be a continued and steady advance of prices in every description of cotton. acting upon this belief messrs. james finlay & co. had sent out orders by post to their agent in india to make extensive purchases of cotton on their account, to be shipped by the first vessels for england. it so happened, however, shortly after these orders had been despatched, that cotton fell in price, and a still greater fall was expected to take place. under these circumstances messrs. finlay & co. despatched an overland express to india countermanding their orders to purchase cotton. this was the first, and, i believe, the only overland express despatched from glasgow to india by a private party on commercial purposes." one of the greatest achievements of our own time, yet too often overlooked, is the marvellously rapid diffusion of parliamentary news throughout the country. important debates are frequently protracted in the house of commons into the early hours of the morning. the speeches are instantly reported by the shorthand writers in the gallery, who dog the lips of the speakers and commit their every word to paper. thus seized in the fleet lines of stenography, the words and phrases are then transcribed into long-hand. relays of messengers carry the copy to the telegraph office, where the words are punched in the form of a mysterious language on slips of paper like tape, which are run through the wheatstone telegraph transmitter, the electric current carrying the news to distant stations at the rate of several hundred words a minute. at these stations the receiving-machine pours out at an equal rate, another tape, bearing a record in a different character, from which relays of clerks, attending the oracle, convert the weighty sayings again into ordinary language. the news thus received is carried forthwith by a succession of messengers to the newspaper office; the compositors set the matter up in type; it is reviewed and edited by the men appointed to the duty; the columns are stereotyped, and in that form are placed in the printing-machines. the machines are set in motion at astonishing speed, turning out the newspapers cut and folded and ready for the reader. a staff is in attendance to place under cover the copies of subscribers for despatch by the early mails. these are carried to the post-office, and so transmitted to their destinations. taking edinburgh as a point for special consideration, all that has been stated applies to this city. for the first despatches to the north, the _scotsman_ and _leader_ newspapers are conveyed to certain trains as early as a.m.; and by the breakfast-hour, or early in the forenoon, the parliamentary debates of the previous night are being discussed over the greater part of scotland. and all this hurry and intellectual activity is going on while the nation at large is wrapped in sleep, and probably not one person in a hundred ever thinks or concerns himself to know how it is done. the frequency and rapidity of communication between different parts of the world seems to have brought the whole globe into a very small focus, for obscure places, which would be unknown, one would think, beyond their own immediate neighbourhoods, are frequently well within the cognisance of persons living in far-distant quarters. an instance of this is given by the postmaster of epworth, a village near to doncaster. "we have," says the postmaster, "an odd place in this parish known as nineveh farm. some years ago a letter was received here which had been posted somewhere in the united states of america, and was addressed merely mr. ---- nineveh. i have always regarded its delivery to the proper person as little less than a miracle, but it happened." it is impossible to say how far the influence of this great revolution in the mail service on land and sea may extend. that the change has been, on the whole, to the advantage of mankind goes without saying. one contrast is here given, and the reader can draw his own conclusions in other directions. the peace of , which followed the american war of independence, was only arrived at after negotiations extending over more than two years. prussia and austria were at war in . the campaign occupied seven days; and from the declaration of war to the formal conclusion of peace only seven weeks elapsed. is it to be doubted that the difference in the two cases was, in large measure, due to the fact that news travelled slowly in the one case and fast in the other? we may look back on the past with very mixed feelings,--dreaming of the easy-going methods of our forefathers, which gave them leisure for study and reflection, or esteeming their age as an age of lethargy, of lumbering and slumbering. we are proud of our own era, as one full of life and activity, full of hurry and bustle, and as existing under the spell of high electrical tension. but too many of us know to our cost that this present whirl of daily life has one most serious drawback, summed up in the commonplace, but not the less true, saying,-- "it's the pace that kills." yet one more thought remains. will the pace be kept up in the next hundred years? there is no reason to suppose it will not, and the world is hardly likely to go to sleep. our successors who live a hundred years hence will doubtless learn much that man has not yet dreamt of. time will produce many changes and reveal deep secrets; but as to what these shall be, let him prophesy who knows. footnotes: [ ] see note a in appendix. [ ] see note d in appendix. [ ] see note b in appendix. [ ] see note c in appendix. [ ] exclusive of franked letters. [ ] from the collection of the late sir henry cole in the edinburgh international exhibition, . appendix. a. as to the representation in parliament, the freeholders in the whole of the counties of scotland, who had the power of returning the county members, were, in , for example, just under three thousand in number. these were mostly gentlemen of position living on their estates, with a sprinkling of professional men; the former being, from their want of business training, ill suited, one would suppose, for conducting the business of a nation. the town councils were self-elective--hotbeds of corruption; and the members of these town councils were intrusted with the power of returning the members for the boroughs. the people at large were not directly represented, if in strictness represented at all. b. francis, afterwards lord jeffrey, in a letter of the th september , describes the discomfort of a journey by mail from perth to edinburgh, when the coach had broken down, and he was carried forward by the guard by special conveyance. his graphic description is as follows:--"i was roused carefully half an hour before four yesterday morning, and passed two delightful hours in the kitchen waiting for the mail. there was an enormous fire, and a whole household of smoke. the waiter was snoring with great vehemency upon one of the dressers, and the deep regular intonation had a very solemn effect, i can assure you, in the obscurity of that tartarean region, and the melancholy silence of the morning. an innumerable number of rats were trottin and gibberin in one end of the place, and the rain clattered freshly on the windows. the dawn heavily in clouds brought on the day, but not, alas! the mail; and it was long past five when the guard came galloping into the yard, upon a smoking horse, with all the wet bags lumbering beside him (like scylla's water-dogs), roaring out that the coach was broken down somewhere near dundee, and commanding another steed to be got ready for his transportation. the noise he made brought out the other two sleepy wretches that had been waiting like myself for places, and we at length persuaded the heroic champion to order a postchaise instead of a horse, into which we crammed ourselves all four, with a whole mountain of leather bags that clung about our legs like the entrails of a fat cow all the rest of the journey. at kinross, as the morning was very fine, we prevailed with the guard to go on the outside to dry himself, and got on to the ferry about eleven, after encountering various perils and vexations, in the loss of horse-shoes and wheel-pins, and in a great gap in the road, over which we had to lead the horses, and haul the carriage separately. at this place we supplicated our agitator for leave to eat a little breakfast; but he would not stop an instant, and we were obliged to snatch up a roll or two apiece and gnaw the dry crusts during our passage to keep soul and body together. we got in soon after one, and i have spent my time in eating, drinking, sleeping, and other recreations, down to the present hour." on going north from edinburgh, on the same tour apparently, jeffrey had previous experience of the difficulties of travel, as described in a letter from montrose, date th august . "we stopped," says he, "for two days at perth, hoping for places in the mail, and then set forward on foot in despair. we have trudged it now for fifty miles, and came here this morning very weary, sweaty, and filthy. our baggage, which was to have left perth the same day that we did, has not yet made its appearance, and we have received the comfortable information that it is often a week before there is room in the mail to bring such a parcel forward." writing from kendal, in , jeffrey refers to a journey he made fifty years before--that is, about --when he slept a night in the town. his description of the circumstances is as follows:-- "and an admirable dinner we have had in the ancient king's arms, with great oaken staircases, uneven floors, and very thin oak panels, plaster-filled outer walls, but capital new furniture, and the brightest glass, linen, spoons, and china you ever saw. it is the same house in which i once slept about fifty years ago, with the whole company of an ancient stage-coach, which bedded its passengers on the way from edinburgh to london, and called them up by the waiter at six o'clock in the morning to go five slow stages, and then have an hour to breakfast and wash. it is the only vestige i remember of those old ways, and i have not slept in the house since." c. the discomfort of a long voyage in a vessel of this class is well set forth in the correspondence of jeffrey. in he crossed to new york in search of a wife; and in describing the miseries of the situation on board, he gives a long list of his woes, the last being followed by this declaration: "i think i shall make a covenant with myself, that if i get back safe to my own place from this expedition, i shall never willingly go out of sight of land again in my life." d. a notable instance of an attempt to shut the door in the face of an able man is recorded in the life of sir james simpson, who has made all the world his debtors through the discovery and application of chloroform for surgical operations. plain dr. simpson was a candidate for a professorship in the university of edinburgh, and had his supporters for the honour; but there was among the men with whom rested the selection a considerable party opposed to him, whose ground of opposition was that, on account of his parents being merely tradespeople, dr. simpson would be unable to maintain the dignity of the chair. to their eternal discredit, the persons referred to did not look to the quality and ring of the "gowd," but were guided by the superficial "guinea stamp." the spread of public opinion is gradually putting such distinctions, which have their root and being in privilege and selfishness, out of court. * * * * * printed by t. and a. constable, printers to her majesty, at the edinburgh university press. post haste, by r.m. ballantyne. preface. this tale is founded chiefly on facts furnished by the postmaster-general's annual reports, and gathered, during personal intercourse and investigation, at the general post-office of london and its branches. it is intended to illustrate--not by any means to exhaust--the subject of postal work, communication, and incident throughout the kingdom. i have to render my grateful acknowledgments to sir arthur blackwood; his private secretary, charles eden, esquire; and those other officers of the various departments who have most kindly afforded me every facility for investigation, and assisted me to much of the information used in the construction of the tale. if it does not greatly enlighten, i hope that it will at all events interest and amuse the reader. r.m. ballantyne. chapter one. a hero and his worshipper. once upon a time--only once, observe, she did not do it twice--a widow of the name of maylands went, in a fit of moderate insanity, and took up her abode in a lonely, tumble-down cottage in the west of ireland. mrs maylands was very poor. she was the widow of an english clergyman, who had left her with a small family and the smallest income that was compatible with that family's maintenance. hence the migration to ireland, where she had been born, and where she hoped to live economically. the tumble-down cottage was near the sea, not far from a little bay named howlin cove. though little it was a tremendous bay, with mighty cliffs landward, and jutting ledges on either side, and forbidding rocks at the entrance, which waged continual warfare with the great atlantic billows that rolled into it. the whole place suggested shipwreck and smugglers. the small family of mrs maylands consisted of three babes--so their mother styled them. the eldest babe, mary--better known as may--was seventeen years of age, and dwelt in london, to which great city she had been tempted by an elderly english cousin, miss sarah lillycrop, who held out as baits a possible situation and a hearty welcome. the second babe, philip, was verging on fifteen. having kicked, crashed, and smashed his way though an uproarious infancy and a stormy childhood, he had become a sedate, earnest, energetic boy, with a slight dash of humour in his spirit, and more than a dash of determination. the third babe was still a baby. as it plays little or no part in our tale we dismiss it with the remark that it was of the male sex, and was at once the hope, fear, joy and anxiety of its distracted mother. so, too, we may dismiss miss madge stevens, a poor relation, who was worth her weight in gold to the widow, inasmuch as she acted the part of general servant, nurse, mender of the household garments, and recipient of joys and sorrows, all of which duties she fulfilled for love, and for just shelter and sustenance sufficient to keep her affectionate spirit within her rather thin but well-favoured body. phil maylands was a hero-worshipper. at the time when our tale opens he worshipped a youth--the son of a retired naval officer,--who possessed at least some of the qualities that are occasionally found in a hero. george aspel was daring, genial, enthusiastic, tall, broad-shouldered, active, and young--about twenty. but george had a tendency to dissipation. his father, who had recently died, had been addicted to what he styled good-fellowship and grog. knowing his so-called weakness, captain aspel had sent his boy to be brought up in the family of the reverend james maylands, but some time before the death of that gentleman he had called him home to help to manage the small farm with which he amused his declining years. george and his father amused themselves with it to such an extent that they became bankrupt about the time of the father's death, and thus the son was left with the world before him and nothing whatever in his pocket except a tobacco-pipe and a corkscrew. one day phil met george aspel taking a ramble and joined him. these two lived near to each other. indeed, mrs maylands had been partly influenced in her choice of a residence by her desire to be near george. it was a bitterly cold december afternoon. as the friends reached the summit of the grey cliffs, a squall, fresh from the arctic regions, came sweeping over the angry sea, cutting the foam in flecks from the waves, and whistling, as if in baffled fury, among the opposing crags. "isn't it a grand sight?" said phil, as they sought shelter under the lee of a projecting rock. "glorious! i never look upon that sight," said aspel, with flashing eyes, "without wishing that i had lived in the days of the old vikings." the youth traced his descent from the sea-kings of norway--those tremendous fellows who were wont in days of yore to ravage the shores of the known and unknown world, east and west, north and south, leaving their indelible mark alike on the hot sands of africa and the icebound rocks of greenland. as phil maylands knew nothing of his own lineage further back than his grandfather, he was free to admire the immense antiquity of his friend's genealogical tree. phil was not, however, so completely under the fascination of his hero as to be utterly blind to his faults; but he loved him, and that sufficed to cover them up. "sure, they were a wild lot, after all?" he said in a questioning tone, as he looked up at the glowing countenance of his friend, who, with his bold mien, bulky frame, blue eyes, and fair curls, would have made a very creditable viking indeed, had he lived in the tenth century. "of course they were, phil," he replied, looking down at his admirer with a smile. "men could not well be otherwise than wild and warlike in those days; but it was not all ravage and plunder with them. why, it is to them and to their wise laws that we owe much of the freedom, coupled with the order, that prevails in our happy land; and didn't they cross the atlantic ocean in things little better than herring-boats, without chart or compass, and discover america long before columbus was born?" "you don't mean that?" said phil, with increased admiration; for the boy was not only smitten by his friend's physical powers, but by his supposed intellectual attainments. "yes, i do mean that," returned aspel. "if the norsemen of old did mischief, as no one can deny, they were undoubtedly grand old scoundrels, and it is certain that they did much good to the world, whether they meant it or not." phil maylands made no reply, but continued to look meditatively at his friend, until the latter laughed, and asked what he was thinking about. "it's thinking i am, what i wouldn't give if my legs were only as long as yours, george." "that they will soon be," returned george, "if they go on at the rate they've been growing of late." "that's a true word, anyhow; but as men's legs don't go on growing at the same rate for ever, it's not much hope i have of mine. no, george, it's kind of you to encourage me, but the maylands have ever been a short-legged and long-bodied race. so it's said. however, it's some comfort to know that short men are often long-headed, and that many of them get on in the world pretty well." "of course they do," returned aspel, "and though they can't grow long, they never stop short in the race of life. why, look at nelson--he was short; and wellington wasn't long, and bonny himself was small in every way except in his intellect--who's that coming up the hill?" "it's mike kenny, the postman, i think. i wonder if he has brought a letter from sister may. mother expects one, i know." the man who had attracted their attention was ascending towards them with the slow, steady gait of a practised mountaineer. he was the post-runner of the district. being a thinly-peopled and remote region, the "runner's walk" was a pretty extensive one, embracing many a mile of moorland, vale and mountain. he had completed most of his walk at that time, having only one mountain shoulder now between him and the little village of howlin cove, where his labours were to terminate for that day. "good-evening, mike," said george aspel, as the man approached. "any letters for me to-night?" "no, sur, not wan," answered mike, with something of a twinkle in his eye; "but i've left wan at rocky cottage," he added, turning to philip maylands. "was it may's handwriting?" asked the boy eagerly. "sure i don't know for sartin whose hand it is i' the inside, but it's not miss may's on the cover. niver a wan in these parts could write like her--copperplate, no less." "come, george, let's go back," said phil, quickly, "we've been looking out for a letter for some days past." "it's not exactly a letter, master phil," said the post-runner slowly. "ah, then, she'd never put us off with a newspaper," said phil. "no, it's a telegram," returned mike. phil maylands looked thoughtfully at the ground. "a telegram," he said, "that's strange. are ye sure, mike?" "troth am i." without another word the boy started off at a quick walk, followed by his friend and the post-runner. the latter had to diverge at that place to leave a letter at the house of a man named patrick grady. hence, for a short distance, they followed the same road. young maylands would have passed the house, but as grady was an intimate friend of george aspel, he agreed to stop just to shake hands. patrick grady was the soul of hospitality. he was not to be put off with a mere shake of the hand, not he--telegrams meant nothing now-a-days, he said, everybody sent them. no cause for alarm. they must stop and have a glass of mountain dew. aspel was resolute, however; he would not sit down, though he had no objection to the mountain dew. accordingly, the bottle was produced, and a full glass was poured out for aspel, who quaffed off the pure spirit with a free-and-easy toss and smack of the lips, that might have rendered one of the beery old sea-kings envious. "no, sur, i thank ye," said mike, when a similar glass was offered to him. "what! ye haven't taken the pledge, have ye?" said grady. "no, sur; but i've had three glasses already on me walk, an' that's as much as i can rightly carry." "nonsense, mike. you've a stiff climb before you--here, take it off." the facile postman did take it off without further remonstrance. "have a dhrop, phil?" "no, thank ee," said phil, firmly, but without giving a reason for declining. being a boy, he was not pressed to drink, and the party left the house. a short distance farther on the road forked, and here the post-runner turned off to the right, taking the path which led towards the hill whose rugged shoulder he had yet to scale. mike kenny breasted it not only with the energy of youth and strength, but with the additional and artificial energy infused by the spirits, so that, much to his own surprise, his powers began to fail prematurely. just then a storm of wind and sleet came down from the heights above, and broke with bitter fury in his face. he struggled against it vigorously for a time till he gained a point whence he saw the dark blue sea lashing on the cliffs below. he looked up at the pass which was almost hid by the driving sleet. a feeling of regret and self-condemnation at having so readily given in to grady was mingled with a strong sense of the duty that he had to discharge as he once more breasted the steep. the bitter cold began to tell on his exhausted frame. in such circumstances a small matter causes a man to stumble. kenny's foot caught on something--a root it might be--and he fell headlong into a ditch and was stunned. the cold did its work, and from that ditch he never rose again. meanwhile mr grady looked out from the window of his cottage upon the gathering storm, expressed some satisfaction that it did not fall to his lot to climb hills on such a day, and comforted himself--though he did not appear to stand in need of special comfort--with another glass of whisky. george aspel and philip maylands, with their backs to the storm, hurried homewards; the former exulting in the grand--though somewhat disconnected--thoughts infused into his fiery soul by the fire-water he had imbibed, and dreaming of what he would have dared and done had he only been a sea-king of the olden time; the latter meditating somewhat anxiously on the probable nature of his sister's telegram. chapter two. tells of woman's work and some of woman's ways. many, and varied, and strange, are the duties which woman has to perform in this life--especially in that wonderful and gigantic phase of this life which is comprehended in the word london. one chill december afternoon there sat in front of a strange-looking instrument a woman--at least she was as nearly a woman as is compatible with the age of seventeen. she was also pretty--not beautiful, observe, but pretty--sparklingly pretty; dark, dimpled, demure and delightful in every way; with a turn-up nose, a laughing eye, and a kindly look. her chief duty, from morning to night, consisted in playing with her pretty little fingers on three white pianoforte keys. there were no other keys--black or white--in connection with these three. they stood alone and had no music whatever in them--nothing but a click. nevertheless this young woman, whose name was may maylands, played on them with a constancy and a deft rapidity worthy of a great, if not a musical, cause. from dawn to dusk, and day by day, did she keep those three keys clicking and clittering, as if her life depended on the result; and so in truth it did, to some extent, for her bread and butter depended on her performances on that very meagre piano. although an artless and innocent young girl, fresh from the western shores of erin, may had a peculiar, and, in one of her age and sex, almost pert way of putting questions, to which she often received quaint and curious replies. for instance one afternoon she addressed to a learned doctor the following query:-- "can you send copy last prescription? lost it. face red as a carrot. in agonies! what shall i do? help!" to which the learned doctor gave the matter-of-fact but inelegant reply:-- "stick your feet in hot water. go to bed at once. prescription sent by post. take it every hour." but may maylands did not stick her feet in hot water; neither did she go to bed, or take any physic. indeed there was no occasion to do so, for a clear complexion and pink cheeks told of robust health. on another occasion she asked an irish farmer if he could send her twenty casks of finest butter to cost not more than pence per pound. to which the farmer was rude enough to answer--"not by no manner of means." in short may's conduct was such that we must hasten to free her from premature condemnation by explaining that she was a female telegraphist in what we may call the literary lungs of london--the general post-office at st. martin's-le-grand. on that chill december afternoon, during a brief lull in her portion of the telegraphic communication of the kingdom, may leaned her little head on her hand, and sent her mind to the little cottage by the sea, already described as lying on the west coast of ireland, with greater speed than ever she flashed those electric sparks which it was her business to scatter broadcast over the land. the hamlet, near which the cottage stood, nestled under the shelter of a cliff as if in expectation and dread of being riven from its foundations by the howling winds, or whelmed in the surging waves. the cottage itself was on the outskirts of the hamlet, farther to the south. the mind of may entered through its closed door,--for mind, like electricity, laughs at bolts and bars. there was a buzz of subdued sound from more than twelve hundred telegraphists, male and female, in that mighty telegraph-hall of saint martin's-le-grand, but may heard it not. dozens upon dozens of tables, each with its busy occupants--tables to right of her, tables to left of her, tables in rear of her, tables in front of her,--swept away from her in bewildering perspective, but may saw them not. the clicking of six or seven hundred instruments broke upon her ear as they flashed the news of the world over the length and breadth of the land, pulsating joy and sorrow, surprise, fear, hope, despair, and gladness to thousands of anxious hearts, but may regarded it not. she heard only the booming of the great sea, and saw her mother seated by the fire darning socks, with madge engaged in household work, and phil tumbling with baby-brother on the floor, making new holes and rents for fresh darns and patches. mrs maylands was a student and lover of the bible. her children, though a good deal wilder, were sweet-tempered like herself. it is needless to add that in spite of adverse circumstances they were all moderately happy. the fair telegraphist smiled, almost laughed, as her mind hovered over the home circle. from the contemplation of this pleasant and romantic picture she was roused by a familiar rustle at her elbow. recalling her mind from the west of ireland, she fixed it on a mass of telegrams which had just arrived from various parts of the city. they had been sucked through several pneumatic tubes--varying from a few yards to two miles in length--had been checked, assorted, registered, and distributed by boys to the various telegraphists to whose lot they fell. may maylands chanced, by a strange coincidence, to command the instrument in direct connection with cork. the telegrams just laid beside her were those destined for that city, and the regions to which it was a centre of redistribution. among others her own village was in connection with it, and many a time had she yearned to touch her keys with a message of love to her mother, but the rules of the office sternly forbade this. the communicative touch which she dispensed so freely to others was forbidden to herself. if she, or any other telegraphist in st. martin's-le-grand, wished to send a private message, it became necessary to step out of the office, go to the appointed place, pay her shilling, and become one of the public for the occasion. every one can see the necessity for such a rule in the circumstances. may's three-keyed machine, by the way, did not actually send forth the electricity. it only punched holes in a long tape of white paper, which holes, according to their relative arrangement, represented the alphabet. having punched a message by playing on the keys, she transferred her tape to the electric machine at her elbow and passed it through. this transmitting machine was automatic or self acting. it required only to be fed with perforated tapes. in ireland the receiving-machine presented its messages in the form of dots and dashes, which, according to arrangement, became alphabetic. you don't understand this, reader, eh? it would be surprising if you did! a treatise on electric telegraphy would be required to make it clear-- supposing you to have a mechanical turn of mind. suffice it to say that the wheatstone telegraph instrument tapes off its messages at the rate of words a minute. but to return-- with a sigh may maylands cast her eyes on the uppermost telegram. it ran thus:-- "buy the horse at any price. he's a spanker. let the pigs go for what they'll fetch." this was enough. romance, domesticity, and home disappeared, probably with the message along the wire, and the spirit of business descended on the little woman as she applied herself once more to the matter-of-fact manipulation of the keys. that evening as may left the post-office and turned sharply into the dark street she came into collision with a letter-carrier. "oh! miss," he exclaimed with polite anxiety, "i beg your pardon. the sleet drivin' in my face prevented my seeing you. you're not hurt i hope." "no, mr flint, you haven't hurt me," said may, laughing, as she recognised the voice of her own landlord. "why, it's you, miss may! now isn't that good luck, my turnin' up just in the nick o' time to see you home? here, catch hold of my arm. the wind's fit to tear the lamp-posts up by the roots." "but this is not the way home," objected the girl. "that's true, miss may, it ain't, but i'm only goin' round a bit by st. paul's churchyard. there's a shop there where they sell the sausages my old 'ooman's so fond of. it don't add more than a few yards to the road home." the old 'ooman to whom solomon flint referred was his grandmother. flint himself had spent the greater part of his life in the service of the post-office, and was now a widower, well stricken in years. his grandmother was one of those almost indestructible specimens of humanity who live on until the visage becomes deeply corrugated, contemporaries have become extinct, and age has become a matter of uncertainty. flint had always been a good grandson, but when his wife died the love he had borne to her seemed to have been transferred with additional vehemence to the "old 'ooman." "there's a present for you, old 'ooman," said flint, placing the paper of sausages on the table on entering his humble abode, and proceeding to divest himself of his waterproof cape; "just let me catch hold of a fryin'-pan and i'll give you to understand what a blow-out means." "you're a good laddie, sol," said the old woman, rousing herself and speaking in a voice that sounded as if it had begun its career far back in the previous century. mrs flint was scotch, and, although she had lived from early womanhood in london, had retained something of the tone and much of the pronunciation of the land o' cakes. "ye'll be wat, lassie," she said to may, who was putting off her bonnet and shawl in a corner. "no, grannie," returned the girl, using a term which the old woman had begged her to adopt, "i'm not wet, only a little damp." "change your feet, lassie, direc'ly, or you'll tak' cauld," said mrs flint in a peremptory tone. may laughed gently and retired to her private boudoir to change her shoes. the boudoir was not more than eight feet by ten in size, and very poorly furnished, but its neat, methodical arrangements betokened in its owner a refined and orderly mind. there were a few books in a stand on the table, and a flower-pot on the window-sill. among the pegs and garments on the walls was a square piece of cardboard, on which was emblazoned in scarlet silk, the text, "god is love." this hung at the foot of the bed, so as to be the first object to greet the girl's eyes on awaking each morning. below it hung a row of photographs, embracing the late reverend james maylands, his widow, his son philip, his distant relative madge, and the baby. these were so arranged as to catch the faint gleam of light that penetrated the window; but as there was a twenty-foot brick wall in front of the window at a distance of two yards, the gleam, even on a summer noon, was not intense. in winter it was barely sufficient to render darkness visible. poor may maylands! it was a tremendous change to her from the free air and green fields of ireland to a small back street in the heart of london; but necessity had required the change. her mother's income could not comfortably support the family. her own salary, besides supporting herself, was devoted to the enlargement of that income, and as it amounted to only pounds a year, there was not much left to pay for lodgings, etcetera. it is true miss lillycrop would have gladly furnished may with board and lodging free, but her house was in the neighbourhood of pimlico, and may's duties made it necessary that she should live within a short distance of the general post-office. miss lillycrop had heard of the flints as being good-hearted and trusty people, and advised her cousin to board with them, at least until some better arrangement could be made for her. meanwhile may was to go and spend part of every sunday with miss lillycrop at number purr street. "well, grannie," said may, returning to the front room, where the sausages were already hissing deliciously, "what news have you for me to-night?" she sat down beside the old woman, took her hand and spoke in that cheery, cosy, confidential way which renders some women so attractive. "deed, may, there's little but the auld story--mercies, mornin', noon, and night. but, oo ay, i was maist forgettin'; miss lillycrap was here, an left ye a message o' some sort." "and what was the message, grannie?" "she's gone and forgot it," said solomon flint, putting the sausages on the table, which had already been spread for supper by a stout little girl who was the sole domestic of the house and attendant on mrs flint. "you've no chance of getting it now, miss may, for i've noticed that when the old 'ooman once forgets a thing it don't come back to her-- except, p'r'aps, a week or two afterwards. come now, draw in and go to work. but, p'r'aps, dollops may have heard the message. hallo! dollops! come here, and bring the kettle with you." dollops--the little girl above referred to--was particularly small and shy, ineffably stupid, and remarkably fat. it was the last quality which induced solomon to call her dollops. her hair and garments stuck out from her in wild dishevelment, but she was not dirty. nothing belonging to mrs flint was allowed to become dirty. "did you see miss lillycrop, dollops?" asked solomon, as the child emerged from some sort of back kitchen. "yes, sir, i did; i saw'd 'er a-goin' hout." "did you hear her leave a message?" "yes, sir, i did. i 'eard 'er say to missis, `be sure that you give may maylands my love, an tell 'er wotever she do to keep 'er feet dry, an' don't forgit the message, an' say i'm so glad about it, though it's not much to speak of arter all!'" "what was she so glad about?" demanded solomon. "i dun know, sir. she said no more in my 'earin' than that. i only comed in w'en she was a-goin' hout. p'r'aps it was about the findin' of 'er gloves in 'er pocket w'en she was a talkin' to missis, which she thought she'd lost, though they wasn't wuth pickin' up out of the--" "pooh! be off to your pots an' pans, child," said flint, turning to his grandmother, who sat staring at the sausages with a blank expression. "you can't remember it, i s'pose, eh?" mrs flint shook her head and began to eat. "that's right, old 'ooman," said her grandson, patting her shoulder; "heap up the coals, mayhap it'll revive the memory." but mrs flint's memory was not so easily revived. she became more abstracted than usual in her efforts to recover it. supper passed and was cleared away. the old woman was placed in her easy chair in front of the fire with the cat--her chief evening amusement--on her knee; the letter-carrier went out for his evening walk; dollops proceeded miscellaneously to clean up and smash the crockery, and may sat down to indite an epistle to the inmates of rocky cottage. suddenly mrs flint uttered an exclamation. "may!" she cried, and hit the cat an involuntary slap on the face which sent it with a caterwaul of indignant surprise from her knee, "it wasn't a message, it was a letter!" having thus unburdened her mind the old woman relapsed into the previous century, from which she could not be recalled. may, therefore, made a diligent search for the letter, and found it at last under a cracked teapot on the mantelpiece, where mrs flint had told miss lillycrop to place it for safety. it was short but satisfactory, and ran thus:-- "dearest may,--i've been to see my friend `in power,' and he says it's `all right,' that you've only to get your brother over as soon as possible, and he'll see to getting him a situation. the enclosed paper is for his and your guidance. excuse haste.--your affectionate coz, sarah lillycrop." it need hardly be said that may maylands finished her letter with increased satisfaction, and posted it that night. next morning she wrote out a telegram as follows:--"let phil come here _at once_. the application has been successful. never mind clothes. everything arranged. best love to all." the last clause was added in order to get the full value for her money. she naturally underscored the words "at once," forgetting for the moment that, in telegraphy, a word underlined counts as two words. she was therefore compelled to forego the emphasis. this message she did not transmit through her own professional instrument, but gave it in at the nearest district office. it was at once shot bodily, with a bundle of other telegrams, through a pneumatic tube, and thus reached st. martin's-le-grand in one minute thirty-five seconds, or about twenty minutes before herself. chancing to be the uppermost message, it was flashed off without delay, crossed the irish channel, and entered the office at cork in about six minutes. here there was a short delay of half-an-hour, owing to other telegrams which had prior claim to attention. then it was flashed to the west coast, which it reached long before the letter posted on the previous night, and not long after may had seated herself at her own three-keyed instrument. but there, telegraphic speed was thwarted by unavoidable circumstances, the post-runner having already started on his morning rounds, and it was afternoon before the telegram was delivered at rocky cottage. this was the telegram which had caused philip maylands so much anxiety. he read it at last with great relief, and at the same time with some degree of sadness, when he thought of leaving his mother "unprotected" in her lonely cottage by the sea. chapter three. brilliant prospects. madge--whose proper name was marjory stevens--was absent when may's letter arrived the following day. on her return to the cottage she was taken into the committee which sat upon the subject of phil's appointment. "it's not a very grand appointment," said mrs maylands, with a sigh. "sure it's not an appointment at all yet, mother," returned phil, who held in his hand the paper of instructions enclosed in may's letter. "beggars, you know, mustn't be choosers; an' if i'm not a beggar, it's next thing to it i am. besides, if the position of a boy-telegraph-messenger isn't very exalted in itself, it's the first step to better things. isn't the first round of a ladder connected with the top round?" "that's true, phil," said madge; "there's nothing to prevent your becoming postmaster-general in course of time." "nothing whatever, that i know of," returned phil. "perhaps somebody else knows of something that may prevent it," said his mother with an amused smile. "perhaps!" exclaimed the boy, with a twinkle in his eye; "don't talk to me of perhapses, i'm not to be damped by such things. now, just consider this," he continued, looking over the paper in his hand, "here we have it all in print. i must apply for the situation in writin' no less. well, i can do it in copperplate, if they please. then my age must be not less than fourteen, and not more than fifteen." "that suits to a t," said madge. "yes; and, but hallo! what have we here?" said phil, with a look of dismay. "what is it?" asked his mother and madge in the same breath, with looks of real anxiety. "well, well, it's too bad," said phil slowly, "it says here that i'm to have `no claim on the superannuation fund.' isn't that hard?" a smile from mrs maylands, and a laugh from madge, greeted this. it was also received with an appalling yell from the baby, which caused mother and nurse to leap to the rescue. that sprout of mischief, in the course of an experimental tour of the premises, had climbed upon a side-table, had twisted his right foot into the loop of the window-curtains, had fallen back, and hung, head downwards, howling. having been comforted with bread and treacle, and put to bed, the committee meeting was resumed. "well, then," said phil, consulting his paper again, "i give up the superannuation advantages. then, as to wages, seven shillings a week, rising to eight shillings after one year's service. why, it's a fortune! any man at my age can live on sixpence a day easy--that's three-and-six, leaving three-and-six a week clear for you, mother. then there's a uniform; just think o' that!" "i wonder what sort of uniform it is," said madge. "a red coat, madge, and blue trousers with silver lace and a brass helmet, for certain--" "don't talk nonsense, boy," interrupted mrs maylands, "but go on with the paper." "oh! there's nothing more worth mentioning," said phil, folding the paper, "except that boy-messengers, if they behave themselves, have a chance of promotion to boy-sorterships, indoor-telegraph-messengerships, junior sorterships, and letter-carrierships, on their reaching the age of seventeen, and, i suppose, secretaryships, and postmaster-generalships, with a baronetcy, on their attaining the age of methuselah. it's the very thing for me, mother, so i'll be off to-morrow if--" phil was cut short by the bursting open of the door and the sudden entrance of his friend george aspel. "come, phil," he cried, blazing with excitement, "there's a wreck in the bay. quick! there's no time to lose." the boy leaped up at once, and dashed out after his friend. it was evening. the gale, which had blown for two days was only beginning to abate. dark clouds were split in the western sky by gleams of fiery light as the sun declined towards its troubled ocean-bed. hurrying over the fields, and bending low to the furious blast, aspel and philip made their way to the neighbouring cliffs. but before we follow them, reader, to the wave-lashed shore, it is necessary, for the satisfactory elucidation of our tale, that we should go backward a short way in time, and bound forward a long way into space. chapter four. the royal mail steamer. out, far out on the mighty sea, a large vessel makes her way gallantly over the billows--homeward bound. she is a royal mail steamer from the southern hemisphere--the _trident_--and a right royal vessel she looks with her towering iron hull, and her taper masts, and her two thick funnels, and her trim rigging, and her clean decks--for she has an awning spread over them, to guard from smoke as well as from sun. there is a large family on board of the _trident_, and, like all other large families, its members display marked diversities of character. they also exhibit, like not a few large families, remarkable diversities of temper. among them there are several human magnets with positive and negative poles, which naturally draw together. there are also human flints and steels which cannot come into contact without striking fire. when the _trident_ got up steam, and bade adieu to the southern cross, there was no evidence whatever of the varied explosives and combustibles which she carried in her after-cabin. the fifty or sixty passengers who waved kerchiefs, wiped their eyes, and blew their noses, at friends on the receding shore, were unknown to each other; they were intent on their own affairs. when obliged to jostle each other they were all politeness and urbanity. after the land had sunk on the horizon the intro-circumvolutions of a large family, or rather a little world, began. there was a birth on board, an engagement, ay, and a death; yet neither the interest of the first, nor the romance of the second, nor the solemnity of the last, could check for more than a few hours the steady development of the family characteristics of love, modesty, hate, frivolity, wisdom, and silliness. a proportion of the passengers were, of course, nobodies, who aspired to nothing greater than to live and let live, and who went on the even tenor of their way, without much change, from first to last. some of them were somebodies who, after a short time, began to expect the recognition of that fact. there were ambitious bodies who, in some cases, aimed too high, and there were unpretending-bodies who frequently aimed too low. there were also selfish-bodies who, of course, thought only of themselves--with, perhaps, a slight passing reference to those among the after-cabin passengers who could give them pleasure, and there were self-forgetting-bodies who turned their thoughts frequently on the ship, the crew, the sea, the solar system, the maker of the universe. these also thought of their fellow-passengers in the fore-cabin, who of course had a little family or world of their own, with its similar joys, and sins, and sorrows, before the mast; and there were uproarious-bodies who kept the little world lively--sometimes a little too lively. as the royal mail steamer rushed out to sea and was tossed on the ocean's breast, these human elements began to mix and effervesce and amalgamate, or fizz, burst, and go off, like squibs and crackers. there was a mrs pods with three little girls, and a mrs tods with two little boys, whose first casual glance at each other was transmuted into a glare of undying and unreasoning hate. these ladies were exceptions to the rule of general urbanity before mentioned. both had fiery faces, and each read the other through and through at a glance. there was a miss bluestocking who charmed some people, irritated others, frightened a few, and caused many to sneer. her chief friend among the males was a young man named mr weakeyes, who had a small opinion of himself and a very receptive mind. miss troolove, among the ladies, was her chief friend. the strange misnomers which one meets with in society were also found in the little world in that steamer--that royal mail steamer we should say--for, while we turn aside for a brief period to condescend upon these particulars, we would not have the reader forget that they have an indirect bearing on the main thread of our tale. one misnamed lady was a miss mist, who, instead of being light, airy, and ethereal, as she ought to have been, weighed at least twelve stone six. but she sang divinely, was a great favourite with the young people on board, and would have been very much missed indeed if she had not been there. there was also a mr stout, who was the tallest and thinnest man in the ship. on the other hand there were some whose names had been obviously the result of a sense of propriety in some one. among the men who were rabidly set on distinguishing themselves in one way or another was a major beak. now, why was it that this major's nose was an aquiline of the most outrageous dimensions? surely no one would argue that the nose grew to accommodate the name. is it not more probable--nay, certain-- that the name grew to accommodate the nose? of course when major beak was born he was a minor, and his nose must have been no better than a badly-shaped button or piece of putty; but the major's father had owned a tremendous aquiline nose, which at birth had also been a button, and so on we can proceed backwards until we drive the beaks into that remote antiquity where historical fact begins and mythological theory terminates--that period when men were wont, it is supposed, to name each other intelligently with reference to personal characteristic or occupation. so, too, mr bright--a hearty good-natured fellow, who drew powerfully to major beak and hated miss bluestocking--possessed the vigorous frame, animated air, and intelligent look which must have originated his name. but why go on? every reader must be well acquainted with the characters of mr fiery and mr stiff, and mrs dashington, and her niece miss squeaker, and colonel blare who played the cornet, and lieutenant limp who sang tenor, and dr bassoon who roared bass, and mrs silky, who was all things to all men, besides being everything by turns and nothing long; and lady tower and miss gentle, and mr blurt and miss dumbbelle. suffice it to say that after a week or two the effervescing began to systematise, and the family became a living and complex electrical machine, whose sympathetic poles drew and stuck together, while the antagonistic poles kept up a steady discharge of sparks. then there arose a gale which quieted the machine a little, and checked the sparkling flow of wit and humour. when, during the course of the gale, a toppling billow overbalanced itself and fell inboard with a crash that nearly split the deck open, sweeping two of the quarterboats away, mr blurt, sitting in the saloon, was heard to exclaim:-- "'pon my word, it's a terrible gale--enough almost to make a fellow think of his sins." to which mrs tods, who sat beside him, replied, with a serious shake of her head, that it was indeed a very solemn occasion, and cast a look, not of undying hate but of gentle appeal at mrs pods, who sat opposite to her. and that lady, so far from resenting the look as an affront, met her in a liberal spirit; not only admitted that what mrs tods had said was equally just and true, but even turned her eyes upward with a look of resignation. well was it for mrs pods that she did so, for her resigned eyes beheld the globe of the cabin lamp pitched off its perch by a violent lurch and coming straight at her. thus she had time to bow to circumstances, and allow the missile to pass over her head into the bosom of lady tower, where it was broken to atoms. the effect of mutual concession was so strong on mrs pods and mrs tods, that the former secretly repented having wished that one of mrs tods' little sons might fall down the hatchway and get maimed for life, while the latter silently regretted having hoped that one of mrs pods' little girls might fall overboard and be half-drowned. but the storm passed away and the effervescence returned--though not, it is pleasing to add, with so much pungency as before. thus, night and day, the steamer sped on over the southern seas, across the mystic line, and into the northern hemisphere, with the written records, hopes, commands, and wishes of a continent in the mail-bags in her hold, and leaving a beautiful milky-way behind her. but there were more than letters and papers in these mail-bags. there were diamonds! not indeed those polished and glittering gems whose proper resting-place is the brow of beauty, but those uncut pebbles that are turned up at the mines, which the ignorant would fling away or give to their children as playthings, but for which merchants and experts would give hundreds and thousands of pounds. a splendid prize that royal mail steamer would have been for the buccaneers of the olden time, but happily there are no buccaneers in these days--at least not in civilised waters. a famous pirate had, however, set his heart on those diamonds--even old neptune himself. this is how it happened. chapter five. wreck and rescue. one evening miss gentle and rotund little mr blurt were seated on two camp-stools near the stern, conversing occasionally and gazing in a dreamy frame of mind at the milky-way over which they appeared to travel. "i wonder much, miss gentle," said mr blurt, "that you were not more afraid during that gale we had just before crossing the line?" "i was a good deal afraid, though perhaps i did not show it. your remark," she added, with an arch glance at her companion, "induces me to express some surprise that you seemed so much afraid." "afraid!" echoed mr blurt, with a smile; "why, i wasn't afraid--eh! was i?" "i beg pardon," hastily explained miss gentle, "i don't mean frightened, of course; perhaps i should have said alarmed, or agitated--" "agitated!" cried mr blurt, pulling off his hat, and rubbing his bald head--he was prematurely bald, being only forty, though he looked like fifty--"agitated! well, miss gentle, if you had diamonds--" he stopped short, and looked at his companion with a confused smile. "diamonds, mr blurt," said miss gentle, slightly surprised; "what do you mean?" "well--ha! hem!" said the other, rubbing his forehead; "i see no reason why i should make a mystery of it. since i have mentioned the thing, i may as well say that a man who happens to have a packet of diamonds in the mail-bags worth about twenty thousand pounds, may well be excused showing some little agitation lest the ship containing them should go to the bottom." "i don't quite see that," returned miss gentle. "if the owner is on board, and goes to the bottom with his diamonds, it does not matter to _him_, does it?" "ah!" said mr blurt, "it is the inconsiderateness of youth which prompts that speech. (miss gentle looked about twenty, though she was in reality twenty-seven!) do you think i have no anxiety for any one but myself? suppose i have a wife and family in england who are dependent on these diamonds." "ah! that did not occur to me," returned the lady. "have you any objection to become a confidante?" asked mr blurt. "none whatever," replied miss gentle, laughing. "well, then, to let you understand my feelings, i shall explain. i have a brother--a dear little fellow like mys--ah, excuse me; i did not mean _dear_ like myself, but _little_. well, he is a naturalist. he lives in london, and is not a very successful naturalist; indeed, i may say that he is an unfortunate and poor naturalist. last year he failed. i sent him a small sum of money. he failed again. i sent him more money. being a successful diamond-merchant, you see, i could afford to do so. we are both bachelors; my brother being much older than i am. at last i resolved to send home my whole fortune, and return to live with him, after winding up my affairs. i did so: made up my diamonds into a parcel, and sent it by mail as being the most secure method. just after doing this, i got a letter informing me of my brother being dangerously ill, and begging me to come to england without delay. i packed up at once, left my partner to wind up the business, and so, here i am, on board the very steamer that carries my diamonds to england." "how curious--and how interesting," said the sympathetic miss gentle. whatever more she intended to say was checked by a large parti-coloured ball hitting her on the cheek, and falling into her lap. it was followed up and captured with a shriek by the two little todses and the three little podses. at the same moment the gong sounded for tea. thus the conversation came to a close. the voyage of the _trident_--with the exception of the gale before referred to--was prosperous until her arrival in the waters of the northern hemisphere. by that time the passengers had crystallised into groups, the nobodies and self-forgetting-bodies fraternised, and became more and more friendly as time went on. the uproarious-bodies got up concerts and charades. the hatred of pods for tods intensified. the arrogance of major beak, and the good-natured modesty of mr bright, increased. the noise of dr bassoon made the manner of mr silky quite agreeable by contrast, while the pride of lady tower and mr stiff formed a fine, deep-shade to the neutral tint of miss gentle, and the high-light of miss squeaker. gradually, however, feelings began to modify. the squalls and breezes that ruffled the human breasts on board the _trident_ moderated in exact proportion as that vessel penetrated and experienced the storms of what should have been named the _in_-temperate zone. at last they drew near to the shores of old england, and then there burst upon them a nor-wester, so violent that within the first hour the close-reefed topsails were blown to ribbons, and the foretopmast, with the jib-boom, was carried away. of course this was a comparatively small matter in a steamer, but when it was afterwards discovered that the vessel had sprung a leak, things began to look more serious. "it's only a trifle, miss gentle; don't alarm yourself. we can put that to rights in a few minutes," said major beak, with the confident air of a man whose nautical education had begun with noah, and continued uninterruptedly down to the present time. "he's a hooked-nosed humbug, miss gentle, an' knows nothing about it," growled the captain. "water rising rapidly in the hold, sir," said the carpenter, coming aft and touching his cap. "rig the pumps," said the captain, and the pumps were rigged. what is more to the purpose, they were wrought with a will by the crew; but in spite of their efforts the water continued to rise. it might have done a student of human nature good to have observed the effect of this information on the passengers. regarded as a whole the little world became perceptibly paler in the cheeks, and strikingly moderate in tone of voice and manner. major beak, in particular, began to talk low, and made no reference whatever to nautical matters, while mrs pods looked amiably--almost affectionately--at mrs tods. of course the passengers observed with breathless interest the action of the captain at this crisis. that important personage did his best to stop the leak, but only succeeded in checking it, and it required the constant exertions of the crew night and day at the pumps to reduce the water in the hold even by an inch. in these circumstances the young men among the passengers readily volunteered their services to assist the crew. the gale continued and steadily increased. at night the ladies, and such of the passengers as were not employed at the pumps, retired to the cabin. some of those who did not realise the danger of the situation went to bed. others sat up in the saloon and consoled each other as best they might. morning came, but with it came no abatement of the storm. water and sky seemed mingled together, and were of one uniform tone. it was obvious that the men at the pumps were utterly exhausted, and worst of all the water was beginning to gain slowly on them. the elderly men were now called on to help. it became necessary that all should work for their lives. miss bluestocking, who was muscular as well as masculine, rose to the occasion, and suggested that the ladies, so to speak, should man the pumps. her suggestion was not acted on. at this point mr bright, who had been toiling night and day like an inexhaustible giant, suggested that music might be called in to aid their flagging powers. it was well known that fatigued soldiers on a march are greatly re-invigorated by the band. major beak, soaking from head to foot with salt water, almost blind with fatigue and want of sleep, and with the perspiration dropping from the point of his enormous nose, plucked up heart to raise himself and assert that that was true. he further suggested that colonel blare might play to them on the cornet. but colonel blare was incapable by that time of playing even on a penny trumpet. dr bassoon was reduced so low as to be obliged to half whisper his incapacity to sing bass, and as for the great tenor, lieutenant limp--a piece of tape was stiffer than his backbone. "let the ladies sing to us," sighed mr fiery, who was mere milk and water by that time. "i'm sure that mrs tods and mrs pods would be--" a united shriek of protest from those ladies checked him. "or miss troolove," suggested mr blurt, on whose stout person the labour told severely. the lady appealed to, after a little hesitation, began a hymn, but the time was found to be too slow, while the voice, although sweet and true, was too weak. "come, let us have one of the `christy minstrels'," cried mr bright in a lively tone. "i'm certain miss mist can sing one." poor miss mist was almost hysterical with fear and prolonged anxiety, but she was an obliging creature. on being assured that the other ladies would support her, she struck up the "land of dixey," and was joined in the chorus with so much spirit that those who laboured at the pumps felt like giants refreshed. explain it how we may, there can be no question that lively music has a wonderful power of sustaining the energies of mankind. with the return of cheerful sensations there revived in some of them the sense of the ludicrous, and it was all that they could do to refrain from laughter as they looked at the forlorn females huddled together, wrapped in rugs and cloaks, drenched to the skin, almost blown from their seats, ghastly with watching and fear, solemn-visaged in the last degree, and yet singing "pop goes the weasel," and similar ditties, with all the energy of despair. we paint no fanciful picture. we describe facts, and there is no saying how far the effect of that music might have helped in the saving of the ship, had not an event occurred which rendered further efforts unnecessary. the captain, who had either lost his reckoning or his head, or both, was seen to apply himself too frequently to a case-bottle in the cabin, and much anxiety began to be felt as to his capacity to manage the vessel. owing, also, to the length of time that thick weather had prevailed, no reliable observation had been obtained for several days. while the anxiety was at its height, there came a sudden and terrible shock, which caused the good ship to tremble. then, for the first time, the roar of breakers was heard above the howling of the storm. as if to increase the horror of the scene, the fog lifted and revealed towering cliffs close ahead of them. the transition from a comparatively hopeful state to one of absolute despair was overwhelming. the wild waves lifted the great hull of the vessel and let it down on the rocks with another crash, sending the masts over the side, while the passengers could only shriek in agony and cling to the wreck. fortunately, in taking the ground, the vessel had kept straight, so that the forepart formed a comparative shelter from the waves that were fast breaking up the stern. in the midst of all this confusion the first mate and mr bright seemed to keep quite cool. between them they loaded and fired the bow signal-guns several times, by which means they brought a few fishermen and coastguard-men to the scene of disaster. and among these, as we have seen, were our heroes, philip maylands and george aspel. on arriving, these two found that the rocket apparatus was being set up on the beach. "phil," said aspel in a quick low voice, "they'll want the lifeboat, and the wind carries the sound of their guns in the wrong direction. run round, lad, and give the alarm. there's not a moment to lose." the boy turned to run without a word of reply, but he could not help observing, as he turned, the compressed lips, the expanding nostrils, and the blazing eyes of his friend, who almost quivered with suppressed excitement. for some time george aspel stood beside the men of the coastguard while they set up their apparatus and fired the rocket. to offer assistance, he knew, would only retard them. the first rocket was carried to the right of the vessel, which was now clearly visible. the second went to the other side. there was a reef of rocks on that side which lay a few yards farther out from the beach than the wreck. over this reef the rocket-line fell and got entangled. part of the shore-end of the apparatus also broke down. while the men were quickly repairing it aspel said in a hurried manner:--"i'll clear the rocket-line," and away he darted like a greyhound. "hold ha-a-rd! foolish fellow, you'll be drownded," roared one of the men. but aspel heeded him not. another minute and he was far away on the ledge of rock jutting out from a high cape--the point of which formed the outlying reef above referred to. he was soon at the extremity of the ledge beyond which nearly a hundred yards of seething foam heaved between him and the reef. in he plunged without a moment's halt. going with the rush of the waves through the channel he struck diagonally across, and landed on the reef. every billow swept over it, but not with sufficient force to prevent his struggling towards the rocket-line, which he eventually reached and cleared. "wasn't that nately done!" cried an enthusiastic young fisherman on the beach; "but, och! what is he up to now?" a few seconds sufficed to give an answer to his question. instead of letting go the line and returning, young aspel tied it round his waist, and ran or waded to the extreme edge of the reef which was nearest to the wreck. the vessel lay partially to leeward of him now, with not much space between, but that space was a very whirlpool of tormented waves. aspel gave no moment to thought. in his then state of mind he would have jumped down the throat of a cannon. next instant he was battling with the billows, and soon reached the ship; but now his danger was greatest, for the curling waves threw him so violently against the side of the wreck that he almost lost consciousness and missed the lifebuoy which, with a rope attached, had been thrown to him by the anxious crew. a great cry of anxiety arose at this, but mr bright had anticipated it, and the first mate was ready to aid him. leaping into the sea with a rope round his waist, mr bright caught aspel as he struggled past. the mate's powerful hands held them both fast. some of the crew lent a ready hand, and in a few seconds george aspel was hauled on board. he had quite recovered by that time, and replied with a smile to the ringing cheer that greeted him. the cheer was echoed again and again by the men on shore. major beak attempted to grasp his hand, but failed. mr blurt, feeling an irresistible impulse, tried to embrace him, but was thrust aside, fell, and rolled into the lee-scuppers. scattering the people aside aspel sprang on the bulwarks at the bow, and, snatching mr stiff's travelling-cap from his head, held it up as a signal to the men on shore. well did the youth know what to do in the circumstances, for many a time had he talked it over with the men of the coastguard in former days. on receiving an answering signal from the shore he began to haul on the rocket-line. the men in charge had fastened to it a block, or pulley, with two tails to it; a line was rove through this block. the instant the block reached his hands aspel sprang with it to the stump of the foremast, and looking round cried, "who'll lend a--" "here you are," said mr bright, embracing the mast with both arms and stooping,--for mr bright also knew well what to do. george aspel leaped on his shoulders and stood up. mr bright then raised himself steadily, and thus the former was enabled to tie the block by its two tails to the mast at a height of about eleven feet. the line rove through the block was the "whip," which was to be manipulated by those on shore. it was a double, and, of course, an endless line. again the signal was given as before, and the line began to run. very soon a stout hawser or cable was seen coming out to the wreck. aspel fastened the end of this to the mast several feet below the pulley. a third time the signal was given. "now then, ladies, stand by to go ashore, and let's have no hesitation. it's life or death with us all," said the mate in a voice so stern that the crowd of anxious and somewhat surprised females prepared to obey. presently a ring-shaped lifebuoy, with something like a pair of short breeches dangling from it, came out from the shore, suspended to a block which traversed on the cable, and was hauled out by means of the whip. a seaman was ordered to get into it. mrs tods, who stood beside the mate, eyeing the process somewhat curiously, felt herself firmly but gently seized. "come, mrs tods, step into it. he'll take care of you--no fear." "never! never! without my two darlings," shrieked mrs tods. but mrs tods was tenderly lifted over the side and placed in the powerful arms of the sailor. her sons instantly set up a howl and rushed towards her. but mr bright had anticipated this also, and, with the aid of a seaman, arrested them. meanwhile, the signal having been given, the men on the land pulled in the cradle, and mrs tods went shrieking over the hissing billows to the shore. a few minutes more and out came the cradle again. "now, then, for the two `darlings'," growled the mate. they were forcibly put over the side and sent howling to their mother. after them went mrs pods, who, profiting by the experience of her friend, made no resistance. this however, was more than counterbalanced by the struggles of _her_ three treasures, who immediately followed. but the shades of evening were now falling, and it was with an anxious feeling at his heart that the mate surveyed the cluster of human beings who had yet to be saved, while each roaring wave that struck the wreck seemed about to break it up. suddenly there arose a cry of joy, and, looking seaward, the bright white and blue form of the lifeboat was seen coming in like an angel of light on the crests of the foaming seas. we may not stay to describe what followed in detail. the lifeboat's anchor was let go to windward of the wreck, and the cable paid out until the boat forged under the vessel's lee, where it heaved on the boiling foam so violently that it was difficult to prevent it being stove in, and still more difficult to get the women and children passed on board. soon the lifeboat was full--as full as she could hold--and many passengers yet remained to be rescued. the officer in charge of the mail-bags had got them up under the shelter of the companion-hatch ready to be put into the boat, but human life was of more value than letters--ay, even than diamonds. "now, then, one other lady. only room for one," roared the mate, who stood with pistol in hand near the gangway. miss gentle tried to get to the front, but lady tower stepped in before her. "never mind, little woman," said mr bright, encouragingly, "the rocket apparatus is still at work, and the wreck seems hard and fast on the reef. you'll get off next trip." "but i can't bear to think of going by that awful thing," said miss gentle, shuddering and sheltering herself from the blinding spray under the lee of bright's large and powerful body. "well, then," he returned, cheerfully, "the lifeboat will soon return; you'll go ashore with the mails." mr bright was right about the speedy return of the lifeboat with her gallant crew, who seemed to rejoice in danger as if in the presence of a familiar friend, but he was wrong about the wreck being hard and fast. the rising tide shifted her a little, and drove her a few feet farther in. when the other women and children were got into the boat, mr bright, who stood near the mail-bags looking anxiously at them, left his position for a moment to assist miss gentle to the gangway. she had just been safely lowered when a tremendous wave lifted the wreck and hurled it so far over the reef that the fore part of the vessel was submerged in a pool of deep water lying between it and the shore. mr bright looked back and saw the hatchway disappearing. he made a desperate bound towards it, but was met by the rush of the crew, who now broke through the discipline that was no longer needed, and jumped confusedly into the lifeboat on the sea, carrying bright along with them. on recovering his feet he saw the ship make a final plunge forward and sink to the bottom, so that nothing was left above water but part of the two funnels. the splendid lifeboat was partly drawn down, but not upset. she rose again like a cork, and in a few seconds freed herself from water through the discharging tubes in her bottom. the men struggling in the water were quickly rescued, and the boat, having finished her noble work, made for the shore amid cheers of triumph and joy. among all the passengers in that lifeboat there was only one whose visage expressed nothing but unutterable woe. "why, mr bright," said miss gentle, who clung to one of the thwarts beside him, and was struck by his appearance, "you seem to have broken down all at once. what has happened?" "the mail-bags!" groaned mr bright. "why do you take so deep an interest in the mails?" asked miss gentle. "because i happen to be connected with the post-office; and though i have no charge of them, i can't bear to see them lost," said mr bright with another groan, as he turned his eyes wistfully--not to the shore, at which all on board were eagerly gazing--but towards the wreck of the royal mail steamer _trident_, the top of whose funnels rose black and defiant in the midst of the raging waves. chapter six. treats of poverty, pride, and fidelity. behind a very fashionable square in a very unfashionable little street, in the west end of london, dwelt miss sarah lillycrop. that lady's portion in this life was a scanty wardrobe, a small apartment, a remarkably limited income, and a tender, religious spirit. from this it will be seen that she was rich as well as poor. her age was, by a curious coincidence, exactly proportioned to her income--the one being forty pounds, and the other forty years. she added to the former, with difficulty, by teaching, and to the latter, unavoidably, by living. by means of a well-known quality styled economy, she more than doubled her income, and by uniting prayer with practice and a gracious mien she did good, as it were, at the rate of five hundred, or five thousand, a year. it could not be said, however, that miss lillycrop lived well in the ordinary sense of that expression. to those who knew her most intimately it seemed a species of standing miracle that she contrived to exist at all, for she fed chiefly on toast and tea. her dietary resulted in an attenuated frame and a thread-paper constitution. occasionally she indulged in an egg, sometimes even in a sausage. but, morally speaking, miss lillycrop lived well, because she lived for others. of course we do not mean to imply that she had no regard for herself at all. on the contrary, she rejoiced in creature comforts when she had the chance, and laid in daily "one ha'p'orth of milk" all for herself. she paid for it, too, which is more than can be said of every one. she also indulged herself to some extent in the luxury of brown sugar at twopence-halfpenny a pound, and was absolutely extravagant in hot water, which she not only imbibed in the form of weak tea and _eau sucree_ hot, but actually took to bed with her every night in an india-rubber bottle. but with the exception of these excusable touches of selfishness, miss lillycrop ignored herself systematically, and devoted her time, talents, and means, to the welfare of mankind. beside a trim little tea-table set for three, she sat one evening with her hands folded on her lap, and her eyes fixed on the door as if she expected it to make a sudden and unprovoked assault on her. in a few minutes her expectations were almost realised, for the door burst open and a boy burst into the room with--"here we are, cousin lillycrop." "phil, darling, at last!" exclaimed cousin lillycrop, rising in haste. philip maylands offered both hands, but cousin lillycrop declined them, seized him round the neck, kissed him on both cheeks, and thrust him down into an easy chair. then she retired into her own easy chair and gloated over him. "how much you've grown--and so handsome, dear boy," murmured the little lady. "ah! then, cousin, it's the blarney stone you've been kissing since i saw you last!" "no, phil, i've kissed nothing but the cat since i saw you last. i kiss that delicious creature every night on the forehead before going to bed, but the undemonstrative thing does not seem to reciprocate. however, i cannot help that." miss lillycrop was right, she could not help it. she was overflowing with the milk of human kindness, and, rather than let any of that valuable liquid go to waste, she poured some of it, not inappropriately, on the thankless cat. "i'm glad you arrived before your sister, phil," said miss lillycrop. "of course i asked her here to meet you. i am _so_ sorry the dear girl cannot live with me: i had fully meant that she should, but my little rooms are so far from the post-office, where her work is, you know, that it could not be managed. however, we see each other as often as possible, and she visits sometimes with me in my district. what has made you so late, phil?" "i expected to have been here sooner, cousin," replied phil, as he took off his greatcoat, "but was delayed by my friend, george aspel, who has come to london with me to look after a situation that has been promised him by sir james clubley, m.p. for i forget where. he's coming here to-night." "who, sir james clubley?" "no," returned the boy, laughing, "george aspel. he went with mr blurt to a hotel to see after a bed, and promised to come here to tea. i asked him, knowing that you'd be glad to receive any intimate friend of mine. won't you, coz?" miss lillycrop expressed and felt great delight at the prospect of meeting phil's friend, but the smallest possible shade of anxiety was mingled with the feeling as she glanced at her very small and not too heavily-loaded table. "besides," continued phil, "george is such a splendid fellow, and, as maybe you remember, lived with us long ago. may will be glad to meet him; and he saved mr blurt's life, so you see--" "saved mr blurt's life!" interrupted miss lillycrop. "yes, and he saved ever so many more people at the same time, who would likely have been all lost if he hadn't swum off to 'em with the rocket-line, and while he was doing that i ran off to call out the lifeboat, an' didn't they get her out and launch her with a will--for you see i had to run three miles, and though i went like the wind they couldn't call out the men and launch her in a minute, you know; but there was no delay. we were in good time, and saved the whole of 'em-- passengers and crew." "so, then, _you_ had a hand in the saving of them," said miss lillycrop. "sure i had," said phil with a flush of pleasure at the remembrance of his share in the good work; "but i'd never have thought of the lifeboat, i was so excited with what was going on, if george hadn't sent me off. he was bursting with big thoughts, and as cool as a cucumber all the time. i do hope he'll get a good situation here. it's in a large east india house, i believe, with which sir james clubley is connected, and sir james was an old friend of george's father, and was very kind to him in his last days, but they say he's a proud and touchy old fellow." as phil spoke, the door, which had a tendency to burst that evening, opened quickly, though not so violently as before, and may maylands stood before them, radiant with a glow of expectation. phil sprang to meet her. after the first effusions were over, the brother and sister sat down to chat of home in the irish far-west, while miss lillycrop retired to a small kitchen, there to hold solemn converse with the smallest domestic that ever handled broom or scrubbing-brush. "now, tottie, you must run round to the baker directly, and fetch another loaf." "what! a whole one, ma'am?" asked the small domestic--in comparison with whom dollops was a giantess. "yes, a whole one. you see there's a young gentleman coming to tea whom i did not expect--a grand tall gentleman too, and a hero, who has saved people from wrecks, and swims in the sea in storms like a duck, and all that sort of thing, so he's sure to have a tremendous appetite. you will also buy another pennyworth of brown sugar, and two more pats of butter." tottie opened her large blue eyes in amazement at the extent of what she deemed a reckless order, but went off instantly to execute it, wondering that any hero, however regardless of the sea or storms, could induce her poor mistress to go in for such extravagance, after having already provided a luxurious meal for three. it might have seemed unfair to send such a child even to bed without an attendant. to send her into the crowded streets alone in the dusk of evening, burdened with a vast commission, and weighted with coppers, appeared little short of inhumanity. nevertheless miss lillycrop did it with an air of perfect confidence, and the result proved that her trust was not misplaced. tottie had been gone only a few seconds when george aspel appeared at the door and was admitted by miss lillycrop, who apologised for the absence of her maid. great was the surprise and not slight the embarrassment of may maylands when young aspel was ushered into the little room, for phil had not recovered sufficiently from the first greetings to mention him. perhaps greater was the surprise of miss lillycrop when these two, whom she had expected to meet as old playmates, shook hands rather stiffly. "sure, i forgot, may, to tell you that george was coming--" "i am very glad to see him," interrupted may, recovering herself, "though i confess to some surprise that he should have forsaken ireland so soon, after saying to me that it was a perfect paradise." aspel, whose curly flaxen hair almost brushed the ceiling, brought himself down to a lower region by taking a chair, while he said with a meaning smile-- "ah! miss maylands, the circumstances are entirely altered now-- besides," he added with a sudden change of tone and manner, "that inexorable man-made demon, business, calls me to london." "i hope business intends to keep you here," said miss lillycrop, busying herself at the tea-table. "that remains to be seen," returned aspel. "if i find that--" "the loaf and butter, ma'am," said tottie, announcing these articles at the door as if they were visitors. "hush, child; leave them in the kitchen till i ask for them," said miss lillycrop with a quiet laugh. "my little maid is _such_ an original, mr aspel." "she's a very beautiful, though perhaps somewhat dishevelled, original," returned aspel, "of which one might be thankful to possess even an inferior copy." "indeed you are right," rejoined miss lillycrop with enthusiasm; "she's a perfect little angel--come, draw in your chairs; closer this way, phil, so--a perfect little angel--you take sugar i think? yes. well, as i was saying, the strange thing about her was that she was born and bred--thus far--in one of the worst of the back slums of london, and her father is an idle drunkard. i fear, also, a criminal." "how strange and sad," said aspel, whose heart was easily touched and sympathies roused by tales of sorrow. "but how comes it that she has escaped contamination?" "because she has a good--by which i mean a christian--mother. ah! mr aspel, you have no idea how many unknown and unnoticed gems there are half smothered in the moral mud and filth of london. it is a wonderful--a tremendous city;--tremendous because of the mighty influences for good as well as evil which are constantly at work in it. there is an army of moral navvies labouring here, who are continually unearthing these gems, and there are others who polish them. i have the honour to be a member of this army. dear little tottie is one of the gems, and i mean, with god's blessing, to polish her. of course, i can't get her all to myself," continued miss lillycrop with a sigh, "for her mother, who is a washer-woman, won't part with her, but she has agreed to come and work for me every morning for a few hours, and i can get her now and then of an evening. my chief regret is that the poor thing has a long long way to walk from her miserable home to reach me. i don't know how she will stand it. she has been only a few days in my service." as the unpolished diamond entered at this moment with a large plate of buttered toast, miss lillycrop changed the subject abruptly by expressing a hope that may maylands had not to go on late duty that evening. "oh, no; it's not my turn for a week yet," said may. "it seems to me very hard that they should work you night and day," said phil, who had been quietly drinking in new ideas with his tea while his cousin discoursed. "but they don't work us night and day, phil," returned may, "it is only the telegraphs that do that. we of the female staff work in relays. if we commence at a.m. we work till p.m. if we begin at nine we work till five, and so on--eight p.m. being our latest hour. night duty is performed by men, who are divided into two sections, and it is so arranged that each man has an alternate long and short duty--working three hours one night and thirteen hours the next. we are allowed half-an-hour for dinner, which we eat in a dining-hall in the place. of course we dine in relays also, as there are above twelve hundred of us, male and female." "how many?" asked george aspel in surprise. "above twelve hundred." "why, that would make two pretty fair regiments of soldiers," said aspel. "no, george," said phil, "it's two regiments of pretty fair soldiers that they'd make." "can't you hold your tongue, man, an' let may talk?" retorted aspel. "so, you see," continued may, "that amongst us we manage to have the telegraphic communication of the kingdom well attended to." "but tell me, may," said phil, "do they really suck messages through tubes two miles long?" "indeed they do, phil. you see, the general post-office in london is in direct communication with all the chief centres of the kingdom, such as birmingham, liverpool, manchester, edinburgh, glasgow, dublin, cork, etcetera, so that all messages sent from london must pass through the great hall at st. martin's-le-grand. but there are many offices in london for receiving telegrams besides the general post-office. suppose that one of these offices in the city receives numerous telegrams every hour all day long,--instead of transmitting these by wire to the general post-office, to be re-distributed to their various destinations, they are collected and put bodily into cylindrical leather cases, which are inserted into pneumatic metal tubes. these extend to our central office, and through them the telegrams are sucked just as they are written. the longest tube, from the west strand, is about two miles, and each bundle or cylinder of telegrams takes about three minutes to travel. there are upwards of thirty such tubes, and the suction business is done by two enormous fifty-horse-power steam-engines in the basement of our splendid building. there is a third engine, which is kept ready to work in case of a break-down, or while one of the others is being repaired." "ah! may, wouldn't there be the grand blow-up if you were to burst your boilers in the basement?" said phil. "no doubt there would. but steam is not the only terrible agent at work in that same basement. if you only saw the electric batteries there that generate the electricity which enables us up-stairs to send our messages flying from london to the land's end or john o' groat's, or the heart of ireland! you must know that a far stronger battery is required to send messages a long way than a short. our battery inspector told me the other day that he could not tell exactly the power of all the batteries united, but he had no doubt it was sufficient to blow the entire building into the middle of next week. now you know, phil, it would require a pretty severe shock to do that, wouldn't it? fortunately the accidental union of all the batteries is impossible. but you'll see it for yourself soon. and it will make you open your eyes when you see a room with three miles of shelving, on which are ranged twenty-two thousand battery-jars." "my dear," said miss lillycrop, with a mild smile, "you will no doubt wonder at my ignorance, but i don't understand what you mean by a battery-jar." "it is a jar, cousin, which contains the substances which produce electricity." "well, well," rejoined miss lillycrop, dipping the sugar-spoon into the slop-bowl in her abstraction, "this world and its affairs is to me a standing miracle. of course i must believe that what you say is true, yet i can no more understand how electricity is made in a jar and sent flying along a wire for some hundreds of miles with messages to our friends than i can comprehend how a fly walks on the ceiling without tumbling off." "i'm afraid," returned may, "that you would require to study a treatise on telegraphy to comprehend that, but no doubt phil will soon get it so clearly into his head as to be able to communicate it to you.--you'll go to the office with me on monday, won't you, phil?" "of course i will--only too glad to begin at once." "my poor boy," said may, putting her hand on her brother's arm, "it's not a very great beginning of life to become a telegraph-messenger." "ah! now, may, that's not like yourself," said phil, who unconsciously dropped--perhaps we should say rose--to a more decided brogue when he became tender or facetious. "is it rousin' the pride of me you'd be afther? don't they say that any ould fiddle is good enough to learn upon? mustn't i put my foot on the first round o' the ladder if i want to go up higher? if i'm to be postmaster-general mustn't i get a general knowledge of the post from the bottom to the top by goin' through it? it's only men like george there that can go slap over everything at a bound." "come, phil, don't be impertinent," said george, "it's a bad sign in one so young. will you convoy me a short way? i must go now." he rose as he spoke and bade miss lillycrop good-evening. that lady expressed an earnest hope that he would come to see her frequently, and he promised to do so as often as he could find time. he also bade may good-evening because she was to spend the night with her cousin, but may parted from him with the same touch of reserve that marked their meeting. he resented this by drawing himself up and turning away somewhat coldly. "now, phil," he said, almost sternly, on reaching the street, "here's a letter to sir james clubley which i want to read to you.--listen." by the light of a lamp he read:-- "dear sir,--i appreciate your kindness in offering me the situation mentioned in your letter of the th, and especially your remarks in reference to my late father, who was indeed worthy of esteem. i shall have pleasure in calling on you on hearing that you are satisfied with the testimonials herewith enclosed.--i am, etcetera." "now, phil, will that do?" "do? of course it will. nothing could be better. only--" "well, what?" "don't you think that you might call without waiting to hear his opinion of your testimonials?" "no, phil, i don't," replied the other in a slightly petulant tone; "i don't feel quite sure of the spirit in which he referred to my dear father. of course it was kind and all that, but it was slightly patronising, and my father was an infinitely superior man to himself." "well, i don't know," said phil; "if you're going to accept a favour of him you had better try to feel and act in a friendly way, but of course it would never do to encourage him in pride." "well then, i'll send it," said aspel, closing the letter; "do you know where i can post it?" "not i. never was here before. i've only a vague idea of how i got here, and mustn't go far with you lest i lose myself." at that moment miss lillycrop's door opened and little tottie issued forth. "ah! she will help us.--d'you know where the post-office is, tottie?" "yes, sir, it's at the corner of the street, miss lillycrop says." "which direction?" "that one, i think." "here, i'm going the other way: will you post this letter for me?" "yes, sir," said tottie. "that's a good girl; here's a penny for you." "please, sir, that's not a penny," said the child, holding out the half-crown which aspel had put in her hand. "never mind; keep it." tottie stood bereft of speech at the youth's munificence, as he turned away from her with a laugh. now, when tottie bones said that she knew where the post was, she did so because her mistress had told her, among other pieces of local information, that the pillar letter-box stood at the corner of the street and was painted red; but as no occasion had occurred since her arrival for the posting of a letter, she had not yet seen the pillar with her own eyes. the corner of the street, however, was so plain a direction that no one except an idiot could fail to find it. accordingly tottie started off to execute her mission. unfortunately--or the reverse, as the case may be--streets have usually two corners. the child went, almost as a matter of course, to the wrong one, and there she found no pillar. but she was a faithful messenger, and not to be easily balked. she sought diligently at that corner until she really did find a pillar, in a retired angle. living, as she did, chiefly in the back slums of london, where literary correspondence is not much in vogue, tottie had never seen a pillar letter-box, or, if she had, had not realised its nature. miss lillycrop had told her it was red, with a slit in it. the pillar she had found was red to some extent with rust, and it unquestionably had a slit in it where, in days gone by, a handle had projected. it also had a spout in front. tottie had some vague idea that this letter-box must have been made in imitation of a pump, and that the spout was a convenient step to enable small people like herself to reach the slit. only, she thought it queer that they should not have put the spout in front of the pillar under the slit, instead of behind it. she was still more impressed with this when, after having twice got on the spout, she twice fell off in futile efforts to reach round the pump with her small arms. baffled, but not defeated, tottie waited till some one should pass who could put the letter in for her, but in that retired angle no one passed. suddenly her sharp eyes espied a brickbat. she set it up on end beside the pump, mounted it, stood on tip-toe, and, stretching her little body to the very uttermost, tipped the letter safely in. the brickbat tipped over at the same instant and sent her headlong to the ground. but this was no novelty to tottie. regardless of the fall, she gathered herself up, and, with the light heart of one who has gained a victory in the performance of duty, ran off to her miserable home in the back slums. chapter seven. phil begins life, and makes a friend. some time after the small tea-party described in our last chapter, philip maylands was invested with all the dignity, privileges, and emoluments of an "out-door boy telegraph messenger" in the general post-office. he rejoiced in the conscious independence of one who earns his own livelihood, is a burden to nobody, and has something to spare. he enjoyed the privilege of wearing a grey uniform, of sitting in a comfortable room with a huge fire in the basement of the office, and of walking over a portion of london as the bearer of urgent and no doubt all-important news. he also enjoyed a salary of seven shillings sterling a week, and was further buoyed up with the hope of an increase to eight shillings at the end of a year. his duties, as a rule, began at eight each morning, and averaged nine hours. we have said that out of his vast income he had something to spare. this, of course, was not much, but owing to the very moderate charge for lodging made by solomon flint--with whom and his sister he took up his abode--the sum was sufficient to enable him, after a few months, to send home part of his first year's earnings to his mother. he did this by means of that most valuable institution of modern days a post-office order, which enables one to send small sums of money, at a moderate charge, and with perfect security, not only all over the kingdom, but over the greater part of the known world. it would have been interesting, had it been possible, to have entered into phil's feelings on the occasion of his transacting this first piece of financial business. being a country-bred boy, he was as bashful about it as if he had been only ten years old. he doubted, first, whether the clerk would believe him in earnest when he should demand the order. then, when he received the form to fill up, he had considerable hesitation lest he should fill in the blanks erroneously, and when the clerk scanned the slip and frowned, he felt convinced that he had done so. "you've put only mrs maylands," said the clerk. "_only_ mrs maylands!" thought phil; "does the man want me to add `widow of the reverend james maylands, and mother of all the little maylands?'" but he only said, "sure, sir, it's to her i want to send the money." "put down her christian name;" said the clerk; "order can't be drawn without it." phil put down the required name, handed over the money, received back the change, inserted the order into a previously prepared letter, posted the same, and walked away from that office as tall as his friend george aspel--if not taller--in sensation. let us now follow our hero to the boy-messengers' room in the basement of st. martin's-le-grand. entering one morning after the delivery of a telegram which had cost him a pretty long walk, phil proceeded to the boys' hall, and took his seat at the end of the row of boys who were awaiting their turn to be called for mercurial duty. observing a very small telegraph-boy in a scullery off the hall, engaged in some mysterious operations with a large saucepan, from which volumes of steam proceeded, he went towards him. by that time phil had become pretty well acquainted with the faces of his comrades, but this boy he had not previously met with. the lad was stooping over a sink, and carefully holding in the contents of the pan with its lid, while he strained off the boiling water. "sure i've not seen _you_ before?" remarked phil. the boy turned up a sharp-featured, but handsome and remarkably intelligent face, and, with a quick glance at phil, said, "well, now, any man might know you for an irishman by your impudence, even if you hadn't the brogue." "why, what do you mean?" asked phil, with an amused smile. "mean!" echoed the boy, with the most refined extract of insolence on his pretty little face; "i mean that small though i am, surely i'm big enough to be _seen_." "well," returned phil, with a laugh, "you know what i mean--that i haven't seen you before to-day." "then w'y don't you say what you mean? how d'you suppose a man can understand you unless you speak in plain terms? you won't do for the gpo if you can't speak the queen's english. we want sharp fellows here, we do. so you'd better go back to owld ireland, avic cushla mavourneen--there, put that in your pipe and smoke it." whether it was the distraction of the boy's mind, or the potent working of his impertinence, we know not, but certain it is that his left hand slipped somehow, and a round ball, with a delicious smell, fell out of the pot. the boy half caught it, and wildly yet cleverly balanced it on the lid, but it would have rolled next moment into the sink, if phil had not made a dart forward, caught it like a football, and bowled it back into the pot. "well done! splendidly done!" cried the boy, setting down his pot. "arrah! pat," he added, mocking phil's brogue, and holding out his hand, "you're a man after my own heart; give me your flipper, and let us swear eternal friendship over this precious goblet." of course phil cheerfully complied, and the friendship thus auspiciously begun afterwards became strong and lasting. so it is all through the course of life. at every turn we are liable to meet with those who shall thenceforth exercise a powerful influence on our characters, lives, and affections, and on whom our influence shall be strong for good or evil. "what's your name?" asked phil; "mine is philip maylands." "mine's peter pax," answered the small boy, returning to his goblet; "but i've no end of _aliases_--such as mouse, monkey, spider, snipe, imp, and little 'un. call me what you please, it's all one to me, so as you don't call me too late for dinner." "and what have you got there, pax?" asked phil, referring to the pot. "a plum-pudding." "do two or three of you share it?" "certainly not," replied the boy. "what! you don't mean to say you can eat it all yourself for dinner?" "the extent of my ability in the disposal of wittles," answered pax, "i have never fairly tested. i think i could eat this at one meal, though i ain't sure, but it's meant to serve me all day. you see i find a good, solid, well-made plum-pudding, with not too much suet, and a moderate allowance of currants and raisins, an admirable squencher of appetite. it's portable too, and keeps well. besides, if i can't get through with it at supper, it fries up next mornin' splendidly.--come, i'll let you taste a bit, an' that's a favour w'ich i wouldn't grant to every one." "no, thank 'ee, pax. i'm already loaded and primed for the forenoon, but i'll sit by you while you eat, and chat." "you're welcome," returned pax, "only don't be cheeky, philip, as i can't meet you on an equal footing w'en i'm at grub." "i'll be careful, pax; but don't call me philip--call me phil." "i will, phil; come along, phil; `come fill up my cup, come fill up my can'--that sort o' thing you understand, phil, me darlint?" there was such a superhuman amount of knowing presumption in the look and air of pax, as he poked phil in the ribs and winked, that the latter burst into laughter, in which however he was not joined by his companion, who with the goblet in one hand and the other thrust into his pocket, stood regarding his new friend with a pitiful expression till he recovered, and then led him off to a confabulation which deepened their mutual esteem. that same evening a gentleman called at the post-office, desiring to see philip maylands. it turned out to be george aspel. "why, george, what brings you here?" said phil in surprise. "i chanced to be in the neighbourhood," answered aspel, "and came to ask the address of that little creature who posted my letter the other night. i want to see her. she does not go to your cousin's, i know, till morning, and i must see her to-night, to make sure that she _did_ post the letter, for, d'you know, i've had no reply from sir james, and i can't rest until i ascertain whether my letter was posted. can you tell me where she lives, phil?" at that moment phil was summoned for duty. giving his friend the address hastily, he left him. george aspel passed the front of the general post-office on his way to visit tottie bones, and, observing a considerable bustle going on there, he stopped to gaze, for george had an inquiring mind. being fresh from the country, his progress through the streets of london, as may be well understood, was slow. it was also harassing to himself and the public, for when not actually standing entranced in front of shop-windows his irresistible tendency to look in while walking resulted in many collisions and numerous apologies. at the general post-office he avoided the stream of human beings by getting under the lee of one of the pillars of the colonnade, whence he could look on undisturbed. up to six o'clock letters are received in the letter-box at st. martin's-le-grand for the mails which leave london at eight each evening. the place for receiving book-parcels and newspapers, however, closes half-an-hour sooner. before five a brass slit in the wall suffices for the public, but within a few minutes of the half-hour the steady run of men and boys towards it is so great that the slit becomes inadequate. a trap-door is therefore opened in the pavement, and a yawning abyss displayed which communicates by an inclined plane with the newspaper regions below. into this abyss everything is hurled. when aspel took up his position people were hurrying towards the hole, some with single book-parcels, or a few newspapers, others with armfuls, and many with sackfuls. in a few minutes the rapid walk became a run. men, boys, and girls sprang up the steps--occasionally tumbled up,-- jostled each other in their eager haste, and tossed, dropped, hurled, or poured their contributions into the receptacle, which was at last fed so hastily that it choked once or twice, and a policeman, assisted by an official, stuffed the literary matter down its throat--with difficulty, however, owing to the ever-increasing stream of contributors to the feast. the trap-door, when open, formed a barrier to the hole, which prevented the too eager public from being posted headlong with their papers. one youth staggered up the steps under a sack so large that he could scarcely lift it over the edge of the barrier without the policeman's aid. him aspel questioned, as he was leaving with the empty sack, and found that he was the porter of one of the large publishing firms of the city. others he found came from advertising agents with sacks of circulars, etcetera. soon the minutes were reduced to seconds, and the work became proportionally fast and furious; sacks, baskets, hampers, trays of material were emptied violently into that insatiable maw, and in some cases the sacks went in along with their contents. but owners' names being on these, they were recoverable elsewhere. suddenly, yet slowly, the opening closed. the monster was satisfied for that time; it would not swallow another morsel, and one or two unfortunates who came late with large bags of newspapers and circulars had to resort to the comparatively slow process of cramming their contents through the narrow slit above, with the comforting certainty that they had missed that post. turning from this point george aspel observed that the box for letters-- closing, as we have said, half an hour later than that for books and papers--was beginning to show symptoms of activity. at a quarter to six the long metal slit suddenly opened up like a gaping mouth, into which a harlequin could have leaped easily. through it aspel could look--over the heads of the public--and see the officials inside dragging away great baskets full of letters to be manipulated in the mysterious realms inside. at five minutes to six the rush towards this mouth was incessant, and the operations at the newspaper-tomb were pretty much repeated, though, of course, the contents of bags and baskets were not quite so ponderous. at one side of the mouth stood an official in a red coat, at the other a policeman. these assisted the public to empty their baskets and trays, gave information, sometimes advice, and kept people moving on. little boys there, as elsewhere, had a strong tendency to skylark and gaze at the busy officials inside, to the obstruction of the way. the policeman checked their propensities. a stout elderly female panted towards the mouth with a letter in one hand and a paper in the other. she had full two minutes and a half to spare, but felt convinced she was too late. the red-coated official posted her letter, and pointed out the proper place for the newspaper. at two minutes to six anxious people began to run while yet in the street. cool personages, seeing the clock, and feeling safe, affected an easy nonchalance, but did not loiter. one minute to six--eager looks were on the faces of those who, from all sides, converged towards the great receiving-box. the active sprang up the wide stairs at a bound, heaved in their bundles, or packets, or single missives, and heaved sighs of relief after them; the timid stumbled on the stairs and blundered up to the mouth; while the hasty almost plunged into it bodily. even at this critical moment there were lulls in the rush. once there was almost a dead pause, and at that moment an exquisite sauntered towards the mouth, dropped a solitary little letter down the slope where whole cataracts had been flowing, and turned away. he was almost carried off his legs by two youths from a lawyer's office, who rushed up just as the first stroke of six o'clock rang out on the night air. slowly and grandly it tolled from st. paul's, whose mighty dome was visible above the house-tops from the colonnade. during these fleeting moments a few dozens of late ones posted some hundreds of letters. with kindly consideration the authorities of st. martin's-le-grand have set their timepieces one minute slow. aware of this, a clerk, gasping and with a pen behind his ear, leaped up the steps at the last stroke, and hurled in a bundle of letters. next moment, like inexorable fate, the mouth closed, and nothing short of the demolition of the british constitution could have induced that mouth to convey another letter to the eight o'clock mails. hope, however, was not utterly removed. those who chose to place an additional penny stamp on their letters could, by posting them in a separate box, have them taken in for that mail up to seven. twopence secured their acceptance up to : . threepence up to : , and sixpence up to : , but all letters posted after six without the late fees were detained for the following mail. "sharp practice!" observed george aspel to the red-coated official, who, after shutting the mouth, placed a ticket above it which told all corners that they were too late. "yes, sir, and pretty sharp work is needful when you consider that the mails we've got to send out daily from this office consist of over bags, weighing forty-three tons, while the mails received number more than bags. speaks to a deal of correspondence that, don't it, sir?" "what!--every day?" exclaimed aspel in surprise. "every day," replied the official, with a good-humoured smile and an emphatic nod. "why, sir," he continued, in a leisurely way, "we're some what of a literary nation, we are. how many letters, now, d'you think, pass through the post-office altogether--counting england, scotland, and ireland?" "haven't the remotest idea." "well, sir," continued the red-coated man, with impressive solemnity, "we passes through our hands in one year about one thousand and fifty-seven million odd." "i know enough of figures," said aspel, with a laugh, "to be aware that i cannot realise such a number." "nevertheless, sir," continued the official, with a patronising air, "you can realise something _about_ such a number. for instance, that sum gives thirty-two letters per head to the population in the year; and, of course, as thousands of us can't write, and thousands more don't write, it follows that the real correspondents of the kingdom do some pretty stiff work in the writing way. but these are only the _letters_. if you include somewhere about four hundred and twenty million post-cards, newspapers, book-packets, and circulars, you have a sum total of fourteen hundred and seventy-seven million odd passing through our hands. put that down in figures, sir, w'en you git home-- , , , --an p'r'aps it'll open your eyes a bit. if you want 'em opened still wider, just try to find out how long it would take you to count that sum, at the rate of sixty to the minute, beginning one, two, three, and so on, workin' eight hours a day without takin' time for meals, but givin' you off sixty-five days each year for sundays and holidays to recruit your wasted energies." "how long _would_ it take?" asked aspel, with an amused but interested look. "w'y, sir, it would take you just a little over one hundred and seventy years. the calculation ain't difficult; you can try it for yourself if you don't believe it.--good-night, sir," added the red-coated official, with a pleasant nod, as he turned and entered the great building, where a huge proportion of this amazing work was being at that moment actively manipulated. chapter eight. downward--deeper and deeper. as the great bell of st. paul's struck the half-hour, george aspel was reminded of the main object of his visit to that part of the city. descending to the street, and pondering in silent wonder on the vast literary correspondence of the kingdom, he strode rapidly onward, his long legs enabling him to pass ahead of the stream of life that flowed with him, and causing him to jostle not a few members of the stream that opposed him. "hallo, sir!" "look out!" "mind your eye, stoopid!" "now, then, you lamp-post, w'ere are you a-goin' to?" "wot asylum 'ave _you_ escaped from?" were among the mildest remarks with which he was greeted. but aspel heeded them not. the vendors of penny marvels failed to attract him. even the print-shop windows had lost their influence for a time; and as for monkeys, barrel-organs, and trained birds, they were as the dust under his feet, although at other times they formed a perpetual feast to his unsophisticated soul. "letters, letters, letters!" he could think of nothing else. "fourteen hundred and seventy-seven millions of letters, etcetera, through the post-office in one year!" kept ringing through his brain; only varied in its monotony by "that gives thirty-two letters per head to the entire population, and as lots of 'em can't write, of course it's much more for those who can! take a man one hundred and seventy years to count 'em!" at this point the brilliant glare of a gin-palace reminded him that he had walked far and long, and had for some time felt thirsty. entering, he called for a pot of beer. it was not a huge draught for a man of his size. as he drained it the memory of grand old jovial sea-kings crossed his mind, and he called for another pot. as he was about to apply it to his lips, and shook back his flaxen curls, the remembrance of, a norse drinking-cup in his possession--an heirloom, which could not stand on its bottom, and had therefore to be emptied before being set down,-- induced him to chuckle quietly before quaffing his beer. on setting down the empty pot he observed a poor miserable-looking woman, with a black eye and a black bottle, gazing at him in undisguised admiration. instantly he called for a third pot of beer. being supplied by the wondering shop-boy, he handed it to the woman; but she shook her head, and drew back with an air of decision. "no, sir," she said, "but thank you kindly all the same, sir." "very well," returned the youth, putting the pot and a half-crown on the counter, "you may drink it or leave it as you please. i pay for it, and you may take the change--or leave that too if you like," he added, as he went out, somewhat displeased that his feeling of generosity had been snubbed. after wandering a short distance he was involved in labyrinths of brick and mortar, and suddenly became convinced that he was lost. this was however a small matter. to find one's way by asking it is not difficult, even in london, if one possesses average intelligence. the first man he stopped was a scot. with characteristic caution that worthy cleared his throat, and with national deliberation repeated aspel's query, after which, in a marked tone of regret, he said slowly, "weel, sir, i really div not ken." aspel thanked him with a sarcastic smile and passed on. his next effort was with a countryman, who replied, "troth, sur, that's more nor i can tell 'ee," and looked after his questioner kindly as he walked away. a policeman appearing was tried next. "first to the right, sir, third to the left, and ask again," was the sharp reply of that limb of the executive, as he passed slowly on, stiff as a post, and stately as a law of fate. having taken the required turns our wanderer found himself in a peculiarly low, dirty, and disagreeable locality. the population was in keeping with it--so much so that aspel looked round inquiringly before proceeding to "ask again." he had not quite made up his mind which of the tawdry, half-drunken creatures around him he would address, when a middle-aged man of respectable appearance, dressed in black, issued from one of the surrounding dens. "a city missionary," thought george aspel, as he approached, and asked for direction to the abode of a man named abel bones. the missionary pointed out the entrance to the desired abode, and looked at his questioner with a glance which arrested the youth's attention. "excuse me, sir," he said, "but the man you name has a very bad character." "well, what then?" demanded aspel sharply. "oh! nothing. i only meant to warn you, for he is a dangerous man." the missionary was a thin but muscular man, with stern black eyes and a powerful nose, which might have rendered his face harsh if it had not been more than redeemed by a large firm mouth, round which played lines that told unmistakably of the milk of human kindness. he smiled as he spoke, and aspel was disarmed. "thank you," he said; "i am well able to take care of myself." evidently the missionary thought so too, for, with a quiet bow, he turned and went his way. at the end of a remarkably dark passage george aspel ran his head against a beam and his knee against a door with considerable violence. "come in," said a very weak but sweet little voice, as though doors in that region were usually rapped at in that fashion. lifting the latch and entering, aspel found himself confronted by tottie bones in her native home. it was a very small, desolate, and dirty home, and barely rendered visible by a thin "dip" stuck into an empty pint-bottle. tottie opened her large eyes wide with astonishment, then laid one of her dirty little fingers on her rosy lips and looked imploringly at her visitor. thus admonished, he spoke, without knowing why in a subdued voice. "you are surprised to see me, tottie?" "i'm surprised at nothink, sir. 'taint possible to surprise me with anythink in _this_ life." "d'you expect to be surprised by anything in any other life, tottie?" asked aspel, more amused by the air of the child than by her answer. "p'r'aps. don't much know, and don't much care," said tottie. "well, i've come to ask something," said the youth, sitting down on a low box for the convenience of conversation, "and i hope, tottie, that you'll tell me the truth. here's a half-crown for you. the truth, mind, whether you think it will please me or not; i don't want to be pleased--i want the truth." "i'd tell you the truth without _that_," said tottie, eyeing the half-crown which aspel still held between his fingers, "but hand it over. we want a good many o' these things here, bein' pretty hard up at times." she spun the piece deftly in the air, caught it cleverly, and put it in her pocket. "well, tell me, now, did you post the letter i gave you the night i took tea with miss lillycrop?" "yes, i did," answered the child, with a nod of decision. "you're telling the truth?" "yes; as sure as death." poor tottie had made her strongest asseveration, but it did not convey to aspel nearly so much assurance as did the earnest gaze of her bright and truthful eyes. "you put it in the pillar?" he continued. "yes." "at the end of the street?" "yes, at the end of the street; and oh, you've no idea what an awful time i was about it; the slit was so high, an' i come down sitch a cropper w'en it was done!" "but it went in all right?" "yes, all right." george aspel sat for some moments in gloomy silence. he now felt convinced of that which at first he had only suspected--namely, that his intending patron was offended because he had not at once called in person to thank him, instead of doing so by letter. probably, also, he had been hurt by the expressions in the letter to which philip maylands had objected when it was read to him. "well, well," he exclaimed, suddenly giving a severe slap to his unoffending thigh, "i'll have nothing to do with him. if he's so touchy--as that comes to, the less that he and i have to say to each other the better." "oh! _please_, sir, hush!" exclaimed tottie, pointing with a look of alarm to a bundle which lay in a dark corner, "you'll wake 'im." "wake who?" "father," whispered the child. the visitor rose, took up the pint-bottle, and by the aid of its flaring candle beheld something that resembled a large man huddled together in a heap on a straw mattress, as he had last fallen down. his position, together with his torn and disarranged garments, had destroyed all semblance to human form save where a great limb protruded. his visage was terribly disfigured by the effects of drink, besides being partly concealed by his matted hair. "what a wretched spectacle!" exclaimed the young man, touching the heap with his foot as he turned away in disgust. just then a woman with a black eye entered the room with a black bottle in her hand. she was the woman who had refused the beer from aspel. "mother," said tottie, running up to her, "here's the gent who--" "'av-'ee-go'-th'-gin?" growled a deep voice from the dark corner. "yes, abel--" "'ave 'ee got th' gin, i say, molly?" roared the voice in rising wrath. "yes, yes, abel, here it is," exclaimed the woman, hastening towards the corner. the savage who lay there was so eager to obtain the bottle that he made a snatch at it and let it slip on the stone floor, where it was broken to pieces. "o don't, abel dear, don't! i'll get another," pleaded the poor woman; but abel's disappointment was too great for endurance; he managed to rise, and made a wild blow at the woman,--missed her, and staggered into the middle of the room. here he encountered the stern glance of george aspel. being a dark, stern man himself, with a bulky powerful frame, he rather rejoiced in the sight of a man who seemed a worthy foe. "what d'ee wan' here, you long-legged--hah! would you?" he added, on observing aspel's face flush and his fists close, "take that!" he struck out at his adversary's face with tremendous violence. aspel parried the blow and returned it with such good-will that abel bones went headlong into the dark corner whence he had risen,--and lay there. "i'm _very_ sorry," said the instantly-repentant george, turning to mrs bones, "but i couldn't help it; really, i--" "there, there; go away, sir, and thank you kindly," said the unfortunate woman, urging--almost pushing--her visitor towards the door. "it'll do 'im good, p'r'aps. he don't get that every day, an' it won't 'urt 'im." aspel found himself suddenly in the dark passage, and heard the door slammed. his first impulse was to turn, dash in the door with his foot, and take vengeance on abel bones, his next to burst into a sardonic laugh. thereafter he frowned fiercely, and strode away. in doing so he drew himself up with sea-king-like dignity and assaulted a beam, which all but crushed his hat over his eyes. this did not improve his temper, but the beer had not yet robbed him of all self-control; he stooped to conquer and emerged into the street. well was it for george aspel that his blow had been such an effective one, for if a riot with bones had followed the blow, there were numerous kindred spirits there who would have been only too glad to aid their chum, and the intruder would have fared badly among them, despite his physical powers. as it was, he soon regained a respectable thoroughfare, and hastened away in the direction of his lodgings. but a dark frown clouded his brow, for as he went along his thoughts were busy with what he believed to be the insolent pride of sir james clubley. he also thought of may maylands, and the resolution with which she so firmly yet so gently repelled him. the latter thought wounded his pride as well as his feelings deeply. while in this mood the spirit of the sea-kings arose within him once again. he entered a public-house and had another pot of beer. it was very refreshing--remarkably so! true, the tall and stalwart young frame of george aspel needed no refreshment at the time, and he would have scorned the insinuation that he _required_ anything to support him--but--but--it was decidedly refreshing! there could be no doubt whatever about that, and it induced him to take a more amiable view of men in general--of "poor abel bones" in particular. he even felt less savagely disposed towards sir james, though he by no means forgave him, but made up his mind finally to have nothing more to do with him, while as to may--hope told him flattering tales. at this point in his walk he was attracted by one of those traps to catch the unwary, which are so numerous in london--a music-hall. george knew not what it was, and cared not. it was a place of public entertainment: that was enough for him. he wanted entertainment, and in he went. it is not our purpose to describe this place. enough is told when we have said that there were dazzling lights and gorgeous scenes, and much music, and many other things to amuse. there were also many gentlemen, but--no ladies. there was also much smoking and drinking. aspel soon observed that he was expected either to drink or smoke. he did not wish to do either, but, disliking singularity, ordered a cigar and a glass of brandy-and-water. these were followed by another cigar and another glass. towards midnight he had reached that condition when drink stimulates the desire for more drink. being aware, from former experience, of the danger of this condition, and being, as we have said, a man of some strength of will, he rose to go. at the moment a half-tipsy man at the little table next him carelessly flung the end of his cigar away. it alighted, probably by accident, on the top of aspel's head. "hallo, sir!" shouted the enraged youth, starting up and seizing the man by his collar. "hallo, sir!" echoed the man, who had reached his pugnacious cups, "let go." he struck out at the same moment. aspel would have parried the blow, but his arm had been seized by one of the bystanders, and it took effect on his nose, which instantly sent a red stream over his mouth and down the front of his shirt. good-humour and kindliness usually served aspel in the place of principle. remove these qualities temporarily, and he became an unguarded savage--sometimes a roaring lion. with a shout that suspended the entertainments and drew the attention of the whole house, he seized his adversary, lifted him in the air, and would infallibly have dashed him on the floor if he had not been caught in the arms of the crowd. as it was, the offender went down, carrying half-a-dozen friends and a couple of tables with their glasses along with him. aspel was prevented from doing more mischief by three powerful policemen, who seized him from behind and led him into the passage. there a noisy explanation took place, which gave the offender time to cool and reflect on his madness. on his talking quietly to the policemen, and readily paying for the damage he had done, he was allowed to go free. descending the stair to the street, where the glare of the entrance-lamps fell full upon him, he felt a sudden sensation of faintness, caused by the combination of cold air, excitement, drink, and smoke. seizing the railings with one hand, he stood for a moment with his eyes shut. re-opening them, and gazing stupidly before him, he encountered the horrified gaze of may maylands! she had been spending the evening with miss lillycrop, and was on her way home, escorted by solomon flint. "come along, miss may," said solomon, "don't be afraid of 'im. he can't 'urt you--too far gone for that, bless you. come on." may yielded, and was out of sight in a moment. filled with horror, despair, madness, and self-contempt, george aspel stood holding on to the railings and glaring into vacuity. recovering himself he staggered home and went to bed. chapter nine. mr. blurt and george aspel in peculiar circumstances. when a man finds himself in a false position, out of which he sees no way of escape, he is apt to feel a depression of spirits which reveals itself in the expression of his countenance. one morning mr enoch blurt sat on a high stool in his brother's shop, with his elbows on a screened desk, his chin in his hands, and a grim smile on his lips. the shop was a peculiar one. it had somewhat the aspect of an old curiosity shop, but the predominance of stuffed birds gave it a distinctly ornithological flavour. other stuffed creatures were there, however, such as lizards, frogs, monkeys, etcetera, all of which straddled in attitudes more or less unlike nature, while a few wore expressions of astonishment quite in keeping with their circumstances. "here am i," soliloquised mr blurt with a touch of bitterness, "in the position of a shop-boy, in possession of a shop towards which i entertain feelings of repugnance, seeing that it has twice ruined my poor brother, and in regard to the details of which i know absolutely nothing. i had fancied i had reached the lowest depths of misfortune when i became a ruined diamond-merchant, but this is a profounder deep." "here's the doctor a-comin' down-stairs, sir," said an elderly female, protruding her head from the back shop, and speaking in a stage-whisper. "very well, mrs murridge, let him come," said mr blurt recklessly. he descended from the stool, as the doctor entered the shop looking very grave. every expression, save that of deep anxiety, vanished from mr blurt's face. "my brother is worse?" he said quickly. "not worse," replied the doctor, "but his case is critical. everything will depend on his mind being kept at ease. he has taken it into his head that his business is going to wreck while he lies there unable to attend to it, and asked me earnestly if the shop had been opened. i told him i'd step down and inquire." "poor fred!" murmured his brother sadly; "he has too good reason to fancy his business is going to wreck, with or without his attendance, for i find that very little is doing, and you can see that the entire stock isn't worth fifty pounds--if so much. the worst of it is that his boy, who used to assist him, absconded yesterday with the contents of the till, and there is no one now to look after it." "that's awkward. we must open the shop how ever, for it is all-important that his mind should be kept quiet. do you know how to open it, mr blurt?" poor mr blurt looked helplessly at the closed shutters, through a hole in one of which the morning sun was streaming. turning round he encountered the deeply solemn gaze of an owl which stood on a shelf at his elbow. "no, doctor, i know no more how to open it than that idiot there," he said, pointing to the owl, "but i'll make inquiries of mrs murridge." the domestic fortunately knew the mysterious operations relative to the opening of a shop. with her assistance mr blurt took off the shutters, stowed them away in their proper niche, and threw open the door to the public with an air of invitation, if not hospitality, which deserved a better return than it received. with this news the doctor went back to the sick man. "mrs murridge," said mr blurt, when the doctor had gone, "would you be so good as mind the shop for a few minutes, while i go up-stairs? if any one should come in, just go to the foot of the stair and give two coughs. i shall hear you." on entering his brother's room, he found him raised on one elbow, with his eyes fixed wildly on the door. "dear fred," he said tenderly, hurrying forward; "you must not give way to anxiety, there's a dear fellow. lie down. the doctor says you'll get well if you only keep quiet." "ay, but i can't keep quiet," replied the poor old man tremulously, while he passed his hand over the few straggling white hairs that lay on but failed to cover his head. "how can you expect me to keep quiet, enoch, when my business is all going to the dogs for want of attention? and that boy of mine is such a stupid fellow; he loses or mislays the letters somehow--i can't understand how. there's confusion too somewhere, because i have written several times of late to people who owe me money, and sometimes have got no answers, at other times been told that they _had_ replied, and enclosed cheques, and--" "come now, dear fred," said enoch soothingly, while he arranged the pillows, "do give up thinking about these things just for a little while till you are better, and in the meantime i will look after--" "and he's such a lazy boy too," interrupted the invalid,--"never gets up in time unless i rouse him.--has the shop been opened, enoch?" "yes, didn't the doctor tell you? i always open it myself;" returned enoch, speaking rapidly to prevent his brother, if possible, from asking after the boy, about whose unfaithfulness he was still ignorant. "and now, fred, i insist on your handing the whole business over to me for a week or two, just as it stands; if you don't i'll go back to africa. why, you've no idea what a splendid shopman i shall make. you seem to forget that i have been a successful diamond-merchant." "i don't see the connection, enoch," returned the other, with a faint smile. "that's because you've never been out of london, and can't believe in anybody who hasn't been borne or at least bred, within the sound of bow bells. don't you know that diamond-merchants sometimes keep stores, and that stores mean buying and selling, and corresponding, and all that sort of thing? come, dear fred, trust me a little--only a little--for a day or two, or rather, i should say, trust god, and try to sleep. there's a dear fellow--come." the sick man heaved a deep sigh, turned over on his side, and dropped into a quiet slumber--whether under the influence of a more trustful spirit or of exhaustion we cannot say--probably both. returning to the shop, mr blurt sat down in his old position on the stool and began to meditate. he was interrupted by the entrance of a woman carrying a stuffed pheasant. she pointed out that one of the glass eyes of the creature had got broken, and wished to know what it would cost to have a new one put in. poor mr blurt had not the faintest idea either as to the manufacture or cost of glass eyes. he wished most fervently that the woman had gone to some other shop. becoming desperate, and being naturally irascible, as well as humorous, he took a grimly facetious course. "my good woman," he said, with a bland smile, "i would recommend you to leave the bird as it is. a dead pheasant can see quite as well with one eye as with two, i assure you." "la! sir, but it don't look so well," said the woman. "o yes, it does; quite as well, if you turn its blind side to the wall." "but we keeps it on a table, sir, an' w'en our friends walk round the table they can't 'elp seein' the broken eye." "well, then," persisted mr blurt, "don't let your friends walk round the table. shove the bird up against the wall; or tell your friends that it's a humorous bird, an' takes to winking when they go to that side." the woman received this advice with a smile, but insisted nevertheless that a "noo heye" would be preferable, and wanted to know the price. "well, you know," said mr blurt, "that depends on the size and character of the eye, and the time required to insert it, for, you see, in our business everything depends on a life-like turn being given to an eye--or a beak--or a toe, and we don't like to put inferior work out of our hands. so you'd better leave the bird and call again." "very well, sir, w'en shall i call?" "say next week. i am very busy just now, you see--extremely busy, and cannot possibly give proper attention to your affair at present. stay-- give me your address." the woman did so, and left the shop while mr blurt looked about for a memorandum-book. opening one, which was composite in its character-- having been used indifferently as day-book, cashbook, and ledger--he headed a fresh page with the words "memorandum of transactions by enoch blurt," and made the following entry:-- "a woman--i should have said an idiot--came in and left a pheasant, _minus_ an eye, to be repaired and called for next week." "there!" exclaimed the unfortunate man, shutting the book with emphasis. "please, sir," said a very small sweet voice. mr blurt looked over the top of his desk in surprise, for the owner of the voice was not visible. getting down from his stool, and coming out of his den, he observed the pretty face and dishevelled head of a little girl not much higher than the counter. "please, sir," she said, "can you change 'alf a sov?" "no, i can't," said mr blurt, so gruffly that the small girl retired in haste. "stay! come here," cried the repentant shopman. the child returned with some hesitation. "who trusted you with half a sov?" "miss lillycrop, sir." "and who's miss lillycrop?" "my missis, sir." "does your missis think that i'm a banker?" demanded mr blurt sternly. "i dun know, sir." "then why did she send you here?" "please, sir, because the gentleman wot keeps this shop is a friend o' missis, an' always gives 'er change w'en she wants it. he stuffs her birds for her too, for nothink, an' once he stuffed a tom-cat for 'er, w'ich she was uncommon fond of, but he couldn't make much of a job of it, 'cause it died through a kittle o' boilin' water tumblin' on its back, which took off most of the 'air." while the child was speaking mr blurt drew a handful of silver from his pocket, and counted out ten shillings. "there," he said, putting the money into the child's hand, "and tell miss lillycrop, with my compliments--mr enoch blurt's compliments--that my brother has been very ill, but is a little--a very little--better; and see, there is a sixpence for yourself." "oh, _thank_ you, sir!" exclaimed the child, opening her eyes with such a look of surprised joy that mr blurt felt comforted in his difficulties, and resolved to face them like a man, do his duty, and take the consequences. he was a good deal relieved, however, to find that no one else came into the shop during the remainder of that day. as he sat and watched the never-ceasing stream of people pass the windows, almost without casting a glance at the ornithological specimens that stood rampant there, he required no further evidence that the business had already gone to that figurative state of destruction styled "the dogs." the only human beings in london who took the smallest notice of him or his premises were the street boys, some of whom occasionally flattened their noses on a pane of glass, and returned looks of, if possible, exaggerated surprise at the owl, while others put their heads inside the door, yelled in derision, and went placidly away. dogs also favoured him with a passing glance, and one or two, with sporting tendencies, seemed about to point at the game inside, but thought better of it, and went off. at intervals the patient man called mrs murridge to mind the shop, while he went up-stairs. sometimes he found the invalid dozing, sometimes fretting at the thoughts of the confusion about his letters. "if they _all_ went astray one could understand it," he would say, passing his hand wearily over his brow, "because that would show that one cause went on producing one result, but sometimes letters come right, at other times they don't come at all." "but how d'you find out about those that don't come at all?" asked his brother. "by writing to know why letters have not been replied to, and getting answers to say that they _have_ been replied to," said the invalid. "it's very perplexing, enoch, and i've lost a deal of money by it. i wouldn't mind so much if i was well, but--" "there, now, you're getting excited again, fred; you _must not_ speak about business matters. haven't i promised to take it in hand? and i'll investigate this matter to the bottom. i'll write to the secretary of the general post-office. i'll go down to st. martin's-le-grand and see him myself, and if he don't clear it up i'll write letters to the _times_ until i bu'st up the british post-office altogether; so make your mind easy, fred, else i'll forsake you and go right away back to africa." there was no resisting this. the poor invalid submitted with a faint smile, and his brother returned to the shop. "it's unsatisfactory, to say the least of it," murmured mr blurt as he relieved guard and sat down again on the high stool. "to solicit trade and to be unable to meet the demand when it comes is a very false position. yet i begin to wish that somebody would come in for something--just for a change." it seemed as if somebody had heard his wish expressed, for at that moment a man entered the shop. he was a tall, powerful man. mr blurt had just begun to wonder what particular branch of the business he was going to be puzzled with, when he recognised the man as his friend george aspel. leaping from his stool and seizing aspel by the hand, mr blurt gave him a greeting so hearty that two street boys who chanced to pass and saw the beginning of it exclaimed, "go it, old 'un!" and waited for more. but aspel shut the door in their faces, which induced them to deliver uncomplimentary remarks through the keyhole, and make unutterable eyes at the owl in the window ere they went the even tenor of their way. kind and hearty though the greeting was, it did not seem to put the youth quite at his ease, and there was a something in his air and manner which struck mr blurt immediately. "why, you've hurt your face, mr aspel," he exclaimed, turning his friend to the light. "and--and--you've had your coat torn and mended as if--" "yes, mr blurt," said aspel, suddenly recovering something of his wonted bold and hearty manner; "i have been in bad company, you see, and had to fight my way out of it. london is a more difficult and dangerous place to get on in than i had imagined at first." "i suppose it is, though i can't speak from much experience," said mr blurt. "but come, sit down. here's a high stool for you. i'll sit on the counter. now, let's hear about your adventures or misadventures. how did you come to grief?" "simply enough," replied aspel, with an attempt to look indifferent and easy, in which he was only half-successful "i went into a music-hall one night and got into a row with a drunk man who insulted me. that's how i came by my damaged face. then about two weeks ago a fellow picked my pocket. i chased him down into one of his haunts, and caught him, but was set upon by half a dozen scoundrels who overpowered me. they will carry some of my marks, however, for many a day--perhaps to their graves; but i held on to the pick-pocket in spite of them until the police rescued me. that's how my clothes got damaged. the worst of it is, the rascals managed to make away with my purse." "my dear fellow," said mr blurt, laughing, "you have been unfortunate. but most young men have to gather wisdom from experience.--and now, what of your prospects? excuse me if i appear inquisitive, but one who is so deeply indebted to you as i am cannot help feeling interested in your success." "i have no prospects," returned the youth, with a tone and look of bitterness that was not usual to him. "what do you mean?" asked his friend in surprise, "have you not seen sir james clubley?" "no, and i don't intend to see him until he has answered my letter. let me be plain with you, mr blurt. sir james, i have heard from my father, is a proud man, and i don't much [half] like the patronising way in which he offered to assist me. and his insolent procrastination in replying to my letter has determined me to have nothing more to do with him. he'll find that i'm as proud as himself." "my young friend," said mr blurt, "i had imagined that a man of your good sense would have seen that to meet pride with pride is not wise; besides, to do so is to lay yourself open to the very condemnation which you pronounce against sir james. still further, is it not possible that your letter to him may have miscarried? letters will miscarry, you know, at times, even in such a well-regulated family as the post-office." "oh! as to that," returned aspel quickly, "i've made particular inquiries, and have no doubt that he got my letter all right.--but the worst of it is," he continued, evidently wishing to change the subject, "that, having lost my purse, and having no account at a banker's, i find it absolutely necessary to work, and, strange to say, i cannot find work." "well, if you have been searching for work with a black eye and a torn coat, it is not surprising that you have failed to find it," said mr blurt, with a laugh. "but, my dear young friend and preserver," he added earnestly, "i am glad you have come to me. ah! if that ship had not gone down i might have--well, well, the proverb says it's of no use crying over spilt milk. i have still a little in my power. moreover, it so happens that you have it in your power to serve me--that is to say, if you are not too proud to accept the work i have it in my power to offer." "a beggar must not be a chooser," said aspel, with a light laugh. "well, then, what say you to keeping a shop?" "keeping a shop!" repeated aspel in surprise. "ay, keeping a shop--this shop," returned mr blurt; "you once told me you were versed in natural history; here is a field for you: a natural-historical shop, if i may say so." "but, my dear sir, i know nothing whatever about the business, or about stuffing birds--and--and fishes." he looked round him in dismay. "but you are jesting!" mr blurt declared that he was very far from jesting, and then went on to explain the circumstances of the case. it is probable that george aspel would have at once rejected his proposal if it had merely had reference to his own advantage, and that he would have preferred to apply for labour at the docks, as being more suitable work for a sea-king's descendant; but the appeal to aid his friend in an emergency went home to him, and he agreed to undertake the work temporarily, with an expression of face that is common to men when forced to swallow bitter pills. thus george aspel was regularly, though suddenly, installed. when evening approached mrs murridge lighted the gas, and the new shopman set to work with energy to examine the stock and look over the books, in the hope of thereby obtaining at least a faint perception of the nature of the business in which he was embarked. while thus engaged a woman entered hastily and demanded her pheasant. "your pheasant, my good woman?" "yes, the one i left here to-day wi' the broken heye. i don't want to 'ave it mended; changed my mind. will you please give it me back, sir?" "i must call the gentleman to whom you gave it," said aspel, rather sharply, for he perceived the woman had been drinking. "oh! you've no need, for there's the book he put my name down in, an' there's the bird a-standin' on the shelf just under the _howl_." aspel turned up the book referred to, and found the page recently opened by mr blurt. he had no difficulty in coming to a decision, for there was but one entry on the page. "this is it, i suppose," he said. "`a woman--i should say an idiot-- left a pheasant, _minus_'--" "no more a hidyot than yourself, young man, nor a minus neither," cried the woman, swelling with indignation, and red in the face. just then a lady entered the shop, and approached the counter hurriedly. "oh!" she exclaimed, almost in a shriek of astonishment, "mr aspel!" "mr aspel, indeed," cried the woman, with ineffable scorn,--"mr impudence, more like. give me my bird, i say!" the lady raised her veil, and displayed the amazed face of miss lillycrop. "i came to inquire for my old friend--i'm _so_ grieved; i was not aware--mr aspel--" "give me my bird, i say!" demanded the virago. "step this way, madam," said aspel, driven almost to distraction as he opened the door of the back shop. "mrs murridge, show this lady up to mr blurt's room.--now then, woman, take your--your--brute, and be off." he thrust the one-eyed pheasant into the customer's bosom with such vigour that, fearing a personal assault, she retreated to the door. there she came to a full stop, turned about, raised her right hand savagely, exclaimed "you're another!" let her fingers go off with the force of a pea-cracker, and, stumbling into the street, went her devious way. chapter ten. a mystery cleared up. when night had fairly hung its sable curtains over the great city, mr blurt descended to the shop. "now, mr aspel, i'll relieve you. the lady you sent up, miss lillycrop, is, it seems, an old friend of my brother, and she insists on acting the part of nurse to-night. i am all the better pleased, because i have business to attend to at the other end of the town. we will therefore close the shop, and you can go home. by the _way_, have you a home?" "o yes," said aspel, with a laugh. "a poor enough one truly, off the strand." "indeed?--that reminds me: we always pay salaries in advance in this office. here is a sovereign to account of your first quarter. we can settle the amount afterwards." aspel accepted the coin with a not particularly good grace. "now then, you had better--ha--excuse me--put up the shutters." instantly the youth pulled out the sovereign and laid it on the counter. "no, sir," he said firmly; "i am willing to aid you in your difficulties, but i am not willing to become a mere shop-boy--at least not while there is man's work to be had." mr blurt looked perplexed. "what are we to do?" he asked. "hire a little boy," said aspel. "but there are no little boys about," he said, looking out into the street, where the wind was sending clouds of dust and bits of straw and paper into the air. "i would do it myself, but have not time; i'm late as it is. ah! i have it--mrs murridge!" calling the faithful domestic, he asked if she knew how to put up the shutters, and would do it. she was quite willing, and set about it at once, while mr blurt nodded good-night, and went away. with very uncomfortable feelings george aspel stood in the shop, his tall figure drawn up, his arms crossed on his broad breast, and his finely formed head bent slightly down as he sternly watched the operation. mrs murridge was a resolute woman. she put up most of the shutters promptly in spite of the high wind, but just as she was fixing the last of them a blast caught it and almost swept it from her grasp. for two seconds there was a tough struggle between boreas and the old woman. gallantry forbade further inaction. aspel rushed out just in time to catch mrs murridge and the shutter in his strong arms as they were about to be swept into the kennel. he could do no more, however, than hold them there, the wind being too much even for him. while in this extremity he received timely aid from some one, whom the indistinct light revealed as a broad-shouldered little fellow in a grey uniform. with his assistance the shutter was affixed and secured. "thank you, friend, whoever you are," said aspel heartily, as he turned and followed the panting mrs murridge. but the "friend," instead of replying, seized aspel by the arm and walked with him into the shop. "george aspel!" he said. george looked down and beheld the all but awe-stricken visage of philip maylands. without uttering a word the former sat down on the counter, and burst into a fit of half-savage laughter. "ah, then, you may laugh till you grow fat," said phil, "but it's more than that you must do if i'm to join you in the laugh." "what more can i do, phil?" asked aspel, wiping his eyes. "sure, ye can explain," said phil. "well, sit down on the counter, and i'll explain," returned aspel, shutting and locking the door. then, mounting the stool, he entered into a minute explanation--not only in reference to his present position and circumstances but regarding his recent misfortunes. phil's admiration and love for his friend were intense, but that did not altogether blind him to his faults. he listened attentively, sympathetically but gravely, and said little. he felt, somehow, that london was a dangerous place compared with the west of ireland,--that his friend was in danger of something vague and undefined,--that he himself was in danger of--he knew not what. while the two were conversing they heard a step in the now quiet street. it advanced quickly, and stopped at the door. there was a rustling sound; something fell on the floor, and the step passed on. "it's only a few letters," said aspel; "mr blurt explained matters to me this morning. they seem to have been a careless lot who have managed this business hitherto. a slit was made in the door for letters, but no box has ever been attached to the slit. the letters put through it at night are just allowed to fall on the floor, as you see, and are picked up in the morning. as i am not yet fully initiated into my duties, and don't feel authorised to open these, we will let them lie.--hallo! look there." the last words were uttered in a low, soft tone. phil maylands glanced in his friend's face, and was directed by his eyes to a corner near the front door, where, from behind the shelter of an over-stuffed pelican of the wilderness, two intensely bright little eyes were seen glistening. the gradual advance of a sharp nose revealed the fact that their owner was a rat! no red indian of the prairie ever sat with more statuesque rigidity, watching his foe, than did these two friends sit watching that rat. they were sportsmen, both by nature and practice, to the backbone. the idiotic owl at their elbow was not more still than they--one point only excepted: phil's right hand moved imperceptibly, like the hour-hand of a watch, towards a book which lay on the counter. their patience was rewarded. supposing, no doubt, that the youths had suddenly died to suit its convenience, the rat advanced a step or two, looked suspicious, became reassured, advanced a little farther and displayed its tail to full advantage. after smelling at various objects, with a view, no doubt, to supper, it finally came on the letters, appeared to read their addresses with some attention, and, seizing one by a corner, began apparently to open it. at this point phil maylands' fingers, closing slowly but with the deadly precision of fate, grasped the book and hurled it at the foe, which was instantly swept off its legs. either the blow or the fright caused the rat to fly wriggling into the air. with a shriek of agonised emotion, it vanished behind the pelican of the wilderness. "bravo, phil! splendidly aimed, but rather low," cried aspel, as he vaulted the counter and dislodged the pelican. of course the rat was gone. after a little more conversation the two friends quitted the place and went to their respective homes. "very odd and absolutely unaccountable," observed mr blurt, as he sat next morning perusing the letters above referred to, "here's the same thing occurred again. brownlow writes that he sent a cheque a week ago, and no one has heard of it. that rascal who made off with the cash could not have stolen it, because he never stole cheques,--for fear, no doubt, of being caught,--and this was only for a small amount. then, here is a cheque come all right from thomson. why should one appear and the other disappear?" "could the rats have made away with it?" suggested aspel, who had told his patron of the previous night's incident. "rats might destroy letters, but they could not eat them--at least, not during the few hours of the night that they lie on the floor. no; the thing is a mystery. i cannot help thinking that the post-office is to blame. i shall make inquiries. i am determined to get to the bottom of it." so it ever is with mankind. people make mistakes, or are guilty of carelessness, and straightway they lay the blame--not only without but against reason--on broader shoulders than their own. that wonderful and almost perfect british post-office delivers quickly, safely, and in good condition above fourteen hundred millions of letters etcetera in the year, but some half-dozen letters, addressed to messrs. blurt and company, have gone a-missing,--therefore the post-office is to blame! full of this idea mr enoch blurt put on his hat with an irascible fling and went off to the city. arrived at st. martin's-le-grand he made for the principal entrance. at any other time he would have, been struck with the grandeur of the buildings. he would have paused and admired the handsome colonnade of the old office and the fine front of the new buildings opposite, but mr blurt could see nothing except missing letters. architecture appealed to him in vain. perhaps his state of irritability was increased by a vague suspicion that all government officials were trained and almost bound to throw obstacles in the way of free inquiry. "i want," said he, planting himself defiantly in front of an official who encountered him in the passage, "to see the--the--secretary, the-- the--postmaster-general, the chief of the post-office, whoever he may be. there is my card." "certainly, sir, will you step this way?" the official spoke with such civility, and led the way with such alacrity, that mr blurt felt it necessary to think exclusively of his wrongs lest his indignation should cool too soon. having shown him into a comfortable waiting-room, the official went off with his card. in a few minutes a gentleman entered, accosted mr blurt with a polite bow, and asked what he could do for him. "sir," said mr blurt, summoning to his aid the last rags of his indignation, "i come to make a complaint. many of the letters addressed to our firm are missing--have been missing for some time past,--and from the inquiries i have made it seems evident to me that they must have been lost in passing through the post-office." "i regret much to hear this," returned the gentleman, whom--as mr blurt never ascertained who he was--we shall style the secretary, at all events he represented that officer. "you may rely on our doing our utmost to clear up the matter. will you be kind enough to give me the full particulars?" the secretary's urbanity gave the whole of mr blurt's last rags of indignation to the winds. he detailed his case with his usual earnestness and good-nature. the secretary listened attentively to the close. "well, mr blurt," he said, "we will investigate the matter without delay; but from what you have told me i think it probable that the blame does not lie with us. you would be surprised if you knew the number of complaints made to us, which, on investigation, turn out to be groundless. allow me to cite one or two instances. in one case a missing letter having fallen from the letter-box of the person to whom it was addressed on to the hall-floor, was picked up by a dog and buried in some straw, where it was afterwards found. in another case, the missing letter was discovered sticking against the side of the private letter-box, where it had lain unobserved, and in another the letter had been placed between the leaves of a book as a mark and forgotten. boys and others sent to post letters are also frequently unfaithful, and sometimes stupid. many letters have been put into the receptacles for dust in our streets, under the impression that they were pillar letter-boxes, and on one occasion a letter-carrier found two letters forced behind the plate affixed to a pillar letter-box which indicates the hours of collection, obviously placed there by the ignorant sender under the impression that that was the proper way of posting them. your mention of rats reminds me of several cases in which these animals have been the means of making away with letters. the fact that rats have been seen in your shop, and that your late letters drop on the floor and are left there till morning, inclines me to think that rats are at the bottom of it. i would advise you to make investigation without delay." "i will, sir, i will," exclaimed mr blurt, starting up with animation, "and i thank you heartily for the trouble you have taken with my case. good-morning. i shall see to this at once." and mr blurt did see to it at once. he went straight back to his brother's house, and made preparation for a campaign against the rats, for, being a sanguine and impulsive man, he had now become firmly convinced that these animals were somehow at the bottom of the mystery. but he kept his thoughts and intentions to himself. during the day george aspel observed that his friend employed himself in making some unaccountable alterations in the arrangements of one part of the shop, and ventured to ask what he was about, but, receiving a vague reply, he said no more. that night, after the shop was closed and aspel had gone home, and mr fred blurt had gone to sleep, under the guardianship of the faithful miss lillycrop, and mrs murridge had retired to the coal-hole--or something like it--which was her dormitory, mr enoch blurt entered the shop with a mysterious air, bearing two green tablecloths. these he hung like curtains at one corner of the room, and placed a chair behind them raised on two empty packing-boxes. seating himself in this chair he opened the curtains just enough to enable him to peep through, and found that he could see the letter-slit in the door over the counter, but not the floor beneath it. he therefore elevated his throne by means of another packing-box. all being ready, he lowered the gas to something like a dim religious light, and began his watch. it bade fair to be a tedious watch, but enoch blurt had made up his mind to go through with it, and whatever enoch made up his mind to do he did. suddenly he heard a scratching sound. this was encouraging. another moment and a bright pair of miniature stars were seen to glitter behind the pelican of the wilderness. in his eagerness to see, mr blurt made a slight noise and the stars went out--suddenly. this was exceedingly vexatious. he blamed himself bitterly, resettled himself in his chair, rearranged the curtains, and glared intently. but although mr blurt could fix his eyes he could not chain his thoughts. these unruly familiars ere long began to play havoc with their owner. they hurried him far away from rats and ornithological specimens, carried him over the irish channel, made him look sadly down on the funnels of the royal mail steamer, plunged him under the waves, and caused him to gaze in fond regret on his lost treasures. his thoughts carried him even further. they bore him over the sea to africa, and set him down, once more, in his forsaken hut among the diamond-diggers. from this familiar retreat he was somewhat violently recalled by a scratching sound. he glared at the pelican of the wilderness. the little stars reappeared. they increased in size. they became unbearable suns. they suddenly approached. as suddenly mr blurt rose to fight or fly--he could scarce tell which. it did not matter much, because, next instant, he fell headlong to the floor, dragging the curtains down, and forming a miscellaneous avalanche with the chair and packing-boxes. the unfortunate man had fallen asleep, and the rats, which had in truth ventured out, fled to their homes as a matter of course. but mr blurt had resolved to go through with it. finding that he was unhurt, and that the household had not been disturbed, he rebuilt his erection and began his watch over again. the shock had thoroughly roused him. he did not sleep again. fortunately london rats are not nervous. being born and bred in the midst of war's alarms they soon get over a panic. the watcher had not sat more than a quarter of an hour when the stars appeared once again. the pyramid of cheops is not more immovably solid than was mr blurt. a sharp nose advanced; a head came out; a body followed; a tail brought up the rear, and the pelican of the wilderness looked with calm indifference on the scene. the rat was an old grey one, and very large. it was followed by a brown one, nearly as large. there was an almost theatrical caution in their movements at first, but courage came with immunity from alarm. six letters, that had been thrust through the slit by the evening postman, lay on the floor. to these the grey rat advanced, seized one in its teeth, and began to back out, dragging the letter after it. the brown rat followed the grey rat's example. while thus engaged, another brown rat appeared, and followed suit. nothing could have been more fortunate. mr blurt was charmed. he could afford to let the grey rat well out of sight, because the two brown rats, following in succession, would, when he sprang on them, leave a trail of letters to point the direction of their flight. just as the third rat dragged its missive behind the pelican of the wilderness the watcher leaped upon them, and in his haste consigned the pelican to all but irretrievable destruction! the rats vanished, but left the tell-tale letters, the last two forming pointers to the first, which was already half dragged through a slit between the skirting and the wall. at the extremity of this slit yawned the gateway to the rats' palace. mr blurt rubbed his hands, chuckled, crowed internally, and, having rescued the letters, went to bed. next morning, he procured a crowbar, and, with the able assistance of george aspel, tore off the skirting, uprooted a plank, and discovered a den in which were stored thirty-one letters, six post-cards, and three newspapers. [see postmaster-general's report for , page .] the corners of the letters, bearing the stamps, were nibbled away, showing that gum--not money or curiosity--was the occasion of the theft. as four of these letters contained cheques and money-orders, their discovery afforded instant relief to the pressure which had been gradually bearing with intolerable weight on the affairs of messrs. blurt and company. chapter eleven. the letter-carrier goes his rounds, aids a little girl, and overwhelms a lady statistically. solomon flint, being a man of letters, was naturally a hard-working man. by night and by day did that faithful servant of his queen and country tramp through the streets of london with the letters of the lieges in his care. the dim twilight of early morning found him poking about, like a solitary ghoul, disembowelling the pillar posts. the rising sun sent a deflected ray from chimney-pot or steeple to welcome him--when fog and smoke permitted. the noon-tide beams broiled him in summer and cheered him in winter on his benignant path of usefulness. the evening fogs and glimmering lamps beheld him hard at work, and the nightly returning stars winked at him with evident surprise when they found him still fagging along through heat and cold, rain and snow, with the sense of urgent duty ever present in his breast, and part of the recorded hopes, joys, fears, sorrows, loves, hates, business, and humbug of the world in his bag. besides being a hard-working man, solomon flint was a public man, and a man of note. in the district of london which he frequented, thousands of the public watched for him, wished for him, even longed for him, and received him gladly. young eyes sometimes sparkled and old eyes sometimes brightened when his well-known uniform appeared. footmen opened to him with good-will, and servant-girls with smiles. even in the low neighbourhoods of his district--and he traversed several such-- solomon was regarded with favour. his person was as sacred as that of a detective or a city missionary. men who scowled on the world at large gave a familiar nod to him, and women who sometimes desired to tear off people's scalps never displayed the slightest wish to damage a hair of the postman's head. he moved about, in fact, like a benign influence, distributing favours and doing good wherever he went. may it not be said truly that in the spiritual world we have a good many news-bearers of a similar stamp? are not the loving, the gentle, the self-sacrificing such?--in a word, the christ-like, who, if they do not carry letters about, are themselves living epistles "known and read of all men?" one of the low districts through which solomon flint had to pass daily embraced the dirty court in which abel bones dwelt. anticipating a very different fate for it, no doubt, the builder of this region had named it archangel court. as he passed rapidly through it solomon observed a phenomenon by no means unusual in london and elsewhere, namely, a very small girl taking charge of an uncommonly large baby. urgent though his duties were, solomon would have been more than human if he had not stopped to observe the little girl attempt the apparently impossible feat of lifting the frolicsome mass of fat which was obviously in a rebellious state of mind. solomon had occasionally seen the little girl in his rounds, but never before in possession of a baby. she grasped him round the waist, which her little arms could barely encircle, and, making a mighty effort, got the rebel on his legs. a second heave placed him on her knees, and a third effort, worthy of a gymnast, threw him on her little bosom. she had to lean dangerously far back to keep him there, and being incapable of seeing before her, owing to the bulk of her burden, was compelled to direct her course by faith. she knew the court well, however, and was progressing favourably, when a loose stone tripped her and she fell. not having far to fall, neither she nor the baby was the worse for it. "hallo, little woman!" said solomon, assisting her to rise, "can't he walk?" "yes, sir; but 'e won't," replied the little maid, turning up her pretty face, and shaking back her dishevelled hair. the baby looked up and crowed gleefully, as though it understood her, and would, if able to speak, have said, "that's the exact truth,--`he won't!'" "come, i'll help you," said solomon, carrying the baby to the mouth of the alley pointed out by the little girl. "is he your brother?" "o no, sir; i ain't got no brother. he b'longed to a neighbour who's just gone dead, an' mother she was fond o' the neighbour, an' promised to take care of the baby. so she gave 'im to me to nuss. an' oh! you've no hidea, sir, what a hobstinate thing 'e is. i've 'ad 'im three days now." yes; the child had had him three days, and an amazing experience it had been to her. during that brief period she had become a confirmed staggerer, being utterly incapable of _walking_ with baby in her arms. during the same period she had become unquestionably entitled to the gold medals of the lifeboat institution and the humane society, having, with reckless courage, at the imminent risk of her life, and on innumerable occasions, saved that baby from death by drowning in washtubs and kennels, from mutilation by hot water, fire, and steam, and from sudden extinction by the wheels of cabs, carriages, and drays, while, at the same time she had established a fair claim to at least the honorary diploma of the royal college of surgeons, by her amazing practice in the treatment of bruises and cuts, and the application of sticking-plaster. "have you got a father or mother, my dear?" asked the letter-carrier. "yes, sir; i've got both of 'em. and oh! i'm so miserable. i don't know what to do." "why, what's wrong with you?" the child's eyes filled with tears as she told how her father had gone off "on the spree;" how her mother had gone out to seek him, promising to be back in time to relieve her of the baby so as to let her keep an appointment she had with a lady; and how the mother had never come back, and didn't seem to be coming back; and how the time for the engagement was already past, and she feared the lady would think she was an ungrateful little liar, and she had no messenger to send to her. "where does the lady live, and what's her name, little woman?" asked solomon. "her name is miss lillycrop, sir, and she lives in pimlico." "well, make your mind easy, little woman. it's a curious coincidence that i happen to know miss lillycrop. her house lies rather far from my beat, but i happen to have a messenger who does his work both cheaply and quickly. i do a deal of work for him too, so, no doubt, he'll do a little for me. his name is post-office.--what is your's, my dear?" "tottie bones," replied the child, with the air of a full-grown woman. "an' please, sir, tell 'er i meant to go back to her at the end of three days, as i promised; but i couldn't leave the 'ouse with baby inside, an' the fire, an' the kittle, with nobody to take care on 'em--could i, sir?" "cer'nly not, little woman," returned the letter-carrier, with a solemn look at the overburdened creature who appealed to him. giving her twopence, and a kindly nod, solomon flint walked smartly away--with a reproving conscience--to make up for lost time. that evening mrs bones returned without her husband, but with an additional black eye, and other signs of bad treatment. she found the baby sound asleep, and tottie in the same condition by his side, on the outside of the poor counterpane, with one arm round her charge, and her hair tumbled in confusion over him. she had evidently been herself overcome while in the act of putting the baby to sleep. mrs bones rushed to the bed, seized tottie, clasped her tightly to her bosom, sat down on a stool, and began to rock herself to and fro. the child, nothing loath to receive such treatment, awoke sufficiently to be able to throw her arms round her mother's neck, fondled her for a moment, and then sank again into slumber. "oh! god help me! god save my abel from drink and bad men!" exclaimed the poor woman, in a voice of suppressed agony. it seemed as if her prayer had been heard, for at that moment the door opened and a tall thin man entered. he was the man who had accosted george aspel on his first visit to that region. "you've not found him, i fear?" he said kindly, as he drew a stool near to mrs bones and sat down, while tottie, who had been re-awakened by his entrance, began to bustle about the room with something of the guilty feeling of a sentry who has been found sleeping at his post. "yes, mr sterling; thank you kindly for the interest you take in 'im. i found 'im at the old place, but 'e knocked me down an' went out, an' i've not been able to find 'im since." "well, take comfort, molly," said the city missionary, for such he was; "i've just seen him taken up by the police and carried to the station as drunk and incapable. that, you know, will not bring him to very great trouble, and i have good reason to believe it will be the means of saving him from much worse." he glanced at the little girl as he spoke. "tottie, dear," said mrs bones, "you go out for a minute or two; i want to speak with mr sterling." "yes, mother, and i'll run round to the bank; i've got twopence more to put in," said tottie as she went out. "your lesson has not been lost, sir," said the poor woman, with a faint smile; "tottie has a good bit o' money in the penny savings-bank now. she draws some of it out every time abel brings us to the last gasp, but we don't let 'im know w'ere it comes from. to be sure, 'e don't much care. she's a dear child is tottie." "thank the lord for _that_, molly. he is already answering our prayers," said mr sterling. "just trust him, keep up heart, and persevere; we're _sure_ to win at last." when tottie bones left the dark and dirty den that was the only home she had ever known, she ran lightly out into the neighbouring street, and, threading her way among people and vehicles, entered an alley, ascended a stair, and found herself in a room which bore some resemblance to an empty schoolroom. at one corner there was a desk, at which stood a young man at work on a business-looking book. before him were several children of various ages and sizes, but all having one characteristic in common--the aspect of extreme poverty. the young man was a gratuitous servant of the public, and the place was, for the hour at least, a penny savings-bank. it was one of those admirable institutions, which are now numerous in our land, and which derive their authority from him who said, "gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." noble work was being done there, not so much because of the mere pence which were saved from the grog and tobacco shops, as because of the habits of thrift which were being formed, as well as the encouragement of that spirit of thoughtful economy, which, like the spirit of temperance, is one of the hand-maids of religion. "please, sir," said tottie to the penny banker, "i wants to pay in tuppence." she handed over her bank-book with the money. receiving the former back, she stared at the mysterious figures with rapt attention. "please, sir, 'ow much do it come to now?" she asked. "it's eight and sevenpence, tottie," replied the amiable banker, with a smile. "thank you, sir," said tottie, and hurried home in a species of heavenly contemplation of the enormous sum she had accumulated. when solomon flint returned home that night he found miss lillycrop seated beside old mrs flint, shouting into her deafest ear. she desisted when solomon entered, and rose to greet him. "i have come to see my niece, mr flint; do you expect her soon?" the letter-carrier consulted his watch. "it is past her time now, miss lillycrop; she can't be long. pray, sit down. you'll stay and 'ave a cup of tea with us? now, don't say no. we're just goin' to 'ave it, and my old 'ooman delights in company.-- there now, sit down, an' don't go splittin' your lungs on _that_ side of her next time you chance to be alone with her. it's her deaf side. a cannon would make no impression on that side, except you was to fire it straight _into_ her ear.--i've got a message for you, miss lillycrop." "a message for me?" "ay, from a beautiful angel with tumbled hair and jagged clothes named tottie bones. ain't it strange how coincidences happen in this life! i goes an' speaks to tottie, which i never did before. tottie wants very bad to send a message to miss lillycrop. i happens to know miss lillycrop, an' takes the message, and on coming home finds miss lillycrop here before me--and all on the same night--ain't it odd?" "it is very odd, mr flint; and pray what was the message?" the letter-carrier, having first excused himself for making arrangements for the evening meal while he talked, hereupon related the circumstances of his meeting with the child, and had only concluded when may maylands came in, looking a little fagged, but sunny and bright as usual. of course she added her persuasions to those of her landlord, and miss lillycrop, being induced to stay to tea, was taken into may's private boudoir to put off her bonnet. while there the good lady inquired eagerly about her cousin's health and work and companions; asked for her mother and brother, and chatted pleasantly about her own work among the poor in the immediate neighbourhood of her dwelling. "by the way," said she, "that reminds me that i chanced to meet with that tall, handsome friend of your brother's in very strange circumstances. do you know that he has become a shopman in the bird-shop of my dear old friend mr blurt, who is very ill--has been ill, i should have said,--were you aware of that?" "no," answered may, in a low tone. "i thought he came to england by the invitation of sir somebody something, who had good prospects for him. did not you?" "so i thought," said may, turning her face away from the light. "it is very strange," continued miss lillycrop, giving a few hasty touches to her cap and hair; "and do you know, i could not help thinking that there was something queer about his appearance? i can scarce tell what it was. it seemed to me like--like--but it is disagreeable even to think about such things in connection with one who is such a fine, clever, gentlemanly fellow--but--" fortunately for poor may, her friend was suddenly stopped by a shout from the outer room. "hallo, ladies! how long are you goin' to be titivatin' yourselves? there ain't no company comin'. the sausages are on the table, and the old 'ooman's gittin' so impatient that she's beginnin' to abuse the cat." this last remark was too true and sad to be passed over in silence. old mrs flint's age had induced a spirit of temporary oblivion as to surroundings, which made her act, especially to her favourite cat, in a manner that seemed unaccountable. it was impossible to conceive that cruelty could actuate one who all her life long had been a very pattern of tenderness to every living creature. when therefore she suddenly changed from stroking and fondling her cat to pulling its tail, tweaking its nose, slapping its face, and tossing it off her lap, it is only fair to suppose that her mind had ceased to be capable of two simultaneous thoughts, and that when it was powerfully fixed on sausages she was not aware of what her hands were doing to the cat. "you'll excuse our homely arrangements, miss lillycrop," said mr flint, as he helped his guest to the good things on the table. "i never could get over a tendency to a rough-and-ready sort o' feedin'. but you'll find the victuals good." "thank you, mr flint. i am sure you must be very tired after the long walks you take. i can't think how postmen escape catching colds when they have such constant walking in all sorts of weather." "it's the constancy as saves us, ma'am, but we don't escape altogether," said flint, heaping large supplies on his grandmother's plate. "we often kitch colds, but they don't often do us damage." this remark led miss lillycrop, who had a very inquiring mind, to induce solomon flint to speak about the post-office, and as that worthy man was enthusiastic in regard to everything connected with his profession, he willingly gratified his visitor. "now, i want to know," said miss lillycrop, after the conversation had run on for some time, and appetites began to abate,--"when you go about the poorer parts of the city in dark nights, if you are ever attacked, or have your letters stolen from you." "well, no, ma'am--never. i can't, in all my long experience, call to mind sitch a thing happenin'--either to me or to any other letter-carrier. the worst of people receives us kindly, 'cause, you see, we go among 'em to do 'em service. i did indeed once hear of a letter being stolen, but the thief was not a man--he was a tame raven!" "oh, solomon!" said may, with a laugh. "remember that grannie hears you." "no, she don't, but it's all the same if she did. whatever i say about the post-office i can give chapter and verse for. the way of it was this. the letter-carrier was a friend o' mine. he was goin' his rounds at kelvedon, in essex, when a tame raven seized a money letter he had in his hand and flew away with it. after circlin' round the town he alighted, and, before he could be prevented, tore the letter to pieces. on puttin' the bits together the contents o' the letter was found to be a cheque for thirty pounds, and of course, when the particulars o' the strange case were made known the cheque was renewed!--there now," concluded solomon, "if you don't believe that story, you've only got to turn up the postmaster-general's report for , and you'll find it there on page ." "how curious!" said miss lillycrop. "there's another thing i want to know," she added, looking with deep interest into the countenance of her host, while that stalwart man continued to stow incredible quantities of sausages and crumpets into his capacious mouth. "is it really true that people post letters without addresses?" "true, ma'am? why, of course it's true. thousands of people do. the average number of letters posted without addresses is about eighty a day." "how strange! i wonder what causes this?" miss lillycrop gazed contemplatively into her teacup, and solomon became suddenly aware that grannie's plate was empty. having replenished it, he ordered dollops to bring more crumpets, and then turned to his guest. "i'll tell you what it is, ma'am, that causes this--it's forgetfulness, or rather, what we call absence of mind. it's my solemn belief, ma'am, that if our heads warn't screwed on pretty tight you'd see some hundreds of people walkin' about london of a mornin' with nothin' whatever on their shoulders. why, there was one man actually posted a cheque for pounds, shillings loose, in a pillar letter-box in liverpool, without even an envelope on it. the owner was easily traced through the bank, but was unable to explain how the cheque got out of his possession or into the pillar.--just listen to this, ma'am," he added, rising and taking down a pamphlet from a bookshelf, "this is last year's report. hear what it says:-- "`nearly , letters were posted this year without addresses. of these letters were found to contain, in the aggregate, about pounds in cash and bank-notes, and about pounds in bills of exchange, cheques, etcetera.'--of course," said the letter-carrier, refreshing himself with a mouthful of tea, "the money and bills were returned to the senders, but it warn't possible to do the same with , postage-stamps which were found knocking about loose in the bottom of the mail-bags." "how many?" cried miss lillycrop, in amazement. "fifty-two thousand eight hundred and fifty-six," repeated solomon with deliberation. "no doubt," he continued, "some of these stamps had bin carelessly stuck on the envelopes, and some of 'em p'r'aps had come out of busted letters which contained stamps sent in payment of small accounts. you've no idea, ma'am, what a lot o' queer things get mixed up in the mail-bags out of bust letters and packages--all along of people puttin' things into flimsy covers not fit to hold 'em. last year no fewer than , miscellaneous articles reached the returned letter office (we used to call it the dead letter office) without covers or addresses, and the number of inquiries dealt with in regard to these things and missing letters by that office was over , . "we're very partickler, miss lillycrop, in regard to these things," continued solomon, with a touch of pride. "we keep books in which every stray article, unaddressed, is entered and described minutely, so that when people come howlin' at us for our carelessness in non-delivery, we ask 'em to describe their missing property, and in hundreds of cases prove to them their own carelessness in makin' up parcels by handin' the wrecks over to 'em!" "but what sort of things are they that break loose?" asked miss lillycrop. "oh, many sorts. anything may break loose if it's ill packed, and, as almost every sort of thing passes through the post, it would be difficult to describe 'em all. here is a list, however, that may give you an idea of what kind of things the public sent through our mail-bags last year. a packet of pudding, a steam-gauge, a tin of cream, a bird's wing, a musical box, packet of snowdrops, fruit sweets, shrimps, and sample potatoes; a dormouse, four white mice, two goldfinches, a lizard and a blind-worm, all alive; besides cutlery, medicines, varnish, ointments, perfumery, articles of dress; a stoat, a squirrel, fish, leeches, frogs, beetles, caterpillars, and vegetables. of course, many of these, such as live animals, being prohibited articles, were stopped and sent to the returned letter office, but were restored, on application, to the senders." observing miss lillycrop's surprised expression of face, the old woman's curiosity was roused. "what's he haverin' aboot, my dear?" she asked of may. "about the many strange things that are sent through the post, grannie." "ay, ay, likely enough," returned the old creature, shaking her head and administering an unintentional cuff to the poor cat; "folk write a heap o' lees noo-a-days, nae doot." "you'd hardly believe it now," continued solomon, turning the leaves of the report, "but it's a fact that live snakes have frequently been sent through the post. no later than last year a snake about a yard long managed to get out of his box in one of the night mail sorting carriages on the london and north-western railway. after a good deal of confusion and interruption to the work, it was killed. again, a small box was sent to the returned letter office in liverpool, which, when opened, was found to contain eight living snakes." "come now, mr flint," said may, "you mustn't bore my cousin with the post-office. you know that when you once begin on that theme there is no stopping you." "very well, miss may," returned the letter-carrier, with a modest smile, "let's draw round the fire and talk of something else.--hallo, dollops! clear away the dishes." "but he doesn't bore me," protested miss lillycrop, who had the happy knack of being intensely interested in whatever happened to interest her friends. "i like, of all things, to hear about the post-office. i had no idea it was such a wonderful institution.--do tell me more about it, mr flint, and never mind may's saucy remarks." much gratified by this appeal, solomon wheeled the old woman to her own corner of the fire, placed a stool under her feet, the cat on her knees, and patted her shoulder, all of which attentions she received with a kindly smile, and said that "sol was a good laddie." meanwhile the rotund maid-of-all-work having, as it were, hurled the crockery into her den, and the circle round the fire having been completed, as well as augmented, by the sudden entrance of phil maylands, the "good laddie" re-opened fire. "yes, ma'am, as you well observe, it _is_ a wonderful institution. more than that, it's a gigantic one, and it takes a big staff to do the duty too. in london alone the staff is , . the entire staff of the kingdom is , postmasters, , clerks, and , letter-carriers, sorters, and messengers,--sum total, a trifle over , . then, the total number of post-offices and receptacles for receiving letters throughout the kingdom is , odd. before the introduction of the penny postage--in the year --there were only ! then, again--" "o mr flint! pray stop!" cried miss lillycrop, pressing her hands to her eyes; "i never _could_ take in figures. at least i never could keep them in. they just go in here, and come out there (pointing to her two ears), and leave no impression whatever." "you're not the only one that's troubled with that weakness, ma'am," said the gallant solomon, "but if a few thousands puzzle you so much what will you make of this?--the total number of letters, post-cards, newspapers, etcetera, that passed through the post-offices of the kingdom last year was fourteen hundred and seventy-seven million eight hundred and twenty-eight thousand two hundred! what d'ye make o' that, ma'am?" "mr flint, i just make nothing of it at all," returned miss lillycrop, with a placid smile. "come, phil," said may, laughing, "can _you_ make nothing of it? you used to be good at arithmetic." "well, now," said phil, "it don't take much knowledge of arithmetic to make something of that. george aspel happened to be talking to me about that very sum not long ago. he said he had been told by a man at the post-office that it would take a man about a hundred and seventy years to count it. i tried the calculation, and found he was right. then i made another calculation:-- "i put down the average length of an envelope at four inches, and i found that if you were to lay fourteen hundred and seventy-seven million letters out in a straight line, end to end, the lot would extend to above , miles, which is more than three times the circumference of the world. moreover, this number is considerably more than the population of the whole world, which, at the present time, is about millions, so that if the british post-office were to distribute the millions of letters that pass through it in the year impartially, every man, woman, and child on the globe would receive one letter, post-card, newspaper, or book-packet, and leave thirty-three millions to spare!" "now, really, you _must_ stop this," said may; "i see that my cousin's colour is going with her efforts to understand you. can't you give her something more amusing to think of?" "oh, cer'nly," said solomon, again turning with alacrity to the report. "would you like to hear what some people think it's our dooty to attend to? i'll give you a letter or two received by our various departments." here the letter-carrier began to read the following letters, which we give from the same report, some being addressed to the "chief of the dead office," others to the postmaster-general, etcetera. "_may_ --. "dear sir,--i write to ask you for some information about finding out persons who are missing--i want to find out my mother and sisters who are in melbourne in australia i believe--if you would find out for me please let me know by return of post, and also your charge at the lowest, yours," etcetera. "_nov_. , --. "sir,--not having received the live bullfinch mentioned by you as having arrived at the returned letter office two days ago, having been posted as a letter contrary to the regulations of the postal system, i now write to ask you to have the bird fed and forwarded at once to ---, and to apply for all fines and expenses to ---. if this is not done, and i do not receive the bird before the end of the week, i shall write to the postmaster-general, who is a very intimate friend of my father's, and ask him to see that measures are taken against you for neglect. "this is not an idle threat, so you will oblige by following the above instructions." "wales, _nov_. , --. "dear sir,--i am taking the liberty of writeing you those few lines as i am given to understand that you do want men in new south wales, and i am a smith by trade; a single man. my age is next birthday. i shood be verry thankful if you would be so kind and send all the particulars by return." "london, _nov_. , --. "sir,--i right to you and request of you sinsearly for to help me to find out my husband. i ham quite a stranger in london, only two months left ireland--i can find know trace of my husband--your the only gentleman that i know that can help me to find him. thears is letters goes to him to --- in his name and thears is letters comes to him to the --- post-office for him.--sir you may be sure that i ham low in spirit in a strange contry without a friend. i hope you will be so kind as not to forget me. sir, i would never find --- for i would go astray, besides i have no money." "so you see, ma'am," continued solomon, closing the report, "much though we do, more is expected of us. but although we can't exactly comply with such requests as these, we do a pretty stroke of business in other ways besides letter-distributin'. for instance, we are bankers on a considerable scale. through our money-order agency the sum we transmitted last year was a trifle over , , pounds, while the deposits in our savings-banks amounted to over , , pounds. then as to telegraphs: there were--but i forgot," said solomon, checking himself, "miss may is the proper authority on that subject.--how many words was it you sent last year?" "i won't tell you," said may, with a toss of her little head. "you have already driven my cousin distracted. she won't be able to walk home." "my dear, i don't intend to walk home; i shall take a cab," said the mild little woman. "_do_ tell me something about your department." "no, cousin, i won't." "sure, if ye don't, i will," said phil. "well then, i will tell you a very little just to save you from phil, who, if he once begins, will kill you with his calculations. but you can't appreciate what i say. let me see. the total number of telegraphic messages forwarded by our offices in the united kingdom during the last twelve months amounted to a little more than twenty-two millions." "dear me!" said miss lillycrop, with that look and tone which showed that if may had said twenty-two quintillions it would have had no greater effect. "there, that's enough," said may, laughing. "i knew it was useless to tell you." "ah, may!" said phil, "that's because you don't know how to tell her.-- see here now, cousin sarah. the average length of a message is thirty words. well, that gives millions of words. now, a good average story-book of pages contains about ninety-six thousand words. divide the one by the other, and that gives you a magnificent library of volumes as the work done by the postal telegraphs every year. all these telegrams are kept for a certain period in case of inquiry, and then destroyed." "phil, i must put on my things and go," exclaimed miss lillycrop, rising. "i've had quite as much as i can stand." "just cap it all with this, ma'am, to keep you steady," interposed solomon flint;--"the total revenue of the post-office for the year was six millions and forty-seven thousand pounds; and the expenditure three millions nine hundred and ninety-one thousand. now, you may consider yourself pretty well up in the affairs of the post-office." the old 'ooman, awaking at this point with a start, hurled the cat under the grate, and may laughingly led miss lillycrop into her little boudoir. chapter twelve. in which a bosom friend is introduced, rural felicity is enlarged on, and deep plans are laid. a bosom friend is a pleasant possession. miss lillycrop had one. she was a strong-minded woman. we do not say this to her disparagement. a strong mind is as admirable in woman as in man. it is only when woman indicates the strength of her mind by unfeminine self-assertion that we shrink from her in alarm. miss lillycrop's bosom friend was a warm-hearted, charitable, generous, hard-featured, square-shouldered, deep-chested, large-boned lady of middle age and quick temper. she was also in what is styled comfortable circumstances, and dwelt in a pretty suburban cottage. her name was maria stivergill. "come with me, child," said miss stivergill to miss lillycrop one day, "and spend a week at the rosebud." it must not be supposed that the good lady had given this romantic name to her cottage. no, when miss stivergill bought it, she found the name on the two gate-posts; found that all the tradespeople in the vicinity had imbibed it, and therefore quietly accepted it, as she did all the ordinary affairs of life. "impossible, dear maria," said her friend, with a perplexed look, "i have so many engagements, at least so many duties, that--" "pooh!" interrupted miss stivergill. "put 'em off. fulfil 'em when you come back. at all events," she continued, seeing that miss lillycrop still hesitated, "come for a night or two." "but--" "come now, lilly"--thus she styled her friend--"but give me no _buts_. you know that you've no good reason for refusing." "indeed i have," pleaded miss lillycrop; "my little servant--" "what, the infant who opened the door to me?" "yes, tottie bones; she is obliged to stay at nights with me just now, owing to her mother, poor thing, being under the necessity of shutting up her house while she goes to look after a drunken husband, who has forsaken her." "hah!" exclaimed miss stivergill, giving a nervous pull at her left glove, which produced a wide rent between the wrist and the thumb. "i wonder why women marry!" "don't you think it's a sort of--of--unavoidable necessity?" suggested miss lillycrop, with a faint smile. "not at all, my dear, not at all. i have avoided it. so have you. if i had my way, i'd put a stop to marriage altogether, and bring this miserable world to an abrupt close.--but little bones is no difficulty: we'll take her along with us." "but, dear maria--" "well, what further objections, lilly?" "tottie has charge of a baby, and--" "what! one baby in charge of another?" "indeed it is too true; and, you know, you couldn't stand a baby." "couldn't i?" said miss stivergill sharply. "how d'you know that? let me see it." tottie being summoned with the baby, entered the room staggering with the rotund mountain of good-natured self-will entirely concealing her person, with exception of her feet and the pretty little coal-dusted arms with which she clasped it to her heaving breast. "ha! i suppose little bones is behind it," said miss stivergill.--"set the baby down, child, and let me see you." tottie obeyed. the baby, true to his principles, refused to stand. he sat down and stared at those around him in jovial defiance. "what is your age, little bones?" "just turned six, m'm," replied tottie, with a courtesy, which miss lillycrop had taught her with great pains. "you're sixty-six, at the least, compared with male creatures of the same age," observed her interrogator. "thank you, m'm," replied tottie, with another dip. "have you a bonnet and shawl, little bones?" tottie, in a state of considerable surprise, replied that she had. "go and put 'em on then, and get that thing also ready to go out." miss stivergill pointed to the baby contemptuously, as it were, with her nose. "he's a very good bybie"--so the child pronounced it--"on'y rather self-willed at times, m'm," said tottie, going through the athletic feat of lifting her charge. "just so. true to your woman's nature. always ready to apologise for the male monster that tyrannises over you. i suppose, now, you'd say that your drunken father was a good man?" miss stivergill repented of the speech instantly on seeing the tears start into tottie's large eyes as she replied quickly--"indeed i would, m'm. oh! you've no notion 'ow kind father is w'en 'e's not in liquor." "there, there. of course he is. i didn't mean to say he wasn't, little bones. it's a curious fact that many drun--, i mean people given to drink, _are_ kind and amiable. it's a disease. go now, and get your things on, and do you likewise, lilly. my cab is at the door. be quick." in a few minutes the whole party descended to the street. miss stivergill locked the door with her own hand, and put the key in her pocket. as she turned round, tottie's tawdry bonnet had fallen off in her efforts to raise the baby towards the outstretched hands of her mistress, while the cabman stood looking on with amiable interest. catching up the bonnet, miss stivergill placed it on the child's head, back to the front, twisted the strings round her head and face--anyhow-- lifted her and her charge into the cab, and followed them. "where to, ma'am?" said the amiable cabman. "charing cross,--you idiot." "yes, ma'am," replied the man, with a broad grin, touching his hat and bestowing a wink on a passing policeman as he mounted the box. on their way to the station the good lady put out her head and shouted "stop!" the maligned man obeyed. "stay here, lilly, with the baby.--jump out, little bones. come with me." she took the child's bonnet off and flung it under the cab, then grasped tottie's hand and led her into a shop. "a hat," demanded the lady of the shopwoman. "what kind of hat, ma'am?" "any kind," replied miss stivergill, "suitable for this child--only see that it's not a doll's hat. let it fit her." the shopwoman produced a head-dress, which tottie afterwards described as a billycock 'at with a feather in it. the purchaser paid for it, thrust it firmly on the child's head, and returned to the cab. a few minutes by rail conveyed them to a charmingly country-like suburb, with neat villas dotting the landscape, and a few picturesque old red brick cottages scattered about here and there. such a drive to such a scene, reader, may seem very commonplace to you, but what tongue can tell, or pen describe, what it was to tottie bones? that pretty little human flower had been born in the heart of london--in one of the dirtiest and most unsavoury parts of that heart. being the child of a dissolute man and a hard-working woman, who could not afford to go out excursioning, she had never seen a green field in her life. she had never seen the thames, or the parks. there are many such unfortunates in the vast city. of flowers--with the exception of cauliflowers--she knew nothing, save from what little she saw of them in broken pots in the dirty windows of her poor neighbourhood, and on the barrows and baskets of the people who hawked them about the city. there was a legend among the neighbours of archangel court that once upon a time--in some remote period of antiquity--a sunbeam had been in the habit of overtopping the forest of chimneys and penetrating the court below in the middle of each summer, but a large brick warehouse had been erected somewhere to the southward, and had effectually cut off the supply, so that sunshine was known to the very juvenile population only through the reflecting power of roofs and chimney-cans and gable windows. in regard to scents, it need scarcely be said that tottie had had considerable experience of that class which it is impossible to term sweet. judge then, if you can, what must have been the feelings of this little town-sparrow when she suddenly rushed, at the rate of forty miles an hour, into the heavenly influences of fields and flowers, hedgerows, and trees, farm-yards and village spires, horse-ponds, country inns, sheep, cattle, hay-carts, piggeries, and poultry. her eyes, always large and liquid, became great crystal globes of astonishment, as, forgetful of herself, and _almost_ of baby, she sat with parted lips and heaving breast, gazing in rapt ecstasy from the carriage window. miss stivergill and miss lillycrop, being sympathetic souls, gazed with almost equal interest on the child's animated face. "she only wants wings and washing to make her an angel," whispered the former to the latter. but if the sights she saw on the journey inflated tottie's soul with joy, the glories of rosebud cottage almost exploded her. it was a marvellous cottage. rosebushes surrounded it, ivy smothered it, leaving just enough of room for the windows to peep out, and a few of the old red bricks to show in harmony with the green. creepers in great variety embraced it, and a picturesque clump of trees on a knoll behind sheltered it from the east wind. there was a farm-yard, which did not belong to itself, but was so close to it that a stranger could scarcely have told whether it formed part of the rosebud domain or that of the neighbouring cottage. the day, too, was exceptionally fine. it was one of those still, calm, sunny, cloudless days, which induce healthy people sometimes to wish that earth might be their permanent home. "oh, bybie!" exclaimed tottie bones, when, having clambered to the top of the knoll, she sat down on a tree-root and gazed on the cottage and the farm-yard, where hens were scratching in the interest of active chickens, and cows were standing in blank felicity, and pigs were revelling in dirt and sunshine--"oh, bybie! it's 'eaven upon earth, ain't it, darling?" the darling evidently agreed with her for once, for, lying on his back in the long grass, he seized two handfuls of wild-flowers, kicked up his fat legs, and laughed aloud. "that's right, darling. ain't it fun? and _such_ flowers too--oh! all for nothing, only got to pull 'em. yes, roll away, darling, you can't dirty yourself 'ere. come, i shall 'ave a roll too." with which remark tottie plunged into the grass, seized the baby and tumbled him and herself about to such an extent that the billycock hat was much deteriorated and the feather damaged beyond recovery. inside the rosebud the other two members of the party were also enjoying themselves, though not exactly in like manner. they revelled in tea and in the feast of reason. "where, and when, and why did you find that child?" asked miss stivergill. her friend related what she knew of tottie's history. "strange!" remarked miss stivergill, but beyond that remark she gave no indication of the state of her mind. "it is indeed strange," returned her friend, "but it is just another instance of the power of god's word to rescue and preserve souls, even in the most unfavourable circumstances. tottie's mother is christian, and all the energies of her vigorous nature are concentrated on two points--the training of her child in the fear of god, and the saving of her husband from drink. she is a woman of strong faith, and is quite convinced that her prayers will be answered, because, she says, `he who has promised is faithful,' but i fear much that she will not live to see it." "why so?" demanded the other sharply. "because she has a bad affection of the lungs. if she were under more favourable circumstances she might recover." "pooh! nonsense. people constantly recover from what is called bad affection of the lungs. can nothing be done for her?" "nothing," replied miss lillycrop; "she will not leave her husband or her home. if she dies--" "well, what then?" "little tottie must be rescued, you know, and i have set my heart on doing it." "you'll do nothing of the sort," said miss stivergill firmly. miss lillycrop looked surprised. "no, you shan't rescue her," continued the good lady, with still firmer emphasis; "you've got all london at your feet, and there's plenty more where that one came from. come, lilly, you mustn't be greedy. you may have the baby if you like, but you must leave little bones to me." miss lillycrop was making feeble resistance to this proposal when the subject of dispute suddenly appeared at the door with glaring eyes and a horrified expression of face. baby was in her arms as usual, and both he and his nurse were drenched, besides being covered from head to foot with mud. it needed little explanation to tell that in crossing a ditch on a single plank tottie had stumbled and gone headlong into the water with baby in her arms. fortunately neither was hurt, though both had been terribly frightened. miss stivergill was equal to the occasion. ordering two tubs half-full of warm water into the back kitchen, she stripped the unfortunates and put them therein, to the intense joy of baby, whose delight in a warm bath was only equalled by his pleasure in doing mischief. at first miss stivergill thought of burning the children's garments, and fitting them out afresh, but on the suggestion of her friend that their appearing at home with new clothes might create suspicion, and cause unpleasant inquiries, she refrained. when thoroughly cleaned, tottie and baby were wrapped up in shawls and set down to a hearty tea in the parlour. while this was being devoured, the two friends conversed of many things. among others, miss stivergill touched on the subject of her progenitors, and made some confidential references to her mother, which her friend received with becoming sympathy. "yes, my dear," said miss stivergill, in a tone of unwonted tenderness. "i don't mind telling you all about her, for you're a good soul, with a feeling heart. her loss was a terrible loss to me, though it was great gain to her. before her death we were separated for a time--only a short time,--but it proved to be a blessed separation, for the letters she wrote me sparkled with love and wit and playfulness, as though they had been set with pearls and rubies and diamonds. i shall show you my treasures before going to bed. i keep them in that box on the sideboard, to be always handy. it is not large, but its contents are more precious to me than thousands of gold and silver." she paused; and then, observing that tottie was staring at her, she advised her to make the most of her opportunity, and eat as much as possible. "if you please, m'm, i can't eat any more," said tottie. "can't eat more, child?--try," urged the hospitable lady. tottie heaved a deep sigh and said that she couldn't eat another morsel if she were to try ever so much. as baby appeared to be in the same happy condition, and could with difficulty keep his eyes open, both children were sent to bed under the care of a maid, and miss stivergill, taking down her treasure-box, proceeded to read part of its contents to her bosom friend. little did good miss stivergill imagine that she had dug a mine that night under rosebud cottage, and that the match which was destined to light it was none other than her innocent _protegee_, little bones. throwing herself into the receptive arms of her mother, two days after the events just described, tottie poured the delight and amazement of her surcharged spirit into sympathetic ears. unfortunately her glowing descriptions also reached unsympathetic ears. mrs bones had happily recovered her husband, and brought him home, where he lay in his familiar corner, resting from his labours of iniquity. the unsympathetic ears belonged to mr abel bones. when tottie, however, in her discursive wandering began to talk of pearls, and rubies, and diamonds, and treasures worth thousands of gold and silver, in a box on the sideboard, the ears became suddenly sympathetic, and mr bones raised himself on one elbow. "hush! darling," said mrs bones, glancing uneasily at the dark corner. mr bones knew well that if his wife should caution tottie not to tell him anything about rosebud cottage, he would be unable to get a word out of her. he therefore rose suddenly, staggered towards the child, and seized her hand. "come, tot, you and i shall go out for a walk." "oh, abel, don't. dear abel--" but dear abel was gone, and his wife, clasping her hands, looked helplessly and hopelessly round the room. then a gleam of light seemed to come into her eyes. she looked up and went down on her knees. meanwhile abel went into a public-house, and, calling for a pint of beer, bade his child drink, but tottie declined. he swore with an oath that he'd compel her to drink, but suddenly changed his mind and drank it himself. "now, tot, tell father all about your visit to miss stivergill. she's very rich--eh?" "oh! awfully," replied tottie, who felt an irresistible drawing to her father when he condescended to speak to her in kindly tones. "keeps a carriage--eh?" "no, nor a 'oss--not even a pony," returned the child. "an' no man-servant about the house?" "no--not as i seed." "not even a gardener, now?" "no, only women--two of 'em, and very nice they was too. one fat and short, the other tall and thin. i liked the fat one best." "ha! blessin's on 'em both," said mr bones, with a bland smile. "come now, tot, tell me all about the cottage--inside first, the rooms and winders, an' specially the box of treasure. then we'll come to the garden, an' so we'll get out by degrees to the fields and flowers. go ahead, tot." it need scarcely be said that abel bones soon possessed himself of all the information he required, after which he sent tottie home to her mother, and went his way. chapter thirteen. miss lillycrop gets a series of surprises. what a world this is for plots! and there is no escaping them. if we are not the originators of them, we are the victims--more or less. if we don't originate them designedly we do so accidentally. we have seen how abel bones set himself deliberately to hatch one plot. let us now turn to old fred blurt, and see how that invalid, with the help of his brother enoch, unwittingly sowed the seeds of another. "dear enoch," said fred one day, turning on his pillow, "i should have died but for you." "and miss lillycrop, fred. don't be ungrateful. if miss lillycrop had not come to my assistance, it's little i could have done for you." "well, yes, i ought to have mentioned her in the same breath with yourself, enoch, for she has been kind--very kind and patient. now, i want to know if that snake has come." "are you sure you've recovered enough to attend to business?" asked the brother. "yes, quite sure. besides, a snake is not business--it is pleasure. i mean to send it to my old friend balls, who has been long anxious to get a specimen. i had asked a friend long ago to procure one for me, and now that it has come i want you to pack it to go by post." "by post!" echoed the brother. "yes, why not?" "because i fear that live snakes are prohibited articles." "get the post-office directory and see for yourself," said the invalid. the enormous volume, full six inches thick, which records the abodes and places of business of all noteworthy londoners, was fetched. "nothing about snakes here," said enoch, running his eye over the paragraph referring to the articles in question,--"`glass bottles, leeches, game, fish,' (but that refers to dead ones, i suppose) `flesh, fruit, vegetables, or other perishable substances' (a snake ain't perishable, at least not during a brief post-journey)--`nor any bladder or other vessel containing liquid,' (ha! that touches him: a snake contains blood, don't it?)--`or anything whatsoever which might by pressure or otherwise be rendered injurious to the contents of the mail-bags or to the officers of the post-office.'--well, brother," continued enoch, "i'm not quite sure that it comes within the forbidden degrees, so we'll give it the benefit of the doubt and pack it. how d'you propose doing it up? in a letter?" "no, i had a box made for it before i was taken ill. you'll find it in the shop, on the upper shelf, beside the northern diver." the little box was brought, and the snake, which had been temporarily consigned to an empty glass aquarium, was put into it. "you're sure he don't bite, fred, and isn't poisonous?" "quite sure." "then here goes--whew! what a lively fellow he is!" this was indeed true. the animal, upwards of a yard in length, somewhat resembled the eel in his efforts to elude the grasp of man, but mr blurt fixed him, coiled him firmly down on his bed of straw and wadding, pressed a similar bed on the top of him to keep him quiet, and shut the lid. "there; i've got him in all right. now for the screws. he can't move easily, and even if he could he wouldn't make much noise." the box was finally secured with a piece of string, a label with the address and the proper number of stamps was affixed, and then it was committed to the care of george aspel to post, in time for the evening mail. it was five minutes to six when aspel ascended the steps of st. martin's-le-grand. the usual rush was in progress. there was a considerable crowd in front of the letter-box. instead of pushing through, george took advantage of his height, stretched his long arm over the heads of the people, and, with a good aim, pitched the box into the postal jaws. for a few seconds he stood still, meditating a call on phil maylands. but he was not now as eager to meet his friend as he used to be. he had begun a course of dissipation, and, superior though he was in years, physique, and knowledge to his friend, he felt a new and uncomfortable sense of inferiority when in the presence of the straightforward, steady boy. at seventeen a year adds much to the manhood of a youth. phil's powers of perception had been greatly quickened by his residence in london. although he regarded aspel with as warm affection as ever, he could not avoid seeing the change for the worse in him, and a new feeling of deep anxiety and profound but respectful pity filled his heart. he prayed for him also, but did not quite believe that his prayers would be heard, for as yet he did not fully realise or comprehend the grand truths of the religion in which his mother had faithfully trained him. he did not at that time understand, as he afterwards came to understand, that the prayer of faith--however weak and fluttering--is surely answered, whether we see the answer or not, and whether the answer be immediate or long delayed. on one occasion, with feelings of timorous self-abasement, he ventured to remonstrate with his friend, but the effort was repelled. possibly the thought of another reproof from phil was the cause of aspel's decision not to look him up on the present occasion. as he descended the steps, a man as tall and powerful as himself met him and stared him in the face. aspel fired up at once and returned the stare. it was abel bones, on his way to post a letter. the glare intensified, and for a moment it seemed as if the two giants were about to fight. a small street boy, observing the pair, was transfixed with ardent hope, but he was doomed to disappointment. bones had clenched his right hand. if he had advanced another inch the blood of the sea-kings would have declared for war on the spot, regardless of consequences. but bones was too old a bird thus to come within reach of his great enemy, the law. besides, a deeper though not immediate plan of revenge flashed into his mind. relaxing the hand and frown simultaneously, he held out the former. "come," he said, in a hearty tone, "i don't bear you no ill-will for the crack on the nut you gave me, and you've surely no occasion to bear ill-will to a man you floored so neatly. shake hands." the familiarity, not to say insolence, of this proposal, from one so much beneath him, would probably have induced the youth to turn aside with scorn, but the flattering reference to his pugilistic powers from one who was no mean antagonist softened his feelings. "well, i'm sure that i bear _you_ no ill-will," he said, with a smile, extending his hand. "bah! chicken-livers," exclaimed the small boy, turning away in supreme contempt. "and i assure you," continued aspel, "i had no intention of doing you injury. but no doubt a stout fellow like you didn't let a knock-down blow interfere with his next day's work." "his next day's work!" repeated mr bones, with a chuckle. "it would be a queer blow as would interfere with my work. why, guv'nor, i hain't got no work at all" here he put on a very lugubrious expression. "p'r'aps you won't believe it, sir, but i do assure you that i haven't, in them hard times, had a full day's work for ever so long. and i haven't earned a rap this day, except the penny i got for postin' this here letter." george aspel, besides being, as we have said, a kind-hearted man, was unusually ignorant of the ways of the world, especially the world of london. he believed abel bones at once, and spoke in quite a softened, friendly tone as he replied-- "i'm sorry to hear that, and would gladly help you if i could, but, to tell you the truth, mr bones, i'm not in flourishing circumstances myself. still, i may perhaps think of some way of helping you. post your letter, and i'll walk with you while we talk over it." the man ran up the steps, posted his letter, which had missed the mail-- though he did not appear to care for that--and returned. although we have spoken of this man as a confirmed drunkard, it must not be supposed that he had reached the lowest state of degradation. like george aspel, he had descended from a higher level in the social scale. of course, his language proved that he had never been in the rank of a gentleman, but in manners and appearance he was much above the unhappy outcasts amongst whom he dwelt. moreover, he had scarcely reached middle life, and was, or had been, a handsome man, so that, when he chose to dress decently and put on a sanctimonious look (which he could do with much facility), he seemed quite a respectable personage. "now, guv'nor, i'm at your sarvice," he said. "this is my way. is it yours?" "yes--any way will do," continued aspel. "now let me hear about you. i owe you some sort of reparation for that blow. have you dined?--will you eat?" "well, no; thank 'ee all the same, but i've no objection to drink." they chanced to be near a public-house as he spoke. it would be difficult in some thoroughfares of london to stop _without_ chancing to be near a public-house! they entered, and aspel, resolving to treat the man handsomely, called for brandy and soda. it need scarcely be said that at that hour the brandy and soda was by no means the first of its kind that either of the men had imbibed that day. over it they became extremely confidential and chatty. mr bones was a lively and sensible fellow. it was noticeable, too, that his language improved and his demeanour became more respectful as the acquaintance progressed. after a time they rose. aspel paid for the brandy and soda, and they left the place in company. leaving them, we shall return to st. martin's-le-grand, and follow the footsteps of no less a personage than miss lillycrop, for it so happened that that enthusiastic lady, having obtained permission to view the interior of the post-office, had fixed on that evening for her visit. but we must go back a little in time--to that period when the postal jaws were about to open for the reception of the evening mail. ever since miss lillycrop's visit to the abode of solomon flint, she had felt an increasing desire to see the inside and the working of that mighty engine of state about which she had heard so much. a permit had been procured for her, and her cousin, may maylands, being off duty at that hour, was able to accompany her. they were handed over to the care of a polite and intelligent letter-sorter named bright. the sorter seemed fully to appreciate and enter into miss lillycrop's spirit of inquiry. he led her and may to the inside--the throat, as it were--of those postal jaws, the exterior aspect of which we have already described. on the way thither they had to pass through part of the great letter-sorting hall. it seemed to miss lillycrop's excited imagination as if she had been suddenly plunged over head and ears into a very ocean of letters. from that moment onwards, during her two hours' visit, she swam, as it were, among snowy billows of literature. "this is the receiving-box--the inside of it," said mr bright, as he led the way through a glass door into a species of closet or compartment about six feet by ten in dimension, or thereabouts, with a low roof. "this way ladies. stand here on one side. they are just going to open it." the visitors saw in front of them a recess, divided by a partition, in which were two large baskets. a few letters were falling into these as they entered. glancing upwards, they saw a long slit, through which a number of curious human eyes peeped for a moment, and disappeared, to be replaced by other eyes. little spurts of letters came intermittently through the slit and fell into the baskets. these, when full, were seized by two attendants, dragged away, and replaced by empty ones. suddenly the upper lip of the slit, or postal mouth, rose. "oh, may, look!" exclaimed miss lillycrop eagerly. not only the eyes but the heads and shoulders of the moving public now became visible to those inside, while the intermittent spurts became gradually a continuous shower of letters. the full significance of the old superscription, "haste, post haste, for thy life," now began to dawn on miss lillycrop. the hurry, mentioned elsewhere in our description of the outside view, increased as the minutes of grace flew by, and the visitors fairly laughed aloud when they saw the cataract of correspondence--the absolute waterfall, with, now and then, a bag or an entire bandboxful of letters, like a loosened boulder--that tumbled into the baskets below. from this letter-fall miss lillycrop was led, speechless, by her cicerone, followed by may, to whom the scene was not quite new, and whose chief enjoyment of it consisted in observing her interested and excitable friend's surprise. mr bright led them back to the great sorting-room, where the energetic labour of hundreds of men and boys--facing, carrying, stamping, distributing, sorting, etcetera--was going on full swing. everywhere there was rapid work, but no hurry; busy and varied action, but no confusion; a hum of mingled voice and footfall, but no unnecessary noise. it was a splendid example of the power of orderly and united action. to miss lillycrop it conveyed the idea of hopeless and irretrievable confusion! mounting a staircase, mr bright conducted the ladies to a gallery from which they had a bird's-eye view of the entire hall. it was, in truth, a series of rooms, connected with the great central apartment by archways. through these--extending away in far perspective, so that the busy workers in the distance became like miniature men--could be seen rows on rows of facing and sorting-tables, covered, heaped up, and almost hidden, by the snows of the evening mail. here the chaos of letters, books, papers, etcetera, was being reduced to order--the whole under the superintendence of a watchful gentleman, on a raised platform in the centre, who took good care that england should not only _expect_, but also be _assured_, that every man and boy did his duty. miss lillycrop glanced at the clock opposite. it was a quarter to seven. "do you mean to tell me," she said, turning full on mr bright, and pointing downwards, "that that ocean of letters will be gone, and these tables emptied by eight o'clock?" "indeed i do, ma'am; and more than what you see there, for the district bags have not all come in yet. by eight o'clock these tables will be as bare as the palm of my hand." mr bright extended a large and manly palm by way of emphasising his remark. miss lillycrop was too polite to say, "that's a lie!" but she firmly, though mutely, declined to believe it. "d'you observe the tables just below us, ma'am?" he pointed to what might have been six large board-room tables, surrounded by boys and men as close as they could stand. as, however, the tables in question were covered more than a foot deep with letters, miss lillycrop only saw their legs. "these are the facing-tables," continued mr bright. "all that the men and lads round 'em have got to do with the letters there is to arrange them for the stampers, with their backs and stamps all turned one way. we call that facing the letters. they have also to pick out and pitch into baskets, as you see, all book-packets, parcels, and newspapers that may have been posted by mistake in the letter-box." while the sorter went on expounding matters, one of the tables had begun to show its wooden surface as its "faced" letters were being rapidly removed, but just then a man with a bag on his shoulder came up, sent a fresh cataract of letters on the blank spot, and re-covered it. presently a stream of men with bags on their backs came in. "these are the district mails, ma'am," explained mr bright; "during the last half-hour and more they have been hurrying towards us from all quarters of london; the nearest being brought by men on foot, the more distant bags by vans. some are still on their way; all will concentrate here at last, in time for sorting." the contents of these bags as they came in were shot out, and the facing-tables--all of which had begun to show symptoms of the flood going down and dry land appearing--were flooded and reflooded again and again to a greater depth than before. "the mail will be late to-night," observed miss lillycrop, with an assured nod. "o no, ma'am, it won't," replied bright, with an easy smile, and may laughed as they returned to the hall to inspect the work in detail. "here, you see, we stamp the letters." mr bright stopped in front of a long table, at which was standing a row of stampers, who passed letters under the stamps with amazing rapidity. each man or youth grasped a stamp, which was connected with a machine on a sort of universal joint. it was a miniature printing-machine, with a little inking-roller, which was moved over the types each time by the mere process of stamping, so the stamper had only to pass the letters under the die with the one hand and stamp with the other as fast as he could. the rate varied, of course, considerably. nervous and anxious stampers illustrated more or less the truth of the proverb, "the more hurry the less speed," while quiet, steady hands made good progress. they stamped on the average from to letters in the minute, each man. "you see, ma'am," remarked mr bright, "it's the way all the world over: cool-headed men who know their powers always get on best. the stamping-machine is a great improvement on the old system, where you had to strike the inker first, and then the letter. it just doubled the action and the time. we have another ingeniously contrived stamp in the office. it might not occur to you that stamping parcels and other articles of irregular shape is rather difficult, owing to the stamper not striking flatly on them. to obviate this, one of our own men invented a stamp with an india-rubber neck, so that, no matter how irregular the surface of the article may be, the face of the stamp is forced flat upon it by one blow." "when stamped," continued mr bright, moving on, "the letters are taken by boys, as you see, to the sorters. you observe that each sorter has a compartment or frame before him, with separate divisions in it for the great towns only, such as manchester, liverpool, birmingham, brighton, etcetera. now, you know"--here he stopped and assumed an impressive explanatory tone--"you couldn't expect any single man to sort the letters for every town and village in the kingdom--could you, ma'am?" miss lillycrop admitted that she could not indulge such an expectation, and further expressed her belief that any man who could must be little better than a lunatic. "but every man you see here," continued mr bright, "has batch after batch of letters put before him, which may contain letters from anywhere to everywhere. so, you see, we subdivide the work. the sorters you are now looking at sort the letters for the large towns into separate sections, and all the rest into divisions representing the various parts of the country, such as northern, southern, etcetera. the letters are then collected by the boys you see going up and down the hall." "i don't see them," interrupted miss lillycrop. "there, that's a northern division boy who has just backed against you, ma'am." the boy referred to turned, apologised, and gathering the letters for the northern division from the sorter at their elbow, moved on to gather more from others. "the division letters," continued bright, "are then conveyed to other sorters, who subdivide them into roads, and then the final sorting takes place for the various towns. we have a staff of about a thousand sorters, assistant sorters, and boy-sorters in this (inland) office alone, who have been, or are being, carefully trained for the work. some are smart, and some of course are slow. they are tested occasionally. when a sorter is tested he is given a pack of five hundred cards--dummies--to represent letters. a good man will sort these in thirteen or fifteen minutes. there are always sure to be a few mis-sorts, even in _our_ well-regulated family--that is, letters sorted to the wrong sections or divisions. forty mis-sorts in the five hundred is considered very bad work." "but what if a sorter does not happen to know the division to which any particular letter belongs?" asked miss lillycrop. "he ought to know," replied her guide, "because all the sorters have to undergo a strict examination once a year as to their knowledge of towns and villages throughout england." "indeed! but," persisted miss lillycrop, "what does he do with a letter if he chances to forget?" "why, he must get other sorters to help him." "and what happens if he finds a letter so badly addressed that he cannot read it?" "sends it to the blind division; we shall come to that presently," said mr bright. "meanwhile we shall visit the hospital i need scarcely explain to you that the hospital is the place to which wounded letters and packages are taken to be healed. here it is." the party now stood beside a table, at which several clerks--we might almost say surgeons--were at work, busy with sealing-wax and string. the patients were a wondrous lot, and told eloquently of human carelessness. here were found letters containing articles that no envelope of mere paper could be expected to hold--such as bunches of heavy keys, articles of jewellery, etcetera, which had already more than half escaped from their covers. there were also frail cardboard boxes, so squeezed and burst that their contents were protruding, and parcels containing worsted and articles of wearing apparel, which had been so carelessly put up as to have come undone in the mail-bags. all these things were being re-tied, re-folded, patched up here and there with sealing-wax, or put into new covers, by the postal surgeons, and done with as much care, too, as though the damage had been caused by the post-office rather than by carelessness in the public. but among these invalided articles were a few whose condition accidentally revealed attempts to contravene the postal laws. one letter which had burst completely open revealed a pill-box inside, with "dinner pills" on the outside. on examination, the pills turned out to be two sixpences wrapped up in a scrap of paper, on which was written--"thought you had no money to get a stamp with, so sent you some." it is contrary to regulations to send coin by post without registering the letter. the unfortunate receiver would have to pay eightpence, as a registration fee, for this shilling! while the party was looking at the hospital work another case was discovered. a book-packet came open and revealed a letter inside. but still further, the letter was found to contain sixpence in silver, sent to defray postage when the book should be returned. here was a double sin! no letter, or writing of the nature of a letter, is allowed to go by book post, and coin may not be sent unregistered. in this case the book would be forwarded at letter-rate, and the pence registration fee would be charged for the coin--the whole amounting to shillings, pence. "if the public would only attend," observed mr bright, in commenting on these facts, "to the regulations laid down for their guidance by the post-office--as detailed in our directories and postal guides--such errors would seldom occur, for i believe that things of this sort are the result of ignorance rather than dishonesty." "now, ma'am," he continued, "we come to the blind officers." there were several of those gentlemen, whose title, we presume, was satirically expressive of the extraordinary sharpness of their eyes and intellects. they were seated at a table, engaged in examining addresses so illegible, so crabbed, so incomplete, and so ineffably ridiculous, that no man of ordinary mental capacity could make head or tail of them. all the principal london and provincial directories, guides, and gazetteers were ranged in front of the blind officers, to assist them in their arduous labours, and by the aid of these, and their own extensive knowledge of men and places, they managed to dispose of letters for which a stranger would think it impossible to find owners. "what would you make of that address, now?" said mr bright, presenting a letter to miss lillycrop for inspection. "it looks like cop--cup--no--it begins with a c at all events.--what think you of it, may?" said the puzzled lady. "it seems to me something like captain troller of rittler bunch," said may, laughing. "it is quite illegible." "not _quite_," said one of the blind officers, with a smile. "it is-- comptroller of the returned letter branch. some one making inquiries, no doubt, after a lost letter addressed as badly as this one." having looked at a few more of the letters that were then passing under examination, mr bright showed them a book in which were copied facsimiles of addresses which had passed through the post. some of these were pictorial--embracing quaint devices and caricatures, most of them in ink, and some in colours, all of which had been traced by a gentleman in the office with great skill. one that struck may as being very original was the representation of an artist painting the portrait of the queen. her majesty was depicted as sitting for her portrait, and the canvas on the easel before which the artist stood was made the exact size of the postage-stamp. while the ladies were examining this book of literary curiosities, mr bright took occasion to comment with pardonable pride on the working of the post-office. "you see, ma'am," he said, "we do our best for the public--though many of 'em have no idea of it. we don't send letters to the returned letter branch till we've tried, as you see, to get the correct addresses, and until two separate letter-carriers have attempted to deliver them. after leaving the letter-carriers' hands, the address of every undelivered letter, and the indorsement it bears, are carefully examined by a superior officer, who is held responsible for discovering any wrong treatment it may have undergone, and for having recourse to any further available means of finding the owner. it is considered better that the sender of a letter should know as soon as possible of its non-delivery, than that it should travel about with little prospect of its owner being found. we therefore send it to the returned branch without further delay, where it is carefully examined by a superior officer, to see that it has actually been presented as addressed, and that the reasons assigned for its non-delivery are sufficient. in doubtful cases the directories and other books of reference in the branch are consulted, and should it be found that there has been any oversight or neglect, the letter is immediately re-issued. after all has been done that can be to deliver such letters, they are opened, and returned the same day to the senders. if valuables are enclosed, the address and contents are recorded in case of inquiry. when senders fail to give their addresses, sometimes these are discovered by bills of exchange, cheques, or money-orders, which happen to be enclosed. when addresses of senders can be discovered by information on the outside of covers, the letters are returned without passing through the returned letter branch, and are not opened. when all efforts have failed, and the letters do not contain property, they are not preserved." "do many letters come into the returned letter offices in this way?" asked miss lillycrop. "ay; over the whole kingdom, including the letters sent direct to the senders last year, there were above four millions eight hundred thousand, and of these we managed to return nine-tenths to the writers, or re-issued them to corrected addresses." "oh, indeed!" said miss lillycrop, utterly bewildered. "a large proportion of the letters passing through this office," said mr bright, "consists of circulars. an account of these was once taken, and the number was found to be nearly twenty millions a year, and of these circulars it was ascertained that--" "stop! pray, sir, stop!" exclaimed miss lillycrop, pressing her hand to her forehead; "i am lost in admiration of your amazing memory, but i--i have no head for figures. indeed, what i have already heard and seen in this place has produced such confusion in my poor brain that i cannot perceive any difference whatever between millions, billions, and trillions!" "well, come, we will continue our round," said mr bright, laughing. now, while all this was going on in the hall, there was a restive creature inside of a box which did not relish its confinement. this was mr fred blurt's snake. that sagacious animal discovered that there was a knot in the side of his pine-wood box. now, knots are sometimes loose. whether the snake found this out, and wrought at the knot intentionally, or forced it out accidentally during its struggles, we cannot tell, but certain it is that it got it out somehow, made its escape, and glided away into the darkest corner it could find. meanwhile its box was treated after the manner of parcels, and put safely into one of the mail-bags. as the mass of letters began to diminish in bulk the snake began to feel uncomfortably exposed. at the same time miss lillycrop, with that wicked delight in evil prophecy which is peculiar to mankind, began to feel comfortably exultant. "you see i was right!" she said to her guide, glancing at the clock, which now indicated ten minutes to eight; "the confusion is almost as great as ever." "we shall see," replied mr bright, quietly, as he led the way back to the gallery. from this point it could be seen, even by unpractised eyes, that, although the confusion of letters all over the place was still considerable, there were huge gaps on the sorting-tables everywhere, while the facing-tables were of course empty. there was a push and energy also which had not prevailed at first. men seemed as though they really were in considerable haste. letters were being bundled up and tied with string and thrust into bags, and the bags sealed with a degree of celerity that transfixed miss lillycrop and silenced her. a few minutes more and the tables were cleared. another minute, and the bags were being carried out. thirty red vans outside gaped to receive them. eight o'clock struck, whips cracked, wheels rattled, the eight o'clock mail was gone, and there was not a single letter left in the great sorting-room of st. martin's-le-grand! "i was right, you see," said mr bright. "you were right," responded miss lillycrop. they descended and crossed the now unencumbered floor. the snake took it into its mottled head at that moment to do the same. miss lillycrop saw it, shrieked, sprang to get out of its way, fell, and sprained her ankle! there was a rush of sorters, letter-carriers, boy-sorters, and messengers; the snake was captured, and miss lillycrop was tenderly borne from the general post-office in a state of mental amazement and physical collapse. chapter fourteen. formation of the pegaway literary association and other matters. close to the residence of solomon flint there was a small outhouse or shed, which formed part of the letter-carrier's domain, but was too small to be sub-let as a dwelling, and too inconveniently situated in a back court to be used as an apartment. it was therefore devoted to the reception of lumber. but solomon, not being a rich man, did not possess much lumber. the shed was therefore comparatively empty. when philip maylands came to reside with solomon, he was allowed to use this shed as a workroom. phil was by nature a universal genius--a jack-of-all-trades--and formed an exception to that rule about being master of none, which is asserted, though not proved, by the proverb, for he became master of more than one trade in the course of his career. solomon owned a few tools, so that carpentry was naturally his first attempt, and he very soon became proficient in that. then, having discovered an old clock among the lumber of the shed, he took to examining and cleaning its interior of an evening after his work at the post-office was done. as his mechanical powers developed, his genius for invention expanded, and soon he left the beaten tracks of knowledge and wandered into the less trodden regions of fancy. in all this phil had an admirer and sympathiser in his sister may; but may's engagements, both in and out of the sphere of her telegraphic labours, were numerous, so that the boy would have had to pursue his labours in solitude if it had not been for his friend peter pax, whose admiration for him knew no bounds, and who, if he could, would have followed phil like his shadow. as often as the little fellow could manage to do so, he visited his friend in the shed, which they named pegaway hall. there he sometimes assisted phil, but more frequently held him in conversation, and commented in a free and easy way on his work,--for his admiration of phil was not sufficient to restrain his innate insolence. one evening phil maylands was seated at his table, busy with the works of an old watch. little pax sat on the table swinging his legs. he had brought a pipe with him, and would have smoked, but phil sternly forbade it. "it's bad enough for men to fumigate their mouths," he said, with a smile on his lip and a frown in his eye, "but when i see a thing like you trying to make yourself look manly by smoking, i can't help thinking of a monkey putting on the boots and helmet of a guardsman. the boots and helmet look grand, no doubt, but that makes the monkey seem all the more ridiculous. your pipe suggests manhood, pax, but you look much more like a monkey than a man when it's in your mouth." "how severe you are to-night, phil!" returned pax, putting the pipe, however, in his pocket; "where did you graduate, now--at cambridge or oxford? because w'en my eldest boy is big enough i'd like to send 'im w'ere he'd acquire sitch an amazin' flow of eloquence." phil continued to rub the works of the watch, but made no reply. "i say, phil," observed the little fellow, after a thoughtful pause. "well?" "don't it strike you, sometimes, that this is a queer sort of world?" "yes, i've often thought that, and it has struck me, too, that you are one of the queerest fish in it." "come, phil, don't be cheeky. i'm in a sedate frame of mind to-night, an' want to have a talk in a philosophical sort o' way of things in general." "well, pax, go ahead. i happen to have been reading a good deal about things in general of late, so perhaps between us we may grind something out of a talk." "just so; them's my ideas precisely. there's nothin'," said pax, thrusting both hands deeper into his trousers pockets, and swinging his legs more vigorously--"nothin' like a free an' easy chat for developin' the mental powers. but i say, what a fellow you are for goin' ahead! seems to me that you're always either workin' at queer contrivances or readin'." "you forget, pax, that i sometimes carry telegraphic messages." "ha! true, then you and i are bound together by the cords of a common dooty--p'r'aps i should say an uncommon dooty, all things considered." "among other things," returned phil, "i have found out by reading that there are two kinds of men in the world, the men who push and strive and strike out new ideas, and the men who jog along easy, on the let-be-for-let-be principle, and who grow very much like cabbages." "you're right there, phil--an' yet cabbages ain't bad vegetables in their way," remarked pax, with a contemplative cast of his eyes to the ceiling. "well," continued phil gravely, "i shouldn't like to be a cabbage." "w'ich means," said the other, "that you'd rather be one o' the fellows who push an' strive an strike out noo ideas." phil admitted that such were his thoughts and aspirations. "now, pax," he said, laying down the tool with which he had been working, and looking earnestly into his little friend's face, "something has been simmering in my mind for a considerable time past." "you'd better let it out then, phil, for fear it should bu'st you," suggested pax. "come, now, stop chaffing for a little and listen, because i want your help," said phil. there was something in phil's look and manner when he was in earnest which effectually quelled the levity of his little admirer. the appeal to him for aid, also, had a sedative effect. as phil went on, pax became quite as serious as himself. this power of pax to suddenly discard levity, and become interested, was indeed one of the qualities which rendered him powerfully attractive to his friend. "the fact is," continued phil, "i have set my heart on forming a literary association among the telegraph-boys." "a what?" "a literary association. that is, an association of those boys among us who want to read, and study: and discuss, and become knowing and wise." the daring aspirations suggested by this proposition were too much for little pax. he remained silent--open mouthed and eyed--while phil went on quietly to expound his plans. "there is a capital library, as you know, at the post-office, which is free to all of us, though many of us make little use of it--more's the pity,--so that we don't require a library of our own, though we may come to that, too, some day, who knows? sure it wouldn't be the first time that great things had come out of small beginnings, if all i have read be true. but it's not only books we would be after. what we want, pax, is to be organised--made a body of. when we've got that done we shall soon put soul into the body,--what with debates, an' readings, an' lectures, an' maybe a soiree now and then, with music and speeches, to say nothing of tea an' cakes." as phil maylands warmed with his subject his friend became excited. he ceased to chaff and raise objections, and finally began to see the matter through phil's rose-coloured glasses. "capital," he exclaimed heartily. "it'll do, phil. it'll work--like everything else you put your hand to. but"--here his chubby little visage elongated--"how about funds? nothin' in this world gets along without funds; an' then we've no place to meet in." "we must content ourselves with funds of humour to begin with," returned phil, resuming his work on the watch. "as for a meeting-room, wouldn't this do? pegaway hall is not a bad place, and quite enough room in it when the lumber's cleared out o' the way. then, as to members, we would only admit those who showed a strong desire to join us." "just so--who showed literary tastes, like you an' me," suggested pax. "exactly so," said phil, "for, you see, i don't want to have our society flourished about in the eyes of people as a public post-office affair. we must make it private and very select." "yes, _uncommon_ select," echoed pax. "it would never do, you know," continued the other, "to let in every shallow young snipe that wanted to have a lark, and make game of the affair. we will make our rules very stringent." "of course," murmured pax, with a solemn look, "_tremendously_ stringent. for first offences of any kind--a sousin' with dirty water. for second offences--a woppin' and a fine. for third--dismissal, with ears and noses chopped off, or such other mutilation as a committee of the house may invent. but, phil, who d'yee think would be suitable men to make members of?" "well, let me see," said phil, again laying down his tools, and looking at the floor with a thoughtful air, "there's long poker, he's a long-legged, good-hearted fellow--fond o' the newspapers." "yes," put in pax, "poker'll do for one. he'd be a capital member. long and thin as a literary c'racter ought to be, and pliable too. we could make a'most anything of him, except a fire-screen or a tablecloth. then there's big jack--he's got strong sedate habits." "too fond of punning," objected phil. "a little punishment in the mutilation way would stop that," said pax. "and there's jim brown," rejoined phil. "he's a steady, enthusiastic fellow; and little grigs, he's about as impudent as yourself, pax. strange, isn't it, that it's chiefly little fellows who are impudent?" "wouldn't it be strange if it were otherwise?" retorted pax, with an injured look. "as we can't knock people down with our fists, aren't we justified in knockin' 'em down with our tongues?" "then," continued phil, "there's george granger and macnab--" "ah! ain't he the boy for argufyin' too?" interrupted pax, "and he'll meet his match in sandy tod. and there's tom blunter--" "and jim scroggins--" "an' limp letherby--" "an' fat collins--" "an' bobby sprat. oh!" exclaimed pax, with a glowing countenance, "we've got lots o' first-rate men among the message-boys, though there _are_ some uncommon bad 'uns. but we'll have none except true-blues in _our_ literary association." the society thus planned was soon called into being, for philip maylands was one of those determined characters who carry their plans into execution with vigour and despatch. his first move was to seek counsel of mr sterling, a city missionary--the same who had directed george aspel to the abode of abel bones on the night of that youth's visit to archangel court,--with whom he had become acquainted on one of his visits to miss lillycrop. that good lady was a staunch ally and able assistant of many city missionaries, and did much service in the way of bringing them into acquaintance with people who she thought might be helpful to them, or get help from them. a mutual liking had sprung up between mr antony sterling and phil on that occasion, which had ripened into friendship. "you'll help us at our first meeting, won't you?" asked phil, after they had talked the matter over. "yes, if you wish it," replied mr sterling. "but i won't come at the beginning. i'll drop in towards the close, and won't say much. you'd best begin the work by yourselves. i'll come to your aid whenever you seem to require it. but have a care how you start, phil. whatever the other members may do, remember that you, as the originator of the association, are bound to lay the foundations with the blessing of god." phil did not neglect this all-important point, and, having obtained permission from solomon flint to use the shed, the society was soon auspiciously commenced with a lively debate, in pegaway hall, as to the best method of conducting its own affairs. on this occasion philip maylands proved himself to be an able organiser. long poker showed that he had not dabbled in newspapers without fishing up and retaining a vast amount of miscellaneous knowledge. jim brown roused the meeting to a pitch of enthusiasm almost equal to his own. little grigs made stinging remarks all round, and chaffed little pax with evident delight. macnab disputed with everybody. sandy tod argued and objected more or less to everything, while tom blunter, jim scroggins, limp letherby, fat collins, and bobby sprat, lent more or less effectual fire to the debate. big jack did not speak much. he preferred, as he said, to form a large audience, but, if he might be permitted to offer an opinion, would suggest that less talk and more action might facilitate the despatch of business, and that they ought to try to emulate the house of commons by allowing a little common sense to mingle with their discussions. as for peter pax, he assumed the _role_ of peacemaker-general. when the debaters seemed to be getting too warm, he rose to order; and, in a calm dignified manner, commented on the conduct of the disputants with such ineffable insolence as to draw down their wrath on his devoted head--to the great delight of the other members. thus he threw oil on the troubled waters, and, generally, kept the meeting lively. finally, the laws of the pegaway literary association were fixed, the plan of meetings was arranged, and the whole thing fairly started. the society worked well for a time, but after the various members had done their best, as pax said, to keep the pot boiling, it was felt and suggested that they should seek a little aid from without. a reading or a lecture was proposed, seconded, and carried. then came the question who should be asked to read or lecture. macnab proposed that their chairman should endeavour to procure a lecturer, and report to next meeting. sandy tod objected, and proposed a committee to consider the subject. phil maylands said he had anticipated the demand, and had already secured the promise of a lecturer--if the members chose to accept him. "name! name!" cried several voices. "our excellent landlord, solomon flint," said phil. "you all know his admirable powers of memory, and his profound knowledge of men and things (`at least if you don't, you ought to,' from pax), and you may be sure he'll give us something good." "and proverbial," added little grigs. "ay, flint will certainly strike fire out of whatever he tackles," said big jack. ("order!" from pax.) "when is he to give it?" asked one. "won't fix the time just yet," said phil. "what's his subject?" asked another. "can't say; not yet decided." with this uncertainty as to time and subject the association was obliged to rest content, and thereafter the meeting was dissolved. we are grieved to be obliged to state that the society thus hopefully commenced came to a premature close at an early period of its career, owing to circumstances over which its members had no control. some time before that sad event occurred, however, solomon flint delivered his discourse, and as some of the events of that memorable evening had special bearing on the issues of our tale, we shall recur to it in a succeeding chapter. chapter fifteen. george aspel receives various visitors at the ornithological shop, and is called to vigorous action. as long as a man retains a scrap of self-respect, and struggles, from any motive whatever, against his evil tendencies, his journey to destruction is comparatively slow; but when once he gives way to despair, assumes that he has tried his best in vain, and throws the reins on the neck of his passions, his descent into the dark abyss is terribly rapid. for a time george aspel was buoyed up by hope. he hoped that may maylands might yet come to regard him with favour, though she studiously avoided giving him ground for such hope. he also continued, though faintly, to hope that sir james clubley might still think of fulfilling his promises, and, in pursuance of that hope, frequently inquired whether any letters had been left for him at the hotel where he first put up on arriving in london. but, when both of these hopes forsook him, and he found himself in what he deemed the ridiculous position of shopman to a bird-stuffer, without an influential friend in the great city, or the slightest prospect of improving his condition, he gave way to despair. before quite giving way, however, he made several attempts to obtain work more suited to his tastes and acquirements, in which efforts he was heartily seconded by mr enoch blurt; but enoch was about as unknown in london as himself, so that their united efforts failed. in these circumstances the ambitious youth began to regard himself as a martyr to misfortune, and resolved to enjoy himself as he best might. with a view to this he spent his evenings in places of amusement, with companions whose example and influence helped to drag him down and increase his tendency to drink. this tendency was in part hereditary. his father had been a confirmed drinker. although well aware of this, he did not believe in his own fallibility. few young men of his stamp do. other men might give way to it, but there was no fear of him. he admitted that he could, and sometimes did, take a stiff glass of grog--but what then? it did him no harm. he was not a slave to it. he could give it up and do without it if he chose--although, it is to be remarked, he had never made the trial, and only assumed this power. to be rather "screwed" now and then was, he admitted, somewhat discreditable; but he wasn't worse than many others, and it didn't occur often. thus he reasoned, half-justifying himself in a thoroughly selfish, sinful course; growling at his "bad luck," and charging the guilt of his sin, which he said he couldn't help, on fate--in other words, on god. it never occurred to george aspel that the true way to get out of his troubles was to commit his way to his maker; to accept the position assigned him; to do the work of a faithful servant therein; to get connected with good society through the medium of churches and young men's christian associations, and to spend a few years in establishing a character for trustworthiness, capacity, vigour, and intelligence, which would secure his advancement in life. at least, if such thoughts did occur to him, he refused to entertain them, and resolved to fling care to the dogs and defy fortune. of course, it soon became apparent to his employer that there was a great change for the worse in the youth, whom he not only admired for his frank bearing and strapping appearance, but loved as his deliverer from death. delicacy of feeling, however, prevented mr blurt from alluding to dissipations at which he could only guess. poverty and distress bring about strange companionships. when aspel first arrived in london he would have scouted the idea of his having anything whatever to do with such a man as abel bones, but he had not proceeded far in his downward course when that disreputable character became, if not a companion, at least an acquaintance. this state of things was brought about primarily by the patronage which aspel had extended to the "poor worthless fellow" whom he had so unceremoniously knocked down. but the poor worthless fellow, although born in a lower rank of life, was quite equal to him in natural mental power, and much superior in cunning and villainy. mr bones had also a bold, reckless air and nature, which were attractive to this descendant of the sea-kings. moreover, he possessed a power of mingling flattery with humbug in a way that made his victim fall rather easily into his toils. revenge, as we have said, lay at the bottom of abel bones' desire to become better acquainted with aspel, but profit soon took the place of revenge. mr bones earned his livelihood chiefly by appropriating what belonged to other people. he was not particular as to what he took, or how he took it, but on the whole preferred easy work (like most people) and large profit. being a man of bold, ambitious views, he had often thought of forgery, but a neglected education stood in the way of that. being also a man of resource, he did not doubt that this, like many other difficulties, would ere long succumb to his perseverance. while in this frame of mind it occurred to him that he might make a tool of his new acquaintance and would-be patron. at the same time he had penetration enough to perceive that his intended tool was a dangerous instrument, highly-tempered and sharp-set, with a will of its own, not yet quite demoralised, and not by any means to be played with. it might be tedious to trace the steps and winding ways by which abel bones led his victim from one piece of impropriety to another--always concealing his real character, and playing the _role_ of an unfortunate man, willing to work, but unable to find employment--until he almost had him in his toils. "it's of no use your dancing attendance on me any longer, bones," said aspel one day, as the former appeared at the door of the ornithological shop. "i have all the will to help you, but i have not the power. my friends have failed me, and i can do no more than keep my own soul in my body. you must look to some one else with more influence than i possess." "that's a bad job, sir," returned bones, with a downcast look. "i've bin down at the docks all day, an' earned only enough to get a plate of bacon and beans. surely there's somethin' wrong when a cove that's willin' to work must starve; and there's my wife and child starvin' too. seems to me that a cove is justified in stealin' in the circumstances." he cast a sidelong glance at aspel. it was the first time he had ventured to suggest dishonest intentions. if they should be taken ill, he could turn it off as a jest; if taken well, he could proceed. "i'm very sorry for you, bones," said aspel, not noticing the hint, "very sorry, but what can i do? i have not a copper left beyond what i absolutely require." "well, sir, i know that you can do nothing, but now that my wife and child are actually starvin', i really don't see the sin of helpin' myself to a loaf at the nearest baker's, and giving him leg-bail for it." "nothing justifies stealing," said aspel. "d'ee think not, sir?" said bones. "if you saw your wife now, supposin' you had one, at the pint of death with hunger, an' you saw a loaf lyin' as didn't belong to you, would you let her die?" aspel thought of may maylands. "i don't know," he replied, "what i should _do_. all that i say is, that stealing is unjustifiable." the argument was stopped at this point by the entrance of a small telegraph message-boy. bones was startled by his sudden entrance. "well, good-night, sir, we'll talk that matter over some other time," he said quickly, pulling his wideawake well over his face as he went out, and giving the message-boy a prolonged stare. the boy paid no regard to him, but, turning to aspel, introduced himself as peter pax. "what! the comrade-in-arms of my friend phil maylands?" asked aspel. "the same, at your service," replied the small messenger; "an' if you are the friend he talks to me so much about, as goes by the name of george aspel, an' is descended in a direct line from the old sea-kings, i'm proud to make your acquaintance." aspel laughed at the consummate self-possession of the boy, and shaking hands with him heartily as a comrade of their common friend phil, bade him take a seat, which he immediately did on the counter. "you're surrounded by pleasant company here," observed pax, gazing intently at the pelican of the wilderness. "well, yes; but it's rather silent company," said aspel. "did that fellow, now," continued pax, pointing to the owl, "die of surprise?" "perhaps he did, but i wasn't present at his death," returned the other. "well, now, i do like this sort o' thing." little pax said this with such genuine feeling, and looked round him with such obvious interest, that aspel, with some surprise, asked him why he liked it. "why? because from my earliest years i always was fond of animals. no matter what sort they wos, i liked 'em all--birds an' beasts an' fishes, flyers and creepers, an' squeakers and flutterers," said the boy, clasping both hands over one knee, and rocking himself to and fro on the counter, while he gazed into the owl's face with the air of one whose mind is rambling far away into the remote past. "once on a time," he continued, sadly, "i dwelt in the country. i was born in the country. i'm a sort o' country gentleman by nature, so to speak, and would have bin revellin' in the country to this day if a perwerse fate hadn't driven me into the town--a very perwerse fate indeed." "indeed?" said aspel, unable to restrain a laugh at his visitor's old-fashioned ways, "what sort of fate was it?" "a perwerse one, didn't i tell you?" "yes, but wherein consisted its perversity? how did it act, you know?" "ah, its perwersity consisted in drivin' me into town in a market-cart," said pax. "you must know that my perwerse fate was a uncle. he was a big brute. i don't mean to speak of 'im disrespectfully. i merely give 'im his proper name. he was a market-gardener and kept cows--also a pump. he had a wife and child--a little girl. ah! a sweet child it was." "indeed," said aspel, as the boy relapsed into a silent contemplative gaze at the pelican. "yes," resumed pax, with a sigh, "it _was_ a child, that was. her name was mariar, but we called 'er merry. her father's name--the brute's, you know--was blackadder, and a blacker adder don't wriggle its slimy way through filthy slums nowhere--supposin' him to be yet unscragged, for he was uncommon hard on his wife--that's my aunt georgie. _her_ name was georgianna. i wonder how it is that people _never_ give people their right names! well, mr aspel, you must know i was nuss to baby. an amytoor nuss i was--got no pay for it, but a considerable allowance o' kicks from the brute, who wasn't fond o' me, as i'd done 'im a mortal injury, somehow, by being his defunct brother's orphan child. you understand?" george aspel having professed a thorough comprehension of these family relationships, little pax went on. "well then, bein' nuss to merry, i used to take 'er out long walks in the fields among the flowers, an' i was used to catch butterflies and beetles for 'er, an' brought 'em home an' stuck pins through 'em an' made c'lections; an' oh, i _did_ like to scuttle about the green lanes an' chase the cows, an' roll on the grass in the sunshine with merry, an' tear an bu'st my trousers, for w'ich i got spanked by the brute, but didn't care a rap, because that brought me double allowance o' coddlin' from aunt georgie. one day the brute drove me into town in the market-cart; set me down in the middle of a street, and drove away, an' i haven't seen him, nor aunt georgie, nor merry from that day to this." "dear me!" exclaimed george aspel, rather shocked at this sudden and unexpected termination of the narrative; "do you mean to say--" "it strikes me," interrupted pax, looking pointedly at the door, "that you've got another visitor." aspel turned and saw the dishevelled curls and pretty face of tottie bones in the doorway. "please, sir," she said, entering, "i didn't like to interrupt you, but miss lillycrop sent me to say that there was a strange smell of singein' in the 'ouse, an' would mr aspel be so kind as to come and try to find out where it was, as she didn't understand such things." "smell of singeing, child!" exclaimed aspel, rising at once and putting on his coat and hat. "did you search for the cause, especially about your kitchen fireplace?" "o yes, sir," exclaimed tottie, "an' we couldn't see no cause at all-- only the flue seemed to be 'otter than usual. we looked all over the 'ouse too, but couldn't see nothink--but we could feel a most drefful smell." desiring mrs murridge to call mr blurt to attend to the shop, george aspel hurried out. "don't try to keep up with us," said aspel to tottie; "i must run. it may be fire!" "oh! please, sir, don't leave me behind," pleaded the child. "all right--we won't; kitch hold of my hand; give the other to mr aspel," said peter pax. holding on to her two friends, tottie was swept along the streets at a rate which she had never before experienced--at least not as a foot-passenger,--and in a few minutes they were in miss lillycrop's dwelling. that excellent lady was in a state of dreadful perturbation, as well she might be, for the house was filled with a thin smoke of very peculiar odour. few persons except the initiated are fully alive to the immense importance of checking fire at its commencement. the smoke, although not dense enough to attract the attention of people outside, was sufficiently so to make those inside commence an anxious search, when they should have sent at once for the fire-engine. three families occupied the tenement. miss lillycrop's portion was at the top. a dealer in oils and stores of a miscellaneous and unsavoury kind occupied the basement. george aspel at once suspected and made for this point, followed by miss lillycrop, who bade tottie remain in her kitchen, with the intention of keeping her at once out of danger and out of the way. "there's certainly fire somewhere, pax; run, call the engines out," said aspel, descending three steps at a time. pax took the last six steps at a bound, and rushed along the street, overturning in his flight two boys bigger than himself, and a wheelbarrow. the owner of the cellars was absent and his door locked. where was the key? no one knew, but george aspel knew of a key that had done some service in times past. he retreated a few steps, and, rushing at the door with all his weight and momentum, dashed it in with a tremendous crash, and went headlong into the cellar, from out of which came belching flames and smoke. re-issuing instantly therefrom with singed hair and glaring eyes, he found miss lillycrop lying on her back in a faint, where the fire and smoke had floored her. to gather her up and dash into the street was the work of a moment. scarcely less rapid was the rush of the fire, which, having been richly fed and long pent up in the cellar, now dashed up the staircases like a giant refreshed. meanwhile little pax ran headlong into a policeman, and was collared and throttled. "now then, young 'un!" "fire! station!" gasped pax. "all right, this way--just round the corner," said the man in blue, releasing his captive, and running along with him; but the man in blue was stout, middle-aged, and heavy. pax outran him, saw the red lamp, found the fire-station door open, and leaped through with a yell of "_fire_!" that nearly split his little lungs. the personification of calmness in the form of a fireman rose and demanded "where?" before pax could gasp the address, two other personifications of calmness, who had been snoring on trestle-beds, dressed and booted, when he entered, now moved swiftly out, axed and helmeted. there was a clattering of hoofs outside. the double doors flew open, and the red engine rolled out almost of its own accord. more brass helmets were seen flashing outside. "are you sure of the address, youngster?" asked one of the imperturbable firemen, settling his chinstrap more comfortably. "are you sure o' your own grandmother?" said pax. "you're cheeky," replied the man, with a smile. "you make haste," retorted pax; "three minutes allowed to get under weigh. two and a half gone already. two-and-six fine if late, besides a--" the whip cracked, and pax, leaping forward, seized the side of the engine. six brass helmets bounded into the air, and their owners settled on their seats, as the horses made that momentary pause and semi-rear which often precedes a dashing start. the man whom he had been insulting held out a hand; pax seized it, and was next moment in a terrestrial heaven, while calmness personified sauntered into the back office to make a note of the circumstance, and resume his pipe. oh! it was a brief but maddening ride. to experience such a magnificent rush seemed to pax worth living for. it was not more than half-a-mile; but in that brief space there were three corners to turn like zigzag lightning, which they did chiefly on the two near wheels, and there were carts, vans, cabs, drays, apple-stalls, children, dogs, and cats innumerable. to have run over or upset these would have been small gratification to the comparatively tender spirit of pax, but to _shave_ them; to graze the apple-stalls; to just scrape a lamp-post with your heart in your mouth; to hear the tremendous roar of the firemen; to see the abject terror of some people, the excitement of others, the obedient "skedaddling" of all, while the sparks from the pump-boiler trailed behind, and the two bull's-eyes glared ahead, so that the engine resembled some awful monster rushing through thick and thin, and waving in triumph its fiery tail--ah! words are but feeble exponents of thought: it was excruciating ecstasy! to have been born for this one burst, and died, would have been better than never to have been born at all,--in the estimation of the enthusiastic peter pax! a few minutes after george aspel had borne the fainting miss lillycrop from the house the engine arrived. some of the men swarmed into the house, and dived to the basement, as if fire and smoke were their natural food. others got the engine to work in a few seconds, but already the flames had rushed into the lower rooms and passages and licked away the windows. the thick stream of water had just begun to descend on the fire, when another engine came rattling to the field, and its brazen-headed warriors leaped down to join the battle. "oh!" groaned miss lillycrop at that moment, recovering in aspel's arms. "oh! tottie--to-o-o-o-tie's in the kitchen!" little pax heard and understood. in one moment he bounded through the blazing doorway and up the smoking stair. just then the fire-escape came into view, towering up against the black sky. "hold her, some one!" cried aspel, dropping his poor burden into the ready arms of a policeman. "the boy's lost!" he exclaimed, leaping after pax. aspel was a practised diver. many a time had he tried his powers under the atlantic waves on the west of ireland. he drew one long breath, and was in the attic kitchen before it was expended. here he found little pax and tottie on the floor. the former had fallen, suffocated, in the act of hauling the latter along by the hair of the head. aspel did not see them. he stumbled over them, grasped both in his strong arms, and bore them to the staircase. it was by that time a roaring furnace. his power of retaining breath was exhausted. in desperation he turned sharp to the right, and dashed in miss lillycrop's drawing-room door, just as the fire-escape performed the same feat on one of the windows. the gush of air drove back the smoke for one moment. gasping and reeling to the window, aspel hurled the children into the bag of the escape. he retained sufficient power to plunge in head first after them and ram them down its throat. all three arrived at the bottom in a state of insensibility. in this state they were borne to a neighbouring house, and soon restored to consciousness. the firemen battled there during the greater part of that night, and finally gained the victory; but, before this happy consummation was attained, poor miss lillycrop's home was gutted and her little property reduced to ashes. in these circumstances she and her little maid found a friend in need in miss stivergill, and an asylum in rosebud cottage. chapter sixteen. begins with juvenile flirtation, and ends with canine cremation. the disreputable nature of the wind which blows good to nobody has been so frequently referred to and commented on by writers in general that it merits only passing notice here. the particular breeze which fanned the flames that consumed the property that belonged to miss lillycrop, and drove that lady to a charming retreat in the country thereby rescuing her from a trying existence in town, also blew small peter pax in the same direction. "boy," said miss stivergill in stern tones, on the occasion of her first visit to the hospital in which pax was laid up for a short time after his adventure, "you're a good boy. i like you. the first of your sex i ever said that to." "thank you, ma'am. i hope i shan't be the last," returned pax languidly, for he was still weak from the effects of the partial roasting and suffocation he had undergone. "miss lillycrop desired me to come and see you," resumed miss stivergill. "she has told me how bravely you tried to rescue poor little bones, who--" "not much hurt, i hope?" asked the boy eagerly. "no, very little--scarcely at all, i'm glad to say. those inexplicable creatures called firemen, who seem to me what you may call fire-fiends of a good-natured and recklessly hilarious type, say that her having fallen down with her nose close to the ground, where there is usually a free current of air, saved her. at all events she _is_ saved, and quite well." "i hope i didn't haul much of the hair out of her poor head?" said pax. "apparently not, if one may judge from the very large quantity that remains," replied his visitor. "you see, ma'am, in neck-or-nothin' scrimmages o' that sort," continued pax, in the off-hand tone of one much experienced in such scrimmages, "one can't well stop to pick and choose; besides, i couldn't see well, d'ee see? an' her hair came first to hand, you know, an' was convenient. it's well for both on us, however, that that six foot odd o' magnificence came to the rescue in time. i like 'im, i do, an' shall owe 'im a good turn for savin' little bones.--what was her other name, did you say, ma'am?" "i didn't mention any other name, but i believe it is tottie.--now, little peter, when the doctor gives you leave to be moved, you are to come to me to recruit your health in the country." "thank you, ma'am. you're too good," said pax, becoming languid again. "pray give my best respects to tottie and miss lillycrop." "so small, and so pretty, and such a wise little thing," murmured miss stivergill, unaware, apparently, that she soliloquised aloud. "so big, and so ugly, and such a good-hearted stoopid old thing!" murmured pax; but it is only just to add that he was too polite to allow the murmur to be heard. "good-bye, little peter, till we meet again," said miss stivergill, turning away abruptly. "farewell, ma'am," said pax, "farewell; and if for ever--" he stopped, because his visitor was gone. according to this arrangement, pax found himself, not many days after, revelling in the enjoyment of what he styled "tooral-ooral" felicity-- among cows and hay, sunshine and milk, buttercups and cream, green meadows and blue skies,--free as a butterfly from telegraphic messagery and other postal cares. he was allowed to ramble about at will, and, as little bones was supposed to be slightly invalided by her late semi-suffocation, she was frequently allowed by her indulgent mistress to accompany him. seated on a stile one day, pax drew tottie out as to her early life, and afterwards gave an account of his own in exchange. "how strange," said tottie, "that you and i should both have had bybies to nuss w'en we was young, ain't it?" "it is, tot--very remarkable. and we've had a sad fate, both of us, in havin' bin wrenched from our babbies. but the wrench couldn't have bin so bad in your case as in mine, of course, for your babby was nobody to you, whereas mine was a full cousin, an' such a dear one too. oh, tot, you've no notion what splendid games we used to have, an' such c'lections of things i used to make for 'er! of course she was too young to understand it, you know, for she could neither walk nor speak, and i don't think could understand, though she crowed sometimes as if she did. my! how she crowed!--but what's the matter, tot?" tottie was pouting. "i don't like your bybie at all--not one bit," she said emphatically. "not like my babby!" exclaimed pax. "no, i don't, 'cause it isn't 'alf so good as mine." "well," returned pax, with a smile, "i was took from mine. i didn't forsake it like you." "i _didn't_ forsake it," cried tottie, with flashing eyes, and shaking her thick curls indignantly--which latter, by the way, since her coming under the stern influence of miss stivergill, had been disentangled, and hung about her like a golden glory.--"i left it to go to service, and mother takes care of it till i return home. i won't speak to you any more. i hate _your_ bybie, and i _adore_ mine!" so saying, little bones jumped up and ran away. small pax made no attempt to stop her or to follow. he was too much taken aback by the sudden burst of passion to be able for more than a prolonged whistle, followed by a still more prolonged stare. thereafter he sauntered away slowly, ruminating, perhaps, on the fickle character of woman, even in her undeveloped stages. tottie climbed hastily over a stile and turned into a green lane, where she meant to give full vent to her feelings in a satisfactory cry, when she was met face to face by mr abel bones. "why, father!" she exclaimed, running to her sire with a look of joyful surprise, for occasional bad treatment had failed to dry up the bottomless well of love in her little heart. "hush! tottie; there--take my hand, an' don't kick up such a row. you needn't look so scared at seein' me here. i'm fond o' the country, you know, an' i've come out to 'ave a little walk and a little talk with you.--who was that you was talkin' with just now?" tottie told him. "stoppin' here, i s'pose?" "yes. he's bin here for some time, but goes away soon--now that he's better. it was him as saved my life--at least him and mr aspel, you know." "no, i don't know, tot. let's hear all about it," replied mr bones, with a look of unwonted gravity. tottie went off at once into a glowing account of the fire and the rescue, to which her father listened with profound attention, not unmingled with surprise. then he reverted to the aspect of the surrounding country. "it's a pretty place you live in here, tot, an' a nice house. it's there the lady lives, i suppose who has the strange fancy to keep her wealth in a box on the sideboard? well, it _is_ curious, but there's no accountin' for the fancies o' the rich, tot. an' you say she keeps no men-servants about her? well, that's wise, for men are dangerous characters for women to 'ave about 'em. she's quite right. there's a dear little dog too, she keeps, i'm told. is that the only one she owns?" "yes, it's the only one, and such a darlin' it is, and _so_ fond of me!" exclaimed tottie. "ah, yes, wery small, but wery noisy an' vicious," remarked mr bones, with a sudden scowl, which fortunately his daughter did not see. "o no, father; little floppart ain't vicious, though it _is_ awful noisy w'en it chooses." "well, tot, i'd give a good deal to see that dear little floppart, and make friends with it. d'you think you could manage to get it to follow you here?" "oh, easily. i'll run an' fetch it; but p'r'aps you had better come to the house. i know they'd like to see you, for they're _so_ kind to me." mr bones laughed sarcastically, and expressed his belief that they wouldn't like to see him at all. just at that moment miss stivergill came round the turn of the lane and confronted them. "well, little bones, whom have you here?" asked the lady, with a stern look at mr bones. "please, ma'am, it's father. he 'appened to be in this neighbourhood, and came to see me." "your father!" exclaimed miss stivergill, with a look of surprise. "indeed!" "yes, ma'am," said bones, politely taking off his hat and looking her coolly in the face. "i 'ope it's no offence, but i came a bit out o' my way to see 'er. she says you've bin' wery kind to her." "well, she says the truth. i mean to be kind to her," returned miss stivergill, as sternly as before.--"take your father to the cottage, child, and tell them to give him a glass of beer. if you see miss lillycrop, tell her i've gone to the village, and won't be back for an hour." so saying, miss stivergill walked down the lane with masculine strides, leaving tottie pleased, and her father smiling. "i don't want no beer, tot," said the latter. "but you go to the cottage and fetch me that dear little dog. i want to see it; and don't forget the lady's message to miss lillycrop--but be sure you don't say i'm waitin' for you. don't mention me to nobody. d'ee understand?" poor tottie, with a slight and undefined misgiving at her heart, professed to understand, and went off. in a few minutes she returned with the little dog--a lively poodle-- which at first showed violent and unmistakable objections to being friendly with mr bones. but a scrap of meat, which that worthy had brought in his pocket, and a few soothing words, soon modified the objection. presently mr bones pulled a small muzzle from his pocket. "d'you think, now, that floppart would let you put it on 'er, tot?" tot was sure she would, and soon had the muzzle on. "that's right; now, hold 'er fast a moment--just a--there--!" he sprang at and caught the dog by the throat, choked a snarling yelp in the bud, and held it fast. "dear, dear, how wild it has got all of a sudden! w'y, it must be ill-- p'r'aps mad. it's well you put that muzzle on, tot." while he spoke abel bones thrust the dog into one of the capacious pockets of his coat. "now, tot," he said, somewhat sternly, "i durstn't let this dog go. it wants a doctor very bad. you go back to the 'ouse and tell 'em a man said so. you needn't say what man; call me a philanthropist if you choose, an' tell 'em i'll send it back w'en it recovers. but you needn't tell 'em anything until you're axed, you know--it might get me into trouble, d'ee see, an' say to miss stivergill it wasn't your father as took the dog, but another man." he leaped over a low part of the hedge and was gone, leaving poor tottie in a state of bewildered anxiety on the other side. under the influence of fear tottie told the lies her father had bid her tell, and thereafter dwelt at rosebud cottage with an evil conscience and a heavy heart. having gained the high-road, mr bones sauntered easily to the railway station, took a third-class ticket for charing cross, and in due time found himself passing along the strand. in the course of that journey poor little floppart lay on its back in the bottom of its captor's pocket, with a finger and thumb gently pressing her windpipe. whenever she became restive, the finger and thumb tightened, and this with such unvarying regularity that she soon came to understand the advantage of lying still. she did, however, make sundry attempts to escape--once very violently, when the guard was opening the carriage-door to let mr bones enter, and again almost as violently at charing cross, when mr bones got out. indeed, the dog had well-nigh got off, and was restored to its former place and position with difficulty. turning into chancery lane, and crossing over to holborn, abel bones continued his way to newgate, where, appropriately enough, he stopped and gazed grimly up at the massive walls. "don't be in a 'urry," said a very small boy, with dirt and daring in equal proportions on his face, "it'll wait for you." mr bones made a tremendous demonstration of an intention to rush at the boy, who precipitately fled, and the former passed quietly on. at st. martin's-le-grand he paused again. "strange," he muttered, "there seems to be some sort o' fate as links me wi' that post-office. it was here i began my london life as a porter, and lost my situation because the postmaster-general couldn't see the propriety of my opening letters that contained coin and postage-stamps and fi'-pun' notes, which was quite unreasonable, for i had a special talent that way, and even the clargy tell us that our talents was given us to be used. it wasn't far from here where i sot my little nephy down, that time i got rid of him, and it was goin' up these wery steps i met with the man i'm tryin' my best to bring to grief, an' that same man wants to marry one of the girls in the post-office, and now, i find, has saved my tot from bein' burnt alive! wery odd! it was here, too, that--" floppart at this moment turned the flow of his meditations by making a final and desperate struggle to be free. she shot out of his pocket and dropped with a bursting yell on the pavement. recovering her feet before bones recovered from his surprise she fled. thought is quick as the lightning-flash. bones knew that dogs find their way home mysteriously from any distance. he knew himself to be unable to run down floppart. he saw his schemes thwarted. he adopted a mean device, shouted "mad dog!" and rushed after it. a small errand-boy shrieked with glee, flung his basket at it, and followed up the chase. floppart took round by st. paul's churchyard. however sane she might have been at starting, it is certain that she was mad with terror in five minutes. she threaded her way among wheels and legs at full speed in perfect safety. it was afterwards estimated that seventeen cabmen, four gentlemen, two apple-women, three-and-twenty errand-boys--more or less,--and one policeman, flung umbrellas, sticks, baskets, and various missiles at her, with the effect of damaging innumerable shins and overturning many individuals, but without hurting a hair of floppart's body during her wild but brief career. bones did not wish to recapture her. he wished her dead, and for that end loudly reiterated the calumny as to madness. floppart circled round the grand cathedral erected by wren and got into cheapside. here, doubling like a hare, she careered round the statue of peel and went blindly back to st. martin's-le-grand, as if to add yet another link to the chain of fate which bound her arch-pursuer to the general post-office. by way of completing the chain, she turned in at the gate, rushed to the rear of the building, dashed in at an open door, and scurried along a passage. here the crowd was stayed, but the policeman followed heroically. the passage was cut short by a glass door, but a narrow staircase descended to the left. "any port in a storm" is a proverb as well known among dogs as men. down went floppart to the basement of the building, invading the sanctity of the letter-carriers' kitchen or _salle-a-manger_. a dozen stalwart postmen leaped from their meals to rush at the intruder. in the midst of the confusion the policeman's truncheon was seen to sway aloft. next instant the vaulted roof rang with a terrible cry, which truth compels us to state was floppart's dying yell. none of those who had begun the chase were in at the death--save the policeman,--not even abel bones, for that worthy did not by any means court publicity. besides, he felt pretty sure that his end was gained. he remembered, no doubt, the rule of the office, that no letters or other things that have been posted can be returned to the sender, and, having seen the dog safely posted, he went home with a relieved mind. meanwhile the policeman took the remains of poor floppart by the tail, holding it at arm's-length for fear of the deadly poison supposed to be on its lips; and left the kitchen by a long passage. the men of the post-office returned to their food and their duties. those who manage the details of her majesty's mails cannot afford to waste time when on duty. the policeman, left to himself, lost himself in the labyrinth of the basement. he made his way at last into the warm and agreeable room in which are kept the boilers that drive the engine that works the lifts. he was accosted by a stalwart stoker, whose appearance and air were as genial as the atmosphere of his apartment. "hallo!" said he, "what 'ave you got there?" "a mad dog," answered the policeman.--"i say, stoker, have you any ashpit where i could bury him?" "couldn't allow 'im burial in our ashpit," replied the stoker, with a decided shake of the head; "altogether out of the question." the policeman looked at the dead dog and at the stoker with a perplexed air. "i say, look here," he said, "couldn't we--ah--don't you think that we might--" he paused, and cast a furtive glance at the furnaces. "what! you don't mean--cremate 'im?" the policeman nodded. "well, now, i don't know that it's actooally against the rules of the gpo," replied the stoker, with a meditative frown, "but it seems to me a raither unconstitootional proceedin'. it's out o' the way of our usual line of business, but--" "that's right," said the policeman, as the stoker, who was an obliging man, took up a great shovel and flung open the furnace-door. a terrific glare of intense heat and light shot out, appearing as if desirous of licking the stoker and policeman into its dreadful embrace. "i don't half like it," said the stoker, glancing in; "the postmaster-general might object, you know." "not a bit of it, he's too much of a gentleman to object--come," said the policeman encouragingly. the stoker held up the shovel. the body of floppart was put thereon, after the removal of its collar. there was one good swing of the shovel, followed by a heave, and the little dog fell into the heart of the fiery furnace. the stoker shut the great iron door with a clang, and looked at the policeman solemnly. the policeman returned the look, thanked him, and retired. in less probably than three minutes floppart's body was reduced to its gaseous elements, vomited forth from the furnace chimney, and finally dissipated by the winds of heaven. thus did this, the first recorded and authentic case of cremation in the united kingdom, emanate--as many a new, advantageous, and national measure has emanated before--from the prolific womb of the general post-office. chapter seventeen. tottie and mrs. bones in difficulty. the descent of george aspel became very rapid in course of time. as he lost self-respect he became reckless and, as a natural consequence, more dissipated. remonstrances from his friend mr blurt, which were repelled at first with haughty disdain, came to be received with sullen indifference. he had nothing to say for himself in reply, because, in point of fact, there was nothing in his case to justify his taking so gloomy and despairing a view of life. many men, he knew, were at his age out of employment, and many more had been crossed in love. he was too proud to condescend to false reasoning with his lips, though he encouraged it in his heart. he knew quite well that drink and bad companionship were ruining him, and off-hand, open-hearted fellow though he was said to be, he was mean enough, as we have already said, to growlingly charge his condition and his sins on fate. at last he resolved to give up the business that was so distasteful to him. unable to give a satisfactory reason for so doing, or to say what he meant to attempt next, and unwilling or ashamed to incur the remonstrances and rebut the arguments of his patron, the bold descendant of the sea-kings adopted that cowardly method of departure called taking french leave. like some little schoolboy, he ran away! in other words, he disappeared, and left no trace behind him. deep was mr enoch blurt's regret, for he loved the youth sincerely, and made many fruitless efforts to find him--for lost in london means lost indeed! he even employed a detective, but the grave man in grey--who looked like no class of man in particular, and seemed to have no particular business in hand, and who talked with mr blurt, at their first meeting, in a quiet, sensible, easy way, as though he had been one of his oldest friends--could find no clue to him, for the good reason that mr bones had taken special care to entice aspel into a distant locality, under pretence of putting him in the way of finding semi-nautical employment about the docks. moreover, he managed to make aspel drunk, and arranged with boon companions to strip him, while in that condition, of his garments, and re-clothe him in the seedy garb peculiar to those gentlemen who live by their wits. "very strange," muttered aspel, on recovering sufficiently to be led by his friend towards archangel court,--"very strange that i did not feel the scoundrels robbing me. i must have slept very soundly." "yes, you slep' wery sound, and they're a bad lot, and uncommon sharp in that neighbourhood. it's quite celebrated. i tried to get you away, but you was as obstinate as a mule, an' kep' on singing about some sort o' coves o' the old times that must have bin bigger blackguards than we 'ave about us now-a-days, though the song calls 'em glorious." "well, well," said aspel, shrinking under the public gaze as he passed through the streets, "don't talk about that. couldn't you get into some by-lanes, where there are not so many people? i don't like to be seen, even by strangers, in this disreputable guise. i wish the sun didn't shine so brightly. come, push on, man." "w'y, sir," said bones, becoming a little more respectful in spite of himself, "you've no need to be ashamed of your appearance. there's not 'alf a dozen people in a mile walk in london as would look twice at you whatever appearance you cut--so long as it was only disreputable." "never mind--push on," said aspel sternly; "i _am_ ashamed whether i have need to be or not. i'm a fool. i'm more--i'm a brute. i tell you what it is, bones, i'm determined to turn over a new leaf. i'll write to mr blurt and tell him where i am, for, of course, i can't return to him in such clothes as these, and--and--i'll give up drink." bones met this remark with an unexpected and bitter laugh. "what d'you mean?" demanded aspel, turning fiercely upon him. "i mean," replied bones, returning his stare with the utmost coolness, "that you _can't_ give up drink, if you was to try ever so much. you're too far gone in it. i've tried it myself, many a time, and failed, though i've about as strong a will as your own--maybe stronger." "we shall see," returned aspel, as they moved on again and turned into the lane which led to the wretched abode of bones. "bring me pen, ink, and paper!" he exclaimed, on entering the room, with a grand air--for a pint of ale, recently taken, had begun to operate. bones, falling in with his friend's humour, rummaged about until he found the stump of a quill, a penny inkbottle, and a dirty sheet of paper. these he placed on a rickety table, and aspel wrote a scrawly note, in which he gave himself very bad names, and begged mr blurt to come and see him, as he had got into a scrape, and could by no means see his way out of it. having folded the note very badly, he rose with the intention of going out to post it, but his friend offered to post it for him. accepting the offer, he handed him the note and flung himself down in a heap on the straw mattress in the dark corner, where he had first become acquainted with bones. in a few seconds he was in a deep lethargic slumber. "what a wretched spectacle!" exclaimed bones, touching him with his toe, and, in bitter mockery, quoting the words that aspel had once used regarding himself. he turned to leave the room, and was met by mrs bones. "there's a friend o' yours in the corner, molly. don't disturb him. i'm goin' to post a letter for him, and will be back directly." bones went out, posted the letter in the common sewer, and returned home. during the brief interval of his absence tottie had come in--on a visit after her prolonged sojourn in the country. she was strangling her mother with a kiss when he entered. "oh, mother! i'm _so_ happy, and _so_ sorry!" she exclaimed, laughing and sobbing at once. tottie was obviously torn by conflicting emotions. "take your time, darling," said mrs bones, smoothing the child's hair with her red toil-worn hand. "ay, take it easy, tot," said her father, with a meaning glance, that sent a chill to the child's heart, while he sat down on a stool and began to fill his pipe. "what's it all about?" "oh! it's the beautiful country i've been in. mother, you can't think-- the green fields and the trees, and, oh! the flowers, and no bricks-- almost no houses--and--but did you know"--her grief recurred here--"that mr aspel 'as bin lost? an' i've been tellin' _such_ lies! we came in to town, miss lillycrop an' me, and we've heard about mr aspel from old mr blurt, who's tryin' to find him out with 'vertisements in the papers an' detectives an' a message-boy they call phil, who's a friend of mr aspel, an' also of peter." "who's peter?" asked mrs bones. "ah, who's peter?" echoed mr bones, with a somewhat sly glance under his brows. "he's a message-boy, and such a dear fellow," replied tottie. "i don't know his other name, he didn't mention it, and they only call him little peter, but he saved me from the fire; at least he tried--" "saved you from the fire!" exclaimed mrs bones in amazement. "yes; didn't miss lillycrop tell you?" asked tottie in no less surprise. now it is but justice to miss lillycrop to say that even in the midst of her perturbation after the fire she sought to inform mrs bones of her child's safety, and sent her a note, which failed to reach her, owing to her being away at the time on one of her prolonged absences from home, and the neighbour to whose care it had been committed had forgotten all about it. as mrs bones read no newspapers and took no interest in fires, she knew nothing about the one that had so nearly swallowed up tottie. "come, tell us all about it, tot. you mentioned it to me, but we couldn't go into details at the time," said her father, puffing a vigorous cloud of smoke into the chimney. nothing loath, the child gave her parents an account of the event, which was as glowing as the fire itself. as she dwelt with peculiar delight on the brave rescue effected by aspel at the extreme peril of his life, conscience took abel bones by surprise and gave him a twinge. at that moment the sleeper in the corner heaved a deep sigh and turned round towards the light. mrs bones and the child recognised him at once, and half rose. "keep still!" said bones, in a low savage growl, which was but too familiar to his poor wife and child. "now, look here," he continued in the same voice, laying down his pipe,--"if either of you two tell man, woman, or child w'ere george aspel is, it'll be the death of you both, and of him too." "oh, abel! don't be hard on us," pleaded his wife. "you would--no, you _can't_ mean to do 'im harm!" "no, i won't hurt him," said bones, "but you must both give me your word that you'll make no mention of him or his whereabouts to any one till i give you leave." they were obliged to promise, and bones, knowing from experience that he could trust them, was satisfied. "but you'll make a promise to me too, abel, won't you, dear?" said mrs bones; "you'll promise not to do 'im harm of any kind--not to tempt 'im?" "yes, molly, i promise that." mrs bones knew, by some peculiarity in the tone of her husband's voice, that he meant what he said, and was also satisfied. "now, molly," said bones, with a smile, "i want you to write a letter for me, so get another sheet of paper, if you can; mr aspel used up my last one." a sheet was procured from a neighbouring tobacconist. mrs bones always acted as her husband's amanuensis (although he wrote very much better than she did), either because he was lazy, or because he entertained some fear of his handwriting being recognised by his enemies the police! squaring her elbows, and with her head very much on one side--almost reposing on the left arm--mrs bones produced a series of hieroglyphics which might have been made by a fly half-drowned in ink attempting to recover itself on the paper. the letter ran as follows:-- "deer bil i am a-goin to doo it on mundy the th tother cove wont wurk besides iv chaningd my mind about him. don't fale." "what's the address, abel?" asked mrs bones. "willum stiggs," replied her husband. "so--i--g--s," said mrs bones, writing very slowly, "rosebud cottage." "what!" exclaimed the man fiercely, as he started up. "oh, i declare!" said mrs bones, with a laugh, "if that place that tottie's been tellin' us of ain't runnin' in my 'ead. but i've not writ it, abel, i only said it." "well, then, don't say it again," growled bones, with a suspicious glance at his wife; "write number little alley, birmingham." "so--numr sx littlaly bringinghum," said mrs bones, completing her task with a sigh. when bones went out to post this curious epistle, his wife took tottie on her knee, and, embracing her, rocked to and fro, uttering a moaning sound. the child expressed anxiety, and tried to comfort her. "come what's the use o' strivin' against it?" she exclaimed suddenly. "she's sure to come to know it in the end, and i need advice from some one--if it was even from a child." tottie listened with suspense and some anxiety. "you've often told me, mother, that the best advice comes from god. so has miss lillycrop." mrs bones clasped the child still closer, and uttered a short, fervent cry for help. "tottie," she said, "listen--you're old enough to understand, i think. your father is a bad man--at least, i won't say he's altogether bad, but--but, he's not good." tottie quite understood that, but said that she was fond of him notwithstanding. "fond of 'im, child!" cried mrs bones, "that's the difficulty. i'm so fond of 'im that i want to save him, but i don't know how." hereupon the poor woman explained her difficulties. she had heard her husband murmuring in his sleep something about committing a burglary, and the words rosebud cottage had more than once escaped his lips. "now, tottie dear," said mrs bones firmly, "when i heard you tell all about that rosebud cottage, an' the treasure miss stiffinthegills--" "stivergill, mother." "well, stivergill. it ain't a pretty name, whichever way you put it. when i heard of the treasure she's so foolish as to keep on her sideboard, i felt sure that your father had made up his mind to rob miss stivergill--with the help of that bad man bill stiggs--all the more w'en i see how your father jumped w'en i mentioned rosebud cottage. now, tottie, we _must_ save your father. if he had only got me to post his letter, i could easily have damaged the address so as no one could read it. as it is, i've writ it so bad that i don't believe there's a man in the post-office could make it out. this is the first time, tottie, that your father has made up his mind to break into a 'ouse, but when he do make up his mind to a thing he's sure to go through with it. he must be stopped, tottie, somehow--_must_ be stopped--but i don't see how." tottie, who was greatly impressed with the anxious determination of her mother, and therefore with the heinous nature of her father's intended sin, gave her entire mind to this subject, and, after talking it over, and looking at it in all lights, came to the conclusion that she could not see her way out of the difficulty at all. while the two sat gazing on the ground with dejected countenances, a gleam of light seemed to shoot from tottie's eyes. "oh! i've got it!" she cried, looking brightly up. "peter!" "what! the boy you met at rosebud cottage?" asked mrs bones. "yes. he's _such_ a nice boy, and you've no idea, mother, what a inventor he is. he could invent anythink, i do believe--if he tried, and i'm sure he'll think of some way to help us." mrs bones was not nearly so hopeful as her daughter in regard to peter, but as she could think of nothing herself, it was agreed that tottie should go at once to the post-office and inquire after peter. she did so, and returned crestfallen with the news that peter was away on a holiday until the following monday. "why, that's the th," said mrs bones anxiously. "you must see him that day, tottie dear, though i fear it will be too late. how did you find him out? there must be many peters among the telegraph-boys." "to be sure there are, but there are not many peters who have helped to save a little girl from a fire, you know," said tottie, with a knowing look. "they knew who i wanted at once, and his other name is such a funny one; it is pax--" "what?" exclaimed mrs bones, with a sudden look of surprise. "pax, mother; peter pax." whatever mrs bones might have replied to this was checked by the entrance of her husband. she cautioned tottie, in earnest, hurried tones, to say nothing about rosebud cottage unless asked, and especially to make no mention whatever of the name of pax. chapter eighteen. business interfered with in a remarkable manner. the modest estimate which mrs bones had formed of her penmanship turned out to be erroneous, and her opinion that there was not a man in the post-office able to read it was ill-founded. she was evidently ignorant of the powers and intelligence of the blind division. to make this more plain we will follow the letter. you and i, reader, will post ourselves, as it were, and pass through the general post-office unstamped. at a few minutes to six p.m. the mouth is wide enough to admit us bodily. mr bones has just put in his epistle and walked away with the air of a man who feels that he has committed himself, and is "in for it." he might have posted it at an office or a pillar nearer home, but he has an idea, founded no doubt on experience, that people, especially policemen, are apt to watch his movements and prefers a longish walk to the general. there! we take a header and descend with the cataract into the basket. on emerging in the great sorting-room, somehow, we catch sight of the bones epistle at once. there is no mistaking it. we should know its dirty appearance and awry folding--not to mention bad writing--among ten thousand. having been turned with its stamp in the right direction at the facing-tables and passed under the stamping-machines without notice, it comes at last to one of the sorters, and effectually, though briefly, stops him. his rapid distributive hand comes to a dead pause. he looks hard at the letter, frowns, turns it upside down, turns his head a little on one side, can make nothing of it, puts it on one side, and continues his work. but at the blind division, to which it is speedily conveyed, our letter proves a mere trifle. it is nothing to the hieroglyphics which sometimes come under the observation of the blind officers. one of these officers gazes at it shrewdly for a few seconds. "william stiggs, i think," he says, appealing to a comrade. "yes," replies the comrade, "number six little lady--no--aly--oh, little alley, bring--bringing--ah, birmingham!" just so--the thing is made out almost as quickly as though it had been written in copperplate, and the letter, redirected in red ink, finds its way into the birmingham mail-bag. so far so good, but there is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip, and other elements were more successful than bad writing in preventing mr william stiggs from receiving that letter. when the mail-bag containing it was put into the travelling post-office van, mr bright passed in after it. our energetic sorter was in charge of the van that night, and went to work at once. the letters to be dropped at the early stages of the journey had to be commenced even before the starting of the train. the letter did not turn up at first. the officials, of whom there were six in the van, had littered their sorting-table and arranged many of the letters, and the limited mail was flying north at full speed before the bones epistle found its appropriate pigeon-hole--for it must be understood that the vans of the travelling post-office--the t.p.o., as it is familiarly called by its friends--are fitted up on one side with a long narrow table, above which are numerous pigeon-holes, arranged somewhat like those of the sorting-tables in the non-travelling post-offices. there is a suggestive difference, however, in the former. their edges are padded to prevent the sorters' knuckles and noses from being damaged in the event of violent jolting. the sides and ends of the vans are padded all round to minimise their injuries in the event of an accident. beyond this padding, however, there are no luxuries--no couches or chairs; only a few things like bicycle saddles attached to the tables, astride which the sorters sit in front of their respective pigeon-holes. on the other side of the van are the pegs on which to hang the mail-bags, a lamp and wax for sealing the same, and the apparatus for lowering and lifting the net which catches the bags. everything connected with railways must needs be uncommonly strong, as the weight of materials, coupled with high speed, subjects all the parts of a carriage to extremely violent shocks. hence the bag-catching affair is a powerful iron frame with rope netting, the moving of which, although aided by a pulley and heavy weight, tries the strength of a strong man. nimbly worked the sorters, as they swept by town and field, village, tunnel, bridge, and meadow,--for time may not be wasted when space between towns is being diminished at the rate of forty or fifty miles an hour, and chaos has to be reduced to order. the registered-letter clerk sat in one corner in front of a set of special pigeon-holes, with a sliding cover, which could be pulled over all like a blind and locked if the clerk should have occasion to quit his post for a moment. while some were sorting, others were bagging and sealing the letters. presently the junior sorter, whose special duty it is to manipulate the net, became aware that a bag-exchanging station drew near. his eyes might have assured him of this, but officers of the travelling post-office become so expert with their ears as to know stations by the peculiarity of the respective sounds connected with them--caused, it might be, by the noise of tunnels, cuttings, bridges, or even slighter influences. going quietly to the apparatus above referred to, the junior sorter looked out at the window and lowered the net, which, instead of lying flat against the van, now projected upwards of three feet from it. as he did so something flashed about his feet. he leaped aside and gave a shout. fearful live creatures were sometimes sent by post, he knew, and serpents had been known before that to take an airing in post-office vans as well as in the great sorting-room of st. martin's-le-grand! a snake had only a short time before been observed at large on the floor of one of the night mail sorting carriages on the london and north-western railway, which, after a good deal of confusion and interruption to the work, was killed. this flashed into his mind, but the moment was critical, and the junior sorter had no time to indulge in private little weaknesses. duty required prompt action. about a hundred yards from the approaching station, a mail-bag hung suspended from a massive wooden frame. the bag weighed nearly eighty pounds. it was fitted so exactly in its place, with reference to the approaching train, that its neck was caught to a nicety in a fork, which swept it with extreme violence off its hook, and laid it in the net. this process, reversed, had been at the same moment performed on the bag given out by the train. to prevent the receiving and delivering apparatus from causing mutual destruction in passing each other, the former is affixed to the upper, the latter to the lower, part of the van. there was a rather severe jerk. the junior sorter exerted his powers, raised the net, and hauled in the bag, while the train with undiminished speed went thundering on. "what was that i saw on the floor?" asked the junior sorter, looking anxiously round as he set the mail-bags down. "only two white mice," replied bright, who was busy in front of his pigeon-holes. "they nibbled themselves out of a parcel under my very nose. i made a grab at 'em, but they were too quick for me." "isn't it strange," observed the registered-letter clerk, sealing one of the bags which had just been made up, "that people _will_ break the law by sending live animals through the post?" "more strange, it seems to me," returned bright, as he tied up a bundle of letters, "that the people who do it can't pack 'em properly." "there's the next station," said the junior sorter, proceeding once more to the net. "whew!" shrieked the steam-whistle, as the train went crashing towards the station. bright looked out. the frame and its mail-bags were all right and ready. the net was lowered. another moment and the mail-bags were swept into the van, while the out-going bags were swept off the projecting arm into the fixed net of the station. the train went through the station with a shriek and a roar. there was a bridge just beyond. the junior sorter forgot to haul up the net, which caught some object close to the bridge--no one knew what or how. no one ever does on such occasions! the result was that the whole apparatus was demolished; the side of the van was torn out, and mr bright and the junior sorter, who were leaning against it at the time, were sent, in a shower of woodwork, burst bags, and letters, into the air. the rest of the van did not leave the rails, and the train shot out of sight in a few seconds, like a giant war-rocket, leaving wreck and ruin behind! there are many miraculous escapes in this world. mr bright and the junior sorter illustrated this truth by rising unhurt from the debris of their recent labours, and began sadly to collect the scattered mails. these however were not, like their guardians, undamaged. there were several fatal cases, and among these was the bones epistle. that important document had been caught by a mass of timber and buried beyond recovery in the ballast of the line. but why pursue this painful subject further? it is sufficient to say that although the scattered mails were carefully collected, re-sorted, and, finally, as far as possible, delivered, the letter with which we have specially to do never reached its destination. indeed, it never more saw the light of day, but remained in the hole where it had been buried, and thus it came to pass that mr william stiggs failed to make his appearance on the appointed night of the th, and abel bones was constrained to venture on his deed of darkness alone. on the appointed night, however, tottie did not fail to do her best to frustrate her father's plans. after a solemn, and last, consultation with her mother, she left her home with fluttering heart and dry tongue, and made for the general post-office. chapter nineteen. deep-laid plans for checkmating mr. bones. now it chanced that the post-office message-boys' literary association had fixed to hold its first grand soiree on the night of the th. it was a great occasion. of course it was held in pegaway hall, the shed in rear of solomon flint's dwelling. there were long planks on trestles for tables, and school forms to match. there were slabs of indigestible cake, buns in abundance, and tea, with milk and sugar mixed, in illimitable quantities. there were paper flowers, and illuminated texts and proverbs round the walls, the whole being lighted up by two magnificent paraffin lamps, which also served to perfume the hall agreeably to such of the members and guests as happened to be fond of bad smells. on this particular evening invitations had been issued to several friends of the members of the association, among whom were mr enoch blurt and mr sterling the missionary. no ladies were invited. a spirited discussion had taken place on this point some nights before the soiree, on which occasion the bashful poker opposed the motion "that invitations should be issued to ladies," on the ground that, being himself of a susceptible nature, the presence of the fair sex would tend to distract his attention from the business on hand. big jack also opposed it, as he thought it wasn't fair to the fair sex to invite them to a meeting of boys, but big jack was immediately called to order, and reminded that the society was composed of young men, and that it was unmanly--not to say unmannerly--to make puns on the ladies. to this sentiment little grigs shouted "hear! hear!" in deafening tones, and begged leave to support the motion. this he did in an eloquent but much interrupted speech, which was finally cut short by macnab insisting that the time of the society should not be taken up with an irrelevant commentary on ladies by little grigs; whereupon sandy tod objected to interruptions in general--except when made by himself--and was going on to enlarge on the inestimable blessing of free discussion when he was in turn called to order. then blunter and scroggins, and fat collins and bobby sprat, started simultaneously to their feet, but were put down by peter pax, who rose, and, with a calm dignified wave of his hand, remarked that as the question before the meeting was whether ladies should or should not be invited to the soiree, the simplest plan would be to put it to the vote. on this being done, it was found that the meeting was equally divided, whereupon the chairman--phil maylands--gave his casting vote in favour of the amendment, and thus the ladies were excluded from the soiree amid mingled groans and cheers. but although the fair sex were debarred from joining in the festivities, they were represented on the eventful evening in question by a mrs square, an angular washer-woman with only one eye (but that was a piercingly black one), who dwelt in the same court, and who consented to act the double part of tea-maker and doorkeeper for that occasion. as most of the decorations and wreaths had been made and hung up by may maylands and two of her telegraphic friends, there was a pervading influence of woman about pegaway hall, in spite of phil's ungallant and un-irish vote. when tottie bones arrived at the general post-office in search of peter pax, she was directed to pegaway hall by those members of the staff whose duties prevented their attendance at the commencement of the soiree. finding the hall with difficulty, she was met and stopped by the uncompromising and one-eyed stare of mrs square. "please, ma'am, is mr peter pax here?" asked tottie. "yes, he is, but he's engaged." tottie could not doubt the truth of this, for through the half-open door of the hall she saw and heard the little secretary on his little legs addressing the house. "please may i wait till he's done?" asked tottie. "you may, if you keep quiet, but i doubt if he'll 'ave time to see you even w'en he _is_ done," said the one-eyed one, fiercely.--"d'you like buns or cake best?" tottie was much surprised by the question, but stated at once her decided preference for cake. "look here," said mrs square, removing a towel from a large basket. tottie looked, and saw that the basket was three-quarters full of buns and cakes. "that," said the washer-woman, "is their leavin's. one on 'em called it the debree of the feast, though what that means is best known to hisself. for one hour by the clock these literairies went at it, tooth an' nail, but they failed to get through with all that was purwided, though they stuffed themselves to their muzzles.--there, 'elp yourself." tottie selected a moderate slab of the indigestible cake, and sat down on a stool to eat it with as much patience as she could muster in the circumstances. peter pax's remarks, whatever else they might have been considered, possessed the virtue of brevity. he soon sat down amid much applause, and mr sterling rose to speak. at this point tottie, who had cast many anxious glances at a small clock which hung in the outer porch or vestibule of the hall, entreated mrs square to tell pax that he was wanted very much indeed. "i durstn't," said mrs square; "it's as much as my sitooation's worth. i was told by mr maylands, the chairman, to allow of no interruptions nor anythink of the kind." "but please, ma'am," pleaded tottie, with such an earnest face that the woman was touched, "it's a matter of--of--life an' death--at least it _may_ be so. oh! do-o-o-o tell 'im he's wanted--by tottie bones. only say tottie bones, that'll be _sure_ to bring 'im out." "well--i never!" exclaimed mrs square, sticking her fists in her waist and leaning her head to one side in critical scrutiny of her small petitioner. "you do seem cock-sure o' your powers. h'm! p'r'aps you're not far out neither. well, i'll try it on, though it _may_ cost me a deal of abuse. you sit there an' see that cats don't get at the wittles, for the cats in this court are a sharper set than or'nar." mrs square entered the hall, and begged one of the members near the door to pass up a message--as quietly as possible--to the effect that mr pax was wanted. this was immediately done by the member shouting, irreverently, that the secretary's mother "'ad come to take 'im 'ome." "order, order! put 'im out!" from several of the members. "any'ow, 'e's wanted by some one on very partikler business," growled the irreverent member, and the secretary made his way to the door. "w'y, tottie!" exclaimed pax, taking both the child's hands patronisingly in his, "what brings you here?" with a furtive glance at mrs square, tottie said, "oh! please, i want to speak about something very partikler." "indeed! come out to the court then," said little pax, leading the way; "you'll be able to air the subject better there, whatever it is, and the cats won't object. sorry i can't take you into the hall, little 'un, but ladies ain't admitted." when the child, with eager haste, stated the object of her visit, and wound up her discourse with the earnest remark that her father _must_ be stopped, and _mustn't_ be took, her small counsellor looked as perplexed and anxious as herself. wrinkling up his smooth brow, he expressed the belief that it was a difficult world to deal with, and he had had some trouble already in finding out how to manage it. "you see, tot," he said, "this is a great evenin' with the literary message-boys. not that i care a rap for that, but i've unfortunately got to move a vote of thanks to our lecturer to-night, and say somethin' about the lecture, which i couldn't do, you know, unless i remained to hear it. to be sure, i might get some one else to take my place, but i'm not easily spared, for half the fun o' the evenin' would be lost if they hadn't got me to make game of and air their chaff upon. still, as you say, your dad must have his little game stopped. he must be a great blackg--i beg pardon, tot, i mean that he must be a great disregarder of the rights of man--woman, as it happens, in this case. however, as you said, with equal truth, he must not be took, for if he was, he'd probably be hanged, and i couldn't bear to think of your father bein' scragged. let me see. when did you say he meant to start?" "he said to mother that he'd leave at nine, and might 'ave to be out all night." "at nine--eh? that would just give 'im time to get to charing cross to catch the : train. solomon flint's lecture will be over about eight. i could polish 'im off in ten minutes or so, and 'ave plenty of time to catch the same train. yes, that will do. but how am i to know your father, tot, for you know i haven't yet had the pleasure of makin' his acquaintance?" "oh, you _can't_ mistake him," replied the child confidently. "he's a big, tall, 'andsome man, with a 'ook nose an' a great cut on the bridge of it all down 'is left cheek. you'll be sure to know 'im. but how will you stop 'im?" "that is more than i can tell at present, my dear," replied pax, with a careworn look, "but i'll hatch a plot of some sort durin' the lecture.-- let me see," he added, with sudden animation, glancing at the limited portion of sky that roofed the court, "i might howl 'im down! that's not a bad idea. yellin' is a powerful influence w'en brought properly to bear. d'you mind waitin' in the porch till the lecture's over?" "o no! i can wait as long as ever you please, if you'll only try to save father," was tottie's piteous response. "well, then, go into the porch and sit by the door, so that you can hear and see what's goin' on. don't be afraid of the one-eyed fair one who guards the portals. she's not as bad as she looks; only take care that you don't tread on her toes; she can't stand _that_." tottie promised to be careful in this respect, and expressed a belief that she was too light to hurt mrs square, even if she did tread on her toes accidentally. "you're wrong, tottie," returned pax; "most females of your tender years are apt to jump at wrong conclusions. as you live longer you'll find out that some people's toes are so sensitive that they can't bear a feather's weight on 'em. w'y, there's a member of our society who riles up directly if you even look at his toes. we keep that member's feet in hot water pretty continuously, we do.--there now, i'll be too late if i keep on talkin' like this. you'll not feel tired of the lecture, for solomon's sure to be interesting, whatever his subject may be. i don't know what it is--he hasn't told us yet. you'll soon hear it if you listen." pax re-entered the hall, and tottie sat down by the door beside mrs square, just as solomon flint rose to his legs amid thunders of applause. chapter twenty. the post of the olden time. when the applause had subsided solomon flint caused a slight feeling of depression in the meeting by stating that the subject which he meant to bring before them that evening was a historical view of the post-office. most of those present felt that they had had more than enough of the post-office thrust on their attention every day of their lives, and the irreverent member ventured to call out "shop," but he was instantly and indignantly called to order. when, however, solomon went on to state his firm belief that a particular branch of the post-office began in the immediate neighbourhood of the garden of eden, and that adam was the first postmaster-general, the depression gave way to interest, not unmingled with curiosity. "you see, my young friends," continued the lecturer, "our information with regard to the origin of the post-office is slight. the same may be said as to the origin of a'most everythink. taking the little information that we do possess, and applying to it the reasoning power which was given to us for the purpose of investigatin' an' discoverin' truth, i come to the following conclusions:-- "adam was a tiller of the ground. there can be no doubt about that. judging from analogy, we have the best ground for supposing that while adam was digging in the fields eve was at home preparing the dinner, and otherwise attending to the domestic arrangements of the house, or hut, or hovel, or cave. dinner being ready, eve would naturally send little cain or abel to fetch their father, and thus, you see, the branch of boy-messengers began." (applause, mingled with laughter and cheers.) "of course," continued solomon, "it may be objected--for some people can always object--(hear, hear)--that these were not _post-office_ messengers, but, my young friends, it is well known that the greater includes the less. as mankind is involved in adam, and the oak is embedded in the acorn, so it may be maintained that the first faint germ of the boy-messenger branch of the post-office was included in cain and abel. "passing, however, from what i may style this post-office germ, over many centuries, during which the records of postal history are few and faint and far between, we come down to more modern times--say five or six hundred years ago--and what do we find?" (here solomon became solemn.) "we find next to nothink! absolutely next to nothink! the boy-messenger department had indeed developed amazingly, insomuch that, whereas there were only two to begin with, there were in the th century no fewer than innumerable millions of 'em in every region and land and clime to which the 'uman family had penetrated, but no section of them had as yet prefixed the word `telegraph' to their name, and as to postal arrangements, w'y, they were simply disgraceful. just think, now, up to the century of which i speak--the fifteenth--there was no regular post-office in this country. letters were conveyed by common carriers at the rate, probably, of three or four miles an hour. flesh and blood couldn't stand that, you know, so about the close of the century, places, or `posts,' were established in some parts of the country, where horses could be hired by travellers, and letters might be conveyed. the post-boys of those days evidently required spurring as well as their horses, for letters of the period have been preserved with the words `_haste, post haste_' on their backs. sometimes the writers seem to have been in a particularly desperate hurry. one letter, written by a great man of the period, had on the back of it the words, `in haste; post haste, for thy life, for thy life, for thy life;' and it is believed that this was no idle caution, but a threat which was apt to be carried out if the post-boy loitered on the way." it may be remarked that solomon's language became more refined as he proceeded, but lapsed into a free-and-easy style whenever he became jocular. "the first horse-posts," continued the lecturer, "were established for military purposes--the convenience of the public being deemed quite a secondary matter. continental nations were in advance of england in postal arrangements, and in the first quarter of the sixteenth century ( ) the foreign merchants residing in london were so greatly inconvenienced by the want of regular letter conveyance, that they set up a post-office of their own from london to its outports, and appointed their own postmaster, but, quarrelling among themselves, they referred their dispute to government. james the first established a post-office for letters to foreign countries, for the benefit of english merchants, but it was not till the year --in the reign of charles the first-- that a post-office for inland letters was established. it was ordained that the postmaster of england for foreign parts `should settle a running post or two to run night and day between edinburgh and london, to go thither and come back again in six days, and to take with them all such letters as shall be directed to any post-town in or near that road.' "in the post-office was placed under the care and superintendence of the principal secretary of state, and became one of the settled institutions of the country. "here, then, we have what may be considered the birth of the post-office, which is now pretty nigh two centuries and a half old. and what a wonderful difference there is between this infant post-office and the man! _then_, six days; _now_, less than a dozen hours, between the capitals of england and scotland--to say nothing of other things. but, my lads, we must not turn up our noses at the day of small things." "hear, hear," cried little grigs, who approved the sentiment. "lay it to heart then, grigs," said peter pax, who referred to the fact that little grigs's nose was turned up so powerfully by nature that it could not help turning up at things small and great alike. laughter and great applause were mingled with cries of "order," which solomon subdued by holding up his hand. "at the same time," continued the lecturer, "bye-posts were set a-going to connect the main line with large towns, such as hull, lincoln, chester, etcetera. these bye-posts were farmed out to private individuals, and the rates fixed at pence a single letter to any place under miles; pence up to miles; pence to any more distant place in england; and pence to scotland. "from that date forward the infant began to grow--sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, now and then by spurts--just like other infants, and a horribly spoiled and mismanaged baby it was at first. those who see it now,--in the prime of its manhood, wielding its giant strength with such ease, accomplishing all but miraculous work with so great speed, regularity, and certainty, and with so little fuss,--can hardly believe what a cross-grained little stupid thing it was in those early days, or what tremendous difficulties it had to contend with. "in the first place, the roads in the land were few, and most of them inconceivably bad, besides which they were infested by highwaymen, who often took a fancy to rummage the mail-bags and scatter their contents. the post in those days was slow, but not sure. then it experienced some trouble from other infants, of the same family, who claimed a right to share its privileges. among these was a post-office established by the common council of london in direct rivalry to the parliamentary child. this resulted in a great deal of squabbling and pamphleteering, also in many valuable improvements--for it is well known that opposition is the life of trade. the council of state, however, came to the conclusion that, in an affair so thoroughly national, the office of postmaster and the management of the post-office ought to rest in the sole power and disposal of parliament; the city posts were peremptorily suppressed; opposition babies were quietly--no doubt righteously--murdered; and from that date the carrying of letters has remained the exclusive privilege of the crown. but considerable and violent opposition was made to this monopoly. this is a world of opposition, my young friends"--the lecturer was pathetic here--"and i have no doubt whatever that it was meant to be a world of opposition"--the lecturer was energetic here, and drew an emphatic "hear, hear," from the scotch members. "why, it is only by opposition that questions are ventilated and truth is established! "no doubt every member of this ancient and literary society is well acquainted with the name of hill--(great cheering)--sir rowland hill, who in the year succeeded in getting introduced to the nation one of the greatest boons with which it has been blessed--namely, the penny post." (renewed cheering.) "well, it is a curious and interesting fact that in the middle of the seventeenth century--more than two hundred years ago--a namesake of sir rowland (whether an ancestor or not i cannot tell), a mr john hill, wrote a pamphlet in which monopoly was condemned and a penny post suggested. the title of the pamphlet was `john hill's penny post; or, a vindication of every englishman in carrying merchants' or any other men's letters against any restraints of farmers of such employment.' so, you see, in regard to the penny post, the coming event cast its shadow about two hundred years in advance. "the creeping era may be the title assigned to this period of post-office history. little was expected of the post-office, and not much was done. nevertheless, considering the difficulties in its way, our infant progressed wonderfully. its revenue in was pounds. gradually it got upon its legs. then it monopolised post-horses and began to run. waxing bolder, it also monopolised packet-boats and went to sea. like all bold and energetic children, it had numerous falls, and experienced many troubles in its progress. nevertheless its heart was kept up by the steady increase of its revenue, which amounted to , pounds in . during the following seventy-eight years the increase was twofold, and during the next ninety years (to ) it was tenfold. "it was hard times with the post-office officials about the beginning of last century. "during what we may call the post-boy era, the officials were maltreated by robbers on shore and by privateers (next thing to pirates) at sea. in fact they were compelled to become men of war. and the troubles and anxieties of the postmaster-generals were proportionately great. the latter had to fit out the mail-packets as ships of war, build new ships, and sell old ones, provide stores and ammunition for the same, engage captains and crews, and attend to their disputes, mutinies, and shortcomings. they had also to correspond with the deputy-postmasters all over the country about all sorts of matters--chiefly their arrears and carelessness or neglect of duty--besides foreign correspondence. what the latter involved may be partly gathered from lists of the articles sent by post at that time. among other things, we find reference to `fifteen couple of hounds going to the king of the romans with a free pass.' a certain `dr crichton, carrying with him a cow and divers other necessaries,' is mentioned as having been posted! also `two servant-maids going as laundresses to my lord ambassador methuen,' and `a deal case with four flitches of bacon for mr pennington of rotterdam.' the captains of the mail-packets ought to have worn coats of mail, for they had orders to run while they could, to fight when they could not run, and to throw the mails overboard when fighting failed! "of course, it is to be hoped, this rule was not strictly enforced when doctors and females formed part of the mails. "in one case a certain james vickers, captain of the mail-packet `grace dogger,' lay in dublin bay waiting till the tide should enable him to get over the bar. a french privateer chanced to be on the look-out in these waters, and pounced upon james vickers, who was either unable or unwilling to fight. the french captain stripped the `grace dogger'--as the chronicler writes--`of rigging, sails, spars, yards, and all furniture wherewith she had been provided for due accommodation of passengers, leaving not so much as a spoone, or a naile, or a hooke to hang anything on.' having thus made a clean sweep of her valuables, and having no use for the hull, the frenchman ransomed the `grace dogger' to poor j.v. for fifty guineas, which the post-office had to pay! "but our mail-packets were not always thus easily or summarily mastered. sometimes they fought and conquered, but, whatever happened, the result was invariably productive of expense, because wounded men had to be cared for and cured or pensioned. thus one edward james had a donation of pounds, because `a musket shot had grazed the tibia of his left leg.' what the _tibia_ may be, my young friends, is best known to the doctors--i have not taken the trouble to inquire!" (hear, hear, and applause.) "then another got pounds `because a shot had divided his frontal muscles and fractured his skull;' while a third received a yearly pension of pounds, shillings, pence `on account of a shot in the hinder part of the head, whereby a large division of scalp was made.' observe what significance there is in that fourpence! don't it speak eloquently of the strict justice of the post-office authorities of those days? don't it tell of tender solicitude on their part thus to gauge the value of gunshot wounds? might it not be said that the men were carefully rated when wounded? one postmaster-general writes to an agent at falmouth in regard to rates: `each arm or leg amputated above the elbow or knee is pounds per annum; below the knee, nobles. loss of sight of one eye, pounds; of pupil of the eye, pounds; of sight of both eyes, pounds; of pupils of both eyes, pounds.' our well-known exactitude began to crop up, you see, even in those days. "the post-boys--who in many instances were grey-headed men--also gave the authorities much trouble, many of them being addicted to strong drink, and not a few to dilatory habits and dishonesty. one of them was at one time caught in the act of breaking the laws. at that period the bye-posts were farmed, but the post-boys, regardless of farmers' rights, often carried letters and brought back answers on their own account-- receiving and keeping the hire, so that neither the post-office nor the farmer got the benefit. the particular boy referred to was convicted and committed to prison, but as he could not get bail--having neither friends nor money--he begged to be whipped instead! his petition was granted, and he was accordingly whipped to his heart's content--or, as the chronicler has it, he was whipped `to the purpose.' "many men of great power and energy contributed to the advance of the post-office in those times. i won't burden your minds with many of their names however. one of them, william dockwra, started a penny post in london for letters and small parcels in . twenty-three years later an attempt was made to start a halfpenny post in london, but that was suppressed. "soon after that a great man arose named ralph allen. he obtained a lease of the cross posts from government for life at pounds a year. by his wisdom and energy he introduced vast improvements in the postal system, besides making a profit of , pounds a year, which he lived to enjoy for forty-four years, spending much of his fortune in charity and in the exercise of hospitality to men of learning and genius. "about the middle of last century--the eighteenth--the post-office, although greatly increased in efficiency, was an insignificant affair compared with that of the present day. it was bound to pay into the exchequer pounds a week. in ireland and scotland improvements also went on apace, but not so rapidly as in england, as might have been expected, considering the mountainous nature of these countries. in scotland the first modern stage-coach was introduced in . the same year a penny post was started in edinburgh by a certain peter williamson of aberdeen, who was a keeper of a coffee-stall in the parliament house, and his experiment was so successful that he had to employ four carriers to deliver and collect letters. these men rang a bell on their rounds and wore a uniform. others soon entered into competition, but the post-office authorities came forward, took the local penny post in hand, and pensioned williamson off. "it was not till the end of the century that the post-office made one of its greatest and most notable strides. "the mail-coach era followed that of the post-boys, and was introduced by mr john palmer, manager of the bath theatre. the post-boys had become so unbearably slow and corrupt that people had taken to sending valuable letters in brown paper parcels by the coaches, which had now begun to run between most of the great towns. palmer, who afterwards became controller-general of the post-office, proposed that mail-bags should be sent by passenger-coaches with trusty and armed guards. his advice, after some opposition, was acted on, and thus the mails came to travel six miles an hour, instead of three or four--the result being an immediate increase of correspondence, despite an increase of postage. rapidity, security, regularity, economy, are the great requisites in a healthy postal system. here, then, was an advance in at least two of these. the advance was slight, it is true, but once more, i repeat, we ought not to turn up our noses at the day of small things." (little grigs was going to repeat "hear! hear!" but thought better of it and checked himself.) "of course there was opposition to the stage-coaches. there always is and will be opposition to everything in a world of mixed good and evil." (the scotsman here thought of repeating "hear! hear!" but refrained.) "one pamphleteer denounced them as the `greatest evil that had happened of late years in these kingdoms,--mischievous to the public, prejudicial to trade, and destructive to lands. those who travel in these coaches contract an idle habit of body, become weary and listless when they had rode a few miles, and were unable to travel on horseback, and not able to endure frost, snow, or rain, or to lodge in the fields.' opposition for ever! so it ever is. so it was when foot-runners gave place to horsemen; so it was when horseflesh succumbed to steam. so it will be when electro-galvanic aerial locomotives take the place--." (the remainder of the sentence was lost in laughter and rapturous applause.) "but roads were still intolerably bad. stage-coach travelling was a serious business. men made their wills before setting out on a journey. the journey between edinburgh and london was advertised to last ten days in summer, and twelve in winter, and that, too, in a so-called `flying machine on steel springs.' but, to return:--our infant, having now become a sturdy youth, advanced somewhat more rapidly. in a money-order office was set on foot for the first time. it had been originally undertaken by some post-office clerks on their own account, but was little used until the introduction of the penny postage. great reforms were made in many departments. among them was an act passed to authorise the sending of letter-bags by private ships. this originated the ship-letter system, by which letters are now conveyed to every part of the world visited by private ships. "another mighty influence for good was the introduction (about ) of macadamised roads, which brought travelling up to the point of ten miles an hour. so also was the opening for use in of st. martin's-le-grand--a _grand_ event this, in every sense of the word." (here a member objected to punning, and was immediately hooted out of countenance.) "with mail-coaches, macadamised roads, security, ten miles an hour, and a vastly increased revenue, the post-office seemed to have reached the highest heights of prosperity. the heights from which we now look down upon these things ought to make us humble in our estimate of the future! we have far surpassed the wildest dreams of those days, but there were some points of picturesque interest in which we can never surpass them. ah! boys," said solomon, looking up with a gleam of enthusiasm in his eyes, "i mind the old mail-coaches well. they had for a long time before i knew them reached their best days. it was about the year that most of the post-roads had been macadamised, and the service had reached its highest state of efficiency. in there were fifty four-horse mails in england, thirty in ireland, and ten in scotland, besides forty-nine two-horse mails in england. those who have not seen the starting of the mail-coaches from the general post-office can never understand the magnificence and excitement of that scene. the coaches were clean, trim, elegant, and glittering; the blood-horses were the finest that could be procured, groomed to perfection, and full of fire; the drivers and guards were tried and trusty men of mettle, in bright scarlet costume--some of the former being lords, baronets, and even parsons! it was a gay and stirring sight when the insides and outsides were seated, when the drivers seized their reins, and the bugles sounded, the whips cracked, the impatient steeds reared, plunged, or sprang away, and the royal mails flew from the yard of st. martin's-le-grand towards every corner of the kingdom. "their progress, too, was a sort of royal progress--a triumphal march. wherever they had to pass, crowds of people waited for them in subdued excitement, hailed them with delight, and waved them on with cheers, for they were almost the only means of distributing news; and when a great victory, such as trafalgar, vittoria, or waterloo had to be announced, the mail-coaches--dressed in flowers and ribbons, with guards shouting the news to eager crowds as they passed through hamlet, village, and town--swept like a thrill of electric fire throughout the land. news _was_ news in those days! you didn't get it at all till you got it altogether, and then you got it like a thunderbolt. there was no dribbling of advance telegrams; no daily papers to spread the news (or lies), and contradict 'em next day, in the same columns with commentaries or prophetic remarks on what might or should have been, but wasn't, until news got muddled up into a hopeless entanglement, so that when all was at last cleared up you'd been worried out of all your interest in it! yes, my lads, although i would not wish to see the return of those stirring days, i'm free to assert that the world lost something good, and that it was not all clear gain when the old four-in-hand royal mail coaches drove out of the present into the past, and left the iron horse in possession of the field. "but nothing can arrest the hand of time. when mail-coaches were at their best, and a new great north road was being laid out by telford, the celebrated engineer, another celebrated engineer, named stephenson, was creating strange commotion among the coal-pits of the north. the iron horse was beginning to snort. soon he began to shriek and claw the rails. despite the usual opposition, he succeeded in asserting himself, and, in the words of a disconsolate old mail-coach guard, `men began to make a gridiron of old england.' the romance of the road had faded away. no more for the old guard were there to be the exciting bustle of the start, the glorious rush out of the smoky town into the bright country; the crash through hamlet and village; the wayside changings; the rough crossing of snow-drifted moorlands; the occasional breakdowns; the difficulties and dangers; the hospitable inns; the fireside gossipings. the old guard's day was over, and a new act in the drama of human progress had begun. "the railway era may be said to have commenced about the time of the opening of the liverpool and manchester line in , though the railway system developed slowly during the first few years. men did not believe in it, and many suggestions were made to accelerate the speed of mails in other ways. one writer proposed balloons. another--professor babbage--suggested a series of high pillars with wires stretched thereon, along which letter-bags might be drawn. he even hinted that such pillars and wires might come to be `made available for a species of _telegraphic communication_ yet more rapid'--a hint which is peculiarly interesting when we consider that it was given long prior to the time of the electric telegraph. but the iron horse rode roughshod over all other plans, and finally became the recognised and effective method of conveyance. "during this half-century of the mail-coach period many improvements and alterations had been made in the working of the post-office. "among other things, the mails to india were despatched for the first time by the `overland route'--the mediterranean, suez, and the red sea-- in . a line of communication was subsequently extended to china and australia. in the following year the reduction of the stamp-duty on newspapers to one penny led to a great increase in that branch of the service. "but now approached the time for the greatest reform of all--that reduction of postage of which i have already spoken--namely, the uniform rate of _one penny_ for all inland letters not exceeding a certain weight. "the average postage of a letter in was pence three farthings. owing to the heavy rates the net proceeds of the department had remained stationary for nearly twenty years. to mend this state of matters, sir rowland hill fought his long and famous fight, the particulars of which i may not enter on just now, but which culminated in victory in , when the penny post was established throughout the kingdom. sir rowland still ( ) lives to witness the thorough success of his daring and beneficent innovation! it is impossible to form a just estimate of the value of cheap postage to the nation,--i may say, to the world. trade has been increased, correspondence extended, intelligence deepened, and mental activity stimulated. "the immediate result of the change was to raise the number of letters passing through the post from seventy-six millions in to one hundred and sixty-nine millions in . another result was the entire cessation of the illicit smuggling of letters. despite penal laws, some carriers had been doing as large a business in illegal conveyance of letters as the post-office itself! one seizure made, a single bag in the warehouse of a well-known london carrier, revealed eleven hundred such letters! the horrified head of the firm hastened to the postmaster-general, and offered immediate payment of pounds to escape the penalties incurred. the money was accepted, and the letters were all passed through the post-office the same night! "sir rowland--then mr--hill had said that the post-office was `capable of performing a distinguished part in the great work of national education.' his prophetic words have been more than justified. people who never wrote letters before write them now. those who wrote only a few letters now write hundreds. only grave and important subjects were formerly treated of by letter, now we send the most trifling as well as the most weighty matters by the penny post in such floods that there is scarce room to receive the correspondence, but liberal men and measures have been equal to the emergency. one objector to cheap rates prophesied that their adoption would cause the very walls of the general post-office to burst. well, it has seemed as if his prophecy were about to come true, especially on recent christmas eves, but it is not yet fulfilled, for the old place has a tough skin, and won't burst up for a considerable time to come." (great applause.) "financially, too," continued solomon, "the penny post reform was an immense success, though at first it showed a tendency to hang fire. the business of the money-order office was enormously increased, as the convenience of that important department became obvious to the public, and trade was so greatly improved that many tradesmen, at the end of the first three years, took the trouble to write to the post-office to tell how their business had increased since the introduction of the change. in short, the penny post would require a lecture to itself. i will therefore dismiss it with the remark that it is one of the greatest blessings of modern times, and that the nation owes an everlasting debt of gratitude to its author. "with decreased rates came the other great requisites,--increased speed and security; and now, as you all know, the work of the post-office, in all its wide ramifications, goes on with the uniform regularity of a good chronometer from year to year. "to the special duty of letter-carrying the post-office has now added the carriage of books and patterns, and a savings-bank as well as a money order department; but if i were to enlarge on the details of all this it would become necessary to order coffee and buns for the whole society of literary message-boys, and make up our beds on the floor of pegaway hall--(hear! hear! applause, and cries of `go on!')--to avoid which i shall bring my discourse to a close, with a humble apology for having detained you so long." chapter twenty one. tells of a series of terrible surprises. "well, what did you think of that, old girl?" asked peter pax of tottie, on issuing from the literary message-boys' hall, after having performed his duties there. "it was wonderful. i 'ad no idear that the post-office was so old or so grand a' institootion--but please don't forget father," said tottie, with an anxious look at the battered clock. "i don't forget 'im, tot. i've been thinkin' about 'im the whole time, an' i've made up my mind what to do. the only thing i ain't sure of is whether i shouldn't take my friend phil maylands into partnership." "oh, please, don't," pleaded tottie; "i shouldn't like 'im to know about father." "well, the less he knows about 'im the better. p'r'aps you're right. i'll do it alone, so you cut away home. i'll go to have my personal appearance improved, and then off to charing cross. lots of time, tottie. don't be anxious. try if you can trust me. i'm small, no doubt, but i'm tough.--good-night." when abel bones seated himself that night in a third-class carriage at charing cross, and placed a neat little black hand-bag, in which he carried his housebreaking tools, on the floor between his feet, a small negro boy entered the carriage behind him, and, sitting down directly opposite, stared at him as if lost in unutterable amazement. mr bones took no notice of the boy at first, but became annoyed at last by the pertinacity of his attention. "well, you chunk of ebony," he said, "how much are you paid a week for starin'?" "no pound no shillin's an' nopence, massa, and find myself," replied the negro so promptly that bones smiled in spite of himself. being, however, in no mood for conversation, he looked out at the carriage window and let the boy stare to his heart's content. on drawing up to the platform of the station for rosebud cottage, mr bones seemed to become anxious, stretched his head out at the carriage window, and muttered to himself. on getting out, he looked round with a disappointed air. "failed me!" he growled, with an anathema on some one unknown. "well, i'll do it alone," he muttered, between his teeth. "o no! you won't, my fine fellow," thought the negro boy; "i'll help you to do it, and make you do it badly, if you do it at all.--may i carry your bag, massa?" he added, aloud. mr bones replied with a savage kick, which the boy eluded nimbly, and ran with a look of mock horror behind a railway van. here he put both hands to his sides, and indulged in a chuckle so hearty--though subdued--that an ordinary cat, to say nothing of a cheshire one, might have joined him from sheer sympathy. "o the brute!" he gasped, on partially recovering, "and tottie!-- tottie!! why she's--" again this eccentric boy went off into subdued convulsions, in which state he was discovered by a porter, and chased off the premises. during the remainder of that night the "chunk of ebony" followed mr bones like his shadow. when he went down to the small public-house of the hamlet to moisten his throat with a glass of beer, the negro boy waited for him behind a hay-stack; when he left the public-house, and took his way towards rosebud cottage, the boy walked a little behind him--not far behind, for the night was dark. when, on consulting his watch, with the aid of a match, bones found that his time for action had not arrived and sat down by the side of a hedge to meditate, the chunk crept through a hole in the same hedge, crawled close up like a panther, lay down in the grass on the other side, and listened. but he heard nothing, for the burglar kept his thoughts, whatever they might have been, to himself. the hour was too still, the night too dark, the scene too ghostly for mutterings. peering through the hedge, which was high and thick, the boy could see the red glow of mr bones's pipe. suddenly it occurred to pax that now was a favourable opportunity to test his plan. the hedge between him and his victim was impassable to any one larger than himself; on his side the ground sloped towards a plantation, in which he could easily find refuge if necessary. there was no wind. not a leaf stirred. the silence was profound--broken only by the puffing of the burglar's lips. little pax was quick to conceive and act. suddenly he opened his mouth to its widest, took aim where he thought the ear of bones must be, and uttered a short, sharp, appalling yell, compared to which a shriek of martyrdom must have been as nothing. that the effect on bones was tremendous was evinced by the squib-like action of his pipe, as it flew into the air, and the stumbling clatter of his feet, as he rushed blindly from the spot. little pax rolled on the grass in indescribable ecstasies for a few seconds, then crept through the hole, and followed his victim. but bones was no coward. he had only been taken by surprise, and soon stopped. still, he was sufficiently superstitious to look frequently over his shoulder as he walked in the direction of miss stivergill's cottage. pax was by that time on familiar ground. fearing that bones was not to be scared from his purpose by one fright, he made a detour, got ahead of him, and prepared to receive him near the old well of an adjoining farm, which stood close by the road. when the burglar's footsteps became audible, he braced himself up. as bones drew near pax almost burst his little chest with an inhalation. when bones was within three feet of him, he gave vent to such a skirl that the burglar's reason was again upset. he bounded away, but suddenly recovered self-possession, and, turning round, dashed at the old well, where pax had prematurely begun to enjoy himself. to jump to his feet and run like the wind was the work of a moment. bones followed furiously. rage lent him for the moment unwonted power. he kept well up for some distance, growling fiercely as he ran, but the lithe limbs and sound lungs of the boy were too much for him. he soon fell behind, and finally stopped, while pax ran on until out of breath. believing that he had now rid himself of some mischievous boy of the neighbourhood, the burglar turned back to transact his business at rosebud cottage. peter pax also turned in the same direction. he felt that things were now beginning to look serious. to thwart mr bones in his little game by giving information as to his intentions, would have been easy, but then that would have involved his being "took," which was not to be thought of. at the same time, it was evident that he was no longer to be scared by yells. somewhat depressed by his failure, pax hastened towards the cottage as fast as he could, resolved to give his enemy a last stunning reception in the garden, even although, by so doing, he would probably scare miss stivergill and her household out of their wits. he reached the garden some minutes before bones, and clambered over the wall. while in the very act of doing so, he felt himself seized by the throat and nearly strangled. "now then, young 'un," growled a deep voice, which was not that of bones, "what little game may you be up to?" "ease your grip and i'll tell you," gasped pax. it was the constable of the district who had caught him. that faithful guardian of the night, having been roused by the unwonted yells, and having heard pax's footsteps, had followed him up. "i'm not a burglar, sir," pleaded pax, not well knowing what to say. suddenly he opened his mouth in desperation, intending to give one final yell, which might scare bones from his impending fate, but it was nipped in the bud by the policeman's strong hand. "ha! you'd give your pal a signal, would you?" he said, in a gruff whisper. "come now, keep quiet if you don't want to be choked. you can't save 'im, so you'd better give in." poor pax now saw that nothing more could be done. he therefore made a virtue of necessity, and revealed as much of the object of his mission as he deemed prudent. the man believed him, and, on his promising to keep perfectly still, released him from his deadly grip. while the policeman and the boy lay thus biding their time in the shrubbery, bones got over the wall and quietly inspected the premises. "i'll let him begin, and take him in the act," whispered the policeman. "but he's an awful big, strong, determined feller," said pax. "so am i," returned the policeman, with a smile, which was lost in the dark. now it so happened that miss lillycrop, who had been spending that day with miss stivergill, had been induced to spend the night also with her friend. of course these two had much to talk about--ladies generally have in such circumstances--and they were later than usual in going to bed. mr bones was therefore, much against his will, obliged to delay the execution of his plans. little dreaming that two admirers lay in ambush about fifty yards off, he retired to a dark corner behind a bit of old wall, and there, appropriately screened by a laurel bush, lit his pipe and enjoyed himself. "my dear," said miss stivergill to her friend about midnight, "we must go to bed. do you go up to my room; i'll follow after looking round." it was the nightly practice of this lady to go over her premises from cellar to garret, to make quite sure that the servant had fastened every bolt and bar and lock. she began with the cellars. finding everything right there, she went to the dining-room windows. "ha! the gipsy!--unbolted, and the shutters open!" exclaimed miss stivergill, fastening the bolt. "h'm! the old fool," thought the burglar, observing her tall square figure while thus engaged, "might as well bolt the door of newgate with a steel pen. cottage window-gear is meant for show, not for service, old girl." "i look round regularly every night," observed miss stivergill, entering her bedroom, in which miss lillycrop usually occupied a chair bed when on a visit to the rosebud. "you've no idea how careless servants are (`haven't i, just?' thought her friend), and although i have no personal fear of burglars, i deem it advisable to interpose some impediments to their entrance." "but what would you do if they did get in?" asked miss lillycrop, in some anxiety, for she had a very strong personal fear of burglars. "oh! i have several little plans for their reception," replied the lady, with a quiet smile. there's a bell in the corner there, which was meant for the parish church, but was thought to be a little too small. i bought it, had a handle affixed to it, as you see, and should ring it at an open window if the house were attempted. "but they might rush in at the door and stop you--kill you even!" suggested the other, with a shudder. "have you not observed," said miss stivergill, "that i lock my door on the inside? besides, i have other little appliances which i shall explain to you in the morning, for i scorn to be dependent on a man-servant for protection. there's a revolver in that drawer beside you"--miss lillycrop shrank from the drawer in question--"but i would only use it in the last extremity, for i am not fond of taking human life. indeed, i would decline to do so even to save my own, but i should have no objection to maim. injuries about the legs or feet might do burglars spiritual as well as physical good in the long-run, besides being beneficial to society.--now, my dear, good-night." miss stivergill extinguished the candle as violently as she would have maimed a burglar, and poor miss lillycrop's heart leapt as she was suddenly plunged into total darkness--for she was naturally timid, and could not help it. for some time both ladies lay perfectly still; the hostess enjoying that placid period which precedes slumber; the guest quaking with fear caused by the thoughts that the recent conversation had raised. presently miss lillycrop raised herself on one elbow, and glared in the direction of her friend's bed so awfully that her eyes all but shone in the dark. "did you hear that, dear?" she asked, in a low whisper. "of course i did," replied miss stivergill aloud. "hush! listen." they listened and heard "that" again. there could be no doubt about it--a curious scratching sound at the dining-room window immediately below theirs. "rats," said miss stivergill in a low voice. "oh! i _do_ hope so," whispered miss lillycrop. she entertained an inexpressible loathing of rats, but compared with burglars they were as bosom friends whom she would have welcomed with a glad shudder. in a few minutes the scratching ceased and a bolt or spring snapped. the wildest of rats never made a sound like that! miss lillycrop sat bolt up in her bed, transfixed with horror, and could dimly see her friend spring from her couch and dart across the room like a ghostly phantom. "lilly, if you scream," said miss stivergill, in a voice so low and stern that it caused her blood to curdle, "i'll do something awful to you.--get up!" the command was peremptory. miss lillycrop obeyed. "here, catch hold of the bell-handle--so. your other hand--there--keep the tongue fast in it, and don't ring till i give the word." miss lillycrop was perfect in her docility. a large tin tea-tray hung at the side of miss stivergill's bed. beside it was a round ball with a handle to it. miss lillycrop had wondered what these were there for. she soon found out. miss stivergill put the dressing-table a little to one side, and placed a ewer of water on it. at that moment the dining-room window was heard to open slowly but distinctly. miss stivergill threw up the bedroom window. the marrow in miss lillycrop's spine froze. mr bones started and looked up in surprise. he received a deluge of water on his face, and at the same moment a ewer burst in atoms on the gravel at his feet--for miss stivergill did nothing by halves. but bones was surprise-proof by that time; besides, the coveted treasure was on the sideboard--almost within his grasp. he was too bold a villain to be frightened by women, and he knew that sleeping country-folk are not quickly roused to succour the inmates of a lonely cottage. darting into the room, he tumbled over chairs, tables, work-boxes, fire-irons, and coal-scuttle. "ring!" said miss stivergill sharply. at the same moment she seized the tea-tray in her left hand and belaboured it furiously with the drumstick. "ring out at the window!" shouted miss stivergill. miss lillycrop did so until her spinal marrow thawed. the noise was worse than appalling. little pax, unable to express his conflicting emotions in any other way, yelled with agonising delight. even the hardened spirit of bones trembled with mingled feelings of alarm and surprise. he found and grasped the coveted box, and leaped out of the window with a bound. it is highly probable that he would have got clear off but for the involuntary action of miss lillycrop. as that lady's marrow waxed warm she dashed the great bell against the window-sill with such fervour that it flew from her grasp and descended full on the burglar's cranium, just as he leaped into the arms of the policeman, and both fell heavily to the ground. the guardian of the night immediately jumped up uninjured, but bones lay prone on the green sward--stunned by the bell. "that's well done, anyhow, an' saved me a world o' trouble," said the constable, looking up at the window as he held the burglar down, though there was little necessity for that. "you couldn't shy me over a bit of rope, could you, ma'am?" miss stivergill, to whom nothing seemed difficult, and who had by that time stopped her share in the noise, went into a cupboard and fetched thence a coil of rope. "i meant it to be used in the event of fire," she said quietly to her friend, who had thrown herself flat on her bed, "but it will serve other purposes as well.--there, policeman." she threw it down, and when bones recovered consciousness he found himself securely tied and seated in a chair in the rosebud kitchen--the policeman looking at him with interest, and the domestics with alarm. miss stivergill regarded him with calm severity. "now he's quite safe, ma'am, but i can't venture to take 'im to the station alone. if you'll kindly consent to keep an eye on him, ma'am, till i run down for a comrade, i'll be greatly obleeged. there's no fear of his wrigglin' out o' that, ma'am; you may make your mind easy." "my mind is quite easy, policeman; you may go. i shall watch him." when the man had left, miss stivergill ordered the servants to leave the kitchen. little pax, who had discreetly kept out of range of the burglar's eye, went with them, a good deal depressed in spirit, for his mission had failed. the burglary had not indeed, been accomplished, but--"father" was "took." when miss stivergill was left alone with the burglar she gazed at him for some time in silence. "man," she said at length, "you are little bones's father." "if you means tottie, ma'am, i is," replied bones, with a look and tone which were not amiable. "i have a strong feeling of regard for your child, though not a scrap of pity for yourself," said miss stivergill, with a frown. mr bones muttered something to the effect that he returned the compliment with interest. "for tottie's sake i should be sorry to see you transported," continued the lady, "therefore i mean to let you off. moreover, bad as you are, i believe you are not so bad as many people would think you. therefore i'm going to trust you." bones looked inquiringly and with some suspicion at his captor. he evidently thought there was a touch of insanity about her. this was confirmed when miss stivergill, seizing a carving-knife from the dresser, advanced with masculine strides towards him. he made a desperate effort to burst his bonds, but they were too scientifically arranged for that. "don't fear," said the lady, severing the cord that bound the burglar's wrists, and putting the knife in his hands. "now," she added, "you know how to cut yourself free, no doubt." "well, you _are_ a trump!" exclaimed bones, rapidly touching his bonds at salient points with the keen edge. in a few seconds he was free. "now, go away," said miss stivergill, "and don't let me see you here again." bones looked with admiration at his deliverer, but could only find words to repeat that she _was_ a trump, and vanished through the back-door, just as a band of men, with pitchforks, rakes, spades, and lanterns, came clamouring in at the front garden gate from the neighbouring farm. "what is it?" exclaimed the farmer. "only a burglar," answered miss stivergill. "where is he?" chorussed everybody. "that's best known to himself," replied the lady, who, in order to give the fugitive time, went into a minute and slow account of the whole affair--excepting, of course, her connivance at the escape--to the great edification of her audience, among whom the one who seemed to derive the chief enjoyment was a black boy. he endeavoured to screen himself behind the labourers, and was obviously unable to restrain his glee. "but what's come of 'im, ma'am?" asked the farmer impatiently. "escaped!" answered miss stivergill. "escaped!" echoed everybody, looking furtively round, as though they supposed he had only escaped under the dresser or into the keyhole. "escaped!" repeated the policeman, who entered at the moment with two comrades; "impossible! i tied 'im so that no efforts of his own could avail 'im. somebody _must_ 'ave 'elped 'im." "the carving-knife helped him," said miss stivergill, with a look of dignity.--"perhaps, instead of speculating how he escaped, policeman, it would be better to pursue him. he can't be very far off, as it is not twenty minutes since he cut himself free." in a state of utter bewilderment the policeman rushed out of the cottage, followed by his comrades and the agriculturists. peter pax essayed to go with them, but was restrained by an iron grip on his collar. pulling him back, miss stivergill dragged her captive into a parlour and shut the door. "come now, little pax," she said, setting the boy in a chair in front of her, "you needn't try to deceive _me_. i'd know you among a thousand in any disguise. if you were to blacken your face with coal-tar an inch thick your impertinence would shine through. you know that the burglar is little bones's father; you've a pretty good guess that i let him off. you have come here for some purpose in connection with him. come--out with it, and make a clean breast." little pax did make a clean breast then and there, was washed white, supped and slept at the rosebud, returned to town next day by the first train, and had soon the pleasure of informing tottie that the intended burglary had been frustrated, and that her father wasn't "took" after all. chapter twenty two. shows how one thing leads to another, and so on. it is a mere truism to state that many a chain of grave and far-reaching events is set in motion by some insignificant trifle. the touching of a trigger by a child explodes a gun which extinguishes a valuable life, and perhaps throws a whole neighbourhood into difficulties. the lighting of a match may cause a conflagration which shall "bring down" an extensive firm, some of whose dependants, in the retail trade, will go down along with it, and cause widespreading distress, if not ruin, among a whole army of greengrocers, buttermen, and other small fry. the howling of a bad baby was the comparatively insignificant event which set going a certain number of wheels, whose teeth worked into the cogs which revolved in connection with our tale. the howling referred to awoke a certain contractor near pimlico with a start, and caused him to rise off what is popularly known as the "wrong side." being an angry man, the contractor called the baby bad names, and would have whipped it had it been his own. going to his office before breakfast with the effects of the howl strong upon him, he met a humble labourer there with a surly "well, what do you want?" the labourer wanted work. the contractor had no work to give him. the labourer pleaded that his wife and children were starving. the contractor didn't care a pinch of snuff for his wife or children, and bade him be off. the labourer urged that the times were very hard, and he would be thankful for any sort of job, no matter how small. he endeavoured to work on the contractor's feelings by referring to the premature death, by starvation, of his pet parrot, which had been for years in the family, and a marvellous speaker, having been taught by his mate bill. the said bill was also out of work, and waiting for him outside. he too would be thankful for a job--anything would do, and they would be willing to work for next to nothing. the contractor still professed utter indifference to the labourer's woes, but the incident of the parrot had evidently touched a cord which could not be affected by human suffering. after a few minutes' consideration he said there _was_ a small job--a pump at the corner of a certain street not far off had to be taken down, to make way for contemplated alterations. it was not necessary to take it down just then, but as the labourers were so hard up for a job they were at liberty to undertake that one. thus two wheels were set in motion, and the result was that the old pump at the corner of purr street was uprooted and laid low by these labourers, one of whom looked into the lower end of the pump and said "hallo!" his companion bill echoed the "hallo!" and added "what's up?" "w'y, if there ain't somethink queer inside of the old pump," said the labourer, going down on both knees in order to look more earnestly into it. "i do b'lieve it's letters. some double-extra stoopids 'ave bin an' posted 'em in the pump." he pulled out handfuls of letters as he spoke, some of which, from their appearance, must have lain there for years, while others were quite fresh! a passing letter-carrier took charge of these letters, and conveyed them to the post-office, where the machinery of the department was set in motion on them. they were examined, faced, sorted, and distributed. among them was the letter which george aspel had committed to the care of tottie bones at the time of his first arrival in london, and thus it came to pass that the energies of sir james clubley, baronet, were roused into action. "dear me! how strange!" said sir james to himself, on reading the letter. "this unaccountable silence is explained at last. poor fellow, i have judged him hastily. come! i'll go find him out." but this resolve was more easily made than carried into effect. at the hotel from which the letter had been dated nothing was known of the missing youth except that he had departed long long ago, leaving as his future address the name of a bird-stuffer, which name had unfortunately been mislaid--not lost. oh no--only mislaid! on further inquiry, however, there was a certain undersized, plain-looking, and rather despised chamber-maid who retained a lively and grateful recollection of mr aspel, in consequence of his having given her an unexpectedly large tip at parting, coupled with a few slight but kindly made inquiries as to her welfare, which seemed to imply that he regarded her as a human being. she remembered distinctly his telling her one evening that if any one should call for him in his absence he was to be found at the residence of a lady in cat street, pimlico, but for the life of her she couldn't remember the number, though she thought it must have been number nine, for she remembered having connected it in her mind with the well-known lives of a cat. "cat street! strange name--very!" said sir james. "are you sure it was cat street?" "well, i ain't quite sure, sir," replied the little plain one, with an inquiring frown at the chandelier, "but i know it 'ad somethink to do with cats. p'r'aps it was mew street; but i'm _quite_ sure it was pimlico." "and the lady's name?" "well, sir, i ain't sure of that neither. it was somethink queer, i know, but then there's a-many queer names in london--ain't, there, sir?" sir james admitted that there were, and advised her to reflect on a few of them. the little plain one did reflect--with the aid of the chandelier--and came to the sudden conviction that the lady's name had to do with flowers. "not roses--no, nor yet violets," she said, with an air of intense mental application, for the maiden's memory was largely dependent on association of ideas; "it might 'ave been marigolds, though it don't seem likely. stay, was it water--?--oh! it was lilies! yes, i 'ave it now: miss lilies-somethink." "think again, now," said the baronet, "everything depends on the `something,' for miss lilies is not so extravagantly queer as you seem to think her name was." "that's true, sir," said the perplexed maid, with a last appealing gaze at the chandelier, and beginning with the first letter of the alphabet-- miss lilies a-- lilies b-- lilies c--, etcetera, until she came to k. "that's it now. i 'ave it _almost_. it 'ad to do with lots of lilies, i'm quite sure--quantities, it must 'ave been." on sir james suggesting that quantities did not begin with a k the little plain one's feelings were slightly hurt, and she declined to go any further into the question. sir james was therefore obliged to rest content with what he had learned, and continued his search in pimlico. there he spent several hours in playing, with small shopkeepers and policemen, a game somewhat analogous to that which is usually commenced with the words "is it animal, vegetable, or mineral?" the result was that eventually he reached number purr street, and found himself in the presence of miss lillycrop. that lady, however, damped his rising hopes by saying that she did not know where george aspel was to be found, and that he had suddenly disappeared--to her intense regret--from the bird-warehouse in which he had held a situation. it belonged to the brothers blurt, whose address she gave to her visitor. little tottie bones, who had heard the conversation through the open parlour door, could have told where aspel was to be found, but the promise made to her father sealed her lips; besides, particular inquiries after any one were so suggestive to her of policemen, and being "took," that she had a double motive to silence. mr enoch blurt could throw no light on the subject, but he could, and did, add to sir james's increasing knowledge of the youth's reported dissipation, and sympathised with him strongly in his desire to find out aspel's whereabouts. moreover, he directed him to the general post-office, where a youth named maylands, a letter-sorter--who had formerly been a telegraph message-boy,--and an intimate friend of aspel, was to be found, and might be able to give some information about him, though he (mr blurt) feared not. phil maylands could only say that he had never ceased to make inquiries after his friend, but hitherto without success, and that he meant to continue his inquiries until he should find him. sir james clubley therefore returned in a state of dejection to the sympathetic miss lillycrop, who gave him a note of introduction to a detective--the grave man in grey,--a particular friend and ally of her own, with whom she had scraped acquaintance during one of her many pilgrimages of love and mercy among the poor. to the man in grey sir james committed his case, and left him to work it out. now, the way of a detective is a mysterious way. far be it from us to presume to point it out, or elucidate or expound it in any degree. we can only give a vague, incomplete, it may be even incorrect, view of what the man in grey did and achieved, nevertheless we are bound to record what we know as to this officer's proceedings, inasmuch as they have to do with the thread of our narrative. it may be that other motives, besides those connected with george aspel, induced the man in grey to visit the general post-office, but we do not certainly know. it is quite possible that a whole host of subsidiary and incidental cases on hand might have induced him to take up the post-office like a huge stone, wherewith to knock down innumerable birds at one and the same throw; we cannot tell. the brain of a detective must be essentially different from the brains of ordinary men. his powers of perception--we might add, of conception, reception, deception, and particularly of interception--are marvellous. they are altogether too high for us. how then can we be expected to explain why it was that, on arriving at the post-office, the man in grey, instead of asking eagerly for george aspel at the inquiry office, or the returned letter office, or the _poste restante_, as any sane man would have done, began to put careless and apparently unmeaning questions about little dogs, and to manifest a desire to be shown the chief points of interest in the basement of st. martin's-le-grand? in the gratifying of his desires the man in grey experienced no difficulty. the staff of the post-office is unvaryingly polite and obliging to the public. an order was procured, and he soon found himself with a guide traversing the mysterious regions underneath the splendid new building where the great work of postal telegraphy is carried on. while his conductor led him through the labyrinthine passages in which a stranger would infallibly have lost his way, he explained the various objects of interest--especially pointing out the racks where thousands on thousands of old telegrams are kept, for a short time, for reference in case of dispute, and then destroyed. he found the man in grey so intelligent and sympathetic that he quite took a fancy to him. "do you happen to remember," asked the detective, in a quiet way, during a pause in his companion's remarks, "anything about a mad dog taking refuge in this basement some time ago--a small poodle i think it was-- which disappeared in some mysterious way?" the conductor had heard a rumour of such an event, but had been ill and off duty at the time, and could give him no details. "this," said he, opening a door, "is the battery room, where the electricity is generated for the instruments above.--allow me to introduce you to the battery inspector." the man in grey bowed to the inspector, who was a tall, powerful man, quite fit, apparently, to take charge of a battery of horse artillery if need were. "a singular place," remarked the detective, looking sharply round the large room, whose dimensions were partially concealed, however, by the rows of shelving which completely filled it from floor to ceiling. "somewhat curious," assented the inspector; "you see our batteries require a good deal of shelving. all put together, there is in this room about three miles of shelving, completely filled, as you see, with about , cells or jars. the electricity is generated in these jars. they contain carbon and zinc plates in a solution of bichromate of potash and sulphuric acid and water. we fill them up once every two weeks, and renew the plates occasionally. there is a deal of sulphate of copper used up here, sir, in creating electricity--about six tons in the year. pure copper accumulates on the plates in the operation, but the zinc wears away." the detective expressed real astonishment and interest in all this, and much more that the inspector told him. "poisonous stuff in your jars, i should fancy?" he inquired. "rather," replied the inspector. "does your door ever stand open?" asked the detective. "sometimes," said the other, with a look of slight surprise. "you never received a visit down here from a mad dog, did you?" asked the man in grey. "never!" "i only ask the question," continued the other, in a careless tone, "because i once read in the newspapers of a poodle being chased into the post-office and never heard of again. it occurred to me that poison might account for it.--a curious-looking thing here; what is it?" he had come to a part of the battery room where there was a large frame or case of dark wood, the surface of which was covered with innumerable brass knobs or buttons, which were coupled together by wires. "that is our battery test-box," explained the inspector. "there are four thousand wires connected with it--two thousand going to the instruments up-stairs, and two thousand connected with the battery-jars. when i complete the circuit by connecting any couple of these buttons, the influence of the current is at once perceived." he took a piece of charcoal, as he spoke, and brought it into contact with two of the knobs. the result was to convert the coal instantly into an intense electric light of dazzling beauty. the point of an ordinary lead pencil applied in the same way became equally brilliant. "that must be a powerful battery," remarked the detective. the inspector smilingly took two handles from a neighbouring shelf and held them out to his visitor. "lay hold of these," he said, "and you will feel its powers." the detective did as directed, and received a shock which caused him to fling down the handles with great promptitude and violence. he was too self-possessed a man, however, to seem put out. "strong!" he said, with a short laugh; "remarkably strong and effective." "yes," assented the inspector, "it _is_ pretty powerful, and it requires to be so, for it does heavy work and travels a considerable distance. the greater the distance, you know, the greater the power required to do the work and transmit the messages. this is the battery that fires two signal-guns every day at one o'clock--one at newcastle, the other at south shields, and supplies greenwich time to all our principal stations over a radius of three hundred miles.--i sent the contents of one hundred and twenty jars through you just now!" "that's curious and interesting; i may even say it is suggestive," returned the detective, in a meditative tone. "double that number of jars, now, applied to the locks of street doors at night and the fastenings of windows would give a powerful surprise to burglars." "ah, no doubt, and also to belated friends," said the inspector, "not to mention the effect on servant-maids in the morning when people forgot to disconnect the wires." the man in grey admitted the truth of the observation, and, thanking the battery inspector for his kind attentions, bade him a cordial adieu. continuing his investigation of the basement, he came to the three huge fifty-horse-power engines, whose duty it is to suck the air from the pneumatic telegraph tubes in the great hall above. here the detective became quite an engineer, asked with much interest and intelligence about governors, pistons, escape-valves, actions, etcetera, and wound up with a proposition. "suppose, now," he said, "that a little dog were to come suddenly into this room and dash about in a miscellaneous sort of way, could it by any means manage to become entangled in your machinery and get so demolished as never more to be seen or heard of?" the engineer looked at his questioner with a somewhat amused expression. "no, sir, i don't think it could. no doubt it might kill itself with much facility in various ways, for fifty horsepower, properly applied, would do for an elephant, much more a dog. but i don't believe that power to be sufficient to produce annihilation. there would have been remains of some sort." from the engine-room our detective proceeded to the boiler-room and the various kitchens, and thence to the basement of the old building on the opposite side of the street, where he found a similarly perplexing labyrinth. he was taken in hand here by mr bright, who chanced to be on duty, and led him first to the stamp department. there was much to draw him off his "canine" mania here. first he was introduced to the chief of the department, who gave him much interesting information about stamps in general. then he was conducted to another room, and shown the tables at which men were busy counting sheets of postage-stamps and putting them up in envelopes for all parts of the united kingdom. the officer in charge told him that the weight of stamps sent out from that room averaged a little over three tons daily, and that the average value of the weekly issue was , pounds. then he was led into a fireproof safe--a solid stone apartment--which was piled from floor to ceiling with sheets of postage-stamps of different values. those for letters ranged from one halfpenny to one pound, but those used for telegrams ran up to as much as five pounds sterling for a single stamp. taking down from a shelf a packet of these high-priced stamps, which was about the size of a thick octavo book, the official stated that it was worth , pounds. "yes, sir," he added, "this strong box of ours holds a deal of money. you are at this moment in the presence of nearly two millions sterling!" "a tidy little sum to retire upon. would build two thousand board schools at a thousand pounds each," said the detective, who was an adept at figures,--as at everything else. feeling that it would be ridiculous to inquire about mad dogs in the presence of two millions sterling, the man in grey suffered himself to be led through long passages and vaulted chambers, some of which latter were kitchens, where the men on duty had splendid fires, oceans of hot water, benches and tables, and liberty to cook the food either brought by themselves for the day or procured from a caterer on the premises-- for post-office officials when on duty may not leave the premises for any purpose whatever, _except_ duty, and must sign books specifying to the minute when, where, and why, they come and go. in this basement also, as in the other, were long rows of numbered cupboards or large pigeon-holes with lockable doors, one of which was appropriated to each man for the safe depositing of his victuals and other private property. here, too, were whitewashed lavatories conveniently and plentifully distributed, with every appliance for cleanliness and comfort, including a large supply of fresh and good water. of this, , gallons a day is supplied by an artesian well, and , gallons a day by the new river company, in the new building. in the old building the , gallons consumed daily is supplied by the new river company. it is, however, due to the human beings who labour in both buildings to state that at least , of these gallons are swallowed by steam-engines on the premises. to all these things mr bright directed attention with professional zeal, and the man in grey observed with much interest all that he saw and heard, until he came to the letter-carriers' kitchen, where several of the men were cooking food at the fire, while others were eating or chatting at the tables. happening to mention the dog here, he found that mr bright was partially acquainted with the incident. "it was down these stairs it ran," he said, "and was knocked on the head in this very room by the policeman. no one knows where he took the body to, but he went out at that door, in the direction, it is supposed, of the boiler-house." the detective had at last got hold of a clew. he was what is styled, in a well-known game, "getting warm." "let us visit the boiler-house," he said. again, for the nonce, he became an engineer. like paul, he was all things to all men. he was very affable to the genial stoker, who was quite communicative about the boilers. after a time the detective referred to the dog, and the peculiar glance of the stoker at once showed him that his object was gained. "a policeman brought it?" he asked quietly. "yes, a policeman brought it," said the stoker suspiciously. the man in grey soon, however, removed his suspicions and induced him to become confidential. when he had obtained all the information that the stoker could give--in addition to poor floppart's collar, which had no name on it, but was stamped with three stars on its inside--the detective ceased to make any further inquiries after mad dogs, and, with a disengaged mind, accompanied mr bright through the remainder of the basement, where he commented on the wise arrangement of having the mail-bags made by convicts, and on the free library, which he pronounced a magnificent institution, and which contained about volumes, that were said by the courteous librarian to be largely used by the officials, as well as the various newspapers and magazines, furnished gratuitously by their proprietors. he was also shown the "lifts," which raised people--to say nothing of mails, etcetera--from the bottom to the top of the building, or _vice versa_; the small steam-engine which worked the same, and the engineer of which--an old servant--was particularly impressive on the peculiar "governor" by which his engine was regulated; the array of letter stampers, which were kept by their special guardian in immaculate order and readiness; the fire-hose, which was also ready for instant service, and the firemen, who were in constant attendance with a telegraphic instrument at their special disposal, connecting them with other parts of the building. all this, and a great deal more which we have not space to mention, the man in grey saw, admired, and commented on, as well as on the general evidence of order, method, regularity, neatness, and system which pervaded the whole place. "you manage things well here," he said to his conductor at parting. "we do," responded mr bright, with an approving nod; "and we had need to, for the daily despatch of her majesty's mails to all parts of the world is no child's play. our motto is--or ought to be--`security, celerity, punctuality, and regularity.' we couldn't carry that out, sir, without good management.--good-bye." "good-bye, and thank you," said the detective, leaving st. martin's-le-grand with his busy brain ruminating on a variety of subjects in a manner that no one but a detective could by any possibility understand. chapter twenty three. the turning-point. as time advanced philip maylands' circumstances improved, for phil belonged to that class of which it is sometimes said "they are sure to get on." he was thorough-going and trustworthy--two qualities these which the world cannot do without, and which, being always in demand, are never found begging. phil did not "set up" for anything. he assumed no airs of superior sanctity. he did not even aim at being better than others, though he did aim, daily, at being better than he was. in short, the lad, having been trained in ways of righteousness, and having the word of god as his guide, advanced steadily and naturally along the narrow way that leads to life. hence it came to pass in the course of time that he passed from the ranks of out-door boy telegraph messenger to that of boy-sorter, with a wage of twelve shillings a week, which was raised to eighteen shillings. his hours of attendance at the circulation department were from : in the morning till ; and from : in the evening till . these suited him well, for he had ever been fond of rising with the lark while at home, and had no objection to rise before the lark in london. the evening being free he devoted to study--for phil was one of that by no means small class of youths who, in default of a college education, do their best to train themselves, by the aid of books and the occasional help of clergymen, philanthropists, and evening classes. in all this phil was greatly assisted by his sister may, who, although not much more highly educated than himself, was quick of perception, of an inquiring mind, and a sympathetic soul. he was also somewhat assisted, and, at times, not a little retarded, by his ardent admirer peter pax, who joined him enthusiastically in his studies, but, being of a discursive and enterprising spirit, was prone to tempt him off the beaten paths of learning into the thickets of speculative philosophy. one evening pax was poring over a problem in euclid with his friend in pegaway hall. "phil," he said uneasily, "drop your triangles a bit and listen. would you think it dishonest to keep a thing secret that ought to be known?" "that depends a good deal on what the secret is, and what i have got to do with it," replied phil. "but why do you ask?" "because i've been keeping a secret a long time--much against my will-- an' i can stand it no longer. if i don't let it out, it'll bu'st me-- besides, i've got leave to tell it." "out with it, then, pax; for it's of no use trying to keep down things that don't agree with you." "well, then," said pax. "i know where george aspel is!" phil, who had somewhat unwillingly withdrawn his mind from euclid, turned instantly with an eager look towards his little friend. "ah, i thought that would rouse you," said the latter, with a look of unwonted earnestness on his face. "you must know, phil, that a long while ago--just about the time of the burglary at miss stivergill's cottage--i made the amazin' discovery that little tottie bones is mariar--alias merry,--the little baby-cousin i was nuss to in the country long ago, whom i've often spoke to you about, and from whom i was torn when she had reached the tender age of two or thereby. it follows, of course, that tottie's father--old bones--is my uncle, _alias_ blackadder, _alias_ the brute, of whom i have also made mention, and who, it seems, came to london to try his fortune in knavery after havin' failed in the country. i saw him once, i believe, at old blurt's bird-shop, but did not recognise 'im at the time, owin' to his hat bein' pulled well over his eyes, though i rather think he must have recognised me. the second time i saw him was when tottie came to me for help and set me on his tracks, when he was goin' to commit the burglary on rosebud cottage. i've told you all about that, but did not tell you that the burglar was tottie's father, as tottie had made me promise not to mention it to any one. i knew the rascal at once on seeing him in the railway carriage, and could hardly help explodin' in his face at the fun of the affair. of course he didn't know me on account of my bein' as black in the face as the king of dahomey.--well," continued pax, warming with his subject, "it also follows, as a matter of course, that mrs bones is my blessed old aunt georgie--now changed into molly, on account, no doubt, of the brute's desire to avoid the attentions of the police. now, as i've a great regard for aunt georgie, and have lost a good deal of my hatred of the brute, and find myself fonder than ever of tottie--i beg her pardon, of merry--i've been rather intimate--indeed, i may say, pretty thick--with the boneses ever since; and as i am no longer a burden to the brute--can even help 'im a little--he don't abominate me as much as he used to. they're wery poor--awful poor--are the boneses. the brute still keeps up a fiction of a market-garden and a dairy--the latter bein' supplied by a cow and a pump--but it don't pay, and the business in the city, whatever it may be, seems equally unprofitable, for their town house is not a desirable residence." "this is all very interesting and strange, pax, but what has it to do with george aspel?" asked phil. "you know i'm very anxious about him, and have long been hunting after him. indeed, i wonder that you did not tell me about him before." "how could i," said pax, "when tot--i mean merry--no, i'll stick to tottie it comes more natural than the old name--told me not for worlds to mention it. only now, after pressin' her and aunt georgie wery hard, have i bin allowed to let it out, for poor aspel himself don't want his whereabouts to be known." "surely!" exclaimed phil, with a troubled, anxious air, "he has not become a criminal." "no. auntie assures me he has not, but he is sunk very low, drinks hard to drown his sorrow, and is ashamed to be seen. no wonder. you'd scarce know 'im, phil, workin' like a coal-heaver, in a suit of dirty fustian, about the wharves--tryin' to keep out of sight. i've come across 'im once or twice, but pretended not to recognise 'im. now, phil," added little pax, with deep earnestness in his face, as he laid his hand impressively on his friend's arm, "we must save these two men somehow--you and i." "yes, god helping us, we must," said phil. from that moment philip maylands and peter pax passed, as it were, into a more earnest sphere of life, a higher stage of manhood. the influence of a powerful motive, a settled purpose, and a great end, told on their characters to such an extent that they both seemed to have passed over the period of hobbledehoyhood at a bound, and become young men. with the ardour of youth, they set out on their mission at once. that very night they went together to the wretched abode of abel bones, having previously, however, opened their hearts and minds to may maylands, from whom, as they had expected, they received warm encouragement. little did these unsophisticated youths know what a torrent of anxiety, grief, fear, and hope their communication sent through the heart of poor may. the eager interest she manifested in their plans they regarded as the natural outcome of a kind heart towards an old friend and playfellow. so it was, but it was more than that! the same evening george aspel and abel bones were seated alone in their dismal abode in archangel court. there were tumblers and a pot of beer before them, but no food. aspel sat with his elbows on the table, grasping the hair on his temples with both hands. the other sat with arms crossed, and his chin sunk on his chest, gazing gloomily but intently at his companion. remorse--that most awful of the ministers of vengeance--had begun to torment abel bones. when he saved tottie from the fire, aspel had himself unwittingly unlocked the door in the burglar's soul which let the vengeful minister in. thereafter miss stivergill's illustration of mercy, _for the sake of another_, had set the unlocked door ajar, and the discovery that his ill-treated little nephew had nearly lost his life in the same cause, had pulled the door well back on its rusty hinges. having thus obtained free entrance, remorse sat down and did its work with terrible power. bones was a man of tremendous passions and powerful will. his soul revolted violently from the mean part he had been playing. although he had not succeeded in drawing aspel into the vortex of crime as regards human law, he had dragged him very low, and, especially, had fanned the flame of thirst for strong drink, which was the youth's chief--at least his most dangerous--enemy. his thirst was an inheritance from his forefathers, but the sin of giving way to it--of encouraging it at first when it had no power, and then of gratifying it as it gained strength, until it became a tyrant--was all his own. aspel knew this, and the thought filled him with despair as he sat there with his now scarred and roughened fingers almost tearing out his hair, while his bloodshot eyes stared stonily at the blank wall opposite. bones continued to gaze at his companion, and to wish with all his heart that he had never met him. he had, some time before that, made up his mind to put no more temptation in the youth's way. he now went a step further--he resolved to attempt the task of getting him out of the scrapes into which he had dragged him. but he soon found that the will which had always been so powerful in the carrying out of evil was woefully weak in the unfamiliar effort to do good! still, bones had made up his mind to try. with this end in view he proposed a walk in the street, the night being fine. aspel sullenly consented. the better to talk the matter over, bones proposed to retire to a quiet though not savoury nook by the river-side. aspel objected, and proposed a public-house instead, as being more cheerful. just opposite that public-house there stood one of those grand institutions which are still in their infancy, but which, we are persuaded, will yet take a prominent part in the rescue of thousands of mankind from the curse of strong drink. it was a "public-house without drink"--a coffee-tavern, where working men could find a cheap and wholesome meal, a cheerful, warm, and well-lit room wherein to chat and smoke, and the daily papers, without being obliged to swallow fire-water for the good of the house. bones looked at the coffee-house, and thought of suggesting it to his companion. he even willed to do so, but, alas! his will in this matter was as weak as the water which he mingled so sparingly with his grog. shame, which never troubled him much when about to take a vicious course, suddenly became a giant, and the strong man became weak like a little child. he followed aspel into the public-house, and the result of this first effort at reformation was that both men returned home drunk. it seemed a bad beginning, but it _was_ a beginning, and as such was not to be despised. when phil and pax reached archangel court, a-glow with hope and good resolves, they found the subjects of their desires helplessly asleep in a corner of the miserable room, with mrs bones preparing some warm and wholesome food against the period of their recovery. it was a crushing blow to their new-born hopes. poor little pax had entertained sanguine expectations of the effect of an appeal from phil, and lost heart completely. phil was too much cast down by the sight of his friend to be able to say much, but he had a more robust spirit than his little friend, and besides, had strong faith in the power and willingness of god to use even weak and sinful instruments for the accomplishment of his purposes of mercy. afterwards, in talking over the subject with his friend sterling, the city missionary, he spoke hopefully about aspel, but said that he did not expect any good could be done until they got him out of his miserable position, and away from the society of bones. to his great surprise the missionary did not agree with him in this. "of course," he said, "it is desirable that mr aspel should be restored to his right position in society, and be removed from the bad influence of bones, and we must use all legitimate means for those ends; but we must not fall into the mistake of supposing that `no good can be done' by the almighty to his sinful creatures even in the worst of circumstances. no relatives or friends solicited the prodigal son to leave the swine-troughs, or dragged him away. it was god who put it into his heart to say `i will arise and go to my father.' it was god who gave him `power to will and to do.'" "would you then advise that we should do nothing for him, and leave him entirely in the hands of god?" asked phil, with an uncomfortable feeling of surprise. "by no means," replied the missionary. "i only combat your idea that no good can be done to him if he is left in his present circumstances. but we are bound to use every influence we can bring to bear in his behalf, and we must pray that success may be granted to our efforts to bring him to the saviour. means must be used as if means could accomplish all, but means must not be depended on, for `it is god who giveth us the victory.' the most appropriate and powerful means applied in the wisest manner to your friend would be utterly ineffective unless the holy spirit gave him a receptive heart. this is one of the most difficult lessons that you and i and all men have to learn, phil--that god must be all in all, and man nothing whatever but a willing instrument. even that mysterious willingness is not of ourselves, for `it is god who maketh us both to will and to do of his good pleasure.' `without me,' says jesus, `ye can do nothing.' a rejecter of jesus, therefore, is helpless for good, yet responsible." "that is hard to understand," said phil, with a perplexed look. "the reverse of it is harder to understand, as you will find if you choose to take the trouble to think it out," replied the missionary. phil maylands did take the trouble to think it out. one prominent trait in his character was an intense reverence for truth--any truth, every truth--a strong tendency to distinguish between truth and error in all things that chanced to come under his observation, but especially in those things which his mother had taught him, from earliest infancy, to regard as the most important of all. many a passer-by did phil jostle on his way to the post-office that day, after his visit to the missionary, for it was the first time that his mind had been turned, earnestly at least, to the subject of god's sovereignty and man's responsibility. "too deep by far for boys," we hear some reader mutter. and yet that same reader, perchance, teaches her little ones to consider the great fact that god is one in three! no truth is too deep for boys and girls to consider, if they only approach it in a teachable, reverent spirit, and are brought to it by their teacher in a prayerful spirit. but fear not, reader. we do not mean to inflict on you a dissertation on the mysterious subject referred to. we merely state the fact that phil maylands met it at this period of his career, and, instead of shelving it--as perhaps too many do--as a too difficult subject, which might lie over to a more convenient season, tackled it with all the energy of his nature. he went first to his closet and his knees, and then to his bible. "to the law and to the testimony" used to be mrs maylands' watchword in all her battles with doubt. "to whom shall we go," she was wont to say, "if we go not to the word of god?" phil therefore searched the scripture. not being a greek scholar, he sought help of those who were learned--both personally and through books. thus he got at correct renderings, and by means of dictionaries ascertained the exact meanings of words. by study he got at what some have styled the general spirit of scripture, and by reading _both_ sides of controverted points he ascertained the thoughts of various minds. in this way he at length became "fully persuaded in his own mind" that god's sovereignty and man's responsibility are facts taught in scripture, and affirmed by human experience, and that they form a great unsolvable mystery--unsolvable at least by man in his present condition of existence. this not only relieved his mind greatly, by convincing him that, the subject being bottomless, it was useless to try to get to the bottom of it, and wise to accept it "as a little child," but it led him also to consider that in the bible there are two kinds of mysteries, or deep things--the one kind being solvable, the other unsolvable. he set himself, therefore, diligently to discover and separate the one kind from the other, with keen interest. but this is by the way. phil's greatest anxiety and care at that time was the salvation of his old friend and former idol, george aspel. chapter twenty four. plans and counter plans. one evening phil sat in the sorting-room of the general post-office with his hand to his head--for the eight o'clock mail was starting; his head, eyes, and hands had been unusually active during the past two hours, and when the last bundle of letters dropped from his fingers into the mail-bags, head, eyes, and hands were aching. a row of scarlet vans was standing under a platform, into which mail-bags, apparently innumerable, were being shot. as each of these vans received its quota it rattled off to its particular railway station, at the rate which used, in the olden time, to be deemed the extreme limit of "haste, haste, post haste." the yard began to empty when eight o'clock struck. a few seconds later the last of the scarlet vans drove off; and about forty tons of letters, etcetera, were flying from the great centre to the circumference of the kingdom. phil still sat pressing the aching fingers to the aching head and eyes, when he was roused by a touch on the shoulder. it was peter pax, who had also, by that time, worked his way upwards in the service. "tired, phil?" asked pax. "a little, but it soon passes off," said phil lightly, as he rose. "there's no breathing-time, you see, towards the close, and it's the pace that kills in everything." "are you going to pegaway hall to-night?" asked pax, "because, if so, i'll go with you, bein', so to speak, in a stoodious humour myself." "no, i'm not going to study to-night,--don't feel up to it. besides, i want to visit mr blurt. the book he lent me on astronomy ought to be returned, and i want to borrow another.--come, you'll go with me." after exchanging some books at the library in the basement, which the man in grey had styled a "magnificent institootion," the two friends left the post-office together. "old mr blurt is fond of you, pax." "that shows him to be a man of good taste," said pax, "and his lending you and me as many books as we want proves him a man of good sense. do you know, phil, it has sometimes struck me that, what between our post-office library and the liberality of mr blurt and a few other friends, you and i are rather lucky dogs in the way of literature." "we are," assented phil. "and ought, somehow, to rise to somethin', some time or other," said pax. "we ought--and will," replied the other, with a laugh. "but do you know," continued pax, with a sigh, "i've at last given up all intention of aiming at the postmaster-generalship." "indeed, pax!" "yes. it wouldn't suit me at all. you see i was born and bred in the country, and can't stand a city life. no; my soul--small though it be-- is too large for london. the metropolis can't hold me, phil. if i were condemned to live in london all my life, my spirit would infallibly bu'st its shell an' blow the bricks and mortar around me to atoms." "that's strange now; it seems to me, pax, that london is country and town in one. just look at the parks." "pooh! flat as a pancake. no ups and downs, no streams, no thickets, no wild-flowers worth mentioning--nothin' wild whatever 'cept the child'n," returned pax, contemptuously. "but look at the serpentine, and the thames, and--" "bah!" interrupted pax, "would you compare the thames with the clear, flowing, limpid--" "come now, pax, don't become poetical, it isn't your forte; but listen while i talk of matters more important. you've sometimes heard me mention my mother, haven't you?" "i have--with feelings of poetical reverence," answered pax. "well, my mother has been writing of late in rather low spirits about her lonely condition in that wild place on the west coast of ireland. now, mr blurt has been groaning much lately as to his having no female relative to whom he could trust his brother fred. you know he is obliged to look after the shop, and to go out a good deal on business, during which times mr fred is either left alone, or under the care of mrs murridge, who, though faithful, is old and deaf and stupid. miss lillycrop would have been available once, but ever since the fire she has been appropriated--along with tottie bones--by that female trojan miss stivergill, and dare not hint at leaving her. it's a good thing for her, no doubt, but it's unfortunate for mr fred. now, do you see anything in the mists of that statement?" "ah--yes--just so," said pax; "mr blurt wants help; mother wants cheerful society. a sick-room ain't the perfection of gaiety, no doubt, but it's better than the west coast of ireland--at least as depicted by you. yes, somethin' might come o' that." "more may come of it than you think, pax. you see i want to provide some sort of home for george aspel to come to when we save him--for we're sure to save him at last. i feel certain of that," said phil, with something in his tone that did not quite correspond to his words--"quite certain of that," he repeated, "god helping us. i mean to talk it over with may." they turned, as he spoke, into the passage which led to mr flint's abode. may was at home, and she talked the matter over with phil in the boudoir with the small window, and the near prospect of brick wall, and the photographs of the maylands, and the embroidered text that was its occupant's sheet-anchor. she at once fell in with his idea about getting their mother over to london, but when he mentioned his views about her furnishing a house so as to offer a home to his friend aspel, she was apparently distressed, and yet seemed unable to explain her meaning, or to state her objections clearly. "oh! phil, dear," she said at last, "don't plan and arrange too much. let us try to walk so that we may be led by god, and not run in advance of him." phil was perplexed and disappointed, for may not only appeared to throw cold water on his efforts, but seemed unwilling to give her personal aid in the rescue of her old playmate. he was wrong in this. in the circumstances, poor may could not with propriety bring personal influence to bear on aspel, but she could and did pray for him with all the ardour of a young and believing heart. "it's a very strange thing," continued phil, "that george won't take assistance from any one. i know that he is in want--that he has not money enough to buy respectable clothes so as to be able to appear among his old friends, yet he will not take a sixpence from me--not even as a loan." may did not answer. with her face hid in her hands she sat on the edge of her bed, weeping at the thought of her lover's fallen condition. poor may! people said that telegraphic work was too hard for her, because her cheeks were losing the fresh bloom that she had brought from the west of ireland, and the fingers with which she manipulated the keys so deftly were growing very thin. but sorrow had more to do with the change than the telegraph had. "it must be pride," said her brother. "oh! phil," she said, looking up, "don't you think that shame has more to do with it than pride?" phil stooped and kissed her. "sure it's that, no doubt, and i'm a beast entirely for suggesting pride." "supper! hallo in there," shouted mr flint, thundering at the door; "don't keep the old 'ooman waiting!" phil and may came forth at once, but the former would not remain to supper. he had to visit mr blurt, he said, and might perhaps sup with him. pax would go with him. "well, my lads, please yourselves," said mr flint,--wheeling the old woman to the table, on which smoked a plentiful supply of her favourite sausages. "let me take the cat off your lap, grannie," said may. "let the cat be, lassie; it's daein' nae ill. are the callants gaein' oot?" "yes, grannie," said phil, "we have business to attend to." "bizness!" exclaimed mrs flint. "weel, weel, they lay heavy burdens on 'ee at that post-office. night an' day--night an' day. they've maist killed my solomon. they've muckle to answer for." in her indignation she clenched her fist and brought it down on her knee. unfortunately the cat came between the fist and the knee. with its usual remonstrative mew it fled and found a place of rest and refuge in the coal-box. "but it's not to the post-office we're goin', grannie," said phil, laying his hand kindly on the old woman's shoulder. "what o' that? what o' that?" she exclaimed somewhat testily at being corrected, "has that onything to dae wi' the argiment? if ye git yer feet wat, bairns, mind to chynge them--an' whatever ye dae--" she stopped suddenly. one glance at her placid old countenance sufficed to show that she had retired to the previous century, from which nothing now could recall her except sausages. the youths therefore went out. meanwhile mr enoch blurt sat in his brother's back shop entertaining a visitor. the shop itself had, for a considerable time past, been put under the care of an overgrown boy, who might--by courtesy and a powerful stretch of truth--have been styled a young man. jiggs--he appeared to have no other name--was simply what men style a born idiot: not sufficiently so to be eligible for an asylum, but far enough gone to be next to useless. mr blurt had picked him up somewhere, in a philanthropic way--no one ever knew how or where--during one of his many searches after george aspel. poor mr blurt was not happy in his selection of men or boys. four of the latter whom he had engaged to attend the shop and learn the business had been dismissed for rough play with the specimens, or making free with the till when a few coppers chanced to be in it. they had failed, also, to learn the business; chiefly because there was no business to learn, and mr enoch blurt did not know how to teach it. when he came in contact with jiggs, mr blurt believed he had at last secured a prize, and confided that belief to mrs murridge. so he had, as regards honesty. jiggs was honest to the core; but as to other matters he was defective--to say the least. he could, however, put up and take down the shutters, call mr blurt down-stairs if wanted--which he never was; and tell customers, when he was out, to call again--which he never did, as customers never darkened the door. jiggs, however, formed a sufficient scarecrow to street boys and thieves. the visitor in the back shop--to whom we now return--was no less a personage than miss gentle, whose acquaintance mr blurt had made on board the ill-fated mail steamer _trident_. that lady had chanced, some weeks before, to pass the ornithological shop, and, looking in, was struck dumb by the sight of the never-forgotten fellow-passenger who had made her a confidant. recovering speech, she entered the shop and introduced herself. the introduction was needless. mr blurt recognised her at once, dropped his paper, extended both hands, gave her a welcome that brought even jiggs back to the verge of sanity, and had her into the back shop, whence he expelled mrs murridge to some other and little-known region of the interior. the interview was so agreeable that mr blurt begged it might be repeated. it was repeated four times. the fifth time it was repeated by special arrangement in the evening, for the purpose of talking over a business matter. "i fear, miss gentle," began mr blurt, when his visitor was seated in the back shop, and mrs murridge had been expelled to the rear as usual, and jiggs had been left on guard in the front--"i fear that you may think it rude in me to make such a proposal, but i am driven to it by necessity, and--the fact is, i want you to become a nurse." "a nurse, mr blurt!" "there, now, don't take offence. it's below your position, i dare say, but i have gathered from you that your circumstances are not--are not-- not exactly luxurious, and,--in short, my poor brother fred is a hopeless invalid. the doctors say he will never be able to leave his bed. ah! if those diamonds i once spoke to you about had only been mine still, instead of adorning the caves of crabs and fishes, miss gentle, i would have had half-a-dozen of the best nurses in london for dear fred. but the diamonds are gone! i am a poor man, a very poor man, miss gentle, and i cannot afford a good nurse. at the same time, i cannot bear to think of fred being, even for a brief period, at the mercy of cheap nurses, who, like other wares, are bad when cheap--although, of course, there may be a few good ones even among the cheap. what i cannot buy, therefore, i must beg; and i have come to you, as one with a gentle and pitiful spirit, who may, perhaps, take an interest in my poor brother's case, and agree to help us." having said all this very fast, and with an expression of eager anxiety, mr blurt blew his nose, wiped his bald forehead, and, laying both hands on his knees, looked earnestly into his visitor's face. "you are wrong, mr blurt, in saying that the office of nurse is below my position. it is below the position of no one in the land. i may not be very competent to fill the office, but i am quite willing to try." "my dear madam," exclaimed the delighted mr blurt, "your goodness is-- but i expected as much. i knew you would. of course," he said, interrupting himself, "all the menial work will be done by mrs murridge. you will be only required to fill, as it were, the part of a daughter--or--or a sister--to my poor fred. as to salary: it will be small, very small, i fear; but there are a couple of nice rooms in the house, which will be entirely at your--" "i quite understand," interrupted miss gentle, with a smile. "we won't talk of these details, please, until you have had a trial of me, and see whether i am worthy of a salary at all!" "miss gentle," returned mr blurt, with sudden gravity, "your extreme kindness emboldens me to put before you another matter of business, which i trust you will take into consideration in a purely business light.--i am getting old, madam." miss gentle acknowledged the truth with a slight bow. "and you are--excuse me--not young, miss gentle." the lady acknowledged this truth with a slighter bow. "you would not object to regard me in the light of a brother, would you?" mr blurt took one of her hands in his, and looked at her earnestly. miss gentle looked at mr blurt quite as earnestly, and replied that she had no objection whatever to that. "still further, miss gentle: if i were to presume to ask you to regard me in the light of a husband, would you object to that?" miss gentle looked down and said nothing, from which mr blurt concluded that she did _not_ object. she withdrew her hand suddenly, however, and blushed. there was a slight noise at the door. it was jiggs, who, with an idiotical stare, asked if it was not time to put up the shutters! the plan thus vexatiously interrupted was, however, ultimately carried into effect. miss gentle, regardless of poverty, the absence of prospects, and the certainty of domestic anxiety, agreed to wed mr enoch blurt and nurse his brother. in consideration of the paucity of funds, and the pressing nature of the case, she also agreed to dispense with a regular honeymoon, and to content herself with, as it were, a honey-star at home. of course, the event knocked poor phil's little plans on the head for the time being, though it did not prevent his resolving to do his utmost to bring his mother to london. chapter twenty five. light shining in dark places. down by the river-side, in an out-of-the-way and unsavoury neighbourhood, george aspel and abel bones went one evening into a small eating-house to have supper after a day of toil at the docks. it was a temperance establishment. they went to it, however, not because of its temperance but its cheapness. after dining they adjourned to a neighbouring public-house to drink. bones had not yet got rid of his remorse, nor had he entirely given up desiring to undo what he had done for aspel. but he found the effort to do good more difficult than he had anticipated. the edifice pulled down so ruthlessly was not, he found, to be rebuilt in a day. it is true, the work of demolition had not been all his own. if aspel had not been previously addicted to careless living, such a man as bones never could have had the smallest chance of influencing him. but bones did not care to reason deeply. he knew that he had desired and plotted the youth's downfall, and that downfall had been accomplished. having fallen from such a height, and being naturally so proud and self sufficient, aspel was proportionally more difficult to move again in an upward direction. bones had tried once again to get him to go to the temperance public-house, and had succeeded. they had supped there once, and were more than pleased with the bright, cheerful aspect of the place, and its respectable and sober, yet jolly, frequenters. but the cup of coffee did not satisfy their depraved appetites. the struggle to overcome was too much for men of no principle. they were self-willed and reckless. both said, "what's the use of trying?" and returned to their old haunts. on the night in question, after supping, as we have said, they entered a public-house to drink. it was filled with a noisy crew, as well as with tobacco-smoke and spirituous fumes. they sat down at a retired table and looked round. "god help me," muttered aspel, in a low husky voice, "i've fallen _very_ low!" "ay," responded bones, almost savagely, "_very_ low." aspel was too much depressed to regard the tone. the waiter stood beside them, expectant. "two pints of beer," said bones,--"_ginger_- beer," he added, quickly. "yessir." the waiter would have said "yessir" to an order for two pints of prussic acid, if that had been an article in his line. it was all one to him, so long as it was paid for. men and women might drink and die; they might come and go; they might go and not come--others would come if they didn't,--but _he_ would go on, like the brook, "for ever," supplying the terrible demand. as the ginger-beer was being poured out the door opened, and a man with a pack on his back entered. setting down the pack, he wiped his heated brow and looked round. he was a mild, benignant-looking man, with a thin face. opening his box, he said in a loud voice to the assembled company, "who will buy a bible for sixpence?" there was an immediate hush in the room. after a few seconds a half-drunk man, with a black eye, said--"we don't want no bibles 'ere. we've got plenty of 'em at 'ome. bibles is only for sundays." "don't people die on mondays and saturdays?" said the colporteur, for such he was. "it would be a bad job if we could only have the bible on sundays. god's word says, `to-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.' `jesus christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' `_now_ is the accepted time, _now_ is the day of salvation.' it says the same on tuesdays and wednesdays, and every day of the week." "that's all right enough, old fellow," said another man, "but a public is not the right place to bring a bible into." turning to this man the colporteur said quietly, "does not death come into public-houses? don't people die in public-houses? surely it is right to take the word of god into any place where death comes, for `after death the judgment.' `the blood of jesus christ, god's son, cleanseth us from all sin.'" "come, come, that'll do. we don't want none of that here," said the landlord of the house. "very well, sir," said the man respectfully, "but these gentlemen have not yet declined to hear me." this was true, and one of the men now came forward to look at the contents of the box. another joined him. "have you any book that'll teach a man how to get cured of drink?" asked one, who obviously stood greatly in need of such a book. "yes, i have. here it is--_the author of the sinner's friend_; it is a memoir of the man who wrote a little book called _the sinner's friend_," said the colporteur, producing a thin booklet in paper cover, "but i'd recommend a bible along with it, because the bible tells of the sinner's _best_ friend, jesus, and remember that without him you can do _nothing_. he is god, and it is `god who giveth us the victory.' you can't do it by yourself, if you try ever so much." the man bought the booklet and a testament. before he left the place that colporteur had sold a fourpenny and a twopenny testament, and several other religious works, beside distributing tracts gratuitously all round. [see report of "the christian colportage association for england," , page .] "that's what i call carryin' the war into the enemy's camp," remarked one of the company, as the colporteur thanked them and went away. "come, let's go," said aspel, rising abruptly and draining his glass of ginger-beer. bones followed his example. they went out and overtook the colporteur. "are there many men going about like you?" asked aspel. "a good many," answered the colporteur. "we work upwards of sixty districts now. last year we sold bibles, testaments, good books and periodicals, to the value of pounds, besides distributing more than , tracts, and speaking to many people the blessed word of life. it is true we have not yet done much in public-houses, but, as you saw just now, it is not an unhopeful field. that branch has been started only a short time ago, yet we have sold in public-houses above five hundred bibles and testaments, and over five thousand christian books, besides distributing tracts." "it's a queer sort o' work," said bones. "do you expect much good from it?" the colporteur replied, with a look of enthusiasm, that he _did_ expect much good, because much had already been done, and the promise of success was sure. he personally knew, and could name, sinners who had been converted to god through the instrumentality of colporteurs; men and women who had formerly lived solely for themselves had been brought to jesus, and now lived for him. swearers had been changed to men of prayer and praise, and drunkards had become sober men-- "through that little book, i suppose?" asked bones quickly. "not altogether, but partly by means of it." "have you another copy?" asked george aspel. the man at once produced the booklet, and aspel purchased it. "what do you mean," he said, "by its being only `partly' the means of saving men from drink?" "i mean that there is no saviour from sin of any kind but jesus christ. the remedy pointed out in that little book is, i am told, a good and effective one, but without the spirit of god no man has power to persevere in the application of the remedy. he will get wearied of the continuous effort; he will not avoid temptation; he will lose heart in the battle unless he has a higher motive than his own deliverance to urge him on. why, sirs, what would you expect from the soldier who, in battle, thought of nothing but himself and his own safety, his own deliverance from the dangers around him? is it not those men who boldly face the enemy with the love of queen and country and comrades and duty strong in their breasts, who are most likely to conquer? in the matter of drink the man who trusts to remedies alone will surely fail, because the disease is moral as well as physical. the physical remedy will not cure the soul's disease, but the moral remedy--the acceptance of jesus-- will not only cure the soul, but will secure to us that spiritual influence which will enable us to `persevere to the end' with the physical. thus jesus will save both soul and body--`it is god who giveth us the victory.'" they parted from the colporteur at this point. "what think you of that?" asked bones. "it is strange, if true--but i don't believe it," replied aspel. "well now, it appears to me," rejoined bones, "that the man seems pretty sure of what he believes, and very reasonable in what he says, but i don't know enough about the subject to hold an opinion as to whether it's true or false." it might have been well for aspel if he had taken as modest a view of the matter as his companion, but he had been educated--that is to say, he had received an average elementary training at an ordinary school,-- and on the strength of that, although he had never before given a serious thought to religion, and certainly nothing worthy of the name of study, he held himself competent to judge and to disbelieve! while they walked towards the city, evening was spreading her grey mantle over the sky. the lamps had been lighted, and the enticing blaze from gin-palaces and beer-shops streamed frequently across their path. at the corner of a narrow street they were arrested by the sound of music in quick time, and energetically sung. "a penny gaff," remarked bones, referring to a low music-hall; "what d'ee say to go in?" aspel was so depressed just then that he welcomed any sort of excitement, and willingly went. "what's to pay?" he asked of the man at the door. "nothing; it's free." "that's liberal anyhow," observed bones, as they pushed in. the room was crowded by people of the lowest order--men and women in tattered garments, and many of them with debauched looks. a tall thin man stood on the stage or platform. the singing ceased, and he advanced. "bah!" whispered aspel, "it's a prayer-meeting. let's be off." "stay," returned bones. "i know the feller. he comes about our court sometimes. let's hear what he's got to say." "friends," said mr sterling, the city missionary, for it was he, "i hold in my hand the word of god. there are messages in this word--this bible--for every man and woman in this room. i shall deliver only two of these messages to-night. if any of you want more of 'em you may come back to-morrow. only two to-night. the first is, `though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool.' the other is, `it is god who giveth us the victory.'" bones started and looked at his companion. it seemed as if the missionary had caught up and echoed the parting words of the colporteur. mr sterling had a keen, earnest look, and a naturally eloquent as well as persuasive tongue. though comparatively uneducated, he was deeply read in the book which it was his life's work to expound, and an undercurrent of intense feeling seemed to carry him along--and his hearers along with him--as he spoke. he did not shout or gesticulate: that made him all the more impressive. he did not speak of himself or his own feelings: that enabled his hearers to give undistracted attention to the message he had to deliver. he did not energise. on the contrary, it seemed as if he had some difficulty in restraining the superabundant energy that burned within him; and as people usually stand more or less in awe of that which they do not fully understand, they gave him credit, perhaps, for more power than he really possessed. at all events, not a sound was heard, save now and then a suppressed sob, as he preached christ crucified to guilty sinners, and urged home the two "messages" with all the force of unstudied language, but well-considered and aptly put illustration and anecdote. at one part of his discourse he spoke, with bated breath, of the unrepentant sinner's awful danger, comparing it to the condition of a little child who should stand in a blazing house, with escape by the staircase cut off, and no one to deliver--a simile which brought instantly to bones's mind his little tottie and the fire, and the rescue by the man he had resolved to ruin--ay, whom he had ruined, to all appearance. "but there is a deliverer in this case," continued the preacher. "`jesus christ came to seek and to save the _lost_;' to pluck us all as brands from the burning; to save us from the fire of sin, of impurity, of drink! oh, friends, will you not accept the saviour--" "yes! yes!" shouted bones, in an irresistible burst of feeling, "i _do_ accept him!" every eye was turned at once on the speaker, who stood looking fixedly upwards, as though unaware of the sensation he had created. the interruption, however, was only momentary. "thanks be to god!" said the preacher. "there is joy among the angels of heaven over one sinner that repenteth." then, not wishing to allow attention to be diverted from his message, he continued his discourse with such fervour that the people soon forgot the interrupter, and bones forgot them and himself and his friend, in contemplation of the "great salvation." when the meeting was over he hurried out into the open air. aspel followed, but lost him in the crowd. after searching a few minutes without success, he returned to archangel court without him. the proud youth was partly subdued, though not overcome. he had heard things that night which he had never heard before, as well as many things which, though heard before, had never made such an impression as then. lighting the remnant of the candle in the pint-bottle, he pulled out the little book which he had purchased, and began to read, and ever as he read there seemed to start up the words, "it is god who giveth us the victory." at last he came to the page on which the prescription for drunkards is printed in detail. he read it with much interest and some hope, though, of course, being ignorant of medicine, it conveyed no light to his mind. "i'll try it at all events," he muttered in a somewhat desponding tone; "but i've tried before now to break off the accursed habit without success, and have my doubts of this, for--" he paused, for the words, "it is god that giveth us the victory," leaped again to his mind with tenfold power. just then there arose a noise of voices in the court. presently the sound of many footsteps was heard in the passage. the shuffling feet stopped at the door, and some one knocked loudly. with a strange foreboding at his heart, aspel leaped up and opened it. four men entered, bearing a stretcher. they placed it gently on the low truckle-bed in the corner, and, removing the cover, revealed the mangled and bloody but still breathing form of abel bones. "he seemed to be a bit unhinged in his mind," said one of the men in reply to aspel's inquiring look--"was seen goin' recklessly across the road, and got run over. we would 'ave took 'im to the hospital, but he preferred to be brought here." "all right. george," said bones in a low voice, "i'll be better in a little. it was an accident. send 'em away, an' try if you can find my old girl and tottie.--it is strange," he continued faintly, as aspel bent over him, "that the lady i wanted to rob set me free, for tottie's sake; and the boy i cast adrift in london risked his life for tottie; and the man i tried to ruin saved her; and the man i have often cursed from my door has brought me at last to the sinner's friend. strange! very strange!" chapter twenty six. tells of a sham fight and a real battle. there are periods in the busy round of labour at the great heart in st. martin's-le-grand when some members of the community cease work for a time and go off to enjoy a holiday. such periods do not occur to all simultaneously, else would the great postal work of the kingdom come to a dead-lock. they are distributed so that the action of the heart never flags, even when large drafts are made on the working staff, as when a whole battalion of the employes goes out for a field-day in the garb of volunteers. there are between eight and nine hundred men of the post-office, who, not content with carrying her majesty's mails, voluntarily carry her majesty's rifles. these go through the drudgery and drill of military service at odd hours, as they find time, and on high occasions they march out to the martial strains of fife and drum. on one such occasion the post-office battalion (better known as the th middlesex) took part in a sham fight, which phil maylands and peter pax (who chanced to have holidays at the time) went out to see. they did not take part in it, not being volunteers, but they took pride in it, as worthy, right-spirited men of the post could not fail to do. the th middlesex distinguished themselves on that occasion. their appearance as they marched on to the battle-ground--some distance out of london--bore creditable comparison with the best corps in the service. so said pax; and pax was a good judge, being naturally critical. when the fight began, and the rattling musketry, to say nothing of booming artillery, created such a smoke that no unmilitary person could make head or tail of anything, the th middlesex took advantage of a hollow, and executed a flank movement that would have done credit to the nd highlanders, and even drew forth an approving nod and smile from the reviewing officer, who with his cocked-hatted staff witnessed the movement from an eminence which was swept by a devastating cross-fire from every part of the field. when the artillery were ordered to another eminence to check the movement and dislodge them from the hollow, the gallant th stood their ground in the face of a fire that would have swept that hollow as with the besom of destruction. they also replied with a continuous discharge that would, in five minutes, have immolated every man and horse on the eminence. when, afterwards, a body of cavalry was sent to teach the gallant th a lesson, and came thundering down on them like a wolf on the fold, or an avalanche on a swiss hamlet, they formed square with mathematical precision, received them with a withering fire that ought to have emptied every saddle, and, with the bayonet's point, turned them trooping off to the right and left, discomfited. when, finally, inflated with the pride of victory, they began to re-form line too soon, and were caught in the act by the returning cavalry, they flung themselves into rallying squares, which, bristling with bayonets like porcupines of steel, keeping up such an incessant roar of musketry that the spot on which they stood became, as it were, a heart or core of furious firing, in the midst of a field that was already hotly engaged all round. we do not vouch for the correctness of this account of the battle. we received it from pax, and give it for what it is worth. oh! it was, as phil maylands said, "a glorious day entirely for the th middlesex, that same queen's birthday," for there was all the pomp and circumstance of war, all the smoke and excitation, all the glitter of bright sunshine on accoutrements, the flash of sword and bayonet, and the smoke and fire of battle, without the bloodshed and the loss of life! no doubt there were drawbacks. where is the human family, however well-regulated, that claims exemption from such? there were some of the warriors on that bloodless battle-field who had no more idea of the art of war than the leg of a telescope has of astronomy. there were many who did not know which were friends and which were foes. many more there were who did not care! some of the volunteer officers (though not many), depending too much on their sergeants to keep them right, drove these sergeants nearly mad. others there were, who, depending too much on their own genius, drove their colonels frantic; but by far the greater number, both of officers and men, knew their work and did it well. yes, it was indeed a glorious day entirely, that same queen's birthday, for all arms of the service, especially for the th middlesex; and when that gallant body of men marched from the field of glory, with drums beating and fifes shrieking, little pax could scarcely contain himself for joy, and wished with all his heart that he were drum-major of the corps, that he might find vent for his feelings in the bursting of the big drum. "now," said phil, when they had seen the last of the volunteers off the field, "what shall you and i do?" "ah! true, that is the question," returned pax; "what are we to do? our holidays are before us. the day is far spent; the evening is at hand. we can't bivouac here, that is plain. what say you, phil, to walking over to miss stivergill's? i have a general invite from that lady to spend any holidays i have to dispose of at rosebud cottage. it is not more than two miles from where we stand." "d'ye think she'd extend her invite to me," asked phil dubiously. "think!" exclaimed pax, "i am _sure_ of it. why, that respectable old lady owns a heart that might have been enshrined in a casket of beauty. she's a trump--a regular brick." "come, pax, be respectful." "ain't i respectful, you irish noodle? my language mayn't be choice, indeed, but you can't find fault with the sentiment. come along, before it gets darker. any friend of mine will be welcome; besides, i half expect to find your sister there, and we shall be sure to see miss lillycrop and my sweet little cousin tottie, who has been promoted to the condition of ladies'-maid and companion." "ah, poor tottie!" said phil, "her father's illness has told heavily on her." "that's true," returned pax, as every vestige of fun vanished from his expressive face and was replaced by sympathy, "but i've good news for her to-night. since her last visit her father has improved, and the doctor says he may yet recover. the fresh air of the new house has done him good." pax referred here to a new residence in a more airy neighbourhood, to which bones had been removed through the kindness and liberality of miss stivergill, whose respect for the male sex had, curiously enough, increased from the date of the burglary. with characteristic energy she had removed bones, with his wife and a few household goods, to a better dwelling near the river, but this turned out to be damp, and bones became worse in it. she therefore instituted another prompt removal to a more decidedly salubrious quarter. here bones improved a little in health. but the poor man's injury was of a serious nature. ribs had been broken, and the lungs pierced. a constitution debilitated by previous dissipation could not easily withstand the shock. his life trembled in the balance. the change, however, in the man's spirit was marvellous. it had not been the result of sudden calamity or of prolonged suffering. before his accident, while in full vigour and in the midst of his sins, the drops which melted him had begun to fall like dew. the night when his eyes were opened to see jesus was but the culminating of god's work of mercy. from that night he spoke little, but the little he said was to express thankfulness. he cared not to reason. he would not answer questions that were sometimes foolishly put to him, but he listened to the word of god, read by his poor yet rejoicing wife, with eager, thirsting looks. when told that he was in danger he merely smiled. "georgie," he whispered--for he had reverted to the old original name of his wife, which, with his proper name of blackadder, he had changed on coming to london--"georgie, i wish i might live for your sake and his, but it'll be better to go. we're on the same road at last, georgie, and shall meet again." aspel marked the change and marvelled. he could not understand it at all. but he came to understand it ere long. he had followed bones in his changes of abode, because he had formed a strange liking for the man, but he refused to associate in any way with his former friends. they occasionally visited the sick man, but if aspel chanced to be with him at the time he invariably went out by the back-door as they entered by the front. he refused even to see phil maylands, but met pax, and seemed not to mind him. at all events he took no notice of him. whether his conduct was owing to pride, shame, or recklessness, none could tell. the changes of residence we have referred to had the effect of throwing off the scent a certain gentleman who had been tracking out abel bones with the perseverance, though not the success, of a bloodhound. the man in grey, after losing, or rather coming to the end, of his clew at the post-office furnace, recovered it by some magical powers known best to himself and his compeers, and tracked his victim to archangel court, but here he lost the scent again, and seemed to be finally baffled. it was well for bones that it so fell out, because in his weak state it would probably have gone hard with him had he believed that the police were still on his tracks. as it was, he progressed slowly but favourably, and with this good news pax and his friend hurried to rosebud cottage. what an unmitigated blessing a holiday is to those who work hard! ah! ye lazy ones of earth, if ye gain something by unbounded leisure ye lose much. stay--we will not preach on that text. it needs not! to return: phil and pax found tottie and may at the rosebud as they had anticipated--the latter being free for a time on sick-leave--and the four went in for a holiday, as pax put it, neck and crop. it may occur to some that there was somewhat of incongruity in the companionship of tottie and may, but the difference between the poor man's daughter who had been raised to comparative affluence, and the gentleman's daughter who had been brought down to comparative poverty, was not so great as one might suppose. it must be remembered that tottie had started life with a god-fearing mother, and that of itself secured her from much contamination in the midst of abounding evil, while it surrounded her with a rich influence for good. then, latterly, she had been mentally, morally, and physically trained by miss lillycrop, who was a perfect pattern of propriety delicacy, good sense, and good taste. she first read to her pupil, and then made the pupil read to her. miss lillycrop's range of reading was wide and choice. thus tottie, who was naturally refined and intelligent, in time became more so by education. she had grown wonderfully too, and had acquired a certain sedateness of demeanour, which was all the more captivating that it was an utterly false index to her character, for tottie's spirit was as wildly exuberant as that of the wildest denizen of archangel court. in like manner pax had been greatly improved by his association with phil maylands. the vigorous strength of phil's mind had unconsciously exercised a softening influence on his little admirer. we have said that they studied and read together. hence pax was learned beyond his years and station. the fitness therefore of the four to associate pleasantly has, we think, been clearly made out. pax, at all events, had not a shadow of a doubt on that point, especially when the four lay down under the shadow of a spreading oak to examine the butterflies and moths they had captured in the fields. "what babies we are," said phil, "to go after butterflies in this fashion!" "speak for yourself," retorted pax; "i consider myself an entomologist gathering specimens. call 'em specimens, phil; that makes a world of difference.--oh, tot! what a splendid one you have got there! it reminds me so of the time when i used to carry you about the fields on my back, and call you merry. don't you remember?" "no," said tottie, "i don't." "and _won't_ you let me call you merry?" pleaded pax. "no, i won't. i don't believe you ever carried me on your back, or that my name was merry." "what an unbeliever!" exclaimed pax. "you can't deny that you are merry to-day, tot," said may. tot did not deny it, but, so to speak, admitted it by starting up and giving sudden chase to a remarkably bright butterfly that passed at the moment. "and don't you remember," resumed pax, when she returned and sat down again by his side, "the day when we caught the enormous spider, which i kept in a glass box, where it spun a net and caught the flies i pushed into the box for it to feed on? no? nor the black beetle we found fighting with another beetle, which, i tried to impress on you, was its grandmother, and you laughed heartily as if you really understood what i said, though you didn't. you remember that, surely? no? well, well-- these joys were thrown away on you, for you remember nothing." "o yes, i do remember something," cried tottie. "i remember when you fell into the horse-pond, and came out dripping, and covered from head to foot with mud and weeds!" she followed up this remark with a merry laugh, which was suddenly checked by a shrill and terrible cry from the neighbouring field. in order to account for this cry, we must state that miss lillycrop, desirous of acquiring an appetite for dinner by means of a short walk, left rosebud cottage and made for the dell, in which she expected to meet may maylands and her companions. taking a short cut, she crossed a field. short cuts are frequently dangerous. it proved so in the present instance. the field she had invaded was the private preserve of an old bull with a sour temper. beholding a female, he lowered his horrid head, cocked his tail, and made at her. this it was that drew from poor miss lillycrop a yell such as she had not uttered since the days of infancy. phil maylands was swift to act at all times of emergency. he vaulted the fence of the field, and rushed at miss lillycrop as if he himself had been a bull of bashan, and meant to try his hand at tossing her. not an idea had phil as to what he meant to do. all he knew was that he had to rush to the rescue! between phil and the bull the poor lady seemed to stand a bad chance. not a whit less active or prompt was peter pax, but peter had apparently more of method in his madness than phil, for he wrenched up a stout stake in his passage over the fence. "lie down! lie down! o lie down!" shouted phil in agony, for he saw that the brute was quickly overtaking its victim. poor miss lillycrop was beyond all power of self-control. she could only fly. fortunately a hole in the field came to her rescue. she put her foot into it and fell flat down. the bull passed right over her, and came face to face with phil, as it pulled up, partly in surprise, no doubt, at the sudden disappearance of miss lillycrop and at the sudden appearance of a new foe. before it recovered from its surprise little pax brought the paling down on its nose with such a whack that it absolutely sneezed--or something like it--then, roaring, rushed at pax. as if he had been a trained matador, pax leaped aside, and brought the paling down again on the bull's head with a smash that knocked it all to splinters. "don't dodge it," shouted phil, "draw it away from her!" pax understood at once. tempting the bull to charge him again, he ran off to the other side of the field like a greyhound, followed by the foaming enemy. meanwhile phil essayed to lift miss lillycrop, who had swooned, on his shoulders. fortunately she was light. still, it was no easy matter to get her limp form into his arms. with a desperate effort he got her on his knee; with an inelegant hitch he sent her across his shoulder, where she hung like a limp bolster, as he made for the fence. may and tottie stood there rooted to the earth in horror. to walk on uneven ground with such a burden was bad enough, but phil had to run. how he did it he never could tell, but he reached the fence at last, and shot miss lillycrop over into the arms of her friends, and all three were sent headlong down into a thick bush. phil turned at once to run to the aid of pax, but there was no occasion to do so. that youth had reached and leaped the fence like an acrobat, and was now standing on the other side of it making faces at the bull, calling it names, and insulting it with speeches of the most refined insolence, by way of relieving his feelings and expressing his satisfaction. chapter twenty seven. the greatest battle of all. time advanced apace, and wrought many of those innumerable changes in the fortunes of the human race for which time is famous. among other things it brought sir james clubley to the bird-shop of messrs. blurt one christmas eve. "my dear sir," said sir james to mr enoch in the back shop, through the half-closed door of which the owl could be seen gazing solemnly at the pelican of the wilderness, "i have called to ask whether you happen to have heard anything of young aspel of late?" "nothing whatever," replied mr blurt, with a sad shake of his head. "since bones died--the man, you know, with whom he lived--he has removed to some new abode, and no one ever hears or sees anything of him, except mrs bones. he visits her occasionally (as i believe you are aware), but refuses to give her his address. she says, however, that he has given up drink--that the dying words of her husband had affected him very deeply. god grant it may be so, for i love the youth." "i join your prayer, mr blurt," said sir james, who was slightly, though perhaps unconsciously, pompous in his manner. "my acquaintance with him has been slight--in fact only two letters have passed between us--but i entertained a strong regard for his father, who in schoolboy days saved my life. in after years he acquired that passion for spirits which his son seems to have inherited, and, giving up all his old friends, went to live on a remote farm in the west of ireland." sir james spoke slowly and low, as if reflectively, with his eyes fixed on the ground. "in one of the letters to which i have referred," he continued, looking up, "young aspel admitted that he had fallen, and expressed regret in a few words, which were evidently sincere, but he firmly, though quite politely, declined assistance, and wound up with brief yet hearty thanks for what he called my kind intentions, and especially for my expressions of regard for his late father, who, he said, had been worthy of my highest esteem." "he's a strange character;--but how did you manage to get a letter conveyed to him?" asked mr blurt. "through mrs bones. you are aware, i think, that a considerable time ago i set a detective to find out his whereabouts--" "how strange! so did i," said mr blurt. "indeed!" exclaimed sir james. "well, this man happened by a strange coincidence to be engaged in unravelling a mystery about a lost little dog, which after many failures led him to the discovery of abel bones as being a burglar who was wanted. poor bones happened at the time of his visit to be called before a higher tribunal. he was dying. aspel was at his bedside, and the detective easily recognised him as the youth of whom he had been so long in search. i sent my letter by the detective to mrs bones, who gave it to aspel. his reply came, of course, through the ordinary channel--the post." "and what do you now propose doing?" asked mr blurt. "i think of going to see philip maylands, who, i am given to understand by miss lillycrop, was once an intimate friend of aspel. do you happen to know his address?" "yes, he lives with his mother now, but it's of no use your going to his home to-night. you are aware that this is christmas eve, and all the officials of the post-office will be unusually busy. they often work night and day at this season." "then i will go direct to the general post-office. perhaps i shall be able to exchange a few words with him there," said sir james, rising. at that moment there burst upon the ears of the visitor a peculiar squall, which seemed to call forth a bland and beaming smile on the glad countenance of mr blurt. sir james looked at him inquiringly. "my babe, sir james," said mr blurt, with ill-concealed pride; "since last i had the pleasure of seeing you i have been married. ah! sir james, `it is not good for man to be alone.' that is a truth with which i was but feebly impressed until i came to understand the blessedness of the wedded state. words cannot--" he was cut short by a sudden crash of something overhead, and a bump, followed by a squall of unwonted vehemence. the squall was simultaneous with the ringing of a handbell, and was followed by the cry of a soft entreating voice roused to excitation. "oh! nockie dear"--thus the former miss gentle named her spouse,--"come here, quick--oh! _do_ be quick! baby's fallen and fred's ringing." the truth of this was corroborated by another furious ring by the invalid, which mingled with the recurring squalls, and was increased by the noisy and pertinacious clatter of the cracked bell that announced the opening of the shop-door. "zounds! mrs murridge, mind the shop!--good-bye, sir james. excuse--. coming, dear!" mr blurt, glaring as he clutched his scant side locks, dashed up-stairs with the agility of a schoolboy. sir james clubley, who was a bachelor, left the place with a quiet smile, and proceeded, at what we may style a reflective pace, towards the city. but sir james might have saved himself the trouble. it was, as we have said, christmas eve, and he might as well have demanded audience of a soldier in the heat of battle as of a post-office official on that trying night of the year. in modern times the tendency of the human race (the british part of it at least) to indulge in social intercourse by letter and otherwise at the christmas season has been on the increase, and, since the introduction of cheap postage, it has created a pressure on the post-office which has taxed its powers very considerably. the advent of halfpenny post-cards, and especially the invention of christmas-card and packet correspondence, with the various facilities which have of late years been afforded to the public by the department, have created such a mass of inter-communication throughout the kingdom, that christmas has now to be regularly prepared for as a great field-day, or rather a grand campaign extending over several days. well-planned arrangements have to be made beforehand. contingencies and possibilities have to be weighed and considered. all the forces of the department have to be called out, or rather called in. provisions--actual food, of exceptional kind and quantity--have to be provided, and every man, boy, nerve, muscle, eye, hand, brain, and spirit, has to be taxed to the very uttermost to prevent defeat. on the particular year of which we write, symptoms of the coming struggle began to be felt before christmas eve. on the morning of the rd, the enemy--if we may so style the letters--began to come in like a flood, and the whole of that day the duty was most pressing, although the reserve forces had been called into action. on the morning of the th the strain was so severe that few men could be allowed to leave the office, though some of them had been at work for eighteen hours. during the whole of the th the flood was at its height. every available man in the other branches whose services could be utilised was pressed into the service of the circulation department at st. martin's-le-grand. the great mouth under the portico was fed with a right royal feast that day--worthy of the christmas season! the subsidiary mouths elsewhere were fed with similar liberality. through these, letters, cards, packets, parcels, poured, rushed, leaped, roared into the great sorting-hall. floods is a feeble word; a highland spate is but a wishy-washy figure wherewith to represent the deluge. a bee-hive, an ant-hill, were weak comparisons. nearly two thousand men energised-- body, soul, and spirit--in that hall that christmas-tide, and an aggregate of fifteen thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine hours' work was accomplished by them. they faced, stamped, sorted, carried, bundled, tied, bagged, and sealed without a moment's intermission for two days and two nights continuously. it was a great, a tremendous battle! the easy-going public outside knew and cared little or nothing about the conflict which themselves had caused. letters were heaped on the tables and strewed on the floors. letters were carried in baskets, in bags, in sacks, and poured out like water. the men and boys absolutely swam in letters. eager activity--but no blind haste--was characteristic of the gallant two thousand. they felt that the honour of her majesty's mails depended on their devotion, and that was, no doubt, dearer to them than life! so the first day wore on, and the warriors stood their ground and kept the enemy at bay. as the evening of the th drew on apace, and the ordinary pressure of the evening mail began to be added to the extraordinary pressure of the day, the real tug of war began! the demand for extra service throughout the country began to exercise a reflex influence on the great centre. mails came from the country in some instances with the letters unsorted, thus increasing the difficulties of the situation. the struggle was all the more severe that preparations for the night despatch were begun with a jaded force, some of the men having already been twenty-six and twenty-eight hours at work. moreover, frost and fog prevailed at the time, and that not only delayed trains and the arrival of mails, but penetrated the building so that the labour was performed in a depressing atmosphere. to meet the emergency, at least in part, the despatch of the usual eight o'clock mail was delayed for that night fifty minutes. as in actual war an hour's delay may be fraught with tremendous issues for good or ill, so this brief postal delay permitted the despatch of an enormous amount of correspondence that would have otherwise been left over to the following day. usually the despatch of the evening mail leaves the vast sorting-hall in serene repose, with clean and empty tables; but on the night of this great battle--which has to be re-fought every christmas--the embarrassment did not cease with the despatch of the evening mail. correspondence continued to flow on in as great a volume as before. squads of the warriors, however, withdrew at intervals from the fight, to refresh themselves in the various kitchens of the basement. as we have said elsewhere, the members of the post-office provide their own food, and there are caterers on the premises who enable them to do so without leaving the office while on duty. but on this occasion extra and substantial food--meat, bread, tea, coffee, and cocoa--were provided by the department at its own cost, besides which the men were liberally and deservedly remunerated for the whole severe and extra duty. it chanced that phil maylands and peter pax retired from the battle about the same time; and met in the sorters' kitchen. "well, old fellow," said phil, who was calm and steady but looking fagged, to pax, who was dishevelled about the head and dress and somewhat roused by the exciting as well as fatiguing nature of the work,--"well, old fellow; tough work, isn't it?" "tough? it's glorious!" said pax, seating himself enthusiastically at the table; "i'm proud of my country--proud of the gpo--proud... i say, is that beef that i see before me? hand me a dagger--no, a knife will do. you cut it, phil, and help me first, 'cause i'm little." while phil was cutting the meat pax rested his head on the table, and was asleep almost instantly. "hallo, pax! rouse yourself!" cried phil, giving his comrade a hearty slap on the shoulder; "up, lad, and eat--the battle still rages; no rest allowed till victory is ours." his little friend set to work at once, and the food and coffee soon banished drowsiness. a number of men were similarly engaged around him. but they did not feast long. like giants refreshed, they returned to the scene of combat, while others took their places. and what a scene it was! despite all that had been done, the hall might be described as waist-deep in letters! the fever had not yet abated. it seemed as if the whole world had concentrated its literary produce into one mighty avalanche on st. martin's-le-grand! the midnight mails worked off some of this, but a large portion of it still remained to be disposed of on christmas-day, together with what the mails brought in on that morning, but the officers worked so well that between nine and ten on christmas morning all were allowed to go home, with the exception of twenty-six, who volunteered to remain. thus the battle was fought and won; the tables were cleared; the fever was subdued; and the pulse of the post-office was reduced to its normal condition. think on these things, reader, when next you read the little card that wishes you "a merry christmas!" some of the facts and results connected with this great battle are worth recording. the number of _extra_ bags and sacks received at the chief office altogether on that occasion was . the number of extra bags despatched was ; all of them were crammed full to their mouths, and the aggregate weight of these extra mails was tons. to convey these from the chief office extra vans were used, and extra carts. as nearly as could be estimated, the number of extra letters and packets was not less than four millions. there was a vast increase, also, in the registered correspondence--to the extent of thirty-one thousand in excess of the ordinary numbers. during these three days some of the men did nearly thirty hours' extra duty, _besides_ performing their ordinary work. the continuous attendance at the office of some of them varied from forty to forty-eight hours, and the total increase to the revenue on that auspicious but trying occasion was estimated to be about twenty thousand pounds sterling! phil maylands and peter pax were among those who had volunteered to remain after the press of work was over; and it was not till the afternoon of christmas-day that they finally, and simultaneously, plunged into their beds and oblivion. chapter twenty eight. the storming of rocky cottage and other matters. years flew by. the daily routine at st. martin's-le-grand went on; the mails departed and came in with unvarying regularity; in the working of the vast machine good men and boys rose to the surface, and bad ones went down. among the former were phil maylands and peter pax. the latter, in course of time, rose to the rank of inspector, in which condition he gradually developed a pretty pair of brown whiskers and a wonderful capacity for the performance of duty. he also rose to the altitude of five feet six inches, at which point he stuck fast, and continued the process of increase laterally. pax, however, could not become reconciled to city life. he did his work cheerfully and with all his might, because it was his nature so to do, but he buoyed up his spirits--so he was wont to say--by fixing his eye on the postmaster-generalship and a suburban villa on the thames. his friend phil, on the contrary, was quite pleased with city life, and devoted himself with such untiring energy to his work, and to his own education, that he came ere long to be noted as the youth who knew everything. faults he had, undoubtedly, and his firm, severe way of expressing his opinions raised him a few enemies in the post-office, but he attained at last to the condition of being so useful and so trustworthy as to make men feel that he was almost indispensable. they felt as if they could not get on without him. when man or boy comes to this point, success is inevitable. phil soon became a favourite with the heads of departments. the chief of the post-office himself at last came to hear of him, and, finding that he was more than capable of passing the requisite examinations, he raised him from the ranks and made him a clerk in the savings-bank department. having attained to this position, with a good salary for a single man, and a prospect of a steady rise, phil set about the accomplishment of the darling wish of his heart. he obtained leave of absence, went over to the west of ireland, and took rocky cottage by storm. "mother dear," he said, almost before he had sat down, "i'm promoted. i'm rich--comparatively. i've taken a house--a small house--at nottinghill, and your room in it is ready for you; so pack up at once, for we leave this to-morrow afternoon." "you jest, phil." "i'm in earnest, mother." "but it is impossible," said the good lady, looking anxiously round; "i cannot pack up on so short notice. and the furniture--" "it's all arranged, mother," said phil, stroking the curls of a strapping boy who no longer went by the name of baby, but was familiarly known as jim. "being aware of your desire to get rid of the furniture, i have arranged with a man in howlin' cove to take it at a valuation. he comes out to value it this evening, so you've nothing to do but pack up your trunks. with the aid of madge and jim we'll manage that in no time." "sure we'll do it in less than no time!" cried jim, who was a true son of erin. "you see, mother," continued phil, "my leave extends only to four days. i have therefore ordered a coach--a sort of noah's ark--the biggest thing i could hire at the cove--to take you and all your belongings to the railway tomorrow evening. we'll travel all night, and so get to london on thursday. may expects you. may and i have settled it all, so you needn't look thunderstruck. if i hadn't known for certain that you'd be glad to come and live with us i would not have arranged it at all. if i had not known equally well that your fluttering bird of a heart would have been totally upset at the prospect, i would have consulted you beforehand. as it is, the die is cast. your fate is fixed. nothing can reverse the decrees that have gone forth, so it's as well to make your mind easy and go to work." mrs maylands wisely submitted. three days afterwards she found herself in london, in a very small but charming cottage in an out-of-the-way corner of nottinghill. it was a perfect _bijou_ of a cottage; very small--only two stories-- with ceilings that a tall man could touch, and a trellis-work porch at the front door, and a little garden all to itself, and an ivy wall that shut out the curious public, but did not interfere with the sky, a patch of which gleamed through between two great palatial residences hard by, like a benignant eye. "this is our new home, mother, and we have got it at such a low rent from sir james clubley, our landlord, that your income, coupled with may's salary and mine, will enable us easily to make the two ends meet, if we manage economically." as he spoke, phil seized the poker, and, with an utter disregard of the high price of coal, caused the fire to roar joyously up the chimney. it was a brilliant winter day. white gems sparkled on the branches of the trees, and jim was already commencing that course of romping which had, up to that date, strewn his path through life with wreck and ruin. madge was investigating the capabilities of cupboards and larders, under the care of a small maid-of-all-work. "may won't be home till after dark," said phil. "she could not get away from duty to meet us. i shall telegraph to her that we have arrived, and that i shall meet her under the portico of the post-office and fetch her home this evening." "it is an amazing thing that telegraph! to think that one can send messages and make appointments so quickly!" remarked mrs maylands. "why, mother," said phil, with a laugh, "that is nothing to what can be--and is--done with it every day. i have a friend in the city who does a great part of his business with india by telegraph. the charge is four shillings and sixpence a word, and if a word has more than ten letters it is charged as two words. a registered address also costs a guinea, so, you see, telegraphic correspondence with india is expensive. business men have therefore fallen on the plan of writing out lists of words, each of which means a longish sentence. this plan is so thoroughly carried out that books like thick dictionaries are now printed and regularly used.--what would you think, now, of `_obstinate kangaroo_' for a message?" "i would think it nonsense, phil." "nevertheless, mother, it covers sense. a quebec timber-merchant telegraphed these identical words the other day to a friend of mine, and when the friend turned up the words `obstinate kangaroo' in his corresponding code, he found the translation to be, `demand is improving for ohio or michigan white oak (planks), inches and upwards.'" "you _don't_ say so!" exclaimed mrs maylands, raising both hands and eyebrows. "yes i do, mother, and in my city friend's code the word `_blazing_' means `_quality is approved_,' while `_blissful_' signifies `what is the smallest quantity you require?'" "do you mean, phil," asked the widow, with a perplexed look, "that if i were a man of business, and wanted to ask a customer in india _what was the smallest quantity of a thing he required_, i should have to telegraph only the word `_blissful_'?" "only that, mother. a blissful state of brevity to have come to, isn't it? and some of the telegraph clerks fall into queer mistakes, too, owing to their ignorance. one of the rules is that the words sent must be _bona fide_ words--not a mere unmeaning arrangement of letters. my city friend told me that on three different occasions telegrams of his were refused, because the words were not known, yet each of them was taken from the bible! one of the telegrams was, `_blastus unholy_.'" "oh, phil, how _can_ you!" exclaimed mrs maylands, with a shocked look. "well, mother, what's wrong in that?" "you know very well, phil, that `blast us' is not in the bible at all, and that it is a very awful species of slang swearing." "so the telegraph clerk thought," returned phil, "but when my city friend pointed out that blastus was `the king's chamberlain' they were obliged to let the telegram go. `_blastus_' stands for `_superior quality_,' and `_unholy_' for `_offer is open for three days from time of despatch of telegram_.' using the same code, if a merchant wants to ask a calcutta friend the question--`_how is the coming crop as regards extent and appearance_?' he merely telegraphs the word `_hamlet_.' if he wishes to say `_bills of lading go forward by this mail, invoices will follow_,' he has only to telegraph `_heretic_.' for the most part, the compilers of these codes seem to have used the words arbitrarily, for the word `_ellwood_' has no visible connection with the words `_blue velvet_,' which it represents; neither is there connection between `_doves_' and `_french brandy_,' nor between `_collapse_' and `_scotch coals_,' though there does seem to have been a gleam of significance when they fixed on `_downward_' to represent `_irish whisky_.'" "that's true, phil, there was a touch of sense there, if not sarcasm," said the widow heartily, for she was an abhorrer of strong drink! "then, mother, think of the saving of time accomplished by the telegraph. in days not long past, if a merchant in india wished to transact business with another in new york he had to write a letter which took months to make the voyage out, and his correspondent had to write a reply which took about the same time to return. now, not long ago the head of an indian house wanted a ship-load of something (i forget what) from new york. he telegraphed a few unconnected words to my city friend in london. if there had been no obstruction of any kind the message could have been flashed from bombay to london in a few seconds; as it was, it made the journey in three hours. my friend, who received it in the forenoon, telegraphed to new york, transacted the business, received a reply from new york, and telegraphed back to bombay that the order was given and in process of execution before five p.m. on the same day. thus a commercial transaction between india and america, _via_ england, involving, perhaps, thousands of pounds, was completed at the cost of a few pounds between breakfast and dinner. in other words, bombay aroused new york to action by means of a flash of electricity within twenty-four hours." "phil," remarked mrs maylands, with a sigh, "don't you think that man has now made almost all the discoveries that it is possible to make?" "why, no, mother, i think he is only on the threshold of discovery yet. the thought has sometimes come into my mind with tremendous power, that as god is infinite, and his knowledge infinite, there is, as it were, a necessity that we shall go on learning something new for ever!--but that is too deep a subject to enter on just now," said phil, rising, "for i must go and send off my telegram to may--she will be anxious to hear about you, poor girl. you must not be troubled when you see how the roses have faded from her cheeks. she is in good enough health, but i fear the telegraph service is too heavy for her, and the city air is not so bracing as that of the west of ireland." mrs maylands was quite prepared for the change referred to, for she knew, what phil did not know, that it was neither the telegraph nor the city that had robbed may of the bloom of youth and health. chapter twenty nine. describes an interview and a rencontre. one frosty winter afternoon sir james clubley sat in his chambers, having finished dinner, and toasted his toes while he sipped his wine and glanced languidly over the _times_. sir james was a lazy, good-natured man, in what is sometimes styled easy circumstances. being lazy, and having nothing to do, he did nothing-- nothing, that is, in the way of work. he found the world enjoyable, and enjoyed it. he never ran to excess--in truth he never ran at all, either literally or figuratively, but always ate, drank, slept, read, and amused himself in moderation. in politics, being nothing in particular, he was wont to say he was a liberal-conservative, if anything, as that happy medium, in which truth is said, though not proved, to lie, enabled him to agree with anybody. everybody liked him, except perhaps a few fiery zealots who seemed uncertain whether to regard him with indignation, pity, or contempt. it mattered not to which feeling the zealots leaned, sir james smiled on them all alike. "that foolish fellow is going to be late," he muttered, glancing over his paper at the clock on the chimney-piece. the foolish fellow referred to was george aspel. sir james had at last discovered and had an interview with him. he had offered to aid him in any way that lay in his power, but aspel had firmly though gratefully declined aid in any form. sir james liked the youth, and had begged him, by letter, to call on him, for the purpose of chatting over a particular piece of business, had appointed an hour, and now awaited his arrival. the muttered remark had just passed sir james's lips when there came a tap at the door, and aspel stood before him. but how changed from what he was when we last saw him, reader! his aspect might have forcibly recalled the words, "was lost and is found." his tall, broad frame stood erect again as of old, but the proud bearing of the head was gone. there was the same fearless look in his bright blue eye, but the slightly self-satisfied curl of the lip was not there. he looked as strong and well as when, on the irish cliffs, he had longed for the free, wild life of the sea-kings, but he did not look so youthful; yet the touch of sadness that now rested at times on his countenance gave him a far more regal air,--though he knew it not,--than he ever possessed before. he was dressed in a simple suit of dark grey. "glad to see you, aspel; thought you were going to fail me. sit down. now, come, i hope you have considered my proposal favourably.--the piece of business i asked you to come about is nothing more than to offer you again that situation, and to press it on you. it would just suit a man of your powers.--what! no?" the baronet frowned, for george aspel had smiled slightly and shaken his head as he sat down. "forgive me, sir james, if i seem to regard your kind proposals with indifference. indeed, i am sincerely grateful, especially for the motive that actuates you--i mean regard for my dear father's memory--" "how do you know, sir," interrupted sir james testily, "that this is my only motive?" "i did not say it was your only motive, sir james. i cannot doubt, from your many expressions of kindness, that personal regard for myself influences you; but i may not accept the situation you offer me--bright with future prospects though it be--because i feel strongly that god has called me to another sphere of action. i have now been for a considerable time, and hope to be as long as i live, a missionary to the poor." "what! a city missionary? one of those fellows who go about in seedy black garments with long lugubrious faces?" exclaimed sir james in amazement. "some of them do indeed wear seedy black garments," replied aspel, "under some strange hallucination, i suppose, that it is their duty to appear like clergymen, and i admit that they would look infinitely more respectable in sober and economical grey tweeds; but you must have seen bad specimens of the class of men if you think their faces long and lugubrious. i know many of them whose faces are round and jovial, and whose spirits correspond to their faces. no doubt they are sometimes sad. your own face would lengthen a little, sir james, if you went where they go, and saw what they sometimes see." "i dare say you are right. well, but have you seriously joined this body of men?" "not officially. i--i--hesitate to offer myself, because--that is to say, i am a sort of free-lance just now." "but, my young friend," returned sir james slowly, "i understand that city missionaries preach, and usually have a considerable training in theology; now, it is not very long ago since you were a--excuse me--i--i shrink from hurting your feelings, but--" "a drunkard, sir james," said aspel, looking down and blushing crimson. "state the naked truth. i admit it, with humiliation and sorrow; but, to the everlasting praise of god, i can say that jesus christ has saved me from drink. surely, that being the case, i am in some degree fitted to speak of the great remedy--the good physician--to the thousands who are perishing in this city from the effects of drink, even though i be not deeply versed in theology. to save men and women from what i have suffered, by exhorting and inducing them to come to the saviour is all my aim--it is now my chief ambition." sir james looked inquiringly at the fire and shook his head. he was evidently not convinced. "there is truth in what you say, aspel, but by taking this course you sacrifice your prospects entirely--at least in this life." "on the contrary, sir james, i expect, by taking this course, to gain all that in this life is worth living for." "ah! i see, you have become religiously mad," said sir james, with a perplexed look; "well, aspel, you must take your own way, for i am aware that it is useless to reason with madmen; yet i cannot help expressing my regret that a young fellow of your powers should settle down into a moping, melancholy, would-be reformer of drunkards." to this aspel replied with a laugh. "why, sir james," he said, "do i look very moping or melancholy? if so, my looks must belie my spirit, for i feel very much the reverse, and from past experience--which is now considerable--i expect to have a great deal of rejoicing in my work, for it does not all consist in painful strivings with unrepentant men and women. occasionally men in our position know something of that inexpressible joy which results from a grateful glance of the eye or a strong squeeze of the hand from some one whom we have helped to pluck from the very edge of hell. it is true, i do not expect to make much money in my profession, but my master promises me sufficient, and a man needs no more. but even if much money were essential, there is no doubt that i should get it, for the silver and gold of this world are in the hands of my father." "where do you work?" asked sir james abruptly. "chiefly in the neighbourhood of archangel court. it was there i fell and sinned; it was there my saviour rescued me: it is there i feel bound to labour." "very well, i won't press this matter further," said the baronet, rising; "but remember, if you ever get into a better frame of mind, i shall be happy to see you." profound and various were the thoughts of the reformed drunkard that afternoon as he left his friend's abode and walked slowly towards the city. there was a strange feeling of sadness in his heart which he could not account for. it was not caused by the sacrifice of worldly good he had just made, for that had cost him no effort. the desire to rescue the perishing had been infused so strongly into his soul that he had become quite regardless of mere temporal advancement. neither had he been unfaithful, as far as he could remember, in the recent conversation--at least not in words. the hopes and joys which he had truly referred to ought to have been as strong as ever within him, nevertheless his spirit was much depressed. he began to think of the position from which he had fallen, and of the great amount of good he might have done for christ in a higher sphere of society--but this thought he repelled as a recurrence of pride. as he came to st. martin's-le-grand he stopped, and, forgetting the bustling crowd of people, buses, cabs, and carts by which he was surrounded, allowed his mind to wander into the past. it was on the broad steps of the post-office that he had been first led astray by the man who wished to compass his ruin, but who was eventually made the willing instrument in bringing about his salvation. he thought of the scowling look and clenched fist of poor bones as he had stood there, long ago, under the grand portico. he thought of the same man on his sick-bed, with clasped hands and glittering eyes, thanking god that he had been brought to the gates of death by an accident, that his eyes and heart had been opened to see and accept jesus, and that he had still power left to urge his friend (george aspel) to come to jesus, the sinner's refuge. he thought also of the burglar's death, and of the fading away of his poor wife, who followed him to the grave within the year. he thought of the orphan tottie, who had been adopted and educated by miss stivergill, and was by that time as pretty a specimen of budding womanhood as any one could desire to see, with the strong will and courage of her father, and the self-sacrificing, trusting, gentleness of her mother. but above and beyond and underlying all these thoughts, his mind kept playing incessantly round a fair form which he knew was somewhere engaged at that moment in the building at his side, manipulating a three-keyed instrument with delicate fingers which he longed to grasp. ah! it is all very well for a man to resolve to tear an idol from his heart; it is quite another thing to do it. george aspel had long ago given up all hope of winning may maylands. he not only felt that one who had fallen so low as he, and shown such a character for instability, had no right to expect any girl to trust her happiness to him; but he also felt convinced that may had no real love for him, and that it would be unmanly to push his suit, even although he was now delivered from the power of his great enemy. he determined, therefore, to banish her as much as possible from his mind, and, in furtherance of his purpose, had conscientiously kept out of her way and out of the way of all his former friends. heaving a little sigh as he dismissed her, for the ten-thousandth time, from his mind, he was turning his back on the post-office--that precious casket which contained so rich but unattainable a jewel--when he remembered that he had a letter in his pocket to post. turning back, he sprang up the steps. the great mouth was not yet wide open. the evening feeding-hour had not arrived, and the lips were only in their normal condition--slightly parted. having contributed his morsel to the insatiable giant, aspel turned away, and found himself face to face with phil maylands. it was not by any means their first meeting since the recovery of aspel, but, as we have said, the latter had kept out of the way of old friends, and phil was only partially excepted from the rule. "the very man i wanted to see!" cried phil, with gleaming eyes, as he seized his friend's hand. "i've got mother over to london at last. she's longing to see you. come out with me this evening--do. but i'm in sudden perplexity: i've just been sent for to do some extra duty. it won't take me half an hour.--you're not engaged, are you?" "well, no--not particularly." "then you'll do me a favour, i'm sure you will. you'll mount guard here for half an hour, won't you? i had appointed to meet may here this evening to take her home, and when she comes she'll not know why i have failed her unless you--" "my dear phil, i would stay with all my heart," said aspel hastily, "but--but--the fact is--i've not seen may for a long time, and--" "why, what on earth has _that_ to do with it?" asked phil, in some surprise. "you are right," returned aspel, with a deprecating smile, "that has nothing to do with it. my wits are wool-gathering, phil. go: i will mount guard." phil was gone in a moment, and aspel leaned his head on his arm against one of the pillars of the portico. he had scarcely breathed a prayer for guidance when may approached. she stopped abruptly, flushed slightly, and hesitated a moment, then, advancing with the hearty air of an old playmate, she frankly held out her hand. this was enough for aspel. he had been depressed before; he was in the depths of despair now. if may had only shown confusion, or shyness, or anything but free-and-easy goodwill, hope might have revived, but he was evidently nothing more to her than the old playmate. hope therefore died, and with its death there came over aspel the calm subdued air of a crushed but resigned man. he observed her somewhat worn face and his heart melted. he resolved to act a brother's part to her. "i'm so glad to meet you at last, may!" he said, returning the kindly grasp of the hand with interest, but quite in a brotherly way. "you might have seen me long ago. why did you not come? we would all have been so glad to see you." may blushed decidedly as she made this reply, but the shades of evening were falling. moreover, the pillar near to which they stood threw a deep shadow over them, and aspel did not observe it. he therefore continued--in a quiet, brotherly way-- "ah! may, it is cruel of you to ask that. you know that i have been unfit--" "nay, i did not mean _that_," interrupted may, with eager anxiety; "i meant that since--since--lately, you know--why did you not come?" "true, may, i might have come lately--praise be to god!--but, but--why should i not speak out? it's all over now. you know the love i once bore you, may, which you told me i must not speak of, and which i have tried to cure with all the energy of my heart, for i do not want to lose you as a sister--an old playmate at least--though i may not have you as--but, as i said, it's all over now. i promise never again to intrude this subject on you. let me rather tell you of the glorious work in which i am at present engaged." he stopped, for, in spite of his efforts to be brotherly, there was a sense of sinking at his heart which slightly embittered his tone. "is true love, then, so easily cured?" may looked up in his face as she asked the question. there was something in the look and in the tone which caused george aspel's heart to beat like a sledge-hammer. he stooped down, and, looking into her eyes,--still in a brotherly way, said-- "is it possible, may, that you could trifle with my feelings?" "no, it is not possible," she answered promptly. "oh! may," continued aspel, in a low, earnest tone; "if i could only dare to think,--to believe,--to hope, that--" "forgive me, may, i'm so sorry," cried her brother phil, as he sprang up the steps; "i did my best to hurry through with it. i'm afraid i've kept you and george waiting very long." "not at all," replied may, with unquestionable truth. "if you could have only kept us waiting five minutes longer!" thought aspel, but he only said--"come along, phil, i'll go home with you to-night." the evening was fine--frosty and clear. "shall we walk to nottinghill?" asked phil. "it's a longish tramp for you, may, but that's the very thing you want." may agreed that it was a desirable thing in every point of view, and george aspel did not object. as they walked along, the latter began to wonder whether a new experiment had been made lately in the way of paving the streets with india-rubber. as for may, she returned such ridiculous answers to the simplest questions, that phil became almost anxious about her, and finally settled it in his own mind that her labours in the telegraph department of the general post-office must be brought to a close as soon as possible. "you see, mother," he said that night, after aspel had left the cottage and may had gone to her room, "it will never do to let her kill herself over the telegraph instrument. she's too delicately formed for such work. we must find something better suited to her." "yes, phil, we must find something better suited to her.--good-night," replied mrs maylands. there was a twinkle in the widow's eye as she said this that sorely puzzled phil, and kept him in confused meditation that night, until the confusion became worse confounded and he fell into an untroubled slumber. chapter thirty. the last. sitting alone in the breakfast parlour of the rosebud, one morning in june, miss stivergill read the following paragraph in her newspaper:--"gallant rescue.--yesterday forenoon a lady and her daughter, accompanied by a gentleman, went to the landing-wharf at blackfriars with the intention of going on board a steamer. there were some disorderly men on the wharf, and a good deal of crowding at the time. as the steamer approached, one of the half-drunk men staggered violently against the daughter above referred to, and thrust her into the river, which was running rapidly at the time, the tide being three-quarters ebb. the gentleman, who happened to have turned towards the mother at the moment, heard a scream and plunge. he looked quickly back and missed the young lady. being a tall powerful man, he dashed the crowd aside, hurled the drunk man--no doubt inadvertently--into the river, sprang over his head, as he was falling, with a magnificent bound, and reached the water so near to the young lady that a few powerful strokes enabled him to grasp and support her. observing that the unfortunate cause of the whole affair was lulling helplessly past him with the tide, he made a vigorous stroke or two with his disengaged arm, and succeeded in grasping him by the nape of the neck, and holding him at arm's-length, despite his struggles, until a boat rescued them all. we believe that the gentleman who effected this double rescue is named aspel, and that he is a city missionary. we have also been informed that the young lady is engaged to her gallant deliverer, and that the wedding has been fixed to come off this week." laying down the paper, miss stivergill lifted up her eyes and hands, pursed her mouth, and gave vent to a most unladylike whistle! she had barely terminated this musical performance, and recovered the serenity of her aspect, when miss lillycrop burst in upon her with unwonted haste and excitement. "my darling maria!" she exclaimed, breathlessly, flinging her bonnet on a chair and seizing both the hands of her friend, "i am _so_ glad you're at home. it's _such_ an age since i saw you! i came out by the early train on purpose to tell you. i hardly know where to begin. oh! i'm _so_ glad!" "you're not going to be married?" interrupted miss stivergill, whose stern calmness deepened as her friend's excitement increased. "married? oh no! ridiculous! but i think i'm going deranged." "that is impossible," returned miss stivergill, "you have been deranged ever since i knew you. if there is any change in your condition it can only be an access of the malady. besides, there is no particular cause for joy in that. have you no more interesting news to give me?" "more interesting news!" echoed miss lillycrop, sitting down on her bonnet, "of course i have. now, just listen: peter pax--of the firm of blurt, pax, jiggs, and company, antiquarians, bird-stuffers, mechanists, stamp-collectors, and i don't know what else besides, to the queen--is going to be married to--whom do you think?" "the queen of sheba," replied miss stivergill, folding her hands on her lap with a placid smile. "to--tottie bones!" said miss lillycrop, with an excited movement that ground some of her bonnet to straw-powder. miss stivergill did not raise her eyes or whistle at this. she merely put her head a little on one side and smiled. "i knew it, my dear--at least i felt sure it would come to this, though it is sooner than i expected. it is not written anywhere, i believe, that a boy may not marry a baby, nevertheless--" "but she's not a baby," broke in miss lillycrop. "tottie is seventeen now, and pax is twenty-four. but this is not the half of what i have to tell you. ever since pax was taken into partnership by mr enoch blurt the business has prospered, as you are aware, and our active little friend has added all kinds of branches to it--such as the preparation and sale of entomological, and ichthyological, and other -ological specimens, and the mechanical parts of toy-engines; and that lad jiggs has turned out such a splendid expounder of all these things, that the shop has become a sort of terrestrial heaven for boys. and dear old fred blurt has begun to recover under the influence of success, so that he is now able to get out frequently in a wheel-chair. but the strangest news of all is that mister enoch blurt got a new baby--a girl--and recovered his diamonds on the self-same day!" "indeed!" said miss stivergill, beginning to be influenced by these surprising revelations. "yes, and it's a curious evidence of the energetic and successful way in which things are managed by our admirable post-office--" "what! the union of a new baby with recovered diamonds?" "no, no, maria, how stupid you are! i refer, of course, to the diamonds. have you not seen reference made to them in the papers?" "no. i've seen or heard nothing about it." "indeed! i'm surprised. well, that hearty old letter-carrier, solomon flint, sent that ridiculously stout creature whom he calls dollops to me with the last report of the postmaster-general, with the corner of page eleven turned down, for he knew i was interested in anything that might affect the blurts. but here it is. i brought it to read to you. listen: `on the occasion of the wreck of the _trident_ in howlin' cove, on the west of ireland, many years ago, strenuous efforts were made by divers to recover the cape of good hope mails, and, it will be recollected, they were partially successful, but a portion which contained diamonds could not be found. diving operations were, however, resumed quite recently, and with most satisfactory results. one of the registered-letter-bags was found. it had been so completely imbedded in sand, and covered by a heavy portion of the wreck, that the contents were not altogether destroyed, notwithstanding the long period of their immersion. on being opened in the chief office in london, the bag was found to contain several large packets of diamonds, the addresses on which had been partially obliterated, besides about seven pounds weight of loose diamonds, which, having escaped from their covers, were mixed with the pulp in the bottom of the bag. every possible endeavour was used by the officers of the department to discover the rightful owners of those packets which were nearly intact, and with such success that they were all, with very little delay, duly delivered. the remaining diamonds were valued by an experienced broker, and sold--the amount realised being about , pounds. after very great trouble, and much correspondence, the whole of the persons for whom the loose diamonds were intended were, it is believed, ascertained, and this sum proved sufficient to satisfy the several claimants to such an extent that not a single complaint was heard.'" "how strange! why did you not tell me of this before, lilly?" "because mr blurt resolved to keep it secret until he was quite sure there was no mistake about the matter. now that he has received the value of his diamonds he has told all his friends. moreover, he has resolved to take a house in the suburbs, so that fred may have fresh country air, fresh milk, and fresh eggs. peter pax, too, talks of doing the same thing, being bent, so he says, on devoting himself to the entomological department of his business, in order that he may renew his youth by hunting butterflies and beetles with tottie." "it never rains but it pours," said miss stivergill. "surprises don't come singly, it appears.--have you read _that_?" she handed her friend the newspaper which recounted the "gallant rescue." miss lillycrop's countenance was a study which cannot be described. the same may be said of her bonnet. when she came to the name of aspel her eyeballs became circular, and her eyebrows apparently attempted to reach the roots of her hair. "maria dear!" she cried, with a little shriek, "this only reminds me that i have still more news to tell. you remember sir james clubley? well, he is dead, and he has left the whole of his property to george aspel! it seems that sir james went one night, secretly, as it were, to some low locality where aspel was preaching to poor people, and was so affected by what he heard and saw that he came forward at the close, signed the pledge along with a number of rough and dirty men, and then and there became a total abstainer. this, i am told, occurred a considerable time ago, and he has been a helper of the temperance cause ever since. sir james had no near relatives. to the few distant ones he possessed he left legacies, and in his will stated that he left the rest of his fortune--which, although not large, is considerable--to george aspel, in the firm belief that by so doing he was leaving it to further the cause of christianity and temperance." "come, now, don't stop there," observed miss stivergill calmly, "go on to tell me that phil maylands has also had a fortune left him, or become postmaster-general and got married, or is going to be." "well, i can't exactly tell you that," returned miss lillycrop, "but i can tell you that he has had a rise in the post-office savings bank, with an increase of salary, and that may declines to marry aspel unless he agrees to live with her mother in the cottage at nottinghill. of course aspel has consented--all the more that it is conveniently situated near to a station whence he can easily reach the field of his missionary labours." "does he intend to continue these now that he is rich?" asked miss stivergill. "how can you ask such a question?" replied her friend, with a slightly offended look. "aspel is not a man to be easily moved from his purpose. he says he will labour in the good cause, and devote health and means to it as long as god permits." "good!" exclaimed miss stivergill with a satisfied nod.--"now, lilly," she added, with the decision of tone and manner peculiar to her, "i mean to make some arrangements. the farmer next to me has a very pretty villa, as you are aware, on the brow of the hill that overlooks the whole country in the direction of london. it is at present to let. mr blurt must take it. beside it stands a cottage just large enough for a new-married couple. i had already rented that cottage for a poor friend. he, however, knows nothing about the matter. i will therefore have him put somewhere else, and sub-let the cottage to mr and mrs pax. lastly, you shall give up your insane notion of living alone, come here, with all your belongings, and take up your abode with me for ever." "that's a long time, dear maria," said miss lillycrop, with a little smile. "not _too_ long, by any means, lilly. now, clear that rubbish off the chair--it's well got rid of, i never liked the shape--go, put yourself to rights, use one of my bonnets, and come out for a walk. to-morrow you shall go into town and arrange with pax and blurt about the villa and the cottage to the best of your ability. it's of no use attempting to resist me, lilly--tell them that--for in this affair i have made up my mind that my will shall be law." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ reader, what more need we add--except that miss stivergill's will did eventually become law, because it happened to correspond with the wishes of all concerned. it is due, also, to solomon flint to record that after his long life of faithful service in the post-office he retired on a small but comfortable pension, and joined the "rosebud colony," as pax styled it, taking his grandmother along with him. that remarkable piece of antiquity, when last seen by a credible witness, was basking in the sunshine under a rustic porch covered with honeysuckle, more wrinkled, more dried-up, more tough, more amiable--especially to her cat--and more stooped in the previous century than ever. mr bright, the energetic sorter, who visits solomon whenever his postal duties will allow, expresses his belief that the old lady will live to see them all out, and mr bright's opinion carries weight with it; besides which, phil maylands and may aspel with her husband are more than half inclined to agree with him. time will show. pegaway hall still exists, but its glory has departed, for although mrs square still keeps her one watchful eye upon its closed door, its walls and rafters no longer resound with the eloquence, wit, and wisdom of boy telegraph messengers, although these important servants of the queen still continue--with their friends the letter-carriers--to tramp the kingdom "post haste," in ceaseless, benignant activity, distributing right and left with impartial justice the varied contents of her majesty's mails. images of public domain material from the google print project.) an historical summary of the post office in scotland, compiled from authentic records and documents. by t. b. lang, esq. controller, sorting department, general post office, edinburgh. for private circulation. edinburgh: printed by w. h. lizars, st. james' square. . note. _this historical summary, compiled by_ mr. lang, _was originally contained in a letter addressed to the secretary to the general post office in scotland, with a view to its being included in the annual report of the postmaster-general, presented to both houses of parliament at the commencement of the present session, but it not being considered necessary to include the whole summary in the report, extracts only were published in the appendix. the whole summary is therefore now printed, with his grace's sanction, for private distribution._ an historical summary of the post office in scotland. the earliest records that can be found relating to the conveyance of despatches or letters in scotland, do not date earlier than the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. in these early records, special messengers for the conveyance of the king's despatches and correspondence are called "_nuncii_" or "_cursores_;" but the information as to their mode of travelling, and regulations for their guidance, is imperfect and limited. messengers of this description were also employed to convey despatches from foreign countries, for which they received gratuities on their arrival at the scottish court. about the year , the name of post is found to apply to messengers travelling with the utmost rapidity then attainable in charge of despatches.[ ] on the st of april , the english envoy in scotland wrote from stirling to henry viii. of england--"this friday, when i came home to dyner, i received your most honorable letters by post, dated at your mansion, greenwich, th march."[ ] these letters, which appear to have occupied five or six days in transit from greenwich to stirling, must have been conveyed by one of these special court messengers. it was not long after this period that the municipal corporations and private persons of consequence also introduced messengers of this description. for example, in , a post was established by the magistrates of aberdeen for carrying their despatches to and from edinburgh and other places of royal residence. they appointed a person for conducting these despatches, under the name of the council post, who was dressed in a garment of blue cloth, with the town's armorial bearings in silver upon the right sleeve.[ ] in a public post was first established in britain, under government authority by charles i.[ ] its main object was to establish regular and certain communication between london and edinburgh. the journey was limited to three days, and the rate of postage for a single letter was fixed at d. sterling. mails were despatched between these two cities usually twice a week, sometimes only once. about two years after this period, the post as the medium of communication, became so insecure, that in a person in england wrote to his friend in scotland--"i hear the posts are waylaid, and all letters taken from them, and brought to secretary cooke; therefore will i not, nor do you, send by that way hereafter." the post at this time was called the merchant post, but it did not prosper.[ ] in , the commonwealth took the scottish posts under its jurisdiction, and in connection with that measure they appear to have removed many, if not all the officers. the posts were then placed upon a better footing, and the system was still further improved by cromwell. in the postage from england to scotland was lowered to d. sterling. in the revenues of the post office in great britain and ireland were farmed to john manley, esq., who was appointed postmaster-general, and the rate of postage in scotland was fixed at d. for a single letter under miles, for all distances above miles d., to england d., and to ireland d.[ ] on the th december , charles ii. re-appointed robert mein "sole keeper of the letter office in edinburgh," an office from which he had been removed during the commonwealth.[ ] by grant under the privy seal, dated at whitehall on the th september , king charles ii. bestowed upon patrick grahame of inchbrakie the office of postmaster-general of scotland[ ]--"officium precipui magistri cursoris lie postmaster-generall et censoris omnium cursorum dicti regni scotie"--for all the days of his life, with power to appoint postmasters at the stages necessary for forwarding the king's letters from place to place. the grant conveyed to grahame all the rights and privileges which any postmaster-general had previously enjoyed in scotland, and specially bestowed on him a salary of £ scots yearly.[ ] on the th september , the privy council of scotland commissioned robert mein, merchant,[ ] and keeper of the letter office, edinburgh, to establish posts between scotland and ireland, and ordained that linlithgow, kilsyth, glasgow, kilmarnock, dumboag, ballintrae, and port patrick, should be stages on the route, and granted him the sum of £ sterling, to build a packet boat to carry the mail from port patrick to donaghadee, and further gave him the sole privilege of carrying letters on this line of road, for which he was allowed to charge for each letter to glasgow, s. scots, and from thence to any part within scotland, s. scots, and for letters to ireland, s. scots.[ ] in , by grant under the privy seal dated at edinburgh on the st march, king charles ii. bestowed the office of postmaster of haddington upon william seton, who was at the time provost and postmaster. the office which had been previously held by cornelius ramsay, is described to be "allswell for the carrieng and convoyeing of all such packetts from haddington by post to colbrandspath as shall be directed to them,[ ] and for the despatching and carrieng by post frae haddingtoune to canongait, and carieng and convoyeing of all such packetts as shall be directed to england to anie of our privie counsell of this our kingdome of scotland, or to anie of our officers for our affairs and service." the salary is stated to be £ scots yearly.[ ] in the privy council passed an act for erecting a foot post between edinburgh and inverness once a week, and between edinburgh and aberdeen twice a week, "wind and weather serving," and fixed the rate of postage for a letter not exceeding one sheet of paper, carried miles scots (about english), at s. scots; for a single letter carried miles, s. scots; and for an ounce weight, s. d. scots; and for every single letter carried above miles scots, within scotland, s. scots; for an ounce weight s., and so proportionably.[ ] the same act, "for the more effectual prosecution and performance of the premises," discharges "all other posts established, or pretending to be established upon the aberdeen and inverness roads."[ ] to show the difficulties in the way of rapid communication at this period, from the condition of the roads in scotland, it may be stated, that in an agreement was made to run a coach between edinburgh and glasgow (a distance of forty-four miles), which was to be drawn by six horses, and to perform the journey to glasgow and back in six days. the undertaking was considered so arduous, that the contractor was to receive " merks a-year for five years, to assist him; but the speculation turned out so unprofitable that it was soon abandoned."[ ] in , the intelligence of the death of charles ii., who died on th february, was received in edinburgh at one o'clock in the morning of the th, by an express from london.[ ] in it occupied three months to convey the tidings of the abdication of james ii. of england and vii. of scotland to the orkneys. the post office in scotland again received the sanction of parliamentary authority in , although "several public posts" had already been established for carrying letters "to and from most parts and places in this kingdom," for the maintaining of mutual correspondence, and preventing the many inconveniences that happen by private posts. and the "well ordering of these public posts being a matter of general concern, and of great advantage, and that the best means for that end will be the settling and establishing a general post office," the scottish parliament "ordains and appoints a general post office to be kept within the city of edinburgh, from whence all letters and pacquets whatsoever may be with speed and expedition sent into any part of the kingdom, or any other of his majesty's dominions, or into any kingdom or country beyond seas, by the pacquet that goes sealed to london." it is also enacted, that a postmaster-general shall be appointed by letters patent under the privy seal, or that the office of postmaster-general may be set in tack by the lords of treasury and exchequer. the rates of postage were fixed at d. for a single letter to berwick, or within fifty miles of edinburgh; above fifty miles and not exceeding miles, d.; and all single letters to any place in scotland, above miles, to pay d.: common carriers were prohibited from carrying letters, except where no post offices were established, and if convicted, they became liable "to be imprisoned for six days for ilk fault, and fined in the sum of six pounds scots 'toties quoties.'" this act also authorizes a weekly post between scotland and ireland, and orders boats to be maintained for carrying the mails between portpatrick and donaghadee; and a special provision is made, that ireland is not to be put to any expense, but that the postmaster-general should be allowed the sum expended on the packet boats in his intromissions with the treasury. and lastly, the postmaster-general is ordered to take care that posts are established over all the kingdom at places most convenient.[ ] in , sir robert sinclair of stevenson, had a grant from king william of the whole revenue of the post office in scotland, with a pension of £ per annum to keep up the post. the post office at this time appears to have been any thing but a profitable concern, as sir robert, after due deliberation, gave up the grant, thinking it disadvantageous.[ ] from the th november till whitsunday , george main, jeweller in edinburgh, accounts in exchequer for the duties of the post office within scotland, leased to him by the lords of the treasury and exchequer in scotland, during the three years ending at the latter date, for the yearly rent of , merks scots, or £ , s. d. sterling, subject to a deduction for the conveyance of public expresses, &c., and also a sum not exceeding £ per annum for keeping a packet boat for carrying the mails between portpatrick and ireland. it appears that he paid the following yearly salaries, viz.-- postmaster at haddington £ sterling. postmaster in canongate " postmaster at cockburnspath " james weems, clerk to the post office, " postmaster of portpatrick for the charge } of a packet boat } " the expense of the secretary's packet and expresses from the post office to london, from th november to st may , amounted to £ , s. sterling. the expense for expresses for public affairs of the government, sent and received betwixt london and berwick, from th january to st may , paid to the london post office, amounted to £ , s. d. between th march and th october , there were "flying packets" (or special despatches) outgoing, and from st january to rd october , the like number of flying packets sent by them. the cost of these paid to the postmaster of haddington and cockburnspath was £ , s. sterling. the same postmasters received £ , s. d. sterling for flying packets sent by them for the stages between edinburgh and berwick, from th april to st may . a sum of £ , s. sterling was also paid for inquiries as to a robbery of the packet at or near dunglass miln.[ ] from this period downwards, the data are of a more minute description, giving the condition of the post office more in detail, and affording the means of estimating its progress by the extent of its establishment. in , the business of the general post office at edinburgh was discharged by seven persons, viz.--george main, manager for scotland, who held his commission from the postmaster-general of great britain, salary £ per annum; his accountant, £ per annum; a clerk, £ ; the clerk's assistant, £ ; three letter-carriers or runners, each s. per week.[ ] in , the act of william, , was repealed by an act of anne, and the post office of scotland was united with that of england, ireland, and america under one postmaster-general. it was ordained "that a chief letter office be kept at edinburgh, and the packet boats between donaghadee and portpatrick are still to be maintained." this act also regulates the rates of postage.[ ] during the five years which immediately followed the union, and which ended on the st may , the average annual sum paid into the exchequer by the scottish post office, was £ .[ ] from the time of the act of anne, the establishment in scotland was governed by a deputy postmaster-general, under the authority of the postmaster-general of great britain, to whom all matters of importance had to be referred, and whose sanction required to be given to any matter involving pecuniary outlay. the first deputy postmaster-general, under the new arrangement, was george main, who remained in office till , when he was succeeded by mr. james anderson,[ ] a writer to the signet in edinburgh. there is a collection of this gentleman's papers in the advocate's library in edinburgh, and amongst them some official correspondence, which gives not only interesting information relating to the post office, but also as to the state of the country at that period, and it is from this source that precise information is derived as to the condition of the postal arrangements. when mr. anderson took office on the th july , there was not a single horse post in scotland, foot runners being the usual means of conveyance for the mails. in this manner direct bags were conveyed from edinburgh as far north as thurso, and westward to inverary. there were three mails a-week from edinburgh to glasgow, and three in return; the runners set out from edinburgh each tuesday and thursday, at twelve o'clock at night, and on sundays in the morning, and the mails arrived at glasgow on the evening of wednesday and friday, and on the forenoon of monday. for this service the post office paid £ sterling per annum, but from the fraudulent dealing of the postmaster of falkirk, who made the payments, the runners seldom received more than from £ to £ . after his appointment, mr. anderson directed his attention to the establishment of horse posts on the western road from edinburgh. the first regular horse post in scotland appears to have been from edinburgh to stirling; it started for the first time on the th november . it left stirling at two o'clock afternoon, each tuesday, thursday, and saturday, and reached edinburgh in time for the night mail to england. in march , the first horse post between edinburgh and glasgow was established, and we have the details of the arrangement in a memorial addressed to lord cornwallis and james craggs, who jointly filled the office of postmaster-general of great britain. the memorial states, that the "horse post will set out for edinburgh each tuesday and thursday, at eight o'clock at night, and on sunday about eight or nine in the morning, and be in glasgow (a distance of thirty-six miles by the post road of that time) by six in the morning on wednesday and friday in summer, and eight in winter, and both winter and summer will be on sunday night." there appears to have been a good deal of negotiation connected with the settlement of this post, in which the provost and bailies of glasgow took part. after some delay, the matter appears to have been arranged to the satisfaction of all parties. a proposition was made at this time to establish a horse post between edinburgh and aberdeen, at a cost of £ , s. per annum, to supersede the foot posts, which were maintained at a cost of £ , s. the scheme, however, appears not to have been entertained at that time by the post office authorities. at this period ( ), it took double the time for the mail to perform the journey between london and edinburgh that it did in the middle of the seventeenth century. when the mail was first established by charles i. in , three days was the time allowed for the special couriers to perform the journey between edinburgh and london; in , it required six days for the post to perform the same journey. this can easily be seen by examining the post marks on letters of that time. in the year , edinburgh had direct communication with sixty post towns in scotland, and in the month of august, the total sum received for letters passing to and from these offices and edinburgh, was £ , s. d. the postage on letters to and from london in the same month amounted to £ , s. d., and the postage for letters per the london road, amounted to £ , s., making the total sum for letters to and from edinburgh, during that month, amount to £ , s. d.--equal to £ , s. per annum.[ ] at this period we have interesting records of the seizure and pillage of the mail by the rebels. on the th september , the postmaster of inverness wrote to the postmaster-general--"i had yours of y^e th current, tuesday last, about o'clock forenoon. the night before i had account that y^e post was prisoner; our bagg was broke up, so was y^e dingwall and dornoch baggs. you have, enclosed, a list of what came in my open bagg; if there were any frank letters, i received none of them, save or ."[ ] it would also appear that the mail was occasionally violated by common robbers. in , the duke of argyll, who had then supreme control in scotland, gave orders to mr. anderson to place relays of horses from edinburgh to inverness, for the purpose of forwarding despatches to, and receiving intelligence from the army in the highlands under general cadogan. these posts worked upon two lines of roads--the one went through fife and round by the east coast, passing through aberdeen; the other took the central road _via_ perth, dunkeld, and blair athole. these horse posts were, however, discontinued immediately after the army retired. at this time the government evinced great concern about the irish correspondence, and ordered mr. anderson to visit portpatrick, and examine the harbours, with the view of selecting the one most convenient for the mail packets. after the rebellion had been suppressed, the public appear to have had great confidence in the post, and evinced a desire to have more extended postal accommodation, and in some instances memorialized the postmaster-general to open offices in the rural districts. by an order, dated th november , mr. anderson received notice, that he had been superseded, and that sir john inglis had been appointed deputy postmaster-general for scotland, and would take office on the st december. it would appear from the correspondence of mr. anderson, that all appointments in the post office in scotland, were held directly from the deputy postmaster-general for the time being; and on the entrance of a new postmaster-general into office, all commissions and bonds of security had to be renewed, and it was common for the postmasters to employ all the influence in their power to obtain the favour of the new postmaster-general, in order to be retained in their situations.[ ] in , the yearly revenue of the post office establishment in scotland was £ .[ ] in , archibald douglas, esq., was deputy postmaster-general, and the establishment in edinburgh consisted of eleven persons, including the postmaster-general, a person called an apprehender of private letter-carriers, and three letter-carriers or runners.[ ] in , alexander hamilton, esq. of innerwick, was deputy postmaster-general, and the establishment, exclusive of letter-carriers, consisted of eight persons, including a solicitor. in this year there were post towns in scotland, and direct bags were sent from edinburgh to kirkwall and stornoway.[ ] about the year , the mails began to be conveyed from stage to stage by relays of fresh horses, and different post-boys, to the principal places in scotland, but the greater portion of the mails were still carried by foot runners. before the system of relays was introduced on the north road, the mode of conveying the mails was very tedious. "for instance, a person set out with the mail from edinburgh for aberdeen; he did not travel a stage, and then deliver the mail to another post-boy, but went on to dundee, where he rested the first night; to montrose, where he stayed the second, and on the third he arrived at aberdeen, and as he passed by kinghorn, it behoved the tide, and sometimes also the weather, to render the time of his arrival more late and uncertain. in this manner the mail was conveyed 'thrice a-week.' the communication by post between london and edinburgh was not much better."[ ] the condition of the roads however in scotland, would not admit of any thing like rapid travelling. the best roads, even in the populous districts, were occasionally to be found in the channels of streams. the common carrier from edinburgh to selkirk, miles, required a fortnight for his journey, going and returning. the channel of the river gala, which for a considerable distance ran parallel with the road, being, when not flooded, the track chosen as the most level and easiest to travel in. between the principal cities, the means of travelling were little better. it took a day and a-half for the stage coach to travel from edinburgh to glasgow.[ ] at this period, and for long before, there was a set of single horse "trafficers" (cadgers), that regularly plied between different places. these traffickers, and the carriers, in spite of the laws against them, carried more letters than the post office, at least in the country districts.[ ] in , the revenue of the general post office in scotland was £ , and in the year it amounted to £ , . in the latter year the mail was upon the road from london to edinburgh hours, but from edinburgh to london hours. at this time, upon a representation from the committee of royal burghs, such regulations were adopted, that the time was reduced to hours from london to edinburgh, and hours from edinburgh to london. in the year , the revenue of the post office in scotland, amounted to £ , . on the th of october , a further improvement was made in the london mail, by having it despatched five times a-week, instead of three as formerly. previously it had travelled in so dilatory a manner, that in winter the letters which were sent from london on tuesday night, for the most part, were not distributed in edinburgh till sunday, between sermons. in , the postage upon a single letter, carried only one stage, was reduced from d. to d.[ ] in , william oliphant, esq. of rossie, was deputy postmaster-general. the edinburgh establishment then consisted of ten persons, exclusive of letter-carriers, and there were post towns in scotland. a packet was despatched to lerwick on the first wednesday of each month, and returned about the th or th of the intervening month; the postage upon a single letter to lerwick was d.[ ] in , the modern stage coach was introduced into scotland; the first coach arriving in edinburgh on the th april. it performed the journey to london in hours. and in the same year the first penny post in scotland was established in edinburgh by peter williamson, an eccentric native of aberdeen, who, in consequence of keeping a coffee-shop in the hall of the parliament house, was frequently employed by gentlemen attending the courts, to forward letters to different parts of the city. this kind of business increased so much, that he opened an office, and established a regular penny post delivery of letters throughout the city. he had hourly deliveries, and agents at various parts of the town to collect letters. the men who delivered, of whom there were four in uniform, also collected letters, and for this purpose they rang a bell as they proceeded on their rounds to give information of their approach. williamson's success soon induced others to attempt a similar undertaking; but the authorities of the general post office, seeing the importance of this branch of business as a source of revenue, gave williamson a pension for the good will of the business, and the penny post was then attached to the general establishment.[ ] the scottish penny posts were afterwards confirmed to the general post, by an act of parliament, in the reign of george iii.[ ] in , twenty-three persons, including six letter-carriers, were employed in the edinburgh establishment, and the number of post towns had increased to .[ ] a direct mail between london and glasgow was not established before , when, on the th july, the first mail coach from london arrived in glasgow. previously the correspondence between those cities passed through edinburgh, where it was detained twelve hours to be sent with the mail to glasgow at night.[ ] in , the number of persons required to conduct the business of the edinburgh office was thirty-one, and the number of post towns in scotland .[ ] in , the inland office, including the letter-carrier's branch, consisted of twenty-one persons. having followed the scottish post office down to the close of the eighteenth century, it may be observed, that for a long time after its introduction and establishment, it was conducted solely with a view to the convenience and security of the correspondence of the public, and that it frequently received assistance from the scottish government by pecuniary grants; and if we except the periods of rebellion, when a certain amount of _surveillance_ was exercised by the agents of government as a measure of state security, the post office in scotland appears to have been conducted with great integrity and freedom from abuse. in , the inland office, including the letter-carriers' branch, consisted of thirty-five persons; in , of thirty-nine; and in , of fifty-two persons. in april , the post office in edinburgh was removed to the first story of a house opposite the tolbooth, on the north side of the high street.[ ] at a later time it occupied the first floor of a house near the cross, above an alley which still bears the name of the post office close. it was removed from this to a floor in the south side of the parliament square, which was fitted up like a shop, and the letters were dealt across an ordinary counter like other goods. at this time all the out-door business of delivery in town was managed by one letter-carrier. from the parliament square, the post office was removed to lord covington's house, thence after some years, to a house on the north bridge,[ ] and to the present office in , at which period the despatch of the mails was conducted in an apartment about feet square. this apartment was purposely kept as dark as possible, in order to derive the full advantage of artificial light, employed in the process of examining letters, to see whether they contained enclosures or not. at the present time, the establishment in edinburgh consists of officers, of which are letter-carriers, porters, and messengers. the average number of letters passing through and delivered in edinburgh daily, may be estimated at , . the number of mail bags received daily is , and the number despatched is . the amount of money orders issued and paid, shows a sum of £ , , circulating annually through the department in scotland. general post office, _edinburgh, th december, _. printed by w. h. lizars, edinburgh. * * * * * the post office act of anne, , united the post offices of england and scotland under one postmaster-general, entitled the postmaster-general of great britain, and the office in scotland was managed by deputy. the following is a list of the deputy postmasters-general in scotland from that time down to , when the office of deputy postmaster-general for scotland was abolished-- george main james anderson sir john inglis archibald douglas alexander hamilton of innerwick robert oliphant of rossie thomas elder of forneth william robertson robert trotter of castlelaw hon. francis gray, afterwards lord gray of kinfauns james, th earl of caithness sir david wedderburn, bart. * * * * * footnotes: [ ] this appears from the rolls of exchequer in her majesty's general register house at edinburgh. [ ] oliver & boyd's new edinburgh almanac for , pp. - . [ ] kennedy's "annals of aberdeen," vol. i. page . [ ] rymer's "foedera," vol. xix. page . [ ] oliver & boyd's new edinburgh almanac for , pp. - . [ ] register of privy seal, - , vol. i. page . arnott's "history of edinburgh," page . [ ] privy seal register, - , vol i. page . [ ] it appears that the office of postmaster-general had been held by sir w. seaton, sometime before the appointment of grahame. [ ] registrum secreti sigilli regum scotorum, , page ; h. m. general register house, edinburgh. [ ] robert mein, in addition to the office of sole keeper of the letter office, edinburgh, appears to have held the office of king's confectioner and comfit maker--register of privy seal of scotland, vol. i. page . [ ] registrum secreti concilii regum scotorum, acta - , page ; h. m. general register house, edinburgh. [ ] the grant is made to william seton and agnes black, or the longest liver of the two, during all the days of their lives. [ ] register of the privy seal of scotland, vol. i. - , pp. , ; h. m. general register house, edinburgh. [ ] one scots shilling was about that time equal to one penny sterling. [ ] ordinance of the privy council, passed th january . the ordinance says--"the lords of his majesty's privy council having considered a petition presented to them by robert mein, keeper of the letter office at edinburgh, with concourse and consent of patrick grahame of inchbrakie, postmaster-general, and diverse noblemen, gentlemen, merchants, traders, and others inhabiting in and about the northern shires of this kingdom, desyring for the advancement of trade correspondence and convenience of the king's subjects, that foot posts might be erected for carrying and recarrying of letters upon the northern road betwixt edinburgh and inverness, at such reasonable rates and pryces as the council should think fit.... the said lords find the desyr of the said petition reasonable, and much importing the benefite and conveniency of his majesty's leidges in these northern parts, and therefore doe hereby grant full power and commission to the said robert mein to erect and settle constant foot posts upon the said road." registrum secreti concilii regum scotorum, acta - , pp. , . h. m. general register house, edinburgh. [ ] m'culloch's commercial dictionary, article "roads." a scotch merk was about that time equal to s. ½d. sterling. [ ] privy council record. [ ] scottish acts of william iii. vol. i. sess. , cap. . [ ] old statistical account of scotland, vol. vii. p. . [ ] exchequer roll in h. m. register house, edinburgh. [ ] chamberlain's "state of great britain, ," page . [ ] act of anne, parl. ix. cap. . [ ] "caledonia," by george chalmers, vol. iii. p. . [ ] author of "diplomata et numismata scotiæ," "collections relating to the history of queen mary of scotland," &c. [ ] from the account, "for the month of august , of james wemyss, principal clerk, g.p.o., edinburgh." anderson's ms. papers. [ ] in this letter, the postmaster of inverness informs the postmaster-general, that on "tuesday morning" the "laird of mackintosh, with a body of four or five hundred men," entered the town of inverness, and having placed sentries at the doors of several of the magistrates and inhabitants, mackintosh of borlum proclaimed the pretender at the cross; and then the rebels, after seizing a sum of public money and some lead, retired "without doing further wrong." the carrying away of this money appears to have put some of the public authorities of inverness in a "straite" for "want of money." the postmaster on that account advanced six pounds, and apologized to the postmaster-general for making this use of the post office money without orders. [ ] "anderson, ms. papers," advocates' library, edinburgh. [ ] arnott's "history of edinburgh," page . [ ] "state of scotland, ," page . [ ] "scots almanac, ." [ ] arnott's "history of edinburgh," page . [ ] m'culloch's com. dic. article--"roads." in the ten years that followed , there were successive turnpike acts passed for edinburghshire, for lanarkshire, and various ways that are connected with edinburgh and glasgow. in , parliament gave £ towards building the bridges across the tweed at coldstream, making the subservient roads, and afterwards £ for making a road from ballantrae to stranraer, in order to facilitate the passage to ireland. in , the parliament began to make annual grants of £ , for repairing the new roads and building bridges in the highlands--"caledonia," by chalmers, vol. i. p. . [ ] the postmaster of falkirk, writing to the postmaster-general at the time mr. anderson held that office, says--"the carriers carry more letters than the post," and gives a list of carrier's names, and recommends that their horses be seized. anderson, ms. papers. [ ] arnott's "history of edinburgh," page . [ ] "scots almanac, ." [ ] chambers's gazetteer. [ ] george iii. cap. , . [ ] scots almanac, . [ ] m'culloch's com. dict. article "roads." [ ] scots almanac, . [ ] notice of removal of post office, edinburgh, in "scots courant, april ." [ ] chambers's "traditions of edinburgh." transcriber's notes: ( ) obvious spelling, punctuation, and typographical errors have been corrected. ( ) italic text is denoted by _underscores_. ( ) table v in the appendix has been split into two parts (scotland and ireland), in view of its page width. ____________________________________________ the history of the british post office by j. c. hemmeon, ph.d. _published from the income of the william h. baldwin, jr., , fund_ [illustration] cambridge harvard university copyright, , by the president and fellows of harvard college all rights reserved _published january _ preface in justice to those principles which influenced the policy of the post office before the introduction of penny postage, it is perhaps unnecessary to call attention to the fact that no opinion as to their desirability or otherwise is justifiable which does not take into consideration the conditions and prejudices which then prevailed. some of the earlier writers on the post office have made the mistake of condemning everything which has not satisfied the measure of their own particular rule. if there is anything that the historical treatment of a subject teaches the investigator it is an appreciation of the fact that different conditions call for different methods of treatment. for example, the introduction of cheap postage was possibly delayed too long. but during the era of high postal rates a large net revenue was of primary importance, nor were those conditions present which would have made low rates a success. the consideration of such debatable subjects as the telegraph system of the postal department and the department's attitude toward the telephone companies, as well as the intention of the post office to acquire the business of the latter, must necessarily give rise to controversy. thanks to the magnificent net revenue obtained from letters in the united kingdom the department has been able to lose a good deal of money by the extension of its activities into the realm of affairs not purely postal. possibly a _democratic_ type of government should, from the financial point of view, interfere least in the direct management of economic institutions, on account of the pressure which can easily be brought to bear upon it for the extension of such institutions on other than economic grounds. if non-economic principles are to be substituted in justifying the initiation or increase of government ownership, a popular form of government seems the least suitable for the presentation of such as shall be fair to all concerned, not to mention the difficult problem of dealing with those members of the civil service who do not hesitate to make use of their political power to enforce their demands upon the government. in the treatment of a subject so complex as the history of the british post office it is not easy to decide how far its presentation should be strictly chronological or how far it should be mounted in "longitudinal sections," exposing its most salient features. both methods have their advantages and their disadvantages. in order to obtain what is useful in both, i have described chronologically in the first four chapters the progress of the post office, while in the remaining chapters i have examined separately some of the more important aspects of postal development. but i am aware that by this compromise i have not entirely escaped the dangers of abrupt transitions from subject to subject and of the accumulation of dry details. i can only plead in extenuation, in the first place the nature of my subject, an institution with a long and varied history, characterized by the steady extension of its field of activity, and in the second place my desire to make my study as thorough as possible, even at the risk of some sacrifice of unity and interest of treatment. the material for this sketch has been obtained from the harvard university library, the boston public library, and the canadian parliamentary library. work was also done in the library of the british museum. i wish to acknowledge the help i have received from the advice and criticism of professor gay, under whose supervision the larger part of this history was prepared. j. c. hemmeon. contents chapter i the postal establishment supported directly by the state--prior to methods of postal communication in vogue before the establishment of the post office. the first postmaster-general and his duties. alternative systems. the posts in elizabeth's reign. appointment of a foreign postmaster-general. rivalry between the two postmasters-general. witherings as foreign postmaster-general. chapter ii the postal establishment a source of revenue to the state-- - condition of the postal establishment at the beginning of the seventeenth century. witherings' project adopted. disturbance produced in the post office by the struggle between the two houses of parliament. rival claimants for the office of postmaster-general. the civil war and its effects upon the post office. the post office during the commonwealth. farming of the post office. complaints about the delivery of letters after the restoration. condition of the postal establishment at the close of the seventeenth century. dockwra's london penny post. extension of the foreign postal service. conditions in ireland, scotland, and the american colonies. chapter iii the postal establishment an instrument of taxation-- - the post office act of . the post office as a whole ceases to be farmed. allen undertakes the farm of the bye and cross posts. improvements in postal communications during the first half of the eighteenth century. controversy over the delivery of letters. competition from post coaches. establishment of mail coaches by palmer. abuses in the post office and their reform. opening and detention of letters. franking of newspapers in certain cases and other privileges abolished. the newspaper and dead letter offices. registration of letters. money order office. changes in the london penny post. consolidation of different branches of the post office in london. dublin and edinburgh penny posts. question of sunday posts. conditions under which mail coaches were supplied. conveyance of mails by railways. condition of the postal establishment during the first half of the nineteenth century. irish post office and postal rates. scotch post office. sir rowland hill's plan. investigation of postal affairs by a committee. report of committee. adoption of inland penny postage. chapter iv the postal establishment an instrument of popular communication--since reductions in rates of postage, inland, colonial and foreign; and resultant increase in postal matter. insurance and registration of letters. failure of attempt to introduce compulsory prepayment of postage. perforated postage stamps. free and guaranteed delivery of letters in rural districts. express or special delivery of letters. newspaper postage rates. book or halfpenny post. pattern and sample post. use of postcards. parcel post. question of "cash on delivery." postal notes. their effect upon the number of money orders. savings banks. assurance and annuity privileges. reform in these offices by mr. fawcett. methods of conveyance of the mails. condition of postal employees. sunday labour. dissatisfaction of employees with committee of . mr. fawcett's reforms in and . mr. raikes' concessions in , , and . appointment of tweedmouth committee in gives little satisfaction to the men. appointment of a departmental committee. grievances of the men. report of committee accepted only in part by the postmaster-general. continued demand of the men for a select committee. concessions granted to the men by mr. buxton, the postmaster-general. select committee appointed. their report adopted by mr. buxton. continued dissatisfaction among the men. chapter v the travellers' post and post horses horses provided by the postmasters. complaints concerning the letting of horses. monopoly in letting horses granted to the postmasters. reforms during witherings' administration. fees charged. postmasters' monopoly abridged. licences required and duties levied. these duties let out to farm. licences and fees re-adjusted. chapter vi roads and speed post roads in the sixteenth century. speed at which mails were carried in the sixteenth century. abuses during first part of the seventeenth century. new roads opened. roads in ireland and scotland. first cross post road established in . improvement in speed. delays in connection with irish packet boats. increased speed obtained from use of railways. chapter vii sailing packets and foreign connections establishment of first regular sailing packets. sailing packets in the seventeenth century. difficulty with the irish office. postal communications with the continent during the sixteenth century. witherings improves the foreign service. agreements with foreign postmasters-general. expressions of dissatisfaction. treaties with france. king william's interest in the harwich sailing packets. effect of the war with france. postal communications with france improved. dummer's west indian packet boats. other lines. increase in number of sailing packets. steam packets introduced by the post office. they are badly managed and prove a financial loss. report against government ownership of the steam packets. ship letter money. question of carriage of goods. trouble with custom's department adjusted. methods of furnishing supplies for the packet boats. abuses in the sailing packet service reformed. expenses. sailing packets transferred to the admiralty. committee reports against principle of government ownership of packet boats and payment of excessive sums to contractors. abandonment of principle of government ownership. general view of packet services in existence at middle of the nineteenth century. contracts with steamship companies. controversy with the companies. general view of the packet service in with principles adopted in concluding contracts. expenses of sailing packets. chapter viii rates and finance foreign rates, . first inland rates, . rates prescribed by council of state, . rates collected by the farmers of the posts. first rates established by act of parliament, . slightly amended, . separate rates for scotland, . scotch rates, . rates to and within jamaica. in american colonies, . increased rates, inland, colonial and foreign, . controversy over rates on enclosures. slight reductions in rates, . increases in , , . in ireland, . for united kingdom a further increase, . culminating point of high rates, . changes in irish rates, , , . rates on "ships' letters," . irish rates to be collected in british currency, . reduction in rates between england and france, . consolidating act of . rates by contractors' packet boats, . rates charged according to weight in certain cases, . inland penny postage adopted and basis of rate-charging changed to weight, . franking privilege, . abused. attempt to curtail the use of franks only partially successful. curtailment so far as members of parliament are concerned. estimated loss from franking. enquiry into question of franking. further attempts to control the abuse prove fruitless. extension of franking privilege especially on newspapers. abolition of franking privilege, . reductions in letter, newspaper, and book post rates. re-directed letter and registration fees. inland parcel post established. postcards introduced. concessions of and jubilee concessions. foreign and colonial rates reduced. reductions in money order and postal note rates. telegraph money order rates. finances of the post office before the seventeenth century. from beginning of seventeenth century to witherings' reforms. from to . during the remainder of the eighteenth century. finances of scotch and irish posts. of the london penny post. from bye and cross post letters. finances of the post office from the beginning of the nineteenth century to . since the introduction of inland penny postage. chapter ix the question of monopoly rival methods available for the conveyance of letters. government's monopolistic proclamation the result of an attempt to discover treasonable correspondence. competition diminishes under witherings' efficient management. house of commons declares itself favourable to competition. changes its attitude when in control of the posts. monopoly of government enforced more rigorously. carriers' posts largely curtailed. london's illegal half-penny post. attempts to evade the payment of postage very numerous during the first half of the nineteenth century. different methods of evasion outlined. chapter x the telegraph system as a branch of the postal department the telegraph companies under private management. proposals for government ownership and mr. scudamore's report. conditions under which the telegraph companies were acquired. public telegraph business of the railways. cost of acquisition. rates charged by the government. reduction in rates in . guarantee obligations reduced. underground lines constructed. telegraphic relations with the continent. position of the government with reference to the wireless telegraph companies. attempts to place the government telegraphs on a paying basis do not prove a success. financial aspect of the question. reasons given for the lack of financial success. chapter xi the post office and the telephone companies telephones introduced into england. judicial decision in favour of the department. restricted licences granted the companies. feeble attempt on the part of the department to establish exchanges. difficulties encountered by the companies. popular discontent with the policy of the department leads to granting of unrestricted licences. way-leave difficulties restrict efficiency of the companies. agreement with national telephone company and acquisition of the trunk lines by the department. demand for competition from some municipalities leads to granting of licences to a few cities and towns. the department itself establishes a competing exchange in london. history of the exchanges owned and operated by the municipalities. struggle between the london county council and the company's exchange in london. relation between the company's and the department's london exchanges. agreement with the company for the purchase of its exchanges in . financial aspect of the department's system. chapter xii conclusion appendix expenditure and revenue tables bibliography index table of abbreviations acc. & p. accounts and papers. a. p. c. acts of the privy council. add. additional. cal. b. p. calendar of border papers. cal. s. p. calendar of state papers. a. & w. i., col., d., for., and ire., added to cal. s. p., indicate respectively to the america and west indies, colonial, domestic, foreign, and ireland sections of this series. cal. t. b. calendar of treasury books. cal. t. p. calendar of treasury papers. cal. t. b. & p. calendar of treasury books and papers. d. n. b. dictionary national biography. fin. rep., . finance reports - . hist. mss. com. royal commission on historical manuscripts. jo. h. c. journals of the house of commons. jo. h. l. journals of the house of lords. joyce. joyce, h. the history of the post office to . l. & p. hen. viii. letters and papers, foreign and domestic, henry viii. parl. deb. hansard, parliamentary debates. parl. papers. parliamentary papers. p. & o. p. c. proceedings and ordinances of the privy council. rep. commrs. reports from commissioners. rep. com. reports from committees. rep. p. g. reports of the postmasters-general. scobell, collect. scobell, h. a collection of acts and ordinances made in the parliament held nov., to sept., . the history of the british post office chapter i the postal establishment supported directly by the state the history of the british post office starts with the beginning of the sixteenth century. long before this, however, a system of communication had been established both for the personal use of the king and for the conveyance of official letters and documents. these continued to be the principal functions of the royal posts until well on in the seventeenth century. before the sixteenth century, postal communications were carried on by royal messengers. these messengers either received stated wages or were paid according to the length of the journeys they made. we find them mentioned as early as the reign of king john under the name of _nuncii_ or _cursores_; and payments to them form a large item in the household and wardrobe accounts of the king as early as these accounts exist.[ ] they travelled the whole of the journey themselves and delivered their letters personally to the people to whom they were directed. a somewhat different style of postal service, a precursor of the modern method, was inaugurated by the fourth edward. during the war with scotland he found himself in need of a speedier and better system of communication between the seat of war and the seat of government. he accomplished this by placing horses at intervals of twenty miles along the great road between england and scotland. by so doing his messengers were able to take up fresh horses along the way and his despatches were carried at the rate of a hundred miles a day.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. . [ ] _notes and queries_, st series, iii, p. . from an early period private letters were conveyed by carriers and travellers both within the kingdom and between it and the continent. the paston letters,[ ] containing the correspondence of the different members of the paston family, throw some light upon the manner in which letters were conveyed during the latter half of the fifteenth century. judging from such references as we find in the letters themselves, they were generally carried by a servant,[ ] a messenger,[ ] or a friend.[ ] the later letters of this series, written towards the close of the fifteenth century, show that regular messengers and carriers, who carried letters and parcels, travelled between london and norwich and other parts of norfolk.[ ] from the fourteenth century down, we have instances of writs being issued to mayors, sheriffs, and bailiffs for the apprehension and examination of travellers, who were suspected of conveying treasonable correspondence between england and the continent.[ ] for the most part these letters were carried by servants, messengers, and merchants.[ ] [ ] these letters were sent principally between london and different places in norfolk. [ ] _the paston letters_, ed. j. gairdner, , nos. , , , , , , . [ ] _ibid._, nos. , , , . [ ] _ibid._, nos. , . [ ] _ibid._, nos. , , . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cely papers_, ed. h. e. malden, , nos. , , , , , . sir brian tuke is the first english postmaster-general of whom we have any record. the king's "book of payments" for the year contains an order for the payment of £ to sir brian for his use as master of the posts.[ ] as the king's appointed postmaster, he received a salary of £ _s._ _d._[ ] he named the postmen, or deputy postmasters as they were called later, and he was held responsible for the performance of their duties.[ ] all letters carried by the royal postmen were delivered to him, and after being sorted by him personally were carried to their destination by the court messengers.[ ] the wages of the postmen varied from _s._ to _s._ a day according to the number of horses provided, and they were paid by the postmaster-general, who had authority to make all payments to those regularly employed.[ ] if messages or letters were sent by special messengers, their payment entailed additional expense upon the state and the use of such messengers, when regular postmen were available, was strongly discouraged.[ ] [ ] _l. & p. hen. viii_, ii, pt. , p. . [ ] _rep. com._ , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _ibid._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _l. & p. hen. viii_, - , ; _ibid._, - , , ; _ibid._, - , . [ ] _a. p. c._, - , p. . [ ] _l. & p. hen. viii_, , p. . in addition to his other duties sir brian was supposed to have a general supervision over the horses used for the conveyance of letters and of travellers riding on affairs of state. of course on the regular roads there were always horses in readiness, provided by the postmen. where there were no regular post roads, the townships were supposed to provide the necessary horses, and it was part of the postmaster-general's duties to see that the townships were kept up to the mark.[ ] it was largely on account of the fact that the same horses were used for conveying travellers and mails that the systems of postal and personal communication were so closely interwoven as well in england as in continental countries.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). _a. p. c._, - , p. . [ ] a. de rothschild, _histoire de la poste aux lettres_, paris, , pp. - , - . the postmen along the old established routes and on the routes temporarily established for some definite purpose received a fixed daily wage. these men were called the ordinary posts.[ ] if, however, letters should arrive in dover after the ordinary post had left for london, they were generally sent on at once by a messenger hired for the occasion only. he was called a special post and was paid only for the work which he actually performed.[ ] those regular posts, who carried the royal and state letters between london and the place where the court might be, were called "court posts."[ ] during the sovereign's tours, posts were always stationed between him and london to carry his and the state's letters backward and forward. these were called extraordinary posts and received regular wages while so employed.[ ] in addition there were always messengers employed to carry important despatches to foreign sovereigns. these received no fixed wages, but were paid according to the distance travelled and the expenses incurred on the road.[ ] [ ] _l. & p. hen. viii_, xiii, ; _a. p. c._, - , pp. , , , , . [ ] _l. & p. hen. viii_, x, , ; xvi, , , ; _p. & o. p. c._, vii, p. ; _a. p. c._, - , pp. , , , , , . [ ] _l. & p. hen. viii_, xvi, p. ; _p. & o. p. c._, vii, p. ; _a. p. c._, - , p. . [ ] _l. & p. hen. viii_, xi, ; _a. p. c._, - , p. ; _ibid._, , pp. , ; _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , , . [ ] _a.p.c._, - , pp. , , , , , , . apart from his regular duties as outlined above, the postmaster-general had little initiative power. he could not on his own responsibility order new posts to be laid. such decisions always originated with the king or the council and tuke simply executed their orders.[ ] any increase in the wages of the posts also required the consent of the king or council.[ ] [ ] _l. & p. hen. vii_, xvi, ; _a.p.c._ - , pp. , . [ ] _a.p.c._, - , pp. , , . for instance, in the council issued orders to increase the wages of the london-berwick posts from _d._ to _d._ and eventually to _d._ a day; but as soon as their work had again become normal, their wages were reduced to the old rate. during the sixteenth century there were three ways to send letters between england and the continent: by the royal post, the foreigners' post, and the merchant adventurers' post, apart from such opportunities as occasional travellers and messengers offered. the royal posts were presumed to carry only state letters, and consequently the conveyance of a large part of the private letters fell to the other two. owing to industrial and later to religious motives there had been a large emigration of foreigners from the continent to england. edward iii had induced many flemings to leave their native country in the middle of the fourteenth century.[ ] froude says, probably with exaggeration, that in there were , flemings in london alone.[ ] in the fifteenth century many italian artisans came over to reside but not to settle.[ ] they were a thrifty people, who did much to place the industrial life of england on a better footing, and were probably more intelligent and better educated than the majority of the english artisans among whom they settled. it seems therefore only natural that they should seek to establish a better system of communication between their adopted and native countries. their business relations with the cloth markets of the continental cities made necessary a better and speedier postal system than was afforded by the royal posts. in addition to this, it was only by act of grace that private letters were carried by tuke's postmen. in the opening year of the sixteenth century, by permission of the state, the foreign merchants in london established a system of posts of their own between the english capital and the continent. this was called the "foreign or strangers' post," and was managed by a postmaster-general, nominated by the italians, spanish, and dutch and confirmed by the council.[ ] these posts were used largely by the english merchants in spite of considerable dissatisfaction on account of the poor service afforded and on political grounds. their grievances were detailed in a petition to the privy council. they considered it unprecedented that so important a service as the carriage of letters should be in the hands of men who owed no allegiance to the king. such a procedure was unheard of in any of the continental countries. "what check could there be over treasonable correspondence while the carriage of letters continued to be in the hands of foreigners and most of them dutchmen?" in addition they were not treated so well as were their fellow merchants of foreign allegiance. their letters were often retained for several days at a time, while all others were delivered as soon as they arrived. the foreign ambassadors could not complain if a change were made, for most of their correspondence was carried on by special messengers.[ ] the "strangers' post" seems to have come to an end after the proclamation of was issued, forbidding any but the royal posts from carrying letters to and from foreign countries.[ ] [ ] w. cunningham, _growth of english industry and commerce_, , i, pp. - . [ ] j. a. froude, _history of england_, , i, p. . [ ] cunningham, i, p. . [ ] stow, _london_, , bk. v, p. . _cal. s.p.d._, - , pp. , , . there was considerable rivalry between them concerning those nominated for postmaster-general. see _cal. s.p.d._, - , pp. , . [ ] stow, _london_, bk. v, p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). sir brian tuke died in and was succeeded by sir john mason and mr. paget, who acted as joint postmasters-general. mr. paget was the sleeping partner, and what little was done was by mason.[ ] they were succeeded in by thomas randolph.[ ] he was occasionally sent as special ambassador to france and during his absence gascoyne, a former court post, performed his duties. from sir brian's death until the end of elizabeth's reign was a period of little advance in postal matters. the regular posts, and it is with them that our chief interest lies, appear to have fallen into disuse. the payments for special messengers are much larger than they had been during henry's reign. in , a warrant was issued empowering sir john mason to pay £ to the special messengers used during the summer. if anything was left, he was instructed to use it in paying arrears due the ordinary posts.[ ] elizabeth is generally credited with being economical to the extreme of parsimony so far as state expenses were concerned. however this may be, she is responsible for an order to discharge all the regular posts unless they would serve for half of their old wages.[ ] the postmen did not receive their wages at all regularly. randolph was accused by the governor of berwick of withholding all of their first year's wages, of receiving every year thereafter a percentage of their salaries, and of demanding certain fees from them, all for his personal use. the governor considered that randolph's extortions were largely the cause of the general inefficiency in the posts,[ ] but the accusation may have been due to personal grudge. at any rate one measure of postal reform may be credited to randolph. in , orders were issued to all the london-berwick posts to the following effect. every post on the arrival of letters to or from the queen or council was to fasten a label to the packet. on this label he was to write the day and hour when the packet came into his hands and he was to make the same entry in a book kept for the purpose. he was also to keep two or three good horses in his stable for the speedier conveyance of such packets.[ ] [ ] _a. p. c._, - , p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _ibid._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _a. p. c._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. b. p._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, _add._, - , pp. - . in , john lord stanhope was appointed postmaster-general by order of the queen. the office was given to him for his life and then was to go to his son for his son's life.[ ] both the stanhopes were men of action, but they looked upon their position rather as a means of enriching themselves than as a trust for the good of the state. they proved a stumbling block to the advancement of better men and it was not for sixty years that they were finally swept away to make room for men of greater ability. in , the elder stanhope was succeeded by his son charles according to the terms of the original patent.[ ] it had been the custom for the postmasters-general to demand fees and percentages from their appointees. so lucrative were many of their positions from the monopoly in letting horses and the receipts from private letters that many applicants were willing to pay for appointments as deputy postmasters. the ordinary payments when lord charles was at the head of the posts amounted to s. in the pound as poundage and a fee of £ from each man. these payments were considered so exorbitant that the council ordered them to be reduced.[ ] one, hutchins, entered the lists as the champion of the postmasters. he himself was one of them and acted as their solicitor in the contest. stanhope was glad to compound the case by the payment of £ . hutchins gave the council so much trouble that they gave orders that "turbulent hutchins" should cease to act as the postmasters' solicitor and leave them in peace.[ ] his object, however, seems to have been accomplished so far as stanhope was concerned. the struggle with the paymasters of the posts was not so successful, for, supported by a report of the treasurer, they continued to receive their shilling in the pound.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , . [ ] _ibid._, pp. , . a postmaster's salary at this time was about _s._ a day. (_ibid._, - , p. .) [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. , , . [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. - . by a privy council proclamation issued in , all posts receiving a daily fee were required to have two leather bags, lined with "bayes" or cotton, and the post himself was to sound a horn whenever he met any one on the road or four times in every mile. the packet of letters was not to be delayed more than fifteen minutes and was to be carried at a rate of seven miles an hour in summer and five in winter. the time at which it was delivered into a post's hands and the names and addresses of the people by whom and to whom it was sent were to be entered in a book kept for the purpose. all posts and their servants were exempted from being "pressed" and from attendance at assizes, sessions, inquests, and musters.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). it is doubtful how far the postmasters were held responsible for the delivery of letters to the persons to whom they were addressed. this did not become a burning question, however, until after the recognition of the fact that the letters of private individuals should receive as good treatment at the hands of the postmen as the letters of the state officials. lord stanhope in issued an order to the justices of the peace in southwark to aid the postmaster of that place in the delivery of letters within six miles.[ ] this was followed two years later by a general order to establish two or three foot-posts in every parish for the conveyance of letters.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._ , app., pt. , p. . during the early part of the seventeenth century, stanhope had employed a foreigner, de quester, as one of the king's posts "beyond seas." he commended himself to the notice of his superiors by his promptitude in dealing with the foreign letters.[ ] in james appointed him postmaster-general for "foreign parts" and henceforth he was his own master.[ ] this was followed four years later by a formal proclamation, confirming to de quester and his son the position already granted to the father.[ ] he was to have the sole monopoly of carrying foreign letters and was to appoint the necessary officials. all persons were formally prohibited from entrenching upon the privileges granted him in . from this time until , the foreign and inland posts were under separate management and the accounts were kept separate until long after the latter date. stanhope was unwilling to submit to the curtailment of his profits, which necessarily followed the appointment of de quester. there was much to be said for stanhope's contention that the patent of was illegal for, ever since there had been a postmaster-general, his duties had extended to the foreign as well as to the inland office. the question was referred to a committee, composed of the lord chamberlain, one of the secretaries of state and the attorney-general, who decided that stanhope's patent extended only to the inland office.[ ] the whole question was finally brought before the court of king's bench, which decided the case in favour of stanhope.[ ] this was in , but de quester seems to have paid no attention to the decision for it is certain that he continued to act as foreign postmaster until [ ] and in he resigned his patent to frizell and witherings. it can be imagined what must have been the chaotic condition of the foreign post while this struggle was going on. the merchant adventurers established posts of their own between london and the continent under billingsley. the council issued the most perplexing orders. first they forbade billingsley from having anything to do with foreign letters.[ ] then they decided that the adventurers might establish posts of their own and choose a postmaster.[ ] then they extended the same privilege to all merchants. next this was withdrawn and the adventurers were allowed to send letters only to antwerp, delft and hamburg or wherever the staple of cloth might be.[ ] these orders do not seem to have been passed in full council for, in , secretary coke in writing to secretary conway said that "billingsley, a broker by trade, strives to draw over to the merchants that power over foreign letters which in all states is a branch of royal authority. the merchant's purse has swayed much in other matters but he has never heard that it encroached upon the king's prerogative until now." he adds "i confess it troubleth me to see the audacity of men in these times and especially that billingsley." he enclosed a copy of an order "made at a full council and under the broad seal," which in effect was a supersedeas of the place which de quester enjoyed.[ ] when de quester resigned in favour of frizell and witherings, the resignation and new appointments were confirmed by the king.[ ] of these men witherings was far the abler. he had a plan in view, which was eventually to place the foreign and inland systems on a basis unchanged until the time of penny postage. in the meantime he had to overcome the prejudices of the king and get rid of frizell. in order to raise money for the promotion of his plan, witherings mortgaged his place. capital was obtained from the earl of arundel and others through john hall, who held the mortgage. the king heard of this and ordered the office to be sequestered to his old servant de quester and commanded hall to make over his interest to the same person.[ ] there were now three claimants for the place, frizell, witherings, and de quester. frizell rushed off to court, where he offered to pay off his part of the mortgage and asked to have sole charge of the foreign post. "witherings," he said, "proposes to take charge of all packets of state if he may have the office, but being a home-bred shopkeeper, without languages, tainted of delinquency and in dislike with the foreign correspondents, he is no fit person to carry a trust of such secrecy and importance."[ ] coke knew better than this, however, and through his influence witherings, who had in the meantime paid off the mortgage and satisfied frizell's interest, was made sole postmaster-general for foreign parts.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _ibid._, , xiv, app., p. ( ); _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; hist. mss. com., _rep._ , app. , p. ; _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; - , pp. , , ; - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , , , , , , , , , , . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _ibid._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , , , . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; - , p. . with witherings' advent a new period of english postal history begins. his dominant idea was to make the posts self-supporting and no longer a charge to the state. it had been established as a service for the royal household and continued as an official necessity. the letters of private individuals had been carried by its messengers but the state had derived no revenue for their conveyance. the convenient activity of other agencies for the carriage of private letters was not only tolerated but officially recognized. the change to a revenue-paying basis tended naturally to emphasize the monopolistic character of the government service.[ ] [ ] see chapter ix. chapter ii the postal establishment a source of revenue to the state - for some time there had been dissatisfaction with the services rendered by the inland posts. it was said that letters would arrive sooner from spain and italy than from remote parts of the kingdom of england.[ ] the only alternative was to send them by express and this was not only expensive but was not looked upon with favour by the postmaster-general. the five great roads from london to edinburgh, holyhead, bristol, plymouth, and dover were in operation. from the edinburgh road there were branches to york and carlisle, from the dover road to margate, gravesend, and sandwich, and from the plymouth road to falmouth, but the posts were slow and the rates for private letters uncertain.[ ] in , a project was advanced for the new arrangement of the post office. the plan was not entirely theoretical, for an attempt was made to show that it would prove a financial success. there were about market towns in england. it was considered that each of these would send letters a week to london and as many answers would be returned. at _d._ a day for each letter, this would amount to £ a week. the charge for conveyance was estimated at £ a week, leaving a weekly profit of £ , from which £ a year for the conveyance of state letters and despatches must be deducted. letters on the northern road were to pay _d._ for a single and _d._ for a double letter, to yorkshire and northumberland _d._, and to scotland _d._ a letter. the postmasters in the country were not to take any charge for a letter except one penny for carriage to the next market town.[ ] it is probable that this project originated with witherings. at any rate it resembles closely the plan which was introduced by him two years later. he had already reformed the foreign post by appointing "stafetti" from london to dover and through france and they had proved so efficient as to disarm the opposition even of the london merchants. his name is without doubt the most distinguished in the annals of the british post office. convinced that the carriage of private letters must be placed upon a secure footing, he laid the foundation for the system of postal rates and regulations, which continued to the time of national penny postage. he introduced the first legal provision for the carriage of private letters at fixed rates, greatly increased the speed of the posts, and above all made the post office a financial success. in order to do this he saw that the proceeds from private letters must go to the state and not to the deputy postmasters. [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . a single letter consisted of one sheet of paper, a double letter of two, and a triple letter of three sheets. his plan was entitled "a proposition for settling of stafetti or pacquet posts betwixt london and all parts of his majesty's dominions. the profits to go to pay the postmasters, who now are paid by his majesty at a cost of £ per annum." a general office or counting house was to be established in london for the reception of all letters coming to or leaving the capital. letters leaving london on each of the great roads were to be enclosed in a leather "portmantle" and left at the post-towns on the way. letters for any of the towns off the great roads were to be placed in smaller leather bags to be carried in the large portmantle. these leather bags were to be left at the post-towns nearest the country towns to which they were directed. they were then to be carried to their destination by foot-posts to a distance of six or eight miles and for each letter these foot-posts were to charge d., the same price that was charged by the country carriers. at the same time that the foot-posts delivered their letters, they were to collect letters to be sent to london and carry them back to the post-town from which they had started and there meet the portmantle on its way back from edinburgh or bristol or wherever the terminus of the road might be. the speed of the posts was to be at least miles in twenty-four hours and they were to travel day and night. he concludes his proposition by saying that no harm would result to stanhope by his plan "for neither lord stanhope nor anie other, that ever enjoyed the postmaster's place of england, had any benefit of the carrying and re-carrying of the subjects' letters."[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, xiv, app., p. ( ). _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . letters were to be carried to and from important places at some distance from the main roads by post-horses. see _cal. s. p. d._, above. the question now was, who was to see that these reforms were carried out? stanhope was not the man for so important and revolutionary an undertaking. witherings alone, the author of the proposition, should carry it into effect. sir john coke made no mistake in constituting himself the friend of the postal reformer. witherings was already foreign postmaster-general and in he was charged with the reformation of the inland office on the basis of his projected scheme. in the inland and foreign offices were again united when he was made foreign and inland postmaster-general.[ ] his experiment was tried on the northern road first and was exceedingly successful. letters were sent to edinburgh and answers returned in six days. on the northern road bye-posts were established to lincoln, hull and other places.[ ] orders were given to extend the same arrangement to the other great roads, and by his reform was in full and profitable operation. [ ] _rep. com._, xiv, p. ; app., p. ( ); _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . witherings still continued to sell the positions of the postmasters, if we are to trust the complaints of non-successful applicants. one man said that he offered £ for a position but witherings sold it to another for £ .[ ] the postmaster at ferrybridge asserted that he had paid stanhope £ and witherings £ and yet now fears that he will be ousted. complaints of a reduction in wages were also made, and this was a serious matter, since the postmasters no longer obtained anything from private letters.[ ] the old complaint, however, of failure to pay wages at all is not heard under witherings' administration. he was punctual in his payments and held his employees to equally rigid account. their arrears were not excused.[ ] an absentee postmaster, who hired deputies to perform his duties, was dismissed.[ ] his ambition to establish a self-supporting postal system demanded rigid economy and strict administration, and with the then prevailing laxity of administrative methods, this was no mean achievement. from one occasional practice of the post office, that of tampering with private letters, he cannot perhaps wholly be absolved. it is hinted that he may have been guilty of opening letters, but the suggestion follows that this may have happened before they reached england, for the letters so opened were from abroad.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. , , . [ ] _cal. s.p.d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . as early as persons were not allowed to have letters back when once posted. (_ibid._, , p. .) in june of , coke and windebank, the two secretaries of state, were appointed postmasters-general for their lives. the surviving one was to surrender his office to the king, who would then grant it to the secretaries for the time being.[ ] it does not appear that witherings was altogether dismissed from the service, for his name continued to appear in connection with postal affairs.[ ] windebank later urged as reasons for the withdrawal of witherings' patent, that he was not a sworn officer, that there was a suspicion that his patent had been obtained surreptitiously, and that the continental postmasters disdained to correspond with a man of his low birth. he concludes by saying that something may be given him, but that he is said to be worth £ a year in land and to have enriched himself from his position.[ ] at the time of his removal, in june, , the london merchants petitioned for his continuance in office, as he had always given them satisfaction. when they heard who had been appointed in his stead, like loyal and fearful subjects, they hastened to add that they thought someone else was trying for the position but they had no doubt that it would be managed best by the secretaries.[ ] if they thought so they were mistaken, for the commander of the english army against scotland found that his letters were opened,[ ] the lord high admiral complained that his were delayed,[ ] and windebank promised an unknown correspondent that the delay in his letters should be seen to at once and witherings was the agent chosen for the investigation.[ ] this, however, was not the worst, for only a month after witherings had been degraded, orders were issued to the postmasters that no packets or letters were to be sent by post but such as should be directed "for his majesty's special affairs" and were subscribed by certain officials connected with the government.[ ] it is fair to add that this check on private correspondence may have been a protective measure induced by the unsettled state of the kingdom. [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; _rep. com._, xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cal. s.p.d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._ , app., pt. , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . in both the inland and foreign offices were sequestered into the hands of philip burlamachi, a wealthy london merchant who had lent money to the king. no reasons were given except that information had been received "of divers abuses and misdemeanours committed by thomas witherings."[ ] stanhope, who had resigned his patent in , now came forward claiming that his resignation had been unfairly obtained by the council, and at the same time he presented his bill for £ , the arrears in his salary for nineteen years.[ ] in reply to his demand it was said that shortly before he resigned he had assigned his rights in the post office to the porters, father and son. the attorney-general gave his opinion that whatever rights stanhope and the porters had, they certainly had no claim to the proceeds from the carriage of private letters.[ ] stanhope had offered to enter an appearance in a suit brought against him by the porters but now he refused to do so.[ ] windebank was also looking out for money due to him while coke and he were postmasters-general.[ ] the state had indeed entered upon troublous times and it was every man for himself before it was too late. [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _ibid._, , xiv, app., p. ( ); _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._ , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . as long as witherings had enjoyed the king's favour, the house of commons had looked upon him with suspicion. they had ordered in "that a sub-committee of the committee of grievances should be made a house committee to consider abuses in the inland posts, to take into consideration the rates for letters and packets together with the abuses of witherings and the rest of the postmasters."[ ] as soon as witherings was finally dismissed, the commons took him up and resolutions were passed that the sequestration was illegal and ought to be repealed, that the proclamation for ousting him from his position ought not to be put into execution, and that he ought to be restored to his old position and be paid the mean profits which had been received since his nominal dismissal.[ ] protected by the authority of the house of commons, witherings continued to act as postmaster-general.[ ] windebank, in paris, was trying to collect evidence against him through frizell, who, he said, had been forced out of his position by witherings and coke.[ ] coke himself was in disgrace and could do nothing. parliament was now supreme. witherings was ordered to send to a committee of the lords, acting with sir henry vane, all letters coming into or going out of the kingdom for examination and search. frequent orders to the same effect followed during the turbulent summer and autumn of .[ ] among other letters opened were those of the venetian ambassador in england. he was so indignant that a committee of the lords was sent to him to ask his pardon.[ ] the two houses of parliament united in condemning the sequestration to burlamachi, but witherings, who had become tired of the strife, assigned his position to the earl of warwick.[ ] the earl was supported by both houses, but the lower house played a double part, for, while openly supporting warwick, they now secretly favoured burlamachi, who had found an influential friend in edmund prideaux, former chairman of the committee appointed to investigate the condition of the posts and later attorney-general under the commonwealth.[ ] prideaux was a strong parliamentarian, but was distrusted even by his own friends. but for the time being, as the representative of the commons, he was supported by them. the messenger of the upper house made oath that he had delivered the commons' resolution to burlamachi, commanding him to hand over the inland letter office to warwick, but james hicks had presented an order at the place appointed by warwick for receiving letters, to deliver all letters to prideaux. burlamachi on being summoned before the lords for contempt said that prideaux had hired his house and now had charge of the mails. the fight went merrily on. two servants of warwick seized the holyhead letters from hicks, but were in turn stopped by five troopers, agents of prideaux, who took the letters from them by order of the house of commons. prideaux also seized the chester and plymouth letters, one of his servants calling out "that an order of the house of commons ought to be obeyed before an order of the house of lords."[ ] hicks, who had been arrested by order of the lords, was liberated by the commons as a servant of a member of parliament.[ ] as between lords and commons, there could be no doubt as to which side would carry the day, and by the end of the lower house was triumphant all along the line. understanding that discretion was the better part of valour, the lords freed burlamachi and dropped the contest. warwick now petitioned the lords again, setting forth that he was the legal successor and assignee of witherings. stanhope put in a counter-petition to the effect that witherings never had any right to the position which warwick now claimed. the house of lords felt its own weakness too much to interfere directly, but ordered the whole matter to trial.[ ] besides stanhope and warwick, the following put in claims before the council of state: henry robinson, through the porters, to whom stanhope had assigned; sir david watkins in trust for thomas witherings, jr., for the foreign office; moore and jessop through watkins and walter warde. billingsley also, the old postmaster of the merchant adventurers, made a claim for the foreign office.[ ] [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; _jo. h. c._, ii, p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _ibid._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. ; _jo. h. l._, - , p. . [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ); _jo. h. c._, - , pp. , , , , , - , , ; _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ); _jo. h. l._, - , pp. , , . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , ; _ibid._, - , pp. , , ; _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ); _jo. h. c._, - , p. . the confusion in postal administration which naturally resulted from the struggle among the rival claimants was increased by the civil war. in the royal court was moved to oxford. the secretaries of state acting as postmasters-general sent james hicks, the quondam servant of prideaux, to collect arrears from the postmasters due to the letter office. in addition to collecting the money due, he was to require all postmasters on the road to coventry to convey to and from the court all letters and packets on his majesty's service, to establish new stages, to forward the names of those willing to supply horses and guides, and to report those postmasters who were disobedient or disloyal.[ ] during the most desperate period of the royal cause hicks acted as special messenger for the king, and apparently had some exciting experiences in carrying the letters of his royal master. he lived to enjoy his reward when the second charles had come to his own. parliament, in the meantime, was establishing its control over the posts and reorganizing the service. in the early period of parliamentary government, postal affairs were as a rule looked after by what was known as the "committee of both kingdoms," and the orders which it issued were necessarily based upon political conditions. later the postmaster-general acted under the council of state or under cromwell himself. in the house of commons issued an order that protection should be granted to the postmasters between london and hull, to their servants, horses and goods.[ ] the fact that it was necessary to re-settle posts on the old established london-berwick road shows how demoralized conditions had been during the conflict.[ ] many of the loyal postmasters were dismissed. their lukewarm conduct in supplying the messengers of the commonwealth with horses produced a reprimand from the committee and a sharp warning from prideaux.[ ] posts were settled from london to lyme regis for better communication with the southwestern counties. in edmund prideaux was formally appointed postmaster-general.[ ] he was allowed to use as his office part of the building occupied by the committee of accounts, formerly the house of a london alderman.[ ] as long as the war continued it was necessary that a close watch should be kept over letters passing by post. many of the new postmasters were military men and in addition others were appointed in each town under the heading of "persons to give intelligence."[ ] with the return of normal conditions after prideaux was ordered by the council of state to make arrangements for establishing posts all over england as in the peaceful days before the war.[ ] his report of the same year to the council of state indicates the successful fulfilment of his instructions. he said that he had established a weekly conveyance of letters to all parts of the commonwealth and that with the receipts from private letters he had paid all the postmasters except those on the dover road.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; _ibid._, , pp. , . [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; _ibid._, , pp. , , . [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. , . [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . for the safety of the commonwealth it was often found necessary to search the letters. sometimes the posts were stopped and all the letters examined. when this was done, it was by order of the council of state, which appointed certain officials to go through the correspondence.[ ] sir kenelm digby, writing to lord conway from calais, asks him to direct his letters to that place, where they would find him, "if no curious overseer of the packets at the post break them open for the superscription's sake."[ ] the commonwealth did openly and is consequently blamed for what had been done more or less secretly by the royal government. [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , , , ; , pp. , ; - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . in the first proposal for farming the post office was submitted to the council of state. the council reported the question to parliament but there is no evidence as to their attitude on the question at that time.[ ] the next year parliament ordered that the question of management, whether by contract or otherwise, should be re-committed to the council,[ ] and in it was decided that it would be better to let the posts out to farm. prideaux had been quietly dropped by the council after making, as it was reported, a large fortune. when we remember that under his management there was an annual deficit of £ besides the expenses of the dover road and that in there was a net revenue of £ , , it seems probable that there is some truth in the report. the conditions upon which the post office was farmed, were as follows:-- the farmers must be men of stability and good credit and must be selected from those contracting. official letters and letters from and to members of parliament must be carried free. all postage rates must be fixed by the council and not changed without its consent. finally all postmasters should be approved by the council and lord protector.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . the following is a list of the contractors, with the yearly amounts offered by each: ben andrews for inland office £ ben andrews for foreign office henry robinson for both offices ben andrews for both offices john goldsmith for both offices ralph kendall for both offices john manley, with good security rich. hicks rich. hill --_cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . the policy of the commonwealth in letting the posts out to farm had much in its favour. the evil usually resulting from farming is the temptation and the opportunity it offers for extortion from the people. but in the case of the posts no oppression was possible, for the farmer was limited in his charge to the rate fixed by the government. more than this, private control over the post office business afforded what was most needed at the time, greater economy and stricter supervision over the deputy postmasters. it was upon the deputy postmasters alone that the farming system might exercise undue pressure, but from them there was no complaint of the withholding or reduction of wages until after cromwell's death.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . john manley was appointed "farmer of the posts" for two years at a yearly rent of £ , . there were at least four higher tenders than his, and manley contracted only for £ . it was hinted that manley and the council had come to a private agreement concerning the rent to be paid.[ ] in his orders to the postmasters, manley requested them to take particular care of government packets and to see that no one was allowed to ride in post unless by special warrant. all letters should be counted by them and the number certified in london. they were to keep a sharp eye upon people, especially travellers, and report any discontent or disaffection.[ ] in manley's title of postmaster-general was confirmed by act of parliament, the first act dealing directly with postal affairs.[ ] he was unsuccessful in having his franchise extended beyond the original two years, and by order of the council of state the management of the posts was entrusted to mr. thurloe, secretary of state, for £ , a year, the same amount which manley had paid.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. , . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] scobell's _collect._, p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ); _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . shortly after thurloe had been appointed postmaster-general, general orders were issued by cromwell to all the postmasters. he forbade them to send by express any letters or packets except those sent by certain officials on affairs of state, all others to await the regular time for the departure of the mails. the old regulations for providing mail-bags, registration of the time of reception, and the like were repeated. the number of mails to and from london was increased from one to three a week each way, and to ensure higher speed, each postmaster was to provide a horse ready saddled and was not to detain the mail longer than half an hour under any consideration. he was ordered to deliver all letters in the country at or near his stage and was to collect the postage marked on the letter unless it was postpaid. the money so collected was to be returned to london every three months.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , pp. f. in the first act of parliament was passed which fixed rates for the conveyance of letters and established the system for the british islands. the preamble stated: "that whereas it hath been found by experience that the writing and settling of one general post office ... is the best means not only to maintain certain intercourse of trade and commerce betwixt all the said places to the great benefit of the people of these nations, but also to convey the public despatches and to discover and prevent many dangerous and wicked designs, which have been and are daily continued against the peace and welfare of this commonwealth," it is enacted that there shall be one general post office called the post office of england, and one postmaster-general nominated and appointed by the protector for life or for a term of years not exceeding eleven.[ ] in accordance with the terms of this act, thurloe was appointed by cromwell and continued to act as postmaster-general until the downfall of the commonwealth.[ ] [ ] scobell, _collect._, pp. - ( , c. ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . in january of the council took the post office under its own control for a short time. _jo. h. c._, - , p. ; _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . after the restoration most of the old claimants to the post office came to the front again. stanhope besieged king and parliament for restoration to his old place. he seems to have received some compensation, which he deserved for his pertinacity if for nothing else. the porters were up in arms at once, for he had promised them to come to no agreement until they were satisfied.[ ] the two daughters of burlamachi pleaded for some mark of favour, on the ground that their father had ruined himself for the late king. frizell was still very much alive, and a nephew of witherings carried on the family feud.[ ] in the meantime james hicks was employed by the secretary of state to ascertain how many of the old deputy postmasters were still eligible for positions. he reported that many of them were dead and that many of those who were applying for positions had been enemies of the king. for the time being it was decided that the present officials should remain in office until a settlement should be made.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; hist. mss. com., _rep._ , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. - , . [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. , . henry bishop was appointed by royal patent postmaster-general of england for seven years at a rent of £ , a year. the king agreed to persuade parliament to pass an act[ ] settling the rates and terms under which bishop was to exercise his duties. for the time being he was to charge the same rates as those in the "pretended act of ," to defray all postal expenses and to carry free all public letters and letters of members of parliament during the present session. he agreed also to allow the secretaries to examine letters and not to change old routes or set up new without their consent. he was to dismiss all officials whom they should object to on reasonable grounds. if his income should be lessened by war or plague or if this grant should prove ineffectual, the secretaries agreed to allow such abatement in his farm as should seem reasonable to them.[ ] bishop's régime does not seem to have been popular with the postmasters, for a petition in behalf of of them, representing themselves to be "all the postmasters in england, scotland, and ireland," was presented to parliament in protest against the postmaster-general's actions. they describe how cromwell had let the post office out to farm. they credit him with respecting their rights and paying their wages. lately, however, bishop had been appointed farmer, and unless they submitted to his orders, they were dismissed at once. he had decreased their wages by more than one half, made them pay for their places again, and demanded bonds from them that they should not disclose any of these things.[ ] [ ] the act of ( ch. ii, c. ) passed in pursuance of this agreement added nothing of importance to the act of , except on the question of rates. see below, chapter viii. [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., pp. , ( , ). [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , p. . in , bishop resigned his grant to daniel o'neale for £ . o'neale offered £ and, in addition, promised £ a year, during the lease, to bennet, secretary of state, if he would have the assignment confirmed. he explained that this would not injure the duke of york's interest, who could expect no increase until the expiration of the original contract, which still had four years and a quarter to run.[ ] this refers to an act of parliament which had just been passed, settling the £ , post revenue upon the duke of york and his male heirs,[ ] with the exception of some £ which had been assigned by the king to his mistresses and favourites. o'neale having died before his lease expired, his wife, the countess of chesterfield, performed his duties until .[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, app., pp. , ( , ). [ ] _ibid._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). confirmed in (hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., , p. ; jas. ii, c. ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; - , p. . according to the grant made to o'neale in no postmaster nor any other person except the one to whom it was directed or returned was to open any letter unless ordered so to do by an express warrant from one of the secretaries of state. if any letter was overcharged, the excess was to be returned to the person to whom it was directed. nothing was said about letters which were lost or stolen in the post. a certain john pawlett complained that of sixteen letters which he had posted not one was ever delivered in london although the postage was prepaid.[ ] letters not prepaid were stamped with the postage due in the london office when they were sent from london. letters sent to london were charged by the receiving postmaster in the country and the charge verified at the london office. an account was kept there of the amounts due and the postmasters were debited with them, less the sum for letters not delivered, which had also to be returned for verification.[ ] all this meant losses to the postal revenue, but compulsory prepayment would have been impracticable at the time. the postmasters had nothing to gain by retaining letters not prepaid, but by neglecting to forward prepaid letters, they could keep the whole of the postage, for stamps were unknown. an incentive to the delivery of letters was provided by the penny payment which it was customary to give the postmasters for each letter delivered, over and above the regular postage. the postmasters were required to remit the postage collected to london every month and give bonds for the performance of their duties.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . although letters might be prepaid, it was not compulsory that they should be, and the vast majority were not. [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . the postal service was very much demoralized by the plague in and and the great fire which followed. hicks, the clerk, said that the gains during this time would be very small. to prevent contagion the building was so "fumed" that they could hardly see each other.[ ] the letters were aired over vinegar or in front of large fires and hicks remarks that had the pestilence been carried by letters they would have been dead long ago. while the plague was still dangerous, the king's letters were not allowed to pass through london.[ ] after the fire the headquarters of the post-office in london were removed to gresham college. [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , pp. , ; _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . _cal. s. p. d. add._, - , p. . when o'neale's lease had expired in , lord arlington, secretary of state, was appointed postmaster-general.[ ] the real head was sir john bennet, with whom hicks was entirely out of sympathy. he accused bennet of "scurviness" and condemned the changes initiated by him. these changes were in the shape of reductions in wages. the postmasters' salaries were to be reduced from £ to £ a year. in the london office, the wages of the carriers and porters were also to be reduced.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . at the close of the seventeenth century there were forty-nine men employed in the inland department of the post office in london. the postmaster-general, or controller as he was sometimes called, was nominally responsible for the whole management although the accountant and treasurer were more or less independent. then there were eight clerks of the roads. they had charge of the mails coming and going on the six great roads to holyhead, bristol, plymouth, edinburgh, yarmouth, and dover. the old veteran hicks had been at their head until his resignation in . the general post office building was in lombard street.[ ] letters might be posted there or at the receiving stations at westminster, charing cross, pall mall, covent garden, and the inns of court. from these stations, letters were despatched to the general office twice on mail nights. for this work thirty-two letter carriers were employed, but they did not deliver letters as their namesakes now do. the mails left london for all parts of the country on tuesday, thursday, and saturday late at night or early the next morning. on these days all officials had to attend at p.m. and were generally at work all night. on monday, wednesday and friday when the mails arrived from all parts of england they had to be on hand at or a.m. the postage to be paid was stamped on the letters by the clerks of the roads. in addition three sorters and three window-men were employed. the window-men were the officials who stood at the window to receive the letters handed in and to collect postage when it was prepaid. then there were an alphabet-man, who posted the names of merchants for whom letters had arrived, a sorter of paid letters, and a clerk of undertaxed letters.[ ] in the foreign office, there were a controller, two sorters, an alphabet-man, and eight letter receivers, of whom two were women. in addition the foreign office had a rebate man who saw that overcharged letters were corrected. both offices seem to have shared the carriers in common.[ ] [ ] stow, _london_, bk. ii, p. . [ ] _notes and queries_, series , i, p. ; hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. ; _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . before there was no post between one part of london and another. a londoner having a letter for delivery had either to take it himself or send it by a special messenger. the houses were not numbered and were generally recognized by the signs they bore or their nearness to some public building. such was the condition in the metropolis when william dockwra organized his london penny post. on the first of april, , london found itself in possession of a postal system which in some respects was superior to that of to-day. in the penny post office as so established there were employed a controller, an accountant, a receiver, thirteen clerks in the six offices, and about a hundred messengers to collect and deliver letters. the six offices were:-- the general office in star court, cornhill; st. paul's office in queen's head alley, newgate street; temple office in colchester rents in chancery lane; westminster office, st. martin's lane; southwark office near st. mary overy's church; hermitage office in swedeland court, east smithfield. there were in all about places in london where letters might be posted. shops and coffee-houses were used for this purpose in addition to the six offices, and in almost every street a table might be seen at some door or shop-window bearing in large letters the sign "penny post letters and parcels are taken in here." from these places letters were collected every hour and taken to the six main receiving-houses. there they were sorted and stamped by the thirteen clerks. the same messengers carried them from the receiving-houses to the people to whom they were addressed. there were four deliveries a day to most parts of the city and six or eight to the business centres. the postage fee for all letters or parcels to be delivered within the bills of mortality was one penny, payable in advance. the penny rate was uniform for all letters and parcels up to one pound in weight, which was the maximum allowed. articles or money to the value of £ might be sent and the penny payment insured their safe delivery. there was a daily delivery to places ten or fifteen miles from london and there was also a daily collection for such places. the charge of one penny in such cases paid only for conveyance to the post-house and an additional penny was paid on delivery. from such places to london, however, only one penny was demanded and there was no fee for delivery. the carriers in london travelled on foot, but in some of the neighbouring towns they rode on horseback.[ ] [ ] stow, _london_, bk. v, pp. - ; thos. delaune, _present state of london_, , pp. - ; w. thornbury, _old and new london_, ii, p. ; noorthouck, _hist. of london_, , p. . noorthouck is mistaken in making murray the promoter of the london penny post, although the idea may have originated with him. dockwra is credited with being the first to make use of post-marks. all letters were stamped at the six principal receiving-offices with the name of the receiving-office and the hour of their reception. for instance, we have samples of letters post-marked thus: [illustration] the first figure shows that they were penny post letters and that they were prepaid. the "w" in the centre is the initial letter of the receiving-office, westminster. the second figure shows the hour of arrival at the westminster office, a.m. the earliest instance of these marks is on a letter dated dec. , , written by the bishop of london to the lord mayor.[ ] [ ] _notes and queries_, ser. , xi, p. ; hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app. , pp. , ; joyce, p. . whenever letters came from any part of the world by the general post, directed to persons in london or in any of the towns where the penny post carriers went, they were handed over to these carriers to be delivered. in the same way, letters directed to any part of the world might be left at any of the receiving-offices of the penny post to be carried by its messengers to the general office. this must have increased greatly the number of letters carried by the general post. in the case of letters arriving by the general and delivered by the penny post, the postage was paid on delivery.[ ] over two hundred and thirty years ago then, london had for a time a system of postal delivery not only unrivalled until a short time ago, but in the matter of parcel rates and insurance not yet equalled. [ ] delaune, _present state of london_, , p. . what was dockwra's reward for the boon which he had conferred? he himself says that it had been undertaken at his sole charge and had cost him £ , . it had not paid for the first few months, and the friends who had associated themselves with him fell away.[ ] as long as it produced no surplus, dockwra was left to do as he pleased, for the general post was gaining indirectly from it. as soon as it began to pay, the duke of york cast his eye on it. in an action was brought against dockwra for infringing upon the prerogative of his royal highness, and the duke won the case. the penny post was incorporated in the general post soon after.[ ] after william and mary had come to the throne, dockwra was given a pension of £ a year for seven years. at the end of that time he was appointed manager of the penny post department of the general post and his pension was continued for three years longer. in he was dismissed, charged with "forbidding the taking in of band-boxes (unless very small) and all parcels above one pound in weight, with stopping parcels, and opening and detaining letters."[ ] such was dockwra's reward and such had been witherings'. he who would reform the post office must be prepared to take his official life in his hands. [ ] _cal. b. p._, - , xliv, . [ ] two men living in limerick and tipperary claimed in that they had organized a penny post in ireland (_cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ). in the countess dowager of thanet petitioned to be allowed to establish a penny post in dublin, but nothing was done (_cal. t. p._, - , lxxxix, ). [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , lxxi, ; charles knight, _london_, , iii, p. . the transition between two reigns was usually a period of unrest and disquietude, and the revolution which resulted in the expulsion of james was naturally accompanied by internal disorder. for a time the posts suffered quite severely. the irish and scotch mails were robbed several times and not even the "black box" escaped. this was the box in which were carried the despatches between scotland and the secretaries of state, the use of which was not discontinued until after the accession of the new king and queen. after each secretary was to send and receive his own despatches separately and all expenses were to be met from the proceeds of the london-berwick post.[ ] major wildman had been appointed to the oversight of the post office, but held office for a few months only, being succeeded in by cotton and frankland. the postmasters-general were henceforth to act under the lords of the treasury.[ ] [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. ; _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , pp. , ; _cal. t. p._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , ; _cal. t. p._, - , p. . important improvements in the frequency and extension of postal communication were inaugurated under the management of cotton and frankland. it was, however, for the extension of the foreign postal service and for that to ireland and the plantations that their administration is most notable. on monday and thursday letters went to france, italy, and spain, on monday and friday to the netherlands, germany, sweden, and denmark. on tuesday, thursday, and saturday, mails left for all parts of england, scotland, and ireland, and there was a daily post to kent and the downs. letters arrived in london from all parts of england, scotland, and ireland on monday, wednesday, and friday, from wales every monday and from kent and the downs every day. besides the establishment of the general post in london, there were about deputy postmasters employed in england and scotland.[ ] the irish post was supervised from london and during the irish war its headquarters in ireland were transferred from dublin to belfast. it was directly managed by a deputy postmaster-general, aided by ten or a dozen officials and clerks. the net receipts were sent to england and the books were audited by a deputy sent over by the auditor-general of the english post.[ ] [ ] stow, _london_, bk. v, p. ; delaune, _present state of england_, ed. , p. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , pp. , . the scotch post office was not in so good condition as the irish. the time when every scotchman could read and write was yet very far distant. the only post road of any importance was from edinburgh to berwick and this had been established by the english. for many years the vast majority of letters travelling over this road were official despatches. after the crowns of england and scotland were united, it was necessary for the english government to keep in close touch with scotland and "black box" made frequent journeys between the two countries. the canny people in the north had discovered a rich country to the south waiting to be exploited, and the post horses between edinburgh and london were kept busy carrying the lean and hungry northern folk to the land of milk and honey. until the english and scotch post offices had been united under the english postmaster-general with an edinburgh deputy; but by the scotch act of the post office of scotland was separated from that of england. the terms of this act were much the same as those of the english act of , although the rates established were somewhat higher. there was to be a postmaster-general living in edinburgh, who was to have the monopoly of carrying all letters and packets where posts were settled.[ ] [ ] _acts of parliament of scotland_, ix., pp. - ( wm. iii). the first proposal for a postal establishment in the american colonies came from new england in . the reason given was that a post office was "so useful and absolutely necessary."[ ] nothing was done by the home government until fifty years later when a proclamation was issued, ordering letter offices to be settled in convenient places on the north american continent. rates were established for the continental colonies and jamaica.[ ] in , acting upon a report of the governors of the post-office, the lords of trade and plantations granted a patent to thomas neale to establish post offices in north america. about the same time an act was passed by the colony of massachusetts appointing andrew hamilton postmaster-general. the lords of trade and plantations called attention to the fact that this act was not subject to the patent granted to neale. matters were adjusted by neale himself, who appointed hamilton his deputy in north america.[ ] in a report was made by cotton and frankland to the lords of the treasury based on a memorial from neale and hamilton. the latter had established a regular weekly post between boston and new york and from new york to newcastle in pennsylvania. the receipts had increased every year and now covered all expenses except hamilton's own salary, £ . postmasters had been appointed in new york and philadelphia, hamilton himself being in boston. the new york postmaster received a salary of £ with an additional £ for carrying the mail half-way to boston. the philadelphia postmaster was paid £ a year.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] joyce, pp. , . [ ] _cal. s. p. am. and w. i._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , lx, . the business of the post office was rapidly increasing. the same decade that saw the establishment of the board of trade witnessed also the organization of the colonial post. the expansion of english commerce[ ] necessarily reacted on communications both internal and foreign, while the linking of the country posts with the general system and the stimulus given by the london penny post showed itself in the increased postal revenue.[ ] the way was prepared for the great expansion of the following century, an expansion turned to account as a source of taxation. [ ] macpherson, _annals of commerce_, ii, . [ ] see appendix: tables i, ii. chapter iii the postal establishment an instrument of taxation - the year is an important landmark in the history of the british post office. england and scotland had united not only under one king but under one parliament, the war with france made a larger revenue necessary, the growth of the colonies required better communication with the mother country and each other, and it was highly expedient that certain changes in the policy of the post office should receive parliamentary sanction. the act of was intended to meet these conditions. the english and scotch post offices were united under one postmaster-general in london, where letters might be received from and sent to all parts of great britain, ireland, the colonies and foreign countries. the postage rates were increased to meet the demand for a larger revenue. in addition to the general office in london, chief letter offices were ordered to be set up in edinburgh, dublin, new york, the west indies, and other american colonies, and deputies were appointed to take charge of them. one of the most important clauses of this act, by providing regulations for the management of the london penny post, finally placed the seal of the approval of parliament upon a branch of the general post, which had existed for nearly thirty years by virtue of royal proclamations and legal decisions alone. a penny rate was imposed upon all letters and packets passing by the penny post in london, westminster and southwark to be received and delivered within ten miles from the general post office building. this would seem at first sight to be an improvement on the old custom, by which a penny had carried only within the bills of mortality; but as a matter of fact an extra penny was demanded on letters delivered outside the bills and within the ten mile limit. protest was, however, made against this as being illegal, and it was not until that the custom was sanctioned.[ ] [ ] in the maximum weight for articles passing wholly by the penny post was lowered from to ounces ( geo. iii, c. ). one other provision of the new act remains to be mentioned. the last section forbade any official connected with the post office from meddling in politics.[ ] the system of party government which had begun to take form during william and mary's reign, was developing. under anne, the whigs had been the war party, the expansionists, while the tories were anxious for peace. so different were their policies that marlborough had gone over to the whigs. but the queen and probably the majority of the people were tired of war. godolphin, the great financier, had given way to harley and the general election was favourable to the tories. frankland had died before the act was passed, but cotton, who was a member of parliament, preferred to keep his position in the post office and accordingly accepted the chiltern hundreds. a mr. evelyn was associated with him as postmaster-general. [ ] anne, c. . shortly after his appointment the attention of the department was directed to a weakness in administrative control which had already resulted in considerable financial loss. the postmasters-general had always experienced considerable difficulty in collecting the postage on bye and cross road letters.[ ] since these letters did not reach london, no check was possible to ascertain whether the postmaster transmitted to headquarters the full amount of the postage collected on them. the difficulty had been met before by farming a large number of the country post offices.[ ] in the leases under which the farmers had held office were cancelled and all the posts in the kingdom came again under the direct oversight of the postmasters-general. the old farmers were made managers, with an allowance of per cent from the net proceeds of the posts under their control, and the deputy postmasters were again paid directly by the state. the government had refused o appoint surveyors when the act of was drafted and for a time these managers acted in that capacity.[ ] the experiment was not a success and the postmasters-general were at their wits' end to know what to do to save the revenue which was being diverted to the pockets of the country postmasters. [ ] a bye-letter was the name given to a letter carried over one of the great roads but not passing to, from or through london. a cross post letter passed not over the great roads, but over subsidiary or minor roads. [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , cxc, ; ccvi, . the country was happily spared any new device on their part, for in a man came forward with a proposal to take all the losses upon himself or rather to prevent them entirely. this was ralph allen, whose name is worth remembering, not as a reformer but as a good business man who came to the rescue of the postal revenue at a rather critical time. he was the son of an innkeeper at st. blazey. at an early age we find him living with his grandmother, the postmistress of st. columb. he came under the notice of one of the surveyors there on account of the neatness with which he kept the accounts for his grandmother. when he was old enough, he was appointed to a position in the post office at bath and in time was made postmaster there. tradition has it that during the insurrection of he informed the authorities that a wagon load of arms was on its way from the west for the use of the rebels and that this led to his preferment.[ ] he offered to farm the cross and bye posts throughout the kingdom. the net product from these posts amounted to £ in . allen offered to pay half as much again and meet all expenses. the offer was accepted, and in he was given the lease of the cross and bye posts for a period of seven years. the rent was fixed at £ a year in accordance with the agreement. for the first quarter, the receipts exceeded expectations, but later the postmasters began to relapse into their old ways. in addition, the contract was rather hard on allen, as £ of the £ nominally received by the post office was for letters not delivered and hence not paid for. after the third year, matters began to improve and the receipts increased greatly. the contract was renewed for terms of seven years, until allen's death in , and the rent was increased at each renewal.[ ] [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , p. ; w. thornbury, _old and new london_, ii, p. ; w. lewins, _her majesty's mails_, ed. , pp. - . how did he succeed when so many others had failed? in the first place he introduced the use of post bills and every postmaster had to distinguish on these bills the bye letters from all others. the voucher, which he also introduced, seems to have been only an acknowledgment of the amount to be collected by each postmaster. besides this, allen had a most intimate knowledge of the various post towns in the kingdom, of their importance and of the number of letters which might naturally be expected to pass between them. he based his conclusions upon quite obvious considerations. between any two towns of much the same importance he expected about the same correspondence, that it would not vary much, and that the letters received and despatched would pretty well equal each other.[ ] [ ] joyce, pp. , . when allen's contract was renewed in it was proposed that he should be obliged to settle and support at his own charge posts six days a week instead of the former tri-weekly posts between london, cambridge, lynn, norwich, and yarmouth and from london to bath, bristol, gloucester, and intermediate towns. this was not done at once, but during the next few years this proposition was put into effect.[ ] in , in addition to his cross and bye post letters, allen undertook to pay for the improvements which he had made in the conveyance of country letters.[ ] he pointed out at the same time that there was some opposition between the two parts of his contract, since country and cross post letters interfered more or less with each other.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , pp. - . [ ] country letters were those sent through london. _cal. t. b. & p._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , pp. , ; w. thornbury, _old and new london_, ii, p. . allen died in , being worth, according to current report, £ , . lewins says that he made £ , a year from his farm. probably both statements are exaggerated, but it is certain that he accumulated a respectable fortune while managing the bye and cross posts.[ ] [ ] he is the man to whom pope alluded in the couplet, "let humble allen, with an honest shame, do good by stealth and blush to find it fame." allen and the poet had a falling out just before the death of the latter. in his will, pope left his quondam friend £ to pay a "few little debts." allen is said to have remarked that if pope had added another figure, it would have represented better the "few little debts." w. lewins, _her majesty's mails_, pp. - . there had been a considerable increase in the staff of the general office and many improvements introduced since . at the head of the office were two commissioners called postmasters-general, each with a salary of £ , assisted by a secretary and four clerks. there were in addition a receiver-general, an accountant-general, a solicitor, a resident-surveyor, and two inspectors of missent letters. in addition to the penny post carriers, who were employed also by the general post, there were a court messenger and a carrier for the house of commons. at the general office, letters were taxed and sorted by the "clerks of the road" and their assistants and by seventeen sorters. the window-man and alphabet-keeper received the money on prepaid letters and posted lists of those for whom letters had arrived. undertaxed letters from the country were re-taxed by the "clerks of the road." besides the receiving-houses of the penny post where all letters might be posted, there were thirty receiving-houses for the general post. letters were conveyed from these to the central office by sixty-nine carriers.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , pp. - ; maitland, _survey of london_, p. ; noorthouck, _hist. of london_, , p. . letters were sent every night to the principal south and midland towns of england. on tuesday, thursday, and saturday, there were mails for all parts of england and scotland and on tuesday and saturday for ireland and wales. on monday and thursday, letters were sent to france, spain, and italy, on monday and friday to germany, flanders, sweden, and denmark, and on tuesday and friday to holland. letters arrived in london every day from the south and midland towns, on monday, wednesday, and friday, from all parts of england and scotland, and on monday and friday from ireland and wales.[ ] it will be seen from this that the improvements in postal communications, which had taken place since the beginning of the century, had been confined to the south and midland towns of england and to foreign countries. [ ] j. latimer, _annals of bristol_, , p. ; _london and its environs_, , v, pp. - . with the foregoing enlargement of postal facilities an old grievance on the part of the public began to assume an acute form. it had always been a debated question as to how far the postmasters were responsible for the delivery of letters. there was no general rule upon the question and the practice varied in different parts of england. although the towns on the post roads were fairly well off as far as their letters were concerned, it was different with those places which were neither on the great roads nor on the bye-roads leading off from them. the mails for such places were left at the nearest post towns and were conveyed to their destination by carriers and messengers. cotton and frankland stated that in addition to collecting the regular postage, they demanded for this service an extra payment of _d._, _d._, and sometimes _d._ it was proposed in that the delivery should be made by persons appointed to collect as well as to deliver all letters and parcels. for this they were allowed to take one penny or whatever the people wished to give them.[ ] in sandwich the cross and bye post letters had always been delivered free, although a fee was charged for the london letters. the postmaster there decided to charge for all letters, and the inhabitants of sandwich protested. the case was carried to the courts and the post office lost. sandwich, however, was a place where there had been a free delivery of part of the letters at least. the postmasters-general were very much disturbed at this decision and still more disturbed lest the courts might decide for free delivery in other post towns, which had always paid. they resolved to bring on a test case. the town of hungerford in berkshire was chosen, as it could be proved that the postmaster of that place had received a penny for each letter delivered since the beginning of the century. the case came before the court of king's bench, lord mansfield presiding, and the post office lost again. this case was decided in , and the next year the "liverpool advertiser" records a complaint to the postmasters-general that there was only one letter carrier in liverpool. the reply was that only one carrier was maintained in any provincial town and that liverpool could expect no better treatment.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. b._, - , lxiv, ; _ibid._, - , lxxxvi, . [ ] e. green, _bibliotheca somersetensis_, , i, p. ; joyce, pp. - ; latimer, _annals of bristol_, p. . at the same time that the post office received this adverse decision it had begun to suffer severely from the illegal carriage of letters by the post coaches. these post coaches were so called merely because they were most numerous on the post roads. john palmer, the proprietor of a theatre in bath, pointed out to the postmasters-general that the coaches were speedier and cheaper than the post boys who carried the mails on horseback and proposed that he should be allowed to establish mail coaches and thus save the postage on letters illegally carried by the post coaches. his coaches were to be protected by a guard, presumably a retired soldier, who was to be armed with two guns and to sit facing the road in front of him. the driver was to carry pistols. no outside passengers were to be carried, since they impeded the guard in performing his duties. the speed was to be not less than eight or nine miles an hour, twice as fast as the post boys travelled. in addition the mails were to leave london at p.m. instead of after midnight. the coaches were all to leave london together and return together as far as possible. to insure this they were not to wait for government letters when the latter were delayed.[ ] [ ] _d. n. b._, xliii, p. ; knight, _london_, , iii, p. . the first mail coach ran between london and bristol in . it was furnished by contractors at a cost of _d._ a mile. this was the initial cost, however, and by , the rate had been reduced to a penny a mile each way. in the early part of august, , there was only one mail coach. at the end of the same month, coaches went to norwich, nottingham, liverpool, and manchester. during the next year they were sent to leeds, gloucester, swansea, hereford, milford, worcester, birmingham, shrewsbury, holyhead, exeter, portsmouth, and other places. in they ran between london and edinburgh. in there were forty-two mail coach routes established, connecting sixty of the most important towns in the kingdom, as well as intermediate places. these coaches travelled a total distance of miles and cost the government £ , a year, only half the sum paid for post horses and riders under the old system. the coaches made daily journeys over nearly two thirds of the total distance traversed and tri-weekly journeys over something less than one third the total distance. the remainder travelled one, two, four, and six times a week. the result of the establishment of these mail coaches was summed up by a parliamentary committee in the following words: "they have lessened the chance of robbery, diminished the need for special messengers and expresses, and now carry the letters formerly sent by post coaches."[ ] [ ] _parl. papers_, - , _rep. com._, ii, pp. , , , ; _fin. rep._, , no. , p. ; _d. n. b._, xliii, p. . palmer had been appointed controller-general of the post office and had chosen as his assistant a man by the name of bonner. palmer himself was of a violent and headstrong disposition, and as ill-luck would have it, walsingham, one of the postmasters-general, was as masterful as himself. palmer considered that his office was outside the scope of walsingham's authority, and although he failed in making his position absolutely free from the control of the postmasters-general, yet he heeded them as little as possible. he organized a newspaper department without consulting his superiors and paid no attention to them when an explanation was asked. he stirred up the london merchants to complain about the late delivery of their letters, a delay which he had probably brought about intentionally. a mail coach had been ordered by walsingham to carry the king's private despatches while his majesty was taking the waters at cheltenham. this was done without consulting palmer, who was so indignant that he persuaded the contractor to send in an enormous bill for supplying the coach. all this came out through the treachery of bonner, who owed his advancement entirely to the friend whom he betrayed. he went so far as to hand over to the postmasters-general the private letters which palmer had written him. palmer was dismissed in with a pension.[ ] [ ] _fin. rep._, , no. , pp. - ; joyce, pp. , . at the time of palmer's appointment, a treasury warrant had been issued for the payment to him of £ a year and per cent of the increase from the post office revenue, but this warrant had been pronounced illegal by the attorney-general. through pitt's influence, palmer finally obtained £ a year and per cent on any increase in net revenue over £ , a year. palmer objected to this on the ground that the old net revenue was only £ , a year, but pitt replied that the increased rates of would produce at least £ , . it is improbable, however, that the new rates produced the increase estimated. in palmer presented a petition to the house of commons, asking for the arrears due him according to his method of estimating the increase in net revenue, upon which his percentage was due. he said that before his system was introduced the gross product of the post office was decreasing at the rate of £ , a year. this was not true. he claimed that the increase after was wholly due to his own reforms, taking no account of the increased rates and the industrial expansion of england. no action was taken by parliament.[ ] [ ] _fin. rep._, , no. , p. ; _jo. h. c._, - , p. . one of the arguments advanced by palmer for the use of mail coaches was their security against robbers. previous to and during the rebellion of numerous attempts were made to rob the mails, and many of them were successful. these robberies occurred principally at night. it was said that the mails were carried by boys not always of the best character, and that very often they were in league with the robbers. the postmasters-general asked for soldiers to patrol the roads where these robberies were the most frequent. this was the method which cromwell had used to protect the mails. the request does not seem to have been granted, but in the death penalty was imposed for robbing the mail and for stealing a letter containing a bank note or bill. any post boy deserting the mail or allowing any one but the guard to ride on the horse or carriage with the mails was liable to commitment to hard labour.[ ] palmer's prediction was fulfilled by the comparative safety with which the mails were carried after his coaches had come into use. [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , p. ; geo. iii, c. . the post office occasionally made good the loss of valuables from theft or robbery, but as a rule refused to do so. _cal. t. p._, - , p. ; _cal. t. b. & p._, - , p. . charles, earl of tankerville, and lord carteret had been the postmasters-general in and . on the fall of shelburne's ministry in the latter year, tankerville left the post office, but carteret still remained. so far these two men had worked together fairly well, although tankerville had a suspicion that his colleague had been engaged in some doubtful transactions. in , when pitt became prime minister, tankerville was restored to his old office. in the same year a transaction came under his notice which aroused his suspicion. a mr. lees had been appointed secretary of the irish post office. the man who had held this position was made agent of the dover packet boats, the old agent having been superannuated. the new agent agreed to pay to his predecessor the full amount of the salary coming to the place, while he himself was to be paid by mr. lees the total salary coming to the secretary in ireland. so far there was nothing uncommon about the arrangement. the unusual part of the agreement and the part which attracted tankerville's attention was lees' promise to pay the money to "a. b.," an unknown person, after the old agent's death. suspicion pointed to carteret as the man to whom the money was to be paid. lees himself denied this, but did not say who "a. b." was.[ ] [ ] _jo. h. c._, , p. . in a mr. staunton, the postmaster of islesworth, a position worth £ a year, was in addition appointed controller and resident surveyor of the bye and cross posts, to which was attached a salary of £ , coals and candles and a house. the first lord of the treasury proposed that the house should not go with the office, and carteret decided that staunton should receive an extra £ a year in lieu of the house. tankerville refused to agree to this, and the contention became so warm that the whole matter was referred to pitt, who, rather than lose carteret's political support, dismissed tankerville.[ ] tankerville at once demanded an investigation, which was granted. the results showed the post office to be in a deplorable state. tankerville was completely exonerated, but failed to obtain much sympathy on account of the violence of his attack upon pitt and carteret. it came out in the investigation that "a. b." was a foreigner named treves, who had no claim on the post office or any other department of the government except that he was a friend of carteret. carteret himself knew the condition of his appointment, but had done nothing except to express himself displeased with the whole arrangement. a payment of £ a year had also been exacted from mr. dashwood, postmaster-general of jamaica, as the condition of his appointment, and that too had gone to treves. the agent at helvoetsluys had been allowed by carteret to sell his position to a man as incapable as himself. staunton's office had been abolished soon after his appointment, and he had been allowed to retire at the age of forty years with a pension of £ a year in the face of the rule that officers of an advanced age and after long service were allowed upon retirement to receive only two thirds of their salaries.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _jo. h. c._, , p. . the postmasters-general had received in , in addition to their salaries, over £ for coals. they had also received £ for candles during two years and a half and £ for tinware for the same period. tankerville had taken his share of these perquisites, but it is only fair to add that carteret's emoluments exceeded his by £ for the periods under consideration. it had become customary to receive a money payment in place of a large part of their supplies. in the total sum going to the officials of the general office amounted to £ , , of which sum about £ , were placed under the heading of emoluments other than salaries.[ ] of all the departments of the post office, the sailing packet service was the one most in need of reform. [ ] _fin. rep._, , no. , pp. - ; _jo. h. c._, , p . the light, which was then let in among the dark places of the post office, had a most excellent effect. acting on the report furnished by the committee of the house, a new establishment was effected in . the reforms were approved by the postmasters-general and carried out under the direction of the lords of the treasury. the good work had been begun in by palmer. he had appointed additional clerks, letter carriers, surveyors and messengers, had established new offices, and had increased the inadequate pay of minor officials. this had entailed an increase of £ , in expenses in the general and penny posts, but the increase was justified by increased efficiency and by larger returns from the conveyance of letters. of the total increase, £ , had been spent on the general office and £ on the penny post, to which had been added eighty-six more letter carriers for london and seventy-eight more for the suburbs, as well as some supernumerary carriers.[ ] the reforms introduced in may be grouped under three heads: regulations respecting fees and emoluments, abolition of some offices and an increase in officers and clerks in others; regulation of official business. the regulations respecting fees and emoluments were necessarily negative in their character. the most important were as follows: the postmasters were no longer to pay fees to the postmasters-general on the renewal of the bonds given by their securities. the two per cent allowed to the scotch deputy postmaster-general on all remittances from scotland was discontinued and a compensation for life was granted instead. the fees for tinware were abolished, and the pension to the new york agent was to cease. no postal official was allowed to own shares in the sailing packets, and with a few minor exceptions all salaries were henceforth to be in lieu of every emolument or fee.[ ] [ ] _fin. rep._, , no. , pp. , - . [ ] _ibid._, no. , pp. - . a number of sinecure and useless offices were abolished. the chief among them were: jamineau's perquisite office which had the monopoly of selling newspapers to the "clerks of the roads," the secretary's position as agent for the packets, the controller of the bye and cross posts, the inspector of dead letters in the bye letter office, the collector in the bye letter office, the secretary of the foreign office, and the controller of the inland office.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, no. , pp. - . the changes in business regulations were as follows: the postmasters-general were no longer to include legal charges, chaise hire, and pensions under the head of dead letters. the postmasters-general's warrant must be entered previous to any money being paid. the payment of debts must be enforced. the west india accounts should be sent to the deputy there every quarter. the payments to mail coach contractors must be made directly by warrant instead of through the controller-general. no change was made in the anomalous position of the accountant-general. he was supposed to be a check upon the receiver-general, but had to depend upon the receiver-general's books for verifying the remittances from the deputies.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, no. , pp. , - . the englishman's belief in the sanctity of vested interests has usually been too strong to permit any abridgment of rights or privileges without compensation. those postal officials who had been dismissed or whose sinecure offices had been abolished were not to be turned entirely adrift. provision was made for pensioning most of them. before the reform the total sum paid by the post office in pensions was £ . the incumbrances dismissed were allowed £ , and between and £ more were added to the pension list. it was pointed out at the time that it was far better to pension them off and leave them to die than to continue them in service. in it was a relief to be able to announce "that already £ had been saved from dead and promoted pensioners."[ ] [ ] _fin. rep._, no. , p. . the report of the committee which had been appointed at tankerville's suggestion is silent on the question of the opening and detention of letters. it had been provided by the act of that no letters should be opened or detained except under protection of an express warrant from one of the secretaries of state. the royal commission of reported that from to , the number of warrants so issued was , excluding those which were well known or easily ascertained. the secretary of state for the inland department issued most of them. from to , warrants were issued, many of them being general warrants and often for very trivial causes. at the trial of bishop atterbury, the principal witnesses against him were post office clerks, who had opened and copied letters to and from him, under warrant from one of the secretaries.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, pp. - ; app., p. ( ); app., p. ( ); app., p. ( ). in addition to this regular method for intercepting letters, a particular department had been in existence for some time with no other duties than to examine letters. strictly speaking it had nothing to do with the post office and was supported entirely from the "secret service fund." the truth about it came out in the examination of the conduct of sir robert walpole by the "committee of secrecy." from to , £ , had been spent upon this department. it had originated in and the expenses for that year were only £ , but by they had increased more than tenfold. the secretary of the post office in giving his evidence before the committee, said that this office received instructions from the secretaries of state and reported to them. the working force consisted of a chief decipherer, assisted by his son and three other decipherers, five clerks, the controller of the foreign office, a doorkeeper and a former alphabet keeper. either considerable business was transacted there or it was a retreat for useless officials.[ ] [ ] _rep. com_., , xiv, app., p. ( ); _cal. t. b. & p_., - , p. . an account is given in howell's "state trials" of the trial of hensey and of the practice then in vogue for finding treasonable correspondence. his letters were handed over for investigation to the secretary of state by a post office clerk. this clerk in giving his evidence said that when war was declared against any nation, the postmasters-general issued orders at once to stop all suspected letters. these orders were given to all the post office clerks and letter carriers. such instructions can only be justified as a war measure, for the act of had provided that no letter should be detained or opened unless by express warrant from one of the secretaries of state for every such detention or opening.[ ] [ ] _rep. com_., , xiv, app., p. ( ); howell, _state trials_, xix, col. . this was in . we find very few complaints about the opening of letters during the second half of the eighteenth century. on the other hand it must be confessed that letters were at times opened and searched merely to learn the beliefs and plans of political opponents. it is difficult to determine to how great an extent this practice was prevalent as there seems little doubt that the complainants may occasionally have been prompted by their own vanity to believe that their correspondence had been tampered with.[ ] in , during the great war with france, the government ordered all letters directed to the united provinces to be detained. the question then was, what was to be done with them? none of them seems to have been opened and the cause for their detention was only to prevent any information being given to the enemy. accordingly by an act of parliament passed in the same year, the post office was empowered to return them to the writers.[ ] [ ] joyce is of opinion that such practices were very common. so also is may (t. e. may, _constitutional history of england_, , iii, pp. - ; d. b. eaton, _civil service in great britain_, new york, , p. ). [ ] geo. iii, c. . although the larger part of the fees and emoluments enjoyed by the postal officials had been abolished in , the proceeds from those which were left continued to increase steadily. by far the most lucrative was the privilege of franking newspapers, within the kingdom, to the colonies, and to foreign countries. ever since newspapers had been printed, the "clerks of the roads" had been allowed to send them to any part of the kingdom without paying postage. after , when members of parliament were allowed the same privilege, every one felt at liberty to make use of a member's frank for this purpose, and the clerks suffered accordingly. newspapers to the colonies were franked by the secretary of the post office and produced a revenue of £ in , all of which went to sir francis freeling who was then secretary. in the privilege of franking papers within the kingdom and to the colonies was withdrawn, but compensation was granted to sir francis.[ ] this did not end the trouble, for the clerks still acted as newspaper venders. on account of their official position they were able to post them until p.m., while the regular newsvenders were allowed to do so only until p.m. at the lombard street office and p.m. at the general office or they must pay a special fee of a halfpenny on each.[ ] mr. hume, the member for montrose, brought the case before the house, and in all post office officials were forbidden to sell newspapers. at the same time the officials in the foreign office lost the right to frank papers to any foreign country.[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xi, pp. - . [ ] london _times_, , oct. , p. ; _ibid._, , march , p. . [ ] _parl. deb._, d ser., xxiv, col. . the members of the secretary's office had, since and , issued two official publications, which paid no postage. these were called the "packet list" and the "shipping list." the first of these contained all the intelligence received at the post office concerning the sailing packets. the second contained information about private vessels, furnished principally by "lloyds." the commissioners commented upon this practice in very uncomplimentary language.[ ] in addition, the members of the secretary's department received fees on the deputations granted to new postmasters in england and wales, upon commissions granted to agents and postmasters abroad, upon private expresses to and from london, and upon news supplied to the london press during a general election.[ ] in the fees on deputations and commissions were abolished, private expresses were discontinued, the "shipping list" was discontinued, and the "packet list" passed from the control of the post office. the revenue from these fees in the secretary's office which were still continued was to go henceforth to the general revenue.[ ] [ ] _acc. & p._, , pp. - ; _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep. app., nos. , , . [ ] _ibid._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. . [ ] _acc. & p._, - , xlv, , p. . an extra charge of _d._ was demanded upon letters posted between p.m. and p.m. this had been the rule since , and the proceeds went either to the inland or foreign office. so also did the registration fees on ships' letters. these fees were transferred to the general revenue in .[ ] in the total amount received in fees, emoluments, and gratuities by the officials in the london office was £ , , by agents and country postmasters £ , . most of these were either abolished or transferred to the general revenue in .[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xi, p. . the distinguishing feature of the post office during the eighteenth century was the extension of its service, which accompanied the industrial expansion of the kingdom. the abuses which naturally flourish during a prosperous period had been largely remedied by the reform of . the nation's need for a larger revenue led not only to a great increase in postage rates but also to stricter economy in the organization of the post office. the london and dublin penny posts were reformed and extended, the work of the general and penny posts in london was harmonized, the employees were increased, and the new departments which had been established were reformed and consolidated. the newspaper office which had been illegally established by palmer was continued after his dismissal. walsingham had objected to it on the ground that palmer had no right to appoint any officials without his consent. previously all newspapers had been forwarded to the postmasters free of postage by the "clerks of the roads." now that they might be sent with the letters, they were brought in at the last moment still wet from the press so that they defaced the writing on the letters sent in the same bag.[ ] in a dead letter office was also established. previously, dead and missent letters had been handed to a clerk in the general office. during allen's farm of the cross and bye post letters, missent letters were no longer forwarded to london, but any postmaster, into whose hands they came, was instructed to place them on the right track.[ ] four years later a third office was instituted, a money order office. no order could be issued for more than five guineas and the fee for that sum was _s._ _d._ it was started as a private speculation by some of the postal officials and so remained until when it was taken over by the general post office.[ ] [ ] _parl. papers_, - , _rep. com._, ii, p. . [ ] _fin. rep._, , no. , pp. - . [ ] w. thornbury, _old and new london_, ii, p. . the policy of the post office with reference to the registration of letters containing valuables varied with the nature of the enclosure and the manner in which it was sent. on ships' letters sent from england, the registration fee was one guinea, and a receipt was given to the person sending a registered letter. the fee for a letter coming into the kingdom was only _s._[ ] if bank notes were enclosed in a letter, it received no special attention from the post office. if gold or silver was sent in a letter marked "money letter," the postmaster placed it in a separate envelope and made a special entry on the way bill, which was repeated at every office it passed through. no special fee was charged for the extra attention bestowed upon these letters until when the postmaster-general was allowed to charge a fee for their registration in addition to the ordinary postage.[ ] the money order department, still a private undertaking, had its fees reduced from _d._ to _d._ on sums not exceeding £ and from _d._ to _d._ on sums exceeding £ but not more than £ .[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. . [ ] _london times_, , apr. , p. ; and wm. iv, c. ; and vict., c. . [ ] london _times_, , jan. , p. ; dec. , p. ; _acc. & p._, , xxvi, , no. . at the same time that the general post was being reformed, a former letter carrier by the name of johnson was improving the penny post. the six principal receiving-houses which dockwra had instituted had been reduced to five and were now still further reduced to two. the subsidiary receiving-houses in the shops and coffee-houses were increased and the number of letter carriers more than doubled. six regular deliveries for the city proper and three for the suburbs were introduced. before the deliveries in the city had not been made at the same time, for the carriers had to go to one of the main receiving-houses to get their letters. the deliveries were now made as near the same time as possible all over the city and the delivery hours were posted so that people might know when to expect the carriers and thus act as a check upon them. mounted messengers conveyed the letters to those carriers who delivered in distant parts of the city.[ ] [ ] joyce, p. ; _fin. rep._, , no. , p. . in an act was passed "to regulate the postage and conveyance of letters by the carriage called the penny post." the rate for letters posted in london, westminster, southwark and the suburbs for any place within these places and their suburbs remained one penny. letters sent from these places to any place outside paid _d._ as before. hitherto letters sent from outside to london, westminster, southwark and the suburbs had paid only one penny. this was raised by the act of to _d._ it was also provided that the postage for penny post letters need not be paid in advance. this would increase the expense but the idea was probably to secure greater safety in the delivery of letters. finally, the surplus revenue at the end of each quarter was to be considered part of the revenue of the general post.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . the changes introduced by johnson and the act of were in the right direction. this seems a reasonable conclusion not so much on account of the increase in net product, which was not great, as on account of the increase in gross product, showing that the number of letters and parcels sent by the penny post had doubled. the financial condition of the penny post before and after the reform is shown by the following figures:-- _average yearly_ _average yearly_ _average yearly_ _gross product_ _expense_ _net product_ - £ , £ £ - £ , £ , £ [ ] [ ] _parl. papers_, - , _rep. com._, ii, p. . london was not the only place which could boast a penny post in . the system was extended in that year to edinburgh, manchester, bristol, and birmingham, while dublin had been so favoured since . it is almost unnecessary to add that in all these places, it was a pronounced success from a financial and social point of view.[ ] [ ] joyce, pp. , . in the london penny post which had lasted for years was practically swept out of existence, for _d._ was then charged where a penny had formerly been the rate. an exception was made in the case of letters passing first by the general post, for on these the old rate still held.[ ] four years later, the limits of the twopenny post, as it was called, were restricted to the general post delivery and _d._ was charged for letters crossing the bounds of this delivery. this was called the threepenny post.[ ] the effect of the increased rates and the growth of population in the metropolis is shown by the increase in gross receipts, which rose from £ , in to £ , in and to £ , in . during the same period, the number of letter carriers was increased from to , and nineteen officials were added to the establishment.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] _acc. & p._, , pp. , ; _rep. commrs._, , xi, pp. , . although the general, the twopenny, and the threepenny posts, were all under one management, no attempt was made to harmonize their methods of procedure until . letters for the general post were often entrusted to the twopenny post but the receiving-houses of both posts were frequently established in the same street and close together. the general post had seventy receiving-houses in the city, the twopenny post , the threepenny post more in the suburbs and adjoining country. in addition there were "bellmen" who collected letters from door to door, ringing their bells as they went. they charged one penny for each letter collected.[ ] the general post receiving-houses closed at p.m., the twopenny receiving-houses at p.m., but letters might be posted at the charing cross office until . and at the general office until p.m.[ ] at the beginning of the nineteenth century, there were three deliveries, by the inland, foreign, and twopenny post carriers. the limits of the inland post delivery were very irregular and left out a large part of the populous suburbs. the foreign post delivery was also very irregular and still more restricted in area. the twopenny post delivery included london, westminster, southwark and their suburbs, and was the most extensive. letters were delivered by the threepenny post within an irregular area bounded on the inside by the twopenny delivery and extending nearly twelve miles from the general post office. the separate delivery of foreign letters was abolished first and all foreign letters were delivered by the general post carriers, and in the deliveries of the general and twopenny posts were made co-extensive, extending to a distance of three miles from the general office at st. martin's-le-grand. three years later the twopenny post building in gerard street was given up and all twopenny post letters henceforth were sent to the general post office building to be sorted.[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. ; _ibid._, , xi, pp. - ; _london times_, , dec. , p. . [ ] london _times_, , jan. , p. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., nos. , , . the regular collections of twopenny post letters were made at a.m., a.m., m. and , and p.m. deliveries were made at the same hours in the morning, at noon, and at , and o'clock in the afternoon. a letter posted at or before a.m. was sent for delivery at a.m. and so on. the letters collected were taken to the general office by horsemen to be sorted. two sets of men were employed, one collecting while the other delivered.[ ] there was an additional "early delivery" as it was called. the carriers on the way to their own "walks" delivered letters to subscribers, who paid _s._ a quarter for the accommodation thus afforded. the postage for letters so delivered was not paid until the carriers called again on their regular delivery.[ ] in the times of the regular deliveries were changed to every second hour from a.m. to p.m. and collections were made at the same hours.[ ] in the threepenny post limits, there were on an average three deliveries a day but those towns which had a general post delivery received only two a day from the threepenny post. letters were sent by horsemen or mail carts for delivery. the same receiving-houses were used for general and threepenny post letters.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. ; london _times_, , jan. , p. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xi, p. ; _parl. deb._, st ser., xxxi, col. ; _acc. & p._, - , xx, p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , xlv, , p. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. . the dublin penny post was remodelled in . the deliveries, which had been only two a day, were increased to four and then to six, additional letter carriers were appointed and receiving-houses established. the penny delivery extended to four miles around the city. there was a _d._ rate for letters beyond the four mile radius.[ ] previous to , the boundary of the edinburgh penny post was a circle with a radius of - / miles from the register office. some scotch mathematician must have been consulted when in the boundary was made an ellipse with its foci a furlong apart, the distance from each focus to the most remote part of the circumference being - / miles. outside this ellipse, there was a _d._ rate. there had been three deliveries a day, raised in to five.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , xii, p. ; wm. iv, and vict., c. . [ ] _rep. com._, - , xx, d rep., app. e, no. . before penny posts had also been established in newcastle and glasgow.[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. . since nearly all the mail coaches left london at o'clock in the evening, most of the letters arriving there in the morning for outside places were not despatched until the same evening. it was pointed out by the commissioners in the report of that a large proportion of these letters might be forwarded by the post coaches.[ ] if they arrived on saturday morning they were not forwarded until monday evening since sunday was not a mail day and mail coaches arriving on sunday were detained in the outskirts of the city.[ ] the rumour that the post office was considering the expedience of a sunday post brought forth a flood of protests. bankers, merchants, vestries, and religious societies were represented by delegations and petitions to the postmaster-general and the house of commons, praying that no change might be made.[ ] sixteen hundred solicitors joined in the opposition. lord melbourne informed the bishop of london that the subject was not under consideration, and the chancellor of the exchequer told sir robert inglis that the government had no intention of opening the post office on sunday.[ ] derby had a sunday delivery in , but, on their own request, many of the inhabitants were excluded from it.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , xxxiv, th rep., p. , and app., nos. , , . [ ] _acc. & p._, , l. . [ ] _ibid._, , xlvi, . [ ] _parl. deb._, st ser., xlvi, coll. , . [ ] london _times_, , june , p. . for over forty years all the mail-coaches in england were provided by one man, with whom a new contract was made every seven years. before a penny a mile was paid each way but on the imposition of a tax on carriages, the rate was raised to - / _d._, then to - / _d._, and later to - / _d._ a mile. one contractor supplied the coaches, others provided horses and drivers, but the guards were hired directly by the post office. in scotland and ireland, coaches, horses, and drivers were all provided by the same men. the number of miles a day covered by the mail-coaches in was and the mileage allowance for that year was £ , . when the mails were exceptionally heavy, mail carts were used, which cost somewhat more than the coaches, since they carried no passengers. in the contract for the supply of coaches was thrown open to public competition. by this move, the expenses dropped from £ , a year to £ , although the total distance travelled per day increased from , to , miles.[ ] the mail-coaches were at a disadvantage in competing with the post-coaches, since the former were allowed to carry no more than four inside and two outside passengers nor were they allowed to carry any luggage on the roof.[ ] on the other hand the mail-coaches in england paid no tolls until .[ ] the mail guards of the british coaches received £ in salaries in , paid directly by the post office. seven inspectors were also employed at a fixed yearly salary and _s._ a day when travelling. they superintended the coachmen and guards, investigated complaints, delays, and accidents, and made preliminary agreements in contracting for coaches.[ ] the majority of the irish coaches had paid tolls ever since they had been introduced. generally they were paid by the post office at stated intervals. the total distance travelled by mail-coaches in ireland in was miles each day, by mail-carts miles. the number of guards employed was eighty-five, receiving £ a year. the irish coaches were allowed to carry four outside passengers.[ ] [ ] _parl. papers_, , _rep. com._, p. ; _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., apps. , , , p. ; london _times_, , apr. , p. ; _acc. & p._, - , xlv, , p. : , p. ; _rep. commrs._, , xi, p. . [ ] _parl. papers_, , _rep. com._, pp. , , , . [ ] _ibid._, , _rep. com._, p. ; _parl. deb._, st ser., xix, col. ; wm. iv and i vict., c. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xi, p. ; _ibid._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., nos. , . [ ] _parl. papers_, , _rep. com._, p. ; geo. iii, c. ; _rep. com._, - , xvii, pp. , , ; _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. . the first railway in england over which mails were carried was operated between manchester and liverpool. in the government paid the grand junction railway - / _d._ a single mile for the conveyance of its mails. at the same time the average rate by the coaches was - / _d._ a single mile. on the london and birmingham railway when a special post office carriage was used, - / _d._ was paid. when the ordinary mail-coach was carried on trucks the rate was - / _d._ when a regular railway carriage was used, the rate was - / _d._ a mile for one third of a carriage.[ ] for the year ending th january, , the post office paid £ , for the conveyance of mails by coaches and £ to the railways. for the next official year, the figures had risen to £ , and £ , .[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., nos. , . the first day coach left london in , connecting at birmingham with the railway to hartford, cheshire. (london _times_, , sept. , p. ; _rep. com._, - , xx, pts. and , d rep., app. e, no. ; pt. , p. , no. .) [ ] _acc. & p._, , xxvi, , no. . the increased business of the post office made necessary a corresponding increase in the employees and better arrangements for dealing with the reception and despatch of letters. the number of persons employed in the general office in was . in there were . there were postmasters in england and over persons officially engaged in the receipt and delivery of letters. additional offices had also been established. in a returned letter office was organized for the purpose of returning undelivered letters to the writers and collecting the postage due. previous to , the practice had been to return only such letters as appeared to contain money or were supposed to be important enough to escape destruction. a franking department was organized to inspect such letters as were sent free. the increased use of private ships for conveying letters led to the establishment of a ship letter office.[ ] [ ] _parl. papers_, - , _rep. com._, p. ; _acc. & p._, , pp. - ; _rep. commrs._, , xi, p. . the old post office building in lombard street was quite too small to provide for the new offices and employees. the inland department contained only superficial feet, half of which was occupied with sorting tables, leaving only feet for persons. in the foreign department with thirty-five men, there were only superficial feet where they must perform their duties. the accommodations for receiving letters were so inadequate that when a foreign mail was being made up, the windows were crowded with an impatient and seething mob waiting for their turn to post their letters. the condition of the penny post department was no better. in a committee of the house of commons reported that a new general post office building was absolutely necessary. objections were raised on account of the necessary expenses involved and it was not until that the new post office in st. martin's-le-grand was formally opened.[ ] [ ] _parl. papers_, - , _rep. com._, pp. - . in ireland was given much larger political powers than she had previously enjoyed, and her parliament was freed from the direct tutelage of the english privy council. at the same time greater latitude in postal matters was also granted. an irish postmaster-general was appointed to reside in dublin and to collect the postage on all letters which did not pass beyond ireland. the postage between the two countries was to be collected on delivery, and then to be divided between the two according to the distance travelled in each. all net receipts from the irish office were ordered to be transmitted to london. the sailing packets remained in the charge of the english postmasters-general, but £ a year was paid to the irish office for this privilege.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . after the separation of the irish from the english post office, different postage rates had been established for the two countries. the division of authority thus established had caused endless difficulties. complaints about the delay or loss of letters crossing the channel at kingstown, howth, and waterford were referred from one office to the other. the commissioners who inquired into the condition of the dublin office found things in a deplorable condition. there were nearly as many postal officials employed in dublin as in london, although the number of letters handled was not one fourth so great. in the secretary's office, employing six persons, the fees amounted to £ a year, largely on english and irish newspapers. in the whole dublin establishment they averaged over £ , a year. the contracts for the supply and horsing of the mail-coaches were supposed to be public but they were awarded by favour. the postmasters-general did not attend to business and were very jealous of each other. the commissioners recommended the amalgamation of the english and irish offices, and this was accomplished in , the irish postage rates having been altered four years earlier to coincide with the english rates.[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xii, , pp. , , - ; _ibid._, , th rep., app. nos. , ; and geo. iv, c. . ireland was divided into eight postal divisions, according to the routes of the mail-coaches. mails left dublin at a.m. with an additional mail for cork at noon. they arrived in dublin between and a.m. the most important postal centres in addition to dublin were belfast, cork, limerick, and the packet stations at waterford and donaghadee. the total number of post towns in ireland was . at the same time there were in great britain post towns.[ ] a new post office building was completed in dublin in at a cost of £ , .[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xii, , pp. , ; - , xvii, p. . [ ] geo. iii, c. ; _parl. papers_, , xix, . the scotch post office had been amalgamated with the english office in , and scotland was constituted one of the eighteen postal divisions of great britain. the scotch rates had been the same as the english rates since that date, although an additional half-penny was paid on scotch letters to meet mail-coach tolls. in there were only eight towns for which mails were made up. at the same time that a new building for the use of the post office was being erected in dublin, a contract was signed for a new general office building for edinburgh to cost £ , .[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xii, , p. ; _parl. papers_, , xxi, . the rates established by the act of were still unchanged for the colonial possessions of the united kingdom. the american dominions had been sadly depleted by the revolutionary war but the postage revenue from the loyal remnants had steadily increased. in the amount of postage charged upon the colonial postmasters in america amounted to £ , . at one time jamaica had been the most important american colony from a postal point of view. canada now took the lead, followed in order of importance by jamaica, nova scotia, and new brunswick. in it was provided that, as soon as the north american provinces passed postal acts of their own and these acts were approved by the king, the colonial rates of should cease and the net postal revenue of the north american provinces should be retained by them.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, - , xx, pts. and , d rep., app. e, no. ; and wm. iv, c. . the british post office was now to experience the most far reaching and vital change since . sir rowland hill was the representative of the movement, aided by mr. wallace, who, as a member of parliament, was able to exercise an important effect upon the proposed reform. the history of the adoption of penny postage has been so well told by hill himself that only a bare story of its acceptance by parliament is necessary here. a committee was appointed to report upon the condition of the post office, the attitude of postal officials and of the public towards the proposed change, its effect upon the revenue, and finally to give their own opinion. this committee examined the postmaster-general,[ ] the secretaries and solicitors of the london, dublin, and edinburgh offices, other officials in the post office, the chairman, secretary, and solicitor of the board of stamps and taxes, rowland hill and eighty-three other witnesses from different classes of people, and obtained many reports from the post office. hill presented his plan to the committee as follows:-- that inland letters should pay postage according to weight at the rate of one penny for each half ounce.[ ] such postage should be paid in advance by means of stamped papers or covers.[ ] an option might be allowed for a time to pay a penny in advance or d. on delivery.[ ] day mails should be established on the important lines of communication.[ ] [ ] since there had been only one postmaster-general, as the dual system was abolished in that year. [ ] _rep. com._, - , xx, pt. , d rep., , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, pt. , p. ; xx, questions , , , . [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, pt. , p. ; _ibid._, xx, qs. , , , . [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, qs. - , - . there should be a uniform rate of postage because the cost of distributing letters consisted chiefly in the expenses for collecting and delivering them.[ ] the plan then in operation for letters not exceeding one ounce in weight was to charge according to the number of enclosures. this plan was uncertain because the number could not always be ascertained, necessitated a close examination, and was evaded by writing several letters on one sheet.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, qs. , - ; pt. , d rep., , p. ; pts. and , d rep., app. e, no. . [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, qs. , , , ; d rep., p. . payment on delivery made it necessary to keep two separate accounts against each postmaster, one for unpaid letters posted in london, and one for paid letters posted in the country. the postmasters had also to keep accounts against each other. payment in advance, if made compulsory, would do away with half of these accounts and the use of stamped covers or paper would do away with the other half.[ ] in some small places where the penny charge would not cover the cost of delivery, hill proposed that a small additional charge be made, either in advance or on delivery, but he withdrew this suggestion later.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, d rep., pp. , ; qs. , , . [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, pt. , pp. , , ; pts. and , st rep., no. , p. . the witnesses summoned to give their evidence before the committee pointed out that a multitude of business transactions were not carried on at all, or were carried on clandestinely, or were hampered by the high postage rates. bills for small amounts were not drawn,[ ] commercial travellers did not write until several orders could be sent on one sheet of paper,[ ] samples were not sent by post,[ ] communication between banks and their branches was restricted,[ ] statistical information was denied,[ ] social correspondence restricted especially among the poor,[ ] working men were ignorant of the rates of wages in other parts of the country,[ ] and the high postage was a bad means of raising revenue.[ ] in order to estimate the probable revenue after the change, it was necessary to know the number of letters carried. hill had come to the conclusion that the total number was about , , a year. the secretary, maberley, considered that there were about , , . a return was called for by the committee and hill's estimate proved to be nearly correct.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, - , xx, qs. , . [ ] _ibid._, q. . [ ] _ibid._, qs. , . [ ] _ibid._, q. , . [ ] _ibid._, qs. , , . [ ] _ibid._, qs. , - , - , , . [ ] _ibid._, qs. , - . [ ] _ibid._, qs. , (lord ashburton). [ ] _ibid._, pt. , pp. , ; _ibid._, pt. , pp. , ; app., p. ; _ibid._, pts. and , d rep., p. . the committee reported that the post office "instead of being viewed as an institution of ready and universal access, distributing equally to all and with an open hand the blessings of commerce and civilization, is regarded as an establishment too expensive to be made use of" (by large classes of the community) "and as one with the employment of which they endeavour to dispense by every means in their power." they were on less solid ground when they proceeded to state that the idea of obtaining revenue had been until lately only a minor consideration and that the post office had primarily been established for the benefit of trade and commerce.[ ] finally hill's plan was approved, though only by the casting vote of the chairman, mr. wallace. [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, pt. , d rep., p. . the house of commons received the proposed change with favour. over petitions with , signatures were presented praying for its adoption. the duke of richmond, a former postmaster-general, thought that it would be beneficial and that it was the only means of stopping the illegal conveyance of letters.[ ] sir robert peel was of the opinion that, with the prevailing deficits, it was an unfortunate departure, and he feared that prepaid letters would not be delivered.[ ] but the treasury was given power to lower rates and in a treasury warrant was issued, imposing postage rates between the colonies and between foreign countries through great britain according to weight and distance.[ ] stamped covers were issued for the use of members of parliament, and in an act was passed establishing penny postage for the united kingdom, permitting the use of stamped paper or covers, and imposing rates on foreign and colonial letters according to weight and distance conveyed.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, - , xx, d rep., app., p. ; _parl. deb._, d series, xlvii, col. . [ ] _ibid._, d series, xlvii, coll. - , . [ ] _acc. & p._, , xxvi, p. ; , xlvi, p. . [ ] _parl. deb._, d series, li, col. ; and vict., c. . the complete change thus produced in the policy of the post office is vividly set forth by the old secretary, sir francis freeling. "cheap postage"--he writes, "what is this men are talking about? can it be that all my life i have been in error? if i, then others--others whose behests i have been bound to obey. to make the post office revenue as productive as possible was long ago impressed upon me by successive ministers as a duty which i was under a solemn obligation to discharge. and not only long ago. is it not within the last six months that the present chancellor of the exchequer[ ] has charged me not to let the present revenue go down? what! you, freeling, brought up and educated as you have been, are you going to lend yourself to these extravagant schemes? you with your four-horse mail coaches too! where else in the world does the merchant or the manufacturer have the materials of his trade carried for him gratuitously or at so low a rate as to leave no margin of profit?"[ ] [ ] the rt. hon. thomas spring rice. [ ] joyce, pp. - . chapter iv the postal establishment an instrument of popular communication with the inauguration of inland penny postage the postal establishment ceased to exist primarily as a tax-collecting agency, and, although maintained as a whole upon a paying basis, certain of its recent experiments have, from a financial point of view, been far from successful. on the other hand, the simultaneous unification and reduction of rates, together with various other changes which have been adopted since , have resulted in lessening appreciably the expenses of management. the postage on inland letters was reduced in , , , and again in . in , the last year of high postal rates, the total number of letters, including franks, delivered in the united kingdom, was somewhat in excess of eighty-two millions. this number was rather more than doubled in the following year. during the ensuing ten years the figures were again doubled, the total in being millions. for the five-year period - , following the reduction in postage of , the average yearly number delivered was millions. in this increased to a little over millions; in the postal year - to millions, in - to millions, and in - to millions.[ ] so far as colonial letters were concerned, a marked reduction in rates was granted soon after inland penny postage was obtained, the reduction being extended to the larger part of the empire.[ ] further reductions followed until, in , a penny half ounce rate was established for most of the colonies, and all were included in . as on a previous occasion, the united states was the first foreign country with which an agreement was made to adopt this low rate, and its advantages have been enhanced still further by an increase in the initial weight from half an ounce to an ounce. during the sixties, treaties were entered into with the most important european countries for lower postage rates, and, in , at the first meeting of the postal union, a uniform rate for prepaid letters of - / _d._ a half ounce was agreed to. reductions also followed for other postal matter. in a universal foreign letter rate of - / _d._ was announced so far as the united kingdom was concerned, with the exception of those countries where a lower rate already prevailed, and a further reduction followed in by increasing the initial weight from half an ounce to an ounce in the case of all foreign and colonial letters, the charge on foreign letters for each unit after the first being reduced at the same time from - / _d._ to - / _d._ [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , app., p. ; , app., p. ; , app., p. . [ ] colonial legislatures were given the power in to establish posts of their own and to fix the inland postal rates ( and vict., c. ). after the registration fee was reduced by a series of gradations from _s._ to _d._, and the compulsory registration of all letters containing coin was enforced. in the separate system of insurance was abolished, and registration was extended for the first time to inland parcels. the limit of compensation was increased at the same time to £ and in the following year to £ by the payment of _d._ for the first £ and an additional penny for each additional £ of insurance.[ ] seven years later the amount of compensation payable was increased to £ and the fee payable was lowered for all sums over £ . arrangements were also made by which letters addressed to certain colonies and foreign countries might be insured to the same maximum amount.[ ] the limit of compensation is now £ for inland registered correspondence as well as for correspondence to many foreign countries and a few of the colonies. [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , pp. , - . among other postal reforms dear to hill's heart had been the compulsory payment of postage by means of stamps. he pointed out that this would greatly simplify the keeping of accounts by the department and increase the net revenue. the proposition was, however, too unpopular to secure approval. nevertheless in the postmaster-general secured parliamentary authority to abolish or restrict payment in money and require stamps to be used, but the experiment proved so unpopular that it was eventually abandoned.[ ] the use of perforated stamps, an invention of mr. archer, was in recommended by a committee appointed to report on the question.[ ] finally, in , the law forbidding the use of embossed or impressed stamps cut out of envelopes, postcards, letter cards, wrappers, and telegraph forms was repealed.[ ] [ ] and vict., c. ; _rep. com._, , xv, , p. ; _rep. p. g._, , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xv, , pp. iii-iv. [ ] edw. vii, c. . from to the rural districts as a rule obtained their postal matter by a special payment on their part to messengers for its conveyance from the nearest town, sometimes aided by a bonus from the revenue, or by means of the "fifth-clause" posts,[ ] or by the penny posts which were constantly increasing in number and were occasionally established under guarantee. in there were fifty-two "fifth-clause" posts in england and wales, and villages in the united kingdom were served by penny posts. in the government of sir robert peel laid down the following principle: "all places the letters for which exceed one hundred per week should be entitled to a receiving office and a free delivery of letters." a "delivery" here meant a daily delivery, and the boundary of the free delivery was to be determined by the postmaster-general. the principle enunciated above was followed until , and during that period the increase in the number of free and guaranteed rural deliveries was very great. at the close of this period it was decided that in future the determining rule should be based upon the probability of financial success. a post was held to pay its way whenever its cost was covered by a halfpenny on each letter delivered, but, since it was held that the number of letters would be doubled by free delivery, double the number arriving before its establishment might be assumed to arrive afterward. the post might be bi-weekly, tri-weekly, or weekly. this rule was to a certain extent made retroactive, but no post established under the rule of was stopped so long as the cost was covered by calculating delivered letters at a penny each. it was decided in that a post less frequent than once a day might be increased in frequency whenever the cost would be covered by a revenue estimated on the basis of three farthings for each letter, and in treating an application for a second daily post this amount was to be reduced to one farthing. the experiment was tried of delivering letters at every house in a few selected places but did not prove a success. it was stated that at the end of this revision, per cent of all postal packets were delivered. in the rule was laid down that new posts should be set up only when the cost would be covered by half a penny on each letter actually arriving, the old rule having been found to be too liberal. two years later it was stated by the post office that only per cent of the total postal packages were undelivered. in the question of extending the rural posts was considered by mr. fawcett, the then postmaster-general, who decided that credit should be given for revenue by increasing the halfpenny to / _d._ for each letter, and in the next year the existing rule as to a second daily delivery was made more liberal. in , for places hitherto unserved, the rate per letter for estimating revenue was increased to three farthings, for each parcel the rate was fixed at - / _d._, and in the following year rural sanitary authorities in england and wales were authorized to guarantee posts. in scotland the district committee or the county council, where the counties were not divided, was given the same power in . in the same year the rule was laid down that a second service in the day might be given provided that its cost did not exceed half a penny a letter and a penny a parcel and in addition that the total cost of night and day mail services should not exceed the revenue from the whole correspondence at half a penny per letter and a penny per parcel. it was estimated in that about thirty-two and a half millions of letters were undelivered, but the work of extending the rural posts went on gradually until in it was announced that provision would be made as soon as possible for delivery to every house in the united kingdom. in the postmaster-general was able to report that house to house delivery had been completed in england and almost completed in scotland and ireland.[ ] [ ] established by agreements between the postmaster-general and the inhabitants of small towns and villages. [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; , pp. f.; , p. . in addition to the ordinary delivery at regular intervals there was a growing demand for a more rapid service on extraordinary occasions as well as a desire for a special messenger service when the use of the post office as a medium meant an undesirable loss of time. in a private company started to supply messengers for postal services. after some trouble with the post office, a licence was granted them in in return for which they agreed to pay a percentage of their gross receipts to the department and observe certain conditions with reference to the delivery of letters.[ ] an express delivery service was also established by the post office, the fee in addition to the ordinary postage being _d._ for the first mile, _d._ for the second and beyond that, and where no public conveyances existed, _s._ a mile or actual cab-fare. in the case of letters delivered locally the ordinary postage was abrogated soon after and a charge of - / _d._ per pound for parcels exceeding one pound in weight was imposed, but this charge was later lowered to a penny per pound with a maximum payment of _s._ and the maximum limit of weight was increased from to pounds where the messenger could travel by public conveyance. the initial charge for the first mile of _d._, and _d._ for each succeeding mile, for each parcel was made a uniform charge of _d._ per mile, and the fixed charge of _d._ for each parcel beyond the first was reduced to a penny where several packets were tendered by the same sender for delivery by the same messenger. in the case of several packages delivered at the same address the charge was lowered to _d._ plus an additional penny for every ten packages or part thereof, later changed to a weight fee of _d._ on each packet or bundle of packets weighing more than one pound.[ ] rural postmen were also allowed to receive letters and parcels from the public at any point in their walks and deliver them without passing them through a post office, having first canceled the stamps.[ ] an agreement was also made with the railways to carry single letters left in the booking office for _d._ each. these letters may be taken to the booking office by messenger and delivered by a messenger at the end of their journey or posted there.[ ] the express delivery service was also extended to such foreign countries as would agree to it, including nearly all of western europe, part of south america, and the far east. in every case the primary fee in england is _ d._, the foreign charges varying with local conditions. express letters from abroad are delivered free within one mile from the post office. beyond that the distance charge is _d._ a mile for one parcel, with a penny for each additional parcel delivered to the same person. the postmaster-general reported that the establishment of this service was not only much appreciated by the people, but was self-supporting and even profitable to the state. during the ten year period ending march , , the number of express delivery services in the united kingdom increased from , to , .[ ] [ ] their extended licence will expire in (_rep. p. g._, , p. ). [ ] _parl. deb._, d series, cccli, col. ; _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , p. ; , pp. f.; , p. ; , p. ; , pp. , . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , p. ; , app., p. . the impressed stamp to which newspapers were subject until enabled them to pass free by post. after this stamp ceased to be compulsory, newspapers which bore it passed free from other postage until --when the halfpenny rate was established--and were known as "free"[ ] as distinguished from "chargeable" newspapers. of the former there were carried by post in over millions, of the latter, including book packets, millions. in the number of newspapers delivered in the united kingdom had increased to millions. for the five year period ending march , , the average yearly number had increased to a little over millions, for the next five years to something over millions. during the period ending march , , they had increased to millions, there being an actual decrease in one year. in the period following there was an average yearly increase of only three millions and the ensuing five years ending march , , showed a decrease of about one million.[ ] [ ] free newspapers also included those coming from abroad on which no charge was made in the united kingdom. [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , pp. f.; , app., p. ; , app., p. ; , app., p. . the book post, instituted in , had its rates reduced in and again in to a halfpenny for the initial two ounces and an additional / _d._ for each succeeding two ounces. in its scope was greatly enlarged and the expression halfpenny post, which is now its official name, better illustrates its cosmopolitan character for it now includes all printed documents of a conventional, formal, or impersonal character. from to the number of articles carried by the halfpenny or book post increased from millions to millions. the yearly average during the next five years was millions; during the following five, millions and for the five year period ending march , , they had increased to millions. during the next five years there was a still greater average increase to millions and the average for the postal year ending in march, , was millions.[ ] the rates for the inland pattern and sample post, established in , were assimilated with those of the book post in . it was abolished or rather incorporated with the letter post in the following year but was reëstablished in , the rates being a penny for the first four ounces and / _d._ for each succeeding two ounces, but, when the jubilee letter rates were published, it lost its _raison d'être_ and was abolished for inland purposes.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , p. ; , p. ; , app., p. ; , app., p. ; , app., p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; , p. ; _acct. & p._, , xxxvii (pp. - ). post cards were introduced in , being carried for / _d._ each prepaid, _d._ when payment was made on delivery.[ ] in addition to the stamp a charge was made to cover the cost of the material in the card itself. somewhat later reply post cards were issued for the inland service and arrangements were made for the use of international reply post cards. in , private post cards, to which a halfpenny stamp was affixed, were allowed to pass by post. the resulting enormous growth[ ] in their number showed that the privilege was appreciated. in less than five years they were estimated to form per cent of the total number passing through the post.[ ] shortly after, the prohibition of any writing save the address on the face of a post card was withdrawn and it was provided that the address side of all mail matter might be used for purposes of correspondence provided that it did not obscure the address, encroach upon the stamp, or prove in any way inconvenient. formerly, so far as mail matter other than post cards was concerned, the right half of the face side was reserved for the address.[ ] during the four five-year periods from to the year ending st march, , the average numbers of post cards delivered yearly in the united kingdom were about millions, millions, millions, and millions.[ ] [ ] charge on unpaid inland post cards reduced to _d._ each in . [ ] they increased from millions for the postal year - to millions during the ensuing year. [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , p. ; , p. ; , p. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , app., p. ; , app., p. ; , app., p. . it had not been usual for england to lag behind the continent in the adoption of new postal ideas. such was the case, however, with reference to the adoption of the convenient post card and the no less useful parcel post. in the question of the establishment of an international parcel post was discussed in paris and an agreement was reached for the transmission throughout nearly the whole of europe of parcels not exceeding three kilogrammes in weight. it was impossible for great britain to sign, as she had no inland parcel post at the time and found it difficult to establish one as an agreement with the railways was necessary. a movement was at once begun for one and it was started three years later. the first despatch of foreign and colonial parcels took place in , and at the beginning of the following year arrangements were completed for the exchange of parcels with twenty-seven different countries, including some of the colonies, india, and egypt. an agreement was concluded in with the united states for the interchange of parcels by post at the rate of _s._ for each and the maximum is two kilogrammes. these cannot be insured and customs' duties must be paid by the recipient. the previously existing agreement for parcels weighing as much as eleven pounds each, providing for insurance and the prepayment of customs' duties, continues to be carried on by the american express company.[ ] since the establishment of the inland parcel post the question of collecting the value of the parcels on delivery, if the sender and the recipient so desire, has often been raised. owing to the opposition of retail dealers, it has not yet been adopted although in operation in india and nearly all important foreign countries. in the words of the postmaster-general--"in these circumstances i am by no means satisfied, so far as my enquiries have gone, that the apprehensions expressed by retail traders in this country afford sufficient cause for withholding a convenience from the community at large."[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; , p. ; , p. ; , p. ; , p. ; _the economist_, , nov. , p. ; , july , p. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - . the various changes and improvements adopted by the post office since , in addition to those already named, are so numerous that only the most important can be considered here. among others the amalgamation of the london district post with the general post in deserves attention. in the following year it was ordered that letters should be sorted in each of the ten postal districts into which london was divided instead of being taken to the general office at st. martin's-le-grand as had been customary, thus materially lessening the expenses of sorting and facilitating their delivery.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; , p. ; , p. . in there were but post offices in the kingdom; in , .[ ] road letter boxes were introduced in and the public receptacles for the receipt of letters numbered , in as compared with before the establishment of penny postage.[ ] in the total number of persons in england employed in post office business numbered only . twenty-five years later for the united kingdom over , were so employed; in over , , of whom, however, more than , were engaged wholly in telegraph duties. by these had increased to nearly , and by to , of whom , were females.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , ii, p. ; _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , app., p. ; , app., pp. - ; , app., p. . the money order business which originated as a private speculation in was the result of an attempt to check the frequent theft of letters containing money. in , shortly after its acquisition from the proprietors, the rates were reduced and the number of money orders transmitted increased from , in to , in and to , , in . from the latter date until the increase both in the number and in the value of money orders transmitted was steady, aided by the increase in from £ to £ of the maximum transmissible sum and by the reduction in rates in . the penny rate of that year for orders to the value of ten shillings was a mistake, for the actual cost to the state of issuing and paying a money order was about _d._ in order to meet this difficulty a simpler form of order was issued in with an initial rate as low as half a penny, the cost of which to the post office was much less than that of the old kind of order. these postal notes, as they were called, were issued for new denominations in and and the rates on some of them were diminished. the lowest rate for a money order was for a few months fixed at _d._ but, as this aroused considerable opposition, the present rate of _d._ was soon after substituted, and in the maximum sum transmissible was increased to £ with a few accompanying changes in rates. in an opportunity was given in the case of a few towns for sending telegraphic money orders and during the ensuing three years the privileged area was greatly extended. in the expenses were considerably reduced. in arrangements were made for the exchange of money orders with canada and by similar agreements were decided upon with most of the other colonies, but foreign countries were not included until somewhat later and in colonial and foreign rates were harmonized. rates were reduced in , , and , and in the last year the inland £ limit was agreed upon with most foreign countries and some of the colonies. inland money orders which started to decrease in amount in - steadily continued their downward course until - , when there was a slight recovery for a few years, but since - the number has somewhat diminished. during the postal year ending in march, , the number of inland money orders transmitted was nearly eleven millions as compared with nearly nineteen millions for the year ending march, . this decrease in numbers is largely due to the lowering of the registration fee for letters, the introduction of postal notes, and the use of other means for transmitting small sums of money. the total value of inland money orders also began to diminish in , but began to recover in , and has since increased quite uniformly, being in nearly £ , , as compared with £ , , in .[ ] the increase in the number of postal notes has been enormous, although there was an apparent falling off in the years and due to the increased number of denominations offered for sale. for the first complete postal year after their authorization the number issued was nearly four and a half millions of the value of £ , , , and for the postal year - the number was , , of the value of nearly £ , , .[ ] on the other hand, while inland money orders were decreasing in number, colonial and foreign orders increased in general both in number and value.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; , pp. - ; , app., p. ; , app., p. ; , app., p. ; , p. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , app., p. ; , app., p. ; , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , app., pp. - ; , p. . the establishment of post office savings banks is naturally closely connected with the money order department since both of these departures from a purely postal character were adopted at about the same time, for much the same reasons, and were opposed on the ground of their infringement upon the banking prerogative. in the efforts of mr. sikes of huddersfield to bring a post office savings bank into being were supported by mr. gladstone, chancellor of the exchequer, and sir rowland hill, the then secretary of the post office, and two years later it was established by parliamentary sanction.[ ] the main features of the system were that deposits could be withdrawn not later than ten days after demand; that accounts should be kept at london alone, all money being remitted to and from headquarters; that the total amount deposited should be handed over to the "commissioners for the reduction of the national debt" for investment in government securities, and that interest on complete pounds at the rate of - / per cent should be allowed to depositors. as the interests of the poorer classes were made the primary object in establishing the banks, deposits were limited in the case of individuals to £ a year and £ in all, later increased to £ a year and £ in all, but friendly societies were allowed to deposit without limit and provident and charitable societies might deposit within limits of £ a year and £ in all or, with the consent of the commissioners, beyond these limits.[ ] [ ] vict., c. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , app., pp. - . in the savings banks were made a medium for investing in government stock at a trifling expense varying from _d._ to _s._ _d._ and with the privilege of having dividends collected free from further charge. these special advantages were confined to investments from £ to £ in value, the latter being the maximum sum in any one year, and the investments themselves might be sums especially deposited or transferred from a depositor's account. in the minimum amount of stock purchasable was reduced to s., and anyone who had purchased stock through a savings bank might have it transferred to his own name in the bank of england. in the limits of investment were raised from £ to £ in one year, from £ to £ in all, and the post office was empowered to invest in stock any accumulations of ordinary deposits above the limit of £ , unless instructions were given by the depositor to the contrary. an act was passed in enabling the postmaster-general to insure the lives of individuals between the ages of fourteen and sixty for amounts varying from £ to £ . he might also grant annuities, immediate or deferred, to any one of ten years of age or upward for sums between £ and £ . the act came into operation in certain towns of england and wales in the following year, and the system remained unaltered until . during this period of nineteen years, policies of insurance were effected, representing a yearly average of policies amounting to an average of £ each. the contracts for immediate annuities numbered , or an average of a year and there were contracts for deferred annuities. the value of immediate annuities granted was £ , and of deferred £ , , but a part of the latter never came into payment as the purchasers were relieved from their bargains upon their own representation. a new system associated with mr. fawcett's name was prescribed in . its merit consisted in linking the annuity and insurance business with the savings bank department so that payments for annuities and insurance are made through deposits in the savings banks. it was further provided that for persons between the ages of fourteen and sixty-five the limits of insurance should be from £ to £ and that sums of money might be insured payable at the age of sixty or at the expiration of a term of years. for annuities the minimum was reduced to £ , the maximum increased to £ , and the annuity and insurance privileges were extended to all places having savings banks. owing to the necessary preparation of tables the new regulations did not actually come into operation until . the growth of life insurance and annuity business was slow as compared with the rapid growth of the savings deposits. intended, however, primarily for the poor, it has not been without success, especially as the premiums charged are lower than those of insurance companies or industrial societies.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , app., pp. - . the insurance and annuity business of the post office has been described by the _economist_ as a practical failure because of the government's refusal to solicit business (_economist_ , nov. , p. ). in addition to joining the insurance and annuity business with the savings banks operations, mr. fawcett was responsible for a rapid increase in the number of branch saving offices in villages, for the special attention paid to "navvies" and workmen at their places of employment, and above all for the arrangement for making small deposits by slips of postage stamps. in by act of parliament the postmaster-general was empowered to offer facilities for the transfer of money from one account to another and for the easier disposal of the funds of deceased depositors. in the maximum permissible deposits of one person were increased from £ to £ inclusive of interest. the annual limit remained at £ but it was provided that, irrespective of that limit, depositors might replace the amount of any one withdrawal made in the same year. where principal and interest together exceeded £ , the interest was henceforth to cease on the excess alone, whereas previously it had ceased entirely when it had brought an account to £ . the next development arose from the free education act of in order to make it easier for children and parents to save the school pence which they no longer had to pay. special stamp slips were prepared to be sold to children, and clerks attended the schools with these slips. about schools adopted the scheme at once and three years later the number had risen to , but the movement seemed by to have spent its force. in the annual limit of deposits was increased to £ and, as we have already seen in another connection, any accumulations over £ were to be invested in government stock unless the depositor gave instructions to the contrary. in the same year arrangements were made for the withdrawal of deposits by telegram. a depositor might telegraph for his money and have his warrant sent by return of post at a cost of about _d._ or the warrant also might be telegraphed to him at a total cost of about _s._ _d._ in a rule was introduced by which a depositor, on presentation of his pass-book at any post office doing savings bank business, may withdraw on demand not more than £ . this obviates the expense of telegraphing and, that it was appreciated, is shown by the fact that during the first six months after the privilege was extended there were nearly two millions of "withdrawals on demand," forming nearly one half of the total number. as a result the number of telegraphic withdrawals fell from , for the postal year - to , for the year - .[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , app., pp. - ; , pp. - ; and vict., c. . there has been a steady and pronounced growth in savings bank business since its establishment. this growth has shown itself in the increased number of banks, of deposits, and of the total amounts deposited. the average amount of each deposit has varied somewhat from £ _s._ in to £ in , but since this date it has increased slowly but steadily and in it stood at £ _s._ _d._, which is about the average yearly amount since . at the end of the year over £ , , were on deposit in the post office savings banks.[ ] the increase in amounts invested in government stock has not been by any means so pronounced but there has been an increase. in we find that nearly £ , were so invested, in nearly £ , , , and in a little over £ , , .[ ] so far as annuities are concerned, the immediate seem to be considerably more popular than the deferred. the purchase money receipts for the former were £ , in , £ , in , and have since increased more rapidly to £ , in , with an actual decrease, however, for the four preceding years. the receipts for the purchase of deferred annuities amounted to £ in , £ , in and £ , in , also a decrease since . the amounts received as premiums for life insurance policies have also been rather disappointing, having increased from £ , in to £ , in and to £ , in .[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , app., pp. - ; , app., p. ; , p. ; , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , app., p. ; , app., p. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , app., p. ; , app., p. . the increasing use of railway trains for the conveyance of the mails has presented new and difficult problems with reference to the authority of the postmaster-general over mail trains and reasonable payments to the railway companies. so far as the method for ascertaining the rate of payment was concerned, a difficulty arose as to whether the post office should pay any part of the tolls as distinguished from operating expenses. major harness, a post office official, stated that in discussing this question with robert stephenson in the case of the london and birmingham railway it had been agreed that tollage should not be paid but only the out-of-pocket expenses, this being in conformity with the principles adopted in paying for mail coaches. the question of tollage was not mentioned by the railway mails act ( and vict., c. ), but major harness, in his evidence before a parliamentary committee, stated that he, as an arbitrator, estimated the tollage payable by the post office by finding out how much each ton, if the road were fully occupied, should contribute to return per cent upon the share capital and per cent on the bonds, the post office to pay its proportion according to the weight of mail matter carried. the cost of locomotive power was also taken into count and the carriage accommodation was paid for on the basis of what the railways charged each other.[ ] in addition to these items the committee recommended that the expenses for station accommodation, the additional cost of the working staff, and interference with ordinary traffic should also be taken into account.[ ] in the event of a failure on the part of the post office and a railway company to come to an agreement as to the amount payable, each of the parties nominated an arbitrator whose first duty was to select an umpire. each arbitrator was required to present his case in writing to the umpire and to attend in person if required. the umpire was supposed to give his decision within twenty-eight days after the receipt of the cases.[ ] in it was provided by act of parliament that when any dispute arose between the post office and a railway, the question should be taken to the railway and canal commission for settlement instead of being left to arbitration.[ ] the postmaster-general has also been authorized to make use of tramways for transporting the mails, and in the experiment was made of using motor vans for the same purpose. a few years later the postmaster-general expressed himself as "doubtful whether a thoroughly reliable motor vehicle suitable for post office work has yet been found." however, in - about thirty-five mail services were performed by motors, the work being undertaken by contractors who provide the vans and employ the drivers. they have proved to be more economical than horse vans when the load is heavy, the distance considerable, and greater speed desirable.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xi, , pp. - . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , p. ; and vict., c. . [ ] and vict., c. . [ ] and vict., c. ; _rep. p. g._, , pp. f.; , p. . the expenditure for the conveyance of mails by the railways for the year ending th january, , amounted to only £ . in this had increased to £ , , in to £ , , in to £ , , in to £ , , in to £ , and in to £ , . by the million mark had been reached and after that year all the expenses for the conveyance of the mails are grouped together. for the following year this total was £ , , , the payment for mail coaches in the preceding year, which are here included, being £ , . in the total expenditure for the "conveyance of the mails" was £ , , .[ ] [ ] _parl. papers_, - , xcv, p. ; _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , pp. - ; , p. ; , p. ; , p. ; , p. . in common with the members of other branches of the civil service the postal employees, prior to , were political appointees. the appointment of a patronage secretary had relieved members of parliament from the odium incurred as a result of this reprehensible method of manning the service, but it is doubtful whether any improvement in the personnel of the force actually resulted or was even anticipated. with the adoption between and of the principle that fitness should be tested by competitive examinations, the vast majority of the members of the postal establishment came under its influence. at the same time the postmasters of small rural communities, where the postal revenue was insignificant,[ ] still continued to be nominated by the local member. in this power was abridged, but members still continued to exercise a limited right of recommendation. finally in the postmaster-general announced that, though due weight should continue to be given to the opinions of members in the case of the appointment of these rural postmasters, such recommendations should be based on personal knowledge and should carry no more weight than the opinion of any other competent person.[ ] [ ] less than £ in england, less than £ in scotland and ireland. [ ] d. b. eaton, _civil service in great britain_, new york, , pp. , , ; _parl. deb._, d ser., ccxxxix, col. ; cclv, col. ; _ibid._, th ser., clix, col. ; clxx, col. . no question which has arisen in the internal management of the post office has presented more difficult problems for solution than that of the condition of the postal employees with reference to hours of labour, promotion, and remuneration. the first complaints which attract our attention during the period under discussion came rather from outside the service as a protest against sunday labour in the post office, but the fact that many of the postal servants were deprived of their holiday and often needlessly so deprived was a real grievance advanced by the employees themselves. it had been the policy of the post office for some time not to grant any application for the withdrawal of a sunday post if there were any dissentients to the application. in all sunday delivery was abolished for a time, but this hardly met the approval even of the strict sabbatarians, and the rule was promulgated the same year that no post should be withdrawn or curtailed except upon the application of the receivers of six sevenths of the letters so affected. of the rural posts in the united kingdom at that time more than half did no work on sunday and about half of the remainder had their walks curtailed, while in certain cases a substitute was provided on alternate sundays. a committee reporting on the question in advised that it should be made easier to discontinue a sunday delivery by requiring that a sunday rural post should be taken off if the receivers of two thirds of the letters desired it, that no delivery in the country should be granted except upon the demand of the receivers of the same proportion of letters, and that the principle of providing substitutes on alternate sundays should be more generally adopted. this report was favourably received and its recommendations adopted in the early seventies. in london and many of the provincial towns there is no ordinary sunday delivery, and so little advantage is taken of the opportunity for express delivery on sundays that there is presumably no strong demand for a regular sunday delivery. various measures advocated for the relief of the town carriers were also adopted.[ ] [ ] _acct. & p._, , xxxvi, , pp. - ; _rep. commrs._, , xviii [c. ], pp. - ; _rep. p. g._, , p. ; _parl. deb._, th ser., xciv, coll. - , - . in an attempt was made by the post office employees, led by the letter carriers, to secure higher wages and to obtain a remedy for certain other grievances advanced by them. sir george bower asked for a select committee of enquiry in their behalf but this was refused by the chancellor of the exchequer. he agreed, however, to the appointment of a committee composed of post office and treasury officials, but their personnel was so repugnant to the employees that they refused to give evidence, and as a result of this and other difficulties four of their leaders were suspended. the protest on the part of the men was not entirely unproductive, for in the end the postmaster-general granted them a slight increase in their wages. at the same time he referred to the following rates of wages in support of his contention that there was no good ground for dissatisfaction among the servants of the post office: for carriers, _s._ a week advancing to _s._; for sorters of the first class, _s._ to _s._; of the second class, _s._ to _s._; and of the third class, _s._ to _s._ "carriers also obtain christmas boxes averaging, so it is said, £ a year. in addition these wages are exclusive of uniform, of pension in old age, and of assistance for assurance."[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; _parl. deb._, d ser., clix, coll. - ; clxviii, coll. - . the first thorough-going attempts to remedy the grievances of the post office employees were made in and by mr. fawcett in his capacity as postmaster-general. his scheme for improving the pay and position of the sorters, sorting clerks, telegraphists, postmen, lobby officers, and porters resulted in a mean annual cost to the post office of £ , . in , , and , under the supervision of mr. raikes, improvements were made in the condition of the chief clerks and other supervising officers, the sorting clerks and telegraphists in the provinces, the telegraphists, counter-men and sorters in london, and the sorters in dublin and edinburgh at an additional yearly expense of £ , . while the representatives of the london postmen were in process of examination, some of them went out on strike. they were severely punished, some men being dismissed in one morning, and a committee was appointed to enquire into the complaints of the london and provincial postmen.[ ] in the same month that the strike took place mr. raikes announced increases in the pay of the postmen involving an additional yearly payment of £ , . the revisions so announced from to have been estimated to involve an increased annual expenditure of nearly £ , .[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; , p. ; _parl. deb._, d ser., cccxviii, coll. , ; cccxlix, col. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - . a committee was appointed in to deal with the discontent which was only lessened, not silenced, by the efforts of messrs. fawcett and raikes. this was composed of lord tweedmouth, sir f. mowatt, mr. spencer walpole, and mr. llewellyn smith, and the compromise which they proposed was known as the "tweedmouth settlement" which apparently gave little satisfaction at the time and less thereafter. it resulted in a higher average rate of payment, but dissatisfaction was felt because the pay for some services was less than before. the basis of the report was "the abolition of classification whereby each man was allowed to proceed by annual increments to the maximum pay of a combined class, subject only to an efficiency-bar which he may not pass without a certificate of good conduct and ability, together with the abolition of allowances for special services." differences in pay according to the volume of business in particular localities were left untouched, and this was the cause of much complaint. special inducements in the shape of double increments were offered to the staff on the postal and telegraph sides to learn each other's work in order to lighten the strain which might otherwise fall on a particular branch. overtime, sunday and bank-holiday pay were assimilated throughout the service, and efforts were made to reduce the hardship resulting from "split" work, so called from the fact that the working day of many of the men was divided by an interval when there was nothing to do. the higher officials were acquitted of favouritism in the matter of promotion and of "unfairness and undue severity in awarding punishments and in enforcing discipline." the general charges of overcrowding the post offices and leaving them in an unsanitary condition were also rejected. the changes proposed were all adopted at an immediate estimated cost of £ , a year and an ultimate cost, also estimated, of £ , .[ ] the tweedmouth commission in its turn was soon followed by a departmental committee, composed of the duke of norfolk, then postmaster-general, and mr. hanbury, the secretary of the treasury, then acting as the representative of the post office in the house of commons. the postal employees demanded that their grievances should be laid before a select committee composed of members of the house of commons, and motions to that effect were introduced year after year only to meet the government's disapproval. the most important demands of the men turned upon the questions of full civil rights, complete recognition of their unions, the employment of men who were not members of the civil service, and the old difficulty of wages and hours. so far as the question of full civil rights was concerned, the post office employees had been granted the franchise in , but were required not to take an active part in aiding or opposing candidates for election, by serving on committees or otherwise making themselves unduly conspicuous in elections. the men demanded that these restrictions should be withdrawn. in the second place, the postmaster-general refused to receive deputations from those employees not directly interested in the question at stake, refused to recognize officials who were not also employees of the department, and exercised more or less control over the meetings of employees. finally, in addition to the general demand for higher wages due to the higher cost of living, the telegraphists contended that they had been deceived by the promise of a maximum salary of £ a year, whereas they actually received only £ . mr. a. chamberlain opposed the appointment of a select committee of members of the house of commons because of the pressure likely to be brought upon them and because of their unfitness to decide upon the question at issue. he agreed, however, after consultation with various members of parliament and the men themselves, that a committee of enquiry might reasonably be granted, composed of business men not in the civil service and not members of the house of commons.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. f. [ ] _parl. deb._, th ser., viii, col. ; xxix, col. ; lxxxii, coll. f.; xciv, coll. f.; cvi, coll. - , , ; cxxi, coll. - ; cxlviii, coll. - , . in accordance with this promise the so-called "bradford committee" was appointed to report on "the scales of pay received by the undermentioned classes of established civil servants and whether, having regard to the conditions of their employment and to the rates current in other occupations, ... the remuneration is adequate." in the meantime mr. chamberlain retired, but his successor, lord stanley, asked that the enquiry be continued. the members of this committee, interpreting their instructions very loosely, extended their report to include their own recommendations as to changes in pay, and refrained entirely from making any comparison between the wages of postal servants and those in other employments, on the ground that such information was easily accessible from the statistics published by the board of trade. they added that it was difficult to make any comparison between a national and a private service, for payment according to results and dismissal at the will of the employer are inapplicable under the state. there was also a pension fund in the service, the present value of which it is difficult to estimate. in their own words, "it appears to us that the adequacy of the terms now obtaining may be tested by the numbers and character of those who offer, by the capacity they show on trial, and finally by their contentment." they agreed that there was no lack of suitable candidates and no complaints as to capacity, but there was widespread discontent. finally the committee recommended the grading of the service as a whole, taking into consideration the differences in cost of living as between london and other cities and between these cities and smaller towns and an increase in pay of the man at an age to marry, irrespective of years of service. "they" (the above recommendations) "obviously do not concede all that has been asked for, but they go as far as we think justifiable in meeting the demands of the staff and we trust it will do much to promote that contentment which is so essential to hearty service."[ ] from an examination of the evidence presented by the committee and a comparison of present scales of pay in the post office with those current in other employments, the postmaster-general concluded that there was no reason for increasing the maximum wages payable, but there seemed to be ground for modifying and improving the scales in some respects. the special increase at the age of twenty-five was granted. the maximum was increased in london and the larger towns on account of the higher cost of living and at the same time wages in the smaller towns were advanced. the postmen also, both in london and the provinces, were granted higher wages, and all payments to the members of the force were in the future to be made weekly. the additional cost entailed by these changes was estimated at £ , for - , the average in later years at £ , .[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxxiii, , pp. - . [ ] _acc. & p._, , xliv, , pp. - ; _parl. deb._, th ser., cxlviii, col. . the post office employees who had asked for the appointment of a select committee were greatly dissatisfied with the personnel of the "bradford committee." this dissatisfaction on their part was increased by the fact that the recommendations of the committee were to a great extent disregarded by lord stanley on the ground that the members had not reported upon the question laid before them, but had instead proposed a complete reorganization of the whole of the service. he was willing to grant some increase in pay but there were certain recommendations of the committee which he refused to accept. he himself was of the opinion that the average wages of the employees were in excess of those of men doing similar work under competitive conditions, but the postmen objected to a comparison of their wages with those of employees in the open labour market on the ground "that there is no other employer who fixes his own prices or makes an annual profit of £ , , sterling." delegates representing over , members of various postal associations protested strongly against lord stanley's refusal to adopt the findings of the "bradford committee" _in toto_ and the men prepared to take an active part against the government in the approaching election. appeals were sent out by the men from which lord stanley quoted as follows in the house: "two thirds at least of one political party are in great fear of losing their seats. the swing of the pendulum is against them and any member who receives forty or fifty of such letters will under present circumstances have to consider very seriously whether on this question he can afford to go into the wrong lobby. this is taking advantage of the political situation."[ ] the postmaster-general's unpopularity with his employees was not diminished by his reference to these appeals as "nothing more or less than blackmail." he himself was of the opinion that there should be some organization outside of politics to which such questions should be referred.[ ] [ ] in connection with such appeals both sides of the house as represented by their leaders had in advised that members should pay no attention to them (_parl. deb._, th ser., v, coll. f.). [ ] _parl. deb._, th ser., cxxxix, coll. - ; cxlviii, coll. , - , ; the london _times_, , oct. , p. ; oct. , p. ; oct. , p. ; , jan. , p. ; apr. , p. . shortly after the liberals had come into power, a post office circular was issued granting to the secretaries of the branches of the various postal organizations the right to make representations to the postmaster-general relating to the service and affecting the class of which the branch of an association was representative. in matters solely affecting an individual the appeal had to come from the individual himself. this was followed by a full recognition of the postal unions by the new postmaster-general, mr. buxton, with the rights of combination and representation through the representatives of different classes. these conclusions were commented upon most favourably at the annual meeting of the "postmen's federation."[ ] the representatives present were glad to see that "the old martinet system was fast breaking down." [ ] but the greatest triumph of the men was to follow in the appointment of a select committee composed of members of the house of commons with full powers to investigate the conditions of employment of the postal employees and make such recommendations, based upon their investigation, as might seem suitable. nine members were appointed for this purpose, two of their number being members of the labour party, and mr. hobhouse was chosen as chairman. their report is very voluminous and treats minutely all the questions concerning which the postal employees had expressed so much dissatisfaction. the most important of these are connected with the civil rights of the men, their wages, hours of labour, and the conditions of their employment. the demand for full civil rights was supported by four members on the ground that the position of the postal employees is not in many respects "comparable to that of the civil service as a whole," but the point was lost for the men by the vote of the chairman. some departments asked for a reduction in the age of voluntary retirement from sixty to fifty and of compulsory retirement from sixty-five to sixty, but these changes were not recommended by the committee. the question of extending part of their pensions to the widows and children of deceased employees was referred to a plebiscite of the employees themselves. so far as incapacitated officials were concerned, it was pointed out that the "workmen's compensation act" of had been extended to them. night work had been limited to the time from p.m. to a.m., seven hours of night work counting as eight hours of day work. the committee asked that night duty be from p.m. to a.m., the ratio of the relative value to remain unchanged. some servants asked for a forty-two hour week, especially in the case of those who had "split" work to do, and for a half holiday each week. the committee thought that the forty-eight hour week should remain unchanged but that a half holiday might be granted where "the exigencies of the service demand." they also recommended that compensation should be allowed where free medical attendance was not granted. there was a general protest from postmen, telegraphists, and sorters against the employment of casual and auxiliary labour on the ground that it dealt a blow at thorough work and trade unionism. the department replied that it was necessary in the case of especially busy holiday periods and where "split" attendance was unavoidable. the committee contented themselves by asking that casuals who have full work elsewhere should not be employed. the claim on the part of the employees that promotion should be contingent on "seniority, good conduct and ability," in the order named was not accepted by the committee, whose members contended that ability, as at present, should count for most. so far as wages themselves were concerned, a general increase was approved by the committee, and it also, commenting unfavourably on the complexity and number of existing classes, recommended a reduction in their number and greater regularity and simplicity in grading them. [ ] [ ] the postmen's federation was established in and a journal, the _postman's gazette_, representing their views, was started in the following year (_postman's gazette_, may , ; _post office circular_, no. ). [ ] _parl. deb._, th ser., cliv, col. ; clix, col. ; clxxiv, col. ; the london _times_, , june , p. . [ ] _parl. deb._, th ser., cliii, coll. - , - ; _rep. com._, , . the recommendations of the "hobhouse committee" have proved, in many respects, unsatisfactory to the postal employees who have not hesitated to express their condemnation of what they consider the sins both of commission and omission of the members. in the words of the delegates from the branches of the "postmen's federation" meeting in london: "we express our deep disappointment with the report of the select committee for the following reasons": the "cowardice" of the committee in recommending the continuance of the system of christmas boxes; the failure in many cases to increase the minimum and maximum rates of wages; the mistaken method of grading towns for wages; the failure to grant full civil rights and the granting of so much power to the permanent officials. the conference of postal clerks in turn expressed their dissatisfaction with the findings of the committee. the "irish postal and telegraph guardian" considered that the "report had intensified discontent" and commented on the fact that large increases in salaries to highly paid classes had been recommended without any agitation on their part while the lower grades got practically nothing, this in direct opposition to opinions expressed both by mr. buxton and mr. ward, a member of the committee. deputations were appointed to discuss with the postmaster-general those findings of the committee which were unsatisfactory, but mr. buxton refused to grant a re-trial of the controverted points although he agreed to listen to the plea of those employees whose case had not been presented before the committee. [ ] [ ] _parl. deb._, th ser., clxxxiv, coll. - , - , ; cxcii, coll. , ; the london _times_, , aug. , p. ; aug. , p. ; oct. , p. . mr. buxton explained his position with reference to the recommendations of the committee in a speech delivered in the house. he knew that in the case of the tweedmouth and bradford committees the men stated beforehand that they would not be bound by the decisions reached, but on the other hand had asked for a parliamentary committee as the only solution of the difficulty. broadly speaking, he was of the opinion that the findings of the committee should be binding, and he understood that the men would agree to accept them. there were, however, certain points of the report on which nearly every section of the staff asked for a re-trial, but this he was compelled to refuse. the most important recommendations of the committee which were adopted by mr. buxton are: an increase in the case of each employee to the minimum or "age pay" of his class; the extension of the "technical increment" beyond the ordinary maximum pay, after a searching examination; the reduction in london of the four "wage" zones to three; a reduction in the number of classes in the provinces, with wages based on volume of work and cost of living in the order named; a reduction after the first five years from five to four years in the period necessary to obtain good conduct stripes; an increase in the pay of women; a reduction in the amount of auxiliary labour employed; night labour to be reckoned from instead of p.m.; overtime to be watched and checked; unsanitary conditions in the post office buildings to be remedied; and wages increased in the engineering branch.[ ] [ ] _parl. deb._, th ser., clxxxiv, coll. - ; cxcii, coll. - . it has been estimated that the recommendations adopted by the postmaster-general will entail upon the country an additional cost of about £ , , rising to £ , , (_parl. deb._, th ser., cxcii, col. ). chapter v the travellers' post and post horses the duty of providing horses for conveying letters and for the use of travellers on affairs of state was enforced from the beginning of the sixteenth century by orders and warrants issued by the postmaster-general and the privy council to mayors, sheriffs, constables, and other officials.[ ] where ordinary posts were laid, the postmen themselves were supposed to have horses ready. such at least was the understanding, not, however, invariably realized. in we find the postmaster-general complaining that, except between london and dover, there were never any horses provided over the whole kingdom.[ ] a few years later when the london-berwick posts became an established fact each postman had to provide one horse, always to be ready to carry either the mails or a chance traveller on affairs of state. in , since, owing to trouble with scotland, the number of letters and travellers between that country and london had become much more numerous, each postman was required to have in readiness three horses instead of one, and it was partly for this reason that their pay was increased at the same time.[ ] the fee for the use of these horses was fixed at a penny a horse for every mile travelled. generally this fee was named in the warrant empowering the traveller to take up horses.[ ] when the sum was not definitely named, it was required that it should be reasonable.[ ] it seems to have been the custom of the members of the council to grant these warrants quite indiscriminately. to remedy this, it was provided in that in future no warrant should be granted to any person, who was not actually travelling upon state affairs.[ ] twelve years later we find the people of grantham petitioning the council against the taking-up of horses to ride post. they said that the practice had increased so much that it had become intolerable.[ ] the demand for horses had become so great that _d._ a mile was asked for each horse and complaint was made that travellers and messengers refused to pay the increased charge.[ ] it is improbable that the state was successful in preventing the use of the postmasters' horses by private individuals, and it is more improbable still that the postmasters themselves objected to hiring their horses to those who travelled on their own affairs. warrants issued by the council nearly always fixed the price which should be paid. now such prices, like wages when fixed by employers, are likely to be lower than demand and supply warrant. on the other hand, as between the postmasters and the ordinary travellers, the question of charge was adjusted by agreement. [ ] hist. mss. com. _rep._, , app., pt. , p. ; _p. & o. p. c._, vii, p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _l. & p. hen. viii_, xvii ( ), p. . [ ] _a. p. c._, - , pp. , , , , ; - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . when the postmasters themselves were too poor to obtain horses at their own expense, they were sometimes aided by the town or county. in norfolk, for instance, each one of three postmasters was provided with a certain sum out of the treasury of the city of norwich to be lent without interest. they were also paid so much a year out of money levied on the people of norwich, one half on the innkeepers and tipplers and one half on the other inhabitants. no man was to take up post horses in norwich unless licensed by warrants from the queen, the council, the duke of norfolk, or the mayor of norwich. no one was to ride a horse farther than twelve or fourteen miles at a stretch, and he was to pay _d._ each mile and _d._ to his guide to lead back the horses. no horse was to carry any cloak bag over ten pounds in weight.[ ] [ ] f. blomefield, _norfolk_, , iii, p. . if more horses were demanded from the postmaster than he himself had in his stable, he might seize them from his neighbours but the full amount paid was to go to the owners. the date of the commission empowering horses to be used, the name of the person using them, and the date when the horses were demanded were to be entered in a book, kept for the purpose.[ ] [ ] _a. p. c._, - , p. . complaints from the postmasters concerning the abuses of travellers were frequent. the london-berwick posts in a petition to the council stated that on account of the great number riding over that road many of their horses were injured or spoiled and were not paid for, while the constables, whose duty it was to see that horses were provided, were often ill-treated. accordingly by a proclamation issued in , it was provided that no commission to ride in post should be issued unless it was first moved at a council meeting or ordered by the secretary for causes properly relating to her majesty's service.[ ] this was followed in by a still more stringent proclamation, forbidding any person to use a commission more than once unless otherwise specified. the pay of _d._ a mile for each horse was to be in advance as was also the "guide's groat" and, if the payment was not so advanced, the postmaster might refuse to supply horses.[ ] occasionally we find people objecting to having their horses taken when the postmaster had not sufficient of his own. complaints like these were generally followed by an order to the offending postmaster to provide himself with more horses.[ ] [ ] _a. p. c._, - , p. . a particularly violent man roused the ire of the mayor of guildford, who wrote to walsingham asking for damages to a gelding killed by a mr. wynckfeld, riding post from guildford to kingston. the gelding stumbled and fell on the road and wynckfeld thrust his dagger into him, beat the guide and threatened to kill the constables on his return (_cal. s. p. d._, ii, p. ). [ ] _a. p. c._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . the travellers, however, were not the only people who were at fault. the owners of the horses were often offenders and can hardly be blamed for rendering as difficult as possible the enforcement of the obnoxious proclamations, which they were ordered to obey. if they had to supply horses, they must do so, but there was nothing to prevent them from offering clumsy plough horses or venerable specimens no longer capable of drawing a plough. the constables were more apt to sympathize with the owners, who were their neighbours, than with the travellers. consequently it is not surprising that complaints were loud and deep over the pieces of horseflesh, whose angular outlines must have presented a sorry seat for the queen's messengers.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; - , p. . by a privy council proclamation issued in , all posts receiving a daily fee were required to keep at least two horses apiece. so far as the letting of horses was concerned, they had up to this time been subject to competition from other people, who had horses to hire. they were now granted the prior right to provide horses for travellers and it was only in case of their supply being inadequate that horses might be procured elsewhere. the hire as usual was to be paid in advance and was fixed at - / _d._ a mile, together with the guide's fee for those riding on commission and was to be settled by agreement for all others. no heavier burden than thirty pounds in excess of the rider's weight was to be carried by each horse.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., pp. , , ( ). it is in connection with the monopolistic restriction of that macaulay says that the state must have reaped a large reward from the prior right of the postmasters to hire horses to travellers.[ ] mr. joyce has pointed out that the proceeds went to the postmasters and not to the state, but he has given no good reason for dissenting from macaulay's opinion. without doubt joyce is correct, as is shown by a complaint from the postmasters on the western road that they had been injured by an interloper who supplied travellers with horses.[ ] in , the state made an attempt to obtain something from the postmasters by requiring them to take out a licence for the hiring of horses and to pay a percentage for their receipts to the government.[ ] indirectly, however, the state did reap some benefit from the revenue from post horses, for if the postmasters had received nothing from their horses or from the conveyance of private letters, it would have been necessary to pay their salaries much more promptly than was the custom. as early as the latter part of the sixteenth century, we find complaints from the london-dover posts that they had received nothing on their salaries for a whole year.[ ] this was nothing to later complaints and proves that an impecunious government was enabled to act the bad debtor by the fact that other forms of revenue were available for the postmasters. [ ] macaulay, _hist. of england_, , i, p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . in the rate for each horse was raised from - / _d._ to _d._ a mile, and an attempt was made to enforce the postmasters' monopoly more strictly.[ ] no horse was to be ridden beyond the initial stage unless with the consent of the postmaster concerned. the postmasters complained that they were held responsible for supplying horses, and yet, when it was necessary to obtain them from the surrounding country, they were resisted by the owners or were supplied with inefficient animals.[ ] the complaints of the public were more to the purpose. according to them there were some who were being called upon constantly for horses while others escaped all demands. the postmasters often accepted bribes from owners of horses on condition that they should not be troubled.[ ] at times the horses, after being seized, were not used but were kept in the stables of the postmasters, and their owners charged the expense of maintaining them. [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; , p. ; - , p. . at the establishment of witherings' plan in , the postmasters on all the roads in england were required to have as many horses ready as were necessary for the carriage of letters and the accommodation of travellers. the rate for each horse was lowered from _d._ to - / _d._ or _d._ for two horses and a guide.[ ] before , the post enjoyed no priority over the traveller in being provided with horses, and if all the horses happened to be in use when the mail arrived, it had to wait. now it was provided that on the day when the mail was expected, enough horses should be kept in the stable to ensure its prompt transmission.[ ] in , after witherings' dismissal, the fee for the hire of a horse was raised again to _d._ at which rate it continued until , when it was lowered to - / _d._ by the commonwealth government. so much trouble had been caused by the seizure of horses from owners unwilling to part with them that it was provided by the act of that no one might take or seize horses for service without the consent of the owner, but no one save the postmaster-general and his deputies might hire horses to persons riding in post with or without commission.[ ] at the restoration in , the old rate of _d._ a mile for each horse was re-imposed together with a _d._ fee to the guide for each stage. if the postmaster was unable to furnish horses within half an hour, they might be obtained elsewhere, but always with the consent of the owner.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ); _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . [ ] scobell, _collect._, , c. . [ ] ch. ii, c. . the sole right to supply horses was continued to the postmasters-general and their deputies by the famous act of . the rate per horse and the guide's fee remained at the figure imposed by the act of . if the postmaster did not supply the horses demanded within half an hour, he was liable to a fine of £ and the horses might be obtained from any one who would consent to hire them. the maximum burden for one horse over and above the rider's weight was eighty pounds.[ ] [ ] anne, c. . the postmasters enjoyed the monopoly of letting horses to travellers until the middle of the eighteenth century. but the industrial growth of england and the improvement in the roads had produced such an increase in the number of travellers that the postmasters were unable to supply the demand. the use of carriages had become more common, enabling people to travel who could not proceed on horseback, and this had still further increased the demand for horses. it was plain that something must be done and some more extensive source of supply drawn upon than that furnished under the old system. the postmen had heard some of the rumours in the air that a change was about to be made, and they forwarded a petition to the house of commons, protesting against the contemplated change as an infringement upon their old monopoly. they said "that if the amendment should pass into a law as it is now drawn, it would not only tend to the great damage and loss of the petitioners, but also the prejudice of his majesty's revenue."[ ] the amendment did pass, however, declaring that in future any one might furnish chaises and calashes with horses and that people letting chaises might supply horses for them at the same time.[ ] [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . [ ] geo. ii, c. . in , when the treasury was sadly in need of money, an act was passed, requiring all persons letting horses to take out licences. in addition, duties were levied on all horses and carriages hired for the purpose of travelling post.[ ] in the following year this act was superseded by a stricter and more comprehensive one. it was provided by the new act that every person letting horses to travel should pay five shillings a year for a licence. in addition one penny a mile should be paid for every horse, or, if the distance was not known, _s._ _d._ a day, such duties to be paid by the person hiring the horses to the postmaster or other person who provided them, to be by him handed over to the treasury. at the time of payment the postmaster was to give the traveller a ticket, which must be shown to the toll keepers on the road. if he had no ticket to show, the toll keeper was ordered not to allow him to pass.[ ] five years later the duty to be collected was raised to - / _d._ a mile for each horse or _s._ _d._ a day.[ ] in , permission was given to let these duties out to farm, because so many difficulties had been experienced in their collection.[ ] the whole theory of these duties was illogical, for it was to every one's interest to evade them, and direct supervision was impossible. in another act for farming the post-horse duties was passed, modifying somewhat the provisions of the previous act. the tax was to extend to horses used in travelling, when hired by the mile or stage and when hired for a period of time less than twenty-eight days for drawing carriages used in travelling post. persons licenced to let horses were required to have their names and places of abode painted on their post carriages if they provided these also. the carriages must have numbers painted on them so as to distinguish them easily.[ ] in all previous acts relating to licences and fees for keeping horses for hire were repealed, and a complete system of rates was substituted. every postmaster or other person keeping horses to hire for riding by post must pay an annual licence of five shillings and additional duties calculated according to distance or time. the treasury was given authority to let these duties to farm.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iv, c. :-- for every horse let to hire by the mile at the ordinary rate, - / _d._ for no greater distance than eight miles, one fifth part of the sum charged or _s._ _d._ for no greater distance than eight miles and when the horse or horses shall not bring back any person nor deviate from the regular road, _s._ for every horse let for a period less than twenty-eight successive days and not let according to the terms given above, one fifth part of the sum charged or s. d. for each day not exceeding three days and _s._ _d._ for each day exceeding three days but not exceeding thirteen days and _s._ _d._ for each day exceeding thirteen but not exceeding twenty-eight days. for every horse let for twenty-eight successive days or for a longer period, one fifth of the sum charged or _s._ _d._ for each day not exceeding three and _s._ _d._ for each day exceeding three days but not exceeding thirteen days and _s._ _d._ for each day exceeding thirteen and less than twenty-one days. chapter vi roads and speed sir brian tuke, writing in , said that the only roads in the kingdom over which letters were regularly conveyed were from london to dover and london to berwick.[ ] the road to berwick had been in use in [ ] but had evidently been discontinued, for sir brian says in his letter that postmen were appointed to it in the year that he wrote. regular posts were established between london and portsmouth when the fleet was there and discontinued as soon as it left, so that it can hardly be included among the regular roads.[ ] between and the accession of james i, there was a distinct revival in postal affairs within and without the kingdom. the posts on the london-holyhead road had been discharged for some time and irish letters were conveyed to london by the postmaster at chester.[ ] in gascoyne, the acting postmaster-general, was ordered to appoint stages and postmen on this old route.[ ] a letter patent was issued, calling upon all her majesty's officers to assist him in so doing, and a warrant was signed for the payment of £ to defray his expenses. the rye-dieppe posts were also reorganized, principally for the conveyance of letters to and from france.[ ] bristol ranked next to london in size and importance, but it was not until that orders were given to horse and man the road between the two cities,[ ] and only in the following decade were posts also laid from london to exeter and somewhat later from exeter to plymouth.[ ] this illustrates as well as anything the fact that the early english postal system was mainly political in its aims. the great post roads were important from a political rather than an economic standpoint. it was necessary to keep in close touch with scotland because the scotch would always stand watching. the wild irish needed a strong hand and it was expedient that english statesmen should be well acquainted with things irish. the post to and from the continent was quite as necessary to keep them informed of french and spanish politics. [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _l.& p. hen. viii_, vii, pt. , p. . [ ] _a. p. c._, - , pp. - . [ ] _ibid._, , , p. ; _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. ire._, - , p. ; _a. p. c._, - , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . [ ] _a. p. c._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). in conveying letters the postman who started with them did not, on the regular roads, proceed through to the place where they were directed, but carried them only over his stage to the next postman. by this method a fair rate of speed should have been maintained, for the horses' path in the middle of the road was as a rule not so bad as seriously to impede travelling.[ ] nevertheless complaints about the tardiness of the post are numerous. lisle, the warden of the marches, said that letters from london were nearly five days in reaching him at alnwick.[ ] nine days from london to carlisle was considered too slow but it often took that long, notwithstanding that the letters were marked twice "for life, for life."[ ] the earl of sussex complained to cecil that they never arrived in york under three days. he expected too much, however, for three days from london to york was considered good speed.[ ] according to a post label made out in , the distance from berwick to huntingdon was accomplished in ninety-one hours. by the mileage tables then published, the distance was miles, giving an average speed of only a little over two miles an hour. it is only fair to add that the real distance was miles, and this would raise the speed to about three miles an hour.[ ] the distance from dover to london was covered in twelve hours, from plymouth to hartford bridge in forty-four hours, from portsmouth to farnham in five hours, from weymouth to staines via sherborne in five days, but this must have been exceptionally long.[ ] [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . [ ] _l. & p. hen. viii_, , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _hatfield house_, pt. , pp. , , , . orders were given to the postmen in that they should not delay the mails more than fifteen minutes at each stage and that they should travel at the rate of seven miles an hour in summer and five in winter.[ ] this was an ideal but seldom realized. complaints continued to come in pretty constantly during the first thirty-five years of the seventeenth century.[ ] secretary conway wrote to secretary coke that the posts must be punished for their tardiness.[ ] even those from london to dover were reprimanded and they had hitherto given the best satisfaction. the postmaster at dover was threatened with imprisonment unless he mended his ways.[ ] letters were either not delivered at all or were needlessly delayed on the road. some of the postmasters, who held lucrative positions, were themselves absentees and their work was performed by their agents, who were often incompetent, and this sort of thing was connived at by the postmaster-general, from whom their positions were bought. the postmen themselves acknowledged their tardiness but said that they were able to do no better, since they had received no wages for several years.[ ] one had been paid nothing for over two years,[ ] another had received no wages for seven years,[ ] and finally in a petition was presented to the privy council from "all the posts in england, being in number ninety-nine poor men." this petition prays for their arrears, due since , the amount unpaid being £ , , "notwithstanding the great charge they are at in the keeping of many servants and horses to do his majesty's service."[ ] the council did not grant their petition, for two years later £ , were still due them.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., pp. - ( ). [ ] six days from london to holyrood house (_cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ). five hours from sittingbourne to canterbury ( miles) (_ibid._, - , p. ). nine hours from sittingbourne to dover (_ibid._, - , p. ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. , . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . the council of state gave directions in for roads to be manned between dover and portsmouth, portsmouth and salisbury, london and yarmouth, and london and carlisle through lancaster.[ ] hitherto, carlisle had to depend upon a branch post from the great north road. dover and portsmouth had no direct connection nor had bristol and exeter, but letters between these places passed through london. these orders formed part of the directions given to the farmer of the posts in the following year.[ ] cromwell seems to have recognized the impracticability of enforcing the speed limit ordered by elizabeth in the case of the ordinary mails. he issued orders that in future only public despatches or letters from and to certain high officials should be sent by express, and such despatches and letters must be carried at a speed of seven miles an hour from the first of april to the thirtieth of september, and five miles an hour the rest of the year.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , pp. - . toward the close of the seventeenth century, more attention was directed to the slowness of the posts and the delays along the road. the average speed on the great roads varied from three to four miles an hour, anything below three miles generally calling for reproof. for instance, the posts on the portsmouth road were reprimanded for travelling only twenty-two miles in ten hours.[ ] it was said that it took the yarmouth mail sixty-six hours to travel less than one hundred miles. the post labels were an important check upon the postmaster's carelessness. each postmaster was supposed to mark the time that he received the mail on a label attached to it for that purpose. in this way no postmaster marked the speed that his own postboy made and each was a check upon his neighbour.[ ] lord arlington gave orders in for this practice to be enforced more strictly. in addition to marking the time of arrival, the time of departure was also to be added.[ ] a year later a further improvement was made by the use of printed labels, containing also directions as to speed. the names of the post towns through which the mail must pass were also added, and blanks were left for the postmasters to fill in the hours of arrival and departure.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . from copies of these labels made out in and we know exactly how long it took to convey the mails between london and the important cities of the kingdom although the time varied more or less at different trips and different seasons. _between_ _hours_ london and yarmouth from to plymouth york chester bristol gloucester portsmouth edinburgh * newcastle manchester preston dover southampton (_cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , , , ; - , pp. , .) * reproved for slowness. it was often difficult to tell the relative position of places in england from the post towns. the post office had for its own use a table of places along the great roads,[ ] and from the middle of the seventeenth century, private individuals began to publish road maps. on these maps, the post towns are marked by a castle with a flag flying from it. some of them are quite artistically done and represent on a large scale every important road in england with the places where branch roads leave them. one map has each road outlined on a long scroll, and it gives the rivers, brooks, bridges, elevations, villages, post towns, forests, and branch roads throughout the whole distance.[ ] in , hicks, in writing to arlington's secretary, advised him not to have a new map of the post roads printed, fearing the great changes that might thereby be produced in the post office. he says: "when parliament sees how all the branches lie and most of them carried on at the charge of those in the country concerned, they will try to have them carried through by the postmaster-general, which will be very chargeable."[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] john ogilby, _itinerarium angliae_, . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . at the close of the seventeenth century, the five great roads to edinburgh, holyhead, bristol, plymouth, and dover remained practically unchanged. the plymouth road had been continued to falmouth and the northern road now passed through york. the greatest changes noticeable are in the southern and eastern counties. in the south, nearly all the coast towns were now connected with the falmouth road, and the post ran to the extreme southwest of cornwall. portsmouth had a direct service from london through arundel and chichester. there were branches from the falmouth road to several towns in dorset and somerset, but as a rule the country between the two great roads to the west was poorly supplied. a new road of considerable importance ran from maidenhead on the bristol road through abingdon, gloucester, cardiff, and swansea to milford, where there was a packet boat for ireland. from this road there were a few unimportant branches to the north. in the northeast, the post road to edinburgh now passed through york to northallerton. from york there was a branch to scarborough and whitby. a new road left the edinburgh road at royston, about forty miles from london, and passed along the coast nearly parallel to the great road, through newmarket, lynn, boston, and hull to bridlington. another branch left newmarket for norwich and the seacoast towns of northern norfolk. an important road left london for yarmouth, with branches to the coast towns of suffolk. one new road ran through the midland counties, leaving the holyhead road about thirty miles from london and passing through sheffield, manchester, and preston to carlisle. derby was supplied by an east and west road from grimsby to manchester. liverpool had a post road to manchester. in , provision was made for an extension of the post roads by an order issued to the postmaster-general to set up posts between the market towns and the nearest post towns. these were called bye-posts. it was to them that hicks had objected as leading to increased expense. at the same time orders were given for a map to be printed, showing where all these bye-posts were situated so that people might know where to address their letters.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). in ireland, there were three main post roads, running from dublin through ulster, munster, and connaught.[ ] there were practically no post roads worthy of the name in scotland. that part of the great north road beyond the tweed was english rather than scotch. between edinburgh and glasgow there was a foot-post. the mail was also carried between glasgow and portpatrick.[ ] in , the length of the roads in america over which the mails passed was miles. these roads connected the principal towns along the atlantic coast.[ ] [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ); _acts of the parl. of scotland_, ix, p. ( wm. iii). [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . in , the postmaster-general reported favourably on the establishment of a cross post road between bristol and exeter.[ ] the report was approved, and two years later bristol and exeter had direct postal communication. colonial and foreign letters for bristol, after their arrival in falmouth, still went via london.[ ] towns adjacent to bristol and exeter, which might have been connected with the cross post, remained separated. for example, the post went from london through cirencester to wotton-under-edge, which was within fourteen miles of bristol, yet letters from cirencester to exeter went via london.[ ] the exeter-bristol cross post proved a success. after it had been in operation three years, it produced over £ net profits a year. the use of cross posts was advocated as leading to the conveyance of a larger number of letters, and private individuals started to establish them.[ ] in , the post road from exeter to bristol was continued to chester through worcester and shrewsbury.[ ] three years later, a direct road was ordered between exeter and truro, but it seems to have been discontinued after one year's trial.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] latimer, _annals of bristol_, p. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , pp. - . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . the post roads throughout the kingdom had not been measured correctly. a mile on the london-edinburgh road was fully ten furlongs. this had resulted in a decreased revenue from post horses and often unjustifiable reprimands for slowness. by a provision in the act of , it was ordered that all the post roads in the kingdom should be measured. this was to be done by officials appointed by the postmaster-general and the measurements left in the general offices in london, edinburgh, and dublin.[ ] [ ] anne, c. . as the seventeenth century had seen the extension of roads in the southern and eastern counties of england, so the eighteenth century was marked by the establishment of posts in those parts of the kingdom most affected by the industrial revolution. the country about birmingham, kidderminster, and worcester was to share in the better postal facilities offered by the mail coaches. lancashire and the west riding of york were not debarred from the use of palmer's innovation. this was especially the case in liverpool, manchester, newcastle, halifax, and leeds, for where industrial expansion paved the way, the coaches were sure to follow. at the beginning of the nineteenth century the roads in ireland were attracting considerable attention, and it was the slow speed made by the mail carts there which was a primary cause in producing any improvement. the postmasters-general were directed to cause surveys to be made and maps drawn of those roads in ireland over which the mail passed. the roads were to be levelled so that the ascent or descent should be no more than one foot in thirty-five wherever this was practicable, the expense to be borne by the county or barony.[ ] this was in , and the next year the grand jury was given the power to call for another survey, and the surveyor whom they appointed was to decide as to the necessity for a change in the direction of the road. copies of all grand jury presentments were to be made to the postmasters-general.[ ] in the grand juries were empowered to present for damages accruing to owners and occupiers of land, such damages to be raised by the county and advanced from the consolidated fund.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . after , the postmasters-general were able to report a considerable acceleration in the speed at which the mails were carried. this was owing largely to the introduction of a lighter and more improved type of mail coach, and after the use of steam packet boats in the case of the transportation of the irish and continental mails. letters leaving london at p.m. on tuesday for ireland had not been delivered in dublin until a.m. on friday. in they arrived on thursday in time for delivery on that day.[ ] in , the coaches travelled from london to holyhead, a distance of miles, in twenty-nine hours and seventeen minutes. four years later the time had been reduced to twenty-eight hours.[ ] by the introduction of one of the patent mail coaches on the yarmouth road, the inhabitants of that town were enabled to answer their letters a day earlier. the coach left london at the usual time ( p.m.), arriving in yarmouth at . a.m., returning at p.m. on the same day.[ ] the mails to manchester and liverpool travelled at the rate of nine miles an hour over the greater part of the road.[ ] the average speed varied from eight to nine miles an hour. to give the exact figures, the highest speed attained in england was ten miles and five furlongs an hour, the slowest six miles, and the average eight miles and seven furlongs.[ ] in ireland the highest speed attained by the mail coaches was nine miles and one furlong an hour, the slowest speed six miles and seven furlongs, and the average eight miles and two furlongs.[ ] mail carts drawn by two horses were also used largely in ireland for the conveyance of the mails, and by these the speed was not so great. the highest speed made by them was seven miles and five furlongs an hour, the slowest five miles and one furlong, and the average six miles and three furlongs.[ ] in scotland the highest speed was ten miles and four furlongs an hour, the slowest seven miles, and the average eight miles and two furlongs.[ ] [ ] london _times_, , aug. , p. . [ ] _rep. commrs_., , xiv, p. ; - , xvii, p. . [ ] london _times_, , july , p. . yarmouth is distant from london miles. [ ] _ibid._, , aug. , p. . [ ] _acc. & p._, , xlv, , pp. f. the following times are given in _rep. commrs._, , xiv:-- p. london to liverpool hrs. min., distance miles p. london to bristol p. bristol to milford p. london to carlisle (via leeds) p. carlisle to portpatrick p. bristol to birmingham [ ] _acc. & p._, , xlv, , p. . the following times are given in _rep. commrs._, xiv:-- p. dublin via cashell to cork hrs. distance miles p. cork to waterford hrs. min., p. dublin to belfast p. donaghadee to belfast [ ] _acc. & p._, , xlv, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , xlv, , p. . the mails which left london at p.m. arrived in holyhead at . a.m. on the next day but one. the packet left holyhead twenty-five minutes later for howth. the packet left howth at p.m. for holyhead, and the mails for london left holyhead at . a.m. the passage across the irish sea took from five to eight hours. the london coach arrived in milford at . a.m., travelling at a rate of eight miles an hour, and twenty-five minutes after its arrival, the packet left for dunmore. another left dunmore with the mails at p.m., and the coach left milford for london at . p.m.[ ] the london mail coach arrived at portpatrick at . p.m., fifty hours and twenty-seven minutes from london. the packet did not leave portpatrick until . a.m., after the arrival of the glasgow mail, which left glasgow at . p.m., arriving at . a.m. the packet left donaghadee at noon, and the mail left portpatrick at p.m., arriving in glasgow at a.m. ordinarily the passage across took four hours. the london mail coach arrived in liverpool at p.m., twenty-two hours from london, and left at . p.m. packets sailed from liverpool and kingstown at p.m. and . p.m., the time for crossing being about fourteen hours. no london letters went via liverpool until .[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, - , xvii, pp. , - . [ ] _ibid._, - , xvii, pp. - . the method used to ensure a rapid transmission of the mails by the coaches was as follows: time bills were issued to the guards of the different coaches. on these bills were printed the speed that should be made from stage to stage, and it was the guard's duty to fill in the time made by the coach on which he rode. penalties were inflicted for any mistakes which he might make or any failure on his part to leave the bill in the office at the end of his route. on some of the time bills it was set forth that a fine of one shilling was payable by the proprietor for each minute that the coach was late and he might recover it from the guard or coachman if the delay was due to the negligence of either of them. the coachmen were ordered to make up any time lost on the road and to report the horse keepers if they were at fault.[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., nos. - . the chief cause for delay was the lack of close connection between the mail coaches and the packets to and from ireland. in the london mail arrived in holyhead at p.m., but the packet did not leave for kingstown until a.m., a change having been made in the time of sailing.[ ] letters from england were detained in dublin eleven hours before their departure for the rest of the island.[ ] more than one third of the irish letters for england left kingstown by the day packet at a.m., remaining in holyhead from p.m. to a.m., with the exception of the letters for chester and manchester, which were forwarded by a special coach.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. . the packet leaving holyhead at . p.m. carried letters from birmingham, brought by the coach from that place, but took no london letters (_acc. & p._, , ix, p. ). [ ] _rep. commrs._, - , xvii, p. . [ ] _ibid._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. . the packets from liverpool started shortly before the arrival of the london mail. the commissioners proposed that they should be detained until it had arrived, but this was not done until ten years later.[ ] the packets at portpatrick always waited for the mails from glasgow, and as these were nearly always late, letters from carlisle and northern england were necessarily detained.[ ] the station at milford had always given the most trouble. from a financial point of view it was the least satisfactory, and english letters for the south of ireland often went through holyhead. the packet left waterford[ ] for milford at p.m., arriving in milford about noon, but the mail did not leave for london until . p.m.[ ] english letters for ireland via milford were detained from ten to thirteen hours in waterford.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , xvii, pp. - ; _acc. & p._, , xix. [ ] _rep. commrs._, - , xvii, pp. - . [ ] sometimes the packet left dunmore. see _rep. commrs._, - , xvii, pp. - . [ ] _ibid._, - , xvii, pp. - , - . [ ] _ibid._, p. . before the introduction of penny postage, the use of railways had only started. in , it was objected that the railways could never be of much use in this respect because they could not travel at night for fear of accidents. in answer to this objection it was pointed out that trains between liverpool and manchester and leeds and selby found no difficulty in that respect.[ ] in , mails were carried between manchester and liverpool at a rate of twenty miles an hour, and these trains left both liverpool and manchester as late as p.m.[ ] the postmaster-general was given authority by parliament to require any railway to carry mails either by ordinary or special train and to regulate the speed to the maximum of the fastest passenger train, as well as to control places, times and duration of stoppage and the times of arrival, provided that such regulations were reasonable. he might require the exclusive use of a carriage, if necessary, provided either by the railway or himself as seemed better to himself. in he was allowed to order a speed not in excess of twenty-seven miles an hour but he complained that he was unable to enforce his regulations although the speed was increasing. in a parliamentary committee reported in favour of a deduction of payment for irregularity on the part of the railways and the fining of the post office for irregularity in dealing with mail to be entrusted to the railways, the amounts of such deductions and fines to be a matter of contract, and in addition it was advised that the postmaster-general's demands with reference to speed should be certified by the railway department of the board of trade to be consistent with safety. in conformity with this resolution, the postmaster-general proposed to pay a bonus to the railways when their trains were on time and to exact a penalty from either the railway or the post office whichever were the offender, but the proposition was, as a rule, not very favourably received by the railways.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, - , xx, pt. , p. , no. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. . [ ] and vict., c. ; and vict., c. ; _rep. com._, , xi, , p. xiii; _rep. p. g._, , p. . chapter vii sailing packets and foreign connections the irish mail service was the first to boast a regular sailing packet.[ ] the postal expenditure for the year included £ for a bark to carry letters and despatches between holyhead and dublin, and an additional vessel was hired occasionally for the same purpose.[ ] at the beginning of the seventeenth century, queen elizabeth ordered packets to be established at milford haven and falmouth to ply between england and ireland. this order was probably temporary, being intended to furnish a means of communication only during essex's expedition.[ ] in the port of departure for the irish packets was changed from holyhead to portinllain in carnarvon and at the same time the land stages were altered to meet the new conditions.[ ] prideaux reported the same year that the cost of these packets averaged £ a year.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. ire._, - , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . in the council of state gave orders for the revival of the old packet service between milford and waterford. at the same time chester was substituted for portinllain as the point of departure on the english side, and mails were carried weekly between the two countries by the milford and chester packets.[ ] the establishment of these boats was made one of the conditions under which the post was farmed in the same year.[ ] the situation of holyhead, however, was so much in its favour that in a contract was signed for the conveyance of the mails between holyhead and dublin. mr. vickers, the contractor, agreed to maintain three packet boats for this purpose for £ a year. he also undertook to provide two boats for the mail service between portpatrick and donaghadee. when the scotch was separated from the english post office in , three packet boats came under the control of scotland.[ ] upon the separation of the british and irish posts in , it was provided that each office should receive its own proportion of the inland postage collected on letters passing between the two countries. the packet service between the two countries continued to be managed by the english postmaster-general, to whom all receipts were forwarded. in return for this they were required to pay to the irish office a sum not exceeding £ a year. this was to be the rule until ireland had established packet boats of her own.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, , pp. , ; - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . the irish post office, before the act of union, had employed boats called wherries for the despatch of special messengers and expresses to england. in the course of time they lost their special character and, after , were used to carry passengers and goods in opposition to the holyhead packets. in , lees, the secretary of the irish office, informed the london office that these wherries would henceforth be employed to carry the irish mails to holyhead. this was actually done for six weeks and the regular packets arrived on the english side without the mail, which was brought by boats that, as a rule, did not arrive until after the coach had left for london. lees may have been obstinate and ill advised but there was no doubt that he was acting entirely within his rights. the question then arose, should the irish office receive that part of the £ due them while the holyhead packets did not carry the mails? the postmaster-general decided that they should, much to freeling's disgust. lees had obtained his object, for two years later parliament passed an act increasing the amount payable to the irish office to £ a year.[ ] [ ] joyce, pp. - ; geo. iii, c. . shortly after the restoration, two packet boats were employed between deal and the downs. they carried letters to and from the ships of the merchant marine and the royal navy lying there. they also collected letters from vessels arriving from foreign ports and brought them to the shore whence they were transmitted by the general post.[ ] by an act passed in the isle of man was for the first time supplied with a postal service. a packet boat was to run between whitehaven and the port of douglas in the island.[ ] in sixteen packet boats were employed in carrying mails between the coast towns and to and from the outlying islands of the united kingdom. all of these boats were hired by the post office, except those from weymouth to jersey and guernsey.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , ; joyce, p. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xiv, app., nos. , . early in the sixteenth century dover was the port of departure and arrival for letters to and from the continent, and calais was the distributing point on the other side, although the royal mail was occasionally conveyed between rye and dieppe.[ ] from calais the letters were carried to their destination by the english messengers to whom they were entrusted. they took up post horses along the way, paying for them as they proceeded, and often grumbling at the excessive charges which were demanded.[ ] letters from abroad directed to england were usually carried as far as calais by foreign messengers. the foreign postmaster-general would then send his bill to the english postmaster-general for expenses so incurred.[ ] regular sailing packets were not used to carry the mails between dover and calais during the sixteenth century, but merchant vessels were employed by the post office. [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. for._, - , pp. , . [ ] _cal. s p. d._, - , p. ; - , p. ; _l. & p. hen. viii_, i, . witherings' appointment as foreign postmaster-general in was made the occasion for a report to sir john coke on the foreign postal service. the immediate cause of the report was the fact that mails had not arrived from germany, the hague and brussels. the fault was laid upon the messengers, who were accused of "minding their own peddling traffic more than the service of the state or the merchants, omitting many packages, sometimes staying for the vending of their own commodities, many times through neglect or lying in tippling houses." the report goes on to express confidence in witherings and in his plan for the reform of the foreign post.[ ] in , thirteen messengers were employed to carry letters to the continent: three for france; six for germany, italy and the netherlands; and four, who travelled to paris and other parts of france on special occasions.[ ] the service which they gave was inadequate and slow, and in the foreign post, at witherings' suggestion, was ordered to be conducted on the following principles. packet posts were to be appointed at suitable stages to run day and night without stopping. this was the plan which was commented upon favourably in the report to sir john coke. the foreign postmaster-general was to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, to have an office in london, and to give notice at what time the public were to bring in their letters for despatch to the continent. a register was also to be kept, in which should be enrolled the names of all persons bringing letters, together with the names of those to whom they were addressed. the letters themselves were placed in a packet and locked and sealed with the foreign postmaster-general's seal. letters from abroad for ambassadors residing in england and for the government were to be delivered at once, after which a table of all other letters was to be set up for every one to see and demand his own.[ ] [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . witherings attempted next to come to some agreement with the postal officials of foreign countries about the despatch of letters. in calais he met the countess taxis, secretary of the postmaster of ghent, and she agreed to settle stages between antwerp and calais. witherings himself established stages between london and dover. there had always been trouble with the boatmen who conveyed the mail between dover and calais. witherings reported that he had found a man, who for s. would wait for the packet and depart with it at once, carrying nothing else. the messengers hitherto employed between antwerp and calais were dismissed.[ ] the arrangement in france for the carriage of letters to and from england was decidedly unique. witherings obtained the permission of the french ambassador to settle stages in france himself.[ ] [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . in , king charles, from his headquarters at oxford, ordered sailing packets to be established at weymouth to ply between that town and cherbourg. this was done ostensibly for the accommodation of the merchants in the southwest of england. james hicks was ordered to live in weymouth for the purpose of exercising a general oversight over all letters going or coming by these packets. all dues must be paid before they were allowed to depart and the masters were accountable to him for passage money. postage was charged on all letters going to or coming from any part of england except those on his majesty's service. no letters were to be sent from those parts of england in the hands of the rebels.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, , pp. , . until , flanders was the only country with which england had come to an agreement concerning the mutual exchange of the correspondence of each. in that year, a similar agreement was concluded with de nouveau, the french postmaster-general. all letters between england and france were henceforth to pass through dover, calais, boulogne, abbeville, and amiens. both the french and english kings ratified this agreement, and all others were prohibited by them from infringing upon the monopolies enjoyed by the two postmasters-general.[ ] on special occasions, of course, both the french and english kings sent special messengers but they were not used so often as before.[ ] in , the governor of the merchant adventurers was asked to give his opinion upon the question of foreign correspondence concerning which there was considerable dissatisfaction, especially in the case of letters sent to flanders and holland. the governor in his reply said that complaints had hitherto been restrained because of the connection of the state with the foreign post. he added that some time before a letter had come from the court of their company at rotterdam, complaining about the overcharging of the company's letters. he did not care to investigate the question alone but proposed that it be entrusted to a committee composed of two members from each of the great companies, the merchant adventurers, the turkish, the eastland, and the french.[ ] after the restoration, matters were adjusted with de nouveau and provision was made for the transmission of letters to england twice a week.[ ] at the same time an attempt was made to reach an understanding with the burgomaster of amsterdam and the dutch ambassador for the conveyance of english letters to germany, the east, and italy through holland. bishop, the english postmaster-general, was accused of accepting money for making this bargain and the proposed agreement did not materialize.[ ] in , frizell was sent abroad to talk over postal connections with de nouveau and the flemish postmaster-general, de taxis, between whom difficulties had arisen. de taxis was reminded that letters from holland for england passing through flanders were not treated in accordance with the agreement made between england and flanders.[ ] the old contract was continued, for in a bill was presented to the english post office by the next in order of the house of thurn and taxis, referring to the former agreement. £ was then due to the flemish postmaster-general and, as the bill was presented in the form of a petition signed by the prince of the house and his brothers and sisters, there was probably some difficulty experienced in collecting it.[ ] the dutch were not satisfied with receiving letters through flanders, and in we find the postmaster-general of holland in harwich, arranging for a direct service with england, which was established in the following year.[ ] letters to and from holland might go via calais through france and flanders, or by sailing packet to nieuport and thence through flanders, or directly from harwich to helvoetsluys. the mail for holland left london every tuesday and thursday night. the route was along the yarmouth road as far as colchester and then directly to harwich. the harwich boats were stopped for a short time in ,[ ] but after william's accession they were in such constant service that it was necessary to hire extra boats.[ ] orders were often given to delay them until the arrival of an express from the king and on other occasions they were hurried off before their regular time for departure.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . it was agreed by a contract signed by the french and english postmasters-general in that the mails, as soon as they arrived in dover from calais or in calais from dover, should be forwarded by "express" to london and paris respectively. this was done in england, but in france the foreign mail continued to be sent at the regular time of departure and, as there was only one mail a day, english letters might have to remain in calais for nearly twenty-four hours, if the packet from dover happened to be late. cotton and frankland remonstrated but mr. pajot, the french postmaster-general, returned no answer. the english postmasters-general had agreed to pay about £ a year to mr. pajot for the conveyance of english letters through france. one or two instalments were paid before the war broke out.[ ] nothing further was done until after the treaty of utrecht, when a commission was sent to france to negotiate a new postal agreement. pajot refused to accept a lump sum and declared that each letter passing through france must pay the ordinary postage according to the french rates. objection was taken to this as the french rates were higher than the english, but objections were of no avail. pajot, who carried matters with a high hand, gained his point. by the act of , the postage for a single letter through france to italy was _d._, and by the terms of the new treaty with france, sous would have to be paid by the english postmasters-general for the conveyance of a letter through france.[ ] [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] _ibid._, p. . the withdrawal of the sailing packets between england and france in had interrupted postal communication between england and spain, since the regular route lay through calais. accordingly, packet boats were hired to ply between falmouth and the groyne.[ ] after the methuen treaty had been signed and while england and france were struggling in the spanish netherlands, it was proposed to replace the old boats between falmouth and lisbon by new. in a weekly packet service, supplied by four boats, was established between england and portugal.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . at the end of the war, cotton and frankland contracted with mr. macky to furnish five boats to carry the mails between england, france, and flanders for three years. in , the contract was extended to five years for £ a year. macky was to provide boats and men but not provisions and equipment. in case war broke out, the contract would become void at once. war did break out the next year,[ ] and during the war the packet boats from harwich to holland were kept very busy. they had been large boats, well manned and formidable enough to take care of themselves in an emergency. they seem even to have become the aggressors at times. william, himself, as was natural, felt a warm interest in them. a stranger in a strange land, misunderstood and personally unpopular, they were the link between him and his home. he thought that speedier boats should be built and that when pursued they should attempt to escape rather than stand up to their pursuers. the government had four narrow, low boats built for purposes of speed. the sailors complained that the new boats were so low in the water that they were constantly being swept by the waves and they themselves were drenched all the time. there is no doubt that william's move was in the right direction, and the men were placated by an increase in their wages. this could be done the more easily since the new boats were smaller than the old and carried fewer men.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] joyce, pp. , . mr. vanderpoel, postmaster at the brill, was appointed by the king to take charge of all letters and despatches sent by or to their majesties by the harwich boats (_cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; _cal. t. p._, - , pp. , ). at the time of the war of the austrian succession, the dover packets were supplied by a man named pybus. he agreed to carry mails, passengers, and expresses from dover to calais and ostend. if he could not reach the latter place by sea he was to land the mails and have them forwarded overland. he was to receive as pay the fares of all passengers, but so many officers and soldiers had to be transported free that he was paid what the treasury considered that he lost by them.[ ] a position in one of the packets was so dangerous in time of war that a fund was provided for the widows and children of the killed and for the support of the wounded. this was met by deducting _d._ a month from the pay of each seaman.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . in , as a war measure, packets were established between falmouth, gibraltar, and malta.[ ] it was understood that the regular service to portugal should be discontinued at the same time. in during wellington's campaign in portugal and spain, the post office announced that sailing packets would be despatched to corunna every fortnight.[ ] from corunna they proceeded to lisbon before returning to falmouth. there was some complaint from the mercantile interests on account of the stop at corunna, since the merchants were more interested in the lisbon markets than in keeping up communication with wellington's army.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] london _times_, , aug. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , aug. , p. . by the end of , napoleon had lost control over europe. the dutch had freed themselves from french domination. on november th a dutch mail was made up at the post office and despatched for harwich. the regular packet boats were reëstablished and were ordered to land the mails at scheveningen, a small fishing town three miles from the hague.[ ] following napoleon's expulsion to elba, postal communications with france were resumed. mails were despatched from dover four times a week, on tuesday, wednesday, thursday, and friday, leaving london at p.m. on tuesday and friday and at p.m. on wednesday and thursday.[ ] thirteen sailing vessels were stationed at harwich in , all of them hired permanently. nine sailed between harwich and helvoetsluys, four between harwich and gothenburg.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , nov. , p. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xi, p. ; _acc. & p._, , p. ; london _times_, , april , p. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xiv, app., no. . the london merchants in complained that no mails were made up in paris for london on wednesday and thursday. the mails from spain, italy, and switzerland arrived in paris on tuesday and friday, and tuesday's mails were not despatched until friday. an arrangement was asked for by which a daily post might be established between paris and london. they pointed out that there was a daily post from paris to calais, a daily packet service and a daily post from dover to london.[ ] english letters for france arrived in dover daily at a.m., except on wednesday and saturday, were despatched to calais at once and left calais at noon for boulogne and paris. on post nights,[ ] letters did not leave london until midnight, arrived in dover at a.m., and were often not in time for the paris mail, which left calais at noon.[ ] the two packets between dover and ostend carried the mails four times a week.[ ] by virtue of a treaty with belgium, these packets conveyed letters both ways and the belgium government paid £ a year as its part of the expenses. the dover-calais boats on the other hand carried letters only to calais, and not from calais to dover.[ ] letters from belgium to dover went first to london and this held true of any letters from belgium to england via dover.[ ] [ ] london _times_, , may , p. . [ ] post nights were probably on wednesday and saturday nights. [ ] london _times_, , jan. , p. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxviii, th rep., p. . [ ] _ibid._, , xxviii, th rep., p. . [ ] _ibid._, , xxviii, th rep., p. . it was provided in that, after the postmaster-general had entered into an agreement with any foreign state to collect and account for the british postage on letters sent from the united kingdom to any such state, it should be optional for a person sending such a letter to pay the whole amount of postage in advance or to pay the british postage only, as had hitherto been the custom, or to pay neither. the entire postage on letters from abroad might also be paid in one sum and the part due the foreign state was then handed over by the english postmaster-general.[ ] in the following year such a treaty was concluded with france, the english colonies also being included in the arrangement. it was agreed that each country should account to the other according to the method of reckoning postage of the country to which the payment was made, a settlement to be concluded every three months.[ ] [ ] and wm. iv., c. . [ ] london _times_, , june , p. . in accounting to france for letters sent there postpaid, england agreed to consider as a single letter any enclosure or enclosures weighing not more than a quarter of an ounce, according to the french method. at the beginning of the eighteenth century william dummer entered into a contract to supply packet boats for use between england and the west indies. for this service dummer provided five boats, each one of tons and carrying men. each was to make three round trips a year, thus giving fifteen sailings every twelve months from both england and the west indies.[ ] these boats were to make falmouth their home port, but they often kept on to plymouth, probably because it was a better place to dispose of their smuggled goods.[ ] poor dummer was exceedingly unfortunate with his west india boats. the first one to sail was captured on her maiden trip. the receipts did not come up to his expectations. he had supposed that to double the receipts he had only to double the rates, but like other men before and after him he had to learn the effect of higher rates on correspondence.[ ] in he wrote that it was a losing contract,[ ] and in the same year the government released him from the agreement and paid him for two of his lost packets.[ ] from a total of fourteen boats provided for the packet service, he had lost nine. the postmasters-general recommended that for the future the packets should leave and arrive at bideford, which was less exposed to the enemies' privateers than either falmouth or plymouth.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, p. . [ ] joyce, pp. , . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . after dummer's failure, no attempt was made by the post office to revive the service until . in that year the postmasters-general reported to the treasury in favour of regular packets between falmouth and some port in the west indies. the report was agreed to, and orders were given for two new boats to be supplied and for the two boats between lisbon and gibraltar to be transferred there.[ ] the agent at falmouth was ordered to see that each boat sailed with its full complement of men, as the captains were accustomed to discharge some of the crew just before sailing and pocket their wages. he was also to make sure that each of the boats sailing from falmouth for lisbon, the west indies, or north america was british built and navigated by british seamen. he must keep a journal, in which should be entered the time that he received and delivered mails and expresses, how the wind and tide served, when the boats arrived and departed, and any delay in sailing which might occur. the captains were ordered to make returns after each voyage of the number of men on board. the crew while on shore should receive their accustomed wages and "victuals" and, if any were discharged, a return was to be made of such discharge, the money due them being turned over to the pension fund. it had become customary for the captains not to pay the men while they were on shore and to retain the money owing them. finally the agent was to see that the packet boats proceeded to the roads the day before the mail was expected from london.[ ] packets had already been employed to convey mails to and from madeira and brazil[ ] and within the next few years others were hired to ply between falmouth, buenos ayres,[ ] colombia, mexico, san domingo, and cuba, and between the british west indies, colombia, and mexico.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. b. and p._, - , pp. , . [ ] _jo. h. c._, , pp. , . [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iv, c. . [ ] geo. iv, c. . in , the postmaster-general was given permission by act of parliament to establish sailing packets between the united kingdom, the cape of good hope, mauritius, and that part of the east indies embraced within the charter of the east india company. packet rates were also charged for letters carried by war vessels and by vessels of the company, but in the former case the consent of the lords of the admiralty for the use of their ships had first to be obtained. letters to and from china must go by vessels of the company and no others. with the consent of the commissioners of the treasury or any three of them, the postmaster-general might allow the regular sailing packets to import and export all goods, which might legally be imported or exported, but in the case of tea, only enough for the use of those on board should be carried.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . when cotton and frankland were appointed postmasters-general in , the following sailing packets were in commission.[ ] {flanders, boats. between england and {holland, {ireland, between scotland and ireland, at deal for the downs,[ ] in , the king had ordered the boats between dover and calais to be discontinued until further notice. this was done "on account of the late discovery of treasonable designs against the government" and the war with france. his majesty "preferred that all interchange of letters with france should cease."[ ] [ ] letters were sent to the colonies by private vessels. the method used for sending letters to america was as follows. masters of vessels bound for america used to hang up a bag in the coffee-houses, in which letters were placed. a fee of one penny was charged for a single letter and _d._ for a double letter or parcel in excess of a single letter (_cal. t. p._, - , p. ). [ ] thos. delaune, _present state of london_, , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . in , the sailing packets of great britain and ireland, excluding those employed in the domestic service, were as follows: four boats between falmouth and lisbon, four on the harwich station, six between dover and calais or ostend, two between gibraltar and lisbon, and two on the minorca station. the use of sailing packets to gibraltar and minorca was made necessary by the war. from twenty to twenty-six additional men were added to each of the eighteen packets as a protection against the enemy, and the total additional yearly charge was £ .[ ] this is one of the items which made postal expenses run so high in time of war, to say nothing of the packets captured by the enemy. the three boats between dover and calais were sent to harwich, helvoetsluys, and ostend for the time being.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. b. and p._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . the practice of the post office until had been to contract for the supply of packet boats, paying only a nominal sum for their hire and allowing the contractors to have the receipts from passengers. in a private company established steamboats between holyhead and dublin, and the public preferred these to the sailing packets. the number of passengers by the government packets fell off nearly one half. something had to be done at once, for, as the receipts from fares decreased, the contractors clamoured for higher pay. the steamboat company offered to carry the mails for £ a trip and later for nothing, but the post office determined to have steam packets of its own.[ ] two, built by boulton and watt, under the inspection of the navy board, were placed on the holyhead station in , and these, as well as those introduced later on the other stations, were the property of the crown.[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xiv, p. . [ ] _parl. papers_, , vi, , pp. f. the fares by the steam packets at holyhead were fixed at the same rates as those charged by the company's boats and these fares were somewhat higher than those formerly charged by the sailing packets. for instance, the fee for a cabin passenger had been one guinea, for a horse one guinea, and for a coach three guineas. these were now raised to £ _s._, £ _s._, and £ _s._ respectively. the new rates, which were so fixed in order not to expose the company to undue competition, had not been long enforced before the select committee on irish communications reported against them, and the post office reduced them to the old figures.[ ] [ ] joyce, pp. - . in a debate in the house on the holyhead rates, parnell said that they limited the use of the steamboats to the rich (_parl. deb._, d ser., x, coll. - ). in steam packets were placed on the dover station, in they were introduced at milford, in at liverpool and portpatrick, and in at weymouth.[ ] at liverpool also a private company had offered to carry the mails but the offer was refused. this refusal, as well as the refusal to accept the holyhead company's offer, was condemned in a report of the commissioners.[ ] the new liverpool packets ran from liverpool to kingstown, the holyhead packets from holyhead to kingstown and howth.[ ] in the steam packets owned by the crown numbered eighteen. they were distributed as follows: four at liverpool, two of , one of and one of tons, all of horse power; six at holyhead, varying from to tons, all of horse power; four at milford, varying from to tons, all of horse power; two at portpatrick of tons and horse power; and two at dover of tons and horse power.[ ] two years later, three steam packets were added to the weymouth station.[ ] in , the post office had in use twenty-six steam packets, one having been added at liverpool, three at dover, and an extra one was kept for contingencies.[ ] [ ] _acc. & p._, , xlix, pp. , . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , pp. , , . [ ] _acc. & p._, - , xx, p. . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xiv, app., no. . [ ] _ibid._, , xiv, p. . [ ] _ibid._, , xxviii, th rep., app., p. . with the exception of the dover service for a few years, the steam packets were always a financial loss to the post office. the total disbursements for the holyhead, liverpool, milford, and portpatrick stations from to were £ , , the receipts for the same period being only £ , .[ ] from to the disbursements for all the steam packets were £ , , receipts £ , .[ ] the milford boats were the least productive of any. from to , the expenditure for that station was £ , , the receipts only £ , . the commissioners had pointed out that not only was the practice of building and owning its own boats a mistake on the part of the post office, but they were very badly managed. for example, the stores for the holyhead station were obtained from the postmaster at liverpool, who invariably charged too much for them.[ ] at portpatrick the goods were supplied and the accounts checked in a very irregular manner.[ ] at dover the supplies were ordered by the mates, engineers, etc., as they were needed and the bills paid by the post office. there was no control over these officers, the accounts were not examined, and the bills were not certified by the commanders. there was no proof that the goods were even delivered. the agent, who forwarded the bills, was not a seaman nor had he any knowledge of ships' stores.[ ] at weymouth, where there were three steam packets for jersey and guernsey, conditions were better. the agent was a practical seaman, the demands for supplies were examined by him before being granted, and were signed by him, by the commander, and by the engineers or whoever needed them. the commissioners also protested against sending the weymouth boats so far for repairs as holyhead, which was the regular repair station of the post office. apart from the steam packets stationed at holyhead, liverpool, milford, portpatrick, weymouth, and dover, all the other packets employed by the post office were hired permanently or temporarily.[ ] [ ] _acc. & p._, , xlix, p. ; _rep. commrs._, - , xvii, pp. - . [ ] _acc. & p._, xlvi, . [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xxviii, pp. - . [ ] _ibid._, , xxviii, th rep., p. . [ ] _ibid._, , xxviii, th rep., p. . [ ] _ibid._, , xxviii, th rep., p. . the post office was at no time entirely dependent upon its regular sailing packets for the carriage of the mails. the merchant marine of england had been increasing with her growing commerce, and provision was made in the acts of and for the carriages of letters by private vessels. by the latter of these acts the conveyance of letters to foreign countries had been restricted to english ships under a penalty of £ for every offence. it was decided in , on the occasion of the wreck of one of the regular irish packets, that it would be better to use a dutch-built ship on account of its being much more seaworthy in the choppy swell of the irish sea. accordingly an order-in-council was issued, allowing a vessel built in holland to be used, and providing for its naturalization.[ ] by the act of , letters arriving in private vessels were to be given to the postmaster at the port of arrival so that they might be forwarded to london to be despatched to their destination after being charged with the postage due. masters of vessels were offered no inducement to deliver the letters to the postmaster nor was any liability incurred by neglecting to do so. the post farmers, however, agreed to pay a penny for every letter delivered by a captain on his arrival. this was the origin of ship letter money.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . in , owing to a scarcity of english vessels and as a war measure, permission was given to send english letters to spain and portugal by means of spanish ships ( geo. iii, c. ). [ ] joyce, p. . no attempt had ever been made to collect postage on letters conveyed by private ships except for the distance which such letters might be carried by the regular posts within the kingdom.[ ] in an act was passed under the following title: "an act for the more sure conveyance of ship letters and for granting to his majesty certain rates of postage thereon." the postmasters-general were given authority by this act to forward letters and packages by other vessels than the sailing packets. on letters brought in by such vessels, _d._ was to be charged for a single letter and so in proportion. this was to be in addition to the inland postage and _d._ was to be paid to the master for every letter handed over by him to the post office. the net revenue so arising was to be paid into the exchequer. no postage was charged on letters carried out of the kingdom by private vessels[ ] until , when permission was given to charge packet rates. it was forbidden to send letters by these ships except through the post office unless such letters concerned only the goods on board.[ ] in that part of the act of forbidding letters to be sent out of the kingdom except in british ships was repealed.[ ] [ ] it is true that by the act of , a penny was to be charged for every ship letter; but this was to go to the master of the ship. [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] wm. iv, c. . [ ] and wm. iv, c. . the sailing packets were ordinarily allowed to carry passengers and freight, for which fixed rates were charged. in case of trouble with any foreign power, the masters were generally forbidden to allow their packets to be used as passenger boats.[ ] during king william's war, the harwich-helvoetsluys packets carried recruits free to the scene of activities.[ ] they had also been guilty of bringing dutiable goods into the country and paying no duty on them. this made the customs officials indignant, especially as the post office authorities would not allow them to search the packets on their arrival. by an act passed in , no ship, vessel, or boat ordinarily employed for the carriage of letters was allowed to import or export any goods, unless permission had been given by the customs officials, under a penalty of £ to be paid by the master of the offending packet boat.[ ] it had been agreed between dummer and the post office that he should carry no more than five tons of merchandise outward bound nor more than ten tons when homeward bound. the commissioners of the customs in advised the lord high treasurer that if he gave licences to the packet boats to carry goods[ ] it would be necessary to comply with the law and subject the boats to searchers, rules, and penalties as the merchantmen were. they proposed that the agreement made with dummer be applied to all the packets. they pointed out that if this were done, all friction between the customs and post office might be avoided.[ ] in , the difficulty assumed a new form over the question as to the carriage of dutiable goods by mail. diamonds had recently been discovered in brazil and they were exported to england via spain. it had also become customary to send fine laces by post. we, who have become used to intolerant customs' regulations, can hardly appreciate the indignation aroused by the desire of the customs' authorities to search the mails. it was the rule at that time for the controller of the foreign office to lay a tax of per cent upon packages which he thought had lace or diamonds in them. the customs officials seized twenty-one parcels of diamonds in a mail bag, coming from lisbon in the packet _hanover_. the postmasters-general were very indignant and wrote to the treasury that they "would not have it left to a customs' house officer to break open the king's mail, which has never been done before."[ ] evidently the customs officials had exceeded their authority and the matter was compromised by the appointment of a sub-controller of the foreign post office to act under the authority of the customs commissioners and receive the duties on diamonds and other jewels and precious stones imported in the packet boats.[ ] in a report of the postmasters-general somewhat earlier, we are informed of a payment of £ made by them to the receiver-general of the customs. this amount covered four fifths of the gross duty on diamonds and laces, which had come by the sailing packets during four years, one fifth having been deducted for postage.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. , . [ ] and chas. ii, c. . [ ] goods were not supposed to be carried unless such a licence had been obtained. some jews, coming from calais on the packet boat, had brought a few spectacles with them, on the sale of which they said that their support depended. the spectacles were confiscated (_cal. t. b. and p._, - , p. ). [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . by a section of the act of , letters or packages from abroad suspected of containing dutiable articles were to be taken by the postmaster to a justice of the peace. he was to take an oath that he suspected that dutiable goods were contained in the letter or packet. in the presence of the justice he was then to cut a slit two inches long in the parcel to permit examination of the contents. if his suspicions seemed to be confirmed he might slit the cover entirely open and if anything dutiable were found it must be destroyed. the letter was then forwarded to the commissioner of the customs in order that proceedings might be taken against those implicated. if nothing was found, the letter was to be sent to the person to whom it was addressed, under the magistrate's cover, with no extra charge for postage.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, session , c. . in one respect, the packet stations in england were conducted on divergent principles. the supplies for the harwich packets were advanced directly by the government through the postmaster-general. when the war of the austrian succession broke out, a treasury warrant was issued for the supply of military stores and eight additional men for each of the harwich boats.[ ] at falmouth, the agent supplied all necessaries. neither plan was entirely free from objection. when the agent acted as victualler he naturally tried to make as much as possible out of his contract, and there were frequent complaints from the men on the falmouth boats concerning the quality and quantity of the food. at harwich, the drawbacks of the other method, under which the post office did its own victualling, were quite as marked. no bill for provisions represented what they had actually cost. a percentage was habitually added to the actual cost and this percentage went into the pockets of those by whom the goods had been ordered.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , p. . [ ] joyce, pp. f. the postal abuses which came to light in were more flagrant in connection with the packet service than in any other department of the post office. the secretary himself was not only a large owner in the boats, but as agent he received - / per cent of the gross total expenditure. from to , this had amounted to £ , , , from which he had received over £ , . besides this, his salary amounted to £ a year and there was an annuity of £ attached to his office. he had become too old to perform his duties, but instead of being superannuated another person was appointed to assist him.[ ] [ ] _fin. rep._, , no. , p. . the sailors' pension fund was grossly mismanaged. each sailor's monthly contribution had been raised from _d._ to _s._ and then _s._ after twenty years' service, the man who had kept up his payments was entitled to receive £ or £ a year. the names of dead people were retained on the list of pensioners, fictitious names were added, and there seems no doubt that the agent retained the money ostensibly paid out in their names.[ ] the agent at falmouth had a salary of £ a year and £ in perquisites, £ of which were paid to the former agent's widow. the late agent had received £ a year in perquisites in addition to the regular £ less £ for a clerk and an assistant postmaster, making £ in all, certainly a comfortable salary for a packet agent at that time. the £ was made up by an involuntary contribution of five guineas from each of the captains of the twenty-two packet boats and the wages of one man from each boat. the latter sum was obtained by dismissing the men, whose wages still continued to be paid--to the agent. smuggling had become by no means uncommon among the falmouth boats, the carriage of the mails being considered of secondary importance. they often arrived when least expected, or they might not arrive for days at a time, although the wind and weather were favourable.[ ] [ ] _jo. h. c._, , p. . [ ] _jo. h. c._, , pp. - . fares for passengers were not always collected, but a moderate payment to the captains would ensure a passage as they were allowed to carry their friends free and the payment readily secured the privilege desired. the agents also profited by the sale of passes.[ ] there were more boats on the falmouth station than necessary, and, although they ranged in size from to tons, the same number of men were employed on each. the secretary of the post office, from whose report these facts about the packets are derived, proposed that three or four of the boats should be taken off, thus effecting a saving of £ or £ . in case it should be considered expedient to employ regular packet boats to quebec and halifax, n. s., they might be placed on those stations. no deductions were made for the hire of boats when they were unemployed, either when being repaired or when under seizure for smuggling.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , pp. - . anthony todd, secretary of the post office, writing to charles cox in harwich said that "several persons going from helvoetsluys to harwich, who are well able to pay full fare, have given money for half, free and poor passes, and larger sums have been taken for passes than are allowed by the postmaster-general" (_jo. h. c._, , p. ). [ ] _ibid._, , p. . the result of these exposures was a series of reforms started in . by the post office was able to report that orders had been issued forbidding any official to own a sailing packet or have a share in any of them. orders were given to pay the sailors regularly throughout the whole year. the - / per cent on all expenditure, formerly paid to the secretary, was abolished. finally all salaries were henceforth to be in lieu of every emolument.[ ] [ ] _fin. rep._, , no. , pp. - . in , the expenses for packet boats amounted to £ , a year. this was reduced in the following year to £ , , but from expenses began to increase, owing to losses during the war and the necessity for placing the boats on a war footing.[ ] in time of peace, a falmouth packet of tons carried twenty-one men, including officers, at a total expenditure for men, interest, insurance, and wear and tear, of £ .[ ] in time of war, she carried twenty-eight men, all of whom were paid higher wages, and other expenses were also higher, bringing the total expenses for each packet to £ a year.[ ] for a packet of seventy tons the expenses during peace and war were respectively £ and £ .[ ] it is not surprising then that the cost for all the packet boats had risen in to £ , . the falmouth boats were responsible for £ , of this, the rest being divided amongst the dover, harwich, donaghadee, milford, weymouth, and holyhead packets and the west india schooners.[ ] the salaries paid to the agents in amounted to £ . they were stationed at lisbon, falmouth, yarmouth (instead of harwich and dover), weymouth, jamaica, halifax, n. s., and quebec. in lisbon and the colonial towns, the agents acted also as postmasters.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, no. , p. . [ ] _fin. rep._, no. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, no. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, no. , pp. - . [ ] _ibid._, no. , p. . [ ] _ibid._, no. , p. . in , all the packets sailing out of falmouth were transferred to the admiralty, in spite of freeling's protest. the question had been discussed again and again during the war with france but why it was decided upon at this particular time is not clear. at the time of transfer, thirty packets were employed at falmouth, carrying mails to and from lisbon, brazil, buenos ayres, the mediterranean, america, the leeward isles, jamaica, colombia, and mexico. in , the number of packets at falmouth had increased to thirty-eight brigs of war and sailing vessels and in to forty-one.[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xiv, app., no. ; _acc. & p._, , xlix, p. ; joyce, pp. - . the admiralty had exceedingly bad luck with the falmouth boats for the first seven years. during that time seven of them were lost; four were wrecked, one was supposed to have been burned, one was smashed to pieces by icebergs, and one was captured by pirates off rio janeiro.[ ] [ ] _acc. & p._, , xlix, p. . three of the boats wrecked were on their way to or from halifax, n. s. in , the charge of all the packets and the powers and authorities then existing in the postmaster-general under any contract for the conveyance of mails were transferred to the admiralty by act of parliament.[ ] the post office was still to retain the discretionary power of regulating the time of departure of the packets and of receiving the reports of the agents when the mail was delayed.[ ] in the same year, but by a later act, the postmaster-general was authorized to contract for the conveyance of letters by private ships between any places whatever, but such ships must be british. the rates were to be the same as the packet rates, but the owners, charterers, and consignees of vessels inward bound were allowed to receive letters free to the weight of six ounces, or twenty ounces in the case of vessels coming from ceylon, the east indies, and the cape of good hope.[ ] for every letter retained by the captain or any other person there was a penalty of £ . the captain was also liable to a penalty for refusing to take the letter bags, even when no contract had been signed.[ ] [ ] wm. iv and i vict., c. . [ ] _acc. & p._, - , xlv, pp. , . [ ] wm. iv and i vict., c. . [ ] wm. iv and i vict., c. . the control of the packets by the admiralty after failed to produce the results anticipated. the power of authorizing contracts for the conveyance of the mails by water was actually vested in the lords of the treasury upon consultation with the postmaster-general, the colonial secretary, and the lords of the admiralty with reference to the postal, colonial, or nautical questions involved, but as a matter of fact these officials did not always work in harmony. the mails continued to be carried by private vessels or war vessels not under contract, by packets belonging to the crown, and by vessels under contract. before the use of steam vessels the government was able as a rule to make contracts for a short period and at comparatively little cost. between england and the neighbouring countries (ireland, france, and belgium), government steam packets were employed. for the longer voyages it was considered advisable to induce commercial companies to build steam vessels by offering large subsidies for long periods. in , a parliamentary committee reported in condemnation of the further use of government-owned packets on account of their expense and also of the payments to the owners of contract vessels in excess of the actual cost of mail carriage. they pointed out, however, that exceptions might very well be made when for political or social reasons it seemed necessary to carry mails to places where commercial vessels did not go, or went very irregularly, or where high speed was desirable.[ ] this report, in so far as it condemned the use of government-owned packets and the excessive subsidies paid to contractors, repeated the findings of an earlier committee published in , which had in addition advised that the rule should be observed of calling for tenders in the most public way possible.[ ] in , the only service performed by the government packets was that between dover, calais, and ostend. on the french service the night mails between dover and calais were conveyed by british packets and the day mails by french. between dover and ostend there was a daily service, thrice a week by british, four times by belgian packets. of the six boats employed by the admiralty, four were kept fully manned and two were spare steamers. the receipts did not equal the gross expenses.[ ] again in , the year in which the control of the packets was transferred to the post office, we find a third parliamentary committee repeating the recommendations of its predecessors so far as the subsidy question was concerned. nothing was said about the government steamers, for in the meantime the principle of packet ownership had been abandoned.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv; _acc. & p._, - , xcv, , pp. - . [ ] _rep. com._, , xii, p. iii. [ ] _acc. & p._, - , xcv, , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, p. ; vict., c. ; _parl. deb._, d ser., clxi, col. ; cxciv, col. ; cxcvii, col. . a general review of the packet services existing at the middle of the nineteenth century affords a very good example of the relative importance of these different systems of communication and of the principles on which the payment of subsidies was based. the inland packet service of the united kingdom included, among others, the lines between holyhead and kingstown, liverpool and the isle of man, aberdeen and lerwick, southampton and the channel isles. this formed a necessary part of the inland postal service, and no attempt was made to meet expenses by levying a sea-transit postage. in the case of the isle of man the postage collected covered the cost of the packets and of the land establishment of the post office in the island. the expenses of the shetland packets by themselves exceeded the postage collected, and the orkney postal expenses were also greater than the revenue. the second class consisted of the packets plying between england and the colonies or between the colonies themselves, and included the lines to india, australia, the cape, the west indies, and british north america. this class was and is by far the most important. three-fourths of the whole annual subsidies paid by the government for the packet service were paid to three great companies, the peninsular and oriental, the royal mail, and the cunard company. the first of these connected england with india and the orient, the second with the west indian colonies, and the third with the north american provinces. the great cost involved in subsidizing these companies was excused on the ground of absolute necessity for a regular and rapid mail service between the mother country and her colonies. of the lines furnishing communications with foreign countries, several were connected with and subsidiary to the colonial service, as the continuation of the cunard line to the united states. the service to china was the most remunerative part of the system undertaken by the peninsular and oriental boats, and the same may be said of the foreign service of the royal mail company. from a commercial point of view the continental packets were perhaps the most important of all.[ ] [ ] _acc. & p._, - , xcv, , pp. - . the first contract with an individual steamship company was made in with the famous cunard company providing for the conveyance of mails between great britain, the united states, and canada. in accordance with the recommendations of various committees, attempts were made later to place the atlantic packet service upon a firmer financial basis so far as the loss to the post office was concerned. in , the contract with the cunard company, which had been renewed at various times under somewhat different conditions, came to an end. the conservative government which was just going out arranged for two services a week with the cunard company for £ , , and one a week with the inman company for £ , . there was considerable opposition to the agreement among the liberal majority of the new parliament, but it could not of course be repudiated. this contract came to an end in , and a circular was addressed to the various steamship companies informing them that the government would hereafter send the american mails by the most efficient ships, payment to be made at the rate of _s._ _d._ a pound for letters and _d._ a pound for other mail matter, those being the rates fixed by the postal union treaty and adopted by the american government. the inman and white star companies refused at first to have anything to do with the new system of payment, but eventually they fell into line. the system was in operation for a year at a cost of £ , in place of the old charge of £ , . the cunard, inman, and white star companies then demanded double the previous rates on the ground that they were conducting the service at a loss, and an agreement with the government was concluded for the payment of _s._ a pound for letters and _d._ for newspapers, etc. at the same time the old monopolistic conditions were virtually reëstablished, for rival steamship lines were excluded from the agreement.[ ] [ ] _parl. deb._, d ser., ccxxxviii, coll., - . in , the agreement with the cunard, inman, and white star lines came to an end. the cunard and white star companies then made an offer precluding the use of the fast boats of other lines, but this was declined. eventually an agreement was reached at a reduced cost, which gave the post office the right to send letters so directed by any other ships than those of the white star or cunard companies. the amounts to be paid were measured by the actual weight of mail matter carried.[ ] the payments to the peninsular and oriental company were based at first entirely upon mileage covered, and reductions were made if the packets fell below a minimum speed agreed upon. this method was later changed to a payment based upon the amount of mail carried, and the subsidy was substantially reduced.[ ] [ ] _s._ a lb. for letters; _s._ _d._ when carried by other lines (_rep. com._, , xiv, p. ; - , vi, pp. iii-v; _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; _acc. & p._, , xlix, , pp. - ; _parl. deb._, th ser., cxxii, coll. - ). [ ] _acc. & p._, - , xcv, , p. ; , xlix, , p. ; _rep. p. g._, , pp. - . a general review of the packet service in shows us that most of the contracts for the home packets are terminable on six months' notice, a few only on twelve months' notice. the holyhead and kingstown service is exceptional, not being terminable until , or on twelve months' notice after st march, . this is by far the most important of any of the home systems and costs £ , , to be reduced to £ , in . the contract for the conveyance of mails between dover and calais is terminable on twelve months' notice and cost £ , for the postal year - . the payments for the use of the other boats between the united kingdom and europe are comparatively small, amounting in - to £ only, and all these contracts are terminable on six months' notice. the contracts for the conveyance of the mails to the two americas are as a rule terminable on six or twelve months' notice, but an exception has been made in the case of the cunard company with whom and under peculiar circumstances a twenty years' agreement was made in . in - the cost of the conveyance of the mails between the united kingdom and north and south america was £ , . the african contracts are all terminable on three, six, or twelve months' notice, and amounted in - to £ , . the carriage of the mails to india, australasia, and china for the year ending st march, , cost £ , , but this has since been diminished by a reduction in the subsidies to the peninsular and oriental company and the canadian pacific railway company.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - , - . the total expenditure for packet boats increased enormously after , and this increase in cost kept down the net revenue of the post office for many years after the introduction of penny postage. in , the packet expenses amounted only to £ , , in , to £ , , and in , to £ , . they reached the maximum point of £ , , in , and from that time until , when they were £ , , there has been on the whole a gradual diminution. during the year ending st march, , they reached the sum of £ , , for the postal year - they were £ , , and during the year - they had diminished to £ , .[ ] [ ] _rep. commrs._, , xiv, app., p. ; , lxii, pp. - ; _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , p. ; , app., p. ; , p. . chapter viii rates and finance after de quester had been appointed foreign postmaster-general, he published, in , an incomplete set of rates from and to various places on the continent. his charges for "packets," and by packets he meant letters or parcels carried by a special messenger, were as follows:-- to the hague £ . to brussels or paris £ . to vienna £ . the ordinary rates were:-- to or from any of the above places _s._ to or from any part of germany _s._ from venice for a single letter _d._[ ] from venice for any letter over a single letter _s._ _d._ from leghorn and florence for a single letter _s._ from leghorn and florence over a single letter _s._an ounce.[ ] this system of rates, although crude, marks a distinct era in postal progress. it forms the foundation of the plan which was perfected a few years later by witherings. de quester also published a statement of the days of departure of the regular posts with foreign letters.[ ] in the trial between stanhope and de quester over the question of who should be foreign postmaster-general, it came out in the evidence that stanhope had been accustomed to receive _d._ for every letter to hamburg, amsterdam, and antwerp.[ ] this charge was rather in the nature of a perquisite than a legal rate and serves partly to explain why stanhope was so anxious to retain the monopoly of the foreign post. [ ] the rate from venice had been _ d._ by a single letter is meant one piece of paper. [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). witherings' rates for domestic postage, as fixed by royal proclamation in , were as follows for a single letter:-- _d._ under miles between and miles over miles on the borders and in scotland in ireland if there were more than one sheet of paper, postage must be paid according to the above rate for every separate sheet or enclosure. for instance, a letter or packet composed of two sheets was called a double letter and paid _d._ for any distance under miles. a letter of three sheets was called a triple letter and paid _d._ if conveyed under miles, and so in proportion.[ ] in , the rules concerning the imposition of rates were changed slightly. the rates themselves remained the same for single and double letters. letters above double letters were to be charged according to weight as follows:-- under miles _d._ an ounce. from to miles _d._ above miles _d._ for ireland _d._ if over two ounces.[ ] this expedient must have been adopted from the difficulty in discovering the number of enclosures when there were more than two. it is impossible to say how long these rates continued, probably not later than witherings' régime. during prideaux' management the maximum postage on a single letter was _d._, reduced later to _d._[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] joyce, p. . the council of state gave orders in for the imposition of the following rates for a single letter:-- _d._ within miles from london to remoter parts of england and wales to scotland to ireland [ ] whether these rates were actually collected is questionable. the postage which the farmers of the posts were allowed to collect in the following year was fixed by the council of state for single letters as follows:-- _d._ under miles from london above miles from london to scotland to ireland these rates are in effect lower than those of witherings, for he had inserted a _d._ rate for letters delivered between and miles from london, had charged _d._ for all letters going farther than miles, and had charged _d._ and _d._ for letters to scotland and ireland respectively. they were a little higher than those of , for by them _d._ had carried a letter miles.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . in , the first act of parliament was passed, fixing rates for letters and establishing the system for england, ireland, and scotland. the domestic rates were:-- _for a_ _double_ _per_ _single letter_ _letter_ _ounce_ {within miles from london _d._. _d._ _d._ in england {above miles from london to or from scotland to or from ireland in ireland {within miles from dublin {above miles from dublin the foreign rates were:-- _for a_ _double_ _per_ _single letter_ _letter_ _ounce_ to leghorn, genoa, florence, lyons, marseilles, aleppo, constantinople _d._ _d._ _d._ to st. malo, morlaix, nieuhaven to bordeaux, rochelle, nantes, bayonne, cadiz, madrid to hamburg, frankfort, and cologne to dantzic, leipsic, lubeck, stockholm, copenhagen, elsinore, konigsburg [ ] [ ] scobell, _collect._, pt. ii, pp. - . inland letters containing more than two enclosures but weighing less than an ounce were charged according to the number of enclosures. these rates are considerably lower than those of witherings and are essentially the same as those of , except that the postage is fixed for letters to and from the continent. no provision is made for letters to and from any other part of the world but europe. since the government had not established any postal communication with asia, africa, or the americas, it would have been unfair to demand postage on letters conveyed by merchant vessels to and from those places.[ ] [ ] scobell, _collect._, pt. ii, pp. - . the act of is generally referred to as bringing the post office under parliamentary control and as the basis of the modern system. this is probably due to the fact that the act of was passed by a commonwealth parliament and signed by cromwell. whether its authors lacked the power to give it validity, they did not lack the brains to pass an excellent act, and although the royalists saw fit, after the restoration, to dub it the pretended act of , they could not improve it and had the sense to leave it largely untouched. the first act had imposed rates from or to any place to or from london as a centre. it had been taken for granted that all letters passed to, from, or through the capital, and to all intents and purposes this was so. it was possible, however, for letters, technically called bye-letters, to stop short of london, and it was to provide for these that postage was to be reckoned from any place where a letter might be posted. scotland was no longer a part of england after the restoration, so that by the act of rates were given to and from berwick and for single letters were a penny less than they had been to scotland under the earlier act. from berwick the rate, within a radius of forty miles, was _d._ for a single letter, and over forty miles, _d._ as far as foreign postage was concerned, letters to the northern coast towns of italy paid _d._ less than the old rate for a single letter. other rates remained the same. alternative routes were sometimes offered. for instance, letters might be sent directly to northern italy or they might go via lyons, but in the latter case they cost _d._ more. again, there were many more continental towns to which letters might be sent and from which they might be received. letters for germany via hamburg had to be postpaid as far as that city. the same was true of letters to southern france via paris and of letters to northern italy via lyons. the highest rate paid for a single letter was _s._ to northern italy, turkey, and central and northern germany. merchants' accounts not exceeding one sheet of paper, bills of exchange, invoices and bills of lading, were to pay nothing over the charge of the letter in which they might be enclosed. the same rule was to hold for the covers of letters sent to turkey via marseilles. all inland letters were to be paid for at the place where they were delivered unless the sender wished to pay in advance.[ ] [ ] chas. ii, c. . when the scotch was separated from the english post office in , rates were imposed by the parliament of scotland as follows: _for a single letter_ to berwick _s._[ ] within miles from edinburgh from to miles from edinburgh above miles from edinburgh packages of papers were to pass as triple letters.[ ] in , when the scotch post was let out to farm, the english postmasters-general advised that the farmers should be obliged to pay at berwick the postage on english and foreign letters for scotland, and an order in accordance with this advice was signed by the king. it was the custom to change the farmers every three years, which may have produced a larger revenue but was certainly not calculated to increase the efficiency of the office. the english postmasters-general had great difficulty in collecting at berwick the postage due them, and it is doubtful whether a large part was ever paid. the frequent changes in the farmers must have been an excellent means of allowing them to escape their debts to the english.[ ] [ ] one shilling scotch was equal to one penny english. [ ] wm. iii, st parl., th session (scotland), c. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , ; - , . it has been customary to point to the postage rates of as lower than any before the nineteenth century. this is true in a general way, but one limitation to the statement is generally overlooked. before all posts ran to or from london, and it was not until well on in the eighteenth century that the system of cross posts was introduced. bristol and exeter are less than eighty miles apart, but a letter from bristol to exeter went to london first and from there to exeter, travelling about miles to reach a town eighty miles distant. now by the act of , the rate for distances above miles was _d._ thus the letter paid _d._ from bristol to london and _d._ more from london to exeter, _d._ in all. if there had been a direct post from bristol to exeter, and there was not until , the postage would have been _d._ only. the possibility of such an anomaly as this must be kept in mind in considering the low rates of the seventeenth century. in james the second's reign, a post office had been established in jamaica, and rates of postage had been settled not only in the island itself but between it and the mother country. this was a new departure, since at that time there were no packet boats to the west indies. the rate between england and jamaica was _d._ for a single letter, _s._ for a double letter, and _s._ an ounce. as the crown was not at the expense of maintaining means of transport, this was a pure tax.[ ] in , the postage on a single letter from the west indies was raised to - / _d._, for a double letter _d._, but dummer's packets were then in operation.[ ] [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , . _single letter_ _double letter_ _per ounce_ rates to the islands were _d._ _d._ _d._ in increased to rates from the islands in --stow's _london_, bk. v, p. . in , a system of posts had been established in the american colonies between the largest towns on the atlantic coast. all that is known about the rates is that the charge for the conveyance of a letter between boston and new york was _s._ and the post went weekly between those places.[ ] hamilton, the deputy manager, proposed that letters from england should be sent in sealed bags entrusted to the masters of ships. the bags were to be handed over to the postmaster of the port where the ship first touched and the captain was to receive a penny for each letter. he advised that the following rates should be adopted:-- not exceeding miles from new york _d._ from to miles from new york to and from boston and new york, miles jersey, miles philadelphia, miles annapolis, miles jamestown, miles new york and annapolis, miles jamestown, miles (with many dangerous places to cross by ferry) these rates were said to be too high and were not adopted, "it being found that cheap postage greatly encourages letter writing, as is shown by the reduction in england from _d._ to _d._"[ ] [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] joyce, p. ; _cal. t. p._, - , . the preamble to the act of offered as an explanation of an increase in rates the necessity for money for the war and the prevention of private competition in carrying letters. it is plain that higher rates will, up to a certain point, increase proceeds, though not proportionately, but how increased rates can decrease competition is more difficult to explain. witherings had found that the cheaper he made postage, the less fear was there from interlopers. it is possible that the framers of the bill had intended to use part of the increase in revenue for the support of searchers, but no such provision is contained in the act itself.[ ] on the ground that a large revenue was necessary, no fault can be found with the increase. it is probably true that in course of time lower rates would have increased the product more than higher, but war and its demands wait for no man. the people who could write and who needed to write were in a small minority then, and their number could not for a long time be influenced by lower rates. what was needed at once was money and the only way to raise it by means of the post office was the one adopted. [ ] joyce, p. . the rates for single letters within england and between england and edinburgh were increased by a penny for a single letter; for double letters and parcels in proportion. to dublin the charge remained the same, and the rates within ireland were not changed. in the act of , the postage on letters delivered in scotland had been reckoned from berwick. edinburgh was now made the centre and the rates were as follows:-- _for a single letter_ _per ounce_ from edinburgh within scotland _d._ _d._ not exceeding miles above and not exceeding miles above miles [ ] [ ] double letters were charged twice as much as single letters. the rates within scotland were lower than those within england and ireland. scotland had a _d._ rate for distances not exceeding fifty miles. england had no rate under _d._, except for the penny post. ireland, too, had a _d._ rate for distances not exceeding forty miles, but for distances from forty to eighty miles and over, the rate for irish letters was _d._, while in england the rate was only _d._ for distances not exceeding eighty miles. the distances which letters travelled within scotland were shorter than in england and ireland. as a rule the different rates for the three countries varied with their wealth and consequent ability to pay, the least being required from poverty-stricken scotland. the new rates as compared with the old were for a single letter:[ ]-- _for england_ not exceeding miles _d._ _d._ above miles between london and edinburgh between london and dublin _within ireland_ not exceeding miles from dublin _d._ _d._ above miles from dublin _within scotland (scotch act, )_ not exceeding miles from edinburgh _d._ _d._ from to miles from edinburgh from to miles from edinburgh above miles from edinburgh above miles from edinburgh [ ] when the rates for single letters only are given it is understood that double and triple letters paid two and three times as much respectively. letters weighing an ounce or more paid a single letter rate for each quarter of an ounce. the act of imposed rates on letters in scotland from berwick as a centre. by that act rates had been fixed for distances not exceeding miles and for distances over forty miles from berwick, being _d._ and _d._ for single letters for the respective distances, so that by the act of , the scotch rates were lower than they had been in and slightly higher than those of . when forty miles was made the lowest distance according to which rates were levied, it was thought and intended that _d._, the rate for that distance, would pay for a single letter from berwick to edinburgh. as a matter of fact, the distance between the two places was fifty miles, so that the scotch act had estimated it better. in the rates as given above, an exception is made in the case of letters directed on board ship or brought by it. for such letters one penny was charged in addition to the rates already given. this extra penny was charged because the postmaster in the place where the ship first touched was required to pay the master of the vessel one penny for every letter received. foreign letters collected or delivered at any place between london and the port of departure or arrival of the ship for which they were destined or by which they had come, must pay the same rate as if they had left or arrived in london. as far as foreign post rates were concerned they were all from _d._ to _d._ higher than they had been by the act of . the lowest foreign rate for a single letter, _d._, was paid between london and france, and london and the spanish netherlands. to germany and northwestern europe, through the spanish netherlands, the rate was _d._, to italy or sicily the same way _d._, postpaid to antwerp, or _d._ via lyons. the same rates held for letters passing through the united provinces. to spain or portugal via the spanish netherlands or the united provinces or france, postpaid to bayonne, the rate was _d._ for a single letter, and the same price held when letters were conveyed directly by sailing packets. by the same act of rates were for the first time established between england and her colonies and within the colonies themselves. the postage for a single letter from london to any of the west india islands was _d._, to new york _d._, and the same from those places to london. between the west indies and new york the rate was _d._ in the colonies on the mainland, the chief letter offices were at new york, perth amboy, new london, philadelphia, bridlington, newport, portsmouth, boston, annapolis, salem, ipswich, piscataway, williamstown, and charleston. the postage was _d._ to and from any of these places to a distance not exceeding sixty miles and _d._ for any distance between sixty and miles. between new york, perth amboy, and bridlington, the rate was _d._; between new york, new london, and philadelphia _d._; between new york, newport, portsmouth, and boston _d._; between new york, salem, ipswich, piscataway, and williamstown _d._; between new york and charleston _d._; the post office was to pay nothing for crossing ferries. there had always been trouble in collecting the rates on bye and cross post letters. these letters did not pass through london and hence the officials at the general post office had no check on the money due. by a clause in the act, the postmasters were ordered under a penalty to account for the receipts from all these letters. the postage on letters which did not pass to, through, or from london was fixed according to the inland charges, varying with the distances travelled. finally, the postage on all inland letters was to be paid on delivery unless the sender wished to pay in advance, or in the case of the penny post, or unless such letters should be directed on board any ship or vessel or to any person in the army. from the receipts from postage, £ a week was to be paid into the exchequer for the purpose of carrying on the war. the accountant-general was to keep account of all money raised, the receipts themselves going directly to the receiver-general and being paid into the exchequer by him. one third of the surplus over and above the weekly payment of £ and £ , (the amount of the gross receipts of the duties arising by virtue of the act of ) were to be disposed of by parliament. in making this provision, joyce thinks that the chancellor of the exchequer confused gross and net product.[ ] as a matter of fact there was no such surplus as was anticipated by the chancellor, but it does not follow that he made the mistake of which he was accused by cornwallis and craggs, an accusation in which joyce evidently concurs. he erred simply in supposing that expenses would remain the same.[ ] [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] anne, c. . the act of in prescribing the rate of postage for the carriage of "every single letter or piece of paper" enacted that a "double letter should pay twice that rate." the merchants contended that a double letter was composed of two sheets of paper if they weighed less than an ounce and their reasoning was logical. they argued from this that a letter enclosing a pattern or patterns, if it weighed less than one ounce, should pay only as a single letter. actions were brought against the postmasters by the merchants for charging more than they considered was warranted and the merchants won every case. the lawyers also threatened legal proceedings for the charge of writs when enclosed in letters. the postmasters-general hastened to parliament for relief. the merchants heard of this, and petitions were sent to the house of commons from "clothiers, dealers in cloth, silk, and other manufactured goods," asking that when samples were enclosed in a single letter the rate should remain the same provided that such letter and sample did not exceed half an ounce in weight.[ ] their efforts were fruitless. the following provisions were inserted in a tobacco bill then before parliament and passed in : "that every writ etc. enclosed in a letter was to pay as a distinct letter and that a letter with one or more patterns enclosed and not exceeding one ounce in weight was to pay as a double letter."[ ] as a matter of fact all the rates collected after by virtue of the act of were illegal, for the act itself had died a natural death in the former year by that clause which provided for the revival of the rates of at the end of thirty-two years. [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , pp. - . [ ] geo. iii, c. , secs. , . a postal act was passed in , slightly changing the home, colonial, and foreign rates. the cession of territory in north america had made necessary a more comprehensive scheme of postage rates there. the conclusion of the seven years' war had made it possible to offer a slight reduction in postage. in great britain the following rates were published for short distances for a single letter:-- for great britain--not exceeding one post stage _d._ for england alone--over one and not exceeding two stages _d._ the rates for all other distances remained unchanged. a stage, as a rule, varied from ten to twelve miles in length, so that every post town in england could now boast a modified form of penny postage, with the exception in most cases of delivery facilities. the changes in colonial rates were generally in the shape of substituting general for special rules. the rate from any part of the british american dominions to any other part was fixed at _d._ for a single letter when conveyed by sea. the act of had given the postage from and to specially named places. this method had become inapplicable with the growth in population among the old and the increase in new possessions. the rate for a single letter from any chief post office in the british american dominions to a distance not exceeding sixty miles, or for any distance not exceeding sixty miles from any post office from which letters did not pass through a chief post office, was placed at _d._, from sixty to miles _d._, from to miles _d._, for each additional hundred miles _d._ the effect of this act was to continue the same rates for inland postage in british america, while rates were provided for distances over miles. the postage between england and the american colonies remained at _d._ for a single letter. in the case of the west indies, there was a decrease of _d._ a clause of the act provided that the postage on letters sent out of england might be demanded in advance.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . the principle of payment in advance was not popular. a man in england writing to his brother in virginia in says, "very often of late i have been so foolish, i should say unfortunate previously to pay for the letters coming to you.... to my great concern i have been since assured that such letters never go forward but are immediately thrown aside and neglected. i believe i wrote to you three or four times this last winter by this method and am since informed of this their fate. you may form a great guess of the truth of it by or by not receiving them" (_notes and queries_, th ser., xii, p. ). postage rates were increased steadily from for twenty-eight years, culminating in the year with the highest rates that england has ever seen. every available means to raise the revenue necessary to maintain her supremacy was resorted to, and the post office was compelled to bear its share of the burden. in another penny was added to the rates for single letters and additional rates for double and triple letters in proportion.[ ] three years later an act was passed, fixing the postage for the conveyance of a single letter by sailing packet from milford haven to waterford at _d._ over and above all other rates. it was provided by the same act that the rates between london and ireland via milford should not exceed the rates via holyhead.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, sess. , c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . in a rate of _d._ for a single letter was established between whitehaven (cumberland) and the port of douglas (isle of man) ( geo. iii, c. ). in the rates for letters conveyed within england and wales, berwick, to and from portugal, and to and from the british possessions in america, as established by the acts of , , and , were repealed and the following substituted for a single letter:-- _within england, wales and berwick._ _d._ not exceeding miles from place where letter is posted from to miles, etc. over miles, etc. _within scotland._ in addition to rates in force the old system of reckoning by stages was thus abolished, probably on account of the uncertainty as to the length of any particular stage and the variations and changes which were being constantly made. this change was made for england and wales only, and the old system of reckoning by stages was still retained in scotland. letters from and to the colonies had formerly paid no postage over the regular shilling rate for a single letter and proportionately for other letters. now they were to pay the full inland rate in addition. a single letter from the west indies would now pay the shilling packet rate plus the rate from falmouth to london, _s._ _d._ in all. the same rates and the same rule held for letters to and from portugal. a single letter from lisbon had formerly paid _s._ _d._ on delivery in london. it would now pay _s._ _d._ this act was not to affect letters to and from non-commissioned officers, privates, and seamen while in active service, who were allowed to send and receive letters for one penny each, payable in advance. the revenue arising from the new and the unrepealed rates was to be paid to the receiver-general and be by him carried to the consolidated fund. the increase from the additional postage was estimated at £ , a year and was to be used to pay the interest on loans contracted the preceding year.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . when sailing packets were established between weymouth and the islands of jersey and guernsey, the packet rates and the rates between the islands themselves were fixed at _d._ for a single letter. permission was also given to establish postal routes in the islands, and to charge the same postage for the conveyance of letters as in england. the surplus was to go to the general office and all postal laws then in force in england were to be deemed applicable to the two islands.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . by the same act which gave the postmasters-general authority to forward letters by vessels other than the regular sailing packets, rates were fixed for the carriage of such letters. for every single letter brought into the kingdom by these vessels, _d._ was to be charged. the postmasters-general might order such rates to be payable in advance or on delivery. this was in addition to the inland postage, and for every letter handed over to the post office, the captain was to receive _d._ the revenue arising from this act was payable to the exchequer.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . in the post office was called upon again to make a further contribution to the exchequer to help meet the interest on new loans. the following were the new rates for a single letter:-- _within great britain by the general post_ _d._ not exceeding measured miles above but not exceeding measured miles _d._ for every miles above miles an additional rate of where the distance above miles did not amount to miles an additional rate of where the distance above miles exceeded miles and for every excess of distance over miles an additional rate of by the act of a uniform rate of _d._ for a single letter had been paid for distances over miles. the new act not only imposed extra rates for all distances over miles but it decreased the distances above miles for which the old postage would have paid. for instance, a _d._ rate had carried a single letter miles, a _d._ rate miles. they now carried only and miles respectively. on letters to and from places abroad, "not being within his majesty's dominions," an additional rate of _d._ for a single letter was imposed.[ ] in london, where a penny had been charged for the conveyance of letters by the penny post, _d._ was now charged. an additional rate of _d._ for a single letter was imposed upon letters passing between great britain and ireland via holyhead or milford. the postmasters-general were given authority to convey letters to and from places which were not post towns for such sums for extra service as might be agreed upon. merchants' accounts and bills of exchange which, when sent out of the kingdom or conveyed into it, had not formerly been charged postage over the letters in which they were enclosed, were now to be rated as letters.[ ] [ ] when the temporary peace of amiens was concluded in , the rates for single letters from london to france were reduced to d., from london to the batavian republic to _d._ ( geo. ii, c. ). [ ] geo. iii, c. . in , the following rates were imposed within ireland for a single letter:-- _d. (irish)_[ ] not exceeding irish miles from to irish miles exceeding irish miles the postage on letters arriving in ireland for the distance travelled outside ireland was ordered to be collected by the irish postmaster-general and forwarded to london. an additional penny was imposed upon dublin penny post letters crossing the circular road around dublin.[ ] [ ] the irish penny was of the same value as the english penny. [ ] geo. iii, c. . in , for the third time within ten years, the exchequer fell back upon the post office for an increase of revenue estimated at £ , .[ ] there were added to the rates as already prescribed-- _d._ for a single letter, _d._ for a double letter, _d._ for a triple letter, and _d._ for a letter weighing as much as one ounce, for all letters conveyed by the post in great britain or between great britain and ireland. the postage on a single letter from london to brighton was thus raised from _d._ to _d._, from london to liverpool from _d._ to _d._, and from london to edinburgh from _d._ to _d._ twopenny post letters paid _d._ if sent beyond the general post delivery limits, while newspapers paid _d._ on every letter passing between great britain and a foreign country _d._ more was to be paid. an additional penny was charged for every single letter between great britain and the british american dominions via portugal, and between great britain, the isle of man and jersey and guernsey.[ ] in the same year the irish rates were also increased by the imposition of an additional penny upon each single letter with corresponding changes in the postage on double and triple letters. the dublin penny post was left untouched, its boundaries being defined as contained within a circle of four miles radius, with the general post office building as the centre. every letter from any ship within irish waters was charged a penny in addition to the increased rates.[ ] [ ] _parl. deb._, st ser., iii, col. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . still the demand was for more money to help replenish an exhausted treasury. an additional penny was added for the conveyance of a single letter more than twenty miles beyond the place where the letter was posted within great britain and between great britain and ireland. for the conveyance of a single letter between great britain and any of the colonies or to any foreign country an additional _d._ was required. these additional rates did not apply to letters to and from jersey or guernsey, or to and from any non-commissioned officer, soldier, or sailor.[ ] samples weighing no more than one ounce were to pay _d._ if enclosed in a letter, if not enclosed, _d._ as this is the highest point to which postage rates in england have ever attained, it may be interesting to give the rates resulting from this act in tabular form as far as the postage for inland single letters was concerned.[ ] _d._ not exceeding miles above but not exceeding miles miles [ ] single letters written by or to non-commissioned officers, privates, and seamen must be on their own business, and if sent by them must bear their own signatures and the signature of their superior officer with the name of their regiment or ship ( geo. iii, c. ). [ ] geo. iii, c. . in , the rate for a single letter between falmouth and gibraltar was fixed at _d._, between falmouth and malta _d._, between gibraltar and malta _d._ ( geo. iii, c. ). in , the rate for a single letter between falmouth and madeira was fixed at _d._, between falmouth and brazil _d._ ( geo. iii, c. ). in , an additional penny (irish) was added to the rates then in force in ireland, with the exception of the penny rate on the dublin penny post letters.[ ] three years later the rates and distances for ireland were changed again. as compared with the old rates they were as follows, both tables being in irish miles and irish currency and for single letters only:-- [ ] geo. iii, c. . _d._ _d._ not exceeding miles not exceeding miles from to miles from to miles exceeding miles over miles the rates of were lower for distances not exceeding forty miles, higher for distances over eighty miles. on the whole there was little change, but the later rates were probably more easily borne as they were lower for short distances.[ ] the next year the rates and distances for ireland were changed again, the result being an increase both for short and for long distances. the results are shown in the following table in irish miles and irish currency and for a single letter:[ ]-- not exceeding miles _d._ over and not exceeding miles for every miles over miles [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . in an additional half-penny was demanded on all scotch letters "because the mail coaches now paid toll in that country." so at least a correspondent to the _times_ says (london _times_, , june , p. ). in the postage on a single letter brought into the kingdom by ships other than the regular packets was raised from _d._ to _d._ in addition to the regular inland rates. the rate for letters sent out of the kingdom by these vessels was fixed at one third the regular packet rates.[ ] an exception was made in the case of letters carried by war vessels or by vessels of the east india company to and from the cape of good hope, mauritius, and that part of the east indies embraced in the charter of the company. the rates by these vessels were to be the same as the regular packet rates, _d._ for a single letter between those places and england, and _d._ for a single letter between the places themselves. newspapers were charged _d._ an ounce between england, the cape, mauritius, and the east indies. the rate for a single letter conveyed in private vessels not employed by the post office to carry mails was _d._ from england to the cape or the east indies, and _d._ from the cape or the east indies to england. the company was allowed to collect rates on letters within its own territory in india, but the postmasters-general of england might at any time establish post offices in any such territory. the company was to be paid for the use of its ships in conveying letters.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . enacted for ireland the following year ( geo. iii, c. ). [ ] geo. iii, c. . this act, although repealed for great britain by geo. iii, c. , still remained in force in ireland ( and wm. iv, c. ). by the ship letter act of , no letters were to be sent by private ships except such as had been brought to the post office to be charged. the directors of the east india company had protested against this section of the act. it is true that they were allowed to send and receive letters by the ships of their own company, but in india there was a small army of officials in their service whose letters had hitherto gone free. for that matter it had been the custom for the company to carry for nothing all letters and papers which were placed in the letter box at the east india house.[ ] petitions were presented against an attempt on the part of the post office to charge postage on letters to and from india when conveyed by private vessels.[ ] the company refused to allow its vessels to be used as packet boats or even to carry letters at all. it was in consequence of all this opposition that the act of was passed, giving more favourable treatment to letters to and from india. by this act no person sending a letter to india was compelled to have it charged at the post office and the masters were compelled to carry letters if the postmasters-general ordered them. the company now withdrew all opposition and even refused to accept any payment for the use of their vessels in conveying letters.[ ] notwithstanding the favourable exception made in the case of letters to and from the east indies, there was still discontent over the high rates charged by the post office for the conveyance of letters by the regular packet boats and by private vessels, when carrying letters entrusted to the post office.[ ] in the sea postage on any letter or package not exceeding three ounces in weight from ceylon, mauritius, the cape, and the east indies was placed at _d._ if it exceeded three ounces in weight, it was charged _d._ an ounce. the sea postage on letters and packages to ceylon, etc., not exceeding three ounces in weight, was placed at _d._ if the weight was more than three ounces, the charge was _d._ an ounce. the postage on letters and packages from england was payable in advance. newspapers were charged a penny an ounce.[ ] [ ] london _times_, , oct. , p. ; , jan. , p. . [ ] _parl. deb._, st ser., xxx, col. ; xxxi, col. . [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] the _calcutta monthly_ complained that the new rates had rendered correspondence less frequent. "the so-called packet boats are often two or three months slower than private vessels" (london _times_, , oct. , p. ). [ ] geo. iii, c. ; london _times_, , jan. , p. . by an act passed in it was provided that henceforth all rates for letters conveyed within ireland should be collected in british currency. the rates themselves and the distances remained the same as had been provided by the act of . the postage collected on letters between the two kingdoms was henceforth to be retained in the country where it was collected. the rates for letters passing between the two kingdoms were assimilated with the rates prescribed for great britain by the act of . in addition to the land rates, d. was required for the sea passage to and from holyhead and milford and to this _d._ more was added for the use of the conway and menai bridges.[ ] between portpatrick and donaghadee the postage was _d._ for a single letter, between liverpool and any irish port _d._, but no letter sent via liverpool paid a higher rate than if sent via holyhead.[ ] an additional halfpenny was also demanded on every single letter passing between milford haven and waterford, to pay for improvements.[ ] [ ] and geo. iv, c. . the postage between liverpool and dublin for a single letter was _d._, made up as follows:-- inland postage to holyhead _d._ for the conway bridge _d._ " " menai " _d._ sea postage _d._ ----- _d._ in , the sea rate between portpatrick and donaghadee had been raised by _d._ for a single letter, between liverpool and the port of douglas by _d._ ( geo. iv, c. ; geo. iv, c. ). [ ] and geo. iv, c. ; and geo. iv, c. , secs. - ; geo. iv, c. . [ ] and wm. iv, c. . in , england and france signed a postal treaty by which the rates on letters between the united kingdom and france or between any other country and the united kingdom through france were materially reduced.[ ] on such letters the method of reckoning postage differed from the english rule and was as follows: one sheet of paper not exceeding an ounce in weight and every letter not exceeding one quarter of an ounce were single letters. every letter with one enclosure only and not exceeding an ounce in weight was a double letter. every letter containing more than one enclosure and not exceeding half an ounce was a double letter. if it exceeded half an ounce but not an ounce in weight, it was a triple letter. if it exceeded an ounce, it paid as four single letters and for every quarter of an ounce above one ounce it paid an additional single letter rate.[ ] the sender of a letter from great britain to france had the option of prepaying the whole postage, british and foreign, or the british alone, or neither.[ ] [ ] _acc. & p._, , l. . rates on foreign letters before, and after the french treaty:-- _between england and_ _before_ _after_ france _d._ _d._ italy } turkey } ionian isles } spain by packet portugal via france by packet germany via france switzerland holland belgium russia } prussia } norway } sweden } _between england and_ _before_ _after_ denmark } germany } _d._ _d._ gibraltar malta } ionian isles } greece } egypt } brazil buenos ayres madeira mexico } havana } colombia } san domingo united states } and foreign } west indies } [ ] this followed to a certain extent the french system of charging postage, which depended more upon weight and less upon the number of enclosures than the english method. [ ] wm. iv and vict., c. . in , an act of parliament was passed, consolidating previous acts for the regulation of postage rates within great britain and ireland, between great britain and ireland, and between the united kingdom and the colonies and foreign countries. the rates within great britain remained the same as those established by the act of , including the additional half penny on letters conveyed by mail coaches in scotland. in ireland the rates existing since still held and between great britain and ireland the rates established by and geo. iv, c. . the rates for letters between the united kingdom and foreign countries through france and those conveyed directly between the united kingdom and france remained the same as had been agreed upon by the treaty of . some of the more important of the other rates were as follows:-- to italy, sicily, venetian lombardy, malta, the ionian islands, greece, turkey, the levant, the archipelago, syria, and egypt through belgium, holland, or germany, _d._ for a single letter. between the united kingdom and portugal, _d._ for a single letter. _single letter_ to or from gibraltar _d._ to or from malta, the ionian islands, greece, syria, and egypt _d._ between gibraltar (not having been first conveyed there from the united kingdom) and malta, the ionian islands, greece, syria, or egypt[ ] _d._ between the united kingdom and madeira _d._ between the united kingdom and the west indies, colombia, and mexico _d._ between the united kingdom and brazil _d._ between the united kingdom and buenos ayres _d._ between the united kingdom and san domingo _d._ between the british west indies and colombia or mexico _d._ [ ] in , it was enacted that the postage on a single letter (not from the united kingdom or going there) between any two mediterranean ports or from a mediterranean port to the east indies should be _d._ via the red sea or persian gulf. the gibraltar rate remained the same ( and vict., c. ). letters between the united kingdom and germany, belgium, holland, switzerland, spain, sweden, and norway were charged in addition the same postage as if they had been sent from or to london. letters from and to france paid no additional postage. all letters to and from non-commissioned officers, privates and seamen while in actual service were still carried for one penny each, payable in advance, but letters sent by them from ceylon, the east indies, mauritius, and the cape were charged an additional _d._ payable by the receiver.[ ] [ ] wm. iv and vict., c. . after the transference of the packet boats to the admiralty in , the postmaster-general was authorized to charge regular packet rates for the conveyance of letters by such ships as he had contracted with for such conveyance. he might also forward letters by any ships and collect the following rates for each single letter:-- when the letter was posted in the place from which the ship sailed except when sailing between great britain and ireland _d._ if posted anywhere else in the united kingdom _d._ between great britain and ireland in addition to inland rates _d._ for a single letter coming into the united kingdom except from ceylon, the east indies, mauritius, and the cape in addition to inland rates _d._ for letters from ceylon, the east indies, mauritius, and the cape in addition to inland rates-- if not exceeding ounces in weight _d._ if exceeding ounces in weight _d._ an oz. for letters delivered to the post office to be sent to ceylon, the east indies, mauritius, and the cape in addition to all inland rates-- if not exceeding ounces in weight _d._ if exceeding ounces in weight _d._ an oz.[ ] [ ] wm. iv and i vict., c. . the end of high postage rates was now at hand. in , the treasury was empowered to change the rating according to the weight of the letter or package,[ ] and they proceeded to do so in the case of letters from one country to another passing through the united kingdom, between any two colonies, between any south american ports, and between such ports and madeira and the canaries.[ ] parliament followed up the good work in by enacting that in future all letters, packages, etc. should be charged by weight alone, according to the following scheme:-- on every letter or package, etc.-- not exceeding / ounce in weight, one rate of postage. exceeding / ounce but not exceeding ounce, rates of postage. " " " " ounces, " " " ounces " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " for every ounce above four ounces, two additional rates of postage, and for every fraction of an ounce above four ounces as for one additional ounce. no letter or package exceeding one pound in weight was to be sent through the post office except petitions and addresses to the queen, or to either house of parliament, or in such cases as the treasury lords might order by warrant.[ ] [ ] and vict., c. . [ ] _acc. & p._, , xxvi, , pp. - . [ ] additional exceptions were made later in the case of . reissuable country bank notes delivered at the general post office in london. . deeds, legal proceedings and papers. . letters to and from places beyond the seas. . letters to and from any government office or department (or to and from any person having the franking privilege by virtue of his office). _acc. & p._ , xxvi, , p. . on all letters not exceeding a half-ounce in weight transmitted by the post between places in the united kingdom (not being letters sent to or from places beyond the seas, or posted in any post town to be delivered within that town) there was charged a uniform rate of one penny. for all letters exceeding a half-ounce in weight, additional rates were charged according to the foregoing scheme, each additional rate for letters exceeding one ounce in weight being fixed at _d._[ ] [ ] double rates were charged when the postage was paid on delivery. the rates for colonial letters were also adjusted according to weight as follows: between any place in the united kingdom and any port in the colonies and india (except when passing through france) for a letter not exceeding half an ounce in weight, _s._ between any of the colonies through the united kingdom, _s._ if such letters exceeded half an ounce in weight, they were charged additional rates according to the table already given, the rate for a letter not exceeding half an ounce being taken as the basis. the rates for letters to and from foreign countries were much the same as they had been before the passage of this act, except that instead of the initial charge being made for a single letter, it was now reckoned for a letter not exceeding half an ounce in weight. the rates for letters to and from france were graded according to the distance they were carried in england, the lowest rate for a letter not more than half an ounce in weight being _d._ to dover or the port of arrival, the highest rate being _d._ to any place distant more than fifty miles from dover.[ ] [ ] and vict., c. . the franking privilege may reasonably be considered in connection with the history of postal rates, nor should its effect in reducing the revenue of the post office be neglected. the council of state gave orders in that all public packets, letters of members of parliament, of the council, of officers in the public service, and of any persons acting in a public capacity should be carried free. this is the first record that we have concerning the free carriage of members' letters, a privilege which later gave so much trouble and was so much abused.[ ] the next year the post office farmers agreed to carry free all letters to and from members of parliament provided that letters written by such members as were not known by their seals should be endorsed, "these are for the service of the commonwealth," and signed by the members themselves or their clerks.[ ] nothing was said in the act of about the conveyance of the letters of members of parliament and they were carried free only by act of grace. the house of commons had passed a clause of the bill providing for the free conveyance of the letters of members of their own house. this had exasperated the lords, who, since they could not amend the clause so as to extend the privilege to themselves, had dropped it.[ ] in , the attention of cotton and frankland was called to the manner in which franking was being abused. men claimed the right to frank letters to whom the postmasters-general denied it, and members of parliament were accused of bad faith in the exercise of their privilege. the custom had arisen of enclosing private letters in the packet of official letters. a warrant was issued in to the effect that in future no letters were to go free except those on the king's affairs, and the only persons to send or receive them free were the two principal secretaries of state, the secretary for scotland, the secretary in holland, the earl of portland, and members of parliament, the latter only during the session, and for forty days before and after, and for inland letters alone. each member was to write his name in a book with his seal so that no one might be able to counterfeit his signature.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _parliamentary history of england_, iv ( - ), col. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . we learn from hicks' letters that it was customary for clerks in the post office at london to send gazettes to their correspondents in the country free of charge. these gazettes or news letters were supplied by the treasury and, as _d._ or _d._ apiece was paid for them by the recipients, the privilege was greatly esteemed.[ ] the deputy postmaster-general wished to abolish the privilege, but hicks himself, who was one of the favoured officials, was quite indignant at the suggestion.[ ] the principle was bad, but as the receipts for gazettes formed a necessary part of the clerks' salaries, hicks cannot be blamed for protesting against abolition without compensation. james ii expressed a desire that the practice should be discontinued, but when it was shown to him that the salaries of the clerks must be raised if his wishes were obeyed, his proposition was promptly withdrawn.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , pp. , , , . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . the abuses of the privilege of franking were very pronounced during the eighteenth century. the system of patronage which the members of parliament then exercised made them reluctant to offend any of their constituents, who might entrench upon their peculiar privileges. members' names were forged to letters and they made no complaint. letters from the country were sent to them to be re-addressed under their own signatures. the postmasters-general admonished them more than once, but, as a rule, the members disclaimed all knowledge of abuses. men were so bold as to order letters to be sent under a member's name to coffee-houses, where they presented themselves and demanded the letters so addressed. in , on receiving renewed complaints from the postmasters-general, it was ordered by the house that henceforth no member should frank a letter unless the address were written entirely in his own hand. this was expected to prevent members from franking letters sent to them by friends. it was also ordered that no letter addressed to a member should pass free unless such member was actually residing at the place to which the letter was addressed. in the third place, no member was to frank a newspaper unless it was entirely in print. this was to prevent the franking of long written communications passing as newspapers, for the members of parliament in sending and receiving letters free were restricted to such as did not exceed two ounces in weight, but they were not so restricted in the case of newspapers.[ ] according to the surveyor's report, the loss from the ministers' franks in was £ and from the members' franks £ , .[ ] the loss from franking was proportionately much greater in ireland than in england. in the irish parliament sat only three months, in nine months, and in ireland as in england, members of parliament received and sent their letters free only during the session and forty days before and after it. the following is part of the report submitted by the postmasters-general to the lords of the treasury for these two years:-- gross produce from letters £ , £ , charge of management and members' letters , , net produce from letters[ ] , under the charges of management is included the charge for carrying members' letters as reckoned proportionately to the charge for the letters which paid, together with the actual charge for the pay letters. the net produce during the three months' session was £ , during the nine months' session only £ . in the old orders about the maximum weight of two ounces and the requirement for the whole superscription to be in the member's own writing were repeated in a royal proclamation. in addition it was ordered that any letters sent under cover to any member of parliament or high official of state, to be forwarded by him, should be sent to the general post office to be taxed.[ ] it could hardly be expected that this order would be obeyed, for there was no method of enforcing it. [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . in , the house of commons instituted an enquiry into the whole question of franking and summoned various post office officials before them to give evidence. an estimate was laid before them of the amount lost each year by carrying franked letters. this estimate was obtained by weighing the franked letters at intervals during the session of parliament, and comparing their weight with the weight of the letters which paid postage. as the total revenue from the latter was known, the amount which was lost on the former was guessed. the house expressed very little confidence in the estimated amounts, and certainly it was a rough way of attaining the object aimed at, but perhaps they were prejudiced from the strength of the case against them.[ ] expressed in yearly averages, the amounts by which the revenue was reduced by franking were:-- - £ , - , - , - , [ ] _ibid._, - . the system of ascertaining forged franks and of discovering enclosures was as follows: a supervisor of the franks charged all letters, franked by a member's name, coming from any place, when he knew that the member was not there. very often by holding them in front of a candle, he could see enclosures inside directed to other people. if he was in doubt he generally charged the letter, for if it should pay, all well and good, and if he had made a mistake, the amount was refunded to the member. the supervisor had noticed that the number of franked letters had increased with every session of parliament, and some of the ex-members also attempted to frank letters. the evidence of the supervisor, especially his description of the manner in which he attempted to discover enclosures, was exceedingly distasteful to the house. the members themselves were to blame for many of the abuses attendant upon the system, and yet they contended that they were the unwilling victims of others. a resolution was adopted that it was an infringement upon the privileges of the knights, citizens, and burgesses chosen to represent the people of great britain in parliament, for any postmaster, his deputies or agents to open or look into any letter addressed to or signed by a member of parliament, unless empowered so to do by a warrant issued by one of the secretaries of state. in addition no postmaster or his deputies should delay or detain any letter directed to or by any member unless there should be good reason to suppose that the frank was a counterfeit.[ ] [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . the restrictions adopted to curtail the abuse of the franking privilege had but little effect. a regular business sprang up for selling counterfeit franks. the house of lords ordered one person accused of selling them to come before the bar of the house for examination, but he failed to present himself.[ ] another confessed before the upper house that he had counterfeited one of the lords' names on certain covers of letters showed to him and had then sold them. he expressed sorrow for the offence, which necessity had driven him to commit. he was sent to newgate.[ ] the abuses of the franking system were so patent[ ] that allen was told that he might withdraw from his contract to farm the bye and cross post letters on three months' notice being given.[ ] [ ] _jo. h. l._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, p. . [ ] one man in five months counterfeited , franks of members of parliament. counterfeits of names of members were shown. a regular trade in buying and selling them had sprung up (_jo. h. c._, - , p. ). several lords certified that their names had been counterfeited. lord dacre's name had been counterfeited times (_jo. h. l._, - , p. ). [ ] _cal. t. b. & p._, - , p. . the revenue from the post office was surrendered by the crown at the beginning of george the third's reign in exchange for a civil list from the aggregate fund as it was then called.[ ] while the post office remained in the hands of the king, it was only by special grant on his part that the members of parliament had been allowed to send and receive letters free. accordingly in , an act was passed for the purpose of giving parliamentary sanction to the privilege. this act repeated the principal points in the king's proclamation and in the parliament's previous resolutions on the subject. all letters or packets sent to or by the king, the ministers and the higher post office officials were to go free. the ministers might appoint others to frank their letters, whose names must be forwarded to the postmaster-general. those sending letters free must sign their names on the outside and themselves write the address. no letters to or from any member of parliament should go free unless they were sent during the session or within forty days before or after, and the whole superscription must be in the member's own hand or directed to him at his usual place of residence or at the house. all letters in excess of two ounces in weight must pay postage. printed votes, proceedings in parliament, and newspapers should go free when sent to a member or signed on the outside by him, provided they were sent without covers or with covers open at the ends. the privileges of franking votes, proceedings in parliament, and newspapers, were continued to the clerks in the post office and in the secretaries of state's offices. the postmasters-general and their deputies were given authority to search newspapers which had no covers or covers open at the ends and to charge them if there were writing or enclosures in them. finally, any person who counterfeited a member's name on any letter or package for the purpose of avoiding the payment of postage, was guilty of felony and liable to transportation for seven years.[ ] [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . the year following the passing of this act, the house of commons called for returns relating to the franking system. besides the members of parliament, the ministers, and the post office officials, to whom the franking privilege had been granted by the king's warrant and by the late act, almost all who were in any way connected with the government claimed the right to send or receive letters free, even to the deputy serjeant-at-arms. the amount which newspapers would have paid if there had been no franking privilege was first given for the week ending march , . _members'_ _states'_ _post office clerks'_ £ £ £ these amounts were obtained by weighing the newspapers and, as this was the manner in which they would have been rated, the results may be considered as fairly correct. the idea being to estimate the loss from members' and states' franks only, the franking by post office clerks does not enter into the following calculation. it was judged from the figures given above that the post office carried free every year enough newspapers franked by members and state officials to produce £ , if they had been taxed at the ordinary rates.[ ] an attempt to arrive at the same result in another way was also made. the sum total which would have been paid on all members' and ministers' letters, newspapers, and parcels arriving at or departing from london in was £ , . of this amount £ , would have been paid on all mail leaving london, and £ , on all mail arriving in london. the difference in favour of the outgoing mail was judged to be due to the newspapers, all of which were printed in london and sent to the country. this would give a loss of £ , on newspapers, and £ , on letters.[ ] [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , pp. - . [ ] _ibid._, p. . returns were also submitted, showing the gross amount of the inland postage for great britain and ireland, including the amount which the franked letters and papers would have paid if they had all been charged, the actual gross product and the difference between the two. this difference would, of course, be the estimated charge on all the free matter. these figures are given from to . roughly speaking, in fifty years franked letters and papers increased per cent while pay letters increased only per cent. in one fifth as many free letters and newspapers as those which paid went through the mail. in there were eleven twelfths as many free letters and papers.[ ] it will be seen that the assumption is that the postage which this free matter might have paid represented the loss suffered by the post office. now this is not so, because it did not cost the post office so much to convey letters and papers as the ordinary rates would have paid them. in the second place the postal authorities considered the £ , as so much actually lost, whereas if charges had been enforced on the free matter, a much smaller amount would have been sent. this is entirely apart from the rough and ready manner in which the figures were obtained. enough was shown, however, to prove that the franking system was a burden to the country and an imposition upon the post office. [ ] _jo. h. c._, p. . in ireland, parliament met as a rule only during the even years or if it met every year, the sessions in the odd years were very short. for the five even years from to , the expenses averaged for each year £ over the receipts, while during the five odd years, the receipts were greater than the expenditures by a yearly average of £ . these general results held good for every individual odd or even year for the period for which returns were given.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . attempts continued to be made by members of the house of commons to diminish the abuses arising from franking. there had been some misunderstanding as to whether they were entitled to have ship's letters delivered free to them. of course they were exempt from the inland postage on such letters, but for every letter brought into the country by vessels other than packets, the master was paid one penny and this penny was collected from the person to whom the letter was delivered. the members finally agreed to pay the extra penny.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . acts were now introduced to enable the commander-in-chief, the adjutant-general, and the controller of accounts of the royal forces to receive and send letters free. both bills passed.[ ] it is some consolation that the lord chancellor and judges failed to obtain the franking privilege although a bill was introduced in the commons in their behalf.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. ; geo. iii, c. . [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . it was enacted in that a member must write on his free letters not only his name and address but also the name of the post town from which they were to be sent and the day of the month and the year when they were posted.[ ] the object of this restriction could be easily evaded by enclosing postdated letters to their constituents but, after the passage of this resolution, a considerable decrease resulted in the number of free letters to and from members.[ ] when the irish was separated from the english post office, the privilege of franking newspapers to ireland was taken away and a rate of one penny a newspaper was imposed, payable in advance. this meant a loss to the clerks in the secretaries' offices but this was made good to them by an addition of £ a year to their salaries.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . the lords also agreed to this resolution (ibid., p. ; geo. iii, sess. , c. ). [ ] for the years and , the number of free letters arriving in london, exclusive of the state's letters, averaged over , a year and those sent from london averaged over , , . in , they had fallen to , and , respectively (_parl. papers_, - , _rep. com._, ii, , p. ). [ ] geo. iii, c. ; _jo. h. c._, - , p. . in , the members of parliament made another attempt to limit their own as well as the free writing proclivities of others. the maximum weight of a free letter to or from a member was lowered from two ounces to one. no letter directed by a member should go free unless the member so directing it should be within twenty miles of the place where it was posted either on the day on which it was posted or the day before. no member should send more than ten or receive more than fifteen free letters a day. votes and proceedings in parliament when addressed to or by members of parliament were exempted from the provisions of this act.[ ] [ ] geo. iii, c. . after the number of franked letters had gradually increased until checked by this act. in the number of franked letters delivered in london was , , , the number sent from london , , . in , the inward and outward free letters amounted to , and , respectively. in the numbers were , and , . these restricting acts of and had a more important effect than joyce leads us to suppose (_parl. papers_, - , _rep. com._, ii, , p. ). the restrictions upon the franking privilege enjoyed by members of parliament were re-enacted in with some additions. the number of free letters which a member might receive and send in one day having been limited to twenty-five, it was decided that these twenty-five so excepted from the payment of postage should be those on which the charges were the highest, provided that none of them exceeded an ounce in weight. the high officials of state, the clerks of parliament, certain clerks of the commons and lords, the treasurer and paymaster of the navy, the lord chancellor, certain officials in ireland, and two persons appointed by the postmaster-general of ireland were allowed to send letters free.[ ] the members and clerks of both houses were allowed to send newspapers free provided that they were enclosed in covers open at both ends. the same rule held for votes and proceedings in parliament.[ ] the same franking privileges were extended to irish officials.[ ] [ ] those officials in the general post office who had no franking privilege were reimbursed the amount of postage paid by them on inland single letters (_rep. commrs._, , xxxiv, th rep., app., no. ). [ ] geo. iii, c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. . from to there was a large extension of the franking privilege to various officials. during that time sixteen statutes and parts of statutes were enacted in behalf of various persons from the lord high chancellor to the controller of the barrack's department and the commissioners of the parliamentary grant for building churches. sir robert buxton, a member of parliament, thought that it would be well for his fellow members to give up their privilege in order to help the finances of the country. windham disagreed on the ground that it kept up communications between a member and his constituents and encouraged literary correspondence which would otherwise decline. pitt justified it, in that it enabled members to carry on the important business of their constituents and did not result in much loss to the state.[ ] [ ] _parl. deb._, st ser., iii, col. . the following are a few of the statutes enacted which extended franking: geo. iii, c. ; geo. iii, c. , sec. ; c. ; geo. iii, c. , sec. ; geo. iii, c. , sec. ; c. , sec. ; geo. iii, c. ; geo. iii, c. ; geo. iii, c. , sec. ; c. , secs. - ; geo. iii, c. , sec. . it had always been customary to charge letter rates for the conveyance of newspapers to foreign countries and to the colonies. members of parliament, however, had the privilege of franking newspapers within the united kingdom, the clerks of the foreign office franked them to foreign countries, and the secretary of the post office franked them to the colonies. in it was enacted that members need no longer sign their names to newspapers franked by them, or give notice of the names of the places to which they intended to send them.[ ] this virtually provided for the free transmission of newspapers within the united kingdom. at the same time it was provided that the rate for newspapers, votes and parliamentary proceedings should be - / _d._ each to the colonies, payable in advance. newspapers from the colonies were charged _d._ each, payable on delivery. such newspapers must be posted on the day of publication, must contain no writing, and must be enclosed in covers open at both ends.[ ] two years later the charge for votes and parliamentary proceedings to and from the colonies was fixed at - / _d._ an ounce. newspapers brought from the colonies by private vessels were to be charged _d._ each, the same as the packet rate,[ ] but in colonial newspapers by private vessels were allowed to come in for a penny each, and the same rate was charged for english newspapers sent to the colonies by private vessels. by the same act the postage on newspapers passing between the united kingdom and any foreign country which charged no inland rate for their conveyance was fixed at a penny each. if an inland rate was charged, the postage was to be _d._ for each newspaper plus the foreign rate.[ ] [ ] geo. iv, c. , sec. . [ ] geo. iv, c. ; london _times_, , june , p. ; july , p. . [ ] and geo. iv, c. . [ ] and wm. iv, c. . before the passage of this act newspapers passed free by the packets and posts to and from hamburg, bremen, and cuxhaven (london _times_, , oct. , p. ). during the following year, all the regulations concerning the conveyance of newspapers, votes, and proceedings in parliament etc. were embodied in one act. within the united kingdom all newspapers which had paid the stamp duty were to go free except those which were sent through the twopenny post and delivered by it, not having passed by the general post, and except those posted and delivered within the same town. in both of these cases one penny was charged. to and from the colonies no rate was demanded when newspapers were sent by the regular packets. if sent by private vessels one penny was payable, which went to the master. the rate to and from foreign countries was fixed at _d._ for each paper, but if a foreign state agreed to charge no postage on english newspapers, no postage should be charged on the newspapers of such foreign state, when brought to england by the packet boats. if brought by private vessels, a penny was payable for each paper, to go to the master. all newspapers, in order to receive the advantage of these low rates or to go free, had to be posted within seven days after publication and to contain no writing except the name and address of the person to whom they were to be sent. in addition the newspaper must have no cover or one open at both ends.[ ] [ ] and wm. iv, c. . the following additions and changes in the regulations for the carriage of newspapers were made in . one penny was to be paid for their conveyance by private vessels between different parts of the united kingdom. between the colonies and foreign countries through the united kingdom, newspapers should go free if conveyed by the packets and should pay a penny each if conveyed by private vessels. parliamentary proceedings conveyed between the colonies and the united kingdom, if sent by packet boats and not exceeding one ounce in weight, were charged - / _d._ each. when in excess of one ounce they paid - / _d._ for each additional ounce. pamphlets, magazines and other periodical publications for the colonies, if not exceeding six ounces in weight, paid _d._ when carried by the packets. for every additional ounce, _d._ was charged. bankers' re-issuable notes were carried at one quarter the regular postage.[ ] patterns, with no writing enclosed and not exceeding one ounce in weight, paid a single letter rate.[ ] any newspaper which had been posted in violation of any regulation for the conveyance of newspapers was charged three times the regular letter postage.[ ] [ ] in great britain re-issuable notes of country banks paid in london were conveyed by the post to the issuing bank at one quarter the regular rates for letters, but parcels of notes had to exceed six ounces in weight and contain no other matter ( geo. iv, c. ). [ ] wm. iv and vict., c. . [ ] wm. iv. and vict., c. . franking and the privilege of sending and receiving letters free from postage did not at any time extend to letters liable to foreign postage except in the case of public despatches to and from the secretaries of state and british ambassadors.[ ] the owners, charterers and consignees of vessels inward bound were allowed to receive letters free from sea postage to the maximum of six ounces for each man, but in the case of ships coming from the east indies, ceylon, mauritius, and the cape, the maximum was twenty ounces.[ ] within the kingdom, writs for the election of members of the house of commons and for those scotch and irish peers who were elected, were allowed to go free.[ ] all persons who were allowed to frank letters within the kingdom were grouped in ten classes. members of parliament were placed in the first class and their letters were subject to the old restrictions as to number,[ ] superscription, name of post town, date, and place of residence. they might also receive petitions free, provided that each did not exceed six ounces in weight. they might send free printed votes and proceedings in parliament. [ ] and wm. iv, c. . [ ] wm. iv and vict., c. . maximum increased to thirty ounces by wm. iv and vict., c. . [ ] geo. iii, c. ; wm. iv and vict., c. . [ ] wallace, the postal reformer, declared that other members had been in the habit of receiving more than fifteen free letters in a day and that, too, with freeling's consent (_parl. deb._, d series, xxiv, col. ). officials of both houses of parliament were in the second class. they were subject to the same restrictions as the first class, except that the number of their letters was not limited and each letter might weigh two ounces. the third class was composed of members of the treasury department and the postmaster-general and his secretaries. their franking privilege was unlimited as to the weight and number of letters nor were they required to insert the name of the post town or the date. the fourth class, composed of heads of departments, might send and receive letters with no limit as to number or weight. the fifth class, the lord chancellor of ireland and the irish surveyors, had unlimited franking rights within ireland. all the letters of these five classes were subject to the following restrictions with the exception of the third class. the whole superscription of the letters sent must be in the hand of the privileged person, with his name and the name of the post town from which the letters were sent together with the date, and on that date or the day before, the writer must be within twenty miles of the place where the letters were posted. the other five classes were made up of subordinate members of departments, clerks, secretaries etc. when writing or receiving letters on official business. every such letter had to be superscribed with the name of the office and the seal and name of the writer.[ ] [ ] wm. iv. and vict., c. . it appeared from a report of a committee appointed to investigate postal affairs that the total number of franks had increased from , , in to , , in ; , , in and , , in . of these, members of the two houses were responsible for , , ; , , ; , , and , , at the above dates respectively.[ ] in concluding their report the committee recommended the abolition of parliamentary franking.[ ] this advice was followed and improved upon two years later when franking and the privilege of sending or receiving letters free were abolished, except in the case of petitions to the queen or parliament not exceeding ounces in weight.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, - , xx, d rep., app., p. . [ ] _ibid._, xx, d rep., p. . [ ] and vict., c. . recent attempts by certain members of parliament to revive the franking privilege have fortunately been unsuccessful (_parl. deb._, th ser., lxxxi, col. ; civ, col. ). no further reduction in inland postage rates was adopted until the net revenue of the post office had pretty well recovered from the blow received by the adoption of penny postage.[ ] such reduction was finally granted in , applying only to letters weighing more than one ounce each, the increases in weight being graduated by half ounces with a penny for each additional half ounce instead of _d._ for each additional ounce as before. corresponding reductions were made at the same time in the book post and the pattern and sample post, and were made applicable to correspondence with british north america and the british possessions in europe.[ ] in , when the impressed newspaper stamp was finally abolished, the rate on prepaid newspapers was reduced to a halfpenny each whether sent singly or in packages, but no package was to be charged higher than the book post rate. unpaid newspapers were charged a penny for each two ounces or fraction thereof. the book post rate was reduced at the same time to a halfpenny for each two ounces or fraction thereof. the rate for patterns and samples, which had formerly been _d._ for the initial four ounces, was altered to the existing book post rate with a maximum of twelve ounces only. in the inland letter rate was fixed at a penny for the initial ounce, a halfpenny for the next ounce and for each additional two ounces, and the sample and pattern post was incorporated with the inland letter post. a separate sample and pattern post was reëstablished in , only to be incorporated for a second time with the letter post ten years later.[ ] an additional charge for re-directed letters was made when the re-direction necessitated a change from the original delivery, but the charge was such only as they would be liable to if prepaid. an exception was made in the case of letters re-directed to sailors or soldiers, no additional charge being then made, provided that the rate was not a foreign one. this privilege was later extended to commissioned officers and the exemption extended to foreign rates as well.[ ] in all charges for the re-direction of letters were abolished, followed three years later by a like abolition in the case of all other postal matter, and in the charge for notice of removal and re-direction after the first year was reduced from £ _s._ to _s._ for the second and third and _s._ for subsequent years.[ ] [ ] but in the registration fee was reduced from _d._ to _d._ and a double fee charged for compulsory registration (_rep. p. g._, , pp. - ). [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , pp. - ; , p. ; , p. ; , pp. - . [ ] and vict., c. ; and vict., c. ; and vict., c. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , p. ; , p. ; , p. . with an increase in the number of valuable articles carried by post and better arrangements for their safe keeping, it was found possible to reduce the registration fee from _d._ to _d._, then to _d._ and eventually to _d._ at the time of the first reduction, a rule was issued for the compulsory registration by the post office of all letters unquestionably containing coin, for the sake of letter carriers and others rather than the protection of the public. the post office did not at the time of the first reduction hold itself responsible for the full value of the contents of a lost registered letter but was accustomed to remunerate the sender where the contents were proved, were of moderate amount, and the fault clearly lay with the post office. in it agreed to make good up to £ the value of the contents of any registered letter which it lost, stipulating in the case of money that it had been sent securely and in one of its own envelopes. compulsory registration by the post office was also extended to include uncrossed cheques and postal orders to which the name of the payee had not been appended.[ ] [ ] _rep._ p. g., , pp. - ; , p. ; , p. . an inland parcel post was not established in england until . an initial rate of _d._ was imposed for the first pound, increasing by increments of _d._ to _s._ for the seventh pound. later the maximum weight was increased to pounds, the maximum charge to _s._ _d._ in a further reduction followed on parcels weighing more than four pounds.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; , p. ; , p. . the use of postcards was first permitted in england in , a charge of a halfpenny a dozen being made in addition to the stamp. in this additional charge was increased to a penny a dozen for thin cards, _d._ for stout cards. in these prices were reduced to a penny for ten stout cards, a halfpenny for ten thin ones, and the latter began rapidly to displace the former. private post cards were first allowed to pass through the post in for a halfpenny each, and two years later the charge on unpaid inland post cards was reduced from _d._ to a penny.[ ] at the same time that the use of post cards was allowed, a half penny post was introduced for certain classes of formal printed documents.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; , p. ; , p. ; , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . in the scale of postage applicable to inland letters between two and twelve ounces in weight was continued without limit. the resulting rates were as follows: for the first ounce, one penny; for two ounces, - / _d._; for all greater weights, a halfpenny for every two ounces plus an initial penny. on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the late queen's accession to the throne, further decreases were announced in the postage on inland letters. the weight carried by the initial penny was extended from one to four ounces, the postage for heavier letters increasing as before at the rate of a halfpenny for each additional two ounces.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , pp. - . the decrease in postage for inland matter was accompanied by lower rates for colonial and foreign letters. although the proposal of the marquis of clanricarde to establish a definite shilling[ ] rate for all colonial letters was not immediately adopted, it was not long before even lower rates were accepted. the marquis' plan was communicated to the treasury lords in purely on imperial grounds, "to strengthen the ties between the colonies and the mother country." rates other than those on letters were even then far from excessive. newspapers, for instance, often passed free or they were charged a penny each either in england or the colony, but not in both. parliamentary proceedings paid but one penny, sometimes _d._ per quarter-pound, books _d._ per half-pound. a few years later a _d._ letter rate was adopted for all parts of the empire except india, the cape, mauritius, and van diemen's land. in the _d._ rate per half-ounce was extended to all the colonies and in to the united states. in the following year this rate was lowered to _d._ for letters to the united states, canada and prince edward island.[ ] in this rate in the case of most of the colonies, and some foreign countries, was still further reduced to - / _d._, partly no doubt on account of the crusade which mr. heaton had undertaken for penny postage within the empire.[ ] in his penny aspirations were realized for all the important colonies with the exception of the australasian and south african, and in these too fell into line and were joined by egypt and the soudan.[ ] in , the experiment was tried of charging the comparatively nominal sum of one penny a pound on british newspapers, magazines, and trade journals for canada, duly registered for the purpose, when sent by direct canadian packet. this rate is less than the cost but the loss is diminished by the fact that the dominion government relieves the british post office of the whole cost of ocean transit by the canadian subsidized lines.[ ] [ ] even at this time ( ) the shilling rate was the rule. [ ] _acc. & p._, - , xcv., , pp. - ; _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; , p. ; _rep. com._, - , vi, p. iv; _rep. p. g._, , app., p. ; , pp. - . [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; app., p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; , p. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - . in arrangements were made with the principal european countries for a marked reduction in letter postage rates. with france a rate of _d._ or _d._ for a quarter of an ounce, according to the country in which the postage was paid, had existed. this was reduced to _d._ payable in either country. with italy and spain the existing rates of _s._ _d._ and _d._ respectively for a quarter of an ounce were reduced to _d._ the belgian sixpenny half-ounce rate was made _d._, and with the german postal union the rate was reduced from _d._ to _d._ for a half-ounce letter. in general these were prepaid rates.[ ] the first postal union meeting at berne in reduced still further the old rates and simplified the rules for the settlement of postal payments between the subscribing nations. a uniform rate for prepaid letters of - / _d._ the half ounce was agreed to, _d._ for an unpaid letter. post cards were charged at half the rate of a prepaid letter, newspapers a penny for four ounces, printed papers (other than newspapers), books, legal and commercial documents, and samples of merchandise a penny for two ounces.[ ] in the uniform letter rate existing among those countries in europe which were members of the postal union was extended, so far as the united kingdom was concerned, to all parts of the globe. on the first of october, , a further reduction was made when the unit of weight for outward foreign and colonial letters was raised from half an ounce to an ounce, and the charge on foreign letters for each unit after the first was reduced from - / _d._ to - / _d._[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; , pp. - . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; , pp. - . shortly after acquiring the money order business from the managing proprietors, the post office reduced the rates of commission to _d._ for orders not exceeding £ in value, and _d._ for orders above £ but not over £ , the latter sum being at that time the maximum. in the issue of orders for larger sums was allowed at the following rates: _d._ when not in excess of £ , and _d._ between £ and £ . on the first day of may, , a further reduction was made and the following scale of charges announced: for sums under _s._, a penny; between _s._ and £ , _d._; between £ and £ , _d._, and an additional penny for each additional pound to the £ limit. it was found, however, that the low rate of a penny for small orders did not pay, and a decision was reached to raise the rate for these small orders and provide a cheaper means for their remittance by post. in pursuance of this policy the rate for orders under _s._ was increased to _d._, for orders between _s._ and £ to _d._, and in the following rates were announced for postal notes: a halfpenny for notes of the value of _s._ and _s._ _d._; a penny for notes of the value of _s._ _d._, _s._ and _s._, _d._ and _d._ for notes costing _s._, _s._ _d._, _s._, _s._ _d._, and _s._ in a new series of postal orders was issued, the _s._ _d._ and _s._ _d._ notes being dropped and new notes issued of the value of _s._, _s._, _s._ _d._, _s._, _s._ _d._, _s._ _d._ for a penny each and the rate on the _s._ and _s._ notes was reduced to - / _d._ in still others were introduced with the result that a postal order may now be obtained for every complete _d._ from _d._ to _s._ and for _s._ and broken sums to the value of _d._ may be made up by affixing postage stamps. finally, in , the poundage on postal notes for _s._ and _s._ _d._ was reduced from _d._ to a halfpenny, and on postal orders for _s._ to _s._ inclusive from - / _d._ to _d._ in the money order rates were reduced as follows:-- _d._ on sums not exceeding £ £ £ £ £ these rates were in their turn altered as follows on february , :-- _d._ for an order not exceeding £ over £ but not exceeding £ upon the representation of the friendly societies, which send a good many small orders, these rates were changed in may of the same year to the following:-- _d._ for an order not exceeding £ exceeding £ but not over £ exceeding £ but not over £ and finally in the maximum amount of a money order was raised from £ to £ and the following rates established:[ ]-- _d._ for sums not exceeding £ for sums above £ but not exceeding £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ in addition to the reductions in rates which have been outlined above, other changes have been made which have resulted in certain cases in a saving to the transmitter of a money order. the charge for correcting or altering the name of the remitter or payee of an inland order has been reduced to the fixed sum of a penny. the fee payable for stopping payment of an inland order was fixed at _d._, and this was made to cover the issue of a new order if the request was made at the time of stopping payment. a penny stamp need no longer be affixed to a money order when payment is deferred and payment may be deferred for any period not exceeding ten days.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; , pp. - ; , pp. - ; , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , pp. - . the issue of telegraph money orders, commenced in as an experiment, was in extended to all money order offices which were also telegraph offices. the limit imposed was £ , the rates being _d._ on orders not exceeding £ £ £ £ £ there was an additional charge of at least _d._ for the official telegram, authorizing payment, which was sent in duplicate. when several orders were sent at the same time and the total amount did not exceed £ , only one official telegram was sent and paid for. the above rates were lowered in to _d._ for sums not in excess of £ , and _d._ for sums from £ to £ with a minimum charge of _d._ for the official telegram of advice.[ ] at the present time inland telegraph money orders may be issued for the same amounts as ordinary inland money orders and at the same rates, plus a fee of _d._ and the cost of the official telegram. [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - . during the crimean war, the army post office was authorized to issue money orders at inland rates and the system was extended to gibraltar and malta. in a proposition advanced by canada for the interchange of money orders was favourably received by the home government, and in the following year provision was made for their issue between the united kingdom and canada at four times the inland rates, to a limit of £ . in the system was extended to all the colonies, the rates being the same as those already agreed upon with canada except in the case of gibraltar and malta where they were three times the inland rates, and the maximum was increased to £ . in a money order convention was concluded with switzerland, the rates being the same as those for inland orders, and in a similar agreement was made with belgium, but in the rates for both countries were increased to three times the inland rates upon the same terms as those prevailing with other parts of europe. in colonial rates were reduced to the same level, and in the following changes were adopted: _d._ on orders not exceeding £ £ £ £ these were superseded in by the following rates:-- _d._ on orders not exceeding £ £ £ by most foreign countries and some of the colonies had agreed to a further reduction of rates and to a £ limit. in the poundage on foreign money orders not exceeding £ in value was diminished from _d._ to _d._[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; , pp. - ; , p. ; , p. . there is no record of the yearly expenses of the government for the maintenance of the posts until the accession of james i.[ ] there are many instances of the issue of warrants for the payment of the posts but it is not known how long a period they were intended to cover.[ ] there was no systematic financial method in dealing with this phase of the postal question. the postmen remained unpaid for years at a time. after sufficient clamour, part of the arrears would be met, but it is impossible to say how much of the sum paid was for current expenses and how much for old debts.[ ] it might be supposed from the fact that they received fixed daily wages that some idea might be obtained of the cost of management. but their wages often remained unpaid and the number of postmen varied, as new routes were manned or old routes discontinued, so that any figures for the period before the seventeenth century would be mere guesses. [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _l. & p. hen. viii_, ii, pp. - - - - - - - - - ; _a. p. c._, - , pp. , , , , ; - , pp. , , . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , ; - , p. ; - , pp. , . until [ ] our knowledge of the finances of the post office is concerned with expenses only, for there was no product, gross or net, for the state. in , the cost of the posts was £ a year.[ ] this was the year of james the first's accession, and to this is probably due the fact that payment was made for an entire year. then there comes a break of several years' duration. in , arrears for the half year ending march , , were paid. they amounted to £ . for the next two years the yearly expenses averaged £ . the total expenses for the financial year ending in march, , were £ . all the posts to berwick received _s._ a day, to dover _s._ _d._, to holyhead _s._ _d._ and £ a year for a sailing packet, to plymouth _s._ a day. the wages for each postmaster varied from _s._ _d._ to _s._ _d._ a day. in addition there was an expenditure of £ for extraordinary posts and _s._ a day to the paymaster.[ ] in , the ordinary expenses were about £ a year.[ ] it is disappointing not to be able to make any more definite statements concerning the financial operations of the post office before , but the unbusinesslike system under which it was conducted must take the blame. [ ] the proceeds from de quester's rates, which went into effect from this year, may possibly have gone to the post office. after witherings' rates were announced in , they certainly did. [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . our ideas of the financial operations of the post office from to are somewhat clearer than during the preceding period. we know that witherings' aim was to make the system self-supporting. it had probably not entered into his head that it might ever be anything more. after the sequestration of the position of postmaster-general to burlamachi, he was called upon to render an account of the financial proceedings of the post office during the short period that he was in charge.[ ] he reported that from august , , to december , , the receipts had been £ and the expenditure £ . £ of the balance had been paid to the secretary of state and "of the remaining £ , those that keep the office are to be considered for their pains and attendance." this is rather vague but the report shows that the post office was self-supporting only six years after witherings' reforms had been adopted.[ ] prideaux reported at an early period in his régime that, with the exception of the dover road and the holyhead packet, the posts paid for themselves.[ ] after the post office was farmed, there can be no doubt as to the total net revenue, but it is impossible to say how much the farmer made over and above the amount of his farm or how large his expenses were. manley paid the state £ , a year and is said to have made £ , during the six years that he farmed the posts.[ ] in the rent was raised to £ , [ ] a year, and in there was a further advance to £ , .[ ] of this £ , the duke of york received £ , and the rest was spent largely in paying pensions and for a few minor expenses such as the payment of the court postmaster.[ ] by the act of , the net post office revenue was settled upon the duke of york and his male heirs, with the exception of about £ a year, that being the amount of the pension charges on the revenue.[ ] certain deductions were made from the sum total of rent due, on account of the loss to the farmer from the activity of the interlopers, and the deficit was ordered to be made up from some other branch of the royal revenue.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , . [ ] chas. ii, c. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . after james ii took his involuntary departure from england, his pecuniary interest in the post office ceased. in , an act of parliament was passed, making the receipts from the post office payable into the exchequer. they were to be used among other things to pay the interest on £ , borrowed to carry on the war.[ ] from to , the gross receipts rose from about £ , to £ , a year, no consideration being taken of the ups and downs caused by the french wars.[ ] complaint was made by the lords that a large part of the postal revenue was wasted in paying pensions.[ ] the duchess of cleveland received £ a year and william's dutch general, the duke of schomberg, £ a year. poor william dockwra, the only one of the lot who had ever done anything for the post office, was at the end of the list with only £ a year, terminable in .[ ] the sum total of money payable in pensions from the post revenue in was £ , . the packet boats at the same time cost £ , , and but £ , was spent for salaries and wages. the net revenue in was £ , , the gross being about £ , .[ ] [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _rep._, , app., pt. , p. . [ ] hist. mss. com., _house of lords_, i, pp. - . [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, app., p. ( ). during the eighteenth century the postal revenue still continued to be burdened with the pensions of favourites, deserving and undeserving. queen anne asked parliament to settle £ a year upon the duke of marlborough and his heirs. the house of commons replied that they very much regretted that they could not do so for the post office was already paying too much in pensions. probably the real reason for their refusal was the fact that the duke and the war party were becoming unpopular. however, the queen granted him the pension for her own life as she had a legal right to do. in , the total amount of pensions payable from the postal revenue was £ , . before the act of was passed, the scotch office had paid £ to each of the universities of edinburgh and glasgow. this continued to be granted after the two offices were united.[ ] [ ] _cal. t. p._, - , p. . our knowledge of the financial operations of the post office during the eighteenth century is much more extensive than during the seventeenth, owing to the reports made by the post office officials to the parliamentary committees, appointed to enquire into abuses. the reports are all signed by the accountant-general or his deputy, and are therefore as trustworthy as anything which can be obtained. they show that during the first half of the century, or more explicitly from to , there was a very small annual increase in gross product, with an actual decrease in net product, and of course an increase in expenditure. in round numbers the average yearly gross product for the years - was £ , , the net product for the same period being £ , and the expenses of management £ , . for the five years from to , the average annual gross product was £ , , net product £ , , and expenses £ , . it is not surprising that there was no increase worthy of the name in the gross product, for the period under consideration was a time of stagnation, an intermediate stage just before the dawn of the industrial revolution. the actual decrease in net product or, what amounts to the same thing, the increase in expenses of management, is due largely to the abuse of the franking privilege, the large amounts received in fees and emoluments, the extraordinary way in which the packet service was mismanaged, and the losses and increased expense due to war. enough has been said about all but the last of these causes. the post office suffered most during war from increased expenses and direct losses in connection with the sailing packets. the placing of these upon a war footing involved considerable increased cost. in the second place, extra boats were used for political purposes in addition to those regularly employed, and it was customary for the post office to make good to the owners all damages inflicted by the enemy. from to , the expenses of the post office averaged £ , or £ , a year. then came the war of the austrian succession, when the expenses averaged £ , per year from to . the five following years being a period of peace, the average annual expenses were £ , , while the seven years' war brought them up to £ , . it may be thought that expenses should become normal again when war has ceased, but it has generally proved to be the rule that although peace brings a decrease, yet the expenditure does not fall quite so low as before the war. from to the end of the century there is a marked rise both in gross and net receipts and a comparative diminution in expenses. the gross average annual product from to was £ , , from to it was £ , . for the five years from to the average yearly net product was £ , , from to it was £ , , while expenses had risen for the same periods only from £ , to £ , . the following table shows the average yearly increase or decrease in gross product, expenses, and net products for the six five-year periods from to . the increases or decreases are given in the form of percentages, each five-year period being compared with the preceding period.[ ] _gross product_ _expenses_ _net product_ - % increase % decrease % increase - " increase unchanged - " " " - " " " - [ ] " decrease % increase - " increase % " [ ] for the gross product, net product, and expenses for each year, see appendix, pp. , , , tables i, ii. [ ] rates were increased in . the net product from both the scotch and irish posts was remitted to england. these receipts did not amount to much as compared with those from the english post. earl temple, lord lieutenant of ireland, in writing to grenville in , said that the irish post "had never paid £ a year clear of expenses."[ ] in , the gross product was £ , and the expenses of management £ . of the net product, £ were retained, being placed to the credit of great britain for returned and missent letters and for the £ which the irish post was entitled to receive in lieu of the receipts from the holyhead packet boats. the remaining £ , were sent to the general post office. the scotch posts did considerably better. the gross product in was £ , , the expenses of management £ , , for returned letters £ , and the net product sent to the general office was £ , . [ ] hist. mss. com., _dropmore_, i, p. . the time had long since passed when the london-dover road was the most important in the kingdom and when the receipts from foreign exceeded those from inland letters. as late as , when contracts were called for from those wishing to farm the posts, the amount offered in one instance was almost as great for the foreign as for the inland post. the average annual gross product from the foreign post for the period - was £ , , the expenses £ , and the net product £ , . for the period from to there was a small increase to £ , for gross product, £ , for expenses, and £ , for net product.[ ] [ ] _parl. papers_, - , _rep. com._, ii, , p. . the receipts from the london penny post were never an important factor in postal finance but it had always paid for itself and given a reasonable surplus. its importance was due more to its social value in affording a cheaper letter rate and a speedier postal service than the general post. the average yearly gross product from - was £ , , expenses £ , and net product £ . after johnson had improved it so much, it produced a yearly average gross product from to of £ , . expenses averaged £ , and net product £ . in the seventeenth century the receipts from bye and cross post letters amounted to very little. so little was expected from them that no provision was made for checking the postage on them. it was taken for granted that all letters would pass to, from, or through london. in they brought in only £ . allen had done much to increase the revenue, but it was not until the last part of the eighteenth century that the increase was at all marked. from to , the average annual gross product was £ , , expenses £ , and net product £ , . from to , these had increased respectively to £ , , £ , , and £ , , and from to to £ , , £ , , and £ , . the small expense for these letters is explained by the fact that the separate department for bye and cross post letters was debited with only a portion of the total cost, the larger part being carried by the general establishment.[ ] [ ] _parl. papers_, - , _rep. com._, ii, , p. . the financial history of the post office from the beginning of the nineteenth century to is a rather depressing record.[ ] from until both the gross and net receipts had increased steadily although not rapidly, but for the remainder of the period the revenue was practically stationary. during the five-year periods, - and - , there had been a decrease in gross receipts, and during the latter of these periods the net receipts had been kept a little ahead of the five-year period - only by a decrease in expenditure. [ ] see appendix, p. , table iii; p. , table iv. the annual gross receipts from scotland had increased from £ , during the period - to £ , during the period - , the annual net receipts for the same periods being £ , and £ , . the relatively large increase in expenses from £ , to £ , had been due largely to the payment of mail coach tolls after , amounting to something under £ , a year.[ ] ireland started with a smaller gross revenue, £ , a year during the period - , but a larger annual expenditure £ , ,[ ] and comparatively small net receipts of £ , . gross receipts, expenses, and net receipts had increased slowly throughout the first thirty-four years of the nineteenth century with the exception of the period - . for the five years from to inclusive they amounted to £ , , £ , , and £ , respectively.[ ] [ ] see appendix, p. , table v. [ ] ireland had paid for mail coach tolls from the first and this partly explains the relatively high expenditure. [ ] see appendix, p. , table v. the increases in rates in , , and had not produced the desired and expected results. the increase in had been estimated to produce £ , but results showed that this estimate was too large by £ , . in , the additional penny had resulted in an increase of only £ , , inclusive of any natural increase of revenue, although it had been estimated to produce £ , . the third increase in rates in proved even less productive. the chancellor of the exchequer said that he expected it to produce £ , . as a matter of fact the revenue increased only £ , in amount. the fact of the matter was that rates were already so high that an increase only led to greater efforts to evade the payment of postage. as a system of taxation the post office had become rigid. it could yield no more with postage as high as it had been forced by the acts of and . but, considered primarily as a taxing medium, and it had been considered as such for years, it could hardly be called a failure. we flatter ourselves that our idea of the post office is broader in its scope and more utilitarian in its object but we have the good fortune to live several generations after . what england demanded was revenue and still more revenue, and a postal system which could produce £ net for every £ collected had some excuse for its existence. rowland hill has pointed out that from to the population had increased from , , to , , while the net revenue from the post office had remained practically stationary. he said nothing, however, about the industrial depression of the country during that period nor of the political and economic crisis through which england was passing. he referred to the great increase in the postal revenue of the united states during the same period; on the one hand, a nation with immense natural resources and a population doubling itself every generation, and on the other hand, a people inhabiting two small islands, making heroic efforts to recover from a most burdensome war. with the introduction of penny postage the gross revenue of the post office fell from £ , , in to £ , , in , and did not fully recover from the decreased postage rates for twelve years. the cost of management, on the other hand, increased only from £ , in to £ , in . but the financial loss is shown most plainly in the falling off in net revenue from £ , , to £ , . if we exclude packet expenses, and such was the practice until , the net revenue did not again reach the maximum figure of high postage days until . including packet expenses we find that the net revenue did not fully recover until the early seventies. the average yearly gross revenue for the period from - was £ , , , expenditure £ , , , and the net revenue £ , . these all increased steadily and on the whole proportionately until , the average yearly figures for the preceding five years being £ , , , £ , , , and £ , , . in the packet expenses are included under cost of management and their enormous increase from the beginning of the century sadly depleted the net revenue. it seems more advisable, however, not to include them until when the packets passed from the control of the admiralty to that of the post office. the average gross revenue for the years to was £ , , , expenditure (including packets) £ , , , and net revenue £ , , . during the next quarter of a century these increased to £ , , , £ , , , and £ , , respectively, exclusive of telegraph receipts and expenditures. for the five years ending st march, , the average gross revenue was £ , , , expenditure £ , , , and net revenue £ , , .[ ] [ ] see appendix, pp. , , , table vi; p. , table vii. chapter ix the question of monopoly the question of the state's monopoly and the opposing efforts of the interlopers to break this monopoly resolves itself into a consideration of the way in which private letters were carried, for the public letters were entirely at the disposal of the state to be dealt with as it saw fit. from the sixteenth century there were several ways in which private letters might be conveyed. within the kingdom they might be sent by the common carriers, friends, special messengers, or the royal posts. letters sent abroad were carried by the royal posts, the merchant adventurers' posts, the strangers' posts, and the merchants' posts while they lasted. the fact that private letters were conveyed by the royal posts is generally expressed in rather indefinite terms or by references to proclamations, but that they were actually so conveyed is entirely beyond doubt.[ ] in a certain mr. lewkenor informed walsingham that the post just landed had brought many letters directed to merchants, besides those for the court and government. he asked whether he might open those letters which were directed to suspected merchants.[ ] this reference is of course to letters coming from abroad. the same holds true of inland letters, for in randolph, the postmaster-general, wrote to walsingham, enclosing the names of those "who charge the posts with their private letters and commissions at a penny the mile."[ ] [ ] g. roberts, _social history of the southern counties of england_, , p. ; joyce, p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. ; - , p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, , p. . in the first proclamation affirming the government monopoly in the foreign posts was issued. all persons except the postmaster-general and his deputies were forbidden "directly or indirectly to gather up, receive, bring in or carry out of this realm any letters or packets," the only exceptions being in the case of the despatches of the principal secretaries of state, of ambassadors, and others sufficiently authorized. an appendix to the same proclamation commanded all mayors, bailiffs, sheriffs, justices, etc., and especially all searchers to be on the watch for men coming into or going out of the realm with packets or letters. in this last part of the proclamation we can see why it was thought necessary to restrict the carriage of letters to and from foreign countries to the royal posts. it was done that the government might be able to discover any treasonable or seditious correspondence. this did not always remain the object of the state in restricting competition but was succeeded later by other and different motives. in order that there might be no doubt about the whole question, the postmaster-general received word from the council to inform the london merchants, foreigners as well as british subjects and all others whom it might concern, that they should no longer employ any others to carry their letters than those legally appointed in accordance with the terms of the proclamation.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, , p. ; app., p. ( ). in the first order concerning the despatch of private letters within the kingdom was issued to the royal posts. "the posts for the queen's immediate service"[ ] were allowed to carry only state despatches, directed by members of the council, the postmaster-general and certain officials. such despatches when sent by the regular posts were to be forwarded immediately. the letters of all other persons allowed to write by post must wait for the regular departure of the postmen. in the orders to the posts issued in , the first article reads as follows: "no pacquets or letters shall be sent by the posts or bind any post to ride therewith but those on our special affairs."[ ] the first part of this is certainly strong but it is modified by the succeeding clause "nor bind any post to ride therewith." evidently he might if he wished, and he would probably hesitate longer over a state packet for the conveyance of which he was never assured of anything than over a private letter for which he was certain of his pay. [ ] by "posts for the queen's immediate service" was probably meant the special messengers attached to the court. [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. - ; _rep. com._, , xiv, , app., p. ( ). it was the custom after to follow the appointment of every new postmaster-general with a proclamation assigning him and his deputies the sole privilege of carrying all letters and reading anathema upon all interlopers.[ ] thus king james favoured stanhope, his postmaster-general, with a grant of monopoly.[ ] on de quester's appointment as foreign postmaster-general a proclamation was issued, forbidding any but his agents from having anything to do with foreign letters.[ ] in spite of the improvements which he inaugurated, we find him asking the king a few years later to renew his patent of monopoly and his request was granted.[ ] he was evidently suffering from competition. but the merchant adventurers' posts were not yet dead and their postmaster, billingsley, abetted by the house of commons,[ ] gave de quester so much trouble that he was imprisoned by the council's order.[ ] [ ] letters carried by a friend or special messenger or a common carrier were excepted. [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, , app., p. ( ). [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. - . [ ] the house had already shown its interest in postal affairs by summoning postmasters before the committee of grievances in (_jo. h. c._, - , pp. - ). [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . in the meantime the postmen on the london-plymouth road had petitioned the council that they alone should carry the letters and despatches of the merchants over their road. they said they had so improved the service between london and plymouth that letters were now despatched between the two cities in three days and an answer might be received within one week from the time of first writing. their complaint was against a certain samuel jude, who had undertaken the conveyance of the london merchants' letters. jude himself acknowledged this, but said that he had never meddled with the "through" post by which he meant the travellers' post.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; - , p. . so long as the royal posts did not give satisfaction, competition was inevitable. under witherings they had improved so much that what competition there was, received no support from the london merchants. in they addressed a petition to the king, praying that he would protect witherings from some strangers in london, who had set up posts of their own. they pointed out how he, acting with some foreign postmasters, had set up packet posts, travelling day and night. by means of these, letters were conveyed between london and antwerp in three days, while the messengers needed from eight to fourteen days to travel the same distance.[ ] the common carriers were giving trouble in the despatch of inland letters at the same time that competition in the foreign posts was attracting attention.[ ] it was their custom to send their carts on ahead while they lingered to collect letters. after the collection they hastened on, leaving their carts behind, and delivered the letters on the way. it was provided that no carrier should stay longer than eight hours in a place after his cart had left it, or arrive in any place eight hours ahead of it.[ ] as long as their speed was governed by that of their lumbering carts over the wretched roads, no fear was felt that their competition would prove troublesome. [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. , , , . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. ; _rep. com._, , xiv, , app., p. ( ). with the growing strength of parliament, more and more opposition was made to the grants of monopoly and their enforcement. in the house of commons passed a resolution "affirming that the taking of the letters from the several carriers and the several restraints and imprisonments of grover, chapman, cotton, and mackerill are against the law." the house proceeded to state that these several persons should have reparation and damages from coke, windebank, and witherings.[ ] four years later a report was made by justices pheasant and rolls on witherings' patent.[ ] they held that the clause of restraint in the grant to witherings was void.[ ] this decision was quite in accordance with the views of parliament when they opposed the king and all his works. but after parliament had obtained control of the posts, "the president and governors of the poor of the city of london" proposed to the common council that the city should establish a postal system in order to raise money for the relief of the poor in london. a committee was appointed to inform warwick, prideaux, and witherings of their intention. at the same time an attempt to lay a petition before parliament on the question failed. counsel's advice was sought and obtained in favour of the undertaking and in the committee received orders to settle the stages. at the end of six weeks they had established postal communications with scotland and other places. complaint was made to parliament, and the commons passed a resolution "that the office of postmaster, inland and foreign, is and ought to be in the sole power and disposal of the parliament." the same year the city posts were suppressed.[ ] [ ] _jo. h. c._, - , p. . [ ] these were the same judges who had decided in favour of stanhope's patent in stanhope _v._ witherings. [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, , app., p. ( ). [ ] chas. knight, _london_, , iii, p. ; r. r. sharpe, _london and the kingdom_, , pp. - . oxenbridge and his friends who had set up posts of their own gave prideaux and manley the hardest fight that any postmaster-general ever had to encounter from interlopers. joyce says that oxenbridge had acted as prideaux' deputy.[ ] if this is so, he was soon up in arms against his superior. in accordance with the judicial decision that the clause in witherings' patent giving him a monopoly of the carriage of letters was void, oxenbridge, blackwall, thomson, and malyn had undertaken the private conveyance of letters and had set up posts of their own. prideaux had charged _d._ for each letter and had organized weekly posts from and to london. oxenbridge charged only _d._ and his posts went from and to london three times a week. prideaux then did the same and set up posters announcing that the interlopers' posts would be stopped. his agents assaulted oxenbridge's servants and killed one of them. he also stopped his rival's mails on sundays but allowed his own to proceed as on other days. in addition to his regular tri-weekly mails, oxenbridge provided packet boats for ireland and intended to settle stages between london and yarmouth and the other places named by the council of state.[ ] to proceed in oxenbridge's own words: "suddenly contracts were called for. we offered £ a year through ben andrews, £ more than was offered by manley, yet colonel rich allowed manley to take advantage of an offer made by kendall then absent and not privy to it for £ , a year. consideration had been offered by council, but manley had broken into our offices, taken letters, and had forbidden us from having anything to do with the post." an order of the council of state, bearing the same date as the grant to manley, was sent to oxenbridge and his friends, informing them that manley had been given the sole right to the inland and foreign letter offices.[ ] this did not end the controversy, for six months later we find oxenbridge and thomson complaining that a monopoly in carrying letters had been given to manley. they claimed that all who wished should be allowed to carry letters at the ordinary rates.[ ] [ ] joyce, p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. - , . see p. , note. [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . of all the interlopers up to the middle of the seventeenth century, oxenbridge had proved himself by far the ablest. from the point of view of the legal decision of and the position of parliament before , his position was unassailable. with the present policy of the post office in view, his actions will probably be condemned by the majority. but in conditions were entirely different. before the state had either tacitly allowed the carriage of private letters to the profit of the postmen or had officially taken over such carriage; but in this case it was largely for the purpose of keeping in touch with the plots of the times. for years after the idea was to make money from the conveyance of private letters. the effects of oxenbridge's efforts were certainly beneficial if we are to believe his own story. prideaux had been forced to cut his rates in half in order to meet competition. the credit for this must lie with the interloper rather than with the monopolist. at the same time that oxenbridge was giving so much trouble, letters were being carried by private hands in bury, dover, and norwich. the offenders were summoned before the council for contempt and severely reprimanded.[ ] petitions came from thetford and norwich complaining that their messenger had been summoned to present himself before the council within twenty-four hours and had to travel miles within that time, an impossibility in the opinion of the petitioners.[ ] as late as , prideaux, the attorney-general, gave his opinion that parliament's monopolistic resolution of that year affected only the office of postmaster-general and not the carrying of letters.[ ] perhaps this was only a bit of spite on his part after manley had succeeded to his old position. [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , pp. - . the usual monopolistic powers, hitherto granted by proclamation, were embodied in the first act of parliament, establishing the postal system for england, ireland, and scotland in . the postmaster-general was given the sole power to take up, carry and convey all letters and packets from and to all parts of the commonwealth and to any place beyond the seas where he might establish posts. he alone was to employ foot posts, horse posts, and packet boats. some exceptions were made to these general rules. letters were allowed to be conveyed by carriers so long as they were carried in their carts or on their pack-horses. the other exceptions were in the case of letters of advice sent by merchants in their ships and proceeding no farther than the ships themselves, and also in the case of a letter sent by a special messenger on the affairs of the sender, and in the case of a letter sent by a friend. penalties were attached for disobedience to this part of the act, one half of the fine to go to the informer.[ ] the same provisions were enacted almost word for word in the act of , with the addition that letters might be carried by any one between any place and the nearest post road for delivery to the postman.[ ] [ ] scobell, _collect._, pt. ii, pp. - . [ ] ch. ii, c. . after the restoration and for some months before the act of was passed, bishop had acted as farmer of the posts. in the absence of any law on the subject, the king's proclamation granting a monopoly[ ] to bishop was freely disregarded.[ ] competing posts to and from london sprang up, lessening the receipts which he would otherwise have obtained from the carriage of letters. it was calculated that during the three months before these interlopers could be suppressed bishop lost £ through them, and orders were given to allow him an abatement in his rent to that amount.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] in a book was published by john hill, entitled _a penny post--a vindication of the liberty of every englishman in carrying merchants' and other men's letters against any restraints of farmers of such employments_ (_notes and queries_, th ser., xi, p. ). [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, , app., p. ( ). in a certain thomas ibson attempted to come to an agreement with the postmasters on the holyhead road. he wished to have the privilege of horsing travellers and made an offer to the postmasters to take charge of the post houses if they would allow him to proceed. he told them that they should make an attempt to have their salaries restored to their old value by bishop, who had raised so much from them by fines and lowering their salaries. the postmaster-general told his deputies that if they dared to treat with the "would-be" interloper he would dismiss them, and the whole thing fell through.[ ] at the same time a warrant was issued by the council to mayors and other officials to search for and apprehend all persons carrying letters for hire, without licence from the postmaster-general.[ ] nevertheless interloping did not cease, as is shown by the complaints from the postmasters.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , pp. , . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . in the proclamation following the appointment of o'neale as postmaster-general in , it was ordered that no one should dare to detain or open a letter not addressed to himself unless under a warrant from one of the secretaries of state. an exception was made in the case of letters carried by unauthorized persons. such letters should be seized and sent to the privy council. in later proclamations it was provided that they might be sent also to one of the secretaries of state in order that the persons sending or conveying them might be punished.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiv, , app., p. ( ). after lord arlington's appointment as postmaster-general, he addressed a petition to the duke of york complaining "that carriers, proprietors of stage coaches and others take upon themselves to collect letters to an incredible number and on some stages double what the post brings." on account of this he pointed out to his royal highness that a considerable part of his revenue was lost. this was quite true since the post office had ceased to be farmed and the whole net revenue went to the duke.[ ] this was followed the same year by a proclamation forbidding any one to collect or carry letters without the authority of the postmasters-general. carriers were forbidden to convey any letters which were not on matters relating to goods in their carts. shipmasters must carry no letters beyond the first stage after their arrival in england with the exception of the letters of merchants and owners. searchers were appointed to see that the proclamation was enforced.[ ] it was even proposed to suppress all hackney coaches, the principal reason given being that they decreased the value of the duke's monopoly by carrying multitudes of letters.[ ] [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _cal. s. p. d._, - , p. . [ ] _ibid._, - , p. . it is a curious and interesting fact that for a short time london had a half penny post, established in by a mr. povey in opposition to the regular penny post. the idea was much the same as that of dockwra's although povey seems to have been a far more belligerent individual than his forerunner in the work. the postmasters-general tried to come to some compromise with him but he would not listen to them. finally legal action was brought against him, based on the monopoly granted by the act of . povey lost the suit and his project fell through.[ ] his was the last attempt to organize a regular system of competing posts. during the remainder of the eighteenth century, improvements in postal communications disarmed much of the former opposition. considerable damage was received from the superior speed with which letters might be sent by coaches but, after they were adopted by the post office, matters naturally adjusted themselves. private vessels continued to convey letters which had not paid the rates prescribed in such cases by the act of , but this breach of the law was tolerated by the post office.[ ] [ ] knight, _london_, , iii, p. ; joyce, pp. - . [ ] joyce, p. . before the nineteenth century, opposition to the government monopoly had taken the form of competing systems of communication, started primarily for the sake of making money and at the same time vindicating the principle of competition. during the first forty years of the nineteenth century there was no opposition to the post office as a monopoly. the widespread dissatisfaction was due to the exorbitant rates of postage and this dissatisfaction expressed itself in attempts to evade these rates but, with the exception of individual messengers and carriers, there was no competing system of postal communication established. opposition took the form of evasion of postage payments by legal and illegal means. the various exceptions to the government monopoly continued unchanged[ ] until still further modified in . the additional modifications were in the case of commissions and returns, affidavits, writs and legal proceedings, and letters sent out of the united kingdom by private vessels.[ ] the penalty for infringing upon the postal monopoly was placed at £ for every offence or £ a week if the offence was continued.[ ] [ ] anne, c. ; geo. iii, c. ; geo. iii, c. ; geo. iii, c. ; geo. iv, c. . [ ] wm. iv and vict., c. . [ ] wm. iv and vict., c. . during the official postal year from july to july , there were successful prosecutions for illegally sending and conveying letters. the fines collected amounted to £ , the costs paid by defendants to £ . the prosecutions were generally for a few letters only and the great majority of the cases were brought in manchester. in the case of forty-one additional actions, the postmaster-general did not enforce the penalties, certain explanations having been given.[ ] rowland hill thought that the conveyance of letters by private and unauthorized people was very widespread and the solicitor of the post office agreed with him.[ ] [ ] _acc. & p._, , xlix, , pp. - . [ ] _rep. com._, - , xx, pt. , pp. , . the reports of the committee appointed to enquire into the condition of the post office and to hear the opinions of officials and the public concerning the introduction of penny postage disclosed an amazing state of affairs. the opinion that evasion of postage was more or less general had been held by the public for some time as well as by a few of the post office officials[ ] but, after the evidence upon the question was published, there was no longer any doubt that the views of the public were correct. some difficulty had been anticipated that men who had violated the law of the land would prefer not to confess their misdeeds before a parliamentary committee. they were accordingly assured that any evidence given would not be used against them, and the names of some were expressed by letters only, when the reports were published. [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, questions , , , - ; rep. , app., pp. , , ; rep. , p. . the means by which postage rates were evaded may be conveniently grouped under two main heads, legal and illegal. the most common methods of evading postage in whole or in part by legal means were:-- by the use of parliamentary and official franks.[ ] by enclosing invoices and other communications in goods.[ ] by the use of codes and signals expressed by sending particular newspapers or, when something in the nature of news or reports was to be communicated to many, an advertisement or report was printed in a newspaper and the newspapers were sent.[ ] by means of a letter or package sent to a mercantile house with many letters on one sheet of paper for other people. these were delivered by messengers. money was sometimes sent in the same way.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, - , xx, qs. , - , - , , , , , , - , , - - , - , , , - . by this means dr. dionysius lardner sent and received the greater part of an extensive literary correspondence (qs. - ). [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, qs. - , - , - , , , - , , , , , - , - . [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, qs. , , - . [ ] _ibid._, qs. - , - , - , - , , , - , - , , - , , . many factors in ireland had circulars printed, which went free, as newspapers. their correspondents were distinguished by numbers and opposite the numbers were printed the communications for each particular person.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, rep. , , p. . the majority of letters which paid no postage or only partial postage were sent illegally, most of them by carriers. "a. b." said that in his mercantile house sent letters by post and by other means, principally by carriers, for one penny each.[ ] "c. d." testified that carriers called once or twice a day at his house and that they received from to letters a week from him. sometimes the carriers delivered the letters on foot, sometimes they went by coach.[ ] "e. f.'s" letters were carried by newsmen, who distributed the local newspaper.[ ] "g. h.," a carrier from scotland, said that there were six others working with him and that they delivered about letters and parcels a day, for which they received _d._ or _d._ each.[ ] letters were also illegally conveyed:-- by "free-packets," containing the patterns and correspondence of merchants, which the coachmen carried free except for the booking fee of _d._[ ] in warehousemen's bales and parcels.[ ] in weavers' bags, especially near glasgow. these were bags containing work for the weavers, sent by and returned to the manufacturers.[ ] by "family-boxes." students at college in glasgow and edinburgh were accustomed to receive boxes of provisions, etc., from home. the neighbours made use of them to carry letters.[ ] by coachmen, guards, travellers and private individuals.[ ] by vans, railways, stage-coaches, steamboats, and every conceivable means.[ ] by writing in newspapers, sometimes with invisible ink or by enclosing accounts or letters in them.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, qs. , . [ ] _ibid._, - , xx, qs. , , . [ ] _ibid._, qs. . [ ] _ibid._, qs. - . in walsall not - part of the letters sent to and from neighbouring places went by post (qs. - ). [ ] _rep. com._, - , xx, qs. - , . [ ] _ibid._, qs. , , , . [ ] _ibid._, qs. - . [ ] _ibid._, qs. . [ ] _ibid._, qs. , . [ ] _ibid._, qs. . [ ] _ibid._, qs. , , - , , - , , , , ; app. to part , p. . about half of the letters and parcels sent to the seaports for transmission to foreign parts by private ships did not go through the post office,[ ] and this practice was more or less winked at by the authorities.[ ] the letters from liverpool for the united states numbered , a year, but only , of these passed through the post office.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, pt. , pp. - , - , , , . [ ] _ibid._, pt. , pp. - . [ ] _ibid._, pt. , p. . since the post office has adopted the policy of charging low uniform rates of postage there has been no concerted attempt to infringe upon its monopoly. the dissatisfied do not now attempt to establish competing posts nor to evade the payment of the legal rates. any pressure which may be brought to remedy real or supposed grievances takes the form of an attempt to influence the department itself. it is true that a private messenger service was established for the delivery of letters, but the promoters of that service seem to have been unaware of the fact that they were acting in violation of the law, and a satisfactory agreement with the department was soon concluded. as a matter of fact, it is a question whether succeeding governments have not been too subservient in granting the demands of certain sections of the people, notably in connection with the telegraph and telephone systems and the question of guarantees. the position of a government which has abandoned the principle that any extension of services or change in postal policy shall be based upon present or anticipated financial success must necessarily be a difficult one. chapter x the telegraph system as a branch of the postal department previous to the acquisition of the telegraphs by the state, the different telegraphic companies carried on their business in comparative harmony, a harmony which was occasionally disturbed by the entrance into the field of competition of new claimants for the confidence of the public. by far the most important of these companies in were the electric and international, and the british and irish magnetic, controlling between them about miles of line and having stations open to the public. during the succeeding ten years, by the growth of the old companies and an increase in the number of the new, the number of miles of line increased to , , of telegraph stations to . the number of public messages sent in was a little more than one million, in nearly two millions, and in over four millions and a half. the rates for a message of twenty words varied from _s._ for a distance under fifty miles, plus _s._ for each additional fifty miles, to _s._ for a distance over miles and _s._ to dublin, including free delivery within half a mile from the telegraph office.[ ] in a competing company, the london district telegraph company, started operations in the metropolitan district, and offered a low rate of _d._ a message. in the following year a far more dangerous rival, the united kingdom telegraph company, announced that henceforth it would charge a uniform shilling rate irrespective of distance. four years later both of these companies fell into line, forced according to some by the unfair tactics of their competitors, according to others by the utter impossibility of making both ends meet, while charging a uniform rate irrespective of distance. the tariff agreed to in was as follows:--[ ] _acc. & p._, - , xli, , pp. , , . for a distance not exceeding miles _s._ from to miles _s._ _d._ beyond miles _s._ between great britain and ireland from _s._ to _s._ in some cases these rates applied only to wires of a single company, and, where a message was transmitted over the wires of two or more companies, an additional charge was made. special rates were offered for press messages, the news being supplied by the agency of the intelligence department of the telegraph companies.[ ] [ ] _acc. & p._, - , xli, , pp. - , ; _rep. com._, - , xi, , pp. , . the earliest proposal for government ownership of the telegraphs seems to have originated with thomas allan, the same allan who was later instrumental in establishing the united kingdom telegraph company. in he submitted arguments to the government through sir rowland hill in favour of the change, arguments which met with the approval of lord stanley, the president of the board of trade, and mr. ricardo, formerly chairman of the international electric telegraph company, and ex-member for stoke. two years later mr. barnes, an official in the post office department, submitted to my lords a plan "for the establishment in connection with the post office of a comprehensive scheme of electric telegraphs throughout the kingdom." in , lord stanley, as postmaster-general, in a letter to the lords of the treasury called their attention to the fact that the question of the propriety of the assumption by the government of the telegraphic systems of the kingdom had been revived in the previous year by the edinburgh chamber of commerce, and still more recently the proposition had been embodied in a petition from the association of chambers of commerce of the united kingdom. as he himself had for many years been in favour of such a change and found his opinion shared by more than one important body of public men, he directed mr. scudamore[ ] to report whether, in his opinion, the telegraphs could be successfully operated by the post office, whether such operation would result in any advantages to the public over the present system by means of private companies, and whether it would entail upon the department any large expenditure beyond the purchase of existing rights.[ ] [ ] receiver and accountant-general of the post-office. [ ] _rep. com._, - , xi, , p. ; _acc. & p._, - , xli, , p. . the report presented by mr. scudamore was strongly in favour of the control of the telegraphs by the post office, and is especially interesting in furnishing an abstract of the evils which the people considered that the companies were inflicting upon them. the most important of these evils, real or imaginary, were as follows:-- exorbitant charges and a resulting failure to expand on the part of the system. delay and inaccuracy in the transmission of messages. failure to serve many important towns and communities. inconvenient situation, in many places, of the telegraph office, it being often at a considerable distance from the business centre of the town, especially when in the railway station. inconveniently short periods that offices are open in many places. wasteful competition between the companies. the strongest argument against the existing condition was rather a result of competition than private ownership. in the more populous centres the companies very often had their telegraph offices at a very short distance from each other, being so situated as to compete for the public patronage, while other and more outlying portions of the town were quite unserved. the latter were thus made to suffer in order that favoured portions might enjoy the somewhat doubtful boon of competition. in order to show the failure to extend telegraphic facilities, mr. scudamore compiled a list of towns in england and wales having an individual population of two thousand or more. in his own words "so far as telegraphic accommodation is concerned, while thirty per cent of the whole number of places named ... are well served, forty per cent are indifferently served, twelve per cent badly served, and eighteen per cent, having an aggregate population of more than half a million persons, not served at all." by combining the telegraphic business with the postal service, there seemed every reason to suppose that its advantages could be more widely extended, the hours of attendance increased, charges reduced, and facilities given for the transmission of money orders by telegraph. mr. scudamore proposed to open telegraph offices in all places which had a population of and upwards and which already had money-order offices. all other post offices were empowered to receive telegrams, which were to be sent by post to the nearest telegraph office for transmission. the charge was to be made uniform at _s._ for twenty words and _d._ for each additional ten words, or part thereof. he judged that the whole of the property and rights of the telegraph companies might be purchased for a sum within £ , , , and £ , more would have to be spent in the extension of the service. his estimate for gross annual product was £ , ; annual charge, £ , ; working expenses, £ , ; surplus, £ , .[ ] finally, his reply to lord stanley's question was in effect that the telegraph system might be beneficially worked by the post office, that there would be advantages thus obtained over any system of private ownership, and that the post office would have to bear no expense not amply covered by the revenue.[ ] in fairness to mr. scudamore, it should be remembered that his original low estimate of the probable cost of the telegraph companies did not include reuter's and other important companies. in addition, the strict monopoly conferred in , with the necessary accompaniment of the purchase of all inland telegraph companies, entirely upset his original estimates. finally, the decision to include the public telegraph business of the railways and the excessive price paid to the railway and telegraph companies should not be forgotten in contrasting the estimated price with that eventually paid for the acquisition of the telegraph systems in the united kingdom.[ ] mr. grimston, the chairman of the electric and international telegraph company, contended that the extension of telegraphic facilities to any considerable number of small towns and villages would involve a loss to the state by greatly increasing working expenses, that village postmasters and postmistresses were totally unable to work the telegraphs, and that consolidation could be effected more advantageously by the companies themselves.[ ] [ ] in another place his estimate for gross revenue was £ , ; annual charge £ , on a purchase price of £ , , with expenses for improvement; working expenses £ , , and surplus £ , (_acc. & p._, - , xli, , pp. - ). [ ] _ibid._, pp. - . [ ] _parl. deb._, d ser., ccxxviii, col. ; cxcii, coll. - . [ ] _acc. & p._, - , xli, , p. . in , the postmaster-general was given authority by act of parliament to purchase the undertakings of the telegraph companies and also the interests of the railways in the conveyance of public messages, together with a perpetual way-leave for telegraphic purposes over the properties of the railway companies. any telegraph company, with the authority of two thirds of the votes of its shareholders, was empowered to sell to the postmaster-general all or any portion of its undertaking. when the postmaster-general had acquired the property of any telegraph company, he must also, upon the request of any other company, purchase its undertaking, this privilege being extended also to the railways so far as telegraphs operated by them for transmitting public messages were concerned. the price paid for the electric and international, the british and irish magnetic, and the united kingdom telegraph companies was fixed at twenty years' purchase of their net profits for the year ending th june, . in the case of the united kingdom telegraph company additional sums were to be paid for the hughes type-printing patent, for the estimated aggregate value of its ordinary share capital as determined by its highest quotation on any day between the st and th days of june, , for compensation for the loss of prospective profits on its ordinary shares, and any sum that might be determined as loss for its attempt to establish a uniform shilling rate. every officer or clerk of the companies who had been in receipt of a salary for not less than five years or of remuneration amounting to not less than £ a year for not less than seven years, if he received no offer from the postmaster-general of an appointment in the telegraphic department of the post office equal in the opinion of an arbitrator to his former position, was entitled to receive an annuity equal to two thirds of his annual emolument if he had been in service twenty years, such annuity to be diminished by one twentieth for every year less than twenty. those entering the service of the postmaster-general were entitled to count their past continuous years of service with the companies as years in the service of the crown. for the most part all the telegraph apparatus belonging to the railway companies and all belonging to the telegraph companies on the railway lines necessary for the private business of the railways were handed over to the railways by the postmaster-general free of charge. he was given the use, from telegraph stations not on the railway lines, of all the wires of the telegraph companies on the lines employed exclusively in the public telegraph business. the railways might affix wires to the posts of the postmaster-general on the line, and in like manner he might require the railways to affix wires to their own posts for the use of the post office or erect new posts and wires. finally the railways were required to act as agents of the postmaster-general, if required, for receiving and transmitting messages. the railways as a rule succeeded in driving a very sharp bargain with the government for the purchase of their interests in the public telegraph business. the price paid was twenty years' purchase of the net receipts from public telegrams reckoned for the year ending th june, , plus twenty times the increase in net receipts for the three preceding years or for such shorter period as the business of transmitting public telegrams had been undertaken. in addition, compensation was made for the rents, etc., payable to the railways by the telegraph companies, for the unexpired period of their respective agreements, for the right of way obtained by the postmaster-general over the lands of the railways, for the loss of power on the part of the railways to grant way-leaves, for the value of the railways' reversionary interests (if any) in the transmission of public messages on the expiration of the agreements with the telegraph companies, and for any loss the railways might suffer in working their telegraph business as a separate concern. finally the postmaster-general was required to convey free of charge to any part of the united kingdom all messages of the railways relating to their own private business.[ ] the act empowering the postmaster-general to purchase the undertakings of the telegraph companies did not confer upon the post office a monopoly in the transmission of telegrams, mr. scudamore himself declaring that such a monopoly was neither desirable nor did the post office wish it. the second act, however, declared that no telegraphic messages, except those sent from or to any place outside of the united kingdom, should be transmitted by any telegraphic company for gain unless the company was in existence on the d of june, , and was not for the time being acquired by the postmaster-general, who should be required to purchase its undertaking upon demand.[ ] [ ] and vict., c. . [ ] and vict., c. . mr. scudamore's original estimate of the cost of acquisition of the telegraphs fell far short of the final expenditure; although it must be remembered that, when he proposed £ , , as sufficient, he did not anticipate items of expense which later vastly increased the cost. before the committee which reported in he advanced his original estimate to £ , , , and in the following year to £ , , , of which he considered about two thirds to be of the nature of good-will. the telegraph companies when first approached asked for twenty-five years' purchase of their prospective profits, and the government offered to buy at the highest price realized on the stock exchange up to the th of may, with an addition of from to per cent for compulsory sale. the cost of the leading companies, based upon twenty years' purchase of the net profits for the year ending th june, , was as follows: for the electric and international, £ , , ; for the british and irish magnetic, £ , , ; for reuter's, £ , ; for the united kingdom electric, £ , ; and for the universal private, £ , ,--a total of £ , , . separate bargains followed with many smaller companies. the acts of and granted £ , , , for the purpose of purchasing the undertakings of the companies and the interests of the railways; £ , , were spent in purchases, and £ , , in renewals and extensions between and .[ ] the claims for compensation on the part of some of the railways were very excessive. the lancashire and yorkshire railway asked for £ , , , with interest, and £ per wire per mile a year for all wires erected upon its right of way by or for the post office. by the terms of the award they obtained £ , and _s._ per mile per wire. the great eastern railway presented a claim for £ , , with interest, and £ per mile per wire. their claim was reduced to £ , and an annual payment of £ for way-leave. in all, the capital sum of £ , , was expended by the government, necessitating an annual interest payment of £ , , charged, not on the post office vote, but on the consolidated fund.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, - , xi, , p. ; - , vi, , p. ; - , xi, , p. ; , xxxix, , pp. - ; , vii, , p. ; _parl. deb._, d ser., cxcii, coll. - , - . according to figures furnished by mr. fowler in a speech in the house of commons in , the value of the capital and the debentures of the electric and international at that time was £ , , while the capital value of the british and irish magnetic was £ , ; of reuter's company, £ , ; of the united kingdom electric, £ , , and of the london and provincial, £ , (_parl. deb._ d ser., cxcv, coll. - ). [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; _ibid._, , p. . when the post office acquired the telegraphs, a uniform rate was introduced of _s._ for twenty words or part thereof and _d._ for each additional five words or part thereof, exclusive of the names and addresses of sender and receiver, which were transmitted free. delivery was free within a radius of one mile from the terminal telegraphic office, or within the limit of the town postal delivery when it contained a head office and the postal delivery extended more than a mile from it. beyond the above limits the charge did not exceed _d._ per double mile or part thereof. when special delivery was not required beyond the free delivery, the message was sent free by the next ordinary postal delivery. the newspapers succeeded in having incorporated within the act a clause prohibiting a higher charge for press messages than _s._ for every one hundred words transmitted between p.m. and a.m., or _s._ for every seventy-five words between a.m. and p.m. when sent to a single address, the charge for the transmission of the same telegram to each additional address to be not greater than _d._[ ] on the day of transfer the post office was able to open about a thousand postal telegraph offices and nineteen hundred offices at railway stations where the railways dealt with the public messages as agents of the postmaster-general. on the st of march, , the system comprised more than five thousand offices (including nineteen hundred at railway stations), twenty-two thousand miles of line, with an aggregate of eighty-three thousand miles of wire, and more than six thousand instruments. a decided increase in the number of messages was the result. during the first year after the transfer there were nearly ten millions of messages, the second year twelve millions, and the third year fifteen millions, or more than double the number transmitted in . the period from to the adoption of a sixpenny tariff in was one of steady progress. the number of new offices opened was not numerous, the increase having been only one thousand, but the improvements in existing connections were marked and the number of messages transmitted had increased to thirty-three millions. the new tariff rate was _d._ for twelve words or less, with a halfpenny for each additional word, but the old system of free addresses was abolished. under the old tariff each figure was charged at a single rate. under the new schedule five figures were counted as one word. a large proportion of telegrams were brought within the minimum sixpenny rate, while the average charge, which had been _s._ _d._ in , was reduced to _d._ in . the number of messages increased from thirty-three millions in - to fifty millions in - . four cables between france and england and one between france and the jersey isles were purchased by the governments of the two countries, two by the belgian and english governments, two between holland and england, and one between germany and england, by the governments of the countries interested.[ ] [ ] and vict., c. . following the adoption of a uniform sixpenny rate the department has granted other facilities to the public, which, though popular enough, have undoubtedly tended to place the working of the telegraphs upon a less secure financial basis. in , the issue of telegraphic money orders was begun as an experiment, and in the same year was extended to all head and branch post offices in the united kingdom.[ ] two years later the post office ceased to require the repayment of the capital outlay on telegraph extensions made under guarantee, and the rural sanitary authorities were empowered to defray the cost of such extensions in places within their districts.[ ] for the six preceding years the average annual number of guaranteed telegraph offices was seventy-seven, and during the next five years the average annual number increased to . as part of the jubilee concessions in , the guarantors were required to pay only one half of the deficiency, with the result that during the following two years the average annual number of guaranteed telegraphic offices increased to . at the same time the free delivery limit was extended to three miles and a reduction was granted in the porterage charges beyond that distance. finally, in , the guarantee was reduced to one third of the loss incurred, the delivery charge being fixed at _d._ a mile for the distance beyond the three-mile limit, instead of the distance from the office of delivery.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , app., pp. - ; , p. . [ ] _ibid._, , p. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; and vict., c. . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , p. ; , pp. , . in , the main routes from london having become crowded, especially by the telephone trunk lines, the principle of underground lines between the most important centres was sanctioned by the department. london and birmingham were first connected, and the line was ultimately extended through stafford to warrington, where it joined existing underground wires between manchester, liverpool, and chester. by , underground wires were laid as far north as glasgow through carlisle, to be extended later to edinburgh. at manchester a junction was effected with a line passing through bradford to leeds. during the same year underground lines were completed from london to chatham and from london westward toward bristol, with the intention of extending it into cornwall in order to secure communication with the atlantic and mediterranean cables.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, , p. ; , p. ; , app., p. ; , p. . in , england joined the other important european powers in a telegraphic agreement which went into effect in january of the following year. by this agreement each of the contracting parties agreed to devote special wires to international service, government telegrams to have precedence in transmission and to be forwarded in code if desired. private telegrams could also be sent in code between those countries which allowed them, and the signatory powers agreed to pass them in transit, but each country reserved to itself the privilege of stopping any private telegram. for the purpose of making charges, any country might be divided into not more than two zones, and each of the signatory powers owed to the others an account of charges collected.[ ] so far as foreign telegrams were concerned, the use of manufactured expressions in place of real words gave rise to considerable trouble in view of the fact that such combinations were difficult to transmit. in , the languages which might be used for code words were reduced by common consent to english, french, german, italian, spanish, portuguese, dutch, and latin. at the same time the use of proper names as code words was prohibited. this did not remove the evil, as the roots of words in one language with terminations in another were used. an official vocabulary was compiled by the international telegraph bureau, to become obligatory in , but its publication in aroused considerable opposition, as many of the words were dangerously alike, and in the decision of the paris conference of , by which the official vocabulary was to become compulsory for european telegrams in , was rescinded. it was also decided that an enlarged vocabulary should be published by the international bureau, but, owing to the action of the english delegates, the official vocabulary was not made compulsory at the meeting of the international telegraph conference in , although artificial words were allowed if pronounceable in accordance with the usages of any one of the eight languages from which the ordinary code words might be selected. it was also decided to admit letter cipher at the rate of five letters to a word, and several countries agreed to lower their charges for the transmission of extra-european telegrams, the english delegates contending that the rates for such telegrams should be made the same as the rates for european telegrams.[ ] in , negotiations with the german and netherland telegraph administrations resulted in a charge of _d._ a word being fixed as the rate between the united kingdom and germany and _d._ a word between the united kingdom and the netherlands. [ ] _acc. & p._, , lxxxiv [c. ], pp. - . [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - . in , the following reductions in rates were announced:-- to russia from _d._ to - / _d._ a word. spain _d._ - / _d._ italy _d._ - / _d._ india _s._ _d._ _s._ to be followed six years later by still greater reductions:-- to austria from - / _d._ to _d._ a word. hungary - / _d._ _d._ italy - / _d._ _d._ russia - / _d._ - / _d._ portugal - / _d._ - / _d._ sweden _d._ _d._ spain - / _d._ _d._ canary isles _s._ - / _d._ _d._ the minimum charge for a telegram being _d._ in all cases. the transmission of foreign money orders by telegraph was inaugurated in by the opening of an exchange with germany and its extension shortly afterward to the other important european countries.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; , p. ; , p. ; , p. ; , p. . in , an attempt was made, curiously suggestive of marconi's discovery, to transmit telegraph messages without a direct wire. the experiment was conducted between the island of flat holm in the bristol channel and the mainland, a distance of three miles. a wire was erected on the mainland parallel with one on the island, and, by means of strong vibratory currents sent through the former, signals were transmitted and messages exchanged. three years later and before the practical value of the flat holm experiment had been substantiated, mr. marconi arrived in england to submit his plans to the post office. a private wire from poldhu to falmouth was provided for him on the usual rental terms, and it was announced that the post office would act as his agent for collecting messages to be transmitted by wireless telegraphy when he had proved the feasibility of his project. at the international congress on wireless telegraphy held in berlin in it was recommended that shore stations equipped with wireless apparatus should be bound to exchange messages with ships at sea without regard to the system of wireless telegraphy employed by the latter, that the rate of charge for the shore station should be subject to the approval of the state where it was situated, the rate of the ship to the approval of the state whose flag it carried, and that the working of wireless stations should be regulated so as to interfere with other stations as little as possible. in order to enable the government to carry out the decision of the congress and to place wireless telegraphy under its control for strategic purposes, an act was passed in making it illegal to instal or work wireless telegraphic apparatus in the united kingdom or on board a british ship in territorial waters without the licence of the postmaster-general. the act was to be operative for two years only, but before its expiration, was extended until the st of december, , before which it might again be renewed. arrangements were also made for the collection and delivery of the telegrams of the marconi company by the post offices throughout the country. the company charges its usual rate, _d._. a word, and the post office in addition charges the ordinary inland rate.[ ] the international agreement providing for compulsory communication between shore stations and ships was signed in in spite of the protests of the marconi company, sir edward sassoon, and others, who contended that the agreement was unfair to the company and a mistake on the part of the kingdom, "which was thus giving up advantages obtained by the possession of the best system of wireless telegraphy in the world." the majority of the countries represented were also in favour of compulsory communication between ship and ship, but this was successfully negatived by great britain and japan. in , mr. buxton was able to announce in the house that the relations between the post office and the marconi company "are now of the most friendly kind," and that they have accepted and adopted the principle of intercommunication. in the preceding year two experimental stations were started by the government which will enable the department to extend its operations quite independently of the companies.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; , pp. - ; , pp. - ; edw. vii, c. ; edw. vii, c. . [ ] _parl. deb._, th ser., clxxix, coll. - ; cxcii, col. , london _times_, , nov. , p. ; , july , p. . from a financial point of view, government ownership and control of the telegraphs in the united kingdom has not been a success. in addition, the telegraph department, for some time previous to , had been drawing upon the balance in the possession of the post office, a balance which was required to be invested for other purposes and whose expenditure for the use of the telegraphs had not been authorized by parliament. mr. goldsmid, in introducing a motion for the appointment of a committee of enquiry, alluded to this error on the part of the department, to the excessive price paid for the telegraphs, and complained that the telegraph system was not being operated on a paying basis. his motion was withdrawn, but an agreement was reached with the department by the appointment of a committee, with mr. playfair as chairman, "to inquire into the organization and financial system of the telegraph department of the post office." the committee in their report commented unfavourably upon the unnecessarily large force, the cumbrous organization, and the far from economical management of some of the divisions of the department, advised that an attempt be made to remedy these faults, and that press messages be charged a minimum rate of _s._ each, and not at the rate of _s._ for each seventy-five or one hundred words obtained by adding together separate messages requiring separate transmission. this suggestion with reference to press messages was adopted, promises were made at the same time to diminish the force, and a scheme was submitted for the reorganization of the department.[ ] [ ] _parl. deb._, d ser., ccxxviii, coll. f.; _rep. com._, , xiii, , pp. i-xiii, , . the number of telegrams for the year ending st march, , the year following the sixpenny reduction, was , , ; for the year - it had increased to , , . in - the number was , , and in - the total was , , . during the next three years there was a reduction, followed in - by an increase to , , . since - the number has again fallen off, the figures for - being only , , .[ ] it is rather difficult to make definite statements about the telegraph finances on account of the lack of uniformity in presenting the accounts since . under gross revenue is now included the value of services done for other departments, but this was not always the rule. the expenditure of other departments for the telegraph service may or may not be included under ordinary telegraphic expenditure. net revenue may also be increased or a deficit changed to a surplus by deducting the expenditure for sites, buildings, and extensions from ordinary expenditure. finally, the interest on capital is not charged on the telegraph vote, and so is not included under expenditure. in , , and there seem to have been surpluses over all expenditure, including interest on capital. excluding interest from expenditure, the net revenue decreased from £ , in to £ , in , when the pensions to officials of the telegraph companies were first charged to the telegraph vote. with an increased net revenue of £ , in , following the report of the committee of investigation, the department did very well from a financial point of view, until , when the net revenue fell to £ , , and in there was a deficit of £ , , due to the fact that expenses were increasing at a greater rate than receipts. the sixpenny reduction seems to have made but little change in the financial situation, the gross revenue increasing from £ , , in - to £ , , in - , the expenditure for the same years being £ , , and £ , , . the net revenue began to recover in - , and averaged about £ , a year during the four years ending march , . during the fiscal years and there were deficits, then a slight recovery from to and a succession of deficits from to . the interest on stock, £ , in , increased steadily to £ , in , at which figure it remained until , when a reduction in the rate of interest from per cent to - / per cent lowered the amount payable to £ , . in , there was a further reduction to £ , .[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , app., p. ; , app., p. ; , app., p. . [ ] _ibid._, , app., p. ; , app., p. ; , app., p. ; , app., p. . the financial loss experienced by the government in operating the telegraphs has naturally produced considerable interest in this phase of the question. mr. blackwood, the financial secretary of the post office, in his evidence before the committee, considered that the financial control and oversight of the department were inadequate and that the department was over-manned. on the other hand, he was of the opinion that many expenses were met by revenue expenditure which should have been charged to capital. mr. baines, the surveyor-general, among other causes of the financial deficiency, called attention to the shorter hours and longer annual leave of the telegraph staff as government employees, the higher standard of efficiency established by the post office, and the prevalence of much overtime work as a result of the maintenance by the companies, just before the transfer, of an inadequate staff.[ ] the fact that the yearly increase in messages continued to diminish after is commented on by the postmaster-general in as due to the stagnation of trade, the competition of the telephones, and the rapidity of the letter post. mr. raikes called attention to the large number of telegrams on the business of the railways which were transmitted for nothing. by an agreement with several of the railway companies to send, as a right instead of a privilege, a fixed number of messages containing a fixed number of words, this increase was checked. in , the following comment is found in the postmaster-general's report: "this stagnation of business, viewed in connection with an increased cost in working expenses, is a matter for serious consideration, and necessarily directs attention to that part of the business which is conducted at a loss," the reference being to the increased number of press messages transmitted at a nominal charge. when in the newspaper proprietors succeeded in obtaining the insertion in the telegraph act of special rates for the transmission of press messages, no condition was laid down that copies, in order that they might be sent at the very low charges there enumerated, should be transmitted to the same place as the original telegram. the newspapers combined to receive messages from news associations in identical terms, and, by dividing the cost, obtained a rate equal on the average to - / _d._ per hundred words. under the arrangements adopted for the transmission of news messages the number of words so sent did not necessitate a corresponding amount of work, but it is an interesting fact that in the number of words dealt with for the press formed two fifths of the total number. in that year the loss on these telegrams was estimated at about £ , a year. the high price paid as purchase money is another of the factors to be considered, only in so far, however, as the telegraphic department has failed to meet the interest on the debt so incurred. the telegraph companies were very liberally treated, and in certain cases excessive prices were undoubtedly paid. probably the most important reason for the financial failure of the telegraphs under government ownership and control has been the influence of forces productive of good in themselves, but quite different from those which had previously been dominant when the telegraphs were under private control and during the early years of government management. the effect of these forces is clearly seen in the reduction of the tariff in , the extension of facilities under inadequate guarantee, and the increase in the pay of the staff.[ ] mr. buxton is of the opinion that the worst feature of the postal business is the telegraph service. "it has never been profitable and now the telephone system has so largely taken its place that the revenue is falling off," while the "economist" considers that "it is obvious that both in the savings bank and the telegraph branches reforms are urgently needed in order to place matters on a sound financial basis."[ ] [ ] between , when the telegraphs were taken over by the state, and , the number of employees was more than doubled, although, during the same period, the number of messages--not including news messages--increased only from ten to fifteen millions (_rep. com._, , xiii, , pp. , , , ). [ ] _rep. p. g._, , pp. - . the proportion of the amount spent on salaries and wages which in , before mr. fawcett's revision, stood at about per cent, increased, as a result of that revision and mr. raikes' revision in , to about per cent. [ ] _parl. deb._, th ser., clix, col. ; _economist_, sept. , , p. . chapter xi the post office and the telephone companies the first telephone brought to england by lord kelvin in was a very crude instrument, useful only for experimental purposes and of interest only as a forecast of later development. in the following year two post office officials introduced some machines which had been presented to them by the american inventor bell, and although not very efficient, they were of some commercial use. the post office made arrangements with the agents of the inventor for the purpose of supplying its private wire renters with these machines if they should wish to make use of them. with the invention of the microphone in , and its application to the telephone, a thoroughly practical method of transmitting speech was at last introduced. in the same year a company was formed to acquire and work the bell patents. they endeavoured to come to an agreement with the post office by which the latter might obtain telephones at cost price, and would in return facilitate the operations of the company, but the negotiations came to nothing. there was then no suggestion of an exchange system, and the company proposed merely to supply telephones and wires to private individuals. in , the edison telephone company of london was established, an announcement having been made in the autumn of that it was proposed to establish exchanges. an attempt was made to amend the telegraph act so as to confer specifically upon the department monopolistic control over telephonic communication, but the amendment failed to receive the sanction of the house of commons. the postmaster-general then filed information against both companies, on the ground that the transmission of messages by telephone was an infringement of the telegraphic monopoly. in the summer of the two companies amalgamated as the united telephone company, and in december judgment was given by the high court of justice in favour of the post office.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xiii, , pp. - ; _law reports, queen's bench division_, vi, p. ; _parl. deb._, d ser., cclxxxviii, col. . in april of the postmaster-general granted the united telephone company a licence to establish and operate a telephone system within a five-mile radius in london, the central point to be chosen by the company. on the other hand the company agreed to pay a royalty of per cent of its gross receipts and to accept the judgment of the high court. licences were also granted to establish telephone exchanges in the provincial towns within a radius of one or two miles, all the licences to expire in . the postmaster-general reserved the right to establish exchanges for the department and the option of purchasing the works of the licencees in or at seven-year intervals from , six months' notice having first been given. the policy of the united telephone company was to confine its own operations to london and to allow patent apparatus to be used in other parts of the country by subsidiary companies, leaving them free to negotiate with the post office for provincial licences. the telephone policy of the post office from to consisted in the granting of licences to the companies in restricted areas, so that the telegraph revenue might suffer from competition as little as possible, and the establishment by the department of exchanges in certain places not as a rule served by the companies. owing to the refusal of the government to solicit business, their exchanges did not prove a success. the department itself would probably have preferred to take over the whole telephone business in , but this policy met with no favour from the lords of the treasury, who were of the opinion "that the state, as regards all functions which are not by their nature exclusively its own, should at most be ready to supplement, not endeavour to supersede private enterprise, and that a rough but not inaccurate test of the legitimacy of its procedure is not to act in anticipation of possible demands." the operation by the government of the unimportant exchanges possessed by them was sanctioned by their lordships, "on the understanding that its object is by the establishment of a telephonic system to a limited extent by the post office to enable your department to negotiate with the telephone companies in a satisfactory manner for licences." the london and globe company was given a licence in to establish exchanges in london, but they were entirely dependent upon the united company for instruments, so that there was no real competition. the department proceeded to issue licences for the establishment of competing systems in places where there were already government exchanges. from to the postmaster-general granted twenty-three licences, and some twenty-seven towns, with subscribers, were served by the department. the policy of the post office during these years, as thus outlined, was far from satisfactory to the public, due largely to the desire to protect the telegraph revenue, and the failure to appreciate the possibilities which the new system of communication was capable of offering. the companies, restricted as they were to local areas, could not offer any means for communication between these areas, since special permission had to be obtained for the erection of trunk lines. the government offered to provide these on condition that a direct payment of £ a mile per double wire and one half the revenue over that sum should be paid for their use, but this offer the companies naturally refused to consider. the lancashire and cheshire company proposed to fix their trunk-line charges so low as to pay expenses only, but they were informed by the government that they must charge s. a mile annual rental. in addition, they were not allowed to charge less than _s._ at their call offices, the then prevailing fee for a telegram. a few trunk lines, it is true, were constructed by the government and rented to the companies, but they were quite insufficient to satisfy the demand. in london, the united telephone company was not allowed to extend its system beyond the five-mile radius without special permission and the payment of an increased royalty. in addition, the companies had no way-leave powers, but had to depend upon the good will of householders to fly their wires from house-top to house-top, with the result that in london there was a ridiculously large number of exchanges. finally the companies were restricted to connecting subscribers with the exchange or their place of business, and, although messages could be telephoned for further transmission by the telegraphs, there was not that close connection between the telephonic and telegraphic systems which might eventually have led to the mutual advantage of each. moreover, in , the government announced that they would grant no more licences unless the subsidiary companies agreed to sell to them all the instruments they wished, the intention probably being for the government to supply instruments to companies which would establish exchanges in real competition with the united telephone company. since the subsidiary companies could not supply these instruments without the consent of the parent company, the only result was still further to restrict telephonic development.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , p. ; , p. ; , p. ; _rep. com._, , xii, , pp. , ; , xiii, , pp. - ; _parl. deb._, d ser., cclxxii, col. ; cclxxxviii, coll. - , - ; cclxxxix, coll. . in , the prevailing public discontent in connection with the government's treatment of the situation manifested itself in the press and in the house of commons. the post office was accused of practising a policy of strangulation toward the companies, and the postmaster-general, mr. fawcett, acknowledged that there was some truth in the charge. he advised the treasury that the companies' areas of operation should be unlimited, and that their operations should be confined to the transmission of oral communications. the restricted licences were withdrawn and new, unrestricted licences granted, terminable in with the same qualifications with reference to royalties and government purchase that were inserted in the old licences. nominally the result produced free competition, but actually competition was impossible until the expiration of the fundamental patents in . the year before their expiration, the companies succeeded in getting control of the situation by an amalgamation of the united telephone company with its licencees under the name of the national telephone company. mr. dickinson, deputy chairman of the london county council, stated that the nominal capital of the united telephone company, £ , (with an actual capital expenditure in within the metropolitan district of £ , ) was taken over by the national telephone company at a cost of £ , , , and the duke of marlborough said in the house of lords that of the £ , , capital of the new company over £ , , was "water." mr. raikes, the postmaster-general, who was in favour of competition, wrote to the united company, disapproving of the whole transaction. with the expiration of the patent rights, the new telephone company was resuscitated, with the duke of marlborough as chairman, an agreement having been concluded with the telephone subscribers' protective association for a twelve guineas' service in london, but it in turn was absorbed by the national company, much to the disgust of the members of the association. so far as way-leave rights were concerned the position of the companies remained in a very unsatisfactory condition. a committee of the house of commons advised that certain way-leave rights should be granted, but nothing was accomplished, although a bill was introduced in the house of commons in to enable the companies to erect posts without the consent of the road authorities.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, - , xii, p. ; , xvii, , sess. , pp. - ; , xiii, , pp. - , , - ; , xii, , p. ; _parl. deb._, d ser., cclxxxviii, coll. f.; cccxxxvi, col. ; cccxxxvii, col. ; cccxlvi, col. . mr. forbes, the chairman of the national telephone company, said to the committee of : "i am prepared to concede that the telephone company which conducts about or per cent of the whole telephonic business of the country conducts a great deal of it monstrously badly, but it is not their fault, it is the fault of parliament"; and again in referring to the lack of way-leave power: "take london for instance; london is very badly served, but why is it very badly served? because everything depends upon the caprice of the individual." as a result of the complaints that the telephone system was giving an inadequate service because of the high rates on an inflated capital, because the utility of the telephones was impaired in that they could not be used in connection with the telegraph and postal services, and because of the lack of powers to erect poles in the streets or to lay underground wires or to connect their exchanges by trunk lines, the government announced a change of policy in .[ ] this change was set forth in a treasury minute of the d of may, , and in two memoranda of agreement of the same year to which the national and the new companies were respectively parties, the arrangements being sanctioned by parliament in the telegraph acts of and . so far as it affected the national company the arrangement was embodied in detail in an agreement dated the th of march, , no similar agreement being made with the new company because that company went into liquidation in , and in surrendered its licence. by the agreement of the national telephone company surrendered its previous licence except for certain definite districts called "exchange areas," a large number of which were specified in the agreement. these areas were as a rule coterminous with the urban districts, but comprised in addition certain areas made up of two or more urban districts together with the intervening country. power was reserved to the postmaster-general to specify other exchange areas, the understanding being, both with regard to areas already specified and those to be specified, that industrial areas of wide extent should be recognized in cases where there were no considerable towns forming centres of business, that neighbouring towns intimately connected in their business relations should be placed in the same area, and that small towns and villages should also be so grouped when each by itself would not pay. outside these areas the postmaster-general alone was entitled to carry on telephone business, no more licences being granted for the whole kingdom, and for any particular town only with the approval of the corporation or municipal authority. call offices for the use of the public were to be opened at the company's exchanges and connected with the post offices in order that exchange subscribers might telephone over the trunk lines to exchange subscribers in other towns. where intercommunication took place between the systems of the company and the post office, a terminal charge on the part of the receiving system was allowed. telephonic messages could be sent to the post offices for transmission as telegrams and delivery as such or for delivery as letters. express messengers could also be sent for by telephone, and telegrams received at the post offices might be transmitted by telephone. [ ] only five years before, mr. raikes, the postmaster-general, said in the house of commons: "i am inclined to think that it is extremely doubtful whether there would be much public advantage in establishing telephonic communication generally between those [the principal] towns" (_parl. deb._, d ser., cccxix, col. ). the postmaster-general was authorized to grant to the company all such powers of executing works within its exchange areas (other than works under, over, or along any railway or canal) as were conferred upon him by the telegraph acts of , , and section of the act of . if required by the company, he must provide underground wires between different exchanges in the same exchange area, and must allow the company to conclude agreements with railway and canal companies over whose property he had exclusive right of way. in exchange for these privileges the company agreed to sell its trunk lines to the postmaster-general, their value being fixed at a later date at £ , , which amount was paid to the company on the th of april, , the length of trunk line taken over being miles having , miles of wire. in order to remove a serious handicap to the success of competing companies, the trunk lines were henceforth to be controlled and extended by the post office, the company to receive five per cent of any gross charges for trunk-line tolls which it might collect as an agent of the post office. the rates charged by the post office for trunk-line conversations in were, for distances of miles and under, the same as those previously charged by the company, and were lower than the old rates for distances in excess of miles.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xvii, , sess. , pp. - ; , xiii, , pp. , ; _rep. p. g._, , pp. , ; _rep. com._, , xii, , pp. - , ; , vii, , pp. - ; and vict., c. , and vict., c. ; _parl. deb._, th ser., iii, coll. , , . in the mean time there was evidence of considerable opposition to the practical monopoly of the company within the exchange areas. a motion introduced in the house of commons by doctor cameron, member of parliament for glasgow, in favour of government purchase of the telephones, received considerable support, but was rejected by the government on the ground that the resulting increase in the number of civil servants, not paid at market wages and constantly trying to bring pressure to bear on members, was too serious an evil to receive the sanction of the government.[ ] the claim was also made by some of the towns and by glasgow in particular that the municipalities should be allowed to install their own telephone systems in opposition to those of the company. a select committee was appointed to consider this demand on the question of "whether the provision made for telephone service in local areas is adequate, and whether it is advisable to grant licences to local authorities or otherwise," but, owing to the dissolution of parliament, the committee did not present a report. considerable evidence was heard, however, and the committee recommended that another committee should be appointed during the next session to consider and report upon the evidence already taken and, if necessary, take more evidence. the witnesses examined were as a rule of the opinion that the telephones should be taken over by the state; but there was a difference of opinion as to whether municipal licences should be granted. dissatisfaction with existing conditions seemed to be widespread. the glasgow corporation expressed disgust with the service of the company on account of the difficulty of getting into communication with subscribers, frequent interruptions and noises, and the chance of being overheard by a third party, the first complaint being due in their opinion to inadequate exchange accommodations, the second and third to the one-wire system. the corporation was accused on the other hand of attempting to dislocate the company's system by refusing them permission to lay underground wires, while the overhead wires were unfavourably affected by the electric tramway currents. the deputy town clerk of liverpool was in favour of government telephones, but opposed municipal licences on the ground that they would increase the expense of telephoning between a municipal exchange and one belonging to the company. the london county council advised that severe restrictions should be laid upon the company by imposing maximum rates, etc., or that the state should take over the company's system or that the municipality should do so. questions were sent to subscribers in london by the county council, by the company, and by the commissioner of sewers, asking for their opinion on the service rendered by the company there. as may be imagined, the replies sent to the county council and the commissioner were on the whole unfavourable to the company, while those sent to the company were generally favourable to them. it was shown that the number of subscribers in english and scotch cities was fewer than in most continental cities, and that, comparing the population of the united kingdom with that of the united states, the number of subscribers in the former should be about , instead of about , ; but nothing was said of the superior postal and telegraphic facilities of the united kingdom as compared with the majority of foreign countries, facilities which would naturally reduce the demand for a comparatively new and in many cases unpopular method of communication. the rate of the company in the metropolitan area for a business connection was £ for a yearly agreement, with substantial reductions for second and additional connections, and £ for private houses. on a five years' agreement the rates were £ and £ respectively. the rate in paris at the same time was £ . for the provincial cities in england, such as manchester, liverpool, etc., the rate was £ for a first connection and £ _s._ for second and additional connections, and for the large towns, such as norwich, chester, exeter, etc., £ within half a mile of the exchange, £ within three quarters of a mile, £ within one mile, and an additional £ _s._ for each additional half-mile, with reductions for extra connections. for small outlying and isolated towns the half-mile rate was £ _s._, one mile £ , and £ _s._ for every additional half-mile.[ ] [ ] _ibid._, th ser., iii, coll. f. [ ] _rep. com._, , xiii, , pp. iii, - , - , , - , , , , , , - , - ; _parl. deb._, th ser., xxxi, coll. f.; xlviii, coll. - . in , another committee was appointed with mr. hanbury as chairman, "to enquire and report whether the telephone service was calculated to become of such general benefit as to justify its being undertaken by municipal and other authorities, regard being had to local finance." the committee were of the opinion that the existing telephone system was not of general benefit either in the kingdom at large or in those portions where exchanges existed, that it could hardly be of benefit so long as monopolistic conditions existed, and that it was capable of becoming much more useful if worked solely or mainly with a view to the public interest. they condemned the flat rate subscription charge of the company as of benefit only to the wealthier commercial classes in english cities. they commented unfavourably upon the fact that in the london area there were only call offices open to non-subscribers, and that as a rule messages could not be sent from them to subscribers except when the sender and recipient were in the same postal district or town, when the message might be delivered. they were of the opinion that the telephones were far more useful in other countries where the conditions were not so favourable. conditions, they thought, were unlikely to improve under the present management. the company must pay dividends on an inflated capital; its licence would expire in , and the government was hardly likely to pay the company at that date for goodwill. in addition, there were no restrictions on charges, the company had a motive for limiting its subscribers, as expenses increased proportionately with an increase in their number, and the question of way-leaves was a source of great difficulty. finally, they declared in favour of competition by the municipalities and the post office as tending to reduce rates, extend the system, and, if the government should eventually purchase the telephones, give alternative systems to choose from. the government adopted the committee's report, and, in a treasury minute of the th of may, , laid down the principles upon which licences should be granted by the postmaster-general to the municipalities, and announced that in london the postmaster-general would himself establish an exchange system.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , xii, , pp. iii-xiii. in accordance with the finding of the committee and the resulting treasury minute, an act was passed in , conferring upon the boroughs and borough districts to which the postmaster-general might grant licences the right to borrow money upon the security of the rates for the erection and management of telephone systems. a loan of £ , , was authorized for the use of the department itself in establishing telephone competition with the company in london. the act also defined the relations between the company and the municipalities (or other new licencees) in the event of competition. if the telephone company would agree to abandon the power of discriminating between subscribers and would consent to limit their charges within the maxima and minima prescribed by the postmaster-general, the latter was to extend any way-leave rights already possessed for the period of the licence granted to the competing municipality or new licencee. if the new licence were extended beyond , the company's licence would be likewise extended, but if their licence were extended for as much as eight years beyond , the company were bound, at the request of the licencee and under certain conditions, to grant interchange of communication within the area. the new licences would be granted only to local authorities or companies approved by them, and the national company was prohibited from opening exchanges in any area in which they had not, before the passing of the act, established an effective exchange. the effect of the act was to limit competition to the municipalities, to confine the national company to those towns and areas they were already serving, and to throw upon the postmaster-general the duty of serving other parts of the country.[ ] [ ] and vict., c. . the form of the licences for municipalities, among other conditions, contained provisions designed to secure for the public an efficient and cheap service. it was provided that the plant should be constructed in accordance with specifications prepared by the postmaster-general, no preferential treatment should be allowed to any subscriber, the charges made should be within certain specified limits, neither the licence nor any part of the plant of the licencee should be assigned to or amalgamated with the business of any other licencee, and that the licence might be terminated if an exchange system were not established within two years. the provisions of the agreement of which secured coöperation between the post office and the national company and combined the telephone with the telegraph and postal services were also introduced into the municipal licences. the municipalities were bound to give intercommunication between their exchanges and any established by the postmaster-general, and terminal charges for trunk-wire communications between the exchange subscribers of any other system and those of the local authority were forbidden. about sixty local authorities made enquiries with a view to taking out licences, but only thirteen licences were accepted. that of tunbridge wells was surrendered in , owing to an agreement arrived at between the national telephone company and the corporation, the municipal telephones not having proved a success.[ ] in the case of seven others the licences were surrendered or cancelled. the following corporations held licences in :-- hull licence terminating st december, glasgow swansea brighton th april, portsmouth [ ] _parl. deb._, th ser., cxxiv, coll. - ; cxv, col. ; cxvi, coll. - . in all the above cases except hull, the national telephone company had agreed to forego the granting of special favours to subscribers, had established intercommunication, and their licence was accordingly extended in those places to the dates of termination of the corporation licences. in glasgow the national telephone company made several applications for permission to lay underground wires, but the corporation refused the concession on any terms. in spite of this advantage and the inability of the company to meet the low unlimited user rate of the corporation telephones on account of agreements with subscribers in other towns, the corporation found it advisable to sell its plant to the post office in for £ , at a capital loss of between £ , and £ , . brighton followed suit a little later for the sum of £ , , at a loss of £ . swansea experienced considerable difficulty in borrowing money to extend its system on account of the refusal of the local government board to grant the necessary borrowing powers. the post office offered £ , for a plant which had cost £ , . this offer was refused by the corporation, and an agreement was concluded with the national telephone company in for the sale of the plant at a price sufficient to repay the whole capital. offers were also made to hull and portsmouth by the department, but were refused, as they were not sufficiently high to cover expenditure.[ ] [ ] _parl. deb._, th ser., lxxxii, coll. - ; cliv, coll. - ; clxiv, col. ; london _times_, , july , p. ; , jan. , p. ; feb. , p. ; mar. , p. . as a rule the local authorities offered an initial flat rate lower than that paid by the company's subscribers in competing centres, but most of the other rates of the corporation authorities were somewhat higher. the service offered by the public telephones was not so satisfactory as had been hoped, and the more numerous connections open to the company's subscribers formed an initial advantage which it was difficult to overcome. on the other hand, the corporations often had the advantage of underground connections which were denied to the company, but the relatively small number of the subscribers of the corporation telephones, the high cost of underground connections, the clumsy service offered in many cases, and the ability of the company to offer lower rates in competitive areas proved too much for most of the corporations which were granted licences.[ ] [ ] _rep. com._, , vii, , pp. , , , - . in the meantime the national telephone company had been experiencing considerable difficulty in getting permission to lay underground wires in london. in , the telegraph act of that year authorized the postmaster-general to grant to his licencees the same way-leave powers which he enjoyed, subject to the conditions that the licencees should not exercise such powers in london without the consent of the county council, nor in any urban district outside london without the consent of the urban authority, nor elsewhere without the consent of the county council. in pursuance of this authority the postmaster-general, in the agreement of the th of march, , undertook, at the request of the company, to authorize them to exercise his way-leave powers in any exchange area. the company did not apply for the exercise of such authority in london, but an attempt was made by them to obtain the consent of the london county council to allow their wires to be placed underground, and the work proceeded with the permission of the local road authorities in london. negotiations with the council were fruitless, largely on account of the price asked for way-leave and the demand for lower rates. the postmaster-general was advised that it was his duty to see that the act of was enforced, and the resulting correspondence with the company having failed of any satisfactory result, an information in the name of the attorney-general was filed against the company, asking for a declaration that they were not entitled to proceed with their underground works in london without the authority of the postmaster-general and the consent of the county council. an order to that effect was made on the th of july, . this seemed a favourable opportunity for the postmaster-general to secure from the company certain concessions with reference to their london exchange system as well as privileges for the subscribers of the postal exchanges which had been established in london and an agreement with reference to the purchase in by the post office of the company's london exchanges. these concessions and privileges were finally embodied in an agreement made on the th of november, , by which the postmaster-general agreed to furnish such underground wires on the demand of the company as he might think reasonable and likely to be useful to the post office later, as well as underground wires connecting the exchanges of the post office with those of the company. when the subscribers of the london postal exchanges exceeded , in number, the company agreed to pay half of the rent of the latter wires. no terminal charges were payable for a message passing over these wires, or for a message over the trunk lines between the subscribers of the post office in london and those outside london, or between subscribers of the company in london and those outside london. in addition, the postmaster-general promised to afford to the company's subscribers in london all such facilities with reference to postal, telegraphic, and telephonic communications as he granted to post office london subscribers and upon the same terms and conditions. he also agreed to consider all applications from the company for way-leaves on railways and canals where he enjoyed such rights, and the company promised to establish telephone communications without favour or preference. a decision was also reached fixing equal rates for the postal and company's subscribers in london, based primarily on the number of messages sent with an unmeasured rate lower than that previously in force, no revision to be made without six months' notice being given. finally it was agreed that in or before--if the company's licence should have been previously revoked--the postmaster-general should buy and the company should sell at its fair market value all such plant as should then be in use by the company in london and be suitable for the post office at that date. none of the plant was to be considered suitable unless installed with the written consent of the postmaster-general, the question of suitability to be decided by arbitration if necessary.[ ] the local authorities protested in vain against the agreement, their contention being that the committee of investigation had advised competition, whereas the government had on the other hand succeeded only in making very unsatisfactory terms with the company.[ ] [ ] _acc. & p._, , lv, , pp. - ; _rep. com._, , vii, , pp. - , - , - ; _parl. deb._, th ser., lxxxii, coll. ; ci, coll. - ; cxxxii, coll. . [ ] _ibid._, th ser., ci, coll. - . in , the postmaster-general and the national telephone company concluded an agreement for the purchase of the company's provincial plant based upon much the same principles which had governed the london agreement. the question of purchase in the provinces was complicated by the fact that in some towns there were competing municipal telephones, a resulting duplication of plant, and an extension of the licence period beyond . by the terms of the agreement, the postmaster-general on the st of december, , shall buy and the national telephone company shall sell (_a_) "all the plant, land, and buildings of the company brought into use with the sanction of the postmaster-general and in use on the st of december, , for the purpose of the telephonic business of the company, (_b_) any licensed business of the company in towns where there are municipal exchanges and where the licence extends beyond , (_c_) the private wire business of the company (for which no licence is required) in use after the st of december, , with buildings, plant, etc., (_d._) all stores and buildings suitable for use in accordance with specifications contained in the agreement, (_e_) all spare plant and works under construction if suitable for the telephonic business of the post office." the plant, land, and buildings were deemed to be brought into use with the sanction of the postmaster-general if they were in use or being brought into use at the date of the agreement; in the case of plant to be installed, if constructed in accordance with specifications contained in the agreement and of land and buildings, if acquired or constructed with the consent of the postmaster-general. with reference to plant not constructed in accordance with the specifications, and plant and buildings of any kind in competitive areas, the postmaster-general reserved the right to object to buy such plant or buildings, the question of suitability in competitive areas to be settled by arbitration. the value to be paid for the company's undertaking, not in the competitive areas and not being private wire business, shall be the value on the date of purchase exclusive of any allowance for past or future profits or any consideration for compulsory sale or any other consideration. the value in competitive areas is to be determined by agreement, regard being had to net profits and to the circumstances and conditions under which the company would carry on such business after the date of sale. the value of the private wire business (apart from the plant, land, and buildings used therein) is to be three years purchase of the net profits on the average of the three years ending st of december, . any other property or assets of the company may be purchased by the postmaster-general, the price to be determined by arbitration, if necessary, and, after the date of sale, the telegraphic business of the company will be carried on (whether by the company or the postmaster-general) at the expense and for the benefit of the postmaster-general. in the meantime the company agreed to maintain its plant in good and efficient working order, not to show favour or preference among its subscribers, to accept minimum and maximum rates, to allow intercommunication without terminal charges between their and the post office subscribers in the same area, and not to collect terminal charges for messages sent over the trunk lines between subscribers of the company and those of the post office. the postmaster-general agreed to extend to subscribers of the company all such telegraphic and postal facilities as his own subscribers enjoyed, and to undertake underground works for the company elsewhere than in london under the same conditions as in london. an agreement was also reached that similar rates should be charged where the postmaster-general and the company maintained competing systems. as a result, measured rates were, as a rule, substituted for the old flat rates, much to the indignation of various chambers of commerce in the kingdom. in the case of complaint as to inefficient service, if the charge is held to be proved before a person appointed by the board of trade, and if it is not the result of a refusal to grant way-leaves, the postmaster-general may require the company to remedy conditions in the particular area concerned or may call upon them to sell the inefficient system to him. in the first case if there is no improvement or if the second alternative has been adopted, the postmaster-general may require immediate sale under the same terms that would have held if it had not taken place until the st of december, .[ ] [ ] _acc. & p._, , xliv, , pp. - ; _rep. com._, , vii, , pp. iii-xi. the income received by the post office for the fiscal year - from the london and provincial exchanges and trunk-line business was £ , , working expenses, £ , , balance for depreciation, interest, etc., £ , , leaving a balance of £ , over and above an estimated amount of £ , for depreciation and interest at three per cent on the capital expenditure. the london exchange, with a gross income of £ , , showed a surplus of £ , over and above depreciation fund and interest on capital expenditure, the provincial exchanges a deficit of £ , , and the trunk lines a surplus of £ . the number of subscribers to the post office provincial exchanges (excluding glasgow and brighton) was , . including the glasgow subscribers ( , ) and the brighton subscribers ( ), the total was , . arrangements were then being made for local intercommunication between subscribers of these exchanges and those of the company in the same places. hull and portsmouth were the only towns maintaining municipal telephonic systems in , hull having telephones in use and portsmouth . the number of telephones in the london post office telephone service was , , including public call offices. the agreement of , providing for similar rates in the provinces between exchanges of the post office and those of the company, was followed after considerable discussion by the announcement of the adoption of a new scale in may, . the rates are now based on the principle of a measured service under which each subscriber pays according to the quality and quantity of the service desired. he may contract for any number of calls from four hundred upward, and he may share a line with another subscriber at a reduced rate, or he may rent a line for his own exclusive use.[ ] [ ] _rep. p. g._, , app., pp. - ; , pp. - , . chapter xii conclusion the important points in the history of the british post office are necessarily somewhat obscured by the great mass of less important characteristics which accompanied its development. organized at the beginning of the sixteenth century as a means for the conveyance of state letters, its messengers, by tacit consent, were allowed to carry the letters of private individuals. the advantage so afforded for the control of seditious correspondence led to the monopolistic proclamations of the closing years of the sixteenth and the opening years of the seventeenth century. before the state obtained no direct revenue for the conveyance of private letters. the messengers or postmen who were supposed to be paid by the state, derived the larger part of their income from the postage on these letters and from letting horses to travellers. the object in retaining for the royal posts the sole right to carry the letters of private individuals assumed a new form in the seventeenth century. witherings showed that by diverting the postage on private letters from the postmen to the state the post office might be made self-supporting. legal rates were imposed, letters were carried at a much higher speed, and the system of packet posts was extended over the great roads of england. the supervision of private correspondence became a matter of only secondary importance. the struggle between the king and parliament resulted in securing popular control over the posts of the kingdom. at the same time, during the political unrest, competing systems of posts were repressed with difficulty. the inability of government officials to meet the increasing needs of a growing metropolis led to the establishment of a penny post in london by dockwra, a private individual. the first part of the eighteenth century saw the extension of a postal system in the colonies and an attempt on the part of the post office to obtain the postage on letters passing over the cross-roads of england. the increase in england's colonial possessions and her growing trade with foreign countries produced a corresponding growth in the packet service. the last part of the century saw the establishment of palmer's mail coaches in order to meet competition from the post coaches. the great increase in revenue which accompanied the industrial revolution led to corruption among the postal officials, resulting in the reform of . the period of rapid growth had passed, and the close of the eighteenth century was a period of consolidation for the new offices which had been created, and better coöperation in the work which they performed. the first forty years of the last century saw the post office at its best as an instrument of taxation. but this very fact drew attention to the lack of other and more important objects. rates had been forced so high that people resorted to legal and illegal means to evade paying them. the feeling was growing that a tax upon correspondence was not only a poor method of raising money but that its ulterior effect in restricting letter writing was producing undesirable results upon the people of england industrially and socially. a great mistake had been made by the post office in acquiring steam packets. they suffered severely from private competing lines and were always a loss to the government. a partial remedy was attained by the transfer of all the packets to the admiralty. eventually the popular cause, championed by hill and wallace, forced itself upon the attention of the government. a parliamentary committee, after listening to the evidence of representative witnesses, declared itself in favour of low and uniform rates of postage for the united kingdom, the result being the adoption of inland penny postage in . among the numerous changes which have characterized the development of the post office since are the successive reductions in rates; the transfer of the packet boats from the admiralty, followed by the resolution of the government to revert to the old principle of depending upon private enterprise for the sea carriage of the mails; the extension in the use of the railways as a medium of conveyance; the establishment of a parcel post; and the decision of the government to provide banking and assurance facilities for the thrifty person of small means. but the greatest departure in the field of the department's activities has been the acquisition of the telegraphic system of the kingdom. misled by their advisers as to the capital cost and induced by popular pressure to abandon strictly business methods of administration and extension, the telegraphic experiments of the department have not been a financial success. not only has this been the case, but, in their efforts to protect the revenue, successive governments have hindered the development of telephonic communication. at this late date we can safely assume that in the department should either have granted the telephone companies far greater powers or should themselves have assumed the burden of providing an adequate system of telephonic communication. in , the property and franchises of the telephone companies will pass to the control of the government, thus vastly increasing the work of the department if, as seems probable, the government should assume direct management, and greatly enlarging the number of dissatisfied members of that part of the civil service under the control of the post office. appendix expenditure and revenue tables table i gross product, expenditure, and net product of the post office of the united kingdom from march , to april , _year ending_ _gross product_ _expenses_ _net product_ £ £ £ march , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , april , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , [ ] [ ] _parl. papers_, - , _reports from committees_, ii, pp. - . table ii average yearly gross product, expenditure and net product of the post office of the united kingdom from to _gross product_ _expenses_ _net product_ £ £ £ - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , table iii gross product, expenditure, and net product of the post office of the united kingdom, including the twopenny post, from january , to january , _year_ _gross_ _net_ _loss on_ _ending_ _product_ _expenses_ _product_ _returned_ £ £ £ _letters_[ ] jan. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , [ ] _reports from com._, - , xx, pt. r. p. . before , the loss on returned letters seems to have been included in the charges of management. table iv average yearly gross product, expenditure, and net product, etc., of the post office of the united kingdom from to _gross product_ _expenses_ _net product_ _loss on_ _actual_ _returned_ _gross_ _letters_ _product_ £ £ £ £ £ - , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , scotland _gross product_ _expenses_ _net product_ £ £ £ - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , ireland £ £ £ - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , table v gross product, expenditure, and net product of the post office for scotland and ireland from to _scotland_ _year ending_ _gross_ _expenses_ _net_ _jan. _ _product_ _product_ £ £ £ , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , [ ] , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , _ireland_ _year ending_ _gross_ _expenses_ _net_ _jan. _ _product_ _product_ £ £ £ , , , [ ] , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , [ ] first payment of tolls amounting from £ , to £ , a year. d _rep._, app. no. , _rep. com._, - , xx. [ ] three quarters only. st _rep._, app. no. . table vi gross revenue, expenditure, and net revenue of the post office of the united kingdom, not including telegraphs, from to . _year ending_ _gross revenue_ _expenditure_ _net revenue_ £ £ £ jan. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , dec. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , [ ] , , , , , , [ ] , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , [ ] , , , , , , , , , , , , [ ] , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , mar. , , , , , , , - [ ] , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - [ ] , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - [ ] , , , , , , - , , [ ] , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - [ ] , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , est'm'd - [ ] , , , , , , [ ] st _rep. p. g._, , p. . th _rep. p. g._, , app., p. . [ ] expenditure for sailing packets in was £ , . [ ] postage ceased to be charged on government departments early in . [ ] th _rep. p. g._, , pp. - ; th _rep. p. g._, , pp. - . until revenue does not include revenue from impressed newspaper stamps nor does expenditure include cost of packet service until . [ ] in the beginning of the financial year of the post office was changed from st january to st april. [ ] th _rep. p. g._, , app., p. . [ ] th _rep. p. g._, , app., p. . [ ] including estimated value of services to other departments from - on. [ ] th _rep. p. g._, , app., p. . [ ] d _rep. p. g._, , p. . table vii average yearly gross revenue, expenditure, and net revenue of post office for the united kingdom not including telegraphs from to . _gross revenue_ _expenditure_ _net revenue_ £ £ £ - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , bibliography this list does not contain a complete record of all the authorities consulted. it merely brings together, with a fuller statement of title, the more important references scattered through the footnotes. unless it is otherwise stated, london is to be understood as the place of publication for the english books here cited. printed records--parliamentary documents--reports _acts of parliament._ _acts of the parliament of scotland._ vols., - . _acts of the privy council of england._ new series, ed. j. r. dasent. vols., - . _calendar of border papers._ _calendar of state papers, america and west indies._ _do.,_ _colonial._ _do.,_ _domestic._ _do.,_ _foreign._ _do.,_ _ireland._ _calendar of treasury books._ _calendar of treasury books and papers._ _calendar of treasury papers._ _finance reports, - ._ hansard. _the parliamentary debates._ vols., - . vols., to ; "new series," vols., to ; third series, vols., to . the work has been continued under other management since , as _parliamentary debates_, fourth and fifth series. howell, t. j. _a complete collection of state trials_ [to ]. vols., - . _journals of the house of commons._ _journals of the house of lords._ _letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of henry viii._ [cobbett, william.] _the parliamentary history of england, from the earliest period to the year ._ vols., - . _parliamentary papers._ since the volumes for each year have been arranged regularly in four series, as follows:-- . _bills public._ . _reports from committees._ . _reports from commissioners._ . _accounts and papers._ the volumes are ordinarily quoted, under each year, according to their consecutive numbering; but each series is also numbered separately. _proceedings and ordinances of the privy council of england._ ed. sir harris nicholas. vols., - . _reports of the postmasters-general on the post office._ beginning with - . these may be quoted either according to their consecutive numbering, or by years: st report = ; st report = , etc. royal commission on historical manuscripts. _reports._ scobell, henry. _a collection of acts and ordinances made in the parliament held nov. to sept. ._ . other books blomefield, f., and parkin, c. _an essay towards a topographical history of the county of norfolk._ d ed., vols., - . cunningham, w. _the growth of english industry and commerce in modern times._ vols., cambridge, - . de laune, thomas. _angliae metropolis: or, the present state of london._ . _dictionary of national biography._ eaton, d. b. _civil service in great britain._ new york, . froude, j. a. _a history of england from the fall of wolsey to the death of elizabeth._ vols., new york, . gairdner, j., _editor_. _the paston letters._ vols., - . green, e. _bibliotheca somersetensis._ vols., taunton, . joyce, h. _the history of the post office from its establishment down to ._ . knight, charles. _london._. vols., - . latimer, john. _the annals of bristol in the xviiith century._ bristol, . lewins, william. _her majesty's mails._ d ed., . _london and its environs described._ vols., . macaulay, t. b. _history of england from the accession of james ii._ vols., - . macpherson, david. _annals of commerce, manufactures, fisheries, and navigation._ vols., london and edinburgh, . maitland, william. _the history and survey of london._ vols., . malden, h. e. _the cely papers: selections from the correspondence and memoranda of the cely family, merchants of the staple, a. d. - ._ . may, t. e. _constitutional history of england._ . noorthouck, john. _a new history of london._ . ogilby, john. _itinerarium angliae._ . roberts, george. _the social history of the southern counties of england in past centuries._ . rothschild, arthur de. _histoire de la poste aux lettres, depuis ses origines les plus anciennes jusqu'à nos jours._ d ed., paris, . sharpe, r. r. _london and the kingdom._ vols., - . stow, john ( - ). _a survey of the cities of london and westminster, improved and enlarged by john strype._ vols., . thornbury, w., and walford, e. _old and new london._ vols. [ - .] periodicals _the economist._ _the london times._ _notes and queries._ with reference to the foregoing bibliography, the "letters and papers of henry viii" and the "calendar of state papers" have formed the basis of this sketch of the british post office during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with many references to the papers of private individuals and institutions collected by the royal commission on historical manuscripts. the "proceedings and ordinances and the acts of the privy council" contain important orders issued to the postmaster-general or the postmen during the sixteenth century as well as complaints from the postmen and the public. from the beginning of the eighteenth century the chief sources of information are the historical summaries appended to the "reports of committees and commissioners" compiled during the first half of the nineteenth century. of these, the "report of " is the most important. the "journals of the lords and commons" throw some light upon the history, purpose, and intent of the various acts of parliament dealing with rates and finance. "the financial report of ," various returns submitted to the house of commons, and the reports contained in the "accounts and papers" for the first part of the nineteenth century are chiefly concerned with the financial side of the history of the british post office. since the most important sources of information are the yearly reports of the postmasters-general, dating from , and the voluminous reports of committees appointed to investigate debated points in the organization and policy of the post office as well as to advise upon matters which had produced friction between the department and its employees. of the secondary works there is little to be said. the only one from which any important information has been obtained is joyce's "history of the british post office to ." this book contains a great deal of valuable matter arranged in rather a haphazard fashion and with no references. writing as a post office official at the end of the nineteenth century, joyce hardly appreciated the conditions which his predecessors had to meet. in stow's "london" are found some interesting facts about the london penny post, in blomefield's "norfolk" early postal conditions in norwich are described. the other books of the same description contain only incidental references to minor points of post office development. index abuses in the post office, - , , . allen, ralph, , , note. american colonies, post office in, , , . american express company, . annuities, . _see also_ savings bank department. arlington, lord, . arundel, earl of, . assurance facilities, . _see also_ savings bank department. bennett, sir john, . billingsley, , . bishop, henry, , . book post, , . _see also_ halfpenny post and rates, book post. bower, sir george, . bradford committee, , . british and inland magnetic telegraph company, , , . burlamachi, philip, , . buxton, sydney, , , . bye-letters, note. bye-posts, , , ; receipts from, , . canadian pacific railway company, . carteret, lord, . cash on delivery, , . chamberlain, a., . chesterfield, countess of, . clerks of the road, , . coaches. _see_ mail coaches and post coaches. coke, sir john, , , , , , , . competition in carrying letters, - . competitive examinations, . compulsory prepayment. _see_ prepayment of rates. cotton and frankland, , . cromwell, orders to the postmasters, . cross-posts, , . _see also_ bye-posts. cross-post letters, note, . _see also_ post-roads, cross-posts. cunard steamship company, , , . customs duties, . dead letter office, . delivery of letters, , , ; rural, , ; express or special, , . departmental committee, . de nouveau, . de quester, , , . de taxis, , . dockwra, william, , . double letter, note. dublin penny post, note, , . edinburgh penny post, . edison telephone company, . electric and international telegraph company, , , , . embossed stamps. _see_ stamps. employees, postal, appointment brought under civil service examination, , ; report of bradford committee, , ; of departmental committee, ; of hobhouse committee, - ; civil rights, ; postal unions, ; wages, , ; tweedmouth settlement, , ; strike, ; grievances, , , ; increase in wages, , . evasion of rates, - . _see also_ monopoly, attempts to break. express delivery. _see_ delivery of letters. farmers of the post office, , , , . fawcett, henry, , , , . fees, , , , . fifth-clause posts, . finances of post office, - . foreign connections: belgium, ; france, , , , , , , ; germany, ; holland, , ; italy, , ; united states and the colonies, note; stages settled on the continent, . _see also_ rates and sailing packets. foreigners' post, , . franking, - ; by members of parliament, ; of newspapers, . franking department, . frankland. _see_ cotton and frankland. freeling, sir francis, . frizell, , , . grimston, . halfpenny post, , , . hall, john, . hamilton, andrew, . hanbury, . hicks, james, , , , , , . hill, sir rowland, - , . hobhouse committee, - . inman steamship company, , . insurance facilities, . _see also_ savings bank department. ireland, post office in, , . _see also_ post-roads, rates, and sailing packets, ireland. letters, number of, . london and globe telephone company, . london district post, . london district telegraph company, . london penny post, - , , note, , ; receipts from, . _see_ twopenny post. mail coaches, , , , , . manley, john, , . marconi company, , . mason, sir john, , . merchant adventurers' post, , . messengers, , , . money order office, , . money orders, - ; number of, - . _see also_ rates, money orders. monopoly, attempts to break, - ; in carriage of letters and packets, - , , . _see also_ telegraphs, monopoly. mowatt, sir f., . national telephone company, - , , , . neale, thomas, . newspaper office, . newspapers, chargeable and free, ; franking of, ; impressed stamps on, ; number of, . _see also_ rates, newspapers. new telephone company, . norfolk, duke of, . o'neale, daniel, . opening and detaining letters, , , , , - , . packet list, . packets. _see_ sailing packets. paget, . palmer, john, - , . parcel post, , . _see also_ rates, parcel post. patronage, , . pattern and sample post, . _see also_ rates, patterns. peninsular and oriental steamship company, . penny post. _see_ london penny post. penny postage, - , - . pensions, sailors', . pitt, william, . plague, . political patronage. _see_ patronage. postal establishment, in seventeenth century, ; in eighteenth, , ; in nineteenth, . postcards, ; number of, , note; use of, . _see also_ rates, postcards. post coaches, . post horses, , ; fee for their use, , , ; licences and taxes, , , note; monopoly in letting, , ; number to be kept, , ; supply of, , . postmarks, . postmen's federation, note. post offices, number of, . post-roads, ; cross posts, ; in sixteenth century, , ; in seventeenth century, ; maps, ; re-measured, , ; in north of england, , ; in south, ; in ireland, , ; in scotland, . prepayment of rates; compulsory prepayment inadvisable, , note; unpopularity of, . prideaux, edmund, - , . raikes, . railways, , ; amounts paid for conveyance of mails, , ; authority of postmaster-general over, ; principles involved in estimating tollage for conveyance of mails, . randolph, thomas, , . rates, for letters, , , - ; by weight, ; re-directed, ; ships' letters, , , . in england, , , , , - , , , ; ireland, , , , , , , , ; scotland, - , - , - , , , ; united kingdom, , , . to austria, , , ; belgium, , , , , note, , ; cape of good hope, , ; channel isles, , ; denmark, , , , , note; east indies, , ; egypt, note, ; france, , , , , note, , , note, ; germany, , , , , , note, ; gibraltar, note; greece, note, ; holland, , , , , note, ; italy, , , , , , , note, , ; malta, note; mauritius, , ; mexico, note, ; norway, note, ; portugal, , , , , note; russia, note; south america, note, ; spain, , , , , note, , ; sweden, , , , , note, ; switzerland, note, ; syria, ; turkey, , , , note, ; north american colonies, , , ; united states, note, . in north american colonies, , , , ; west indies, , note, , . to the colonies, , ; to foreign countries, , . book post, ; money orders, , , _et seq._; newspapers, , , , , ; parcel post, ; patterns, samples, and writs, , ; postcards, , . registered letters, , , , . returned letter office, . roads. _see_ post-roads. royal mail steamship company, . royal post, , . sailing packets, abuses in connection with, _et seq._; british and foreign vessels, ; cost of, , ; customs difficulties, ; number of, , ; ownership transferred to admiralty, , ; steamships, - , ; subsidies for, , - ; use of private ships, note, , . to cape of good hope, ; deal and the downs, ; east indies, ; france, , , ; gibraltar, ; holland, - ; ireland, , , ; malta, ; isle of man, ; mauritius, ; mexico, ; portugal, ; scotland, - ; south america, ; west indies, _et seq._ st. martin's-le-grand, . sample post. _see_ pattern and sample post. savings bank department, , ; annuity and assurance facilities, - ; criticism by "economist," note. scotland, post office in, , , , . _see also_ post-roads, rates, and sailing packets, scotland. scudamore, - , . shipping list, , . single letters, note. smith, llewellyn, . special delivery. _see_ delivery. speed, ; in sixteenth century, ; in seventeenth century, , , note; in nineteenth century, , , note, ; by use of railways, , ; delays and attempts to remedy them, ; delays between england and ireland, ; means for securing speed, . stamps, , . stanhope, charles, , , . stanhope, lord john, , , . stanley, lord, - , . steamships. _see_ sailing packets, steamships. strangers' post. _see_ foreigners' post. sunday posts, , , . tankerville, earl of, - . telegraphs, cost to government of, , , , ; finances, , ; government ownership proposed, - ; international agreement, - ; messages sent, , ; monopoly, - ; press messages, , ; private companies, , ; railway interests in, , , ; rates, , , , , ; relations with marconi company, , ; underground lines, . telephones, call offices, , ; exchange areas, ; finances, ; government, , , , ; inter-communication, , , , ; licences, - , ; municipal, , - , ; purchase agreement, _et seq._; rates, , , , , ; trunk lines, , ; underground wires, , , ; way-leave powers, , , , , . threepenny post, - . thurloe, , . travellers' post, ; abuses by postmasters, ; by travellers, , note; trials of travellers, . triple letters, note. tuke, sir brian, - . tweedmouth, lord, . tweedmouth settlement, , . twopenny post, - , . unions. _see_ employees, postal unions. united kingdom telegraph company, , , . united telephone company, , . universal private telegraph company, . wages, , note; arrears in, , , , . _see also_ employees. walpole, spencer, . ward, . warwick, earl of, , . white star steamship company, . windebank, , . witherings, thomas, , - , , , , , , . york, duke of, , . the riverside press printed by h. o. houghton & co. cambridge, mass. u. s. a. transcriber's note: no copyright date is indicated in the source material, but the last date mentioned is november, . found at the end of the text is a list of corrections of discovered publisher's typographic errors. the bristol royal mail. [illustration: the postmaster's office, bristol. _from a photograph by mr. protheroe, wine st., bristol._] _all rights reserved._ the bristol royal mail. post, telegraph, and telephone. by r. c. tombs, _postmaster of bristol, ex-controller of the london postal service._ bristol: j. w. arrowsmith, quay street. contents. chapter i. _page_ development of the mail services. ralph allen. - chapter ii. mail coach era. john palmer. - chapter iii. onwards. chamber of commerce. old mail guards chapter iv. victorian era, - . mail transport by railway. travelling post offices chapter v. bristol postmasters. - chapter vi. notable post office servants of bristol origin chapter vii. post office buildings chapter viii. the local post office in early days. sir rowland hill. recent progress chapter ix. bristol as a mail port chapter x. postal service. staff: its composition, duties, responsibilities. volume of work chapter xi. christmas and st. valentine seasons chapter xii. public office: its business. the savings bank. public communications chapter xiii. telegraphs. telephones. express delivery chapter xiv. telegraph messengers chapter xv. letter delivery system. postmen: their duties and recreations chapter xvi. post letter boxes: position, violation, peculiar uses chapter xvii. rural district sub-postmasters. rural postmen. incidents chapter xviii. general free delivery of letters chapter xix. returned letter office illustrations. the postmaster's office, bristol preface iv ralph allen of cross post fame _page_ " his residence at prior park, bath " his town house in bath " his tomb at claverton john palmer, introducer of mail coaches old english "flying" mail coach mail coach. plate dedicated to palmer the west country mail coaches about to leave piccadilly the last of the mail guards arrival of the bath and bristol mail coach at roadside inn start of mail coaches from bush inn, bristol the old passage, aust john gardiner thomas todd walton, senior thomas todd walton, junior edward chaddock sampson sir francis freeling, bart the bristol head post office in the "great western" r.m.s. "monterey" the public hall of the bristol post office the telegraph instrument room, bristol cribbs causeway post office mr. edward biddle letter box at winterbourne hannah brewer, the bitton postwoman preface. in these days when books on every conceivable subject are written in their thousands annually; when monthly journals are produced by scores, and daily newspapers in hundreds, to supply the public with a record of the world's doings; and when readers are found for them all, it may not be thought unfitting that each large mail centre in the united kingdom which contributes by its postal and telegraph organisation to the dissemination of much of this literature, should in its turn have some record of its own doings. this present compilation has, therefore, been undertaken with that object in view, as regards the bristol post office, and in the hope that the facts, figures, and incidents contained in it relating to past doings and present days and present ways may prove of interest to the inhabitants of the county and city, and its surrounding districts, and in an unpretentious way commence, or add to, local post office history, and demonstrate that though bristol is not, unfortunately, the leading provincial seaport, as of yore, she has not lagged one step behind her competitors in respect of postal progress. the profit which may accrue from the publication of _the bristol royal mail_ will be devoted exclusively to the rowland hill memorial and benevolent fund, the chief patron of which is her most gracious majesty the queen-empress, who is about to show her great interest in works of the kind by visiting our ancient city to open the new convalescent home. the object of the fund is the relief of all post office servants throughout the united kingdom, who, through no fault of their own, have fallen into necessitous circumstances. it also affords assistance to their widows and orphans, for whom no provision is made under the superannuation acts. the fund is managed by a body of trustees, who are assisted by a committee of recommendation composed of officers of the post office. the trustees are well-known gentlemen of high standing and repute in the city of london, to whose benevolent efforts on behalf of the department the fund owes its origin. the superannuation acts afford pensions to those who have been in the post office not less than ten years. sometimes a deserving and distressed post office servant has not served long enough to qualify for a pension, and sometimes help is needed by persons whose time has been partly spent in the postal service, but who, because they have been permitted to carry on some other occupation, are not entitled by law to any pension at all. a pension, even if it should prove to be sufficient for the pensioner's own support, ceases at death, and the widow and orphans are often left destitute. there are more than eighty-one thousand, and, counting those employed only a portion of their time, nearly one hundred and fifty thousand servants in the post office; and in comparison with the number of persons amongst whom cases needing relief may arise, the assured income at the disposal of the trustees of the fund is still inadequate. in the period since the trustees have granted to necessitous cases in the bristol district £ , so that any proceeds from the sale of this book will be bestowed where such bestowal is certainly due. it is right to state that some of the information in these pages has been derived from _the history of the post office_, by the late mr. herbert joyce, c.b.; _forty years at the post office_, by mr. f. e. baines, c.b.; _the royal mail_, by mr. j. wilson hyde; and from _st. martin's-le-grand magazine_, also latimer's _annals of bristol_. thanks are due also to mr. norris mathews, the bristol city librarian, for his courtesy in permitting and facilitating access to old records in the public library; to mr. h. j. spear, secretary to the chamber of commerce; to the proprietors of the _times and mirror_, for allowing inspection of their old files; and for illustrations to mr. a. f. walbrook, of the _bath chronicle_; to the proprietor, _black and white_, and many others whose kindness is hereby acknowledged. the bristol royal mail. chapter i. - . development of the mail services. ralph allen. it appears that before post offices were established special messengers were employed to carry letters. it is recorded that such a special messenger was paid the sum of one penny for carrying a letter from bristol to london in the year , but the record affords no further particulars as to the service, and the assumption is that the special messenger was, in his own person, a rough-and-ready "post." later on, a post would be suddenly established for a particular purpose, and as soon abandoned when no longer specially required. thus in the year a post to ireland--irish firms being then considered to require "oftener despatches and more expedition"--was set up by way of bristol, only to be discontinued in a few years. there was in a direct but irregular post between london and some of the larger provincial towns, but there were no cross posts between two towns not being on the same post road. letters could only circulate from one post road to another through london, and such circulation through london involved additional rates of postage. bristol and exeter are less than eighty miles apart, but, not being on the same post road, letters from one place to the other passed through london, and were charged, if single, d., thus:--one rate of d. from exeter to london, and another rate of d. from london to bristol. this was in conformity with a system established in the reign of charles ii. that system went on until when a post was established between bristol and exeter, that being the first cross post in the kingdom authorised by the monarch's own personal assent. from bristol the posts went on mondays and fridays, starting at . in the morning. the posts left exeter on wednesdays and saturdays at . in the afternoon, and arrived at bristol at the same hour on the following days. under this cross post plan, the two towns being less than eighty miles apart, the charge was reduced to d. for a single letter. in three or four years the new post produced a profit of £ a year. in provost campbell established a coach to run from glasgow to edinburgh, "drawn by sax able horses, to leave edinboro' ilk monday morning, and return again (god willing) ilk saturday night." in the service between bristol and london became fixed, and on alternate days at irregular hours, depending upon the state of the weather and the roads, the extent of the journey and the caprices of the postboys and the sorry nags that carried them, the mail arrived in bristol. there were, however, only a mere handful of letters and newspapers. at the end of the same year, the post office authorities in london, after being earnestly petitioned by local merchants, counselled the government to establish a "cross post" from this city to chester. up to that time the bristol letters to chester, shrewsbury, worcester, and gloucester had been carried round by london under the system already described, involving double postage and great delay. the effect of this system, as on the bristol and exeter road, had been to throw nearly all the letters into the hands of public carriers, by whose wagons they were conveyed more quickly than by the postboys through london, and at a cheaper rate. moved by the success of the new cross posts from bristol to exeter, the treasury consented to the starting of the chester service. the post office reported to the treasury in march, , that the profit for the first eighteen months of the chester service had been about £ . the accounts of henry pyne, the bristol postmaster, appended to the report in the state papers, show that so far as this part of the service was concerned, he had received £ for letters by this post, whilst his expenses had been £ . the people of cirencester and exeter, hearing of the chester concession, hastened to complain of shortcomings affecting themselves. the devon clothiers had a considerable trade with the wool dealers of the district of cirencester, which town was served by the postboys riding between gloucester and london, with a branch postboy mail to wotton-under-edge. by there being no direct postal service of any kind between bristol and wotton-under-edge, correspondence between exeter and cirencester had to be sent _viâ_ london, and a fortnight elapsed between the despatch of a letter and the receipt of an answer, the result being that not one letter in twenty was sent through the post. all that was needed to shorten the transit from fourteen days to four was to put bristol in direct communication with wotton, the expense being estimated at only £ a year. the government declined to comply with this reasonable request, and nothing was done! [illustration: ralph allen. _by permission of the proprietor of "the bath and county graphic."_] soon after this time a post office reformer arose in our immediate district in the person of ralph allen. he, unlike later reformers, passed all his working days in the post office service. born at the "duke william inn," at st. blazey highway, in cornwall in about , he went as a boy to help his grandmother, who was postmistress at st. columb. in he was transferred as a clerk to bath, and on the th march, , he became postmaster of that city, in succession to one mary collins, and in that year appears to have taken over the management of the bristol and exeter cross road post, previously farmed by joseph quash, postmaster of exeter. in ralph allen contracted to farm the cross-country posts throughout the country generally, and to carry the mails by what were subsequently known as "allen's postboys," who were supposed to travel on horseback at a pace averaging five miles an hour. a robbery from these postboys carrying the mails between london and bristol was a common occurrence. two men were executed in april, , for having twice committed that crime, yet the letter bags were again stolen seven times during the following twelve months. the _london journal_ of august th remarked: "it is computed that the traders of bristol have received £ , damages by the late robberies of the mail." in the postboys were robbed twice in a single week, and for the crimes three men were executed in london. another incident of the kind worthy of mentioning occurred in september, . the bag then carried off by three highwaymen contained a reprieve for a man lying under sentence of death in newgate, and a second reprieve despatched after the robbery became known would have arrived too late to save the man's life, had not the magistrates postponed the execution for a day or two in order that it might not clash with the festivities of a new mayor's inauguration. [illustration: prior park, bath. (_formerly residence of ralph allen._) _by permission of the proprietor of "the bath and county graphic."_] about the bristol riding boys were deprived of their perquisite of d. a letter for "dropping of letters" at the towns and villages through which they passed. this was done because the postboys not only carried letters which they picked up on the road and did not account for at the next post office of call, but even went to the length of taking out letters from the mail bags when those bags were, as was the case sometimes, not properly chained and sealed. in connection with ralph allen's "by-posts," in the year arrangements were made so that the mails sent from manchester, liverpool, or any other place in lancashire, to worcestershire, gloucestershire, somerset, devon, etc., might be answered four days sooner than they could possibly have been answered before. in a new branch by-post was established from bristol and bath to salisbury, through bradford, trowbridge, devizes, lavington, tinhead, westbury, warminster, heytesbury, and wilton. in the growth of trade and population encouraged the bristol citizens to appeal to the ministry for an improvement in the postal communication with london, which was still limited to three days per week. yielding to this pressure, allen converted the tri-weekly posts into six-day posts in june, . the post began to run every day of the week, except sunday, between london and bristol, and all intervening towns participated in the benefit. in a further extension took place, whereby letters were conveyed six days in every week, instead of three days, at mr. allen's expense, between london and wells, bridgwater, taunton, wellington, tiverton, and exeter, through bristol. the mail service is not in further evidence in local history until , when the bristol merchants again showed themselves tenacious of their rights, and waged a bitter war against the postmasters-general in respect of the imposition of a double rate of postage on letters which, although under an ounce in weight, contained patterns of silk or cotton or samples of grain. there was a lawsuit, and the bristol merchants won it. a government notification in the local newspapers of the th september, , announced an acceleration of the mails between the southern counties and bristol. in future a postboy was to leave salisbury on mondays at six o'clock in the morning, to arrive at bath (a distance of about thirty-nine miles) at eight or nine at night, and to leave bath for bristol at six next morning. on wednesdays and fridays the departure from salisbury was in the evening, the journey occupying about nineteen hours. by this arrangement letters from portsmouth were received in this city two days earlier than before. [illustration: ralph allen's town house in bath. _by kind permission of the proprietor of the "bath and county graphic."_] ralph allen's improvements had great influence in the post office services in this western city. the profits on the contracts enabled allen to take up his residence at prior park, bath, one of the finest italian houses in england, in addition to having a grand house in the city. it is said that the profits which accrued to him from his long contracts amounted to about half a million of money. mansions so lordly are not for the hardest and best workers in the post office field of present times, for the nation does not reward its great men so liberally as then. nowadays an introducer of the inland parcel post service, the foreign parcel post service, an improver of the telegraph service, and leader in bringing about vastly accelerated mail services throughout the country,--works of great moment, even if not comparable with ralph allen, john palmer, or rowland hill's great achievements,--has, after forty years at the post office, to be contented on retirement with no more than the modest pension due to him, which will not even be continued to his nearest and dearest relative. allen benefited the bristol postal district in another way than by his improved post office services when he built the bridge over the avon at newton-st.-loe at a cost of £ , . he was buried in claverton churchyard, near bath. the inscription on his tomb runs thus:--"beneath this monument lieth entombed the body of ralph allen, esqr., of prior park, who departed this life y^e th day of june, , in the st year of his age. in full hope of everlasting happiness in another state thro' the infinite merit and mediation of our blessed redeemer, jesus christ." ralph allen did not hoard up his money or spend it on riotous living, but bestowed a considerable portion of his income in works of charity, especially in supporting needy men of letters. he was a great friend and benefactor of fielding, and in _tom jones_ the novelist has gratefully drawn mr. allen's character in the person of squire alworthy. he enjoyed the friendship of chatham and pitt; and pope, warburton, and other men of literary distinction were his familiar companions. pope has celebrated one of his principal virtues--unassuming benevolence--in the well-known lines: "let humble allen, with an awkward shame, do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame." derrick has thus described allen's personal appearance shortly before his death: "he is a very grave, well-looking man, plain in his dress, resembling that of a quaker, and courteous in his behaviour. i suppose he cannot be much under seventy. his wife is low, with grey hair, and of a very pleasing address." kilvert says that he was rather above the middle size and stoutly built, and that he was not altogether averse to a little state, as he often used to drive into bath in a coach and four. his handwriting was very curious; he evidently wrote quickly and fluently, but it was so overloaded with curls and flourishes as to be sometimes scarcely legible. the lack of all show about his garb seems to have somewhat annoyed philip thicknesse, the well-known author of one of the bath guides, for he speaks of allen's "plain linen shirt-sleeves, with only a chitterling up the slit." allen's son philip became comptroller of the "by-letter" department in the london post office. [illustration: ralph allen's tomb in claverton churchyard, near bath. _by kind permission of the proprietor of the "bath and county graphic."_] chapter ii. - . mail coach era.--john palmer. notwithstanding ralph allen's innovations, the conveyance of letters between the principal towns was carried on in a more or less desultory fashion. speaking of the want of improvement in , and the haphazard system under which post office business was conducted, a local newspaper gave this instance of unpunctuality: "the london mail did not arrive so soon by several hours as usual on monday, owing to the mailman getting a little intoxicated on his way between newbury and marlborough, and falling from his horse into a hedge, where he was found asleep, by means of his dog." mr. weeks, who entered upon "the bush," bristol, in , after ineffectually urging the proprietors to quicken their speed, started a one day coach to birmingham himself, and carried it on against a bitter opposition, charging the passengers only s. d. and s. d. for inside and outside seats respectively, and giving each one of them a dinner and a pint of wine at gloucester into the bargain. after two years' struggle his opponents gave in, and one day journeys to birmingham became the established rule. the mail service was carried on chiefly by means of postboys (generally wizened old men), who continued to travel on worn-out horses not able to get along at a speed of more than four miles an hour on the bad roads. on the london and bristol route, indeed, it had been found necessary to provide the postboys with light carts, but that method of conveyance of the mail bags brought about no acceleration in time of transit,--from thirty to forty hours, according to the state of the roads. a letter despatched from bristol or bath on monday was not delivered in london until wednesday morning. on the other hand a letter confided to the stage coach of monday reached its destination on tuesday morning, and the consequence was that bristol traders and others sent letters of value or urgency by the stage coach, although the proprietors charged s. for each missive. at this period john palmer, of bath, came on the scene. he had learnt from the merchants of bristol what a boon it would be if they could get their letters conveyed to london in fourteen or fifteen hours, instead of three days. it is said, however, that it was the sight of ralph allen's grand place at prior park, and the knowledge of how allen's money had been made, which first suggested to palmer the attempt to bring a scheme for a mail coach system to the notice of the postal authorities. john palmer was lessee and manager of the bath and bristol theatres, and went about beating up actors, actresses and companies in postchaises, and he thought letters should be carried at the same pace at which it was possible to travel in a chaise. he devised a scheme, and pitt, the prime minister of the day, who warmly approved the idea, decided that the plan should have a trial and that the first mail coach should run between london and bristol. on saturday, the st july, , an agreement was signed in connection with palmer's scheme under which, in consideration of payment of d. a mile, five inn-holders--one belonging to london, one to thatcham, one to marlborough, and two to bath--undertook to provide the horses, and on monday, the nd august, , the first "mail coach" started. on its first journey it ran from bristol,--not from london as generally supposed,--and palmer was present to see it off. a well-armed mail guard in uniform was in charge of the vehicle, which was timed to perform the journey from bristol to london in sixteen hours. only four passengers were at first carried by each "machine," and the fare was £ s. the immediate effect was to accelerate the delivery of letters by a day. the coaches were small, light vehicles, drawn by a pair of horses only, but leaders were subsequently added, and four-horse coaches soon became the order of the day, and more passengers were carried. an old painting represents the bath and bristol mail trotting along close to a wall, the guard receiving one bag and handing another to the postmaster without the coachman pulling up. one coach left bristol at . in the afternoon, reached bath a couple of hours later, and arrived at the general post office, london, before . the next morning. the down coach started from london at . in the evening, was at the "three tuns," bath, at a few minutes before . the next morning, and pulled up at the "rummer tavern," bristol, at noon. palmer gave up his theatrical enterprises and entered the service of the post office as comptroller at a salary of £ , a year, and certain emoluments, which, after a year or two, brought him in an annual sum of more than £ , . before palmer's mail coaches were at work the post left london at all hours of the night, but it was part of his scheme that the mails should all leave at the same time, . ; and as the number of mails increased so there was more and more bustle in the vicinity of the general post office at that hour. in london the arrival of all the mails was awaited before any one of them was delivered; and this led to the delivery sometimes not taking place until . or . in the afternoon, or even later. palmer, with his regard for the bristol coach, occasionally had the bristol mails distributed immediately on reaching st. martin's-le-grand, but all other mails if behind were kept waiting as before. [illustration: john palmer. the founder of the mail coach system. _by kind permission of the proprietor of the "bath and county graphic."_] upon the beginning of palmer's system on the bristol road a marvellous superstructure was raised. coaches were at once applied for by the municipalities of the largest towns, liverpool being the first to aim at equality with bristol, and york claiming what was due to the great highway to the north. palmer's plan made rapid progress and was attended with complete success. a splendid mail service was eventually set up all over the country. one result was that the "expresses" to bristol, which before had been as many as two hundred in the year, ceased altogether. in july, , the mails from bristol to birmingham and the north, previously three per week, were ordered to be run daily. the london to bristol coach was stopped by other means than those employed by highwaymen, the service having at one time in been suspended for several days by palmer, in defiance of the postmaster-general. in bonner and middleton's (weekly) _journal_ for the th february, , is an announcement to the effect that the irish mails arrived in bristol on the th instant instead of on the first of the month. the bare fact was stated, and the assumption is, therefore, that it was not an unusual circumstance. five days' delay would be thought intolerable now, as, indeed, is the present length of time occupied by the irish night mails on their journey to bristol. after being conveyed by fast boat to holyhead and express train to birmingham, they come on from that city by a "crawler" and do not reach bristol until nearly the mid-day hour. [illustration: old english "flying" mail coach.] in the same year ( ) sixteen mail coaches worked in and out of london every day. there were fifteen cross-country mail coaches, as, for instance, the coach between bristol and oxford, or, as it was commonly called, mr. pickwick's coach. during winter, in frosty weather, at this period, some of the mail coaches did not run at all, but were laid up for the season, like ships during arctic frosts. there is a model of an old mail coach at the general post office, st. martin's-le-grand, london, popularly supposed to be the model of the first mail coach which was built, but such is not the case, for, as already stated, the first mail coach ran between bristol and london, and the model has upon it the inscription "royal mail from london to liverpool." the expense of horsing a four-horsed coach running at the speed of from nine to ten miles an hour was reckoned at £ a double mile. mails were exempt from turnpike tolls. with the introduction of the mail coaches with well-armed, resolute guards, there was a cessation of mail robberies on the main roads. pilfering, however, was occasionally carried on; for instance, in the early winter of one thomas thomas travelled day after day up and down on the london and bristol coach. at last his opportunity came when the guard temporarily left his coach with the mailbox unlocked, and then thomas thomas looted the mails. on the cross roads the saddle horse and cart posts were frequently stopped and robbed ( ). one of the worst roads in this respect was that between bristol and portsmouth. proposals for the postboys to be furnished with pistols, cutlasses, and caps lined with metal, like hunting caps, for the defence of the head, fell through on account of the expense which their supply would have entailed. there exists a popular belief that the mail coaches were driven up and down the steep queen street in bristol now known as christmas steps. the belief is erroneous, for an inscription over the recessed seats at the top of the passage tells us that-- "this streete was steppered done & finished, september, . the right worpfl thomas stevens, esqr. mayor. named qveene streete." probably, however, the postboys who carried the mails in earlier days rode up the steep incline. a gentleman now writing in the _bristol times and mirror_ under the _nom-de-plume_ of "old file," delving in the historical garden of _felix farley's journal_, has unearthed the following very interesting announcements and advertisements, which throw light on the mail services of the time:-- "milford and brecknock mail coach. "a coach sets out from the 'white hart,' broad street, bristol, over the old passage (aust), every sunday, wednesday, and friday, at noon, and joins the above coach at ragland the same day; and a corresponding coach returns from milford on certain days." the chief point in the advertisement was in the paragraph: "n.b.--this road is nineteen miles nearer to carmarthen and milford than the lower one," that is, by the new passage. this was replied to by another advertisement, as follows: "a caution.--the public will please to observe that no other mail coach whatever does now, or ever has, run from bristol to milford haven, excepting the royal london, bath, bristol, and milford haven mail coach, which sets out from the 'bush inn and tavern,' corn street, every monday, tuesday, thursday, and saturday, and the mail coach to swansea every day from the same inn, notwithstanding the flaming advertisement of a certain set of men to deceive and mislead the public, by their asserting that the road over the old passage is nineteen miles nearer than that over the new passage, which is so far from being a fact that the road of the new passage is seven and three-quarters nearer, as was proved by admeasurement by orders of the office, making a difference of twenty-six miles and three-quarters nearer the lower (that is, the new passage) than the upper road." on august th the proprietors of the new passage coach came out with a larger announcement, and produced figures to prove their assertion-- "n.b.--this road is nineteen miles nearer to milford than the lower one, viz:-- upper road. | lower road. miles. | miles. old passage | new passage across the water | across the water ragland | newport abergavenny | cardiff brecknock | cowbridge trecastle | pill llandovery | neath llandilo | ponterdilas carmarthen | kidwelly st. clare's | carmarthen narberth | st. clare's haverford-west | narberth milford | haverford-west | milford --- | --- total | total in favour of the upper road, miles." "bristol, _ th january, _. "lost, on monday morning, small letter-bag, marked on it 'worcester and bristol.' whoever has found the same shall, on delivering it at the post office, receive five guineas reward; and whoever detains it after this notice will be prosecuted." * * * * * "general post office, _friday, th february, _. "george evans, of steep street, st. michael's, in the city of bristol, grocer, having been committed to the gaol of newgate, in the said city, charged with feloniously negotiating two bills of exchange contained in the bag of letters from worcester for bristol of the th december last, which was lost or stolen, and there being great reason to believe that one or more person or persons is or are privy to or concerned with him in the said felony: whoever will give information at the council chamber in bristol within one month from the date hereof, so that the said george evans may be convicted of the offence with which he is charged, shall be entitled to a reward of fifty pounds. and if an accomplice shall make discovery he will also receive his majesty's most gracious pardon. "by command of the postmaster-general. "francis freeling, secretary." * * * * * _june th, ._ "we understand that a bill for £ , drawn by the worcester bank on messrs. harfords, davis and co., of this city, and which was one of the bills contained in the worcester bag lost on the st december last, has been presented within these few days for payment--a circumstance which may probably lead to the discovery of the party who found the said bag." * * * * * _august th._ "last week george evans, who was tried at the old bailey in june last on a charge of forging endorsements on two bills (which, with many others, were contained in the worcester bag destined for this city that was lost on the st december last, and of which intelligence has since been obtained), but who was acquitted for want of sufficient evidence, was again apprehended, and was committed to gaol on a charge of having stolen a promissory note, drawn by messrs. harfords, davis and co., of this city, value fifty pounds, which note was likewise sent by the same conveyance from worcester, and being attempted to be negotiated, was stopped and traced back into the hands of the said evans, against whom a detainer was lodged on account of a similar charge for another bill of the same value, and precisely under all the circumstances attending the former." * * * * * "general post office, "_october th, _. "the postboy carrying the mail from bristol to salisbury on the th instant was stopped between the hours of eleven and twelve o'clock at night by two men on foot within six miles of salisbury, who robbed him of seven shillings in money, but did not offer to take the mail. whoever shall apprehend the convict, or cause to be apprehended and convicted both or either of the persons who committed this robbery, will be entitled to a reward of fifty pounds over and above the reward given by act of parliament for apprehending highwaymen. if either party will surrender himself and discover his accomplice he will be admitted as evidence for the crown, receive his majesty's most gracious pardon, and be entitled to the said reward. "by command of the postmaster-general. "francis freeling, secretary." * * * * * there is no record that anyone claimed the reward. this, so far, is the end of "old file's" researches. as the bristol mail coach was going through reading on the night of thursday, the th january, , the coachman was shook off the box, and, through his hands having been so benumbed by the cold, was unable to save himself. the guard jumped down and endeavoured to stop the horses, but without effect. they ran as far as hare hatch (four miles), where the coach changed horses, and then stopped, having met with no accident whatever, though they passed two wagons. the passengers in the coach did not know anything of it at the time. according to the _bristol directory_ for , the "bush tavern" office in corn street, conducted by john townsend, played an important part in the mail coach system of the country. its announcement ran thus: "royal mail coach to london at . every afternoon; comes in at half-past every morning. 'loyal volunteer' to london at . every day. royal mail coach to newport, cardiff, cowbridge, neath, swansea, and carmarthen every day on the arrival of the london mail. royal mail coach through newport, cardiff, cowbridge, swansea, carmarthen, to haverford-west and milford haven every monday, tuesday, thursday, and saturday on the arrival of the london mail. the 'cambrian,' a light post coach, the same route as the mail, to swansea every monday, wednesday, and friday morning at o'clock; returns every tuesday, thursday, and saturday evenings. "royal mail coach to birmingham through gloster, tewkesbury, worcester and bromsgrove every evening at . ; comes in every morning at . . a post coach to birmingham every day. royal mail coach through bath to tetbury, cirencester, and oxford, every morning at quarter-past , comes in at . every evening. royal mail coach through bath, warminster, and salisbury to southampton and portsmouth at . every day; comes in at . in the morning. coach to salisbury, romsey, southampton, and gosport every day at . (saturdays excepted), comes in at half-past . at night. exeter, _original_ 'duke of york' coach, through bridgwater, taunton, wellington, and cullompton every tuesday, thursday." in the london to bristol mail coach was robbed of the bankers' parcel, value £ , or upwards. this was made known in the form of a warning to the mail guards who travelled in charge of the post office bags. when in - the great frost occurred, the bristol mail coaches were obstructed by the heavy snowdrifts on the roads, and they came in day after day drawn by six horses each when they could struggle into the city. the literature of the period yields nothing of interest again for some time. the "bristol guide" in stated that--"bristow is the richest city of almost all the cities of this country, receiving merchandize from neighbouring and foreign places with the ships under sail." and again, "bristow is full of ships from ireland, norway and every part of europe, which brought hither great commerce and large foreign wealth." there was no mention of their carrying mails. the year is memorable in postal annals as that in which john palmer died. his decease took place at brighton, but not before he had lived long enough to see mail coaches splendidly turned out. palmer, on the conclusion of his connection with the post office, was awarded a pension of £ , a year, equal to his full salary, which sum he declared did not represent the amount of his salary and emoluments. further difficulties ensued, and his son, colonel palmer, fought his father's battles right manfully in the house, and eventually, in , the government gave john palmer a sum of £ , . in recognition of palmer's great invention, the chamber of commerce of glasgow not only made him an honorary member, but voted him fifty guineas for a piece of plate. the fifty guineas was spent on a silver cup, which bore the following inscription:-- to john palmer, esq., surveyor and comptroller-general of the posts of great britain, from the chamber of commerce and manufacturers in the city of glasgow, as an acknowledgment of the benefits resulting from his plan to the trade and commerce of this kingdom, . [illustration: to john palmer, esq., surveyor and comptroller-general of the post office this plate of the mail coach is respectfully inscribed by his obedient humble servant, james fittler.] chapter iii. onwards. chamber of commerce intervenes in mail affairs. old mail guards. a new coach, from "the bush hotel" to exeter, was put on the road on the th of april, , the time allowed for the journey-- - / miles--being fourteen hours--less than - / miles an hour. in june, a new coach started for manchester, performing the journey in two days, the intervening night being spent at birmingham. to accomplish the first half of the task, the vehicle left bristol at half-past in the morning and reached birmingham-- - / miles--in thirteen hours. an advertisement, published in december, , headed "speed increased," informed the public that the "regulator" coach left london daily at a.m. and arrived at the "white hart," bristol, at five minutes before at night, the speed being barely seven miles an hour. no fewer than twenty-two coaches were by this time utilised daily between this city and london. the start of the west country mail coaches from piccadilly at this period was an interesting sight. the continued wretched condition of the highways was not conducive to quick travelling; but in about matters were improved in that respect in our district by mr. john loudon macadam, who studied and practised road-making. mr. macadam was general surveyor of bristol turnpike roads, and although he found the trustees' funds only one remove from bankruptcy and their roads almost impassable, he succeeded so well that the finances flourished, and his highways became an object lesson to the world. mr. latimer, the bristol historian, mentions that although macadam was shabbily treated by members of the old unreformed corporation, and had many opponents, bristol deserves the credit of being the first to appreciate the value of his labours, which were recognised later by a parliamentary grant. he left bristol for london, and died in ; but his son became surveyor of the bristol roads, and continued to hold the appointment till his death in . [illustration: the west country mail coaches about to leave piccadilly with "go cart," bringing up late mails from the g.p.o.] the _gentlemen's magazine_, november, , announced: "a steam coach company are now making arrangements for stopping places on the line of road, between london, bath and bristol, which will occur every six or seven miles, where fresh fuel and water are to be supplied. there are fifteen coaches built." the turnpike trustees, who imposed extraordinary tolls on steam carriages, frustrated this scheme; but the threatened competition stirred up the coach proprietors, who increased the speed of their vehicles from the jog-trot of six or seven miles an hour, although not to such an extent as desired by the bristol chamber of commerce, which in this year made a suggestion to the post office for bringing the london mail to the city in twelve hours. the postmaster-general was also memorialised to accelerate the arrival of the west mail, so as to effect its delivery before the departure of the london mail,--a convenience of no little moment to the west india trade of the port, since it was thought that it would save one day in the conduct of business with the metropolis. at a general meeting in january, , it was announced that the president had a conference on the subject with the leading officer of the post office department, with the result that the latter proposed alterations which were carried out, and were held to be proofs of the postmaster-general's disposition to consult the accommodation of the bristol public. the former proposal was not adopted at the time, for at the accession of his late majesty king william iv. ( ) the london mail coach took hours minutes on its journey _viâ_ reading. it departed at p.m., reached bath . a.m., and arrived in bristol at . a.m., leaving again at . p.m. for the g.p.o. the bristol and brighton coach ( miles) was bound to a speed of . miles per hour. in january, , there were further post office matters on the agenda of the chamber of commerce, for it was resolved--"that this meeting recommends to the board the instituting an enquiry into the exact distance between the post office of london and bristol, with a view to ascertain whether the rate of postage at present demanded is correct." the enquiry was prosecuted with vigour, for at the january annual meeting in the following year reference was made to the turnpike commissioners for the several districts on the line of road between london and bristol having supplied a statement of the precise extent of ground over which the mail coach travelled, comprised in their respective trusts. in several instances measurements were expressly made. in the result it appeared that the route exceeded in distance miles, and the post office department was therefore entitled legally to obtain the rate of d. per letter as the amount fixed by the provisions of the act of parliament. it was thought by taking the route from chippenham through marshfield instead of bath the distance would be considerably shorter, and consequently bring about a reduced rate of postage. it was reported in the next year (january, ) that the requisition for changing the route had been pursued, and the president held a conference with sir f. freeling on the subject; but though every due consideration was promised, the alteration had not yet been acceded to. there was the significant addition that the application would nevertheless be renewed. a new royal mail direct from bristol to liverpool was established in , leaving the "white lion," broad street, bristol, at . p.m., reaching liverpool at twenty minutes past a.m. the new service was notified to mr. samuel harford, the president of the commerce chamber, by sir francis freeling, in the following terms:-- "g.p.o., _ th august, _. "sir,--having brought under consideration the memorial from the board of directors of the chamber of commerce of bristol, and from the bankers, merchants, and other inhabitants of liverpool, transmitted in your letter of the nd may last, i have the satisfaction to acquaint you that his grace the postmaster general (duke of richmond) has consented to try the experiment of a mail coach between those towns, through chepstow, hereford, and monmouth, and i flatter myself that it may commence about the middle of next month. "i have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant, f. freeling, secretary. "samuel harford, esq." * * * * * in the next year the chamber learnt with satisfaction that the direct liverpool mail through chepstow, monmouth, hereford, shrewsbury and chester, which was started as an experiment, had been continued, to the decided advantage of the public, particularly to all connected with the line of country through which it passed. as compared with the former route, the saving of time was equal to one day; the rate of postage was likewise reduced. the starting and arriving were at the most convenient hours the distance and circumstances, with reference to the passage of the two rivers, severn and medway, would permit. the coach had to run over the flat parts of the ground at a great pace, to make up for time lost at the hills. the contract time was miles furlongs in the hour. one of the chief mail coaches in the kingdom in was the bristol, carmarthen and milford ( miles _viâ_ passage, one hour allowed for ferry), cardiff and swansea. its down journey occupied hours minutes, and its up journey hours. the liverpool and milford mails were conveyed across the severn at aust passage, where the ferry had been located since the lord protector's time. a moderate expenditure on the piers at aust passage, though little regarded by the citizens at the time the work was in progress, with the introduction there of a steam vessel, was one of the principal means of bringing about the establishment of the additional communication with the districts over the severn, the uncertainty and inconvenience of crossing its estuary being then to a large extent removed. mr. oliver norris, now nearly years of age, and who has lived in the district adjoining the severn tunnel from his boyhood, can call to mind the time when the liverpool and milford coaches were running. they had to make their way from pilning through northwick, up to the old passage at aust, and in rough weather the passengers must have had a cold ride on the bleak river banks over which they had to journey. when the bristol and south wales railway was opened in , the aust passage was abandoned, and the ferry steamers commenced to cross from the revived new (or pilning) passage, to connect with the new train services at portskewet. when the penny post was introduced, mr. morris says that as the coaches passed through the villages the inhabitants in his district adopted a primitive way of posting their letters, which was to place the letter and penny in a cleft stick, and so hand up to the mail guard as the coach was driven by, and who, if the penny was not forthcoming, promptly threw the letter to the ground. the mail coach system was attended with many adventures. mr. moses james nobbs, the last of the mail coach guards, recounted in the history of his career how, in the winter of , when guard of the bristol to portsmouth coach, there were terrible snow-storms towards christmas time, and many parts of the country were completely blocked. after leaving bristol one night at p.m. all went well until the coach was nearing salisbury, at about midnight. snow had been falling gently for some time before, but after leaving salisbury it came down so thick and lay so deep that the coach had to be brought to a standstill, and could proceed no further. consequently nobbs had to leave the coach and go on horseback to the next changing place, where he took a fresh horse and started for southampton. there he procured a chaise and pair, and continued his journey to portsmouth, arriving there about p.m. the next day. he was then ordered to go back to bristol. on reaching southampton on his return journey the snow had got much deeper, and at salisbury he found that the london mails had arrived, but could not go any further, the snow being so very deep. not to be beaten, he took a horse out of the stable, slung the mail bags over his back, and pushed on for bristol, where he arrived next day, after much wandering through fields, up and down lanes, and across country--all one dreary expanse of snow. by this time he was about ready for a rest. but there was no rest for him in bristol, for he was ordered by the mail inspector to take the mails on to birmingham, as there was no other mail guard available. at last he arrived at birmingham, having been on duty for two nights and days continuously without taking his clothes off. for his exertions and perseverance in getting the mails through mr. nobbs received a special commendation from the postmaster-general. [illustration: moses nobbs. the last of the mail guards.] mr. nobbs tells that one night when the bristol coach was between bath and warminster, two men jumped out of the hedge; one caught hold of the leaders, and the other the wheelers, and tried to stop the coach. the coachman, immediately whipped up the horses, and called out, "look out! we are going to be robbed!" mr. nobbs took the blunderbuss out of the arms case (which was a box just in front of the guard's seat); but, just as he did so, he saw the fellows making towards the hedge, and then lost sight of them altogether. to let them know that he was prepared, he fired off into the hedge. he didn't know whether he hit anything, but he heard no cries or groans. the recoil of the blunderbuss, however, nearly knocked him off his seat. the blunderbuss, he said, kicked like a mule. it had no doubt been loaded to the muzzle, as was usual with those weapons. in the memorable storm of christmas, , alluded to by mr. nobbs, the bath and bristol mail coach, due in london on tuesday morning, was abandoned eighty miles from the metropolis, and the mails taken up in a post-chaise and four by the two guards, who reached st. martin's-le-grand at . on the wednesday morning. for seventeen miles of the distance the guards had from time to time to go across the fields to get past the deep snowdrifts. in the annual procession of mail coaches round london, at the head thereof was "the oldest established mail,"--the bristol mail, probably with guard nobbs in charge. some twenty-seven to thirty coaches took part in the procession thus headed. the old mail guards had a literature of their own. as an example, one report on a guard's way-bill ran as follows (it was a note to account for loss of time on north road):--"as we wos comin' over brumsgroove lickey won of the leaders fell, and wen we com to him he was ded." one old fellow used to laugh, as the men said, down in his boots, or like a pump losing its water. another used facetiously to say that he had better than a dozen children. "oh, mr. ----," said a barmaid to him one day, "what can you do with so many?" "well, my dear," he replied, "you see i've got but two, and they be, you must confess, a good deal better than a dozen." it is said that, with the exception of a single instance, no guard was ever convicted of a breach of trust while performing his duties. in the year of her majesty's accession ( ) there were no fewer than twenty-seven coaches running daily between bristol and london, and twenty-seven others passed between this city and bath every twenty-four hours. the times of the london coach were as follow: london depart . p.m., bath . a.m., bristol arrive . a.m., depart . p.m., arrive g.p.o. . a.m.,--a slight acceleration over . where now is the fashionable roadside "ostrich inn" on durdham down of a century ago, approached by a rough and winding track from black boy hill? at this inn the coaches called on their way to the passage. where now are the old four-horsed coaches rattling up to "the bush," "white hart," and "white lion" hostelries, and the old jolly dozen-caped coachmen and scarlet-liveried mail guards, with blunderbuss and horn? where now the bath and bristol mail pulling up at the roadside "king's head inn"? the inns are gone, the coaches gone, the jolly guards all gone too. what happiness their smiling faces brought to many who watched for their arrival by the mail coach from the west of england, and how gladdening the sight of their colonial mail bags to the merchants of the city and to the sailors' wives looking out anxiously for the monthly mail of those days! though single-sheet letters cost s. d. each, what of that? did they not contain accounts of sugar and rum cargoes, and of good news from absent ones. letters were letters in those days, and not the notes and cards and "flimsies" of to-day. [illustration: arrival of the bath and bristol mail coach at a roadside inn.] chapter iv. victorian era, - . mail transport by railway.--travelling post offices. although the world's railway system was inaugurated by the opening of the stockton and darlington railway in , it was not until that any attempt was made by a great railway to open up the traffic to the west from the metropolis. it was in that year that the great western company made a line between paddington and maidenhead, and mails were sent by it. the section from bristol to bath was opened in the same year. _woolmer's gazette_ of january, , speaks of the . a.m. "exquisite" coach for bristol, cheltenham, birmingham, manchester, and liverpool, with part of the service by rail. intermediate sections of the railway were completed from time to time, and, finally, on the th january, , the western line was opened throughout, and the coaches which had formed so striking a feature both of town and country life generally disappeared. one coach, however, obstinately held its ground in spite of the railway, and continued to carry passengers from and to london and bristol at the rate of d. per mile until october, . in consequence of the completion of the great western railway to bristol, extensive mail alterations had to be made, and they were commenced on the th july, , affecting the whole district right through somersetshire and devonshire into cornwall. some towns were made post towns and others were reduced from the rank of post towns to that of sub-post offices. to meet the altered circumstances, revised sacking of bags had to be resorted to. the instructions given by the president to the staff in st. martin's-le-grand ended thus: ".... any bags in addition to the ordinary number must be reported to the road officers by the clerks of the divisions, that they may be entered under the head of 'extra,' also any agents or portmanteaus for falmouth; and they must instruct the men carrying out the sacks and bags first to report them to the check clerk, and then take them through the letter carriers' office to the devonport or gloucester omnibus, as the case may be, as the guards will not for the future come into the office." it was at this time that the villages of hallatrow, high littleton, paulton, harptree (east and west), farrington gurney, temple cloud, cameley, and hinton blewett were transferred from the postal control of bath to that of bristol, under which they still remain. for several years the only trains carrying third-class passengers from bristol started at . o'clock in the morning and . o'clock at night, offering the travellers, who were wholly unprotected from the weather, an alternative of miseries, and at first travellers were not much better off in point of speed when travelling by railway, as third-class passengers were - / hours on the railway between bristol and london. the coach at the time of its being taken off performed the journey under hours. the "bush" coach office was closed in march, . the bristol and gloucester railway was opened to the public on the th july, . of the seven coaches which had been running between the two cities six were immediately withdrawn, and on the nd july the time-honoured "north mail" left bristol for the last time, the horses' heads surmounted with funereal plumes and the coachman and guard in equally lugubrious array. as late as her majesty's mails were conveyed between bristol and southampton in a closed covered cart, "proper for the purpose," as set forth in an advertisement inviting tenders for a new contract. the whole journey had to be performed at the rate of eight miles within the hour, stoppages included. the hours of despatch were: from bristol at about . p.m., and from southampton about . p.m. [illustration: "the old bush hotel," corn street, bristol. _from a picture in the possession of e. g. clarke, esq._] in a great mail robbery took place, which was committed with very much daring. the robbers, who booked from starcross station on the st january, left a compartment of the up night mail train (which left bridgwater at . p.m. and reached bristol at midnight); they crept along the ledge, only - / inch wide, to the mail-brake at the rear of the post office sorting carriage, and effected an entrance, having previously possessed themselves of a key of the lock. after having rifled the mail bags they crept back to their compartment, and alighted from the train at the bristol station, giving up their tickets to the great western railway policeman. not contented with robbing the up mail, they got into the night mail train from london to the west, which left bristol at . a.m., and actually had the daring to pursue the same tactics with regard to the mail bags in the locked brake. this further audacity brought about their capture, for the news of the robbery of the up mail reached the ears of the officers at bristol who were in the down mail, and so they were on the alert. on arrival, therefore, at bridgwater the second robbery was at once detected, all exit from the station was stopped, and the train searched. two men were discovered in a first-class compartment near the travelling post office, and registered letters and money letters were found upon them. in addition to the letters, masks, and false moustache found, a woolstapler's hook, which it is supposed was used by the thieves to hang on to the tender when leaving the first-class carriage, was also discovered. one of the registered letters stolen, it was stated, contained £ , , and the loss, as far as it was known, unquestionably amounted to _fifty times_ that sum. the robbers turned out to be henry poole, a discharged great western guard, and edward nightingale, a london horse dealer. the case excited a great deal of interest in the west of england, and when the trial took place at exeter the court was crowded to excess, and the avenues and approaches thereto were very inconveniently crowded. mr. rogers, q.c., and mr. poulden appeared for the prosecution, and mr. slade, mr. cockburn, q.c., and mr. stone defended. evidence was given by clerks in the lombard street post office, messengers and letter-carriers in the g.p.o., "register" clerks, clerk at charing cross post office, the clerk of the devonport road, guard of the mail from st. martin's-le-grand to paddington, and by letter-sorters in the travelling post office. jane crabbe, barmaid at the "talbot inn," bath street, bristol, recollected the two men entering the bar and calling for two small glasses of brandy-and-water. they were shown to an adjoining room, where they remained until o'clock, and then went to the bar to pay. they appeared impatient, and looked at the clock. it was suspected that all the property which, had been abstracted from the up mail was secreted somewhere in bristol, and a most rigid search was instituted, but without success. mr. cockburn's speech to the jury for the defence occupied over two hours. lord justice denman, the judge of the spring assize, sentenced the culprits to fifteen years' transportation. a select committee was appointed in to inquire into the causes of irregularity in the conveyance of mails by railways, and to consider the best means of securing speed and punctuality; also to consider the best mode of fixing the remuneration of the various railway companies for their services. the local witnesses, mr. james creswell wall and mr. j. b. badham, secretary and superintendent respectively of the late bristol and exeter railway company, and bristol residents, gave evidence before the committee, composed of mr. wilson patten (chairman), mr. james macgregor, mr. h. g. liddell, mr. h. herbert, mr. c. fortescue, mr. cowan, mr. thompson, mr. philipps, and mr. milner. replying to questions, witnesses considered two hours forty minutes, as fixed by the post office department, insufficient time for the down night mail to travel from bristol to exeter, including six stoppages. the delivery of mail bags at certain stations by apparatus without stopping the train was suggested, but witnesses considered the plan dangerous and that it could not with safety be adopted. the secretary of the south wales railway company, mr. f. g. saunders, gave evidence as to the frequent loss of time sustained by the south wales night mail through the late receipt of the bristol and west of england mails at chepstow. at that time the bags for south wales were still conveyed from bristol to the aust passage, thence by ferry to the opposite bank of the severn and on to chepstow. the conveyance of mails for south wales _viâ_ gloucester was subsequently adopted. all the witnesses complained of the reduction of railway parcel traffic through the then recent establishment of book postage and consequent falling off of receipts, also that the remuneration awarded for the carriage of mails was insufficient, although decided by mutually-appointed umpires. [illustration: the old passage, aust.] for many years the night mails were conveyed between paddington and bristol by a special train, which did not carry passengers. it was the only train of its kind in the kingdom, but so useful was it held to be in securing a regular delivery of letters that the government introduced a clause in a postal bill in rendering it compulsory for all railways to provide similar trains. on the st june, , the post office special great western train commenced to be a mail train limited to carry a certain number of passengers, so that opinion had by that time become altered as regards the value in relation to cost of a train exclusively for post office purposes. the travelling post office service assists greatly in the speedy distribution of letters, and by its agency remote places are put on an equality with the country generally in respect of deliveries and despatches. two of the most important travelling post office systems in the kingdom are conducted through, or to, bristol--the gate to the western country--viz.: the great western railway, with a travelling post office annual mileage of , ; and the midland and north-eastern lines from newcastle, with a mileage of , . travelling post offices, with a combined coach length of from feet on the day mails to feet on the night mails, are attached to the great western down trains which arrive at bristol at . a.m. and . a.m.; to the up trains, at . a.m. and . p.m.; to the trains leaving bristol for the west at . a.m. and . p.m., and for the north at . p.m. the midland travelling post office carriages are attached to the . a.m. inward train and to the . p.m. outward train. there is living at midford, about fifteen miles distant from bristol, a gentleman (mr. coulcher) who--now pensioned from the post office--was the clerk in charge of the midland travelling post office on its first run from bristol to derby in . he well recollects the night, and what impressed it upon his memory more than anything else was the fact that on reaching bristol, after he and his two subordinate clerks and his mail-guard (samuel bennett) had made almost superhuman efforts to get the work completed, he had to send , letters unsorted into the bristol post office, there to await despatch by day mails to towns in the west of england, instead of going at once in direct travelling post office bags by the connecting early morning train. samuel bennett, the old mail guard mentioned, and contemporary of moses nobbs, was frequently injured on road and rail. in he was much shaken when a birmingham-to-bath train by which he was travelling ran off the line. a few years later he nearly came to an untimely end, having been regarded as dead after being much knocked about when two trains between bristol and birmingham collided. on that occasion, after he recovered consciousness, he got together some of his mail bags and carried them on to bristol. the _gloucester journal_ said of the occurrence:--"samuel bennett, the guard of the mail bags, appeared dead when found, and was dreadfully cut; but on recovering, he manifested great anxiety for the bags. when the special train arrived in which the wounded passengers were conveyed onward, bennett, with great courage, determined to take the bags by this train, which was done." and the _bristol mercury_ wrote of him as follows:--"the mail guard, samuel bennett, was very much cut over the face and head, and bled profusely. happily, he was not rendered long unconscious or disabled, and with a conscientious and self-denying attention to duty not often met with, he refused any attention to his hurts until he had gathered up the mutilated letter bags and their contents, and made provision for bringing them on to this city." in the bristol district there is a railway post office apparatus station at fishponds, on the midland railway, bags being deposited thereat by the train due at bristol at . a.m., and taken up by the train ex bristol at . p.m. on the great western railway, the apparatus arrangement is in operation at flax bourton, nailsea, yatton, and hewish, chiefly in connection with the . a.m. train ex bristol. it rarely happens that any failures occur at fishponds or hewish, but vagaries of the apparatus are more frequent at yatton. about once a year something or other goes wrong, the pouch usually being dropped and carried along by the train, with mutilation of the mail bags and a general scattering of the letters. on the last occasion, after the line had been searched up and down, the embankment closely looked over, and the ground on the other side of the hedge on the down side closely scrutinized, all unavailingly, some two or three days after the accident a bundle of letters was picked up which, such was the force of the impact, had been "skied" into a field over two hedges of an intervening lane. on another similar mishap, a post office remittance letter containing £ in gold was burst open and the coins scattered over the line. after diligent search in every direction, £ s. was recovered. one half sovereign, bent in an extraordinary manner, was found between the metals three-quarters of a mile from the apparatus standard. the apparatus has to be adjusted with mathematical nicety, and if not so arranged failures are liable to occur. it is well that the public should bear in mind that packets sent by mails which are exchanged by apparatus are in more or less danger, and any article of a fragile or costly nature should, if possible, be forwarded by mails carried by stopping-trains. the places so affected in this neighbourhood are:--alveston, bitton, blagdon, burrington, clevedon, congresbury, downend, fishponds, flax bourton, frampton cotterell, frenchay, glastonbury, hambrook, hewish, iron acton, langford, mangotsfield, nailsea, oldlands common, portishead, pucklechurch, rudgeway, sandford, staple hill, thornbury, tockington, warmley, west town, willsbridge, winterbourne, wrington, and yatton. until lately mails for bristol were forwarded by the midnight train from euston (l. & n. w. r.) and reached this city by way of birmingham in time for the north mail delivery. it was on that railway that in a sad occurrence happened at watford, when a young man whilst in the discharge of his duties as fireman lost his life. the deceased was leaning over the side of his engine, which was stationary, watching for the signals to be turned, when the day mail train from london dashed by. the travelling post office apparatus net which had picked up a pouch at a point a few score yards away was still extended and it struck the unfortunate young man on the head, completely severing it from the body. the poor fellow's cap was torn from his head by the apparatus net and fell into the travelling post office carriages with the mail pouches much to the consternation of the travelling sorters, who found evidence of the mutilation on the apparatus framework. the net was only down for the short space of ten seconds. the travelling officials first heard full details of the accident on their arrival at tring, where the train next stopped. "once upon a time," writes mr. a. w. blake in the _st. martin's-le-grand magazine_, "the london afternoon mail was made up at a provincial office down west (chippenham), and despatched to be taken off by apparatus. all proceeded as usual up to the actual point of transfer, when a strange thing happened. instead of falling soberly into the net, the man in charge was astonished to see the pouch leap high into the air and descend he knew not whither. search was carefully made along the track of the departed train, but not a vestige of the missing pouch could be seen, and a local inspector who was travelling up the line promised to keep a look-out for it. just at this time an 's.g.' was received from the officer in charge of the sorting tender notifying the non-receipt of the pouch. as the mystery seemed to deepen, word was received that a signalman at a level crossing two miles away had noticed the missing article on the top of the train. quoth the worthy apparatus man: 'if it'll ride two miles, it'll ride two hundred'; and accordingly a wire was sent to the sorting-tender people asking them to search the top of the train, and soon came the reply that the pouch had been found on the roof of the guard's van at didcot. the train had stopped the regulation time at that hub of the great way round, swindon, and proceeded on its way without the extraordinary position of her majesty's mails being discovered." the occurrence was attributed to the swaying of the carriage, and to the apparatus-net not working quite steadily in consequence. at a later period than the mishap narrated by mr. blake, the bags for oxford and abingdon, due to be picked up at wantage by the up night mail travelling post office apparatus, and to have been delivered by the same process at steventon, were not found when the net was drawn in, and it was thought they had been missed; but at didcot it was discovered they had been thrown over the end of the net and were hanging outside it. since the opening of the severn tunnel in it has not often been found an absolute necessity to make use of it for the conveyance of mails diverted from the route from south wales through gloucester to london; but such was the case in february of the present year ( ), when a tidal wave of forty feet was experienced in the bristol channel, which caused serious damage by displacing the railway line between lydney and wollaston. the effects of the high tide were disastrous. a wave dashed on to the great western railway with huge force, and so disintegrated the ballasting of the permanent way that the lines were twisted into all manner of shapes. the mails to and from paddington to south wales were circulated _viâ_ bristol and the tunnel for some time. bristol is at a disadvantage as compared with london in respect of its continental correspondence, but is far better situated than many other provincial towns. the letters from the continent by night mails reach bristol by the train leaving london at . a.m. and, arriving at temple meads at . a.m., are on delivery in the private box renters' office at about . p.m. the postmen start out with the letters at . p.m. as the hour of posting for the outward continental night mails is . p.m., it is only the private box renters who have time, brief though it be, to reply to their correspondence on the day of receiving it. an appeal to the hon. member for bristol east was made by the writer at a chamber of commerce dinner to exercise his influence as a director of the great western railway in the direction of obtaining the use of a goods train for the conveyance to bristol of a midnight mail from london. in the end the railway company afforded the post office the means of bringing down a midnight mail, not by goods train as was originally contemplated, but by new and fast passenger train, with the result that half a million letters a year now fall into the first delivery throughout the town, instead of into the second delivery as heretofore. the letters posted in london up to . p.m. reach the head office in small street in time to be delivered throughout the city and suburbs by the postmen on their first round. under the old system, when "routed" _viâ_ birmingham, the arrival was often so late and irregular that the letters missed even the second delivery. the letters for the rural districts having no day mail deliveries had to lie at bristol for twenty-four hours, while now they are delivered on the morning of receipt from london. the advantages o£ the new system apply to parcels as well as letters, and the acceleration in delivery is particularly serviceable as regards parcels containing perishable articles. the railway company recently gave the department another opportunity of improving the mail services by establishing a merchandise train from cornwall and the west to london, reaching the metropolis in time for the letters sent by it to be delivered some three or four hours earlier than when conveyed by the first passenger train in the morning. strangely enough, the establishment of this new mail service was the means of enabling the hon. baronet (sir w. h. wills), the member for bristol east, to take his seat in the house of commons on the day of his last election, for the writ and return were sent by that mail to london in time to reach the crown office for all formalities to be gone through in connection with the seat being taken at once. chapter v. - . bristol postmasters. official records at st. martin's-le-grand show that postmasters of bristol were appointed as follows; viz., thomas gale, ; wm. dickinson, ; daniel parker, ; henry pine, september, ; thomas pine, senior, ; thomas pine, junior, th january, ; william fenn, ; mrs. fenn, ; mr. fry managed the office for mrs. penn from to december, , when he died, and mrs. fenn retired on an allowance in ; mr. cole, march, , died whilst holding office; john gardiner, th june, ; thomas todd walton, senior, st february, ; thomas todd walton, junior, rd may, , succeeded his father; edward chaddock sampson, st june, ; robert charles tombs, th april, , after having been invalided from controllership of the london postal service. in his history of the post office, mr. joyce tells us that in the postmaster-general himself settled applications for salary. thus when thomas gale, postmaster of bristol, applies for an increase of salary, frowde the governor satisfies the earl of rochester, the postmaster-general, that the increase will be proper. forthwith issues a document, of which the operative part is as follows:-- "you are therefore of opinion that the said salary (£ ) is very small considering the expense the petitioner is att, and his extraordinary trouble, bristoll being a greate citty, but you say that you doe not think all the things he setts downe in the aforesaid accompt ought to be allowed him, the example being of very ill consequence, for (as you informe me) you doe not allow either candles, pack-thread, wax, ink, penns or paper to any of the postmasters, nor office-rent, nor returns of mony, you are therefore of opinion that tenn ponnds per annum to his former salary of £ will be a reasonable allowance, and the petitioner will be therewith satisfied, these are therefore to pray and require you 'to raise his salary from £ to £ accordingly.' "rochester. whitehall treasury chambers, _december th, _." the office of postmaster was in the hands of the pine family, grandfather, father, and son, from till . in an old manuscript in the public library it is stated that there was a portrait in the possession of a descendant of the family, then residing on kingsdown, representing the older pine in the midst of his official duties, a bracket supporting a bust of mercury, and in his hand a letter thus addressed:--"on his majesty's service. to mr. pine, postmaster of bristol," and in the corner, "p. express. t. strickland." endeavours to trace the descendants and the portrait have proved fruitless. [illustration: mr. john gardiner. _postmaster of bristol, - ._] there is little history obtainable of the postmasters until the time of mr. john gardiner, of whom it is related that, born october th, , he held the office of postmaster of bristol from till his death in . it is believed that he obtained his appointment in a great measure through friendship with mr. francis freeling. mr. gardiner had to bear the brunt of the bristol riots ( ), in so far as they affected the post office administration of the city. in order to save the mails and belongings which were portable, such as the books, post dating stamps, etc., he set off with them in a coach and four for bath post office. he got safely through the mob and reached bath, where the bristol post office business was carried on until the riots had been quelled. mr. gardiner, in addition to being postmaster, was also an exporter of woollen and manchester goods, chiefly to the west indies until the slave trade was abolished. he then traded with newfoundland. he was high sheriff of the city in the year , residing at that time in berkeley square. later, however, he was enabled to live quietly at the old manor house, easton-in-gordano. he was buried at st. peter's church, bristol. [illustration: mr. thomas todd walton. _postmaster of bristol, - ._] mr. anthony todd, the secretary to the post office, - and - , seems to have been attracted to todd walton, of cheshunt, herts, either by relationship or from his name, and took him in hand. born in , mr. todd walton entered the post office in (fourteen years old). he had the long spell of service of forty-six years in the foreign post office and ten years as postmaster of bristol. he was five times selected for foreign missions, which compelled his residence in holland, sweden, spain, and portugal during the most disturbed state of those countries. mr. walton is described as having been a fine old english gentleman, one of the olden time, who wore hair powder, blue coat with gilt buttons, and shoes and gaiters; one who used to express his meaning distinctly, and mean what he said too. this description is borne out by his appearance in his portrait. he used to visit the bristol post office after his retirement, especially to have a morning glass of water from the old well on the premises. he died in july, , at his residence, king's parade, clifton, in his eighty-fifth year, and was buried in the adjacent church of st. john's. on his tombstone is this inscription: "here rests the body of thomas todd walton, late of cheshunt, herts, and of the foreign post, london, esquire. a quarter of a century an inhabitant of this parish, and for some years head postmaster of the bristol district. deceased th july, . aged . also of catherine elizabeth, his wife, elder daughter of thomas todd, of durham, esquire. she died april th, , aged years." on mr. walton's retirement, in , in view of his services, lord viscount lowther, the postmaster-general of the day, conferred the appointment of postmaster of bristol on his son, thomas todd walton, who had been employed as chief clerk in the bristol post office for ten years. mr. todd walton, it seems, was properly initiated into the mysteries of the post office art by his father, who decreed that he should commence at the bottom of the ladder and work his way up thence, so that young todd walton was in his day to be found at mail-bag opening, letter sorting and other routine work of the kind, which will account for the thorough knowledge of his business which he is said to have possessed when called upon to take the reins of office handed over to him by his popular parent. [illustration: mr. thomas todd walton (junior). _postmaster of bristol, - ._] in connection with the recent selection of the port of bristol as a mail station, alluded to in later pages, it may be mentioned that mrs. todd walton well remembers how, when the _great western_ steamship, which carried the american mails between bristol and new york for several years, was first due ( ) to reach this port, her husband organised his small staff for a night encounter with the pressure of work which the heavy mail would inevitably occasion, and obtained auxiliary aid. the little staff was at "attention" for two or three days, and when the news came by means of the runner from pill that the ship was coming up the avon, mr. walton turned out at a.m., rallied his little band, and went manfully to the work, which lasted for many hours before the letters were fully sorted and sent off to their respective destinations or delivered through the streets and lanes of the old city. in the autumn of the _great western_ happened to arrive on the same day that a large ship mail from australia by the _ruby_ was received, and the whole staff available--then only ten men for all duties--had to work night and day continuously to get off the letters by the mails to other towns. as many as , letters and newspapers were brought by these two vessels on that occasion. it is recorded that every available space in the premises was filled with letters piled as high as they could be got to stand, and great was the joy of the sorters when the flood of letters subsided. mr. todd walton had many other night reminders of the mail services besides those respecting the arrival of direct mails from america, as the rattling of the horses' hoofs, the clang of the pole-chains and the twang of the mail guard's horn as the coaches dashed past his house on their way to the passages must have frequently reminded him of his responsibilities as "mail master" of bristol. he would have blessed bristol's very able general manager of the tramways company had he been to the fore in those days to procure the benefit of freedom from the noise of traffic by the use of wood paving in our principal thoroughfares. mr. todd walton had the interests of the staff of the post office at heart, and, as an exemplification of his sympathy with them, it may be mentioned that when a promising officer in the heyday of youth met with an accident which eventually necessitated the amputation of his right leg, mr. walton did not allow the misfortune to stand in the way of the young man's continuing in remunerative employment in the post office, but found for him a suitable sedentary duty which he performed for fourteen years. mr. todd walton the second counted amongst his contemporaries and personal friends those post office literary stars, anthony trollope and edmund yates. mr. walton retired from the post office in . his death occurred at the clifton down hotel on the morning of christmas day, . he was in the act of dressing to attend the early morning service at all saints' church, when he fell into a fit of apoplexy, from which he did not rally. the _times and mirror_ of january nd, , gives the following memoir of him:--"the death of this estimable gentleman calls for more particular notice than the necessarily brief one given in last saturday's impression; for although mr. walton had for some time past ceased to be a citizen of bristol, he continued to feel an interest in the old city and its surroundings, and was remembered by many bristolians as one who had obtained, as he deserved, their affectionate esteem. succeeding his father--a gentleman of the 'old school'--as postmaster of bristol, mr. todd walton, through the long series of years in which he occupied that public position, evinced unwearied industry, keen intelligence, and singular courtesy in discharging the multifarious duties connected with it, and when on his retirement (carrying with him into private life the respect of his fellow-citizens) he was called upon to fulfil the duties of high sheriff of bristol, those duties were discharged by him for two years successively in a manner distinguished by great public spirit and generous hospitality. he was a man of considerable culture and taste, an extensive reader, and a reader who, happily, remembered what he had read. he possessed also a sense of humour and a ready wit which made him an agreeable and intelligent companion; whilst to those who enjoyed his friendship he was ever a friend, courteous and kind. blessed with abundant means, he helped without ostentation the poor and needy, many of whom in our own city will share in the general regret his loss has occasioned." in the centre of the church garden at all saints', clifton, stands a cross, which mrs. walton erected in to the memory of her husband. it was designed by mr. j. l. pearson, r.a. it is of granite, and stands on three steps. in the centre of the shaft is a figure of the good shepherd, and at the top are four sculptures, beautifully executed, of the annunciation, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the ascension. over these rises a crocketed finial, and the whole is surmounted by a cross. at the base are inscribed the words: "in loving memory of thomas todd walton, sometime churchwarden of the church of all saints, and a most generous benefactor to that church." by the death of edward chadwick sampson, the next postmaster, which occurred at clevedon, december th, , the post office lost one of its most gentlemanly and genial pensioners. for many years postmaster of bristol, mr. sampson was well known throughout the city, and held in high esteem by all with whom he was brought into contact. he had a long service in the postal department, dating, as it did, from to the last day of . in he began his connection with the bristol post office. he went to manchester as chief clerk in , but was away only six years, and returned in to assume the postmastership of his native city. it is interesting, as showing the enormous increase in the postal traffic, to recall the fact that when mr. sampson joined the corn street office in the premises were only twenty feet square, there were only fifteen clerks and postmen all told, and no one was allowed to have his letters from the boxes whilst a mail was being sorted. for his wide experience, his ability, and high integrity his work was greatly valued by leading officials in the postal service; whilst his sincerity and kindliness of disposition endeared him to employés of every grade over whom he had control. as the postman came to mr. sampson's door one morning, it was seen that the man was too ill to discharge his duties. mr. sampson thereupon begged the man to come into his house and rest, and he himself, with the aid of his son, delivered every one of the letters at its destination, afterwards seeing the poor man safely home. that kind act was indicative of mr. sampson's general consideration for those over whom he ruled. [illustration: edward chaddock sampson. _postmaster of bristol, - ._ _from a photograph by mr. abel lewis, bristol._] on the resignation of mr. sampson, it was generally felt that he should not be allowed to retire into private life without taking with him tangible evidence of the goodwill and respect of those with whom he had been associated. this feeling found expression in a gratifying manner, and the services he had rendered the commercial community during his postmastership were gracefully recognised by the chamber of commerce presenting him with an address illuminated and engrossed on vellum. exactly at midnight on the last night of he was invited, as his last official act, to seal what is known to post office employés as the "london and exeter t.p.o., going west"--that is, the mail bag of the travelling post office bound for exeter. mr. sampson discharged the slight duty devolving upon him, and received the new year greetings of his former colleagues, "auld lang syne" being afterwards sung. chapter vi. notable post office servants of bristol origin. probably the most illustrious man of the post office service who had bristol for a birthplace was sir francis freeling. sir francis was born in redcliffe parish, bristol, in , and was educated partly at colston school and in part by the master of queen elizabeth's grammar school. in an ancient city record it is stated that he commenced his official career as "an apprentice" at the bristol post office, where the combined results of his education, probity, and talents were soon discovered. on the establishment of the new system of mail coaches in , he was appointed to aid the inventor, palmer, in carrying his improvements into effect. two years later he was transferred to the general post office, london, where, in course of time, he successively filled the offices of surveyor, principal and resident surveyor, joint-secretary, and secretary from - . in a debate in the house of lords, in , the duke of wellington stated that the english post office under freeling's management had been better administered than any post office in europe, or in any other part of the world. he possessed "a clear and vigorous understanding ... and the power of expressing his thoughts and opinions, both verbally and in writing, with force and precision." for his public services a baronetcy was conferred upon him on march th, , a meet reward for his long, arduous, and valuable services. he was a warm supporter of pitt, but he suffered no political partisanship to affect his administration of the post office. freeling's leisure was devoted to the formation of a curious and valuable library. he was elected a fellow of the society of antiquaries in , and was one of the original members of the roxburgh club, founded in . he died while still at his post on the business of the country which he had so faithfully served, and was buried in the church of st. mary redcliffe, bristol. [illustration: sir francis freeling, bart. _secretary to the g.p.o., - ._] the inscription on the memorial tablet runs thus: "to the memory of sir francis freeling, baronet, who was born in this parish the th august, , and who died in bryanston square, in the county of middlesex, the th july, . for more than half a century his life was devoted to the public service in the general post office, in which for thirty-eight years he discharged the arduous duties of secretary. by unwearied industry in the employment of great talents, and by unblemished integrity, grounded upon christian principles, he acquired and retained the favour of three successive sovereigns, and the approbation of the public. he has left a name which will be remembered with honour in his birthplace, and which is cherished with affection and veneration by his children, who have raised this monument." sir francis freeling was thrice married. by his first wife, jane, daughter of john christian kurstadt, he had two sons. he was succeeded in the baronetcy by the elder, sir george henry freeling, born in , who matriculated at new college, oxford, th march, , and was for some time assistant-secretary at the post office, and subsequently commissioner of customs ( - ). there is a descendant of sir francis in the service, and the name may again be read of in post office history. the editor of _felix farley's journal_ (mr. j. m. gutch), of small street, bristol, wrote many letters on "the impediments which obstruct the trade and commerce of the city and port of bristol," under the signature of "cosmo," in the years - . the letters were afterwards published in book form, and the dedication was--"to francis freeling, esq., secretary to the general post office, f.a.s., etc., a native of bristol, than whom, whenever opportunity has occurred, no citizen has exerted himself more in the promotion of the public and private welfare of this city, the following letters are dedicated, and this humble opportunity gladly embraced of testifying the obligations and sincere respect of his obedient servant, the author." a postmaster-general has not emanated from our western city, but mr. arnold morley, late general-in-chief, is the son of one who worthily represented bristol in parliament for many years, the late highly-respected mr. samuel morley, the legend on whose statue near bristol bridge tells us--"samuel morley, member of parliament for this city from to . to preserve for their children the memory of the face and form of one who was an example of justice, generosity, and public spirit, this statue was given by more than , citizens of bristol."--"i believe that the power of england is to be reckoned not by her wealth or armies, but by the purity and virtue of the great men of her population."--s. morley. although sir francis stands out pre-eminently, there is a long list of bristol officers who have gone forth and gained post office laurels. first on that honourable roll may be mentioned j. d. rich, who, over half a century ago, first hung up his hat in the bristol post office, a "furry" hat of the old stovepipe kind, as he tells the story. mr. rich showed so much ability in meeting the requirements of the times at bristol that he rose to the position of president clerk. in , on the recommendation of the surveyor general, he was removed to bath, as peculiarly fitted to assist mr. musgrave, who from his advanced age was unequal to the duties, and the result was apparent in a great improvement of the local service. that mr. rich won golden opinions was proved by a memorial for his appointment to succeed mr. musgrave, addressed to the postmaster-general, and signed in a short time by more than a thousand citizens. the memorial was, however, unavailing. mr. rich, after performing various services under five other provincial postmasters, found himself at last in the enviable position of lord of postal matters in liverpool, and surveyor of the isle of man. on retiring from the service recently, he was made a justice of the peace in recognition of his distinguished services to the city. mr. kerry, telegraph superintendent, became postmaster of warrington, mr. harwood of southport, mr. carter (chief clerk) of southampton, mr. brown (telegraph assistant-superintendent) of king's lynn, mr. rogers (postal assistant-superintendent) of newton abbot, mr. walton of teignmouth, mr. righton of penzance, and mr. barnett (chief clerk for twenty years) of swansea. several officers of the bristol post office have entered telegraph services abroad. mr. j. wilcox is in the service of the western australian government at perth, and mr. w. a. devine in that of the british south africa chartered company at fort salisbury. mr. c. harrison is employed at pretoria, and was carrying on his vocation of telegraph operator at that town at the time of the jameson raid. mr. keyte has become assistant storekeeper under the british government in chinde, on the east coast of africa. chapter vii. post office buildings. there is record of a post office having been established in bristol by the convention parliament in , but the site is unknown, and probably the postmaster had post horses--not letters--to attend to. in the year mr. henry pine, the postmaster of the day, was one of the parties to an agreement for leasing a piece of land "with liberty to build upon the same for the conveniency of a post office." the wording of the said agreement shows that the old-fashioned form of building was not in every instance (as it now seems to us to have been) so grotesquely shaped from fancy, or, perhaps, from a desire to economise ground space, for it is therein expressly stated that the building to be used for a post office was to have the second storey extended to a truss of eighteen inches over the lane, for the purpose of enabling people to stand in the dry; for there was no indoor accommodation for the public provided in those days. "let the imaginative reader," wrote an imaginative writer years ago, "picture to himself our great-great-grandfathers in doublet and ruff, standing in a row under the eighteen-inch truss, while the worthy postmaster, pine himself, with perhaps one assistant, was sorting the contents of the mail bag. doubtless," wrote he, "they grumbled when it rained that the said truss was not half a dozen inches wider, and many a person as he became saturated in his time of waiting for his letters growled out his intention of doing something very desperate to the powers that were." in the "bargain" books of the corporation is the following memorandum relating to the foregoing:-- "_ nd june, ._ then agreed by the surveyors of the city lands with henry pine, deputy postmaster, that he, the said henry pine, shall have, hold, and enjoy the ground whereon now stands a shedd having therein four severall shopp seituate in all saints' lane, and as much more ground at the lower end of the same shedd as that the whole ground shall contain in length twenty-seven foot, and to contain in breadth from the outside to the churchyard wall five foot and a half outward into the lane, with liberty to build upon the same for conveniency of a post office (namely) the first storey to go forth into the said lane to the extent of that ground and no farther, and the second storey to have a truss of eighteen inches over the lane or more as the said surveyors shall think fitt that persons coming to the post office may have shelter from the rain and stand in the dry. to hold the same from michaelmas next for fifty years absolute in the yearly rent of s. clear of taxes...." this agreement must have been afterwards modified. for some reason or other, pine paid no rent until michaelmas, , when a sum of s. was received by the chamberlain, and "the post house produced the same yearly sum until when the rent was raised to £ ." the site of the little post office alluded to was required in in connection with the building of the exchange, and the post office was transferred to a house in small street, in later days occupied as the printing office of the _times and mirror_ newspaper. there seems to have been some informal understanding that when the exchange was finished a suitable site would be provided by the corporation for postal business, and in august, , a committee reported to the council that they had contracted for the erection of "a house intended to be made use of as a post office, certain workmen having agreed to build and find all the materials at the rate of £ per square (_sic_); while mr. thomas pine (nephew to henry, the former postmaster) had offered to become the tenant at £ a year, which he alleged is the highest rent he is able at present to pay." the council approved of the proposal, recommending the committee to get as much rent as was practicable. the house, which was of scanty dimensions, cost £ exclusive of a ground rent of £ a year given for the site. only the ground floor was set apart for postal business, mr. pine residing on the premises. the first year's rent (£ ) was paid in . between and the building must have been considerably enlarged, for in the latter year the post office is spoken of as a handsome and convenient building of freestone, near to the western end of the exchange, to which it has a wing projecting forward into the street; and there is another building, exactly similar to it, at the eastern end, which is occupied for a stamp office. in there was a contemplated removal of the post office, and it was deemed proper by the chamber of commerce to come on the scene by presenting a memorial to the postmaster-general; it is stated that the timely remonstrance no doubt contributed to relieve the public of the inconvenience of such removal. colonel maberly, the secretary to the post office, advised lord lichfield in that as the ground-floor portion of the post office premises occupied by the solicitors was necessary for the extension and improved accommodation of the office, no time should be lost in giving the several sub-tenants notice to quit, and mr. hall or the postmaster should be instructed to communicate with the corporation as to the means of effecting such alterations as might be requisite. his lordship gave authority to that effect. in the corporation granted the government a new lease of the premises and of additional ground behind for the purpose of having the post office enlarged. the annual rent previous to this new arrangement had risen to £ . the building alluded to is that now rented by messrs. corner and co. as a tea warehouse. few indeed, even of the oldest citizens will remember the bristol post office as located there, and the old square open public lobby where the letters were given out through barred windows. only the ground floor was utilised, and the area, of the site was but ft. by ft. a door opened from the passage by the exchange into a very small public lobby. in this lobby was the letter-box, and here all business with the public--viz., giving out private letters, taking in letters prepaid in money, and the issuing and paying of money orders--was transacted by clerks standing in the office behind a glass partition. the prepayment of letters by means of postage stamps was not introduced till some months after penny postage was established. there was not at the time a continuous attendance of clerks at the glass partition. at two of the slides in the partition there were small brass door-knockers, and on the public knocking a clerk appeared; from the inside office and attended to the wants of the applicants. when letters for the private box renters were being sorted a blind was drawn down. when the mail was ready the blind was drawn up, and three clerks attended to disperse the crowd which had gathered during the half-hour or so while the office was closed. the small space behind the public lobby sufficed for the stamping, sorting, and other necessary duties. one man, history saith, amongst the crowd generally got to the front without difficulty; he was a flour-dusted messenger from the welsh back! in the money order department had grown amazingly, and a separate room had to be provided for its accommodation. this caused the removal of certain solicitors from the first floor to make room for the postmaster's office, the one formerly held by him on the ground floor being converted into a money order office. in the shop on the north side of the entrance to albion chambers from small street was taken by the post office and converted into a money order office, it being found that the department devoted to this purpose at the general office in exchange buildings was not sufficiently commodious or convenient. it is on record that in the post office authorities offered £ , towards erecting a new post office if the citizens would consent to contribute £ , more. a meeting of some gentlemen took place in the committee-room of the council house to take the proposition into consideration, but owing to the small number of persons that attended further deliberation was postponed to a day not named. some of the leading citizens were of opinion that it would be wise to defer any decision on the subject until the intention of the government as to granting a criminal assize for bristol was known; for should the answer from head-quarters be in the affirmative, it would be necessary to build a new court somewhere, in which case the guildhall would perhaps suit as a post office. nothing appears to have come of the negotiations, and the business of the post office was removed on the th of march, , to the new office erected in small street on the site where it is now carried on. this original portion of the structure covers , square feet. the purchase of the site was completed on the st december, . it is stated in a legal document that the bricks, stones, and material on part of the site belonged to the bristol chambers co. limited. where the sorting office stands there formerly flourished a fine mulberry tree. there appears to have been no ceremonial in the way of laying a foundation stone, and the antiquarian of the distant future may be disappointed in not discovering the usual coins deposited on such occasions. in fifteen years the need arose for more space, and that then the bristol public manifested a keen interest in the position of the bristol post office was indicated by an animated debate which took place in our council chamber; and as this book affects to be in part a history as well as a narrative, it is thought well to give the report of the proceedings a full record herein, under permission from the proprietors of the _bristol times and mirror_:-- _friday, january nd, ._ "the site for the post office. "the town clerk said that as the next part of the report referred to the site for the post office, he would read a letter he had received from mr. lewis fry, m. p., which was as under:-- "'goldney house, clifton hill, _ th december, _. "'my dear sir,--as i observe that the question of the site of the new post office will come before the council on thursday, i think it best, in order to avoid any misunderstanding, to ask you to state to the council that the matter is not to be considered as a proposal made by the postmaster-general or the first commissioner of works. the exact position of the matter is this, that mr. shaw-lefevre, soon after his visit to bristol, requested me to intimate to the corporation that in case they desire the change of situation to baldwin street, he is ready to entertain any proposal which they may make to him with that object, provided it be upon the basis of an exchange of properties as mentioned in the report of the finance committee. "'i am, yours truly, lewis fry. the town clerk of bristol.' "mr. robinson said he would like to say a word or two on the subject of a new post office, as the wording in mr. fry's letter referred to the subject of the proposed change in the position of the post office. they did not want change for change's sake (applause), and if they could do without it they would be glad to do so, but sometimes change became a necessity (applause). he would wish to say a word or two with reference to the provisions for the postal arrangements in bristol, as to the inconvenience that the officials and the public were subject to, and a word as to the great increase in postal matters in the city and in the country generally. he wished to convey to them the magnitude of the question and the very growing character of the communications by letters, parcels, and newspapers, which were being circulated through the medium of the government and through the post office. he the previous day called upon mr. sampson, the head official of the bristol post office, and he might say that his ability was only exceeded by his courtesy (applause). he gave him all the information he had asked for, and he showed him over a considerable part of the building. in the course of the interview he gave him no opinion as to the site, and he did not think it wise to ask him. all he asked him, was as to facts--as to the present accommodation. he described the condition of the office as being one of congestion, and that they were put to all kinds of shifts, and that the sorting and minor offices were inadequate for their respective purposes (hear, hear). he saw a room where eighty postmen were engaged in partial sorting. it was upstairs and was approached by winding stairs with only a -inch tread, and the room was utterly inadequate for the purpose. letters had to be sent to clifton to be sorted because of the want of space in the post office. mr. sampson said more particularly that a large hall was necessary on the ground floor for an entrance, from which the various subsidiary offices should be entered. then he said that a good frontage was desirable. some people had suggested tunnelling and going to the other side of the street, and others had suggested a viaduct. offers of property had come from different people, so that the want of further accommodation seemed to be recognised not only by the post office itself, but outside. the present office was erected in , and had the officials been sanguine, or known that the business would have increased as it had, they probably would not have selected the present site. the work of the office had perfectly outgrown the capacity of the place. since new departments had been opened, and new duties had been created, and they wanted more room. the telegraph work was added in february, , and the sale of revenue stamps and payment of stamps as money had also been added. the parcel post came into operation in . they did not desire an extravagant outlay. the increase of the population was per cent., and the letters increased per cent. they were not asked to buy a whole street. he felt it would be admitted that the telegraphic despatches formed the essential, if not the primary, part of the arrangements of the post office. he was informed that the site in baldwin street was more convenient and closer to the warehouses and offices which greatly used the present telegraphic advantages than the present site in small street (a voice: 'no'). well, he gave his word for what he had heard. he maintained that the council had a supreme moment at the present time. they had a gentleman at the head of the post office who had viewed the new site, and now they found that the post office authorities were in the humour to make the outlay they had better embrace the opportunity. his resolution was: 'that, considering the want of adequate space in small street for postal and telegraphic arrangements, it is desirable that a new post office be erected in baldwin street, on the site recently viewed by the postmaster-general, if equitable arrangements can be made with the government for the transfer of the property.' if the government were not prepared to lay out money for the site, they could let them have the property on a ground-rent, without an outlay being made. it would not cost less than £ , to £ , to enlarge and improve the present post office, and he maintained that that sum would go a great way towards erecting a new post office in baldwin street. they would not always be able to get sites; and they could not always buy sites as they could oranges and nuts (laughter). in america people ran after him and asked him to buy land. not so here. he repeated that they had mr. shaw-lefevre looking favourably upon the new site, and he thought it desirable that they should take a bold step--such a step as indicated in the resolution--and put up a building which not alone should be noble, but commodious (applause). "mr. alderman edwards seconded the resolution. he was glad that the matter had been laid before the postmaster-general. a great deal had been said about the present site being more useful and convenient than the proposed, but he felt that the difference was very small indeed. the sites were within a minute or two of each other. in baldwin street they had a road ft. wide, and if small street were altered, however much, they would not widen it half as much as that. as to the positions of the banks, some of the important ones were nearer baldwin street than the other street. at any rate, the old bank, stuckey's, and the national provincial banks were nearer baldwin street than small street. the speaker then named several large warehouses which were, he urged, closer to the proposed site than small street. at baldwin street they had an acre of ground for the present or future. he would not give the land to the post office authorities, but he suggested that they should be liberal towards them in their offer. if the post office authorities wished to give them the old office in exchange for the site, it might be utilised by the corporation. "mr. c. wills supported the resolution. he would advance one or two reasons why they should make the best terms they could with the postmaster-general. that the present post office was inconveniently small was generally admitted, and he maintained that if the proposed additions were made to the existing building, the extra facilities would not meet the ever-increasing demands on the post office for more than six or eight years. the various departments of the present building were too small for development and carrying on the important work of a post office. personally, he would as soon for the post office to be in one street as the other, but he felt it would redound to the credit of the city to see a fine building erected in baldwin street. if they had the post office there it would enhance the value of the other sites in the thoroughfare. very shortly they would have the sixpenny telegrams, and then the increase in telegraphic communication would be very great indeed, and the present building would soon become inadequate to the demand. then, again, they saw that the present postmaster-general did not intend to give up the parcels post, and the development of this branch of the post office work would be very great indeed. then, again, there would be increased vehicular traffic to the post office; and could this, he asked, be carried out to the comfort of the citizens in small street? the turning point arose from mr. shaw-lefevre visiting the chamber of commerce recently. that gentleman visited the site in baldwin street, and he, no doubt, saw that the site would be better and superior to the one in small street. "mr. pethick said that they had come to a turning point in the history of the city of bristol. the question was whether they should continue the system of compression that they had suffered from for so many years. small street was a narrow thoroughfare; it was only a back lane to broad street. ('oh! oh!') it was called small street and had a carriage way of only ft. ('no, no.') he must repeat that at one point in small street the carriage way was only ft. wide. "mr. daniel protested against mr. pethick saying that small street was the back lane to broad street, and that the carriage road was only ft. (hear, hear). the narrow part of small street would come down when the improvements to the post office took place. "mr. pethick: i state facts--what the street is to-day. "mr. daniel: but is the narrow part you speak of the entrance to small street? "mr. pethick: it is the approach from bristol bridge, _viâ_ the exchange, for mail carriages and other traffic, and all must pass through the narrow part, which is only ft. wide. even if this were taken away, mr. pethick continued, they would still have a narrow space to pass through. the whole would not be , superficial feet; and above all, with so bad an access, they proposed to enlarge the present building. "mr. alderman proctor baker: it is not proposed. "mr. pethick observed that in baldwin street they had a good carriage way, and they would have a front and back entrance to a new building. he hoped no little or narrow parochial spirit would be put forward in this matter. the difference of the distance of the two sites was so small as to be insignificant, and he trusted they would endeavour to get a handsome and commodious building erected on the baldwin street side of the city. "mr. alderman proctor baker said they were indebted to mr. robinson for his interesting details, but he did not think they were details for the council to study, but for the study of the government. the post office was a government undertaking, and carried on for profit by the government, and it was on their shoulders, and theirs alone, to provide proper premises. there were two questions involved in the resolution before them, and if it could be so arranged he should like a separate opinion being taken. one question was the actual position of the future post office--whether it was to be in small street or baldwin street. the other question was whether the council was prepared to sell to the post office the land in baldwin street and receive in exchange the building in small street. as regarded the question of convenience there was very little to be said on either side; but with regard to the other matter he thought they should not agree to exchange the land for the present post office building. if they took over the existing building, it could only he pulled or used for public offices. already they had a population of , persons, and the area of the city was to be extended; and if they believed in the progress of the city they must expect it by-and-by to be the centre of a quarter of a million of people. it would be impossible, as it would be discreditable, for them to attempt to carry on that great municipality in such buildings as they now had. the chamber in which they were assembled was in a bad condition; the air at that moment was as foul as it could be; and if they took over the present post office and applied it for the purposes of the municipality, they would perpetuate the present discomfort, inconvenience, etc., of having divided offices, and postpone for half a century the erection of a large municipal building, in which all their offices would be. as to baldwin street and small street sites, there was much to be said on both sides; but if it was proposed to take in exchange the post office building for their land the council should vote against it (hear, hear). he sincerely trusted they would not take over a building which would keep up the inconvenience they now suffered from (hear, hear). "mr. lane said it seemed to him that they were simply asked the question whether the council were desirous that there should be such a change in the position of the post office. every argument for the change was a thoroughly good one which should weigh with them. selfish considerations and every consideration should be banished (applause), and they should consider it in the interest of the city and in the interest of the development of the trade of the future. the opinion of the postmaster was a great argument in favour of larger premises. "mr. inskip argued that the representatives of the ratepayers were not there to carry out the bidding of the postmaster. it might be wise and proper for him to communicate his views to the department with which he was connected, but it seemed unreasonable to ask members of the council to vote for what he was in favour of. he ventured to suggest that the arrangement proposed by the report would be unlawful, and to enter into the exchange would be an unlawful proceeding. they acquired land in baldwin street under the public health act for carrying out improvements, and he could not see how it could be said that the buildings in small street would be required for the purpose of improvements. before they entered into the exchange they ought to obtain power by act of parliament. if they entered into a speculation of that sort they would be transgressing the law of the land. with regard to the matter of convenience, if they took the outlying districts of the city they would see that the people who lived there went to the post office after the branch offices were closed, and they would see that small street was appreciably more convenient for the outlying population than the baldwin street site could possibly be (applause). then as to the piece of land which would be obtained, the argument of mr. pethick was a strong one to retain it. the guildhall was there, and it had been promised for years that small street should be improved, and that improvement would be accomplished if the government had no. , small street, which would be set back, and they would have done a great deal to redeem the promise made some years ago (applause). "mr. dix said he was very much obliged to mr. robinson for his figures. they all felt that there had been a great growth in the postal arrangements of the country, and that there would be a great growth in the future; and if it had been shown to him that they could not have a good building in small street by having the one there altered by the authorities, and that they could have a proper one in baldwin street, he would say let them go to baldwin street; but it did not come before them in that light. they were anticipating that the postal authorities could not make a proper building in small street; but he could not see how mr. robinson and those who advocated the baldwin street site came to such a conclusion. if they had the buildings in small street, that street would be improved, which had been anticipated for years, and they would have the post office close to the guildhall and that great place of commerce--the commercial rooms (applause). he argued that the city did not want the property in small street--it would be useless to them; and he hoped they would pronounce against it going forth to the postmaster-general that it was the wish of the council to alter the site (applause). "mr. s. g. james said he did not think that they should be saddled with a building that would not be any good to them. he suggested that it should be represented to the government that the building would be a good one for a stamp and excise office, and that it would be convenient to have those offices moved from queen square to the building in small street. he thought that would be a very wise suggestion to make to the government. "mr. daniel said he viewed the proposition to shift the post office as one of the most solemn and weighty that had been considered by the town council for years (hear, hear). by common consent, and by the development of the city trade, where the post office now was the centre of commerce, and they should hesitate very much before they changed it (hear, hear); and the council, being trustees of the property owned by the city, and looking at the extent of that property in the neighbourhood of the post office, and the outlay made on it by the city, he could not understand why they made the suggestion to run away from small street (applause). they had under arbitration paid to the bank £ , for a piece of land, and that was surely not to keep the street as a narrow lane. if the present post office were retained, the authorities would take the houses that would be put in a line with the post office, and two-thirds of small street would be converted into a wide street--and it was only to shave off the water works offices and adjoining building, and then they would have a good wide street (hear, hear). the corporation during the last twenty years had spent in the neighbourhood not less than £ , , and if by establishing the post office in baldwin street they would enhance the value of the adjoining property, so taking it away from the centre of the city would depreciate the property there. it would not be doing justice to the citizens to take it away from small street and remove it to a remote spot like baldwin street. ('oh, oh!' and laughter.) it was a remote spot, and he did not know that a street through which were a tram line and continual cab traffic was the best place for a post office. he believed a quiet street would be the better place. he farther argued that the proper place for the post office was where it was--in the neighbourhood of the assize courts, where the county court was held all the year round, and the assizes and sessions were held, and at the back of the commercial rooms, to which there were upwards of subscribers. "mr. alderman naish said that what weighed with him was that the government had not applied for a better site. he apprehended that mr. shaw-lefevre was perfectly satisfied with the accommodation he could get on the present site. he had seen the draft of the bill promoted by the government for taking possession of a building under the compulsory powers at a fair valuation. someone in bristol wished them to go somewhere else. all mr. shaw-lefevre said was that if the citizens wanted to go elsewhere they must take the old building. the postmaster-general did not suggest the removal, but somebody else did (hear, hear). the postmaster-general knew his business, and he probably considered that the present office could be enlarged so as to provide all the accommodation necessary. they could thus have a good public improvement in the centre of the city, and at the same time provide for the postal requirements. they were simply asked to go to a street in which certain people were interested, which, although a large thoroughfare, had two lines of tramways running through it. he hoped the council would not agree to the proposal. "mr. matthews said if the question was put to them simply, did they require more postal accommodation?--they would unhesitatingly say that they did; but the question of site was a totally different matter. they had not gone into the question whether another site would not be a better one than the baldwin street one. he moved that the question of a site be remitted to a committee, with instructions to report to the council, and that the committee consist of the mayor, aldermen spark, harvey, and naish, and messrs. townsend, c. f. hare, barker, and inskip. "mr. levy considered that the city was indebted to those who suggested the baldwin street site. there could be no two opinions about the matter (cries of 'oh,' and laughter). they had seen an amusing correspondence in the papers about it. he would not do anything to injure the _times and mirror_ for a moment (laughter). in baldwin street a constitutional club had been established, and the _times and mirror_ might consider that institution (laughter). "mr. whitwill thought they should simply confine themselves to an expression of opinion as to the desirability of baldwin street site, for he should be strongly opposed to the exchange (hear, hear). "mr. h. g. gardner said the position in small street was preferable to him, but they ought to sink personal convenience. the chamber of commerce suggested the matter, and he looked on that body as young bristol. "mr. robinson said he only meant that the property should be taken over if an equitable arrangement could be come to. he would drop the last part of his resolution, and it would now read as follows:--'that, considering the want of adequate space in small street for the postal telegram arrangements, it is desirable that a new post office be erected in baldwin street on the site recently viewed by the postmaster-general.' "the motion was then put with the following result:--_for_: aldermen lucas, edwards, jose, spark; messrs. moore, robinson, james, pethick, wills, bartlett, fear, bush, townsend, c. gardner, jefferies, h. g. gardner, low, lane, levy, garton, derham, whitwill, barker-- . _against_: the mayor; aldermen morgan, smith, naish, fox, jones, hathway, harvey, cope-proctor; messrs. terrett, dix, gibson, alsop, francis, bastow, a. baker, c. f. hare, c. b. hare, harvey, c. nash, hall, lockley, daniel, matthews, follwoll, sibly, inskip-- . aldermen proctor baker and george and mr. dole did not vote. "mr. levy asked if the postmaster-general made an offer it would be entertained. "the town clerk said he supposed that any offer from the postmaster-general or anybody else would be considered." the council dropped the matter of removal, and an enlargement of the post office was commenced in on , square feet of ground on which the rectory house of st. mary werburgh formerly stood. the enlargement was completed in . the structure was designed by the surveyor of her majesty's office of works. in making his plan in no doubt the surveyor thought he was building for, at least, fifty years; and so he set back his building to form a square structure, instead of following the line of street as laid down by the city authorities in their act of parliament. the new part of the building had to conform to the city line, and had, therefore, to be built at an angle with the old office, which detracts from the general appearance. the post office building in small street stands on a site , square feet in extent; and now, thirty-one years from the opening of the new office and ten years from its enlargement, further extension is necessary, and the erection of a second or supplementary office larger in dimensions than the present structure is about to be proceeded with. as the work in the post office goes on through the whole day and night, the air in the working rooms became vitiated and over-heated when lighted with gas. in the effectual remedy of abandoning the use of gas and adopting electric light was carried out. the corporation provides the current. the lamps used are arc lamps, of approximately candle-power each, and glow lamps of , , or candle-power. two million gallons of water a year are used to keep the buildings clean. [illustration: the bristol head post office in . _from a photograph by mr. protheroe, wine street, bristol._] as the post office, from its size, if not from its architectural beauty, dominates small street in some measure it may be well here to introduce particulars from an ancient manuscript in the city library, which show that small street has been a street ever since anglo-saxon times. about small street and st. leonard's lane lived some of bristol's greatest merchants. for hundreds of years there was not within the walls of bristol a more fashionable street than small street. many of the mansions there had good gardens. in the reign of charles ii. there were only six houses on the west, or post office, side of the street. amongst the worthies who resided there were the colstons, the creswicks, the kitchens, the seymours, the esterfields, the codringtons, the haymans, the kilkes; john foster, the founder of the almshouse on st. michael's hill; nicholas thorne, one of the founders of our grammar school; and thomas fenn, attorney, who in succeeded to the earldom of westmoreland. it is not indicated whether he was related in any way to william fenn, who was postmaster, - , but it might have been so, for william fenn must have been a person of some note or the appointment would not at his death have been conferred on his widow. in small street, too, more royal and noble visitors have lodged and received hospitality than in any other street in bristol. the earl of bedford and his son were received there in , and robert dudley, earl of leicester, one of queen elizabeth's favourites, and the earl of warwick, in ; the latter lodged at robert kitchen's. in king charles i., with prince charles and the duke of york, lodged there, so did oliver cromwell and his wife in ; and james ii., with george, prince of denmark, and the dukes of grafton, beaufort, and somerset, in . queen catherine was entertained at sir henry creswick's house in , where sir henry, the lord lieutenant of ireland, the good and great duke of ormonde, lodged for several days in . we learn that small street was selected for the reception of these illustrious visitors "by reason of the conveniency of the street for entertaining the nobility." chapter viii. the local post office in early days. sir rowland hill.--recent progress. it is pleasing to look back to the time, little more than one hundred years ago, when bristol was the premier provincial post town. it had long ranked next to london in wealth, in population, and in its post office. bristol has, however, in a postal sense, yielded place to other towns, and now ranks after birmingham, glasgow, liverpool, and manchester. dipping into history, it is found that there was a post office at clifton a hundred years since. at about the time of the battle of waterloo it was situated near saville place, in a small tenement. the post keeper was a knight of the shears, who sat cross-legged at his work on a shop-board in the window, whilst his better-half sold "goodies." the "staff" consisted of this pigeon pair, and the work of carrying the bags to and from bristol, and of delivering the missives, was undertaken by them conjointly. the year was signalised by the extension to bristol of the penny post for local letters, that is, letters for bristol city, its suburbs, and neighbouring villages. that post covered a wide area ranging from thornbury and wotton-under-edge in the north, to temple cloud, chewton-mendip, and oakhill in the south; eastward in the direction of box, and westward to portishead. this institution had until then been established nowhere else but in london and in dublin; but birmingham, edinburgh, and manchester were granted the privilege at the same time as bristol. during the year - the penny post brought a clear gain to the revenue:--in bristol of £ , in manchester of £ , and in birmingham of £ . notwithstanding these gains, the post office authorities concluded that neither at liverpool nor at leeds, nor at any other town in the kingdom, would a penny post defray its own expenses. there is little more on record about local post office details for some years; but we learn that in april, , an evening delivery of post letters was ordered to kingsdown, montpelier, wellington place, and catherine place, stoke's croft, all the year round; and to lawrence hill, west street, gloucester lane, in the parish of st. philip and jacob, from st of march to st of november in each year. a receiving house for letters was established at the corner of west street on may th, ; and also one in harford street, new cut. in december, , the population of bristol was estimated at , persons; and in august, , the number of persons the post office had to serve was , . evans's _new guide; or, pictures of bristol_, published in , furnishes the next record. it stated that "the london mail goes out every afternoon at twenty minutes past , and arrives every day at . in the morning. bath: out every morning at . and . , and at twenty minutes past in the evening; arrives at . morning, and a quarter before and a quarter before in the evening. sodbury, through stapleton, hambrook, winterbourne, and iron acton: goes out at twenty minutes before in the morning; arrives at half-past in the evening. thornbury, through filton, almondsbury, and rudgeway: goes out twenty minutes before in the morning; arrives at half-past in the evening. bitton, through new church, kingswood, hanham, and willsbridge: goes out at . in the morning; arrives at half-past in the evening. exeter and westward: out every morning between . and . ; arrives every evening between . and . . portsmouth, chichester, salisbury, etc.: out at half-past in the afternoon; arrives every day previously to the london mail. tetbury and cirencester: out every morning at half-past ; arrives every evening at . . birmingham and northward: out every evening at . ; arrives every morning between . and . . milford and south wales: out every day at half-past ; arrives at half-past in the afternoon. the irish mail is made up every day, and letters from ireland may be expected to arrive every day at half-past . jamaica and leeward islands, first and third wednesday in the month; lisbon, every week; gibraltar and mediterranean, every three weeks; madeira and brazils, first tuesday in each month; surinam, berbice, and demorara, second wednesday in each month; france and spain, sundays, mondays, wednesdays, and thursdays; holland and hamburgh, mondays and thursdays; guernsey and jersey, sundays, tuesdays, and thursdays. letters for all parts may be put into the post office at any time, but should be delivered half an hour before the mail is made up. letters delivered later than half an hour previous to the departure of the respective mails to be accompanied with one penny. payment of postage will not be received unless tendered full half an hour before the time fixed for closing the bags. letters for axbridge, weston-super-mare, and adjacent places are sent and received by the western mail. letter bags are made up daily, after the sorting of the london mail, for bourton, wrington, langford, churchill, nailsea, clevedon, and their respective deliveries. the letters must be put in by . o'clock. the return to bristol is at . in the afternoon. letters may be put into the receiving offices for all parts of the kingdom, and the full postage, if desired, paid with them. letter carriers are despatched regularly every day (sundays not excepted) with letters to and from durdham down, westbury, stapleton, frenchay, downend, hambrook, and winterbourne; and also to brislington, keynsham, and other places. the delivery of letters at clifton is each day at . and . . letters should be in the offices at clifton and the wells for the london and the north mails by . ." it may be interesting to state, what the rates of postage from this city were in . thus: australia, d.; buenos ayres, s. d.; canary islands, s. d.; cape de verde islands, s. d.; chili, s. d.; china, d.; colombo, s.; cuba, s.; east indies, d.; havana, s.; st. helena, d.; south america, s. d.; van dieman's land, d.; whilst for the continent the rates were considerably higher, thus: austria, s. d.; belgium, s. d.; corsica, s. d.; denmark, s. d.; flanders, s. d.; france--calais, s. d.; germany, s. d.; gibraltar, s. d.; holland, s. d.; italy, s. d.; malta, s. d.; poland, s. d.; prussia, s. d.; russia, s. d.; spain, s. d.; turkey, s. d. at that period the inland rates were very high, and the cost was regulated thus: from any post office in england or wales, to any place not exceeding miles from such office, d.; above to miles, d.; to miles, d.; to miles, d.; to miles, d.; to miles, d.; to miles, d.; to miles, d.; to miles, d. and one penny in addition on each letter for every miles beyond . thus a letter from bristol to cirencester cost d.; cheltenham, d.; banbury, d.; leeds, d.; hull; d., and so on. now a letter four ounces in weight can be sent from one end of the land to the other for a penny, and a parcel one pound in weight for threepence. the bristol ex-postal superintendent, mr. h. t. carter, carrying his mind back over his forty years of diligent and zealous service, recalls the time when the mails for the not far-distant village of shirehampton were conveyed in a cart drawn by a dog, the property of rural postman ham. the cart was not large, but of sufficient size to carry postman and mail bags. the dog, of newfoundland breed, got over the ground at a rapid pace. ham was addicted to drink, but nevertheless, whether he was drunk or sober, asleep or awake, in stormy or fine weather, the dog took him and the mails to their proper destination. a venerable man now living at earthcott green, a hamlet within ten miles of our great city, well recollects the time when he received his letters through iron acton, at a special cost to him of d. each, with a delivery only every other day. the plan was for an additional penny to be charged on all letters sent out by rural posts for delivery, and in addition to this penny an extra charge was levied on all letters delivered from sub-post offices to bye houses or places beyond the several village deliveries. in some cases recognised men or women attended at the head office, bristol, once or twice a week to take out letters for delivery in the remote country regions--of course for a "consideration." the bristol district shared in the representations in of the hardships borne by poor people in respect of the heavy charges for the conveyance of letters. the postmaster at congresbury deposed thus:--"the price of a letter is a great tax on poor people. i sent one, charged eightpence, to a poor labouring man about a week ago; it came from his daughter. he first refused it, saying it would take a loaf of bread from his other children; but, after hesitating a little time, he paid the money, and opened the letter. i seldom return letters of this kind to bristol, because i let the poor people have them, and take the chance of being paid; sometimes i lose the postage, but generally the poor people pay me by degrees." then the postmaster of yatton stated as follows:--"i have had a letter waiting lately for a poor woman, from her husband who is at work in wales; the charge was d.,--it lay many days, in consequence of her not being able to pay the postage. i at last trusted her with it." of the desire of the poor to correspond, a mr. emery gave evidence, stating "that the poor near bristol have signed a petition to parliament for the reduction of the postage. he never saw greater enthusiasm in any public thing that was ever got up in the shape of a petition; they seemed all to enter into the thing as fully and with as much feeling as it was possible, as a boon or godsend to them, that they should be able to correspond with their distant friends." uniform penny postage came in . the bristol citizens, of course, found it no cheaper than before to send a single letter to places in their own neighbourhood, but a light enclosure could be put in without extra charge, though the weight had to be brought down from four ounces to half an ounce. it may not be out of place to mention in these pages that one of the penny postage stamps of the very earliest issue after the penny postage system came into operation in was made use of for the prepayment of a letter sent by his grace the duke of wellington to h. nuttall tomlins, esq., of the hotwells, bristol. it was sent six days before stamps and stamped covers were first used by the general public, the duke, as prime minister, having no doubt been supplied in advance with stamps, one of which he attached to his letter, to give a surprise to his friend nuttall tomlins. the envelope, with the stamp still upon it, is now in the possession of a well-known philatelist in london. the allusion to the "penny post" naturally calls to mind its originator. on the hill slope of the still pleasant rural village of stapleton, four miles from bristol post office,--once a roman settlement, and in later days the head-quarters of oliver cromwell during the siege of bristol,--the great postal reformer, sir rowland hill, frequently spent some of his leisure time with his brother, the late recorder of bristol, mr. matthew davenport hill. there is in the bristol postal service at the present time a mail officer who recalls that, in his very young days, it was his mission to set out from heath house to fetch the morning letters for sir rowland from the stapleton post office. he tells how he had to ride the old pony at a rapid rate, as, even in those days, sir rowland's time was valuable, and if his letters were late he had to curtail his "constitutional," which usually consisted of a three-mile sharp walk, with cap in hand instead of on head, over purdown, past stoke house, returning through frenchay. in december, , sir rowland hill, in connection with the national testimonial to him as the author of penny postage, recorded the circumstance that he had received a letter from mr. estlin, an eminent surgeon of bristol, giving an account of proceedings in that important city anterior to any movement in london. sir rowland believed it was in bristol, and from mr. estlin, that the testimonial had its origin. the sum presented from bristol to the national collection amounted to about £ . the celebration of the jubilee of penny postage in took the practical turn in one respect of increasing the rowland hill benevolent fund. bristol contributed its quota of £ s. d., made up in great measure of public subscriptions. when the grand celebration took place on july nd, at the south kensington museum, with the duke and duchess of edinburgh present at the conversazione, bristol took its part, and immediately after a signal from south kensington was received over the telegraph wire at o'clock three hearty cheers for her majesty were given, the postmaster leading. the post office band then struck up the national anthem, and cheers for the queen were at once taken up by a body of about postmen who had assembled in the post office yard. as in the state of things at the provincial offices generally was not regarded as satisfactory, sir rowland hill, in accordance with the wish of the postmaster-general, visited bristol on april st in that year. he found that the first delivery of the day, by far the most important of all, was not completed until o'clock; the letter-carriers, as he was informed, often staying after departure from the office to take their breakfast before commencing their rounds. he was able to show how at a small cost (only £ a year) it might be completed by . . the office itself he found small, badly lighted, and ill ventilated. the day mail bag to london was nearly useless, its contents for london delivery being on the morning of his inquiry only sixty-four letters, thirty-seven of which might have been sent by the previous mail on the mere payment of the extra penny. his impression regarding this mail, both in and out of the office, agreed exactly with his evidence in ; viz., that all day mails, to be efficient for their purpose, should start as late as was consistent with their reaching london in time for their letters to be forwarded by the outgoing evening mails. the satisfaction sir rowland felt in such improvements as he had been able to make on the spot was much enhanced by his receiving at the termination of his visit the thanks of both clerks and letter-carriers for the new arrangements. it should be said that sir rowland hill did not by his action cast any reflection upon mr. todd walton, junior, as he was at pains to say that, regarded as a specimen of the administration of provincial post offices at the time the bristol specimen was by no means an unfavourable one. at that time there were only about , letters, etc., delivered in a week. the bristol chamber of commerce took no notice of the post office for nearly twenty years ( - ), but in the latter year it did so, for its records of the annual meeting of st january, , with john salmon, president, in the chair, shew the following, viz.:-- "the post office questions of salaries, internal arrangements, and local inquiry, are still in the same position as they were six months ago, except that, after repeated further applications to the postmaster-general, your committee extracted, on the th december last, a renewed promise from his lordship that 'no time should be lost in making the enquiry at the bristol post office.' as the inefficiency of the public service arises from the unjust treatment of the employés and defective internal arrangements of the local office, your committee cannot desist, notwithstanding the tedious and disagreeable nature of the task which they have undertaken, from insisting on these repeated promises being redeemed." then, under the same presidency, at the next half-yearly meeting in the same year, it was stated that "subsequent to the date of the last report, your committee discovered that the postmaster-general had caused a private local enquiry to be made with respect to the classification and salaries of the officers of the bristol post office." there was this further remonstrance:-- ".... it would have been more satisfactory to your committee if the postmaster-general had fulfilled his promise to the deputation who waited upon him on the th of january, , to hold a local enquiry at which they should be present, as there were several other matters connected with the internal arrangements of the bristol post office (particularly the money order department, which is still very defective) with respect to which they were desirous of making some suggestions." then followed a copy of the report made to the postmaster-general by mr. tilley, who conducted the enquiry, also a statement of the proposed establishment. at the chamber's next annual meeting on th january, , with james hassell, the president, in the chair, the post office is again reproved thus:-- "no further reply than the official printed acknowledgment and promise of attention has yet reached your committee respecting the memorial on the subject of the welsh mail, the west india mails, etc.; but past experience and general repute do not lead them to anticipate prompt redress from the post office authorities. it required repeated applications, extending over a period of about eighteen months, to obtain a remedy for the grievances set forth in our former memorial; and even now the money order department is not completed, and probably similar perseverance will again be required, as it is now more than a month ago the memorial relating to the west india mail was presented." it was thought worthy of note in the _bristol mirror_ of november th, , that " letters were brought yesterday from clifton for the general post." in demonstration of the strides which the post office has made, it may be mentioned that in the "fifties," in addition to the post office at clifton, the only offices were the branches at haberfield crescent and phippen street, with four collections a day, and the receiving houses at ashley road, bedminster, hotwells, and redland, with three collections a day. the city only boasted at that time of pillar letter boxes at arley chapel, armoury square, bedminster bridge, bristol bridge, castle street, christmas steps, college green, freemantle square, kingsdown, milk street, railway station, st. philip's police station, kingsland road, whiteladies road, and woodwell crescent, with three collections daily. now there are post offices in the district. on the gloucestershire side there are , at of which telegraph business is carried on; and on the somersetshire side , of which are telegraph offices. in addition telegraph business is carried on for the postmaster-general at five railway stations on the gloucestershire side and five on the somersetshire side. licenses to sell postage stamps are held by over a hundred shopkeepers. there are now pillar and wall letter boxes provided for public convenience. it may be mentioned in passing that during the strike amongst the deal-runners in bristol, when men were brought from other towns and housed and fed at "huntersholm" (a large wooden building erected specially in one of the timber yards), and allowed out under police supervision, a stamp license was applied for and granted, to meet a large demand for postage stamps which these men made in consequence of having to send their wages home weekly to their families. in detail, but without complication by mention of the names of all the districts, the local improvements for the seven years from march, , to february, , inclusive, were as follows:--new post offices established, ; telegraph offices opened, ; money order and savings bank business extended to offices; postal orders sold at additional offices; new pillar and wall boxes erected, ; new or additional day mails from districts; and out to districts; new extra deliveries established in districts, and two extra deliveries in districts. free delivery extended in rural districts, and the ordinary second or third delivery extended in rural districts; morning delivery accelerated in , and the day delivery in , rural districts. a later posting for north mail in , and for the night mail in , rural districts. new collections established in , and a later collection in , rural districts. increased facilities in the postal world are almost invariably followed by augmentation of business. it certainly has been so in the bristol district, for there has been a marvellous development in the last seven years. the letters delivered have increased by per cent., and those posted have grown at the rate of per cent. parcels have increased by per cent. there has been a similar marked increase in all branches of business. the three preceding periods of seven years were comparatively "lean" periods, for the increase in the number of letters during the whole twenty-one years was actually less than during the seven last years. the increase is altogether out of proportion to the growth of population, and it is far in excess of the general increase of letter correspondence throughout the country generally, which has been only at the rate of per cent. during the period as against bristol's per cent. it is hoped that this may be taken as a sure indication of the well-being of the trade of bristol, and as a sign that there is quickened life in the commerce of the good old city. at all events, it shows that the local post office organization is quite abreast of the times, and that the facilities afforded are appreciated and are fully taken advantage of. chapter ix. bristol as a mail steamer station for ireland, west indies, america, and canada. from the archives of the bristol chamber of commerce it transpires that from the very first constitution of the chamber in , it had before it a scheme for the conveyance of mails between this port and the south of ireland by direct steam packet. it was considered that such a service would be highly advantageous to the city, and correspondence on the subject from time to time took place with the post office department. allusion is made to it in the chamber's annual report in january, ; again in , when the president of the chamber, mr. joseph cookson, had a conference with the leading officer of the post office; and once more in . the case is so fully and ably set forth in the board's annual report of the th january, , that its reproduction _in extenso_ cannot fail to be of deep interest to the citizens of the present day as their attention is often drawn to the steamship traffic. it ran thus:-- "the transmission of the mails direct from bristol was earnestly pressed upon the attention of the postmaster-general in the year , on which occasion the chamber minutely investigated the practicability, safety, and general advantages of the measure, the material points of which were embodied in a memorial, accompanied by a list of queries and replies. the civic corporation, the society of merchant venturers, and the bristol dock company each presented similar memorials. "in resuming the enquiry, the board have resorted to the channels best calculated to convey accurate information. the managing proprietor of the steam packet establishments at this port, captain dungey, an individual on whose experience and judgment reliance may be placed, and other persons of practical knowledge, have been consulted on the subject. all concur in establishing the fact that the voyage to and from dunmore may, with general certainty, be accomplished by efficient steamboats in from to hours during the eight summer months, and in from to hours in the four months of winter; that the instances of exceeding this scale would not be more frequent than at the present station, the navigation of the bristol channel being protected by the coast on either side, and consequently less influenced by severe weather than the irish sea. "the earlier arrival of the london mail and its later departure, as altered some time since, accords materially with the proposition for making bristol a packet station. by the present regulations, the london mail arrives in bristol at five minutes past in the morning; and leaves at half-past in the evening; it is capable of being still further accelerated by taking the two last stages in the direct line through marshfield, instead of passing through bath. according to the present arrangements, the irish mails may with ease and convenience to passengers be despatched from the mouth of the bristol river, five miles from the post office, every day at half-past , and those from ireland, if arriving by . , be forwarded to london the same evening. the time saved by this route as compared with that of milford would be, at least during the summer months, equal to one whole day for the purposes of business, since the arrival at dunmore would be in the morning instead of evening, and the departure at noon instead of at an early hour of the morning as at present. "the present slips at lamplighter's hall and broad pill now serve for landing passengers from the packets on special occasions; with very trifling expense they may be made efficient for passengers, and not more objectionable than the present accommodation for crossing the estuary of the severn--carriages, horses, baggage, and heavy goods might at an earlier hour be put on board at the bristol docks, which the boat would leave at the height of tide in order to be in waiting for the mails at the place appointed for receiving them. at lamplighter's hall an hotel is established, which, with the contiguity to the city, would ensure to the public a supply of all the accommodation a packet station would require. these are the facilities which can at present be afforded. at no very distant date the accommodation will, in all probability, be yet further increased, first, by the erection of a pier with hotel and establishment at portishead on the somersetshire side of the avon, which the corporation of the city have for some time had under consideration with a view to promote the convenience of passengers by the steam vessels and thus encourage the intercourse between this city and the south of ireland. in aid of the present enquiry they have directed a survey and report by mr. milne, the engineer, on the practicability and probable cost of the proposed pier. secondly, and arising also from this scheme, is a plan for erecting a bridge across the avon, by the application in part of a fund amounting to nearly £ , , held by the society of merchant venturers in trust under the will of william vick, deceased, for the especial purpose; with the formation of an improved line of road by mr. gordon, mr. miles, and other landed proprietors on that side of the river, for the short distance to portishead. these several improvements the respective parties interested are disposed to effect, and which any impelling motive, such as the establishment of a regular mail packet station, may induce them immediately to undertake. the accomplishment of these works would render portishead a most eligible station. it is protected from weather, is a safe anchorage, would have ample depth of water at any state of the tide, the landing would be instant on arrival, and it would be supplied with every convenience and accommodation for passengers. "the board believe an important saving of expense to government would result from establishing bristol as a mail packet station. the great deficiency on the milford station in the receipts as compared with the expenditure arises from the very limited number of persons who avail themselves of that line of communication. the land journey of twenty hours at a fare of £ s., followed by a twelve hours' voyage by open sea at a further expense of £ s., with the inconvenience frequently sustained in crossing the estuary of the severn, deters people from taking the milford route by choice. the general introduction of steam packets, the degree of perfection in sailing to which they have been brought, the regularity and safety with which the voyages are performed, the accommodation to passengers, and the moderate scale of fares, have contributed to effect of late years a material change in the general opinion on steamboat conveyance. the long voyage by sea is now generally preferred to a long journey by land and the shorter one by sea. the number and efficiency of the bristol boats, and the economy in the fares, induce a large proportion of travellers to take the direct course from bristol. indeed, to so great an extent has this preference operated that the contractors for conveying the mail throughout the whole line from bristol to milford are understood to have given notice of their intention to determine their engagement, on account of the gradual decrease in the number of passengers and the consequent loss they incur. a similar statement appears in the report of the postmaster-general on the memorial of the innkeepers on the holyhead route. "in favour of bristol it may be fairly stated that, at a comparatively trifling expense, the port may be made commodious for a packet station; that the present strength of the establishment at milford would serve, with some addition, for that of bristol; that the difference in price of coal at portishead would reduce the expense of sailing the packets from that station; that bristol affords every prospect of increase of receipt, whilst at milford it must, for the reasons before stated, necessarily decrease; that the demands of a large commercial city, with its populous adjoining and connected districts, will create a traffic for boats making quick and regular voyages, which milford, from its position, never can acquire--the conveyance of fish and provisions alone could be made to yield a revenue of consequence. numerous other sources of receipt would arise from the conveniency of its regularity and expedition. indeed, so much are the board impressed with the belief that the traffic would be extensive and productive that they venture to anticipate it may, at no very distant period, relieve the government from any further charge than a comparatively nominal sum for the transport of the mails. the board are induced also to put the proposition in a national point of view. they feel that the more closely ireland can be brought into direct and active communication with this country, the more rapid will be its course of improvement. the introduction of steam navigation has, at this port, given an energy and extension to the irish trade that far exceeds any previous expectations; each succeeding month brings a vast increase of import and a corresponding export, to the material benefit of each kingdom, and the more complete the intercourse can be established the more important will the trade become. "the port of bristol, from its position, possesses numerous capabilities for a mail packet station. its contiguity and means of land and water communication with the capital; its being the principal shipping port for the manufacturing districts of the south-west part of the kingdom; its close connection and water communication with birmingham, worcester, and other large towns in the centre of the kingdom; the convenience of its floating harbour; the reduced scale of its local tolls--all these circumstances combine to give bristol a superiority over other places on the coast, whether the subject he viewed as regards the economy of the post office department or the accommodation of the public. "the board have placed the subject of the commissioners' enquiry in the several points of view which appear to them fairly to arise upon the investigation and consideration it has received, and they shall feel sincere gratification if, on this or any future occasion, they should in the least degree prove of assistance to a department of government, or should otherwise by their exertions conduce to the advancement of the public interests. "thomas stock, president. july th, ." a strong memorial (under the hand of thomas cookson, president) was forwarded to the postmaster-general. francis freeling, secretary, in his reply for the postmaster-general, refused to admit that the port of bristol did afford the requisite facilities for a station for his majesty's packets. when the projected works were carried out the matter would be reconsidered by the government. replying further, mr. freeling, on the nd march, alluded to the impossibility of despatching the mails at a fixed time every day in the year, and said that that presented insurmountable objections to the choice of bristol as a station for his majesty's packets. he said that the first requisite for a packet station was that the port should afford the means for embarking and landing the mails at all times of tide and under all circumstances of weather. the bristol dock directors and a standing committee of the society of merchants considered the matter, but did not see their way to press it under the chilling response received from the postmaster-general. the board did not give up the case, for in the annual report th january, , it was stated that the proposition for establishing at this port a mail packet station by steam vessels to the south of ireland was being diligently pursued, and that the house of commons having appointed a committee to enquire into the communications between england and ireland, a favourable opportunity was presented of again urging the advantages bristol port was calculated to afford. the numerous appeals, representations, and enquiries did not result in the manner desired, and to this day the mails from the south of ireland for bristol and its district follow the same route _viâ_ waterford and milford haven, the only difference being that from the latter port to bristol the service is carried on by rail instead of by road. bristol became a mail packet station eventually, as steamships carried the american mails between this port and new york for several years, commencing in , the year of her most gracious majesty's accession to the throne. the _great western_, constructed under the direction of brunel, the famous engineer of the great western railway, was chiefly used in the service. [illustration: the "great western." the first steamer which carried mails from bristol to new york.] on the st may, , writing from trinity street, bristol, mr. claxton, managing director to the _great western_--which was then, nearly due,--asked the bristol postmaster whether a consignee at new york might charge the foreign postage on letters to parts on the continent with which no arrangement, similar to that then existing between france and england, had been made. the idea was that such letters might be put into a separate bag, and the foreign postage from bristol be handed over to the local post office. he wrote that notice had been given by the chamber of commerce of liverpool that masters of ships need not send anything but letters to the post office on arrival. mr. todd walton replied on the next day to the effect that the agent should only direct letters to mr. claxton's care to forward from such persons as he could refer to in case of errors. then followed a long communication from mr. walton to colonel maberly, secretary to the post office, the gist of which was that a difficulty existed in preventing illegal conveyance of ship letters; that the commanders of vessels did not receive money with letters to any great extent; that the public prints stated that , letters were received on board the _great western_ besides those sent from the post office; that an immense number of letters was collected at the great western office; and that as the _great western_ and _syrius_ were regularly established, and other vessels of the same description were preparing, unless some means were taken to protect the revenue, it could not fail to suffer very considerably. the _great western_ brought to england , post letters and , post papers, which, had that conveyance not been offered, would most likely have been sent by private ships. mr. walton conceived it would be very advantageous to the revenue to contract with those superior vessels to carry mails, so as to render the latter chargeable with package rates; and he submitted that ship letter mails should be made up at bristol, the same as at london and liverpool, for all vessels leaving this port. about , ship letters were brought to the bristol post office annually, and he had no doubt that vast numbers were carried from bristol in the same manner; but with the exception of those by the _great western_, no mails had ever been made up here for foreign countries. the secretary, replying for the postmaster-general, said it did not appear to lord lichfield that cognizance need be taken of the suggestion conveyed in mr. claxton's letter of the st may, for the transmission through this country of letters from the united states addressed to those foreign countries upon which the postage must be paid here before they can be forwarded to their destination. the post office could have no objection to such letters being addressed to the care of mr. claxton or any other agent in this country who would pay the foreign postage and send them on to their destinations. the letters in question, would, of course, be subject, so far as the post office was concerned, to the ship letter rate to bristol, and when re-posted, to the inland and foreign rates forward. the postmaster's proposition for making up mails to be forwarded by the steam vessels charged with packet rates of postage was out of the question; but with regard to making up ship letter bags for foreign countries, so strangely neglected at this great port, the postmaster was to embrace every opportunity in his power of despatching ship letter bags by sailing as well as by steam vessels. there is no official record, however, of any such ship letter mails having been forwarded from bristol. in the year a royal commission was appointed to enquire into the question of the most suitable port for the embarkation and debarkation of the west indian mails. the committee consisted of mr. freshfield, lord dalmeny, lord viscount ingestre, captain pechell, captain duncombe, mr. chas. wood, sir thomas cochrane, mr. john o'connell, mr. cresswell, lord worsley, mr. gibson craig, mr. de horsey, mr. oswold, mr. richard hodgson, and mr. philip miles, who was prominent as representing bristol. much evidence was given in favour of the ports of bristol, dartmouth, devonport, falmouth, plymouth, portsmouth, and southampton respectively. the case of bristol was strongly supported by lieut. j. hosken, r.n., commander of the _great western_ screw steamer from bristol to new york, and lieut. c. claxton, r.n., the bristol harbour master. the principal reasons put forward in favour of our old port were: that the bristol channel was navigable at all states of the tide and in all weathers; that there was good anchorage in the kingroad; and that although bristol was not quite so near to barbadoes, the first island of call, as some of her rival ports, yet it admitted of quicker transmission of mails between london and the northern towns than any other english port. the arguments in favour of the bristol port were not strong enough to induce the committee to report in its favour. from the "forties," when the american mail service was withdrawn from bristol, no foreign or colonial mails left the port until the autumn of , when mr. alfred jones, the enterprising managing director of the firm of messrs. elder, dempster & co., made arrangements for carrying private ship mails from avonmouth to montreal by a weekly service of steamers. the bristol merchants found it convenient to make use of this ship mail system for the conveyance of their invoices, bills of lading, and advices, as, by travelling in the same ship as the goods which they related to, their delivery in time to be of use in connection with the ship's load was ensured. the first vessel to carry such a ship mail was the s.s. _montcalm_. when it was in anticipation at the bristol post office that the ship mail service might be resumed in on the breaking up of the ice in the gulf of st. lawrence, there came a cablegram from the canadian government intimating that a contract had been entered into with messrs. elder, dempster and co.; and, heigh presto! avonmouth at once became the port of departure and arrival of the steamers carrying the direct canadian mails. the suddenness of the event naturally created quite a stir after bristol had been so long waiting, and the mail services outwards and inwards were watched with close attention by the public. the first steamer to run under the new contract was the s.s. _monterey_. she left avonmouth on the rd july, but time had not admitted of arrangements being made for her to carry the mails from avonmouth, which were therefore picked up at queenstown. the s.s. _ikbal_ took the next trip, leaving avonmouth on the th july. the parcels from the whole of the kingdom, including ireland, were circulated on bristol, and made up here in direct mails for montreal, quebec, hamilton, kingston, toronto, winnipeg, prince edward island, hawaii, st. pierre and miquelon, nova scotia, british columbia, kobe, nagasaki, and yokohama. the notice to the bristol post office was very short, but the necessary arrangements were smartly made to meet the emergency. mr. kislingbury, the divisional superintendent of the great western railway, ever ready to heartily co-operate with the local post office, had a special tender placed in readiness for the reception of the mails at temple meads and they were despatched by the . a.m. train to avonmouth. on the part of the dock authorities, the general manager, mr. f. b. girdlestone, had provided an engine to take the brake-vans containing the parcel mails direct from the docks junction to the pier head. the system was fully tried, for the mails had to be taken from the train to the steam-tug _sea prince_ to be conveyed to the steamer, which was moored in kingroad, having arrived too late to enter the dock. the mails weighed close upon three tons, and were contained in fifty-five large hampers. in the following week the s.s. _arawa_ (a sixteen-knot boat, feet long) carried the mails, which were taken by train alongside the ship in dock; and which consequently, although five tons in weight, were put on board under much more favourable circumstances than in the preceding week, when the steamer had to lie out in the kingroad. it is noteworthy that the _arawa_ took out emigrants. [illustration: r.m.s. "monterey." first liner in the new canadian mail service. _from a photograph by g. m. roche, esq., dublin._] subsequent steamers used for carrying on the mail service were the _montfort_, _monteagle_, and _montrose_. the arrangements for the new service worked very smoothly from the outset, thanks in no small measure to mr. flinn, the local general manager for messrs. elder, dempster & co., who facilitated in every way the post office and customs operations. the trial so far has proved that the use of avonmouth as a port for the canadian mail traffic is attended with advantages on this side of the ocean, but greater facilities for embarking and disembarking the mails at avonmouth are absolutely necessary. chapter x. postal service staff; its composition, duties, responsibilities.--volume of work. in the bristol post office staff consisted of a postmaster and fifteen clerks, with sixty-four letter carriers. over , people of all grades, including sub-postmasters and their assistants, are now employed; and the annual bill for salaries, wages, and allowances of men, women, and boys amounts to little short of £ , . it will thus be seen that the post office ranks as one of the largest employers of labour in the western city. the head office is centrally situated both for the receipt and despatch of the letter correspondence. it is not very far from a point known as "tramway centre," upon which the tram services of the city converge. it plays an important part with regard to the bristol postal system, as out of a total of , letters posted weekly in the city delivery area--exclusive of , clifton posted letters-- , letters are posted at the head office itself, and the total posted within a radius of a mile is , , or more than three-fourths of the whole. in addition to the , letters posted weekly in bristol city and clifton, there are , letters posted in the suburban and rural districts. the posting every sunday consists of , letters. the greater extent to which the well-to-do classes in bristol use the post than their less fortunate brethren may be gathered from the fact that the average yield of letters, newspapers, etc., per day per box in the clifton district is per cent. higher than in redland and cotham, and per cent. higher than in redcliffe; and in the redland and cotham district per cent. higher than in redcliffe. the mails are chiefly conveyed between the head office and the principal railway station by horsed carts. about , , "forward" letters--that is, letters neither posted nor delivered locally, but passing through the bristol post office--are dealt with annually. the parcel post, started in , has done well in bristol. nearly three-quarters of a million of parcels are posted in the district annually. the greater part of the parcel despatching duties is performed at a separate parcel office on the temple meads railway station premises. people often avail themselves of the parcel post for obtaining a regular weekly supply of produce. a joint of beef from scotland, weighing just under eleven pounds, invariably reaches bristol at the week end, and a package of butter from dublin is observed every friday in the bristol parcel depôt on its way to weston-super-mare. the london mail is, naturally, the most important mail which leaves bristol. in the course of the day fifty-five mail bags are forwarded, containing about , letters; the trains used being those leaving at . a.m., . a.m., . a.m., . a.m., . p.m., . p.m., . p.m., . p.m., . p.m., . p.m., and . a.m. so numerous are the london and "london forward" letters in the evening, that three clerks are engaged from . p.m. to midnight in sorting them. in the opposite direction fifty mail bags are received from london daily, containing about , letters. birmingham comes next in the importance of exchange, thus: twelve mail bags go out daily, containing , letters, and ten bags come in, with , letters. the neighbouring city of bath figures next, with ten outward mail bags daily, containing , letters, and ten inward bags, containing , letters. the same three cities also stand in the forefront in respect of the import and export of parcels, parcels being received from london and parcels sent thereto daily. birmingham sends parcels and takes a like number; whilst bath sends and takes in return parcels daily. the members of the permanent staff have fallen on better days than their predecessors of old times. they are granted holidays varying in periods according to rank, from the twelve working days allowed to the telegraph messengers to the month enjoyed by the superintending officers. medical attendance is afforded gratuitously, and full pay is, as a rule, given during sick absence, and under special circumstances sick leave on full pay is allowed for six months, and a further six months on half-pay. after that time, if there appears to be little or no chance of recovery, a pension or gratuity is given. the appointment of medical officer to the post office was in conferred upon mr. f. poole lansdown, who has held the post ever since. for the last four years the average sick absence per year has been ten days for males and seventeen days for females per head; and during the last seven years the average mortality amongst the established officers of the service has been two per annum. uniform and boots are provided by the department for the postmen and telegraph messengers, at an annual cost of about £ , . good-conduct stripes are the reward to all full-time postmen, established or unestablished, of unblemished conduct. a stripe is awarded after each five years' meritorious service, and each man is eligible for six stripes, each of which carry one shilling a week extra pay. the value of the stripes is taken into account in calculation of pensions. of the , persons of all grades alluded to there are in the postal department a superintendent, superintending officers, and male and female clerks. the selection of candidates for situations in the bristol post office as sorting clerks and telegraphists, both male and female, was for many years vested entirely in the postmaster, and persons were given temporary employment without passing any educational test as to their special fitness for post office employment. it so happened that not infrequently a clerk would be employed in a temporary capacity for some years, and finally be rejected by the civil service commissioners on educational or medical grounds. in , however, a special preliminary educational examination was instituted. all candidates of respectable parentage, of good health and character, were allowed to sit at this examination, the successful ones being taken into the office and trained for appointment to the establishment. the civil service examination had, of course, to be undergone before an appointment could be obtained. in a new system was introduced, whereby a civil service certificate had to be obtained before a person was taken into the office. this obviated the necessity of holding the preliminary educational examination, but the postmaster still exercised the privilege of nominating candidates to the situations. the open competitive system of examination was commenced last year, and the appointments are now open to general competition. there is a term of probation in the post office, and details of the duties devolving on postal clerks may not be without interest to the bristol public. the business, with its multitudinous ramifications, takes a long time to learn thoroughly. to become a perfect all-round postal clerk a man must possess intelligence, must be cool, fertile in expedient, have a retentive memory, and withal be quick and active. he must know how to primarily sort, sub-divide, and despatch letters. he must have a good knowledge of post office circulation and be able to bear in mind the names of the smallest places--hamlets, etc.--in the kingdom, the varying circulations for different periods of the day, and the rates of postage of all articles sent through the post. be must be able to detect the short-paid letter, and to deal with the ordinary letter, the large letter, the unpaid, the registered, the foreign, the "dead," insufficiently addressed, the official, the fragile, the insured, the postcard (single and reply), the letter card, the newspaper, the book-packet, and the circular (the definition of which is very difficult). he is responsible for the correct sortation of every letter that he deals with, and he has to be expert in tying letters in bundles. he has to cast the unpaid postage and enter the correct account on the letter bill; take charge of registered letter bags and loose registered letters, and advise them on the letter bill; see to the correct labelling, tying, and sealing of the mail bags he makes up; check the despatch of mails on the bag list; dispose of his letters by a given time, the hours of the despatch of mails being fixed. in consequence, he often has to work under great pressure in order to finish in time. the postal clerk has to surcharge unpaid and insufficiently prepaid correspondence; to see that all postage stamps are carefully obliterated, that the rules of the different posts are not infringed; to attend to the regulations relating to official correspondence. he has to decipher imperfectly and insufficiently addressed correspondence, search official and other directories to trace proper addresses. in addition to all this he has in turn to serve at the public counter, and there attend to money order, savings bank, postal order, and other items of business of the kind. as an illustration of the perspicacity of officers of the post office in the western division of the kingdom and of the postmen of bristol, may be cited the circulation through the post and prompt and safe delivery of a letter from plymouth bearing as its only address the magic letters "w. g.," with cricket hat, stumps, and ball, so dear to the individual who bears the initials. delay in delivery of articles sent by post, however, not infrequently takes place in consequence of misdirection. a parcel was addressed to a reverend gentleman at "publow church, near bristol," and as it could not be presented at the fine old structure itself, the postman took it to the adjoining vicarage, where, in the absence of the vicar, it was taken in by a servant upon the inference that it might be intended for some future visitor. it turned out, however, that the address was inaccurate, and that the parcel was actually intended for a village some miles from bristol, on the other side, having for its name pucklechurch. occasionally there is very slow transmission in these speedy days. a rather remarkable case occurred here of a postcard having occupied nearly eight years in travelling between horfield barracks and the premises of a firm in stokes croft,--a distance of less than two miles. the missive was posted and stamped on the th july, , and trace of it was lost until it turned up at bournemouth and received the impression of the stamp of that office in april, , whence it was sent to bristol and delivered. there were no other marks to indicate its long detention. not infrequently the post office has to contend with difficulties arising from want of thought on the part of the trading community. recently there was a somewhat unusual occurrence at the bristol post office. a sack containing samples of biscuits in small tin boxes was received. around the tins flimsy paper was tied, on which the addresses were written. the paper had become so frayed in transit that scarcely a single wrapper was complete, and when the tins were turned out of the sack there were showers of small pieces of paper like a snowstorm. in order that the samples might reach their destinations, the addresses were, as far as practicable, re-copied, and the samples sent out. nearly every one of the packets received was then sent out for delivery without delay, no doubt to the astonishment of those who received the biscuits in envelopes from the returned letter office. in the sorting office all through the twenty-four hours there is work going on. as one batch of officials goes off duty another comes on, and these relays never cease--not even on sundays, christmas days, or bank holidays. the sorting office is at its busiest from . to . in the evening, and from . p.m. till midnight. then postmen enter hastily, one after another, with bags from the branch offices and pillar-boxes, which are immediately taken charge of, opened, and the contents shot out. the postmen rapidly arrange the small letters face upwards, pack them in "trays" of , pass them over to the stamping department; the stampers obliterate her majesty's head, and record the hour, date, and place of departure, with one and the same stroke of the stamp, at the rate of a hundred a minute. the stamped letters are placed on sorting tables, where the first division takes place. those for bristol and neighbourhood are assigned to a compartment for further sortation, and the outward correspondence is sorted out into the different "roads" by which it will travel. letters for small places are sent to the mail trains, where they are sorted to their respective stations as the locomotive is whirling them along at the rate of fifty miles an hour. many of the larger towns, such as birmingham, manchester, liverpool, leeds, exeter, plymouth, reading, bath and swindon, have their own bags made up at bristol. newspapers, packages, and book packets are sorted separately, and subsequently put into their respective bags. by-and-by the country postbags come pouring in, and no sooner are they opened than the letters they contain are subjected to the same analytical treatment. in a week , separate bags (or sacks containing several bags) are sent away from the bristol post office over the great western and midland railway systems. the weight is tons, or an average of over lbs. per bag or sack. of the total number, of the bags, with an average weight of nearly lbs. each, are for places within the bristol district, and of them are sent to london, with a total weight of tons lbs., or an average of lbs. per bag or sack. the bags and sacks received in bristol from all quarters are about equal in number and weight to those going outwards. those from london weigh tons cwt. lbs.--an average of lbs each. in order to simplify the disposal of the letters in london, they are not sent up unsorted from bristol, but are divided into thirty-seven labelled bundles or separate bags, a bundle or bag being made up for each london district, for each great railway out of london, for several foreign divisions, for seventeen large provincial towns, and even in such detail as for paternoster row and wood street. it is not often that ships of war appear in bristol waters. indeed, the old inhabitant saith that it is fifty years since a warship anchored in the vicinity. the recent visit of a squadron calls therefore for a passing mention. such an event took place during the british association meeting in september, . the ironclads composing the squadron were h.m.s. _nile_, _thunderer_, _trafalgar_, _sans pareil_, and the gunboat _spanker_. the vessels anchored in walton bay, midway between clevedon and portishead. in these pages the interest attaching to them must necessarily be centred in their mail arrangements. nearly a thousand letters a day were received at clevedon for delivery to the fleet. the ships' postman from each ship came ashore by launch three times a day to fetch the letters. launches were specially employed to fetch telegrams on signal being given by flag from the end of clevedon pier. a first aid class in connection with the st. john's ambulance society was formed by members of the bristol post office staff in , and there was an average attendance of twenty members, under the skilled direction of dr. bertram rogers, of clifton. of the members who presented themselves for examination at the termination of the course of lectures, eight were successful, and were presented with certificates at the society's annual meeting, held at the merchant venturers' technical college; and in the following year they qualified for the society's much-prized medallion of efficiency. at the conclusion of the course, dr. bertram rogers was presented with an ivory-handled and silver-mounted malacca cane, subscribed for by members of the class. a writing-case was also presented to mr. blake for organising the class. the want of a gymnasium in or near the post office premises is greatly felt, but the staff do not neglect opportunities of improving their health in other ways. cycle clubs have been in active operation; the cricket clubs come off victorious in many matches; and the electric swimming club has been attended with great success. chapter xi. christmas and st. valentine seasons. a century ago the christmas card was unthought of; whether it will be a thing of the past in the year cannot be foretold. the preparations made to meet the annually recurring pressure involve much forethought and considerable labour, and have to be in progress for a long time prior to christmas. the time occupied in getting the instructions ready for the staff and making all arrangements incidental to the season is equivalent to more than the entire duty of a clerk for a whole year. nothing whatever is left to chance; for unless the arrangements are organised in full detail, the work could not go on with the clock-like smoothness which is necessary to ensure a successful issue. at christmas many people find a difficulty in deciding what to give their friends. the difficulty in the post office is how to convey christmas gifts from friend to friend, from relative to relative, and the solution is found in the extensive preparations alluded to. they consist of many and various ways of affording means of rapid circulation and facilitating the traffic. thus arrangements are made as regards london for direct bags to be made up at bristol for each of the eight principal district offices, and separate bags for the inclusion of all the london sub-district letters throughout the day. at normal times such bags are made up only for the night mail and heaviest despatches. all foreign letters are sent in separate bags, so as to keep them apart on arrival in london from the inland christmas missives. then, in the reverse direction, london relieves the bristol office by making a direct bag for the tributary office of clifton by every mail, instead of by two mails only. to further facilitate matters, the parcels and letters for the environs of bristol are kept separate from those for town delivery at all the large offices sending parcel baskets and mail bags here, and bristol reciprocates by adopting the same plan for towns with which it exchanges mails. even the expedient of putting specially-lettered neck-labels on the bags to indicate their contents is adopted. where, ordinarily, bundles of letters are made up for particular towns, direct bags take their places, and where, ordinarily, letters are sent in bulk from many towns separate bundles are made up for each town: thus, letters from bristol for brighton, which are usually dealt with in london, are forwarded in a direct bag to pass through the metropolis unopened. the individual attendances of the ordinary staff are increased from eight hours to twelve, fourteen, and sixteen hours per day. all holidays are suspended for the time being, which enables some telegraphists to undertake postal duty; clerical labour is stopped, outside help is obtained, and altogether additional labour provided for to the extent of per cent. over the normal staff. although there is such a large augmentation numerically, the value of it cannot be judged in that way, as it takes a long time to make a really efficient postal officer, and the novices who are engaged, although willing enough, can do little more than undertake manual labour. many army reserve men and army and navy pensioners are engaged to assist on the occasion. the weather is always a potent factor. the ordinary types of mail vehicles, contracted for by the bristol tramways company, and always well turned out by mr. g. matthews, have to be supplemented at the christmas season by the employment of large pair-horse trolleys, which, are used not only for the conveyance of mails between office and railway station, but are also sent round the town to pick up the heavy parcel collections from the numerous sub-offices. the great unpunctuality of the mail trains which invariably sets in early in the christmas week causes no little inconvenience, particularly as regards the mails from the north of england, and the merchants are therefore not slow to avail themselves of the post office new system, under which, for a small fee, they can get their letters brought by delayed trains delivered by special messenger promptly on their arrival at the head post office. the extra posting of letters and parcels for places abroad, intended for delivery about christmas day, begins to manifest itself early in november. a great number of people appear to think that christmas cards and other printed matter may be sent by book-post in covers which are entirely closed, except for small slits cut at the sides. these packets are liable to charge at letter postage rates unless they are made up in such a manner as will admit of the contents being easily withdrawn for examination. to educate the public in the matter of full prepayment, it has become necessary for the department to be particularly vigilant in surcharging the christmas missives which contravene the regulations, and the bristol clerks have the unpleasant task of raising an impost on letters during the christmas season which infringe the postmaster-general's not severe regulations. the custom of sending christmas cards in open envelopes is increasing. with regard to telegrams, the public have recently received at the hands of his grace the duke of norfolk the great benefit of being allowed to have their telegraphic messages delivered up to distances of three miles without payment of any charge whatever for porterage. in this neighbourhood, the concession has resulted in an increase in the number of messages for delivery over a mile, especially at christmas. during the christmas season there is always a decrease in the number of business telegrams, but that is in some measure made up for by a large number of telegrams being sent by the public who are travelling to keep holiday, and in this connection more use is made of the telegraph than the telephone service. the decrease in the volume of work admits of telegraphists aiding their brother officers on the postal side. the inflow of christmas cards is pretty evenly dispersed over the earlier days of the season, but the great rush comes on the night of the rd and the morning of the th of the month. letters up to four ounces in weight are now conveyed at the small cost to the public of a penny. so far as this city is concerned, letters and book-packets over two ounces in weight, which are now blended in one post, are quadrupled in number at the christmas season. this increase in the letter packets has the effect of retarding the postmen in effecting their deliveries, inasmuch as they have to search in their bags for the packages which they cannot carry tied up in consecutive order. the trouble arising therefrom is somewhat mitigated, however, by the circumstance that the charged letters are less numerous than heretofore, owing to the large increase in the weight which is now carried for a penny. the christmas season is departmentally regarded as consisting of the days from the th of the month to christmas day, the th, inclusive. from the most reliable calculations that the officials are capable of making, it would appear that during the christmas period no fewer than , , letters are dropped by the residents into the receptacles dotted here and there over bristol's large postal area. the letters distributed by bristol's regular postmen, with their followers, are a million and a half, in each case about an extra week's work to be got through in three days. some , letters and parcels find their way to the bristol returned letter office as the flotsam and jetsam of the christmas postings. they consist of letters without addresses, letters addressed in undecipherable caligraphy, letters for people dead, gone away, and not known; parcels of poultry and game without name of sender or addressee. certainly handwriting does not improve, hence all these failures and embarrassments to the post office. the articles for transmission by parcel post handed in at the head post office, branch, offices, sub-offices in town, suburbs, and villages, reach the total of , , being about four times as numerous as at ordinary periods. the rural districts alone produce , parcels. the parcels delivered number , , being treble ordinary numbers. ten thousand of these parcels are delivered in the villages. nearly a thousand large hampers of parcels are exchanged between london and bristol, and of these some forty contain foreign parcels alone. notwithstanding the vastly increased numbers, it becomes noticeable at bristol, year by year, that there is a diminution of parcels conveyed by parcel post containing articles of good cheer: the geese, the fowls, and the game having decreased, plum pudding's, however, being as much in evidence as ever. the reduction in the parcel post rates which took place in has had a very marked effect upon the parcel post traffic, and the increase, particularly in the heavy weights, has been very great. on the other hand, the reduction in the rates of charge for the conveyance of post parcels has had the effect of bringing about a decrease in the number of parcels weighing under lb. as showing that the postal deliveries at the christmas season are arranged as well as the extraordinary circumstances will admit, and that the public on its part can appreciate the difficulties to be contended with, it may be worthy of mention that complaints of delay are rarely made. the postmaster-general is not unmindful of his duty in providing sustenance for his legions at the busy season, and refreshments are supplied for the permanent staff without stint. there are no trams running on christmas day, so that the postmen with their heavy loads are much worse off than on ordinary days, when, with lighter loads, they can ride to and fro on the tramcars. there are some pleasing social features which are worthy of record. for instance, the ladies of the clifton letter mission have for some years past sent "a christmas letter" and christmas card to each of the telegraph messengers employed in the bristol district. the ladies who manage the society known as the postal and telegraph christian association invariably send to every postman in the bristol district a sympathetic and seasonable letter, accompanied by a pretty christmas card and the best of all good wishes. the staff of the bristol post office usually pay the compliments of the christmas season to their postal friends elsewhere in the form of a prettily-designed card. christmas day of is rendered memorable in postal annals from the circumstance that on that day the postage on letters to and from many of our colonies and foreign possessions was reduced from the modest sum of - / d. per half-ounce to the still more modest sum of d. per half-ounce. bristol has a not inconsiderable colonial and foreign correspondence. british india takes letters, etc., on the average weekly; the dominion of canada, ; newfoundland, ; and gibraltar, ; the other countries to which the reduced rate of postage has been applied take in the week. one of the many changes that have taken place in the manners and customs of the people as affecting the post office is very noticeable as regards the observance of st. valentine's day. thirty years ago the votaries of the patron saint, in their thousands, vied with each other, year after year, to honour his memory, and make the post office the medium of sending to every close friend some kind of love token, ranging from the artistic production at one guinea, down to the humble penny fly-leaf which contained the simple but expressive pleading, at the bottom of a neat woodcut, "o come, true love, be mine." only too often, however, the day was made the occasion to strike a blow at the fickle lover by means of some gross caricature. on the eve of st. valentine the energies of the staff, which was limited as compared with now, were formerly greatly taxed to get rid of the enormous piles of packets which flooded the various receptacles in the city. all this is, however, changed; the occasion now passes by almost unnoticed in the sorting office and by the postmen. chapter xii. public office: its business--the savings bank--public communications. [illustration: the public hall, bristol. _from a photograph by mr. protheroe, wine street, bristol._] the public office of the bristol post office is very commodious ( ft. by ft.), and affords ample counter accommodation to the citizens for properly conducting their post office business. it is markedly superior as regards size and fitting-up to almost any other provincial office, and indeed its equal in those respects is scarcely to be found in all london. in contrast to the spacious public hall of the bristol post office and the civility of its clerks, the writer's first impressions of the postal service of his country were by no means of a pleasant character. when quite a small child, he was entrusted by his mother with the mission of conveying a small rose-coloured and delicately-perfumed letter to the post office in a world-famed warwickshire town--an errand of which he was "no end" proud. timidly he knocked at a little wicket in the window of the house to which he was directed. almost immediately the wicket was thrown open, and a very red visage appeared. "what do you want?" "will you put a stamp on this letter, sir, please?" "no! what the devil do you mean by bringing letters like this? 'tisn't big enough. it'll get lost in some hole or corner." frightened at this "giant grim," a hasty retreat was made, and the irascible old postmaster was left to do as he liked with letter and penny. the penny combined postage and inland revenue stamp was introduced in . a new series of postage stamps was issued in , and the present series in january, . in the year the value of the postage stamps obtained from london for distribution in the bristol district was £ , ; in it had only grown to £ , ; but in it had reached the more prodigious proportions of £ , , of which sum those stamps of the halfpenny denomination were of the value of £ , , and in number , , ; and the penny stamps in value £ , and in number , , . stamps of other denominations were issued thus:-- - / d., , ; d., , ; - / d., , ; d., , ; d., , ; - / d., , ; d., , ; d., , ; d., , ; d., , ; s., , ; s. d., , ; s., , ; s., ; s., and £ , . post-cards, embossed envelopes, newspaper wrappers, telegraph forms and other articles of the kind were of the value of £ , . at the earlier period the postmaster of the day was allowed per cent. on the value of the stamps sold, in addition to his salary. it is not so now! under the system inaugurated in the postal orders issued and paid at the bristol public office counter number nearly half a million in the year. the money orders paid at the counter preponderate over those issued--the amounts respectively being £ , and £ , . these sums include the amounts received in respect of telegraph money orders--the department's new departure of . the government insurance and annuity business commenced by the post office in is making progress in bristol, and the same may be said of the system started in of investments in government stock through post office medium. the first post office savings bank in the district was established at the clifton branch post office on the th september, , the year in which savings bank business was commenced throughout the country generally. several accounts were opened on that day, and the amount deposited was £ s. a similar institution was opened in the city in march, , at the money order office, then located in the corner shop in albion chambers, small street, opposite the present head post office. from such small beginnings a vast savings bank business has grown up. the sum standing to the credit of depositors in the post office savings bank in the bristol postal area at the end of , when the last account was published, was nearly £ , , , deposited by some , separate individuals. the deposits made at the head office in small street reached close upon £ , , and the other part of the amount is made up thus: gloucestershire side--town post offices, £ , ; rural post offices, £ , . somersetshire side--town post offices, £ , ; rural post offices, £ , . the estimated amount due to depositors in the post office savings banks throughout the whole country on the st december, , was £ , , , and the amount due to trustees of savings banks on november th, ,--the latest date on which the figures were made up--was £ , , . the bristol savings bank was closed in , and its , accounts were transferred to the post office savings bank. the amount of money involved was a little over half a million. during mr. fawcett's administration at the post office, thrift on the part of the nation was encouraged in every possible way. then was inaugurated the now familiar system for facilitating the placing of small sums in the post office savings bank by means of postage stamps affixed to a post office form as penny after penny is saved until an amount of one shilling is reached, the minimum for a post office savings bank deposit. a case occurred at a bristol post office fifteen years since, in which a young servant girl, in her desire to be thrifty under the system alluded to, craftily obtained the key of the letter box from the secret place in which the sub-postmaster kept it, and abstracted a number of circular letters on school board business, and took off the stamps for attachment to the savings bank slips. she was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, which, on account of her youth, was limited to six months. amusing incidents sometimes occur to break the monotony of counter work. for instance, a woman applied for a postal order, and when it was handed to her, the clerk, acting upon the official instructions, recommended the good lady to take the number before sending the order away. a few days afterwards she appeared at the post office with the order and complained that payment had been refused because the order had been mutilated. the clerk on examining the order found that the direction to "take the number of the order" had been acted on literally. the number had been carefully cut out, and retained in the possession of the applicant. it was some time before she could be made to realize her mistake. in another instance early one fine autumn morn a young couple presented themselves at the public office of the bristol post office and begged in earnest language that they might be supplied with a marriage license. the request could not, of course, be complied with, but the applicants, much to their satisfaction, were informed where they could obtain the needed document. on another occasion some money was observed on the counter, and on the very small child near it being asked what was required, "two ounces of tea and a pound of sugar" were at once demanded. this mistake no doubt arose from the fact that the business carried on in the late post office building in exchange avenue is that of a tea dealer. it is a rule of the service that letters should not be delivered from the _poste restante_ except to the actual addressees or to other persons bearing authority to receive the letters on behalf of the addressees. a request was made at the bristol head post office for the delivery of letters to a person other than the addressee, which person could not produce the necessary authority to act as recipient. the excuse given for non-production of authority was that the addressee was asleep. the enquirer having been advised to get authority when the addressee awoke, rather astonished the counter clerk by saying that such awaking would not take place until saturday, the day of application being tuesday. it transpired that the application was made in respect of letters for a person who was undergoing a state of hypnotism at a bristol music hall. the touching incident occurred at the bristol post office of a poor woman--pressing want having come upon her at last--who had to withdraw a shilling which she had thirty years previously deposited in a trustee savings bank which was taken over by the post office. she had to receive one penny by way of interest for the use of her mite for thirty years. some years since a collector of old issues of crown-pieces presented seventy of such coins, in a good state of preservation, at the bristol post office counter as a savings bank deposit. the depositor, after taking the trouble to accumulate these old coins, had come to the conclusion that an annual interest of eight shillings and sixpence would be more useful to him than an occasional inspection of the coins. few people know so little about post office matters as an individual from over the severn who recently asked for a postage stamp. "do you want a penny or a halfpenny stamp?" asked the clerk. "i want a south wales stamp," was the reply of taffy. then the surprise of the counter officer must have been great when, on counting up his money, he found that on one of the shillings the legend "baby" boldly appeared impressed where the queen's head is usually found, the coin having evidently been used as a brooch. the department, in communicating with the public, prescribes that its officers should subscribe themselves as the public's most obedient servants, and on some of the printed forms which have to be returned in answer to queries raised by the department the same style is adopted for the public to use. one dignified gentleman returned his form, from which he had erased "your obedient servant" and substituted "yours respectfully," adding a marginal note to the effect that he was not the servant of the department, but that the department was his servant. the postmaster of bristol is addressed by the public in various ways, as for instance: "postmaster general," "general postmaster," "bristol postmaster," "h.m. chief postmaster," "to the postmaster in state, small street, bristol," "head post-master and surveyor of the bristol district," "head master, post office," "post office master," "postmaster-in-general," "master general, post-office," "mr. ----, esq., post m.g.," "mr. ----, esq., post office general," "to the reverend sir postmaster, bristol, england." it is astonishing how many foreigners and colonists apply to the bristol post office respecting their relations, or for information as regards trading matters. the former questions are sometimes answered, but the latter are handed over to the courteous secretary of the chamber of commerce to deal with. very unusual was the circumstance of the receipt at the bristol post office in , anonymously, of a sum of ten shillings in postage stamps as conscience money, and, oddly enough, the next day threepence in stamps was received in the same anonymous manner and for the same purpose. these two instances were the first and the last. the difference between romance and fact is exemplified by an article which appeared in a monthly magazine as follows, viz.:-- "a public servant." "her majesty possesses one more faithful public servant than she is aware of, though its name does not transpire in the list of the ministry. every night at the general post office, bristol, a spirited mare attached to the red mail-cart is brought, at a quarter before midnight, to fetch the bags of letters, &c. she stands perfectly still, waiting while the mails are sealed and tossed one by one into the vehicle. at the five minutes before twelve, however, should all not be ready for departure, her driver sings out 'any more for the down train?' by way of hurrying the officials. no sooner does the mare hear those words than she begins to dance and curvet, showing in every possible way her anxiety to start and her sense of the importance of her duties. but if by any chance the first stroke of midnight should sound before they are ready to proceed to the station, she takes matters into her own hands, and nothing will then hold her in. those who have to do with this clever and beautiful creature are very proud of her, on account of the example she sets of punctuality and attention to the affairs of the nation." the real facts on which this incident is founded were, that the horse (not mare) remained in the post office yard quietly from . p.m. until midnight on one particular night only, and not generally, and when the loading of the van commenced the horse became restive, the final slamming of the van doors causing it to start off for the street. in consequence of a repetition of this restlessness on another night, and "kicking-in" the front of the van, the horse was taken off the royal mail service. chapter xiii. telegraphs, telephones, express delivery. the saxon king, edmund i., doubtless never conceived, when he held court (a.d. - ) at his palace in the village of pucklechurch, seven miles from bristol, that in generations to come there would exist, as there does now, a telegraph office within a few yards of the site of his castle, whence a question could be wired to the ends of the earth, and a reply obtained in the short space of a few hours. probably at that remote period a journey from pucklechurch to the north of scotland would have been considered as great an achievement as that in recent days of dr. nansen in his endeavour to get to the north pole. the first actual working telegraph was erected in between paddington and west drayton on the great western railway, and in the following year wheatstone and cook constructed a telegraph line from paddington to slough. mr. brunel then wished to extend the line to this city, but the shareholders would not support him to that extent. in , however, the great western railway board had the line constructed through to bristol. by means of it messages could, at that later date, be forwarded to and from most parts of the kingdom from the office at the bristol railway station. arrangements were put in progress for extending the wires into the centre of the city, in order that greater facilities might be afforded to those parties who might wish to avail themselves of the means of inter-communication, and before the end of the year the wires were laid from the railway station to the commercial rooms, and subsequently three telegraph offices were opened in the city, viz.: the electric and international, on the exchange; the magnetic, in exchange avenue; and the united kingdom, in corn street. a telegraph line was laid to shirehampton, and the committee of the commercial rooms subscribed £ a year towards its maintenance. it is recorded that in the firm of messrs. w. d. and h. o. wills, tobacconists and snuff manufacturers of this city, laid down an electric telegraph wire between their warehouse in maryport street and their manufactory in redcliff street, whereby the partners and employés, although engaged in different parts of the city, were enabled to converse with each other as readily as if occupying the same counting-house. the wire was used solely for their own business. in a turnpike road telegraph was spoken of as being in course of construction between bristol and birmingham. mr. james robertson, the senior assistant superintendent o£ the bristol telegraph office, during his forty-two years' service, thirteen of which were passed in the employment of the electric and international telegraph company, has had many experiences. he has culled from his "ancient history" the fact that the amount of telegraph business transacted by the e. and i. t. co. at falmouth, plymouth, bristol, and london (lothbury, head office) on march th, , at the respective times of day stated, was:--falmouth, messages, handed in by . a.m.; plymouth at . had managed to transmit ; bristol, at noon, ; and lothbury had received by . p.m. plymouth transmitted for falmouth, and bristol for plymouth. bain's chemical recorder was the system used on the falmouth wire, the double needle on the plymouth and bristol, and "bains" and needles on bristol-london circuits. the average delay on messages at plymouth was eighty-three minutes and at bristol fourteen minutes. the charge at the time from falmouth to london was four shillings for twenty words, addresses free. the present proprietor of _lloyd's newspaper_, mr. thomas catling, records an incident in which mr. robertson was concerned. mr. catling was the only london newspaper reporter who visited windsor on the eventful night when the deeply lamented prince consort breathed his last on th december, . on reaching windsor by the last train from london he learned that his royal highness had passed away about twenty minutes previously. having obtained at the castle particulars of the sad event, mr. catling hunted out the residence of the clerk of the electric and international telegraph company. on ringing him up, the clerk pleaded that before going to bed he had been taking gruel and hot water to get rid of a bad cold. he, however, got up and proceeded with mr. catling to the telegraph office in high street, whence intelligence was wired to london. mr. catling preserved the receipt of that message as a souvenir of the occasion. mr. robertson was the telegraph clerk who arose from his bed to perform the service in the dead of night. on the transfer of the telegraph business from the companies to the state early in , the post office, bristol, engaged sixteen clerks from the electric and international telegraph company, five from the united kingdom company, and six from the magnetic company. additional clerks were employed by the post office as soon as the volume of work could be gauged, but in the meantime the transferred clerks had to do practically double duty. the officials taken over from the companies were located in the small street post office, but it was not until january, , that room could be found there for the entire staff, which had then grown to be ninety clerks and fifty messengers. the telegraphic system soon after the government took to it was extended in this district to twenty of the principal villages. in the first year of post office working there were , messages dealt with here, and now the yearly number is , , . the sixpenny telegram was introduced in . the local telegraph service now has a staff consisting of a superintendent, superintending officers, male and female telegraphists, eight telephonists, and telegraph messengers. telegrams are delivered from the head office, two branch offices, fifteen town sub-offices, forty rural sub-offices, and four railway stations. the head office has , messages delivered from it annually, the branch and town sub-offices , , and the rural districts , . of the latter ( , ), about , are delivered at distances of from one to three miles, and at distances over three miles. after . p.m. all the messages in the town area are delivered from the head office. the duke of norfolk's concession of free delivery of telegrams for all distances under three miles has been appreciated by all those concerned. the telegraph gallery has direct telegraphic connection with the undermentioned towns: bath, birmingham, bridgwater, cardiff, cheltenham, chippenham, clevedon, cork, exeter, glasgow, gloucester, guernsey, jersey, leeds, liverpool, london, manchester, newport (mon.), oxford, plymouth, reading, southampton, swansea, swindon, taunton, and weston-super-mare, and thirty-two smaller towns. bristol plays a not unimportant part in the post office telephone trunk line system, commenced in . it has direct trunk lines to bath, birmingham, cardiff, exeter, gloucester, london, newport, sharpness, taunton, and weston-super-mare. the conversations held by the public through the medium of these lines number , weekly. [illustration: the telegraph instrument room, bristol post office. _from a photograph by mr. protheroe, wine street, bristol._] the well-ventilated and well-lighted telegraph instrument room is on the upper floor, and extends from end to end of the building. in it there are telegraph instruments of various kinds in use, viz.: a.b.c.'s, double-plate sounders, sounders, duplexes, quadruplexes, wheatstone sets, repeaters or relays, concentrators and hexode. divested of technicalities, it may be said that telegraphing on the a.b.c. instruments is effected by alphabetic manipulative keys, which are depressed by the fingers of the left hand of the sender at the same time that a handle is turned with the right hand, and a corresponding effect is produced on the dial plate of the receiver. the double-plate sounder is read by sound from two small metal hands striking right and left against two pieces of metal. in sending, the working is by means of keys manipulated by the hand. the sending upon the sounder instrument, which is that chiefly used, is done by a small key with handle being depressed and released according to the dots and dashes of the morse alphabet. the signals by which messages are received and read by the ear are produced by a bar of soft iron striking upon a steel point placed between two coils of wire. with the a.b.c., double-plate sounder, and sounder, only one message can be sent or received on the wire at one time; but the duplex sounder instruments are so constructed that two messages can be sent on the wire--one in each direction--at the same time. double-current duplex instruments are in use for telegraphing to busy towns such as plymouth, exeter, cardiff, swansea, &c., &c. the quadruplex consists of two duplex sets upon one wire. upon these circuits two distinct messages may be sent simultaneously from each end. the hexode has six instruments at each end of a single wire, enabling twelve clerks to operate at the same time--six at each end,--and thus admits of a single wire doing so much work as six wires worked with the ordinary sounder instrument. at times of pressure when race meetings are going on, or during the cricket and football seasons, the ordinary methods of working are supplemented by extraordinary means, thus: the duplex working between bristol and manchester is augmented by manchester connecting there a bristol wire with a newcastle wire: newcastle in like manner further connecting the line with glasgow, glasgow with edinburgh, edinburgh with dundee, and dundee with aberdeen. then at the bristol end, instead of working by means of the ordinary keys, wheatstone working is resorted to, viz.: the messages instead of being "keyed" are "punched," the punching process being performed by means of iron punching sticks upon an apparatus called the "perforator." the sticks are rapidly worked by skilful operators upon three steel keys, which, when struck, mechanically draw a strip of white paper tape, at the same time perforating holes which indicate signs in accordance with the morse alphabet system. these slips thus "punched"--which, by-the-by, very much resemble the perforated slips used in connection with the organette instrument--are passed through a wheatstone "transmitter," and buzzed through so rapidly that or words can be sent in a minute. the signals are simultaneously reproduced upon blue slips in the form of dots and dashes at manchester, at newcastle, at glasgow, at edinburgh, at dundee, and at aberdeen. the message recorded on the slips is broken off at about every hundred words to form a "press" page at the receiving offices for writing up by the telegraphists, a large number of whom can be employed on the work at the same time. when this process is resorted to the battery power for the wire has to be greatly increased. the repeater instruments are worked in like manner, except that the system is permanent instead of occasional. the concentrator is a recent invention, and is used for the purpose of economising force and apparatus, and of minimising delay and table space. by its means the wires for eighteen to twenty offices, which use the same form of telegraphic instrument, are led into a special switch-board, and each wire as it is required is "switched" through to a telegraph instrument, at which a clerk is ready to send or receive the message. thus the telegraphist is "fed" by the operator at the concentrator, and has to send a message to any one of the thirty towns instead of, under ordinary working, to only three or four towns. in place of over batteries with , cells of the bichromate, daniel and leclanche type in use at the bristol telegraph office for many years, a system of accumulators or storage batteries has been brought into operation. the power for charging the accumulators is generated on the spot by a crossley's gas engine driving a dynamo. the accumulators number , and each has seven divisions. the hexode instrument between bristol and london requires a voltage of dry cells. there are two complete sets of accumulators, each with separate connecting wires to the instrument room. one set is in use at a time. the system of accumulators has been introduced for the purposes of economy and saving of space. it may be interesting to the uninitiated to learn that in telegraphy the earth plays the part of a return wire; thus the circuit between bristol and birmingham is rendered complete by earth. the wires connected with the two towns indicated are brought into the test boxes at the respective places, and there connected to a single wire at each town which finds earth by means of a zinc plate buried some twelve feet in the soil near or under the post office buildings. occasionally when people have been out for a drive or a cycle ride, and their eyes have been delighted with the grand scenery to be found around bristol, they look, as they journey homewards, to the government poles and to the many wires therefrom suspended, and wonder which are telegraph wires, which are telephone wires, where they all lead to, and between what points messages are sent and conversations held. such travellers returning to bristol by way of almondsbury would see the wires on the one side (telegraphs), which run from bristol to falfield, newport, cardiff, swansea, gloucester, liverpool; london to swansea, newport, and cardiff; birmingham to exeter; plymouth to liverpool; and (telephones) bristol to birmingham, gloucester, cardiff; and on the other side of the road (telephones) horfield, fylton, almondsbury, newport, cardiff, gloucester and birmingham. in some instances there are two or three wires for the same place. the telegraph, and telephone wires cross and recross each other at frequent intervals along the road, and the whole sets of wires cross from side to side of the road between fylton and almondsbury. alternative routes for the wires are adopted where practicable, so that in case of a break-down on one line communication may be kept up on the other. by way of illustration of such alternate routes, it may be mentioned that the two wires from the head post office in small street for swansea run underground to stapleton road, at which point they are brought above ground and diverge, one running to wee lane, thence to ashley hill, horfield, almondsbury, alveston ship, falfield and berkeley, up to the severn bridge; and the other branching off at the end of stapleton road, and carried along the fishponds and chipping sodbury roads nearly to yate, and down the tortworth road to just beyond falfield, where it joins the other swansea and south wales wires, and passes over the severn bridge into wales. the telegraph and telephone wires in this district are chiefly erected and maintained by soldiers of the royal engineers. sixteen military telegraphists, members of the royal engineers, are attached to the bristol post office, and kept in training for telegraph service with the army. twelve of them are now--november, --in south africa on active service, in connection with the troubles in the transvaal. in the great hurricane which occurred in january, , the telephone and telegraph wires radiating from bristol were blown down in all directions. in consequence bristol was entirely cut off from direct telephonic communication with birmingham for hours, and had only one wire instead of two for - / hours; from bath for hours, and had only one wire instead of two for - / hours; from cardiff for hours, and had only two wires instead of three for - / hours; from weston-super-mare entirely for - / hours; from taunton for - / hours; from exeter for hours; from sharpness for hours. there was only one wire instead of two to gloucester for - / hours, to london for hours, and to newport for - / hours. the trunk telephone lines were more or less interrupted for a week, caused by the working parties engaged on repairs. the telegraph wires for the counties of gloucester, somerset, monmouth, warwick, shropshire, worcester, wilts, devon, cornwall and lancashire were those chiefly deranged. it is believed that there is only one telegraph cable in the bristol district, and that cable does not belong to the postmaster-general. it crosses the river avon at a point adjacent to pill and shirehampton, and was used by the commercial rooms in connection with reports of the arrival of vessels. up to the time of its introduction, as already stated, "warners" were employed. the last of the old running "warners" were gerrish and case. these men lived at pill, and on hearing news from pilots-men of the arrival of a ship in the bristol channel they started off on foot to bristol and _warned_ the merchants and wives of sailors of the vessel's arrival in the channel, getting, of course, fees for their trouble,--a guinea from the merchants, and so on, down to the shillings of the sailors' wives,--and fifty years ago these fees were willingly paid, and the heavy postages too. the runners were men of some little mark. the post office at avonmouth, a bristol sub-office, is much used for telegraph purposes by persons on board vessels passing up and down the kingroad in the bristol channel. the bristol corporation placed outside the port a large white notice board with "telegraph office" painted upon it in black letters, to attract the attention of mariners. the messages are chiefly received from vessels with cargoes consigned to sharpness, which in neap tides have often to lie in the roads for days. telegrams for vessels lying in kingroad are often taken out by boat at midnight or in the early hours of the morning. this is often in consequence of the tide not serving, or being too strong for the boatman to go out at seasonable hours. lundy island, in the bristol channel, is connected with the mainland by a submarine cable, which is considered to be one of the most perfect of its kind. letters for lundy, from bristol and elsewhere, are carried across by boat from instow once a week. the nearer small islands of flat holm and steep holm have cable telephonic communication with weston-super-mare. the telephone, which is carried into the weston post office, is rented by the war office authorities, who allow the islanders the use of it. letters from bristol for the flat holm are conveyed by way of cardiff. the island is rented from the cardiff corporation by a farmer who resides upon it. his son, who lives in cardiff, daily visits the island in a yacht, and conveys the letters for the trinity house officials and residents. for the steep holm, bristol letters are sent from weston-super-mare; the services to the island being tri-weekly--tuesday, thursday and saturday,--and are performed by a contractor, who goes across on behalf of the war office. the steep holm is inhabited by military men only. in a manuscript of th march, , it is described as "stipe holme." one of the first serious efforts in connection with the plan of telegraphing through space without connecting wires was conducted between the diminutive island of flat holm and the shore, a distance of about five miles; and between penarth and brean down, a distance of nine miles. an interesting illustration of the system of wireless telegraphy was given, under the direction of mr. w. h. preece, c.b., f.r.s. (now sir w. h. preece, k.c.b., f.r.s.), at the clifton college conversazione, held in honour of the learned british associates during the meeting of the association at bristol in . the telegraph staff have seldom had their skill and smartness more thoroughly tested than on the memorable monday evening in february, , when press messages of great length relating to the introduction of the home rule bill were sent over the wires. twenty minutes after mr. gladstone rose to speak in the house of commons the first instalment of the special summary of his speech reached this city. the conclusion of the summary was received at two minutes to . the verbatim report commenced to arrive at . , and the last instalment reached the bristol office at o'clock. the total number of words in the messages sent to bristol was nearly , . during the early potato season telegraphing is very brisk with jersey. bristol is the only large office besides london which has direct communication with the island. some idea may be gathered of the extra labour entailed on the telegraph service from the fact that in the month of june, , no fewer than , telegrams passed between bristol and jersey, the normal number being only , monthly. five or six telegraph operators are usually sent during the season to jersey from bristol. in bristol about firms use abbreviated telegraphic addresses. the telegraph money order system, started in , is exhibiting marvellous developments in the local service. the express letter delivery service, which came into operation in , is very useful to the public. by means of this agency the post office distributes by express messenger , letters and parcels annually. of that number bristol contributes , services. bicycles and tricycles are now delivered for the public from any telegraph office in bristol and district by special messenger at a fee of d. per mile, without any charge for weight. the messengers are not permitted to ride upon the cycles, except by the permission of the senders, but will wheel them up to a distance of three miles. an express delivery messenger has been used, ere now, for the convoy of a traveller from point to point in a town unknown to him or her. the post office is often required to assist even more closely in the domestic relations of life. recently a gentleman from america wrote to the clifton post office to enquire whether a certain near relative of his could be found, as he was very anxious to see her before return to america. he enclosed a shilling stamp for a reply by telegraph, and begged for urgency. the relative was found and her address given. the applicant's ardour to see his relative cooled, or his stay in the country was abridged, for instead of paying the proposed visit, he begged the post office officials to expend five shillings, which he sent, in the purchase of cut roses for his relative. of course, this was outside the round of post office duties, but the clerks obligingly attended to it, with the aid of a telegraph messenger who was off duty at the moment. occasional mistakes are not to be wondered at when people write illegibly. through the improper formation of the capital letter, d, in the proper name dyster, has in telegraphing been turned into o, and the name made oyster, with the result of misdelivery of the telegram to a firm of fishmongers having "oyster" as an abbreviated address. it must have been extremely painful to an anxious parent to receive a telegram summoning him to a nursing home far distant, in terms that his "sow was worse," and begging him to come at once; the telegraphist having made the slight mistake of transcribing "w" for "n." the gentleman who sent a telegram to his town house in the west end of london asking that his covert coat might be forwarded to him was no doubt considerably astonished when his butler returned the telegram to him by post asking for an explanation, and he found that the text of it was "pigs, / , / , and /-." the error was occasioned in connection with the use of multiple addresses for a bacon-trading firm's telegrams. in another instance a curious complication resulted through imperfect spacing on the part of the signalling telegraphist, thus:--a telegram written by the sender as "to ----, fore st., northam, bideford. be in attendance public offices," was transcribed thus:--"to ---- forest, northam, bideford. be in at ten dance public offices," and, owing to the number of words counting the same as the number signalled, the inaccuracy was not discovered until a repetition had been obtained from the office of origin on application of the addressee. it was printed in a midland newspaper that at the presentation of a sword of honour to the sirdar the common councilmen attended in their "margarine gowns," and, of course, the error of using "margarine" for "mazarine" was put down to the carelessness of the telegraph clerk. a telegram was sent indicating arrival at mostyn crescent, in a favourite north wales town. at one stage in transmission "mostyn" became converted into "mostly," and at the next office of transmission "crescent" became "pleasant," and the telegram when delivered read "arrived mostly pleasant." the prime minister who had informed his audience that "there was no prospect of an immediate general election, that they had a working majority, and the government was of good cheer," would not have been pleased had he seen that the last word in the telegram posted up in the bristol commercial rooms had been transcribed as "of good cheek." a telegram, "have arranged for sunday. dening," with the first two words struck out, and "arrangement complete" substituted underneath, was handed in at a telegraph office by a well-known and much respected bristol clergyman. at the forwarding office the message was unfortunately read "for sunday dinning arrangement complete," the erasure and addition not having been properly understood and the proper name misspelt. at the delivering office the message again suffered alteration, and became "for sunday dining arrangements complete." it may readily be supposed that the addressee was somewhat astonished at the peculiar text of the message. the following is from the bristol _times and mirror_ of february, , and has reference to a little inaccuracy on the part of a telegraph assistant employed at a bristol sub-post office. the incident itself is correctly reported:--"garraways, o'clock. dear mrs. b.--chops and tomato sauce. yours pickwick," settled the hash of a well-known character; and a wire, "going to bath to meet girl. not back to dinner," had, very nearly, a similar effect on the domestic relations of one of the smartest solicitors in our city. the telegraph has had, in its time, much to answer for, "but never aught like this." when puck said: "i'll put a girdle round about the earth in forty minutes," he little thought what mischief he might do. it was only the other day we read how a stray dropped line destroyed a horse, killed a cow, and cut off the head of a nigger; but these accidents were a trifle compared with what might have happened if the message first quoted could not have been explained. the learned gentleman it appears has a brother, by name gilbert, familiarly known in the circle as "gil." the latter, having business in bath, wrote asking his relative to dine with him at the "christopher." the learned advocate at once accepted; but, being a thoroughly domesticated man, telegraphed to his better-half: "going to bath to meet gil; not back to dinner." then came in the "cussedness" of the wire which substituted "girl" for "gil," and hence the temporary ructions when the happy husband, having succeeded with his latchkey, sought repose. chapter xiv. telegraph messengers. the telegraph messengers in uniform employed in the bristol district number about . they have a literary institute, a drum and fife band, hold swimming classes, etc. that there is need of night classes may be inferred from the following specimens of telegraph messengers' orthography and syntax:-- ( ) "supt, sir, i will try to be more careful in the pass. yours obed, h. p----." ( ) "supt, sir, i having asked where the message was ment for and they told me to go up the road where i should see a chemist shop where i should find it about there and i having could not find it i asked, a gentleman which he said it was farther up the road and i left it with cotton the undertaker which he said it was quite right.--g. h----." ( ) "supt, sir, i will try to be more extint in the future as this is the truth.--m. t----." ( ) "supt, sir, i much regret not returning my report but i left it home in my other pocket in my overcoat which is home drying which was wet through on saturday last. yours obed h. e----." the institute was inaugurated at a public meeting at the colston hall on the st december, , which was attended by a large and influential gathering of citizens. upon the platform were the mayor of bristol (mr. w. r. barker), who presided, the very rev. the dean of bristol (dr. pigou), mr. charles townsend, m.p., rev. r. cornall, mr. r. c. tombs (the postmaster), mrs. r. c. tombs, dr. lansdown, jun., miss synge, miss pollock, messrs. john harvey, arthur baker, e. g. clarke, h. lewis, c. h. tucker, r. l. leighton, w. h. lindrea, j. r. bennett, e. sampson; also messrs. a. j. flewell (superintendent of the telegraph department), w. h. gange, j. robertson, j. s. gover, j. j. mackay, h. t. carter (superintendent of the postal department). it was explained that the telegraph messengers were engaged at from thirteen to fourteen years of age, and the lessons they had learned at school had chiefly been supplemented by a knowledge acquired in the streets. the object was to counteract street influences by providing elementary instruction, recreation, and interesting literature. there was no desire to educate the boys to such a pitch that jack would think himself better than his master, but to take care that they should not degenerate. it was announced that the hours of labour had just been reduced from sixty-two to fifty per week, which would be a great boon to the boys. it was further stated that a private appeal had been made, not in vain, to a few of bristol's most generous citizens, and that through their kindly aid, with subscriptions from the members of the staff and the grant which it was hoped to earn from the education department, the institute would be carried on without pecuniary embarrassment. the description of the institute's work was as follows:-- . the institute would be open to the telegraph messengers and to junior officers of the postal and telegraph service, the charge to each member to be one penny per week. . the institute would be carried on in a room at the general post office. . in connection with the institute an evening school would be held, the educational session to last from october to may. an annual examination of the members of the classes would be held. . in addition to the three elementary subjects,--reading, writing, and arithmetic,--classes would be arranged for the study of scripture, geography, drawing, composition, and shorthand. . for the purpose of recreation certain games would be provided. . in connection with the institute there would be a library, which had been formed by means of books generously given by the citizens of bristol. . the library would be open to any established or unestablished officer of the postal and telegraph service at a slight subscription per month. . a penny savings bank would also be started. the chairman said he gladly consented, to preside that evening, because the object of the meeting was one in which he took deep interest, and one which he felt sure would commend itself to a very large number of his fellow-citizens. he thought he might say that everything connected with the postal service was peculiarly interesting to them all, and anything they could do to ameliorate the lot of those who daily rendered them such important service they would be very glad to do. he thought it would not be well to make the movement too "goody" in its character, or too educational, so he was glad to see that there was a lighter side to the scheme. mr. charles townsend, m.p., mr. arthur baker, mr. harold lewis, miss synge, and members of the postal and telegraph, staff, also spoke. then, the dean of bristol addressed the telegraph messengers, and said he really should have been disappointed if he had not been invited to attend the meeting. it was a pleasant part of his privilege in ministering in bristol to be asked to take a share in such an interesting gathering as they were holding that evening. one of the best features of this institute was that it would assist them to put their leisure to the most profitable use. the educational work has been progressing steadily ever since its inauguration, and much good has resulted from it to the messengers. ever ready to give their countenance to entertainments for the benefit of the community, their graces the late lamented duke, and the dowager duchess, of beaufort, as their first public act after coming to reside at stoke park, near our city, attended a concert at the redland park hall, which was held for the purpose of benefiting the funds of the telegraph messengers' institute. later on, may st, , they were kind enough to attend an annual meeting and a prize distribution at the colston hall. the late duke, who presided on the occasion, said it was a great pleasure to him to be present. he had witnessed a good deal of the care and discipline with which the post office messengers were looked after. like everybody who had a great deal of correspondence, he had the privilege of having the services of the best regulated post office in the world. they also had in this country the privilege of being able to use the best regulated telegraph service. they might be perfectly sure that if a man wanted to send a telegram, when once he put it into the hands of the postal officials, however ill-written or badly addressed it might be, it was very probable that the telegram would reach its destination. those who had a good deal of correspondence were deeply indebted for the splendid organisation of the bristol department. they were also very much indebted to the telegraph clerks, who deciphered the scrawls handed them, and who transmitted the messages. they were deeply indebted also to the boys for the way in which they refrained from stopping to play marbles, and did their duties with great zeal, and delivered their messages at the proper places and to the proper persons. they would understand that they were government officers, and that they had to discharge important duties. he could personally say that those duties were thoroughly well carried out in the city of bristol and its neighbourhood. the duchess of beaufort then distributed the prizes, after which a telegraph messenger presented her grace with a basket of choice flowers. the bishop of bristol addressed the lads, and urged them to do their duty thoroughly when on duty, and to enter heartily into healthy play when off duty. in doing their duty they should remember one or two things. they might be charged with the delivery of a message which was a matter of life or death; it might be one regarding which thousands of pounds depended; or it might be one of little importance. but, whatever it was, it was not for them to enquire, but to deliver the message with punctuality and promptness. having spoken of the discipline and training telegraph boys received, he observed that of all telegraph boys, for punctuality, steadiness, courtesy, and politeness, the bristol boys were about the best. he urged them also to live pure lives and observe complete honesty, that they might become worthy citizens of whom the country might be proud. he was glad to hear the name of the lady (miss pollock) who conducted the scriptural class so cordially received, which showed that the lady and her work had taken hold of the hearts of the boys. the excellence of their work as boys, and as men, and the enjoyment of their lives, in the best sense, depended upon their becoming god-fearing. he should be pleased to give a prize in connection with the scripture class. the letters of the bishop, written with reference to the occasion, should not be left unchronicled. they ran as follows, viz.:-- "church house, dean's yard, s.w., _may th, _. "my dear postmaster,--i am speaking at bath on the afternoon of the th, and am engaged to stay the night. but i think your proposal so important that i am writing to my host, mr. s., to ask if he has engaged friends to meet me. if he can excuse me, i will, if all be well, come to you and say something. "yours very truly, g. f. bristol." "the athenæum, _may th, _. "my dear postmaster,--i have arranged to return to bristol on the evening of may , and if all be well can be with you. send me a card of place and hour. "yours very truly, g. f. bristol." the following extract from a letter in which his grace wrote concerning the meeting, is indicative of the interest which he took in matters affecting the postal and telegraph services of bristol, viz.:-- "stoke park, stapleton, near bristol, _ st may, _. "dear mr. tombs,--i must write you a few lines of thanks for the very pleasant evening you gave us last night. both the duchess and i enjoyed it very much. i was remarkably struck with the appearance of your boys: such nice, clean, smart-looking youths. what a difference drill makes to lads! they have already a smart--soldierlike, i should call it--appearance, and i am sure it tends to sharpen their minds as well as to straighten their bodies. "believe me to remain, yours truly, beaufort." the messengers little thought as they listened to the duke's encouraging words, addressed to them on the occasion of the meeting, that they would before a year had passed away be sending a modest, humble, but loving tribute, in the form of a wreath, which was thought worthy to be suspended over the pulpit in badminton church at the duke's obsequies, in juxtaposition with a wreath of mammoth proportions sent by the officers of the th dragoons (the duke's old regiment). the bristol telegraph messengers have cause to remember that bright saturday afternoon in when, preceded by their drum and fife band, they marched out to burfield, westbury-on-trym, the country residence of sir (then mr.) r. h. symes, the mayor of bristol. they were there enabled to have a few hours of recreation and pleasure, and to forget the busy hum of the city with its turmoil and heat. following the excellent example, mr. arthur baker, of henbury, and other country gentlemen have invited the boys out on saturday afternoons, to encourage them to keep banded together for good purposes, and to maintain that _esprit de corps_ which is so necessary in a body of youths drawn together after the manner of the telegraph messengers' class. a most memorable occasion was that in , when the messengers were inspected by lieutenant-colonel macgregor, of the th middlesex r.v.c., london. they mustered at the post office, and, under the direction of inspectors mawditt, appleby (late th regiment and sergeant-major scinde volunteers), and cook (late royal marines), and headed by their drum and fife band, marched to the artillery drill ground in whiteladies road where, in presence of many visitors, military and civilian, they were put through manual exercises, physical drill to music, and then reviewed on the parade ground. in the speeches which followed the boys were complimented on their efficiency and smart appearance. it was on this occasion that it was announced the postmaster-general had obtained the sanction of the treasury for a grant of money in order to encourage telegraph messengers' institutes and drill in the large towns. under this scheme, prizes for proficiency in drill and general good conduct are awarded--a system which has since been found to work admirably. chapter xv. letter delivery system. postmen: their duties and recreations. the extent of the bristol postal establishment in may be gleaned from the reply given by the postmasters-general to a memorial complaining that there was only one letter carrier for the delivery of all the letters received in liverpool. the answer was that only one letter carrier was maintained in any provincial town, including the premier city of bristol, and that they did not think themselves justified in incurring for liverpool the expense of another. an additional bristol postman was, however, appointed between then and january, . in there were four letter carriers at bristol, but only two appear to have been allowed by the department, the other two being employed as extras, and provided for, probably, by an extra charge on the letters delivered. the bristol letter carriers were not supplied with uniform clothing until . then, a hat and coat once yearly, and a waterproof cape once in two years, were given to them. the uniform clothing was not supplied to the auxiliary letter carriers. bags or pouches for the men to carry for the protection of the letters were at that time provided. in the postmen wore scarlet uniform and issued out from the post office three times daily to traverse the length and breadth of the city in the distribution of letters. in the "men in blue" sally forth six times every day. in the postmen's department there are now seven inspectors and three hundred and seventy postmen. the delivery of letters in the town district is made from the head office. there is a branch delivering office at clifton, but those at north street and phippen street were long since abandoned. in the bristol postal district, sixty years ago, there were fewer than , letters delivered in a week, or about , , in a year--a number now nearly reached in a week. the letters delivered annually from the central post office number , , ; from the clifton post office, , , ; from the suburban offices and rural offices, , , . it is a noteworthy fact that the letters posted in bristol for delivery within its own limit form per cent. of the total number, which percentage is only surpassed at two or three of the large cities of the kingdom. six deliveries of letters and five deliveries of parcels are made in the city, with ten collections. the average number of persons to whom letters are delivered by each postman in bristol (city) is , . there are , parcels delivered annually. to each of two firms are delivered more than one quarter of a million letters annually, equal to one hundredth part of the total number of letters delivered. the distances from the head office to the extreme outward terminal city and clifton delivery points are as follows:--westbury park, - / miles; horfield barracks, miles; ridgeway, - / miles; barton hill, - / miles; arno's vale, - / miles; totterdown, miles; bedminster down, miles; ashton gate, miles; and clifton suspension bridge, - / miles. the trams are used by the postmen, and the department pays the tramways company a lump sum in respect thereof. the convenience in this respect will be enhanced when the electric traction system is fully introduced. in the sorting office the letters are sorted to the various rounds by postmen dividers, and the general body of postmen then have to arrange them at their desks seated on little revolving stools. the process adopted by the postmen in setting in their letters for delivery may be explained by the following example relating to what is technically known as the "cotham brow walk." the letters are first primarily divided (upright) into streets, roads, squares, courts, etc., taken thus--viz.: (_a_) sydenham road, to (one side only); (_b_) sydenham hill, to , odd numbers (one side only); (_c_) tamworth place to (one side only); (_d_) arley hill, to and to (cross); (_e_) arley park (cross); (_f_) arley hill, and and to (cross); (_g_) cotham brow, to and to (cross); (_h_) southfield road, to and to (cross); (_i_) upper sydenham road, to (one side only); (_j_) springfield road, to , odd numbers (one side only). then the letters for one of the above-named ten divisions or streets are taken one by one and placed in order of actual delivery flat on the table; then all are gathered together and stood upright, the letters for each division being treated in like manner. when the letters for any one street or road, etc., have been set in order, fresh batches of letters of, say, thirty or so, are fully sub-divided by the same process before being set in with the accumulated and finished letters. this course is necessary in order to obviate the postman having to go through a set of fifty or a hundred letters time after time as he gets a fresh batch of letters. two hours are allowed for the morning delivery and one and a half hours for other deliveries. as those who have the longest rounds have the lightest burdens, they all contrive to finish at about the same time. the clifton suspension bridge, which was erected in at a cost of £ , , plays a very unimportant part in postal affairs, as it serves for the passage over the avon of three postmen only, who cross with letters for the leigh woods and failand districts. long ashton, which has a carriage road approached by the bridge from the clifton side, receives its letters by a postman who crosses by a ferry lower down the river and reaches his destination more expeditiously than by crossing over the bridge. a bristol postman, who was well acquainted with the locality which he had to serve, met with an ugly accident through colliding with a lamp-post, recently erected and not supplied with gas for lighting up. it had been put up during the man's interval of duty, so that he came upon it for the first time when it was shrouded in darkness. the postmen, having in the discharge of their duties to be early birds and to be first out and about in the morning, often pick up articles lost or deposited overnight. thus it was that a postman found on one winter's morn in a bristol suburb a parcel containing the dead body of a child, and had to constitute himself a corpse-carrier for the nonce. it was in this city of bristol that the following somewhat amusing and certainly interesting incident took place. two rats were found in combat over a letter, which, delivered in due course by the postman, had fallen upon the floor at the entrance to a warehouse, and had been dragged thence to the spot where the rodents were engaged in their fierce encounter, the gum on the flap probably being the attraction. the letter contained a cheque for £ , and its loss for some days caused no small amount of consternation and anxiety to the gentleman who should have received it, and who, it need scarcely be said, at once gave orders for a letter-box to be attached to his warehouse door. it was well for the magistrates' clerk for the gloucestershire division of bristol that he was well known to the postman, or assuredly he would never have received the letter addressed thus: "mr. latchem laforegat pleace stashun," the proper address being: "mr. latcham, lawford's gate police station, stapleton road, bristol." recently many valuable dogs were poisoned in different parts of the city, and a suggestion appeared in the newspapers that the postmen might be urged to constitute themselves amateur detectives for the discovery of the miscreants, on the ground that they enter every garden and knock at every door throughout the length and breadth of bristol, and that at early morn and late at night as well as by day. the postmen are public spirited, but it is hardly likely that they would go considerably out of their way for the purpose, considering the risks which they run from dogs and the annoyances to which they are subjected to by them. the postmen have to face the snappish terrier and the ferocious-looking bulldog. not infrequently they get bitten, and more frequently get soundly abused if, for their own protection, they belabour a dog occasionally, or give it a taste of their belt for want of a better weapon of defence or offence. reciprocity would demand that if the postmen look out for dog poisoners, the owners of dogs on their part should take the utmost care to keep their dogs properly secured when known to be dangerous or to have a special dislike to the public servants in blue. the bold announcement given on the pillar of a gateway of a residence in a fashionable suburb of bristol, "beware of the bulldog," is not calculated to give confidence to the postmen who have to deliver the letters. one poor dog, well known in the city, fell dead in small street; and as the dog had just been seen to visit the post office, and even to drink from a bristol dogs' home trough standing in the portico, it was assumed by the many spectators of the poodle's sad death that he had come to an untimely end through drinking poisoned water from the post office trough. the vessel was therefore confiscated by an over-zealous supporter of the dogs' home, and the water was subjected to analysis, but investigation proved that it was innocuous, although from an examination it transpired that the dog really had died from poison, which had, however, been taken in meat. a london firm made indignant enquiry as to why a letter had been returned to them through the returned letter office, seeing that it was addressed to a well-known and distinguished baronet living near bristol. it turned out that the right hon. gentleman was himself the cause of the return of the letter, as he read the contracted words "rt. honb.," in a line preceding his own name, as the name of "robt. hunt," a person who lived near his mansion, and he gave the letter back to the postman with the foregoing result. in a letter indicative of the times, with the following superscription, as noticed in the post:--"to the post office, bristol, somersetshire, england, miles west of london, this letter is to be delivered to the ladey that transported jobe smith and others with him near bristol." members of the public complain from time to time in indignant terms respecting the loss of letters in the post, but in very many instances they afterwards write in meeker strain to say they have discovered the missing letters--in most unlikely places in their homes. at a dinner given by officials of the bristol post office, the dean of bristol bestowed praise on the postmen for success in conveying ill-addressed letters to their destination. dr. pigou cited their performances in his own case. he had been addressed as pigue, picken, pigon, pigour, pickles, peggue, puegon, ragou, and pagan. that "ragou"--not being a name beginning with "p"--should have reached him, he thought could only be explained as the result either of a flash of inspiration or of the recollection of previous "hashes" of his name; but "pickles" evidently got home on the mere strength of its initial letter, and though, as he complained, it is hard lines to be addressed as "dr. pagan" after having been thirty or forty years in orders, the written word would much more nearly resemble his real name than several of the other addresses which did find him. "the head gamekeeper, the deanery, bristol," was, of course, mysterious. the letter contained a circular advertising wire netting for pheasants, rabbits, and hares; and when the dean replied, pointing out that the only space available on his premises--an area of ft. by ft.--was too small to rear pheasants in, he received, a further circular recommending a trial of "our dog biscuits." occasionally, also, the local postmen meet with letters so peculiarly addressed as that for "mr. ----, oction her and countent, corn street, bristol," and another for "chowl, near temple," intended for "cholwell, near temple cloud." the postmen collect, too, letters peculiarly addressed to other places. there are still a few postmen veterans in the bristol post office who are toiling on long after having exceeded their "three score years." doubtless these aged men excite sympathy as they are seen on their daily rounds, and the thought presents itself to the public mind that the post office is harsh to make them labour when so far advanced in years. such is not the case, however, as the men, unfortunately not being entitled to pensions, have been allowed to continue to perform their duties long after pensionable established men would have been retired, either willingly or compulsorily, under the regulations which now call for a civil servant's retirement to be considered his reaching the age of sixty years. these old worthies are not post office short-service men; but, as their good conduct stripes testify, they have for long years served their queen and country. j. s., one of these life-long toilers, who worked as an uncovenanted postman for many years, commenced his career in the navy. when fifteen years of age ( ) he joined the gunnery ship _excellent_ at portsmouth, captain (afterwards admiral) chade being then in command. after serving two years, he was transferred to the old _conway_, then engaged in putting down the slave trade in east african waters; and after three years on board that vessel he went to the brig _helena_, and was with her in the west indies for several years. in about he was passed to the _britannia_ for mediterranean service. while sailing from gibraltar to malta, s. met with a serious accident. being considered a smart young man, he was ordered by the captain to assist another "a.b." to rig the topgallant yard-arm. while thus at work he fell from the maintopmast cross-trees into the main rigging, again to the main chains, and then overboard--a drop in all of feet. a boat was lowered promptly, and he was soon picked up, but he was in an insensible condition. it was found on examination by the ship's surgeon that his skull was fractured. he went into hospital on arrival at malta, and there he remained six months. shortly after the accident, the _britannia_, which was the admiral's flagship, was ordered to the crimea ( ), and not only did the seaman who took over s.'s gun meet with his death by the shells from the fortifications at sebastopol, but the whole of the gallant tars fighting on the starboard side of the ship were killed. s. was taken to london on board the _growler_ (sir charles wood), the first steamer he had ever seen, and was incapacitated for two or three years, but fortunately he obtained a pension on having to leave the navy. he was engaged in private life till , when, at the age of years, he was given post office work, on which he was employed for twenty years, and, indeed, until he again came to grief through an accident when on duty at christmas, . on this occasion he was knocked over by a cart in victoria street, which ran into the parcel handcart s. was wheeling, and which sent him flying into the mud and his parcels all about in the road. this put an end to his post office career, and the old man, with disabled body from his first accident and somewhat impaired faculty from the latter, has now sunk back into seclusion, and it is hoped that he may end his days in peace. except for three weeks' illness caused by influenza, he was never away on sick leave out of his twenty years of post office service. not once was s. late at work. he was, he says, always out of bed at a.m., and so punctual was he known to be that the remark was often made when he entered the office, that "we know what time it is without looking at the clock." on leaving the post office service this year ( ) a small gratuity was awarded him. s. t., although in his st year, managed up till quite recently to perform post office work for a few hours daily. from early boyhood up to his nd year, t. was engaged at shoemaking in this city; then he enlisted and served as gunner and driver in the royal horse artillery for three years. having obtained his discharge from the army, he acted as policeman on the great western railway for a few months. at the time of the crimean war, t. again enlisted, this time as a seaman and gunner in her majesty's navy. he was disabled in action and discharged with a life pension. for the next twenty-seven years he followed his former occupation of shoemaking and rounding, working for about twenty years for one firm in this city. when years of age, he first obtained employment in the post office, working for a few hours daily, and receiving s. per-week. he is a member of the crimean and indian veterans' association. a bristol post office benefit society was established in march, . it became the bristol letter carriers' sick benefit society in , and was carried on under that title up to when it ceased. early in the year of , the remains of the late thomas rutley, one of the oldest of bristol postmen, were interred at greenbank cemetery. about one hundred postmen, headed by the post office band, were in attendance to mark their sympathy, and respect to his memory. the rev. moffat logan conducted the service. such a mark of respect is not always accorded to deceased post office servants. the writer recollects on a bright summer day having attended the funeral at highgate cemetery of one of the oldest and most respected superintendents in the post office, london. the good man was so much liked by those who served under him that he had gained for himself the name of "honest john," yet there was only one other official besides the writer to stand by his graveside. the postmen have a military band, composed of thirty members of their own staff. the primary object is to advance the art of music in the post office, and, secondarily, to provide concerts in the open spaces in bristol for the benefit of the public. a grand concert is given by the band every year, which is usually attended by some , of the inhabitants, attracted chiefly by the popularity of the post office and by the fame of artistes so eminent as madame ella russell, madame fanny moody, mr. plunkett greene, and others, who have from time to time been engaged. the "d" company of the st volunteer battalion gloucester regiment is composed almost exclusively of members of the bristol post office. for three years in succession, ( - - ), this company won the first prize in the drill competition and also first prize and challenge vase in the volley firing competition. the company challenge bowl and first prize, and the brigadier's cup and third prize in the western district of england, were also won by the company during the same period. for many years the bristol post office has had two out of the nine representatives of the battalion competing for the queen's prize. the company has also been well represented in all the battalion and county shooting matches. of the eight battalion signallers, five are post office men, who have on several occasions held first place in the volunteer service annual examinations. the postmen of bristol maintain for the winter months two of the old veterans who are under the auspices of the crimean and indian mutiny veterans' association. mr. goodenough taylor, one of the proprietors of the _times and mirror_ newspaper, has kindly given a ten guinea challenge cup, to be raced for by bristol postmen who use bicycles in connection with their post office business of delivering and collecting letters. the cup has to be won three years, not necessarily in succession, before it becomes the postman's sole property. the terms under which the competition for the cup is held are as follows, viz.:--"competitors to be postmen of any age or rank; appointed, unestablished, auxiliary, or sub-postmaster's assistant, of not less than two years' service, who have never won a prize in public competition. competitors to be certified as having in the course of the preceding twelve months, under official sanction or direction, ridden miles in the execution of their official duties, or to and from the office when attending duty. the race to be a handicap race of two miles, to take place on the gloucestershire county ground or other enclosure during each year. the postmaster, assisted by experts in the post office service, to be the handicapper. the handicap to be framed on points of age, physical ability, and regard to be had to the weight or kind of bicycle to be used in competition." postman newman, of coalpit heath, was the winner this year ( ). the postmen have a library, consisting now of some volumes. it was started in . the writer made an appeal through the local press for gifts of books to form the nucleus of a library for the postmen and telegraph messengers attached to the bristol post office. this appeal was liberally and promptly responded to by the residents of bristol and clifton. warmest thanks are due to the newspaper proprietors for their kindness in inserting paragraphs relating to the subject, as, but for their powerful co-operation in the matter, the movement could not have been brought to a successful issue. a well-known literary gentleman at clifton gave eighty volumes, mr. harold lewis, b.a., showed his interest in the movement by the donation of copies; and mr. j. w. arrowsmith has frequently given fifty volumes at a time. the postmen themselves manage the library, and contribute small sums weekly towards its maintenance and further development. chapter xvi. post letter boxes: position, violation, peculiar uses. the three hundred and fifty pillar and wall letter boxes are placed at convenient points, regard being had to the wants of the immediate neighbourhood that each has to serve--to approach by paved crossings, to contiguity to a public lamp, to being out of the way of pedestrians and as far removed from mud-splashing as possible. at the same time, the inspectors endeavour to place the boxes so that they may be an attraction, rather than an eyesore, to the spot where erected. the sign of "the pillar box" has been given to a public-house before which a post office box stands. occasionally the post office letter boxes are greatly misused. some little time since a woman in bristol was savage enough to drop oil of vitriol, nitric acid, and other dangerous fluids into the boxes. she even poured paraffin into the letter box at a post office, and dropped an ignited match in after it. a conflagration was only averted by the fortunate circumstance of the postman clearing the box just in time to extinguish the commencing fire. the woman's determination is evidenced from the fact that her hands were severely burned by the strong acid she used; but, notwithstanding this, she continued night after night to carry on her dastardly work. she was found out after much anxious watching, and having, on trial, been found guilty, she was sentenced by a lenient judge to six months' imprisonment. she would assign no reason for her incomprehensible behaviour even when asked by the judge in court. not infrequently, mischievous children place lighted matches, rubbish, etc., in the post office letter boxes, and in the letter boxes of private houses and warehouses. the post office officials are always on the alert to discover the delinquents. it is desirable also that the public, in their own interests, should call the attention of postmen and the police at once to any case in which they may observe letter boxes being tampered with. it may not be generally known that offences of this kind are punishable by imprisonment under the post office protection act. a remarkable case was that of a servant who was a somnambulist, and who for some time wrote letters in her sleep, night after night, and took them to adjacent letter boxes to post. sometimes she was fully attired, and at other times only partially so. as a rule, the letters were properly addressed, but the girl did not always place postage stamps upon them. occasionally the postmen have to encounter the difficulties arising from a frost-bound letter box. such a case occurred with a box situated on the summit of the mendip hills. the letter box and the wall in which the box is built were found by the postman to be covered with ice, caused by rain and snow having frozen on them. the door resisted all his efforts to open it, and he had to leave it for the night. on making another effort when morning came, it taxed his ingenuity and that of other interested and willing helpers to get the box open. hot water was tried, paraffin was poured into the lock, and it was only after a hammer had been used and a fire in a movable grate had been applied for a time that the lid could be opened. a letter box erected in a brick pillar in a secluded spot on the east harptree road, about a mile distant from any habitation, was, late one night, damaged to the extent of having its iron door completely smashed off, apparently either by means of a large stone which lay at its base when the violation was discovered, or by means of a hammer and jemmy. although the adjacent ground, ditches, and hedges were searched, no trace of the iron door could be found. as three roysterers were known to have passed the box on the night in question, it was assumed that the damage was done by them out of pure mischief and not from any desire to rob her majesty's mails. whether such were the case or not, they had the unpleasant experience of being locked up over the sunday on suspicion. chapter xvii. rural district sub-postmasters. rural postmen. incidents. the bristol postal area is an extensive one, the distance from point to point being thirty miles, with width ranging from five to twelve miles. it is bounded on one side by the river severn, from a point about five miles below sharpness to a point close to portishead; thence the boundary stretches across country to the mendip hills, up to cheddar cliffs; then from a point four miles north-east of wells to newton-st.-loe, near bath; across the river avon, under lansdown, thence in a line by pucklechurch, iron acton, and thornbury across to the starting-point on the severn. the large rural area is for the greater part agricultural in character, but there are collieries and stone quarries in some few districts. at the bristol town and rural sub-post offices there are assistants of all kinds employed. many rural sub-postmasters act as postmen; in the main it is a healthy occupation, and proves a very good antidote to sedentary employment, although there are hardships to be borne, as the toil has to be undergone in all weathers--the scorching sun of summer, the pitiless cold of winter--in rain, hail, and snow. in connection with the early closing movement, at some of the outer post offices business is suspended at . on one day in the week--usually wednesday. in the suburban and rural districts there are sub-post offices, and of them are letter delivery offices, served by an aggregate number of postmen. of the districts, have two daily deliveries three, and four, with about a corresponding number of collections. the sorting clerks and telegraphists at head-quarters gain some sort of acquaintance with sub-postmasters through daily communication by mail bag and wire; also in the passage of reports and counter-reports; but occasionally people performing postal work throughout the extensive bristol district are brought into closer harmony and touch with each other by means of social functions, such as "outings" and bristol channel steamer trips, when town and country officials take their pastime in company, and the sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses of the somersetshire portion of the district get acquainted with those of the gloucestershire side, and all with the head office officials. by these means of friendly intercourse and interchange of kindly feeling, the service is much benefited. as an indication of this exchange of courtesy, the felicitations exchanged by telegram when the first annual trip by steamer to ilfracombe was taken ran thus:-- "from postmaster, bristol.--pleasant journey to you. long may sub-postmasterly friendship continue." "from sub-postmasters at ilfracombe.--telegram received. thanks for good wishes. have just drank your good health. pleasant trip. regret your absence extremely.--sub-postmasters." the bristol post office has only recently had electric light introduced, but the squire of east harptree had long before set the good example of progress by having the post office in his village illuminated by electricity. in the bristol area very many villages have their little counterpart of the huge combination shops in london, where the villager is enabled to procure everything that his modest income will allow him to purchase. it is at these village "whiteleys" that the post office is generally to be found, and a surveying officer may soon become well versed in the qualities of bacon, cheese, bread, flour, candles, and get a knowledge of rakes, prongs, and besoms, without much difficulty. in other instances no business except that of post office work is carried on. the picture of the sub-post office at cribbs causeway, five miles from bristol, may give our readers who are "in cities pent" an idea of a delightful place for the sale of postage stamps and postal orders and the distribution of letters. this unique post office has few houses anywhere near it, but it serves a large, albeit very sparsely populated, area. some of its interest rests in the fact that it was formerly the half-way inn on the once important highway from bristol to new passage, for the ferry over the severn into south wales. some of our elderly readers may probably recollect it as the stopping stage of the coaches which ran prior to the introduction of the railway system. the sub-post office, which stands on high ground, is held by two sisters, who went to it as a health resort from a farm in the low-lying severn marsh. they act as postwomen, and brisk exercise and the early morning dew has brought such roses to their cheeks as would be envied by their post office sisters whose fate it is to reside in smoke-begrimed regions. [illustration: cribbs causeway post office.] although some of the bristol district villages are situated at a long distance from town and remote from main roads, yet only one of the post offices presents the primitive condition of having a thatched roof. none of the rural postmen now avail themselves on their journeys of the services of that faithful creature, the donkey; but the last animal so used was on the road until , when its master, poor sims, the congresbury to shipham postman, shuffled off this mortal coil. times change, and our manners change with them; so also do our tests for gold coins. at the wrington post office there are brass testing weights, for sovereigns and half-sovereigns, inscribed "royal mint, ," such as have not been observed by the writer at any other post office, either in the bristol district or in london. a certain sub-postmistress in the district has for many years been in the habit of keeping her sheets of reserve postage stamps in a large family bible. not that she is irreverent--indeed, she is a pious woman,--but, being a lone widow, she has kept them in that manner for safety, as she imagines that no burglar would look for them in such a depository. [illustration: mr. edward biddle. (_sub-postmaster of rudgeway._) _photographed by mr. protheroe, narrow wine street, bristol, from an oil painting._] a notable man in his day was edward biddle, on the thornbury side of bristol. mr. biddle was sub-postmaster of rudgeway for over forty years, and occupied the post until his death in , at the ripe age of years, when he was succeeded by his daughter, and she, in turn, was succeeded by his son, william biddle, who still holds the appointment. prior to becoming sub-postmaster, mr. edward biddle was "pike" keeper at stone, and used to pay £ per annum for his post. there he had to open his gate to no fewer than twenty mail coaches daily, on their way between bristol and gloucester. at rudgeway he carried on the joint occupation of sub-postmaster and innkeeper, at a tavern where the post office business had been conducted for many years before he succeeded to it; but the innkeeping business had in course of time to be given up, under post office regulations. mr. elstone, of alveston house, wrote expressing his satisfaction that the post office was to be carried on at a private house, and not as previously at a "roadside pothouse," which all the district considered a very improper place. at that time john blann and other stage carriers drove their unwieldy waggons, drawn by four strong cart-horses at a walking pace, along the gloucester turnpike road. the waggons were indeed the goods trains of olden times. the present sub-postmaster, the son of edward biddle, who has had for many years to use "shanks's" pony in the delivery of letters, was engaged in olden times in going on horseback down to the passage to take, in saddlebags, the mails for south wales and receive them therefrom. as late as , letters from rudgeway for bristol were impressed with a stamp thus:-- bristol ja . by post. mr. james tiley, the village blacksmith of clutton, now an octogenarian, calls to mind that sixty years ago the letters for clutton, temple cloud, stowey, bishop sutton and adjacent districts were delivered from old down, a hamlet on the main coach road from bath to wells, distant from tyburn turnpike, london, miles. mr. tiley has had the luxury of paying d. for a letter brought from london by the above means; and as it was dear to him at the time, it is dear to him now in another sense as a reminiscence of the past. mr. tiley recalls the sending of letters of the district by waggoners to bristol or bath to save the postage, and slyly remarks: "so stupid were the waggoners that as often as not they brought the letters back again, having forgotten to--what post office people now term--'properly dispose of them.'" also that joseph tippett, a postman of the olden time, was brutally assaulted on stowey hill, and nearly lost his life and his letters. his assailants were discovered and were transported for life. the old down postman was timed to reach temple cloud bridge at . , and always blew horn or whistle to let the village schoolmaster know the time of day. during the bristol riots the arrival of the mail every morning was eagerly awaited by persons far and near, anxious to hear the latest news. so recently as the year , a postman had to trudge right away from bristol to the distant village of chew stoke, having to breast the steep hill of dundry and pass through chew magna on his way. all the letters and newspapers then delivered at bishopsworth, dundry, chew magna and chew stoke were carried by this man. now, with the introduction of the parcel post and a cheaper letter post, and consequently increased weight, the morning mail is carried in a mail cart, and that service is supplemented by two or three other despatches to chew magna and chew stoke by train _viâ_ pensford. the hamlets of breach hill, moreton and herons green were at that time unserved by the postman officially, and if delivered privately by him he charged for them at the rate of an extra penny each. the residents in those outlying districts who did not get their letters delivered in that way, and who did not call for them at the chew stoke post office, usually obtained them--two, three, or four days old--from the postman on sundays, who stationed himself at the church door to oblige such worshippers. some of the older country postmen say that in by-gone days the poor people, unable to read themselves, considered it part of a postman's duty to read their letters for them, and they looked for sympathy from the postmen in case of receipt of bad news. the chew stoke postman had a walk, in and out, of over twenty miles, and had to carry whatever load there was for the route. the pay attached to the post was small. this was in the good (?) days of not so long ago, but the postman who then had to take the journey is by no means anxious for a return to them, for now he receives double the amount of pay then allowed. he was out from five o'clock in the morning till seven or eight o'clock at night; but now he performs his eight hours' duty straight off, and has, therefore, more time at home for his private purposes. when, about eight years since, there was a deep fall of snow in this district, the west town postman, who is likewise sub-postmaster, very considerably added to his labours by carrying tea, sugar, medicine, and even bread to the people on the mendips, who were snowed up and deserted by baker, butcher, grocer, and indeed by everyone except the faithful queen's messenger. the floods of november, , which proved very disastrous in the west of england, interfered in no small degree with post office arrangements in the rural districts around bristol. in some villages the roads were submerged from three to four feet, and it was impossible for the public to get to the letter boxes, the postmen and postwomen being, perhaps, the greatest sufferers. in order to avoid flooded roads, it was necessary to change routes and make long detours. many postmen were compelled to wade through the water waist deep, whilst others had to be driven through in horse and cart. the inhabitants and farmers in many places kindly lent their horses and carts for the purpose, and but for these kindnesses the letters would have been delayed for many hours. in spite of all difficulties, the letters were generally delivered without much delay, and only in a few cases had the letters to be held over for any length of time until the waters had subsided. [illustration: letter box at winterbourne.] a tit made her nest in the bottom of a post office letter box at winterbourne, near bristol, laid her eggs, and notwithstanding that letters were posted in the box and that the box was cleared by the postman everyday, the bird tenaciously held to her nest and brought up five young tits, two of which perished in their attempts to get out of the box by means of the small posting aperture through which their mother had squeezed so frequently, carrying with her all the materials for the nest. the three survivors flew off one day when the door of the box was purposely left open for a time by the obliging postman portrayed in the picture. that all is not gold that glitters has been recently brought home to three or four of the sub-postmasters in the bristol district, a "sharper" having presented coins gilded to represent sovereigns and half-sovereigns, and obtained postal orders in exchange for them. through the vigilance of the bristol police the offender was eventually taken into custody, and, having been sentenced at the assizes to six months' imprisonment, he had plenty of time to reflect on his offences. a bright, shining new farthing was received at the bristol head office, sent inadvertently in a remittance from a sub-office as a half-sovereign, and mixed up with coins of that value, only to be detected, however, by the vigilant check clerk. the sub-postmaster who accepted it in error for a coin of more precious metal, and did not discover the mistake even in preparing the remittance, had to bear the loss. one sub-postmaster, who has now departed this life, was wont to furnish his explanations and reports in rhyme, a course which was tolerated on account of its singularity and of the writer's zeal and known devotion to his duty. the following is an example:-- to the postmaster of bristol: "i willingly answer the question respecting the length of the track from shirehampton p.o. to kingsweston house front door, or lodge at the back; but respecting the relative merits of back door, or door at the front, as delivery door, i aver it's a question i cannot but shunt. to return to the question of distance: suppose that the birds of the air, sworn in as post office assistants, to kingsweston would messages bear: as straight through their skiey dominions they flew from front door to front door, the length of the track of their pinions in yards would be . when a featherless biped is bearer, and through the lone woods his path picks, the feet of this weary wayfarer cover yards quite . should the wight have a key, there's a second way thro' the sunk fence's locked gate, and then his poor feet must be reckoned to make yards . as regards the back door, i pass by it; the back lodge itself is much less than a mile, howsomdever you try it, by shirehampton post office express. i do not pretend to correctness, to one yard or even a dozen; no need for extreme circumspectness, the margin's too ample to cozen. i'm obliged by your flattering reference, and when you've another dispute on, i shall still be, with all proper deference, your obedient servant,--g. newton." the turnpike gates in the neighbourhood of bristol were abolished in october, , and the consequence was that the proprietors of the various omnibuses by which day mail bags were conveyed to and from several of the districts around bristol applied for, and obtained, a money payment in lieu of the tolls, the exemption, from which had formed the sole remuneration for the services performed. the bristol mail carts running to the rural districts, by permission of the post office, carry for the newspaper proprietors bundles of papers, weighing on an average on ordinary days lbs., and on saturdays lbs. the enterprise of the bristol newspaper proprietors in circulating by private means the many thousands of the newspapers which they daily print is evidenced, from the circumstance that they find it necessary to commit to the agency of the post office only about copies for distribution, and that chiefly in remote rural districts. sub-postmasters in the rural districts of bristol attain to great ages. the sub-postmaster of mangotsfield, who had long since passed three-score years and ten, had his cross to bear, having at entirely lost his eyesight. although blind, and unable to work in consequence, he quaintly appeared in his apron to the end, and said that having worn it for so many years he did not feel happy without it. a daughter acted as his deputy, and mitigated, as far as possible, his hard lot. at his funeral some hundreds of people, representing various religious and other bodies, attended to pay their last tribute of respect to him. at bitton, a village midway between bristol and bath, there died sub-postmaster james brewer, in the th year of his age, and in the fifty-seventh year of his post office service. it was more pleasant to enter this post office and find the old man calmly smoking his churchwarden pipe before the fire, cheery and chatty, than to have such a welcome as that afforded at another office by the exhibition on the post office counter of a miniature coffin and artificial wreaths for graves. another worthy of local post office fame has lately passed away in the person of join warburton, aged , who for thirty years was the sub-postmaster of henbury, and who for five years was his daughter's adviser after her succession to the appointment. the sub-postmaster of the village of high littleton lost an arm some fifty years ago, but notwithstanding that affliction he manages with adroitness to sell postage stamps and issue postal orders to the public. this will not be considered a very great feat, considering that he has been for years a crack one-handed shot, and even now, at the age of , can bowl over a pheasant or a rabbit quite as readily as many of our sportsmen who have the use of both arms. sub-postmistresses of great longevity are also to be found. one dame (martha pike), now in her rd year, represented the department until quite recently in the charming little village of wraxall. when nearly years old she had a three hour letter round every morning up hill and down dale, and she even trudged a mile and a half to fetch a letter and parcel mail from the railway station. the sub-postmistress of stoke bishop died at the age of ; she and her father had held the post office in the village for over fifty years. an equally remarkable case was that of hannah vowles, the sub-postmistress of frenchay, who, after performing the active duties of that position in the village of frenchay for forty-seven years, resigned when within five years of years old. in her youth she lived for some time in the west indies; but she gave up her employment there in order to return home to support her mother, who was years of age when she died. mrs. hannah was succeeded in the office of sub-postmistress by miss kate vowdes, a relation, who had already been postwoman in the same district forty-two years! [illustration: hannah brewer. (_postwoman._)] hannah brewer is one of the bristol post office worthies. her father was the sub-postmaster of the village of bitton alluded to herein. hannah commenced to deliver letters in the hamlets and at the farmhouses near bitton when a mere child, and continued to do so during all the years our gracious sovereign has sat on the throne. recently, however, she had to give up the work, as, having attained the advanced age of years and walked her quarter of a million of miles, she felt that she ought to take life more easily than hitherto. in distance her round was eleven miles daily, and the route was a very trying one on account of the steep hills she had to traverse, and of great exposure to the sun in summer, and to the wind, frost, and snow in winter. it may be interesting to record that hannah brewer, although she had to serve a district sparsely populated, was never robbed, stopped, nor molested in any way. she was the recipient of the first official waterproof clothing issued to postwomen in england, and in her picture she is represented as wearing it. she only occasionally made visits even to places so near as bath or bristol, and was, as a rule, a stay at home. she was not a great reader of the newspapers, but persons on her round looked to her as an oracle, and derived information from her as to passing events. hannah naively says that, as regards christmas boxes, she fared very well in olden times, but they were not so plentiful in her later years. hannah, through her devotion to her father when he was alive, and through her assiduous attention to her duties as a humble servant of the crown, had gained the respect of all those who knew her, both in her native village and on the long round she daily had to traverse. as she served the post office throughout her long life (her memory carrying her back to the days when the letters reached bitton by mail coach and a "single" letter from london cost d.), it is gratifying that in her old age, when unable to continue to do her daily round, the lords of the treasury, under her exceptional circumstances, granted her half-pay pension, a sum which, with her savings, will serve to maintain her until the end of her days. the writer has had few more pleasurable duties than that which he undertook of presenting hannah, in her neat and trim cottage, with her first pension warrant. at the celebration of the queen's diamond jubilee in the village, the opportunity was taken, in the midst of the festivities, to make a presentation of an elegant marble clock and purse to miss brewer. the inscription ran: "presented during her majesty's diamond jubilee, together with a purse of money, by the inhabitants of the postal district of bitton, gloucestershire, to miss hannah brewer, postwoman, upon her retirement, having served this office from the commencement of queen victoria's reign." even post office surveyors are sometimes the subject of little jokes on the part of their subordinates. an assistant surveyor, when testing a rural postman's walk, said that if he had arranged the round originally, he should have taken a shortcut across the fields to a certain little hamlet so as to serve it before instead of after a more distant place, when the postman drily said that he should not have done anything of the kind, as there was a rhine about ft. wide and very deep, which could not well be got over or through, and, turning to the surveyor, he remarked: "evidently you never were a postman." the humour of this incident lies in the fact that the surveyors have always been drawn from the élite of the service. a certain imperious surveyor visited a sub-office for the purpose of reprimanding the sub-postmaster for some delinquency, and after soundly rating the individual he addressed, and refusing to hear a single word in explanation, he, when his harangue was over, was coolly informed that he had made a slight mistake, as the circumstance referred to another sub-office altogether. on a certain occasion recently, on entering a post office the writer heard proceeding from a back room a voice, recognisable as that of the sub-postmaster, shouting out a greeting in his (the writer's) christian name: "come in, robert." well, the sub-postmaster thought he saw through the partly-curtained glass in the door a friend of that name, and meant no disrespect to his surveyor-postmaster. on calling at another little post office on a saturday, the aged sub-postmistress was washing her stone floor--down on her knees in business-like attitude. without looking up, her greeting to the writer was: "halloa! i thought you had been to jericho. you have not been to see me for such a long time!" that salutation was rather embarrassing; but on getting to the perpendicular the old lady was the confused party, as she had thought her visitor was a local resident who occasionally looked in to have a cheery word with her. it would seem that postal improvements in the bristol district have been carried almost as far as is needful; indeed, in one district, not seven miles from the city, contemplated improvements whereby letters would be delivered an hour earlier in the morning and might be posted two hours later at night, and a day mail in and out be afforded, were declined by the parish authorities in council and by memorial from the villagers generally. in this rural hollow the people are very clannish, and rather than let their postwoman suffer a loss of two shillings a week, which the change involved, they were content to forego improved postal facilities, and were not greatly stirred by the "lasinesse of posts" as, according to history, was king james of old. while bristol is ever expanding and while splendid buildings are being erected, there are not wanting places within a short distance of the ancient city where there are signs of decadence, as indicated by houses unoccupied and cottages in ruins, and by shrinkage in the number of letters. at stanton drew, where some thirty large stones alone remain to mark a site where there probably stood a splendid druidical temple, the postal arrangements a few years since were not in a satisfactory condition. not unlike the story which has recently been going the round of the newspapers, that a sub-postmaster of an oxfordshire village fixed this notice up: "have gone fishing. will be back in time to sell stamps," the sub-postmistress of this somersetshire hamlet went away for days without putting up any notice whatever, and left her son to supply the inhabitants with postage stamps when he got home in the evening from his work as an agricultural labourer. still, people did not complain, so that they may be regarded as accessories to the sub-postmistress's delinquencies. there was, however, a postal super-session in that village! there is still in the rural service a postman who labours under the disabilities of having only one arm and of being unable to read or write. he has not a very extensive delivery, and so his pockets are made to do duty in the place of the faculty of reading. the left breast pocket indicates that letters placed in it are for cliff farm, those in the right breast pocket for rush hill farm, several other pockets serving in like manner. from very old official books sent into store on the change of holders of sub-offices, it is noticeable that the writing of fifty years ago was much superior to that of the present day, indicating that sub-postmasters of olden time either took more interest in caligraphy than their successors, or possibly had more leisure in which to make the necessary entries than is afforded in the present period of high pressure. 'tis strange that it was so, as at the time the steel pen had not ousted the quill. even so short a time as forty years since a new intrant to the post office, hailing from the emerald isle, had, like all other new-comers, to enter his name and address in the order book on his first introduction to st. martin's-le-grand. a steel pen was handed to him, with which he dallied for a time, and when asked why he did not proceed, said: "sure, i was waiting for a feather." the institution for the care of consumption started in this country, and known as nordrach-upon-mendip, is in the bristol postal district at one of its most distant points on the range of the mendip hills, at an altitude of feet above sea level. it has already played an important part as regards the bristol post office, inasmuch as a consumptive telegraph clerk has benefited considerably from the new treatment, and has indeed left the institution as cured. it is not generally known that until recently there existed a small convalescent home on the mendips, but "cosy corner," founded and maintained by sir edward hill, k.c.b., stood there as such, and it served a good part as regards a postal servant. a postman employed at the bristol railway station as mail porter, who had suffered from a serious attack of typhoid fever, and who had been verily at death's door, passed several weeks at this rural retreat, and derived such benefit from the kind treatment he received and from the bracing air of the district that he quite recovered from his ailment and is now in robust health. "cosy corner" has now been affiliated to nordrach-upon-mendip. the rule of the service is that coins, postage stamps, and other articles of value picked up in a sorting office are regarded as treasure trove and have to be handed over to the authorities for disposal; but a letter carrier's round can hardly be regarded in the light of a post office, and so a postman of the thornbury district who at aust cliff, picked up a well-preserved bronze coin with the image and superscription of claudius cæsar (a.d. - ) did not consider himself called upon to give it up to the sub-postmaster, but disposed of it for the sum of s. d. the purchaser presented it to the leicester museum. tradition hath it that miss hannah more, the celebrated authoress and philanthropist, when residing ( ) at wrington, near bristol, in the churchyard of which place her remains now repose, made an arrangement with the postman of the period whereby on passing along the road near her residence he was to signal to her when any event of importance had occurred. her sitting and bedroom windows commanded a view of the walk near which the postman had to pass, so that she could see him coming, and she always hurried down to the wicket-gate in readiness to meet him when he put up his flag. a son of the postman, now alive, remembers well that his father told him that he had given the signal on the death of queen, caroline. it was outside the postman's function, to wave the red flag with which mistress hannah, had provided him, but post office matters were not carried on so strictly in those days as under the present regime. the wrington postman obtained the news about important passing events from the mail-man who rode through the village on his way from bristol to axbridge. george vowles, who died twenty-six years ago, at the ripe age of years, was the mail-man who conveyed to the villages on his way the news of the battle of waterloo, brought down from london by the mail coach, which had been decorated with laurels and flowers in honour of the great event. chapter xviii. general free delivery of letters. no stone has been left unturned in the endeavour to afford a free delivery of letters at the door of every house in the district; and at last all houses and cottages, even in the remotest localities, have been reached, and the woodman, the gamekeeper, and the lone cottager now receive a daily visit from the postman. in visiting out of the way places of the kind with a view to arranging a delivery, the surveyor has to look out for dogs. a certain warren house in this district affords a typical case. it is far from the ordinary haunts of man, and was without an official delivery on account of its extreme inaccessibility. the approach is through a deep gorge, known as goblin combe, and the path to the house is precipitous. the gamekeeper residing there had to send to a farmhouse a mile and a quarter distant for his letters, which the obliging farmer had consented to take in for him. the attempts of the staff to arrange a method of delivery by postmen had long been baffled. at the time when the writer went to view the place there was a rumour in the neighbourhood that, owing to serious depredations by poachers, fierce dogs roamed the enclosed warren; and on passing out on to the warren from the wood corner, there was observed standing on a wall near the house what in the distance and misty morn, appeared to be a large bloodhound, and so the advance had to be made warily. the attendant rural postman was armed with a riding whip, on which his grip tightened, for he had already been four times bitten by dogs, as the scars on his hand testified, and he desired to guard himself against another attack. at last, as the place was neared, the object of distrust was found to be--a large goat! another out-of-the-way place in the same neighbourhood, also unserved by the postman, was a woodman's house in a dense wood, which, with its bowling-green, is said once to have been used by "bristol bloods" of old time as a safe retreat where they could indulge in a little business connected with the prize ring and cock fighting. that the duke of norfolk's liberal policy in her majesty's diamond jubilee year has proved a boon and a blessing to many residents in isolated spots is indicated, for instance, by what a poor woman living in a wild district stated. she had recently to trudge the whole way from her house to bristol, a distance of eight miles out and eight miles back, while a letter which would have obviated her journey had been lying undelivered for days at a post office only two miles off. blaize castle, which is within four miles of the head post office, was singularly enough almost the last habitation in the bristol district which was granted a free delivery of letters daily, for until the postman in his official capacity had never penetrated to that rock-elevated and remote part of the blaize woods where the castle stands. that reproach to the bristol district has now been removed, and the custodians of the castle have obtained their rights as citizens of the great kingdom in having their letters delivered at the door daily by the postmaster-general's representative. it was a difficult matter to find out all the houses at which the postman did not call, and this particular castle, which is now only occupied by caretakers, was not notified by the rural postman, as the occupiers had signified to him that they did not care for a delivery and were quite satisfied if the letters were left in the village till called for. the circumstance may be of interest to bristolians, from the fact that blaize castle is spoken of by many but is seen by very few. its flagstaff is visible from some little distance, but the castle itself can scarcely be discerned through its wooded surroundings, even from the far-famed arbutus walk, which is separated from it by a deep gorge. the castle is situated on a lofty plateau in the midst of the large woods. close to it is a sheer perpendicular rock, three hundred feet high, known as "the giant's leap." the castle is said to have derived its name from st. blaisius, the spanish patron of wool-combers, to whom a chapel was dedicated on a hill in the grounds where the castle now stands, and where there was once a roman encampment. the interest attaching to this castle is enhanced from a postal point of view by the circumstance that the son of the lady who owns the property married a daughter of the late postmaster-general, the right hon. h. c. raikes. mr. raikes was one of the hardest working of postmasters-general. so diligent indeed was he, that almost nightly, when the house of commons was sitting, the right hon. gentleman, after all other members had gone home, retired to his official room and went through the papers which had been sent up from the post office for his consideration. so absorbed would he become in the documents, which he read carefully through from end to end, so that he might judge from his own standpoint and not from that of his official advisers, that he would sit well into the small hours of the morning, whilst that patient and most obliging of officials, the postmaster of the house, mr. pike, kept weary vigil, waiting to take the despatch-bag to the post office in the city before he went home to his well-earned rest. mr. raikes's invariably clear and even writing betokened that, long past the hour for bed as the time might be, he never had any idea of doing his work in a hurry. he was probably known to many of the citizens of bristol, through his frequent visits to a mansion on the westbury side of the downs. chapter xix. local returned letter office. the bristol post office has its returned letter branch, with which almost all the towns in the west of england, and south wales are affiliated for "dead letter" work. through its agency over a million letters and postal packets are returned to senders annually. book packets and circulars form per cent. of the total number, and of these only per cent. can be restored to the persons who posted them. over , letters containing property are recorded in the ledgers, and they represent a total value in cash, bank-notes, bills, cheques, postage stamps, etc., of about £ , per annum, nearly the whole of which reaches the hands of the senders. about letters containing money orders, and , letters containing value, compulsorily registered, are returned in the course of the year. amongst the curiosities of returned letter office experience may be mentioned the following. a letter was received thus peculiarly addressed:--"miss ----, , pleasant view, in that beautiful city which charms even eyes familiar with the masterpieces of bramanto and palladio, and which the genius of anstey and of smollett, of frances burney and of jane austen has made classic ground." the pundits in the returned letter office who deal with derelict letters properly divined that the place so glowingly described was bath, and issuing the letter accordingly, it was duly delivered in the fair city. a packet was received simply addressed "post office, bristol, to be called for." the contents were an army reserve man's discharge papers and pension application forms. the application bore evidence that it referred to lichfield, and the packet was accordingly sent to that military depôt. two or three days afterwards an old soldier called at the bristol office for his letter, and could not possibly understand why it had been opened in the returned letter branch, and the contents sent to lichfield. his fury was unbounded, and he consigned all and sundry to hades. his papers were soon obtained for him from lichfield, and his gratitude at getting them, was as effusively manifested as his disappointment had been in not finding the papers awaiting him on first application. his thanks were conveyed in the following terse communication:-- "dear boss,--a thousand pardons, everything comes right to those who wait. patience is a virtue. "obt servt, w. h. ----." "sir," wrote a bristol citizen on a postcard, "i have lost a ingine off gine oneing to the delay of a post care wich mr. ---- send of wine ts plaa to ingury and abould youre turly i ----, , ---- lane rielence bristol." it was not at first apparent what the writer of the card actually required, but by degrees it was made out that what he meant was:--"i have lost an engagement of guineas owing to the delay of a postcard which mr. ---- sent, of wine street. please to enquire and oblige, yours truly, i. ----, , ---- lane, residence, bristol." danger lurks in unexpected places, even for post office cleaners. packages which have remained in the returned letter office for the prescribed period have to be destroyed from time to time. sometimes they contain chemicals. it chanced that at bristol one of the charwomen, when pouring out hot water into a large waste bucket, was startled by the emission from the bucket of a fierce, bright, flame which badly burned her hand and caused her no small fright. the flame lasted for a minute. the fumes were overpowering, and unpleasantly pervaded the whole telegraph gallery above. upon investigation, it appeared that another charwoman who had been instructed to "dispose" of a bottle of sodium amalgam, had carelessly emptied it into the waste bucket with the startling result narrated. * * * * * the post office is ever progressing, and in course of time there will be further particulars for a future writer to relate concerning the "bristol royal mail." the end * * * * * * * * * * transcriber's note: discovered publisher's punctuation errors have been corrected. in addition, the following spelling errors have been corrected: p. : th instant intead[instead] of on the first of the month. the p. : in the chair, the post office is again roproved[reproved] p. : about , letters. birminghan[birmingham] comes next in p. : spoken of the disclipine[discipline] and training telegraph p. : office, hailng[hailing] from the emerald isle, had, like all p. : pension or gratuity is given. the apppointment[appointment] p. : post office now was was[delete second 'was'] the centre of p. : not [been] offered, would most likely have been sent * * * * * the royal mail [illustration: mail-coach accident near elvanfoot, lanarkshire.] the royal mail its curiosities and romance by james wilson hyde superintendent in the general post-office, edinburgh third edition london simpkin, marshall and co. mdccclxxxix. _all rights reserved._ note.--it is of melancholy interest that mr fawcett's death occurred within a month from the date on which he accepted the following dedication, and before the issue of the work. to the right honourable henry fawcett, m. p. her majesty's postmaster-general, the following pages are, by permission, respectfully dedicated. preface to third edition. the second edition of 'the royal mail' having been sold out some eighteen months ago, and being still in demand, the author has arranged for the publication of a further edition. some additional particulars of an interesting kind have been incorporated in the work; and these, together with a number of fresh illustrations, should render 'the royal mail' still more attractive than hitherto. the modern statistics have not been brought down to date; and it will be understood that these, and other matters (such as the circulation of letters), which are subject to change, remain in the work as set forth in the first edition. edinburgh, _february _. preface to second edition. the favour with which 'the royal mail' has been received by the public, as evinced by the rapid sale of the first issue, has induced the author to arrange for the publication of a second edition. this edition has been revised and slightly enlarged; the new matter consisting of two additional illustrations, contributions to the chapters on "mail packets," "how letters are lost," and "singular coincidences," and a fresh chapter on the subject of postmasters. the author ventures to hope that the generous appreciation which has been accorded to the first edition may be extended to the work in its revised form. edinburgh, _june _. introduction. of all institutions of modern times, there is, perhaps, none so pre-eminently a people's institution as is the post-office. not only does it carry letters and newspapers everywhere, both within and without the kingdom, but it is the transmitter of messages by telegraph, a vast banker for the savings of the working classes, an insurer of lives, a carrier of parcels, and a distributor of various kinds of government licences. its services are claimed exclusively or mainly by no one class; the rich, the poor, the educated, and the illiterate, and indeed, the young as well as the old,--all have dealings with the post-office. yet it may seem strange that an institution which is familiar by its operations to all classes alike, should be so little known by its internal management and organisation. a few persons, no doubt, have been privileged to see the interior working of some important post-office, but it is the bare truth to say that _the people_ know nothing of what goes on within the doors of that ubiquitous establishment. when it is remembered that the metropolitan offices of london, edinburgh, and dublin have to maintain touch with every petty office and every one of their servants scattered throughout england, scotland, and ireland; that discipline has to be exercised everywhere; that a system of accounting must necessarily be maintained, reaching to the remotest corners; and that the whole threads have to be gathered up and made answerable to the great head, which is london,--some vague idea may be formed of what must come within the view of whoever pretends to a knowledge of post-office work. but intimately connected with that which was the original work of the post-office, and is still the main work--the conveyance of letters--there is the subject of circulation, the simple yet complex scheme under which letters flow from each individual centre to every other part of the country. circulation as a system is the outcome of planning, devising, and scheming by many heads during a long series of years--its object, of course, being to bring letters to their destinations in the shortest possible time. so intricate and delicate is the fabric, that by interference an unskilled hand could not fail to produce an effect upon the structure analogous to that which would certainly follow any rude treatment applied to a house built of cards. these various subjects, especially when they have become settled into the routine state, might be considered as affording a poor soil for the growth of anything of interest--that is, of curious interest--apart from that which duty calls upon a man to find in his proper work. yet the post-office is not without its veins of humour, though the metal to be extracted may perhaps be scanty as compared with the vast extent of the mine from which it has to be taken. the compiler of the following pages has held an appointment in the post-office for a period of twenty-five years--the best, perhaps, of his life; and during that term it has been his practice to note and collect facts connected with the department whenever they appeared of a curious, interesting, or amusing character. while making use of such notes in connection with this work, he has had recourse to the post-office annual reports, to old official documents, to books on various subjects, and to newspapers, all of which have been laid under contribution to furnish material for these pages. the work is in no sense a historical work: it deals with the lighter features of a plain, matter-of-fact department; and though some of the incidents mentioned may be deemed of trivial account, they will be found, it is thought, to have at least a curious or amusing side. the author desires to mention that he has received valuable help from several of his brother officers, who have supplied him with facts or anecdotes; and to these, as well as to gentlemen who have lent him books or given him access to files of old newspapers, he expresses his grateful acknowledgments. he also tenders his sincere and respectful thanks to the postmaster-general for permission granted to make extracts from official papers. the post-office renders an unpretending yet most important service to commerce and to society; and it will be a source of deep gratification to the author if what he has written should inspire in the reader a new and unexpected interest in "the hundred-handed giant who keeps up the intercourse between the different parts of the country, and wafts a sigh from indus to the pole." contents. chap. page i. old roads, ii. postboys, iii. stage and mail coaches, iv. foot-posts, v. mail-packets, vi. shipwrecked mails, vii. amount of work, viii. growth of certain post-offices, ix. claims for post-office service, x. the travelling post-office, xi. sorters and circulation, xii. pigeon-post, xiii. abuse of the franking privilege, and other petty frauds, xiv. strange addresses, xv. post-office robberies, xvi. telegraphic blunders, xvii. how letters are lost, xviii. odd complaints, xix. curious letters addressed to the post-office, xx. singular coincidences, xxi. savings-bank curiosities, xxii. replies to medical inquiries, xxiii. various, xxiv. about postmasters, xxv. red tape, illustrations. mail-coach accident at elvanfoot, _frontispiece_ caution to postboys, _page_ rothbury and morpeth mail-driver, " ewenny bridge outrage--notice of, " holyhead and chester mails snowed up near dunstable-- th dec. . (_from an old print_) " devonport mail-coach forcing its way through a snowdrift near amesbury-- th dec. . (_from an old print_), " nocturnal refreshment, " st martin's-le-grand in the coaching days, " 'lady hobart' mail packet, " postboy jack, " steamship 'america,' " travelling post-office, " delivering arm, showing how the pouch is suspended, " caution against letter carrying, " strange addresses, " - falstaff as a highwayman, " grizel cochrane and postboy, " selby mail-bag, " letter-box taken possession of by tomtits, " the mulready envelope, " interior of an old post-office, " the postmistress of watford, " form of postmaster's appointment, " the royal mail. chapter i. old roads. the present generation, who are accustomed to see the streets of our cities paved with wood or stone, or otherwise so laid out as to provide a hard and even surface suited to the locomotion of wheeled vehicles, or who by business or pleasure have been led to journey over the principal highways intersecting the kingdom in every direction, can form no idea of the state of the roads in this country during the earlier years of the post-office--or even in times comparatively recent--unless their reading has led them to the perusal of accounts written by travellers of the periods we now refer to. the highways of the present day, radiating from london and the other large centres of industry, and extending their arms to every corner of the land, are wellnigh perfect in their kind, and present a picture of careful and efficient maintenance. whether we look, for example, at the great north road leading from london, the carlisle to glasgow road, or the highland road passing through dunkeld, we find the roads have certain features in common: a broad hard roadway for vehicles; a neatly kept footpath where required; limits strictly defined by trim hedges, stone walls, or palings; and means provided for carrying off surface-water. the picture will, of course, vary as the traveller proceeds, flat country alternating with undulating country, and wood or moorland with cultivated fields; but the chief characteristics remain the same, constituting the roads as worthy of the age we live in. how the people managed to get from place to place before the post-office had a history, or indeed for long after the birth of that institution, it is hard to conceive. then, the roads were little better than tracks worn out of the surface of the virgin land,--proceeding in some cases in a manner approaching to a right line, over hills, down valleys, through forests, and the like; in others following the natural features of the country, but giving evidence that they had never been systematically made, being rather the outcome of a mere habit of travel, just as sheep-tracks are produced on a mountain-side. such roads in winter weather, or in rainy seasons, became terrible to the traveller: yet the only repairs that were vouchsafed consisted in filling up some of the larger holes with rude stones; and when this method of keeping up repairs no longer availed, another track was formed by bringing under foot a fresh strip of the adjoining land (generally unenclosed), and thus creating a wholly new road in place of the old one. smiles, in his 'lives of the engineers,' thus describes certain of the english roads: "in some of the older settled districts of england, the old roads are still to be traced in the hollow ways or lanes, which are met with, in some places, eight and ten feet deep. horse-tracks in summer and rivulets in winter, the earth became gradually worn into these deep furrows, many of which in wilts, somerset, and devon, represent the tracks of roads as old as, if not older than, the conquest." and again: "similar roads existed until recently in the immediate neighbourhood of birmingham, long the centre of considerable traffic. the sandy soil was sawn through, as it were, by generation after generation of human feet, and by pack-horses, helped by the rains, until in some places the tracks were as much as from twelve to fourteen yards deep." in the year , chancellor cowper, who was then a barrister on circuit, thus wrote to his wife: "the sussex ways are bad and ruinous beyond imagination. i vow 'tis melancholy consideration that mankind will inhabit such a heap of dirt for a poor livelihood. the country is a sink of about fourteen miles broad, which receives all the water that falls from two long ranges of hills on both sides of it, and not being furnished with convenient draining, is kept moist and soft by the water till the middle of a dry summer, which is only able to make it tolerable to ride for a short time." in scotland, about the same time, the roads were no better. the first four miles out of edinburgh, on the road towards london, were described in the privy council record of to have been in so wretched a state that passengers were in danger of their lives, "either by their coaches overturning, their horse falling, their carts breaking, their loads casting and horse stumbling, the poor people with the burdens on their backs sorely grieved and discouraged; moreover, strangers do often exclaim thereat." nor does there appear to have been any considerable improvement in the state of the roads in the northern kingdom for long afterwards, as we find that in , according to lang's 'historical summary of the post-office in scotland,' "the channel of the river gala, which ran for some distance parallel with the road, was, when not flooded, the track chosen as the most level and the easiest to travel in." the common carrier from edinburgh to selkirk, a distance of thirty-eight miles, required a fortnight for the journey, going and returning; and the stage-coach from edinburgh to glasgow took a day and a half for the journey. a yorkshire squire, thomas kirke, who travelled in scotland in , gave a better account of the roads; but his opinion may have been merely relative, for travelling showmen to this day prefer the roads in the south of scotland to those in the north of england, on account of their greater hardness; and this derives, no doubt, from the more adamantine material used in the repair of the scotch roads. this traveller wrote: "the highways in scotland are tolerably good, which is the greatest comfort a traveller meets with amongst them. the scotch gentry generally travel from one friend's house to another; so seldom require a change-house (inn). their way is to hire a horse and a man for twopence a mile; they ride on the horse thirty or forty miles a-day, and the man who is his guide foots it beside him, and carries his luggage to boot." another visitor to scotland in , named morer, thus describes the roads: "the truth is, the roads will hardly allow these conveniences" (meaning stage-coaches, which did not as yet exist in scotland), "which is the reason that the gentry, men and women, choose rather to use their horses. however, their great men often travel with coach-and-six, but with so little caution, that, besides their other attendance, they have a lusty running footman on each side of the coach, to manage and keep it up in rough places."[ ] it might be supposed that the roads leading from windsor, where one of the royal residences was, would have been kept in a tolerable state, so as to secure the sovereign some comfort in travelling. but their condition seems to have been no better than that of roads elsewhere. an account of a journey made in by prince george of denmark, the husband of queen anne, from windsor to petworth, runs as follows:--"the length of way was only forty miles, but fourteen hours were consumed in traversing it; while almost every mile was signalised by the overturn of a carriage, or its temporary swamping in the mire. even the royal chariot would have fared no better than the rest had it not been for the relays of peasants who poised and kept it erect by strength of arm, and shouldered it forward the last nine miles, in which tedious operation six good hours were consumed." [ ] in the north of scotland a similar account was given of the roads there about the year . the writer of 'letters from a gentleman in the north of scotland' stated that "the highlands are but little known even to the inhabitants of the low country of scotland, for they have ever dreaded the difficulties and dangers of travelling among the mountains; and when some extraordinary occasion has obliged any one of them to such a progress, he has, generally speaking, made his testament before he set out, as though he were entering upon a long and dangerous sea-voyage, wherein it was very doubtful if he should ever return." yet later still, and in close proximity to london, a royal party had a most unsatisfactory journey, owing to the miserable state of the roads. it happened that in george ii. and queen caroline were proceeding from the palace at kew to that at st james's, when they had to spend a whole night upon the way; and between hammersmith and fulham they were overturned, the royal occupants of the coach being landed in a quagmire. a year or two after this, lord hervey wrote that "the road between this place [kensington] and london is grown so infamously bad, that we live here in the same solitude as we would do if cast on a rock in the middle of the ocean; and all the londoners tell us that there is between them and us an impassable gulf of mud." no part of the country could boast of a satisfactory condition of the roads, these being everywhere in the same neglected and wretched state, and travellers who had the misfortune to use them have recorded their ideas on the subject in no gentle terms. arthur young, who travelled much in the middle of last century, thus alludes to a road in essex: "of all the cursed roads that ever disgraced this kingdom in the very ages of barbarism, none ever equalled that from billericay to the king's head at tilbury. it is for near twelve miles so narrow that a mouse cannot pass by any carriage. i saw a fellow creep under his waggon to assist me to lift, if possible, my chaise over a hedge. to add to all the infamous circumstances which concur to plague a traveller, i must not forget the eternally meeting with chalk-waggons, themselves frequently stuck fast, till a collection of them are in the same situation, and twenty or thirty horses may be tacked to each to draw them out one by one." in a somewhat similar way he describes the road from bury to sudbury in suffolk. here, he says, "i was forced to move as slow in it as in any unmended lane in wales. for ponds of liquid dirt, and a scattering of loose flints just sufficient to lame every horse that moves near them, with the addition of cutting vile grips across the road under the pretence of letting the water off, but without effect, altogether render at least twelve out of these sixteen miles as infamous a turnpike as ever was beheld." in one of his journeys, young proceeded to the north by the great north road, thence making branch trips to the various agricultural districts. of many of these roads he gives a sorry account. thus: "to wakefield, indifferent; through the town of wakefield so bad that it ought to be indicted. to castle howard, infamous; i was near being swallowed up in a slough. from newton to stokesley in cleveland, execrably bad. you are obliged to cross the moors they call black hambledon, over which the road runs in narrow hollows that admit a south-country chaise with such difficulty, that i reckon this part of the journey made at the hazard of my neck. the going down into cleveland is beyond all description terrible; for you go through such steep, rough, narrow, rocky precipices, that i would sincerely advise any friend to go a hundred miles to escape it. the name of this path is very judicious, _scarthneck_--that is, _scare-nick_, or frighten the devil. "from richmond to darlington, part of the great north road; execrably broke into holes like an old pavement, sufficient to dislocate one's bones." "to morpeth; a pavement a mile or two out of newcastle; all the rest _vile_. "to carlisle; cut up by innumerable little paltry one-horse carts." one more instance from the pen of young and we leave him. in the course of one of his journeys, he makes his way into wales, where he finds his _bête noire_ in the roads, and freely expresses himself thereupon in his usual forcible style: "but, my dear sir, what am i to say of the roads in this country? the turnpikes, as they have the assurance to call them, and the hardiness to make one pay for? from chepstow to the half-way house between newport and cardiff they continue mere rocky lanes, full of hugeous stones as big as one's horse, and abominable holes. the first six miles from newport they were so detestable, and without either direction-posts or milestones, that i could not well persuade myself i was on the turnpike, but had mistook the road, and therefore asked every one i met, who answered me, to my astonishment, 'ya-as.' whatever business carries you into this country, avoid it, at least till they have good roads; if they were good, travelling would be very pleasant." the necessity for a better class of road cannot but have forced itself upon the government of the country from time to time, if not for the benefit of travellers and to encourage trade, at any rate to secure a rapid movement of troops in times of disturbance or rebellion; yet we find the state of streets in the metropolis, and roads in the country, as in , thus described in blackie's 'comprehensive history of england': "when the only public approaches to parliament were king street and union street, these were so wretchedly paved, that when the king went in state to the house, the ruts had to be filled up with bundles of fagots to allow the royal coach a safe transit. while the art of street-paving was thus so imperfect, that of road-making was equally defective, so that the country visitor to the metropolis, and its dangers of coach-driving, had generally a sufficient preparative for the worst during his journey to town. this may easily be understood from the fact that, so late as , few turnpikes were to be seen after leaving the vicinity of london, for miles together, although it had been made felony to pull them down. these roads, indeed, were merely the produce of compulsory pauper labour, contributed by the different parishes; and, like all such work, it was performed in a very perfunctory manner." the same authority gives a further picture of the state of the highways some twenty years later, when apparently little improvement had taken place in their condition: "notwithstanding the numerous acts of parliament, of which no less than were emitted between the years and , for the improvement of the principal highways, they still continued narrow, darkened with trees, and intersected with ruts and miry swamps, through which the progress of a waggon was a work of difficulty and danger. one of these--the turnpike road from preston to wigan--is thus described by an angry tourist in , and the picture seems to have been too generally realised over the whole kingdom: "to look over a map, and perceive that it is a principal one, not only to some towns, but even whole counties, one would naturally conclude it to be at least decent; but let me most seriously caution all travellers who may accidentally purpose to travel this terrible country, to avoid it as they would the devil; for a thousand to one but they break their necks or their limbs by overthrows or breakings down. they will here meet with ruts, which i actually measured, four feet deep, and floating with mud only from a wet summer; what, therefore, must they be after a winter? the only mending it receives is the tumbling in some loose stones, which serve no other purpose but jolting a carriage in the most intolerable manner. these are not merely opinions, but facts; for i actually passed three carts broken down in these eighteen miles, of execrable memory." obvious as it must be to every mind capable of apprehending ordinary matters in the present day, that the opening up of the country by the laying down of good roads would encourage trade, promote social intercourse, knit together the whole kingdom, and render its government the more easy and effective; yet it is a fact that the improvement of the roads in various parts of the country, both in england and scotland, was stoutly opposed by the people, even in certain places entailing riot and bloodshed. so strong were the prejudices against the improved roads, that the country people would not use them after being made. this bias may perhaps have partaken largely of that unreasoning conservatism which is always prone to pronounce that that which _is_ is best, and opposes change on principle--an example of which is afforded by the conduct of the driver of the marlborough coach, who, when the new bath road was opened, obstinately refused to travel by it, and stuck to the old waggon-track. "he was an old man," he said; "his grandfather and father had driven the aforesaid way before him, and he would continue in the old track till death." other grounds of objection were not wanting, having some show of reason; but these, like the others, were useless in stemming the tide of improvement which eventually set in, and brought the roads of the nation into their present admirable state. chapter ii. postboys. "hark! 'tis the twanging horn!... he comes, the herald of a noisy world, with spatter'd boots, strapp'd waist, and frozen locks, news from all nations lumbering at his back, true to his charge the close-pack'd load behind; yet careless what he brings, his one concern is to conduct it to the destined inn, and, having dropp'd the expected bag, pass on. he whistles as he goes, light-hearted wretch, cold and yet cheerful: messenger of grief perhaps to thousands, and of joy to some, to him indifferent whether grief or joy." --cowper. as described in the preceding chapter, these were the roads over which postboys had to travel with their precious charges during a long series of years, and to their wild and disreputable state must to a great extent be attributed the slow rate at which the post was then wont to travel. when it is considered that these men or boys were exposed to all accidents of weather, stoppages by swollen rivers, delays through the roads being cut up, to their straying from the beaten track during fogs, and to all other chances of the road, including attacks by footpads or highwaymen, their occupation cannot have been a light or agreeable one. it is by no means easy to construct a detailed outline of the duties which postboys had to perform, or to describe under what rules they proceeded from stage to stage; but we have ample evidence of the rate at which they covered the ground, and how their speed varied at different periods, owing, it must have been in some cases, to the lack of supervision. the following evidence of the speed of a post messenger in the latter half of the sixteenth century is furnished by a letter in the correspondence of archbishop parker, the times at which the letter reached the various stages on its journey being endorsed upon it. the letter is as follows, viz.:-- "archbishop parker _to_ sir w. cecil. "sir,--according to the queen's majesty's pleasure, and your advertisement, you shall receive a form of prayer, which, after you have perused and judged of it, shall be put in print and published immediately," &c. &c. "from my house at croydon this d july , at of the clock afternoon.--your honour's alway, matth. cant. "to the rt. honble. sir w. cecil." endorsed by successive postmasters:-- "received at waltham cross, the d of july, about at night." "received at ware, the d july, at o'clock at night." "received at croxton, the th of july, between and of the clock in the morning." "so that his grace's letter, leaving croydon at in the afternoon of july d, reached waltham cross, a distance of nearly miles, by at night of the d, whence, in hours, it seems to have advanced miles to ware; and within hours more to have reached croxton, a further distance of miles, having taken nearly hours to travel about miles." in a public post between london and edinburgh was established, the journey being limited to three days. this mail set out as a rule but twice a-week, and sometimes only once a-week. an express messenger conveying news of the death of charles ii., who died on the th february , was received in edinburgh at one o'clock on the morning of the th february; and it may also be mentioned here--though the matter hardly reflects upon the speed of postboys, who travel by land and not by water--that in it required three months to convey the tidings of the abdication of james ii. of england and vii. of scotland to the orkney islands. down to this period the mails from london to scotland were carried on horseback with something like tolerable speed, taking previous performances into account, for in it is noted that parliamentary proceedings of saturday were in the hands of the edinburgh public on the ensuing thursday. this rate of travelling does not appear to have been kept up, for in the post from london to edinburgh took six days to perform the journey. when it is considered that nearly a century before, the same distance could be covered in three days, this relapse seems to bespeak a sad want of vitality in the post-office management of the age. the cause of the slow travelling, which appears to have continued for over forty years, comes out in a memorial of traders to the convention of burghs in , wherein dissatisfaction was expressed with the existing arrangements of the post,--the mail for london on reaching newcastle being there delayed about a day, again detained some time at york, and probably further delayed in the south; so that the double journey to and from london occupied eleven days instead of seven or eight, as the memorial deemed sufficient. to the post-office mind of the present age, this dilatory method of performing the service of forwarding mails is incomprehensible, and the circumstance reflects discreditably both on the post-office officials who were cognisant of it, and on the public who submitted to it. it is fair to mention, however, that at this period the mail _from_ london _to_ edinburgh covered the ground in eighty-seven hours, or in fully three and a half days; and that as a result of the memorial, the time was reduced to eighty-two hours, and the journey from edinburgh to london reduced to eighty-five hours. in , the london to edinburgh mail commenced to be despatched five times a-week, instead of only three times; and at this time, during the winter season, the mail leaving london on tuesday night was generally not in the hands of the people of edinburgh until the afternoon of sunday. we are informed, in lang's 'historical summary of the post-office in scotland,' that in there was not a single horse-post in that country. there must, however, have been some earlier attempts to establish horse-posts in the northern kingdom, for chambers, in his 'domestic annals of scotland,' under the year , refers to the fact of a warrant being granted against interlopers who were carrying letters by foot on the same line on which mr mean had set up a horse-post. a traveller in relates, also, that besides the horse-post from edinburgh to berwick, there was a similar post from edinburgh to portpatrick in connection with the irish packet service. again, chambers tells us that in the good people of aberdeen having had "long experience of the prejudice sustained, not only by the said burgh of aberdeen, but by the nobility, gentry, and others in the north country, by the miscarrying of missive letters, and by the not timeous delivery and receiving returns of the samen," bestirred themselves to establish a better state of things. it was considered proper that "every man might have their letters delivered and answers returned at certain diets and times;" and it was accordingly arranged, under post-office sanction, that lieutenant john wales should provide a regular horse-service to carry letters to edinburgh every wednesday and friday, returning every tuesday and thursday in the afternoon. in the first horse-post between edinburgh and stirling was established, and in march a similar post between edinburgh and glasgow was set up. this latter post went three times a-week, travelled during the night, and performed the distance between the two places in ten hours--being at the rate of about four miles an hour. were we to give further instances of the slowness of the horse-posts, we should probably prove tedious, and therefore the proofs adduced on this point must suffice. though the state of the roads may be held to account for some of the delay, the roads must not be charged with everything. in a surveyor in the north of scotland wrote as follows: "it is impossible to obtain any other contractors to ride the mails at d. out, or - / d. per mile each way. on this account we have been so much distressed with mail-riders, that we have sometimes to submit to the mails being conveyed by mules and such species of horses as were a disgrace to any public service." the same surveyor reported in , that it would give rise to great inconvenience if no boys under sixteen years were allowed to be employed in riding the posts--many of them ranging down from that age to fourteen. so, what from the condition of the highways, the sorry quality of the horses, and the youthfulness of the riders, it is not surprising that the writers of letters should inscribe on their missives: "be this letter delivered with haste--haste--haste! post haste! ride, villain, ride,--for thy life--for thy life--for thy life!" unnecessary though that injunction be in the present day. the postboys were a source of great trouble and vexation to the authorities of the post-office through the whole course of their connection with the department. a surveyor who held office about the commencement of the eighteenth century, found, on the occasion of a visit to salisbury, something wrong there, which he reported to headquarters in these terms:-- "at this place [salisbury] found the postboys to have carried on vile practices in taking bye-letters, delivering them in that city, and taking back the answers--and especially the andover riders. on a certain day he found on richard kent, one of the andover riders, five bye-letters--all for salisbury. upon examination of the fellow, he confessed that he had made it a practice, and persisted to continue in it, saying that he had no wages from his master. the surveyor took the fellow before the magistrate, proved the facts, and as the fellow could not get bail, was committed; but pleading to have no friends nor money desired a punishment to be whipped, and accordingly he was to the purpose. the surveyor wrote the case to andover, and ordered that the fellow should be discharged; but no regard was had thereto. but the next day the same rider came post, run about the cittye for letters, and was insolent. the second time the said richard kent came post with two gentlemen, made it his business to take up letters; the fellow, instead of returning to andover, gets two idle fellows and rides away with three horses, which was a return for his masters not obeying instructions, as he ought not have been suffered to ride after the said facts was proved against him." the same surveyor complained bitterly, with respect to the postboys, "that the gentry doe give much money to the riders, whereby they be very subject to get in liquor, which stops the males." indeed the temptation of the ale-house was no doubt another factor in the slow journeying of the postboys, as it was the source of much trouble in the days of mail-coaches. mr palmer, through whose initiative and perseverance mail-coaches were subsequently established throughout the country, thus described the post as it existed in :-- "the post, at present, instead of being the swiftest, is almost the slowest, conveyance in the country; and though, from the great improvement in our roads, other carriers have proportionably mended their speed, the post is as slow as ever. it is likewise very unsafe, as the frequent robberies of it testify; and to avoid a loss of this nature, people generally cut bank bills, or bills at sight, in two, and send the bills by different posts. the mails are generally intrusted to some idle boy, without character, mounted on a worn-out hack, and who, so far from being able to defend himself or escape from a robber, is much more likely to be in league with him." including stoppages, this mode of travelling was, up to , at the rate of about three to four miles an hour. we are again indebted to mr chambers for the following statement of careless blunders made by postboys in connection with the edinburgh mails:--"as indicating the simplicity of the institution in those days, may be noticed a mistake of february , when, instead of the mail which should have come in yesterday (sunday), _we had our own mail of thursday last returned_--the presumption being, that the mail for edinburgh had been in like manner sent back from some unknown point in the road to london. and this mistake happened once more in december , the bag despatched on a saturday night being returned _the second sunday morning after_; 'tis reckoned this mistake happened about half-way on the road." we hardly agree, however, that these mistakes were owing to the simplicity of the institution, but rather to the routine nature of the work; for it is the fact that blunders equally flagrant have occurred in the post-office in recent times, even under elaborate checks, which, if rightly applied, would have rendered the mistakes impossible. [illustration (facsimile): caution to post-boys. by the act of th of _geo._ iii. if any post-boy, or rider, having taken any of his majesty's mails, or bags of letters, under his care, to convey to the next post town or stage, shall suffer any other person (except a guard) to ride on the horse or carriage, or shall loiter on the road, and wilfully misspend his time, so as to retard the arrival of the said mails, or bags of letters, at the next post town or stage.--every such offender shall, on conviction before one justice, be committed to the house of correction, and confined to hard labour for one month. all post-boys and riders are therefore desired to take notice of this, and are hereby cautioned not to fail in the regular performance of their duty, otherwise they will most assuredly be punished as the law directs. and it is hoped and requested, for the benefit of public correspondence, that all persons, who may observe any post-boy or rider, offending as aforesaid, will give immediate notice to surveyor of the general post-office, johnson williamson (about )] many of the troubles which the post-office had with its postboys may possibly be ascribed to the low rate of wages paid by the contractors for their services. this matter is referred to by the solicitor to the scotch post-office, who was engaged upon an inquiry into the robbery of the mail on the stage between dingwall and tain in the year . the distance between these places is about twenty-five miles, and five hours were occupied in making the journey. one of the postboys concerned stated in his declaration that his whole wages were s. a-week; and with reference to this, the solicitor in his report observes as follows: "of course it may fairly be presumed that no respectable man will be got to perform this duty. dismission to such a man for committing a fault is no punishment; and the safety of the conveyance of the mail, which the public have a right to require, seems to render some regulation in this respect necessary." the following account of the violation of the mails by a postboy may perhaps be aptly introduced here:-- in the autumn of , a good deal of anxiety was caused to the authorities of the post-office in scotland, in consequence of reports being made to them that many bankers' letters had been tampered with in course of their transmission by post through certain of the northern counties. to discover who was concerned in the irregularities was rendered the more difficult, owing to the fact that the mail-bags in which the letters had been despatched were reported to have reached their destinations duly sealed. but a thing of this kind could not go on without discovery, and investigation being made, the storm burst over the head of a poor little postboy named william shearer, a lad of fifteen years of age, who was employed riding the north mail over the stage from turriff to banff. from the account we have of the matter, it would seem that in this case, as in many others, it was opportunity that made the thief; for the mail-bags had on some occasions been insecurely sealed, the despatching postmasters having failed to place the wax over the knots of the string--and the postboy was thus able to get to the inside of the bags without cutting the string or breaking the seals, by simply undoing the knots. here the temptation presented itself; and although some twenty-six letters were found inside his hat when he was searched, it is not unlikely that he commenced by merely peeping into the letters by pulling out their ends, for several bank letters containing notes for considerable sums had been so violated, while the contents were found safe. to cover one delinquency the boy had recourse to others. in order to account for his delay on the road, he opened the bag containing his way-bill, borrowed a knife from a shoemaker who kept one of the toll-houses, and altered his hour of despatch from his starting-point. the unfortunate youth also gave way to drink, stopping at the toll-houses, and calling sometimes for rum, sometimes for whisky, the keepers sharing in the refreshments, which were purchased with stolen money. on one occasion the boy opened a parcel intrusted to him, and from a letter inside abstracted a twenty-shilling note. whether to render himself all the more redoubtable on the road, over a section of which he travelled in the dark, or for some other purpose, is not clear, but with six shillings of the aforesaid sum he bought a sword, and with two shillings a pistol, the balance going in drink. the occupation of riding the mail was not for one so young: yet it was found that full-grown men often gave more trouble than boys; and it may be here remarked that the adventure of davie mailsetter in the 'antiquary' is no great exaggeration of the service of postboys at the period to which it refers. the poor boy shearer was put upon his trial before the circuit court of justiciary at aberdeen; and when called upon to plead, confessed his guilt. there was every disposition on the part of the public prosecutor, and of the presiding judge, to let the case go as lightly as possible against the prisoner--doubtless on account of his youth; but the law had to be vindicated, and the sentence passed was that of transportation for a period of seven years. since then humanity has made progress, and no such punishment would be inflicted in such a case nowadays. exposed to all the inclemency of the seasons, both by night and day; having to weather snowstorms and suffer the drenchings of heavy rain; to grope a way through the dense fogs of our climate, and endure the biting frosts of midwinter; or yet to face the masked highwayman on the open heath, or the footpad in the deep and narrow road,--these were the unpleasantnesses and the dangers which beset the couriers of the post-office in past years, ere the department had grown to its present robust manhood. as to the exposure in wintry weather, it is stated that postboys on reaching the end of their stages were sometimes so benumbed with the cold that they had to be lifted out of their saddles. some idea of what the postboys suffered may be gathered from the adventure of the rothbury to morpeth mail driver in the snowstorm of the st march . this man, robert paton, left rothbury with two horses, and another was sent from morpeth to meet him. on his way two of the horses succumbed to fatigue, and these, with the mail-cart, were left behind in charge of a companion, while paton proceeded on the third horse, that sent from morpeth, to his destination. one of the horses abandoned was so knocked up that it had to be left in the snow till next day. at one time the snow would just reach the horses' knees, at another the animals would be plunging desperately through quickly forming wreaths, in snow reaching half-way up their shoulders, and then an open stretch of country would expose them to the fury of the blinding storm. paton had started from rothbury at five o'clock in the afternoon, and was due at morpeth at . p.m., but he did not reach the post-office there till . p.m., and his son, who had carried the parcel basket for the last three miles, did not come in till midnight. on his arrival at morpeth, paton presented a most grotesque appearance, something like the pictures of father christmas, being covered over with snow, and adorned with icicles hanging from his hair and beard. he required the aid of a friendly hand to steady him when he descended, as his lower limbs seemed cramped and powerless, owing to the cold and long continuance in the saddle. [illustration: rothbury and morpeth mail driver.] of the attacks made upon postboys by highwaymen, some instances more or less tragic are given in another chapter. this we will conclude by recording the fate that befell a postboy who was charged with the conveyance of the mail for london which left edinburgh on saturday the th november . this mail, after reaching berwick in safety and proceeding thence, was never again heard of. a notice issued by the post-office at the time ran as follows: "a most diligent search has been made; but neither the boy, the horse, nor the packet has yet been heard of. the boy, after passing goswick, having a part of the sands to ride which divide the holy island from the mainland, it is supposed he has missed his way, and rode towards the sea, where he and his horse have both perished." the explanation here suggested is not at all improbable, in view of the fact that november is a month given to fogs, when a rider might readily go astray crossing treacherous sands. chapter iii. stage and mail coaches. prior to the middle of the seventeenth century, about which period stage-coaches came into use in england, the only vehicles available to ordinary travellers would seem to have been the carrier's stage-waggon, which, owing to its lumbering build and the deplorable state of the roads, made only from ten to fifteen miles in a long summer's day. the interior of such waggons exhibited none of the refinements of modern means of travel, the only furnishing of the machine being a quantity of straw littered on the floor, on which the passengers could sit or lie during the weary hours of their journey. though the stage-coaches came into vogue about the middle of the seventeenth century, as already stated, the heavy waggons seem also to have held a place till much later--for in one of these roderick random performed part of his journey to london in ; and it was doubtless only the meaner class of people who travelled in that way, as the description given by smollett of his companions does not mirror, certainly, people of fashion. m. sobrière, a frenchman, on his way from dover to london in the reign of charles ii., thus writes of his experience of the waggon: "that i might not take post, or be obliged to use the stage-coach, i went from dover to london in a waggon. it was drawn by six horses, one before another, and driven by a waggoner, who walked by the side of it. he was clothed in black, and appointed in all things like another st george. he had a brave montero on his head, and was a merry fellow, fancied he made a figure, and seemed mightily pleased with himself." unlike travelling in the present day, when one may go miles in a railway carriage without speaking to a fellow-passenger, the journey in the old-fashioned waggon brought all the travellers too close and too long together to admit of individual isolation, for the passengers might be associated for days together as companions, had to take their refreshment together, lived as it were in common, and it was even the custom to elect a chairman at the outset to preside over the company during the journey. but the stage-coach gradually became the established public conveyance of the country, improving in its construction and its rate of progression as the improved state of the roads admitted of and encouraged such improvement. still, compared with the stage-coaches of the best period, travelling by the earlier stage-coaches was a sorry achievement. here is an advertisement of stage-coaches of the year :-- "from the th april there will continue to go stage-coaches from the george inn, without aldersgate, london, unto the several cities and towns, for the rates and at the times hereafter mentioned and declared:-- "every monday, wednesday, and friday--to salisbury, in two days, for xx. s.; to blandford and dorchester, in two days and half, for xxx. s.; to burput, in three days, for xxx. s.; to exmister, hunnington, and exeter, in four days, for xl. s.; to stamford, in two days, for xx. s.; ... to york, in four days, for xl. s." indeed the charges might have been reckoned by time, the travelling being at the rate of about s. a day. another advertisement in thus sets forth the merits of some of the stage-coaches of the period:-- "exeter flying stage-coach in three days, and dorchester and blandford in two days. go from the saracen's head inn, in friday street, london, every monday, wednesday, and friday; and from the new inn, in exeter, every tuesday and thursday." then the advertisement makes known the fact, with regard to another coach, that the stage begins "flying on monday next." they were not satisfied in those days with a coach "going," "running," or "proceeding," but they set them "flying" at the rates of speed which may be gathered from these notices. nearly thirty years later another advertisement set forth that the taunton flying machine, hung on steel springs, sets out from the saracen's head inn, in friday street, london, and taunton, every monday, wednesday, and friday, at three o'clock in the morning, the journey taking two days. there were places inside for six passengers, and the fares were as follows, viz.:-- to taunton, £ " ilminster, " yeovil, " sherborne, " shaftesbury, outside passengers, and children in the lap, were half these fares. to follow out in a historical fashion the development of the coaching period down to the introduction of railways, would be beyond the purpose of this work, nor will the limits of these pages admit of so great an extension of the subject. the earlier modes of travelling, and the difficulties of the roads, are treated of in several histories of england in a general way, and more fully in such books as the 'lives of the engineers,' by smiles; 'old coaching days,' by stanley harris; and 'annals of the road,' by captain malet,--all of which contain much that is entertaining and interesting. here it is proposed merely to recall some of the incidents of the coaching days, so far as they relate to the mail-service, between the time when palmer's mail-coaches were put on the road in , down to the time when they were shouldered off the road by the more powerful iron horse. the dangers to which the mail-coaches were exposed were chiefly of three kinds,--the danger of being robbed by footpads or highwaymen; that of being upset in the road by running foul of some cart, dray, or waggon, or other object placed in the way; and the peril of being overtaken by snowstorms, and so rendered helpless and cut off from the usual communications. it was an almost everyday occurrence for the mail-bags to be robbed on the night journeys, when the principal mails were carried. we know of these things now through notices which were issued by the post-office at the time, of which copies are still in existence. here are the terms of a notice issued to the mail-guards in march :-- "three irishmen are in custody for highway robbery. one of them has confessed, and declares that their purpose in going out was to rob the mail-coach. their first step was to watch an opportunity and fire at the guard, which it is supposed might have been easily obtained, as they are so frequently off their guard. they had pistols found on them. it is therefore necessary, in addition to your former instructions, to direct that you are particularly vigilant and watchful, that you keep a quick eye to every person stirring, and that you see your arms are in the best possible condition, and ready for instant duty." on the st december , a bag of letters for stockport was stolen out of the mail-box while the coach was in macclesfield. it was a sunday night about ten o'clock when the robbery took place, and the bag was found empty under a haystack near the town. the following notice of another robbery was issued by the postmaster-general on the st march :-- "whereas the bags of letters from this office (london), of last night, for the following towns--viz., hatfield, welwyn, stevenage, baldock, biggleswade, kimbolton, st neots, oundle, stilton, wansford, grantham, spilsby, spalding, lowth, horncastle, and boston, --were stolen from the mail-box, about ten o'clock on the same night, supposed at barnet, by forcibly wrenching off the lock whilst the horses were changing; whoever shall apprehend and convict, or cause to be apprehended and convicted, the person or persons who stole the said bags, shall be entitled to a reward of one hundred pounds," &c. on monday the th november of the same year, the bags of letters from melton mowbray, oakham, uppingham, kettering, thrapston, higham ferrers, and wellingborough, were stolen at bedford at about nine o'clock in the evening. again, in january , a further warning to the guards was issued, showing the necessity for vigilance on the part of these officers, by describing some of the recent robberies which were the occasion for the warning:-- "the guards are desired by mr hasker to be particularly attentive to their mail-box. depredations are committed every night on some stage-coaches by stealing parcels. i shall relate a few, which i trust will make you circumspect. the bristol mail-coach has been robbed within a week of the bankers' parcel, value £ or upwards. the bristol mail-coach was robbed of money the d instant to a large amount. the 'expedition' coach has been twice robbed in the last week--the last time of all the parcels out of the seats. the 'telegraph' was robbed last monday night between saracen's head, aldgate, and whitechapel church, of all the parcels out of the dicky. it was broken open while the guard was on it, standing up blowing his horn. the york mail was robbed of parcels out of the seats to a large amount." the following account of a stage-coach robbery committed on that, at one time, notoriously dangerous ground called hounslow heath, is taken from the 'annals of the road,' already referred to in this work:-- "in the reign of king george iii., a stage coach, driven by one williams, and going over hounslow heath on the road between reading and london, was stopped by a highwayman, who, riding up, demanded money of the passengers. a lady gave up her watch, a gent his purse, and away goes the highwayman, followed, however, by williams (the bold) on one of the leaders, who 'nailed' and brought him back to the coach, on which he was placed and taken to staines. this occurred on a tuesday; the hearing before the magistrates took place on wednesday; on thursday he was in newgate; on friday he was tried, and sentenced to be hung on monday. williams then got up a memorial, petitioning for a reprieve; and on this being presented to his majesty, the sentence was commuted to transportation for life. the king was so pleased with williams's daring, that he presented him with a key of windsor park gates, to be used by him and his descendants so long as they drove a coach from reading to london. this royal authority allowed them to pass through the park instead of going by the turnpike road." another very interesting account of a mail-coach robbery is given by mr s. c. hall in his 'retrospect of a long life,' the object of the outrage being, not apparently plunder for plunder's sake in the ordinary sense, but to recover some legal documents and money paid as rent by a man in the neighbourhood who stood high in local favour, but was understood to have been harshly treated by his landlord. the case occurred in ireland, and is characteristic of the way in which the irish people give vent to their feelings when they are stirred by affection or sentiment. "i was travelling in ireland (it must have been about the year ), between cork and skibbereen, when i witnessed a stoppage of the mail to rob it. the road was effectually barricaded by a huge tree, passage was impossible, and a dozen men with blackened faces speedily surrounded the coach. to attempt resistance would have been madness: the guard wisely abstained from any, but surrendered his arms; the priming was removed, and they were returned to him. the object of the gang was limited to acquiring the mail-bags; they were known to contain some writs against a gentleman very popular in the district. these being extracted, the coach pursued its way without further interruption. the whole affair did not occupy five minutes. it was subsequently ascertained, however, that there had been a further purpose. the gentleman had that day paid his rent--all in bank-notes; when the agent desired to mark them, there was neither pen nor ink in the house; the mail-bag contained these notes. where they eventually found their way was never proved, but it was certain they did not reach the landlord, whose receipt was in the hands of his tenant, duly signed." interceptions of the mail for the purpose of preventing the serving of writs by means of the post are not unknown in ireland at the present time. in august a post-runner near mallow was stopped by two men, dressed in women's clothes and with blackened faces, who seized his mail-bag, and made search for registered letters which it was supposed might have contained ejectment notices. none were found, however, and the men returned the other letters to the runner. a similar outrage was committed in the same neighbourhood in . the following exciting and unpleasant adventure happened to the passengers by the enniskillen mail-coach on its way to dublin on the morning of the th january . the coach had safely made its journey to a point within two miles of a place called dunshaughlin, the time being about a.m., when the mail-guard, watchful as his duty required, espied a number of men suspiciously lying on each side of the road in advance of him. the night must have been clear, and probably there was bright moonlight; as otherwise, at that early hour in the month of january, the men lying in wait could not have been observed. there being little doubt that an attack upon the mail was contemplated, the carriage was at once drawn up, and the alarm given. the drowsy or benumbed travellers, thus rudely aroused and brought to a sense of their danger, hastily jumped to the ground, and demanded the spare arms which were carried for use on like emergencies. these were immediately served out to the passengers, who, if not animated by true irish spirit at so early an hour, to fight for fighting's sake, were at any rate determined to defend their lives and property. at the head of the coach-party in this lonely and trying situation was a clergyman of the county cavan named king, who, like father tom in the play, had not forgotten the accomplishments of his youth, and who was prepared to carry the message of peace and goodwill with the blunderbuss at the ready, this being the weapon with which he had armed himself. the robbers, perceiving that they were to encounter a determined opposition, thought it wise to retreat; and while the guards stood by their charge--the mail-coach--the men were pursued over a field by mr king, on whom they fired, without, however, doing any damage. the parson, deeming a return necessary, replied with the gaping blunderbuss--and to some purpose it was thought, for three of the men were within twenty yards of him when he fired. the would-be robbers being now driven off, the passengers had time to realise their fright; and gathering themselves again into the coach, the journey was continued, though it is hardly likely that sleep resumed its sway over the terrified passengers for the remaining hours of that particular night. these are but a few instances of the robberies against which the guards were constantly warned to be on the alert, and which they were enjoined to prevent. they were provided with a blunderbuss and a brace of pistols, to make a good defence in case of need; and it may be interesting to recall that the charge for the former was ten or twelve shot the size of a pea, and two-thirds of such charge for the latter--the quantity of lead mentioned being sufficient, one would suppose, if well directed, to give a hot welcome to any one attempting the mail. but the guards were very often not so vigilant as they should have been, the ale-houses having then the attractions which to many they still have: sometimes they fell asleep on their boxes, and in other respects wofully infringed the regulations. the following official notice plainly shows this:-- "i am very sorry to be under the necessity of addressing the mail-guards on such a subject; but though every direction and inspection are given them, and they are fully informed of the punishments that must follow if they do not do their duty, yet, notwithstanding this, and every admonition given in every way that can be devised, four guards that were looked upon as very good ones, have in the course of last week been guilty of such misconduct as obliges their discharge--for the public, who trust their lives and property in the conduct of the office, can never be expected to suffer such neglect to pass unnoticed. the four guards discharged are john ----, for having his mail-box unlocked at ferry-bridge while the mail was therein; wm. ----, for going to the office at york drunk to fetch his mail, though barely able to stand; w. ----, for bringing the mail on the outside of the mail-box and on the roof, and converting the mail-box to another use; w. ----, for going from london to newmarket without firearms." on another occasion a guard was fined five guineas "for suffering a man to ride on the roof of the mail-coach," and at the same time he was told that if he had not owned the truth he would have been dismissed--this being followed by the quaint observation, looking like a grim official joke, "which he may be now, if he had rather than pay the fine to the fund"! one more notice as to the vice of taking drink on the part of the guards, and as showing the impressive and formal manner of carrying out a dismissal in the coaching days. the document is of the year , and runs as follows, viz.:-- "i am very sorry to order in all the guards to witness the dismissal of one old in the service; but so imperious is the duty, that was he my brother he would be dismissed: indeed i do not think there is a guard who hears this but will say, a man who goes into an ale-house, stays to drink (and at brentford) at the dusk of morning, leaving his mail-box unlocked, deserves to lose his situation; and he is dismissed accordingly. and i am sure i need not stimulate you to avoid fresh misconduct--to read your instructions, and to mind them. i am the more sorry for this, as guards who have been some time in the service are fit for no other duty." towards the drivers also of the mail-coaches severe measures were taken when they got drunk; and the penalty sometimes took a peculiar form, as witness the following public act of submission and contrition:-- "whereas i, john ----, being driver of the mail-coach, on my way from congleton to coleshill on monday, december , " (some excuse, perhaps, on account of its being christmas-day), "did stop at several places on the road to drink, and thereby got intoxicated,--from which misconduct, driving furiously, and being from my coach on its returning, suffered the horses to set off and run through the town of coleshill, at the risk of overturning the carriage, and thereby endangering the lives of the passengers, and other misfortunes which might otherwise have occurred: for which misdeeds the postmasters-general were determined to punish me with the utmost rigour, and if it had been prosecuted, would have made me liable to the penalty incurred by the said offence of _imprisonment for six months_, _and not less than three_; but from my general good character, and having a large family, have generously forgiven me on my showing contrition for the past offence, as a caution to all mail and other coachmen, and making this public acknowledgment." in another case a mail-coach driver was summoned before a magistrate for intoxication and impertinence to passengers, and was thereupon mulcted in a penalty of £ , with costs. the accidents that befell the coaches were sometimes of a really serious character, and of very frequent occurrence--some of them, or perhaps many of them, being due wholly to carelessness. a person writing in remarks as follows:--"it is really heartrending to hear of the dreadful accidents that befall his majesty's subjects now on their travels through the country. in my younger days, when i was on the eve of setting out on a journey, my wife was in the habit of giving me her parting blessing, concluding with the words, 'god bless you, my dear; i hope you will not be robbed.' but it is now changed to 'god bless you, my dear; i hope you will not get your neck broke, and that you will bring all your legs safe home again.'" sometimes the drivers, if it fell in their way to overtake or be overtaken by an opposition coach, would go in for proving who had the best team, and an exciting race would result. sometimes a horse would fall, and bring the coach to grief; and in the night-time the horses would occasionally tumble over obstacles maliciously placed on the road to bring this about. whether this was always done to facilitate robbery, or out of sheer wantonness, is not quite clear, but instances of such acts of wickedness were frequent. on the night of the th june , some evil-disposed persons placed a gate in the middle of the turnpike road near welwyn green, and set up two other gates at the entrance of welwyn lane, also across the road, with the view of obstructing the mail-coach and injuring the persons of the passengers. early on the morning of the th april , the mail-coach was obstructed, in coming out of dumfries, by some evil-disposed persons placing boughs or branches of trees across the turnpike road, by which the lives of the passengers were put in peril and the mail much delayed. a similar outrage was committed on the night of the th august , when a large gate was placed in the middle of the road on ewenny bridge, near bridgend, in glamorganshire. in this instance the horses of the mail-coach took fright, imperilling the lives of all upon the coach; for it is very likely that they narrowly escaped being thrown over the bridge. again, on the night of the th april , some persons placed eleven gates at different points across the road two or three miles out of lancaster, on the way to burton-in-kendal, whereby destruction was nearly brought upon the mail-coach and its human freight. between northwich and warrington, early on the morning of the th november , eight or ten gates and a door were placed in the way of the mail-coach, and further on a broad-wheeled cart, with the view of wrecking the mail. on sunday, the th june , the horses of the mail-coach were thrown down near newmarket, and much injured, by stumbling over a plough and harrow, wickedly placed in their way by some evil-doers. these are but a few of the cases of such malicious acts, with respect to which rewards were offered by the postmaster-general at the time, for the discovery of the offenders. [illustration: notice of offer of reward.] but there were other ways in which the mail was placed in jeopardy--namely, by waggoners with teams getting in the middle of the highway, and not clearing out smartly to let the mails go by, or by otherwise so driving their horses as to foul with the mail-coach. and it is curious to observe how such cases were dealt with by the post-office. the following poster, issued publicly, will explain the matter:-- "caution to carters. "whereas i, edward monk, servant to james smith of pendlebury, near manchester, farmer, did, on tuesday the th day of july last, misconduct myself in the driving of my master's cart on the pendleton road, by not only riding furiously in the cart, but damaging the york and liverpool mail-coach, and endangering the lives of the passengers--for which the conductor of the mails has directed a prosecution against me; but on condition of this my public submission, and paying the expenses attending it, all proceedings have been discontinued. and i thank the conductor, and the gentlemen whose lives i endangered, for their very great lenity shown me; and i promise not to be guilty of such outrage in future. and i trust this will operate as a caution to all carters or persons who may have the care of carts and other carriages, to behave themselves peaceably and properly on the king's highway. witness my hand, the d aug. ." then there was the danger attending the running away of the horses with the coach, of which the following is an instance, the facts being succinctly set forth in a notice of , of which the following is a copy:-- "whereas walter price, the driver of the chester and manchester mail-coach, on thursday night the d nov. , on arriving in chester, incautiously left his horses without any person at their heads, to give out a passenger's luggage (while the guard was gone to the post-office with the mail-bags), when they ran off with the mail-coach through the city of chester, taking the road to holywell, but fortunately without doing any injury; in consequence of which neglect, the driver was, on the saturday following, brought before the magistrates, and fined in the full penalty of five pounds, according to the late act of parliament." and through the city of chester, with its narrow streets! it seems a miracle how four runaway horses, with a coach at their heels, could have cleared the town without dire disaster. again, it would come to pass that in dark nights the horses would sometimes stumble over a stray donkey or other animal which had taken up its night-quarters in the middle of the road, and there made its bed. nor were these the only perils of the road, which were always increased when the nights were thick with fog. on the morning of the th december , the mail from the south reached berwick late owing to a fog, the horses being led by the driver, notwithstanding whose care the coach had been overturned twice. the drivers were called upon on occasions to make up their minds in a moment to choose one of two courses, when danger suddenly burst upon them and there was no escape from it. a good instance of such a case happened to the driver of the edinburgh to dumfries mail-coach, who proved that he could reason his case quickly and take his resolve. at one of the stages he had changed horses, and was proceeding on his way, the first portion of the road being down a steep hill with an abrupt turn at the foot. he had hardly got his coach fairly set in motion, when to his dismay he perceived that the wheelers, two new horses, had no notion of holding back. the animals became furious, while the passengers became alarmed. it seemed a hopeless task to control the horses under the circumstances, and to attempt to take the turn at the foot of the hill would have assured the upsetting of the coach and all its belongings. at this juncture the passengers observed a strange smile creep over the coachman's face, while he gathered up the reins in the best style of the profession, at the same time lashing his horses into a good gallop. terror-struck, the passengers saw nothing but destruction before them; yet they had no alternative but to await the issue. opposite the foot of the hill was a stout gate leading into a field, and this was the goal the driver had in view. steadying the coach by keeping its course straight, he gave his horses all the momentum they could gather, and shot them direct at the gate. the gate went into splinters, the horses and coach bounded into the field, and were there immediately drawn up, neither horses, coach, nor passengers being seriously hurt by the adventure. [illustration: holyhead and chester mails snowed up near dunstable-- th dec. . (_from an old print._)] of all the interruptions to the mail-coach service, none were so serious as those which were occasioned by snowstorms, nor were the dangers attending them of a light nature to the drivers, guards, or passengers. the work achieved by man, either for good or evil, how insignificant does it not seem when contrasted with the phenomena of nature! in the year a severe snowstorm occurred in the country, which very much deranged the mail-service, as may be gathered from the following circular issued by the london post-office on the th april of that year:-- "several mail-coaches being still missing that were obstructed in the snow since the st february last, this is to desire you will immediately represent to me an account of all spare patent mail-coaches that are in the stage where you travel over, whether they are regular stationed mail-coaches or extra spare coaches, and the exact place where they are, either in barn, field, yard, or coach-house, and the condition they are in, and if they have seats, rugs, and windows complete." so that here, after a lapse of about three months, the post-office had not recovered the use of all its mail-coaches, and was beginning to hunt up the missing vehicles. another snowstorm occurred in january , evidence of which, from a passenger's point of view, is furnished by macready in his 'reminiscences.' he wrote as follows:-- "the snow was falling fast, and had already drifted so high between the ross inn and berwick-on-tweed that it had been necessary to cut a passage for carriages for some miles. we did not reach newcastle until nearly two hours after midnight: and fortunate was it for the theatre and ourselves that we had not delayed our journey, for the next day the mails were stopped; nor for more than six weeks was there any conveyance by carriage between edinburgh and newcastle. after some weeks a passage was cut through the snow for the guards to carry the mails on horseback, but for a length of time the communications every way were very irregular." but christmas of must bear the palm for snowstorms which have succeeded in deranging the mail-service in england, and it may be well to quote here some accounts of the circumstances written at the time:-- "the guard of the glasgow mail, which arrived on sunday morning, said that the roads were in the northern parts heavy with snow, and that at one place the mail was two hours getting over four miles of road. never before, within recollection, was the london mail stopped for a whole night at a few miles from london; and never before has the intercourse between the southern shires of england and the metropolis been interrupted for two whole days." "fourteen mail-coaches were abandoned on the various roads." "the brighton mail (from london) reached crawley, but was compelled to return. the dover mail also returned, not being able to proceed farther than gravesend. the hastings mail was also obliged to return. the brighton up-mail of sunday had travelled about eight miles from that town, when it fell into a drift of snow, from which it was impossible to extricate it without further assistance. the guard immediately set off to obtain all necessary aid; but when he returned, no trace whatever could be found either of the coach, coachman, or passengers, three in number. after much difficulty the coach was found, but could not be extricated from the hollow into which it had got. the guard did not reach town until seven o'clock on tuesday night, having been obliged to travel with the bags on horseback, and in many instances to leave the main road and proceed across fields, in order to avoid the deep drifts of snow." "the bath and bristol mails, due on tuesday morning, were abandoned eighty miles from london, and the mail-bags brought up in a postchaise-and-four by the two guards, who reached london at six o'clock on wednesday morning. for seventeen miles of the distance they had to come across fields." "the manchester down-mail reached st albans, and getting off the road into a hollow, was upset. the guard returned to london in a post-chaise and four horses with the bags and passengers." "about a mile from st albans, on the london side, a chariot without horses was seen on tuesday nearly buried in the snow. there were two ladies inside, who made an earnest appeal to the mail-guard, whose coach had got into a drift nearly at the same spot. the ladies said the postboy had left them to go to st albans to get fresh cattle, and had been gone two hours. the guard was unable to assist them, and his mail being extracted, he pursued his journey for london, leaving the chariot and ladies in the situation where they were first seen." "the devonport mail arrived at half-past eleven o'clock. the guard, who had travelled with it from ilminster, a distance of miles, states that journey to have been a most trying one to both men and cattle. the storm commenced when they reached wincanton, and never afterwards ceased. the wind blew fresh, and the snow and sleet in crossing salisbury plain were driving into their faces so as almost to blind them. between andover and whitchurch the mail was stuck fast in a snowdrift, and the horses, in attempting to get out, were nearly buried. the coachman got down, and almost disappeared in the drift upon which he alighted. fortunately, at this juncture, a waggon with four horses came up, and by unyoking these from the waggon and attaching them to the mail, it was got out of the hollow in which it was sunk." these are some of the reports, written at the time, of the disorganisation of the mail-service in consequence of the snowstorm. some slight idea of the magnitude of the drifts may be obtained from one or two additional particulars. the mail proceeding from exeter for london was five times buried in the snow, and had to be dug out. a mail-coach got off the road seven miles from louth, and went over into a gravel-pit, one of the horses being killed and the guard severely bruised. so deeply was another coach buried on this line of road that it took men, principally sappers and miners, working several hours, to make a passage to the coach and rescue the mails and passengers. near chatham the snow lay to a depth of or feet, and the military were turned out to the number of to clear the roads. [illustration: the devonport mail-coach forcing its way through a snowdrift near amesbury-- th dec. . (_from an old print._)] on the line of road from chatham to dover, a sum of £ was spent by the road-trustees in opening up the road for the resumption of traffic, an official report stating that for miles the road "was blocked up by an impenetrable mass of snow varying from feet to feet in depth." between leicester and northampton cuttings were made, just wide enough for a coach to pass, where the snow was heaped up to a height of , , and in some places feet. about a stage from coventry, near a place called dunchurch, seventeen coaches were reported to be laid up in the snow; and in other parts of the country a similar wholesale derangement or stoppage of road-traffic took place. on the th january , an official report set forth that "the mail-coach road between louth and sheffield had on the th inst. been closed twelve days in consequence of the snow, and it is stated that it will be a week before the mail can run." an attempt was made to get the mail forward from lewes to london by post-chaise and four horses; but after proceeding about a mile from the town, the chaise returned, the driver reporting that it was impossible to proceed, as the main road was quite blocked up with snow to a depth of or feet. these were the good old times; and no doubt to us they have a romance, though to the people who lived in them they had a very practical aspect. the general instructions to mail-guards in cases of breakdown were as follows:-- "when the coach is so broke down that it cannot proceed as it is on its way to london, if you have not above two passengers, and you can procure a post-chaise without loss of time, get them and the mail forward in that way, with the horses that used to draw the mail-coach, that they may be in their places (till you come to where a coach is stationed); and if you have lost any time, you must endeavour to fetch it up, which may be easily done, as the chaise is lighter than the coach. "if you cannot get a post-chaise, take off one of the coach-horses, and ride with your bags to the next stage; there take another horse,--and so on till you come to the end of your ground, when you must deliver the bags to the next guard, who must proceed in the same manner. if your mail is so large (as the york, manchester, and two or three others are at some part of the road) that one horse cannot carry it, you may take two; tie the mail on one horse and ride the other. the person who horses the mail must order his horsekeeper at every stage to furnish you with horses in case of accidents. change your horses at every post-town, and do all your office-duty the same as if the coach travelled. "if in travelling from london an accident happens, use all possible expedition in repairing the coach to proceed; and if it cannot be repaired in an hour or two, take the mail forward by horse or chaise--if the latter, the passengers will go with you." in pursuance of these instructions, many instances of devotion to duty were given by the mail-guards, in labouring to get the mails forward in the midst of the snowstorm of . on the th of december the birmingham mail-coach, proceeding to london, got rather beyond aylesbury, where it broke down. some things having been set right, another effort was made, and some little further way made; but the attempt to go on had to be given up, for the snow was getting deeper at every step. a hurricane was blowing, accompanied with a fall of fine snow, and the horses shook with extreme cold. in these circumstances, price the mail-guard mounted one of the horses, tied his mail-bags on the back of another, and set out for london. he was joined farther on by two postboys on other horses with the bye-bags, and all three journeyed in company. the road-marks being frequently effaced, they were constantly deviating from their proper course, clearing gates, hedges, and ditches; but having a general knowledge of the lie of the country, and price being possessed of good nerves, they succeeded in reaching the metropolis. the guard was in a distressing state of exhaustion when he reached his destination. this was only one instance of the way in which the guards acquitted themselves during this memorable storm, and for their great exertions they received the special thanks of the postmaster-general. at a place called cavendish bridge the mails were arrested by the storm, and the exertions of the coachman and guard were thus referred to by a private gentleman of the neighbourhood, who communicated with the post-office on the subject: "i take leave to remark that the zeal and industry evinced by the guard and coachman, more especially the former (named needle), upon the trying occasion to which your communication has reference, was well worthy of imitation, and formed a striking contrast to the reprehensible apathy of two gentlemen who were inside passengers by the mail." a notable instance of the devotion to duty of a coachman and mail-guard, and one illustrating the dangers and hardships which post-office servants of that class had to encounter, occurred in the winter of . on tuesday the st february of that year, james m'george, mail-guard, and john goodfellow, coachman, set out from dumfries for edinburgh at seven o'clock in the morning, and after extraordinary exertions reached moffat,--beyond which, however, they found it impossible to proceed with the coach, owing to the accumulation of snow. they then procured saddle-horses, and with these, accompanied by a postboy, they went on, intending to continue their journey in this way. they had not proceeded beyond erickstane hill, a rising ground in close proximity to the well-known natural enclosure called the deil's beef-tub, when it became evident that the horses could not make the journey, and these were sent back in charge of the postboy to moffat. the guard and coachman, unwilling to give in, continued their journey on foot, having in view to reach a roadside inn at tweedshaws, some two or three miles farther on. the exact particulars of what thereafter happened will never be known, beyond this, that the mail-bags were afterwards found tied to one of the road-posts set up in like situations to mark the line of road on occasions of snowstorms, and that the two men perished in the drift. the last act performed by them, before being quite overcome by exhaustion and fatigue, was inspired by a sense of duty, their aim being to leave the bags where they would more readily be found by others, should they themselves not live to recover them. shortly after this the two men appear to have succumbed; for their bodies were found five days afterwards within a hundred yards of the place where they left the bags, and where at the cost of their lives they had rendered their last service to the post-office and their country. "and down he sinks beneath the shelter of the shapeless drift, thinking o'er all the bitterness of death, mix'd with the tender anguish nature shoots through the wrung bosom of the dying man, his wife, his children, and his friends unseen. ... on every nerve the deadly winter seizes; shuts up sense; and, o'er his inmost vitals creeping cold, lays him along the snows, a stiffened corse, stretch'd out, and bleaching in the northern blast." --thomson. we who are accustomed to the comforts of railway travelling, are nevertheless, in regard to accidents, very much like the ostrich; for though we do not purposely close our eyes to danger, we are nevertheless placed in such a position that we are unable, when shut up in a railway carriage, to see what is before us, or about to happen. far otherwise was the case in the days of coaching. the passengers, as well as the drivers and guards, were not only exposed to the drenchings from long-continued rain, the terrible exposure to the cold night-air in winter travelling, and the danger of attack from highwaymen, but they ran the risks of all the accidents of the road, many of which they could see to be inevitable before they happened. there were occasions when passengers were frozen to death on the coaches, and others when they fell off benumbed with cold. it is said sometimes that first impressions are often correct; but there are, of course, erroneous first impressions as well. a story is told of a mail-guard in scotland who had the misfortune to be on a coach which upset, and from which all the outside people were thrown to the ground. the guard came down upon his head on the top of a stiff hedge, and from this temporary situation rolled into a ditch, where for a moment he lay. coming to himself from a partial stupor, he imagined there was something wrong with the top of his head, and putting up his hand, he felt a flat surface, which to his dawning perception appeared to be a section of his neck, his impression being that his head had been cut off. this was, however, nothing but the crown of his hat, which, being forced down over his head and face, had probably saved him from more serious damage. broken limbs were accidents of common occurrence; but affairs of much more serious import occasionally took place, of which the following is a notable example:-- on the night of tuesday the th october , the road between carlisle and glasgow was the scene of a catastrophe which will serve to illustrate in a striking degree one of the perils of the postal service in the mail-coach era. the place where the event now to be described occurred, lies between beattock and elvanfoot (about five miles from the latter place), where the highway crosses the evan water, a stream which takes its rise near the sources of the clyde, but whose waters are carried southward into dumfriesshire. to be more precise, the situation is between two places called raecleuch and howcleuch, on the carlisle road; and a bridge which now spans the water, in lieu of a former bridge, retains by association, to this day, the name of the "broken bridge." it was at the breaking up of a severe storm of frost and snow, when the rivers were flooded to such an extent as had never been seen by the oldest people in the neighbourhood. the bridge had been but recently built; and though it was afterwards stated that the materials composing the mortar must have been of bad quality, no doubt would seem to have been entertained as to the security of the bridge. the night was dark, and accompanied by both wind and rain--elements which frequently usher in a state of thaw. the mail-coach having passed the _summit_, was speeding along at a good round pace, the "outsiders" doubtless making themselves as comfortable as circumstances would allow, while the "insides," as we might imagine, had composed themselves into some semblance of sleep, the time being between nine and ten o'clock, when, suddenly and without warning, the whole equipage--horses, coach, driver, guard, and passengers--on reaching the middle of the bridge, went headlong precipitate into the swollen stream through a chasm left by the collapse of the arch. it is by no means easy to realise what the thoughts would be of those concerned in this dreadful experience--pitched into a roaring torrent, in a most lonely place, at a late hour on such a night. the actual results were, however, very serious. the two leading horses were killed outright by the fall, while one of the wheelers was killed by a heavy stone descending upon it from the still impending portions of the wrecked structure. the coach and harness also were utterly destroyed. but, worse still, two outside passengers, one a mr lund, a partner in a london house, and the other named brand, a merchant in ecclefechan, were killed on the spot, while a lady and three gentlemen who were inside passengers miraculously escaped with their lives, though they were severely bruised. the lady, who had scrambled out of the vehicle, sought refuge on a rock in mid-stream, there remaining prisoner for a time; and by her means a second catastrophe of a similar kind was happily averted. the mail from carlisle for glasgow usually exchanged "good-night" with the south-going coach, when they were running to time, just about the scene of the accident. fortunately the coach from carlisle was rather late; but when it did arrive, the lady on the rock, seeing the lights approach, screamed aloud, and thus warned the driver to draw up in time. succour was now at hand. something ludicrous generally finds itself in company with whatever is of a tragic nature. the guard of the carlisle coach was let down to the place where the lady was, by means of the reins taken from the horses. _hughie_ campbell--that was the guard's name--when deliberating upon the plan of rescue, had some delicacy as to how he should affix the reins to the person of the lady, and called up to those above, "where will i grip her?" but before he could be otherwise advised, the lady, long enough already on the rock, broke in, "grip me where you like, but grip me firm," which observation at once removed hughie's difficulty, and set his scruples at ease. the driver of the wrecked coach, alexander cooper, was at first thought to have been carried away; but he was afterwards found caught between two stones in the river. he survived the accident only a few weeks--serious injuries to his back proving fatal. as for the guard, thomas kinghorn, he was severely cut about the head, but eventually recovered. it was usual for the coachman and guard over this wild and exposed road to be strapped to their seats in stormy weather; but on this occasion kinghorn, as it happened, was not strapped, and to this circumstance he attributed his escape from death. when the mail went down, he was sent flying over the bridge, and alighted clear from the wreck of the coach. the dead passengers and the wounded persons were taken by the other coach into moffat. it may be added that the fourth horse was got out of its predicament little the worse for the fall, and continued to run for many a day over the same road; but it was always observed to evince great nervousness and excitement whenever it approached the scene of the accident. yet the mail-coach days had charms and attractions for travellers, if they at the same time had their drawbacks: the bustle and excitement of the start, when the horses were loosed and the driver let them have rein, under the eyes of interested and admiring spectators; the exhilarating gallop as a good pace was achieved on the open country-road; the keen relish of the meals, more especially of breakfast, at the neatly kept and hospitable inn; the blithe note of the guard's horn, as a turnpike-gate or the end of a stage was approached; and the hurried changing of horses from time to time as the journey progressed. ever-varying scene is the characteristic of the occasion: the village with its rustic quiet, and odd characters, who were sure to present themselves as the coach flew by; the fresh and blooming fields; the soft and pastoral downs; the scented hedgerows in may and june; the stretches of road embowered with wood, affording a grateful shade in warm weather; the farmer's children swinging on a gate or over-topping a fence, and cheering lustily with their small voices as the coach swept along. and then, the hours of twilight being past, when "day hath put on his jacket, and around his burning bosom buttoned it with stars," the eeriness of a night-journey would be experienced. during hard frost the clear ring of the horses' feet would be heard upon the road; the discomfort of fellow-passengers rolling about in their places, overcome by sleep, would be felt; while in the solemn dulness of the darker hours of night the monotony of the situation would be relieved at intervals, in the mineral districts, by miniature mountains of blazing coal, shedding their lurid glare upon the coach as it passed, and showing up the figures of soiled and dusky men employed thereat, thus creating a horrible impression upon the passengers, and seeming to afford an effective representation of dante's shadowy world. or, on occasions of great national triumph--when, for example, some important victory crowned our arms--the coach, decked out with ribbons or green leaves, would be the bearer of the joyful and intoxicating news down into the country,--the driver and guard, as the official representatives of the crown, being the heroes of the hour. but it may be of interest to learn what a mail-coach journey was from one who had just completed such a trip, and who, in the freshness of youth, and with the unreserve which can only subsist in correspondence between members of a family or dear friends, immediately commits his impressions to writing. we have a vivid sketch of a journey of this kind from no less a personage than felix mendelssohn, the great musical composer. mendelssohn was at the time a young man of twenty: he had been making a tour in scotland with his friend klingemann--the visit being that from which, by the way, mendelssohn derived inspiration for the composition of his delightful scotch symphony; and the means by which he quitted the northern kingdom was by mail-coach from glasgow to liverpool. the following letter, descriptive of the journey, and dated august , , is copied from an interesting work called 'the mendelssohn family':-- "we flew away from glasgow on the top of the mail, ten miles an hour, past steaming meadows and smoking chimneys, to the cumberland lakes, to keswick, kendal, and the prettiest towns and villages. the whole country is like a drawing-room. the rocky walls are papered with bushes, moss, and firs; the trees are carefully wrapped up in ivy; there are no walls or fences, only high hedges, and you see them all the way up flat hill-tops. on all sides carriages full of travellers fly along the roads; the corn stands in sheaves; slopes, hills, precipices, are all covered with thick, warm foliage. then again our eyes dwelt on the dark-blue english distance--many a noble castle, and so on, until we reached ambleside. there the sky turned gloomy again, and we had rain and storm. sitting on the top of the 'stage,' and madly careering along ravines, past lakes, up-hill, down-hill, wrapped in cloaks, and umbrellas up, we could see nothing but railings, heaps of stones or ditches, and but rarely catch glimpses of hills and lakes. sometimes our umbrellas scraped against the roofs of the houses, and then, wet through, we would come to a second-rate inn, with a high blazing fire, and english conversation about walking, coals, supper, the weather, and bonaparte. yesterday our seats on the coach were accidentally separated, so that i hardly spoke to klingemann, for changing horses was done in about forty seconds. i sat on the box next by the coachman, who asked me whether i flirted much, and made me talk a good deal, and taught me the slang of horsemanship. klingemann sat next to two old women, with whom he shared his umbrella. again manufactories, meadows, parks, provincial towns, here a canal, there a railway, then the sea with ships, six full coaches with towering outsiders following each other; in the evening a thick fog, the stage running madly in the darkness. through the fog we see lamps gleaming all about the horizon; the smoke of manufactories envelops us on all sides; gentlemen on horseback ride past; one coach-horn blows in b flat, another in d, others follow in the distance, and here we are at liverpool." speed was of the first consideration, and the stoppages at the wayside stages were of very limited duration. at an inn, the travellers would hardly have made a fair start in appeasing their hunger, when the guard would be heard calling upon them to take their seats, which, with mouths full, and still hungry, they would be forced to do, though with a bad grace and a growl--the acknowledged privilege of englishmen. a story is told of one passenger, however, who was equal to the occasion. leisurely sipping his tea and eating his toast, this traveller was found by the landlord in the breakfast-room when the other passengers were seated and the coach was on the point of starting. boniface appealed to him to take his place, or he would be left behind. "but," replied the traveller, "_that_ i will not do till i have a spoon to sup my egg." a glance apprised the landlord that not a spoon adorned the table, and rushing out he detained the coach while all the passengers were searched for the missing articles. then out came the satisfied traveller, who also submitted to be searched, and afterwards mounted the coach; and as the mail drove off he called to the landlord to look inside the teapot, where the artful traveller had placed the dozen spoons, with the double object of cooling the tea for his second cup, and detaining the coach till he drank it. the illustration here inserted, from an old print, shows a passenger securing refreshment on a cold night. [illustration: nocturnal refreshment.] in the year the speed of some of the mail-coaches was nearly ten miles an hour, including stoppages, and this was kept up over very long distances. from edinburgh to london, a distance of miles, the time allowed was forty-five and a half hours; in the opposite direction the time was curtailed to forty-two and a half hours. from london to york, miles, twenty hours were allowed; london to manchester, miles, nineteen hours; london to exeter, miles, nineteen hours; london to holyhead, miles, twenty-seven hours; london to devonport, miles, twenty-one hours. but in the earlier days of the mail-coach, travelling was much less rapid; for we find that in the mail-coach from perth to edinburgh, a distance by way of fife of miles, took eight hours for the journey, including stoppages and the transit by ferry across the forth--that is, at the rate of five miles an hour. the mail-guards rode about twelve hours at a stretch--quite long enough, in all conscience, on a wet or frosty night. but though in the earlier days of the mail-coaches the speed achieved by them, even on the main lines, was probably not more than seven or eight miles an hour, the people at head-quarters would seem to have regarded this as a thing not to be trifled with; for in a postmaster-general's minute of , directing that, owing to the frequent robberies, a caution should be given to the public against sending bank notes otherwise than in halves, the following bit of advice is added. the minute directs that the notice shall contain "also a printed caution at the foot of the table, directing all persons to avoid, as far as may be, sending any cash by the post, _partly from the prejudice it does the coin by the friction it occasions from the great expedition with which it is conveyed_, and especially as the cash is so liable to fall out of the letter by jolting, and to be found at the bottom of the bag," &c. it would be a species of high treason to treat with levity any kind of expression or decision proceeding from a reigning postmaster-general, but at this safe distance of time we may venture to smile at the idea here propounded, that coins would seriously suffer by _sweating_ in a mail-bag conveyed by coach at the surprising rate of eight miles an hour. such ill-founded apprehensions of the mail-coach speed were not, however, confined to post officials, for lord campbell was frequently warned against the danger of travelling in this way, and instances were cited to him in which passengers died from apoplexy induced by the rapidity with which these vehicles travelled! an incident of a romantic nature happened about the year in connection with the stage-coach (not a mail-coach, however, be it noted) running between edinburgh and glasgow at that period. the stage-coach, drawn by four horses, had been on the road for many years, having been established about the year . the time occupied in the journey was twelve hours; nor, down to the period in question, had any acceleration taken place. a young lady of glasgow, of distinguished beauty, having to travel to edinburgh, a lover whose suit towards her had not hitherto proved successful, took the remaining tickets for the journey, and so became her sole companion on the way. by assiduous attentions, and all the winsome ways which the tender passion knows to suggest, as well as by earnestness of pursuit, the lover won the lady to his favour, and she soon thereafter became his wife. but the full day did not justify the brightness of the morning: the husband failed to prove himself worthy of his good fortune; "and the lady, in a state worse than widowhood, was, a few years after, the subject of the celebrated clarinda correspondence of burns." in addition to the obvious duties of the mail-guards--to protect the mails and carry out their exchange at the several stations--they were sometimes required to perform special duties unconnected with post-office work. they were, for example, called upon to keep watch in the early part of the present century upon french prisoners of war who might be breaking their parole, a likely way of escaping being by the mail-coaches. the guards were instructed to question any suspicious foreigner travelling by the coach, and to report the matter to the postmaster at the first town at which they arrived. this was doubtless looked upon as a pleasure rather than as a hardship; for they were reminded that the usual reward was ten guineas each--not a bad price for a frenchman under the circumstances. no record of the mail-coach days would be complete without a description of the annual procession of mail-coaches which used to be held in the metropolis on the monarch's birthday. as every corporation or society has its saint's day, or yearly festival, so the jehus of the post-office were not without theirs; an occasion on which they showed themselves to advantage, and drew admiring crowds to behold them. the following account of one of these displays is from the 'annals of the road,' a work of great interest on subjects connected with coaching generally; and as the description is given with spirit and apparent truthfulness, we cannot do better than give it at length, and in this way bring the present chapter to a close:-- "the great day of the year was the king's birthday, when a goodly procession of four-in-hands started from the great coach manufactory of mr john vidler, in the neighbourhood of millbank, and wended its way to st martin's-le-grand. splendid in fresh paint and varnish, gold lettering and royal arms, they were the perfection of neatness and practical utility in build, horsed to perfection, and _leathered_ to match. they were driven by coachmen who, as well as the guards behind, were arrayed in spick-and-span new scarlet and gold. no delicate bouquets, but mighty nosegays of the size of a cabbage, adorned the breasts of these portly mail coachmen and guards, while bunches of cabbage-roses decorated the heads of the proud steeds. in the cramped interior of the vehicles were closely packed buxom dames and blooming lassies, the wives, daughters, or sweethearts of the coachmen or guards, the fair passengers arrayed in coal-scuttle bonnets and in canary-coloured or scarlet silks. on this great occasion the guard was allowed two seats and the coachman two, no one allowed on the roof. but the great feature, after all, was that stirring note, so clearly blown and well drawn out, and every now and again sounded by the guards, and alternated with such airs as 'the days when we went gipsying,' capitally played on a key-bugle. should a mail come late, the tune from a passing one would be, 'oh, dear! what can the matter be?' this key-bugle was no part of the mail equipment, but was nevertheless frequently used. "heading the procession was the oldest-established mail, which would be the bristol. on the king's birthday, , there were coaches in the procession. they all wore hammer-cloths, and both guard and coachman were in red liveries, the latter being furnished by the mail contractor. they wore beaver hats with gold lace and cockades. such a thing as a low billycock hat was not to be seen on any coach anywhere. sherman's mails were drawn by black horses, and on these occasions their harness was of red morocco. [illustration: st martin's-le-grand in the coaching days.] "the coaches were new each year. in these days brass mountings were rarely known; plated or silver only were in use. on the starting of the procession, the bells of the neighbouring churches rang out merrily, continuing their rejoicing peals till it arrived at the general post-office. many country squires, who were always anxious that their best horses should have a few turns in the mail-coaches in travelling, sent up their horses to figure in the procession. "from millbank the procession passed by st james's palace, at the windows of which, above the porch, stood king william and his queen. the duke of richmond (then postmaster-general) and the duke of wellington stood there also. each coach as it passed saluted the king, the coachman and guard standing up and taking off their hats. the appearance of the smart coaches, emblazoned with the royal arms, orders, &c., coachman and guard got up to every advantage, with their nosegays stuck in their brand-new scarlet liveries, was at this point strikingly grand. the inspectors of mail-coaches rode in front of the procession on horseback." chapter iv. foot-posts. "i know of no more universally popular personage than this humble official. bearer of love-letters, post-office orders, cheques, little carefully tied packages, all the more charming that it is difficult to get at their contents, it is who shall be first to open the door to him. he is welcomed everywhere; smiling faces greet him at every door. in england, the postman is the hero of christmas time; so he strikes the iron while it is hot, and on boxing-day comes round to ask for a reward, which all are ready to give without grudging."--max o'rell in 'john bull and his island.' though in former times foot-messengers--or, as they are called, post-runners--were employed to convey many of the principal mails over long stretches of country, their work in this way has been almost wholly superseded by the railway and by horse-posts; and while post-runners are perhaps now numerically stronger than they ever were, their work is principally confined nowadays to what may be termed the capillary service of the post-office. they are chiefly employed in conveying correspondence between country towns and the outlying points forming the outskirts or fringes of inhabited districts. these men have in many cases very arduous work, being required to walk from sixteen to twenty-four miles a-day; and it is not improbable that the circumstances of these later times make the duties more trying in some respects than they were formerly. for the messengers are so timed for arrival and departure that they are prevented from taking shelter on occasions of storm, and are obliged to plod on in spite of the elements; whereas in remote times, when a runner took several days to cover his ground, he could rest and take refuge at one stage, and make up lost time at another. be this, however, as it may, it is the fact that very many post-runners die from that insidious disease, consumption. in the year , the magistrates of aberdeen established a post for conveying their despatches to and from edinburgh, and other places where the royal residence might for the time be. this institution was called the "council post"; and the messenger was dressed in a garment of blue cloth, with the armorial bearings of the town worked in silver on his right sleeve. in the year , there was not a single horse-post in scotland, all the mails being conveyed by runners on foot; and the ground covered by these posts extended from edinburgh as far north as thurso, and westward as far as inveraray. about the year , an improved plan of forwarding the mails was introduced in scotland by the horse-posts proceeding only from stage to stage--the mails being transferred to a fresh postboy at each point; but in the majority of cases the mails were still carried by foot-runners. before the change of system the plan of proceeding was this, taking the north road as an example: "a person set out with the mail from edinburgh to aberdeen: he did not travel a stage and then deliver the mail to another postboy, but went on to dundee, where he rested the first night; to montrose, where he stayed the second; and on the third he arrived at aberdeen; and as he passed by kinghorn, it behoved the tide, and sometimes also the weather, to render the time of his arrival more late and uncertain." the plan of conveying mails by the same runners over long distances continued much later, however; for we find that in a post-runner travelled from inverness to lochcarron--a distance across country as the crow flies of about fifty miles--making the journey once a-week, for which he was paid five shillings. another messenger at the same period made the journey from inverness to dunvegan in skye--a much greater distance--also once a-week, the hebdomadal stipend in this instance being seven shillings and sixpence. as with the postboys, so with the runners; the surveyors seem to have had some trouble in keeping them to their prescribed duties, as will be gathered from the following report written in the year : "i found it had been the general practice for the post from bonaw to appin to lodge regularly all night at or near the house of ardchattan, and did not cross shien till the following morning, losing twelve hours to the appin, strontian, and fort william districts of country; and i consider it an improvement of itself to remove such private lodgings or accommodations out of the way of posts, which, as i have been informed, is sometimes done for the sake of perusing newspapers, as well as answering or writing letters." nor was the speed of the foot-posts--in some cases, at any rate--very much to boast of, these humble messengers being at times heavily weighted with the correspondence they had to carry. in the year , before the dumbarton to inveraray mail service was raised to the dignity of a horse-post, the surveyor, in referring to the necessity for the employment of horses, thus deplores the situation: "i have sometimes observed these mails, at leaving dumbarton, about three stones or forty-eight pounds weight, and they are generally above two stones. during the course of last winter, horses were obliged to be occasionally employed; and it is often the case that a strong highlander, with so great weight on him, cannot travel more than _two miles an hour_, which greatly retards the general correspondence of this extensive district of country." in winter-time, and on occasions of severe storms, the post-runners have sometimes to endure great fatigue; and it is then that their loyalty to the service is put to the test. an instance of stern fidelity to duty on the part of one of these men, at the time of the snowstorm of , formed the subject of a petition to the postmaster-general from the inhabitants of sheerness and the isle of sheppy. the document recites that a foot-messenger named john wright continued for nine days, from the th december , to carry the mails between sheerness and sittingbourne--a distance for the double journey of about twenty-four miles. at the end of this time he was so completely exhausted and overcome by the effects of cold and exposure, that he had to give up duty for a time. the memorial sets forth that "the road is circuitous and crooked, through marshes, and very exposed, without any protection from the drift (in many places very deep), and with a ditch on either side--the water of which was frozen just sufficient to bear the weight of the snow, thereby rendering the travelling extremely hazardous, inasmuch as the dangers were in a great measure unseen; and had the postman mistaken his road (which from the frequent drifting of the snow, and the absence of traffic at that time was often untracked), and fallen into one of these ditches, he must no doubt have perished." it appeared further, that between the two places there was a ferry which the postman had to cross, and that in making the passage on the night of the th december, the boat in which he was nearly swamped, and he "was compelled to escape through mud and water up to his waist." it is not an uncommon thing for messengers to lose their lives in the discharge of their duties, and a severe winter seldom passes without some fatality of this kind. in the winter of - , a sad accident befell a messenger employed in northumberland. on a night of intense darkness and storm, this man turned off the usual road in order to avoid crossing a swollen stream; and subsequently losing his way, he sank down and died, overcome by exposure and fatigue. in another case a messenger at lochcarron, in scotland, being unable to pursue his usual route over a mountain feet high, on account of a heavy fall of snow, proceeded by water to complete his journey; but the boat which he had engaged capsized, and both the messenger and two other persons who accompanied him were drowned. a few years ago, on the evening of christmas-day, a rural messenger at bannow, in ireland, while on his return journey along a narrow path flanked on each side by a deep ditch, is believed to have been tripped by a furze-root, and being precipitated into one of the ditches, was unfortunately drowned. the rural post-messengers having, moreover, to visit isolated houses along their route, are exposed to the attacks of dogs kept about the premises. a few years ago a rural messenger was delivering letters at a farmhouse, when he was severely bitten by a retriever dog, and he died six weeks afterwards from tetanus. it is perhaps in the western highlands and islands of scotland that the most trying conditions for the rural messengers present themselves. from ullapool to coigach and rieff in ross-shire, for example, a journey of twenty-six miles, the messenger travels out one day, and back again the next. proceeding from ullapool, the main road is followed for about three miles, when the man strikes off into the hills, and after a time reaches a river. this he is enabled sometimes to cross by means of stepping-stones; but so often does the water cover these, that he is generally obliged to ford it, and in doing so gets himself thoroughly wet. then he pursues a course along or over one of the most dangerous rocks in scotland for a distance of three or four miles, the rock in some places being so precipitous that he is obliged to cling to it for dear life.[ ] after passing this rock he continues some distance further over the hills, and ultimately regains the main road, by which he completes his journey. apart altogether from the dangerous character of the road, the distance which the post-runner has to walk day after day must necessarily be severe and trying work. [ ] route changed since . from lochmaddy to castlebay there is a chain of posts seventy-five miles long, served partly by foot-messengers, partly by horse-posts, and partly by boats. the line is intersected by dangerous ferries, one between kilbride and barra being six miles wide, and exposed to the full force of the waves from the atlantic. from garrynahine to miavaig, in the island of lewis, there is another dangerous service, partly by foot-post and partly by boat, the distance being seventeen miles. the road lies all through bog--a dreary waste--while the sea portion is on a most exposed part of the coast. these are a few instances of the laborious and dangerous services performed by the rural postmen. their brother officers in the towns, though in many cases having quite hard enough work (mr anthony trollope tells that the hardest day's work he ever did in his life was accompanying a glasgow postman up and down stairs on his beat), have not the exposure of the men in the country; and as they are familiar to the eyes of every one, any special notice of them here would be out of place. it may, however, be mentioned, that the men who formerly delivered letters in small towns were not always in the pay of the post-office or under its control. this appears by an official report of , relating to the town service of greenock, which runs as follows: "as the greenock letter-carrier is not paid by government, nor _their_ appointment properly in us, they are of course elected by the magistrates or inhabitants of the town, who have the right to choose their own carriers, or call for their letters at the office." chapter v. mail-packets. the employment of vessels for the conveyance of mails seems to have passed through three several stages, each no doubt merging into the next, but each retaining, nevertheless, distinct features of its own. first, there was the stage when government equipped and manned its own ships for the service; then there was an age of very heavy subsidies to shipping companies who could not undertake regularity of sailing without some such assistance; and now there is the third stage, when, through the great development of international trade and the consequent competition of rival shipowners, regularity of sailing is ensured apart from the post, and the government is able to make better terms for the conveyance of the mails. it is curious to take a glimpse of the conditions under which the early packets sailed, when they were often in danger of having to fight or fly. the instructions to the captains were to run while they could, fight when they could no longer run, and to throw the mails overboard when fighting would no longer avail. in , such a ship as then performed the service was described as one of "eighty-five tons and fourteen guns, with powder, shot, and firearms, and all other munitions of war." a poor captain, whose ship the 'grace dogger' was lying in dublin bay awaiting the tide, fell into the hands of the enemy, a french privateer having seized his ship and stripped her of rigging, sails, spars, and yards, and of all the furniture "wherewith she had been provided for the due accommodation of passengers, leaving not so much as a spoone or a naile-hooke to hang anything on." the unfortunate ship in its denuded state was ransomed from its captors for fifty guineas. if we may judge from this case, the fighting of the packets does not seem always to have been satisfactory; and the postmasters-general of the day, deeming discretion the better part of valour, set about building packets that should escape the enemy. they did build new vessels, but so low did they rest in the water that the postmasters-general wrote of them thus: "wee doe find that in blowing weather they take in soe much water that the men are constantly wet all through, and can noe ways goe below to change themselves, being obliged to keep the hatches shut to save the vessel from sinking, which is such a discouragement of the sailors, that it will be of the greatest difficulty to get any to endure such hardshipps in the winter weather." these flying ships not proving a success, the postmasters-general then determined to build "boats of force to withstand the enemy," adopting the bull-dog policy as the only course open in the circumstances. it may be interesting to recall how these packets were manned. in may the crews of the packets between harwich and holland were placed on the following footing:-- per mensem. master and commander, £ mate, surgeon, boatswain, midshipman, carpenter, boatswain's mate, gunner's mate, quartermaster, captain's servant, able seamen at £ , s., agent's instrument, ---------- in all, £ these wages may not have been considered too liberal considering the risks the men ran; and as an encouragement to greater valour in dealing with the enemy, and as an additional means of recompense, the crew were allowed to take prizes if they fell in their way. they also "received pensions for wounds, according to a code drawn up with a nice discrimination of the relative value of different parts of the body, and with a most amusing profusion of the technical terms of anatomy. thus, after a fierce engagement which took place in february , we find that edward james had a donation of £ because a musket-shot had grazed on the tibia of his left leg; that gabriel treludra had £ because a shot had divided his frontal muscles and fractured his skull; that thomas williams had the same sum because a granada shell had stuck fast in his left foot; that john cook, who received a shot in the hinder part of his head, whereby a large division of the scalp was made, had a donation of £ , s. d. for present relief, and a yearly pension of the same amount; and that benjamin lillycrop, who lost the fore-finger of his left hand, had £ for present relief, and a yearly pension of the same amount." some other classes of wounds were assessed for pensions as follows: "each arm or leg amputated above the elbow or knee is £ per annum; below the knee is nobles. loss of the sight of one eye is £ , of the pupil of the eye £ , of the sight of both eyes £ , of the pupils of both eyes £ ; and according to these rules we consider also how much the hurts affect the body, and make the allowances accordingly." but between different parts of the united kingdom, not a century ago, it is remarkable how infrequent the communications sometimes were. nowadays, there are three or four mails a-week between the mainland and lerwick, in shetland, whereas in the mails between these parts were carried only ten times a-year, the trips in december and january being omitted owing to the stormy character of the weather. the contract provided that there should be used "a sufficiently strong-built packet," and the allowance granted for the service was £ per annum. it may perhaps be worthy of notice that the amount of postage upon letters sent to shetland in the year ended the th july was no more than £ , s. d. it was also stipulated, by the terms of the agreement, that the contractors should adopt a proper search of their own servants, lest they should privately convey letters to the injury of the revenue; and they were also required to take measures against passengers by the packet transgressing in the same way. on one occasion the good people in these northern islands, when memorialising for more frequent postal service, suggested that the packets would be of great use in spying out and reporting the presence of french privateers on the coast; but the postmaster-general of the period took the sensible view that the less the packets saw of french privateers the better it would be for the packet service. difficulties are experienced even in the present day in communicating with some of the outlying islands of the north of scotland, weeks and occasionally months passing without the boats carrying the mails being able to make the passage. the following is from a report made by the postmaster of lerwick on the th march , with reference to the interruption of the mail-service with foula, an outlying island of the shetland group:-- "a mail was made up on the th january, and several attempts made to reach the island, but unsuccessfully, until the th march. fair isle was in the same predicament as foula, but the mail-boat was more unfortunate. a trip was effected to fair isle about the end of december, but none again until last week. about th march the boat left for fair isle, and nothing being heard of her for a fortnight, fears were entertained for her safety. fortunately the crew turned up on d march, but their boat had been wrecked at fair isle. during the twenty years i have been in the service, i have never been so put about arranging our mails and posts as since the new year; we have had heavier gales, but i do not think any one remembers such a continuation of storms as from about the first week of january to end of february; indeed it could hardly be called _storms_, but rather one continued storm, with an occasional lull of a few hours. i cannot recall any time during the period having twenty-four hours' calm or even moderate weather. if it was a lull at night, it was on a gale in the morning; and if a lull in the morning, a gale came on before night. the great difficulty in working foula and fair isle is the want of harbours; and often a passage might be made, but the men dare not venture on account of the landing at the islands." this statement gives a fair idea of the difficulties that have to be overcome in keeping up the circulation of letters with the distant fragments of our home country. in the packet service deeds of devotion have been done in the way of duty, as has been the case on occasions in the land service. at a period probably about , a mr ramage, an officer attached to the dublin post-office, being charged with a government despatch, to be placed on board the packet in the bay of dublin, found, on arriving there, that the captain, contrary to orders, had put to sea. mr ramage, being unable to acquit himself of his duty in one way, undertook it in another; and hiring an open boat, he proceeded to holyhead, and there safely landed the despatch. another instance is related in connection with the shipwreck of the 'violet' mail-packet sailing between ostend and dover; the particulars being given as follows in the postmaster-general's report for :-- "mr mortleman, the officer in immediate charge of the mail-bags, acted on the occasion with a presence of mind and forethought which reflect honour on his memory. on seeing that the vessel could not be saved, he must have removed the cases containing the mail-bags from the hold, and so have placed them that when the ship went down they might float; a proceeding which ultimately led to the recovery of all the bags, except one containing despatches, of which, from their nature, it was possible to obtain copies." it has already been mentioned that at the close of the seventeenth century a mail-packet was a vessel of some tons--a proud thing, no doubt, in the eyes of him who commanded her. the class of ship would seem to have remained very much the same during the next hundred years; for, in the last years of the eighteenth century, a mail-packet on the falmouth station, reckoned fit to proceed to any part of the world, was of only about tons burthen. her crew, from commander to cook, comprised only twenty-eight persons when she was on a war footing, and twenty-one on a peace footing; and her armament was six -pounder guns. the victualling was at the rate of tenpence per man per day; the whole annual charge for the packet when on the war establishment, including interest on cost of ship, wages, wear and tear of fittings, medicine, &c., being £ , s. d.; while on the peace establishment, with diminished wear and tear, and reduced crew, the charge was estimated at £ , s. d. the packets on the harwich station, performing the service to and from the continent, were much less in size, being of about tons burthen. during the wars with the french at this period the mail-packets were not infrequently captured by the enemy. from to alone four of these ships were thus lost--namely, the 'king george,' the 'tankerville,' the 'prince william henry,' and the 'queen charlotte.' the 'king george,' a lisbon packet, homeward bound with the mails and a considerable quantity of money, was taken and carried into brest. the 'tankerville,' on her passage from falmouth to halifax, with the mails of november and december , was captured by the privateer 'lovely lass,' a ship fitted out in an american port, and probably itself a prize, there having been some diplomatic correspondence with the united states shortly before on the subject of a captured vessel bearing that name. before the 'tankerville' fell into the hands of the enemy, the mails were thrown overboard, in accordance with the standing orders which have already been referred to. the officers and crew were carried on board the 'lovely lass,' and then the 'tankerville' was sunk. soon afterwards the captive crew were released by the commander of the privateer, and sent in a spanish prize to barbadoes. but though the mail-packets were intended to rely for safety mainly upon their fine lines and spread of canvas, and were expected to show fight only in the last resort, we may be sure that, when the hour of battle came upon them, they were not taken without a struggle. nor, indeed, did they always get the worst of the fray, as will be seen by the following account of a brilliant affair which took place in the west indies, copied from the 'annual register' of :-- "the 'antelope' packet sailed from port royal, jamaica, november , . on the st of december, on the coast of cuba, she fell in with two schooners, one of which, the 'atalanta,' outsailed her consort; and after chasing the 'antelope' for a considerable time, and exchanging many shots, at five o'clock in the ensuing morning, it being calm, rowed up, grappled with her on the starboard side, poured in a broadside, and made an attempt to board, which was repulsed with great slaughter. by this broadside, mr curtis, the master and commander of the 'antelope,' the first mate, ship's steward, and a french gentleman, a passenger, fell. the command then devolved on the boatswain (for the second mate had died of the fever on the passage), who, with the few brave men left, assisted by the passengers, repelled many attempts to board. the boatswain, at last observing that the privateer had cut her grapplings, and was attempting to sheer off, ran aloft, and lashed her squaresail-yard to the 'antelope's' fore-shrouds, and immediately pouring in a few volleys of small arms, which did great execution, the enemy called for quarter, which was instantly granted, although the french had the bloody flag hoisted during the whole contest. the prize was carried into annotta bay about eleven o'clock the next morning. the 'antelope' sailed with hands, but had lost four before the action by the fever, besides two then unfit for duty: so that, the surgeon being necessarily in the cockpit, they engaged with only men, besides the passengers. "the 'atalanta' was fitted out at charlestown, mounted eight -pounders, and carried men, french, americans, and irish, of whom were killed or wounded in the action; the 'antelope' having only two killed and three wounded--one mortally. "the house of assembly at jamaica, as a reward for this most gallant action, voted guineas-- to be paid to the master's widow, to the first mate's, to the boatswain, and among the rest of the crew." another adventure of a mail-packet worthy of mention happened a few years later. the 'lady hobart,' an atlantic packet of tons burthen, left halifax, nova scotia, for england in june , and a few days after leaving port, fell in with a french schooner, called 'l'aimable julie,' laden with salt fish. captain fellowes of the packet took possession of the schooner, and put a prize crew in charge. a few days later, however, the 'lady hobart' ran into an iceberg; and there being no hope of saving the ship, the mails were lashed to pigs of ballast and thrown overboard. the crew and passengers took to the boats, and the 'lady hobart' shortly thereafter foundered. after suffering great hardships, the voyagers reached newfoundland on the th july. the illustration is from a contemporary print. [illustration: 'lady hobart,' mail-packet, tons.] the duty of throwing the mails overboard, when serious danger was apprehended, appears sometimes to have been carried out with undue haste; for we find an account in the 'annual register' of march , , that the dutch mail of the d february had been thus disposed of through an unlucky mistake. the ship conveying it was of dutch nationality, and, being boarded by a privateer, those in charge had hastily concluded that the visitor must be an enemy. when too late, they discovered their mistake, for the stranger proved to be a friendly english cruiser; and they thereafter reached harwich with a budget of regrets in place of the mails. the packet-boats sailing from the ports of harwich and dover, being habitually in the "silver streak," were subject to frequent interruptions from english privateers and men-of-war frequenting these waters; and to lessen the inconvenience thus arising, the packets at one time carried what was called a "postboy jack." an official record of thus describes the flag: "it is the union-jack with the figure of a man riding post with a mail behind him, and blowing his horn." these flags were made of bunting, and cost £ , s. each. [illustration: postboy jack] happily there has not for a long time been any need for using fighting ships to convey the mails of this country over the high seas; and this is a danger which it has not been needful to provide against in the packet service of the present generation. before leaving these mail-packets of former days, it is perhaps worth recording, that while needy passengers were sometimes carried on board at half the usual fares, and those in destitute circumstances for nothing at all, the poor jews were kept outside the pale of the generous concession; and the post-office thus joined the world's mob in the general harsh treatment of that unhappy race. this appears by an official order of , and the hardship was only removed under an authority dated august , . the postmaster-general's minute on the subject is as follows:--"the postmaster-general thinks that the last words of the order which proscribes all jews, merely because they are jews, is not consistent with the usual liberality of the office; but that the agent should be directed to give to them the same privileges that are given to all the rest of the world without any exception to them on account of their religion." we will be pardoned one more quotation. it is a concession on the score of religion, made by the postmaster-general in a minute, dated october , . it runs thus:--"let the secretary write a civil letter to mr coke, that the postmaster-general is very willing to relinquish, on the part of the king, the usual head money of guineas for three persons at £ , s. each, whom mr coke represents to be sent to the west indies for the purpose of instructing the negro slaves in the principles of the christian religion." while in the eighteenth century but trifling advancement would seem to have been made in naval matters, what a contrast is presented by the achievements of the last eighty years! as compared with the 'etruria' and the 'umbria' recent acquisitions of the cunard company, for the conveyance of the mails between liverpool and new york, each of tons burthen and , horse-power, the pigmy vessels of the past almost sink into nothingness; and we cannot but acknowledge the rapidity with which such stupendous agencies have come under the control of man for the furtherance of his work in the world. [illustration: steamship 'america.'] a favourite american packet of our own era, for travellers crossing the atlantic, was the 'america' of the national steamship company, which has since been purchased by the italian government for service as a fast cruiser. it is a ship of tons gross tonnage; and is a surprising contrast to the american packet of eighty years ago already described. we would present a further contrast between the past and the present as regards the packet service. so late as , and perhaps later still, the voyages out to the undermentioned places and home again were estimated to take the following number of days, viz.:-- days. to jamaica, " america, " leeward islands, " malta, " brazil, " lisbon, there were then no regular packets to china, new south wales, sierra leone, cape coast castle, goree, senegal, st helena, and many parts of south america; opportunity being taken to send ship letter-bags to these places as occasion offered by trading vessels. nowadays the transit of letters to the places first above-mentioned is estimated to occupy the following number of days:-- days. to jamaica, " america, " west indies, " malta, - / " brazil, " lisbon, and the return mails would occupy a similar amount of time. in nothing perhaps will the advantages now offered by the post-office, in connection with the packet service, be more appreciated by the public than in the reduced rates of postage. the following table shows the initial rates for letters to several places abroad in and in :-- . . france, s. d. - / d. italy, s. d. - / d. spain, s. d. - / d. sweden, s. d. - / d. portugal, s. d. - / d. gibraltar, s. d. - / d. malta, s. d. - / d. united states, s. d. - / d. brazil, s. d. d. if we were asked to point out a mail-packet of the present day as fulfilling all modern requirements in regard to the packet service, and showing a model of equipment in the vessels as well as order in their management, we would not hesitate to name the mail-steamers plying between holyhead and kingstown. it may not be generally known, but it is the case, that these vessels carry a post-office on board, wherein sorters perform their ordinary duties, by which means much economy of time is effected in the arrangement of the correspondence. in stormy weather, when the packets are tumbling about amid the billows of the channel, the process of sorting cannot be comfortably carried on, and the men have to make free use of their sea legs in steadying themselves, so as to secure fair aim at the pigeon-holes into which they sort the letters. but the departure of one of these ships from kingstown is a sight to behold. up to a short time before the hour of departure friends may be seen on the hurricane-deck chatting with the passengers; but no sooner is the whistle of the mail-train from dublin heard than all strangers are warned off; in a few minutes the train comes down the jetty; the sailors in waiting seize the mail-bags and carry them on board; and the moment the last of the bags is thus disposed of, the moorings are all promptly cast off, and the signal given to go ahead: and with such an absence of bustle or excitement is all this done, that before the spectator can realise what has passed before his eyes, the ship is majestically sailing past the end of the pier, and is already on her way to england. chapter vi. shipwrecked mails. outside the post-office department it is probably not apprehended to what extent care is actually bestowed upon letters and packets--when, in course of transit through the post, their covers are damaged or addresses mutilated--in order to secure their further safe transmission; many envelopes and wrappers being of such flimsy material that, coming into contact with hard bundles of letters in the mail-bags, they run great risk of being thus injured. but the occasions on which exceptional pains are taken, and on a large scale, to carry out this work, are when mails from abroad have been saved in the case of shipwreck, and the contents are soaked with water. then it is that patient work has to be done to get the letters, newspapers, &c., into a state for delivery, to preserve the addresses, and to get the articles dried. in certain instances the roof of the chief office in st martin's-le-grand has been used as a drying-green for shipwrecked newspapers, there being no sufficient space indoors to admit of their being spread out. the amount of patching, separating, and deciphering in such circumstances cannot well be conceived. but perhaps the most curious difficulty arising out of a shipwrecked mail was that which took place in connection with the loss of the union steamship company's packet 'european' off ushant, in december . after this ship went down the mails were recovered, but not without serious damage, through saturation with sea-water. one of the registered letter-bags from cape town, on being opened in the chief office in london, was found to contain several large packets of diamonds, the addresses on which had been destroyed by the action of the water, and some lbs. weight of loose diamonds, which had evidently formed the contents of a lot of covers lying as pulp at the bottom of the bag, and from which no accurate addresses could be obtained. every possible endeavour was made to trace the persons to whom the unbroken packets were consigned, and with such success, that after some little delay they reached the hands of the rightful owners. to discover who were the persons having claims upon the loose diamonds, which could not be individually identified, was a more serious matter, involving much trouble and correspondence. at length this was ascertained; and as the only means of satisfying, or attempting to satisfy, the several claims, the diamonds were valued by an experienced broker, and sold for the general behoof, realising £ , . this means of meeting the several claimants proved so satisfactory, that not a single complaint was forthcoming. chapter vii. amount of work. _correspondence._ the amount of work performed by the post-office in the transmission of letters and other articles of correspondence within the space of a year, may be gathered from the following figures, taken from the postmaster-general's annual report issued in :-- the letters numbered, , , , post-cards, , , books and circulars, , , newspapers, , , ------------- total, , , , ============= these figures are, however, of little service in conveying to our minds any due conception of the amount of work which they represent. nor, when the scene of the work is spread and distributed over the whole country, and the labour involved is shared in by a host of public servants, would any arrangement of figures put the matter intelligibly within our grasp. the quantity of paper used in this annual interchange of thought through the intermediary of the british post-office, may perhaps be measured by the following facts:--supposing each letter to contain a single sheet of ordinary-sized note-paper; the post-cards taken at the size of inland post-cards; book-packets as containing on an average fifty leaves of novel-paper; and newspapers as being composed of three single leaves inches by inches,--the total area of paper used would be nearly millions of square yards. this would be sufficient to pave a way hence to the moon, of a yard and a half in breadth; or it would give to that orb a girdle round its body yards in width; or again, it would encircle our own globe by a band yards in width. another way to look at the magnitude of the post-office work is as follows:--suppose that letters, book-packets, newspapers, and post-cards are taken at their several ascertained averages as to weight, the total amount of the mails for a year passing through the british post-office, exclusive of the weight of canvas bags and small stores of various kinds, would exceed , tons, which would be sufficient to provide full freight for a fleet of twenty-one ships carrying tons of cargo each. what a burthen of sorrows, joys, scandals, midnight studies, patient labours, business energy, and everything good or bad which proceeds from the human heart and brain, does not this represent! yet, after all, what are the figures above given, when put in the balance with the facts of nature? the whole paper, according to the foregoing calculations, although it would gird our earth with a band yards wide, could only be made to extend hence to the sun by being attenuated to the dimensions of a tape of slightly over one-eighth of an inch in width! bearing in mind the great quantity of correspondence conveyed by the post, as well as the hurry and bustle in which letters are often written, it is not astonishing that writers should sometimes make mistakes in addressing their letters; but it will perhaps create surprise that one year's letters which could neither be delivered as addressed, nor returned to the senders through the dead-letter office, were over half a million in number! it is curious to note some remarks written by the post-office solicitor in edinburgh eighty years ago with respect to misdirected letters. he speaks of "the very gross inattention in putting _the proper_ addresses upon letters--a cause which is more productive of trouble and expense to the post-office than any other whatever. in fact, three out of four complaints respecting money and other letters may generally be traced to that source, and of which, from the proceedings of a few weeks past, i have ample evidence in my possession at this moment." letters posted in covers altogether innocent of addresses, number , in the year; and the value in cash, bank-notes, cheques, &c., found in these derelict missives is usually about £ . letters sent off by post without covers, or from which flimsy covers become detached in transit, number about , ; while the loose stamps found in post-offices attain the annual total of , . the loose stamps are an evidence of the scrambling way in which letters are often got ready for the post, and probably more so of the earnest intentions of inexperienced persons, who, in preparing stamps for their letters, roll them on the tongue until every trace of adhesive matter is removed, with the result that so soon as the stamps become dry again they fall from the covers. letters which cannot be delivered in consequence of errors in the addresses, or owing to persons removing without giving notice of the fact to the post-office, are no less than , , , such being the number that reach the dead-letter office. but of these it is found possible to return to the writers about five millions, while the remainder fail to be returned owing to the absence of the writers' addresses from the letters. the other articles sent to the dead-letter office in a year are as follows, viz.:-- post-cards, nearly , book-packets, " , , newspapers, " , as regards the book-packets, it is well to know that a large part of the five millions is represented by circulars, which are classed as book-packets, and the addresses on which are not infrequently taken by advertisers from old directories or other unreliable sources. there is one trifling item which it may be well to give, showing how the smallest things contribute to build up the great, as drops of water constitute the sea, and grains of sand the earth. those tiny things called postage-stamps, which are light as feathers, and might be blown about by the slightest breeze, make up in the aggregate very considerable bulk and weight, as will be appreciated when it is mentioned that one year's issue for the united kingdom amounts in weight to no less than one hundred and fourteen tons. st valentine's day. "the day's at hand, the young, the gay, the lover's and the postman's day, the day when, for that only day, february turns to may, and pens delight in secret play, and few may hear what many say." --leigh hunt. the customs of st valentine's day have no direct connection with the saint whose name has been borrowed to designate the festival of the th of february. it is only by a side-light that any connection between the saint and the custom can be traced. in ancient rome certain pagan feasts were held every year, commencing about the middle of february, in honour of pan and juno, on which occasions, amid other ceremonies, it was the custom for the names of young women to be placed in boxes, and to be drawn for by the men as chance might decide. long after christianity had been introduced into rome, these feasts continued to be observed, the priests of the early christian church failing in their attempts to suppress or eradicate them. adopting a policy which has served missionaries in other quarters of the globe, the priests, while unable at once to destroy the pagan superstitions with the obscene observances by which they were accompanied, endeavoured to lessen their vicious character, and to bring them more into harmony with their religion; and one step in this policy was the substitution of the names of the saints for those of young women previously used in the lotteries. now it happened that the fourteenth day of february was the day set apart for the commemoration of the saint named valentine; and as the feasts referred to commenced, as has been seen, in the middle of february, a connection would seem to have been set up between the lotteries of the pagan customs (carried down to the time when valentines were drawn for) and the saint's festival, merely through a coincidence of days. that st valentine should have been selected as the patron of the custom known to us nowadays, is too unlikely, knowing as we do from history something of his life and death. he was a priest who assisted the early christians during the persecutions under claudius ii., and who suffered a cruel martyrdom about the year , being first beaten with clubs, and then beheaded. the customs of st valentine's day have passed through many phases, each age having its own variation, but all having a bearing to one idea. the following is an account of the ceremony in our own country as observed by "misson," a learned traveller of the early part of last century:--"on the eve of st valentine's day the young folks of england and scotland, by a very ancient custom, celebrate a little festival. an equal number of maids and bachelors get together, each writes their true or some feigned name upon separate billets, which they roll up and draw by way of lots, the maids taking the men's billets, and the men's the maids'; so that each of the young men lights upon a girl that he calls his valentine, and each of the girls upon a young man whom she calls hers. by this means each has two valentines, but the man sticks faster to the valentine that has fallen to him than to the valentine to whom he has fallen. fortune having thus divided the company into so many couples, the valentines give balls and treats to their mistresses, wear their billets several days upon their bosoms or sleeves, and this little sport often ends in love." pennant also, in writing of his tour in scotland in , refers to the observance of this custom in the north of scotland in these words:--"the young people in february draw valentines, and from them collect their future fortune in the nuptial state." in later times the drawing of a lady's name for a valentine was made the means of placing the drawer under the obligation to make a present to the lady. the celebrated miss stuart, who became the duchess of richmond, received from the duke of york on one occasion a jewel worth £ , in discharge of this obligation; and lord mandeville, who was her valentine at another time, presented her with a ring worth some £ . the term valentine is no longer used in its more general application to denote the lady to whom a present is sent on the th of february, but the thing sent, which is usually a more or less artistic print or painting, surmounted by an image of cupid, and to which are annexed some lines of loving import. thirty years ago valentines were generally inexpensive articles, printed upon paper with embossed margins. their style gradually improved until hand-painted scenes upon satin grounds became common; and valentines might be bought at any price from a halfpenny to five pounds. it should not be omitted to be noted that for many years valentines have had their burlesques, in those ridiculous pictures which are generally sent anonymously on valentine's day, and which were often observed to be decked out in extraordinary guises, and having affixed to them such things as spoons, dolls, toy monkeys, red herrings, rats, mice, and the like. on one occasion a valentine was seen in the post having a human finger attached to it. but as every dog has its day, and each succeeding period of life its own interests and allurements, so have customs their appointed seasons, and ideas their set times of holding sway over the popular mind. the wigs and buckled shoes of our forefathers, the ringlets of our grandmothers, which in their day were things of fashion, have lapsed into the category of the curious, and have to us none other than an antiquarian interest. the liberal in politics of to-day becomes the conservative of to-morrow; and the custom of sending valentines, at one time so common, that afforded so great pleasure not only to the young, but sometimes to those of riper years, has already had its death-knell sounded; and at the present rate of decline, it bids fair very soon to be relegated to the shades of the past. the rage for sending valentines probably had its culmination some ten years ago, since when it has steadily gone down; and now the festival is no longer observed by fashionable people, its lingering votaries being found only among the poorer classes. the following facts show how far the post-office was called upon to do the _messenger's_ part in delivering the love-missives of st valentine when the business was in full swing. at the chief office in london on valentine's eve , some extra mail-bags, each feet long by feet wide, were required for the additional work thrown on the post-office in connection with valentines, and at every post-office in the kingdom the staff was wont to regard st valentine's eve as the occasion of the year when its utmost energies were laid under requisition for the service of the public. but the decay of the ancient custom of sending valentines has probably not come about from within itself; it may rather be attributed to the progress made in what may be called the rival custom of sending cards of greeting and good wishes at christmas-time. it would almost seem that two such customs, having their times of observance only a few weeks apart, cannot exist together; and it will probably be found that the new has been growing precisely as the old has been dying, the former being much the stronger, choking the latter. valentines were sent by the young only--or for the most part, at any rate--while christmas-cards are in favour with almost every age and condition of life. it follows, then, that a custom such as this, having developed great energy, and being patronised by all classes, must throw a larger mass of work upon the post-office--the channel through which such things naturally flow--than valentines did. and so it has been found. the pressure on the post-office in the heyday of valentines was small by comparison with that which is now experienced at christmas. during the christmas season of , the number of letters, &c., which passed through the inland branch of the general post-office in london, in excess of the ordinary correspondence, was estimated at , , , a large portion of which reached the chief office on christmas morning; while in the christmas week of the extra correspondence similarly dealt with was estimated at , , , including registered letters (presumably containing presents of value), of which there was a weight of no less than three tons. everywhere similar pressure has been felt in the post-offices, and it is by no means settled that we have yet reached the climax of this social but rampant custom. in the london metropolitan district there are employed postmen; and taking their daily amount of walking at miles on the average--a very low estimate--this would represent an aggregate daily journeying on foot of , miles, or equal to twice the circumference of our globe. articles of many curious kinds have been observed passing through the post from time to time, some of them dangerous or prohibited articles, which, according to rule, are sent to the returned-letter office--the fact showing that the post-office is not only called upon to perform its first duty of expeditiously conveying the correspondence intrusted to it, but is made the vehicle for the carriage of small articles of almost endless variety. some of these are the following, many of them having been in a live state when posted--viz., beetles, blind-worms, bees, caterpillars, crayfish, crabs, dormice, goldfinches, frogs, horned frogs, gentles, kingfishers, leeches, moles, owls, rabbits, rats, squirrels, stoats, snails, snakes, silk-worms, sparrows, stag-beetles, tortoises, white mice; artificial teeth, artificial eyes, cartridges, china ornaments, devonshire cream, eggs, geranium-cuttings, glazier's diamonds, gun-cotton, horseshoe nails, mince-pies, musical instruments, ointments, perfumery, pork-pies, revolvers, sausages, tobacco and cigars, &c., &c. occasionally the sending of live reptiles through the post-office gives rise to interruption to the work, as has occurred when snakes have escaped from the packets in which they had been enclosed. the sorters, not knowing whether the creatures are venomous or not, are naturally chary in the matter of laying hold of them; and it may readily be conceived how the work would be interfered with in the limited space of a travelling post-office carriage containing half-a-dozen sorters, upon a considerable snake showing his activity among the correspondence, as has in reality happened. on another occasion a packet containing a small snake and a lizard found its way to the returned-letter office. upon examining it next day the lizard had disappeared, and from the appearance of the snake it was feared that it had made a meal of its companion. another live snake which had escaped from a postal packet was discovered in the holyhead and kingstown marine post-office, and at the expiration of a fortnight, being still unclaimed, it was sent to the dublin zoological gardens. in the returned-letter office in liverpool, a small box upon being opened was found to contain eight living snakes; but we are not informed as to the manner in which they were got rid of. the strike of the stokers employed by the gas companies of the metropolis in is remembered in the post-office as an event which gave rise to a considerable amount of inconvenience and anxiety at the time. that the post-office should be left in darkness was not a thing to be thought possible for a moment; for such a circumstance would almost have looked like the extinction of civilisation. on the afternoon of the d december in the year mentioned, intimation reached the chief office that the gas company could not guarantee a supply of gas for more than a few hours, in consequence of their workmen having struck work. the occasion was one demanding instant action in the way of providing other means of lighting, and accordingly an order was issued for a ton of candles. these were used at st martin's-le-grand and at the branch offices in the east central district; while arrangements were made to provide lanterns and torches for the mail-cart drivers, and oil-lamps for lighting the post-office yard. in the evening the sorting-offices presented the novel spectacle of being lighted up by candles; and this reign of tallow continued during the next three days. the total cost of this special lighting during the four days' strike was £ ; but there was a saving of about , feet of gas, reducing the loss to something like £ . chapter viii. growth of certain post-offices. when the past history of the post-office is looked into, at a period which cannot yet be said to be very remote, it is both curious and instructive to observe the contrast which presents itself, as between the unpretending institution of those other days, and the great and ubiquitous machine which is now the indispensable medium for the conveyance of news to every corner of the empire. to imagine what our country would be without the post-office as it now is, would be attempting something quite beyond our powers; and if such an institution did not exist, and an endeavour were made to construct one at once by the conceits and imaginings of men's minds, failure would be the inevitable result, for the british post-office is the child of long experience and never-ending improvement, having a complexity and yet simplicity in its fabric, which nothing but many years of growth and studied application to its aims could have produced. but it is not the purpose here to go into the history of its improvements, or of its changes. it is merely proposed to show how rapidly it has grown, and from what small beginnings. the staff of the edinburgh post-office in was composed of no more than seven persons, described as follows:-- salary. manager for scotland, £ accountant, clerk, clerk's assistant, three letter-carriers, at _s._ a-week each. in the number of persons employed had increased to eleven, whose several official positions were as follows:-- postmaster-general for scotland. accountant. secretary to the postmaster. principal clerk. second clerk. clerk's assistant. apprehender of private letter-carriers. clerk to the irish correspondents. three letter-carriers. the apprehender of private letter-carriers, as the name implies, was an officer whose duty it was to take up persons who infringed the post-office work of carrying letters for money. the work continued steadily to grow, for in we find there were persons employed, of whom were letter-carriers; and in the numbers had increased to . in there were ; in , when the penny post was set on foot, there were ; and in , . in the total number of persons employed in all branches of the post-office service in edinburgh was . the post-office of glasgow, which claims to be the second city of the kingdom, shows a similar rapidity of growth, if not a greater; and this growth may be taken as an index of the expansion of the city itself, though the former has to be referred to three several causes--namely, increase of population, spread of education, and development of trade. in the staff of the glasgow post-office was as follows, viz.:-- salary. postmaster, £ first clerk, second clerk, four letter-carriers, at s. d. a-week each, a stamper or sorter, at s. d. a-week, so that the whole expense for staff was no more than £ , s. per annum, and this had been the recognised establishment for several years. but it appears from official records, that though the postmaster was nominally receiving £ a-year, he had in given £ each to the clerks out of his salary, and expended besides, on office-rent, coal, and candles, £ , s. d. somewhat similar deductions were made in and , and thus the postmaster's salary was then less than £ a-year in reality. it is worthy of note here that letters were at that time delivered in glasgow only twice a-day. some ten years earlier--that is, in --the indoor staff consisted of the postmaster and one clerk, the former receiving £ a-year, and the latter £ . a penny post, for local letters in glasgow, was started in the year , when, as part and parcel of the scheme, three receiving-offices were opened in the city. the revenue derived from the letters so carried for the first year was under £ , showing that there cannot have been so many as eighty letters posted per day for local delivery. after a time the experiment was considered not to have been quite a success, for one of the receiving-offices was closed, and a clerk's pay reduced £ a-year, in order to bring the expense down to the level of the revenue earned. in matters improved, however, as in the first quarter of that year the revenue from penny letters was greater than the expense incurred. at the present time, the staff of the glasgow post-office numbers persons, and the postmaster's salary is over a thousand pounds a-year. to those who know liverpool, with its expansive area, its vast shipping, its stir of commerce, and, in the present relation, its army of postmen, the following facts will exhibit a striking contrast between the past and the present. in , when the population of that town stood at something like , , the number of postmen employed was but three, whose wages were s. a-week each; but, to be quite correct, it should be added that one of the postmen, having heavier work than the others, was aided by his wife, and for this assistance the office allowed from £ to £ a-year. one of the postmen delivered the letters for the southern district, including everton, st ann's, richmond, &c.; another served the northern portion, taking in part of the old dock, the dry dock, george's dock, &c.; while the third disposed of the letters for the remaining portions of the town. the duties of these men seem to have been carried out with a good deal of deliberation. the postmen arranged the correspondence for distribution in the early morning, then they partook of breakfast, and set out upon their rounds about a.m., completing their work of delivery about the middle of the afternoon. and thus it would appear that liverpool at that time had only one delivery per day. upon all letters delivered by two of the postmen--the two first mentioned--a halfpenny per letter over and above the postage was charged for delivery; in the other case the ordinary postage only was levied. the reason for the additional charge was no doubt this that the postmaster was allowed by the department only one postman, and that consequently the wages of the other men who were necessarily employed had to be met by the special tax referred to. the following minute of the postmaster-general, dated th october , while in some sense affording an explanation of the matter, shows that somewhat peculiar notions prevailed with regard to providing force where such was required. it runs as follows:-- "there are only two instances in the kingdom where more than one letter-carrier is allowed, viz., portsmouth and bath. i understand it has been held as a general rule not to allow more than one to any other place, however extensive and populous it may be; in the two exceptions to this rule the inhabitants had been accustomed to pay the deputies a gratuity for delivering the letters, but having refused to continue the payment, these postmasters felt their income considerably reduced, and i believe it was not till after much discussion the rule was broke through." the minute continues as follows:--"mr palmer had some ideas respecting such a modification of the rates of postage as might induce the inhabitants of every place in the kingdom to pay _with cheerfulness_ an extra halfpenny or penny over and above the rates; this extra payment to be sanctioned by an act of parliament; and then the whole amount of the sums now paid for letter-carriers, being £ , s. per year, would be saved to the revenue." if this accurately represents mr palmer's ideas, mr palmer did not quite understand the british public. at the same period to which we refer, there were only three letter-carriers in manchester, four at bristol, and three or four at birmingham; but in each case only one was allowed by the department, the others being employed as extras, and provided for, no doubt, by a special tax upon the letters delivered. this system of charging extra for delivery would seem to have been open to abuse, for we find that in the postmaster-general called for explanation of an exceptional charge at eton, in a minute as follows:--"let the comptroller-general inquire who serves, and by whose authority, the parts of the country circumjacent to the eton delivery, as they charge no less a sum than d. for each letter, in addition to the postage, for all letters delivered at upton, which is not above a mile from the college." and the postmaster-general makes this very wise observation on the practice--"this enormous expense for letters must check and ruin all correspondence, and essentially hurt the revenue." at the end of last century and beginning of this--and indeed it may be said throughout the whole term of the existence of the post-office--humble petitions were always coming up from postmasters for increase of pay, and from these we know the position in which postmasters then were. the postmaster of aberdeen showed that in , when the revenue of his office was £ , s. d., with something for cross post-letters, probably about £ , his salary had been £ , s.; while in , with a revenue of over £ , his whole salary was only £ , s., and out of this he had to pay office-rent and to provide assistance, fire, wax, candles, books, and cord. at arbroath, now an important town, the revenue was, in , £ , s. d., and the postmaster's salary, £ . at this figure the salary remained till , though the revenue had increased to £ , s. d.; but now the postmaster appealed for higher pay, and brought up his supports of office-rent, coal, candles, wax, &c., to strengthen his case. in dundee, in the year , the postmaster's salary was £ , and the revenue £ , s. d. at paisley, the postmaster's salary was fixed at £ in and remained at that figure till when a petition was sent forward for what was called in official language an augmentation. in the memorial it is stated that the revenue for was £ , s. d., and that the deductions for rent, coal, candles, wax, paper, pens, and ink, reduced the postmaster's salary to from £ to £ a-year! to show how these towns have grown up into importance within a period of little more than the allotted span of man, and as exhibiting perhaps the yet more bounding expansion of the post-office system, the following particulars are added, and may prove of interest:-- at aberdeen, at the present time, the annual value of postage-stamps sold, which may be taken as a rough measure of the revenue from the carriage of correspondence alone, is little short of £ , ; the staff of all sorts employed numbers ; and the postmaster's salary exceeds £ a-year. arbroath is less pretentious, being a smaller town; but the letter revenue is over £ a-year; the persons employed, ; and the postmaster's salary nearly £ . dundee shows a postage revenue of over £ , ; persons are employed there; and the postmaster's salary is little short of £ . while at paisley the revenue from stamps is nearly £ , ; the persons employed, ; and the postmaster's salary, £ . notwithstanding the vast decrease in the rates of postage, these figures show, in three of the cases mentioned, that the revenue from letters is now about twelve times what it was less than a century ago. it will probably be found that one of the most mushroom-like towns of the country is barrow-in-furness, now a place of considerable commerce, and an extensive shipping port. the following measurements, according to the post-office standard, may repay consideration. prior to there was nothing but a foot-postman, who served the town by walking thither from ulverston one day, and back to ulverston the next. later on, he made the double journey daily, and delivered the letters on his arrival at barrow. in the town had grown to such dimensions that the office was raised to the rank of a head-office, and three postmen were required for delivery. now, in , thirteen postmen are the necessary delivering force for the town. about the year the post-office had not as yet carried its civilising influence into the districts of balquhidder, lochearnhead, killin, and tyndrum, there being no regular post-offices within twenty, thirty, or forty miles of certain places in these districts. the people being desirous of having the post-office in their borders, the following scheme was proposed to be carried out about the time mentioned:-- a runner to travel from callander to lochearnhead--fourteen miles--at s. a journey, three times a-week, £ salary to postmaster of lochearnhead, a runner from lochearnhead to killin--eight miles--at s. a journey, three times a-week, salary to postmaster of killin, receiving-house at wester lix, runner thence to luib--four or five miles-- s. d. per week, office at luib, -------- total, £ ======== so that here a whole district of country was to be opened up to the beneficent operations of the post at an annual cost of what would now be no more than sufficient to pay the wages of a single post-runner. it may be proper, however, to remark in this connection, that money then was of greater value than now; and since it has been shown that a messenger had formerly to travel as much as fourteen double miles for s., it is not surprising that scotchmen, brought up in such a school, should like to cling to a sixpence when they can get it. it were remiss to pass over london without remark, whose growth is a marvel, and whose post-office has at least kept up in the running, if it has not outstripped, london itself. in the delivery of london extended from about grosvenor square and mayfair in the west, to shadwell, mile end, and blackwall in the east; and from finsbury square in the north, to the borough and rotherhithe in the south; and the number of postmen then employed for the general post-delivery was . london has since taken into its maternal embrace many places which were formerly quite separate from the metropolis, and nowadays the agglomeration is known, postally, as the metropolitan district. in this district the number of men required to effect the delivery of letters in is no less than . it may be mentioned that the general post-delivery above mentioned had reference to the delivery of ordinary letters coming from the country. letters of the penny post--or local letters--and letters from foreign parts, were delivered by different sets of men, who all went over the same ground. in the number of men employed in these different branches of delivery work was as follows, viz.:-- men. for foreign letters, " inland letters, " penny-post letters, total, it was not till many years later that all kinds of letters came to be delivered by one set of postmen, and that thus needless repetition of work was got rid of. at the same period--namely, in --the other officers of all kinds employed in the london post-office numbered . at the present time the officers of all kinds (exclusive of postmen, who have been referred to separately) employed in the metropolitan district are nearly , in number. chapter ix. claims for post-office service. in his autobiography, mr anthony trollope, many years a post-office surveyor, records how he was employed in england, for a considerable period about the year , revising and extending the rural-post service; and he there mentions the frequency with which he found post-runners to be employed upon routes where there were but few letters to deliver--while in other directions, where postal communication would have been of the utmost benefit, there were no post-runners at all. this state of things had no doubt had its origin in the efforts of influential persons, at some previous time, to have the services established for their own personal benefit; while persons in other districts, having less interest at headquarters, or being less imperious in their demands, were left out in the cold, and so remained beyond the range of the civilising influence. the posts in such cases, once established, went on from year to year; and though the arrangements were out of harmony with the surroundings, very often nothing was done--for in all likelihood no one complained loud enough, or, at any rate, in a way to prove effective. but though the department did wake up to the need for a better distribution of its favours in the country districts in , there were earlier instances of surveyors attempting to lay down the posts for the general good, instead of for a select few, and in these cases the surveyors had sometimes a hard battle to fight. the following report from a surveyor in scotland, written in the year , will illustrate what is here mentioned. it is given at length, and will possibly be found worthy of perusal; for it not only shows both spirit and independence on the part of the surveyor, who was evidently a man determined to do his duty irrespective of persons, but it sheds some light on the practices of the post-runners of that period, and their relations with their superiors on the one hand, and the public on the other. it affords us, too, a specimen of official writing remarkable for some rather quaint turns and expressions. the report proceeds:-- "i am much obliged by the perusal of my lord ----'s card to you of the th ultimo, with the copy of a fresh memorial from his lordship and other gentlemen upon the long-argued subject of the alteration of the course of the post betwixt perth and coupar-angus. "it is certainly one of those cases which hath become of tenfold more importance by the multiplicity of writing, than from any solid reasoning or essential matter of information to be drawn from it. "it having fallen to my official duty to execute the alteration of this post proposed by my late colleague mr ----, to whose memory i must bear testimony, not only of his abilities, but his impartiality in the duties of his office, and under the authority of the late respectable and worthy postmaster-general mr ----, whose memory is far above any eulogium of mine, i considered the measure as proper and expedient, equally for the good of the country in general, and the revenue under the department of the post-office; and i can with confidence deny that it was 'hastily, inconsiderately, or partially' gone into, as this memorial would wish to establish. in this capacity, and under these circumstances, it is no wonder i could have wished the epithets used against this official alteration, of _ignorance, arbitrary and oppressive proceedings_, to have dropped from a person less honourable, respectable, and conspicuous than i hold the honble. ---- at the head of this memorial. before this last memorial was presented, i understood from mr ----, secretary, in the presence of lord ----, that any further opposition upon the part of the blairgowrie gentlemen to a re-alteration was now given up; indeed this cannot be surprising if they had learned, as stated in the memorial, page , that they had protested, did now protest, and would never cease to complain loudly of it, until they obtain redress. whether this argument is cool or arbitrary i have not time nor inclination to analyse, but having been removed from this ancient district of road, and given my uniform opinion upon the merits of the alteration itself, i have no desire to fight the memorialists to all eternity. before, however, taking final leave of this contest, and of a memorial said to be unanswerable, i consider myself in duty and honour called upon to vindicate the late mr ----, as well as myself, from the vindictive terms of '_ignorance, arbitrary, and oppressive_' implied in the memorial, and which, if admitted _sub silentio_, might not be confined to the mismanagement of the post-office, but to every other department of civil government. in order to this, i shall as briefly as i can follow the general track of the memorial, as of a long beaten road in which, if there is not safety, there is no new difficulty to encounter. it is needless to go over the different distances,--i am ready to admit them--they have not formed any material part of the question,--and the supposed ignorance of the surveyor here is not to the point. the alteration neither did nor should proceed upon such mathematical nicety. the idea of posts is to embrace the most extensive and most needful accommodation. in establishing a post to blairgowrie it was neither _ignorant nor arbitrary_ to take the line by isla bridge, which was the centre of the country meant to be served by it--that is, the coupar and the stormont and highland district. it is of some consequence to observe here, that with all the great and rapid improvements mentioned in the memorial, of the lower or coupar district, the upper or stormont district was, upon the first year's trial, above one-half of its revenue to the post-office, the second nearly or about three-fourths, and continuing to increase in proportion. coupar-angus revenue for the year ending th october last was £ , s. d., and blairgowrie £ , s. d. now, if the coupar district of country, which contains in it a populous market-town, can produce no more than this proportion for the whole district, it is evident that the district of stormont, with only as yet a little village for its head town, has more correspondence in regard to its state of agriculture and improvement as an infant district, than the parent district with its antiquity can lay claim to, and equally well entitled at least to be protected and nourished. much is said of the memorialists' line of road, and of its being one from time immemorial. i have said in a former paper that this may be the case; many of the roads in scotland, god knows, are old enough. but unless the feudal system should still exist upon any of them, i know of no law, no regulation, no compulsion, that can oblige the post, more than any other traveller, to take these old beaten tracks where they can find any other patent or better road. nay, more,--as a traveller, i am entitled to take any patent road i choose, good or bad; and the moment this privilege is doubted in regard to the post, you resign at once the power of all future improvements so far as it belongs to your official situation to judge it, and let or dispose of in lease the use of your posts to particular and local proprietors of lands, who will be right to take every advantage of it in their power, and include it specifically in the rental of their estates, as i have known to be the case with inns in which post-offices had formerly been kept. "there are three great roads to the north of scotland from perth (besides one by dunkeld)--viz., one by dundee, &c., one by coupar, &c., and one by blairgowrie, which run not at a very great distance in general from each other in a parallel line. the great post-line or mail-coach road is by dundee; and there is little chance, i believe, of this being departed from, as there is no other that can ever be equally certain. the next great road to the westward is by coupar and forfar, &c., and is supplied by branch-posts from the east or coast line. and the third or upper line is by blairgowrie and spittal of glenshee, which have no post for , , or miles; and if ever that part of the country is to have the blessing of a regular post, it surely ought not to be by branching from the coast-line through all the different centres, but by the more immediate and direct line through blairgowrie. every one will call his own line the great line; but surely, if i am to travel either, i should be allowed to judge for myself; and i believe it would be thought very _arbitrary_ indeed, if, before i set out, a proprietor or advocate for any of these great lines should arrest my carriage or my horse, and say, you shall not proceed but upon my line. i confess myself so stupid that i can see no difference betwixt this and taking it out of the power of the post-office to judge what line they shall journey mails. if this is not the case, then all the present lines of the post, however absurd and ridiculous they now are or may become, must, as they were at the beginning and now are, remain so for ever. and i would expect next to see legal charters and infeftments taken upon them as post-roads merely, and travellers thirled to them as corn to a mill. but in regard to the voluminous writings already had upon this subject, and now renewed in this last memorial, it may be necessary to be a little more particular. "setting the distances aside, which no persons should have a right to complain of except the inhabitants of coupar and beyond it, by any delay occasioned on that account, what is the whole argument founded upon? that, by the alteration, the memorialists, some of them in the near neighbourhood of coupar-angus, but betwixt perth and it, have had the privilege from time immemorial, as it is said, of receiving their letters by the post from perth, and sending them back by the same conveyance to perth, without benefiting the revenue a single sixpence, which would accrue to it by such letters being either received from or put in at the office at coupar-angus, as they ought to be. for, so far as i understand the regulations of the office, they are to this purpose, that if any letters shall be directed for intermediate places, at least three-fourths from any post-office, they shall be put into the bag and conveyed (if conveyed at all by post) to the post-office nearest them, or at which they shall be written, one-fourth of the distance of the whole stage, and rated and charged accordingly. the post-office could not be ignorant of this rule not being observed, for it was evident that very few letters for this populous and thriving district were put into the bag, except such as behoved to go beyond coupar or perth, and bearing the name of 'short letters.' it was impossible to convict the posts of fraud in carrying them without opening the letters, a privilege which cannot be exercised without much indelicacy as well as danger. but it required no penetration to discover that this was a very commodious and cheap way of corresponding, though it did not augment the revenue. it was an ancient privilege, and in that view it might be considered _arbitrary_ and _oppressive_ to meddle with or interrupt it. it is a little curious that the memorialists are principally gentlemen of property upon the road short of coupar, and who require to be supplied daily with their small necessary articles from perth. i have seen no remonstrance or complaint from the town of coupar itself as to this alteration, nor of the consequent lateness of arrival and danger it is said to have occasioned, nor from a number of gentlemen beyond, whose letters come in the bag for the delivery of coupar. the noise has chiefly been made by gentlemen who pay nothing for this post to coupar-angus, and it puts me in mind of an anecdote i met with of a gentleman who had influence enough with a postmaster in the country to get the post by his house, and deliver and receive his letters, proceeding by a line of road in which he avoided an intermediate office, and thereby saved an additional postage both ways. "this line was also a very ancient one, and from time immemorial a line too upon which our forefathers had fought hard and bled; but their children somehow or other had discovered and adopted what they thought a much better line. i said the delivery of short letters was not all the advantages privately had by the old plan of the post to coupar-angus. this post was in the known and constant habit of carrying a great deal more than letters for the inhabitants short of, as well as for coupar itself; and in the delivery of various articles upon the road, and receiving reimbursements for his trouble one way or other, he lost one-fourth of his time; and if, as the memorialists assert, there are fewer places to be served on the isla road, it is a demonstration that the longest way is often all the nearest, and upon this head i have already ventured to assert, and still do, that by a regular management which may be easily accomplished, the post may come sooner by isla to coupar than ever it did formerly by the ancient road; and if it was possible to watch and hunt after the irregularity of the post as established upon the old system, the memorialists would find themselves in no better situation than they now are. i beg to mention here a specimen i met of this old system of private accommodation, with the consequence that followed, which may illustrate a little upon which side the imputation of _ignorance_, _arbitrary_, and _oppression_ may lie. having met this post with a light cart full of parcels, and a woman upon it along with the mail, i charged him with the impropriety of his conduct as a post, and threatened that he should not be longer in the service. 'oh,' says he, 'sir, you may do as you please; i have served the country so long in this way, that if you dismiss me, the principal gentlemen on the road have determined to support me, and i can make more without your mail than i do by it.' he was dismissed. he was supported by a number of names which it is not now in my power to recollect, but which are well known in coupar-angus, and he issued in consequence hand-bills that, being now dismissed as a post, he would continue to carry on as before; and it was not till the _arbitrary_ hand of the solicitor of the post-office fell upon him, that he would either have been convicted or discouraged from his employ. "in this view, therefore, and not from ignorance, i know it is better for the revenue in some instances to pay for miles of a post, than or , and to pay for three short runners than one long one. we have no greater faith in blairgowrie than coupar posts, and they were both put upon the same footing; and notwithstanding all the arguments stated against the measure, or upon the _absurdity_, _arbitrary_, and _oppression_, so much insisted on, i am still humbly of the opinion, which was maturely weighed and decided, that the system now in practice was best for the revenue, whatever it might be to particular individuals; and in this decision i only followed the coincident opinion of judgments much superior to my own. "a great deal is said upon the danger of committing care of bags or letters to two separate runners instead of one. with regard to carrying letters privately, or executing commissions, it may be so. this is the great inconvenience felt from the change. but is there any instance where posts have opened any of the bags containing letters, and thereby committed felony? is there any instance where a wilful and felonious delay has happened here more than may be natural to any change of bags anywhere else in the kingdom? i have heard of their not meeting sometimes so regularly in very bad or stormy weather. this will happen to the most regular mail-coaches and horse-posts in britain; and before such general objections are to be founded upon, wilful and corrupt misconduct should be proved, such as i am able to do upon the old system of one post only. "the poor blacksmith is next brought forward. i do not know that a man's character is to be decided by his calling. he was engaged by the office to keep a receiving-house for the runners. he is paid for his trouble by government, and is as much under the confidence and trust of the office, till he proves himself unworthy of it, as the postmasters of perth, coupar-angus, or blairgowrie. it is not surprising, however, that this poor blacksmith should be in general terms decided unfit for such duty, when officers who should have been much better acquainted with the _hammer and nails of office_, do not know how to drive them! "a very short explanation to the idea mentioned by the memorialists that the opposition by the blairgowrie gentlemen rose from the supposition that they were to be cut out of their post altogether. i never heard of this before, nor do i know this idea to have existed. the blairgowrie district did not interfere with the post-office, nor the office with them, more than has happened in writing; nor, so far as consists with my knowledge, have i heard or understood that the coupar district wished to deprive blairgowrie of an office. that coupar wishes to have blairgowrie subservient to and passing through it is clear enough. but they do not advert that, as both coupar and blairgowrie are within one stage of perth; had coupar gone through blairgowrie or blairgowrie through coupar, the law might say that one of them must pay an additional rate from perth--that is, d. instead of d.; and which both mr edwards and i were clearly of opinion would rather have injured than improved the revenue, as has been experienced in some similar cases. this legal distinction my lord ---- does not appear to have observed. it is, however, stated, that by this plan of going through coupar to blairgowrie a very easy and direct communication would be established betwixt the two places. this i have no doubt of for private business-parcels, money, &c., &c.; because it would be easier for blairgowrie to communicate in this way by one runner, by one with coupar and two to perth, than by two to coupar and two to perth, and for coupar to communicate with perth by one than two each way. this is harping on the old key. but it is a reduction of service, like the shortening of the road here, i do not wish to see. i do not want a reconciliation of this kind; and whatever obloquy i may endure, with imputation of _ignorance_ and other general epithets of a similar kind, i believe the memorialists, upon cool reflection, may be more inclined to ascribe these observations to proceed from honest zeal rather than wanton opposition. if it should be otherwise, i shall remain very satisfied that i have given my judgment of it according to conscience; and i cannot be afraid, if it is necessary, that the whole writings upon the subject should be again submitted to the final decision of his majesty's postmaster-general. in regard to the power of altering the course of the posts, i am decidedly of opinion the question ought to go to their lordships' judgment; but as to any personal opposition to the memorialists, i disclaim it; and as they say they are determined to fight till they conquer, i would now retire from the contest, with this observation, that, though such doctrines and resolutions may be very good for the memorialists, they would, in my humble opinion, if generally expressed and followed, be very bad for the country." it is really surprising how some of the ideas and practices of the feudal times still survive, ancient arrangements coming up from time to time for revision, as those who suffer acquire greater independence or a truer conception of their position in the state. quite recently the postmaster-general was called upon to settle a dispute between the senior magistrate of fraserburgh and lord ---- (the local seigneur) as to who had the right to receive letters addressed to "the provost" or "chief magistrate" of fraserburgh, both parties claiming such letters. his lordship had hitherto obtained delivery of the letters, on the ground of his being "heritable provost" or baron-bailie, titles which smell strongly of antiquity; but the modern provost and chief magistrate being no longer disposed to submit to the arrangement, appealed to headquarters, and obtained a decision as follows--viz., that he being senior police magistrate, should receive all communications addressed to "the provost," "the chief magistrate," or "the acting chief magistrate," and that lord ---- should have a right to claim any addressed to the "baron-bailie." the surprise is, that the ancient method of disposing of the letters should have been endured so long, and that a town's provost should have been so slighted. personal interest, unfortunately, often steps in to prevent or hinder the carrying out of reforms for the general good; even the selfishness of mere pleasure placing itself as an obstacle to the accomplishment of things of great consequence in practical life. the post-office being called upon to consider the question of affording a daily post to a small place in ireland, which until then had had but a tri-weekly post, a gentleman called upon the postmaster to urge that things might be left as they were, stating as his reason that the change of hours, as regards the mail-car, rendered necessary in connection with the proposed improvements, would not suit himself and some other gentlemen, who were in the habit of using the car when going to fish on a lake near the mail-car route! is not this a case showing a sad lack of public spirit? chapter x. the travelling post-office. travellers who are in the habit of journeying over the principal railway lines, must at some time or other have noticed certain carriages in the express trains which had an unusually dull and van-like appearance, though set off with a gilded crown and the well-known letters v.r., and that generally these carriages appeared to have no proper doors, and were possessed of none but very diminutive windows--on one side, at any rate. it will have been observed, also, that sometimes two, three, or more of such carriages are placed end to end in certain trains, and that a hooded gangway or passage enables those inside one carriage to visit any or all of the other carriages. when the small square holes or dwarf doorways which communicate with the outside are open, a glare of light is seen within, which reveals a variety of human legs and much canvas--the latter in the shape of mail-bags, either suspended from the walls of the carriage or lying on the floor. these carriages are what are called in the post-office the "travelling post-office"; or, when brevity is desirable--as is often the case--the "t.p.o." there are several travelling post-offices of more or less importance pursuing their rapid flight during the night in different quarters of the country; but the most important, no doubt, are the "london and north-western and caledonian," running from london to aberdeen; the "midland," running from newcastle diagonally across england to bristol; and the "london and holyhead" travelling post-office, by which the irish mails to dublin are conveyed as far as holyhead. [illustration: travelling post-office.] if a stranger were allowed to travel in one of these carriages, the first thing that would probably take his notice would be the brilliant light which fills the interior; and the necessity for a good light to enable men, standing on a vibrating and oscillating floor, to read quickly all sorts of manuscript addresses, will be understood by whoever has attempted to peruse writing by the light derived from the ordinary oil-lamps of a railway carriage. yet for years the light supplied in the travelling post-office has been given by improved oil-lamps, though more recently gas has been introduced in some of the carriages. the next thing he would notice would likely be the long series of pigeon-holes occupying the whole of one side of the vehicle, divided into groups--each box having a name upon it or a number, and a narrow table running along in front of the boxes, bearing a burden of letters which the sorters are busily disposing of by putting each one in its proper place--that is, in the pigeon-hole, from which it will afterwards be despatched. then hanging on the walls or lying under the table will be seen canvas bags and canvas sacks, each having its name stencilled in bold letters on its side; and somewhere about the floor great rolls of black leather, with enormously strong straps and buckles--the expanse of leather in each roll being almost sufficient to cover an ox. the use of these hides of leather will be described further on. the _raison d'être_ of the travelling post-office is to circumvent time,--to enable that to be done on the way which, without it, would have to be done before the train started or after it arrived at its destination, at the expense of time in the doing, and to collect and dispose of correspondence at all points along the route of the train--which correspondence would otherwise in many cases have to pass through some intermediate town, to be detained for a subsequent means of conveyance. the t.p.o. is one of the most useful parts of the machinery of the post-office. among the smaller things that might be observed in the carriage would be balls of string for tying bags or bundles of letters, cyclopean sticks of sealing-wax, a chronometer to indicate sure time, a lamp used for melting the wax, and various books, report-forms, seals, &c. the stranger would be surprised, also, to see with what expedition an experienced sorter can pass the letters through his hands, seldom hesitating at an address, but reading so much of it as is necessary for his purpose, and, without raising his eyes, carrying his hand to the proper pigeon-hole, just as a proficient on a musical instrument can strike with certainty the proper note without taking his eye off his music. in some cases--as in dealing with registered letters--a sorter has much writing to do; but, standing with his feet well apart, and holding a light board on his left arm on which to write, and further, by accommodating his body to the swinging of the carriages, he is able to use his pen or pencil with considerable freedom and success. as the duties in the t.p.o. are for the most part performed during the night, the sorters employed have a great deal of night-work, and in some cases their terms of duty are very broken and irregular. thus, with the hardships they have to endure in periods of severe frost, when no heating apparatus is supplied except a few warming-pans, they live a life of duty far removed from ease or soft idleness. the large pieces of leather with stout straps attached, already referred to, called pouches, are used as a protection to mail-bags which have to be delivered by what is commonly known as the apparatus. the mail-bags to be so disposed of are rolled up inside one of these pouches; the ends of the leather are folded in; the whole is bound round with the strong leather straps; and, the buckles being fastened, the pouch is ready for delivery. but, first, let the apparatus itself be described. this consists of two parts: an arm or arms of stout iron attached to the carriage, which can be extended outwards from the side, and to the end of which the pouch containing the bag is suspended when ready; and a receiving net, also attached to the side of the carriage, which can likewise be extended outwards to catch the mails to be taken up--this portion acting the part of an aerial trawl-net to capture the bags suspended from brackets on the roadside. the apparatus on the roadside is the counterpart of that on the carriage, the suspending arm in each case fitting itself to the nets on the carriage and roadside respectively. now the use of this apparatus demands much attention and alacrity on the part of the men who are in charge of it; for arms and net must not, for fear of accidents, be extended anywhere but at the appointed places, and within or yards of where the exchange of mails is to take place. the operators, in timing the delivery, are guided by certain features of the country they are passing through--a bridge, a tree on a rising ground which can be seen against the sky, a cutting along the line through which the train passes with much clatter, a railway station, and so on--as well as by their estimate of the speed at which the train is running. when the nights are clear, a trained operator can easily recognise his marks; but in a very dark night, or during a fog, his skill and experience are put to the test. on such occasions he seems to be guided by the promptings of his collective senses. he puts his face close to the window, shutting off the light from the carriage with his hands, and peers into the darkness, trying to recognise some wayside object; he listens to the noise made by the train, estimates its speed of travelling, and by these means he judges of his position, and effects the exchange of the mails. it is indeed marvellous that so few failures take place; but this is an instance of how, by constant application and experience, things are accomplished which might at first sight be considered wellnigh impossible. when the exchange takes place, it is the work of a moment--"thud, thud." the arm which bore the bag springs, disengaged, to the side of the carriage; the operator takes the inwards bag from the net, draws the net close up to the side of the vehicle, and the whole thing is done, and we are ready for the next exchange. the blow sustained by the pouch containing the mail-bag at the moment of delivery, on occasions when the train is running at a high speed, is exceedingly severe, and sometimes causes damage to the contents of the bags when of a fragile nature and these are not secured in strong covers. a bracelet sent by post was once damaged in this way, giving rise to the following humorous note:-- "mr ---- is sorry to return the bracelet to be repaired. it came this morning with the box smashed, the bracelet bent, and one of the cairngorms forced out. among the modern improvements of the post-office appears to be the introduction of sledge-hammers to stamp with. it would be advisable for mr ---- to remonstrate with the postmaster-general," &c. [illustration: delivering arm, showing how the pouch is suspended.] the travelling post-office apparatus is said to have been originally suggested by mr ramsay of the general post-office; but his machinery was not very satisfactory when brought into practice. the idea was, however, improved upon by mr dicker, who was able to bring it into working condition; and for his services in this matter he was awarded a sum of £ by the lords of the treasury, and the postmaster-general conferred upon him an appointment as supervisor of mail-bag apparatus. some further improvements were carried out by mr pearson hill, as, for example, the double arm, so that two pouches might be discharged at once from the same carriage-door. the apparatus first came to be used about thirty years ago, and there are now in the united kingdom some points or stations at which this magical game of give and take is carried on daily, and in many cases several times a day. at certain places not merely one or two pouches are discharged at a time, but a running fire is sometimes kept up to the extent of nine discharges of pouches. by the limited mail proceeding to the north, nine pouches are discharged at oxenholme from the three post-office carriages, the method followed being this:--two pouches are suspended from the arms at each carriage-door, and upon these being discharged, three of the arms are immediately reloaded, when the pouches are caught by a second set of roadside nets, distant only about yards from the first. it is necessary that great care should be taken in adjusting the nets, arms, and roadside standards to their proper positions in relation to one another, for any departure from such adjustment sometimes leads to accident. the pouches occasionally are sent bounding over hedges, over the carriages, or under the carriage-wheels, where they and their contents get cut to pieces. pouches have been found at the end of a journey on the carriage-roof, or hanging on to a buffer. in november last, a pouch containing several mail-bags was discharged from the midland travelling post-office at cudworth, near barnsley; but something going wrong, the pouch got cut up, and the contents were strewn along the line as far as normanton. some of these were found to be cheques, a silver watch, a set of artificial teeth, &c. the following is a list of the travelling post-offices in the united kingdom, most of which travel by night, distributing their freight of intellectual produce through all parts of the country:-- north-western and caledonian. birmingham and stafford. london and holyhead. bangor and crewe, and normanton and stalybridge. london and exeter. bristol and exeter. york and newcastle. st pancras and derby. midland. bristol and newton abbot. south-western. south-eastern. great northern. london and bristol. london and crewe. ----------------- dublin and belfast. belfast and northern counties. ulster. midland (ireland). great southern and western. dublin to cork. there are, besides, a great many other travelling post-offices of minor importance throughout the country, designated sorting tenders. chapter xi. sorters and circulation. post-office sorters, unlike men who follow other avocations, are a race unsung, and a people unknown to fame. the soldier of adventure, the mariner on the high seas, the village blacksmith, the tiller of the soil, the woodman in the forest--nay, even the tailor on his bench,--all of these have formed the theme of song, and have claimed the notice of writers of verse. it is otherwise with the men who sort our letters. this may possibly be due to two causes--that sorters are comparatively a modern institution, and that their work is carried on practically under seal. in times which are little beyond the recollection of persons now living, the lines of post were so few, and the division and distribution of letters so simple, that the clerks who examined and taxed the correspondence also sorted it: and the time taken over the work would seem to show much deliberation in the process; for we find that in , when correspondence was very limited, it took above an hour at edinburgh "to tell up, examine, and retax" the letters received by the mail from england for places in the north; and that, when foreign mails arrived, two hours were required; and further time was necessary for taxing and sorting letters posted in edinburgh for the same district of country--the staff employed in the business being two clerks. in those days there were really no sorters, unless such as were employed in the chief office in london. as to the work being carried on under seal, it is not going beyond the truth to say that, to the great majority of persons, the interior of the post-office is a _terra incognita_, their sole knowledge of the institution being derived from the pillar and the postman. yet the sorters of the present age, forming a very large body, are ever engaged in doing an important and by no means simple duty. as letters arrive in the morning, and are handed in at the breakfast-table, speculation arises as to their origin; a well-known hand is recognised, interest is excited by the contents, or the well-springs of emotion are opened--joy is brought with the silvered note, or sorrow with the black insignia of death; and thus, absorbed in the matter of the letters themselves, no passing thought is spared to the operators whose diligent hands have given them wings or directed their line of flight. when most men are enjoying the refreshment of nature's sweet restorer, which it is the privilege of the night-hours to give, the sorters in a large number of post-offices throughout the country are hard at work, and on nearly all the great lines of railway the travelling post-offices are speeding their wakeful flight in every direction, carrying not only immense quantities of correspondence, but a large staff of men who arrange and sort it in transit. unconsciously though it may be, these men by their work are really a most powerful agency in binding society together, and promoting the commercial enterprise of the country. it lies in the nature of things that sorters' duties should largely fall into the night. like a skilful mariner who bends to his use every wind that blows, the post-office avails itself of every opportunity to send forward its letters. to lay aside till morning, correspondence arriving at an intermediate stage at night, would not consort with the demands of the age we live in; despatch is of the first consequence, and hence it is that to deal with _through_ correspondence, many offices are open during the night. some offices are never closed: at all hours the round of duty goes on without intermission; but in these, as also in many other cases where the periods of duty are long, relays of sorters are necessarily employed. much might be said of the broken hours of attendance, the early risings, the discomforts and cold of the travelling post-offices in winter, and the like, which sorters have to endure; and something might also be said of their loyalty to duty, punctuality in attendance, and readiness to strain every nerve under the pressure of occasions like christmas. but these things would not, perhaps, be of general interest, and our object here is rather to show what a sorter's work really is. does it ever occur to an ordinary member of the community how letters are sorted? and if so, what has the thinking member made of it? we fear the idea would wear a somewhat hazy complexion. this is how it is done in edinburgh, for example. the letters when posted are of course found all mixed together, and bearing addresses of every kind. they are first arranged with the postage-stamps all in one direction, then they are stamped (the labels being defaced in the process), and thereafter the letters are ready to be sorted. they are conveyed to sorting frames, where a first division is carried out, the letters being divided into about twenty lots, representing roads or despatching divisions, and a few large towns. then at these divisions the final sortation takes place, to accord with the bags in which the letters will be enclosed when the proper hour of despatch arrives. this seems a very simple process, does it not? but before a sorter is competent to do this work, he must learn "circulation," which is the technical name for the system under which correspondence flows to its destination, as the blood courses through the body by means of the arteries and veins. by way of contrast to what will be stated hereafter, it may be convenient to see how letters circulated less than a hundred years ago. in the london mail arrived at glasgow at o'clock in the morning, but the letters for paisley did not reach the latter place till a.m.--that is, five hours after their arrival in glasgow, though the distance between the places is only seven miles. a couple of years before that, letters arriving at edinburgh on sunday morning for stirling, alloa, and other places north thereof, which went by way of falkirk, were not despatched till sunday night; they reached falkirk the same night or early on monday morning, and there they remained till tuesday morning, when they went on with the north mail--so that between edinburgh and falkirk two whole days were consumed. in the year the london mail reached edinburgh at a.m., unless when detained by bad weather or breakdowns. the letters which it brought for perth, aberdeen, and places on that line, lay in edinburgh fourteen hours--viz., till p.m.--before being sent on. the people of aberdeen were not satisfied with the arrangement, and as the result of agitation, the hour was altered to p.m. this placed them, however, in no better position, for the arrival at aberdeen was so late at night, that the letters could only be dealt with next day. it was not easy to accommodate all parties, and there was a good deal of trouble over this matter. the edinburgh newspapers required an interval, after the arrival of the london mail, for the printing of their journals and preparing them for the north despatch. the aberdeen people thought that an interval of three hours was sufficient for all purposes, and urged that the north mail should start at a.m. in one of their memorials they write thus:--"they think that the institution of posts was, in the first place, to facilitate commerce by the conveyance of letters with the quickest possible despatch from one end of the kingdom to the other, and, in the next place, to raise a revenue for government; and they cannot conceive that either of those ends will be promoted by the letters of two-thirds of the kingdom of scotland lying dormant for many hours at edinburgh." in another of the petitions from the people of aberdeen, they strangely introduce their loyalty as a lever in pressing their claims:--"were we of this city," say they, "to lay claim to any peculiar merit, it might perhaps be that of a sincere attachment to order and good government, which places us, in this respect at least, equal to the most dignified city in britain." from a post-office point of view, the memorialists appeared to be under some mistake as to the gain to be derived from the change desired, for there was something connected with the return mails which did not fall in with the plan, and the surveyor made some opposition to it. in one of his reports he makes this curious observation:--"i am persuaded that some of them, as now appears to be the case, may be very well pleased to get free from the obligation of answering their letters in course--and particularly in money matters"! one or two instances of the cross-post service of former times, in england itself, which might be supposed to be more fortunate than its scottish neighbour, will repay consideration. thus we find it duly recorded in official reports, that in there was no direct post between thrapston and wellingborough, though the distance separating them was only nine miles. letters could circulate between these towns by way of stilton, newark, nottingham, and northampton, performing a circuit of miles, or they could be sent by way of london, miles up and - / down, in which latter case they reached their destination one day sooner than by the former round-about route. again, from ipswich to bury st edmunds, two important towns of , [ ] and [ ] inhabitants respectively, and distant from one another only miles, there was no direct post. letters had to be forwarded either through norwich and newmarket, or by way of london, the distance to be covered in the one case being miles, and in the other - / miles. we have not the means of computing the time letters took to travel from ipswich to bury st edmunds in , but an itinerary for affords the necessary information as regards the later period. suppose a letter were posted at ipswich for bury st edmunds on monday, it would be despatched to norwich at . a.m. on tuesday, reaching norwich some six hours thereafter. it would leave norwich at . p.m. same day (tuesday), and arrive at newmarket at about . p.m., where it would lie all night and the greater part of next day, and would only arrive at bury st edmunds at . p.m. on wednesday. if the letter were sent by the metropolitan route, its time would be the same, thus:--leaving ipswich at . p.m. on monday, it would reach london at . a.m. on tuesday. thence it would not get despatched till . p.m.; and proceeding to newmarket, would arrive there at . a.m. on wednesday. here it would remain till the afternoon, and would reach bury st edmunds, as in the former case, at . p.m. (on wednesday). so that, in practice, to cover this short interval of miles by post, three whole days were necessary. [ and ] from published records of . one more instance:--from salisbury to south wales, a distance of some miles, letters had to circulate through london, making a journey, up and down, of something like miles, and this without alternative. these facts show what a poor circulation the post-office had at the period in question, and what splendid intervals there were in which to sort the correspondence. nowadays, in any office pretending to importance, the letters pour in all day long (and all night too, possibly), and they pour out in a constant stream at the same time--letters being in and out of an office in certain instances within the space of a few minutes. a good sorter will sort letters at the rate of to a minute. but let us look at what a sorter has to learn to do this. a leaf of the circulation book in use at edinburgh for places in england is here inserted (p. ), which will be of assistance in understanding the matter. it will be observed that there are seven times in the day at which despatches are made to england. letters for martock, in somersetshire, for example, in accordance with the hour at which they may be posted, would be sent thus: to birmingham at . a.m.; to the midland travelling post-office forward, third division, at . p.m.; no circulation at . p.m.; to the glasgow and carlisle sorting tender (a sorting carriage running between these towns) at . p.m.; no circulation at . p.m.; to the bristol and exeter travelling post-office at . p.m.; and to london at . p.m. then if we take mitcheldean, at the foot of the sheet, its circulation is this: to birmingham at . a.m.; to gloucester at . p.m.; to the glasgow and carlisle sorting tender at . p.m.; to gloucester at . p.m.; and to manchester at . p.m. and so on throughout the book, which contains the names of some places in england. nor, as regards england, is this all. the sorters have to divide letters into the several london districts by reference to the street addresses which the letters bear. again, these men have to know the circulation for scotch towns and irish towns, and many of them have, besides, such a knowledge of the streets of their own city, edinburgh, as enables them to sort letters for delivery into the several postmen's districts. thus it will be seen that the sortation of letters is no mere mechanical process, but demands considerable head-work, as well as activity of body. [abbreviations used in the following table: t.p.o. - travelling post-office s.t. - sorting tender f. - forward] +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | towns. | counties. | how sent. | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | martock, r.s.o. | somerset | a.m. birmingham | | (_ilminster_)| | . p.m. midland t.p.o., f. | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. b. & e. t.p.o. | | | | . p.m. london | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | maryport | cumberland | a.m. carlisle | | | | . p.m. carlisle | | | | . p.m. carlisle | | | | . p.m. carlisle | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | matlock bath | derby | . p.m. derby | | | | . p.m. derby | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. derby | | | | . p.m. leeds | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | melksham | wiltshire | . a.m. birmingham | | | | . p.m. midland t.p.o., f. | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. london | | | | . p.m. london, g.w. div. | | | | . p.m. london | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | melton mowbray | leicester | . p.m. midland t.p.o., no. | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. leicester | | | | . p.m. leeds | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | menai bridge, | anglesea | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | r.s.o. (_bangor_)| | . p.m. liverpool | | | | . p.m. manchester | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | merthyr tydvill | glamorgan | . a.m. birmingham | | | | . p.m. gloucester | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. gloucester | | | | . p.m. manchester | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | micheldever | hants | . a.m. london | | station | | . p.m. london, s.w. div. | | | | . p.m. london, s.w. div. | | | | . p.m. london | | | | . p.m. london, s.w. div. | | | | . p.m. london | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | middlesborough | york | . a.m. darlington | | | | . p.m. bag | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | middleton-on-the- | york | . a.m. york | |wolds, (_beverley_)| | . p.m. normanton | | | | . p.m. hull | | | | . p.m. york | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | middlewich | chester | . a.m. liverpool | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. n.w. t.p.o. | | | | . p.m. liverpool | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | midhurst | sussex | . a.m. london | | | | . p.m. london, s.w. div. | | | | . p.m. london, s.w. div. | | | | . p.m. london | | | | . p.m. london, s.w. div. | | | | . p.m. london | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | milford haven | pembroke | . a.m. birmingham | | | | . p.m. gloucester | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. gloucester | | | | . p.m. manchester | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | milnthorpe | westmorland | . a.m. birmingham | | | | . p.m. midland t.p.o., f. | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. b. & e. t.p.o. | | | | . p.m. london | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | milverton, r.s.o. | somerset | . a.m. birmingham | | (_taunton_) | | . p.m. midland t.p.o., f. | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. b. & e. t.p.o. | | | | . p.m. london | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | milnehead, r.s.o. | somerset | . a.m. birmingham | | (_taunton_) | | . p.m. midland t.p.o., f. | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. b. & e. t.p.o. | | | | . p.m. london | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | mitcham | surrey | . a.m. london | | | | . p.m. london sub. | | | | . p.m. london sub. | | | | . p.m. london | | | | . p.m. london sub. | | | | . p.m. london | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ | mitcheldean, | gloucester | . a.m. birmingham | | r.s.o. (_ross_) | | . p.m. gloucester | | | | . p.m. g. & c. s.t. | | | | . p.m. gloucester | | | | . p.m. manchester | +-------------------+--------------+----------------------------------+ with some men it is impossible for them ever to become good sorters, even with the most earnest desire on their part to do so. there are certain qualities necessary for the purpose, and if they are not united in the person, he will never come to the front as a good sorter. these are: self-command--necessary when working against time; activity in his person so as to meet any sudden strain of work; a methodical habit; and, the _sine quâ non_ of a sorter, a quick, prehensile, and retentive memory. so much has a sorter to learn, that a man without a head can never distinguish himself; and an educational test, except as a measure of acquirements in a collateral way, is of very little use. a sorter's success rests chiefly upon natural aptitude. in the circulation of letters, we may discover the paradox that "the longest road is often the shortest"; the explanation of which is, that by a round-about way letters may sometimes arrive sooner than by waiting the next chance by a more direct route. post-office circulation is not tied down by any strait-laced lines of geographical science, nor by any consideration but that of the economy of time. for example, at certain periods letters from edinburgh for places in norfolk and suffolk go on to london, to return north to those counties by the mails out of london; similarly, letters for places north of manchester are at certain hours sent on to that city, to be returned part of the way by next opportunity. it will no doubt seem a puzzle that letters for ireland should, at a certain time of day, be forwarded from edinburgh to leeds in yorkshire! yet this is so, and with good results,--the fact being that, after the more direct despatches for the day, irish letters are sent by the last evening train to leeds, whence early next morning they are sent across the country, reaching a travelling post-office proceeding from london to holyhead, and then catching the day-mail packet for ireland. thus they arrive in the sister isle by the time they would otherwise be only leaving scotland. in the travelling post-offices the plan of carrying letters away from their destinations in order that time may be gained for their sortation, and afterwards sending them back by a post-office carriage proceeding in the reverse direction, is largely practised, and with the greatest advantage. again, letters from newcastle-on-tyne for glasgow, forwarded by the night-mail, take what might be thought to be a very wide circuit--namely, by way of normanton in yorkshire, and manchester and wigan in lancashire; yet that circulation is found to be best at the hour at which the night-mail despatch is made. in one more case that may be cited, letters from berwick-on-tweed for carlisle are, at a certain time of the day, forwarded through edinburgh as the most expeditious route. there is such a complexity of arrangement in the matter of circulation, and so great a dependence of any one part on a great many other surrounding parts, that comparatively few persons ever thoroughly understand it, and only those who can master it should meddle with it. in one aspect the process of sortation bears some resemblance to digestion. this is observed in connection with the strange courses which letters run if, by a first misreading of the address, they happen to get out of their proper line or direction. a day seldom passes but some letter addressed to edenbridge in kent reaches the city of edinburgh, either from london or some other english town. there is, of course, a strong resemblance between the names of the two places as written, yet the missent letters must have passed through the hands of two or three sorters before reaching edinburgh. but though this might seem to suggest carelessness, there is this to be said, that whenever a letter for edenbridge gets out of its own course, and into the stream of letters for edinburgh, the sorters have a predisposition to assimilate it as an edinburgh letter, and so it gets forwarded to that city. the same thing applies in regard to letters for leek, leith, and keith, and for musselburgh and middlesborough--especially when, as is too often the case, the writing is not good; and many other similar instances might be given. letters for fiji frequently reach edinburgh from london and the south, being missent as for fife in scotland; and we have it on the authority of the colonial postmaster of fiji, that numbers of letters, papers, &c., directed to fife, reach the fiji islands. two letters posted at hamilton, bermuda, and addressed to edinburgh, saratoga co., n.y., were recently observed to perform a curious circuit before reaching their destination. instead of being sent direct to the united states from bermuda, they were forwarded to london in england; and here, getting into the current of inland correspondence, they were sent to edinburgh in scotland. at this stage their wild career was stopped, and they were put in proper course to recross the atlantic. it is near the truth to say, that similarity of names and bad writing are the causes of very many of the irregularities which befall letters in their transit through the post. chapter xii. pigeon-post. the intellectual superiority of man has enabled him to bend to his purposes the various physical powers of the lower animals--as, for example, the strength of the ox and the fleetness of the horse--and his observation has taught him also to turn to his use some of the instincts of the lower creation, though these gifts may lie hidden beyond the reach of his understanding. thus the keen scent of the bloodhound, and the sense which enables the "ship of the desert" to sniff the distant spring, are equally become subservient to the interests of man; but it is with reference to another instinct not less remarkable that this chapter is written--the homing instinct of the carrier-pigeon. this gentle bird has long been known as a messenger capable of conveying news from one place to another over considerable distances. it is asserted that "hirtius and brutus, at the siege of modena, held a correspondence by pigeons; and ovid tells us that taurosthenes, by a pigeon stained with purple, gave notice to his father of his victory at the olympic games, sending it to him at Ã�gina." in persia and turkey pigeons were trained for this service, and it is stated that every bashaw had some of these birds reared, in order swiftly to convey news to the seraglio on occasions of insurrection or other emergency. in somewhat modern times the best birds were said to be those of aleppo, which served as couriers at alexandretta and bagdad; but many years ago their services in this line had to be given up, owing to the kurd robbers killing the pigeons in the course of their journey. it does not appear, however, that, until quite recent times, any great use has been made of these birds by western nations, at any rate under any extended scheme for commercial or peaceful ends. yet, by what may seem an incongruity, the dove, which is _par excellence_ the emblem of love and peace, has of late years been trained for purposes of war by the great continental states; and it is impossible to predict how far the fate of nations may be determined hereafter by the performances of these naturally harmless creatures. the following particulars from one of the annual reports on the post-office will show to what extent service was rendered by carrier-pigeons in keeping up postal communication with paris when that city was invested during the franco-german war of - :-- "as the war proceeded and the hostile forces approached paris, the risk of interruption to our indian mails became more and more imminent, and caused serious uneasiness to the post-office. this feeling, which was not long in communicating itself to the public, the subsequent investment of the capital served to enhance. the mails had now to branch off at amiens, and go round by rouen and tours, at a cost, in point of time, of from thirty to forty hours; but even this circuitous route could not long be depended upon, and nothing remained but to abandon marseilles altogether as the line of communication for our indian mails. there was only one alternative--to send them through belgium and germany by the brenner pass to brindisi, and thence by italian packets to alexandria. "but it was in respect to the mails for france herself, and especially for paris, that the greatest perplexity prevailed. as soon as amiens was threatened--amiens, the very key-stone of our postal communication with the interior and south of france--it became evident that the route _viâ_ calais would not remain much longer. the alternative routes that presented themselves were _viâ_ dieppe, and _viâ_ cherbourg or st malo, and no time was lost in making the necessary arrangements with the brighton and south-western railway companies. by both companies trains were kept in constant readiness at the terminus in london, and vessels remained under steam at newhaven and southampton, prepared to start at the shortest notice, according to the course events might take. late in the evening of the th of november, intelligence was received in london that the line of communication through amiens was closed, and the mails were diverted from calais to cherbourg; within the next four days cherbourg was exchanged for dieppe, and dieppe soon afterwards for st malo. as to the means adopted for maintaining communication with paris, the pigeon-post has become matter of history. letters intended for this novel mode of transmission had to be sent to the headquarters of the french post-office at tours, where, it is understood, they were all copied in consecutive order, and by a process of photography transferred in a wonderfully reduced form to a diminutive piece of very thin paper, such as a pigeon could carry, the photographic process being repeated on their arrival in paris, for the purpose of obtaining a larger impression. they were essential conditions that these letters should be posted open without cover or envelope, and that they should be registered; that they should be restricted to twenty words; that they should be written in french in clear and intelligible language, and that they should relate solely to private affairs, and contain no allusion either to the war or to politics. the charge was fixed at d. for each word (the name and address counting as one word), and d. for registration. during the investment, from november to january , the number of letters sent from london to tours, for despatch by pigeon-post to paris, was ." profiting by the example furnished during the progress of the franco-german war, the good people of the fiji islands have quite recently established a pigeon-post, to serve them in the peaceful pursuits of trade. the colony of fiji is a group of islands, between which the communications by sailing-vessels or steamers are not very regular, the former being frequently becalmed or retarded by head-winds, while the latter are of small power and low speed. an important part of the trade of the islands consists in exporting fruit and other produce to australia and new zealand, the largest portion consisting of bananas, of which a single steamer will sometimes carry about , bunches. it is desirable not to cut the bananas till the steamers from australia and new zealand arrive at fiji, and consequently early news of the event is most important to planters in the more remote islands; for if the small schooners or cutters which carry the fruit between the islands arrive too late for the steamer, the poor planters lose their whole produce, which, being perishable, has to be thrown overboard. in these circumstances a pigeon-post has been called into operation: and should this method of communication be extended to all the important islands, as it has already been to some, many a cargo will be saved to the poor planters which would otherwise be wholly lost. subjoined is a copy of news by "pigeon-post," taken from the 'polynesian gazette' of the th june . it was conveyed by pigeon from suva to levuka, a distance as the crow flies of about miles, and the time occupied in transit was minutes, the actual flight to the home of the pigeon taking but minutes:-- "latest news from suva. "_per pigeon-post._ "the following despatch, dated suva, sunday, p.m., was received at nasova at . same day:-- "'hero' arrived midnight, left melbourne th, newcastle th. passengers--mrs fowler and child, mrs cusack and family, mrs blythe and child, messrs f. hughes, fullarton, j. sims, j. b. matthews, t. rose, and a. h. chambers. "agents-general of queensland and victoria gone to france to interview ministers _in re_ recidivistes question. marylebone won match, one innings and runs; australians have since defeated birmingham eleven. 'gunga,' capt. fleetwood, leaves sydney th ult. new zealand football team beat n.s. wales, points to _nil_. 'cintra' at newcastle, loading coal for melbourne, same time as 'hero.' a.s.n. co. bought adelaide simpsons birkgate and fenterden. "'wairarapa' and 'penguin' just arrived, further news when admitted to pratique. "_monday_, p.m. "'penguin' may be expected in levuka mid-day to-morrow, tuesday. "'wairarapa' leaves for levuka at daylight on wednesday. 'hero' leaves at . on tuesday, for deuba, and may be expected to arrive in levuka on wednesday night." it is right to add that the "pigeon-post" of fiji is not connected with the postal department, but is carried on as a private enterprise. chapter xiii. abuse of the franking privilege, and other petty frauds. _abuse of the franking privilege._ wherever the use of anything of value is given without the check of a money or other equivalent, the use is sure to degenerate into abuse; and in the experience of the post-office this has been proved to be the case, both as regards letters and telegrams. in regard to the first, the franking privilege was long found to be a canker eating into the vitals of the revenue; and its abolition on the introduction of the penny postage in came none too soon. had the privilege been longer continued, it is impossible to conceive to what extent the abuse of it might have grown; but what might have occurred here has, in some measure, taken place in the united states, as is shown by the following statement made by the postmaster-general of that country, about twenty years after the abolition of the privilege in this:-- "another potent reason for the abolition of the franking privilege, as now exercised, is found in the abuses which seem to be inseparable from its existence. these abuses, though constantly exposed and animadverted upon for a series of years, have as constantly increased. it has been often stated by my predecessors, and is a matter of public notoriety, that immense masses of packages are transported under the government frank which neither the letter nor the spirit of the statute creating the franking privilege would justify; and a large number of letters, documents, and packages are thus conveyed, covered by the frank of officials, written in violation of law, not by themselves, but by some real or pretended agent; while whole sacks of similar matter, which have never been handled nor even seen by government functionaries, are transported under franks which have been forged. the extreme difficulty of detecting such forgeries has greatly multiplied this class of offences; whilst their prevalence has so deadened the public sentiment in reference to them, that a conviction, however ample the proof, is scarcely possible to be obtained. the statute of , denouncing the counterfeiting of an official frank under a heavy penalty, is practically inoperative. i refer you to the case reported at length by the united states attorney for the district, as strikingly illustrating this vitiated public opinion, reflected from the jury-box. the proof was complete, and the case unredeemed by a single palliation; and yet the offender was discharged, unrebuked, to resume, if it should please him, his guilty task. this verdict of acquittal is understood to have been rendered on two grounds--first, that the accused said he did not commit the offence to avoid the payment of the postages; and second, that the offence has become so prevalent that it is no longer proper to punish it. these are startling propositions, whether regarded in their legal, moral, or logical aspects." the unblushing way in which the british post-office in its earlier days was called upon to convey not only franked letters, but, under franks, articles of a totally different class, will be perceived from the following cases. it is not to be understood, however, that the things consigned actually passed through the post-office, but rather that they were admitted for transport on board the special packet-ships of government, sailing for the purposes of the post-office. the cases are taken from the first annual report of the postmaster-general:-- "fifteen couples of hounds going to the king of the romans with a free pass." "some parcels of cloth for the clothing colonels in my lord north's and my lord grey's regiments." "two servant-maids going as laundresses to my lord ambassador methuen." "doctor crichton, carrying with him a cow and divers other necessaries." "three suits of cloaths for some nobleman's lady at the court of portugal." "a box containing three pounds of tea, sent as a present by my lady arlington to the queen-dowager of england at lisbon." "eleven couples of hounds for major-general hompesch." "a case of knives and forks for mr stepney, her majesty's envoy to the king of holland." "one little parcell of lace, to be made use of in clothing duke schomberg's regiment." "two bales of stockings for the use of the ambassador of the crown of portugal." "a box of medicines for my lord galway in portugal." "a deal case with four flitches of bacon for mr pennington of rotterdam." the post-office always had a great deal of trouble in controlling and keeping in check this system of franking; and withal, the privilege was much abused. before the year , members of parliament had merely to write their names on the covers to ensure their correspondence free passage through the post; and packets of such franks were furnished by the members to their friends, who laid them past for use as occasion required. nay, more,--a trade was carried on in franks by the servants of members, whose practice it was to ask their masters to sign them in great numbers at a time. it was even suspected, and probably with sufficient reason, that franks were forged to a large extent; and, had postage been paid on all franked correspondence, it is estimated that the revenue would have been increased by £ , . in the hope of imposing some greater check on the evil, it was enacted in that the whole superscription must be in the handwriting of the member; but even this proved inadequate, and further restrictions were imposed in and . some very difficult and troublesome questions arose from time to time in dealing with member's letters. for example, when a member of parliament had no place of residence in london, and was living out of the united kingdom, if he had his letters addressed to a public office, or to any solicitor, banker, or other agent, he was not entitled to have his letters free of postage, but, if so directed and delivered, the postage had to be paid. again, when a member kept up a residence in london, but had his letters directed to another place, the member ceased to enjoy the privilege as regards such letters; as he also did when letters were addressed to his residence in the country, and he happened to be elsewhere at the time of their delivery. then a catholic peer dying, who had never taken his seat, and being succeeded by his brother, who was a protestant, the question is raised whether the latter could claim to use the franking privilege before the issue of the writ calling him to the house of peers; and the legal decision is given that he could not so exercise the privilege. keeping the members within proper bounds must evidently have been a task for the officers of the post-office requiring both vigilance and determination. but there was another kind of fraud carried on under the privilege granted to soldiers. a surveyor in scotland thus referred to the irregularity as observed in scotland in :-- "as there is so much smuggling of letters already in scotland, and reason to suspect it will increase from the additional rates, it is matter of serious concern to the revenue to obtain a clear legal restriction; and i wish you to represent it to the board at london, in case it may not be too late to offer any hints from the distant situation we are in. "i have had occasion formerly to observe to you that a very great evasion of the post revenue has taken place--particularly in the north of scotland--from the privilege granted to soldiers, under cover of which not only a very general opportunity is taken by the common people there to have their letters carried by soldiers to be freed by their officers, and having them again in return under soldiers' addresses; but even in several instances which i observed and detected, persons in higher ranks have availed themselves of this circumstance." nor were people of quality above the habit of committing similar frauds upon the post-office revenue, as will be observed from the following remarks penned by an official on the th april . the statement runs thus:--"on the st ultimo, having gone into the mail-coach office at glasgow, soon after the arrival of the coach from ayr, and observing several parcels which had arrived by it, one in particular took our attention by its appearing to contain a loaf of bread of the supposed value of d. or d., addressed to the honble. mrs ----, of glasgow; and as this parcel was charged d., it created the idea of some mistake having happened in sending it in that way, by which the carriage exceeded the value, besides the original cost of it. "in a few minutes after this, however, two ladies called for the parcel, one of them believed to be mrs ----herself, and the other her sister, and inquired for the parcel; and my curiosity leading me to notice the issue of this supposed hoax, i was not a little surprised to find, after the lady had cut up the cover, that two or three letters were enclosed with the loaf, one of which she gave to the other lady, and sent the loaf home by the porter." the post-office has also been exposed to frauds in other ways. thus it was a common device to take a newspaper bearing the newspaper frank, prick out with a pin certain words in the print making up a message to be sent, and the newspaper so prepared served all the purposes of a letter as between the sender and receiver. or a message would be written on the cover of a newspaper with the first of all fluids known to us--milk--which, when dry, was not observed, but developed a legible communication subsequently when held to the fire. the following anecdotes of the evasions of postage are told by the late sir rowland hill:-- "some years ago, when it was the practice to write the name of a member of parliament for the purpose of franking a newspaper, a friend of mine, previous to starting on a tour into scotland, arranged with his family a plan of informing them of his progress and state of health, without putting them to the expense of postage. it was managed thus: he carried with him a number of old newspapers, one of which he put into the post daily. the postmark, with the date, showed his progress; and the state of his health was evinced by the selection of the names from a list previously agreed upon, with which the newspaper was franked. sir francis burdett, i recollect, denoted vigorous health." "once on the poet's [coleridge's] visit to the lake district, he halted at the door of a wayside inn at the moment when the rural postman was delivering a letter to the barmaid of the place. upon receiving it she turned it over and over in her hand, and then asked the postage of it. the postman demanded a shilling. sighing deeply, however, the girl handed the letter back, saying she was too poor to pay the required sum. the poet at once offered to pay the postage; and in spite of some resistance on the part of the girl, which he deemed quite natural, did so. the messenger had scarcely left the place when the young barmaid confessed that she had learnt all she was likely to learn from the letter; that she had only been practising a preconceived trick--she and her brother having agreed that a few hieroglyphics on the back of the letter should tell her all she wanted to know, whilst the letter would contain no writing. 'we are so poor,' she added, 'that we have invented this manner of corresponding and franking our letters.'" in asserting its monopoly in the carriage of letters in towns, or wherever the post-office had established posts, there was always trouble; and so much attention did the matter require, that special officers for the duty were employed, called "apprehenders of private letter-carriers." the penalties were somewhat severe when infringements were discovered, and the action taken straight and prompt, as will be seen by the following, which is a copy of a letter written in to a person charging him with breaking the law:-- "sir,--his majesty's postmasters-general have received an information laid against you, that on the th ultimo your clerk, mr ----, for whom you are answerable, illegally sent three letters in a parcel by a stage-coach to you at broadstairs, kent, contrary to the statute made to prevent the sending of letters otherwise than by the post. "i am commanded by their lordships to inform you that you have thereby incurred three penalties of £ each, and that they feel it their duty to proceed against you to recover the same. "should you have any explanation to give, you will please to address the postmaster-general.--i am," &c. [illustration (facsimile): general post-office, aug. th, a caution. to all coach-masters, carriers, higlers, ship masters employed coastwise, newsmen, watermen and others. having received repeated information that letters are illegally collected, carried and delivered, to the great injury of the public revenue, and it being the wish of this office rather to prevent than punish, and that the unwary may be made acquainted with the penalties they are subject to; i am directed to give this public notice, that from the date hereof, every effort will be used to detect and punish all persons so offending.--the penalties for which are five pounds for every letter so collected, carried, or delivered, whether for hire or not, and one hundred pounds, for every week such practice is continued. by command of the postmaster general, johnson wilkinson, _surveyor_.] in august , at the warwick assizes, a carrier between warwick and birmingham was convicted of illegally collecting and carrying letters, when penalties amounting to £ were incurred; but the prosecution consented to a verdict being taken for two penalties of £ each, with costs of the suit. a report of the period observed that "this verdict should be a warning to carriers, coachmen, and other persons, against taking up letters tied round with a string or covered with brown paper, under pretence of being parcels, which, the learned judge observed, was a flimsy evasion of the law." the very cheap postage which we now enjoy has removed the inducement in a large measure to commit petty frauds of this kind on the post-office revenue, and the commission of such things may now be said to belong to an age that is past. _frauds on the public._ the post-office, while it is the willing handmaid to commerce, the vehicle of social intercourse, and the necessary helper in almost every enterprise and occupation, becomes at the same time a ready means for the unscrupulous to carry on a wonderful variety of frauds on the public, and enables a whole army of needy and designing persons to live upon the generous impulses of society. while these things go on,--and post-office officials know they go on,--the department is helpless to prevent them; for the work of the post-office is carried on as a secret business, in so far as the communications intrusted to it are concerned, and the contents of the letters conveyed are not its property or interest. there are men and women who go about from town to town writing begging letters to well-to-do persons, appealing for help under all sorts of pretences; and these persons are as well known, in the sense of being customers to the department, as a housekeeper is known at her grocer's shop. there are other persons, again, who carry on long-firm swindles through the post, obtaining goods which are never to be paid for; and as soon as the goods are received at one place, the swindlers move on to another place, assume new names, and repeat the operation. the schemes adopted are often very deeply laid; and the police, when once set upon the track, have hard work to unravel the wily plans. but tradespeople are not infrequently themselves very much to blame, as they show themselves too confiding, and too ready to do business with unknown persons. the following is an instance of a fraud upon well-to-do persons in this country, attempted by an american in the year :-- the rev. mr champneys, of st pancras, london, received a letter posted at florence, burlington county, new jersey, u.s., which upon being opened seemed to be not intended for him, but was a communication purporting to be written from one sister to another. the letter made it appear that the writer was highly connected, had fallen into the greatest distress owing to the death of her husband, that her feelings of self-respect had restrained her from telling her griefs till she could no longer withhold them, and making free use of the deepest pathos and high-sounding sentiments, and finally appealing for an immediate remittance. mr champneys, not suspecting a fraud, and desiring to help forward the letter to the person who, as he supposed, should have received it, inserted the following advertisement in the 'times' newspaper:-- "a letter, dated florence, burlington county, new jersey, u.s., intended for mrs lucy campbell, scotland, has been misdirected to rev. w. champneys, gordon square. will mrs campbell kindly communicate her address immediately?" in response to this inquiry, what was mr champney's surprise but to find that a large number of persons had received letters in identical terms and in precisely the same circumstances! this of course caused him to reflect, and then the facts became clear to him--which were, that under the guise of a trifling mistake, that of placing a letter in the wrong envelope, a set of dire circumstances were placed before persons who were likely to be kind-hearted and generous, in the hope that, though the writer was unknown to them, they might send some money to cheer a poor but respectable family steeped in calamity! how far the attempt succeeded does not appear, but mr champneys very properly at once wrote a letter to the 'times' exposing the fraud, and it is to be hoped that some generous souls were in consequence saved from folly. one more instance--but one coming within the class of the "confidence trick." in several country newspapers the following advertisement made its appearance:-- "an elderly bachelor of fortune, wishing to test the credulity of the public, and to benefit and assist others, will send a suitable present of genuine worth, according to the circumstances of the applicant, to all who will send him stamps--demanded merely as a token of confidence. stamps will be returned with the present." and then the address followed, which was not always the same in all the advertisements. the advertiser alone would be able to say how far he profited by this little arrangement, but some idea of the simplicity of mankind may be derived from the fact that between and letters for this person, each containing stamps, reached the dead-letter office--owing doubtless to his having "moved on" from the places where he had lived, in consequence of their becoming too warm to hold him. specimens of the letters written by the dupes are as follows:-- . "the rev. ---- encloses stamps. he is a clergyman with very limited means, and the most useful present to him would be five pounds. if his application be not agreeable, he requests that the stamps be returned." . "i have enclosed the stamps, and shall be very pleased to receive any present you will send me. as i am not very well off, what i would like very much would be a _nice black silk dress_, which i should consider a rich reward for my credulity." . "mrs ---- presents her compliments to the 'elderly bachelor,' and in order to amuse him by her credulity encloses stamps, and thus claims the promised present. her position and circumstances are good, she mixes in gay society, and is quite an adept at dancing the polka mazourka. these details may determine the suitability of the present." . "having read your advertisement testing the 'credulity of the public,' i feel disposed on my part to test the upright and honourable intentions of a stranger, contrary to the opinion of some, who tell me it is only a hoax, or, worse, a mere take-in. i therefore, with the honesty of an irishman, beg to say i am a clerygyman's wife, mother of nine children,--the six eldest fine enterprising sons; the three youngest, engaging, intelligent girls. we irish generally have larger hearts than purses. i therefore lay these facts before you, an englishman, knowing that a briton's generosity and capabilities are proverbially equal.--hoping i may be able to prove i have formed a correct opinion of advertiser's truthfulness, i am," &c. after this we may afford to smile, and use the words of a very old author with every confidence of their freshness: "oh, where shall wisdom be found? where is the place of understanding?" chapter xiv. strange addresses. the addresses of letters passing through the post have often very curious features, arising from various causes: sometimes the whole writing is so bad as to be all but illegible; sometimes the orthography is extremely at fault; sometimes the writer, having forgotten the precise address, makes use of a periphrase; sometimes the addresses are insufficient; and sometimes the addresses are conjoined with sketches on the envelopes showing both artistic taste and comic spirit. post-office sorters, who constantly have passing through their hands writing of every style and every degree of badness, acquire an aptitude for deciphering manuscript; and writing must be bad indeed, if to be read at all, when it fails to be deciphered in the post-office. a very large collection might be made of the vagaries of writers in the addresses placed by them on letters; but the following will give some idea, though not a complete idea, of one of the troubles met with in dealing with post-letters. some time ago the danish and norwegian consul at ipswich, being struck by the ever-varying way in which the word "ipswich" was spelt in the addresses of letters reaching him from abroad, took the pains to make a record of each new style of spelling, and after a time he was able to collect together fifty-seven incorrect methods of spelling the word "ipswich," which had been used upon letters addressed to him. they are given as follows, viz.:-- elsfleth, epshvics, epshvidts, epsids, epsig, epsvet, epsvidts, epwich, evswig, exwig, hoispis, hvisspys, ibsvi, ibsvig, ibsvithse, ibwich, ibwigth, ispsich, ie yis wich, igswield, igswig, igswjigh, ipesviok, ipiswug, ipswitis, ipsiwisch, ipsovich, ipsveten, ipsvick, ipsvics, ipsvids, ipsvidts, ipsvig, ipsvikh, ipsvits, ipsvitx, ipsvoigh, ipsweh, ipsweich, ipswgs, ipswiche, ipswick, ipswict, ipswiceh, ipswig, ipswigh, ipswight, ipswish, ipswith, ipswitz, ispich, ispovich, ispwich, ixvig, iysuich, uibsvich, vittspits. letters so addressed generally reached the consul in direct course of post, though some of them were occasionally delayed by being first sent to wisbeach. in other cases assistance was given in reading the addresses by the northern version of the county "suffolg" following the word intended for ipswich. the address, adne edle street, london, proved to be intended for threadneedle street, london. in another case, no. oldham & bury, london, was written for no. aldermanbury, london. on another occasion the following address appeared on a letter:-- too dad thomas hat the ole oke otchut bary. pade. sur plees to let ole feather have this sefe; the address being intended for the old oak orchard, tenbury. a further odd address was as follows, written, it is presumed, by a german:-- tis is fur old mr willy wot brinds de baber in lang kaster ware ti gal is. gist rede him assume as it cums to ti pushtufous; the english of the address being-- this is for old mr willy what prints the paper in lancaster where the jail is. just read him as soon as it comes to the post-office. the next address is one made use of, apparently, owing to the true and particular address being lost, but the directions given served their purpose, and the letter was duly delivered:-- for a gentleman residing in a street out of the ---- road, london. he is a shopkeeper, sells newspapers and periodicals to the trade, and supplies hawkers, and others with cheap prints, some of which are sold by men in the street. he has for years bought the waste of the illustrated ---- their prints printed in colours particularly. he is well known in the locality, being wholesale. postman will oblige if he can find this. similar cases are as follows, but we are unable to say whether the addresses given served their intended purpose:-- mr ----. travelling band, one of the four playing in the street. persha [pershore], worcestershire. please to find him if possible. to e----, a cook as lived tempery with a mrs l----, or some such a name, a shoemaker in castle st. about no. ---- hoburn in ; try to make this out. she is a welsh person about feet --stoutish. lives in service some ware in london or naboured. london. this is for her that maks dresses for ladies, that livs at tother side of road to james brocklip. edensover, chesterfield. this is for the young girl that wears spectacles, who minds two babies. sherriff st., off prince edwin st., liverpool. in two further instances the indications sufficed, and the letters were duly delivered. thus-- to my sister jean, up the canongate, down a close, edinburgh. she has a wooden leg. and-- my dear ant sue as lives in the cottage by the wood near the new forest. in this case the letter had to feel its way about for a day or two, but ant sue was found living in a cottage near lyndhurst. another letter was addressed thus:-- this letter is for mrs ----. she lives in some part of liverpool. from her father john ----, a tailor from ----; he would be thankful to some postmaster in liverpool if he would find her out. unfortunately, in this instance the directions given failed to trace the person to whom it was sent, and it had to go to that abyss of "rejected addresses," the dead-letter office. it occasionally happens that when the eye is unable to make out an address, the ear comes to the rescue. in london a letter came to hand directed to mr owl o'neil, general post office. but no one was known there of that name. a clerk, looking at the letter, commenced to repeat aloud, "mr owl o'neil, mr owl o'neil," when another clerk, hearing him, exclaimed, "why! that must be intended for mr rowland hill,"--which indeed proved to be the case. a similar circumstance happened in edinburgh, with a letter from australia, addressed to mr ---- johns. . scotland. it proved to be intended for johnshaven, a village in the north of scotland. two odd addresses are as follows, one being from america, the other from ireland:-- little alice, serio-comic singer, london, england. to edinburgh city, scotland, for pat feeley, katie kinnigan's son, ould fishmarket close, number , send this with speed. an american gentleman having arrived in england, and not knowing where a sister was residing at the time, addressed a letter to her previous residence thus-- upper norwood, or elsewhere. the letter having been delivered to the lady, the writer intimated to the post-office that he had received a reply in ordinary course, and explaining that the letter had been delivered to her on the top of a stage-coach in wales. in admiration of the means taken to follow up his sister, the writer ventured to add, "that no other country can show the parallel, or would take the trouble at any cost." it would be impossible to explain in words the difficulties that are met with, and the successes which are obtained, in deciphering badly written addresses; and facsimiles of the directions upon some such letters are therefore appended to enable the reader to appreciate the facts. in the london post-office indistinctly addressed letters are at once set aside, so as not to delay the work of sortation, and are carried forthwith to a set of special officers who have an aptitude for deciphering indistinct writing. these officers, by a strange contradiction in the sense of things, are called the "blind officers"; and here the letters are rapidly disposed of, either by having the addresses read and amended, or marked with the name of a post-town for which the letters may be supposed to be intended. to facilitate this special work, the blind officers are furnished with a series of gazetteers and other books containing the names of gentlemen's seats, farms, and the like, throughout the country, and many a letter reaches the hands of the person addressed through a reference to these books. in addition to instances of indistinctly addressed letters, a few specimens of addresses of an artistic and humorous character are furnished in this chapter. [illustration: _read e. c. _____ sierra leone cape coast castle or elsewhere_] [illustration: _read ...... lane? scotland road liverpool_] [illustration: _read hugglescote ashby de la zouch warwickshire_] [illustration: _read mr c_____ charlotte place goodge street w_] [illustration: _read no pvt w_____ no section st oxfordshire light infantry convalescent depot madras, east indies_] [illustration: _read mrs _____ minories nr aldgate church london_] [illustration: _read harrow weald harrow_] [illustration: _(read forest gate)_] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] the letter, of which the above represents the address, was posted in a town in the north of england, and delivered to the editor of the 'courant' in edinburgh. a facsimile of a portion of the communication enclosed is also shown, which will give an idea of the interest attaching to editorial work, and afford some valuable information to the reader! [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] chapter xv. post-office robberies. if records are not now forthcoming of all the robberies which have been committed upon the post-office from the earliest times, we may be assured that an institution such as it is, maintaining agencies all over the country, and having to keep up communications between those agencies, would be exposed at all times and at all points to the risk of robbery, whether by the dashing boldness of the highwayman, or the less pretentious doings of the town house-breaker. to us who live in an age when the public roads are generally safe to travellers, it is difficult to realise the dangers that lurked in the highways at no more remote a period than last century; nor can we well realise a state of things under which mail-coaches in this our quiet england had to be protected by guards armed to the teeth. we have it handed down, however, as a historical fact, that when, in , belsize house, hampstead, was opened as a place of public resort, the programme announcing its attractions contained the following item:--"and for the security of its guests, there are twelve stout fellows completely armed, to patrol betwixt london and belsize, to prevent the insults of highwaymen or footpads which may infest the road." yet that statement does not give the whole truth, for the road between these two places became so much more dangerous, that after a time "the patrol had to be increased from twelve to thirty stout fellows completely armed, independently of two tall grenadiers who mounted guard over the gate of the mansion." the following is from the 'annual register' of :--"murders, robberies--many of them attended with acts of cruelty and threatening letters--were never perhaps so frequent about this city [london] as during last month. one highwayman in particular, by the name of the flying highwayman, engrosses the conversation of most of the towns within twenty miles of london, as he has occasionally visited all the public roads round this metropolis, and has collected several considerable sums. he robs upon three different horses. he has leaped over colnbrook turnpike a dozen times within this fortnight, and is now well known by most of the turnpike men in the different roads about london." again, it is recorded that "even the toll-house keepers in london were so liable to be robbed, that they had to be furnished with arms, and enjoined to keep no money in their houses after eight o'clock at night. the boldness with which street robberies still continued to be committed was evinced so late as , when the neapolitan ambassador was robbed in his coach in grosvenor square by four footpads armed with pistols." but highway robbery had long been practised, even by individuals in the higher stations; and it is recorded of sir john falstaff, one of shakespeare's heroes, that he was the terror of travellers on every road for a hundred miles out of london. the place chiefly identified with his exploits, however, was gad's hill, in kent. thus it will be seen that the roads leading out of london were infested by disorderly characters; and robberies of the mails proceeding to and from london were of frequent occurrence, as appears from official records referring to the close of last century and the commencement of this. in the coaching days very frequent robberies of the mails took place, though they were protected by armed guards, and some of these robberies have been described in the chapter relating to mail-coaches. [illustration: falstaff as a highwayman.] the passengers who travelled in the mail-coaches, with the knowledge of these molestations going on around them, must have been kept in a constant state of alarm; and the circumstance could not fail materially to discourage travelling in days when the facilities for exchanging visits were few compared with what we now enjoy. the state of things already described as regards the mail-coaches, extended also to the horse-posts, the riders being attacked probably more freely than the coaches; for while the plunder to be had would be less, the postboys were not in a position to make so great a show of defence. nor did the severity of the laws restrain evil-doers, either in england or scotland, where sentences of execution were from time to time carried out upon the delinquents. on the th of july , the post-rider who was proceeding through the extreme north of england, on his way from london to the scottish metropolis, was known to have been twice stopped, and to have been robbed of his mail, the scene of the occurrence being near alnwick, in northumberland. in connection with this event, of which an account has been handed down by lauder of fountainhall, a curious and romantic anecdote has been told by wilson in his 'tales of the borders,' and by chambers as one of his scottish traditional stories. sir john cochrane of ochiltree, in ayrshire, was one of argyle's chief associates in that unfortunate and abortive attempt, made by the exiles in the year above named, to compass the overthrow of the reigning monarch, james ii., so far as scotland was concerned, which attempt was only part of the more general scheme of the exiles abroad--both english and scotch--and the disaffected at home, to drive the king from his throne, and to place the duke of monmouth thereon in his stead. after a variety of disasters experienced by the limited following which argyle and his party had been able to bring together, and when hope of a successful issue could no longer secure cohesion, there ensued a general break-up of the party, accompanied by what is to be looked for in similar situations--a general flight and _sauve qui peut_. sir john cochrane sought refuge in the house of a relative in renfrewshire, where, however, he was discovered by his pursuers at the end of june; and on the d of july, sir john, his son, and another traitor were brought into edinburgh, "bound and barefooted, by the hangman," and cast into the tolbooth to await their doom. what daring enterprises may not flow from a woman's love and devotion, when a parent's liberty is imperilled or his life is at stake! sir john had a daughter called grizel, who fondly loved him, and who, on visiting him in prison, had not failed to show the intensity of her filial regard; nor was sir john slow to reciprocate these feelings on his part. being then but eighteen years of age, she nevertheless conceived the daring thought of intercepting the mail-packet coming from the south, which was supposed to contain a warrant for the execution of her father; and with this object in view, she proceeded to berwick-on-tweed alone. here she habited herself in male attire; and being armed, and mounted on a fleet horse, she set out upon her extraordinary and perilous adventure. [illustration: grizel cochrane and postboy.] on tweedmouth moor, it is narrated, she fell in with the postboy, who, under threats of immediate death, gave up his charge, grizel riding off with the mail-packet and the postboy's horse, from which he had been unseated. under these circumstances, the warrant not reaching its destination, it could not be put into execution, and the delay which took place before another could be procured, was turned to account by sir john's friends, who exerted themselves on his behalf. sir john was the younger son of a rich family, from whom a ransom was to be had; and it is stated that a bribe of £ by lord dundonald, cochrane's father, to the priests of the royal household, was the means of securing a pardon. sir john lived to become earl of dundonald, while grizel became the wife of john kerr of morriston, in berwickshire; and there can be little doubt that she afterwards exhibited as a wife all the amiable and affectionate qualities of which she proved herself possessed as a daughter. unfortunately for the authenticity of the story, so far as grizel cochrane's connection with it is concerned, the dates hardly bear the matter out; for if sir john was lodged in the tolbooth of edinburgh on the d of july, a warrant for his execution could barely have reached northumberland from london by the th: and again, while the story relates that sir john cochrane was confined in the tolbooth, macaulay states that he "was taken, and sent up to london." the following story of the robbery of a mail carried by a postboy, is taken from chambers's 'domestic annals of scotland,' under the date th august :-- "andrew cockburn, the postboy who carried the packet or letter-bag on that part of the great line of communication which lies between cockburnspath and haddington, had this day reached a point in his journey between the alms-house and hedderwick muir, when he was assailed by two gentlemen in masks; one of them mounted on a blue-grey horse, wearing a stone-grey coat with brown-silk buttons--the other riding on a white horse, having a white english grey cloak-coat with wrought silver-thread buttons. holding pistols to his breast, they threatened to kill him if he did not instantly deliver up the packet, black box, and bag which he carried; and he had no choice but to yield. they then bound him, and leaving him tied by the foot to his horse, rode off with their spoil to garlton house, near haddington. as the packet contained government communications, besides the correspondence of private individuals, this was a crime of a very high nature, albeit we may well believe it was committed on political impulse only. suspicion seems immediately to have alighted on james seton, youngest son of the viscount kingston, and john seton, brother of sir george seton of garlton; and sir robert sinclair, the sheriff of the county, immediately sought for these young gentlemen at their father's and brother's houses, but found them not. with great hardihood, they came to sir robert's house next morning to inquire, as innocent men, why they were searched for; when sir robert, after a short examination in presence of the postboy, saw fit to have them disarmed and sent off to haddington. it was sunday, and bailie lauder, to whose house they came with their escort, was about to go to church. if the worthy bailie is to be believed, he thought their going to the sheriff's a great presumption of their innocence. he admitted, too, that lord kingston had come and spoken to him that morning. anyhow, he concluded that it might be enough in the meantime if he afforded them a room in his house, secured their horses in his stable, and left them under charge of two of the town-officers. unluckily, however, he required the town-officers, as usual, to walk before him and his brother magistrates to church--which, it is obvious, interfered very considerably with their efficiency as a guard over the two gentlemen. while things were in this posture, messrs seton took the prudent course of making their escape. as soon as the bailie heard of it he left church, and took after them with some neighbours, but he did not succeed in overtaking them. the privy council had an extraordinary meeting to take measures regarding this affair, and their first step was to order bailie lauder and the two town-officers into the tolbooth of edinburgh as close prisoners. a few days afterwards the magistrate was condemned by the council as guilty of plain fraud and connivance, and declared incapable of any public employment. william kaim, the smith at lord kingston's house of whittinghame, was also in custody on some suspicion of a concern in this business; but he and the town-officers were quickly liberated. "john seton was soon after seized by captain james denholm on board a merchant vessel bound for holland, and imprisoned in the castle of edinburgh. he underwent trial in july , and by some means escaped condemnation. a favourable verdict did not procure his immediate liberation; but, after three days, he was dismissed on caution, to return into custody if called upon. this final result was the more remarkable, as his father was by that time under charge of having aided in the betrayal of the bass." other instances of such gentleman-like performances in waylaying the post were not unknown in the primitive days of the post-office, for about the year the following notice was issued for the discovery of a gentleman of the law who had taken to evil ways by intercepting the mail:--"whereas mr herbert jones, attorney-at-law in the town of monmouth, well known by being several years together under-sheriff of the same county, hath of late divers times robbed the mail coming from that town to london, and taken out divers letters and writs, and is now fled from justice," &c. in august , the postboy riding the last stage towards edinburgh with the mail from england, was robbed on the th of that month, at a short distance from edinburgh. a record of the period relates that the robbery was committed by "a person mounted on horseback with a sword about him, and another person on foot with a pistol in his hand, upon the highway from haddington to edinburgh, near that place thereof called jock's lodge (a mile from town) about ten hours of the night." the robbers took "the packet or common mail, with the horse whereon the boy rode." a proclamation was issued by the scottish privy council, offering a reward of a hundred pounds for the apprehension of the offenders, with a free pardon to any one of them who should inform upon the rest; but with what result is not known. on the th september , the mail-rider from the north charged with the conveyance of mails for edinburgh, having reached kinross about midnight, proceeded to change horses as usual in a stable-yard at that place. the mail-bags he deposited on the back of a chaise in the yard until he should be ready to resume his journey. as was his custom, he then went into the stable to give a feed of corn to his horse; but while so engaged, the bags were abstracted and the contents stolen. two brothers, who were proved to have been in the neighbourhood at the time, and to whom some of the stolen property was traced, were arraigned for the crime before the high court of justiciary in edinburgh, and being found guilty, were sentenced to be executed. the following is a somewhat fuller account of a post, robbery on the public road, which occurred a few years later:-- in , the mails between edinburgh and glasgow were still conveyed by men travelling on horseback--the route taken being by way of falkirk--the hour of despatch from glasgow being p.m., and the hour of arrival in edinburgh about a.m. or a.m. the riders of this mail seem to have had sections of the road apportioned to them--one rider covering the road from glasgow to falkirk, the other taking the stage from falkirk to edinburgh. on the morning of the st of august in that year, the rider for the east stage--named william wilson--received the glasgow mail-bag entire and duly sealed at falkirk, and thereafter set out towards edinburgh. when he approached a rising ground called sighthill--probably a wooded knoll bearing that name, about three miles from linlithgow, on the road to polmont--he observed two men coming down towards him, and who, so soon as they got near him, placed themselves one on each side of his horse, and immediately seized him. one of the two men held something in his hand, and threatened wilson that if he offered to speak his brains would be blown out. then he was led away into a field of corn, where he was blindfolded by one of the men with his own handkerchief, and his hands tied behind his back; thereupon he was thrown down, and his legs bound together to prevent his getting free. meanwhile the other man led off the horse and rifled the mail. the post-rider remained in his unhappy position for about an hour, when he managed to extricate himself, and proceeding to the first house he could reach, implored the inmates "for god's sake" to let him in, as he had been robbed. having been admitted and obtained assistance, he returned to the scene of his adventure, and found the empty mail-bag at the foot of a haystack, while the horse was recovered a little distance away. the mail contained bills, &c., for something like £ or £ . the robbery of the mail caused great excitement in edinburgh so soon as it became known, and no long time elapsed before the perpetrators were in the hands of the authorities. the two men concerned in it proved to be james clark _alias_ alex. stewart, and robert brown, formerly privates in the foot guards. no sooner had they got back to edinburgh--where they had previously lodged--than they commenced to change some of the bank-notes taken from the mail-bag, and got the worse of drink; and being once suspected, the evidence soon accumulated and became strong against them. they were tried for the offence before the high court of justiciary in edinburgh in november following, and being found guilty, were sentenced to be executed. this robbery would appear to have had the effect of stirring up the public mind to demand a means of conveying the mails between the two cities affording greater security; for an agitation immediately followed for the setting up of coaches or diligences to carry the mails between those cities. owing, however, to difficulties and disagreements between the merchants and traders as to the hours of departure and arrival, and to wranglings over the particular route to be journeyed, the idea was abandoned, and the horse-post as of old was meanwhile continued. the robbery seems not to have been soon forgotten, however; for we find that towards the close of a proposal was made to enter into an agreement for the service with "an officer of the mid-lothian cavalry, and master of the riding academy in edinburgh," who offered to conduct and carry on the service in a masterly and military manner for an allowance of £ per annum--the riders to be employed being none other than able and active dragoons. but in the nature of things such a mail service could not continue, and negotiations still proceeded for the employment of diligences--not resulting in success, however, until the year , when the first mail-coach between edinburgh and glasgow was put upon the road. a somewhat similar attack upon a postboy was made in yorkshire in the year , when the rider's life was threatened by a highwayman single-handed, and the mails stolen from him. the case is interesting owing to the fact that traces of the robbery were obtained so recently as , though at the period of its occurrence no trace of the highwayman or of his plunder could be discovered. the official account of the robbery, when it happened, was as follows:-- "the postboy coming from selby to york was robbed of his mail between six and seven o'clock this evening. about three miles on this side of selby he was accosted by a man on foot, with a gun in his hand, who asked him if he was the postboy, and at the same time seized hold of the bridle. without waiting for any answer, he told the boy he must immediately unstrap the mail and give it him, pointing the muzzle of the gun at him whilst he did it. when he had given up the mail, the boy begged he would not hurt him; to which the man replied he need not be afraid, and at the same time pulled the bridle from the horse's head. the horse immediately galloped off with the boy, who had never dismounted. "he was a stout man, dressed in a drab jacket, and had the appearance of being a heckler. the boy was too much frightened to make any other remark on his person, and says he was totally unknown to him. the mail contained the bags for howden and london, howden and york, and selby and york." [illustration: selby mail-bag.] although a reward of £ was offered for the discovery of the robber, and a free pardon to any accessory who might turn accuser, nothing was heard of the matter at the time, though suspicion, it is said, pointed to some of the inhabitants of selby. the robbery might perhaps have remained forgotten, but that, upon a public-house situated on the churchhill, selby, being pulled down in , a suit of clothes, a sou'-wester hat, and an old mail-bag marked "selby" were found in the roof. there is little doubt that these were the clothes worn by the robber on the occasion under notice, and that the bag (which is a sort of waterproof-pouch, furnished with two straps to pass over the shoulders) is the identical bag which contained the mails stolen in . when the foundations of this old public-house were turned up, the discovery was made of several coffins containing bodies in a good state of preservation--a circumstance, when taken in connection with the traces of the mail-robbery and the public character of the house, ominous in the extreme. the case is one which might be taken as somewhat proving the suggestion put forward by smollett in 'roderick random' as to the intimate relations which existed between the _personnel_ of the innkeepers and the common highwaymen--the former being well aware of the profession followed by the latter, if not actually sharers in their plunder. the illustration of the selby bag is from a photograph. the bag, when folded for the postboy's back, measured about inches broad by inches deep. on wednesday the d october , at half-past nine in the evening, the postboy carrying the mail-bags from teignmouth and neighbouring places to exeter, was assaulted "in a most desperate and inhuman manner" near the village of alphington, and plundered of the teignmouth and exminster bags. the poor man was attacked with such fury that he was felled from his horse, came to the ground on his head, which was fractured in two places, and in consequence of his injuries, he remained insensible for some time. when he regained consciousness in the exeter hospital, whither he had been conveyed, he was able to explain that, at the time of the attack, he was walking his horse up a hill, that the assailant was a young man, and that he was mounted on a grey horse. this horse was supposed afterwards to be traced, though the robber failed to be discovered, notwithstanding that a reward of £ was offered for his discovery and conviction. "a horse exactly answering the description," says an official record, "was taken from a field near dawlish on the wednesday night, and turned back to the same place before daybreak on thursday, having evidently been rode very fast, and gored very much in the sides." the owner of the horse could give no assistance in the matter, nor had he suspicions against any one; so that it would appear the robber had taken the horse surreptitiously for his purpose. the mail-bags were afterwards recovered, with some few of the letters opened: but it did not appear that any property was missing. the unfortunate rider, whose name was "caddy," remained in hospital till the january following, when he was discharged; but in the month of may his wounds broke out afresh, and he had to return to hospital, being now become subject to epileptic fits owing to his injuries. as he was no longer able for service, he was granted a gratuity by the post-office; and it is not probable that he survived very long thereafter. with the mere expectation of getting some little gain from the robbery, the marauder had all but killed the poor postboy, who had a wife and two children dependent on him; and he has in his evil-doing given a good example of what burns calls "man's inhumanity to man," that "makes countless thousands mourn." in the year the deputy-postmaster of the orkneys and his son, a lad of about sixteen years of age, were tried at the high court of justiciary, edinburgh, on a charge of breaking open certain post-letters while in their custody in course of transit, and therefrom abstracting money. the indictment contained a further charge of forgery against the elder prisoner, the deputy having endorsed another person's name upon a money-order contained in one of the stolen letters. the thefts were committed at different times in and , and the specific cases upon which evidence was led were in respect of the following letters--viz., two letters sent at different times to orkney by a seaman in the royal navy, one containing a guinea-note and half a guinea in gold, the other containing either a guinea in gold or a note for that amount; a letter from london for orkney, containing a money-order for £ s.; and a letter from perth for orkney, enclosing a note for a guinea: the whole amount involved being under £ . in the course of the trial it was proved that the deputy was guilty, certain of the missing letters having been found in his house, and the son had already confessed to what was charged against him. the whole cases were clearly made out to the satisfaction of the jury, who returned a verdict accordingly against both prisoners, but with a recommendation of mercy towards the son of the deputy, on the score of his tender years. sentence was pronounced on the th september, and the date of execution fixed for the th october. by the exercise of the royal prerogative, george iii. granted a free pardon to the deputy's son, who was forthwith set at liberty; but it is a melancholy reflection, that for delinquencies involving the loss of so small a sum as £ , the deputy-postmaster should, on the date fixed for his execution, have actually been led forth to his doom. in a report of the circumstance written at the time, it is stated "that he was attended by the rev. mr black of lady yester's, and mr struthers of the relief congregation, and behaved in a manner suitable to his unhappy situation!" god forbid that there should be a standard of deportment for occasions like this, where, to our more humane notions, the punishment so fearfully outweighs the offence. early in the year a sad blow fell upon the postmaster of a certain town in wales, on its being discovered that an assistant in his office, a daughter of his own, had been stealing post-letters. in the course of investigations made into her misdoings, it was discovered that the thefts had been going on for a period of seven years, during which time she had accumulated as much jewellery and haberdashery as would have stocked a small shop--and besides, money to the amount of £ . the letters from which the property had been taken were between two and three hundred, and these she had kept, so that it was possible to restore to the owners, in many cases, the stolen articles. on the th march the unfortunate and misguided creature was tried, on the charge of stealing a particular letter, and was convicted--the sentence passed upon her being _transportation for ten years_. it was afterwards ascertained that the motive underlying this long career of thieving was a desire to amass such a dowry as would improve her prospects in the matter of obtaining a husband. _hatton garden robbery._ on thursday the th november , the whole country was made aware, through the daily papers, that a most daring post-office robbery had been committed in london the previous afternoon, the scene of the event being the hatton garden branch office, situated in the busy district of holborn. the time and plan of carrying out the undertaking were not such as are usually chosen for attempts of this kind, the hour at which the robbery was effected being p.m., when the office was thronged with the public purchasing stamps, or doing other business in view of the night-mail despatch. nor was there any furtive mode of proceeding in the ordinary sense, but a bold and dashing stroke for the chances of success or failure. on the afternoon of the day of the robbery, a murky fog, such as londoners know so well and heartily dislike, hung over the metropolis. the street lamps afforded but a dull light in the thoroughfares; shops and offices were lighted up for the evening's business; and the afternoon's work in the hatton garden post-office was at its height (the registered-letter bag, containing some forty registered letters, having just been deposited in an ordinary bag hanging from a peg in the office), when suddenly, and without apparent cause, the whole of the lights in the office went out, and the place was plunged in almost total darkness. consternation took possession of the female clerks behind the counter, while young clerks and boys from warehouses and offices, conceiving the occasion to be one for noise and merriment, helped to increase the confusion by clamour and hubbub outside the counter. no long time elapsed before matches were obtained and tapers lit, when it was immediately discovered that the tap of the gas-meter in the basement had been turned off; but on the tap being turned on again, the jets in the office were relit, and the place resumed its wonted appearance. the young ladies in the office being now able to see around them, soon detected the absence of the bag, which had been left hanging on the peg, and which they knew had not yet been despatched by them. it did not take long to realise that the bag had vanished--in fact, had been stolen; and to this day the property contained in the lost registered letters has not been recovered, nor have the persons concerned in the theft been traced. it is believed that two or more individuals were engaged in the robbery, the supposition being that one person got down into the basement without attracting attention, and turned off the gas, while another, so soon as darkness supervened, got by some means within the counter, and, unobserved, took the bag from the peg--all concerned making good their escape in the midst of the stir and noise by which they were surrounded. the whole adventure bears the impress of having been carefully planned and cleverly executed, and there is little doubt that the robbery was carried out by men who were experts in their nefarious calling. the value of the articles contained in the forty registered letters was about £ , ; and as the scene of the robbery lay in the midst of diamond merchants and jewellers, it is not surprising that precious stones and jewellery were the principal contents of these letters. besides watches, bracelets set with pearls and diamonds, ear-rings, rings, &c., the following articles were among the property stolen--viz., eight parcels of rough diamonds, turquoises, a quantity of small emeralds, drilled sapphires, pairs of garnet bores, pairs of sapphire bores, a quantity of sapphires weighing carats, several rubies and sapphires weighing carats, &c., &c. a reward of £ was offered by the postmaster-general, and a further reward of £ by certain insurance companies who had insured the valuable letters, for the conviction of the delinquents and the recovery of the stolen property; but the robbery remains to this day one of those which have baffled the skill of the metropolitan police and the officers of the post-office to unravel or to bring home to the evil-doers. _cape diamond robbery._ the greater portion of the diamonds found in griqualand west, in south africa, are sent weekly to england through the post-office, made up in packets, which are forwarded as registered letters--the value of these remittances being collectively from £ , to £ , . in april , the sailing of the mail-steamer from cape town having been delayed until the day after the arrival of the up-country mails, the bag containing the registered correspondence was left in the registered-letter office of the cape town post-office; not, however, locked up in the safe, where it ought to have been, but carelessly left underneath one of the tables. during the night the office was broken into, and the whole of the diamonds stolen, valued at £ , . who the robbers were appears never to have been discovered, and they have doubtless since been in the enjoyment of the fruits of their villainous enterprise. as it is the practice of people in the diamond trade to insure packets of diamonds sent by them, the senders did not suffer anything beyond inconvenience by this robbery; but the insurance companies were involved in the loss, and had to pay claims amounting to £ , . the following is an account of a robbery attempted upon a postman in london in july , as officially reported at the time:-- "an attempt was this morning made to murder or seriously to maim bradley, the lombard street letter-carrier, with a view of obtaining possession of the letters for his district. he was passing through mitre court, a narrow passage between wood street and milk street, when the gate of the court was closed and locked behind him with a skeleton key by, it is believed, three men, who followed him a few yards farther on in the passage. on bradley getting to a wider part of the court, one of them felled him to the ground by a heavy blow from a life-preserver; he attempted to rise, but was again knocked down in a similar manner. he then felt that they tried to force from him his letter-bags, but fortunately the mouths of them were, for security, twisted round his arm. they continued their blows; but bradley retained sufficient consciousness to call out 'murder!' so as to be heard by some of the porters in the adjoining warehouses, who ran to see what was the matter, but unluckily the villains escaped. poor bradley is most seriously injured--so much so that he may be considered in some danger." an idea of the amount of property the thieves would have obtained had bradley not held the bags tightly (even under such circumstances), may be formed from the fact that he had in his possession thirty-seven registered letters containing property, besides all the other letters for messrs overend, gurney, & co., robarts, curtis, & co., glynn & co., the london and county bank, as well as those for thirty-four other houses in lombard street. it was believed at the time that the value of the property in bradley's possession amounted to hundreds of thousands of pounds. a daring robbery of a berlin postman occurred not very long ago, when the outrage was accompanied by a still more atrocious crime--the murder of the postman. the man was one of a class who deliver money remittances at the addresses of the persons to whom they are sent, under a system which prevails in some countries of the continent, and he had with him cash and notes to the amount of some £ . the robber and murderer, a man of great bodily strength, had so arranged that a small remittance would fall to be delivered at his address on monday morning--an occasion when a large number of remittances are received; and on the postman reaching the place, and proceeding to pay the requisite sum, the occupier of the premises felled him with a hammer, and with repeated blows killed him outright. it was evident from the circumstances that the murderer had duly planned the outrage, for the room rented was near to the starting-point of the postman, so that he should not have paid away any portion of his charge when he reached the room. the body of the poor postman was found afterwards cold and stiff, lying in a pool of blood, with his empty and rifled bag beside him; and the weapon with which the perpetrator had achieved the murder, remained there as a witness of the crime. the murderer was said to have previously served in a cuirassier regiment. before decamping, he had turned the key in the door of his room; and the discovery was only made after a search by the post-office authorities at the addresses at which the postman had to call, on his failing to return later in the day. some years ago the following extensive robbery of letters occurred in london. an unusually large number of complaints were found to be reaching the general post-office, of the non-receipt by merchants, bankers, and others carrying on business in lombard street and its neighbourhood, of letters containing bank-notes, cheques, advices, and important correspondence, sent to them from all parts of the kingdom. the circumstance naturally gave rise to careful inquiry on the part of the post-office authorities, with the result that suspicion fell upon a young postman of nineteen years of age, through whose hands many of the missing letters would in ordinary course have to pass. certain bank of england notes, which had been contained in some of the letters, were found to have been cashed; and the names endorsed upon them, though fictitious, were in a handwriting resembling that of the young man suspected. thereupon he was arrested and searched, when in a pocketbook on his person were found two £ notes, which had been forwarded from norfolk to a banking-house in london, but had failed to reach their destination. in a pocket in his official coat were found also some thirty-five letters of various dates, which he had neglected to deliver, to the inconvenience or loss no doubt of the persons addressed; but the most astonishing part of the business is, that when his locker or cupboard at the general post-office was examined, about letters were found there which he had stopped, the dates upon the envelopes showing that his delinquencies had extended over several months. this young man, upon being tried for the offences named, was convicted, and with the usual severity observed in similar circumstances, the judge passed upon the prisoner a sentence of six years' penal servitude. the following curious instance of the wholesale misappropriation of post-letters also came under the notice of the post-office authorities in london a few years ago:-- a man was observed one day carrying off some boards from a building in course of erection in the wandsworth bridge road, fulham, and being pursued by a constable, he dropped the timber and made off. the man was, however, captured and taken to the police-station, whereupon the place where he lived was searched for other stolen property. his habitation was situated upon a waste piece of ground on the banks of the thames, the erection being of wood built upon piles, and so placed as to be almost entirely surrounded by water. here this man, who was a barge-owner, and who was passing under an assumed name, had lived in isolation for about a year; the position selected for his home being one calculated to afford him that complete seclusion from social intercourse which would seem to have been his aim. in the course of their examination of the contents of the hut, the police found not only more stolen timber, but various other articles, the chief of which, in the present connection, were a large lot of post-letters, mail-bags, and articles of postmen's clothing, besides milk-cans and a case of forty rifles. as the inquiry proceeded, it became known that the prisoner was a post-office pensioner, having been superannuated from his office of postman some three years previously, after having served in that capacity a period of fifteen years. it would seem that his official delinquencies had extended over some six or eight years; but so far as the letters showed, theft in the ordinary sense could hardly have been the man's purpose, inasmuch as the letters had not been opened, with one exception, and in this instance the person for whom the letter was intended could not be found. the motive underlying this free departure from the ways of honesty seems to have had its root in simple acquisitiveness; the hundredweight of letters, book-packets, &c., the old mail-bags, discarded uniforms, and waste official papers (not to mention the thirty milk-cans, supposed to have been picked up when going his rounds as a postman, and the case of rifles), having been turned to no profitable account. had the superannuated postman opened the letters found in his premises, the punishment which would have followed would necessarily have been severe. as the case stood, however, he was merely charged under the post-office acts with their unlawful detention, and sentence was passed upon him of eighteen months' imprisonment with hard labour. it seems astonishing that this postman should have had the folly to retain about him so long the evidences of his errors, which might at any time have been brought up against him; but, perhaps, the feeling prompting this may be akin to that which leads criminals to visit the scenes of former iniquities, even when incurring the risk of discovery, and if discovered, of certain punishment. the following is a case of robbery which occurred in , as reported by the newspapers of the day, the culprit being quite a young person:-- "the most destructive and important case of robbery in connection with mr fawcett's plan, introduced some two or three years ago, for facilitating the placing of small sums, by means of postage-stamps, in the post-office savings bank, came before the bristol magistrates to-day, when ellen hunt, a domestic servant, about sixteen years of age, was charged with stealing a large number of letters, some of them containing cheques, the property of the postmaster-general. mr clifton, who prosecuted, said the robberies were of a very extensive character, and might have been fraught with the direst consequences. they had been discovered in a singular manner, no money having been missed: but a large number of circular letters, addressed by the bristol clerk to officials requiring to be sworn in connection with the school board election this week, miscarried. inquiries were made by the postal authorities, when it was found that all these circulars had been posted at the redcliffe district office, where the prisoner was the servant of the postmaster, mr devine. it was the custom of mr devine to place the key of the letter-box in a secret place for the use of himself and his assistants; but the prisoner discovered it, and the circular letters were found in her possession with the postage-stamps off them. they had been removed for payment into the post-office savings bank on the forms by which a shilling's worth of postage-stamps saved up by school-children and others is now accepted by the savings bank department of the post-office; but the most serious part of the case was the fact that in the prisoner's box were discovered the bundles of opened letters now produced by detective short, and containing cheques already discovered to the amount of £ , s., all of which had been sent through the same post-office. the charge was laid under the th section of the act, but formerly a prisoner would have been liable for such an offence to transportation for life. some evidence having been given, the girl, who was hysterical throughout the hearing, was remanded. apparently no effort had been made to deal with the cheques, but the detective stated that the numerous letters had been opened." _tale of a banker's letter._ towards the close of last century, or early in the present century, a tradesman of the better class carrying on business in a certain town of the west of england, which we shall here call x----, and who also added to his ordinary business that of the agency of a bank, posted a bulky letter containing heavy remittances in notes, addressed to the bank of england. this letter never reached its destination, and the loss, being of a most serious kind, was soon bruited about, and became the theme, locally, of general conversation. as it happened, the sender was a man of strong political opinions, and having courage to express them, there were many persons holding opposite views who not only regarded him with feelings akin to dislike, but were ready to take up any missile which chance might place in their way to damage their adversary's fair name. while, therefore, the bank agent maintained that he had posted the letter in question, insinuations were set afloat to the effect that he had not done so, and that the object of his allegations was to fend off pressing calls in matters of account. he suffered greatly in reputation from these unsupported stories, though there was nothing else in his circumstances to create suspicion. time, the great anodyne of scandal, had somewhat assuaged the sufferings of the unfortunate banker, and probably softened the unkind feelings of those who had been disposed to think hardly of him; the loss of the letter itself had ceased to attract attention; and as yet nothing was heard of the letter, or the valuable enclosures which it had contained. at length, however, the agent received intimation that one of the missing notes--a bank of england note for £ --which was _stopped_ at that establishment, had been presented in london. as the result of inquiries which were made, it was now traced to an old-established silversmith somewhere in the city of london; but beyond this point the search failed, for all the account the silversmith could give was, that he had received the note some time previously from a man of respectable appearance, who had the exterior and conversation of what might be a well-to-do west-country farmer. this man was accompanied to his shop by a young woman of the flash type, to whom the stranger presented two or three rings; purchasing for himself some heavy gold seals, such as were in vogue at the period, a silver tankard or two, and several punch-ladles. in payment of these articles the £ note was passed, but the silversmith could give no further help; though hope was not yet extinct, for he added that he should certainly recognise his customers, were they ever to come under his observation again. the man of x---- was a man of determination, and, still smarting under the loss of means and honour, he resolved that, sooner or later, he should discover by whom his letter had been stolen. the silversmith, readily entering into these views, cordially offered his personal services, and it was arranged between the banker and himself that they should ransack london, visiting the ranelahs, the vauxhalls, the parks, the theatres--indeed every place where gay women and men of pleasure might be found together. this was an arduous task; but in the end their perseverance was rewarded by the discovery of the young woman to whom the farmer had presented the rings. on being questioned, this young person, while frankly stating what she knew, had little to tell. she had, she said, been in snow hill or holborn one morning at the hour of the arrival of the west of england mail-coach. among the passengers who got down was a youngish, fresh-looking farmer, whose acquaintance she then made, and whose constant companion she was for several days thereafter. she still wore the articles of jewellery which had been presented to her; but she declared that she had never seen the man since, nor did she know his name. and here the inquiry again seemed to exhaust itself, in the vague discovery of a _west-country farmer_. the acquaintance between the banker and the silversmith, which had come about in the way already stated, soon ripened into friendship. they had, in a greater or less degree, a common interest in the matter of the stolen note, but they soon found out that there was other common ground for the growth of amity between them--they were both disciples of izaak walton. it became the custom of the silversmith to visit at the house of his friend in the west every season, when the two men would go out fishing together in the neighbouring streams, enjoying each other's society, and frequently, no doubt, going over again the old story of the lost letter. one day, during such a visit, the silversmith went out alone to try a stream not many miles distant from his friend's residence, and while so engaged a heavy shower swept across the scene. the angler sought shelter in a roadside inn, from which, as it happened, he was not far distant. the house was well known, and the proprietor was of the half-farmer, half-publican type, the business of innkeeper in such a situation not affording a sufficient living by itself. feeling somewhat peckish, the visitor called for lunch. he was waited upon by the landlord in person. while the bread and cheese and cider were being carried in, the landlord apologised for the absence of the female folks, who were for the moment engaged elsewhere; and during this brief conversation, the silversmith (still instinct with professional taste) studied a bunch of heavy seals hanging from a watch in the landlord's fob. the landlord perceived that these articles had attracted the stranger's notice, and when he again came into the room the fact was observed by the other that they had been left aside or placed out of sight. this incident set the stranger thinking; and while so engaged, his eye fell upon an old-fashioned glass-fronted cupboard occupying a corner of the room, in which were exhibited the inn treasures--old crystal vessels, china bowls, and the like--together with the plate of the establishment. a sudden thought struck him. he proceeded to examine the contents of the repository; and, standing upon a chair to explore the upper shelves, what was his amazement when he there recognised the silver tankards and the silver punch-ladles which he had sold to the west-country farmer many years before! then, eagerly turning over the whole matter in his mind, the features of the landlord came back upon him, and in this man he recognised the person who in london had purchased these articles and paid to him the stolen £ bank of england note. the silversmith lost no time in communicating the facts to the banker, who at once obtained a warrant, and, with two constables, proceeded the same evening to the inn to put it into execution. the landlord was called into a room, there and then he was charged with having stolen the note, and was forthwith conveyed into x---- a prisoner. it transpired in the course of inquiries that in his early days--before the period of the robbery--this man had been employed as a servant or assistant by the postmaster at x----. he left that situation, however, and became coachman to one of the neighbouring gentry. while in this service it was very frequently his duty to drive the family into town, where they would rest some portion of the day in their town house, and return to the country seat in the evening. in these intervals it sometimes happened that the coachman would go to the post-office, and there chat and gossip with his old fellow-servants. he visited the post-office on the day when the stolen letter was posted; he and his former comrades smoked and drank together; and in the end he volunteered to assist with the letters. he did so; and while thus engaged he managed to abstract the banker's letter, which, owing to its bulky nature and the address which it bore, he suspected to contain value. his visit on that particular day was verified by circumstances in the recollection of the persons at the post-office, and other evidence of his guilt accumulated against him; but this testimony was not really necessary, for the farmer-publican himself confessed to the theft of the letter, and explained how he had obtained possession of it. the course usual in such circumstances followed. the offence was visited with the severity which characterised the period--the man suffered the extreme penalty of the law. chapter xvi. telegraphic blunders. although the work of sending and receiving telegraphic messages may be regarded in a general way as partaking largely of a merely mechanical nature, yet it is work to which the operator who is to achieve credit in his sphere must bring much tact, good sense, intelligence, a knowledge of the world, and a considerable amount of patience. not only are the terms in which telegrams are frequently written so far devoid of context in themselves, owing to the curt way in which they are worded, as to render the sense of little assistance in estimating the correctness of a message received, but the letters of the telegraphic alphabet, being nothing more than little groups of dots and dashes variously arranged, are extremely susceptible of mutilation, owing to any lack of exact spacing on the part of the sending operator. nor does the liability to error lie only in these directions. the dots and dashes frequently fail or run together, owing either to feeble signals, contact of the wires with one another, with trees, or other objects, or to the instruments not being in perfect adjustment. a grain of grit or of dust getting between the points of contact in a delicate instrument will sometimes do much mischief in the way indicated. there is liability to mistakes, too, in consequence of the handwriting of the senders, or of the operators at a transmitting point where messages have to be again taken down, not being very plain. yet over and above these tendencies to error, there is the fallibility of human nature, which will sometimes lead a person to write "no" where "yes" is intended, or "black" where "white" is meant; and of such mistakes probably no explanation can be given. so that the work of a telegraphist is beset with pitfalls, and he requires all his wits and a fair share of intelligence to keep him right in his work. it may further be remarked that many errors in telegrams, which might be supposed by the public to be gross or inexcusable, have occurred in the most simple way, or have been shown to be due to failures of a very trifling kind. the following are illustrations of such mistakes:-- a pleasure-party, telegraphing to some friends, stated that they had "arrived all right," but the message was rendered, "we have arrived all tight." the words "right" and "tight" in the morse code are as follows:-- r i g h t · - · · · - - · · · · · - t i g h t - · · - - · · · · · - in another case, a poor person, desiring to state that her daughter was ill, wrote in her message, "mary is bad." this was rendered, "mary is dead," the sense being changed by a slight imperfection of spacing, thus-- d e a d - · · · · - - · · instead of-- b a d - · · · · - - · · in a third case, owing to failing signals, possibly from so simple a cause as the intermittent contact of the wire with a wet branch of a tree, or a particle of grit or dust finding its way between the points of the instrument, the import of the message was altogether changed. thus, "alfred doing well, enjoyed egg to-day," was received, "alfred dying, enjoyed gg to-day." a gentleman telegraphed from london to his brother in the country to send a hack to meet him at the station; but when the gentleman arrived at the station he found a _sack_ waiting for him. a firm in london telegraphed, "_send rails ten foot lengths_;" but the message was delivered, "_send rails in foot lengths_." a person telegraphed to a friend to "take two stalls at the haymarket," but the message conveyed directions to secure "two stables at the haymarket." in another telegram, the intimation, "mother is no worse," was changed to "mother is no more." again, "you will be glad to hear that your sister has accepted an engagement with your father's approval," was rendered, "that your sister has accepted an engagement with your father's apostle." in another case a plain business message, thus--"come to me as early as you can, that we may arrange wednesday," was given a matrimonial turn by being delivered as, "that we may arrange wedding." the next case is one in which a hungry man would doubtless be made an angry man in consequence of the mistake which occurred. his message, which was written thus,--"shall arrive by train to-morrow _morning_; provide a good _supply_ of bread, butter, eggs, milk, and potatoes,"--was delivered as "provide a good _supper_ of bread," &c. in another instance the notice that "mr ---- will come to-night with me at to tea," was rendered, "mr ---- will come to-night with me, get to tea;" the only argument in favour of the mistake being "the more the merrier." then, on another occasion, a telegram sent by a person in the country to "madame ----, costumier," at an address in london, conveying an order for a fancy dress, was presented to the maker of costumes as "madame ----, costermonger." in a telegram directed to "----, m.p., house of commons," the address somehow got changed to "----, m.p., house of correction;" but the member not being found there, the clerks at the delivering office suggested that it should be tried at the "house of detention,"--a not unlikely place for successful delivery of such a message as things were at the time. it has been left to america to produce a mistake in telegraphing which, while it is very amusing, could not result in hurt or disappointment to any one. here it is, just as received from the other side of the "ferry":-- a st louis merchant, while in new york, received a telegram notifying that his wife was ill. he sent a message to his family doctor asking the nature of the sickness, and if there was any danger, and promptly received the answer "_no danger; your wife has had a child; if we can keep her from having another to-night she will do well._" the mystification of the agitated husband was not removed until a second inquiry revealed the fact that his indisposed lady had had a _chill_. chapter xvii. how letters are lost. in dealing with the vast numbers of letters and other post articles which daily flow through the capacious veins of the british post-office, the officials of the department come to learn many strange things connected with the wanderings of letters from their proper courses; they learn much in regard to the blunders made by the senders of letters in writing their addresses, and of the supreme folly frequently shown by individuals in transmitting valuables in carelessly-made-up packets; and this experience not only has the effect of causing complaints made by the public to be sometimes met by doubts and misgivings on the part of the post-office, but is of great use in tracing home the blame to the right quarter, which is found to be, not infrequently, where the complainer had least reason to suspect it. the following facts will probably establish what is here advanced, besides proving of interest to the reader. it is quite a common occurrence for letters--especially letters of a small size--which are dropped into a letter-box, to slip inside newspapers or book-packets, and to be carried, not only out of their proper course, but to places abroad, thus getting into the hands of the wrong persons. such letters are returned from time to time from every quarter of the globe, but what proportion of those which go astray are duly returned it is impossible to say; for there are persons who, on receiving letters in this way not intended for them, proceed to open the envelopes through sheer curiosity, and having thus violated the letters, do not hesitate to destroy them. others again, through dishonest motives, open letters of this class in the hope of gain. but there are others who, through no such interest, but merely from the want of a neighbourly spirit, refuse to take any trouble to put an errant letter in its proper course. this spirit was displayed in the case of a letter which had been misdelivered by the postman at a given address on the first floor of a tenement (it being intended for a person occupying the ground floor), the person who had received it stating, when questioned, that he had torn up the letter because he would not be troubled to send it downstairs! letters are sometimes, too, carried away to wrong addresses by sticking to the backs of other letters. again, through a great want of sense, or perhaps a redundancy of stupidity, letters are deposited occasionally in the most extraordinary places, in the idea that they are being posted. a servant-girl being sent out to post a letter, drops it into the letter-box of an empty shop, where it is found when an intending tenant goes to look at the premises. in a town in the north of scotland a person was observed to deposit a letter in a disused street hydrant, and on the cover of the box being removed, three other letters were found, the senders of which had similarly mistaken the water-pillar for a letter-box. the letters had been passed into the box through the space formerly occupied by the tap-lever. a somewhat similarly absurd thing happened some time ago in liverpool, where two letters were observed to have been forced behind the plate indicating the hours of collection on a pillar letter-box--the person who had placed them there no doubt thinking he was doing the correct thing. it must be that many individuals entertain the greatest confidence in the servants of the post-office, or they would not send money and valuables as they do. they also, perhaps, regard the department as a fit subject on which to perpetrate petty frauds, by sending things of intrinsic value enclosed in books and newspapers. instances of this kind are frequent. within the folds of a newspaper addressed to a person in ireland were found two sovereigns, yet there was no writing to show who the sender was. a brown-paper parcel, merely tied with string, unsealed, and not even registered, was found to contain six sovereigns, one half-crown, two sixpences, and three halfpenny-pieces, wrapped up in small articles of ladies' dress. in the chief office in london, two gold watches were found inside an unregistered book-packet addressed to new zealand, the middle portions of the leaves having been cut out so as to admit of the watches being concealed within. on another occasion, but in a scotch post-office, a packet containing a book bound in morocco, was on examination discovered to have the inner portion of the leaves hollowed out, while still retaining the appearance of an ordinary book, and inside this hollow were found secreted a gold watch and a silver locket. at another time, a £ bank of england note was observed pinned to one of the pages of a book addressed to the initials of a lady at a receiving-house in the london metropolitan district. a packet done up in a piece of brown paper, unsealed, but tied with string, was found to contain a small quantity of trimming, a collar-box with a few paper-collars, and inside the box were two £ notes and s. in silver. a halfpenny wrapper was used to serve as a covering for the transmission of a letter, a bill of sale, and four £ bank of england notes. in a newspaper which reached the dead-letter office were found four sovereigns, and in another a gold locket. a packet carelessly rolled up was seen to contain a sovereign, two half-sovereigns, and a savings-bank book. in several instances coins have been found imbedded in cake and pieces of toast; and on one occasion gold coins of the value of £ , s. were discovered in a large seal at the back of a letter, the gold pieces having come to light through the wax getting slightly chipped. but the most flattering act of confidence in the probity of the post-office fell to be performed by a person at leeds, who, desiring to send a remittance to a friend, folded a five-pound note in two, wrote the address on the back of it, and, without cover or registration, consigned it to the letter-box. petty frauds are committed on the post-office to a large extent by the senders of newspapers, who infringe the rules by enclosing all sorts of things between the leaves--such as cigars and tobacco, collars, sea-weed, ferns and flowers, gloves, handkerchiefs, music, patterns, sermons, stockings, postage-stamps, and so on. people in the united states and canada are much given to these practices, as shown by the fact that in one-half of the year , more than , newspapers were detected with such articles secreted in them. occasionally letters of great value are very carelessly treated after delivery, through misconception as to what they really are. a person alleging that a registered letter containing a number of suez canal coupons had not reached him, the post-office was able to prove its delivery; and on search being then made in the premises of the addressee, the coupons were found in the waste-paper basket, where they had been thrown under the idea that they were circulars. in another instance a registered letter, containing turkish bonds with coupons payable to bearer, was misdirected to and delivered at an address in the west end of london, though it was really intended for a firm in the city. the value of the enclosures was more than £ . when inquiry came to be made at the place of delivery, it was found that the bonds had been mistaken for foreign lottery-tickets of no value, and were put aside for the children of the family to play with. cases come to light, too, involving a history--or at least suggesting a history without affording particulars--or leaving us entirely in the dark as to the circumstances of the matter. thus, two packets which had been addressed to australia, and had been forwarded thither, were returned to england with the mark upon them, "unclaimed." on being opened, one of them was found to contain sovereigns, and the other sovereigns; yet there was no communication whatever in either to show who had sent them. it was supposed, by way of explanation, that a person proceeding to australia had directed the packets to himself, intending to reach the colony by means of another ship; and that, having died upon the passage, or his ship having been lost, no application was ever made for them at the office to which they had been directed. on one occasion a cheque for £ , s. was found loose in a pillar letter-box in birmingham. the owner was traced through the bank upon which the cheque was drawn, but he was unable to give any explanation of the circumstances under which it had passed from his possession. the following are a series of instances in which letters have got out of their proper bearings,--chiefly in the hands of the senders or the persons addressed, or through the carelessness of the servants of those persons; and the cases show how prone the public are to lay blame upon the post-office when anything goes wrong with their letters, before making proper search in their own premises. a number of cases are added, in which the servants of the senders or of the persons addressed have been proved dishonest, when the blame had first been laid upon post-office servants; and one or two cases are given where the department has been held up as the delinquent, merely to afford certain individuals an excuse for not paying money due by them, or otherwise to shirk their obligations. "a person applied at the leeds post-office, and stated that two letters (one of which contained the half of a bank-note) which he had himself posted at that office had not reached their destination--mentioning at the same time some circumstances associated with the alleged posting of the letters. after some conversation, he was requested to produce the letter which had informed him of the non-receipt of the letters in question; but instead of producing it, he, to his own great astonishment, took from his pocket the very letters which he believed he had himself posted." "inquiry having been made respecting a letter sent to a person residing at kirkcudbright, it appeared that it had been duly delivered, but that the addressee having left the letter on a table during the night, it had been devoured by rats." another case of the depredation of rats upon letters is as follows:-- certain letters which ought to have reached a bookseller in a country town not having been received, it was concluded, after inquiry, that they had been duly delivered, but had subsequently been withdrawn from under the street door, which was furnished with a slit to receive letters, but without a box to retain them. during subsequent alterations in the shop, however, when it was necessary to remove the flooring under the window, the discovery was made of thirty-one letters, six post-cards, and three newspapers which had been carried thither by rats! the corners of the letters, &c., bearing the stamps, were nibbled away, leaving no doubt that the gum upon the labels was the inducement to the theft. several of the letters contained cheques and money-orders. but rats are old enemies to letters, as is known in the post-office; for in the olden times, when sailing-ships were in use as mail-packets, sad complaints were made of the havoc caused by "ratts" to the mails conveyed in these ships. nor are rats the only dumb creatures which have shown a "literary" turn, in getting possession of post-letters. some years ago a postman was going his rounds delivering letters in kelvedon, in essex, carrying a registered letter in his hand ready to deliver it at the next house, when a tame raven--a worthy compeer, if not a contemporary, of the jackdaw of rheims--suddenly darted down, snatched it from his grasp, and flew off with it. the bewildered postman could only watch the bird while it made a circuit over the town, which it did before alighting; and so soon as it got to a suitable place, it set to work to analyse the composition of the missive by tearing the letter to pieces. the fragments were shortly afterwards collected and put together, when it was found that part of them were the remains of a cheque for £ , which was afterwards renewed when the singular affair was made known. another curious incident in which birds are concerned occurred in the spring of at shewbridge hall, near nantwich, in cheshire. for the convenience of the people at the hall, a letter-box is placed by the gate at the roadside, into which the post-runner drops the correspondence addressed to shewbridge hall. mr lockett, the occupier of the house, expecting a letter from liverpool, containing a cheque for £ , went to the box, where, as it happened, he found the letter, but in a mutilated state, and the cheque gone. believing that a robbery of his box had been committed, or that the letter had been violated before being deposited therein, he forthwith rode into nantwich to report the matter at the post-office and to the police. returning later on, he examined the box more closely, and discovered tomtits inside; and further investigation led to the discovery of the cheque lying twenty yards away on the turnpike road, whither it had evidently been carried for examination. the cheque was folded small, and could therefore be easily carried by these small birds. [illustration: letter-box taken possession of by tomtits.] the tomtits had taken possession of the box for nesting purposes, and perhaps they found the letter to be in the way, and accordingly made an effort to remove it. in the spring of the previous year a pair of tomtits built their nest in this letter-box (possibly the same pair), and reared a brood of young, though letters were being dropped into the box every day. a very similar circumstance occurred in the same season at a place near lockerbie, where a letter-box is affixed to the trunk of a tree bordering on the main road, for the convenience of the people living at daltonhook farm, which occupies a site some distance from the highway. the letter-box is about fifteen inches square, with the usual slit to admit of letters being dropped in, and a door to the front the full size of the box, to allow the postman to clear it or to place larger packets within. a pair of tomtits, considering the box an eligible place for bringing up a family, built their nest in it, obtaining ingress and egress by the letter-slit, and choosing that portion of the interior farthest from the door for their purpose. in contrast to the ruthlessness and cruelty of many who show no love to god's creatures unless they contribute in some way to their comfort or profit, the post-runner and the family who use the box, in a kind-hearted way took every care to disturb these objects of interest as little as possible, and in due time the nest was complete, and eight tiny eggs were deposited therein. while the female was sitting on the eggs during the term of incubation, she did not rise from the nest when the post-runner opened the door, but would make a peculiar noise and peck at his hand as he put it forward to take out or deposit letters. but after a time the two became more friendly, and kindness on the one side begetting confidence on the other, the bird at length became so familiar, that while it continued to sit on the nest it would peck crumbs from the man's hand, instead of showing displeasure, as it formerly had done. at length seven young birds became the joy of the parents. these, however, did not find the box altogether free from drawbacks; for letters, in being deposited through the slit, sometimes fell on the top of the youngsters, and so excited the wrath of the old birds. this was proved on one occasion when a servant dropped a letter into the box, for when the post-runner next visited the receptacle, he found the letter so mutilated, either through sheer rage on the part of the tomtits, or in their endeavours to eject it by the slit, that he took it back to the farmhouse rather than send it forward in its badly damaged state. however, the brood at length got through the troubles of their infantile days; and we may indulge the hope that they have since lived to join in the antiphonies of the grove, or to adorn the roadside spray with their neat figures and glowing colours. it may be added that these little birds are very eccentric in the choice of their nesting-places. in one case they selected the inside of a weathercock on the top of a steeple for their breeding-place, and in another the interior of a beehive in full work. here they set up house and reared their young, neither injuring the bees, nor being molested by them in return. "a gentleman at archerstown, county westmeath, complained of a letter, containing half bank-notes and post-bills amounting to £ , addressed to dublin, not having come to hand; but when the matter came to be fully examined, it was ascertained that the letter was in a drawer in the house of the very person to whom it had been directed, but by whom it had been entirely overlooked." a banker residing in a country town in scotland reported that a letter containing two £ notes and two £ notes, addressed to him by another banker, and posted at a town ten miles distant, had not come to hand. on inquiry, the sender could not state either the numbers or the dates of the notes. he had, moreover, allowed upwards of two months to elapse before taking any steps to ascertain whether his letter had reached its destination. "as this valuable letter had been posted without the precaution of registration, and had the words 'county rates' on the envelope, it was supposed to have excited the cupidity of some one connected with one or other of the two post-offices concerned, and an officer was immediately despatched to investigate the case. the complainant reiterated the statement that the letter had not reached him; but within half an hour of the officer's departure, an inmate of the house having made a fresh search, found the letter among some papers in a press, where it had apparently been placed unopened when received." "a bank agent sent a letter containing valuable enclosures to another bank agent. the letter was presumed to have been lost by the post-office; but no trace of it could be obtained there, and the applicant was informed accordingly. it subsequently appeared that the son of the person to whom the letter had been addressed had called at the post-office and received the letter, and that he had afterwards left the town for the holidays, carrying the letter away with him in his pocket, where it had remained." "a letter supposed to contain a £ note was registered at moffat, and in due course delivered to the addressee, who, however, declined to sign a receipt for it, as the £ note was missing. the sender was written to, but he asserted that the note had been enclosed. the postmaster chiefly concerned (who had been more than fifty years in the service) was greatly distressed at the doubt thus cast upon his honesty; but on further inquiry, the sender admitted that he had obtained a trace of the £ note, and stated that the fault had not been with the post-office. on being pressed for fuller information, he stated that when writing his letter he had placed the £ note in an envelope and affixed a postage-stamp thereon, when a lady came hurriedly into his shop, also to write a letter, and he had assisted her by getting an envelope and placing a postage-stamp on it; that he had placed this envelope beside that which contained the bank-note; and that when the lady had finished her letter, he gave her by mistake the envelope with the £ note in it, and put his own letter into the empty envelope. he had carried the two letters to the post-office; and his own, which he supposed contained the £ , he had registered. both letters were safely delivered; and the £ having been returned as evidently sent in error, the lady who had forwarded it brought it to the complainant, and thus the mystery was cleared up." during a snowstorm which occurred a year or two ago, a london firm put up for posting, among others, a letter to a glasgow firm containing a cheque for a sum little short of £ . the cheque not reaching its destination in due course, payment was stopped at the bank, and notwithstanding that every inquiry was made, nothing was heard of the letter at the time. eventually, however, the cheque was brought to the firm who had drawn it, together with the letter, by a police-inspector, who had found the letter adhering to a block of ice floating in the thames off deptford. the supposition is, that when the letters of the day were being carried to the lombard street post-office, this letter was dropped in the street, that it was carted off in the snow to the thames, and there, after a week's immersion in the river, got affixed to the block of ice, as already stated. on the th february , a medical gentleman residing at richmond, surrey, when going his usual round of visits, found on the carriage floor two letters, one addressed to a person in edinburgh, the other to a lady residing near castle-douglas. the letters had been duly prepared for the post, each bearing an undefaced postage-stamp, but nothing in their appearance indicated that they had ever been posted. the finder was at first puzzled at the discovery, but on reflection, he remembered having a few minutes previously opened a large newspaper, the 'queen,' which had reached him from edinburgh two or three days before, but had till then remained unopened in his carriage. it occurred to him that the letters might have come concealed within the folds of the newspaper, and he was good enough to forward a note with each to the persons addressed, explaining the circumstances under which he had found them. subsequent investigation by the post-office brought to light the fact that one of the two letters, and the copy of the 'queen' from which they were supposed to have dropped, had been deposited in different pillar-boxes in edinburgh, but in the same collector's district; and there can be no doubt that this letter, and probably also the other letter, were shaken inside the folds of the newspaper during their conveyance to the head-office in the collector's bag. in one of the notes which the doctor sent with the letters, he made this remark:--"i cannot help feeling that the postal authorities and the public should both have their eyes opened to what a serious danger such a letter-trap as a large newspaper might prove." he omitted to add, however, that the sender of the 'queen' had tied it up very carelessly without a wrapper, and in a way that could hardly fail to render it a dangerous travelling companion for letters. had the letters fallen into dishonest hands, their loss would certainly have been attributed to the post-office, and the case is one which aptly illustrates a means by which letters sometimes get out of their proper course, or are lost altogether. a firm of solicitors in leith wrote a letter to a client in the same town, enclosing a cheque for £ ; and this letter, although it was alleged to have been duly posted, failed to reach the person for whom it was intended. the usual inquiries were made, but unsuccessfully, no trace being discovered of the letter. some days afterwards the firm received the letter and cheque, minus the envelope, from a farmer near tranent, in one of whose fields a ploughman had picked them up. this man was engaged spreading town-refuse upon the field when he found the letter, which he opened, and thereupon threw away the cover. for the purposes of investigation, it was very essential that this should be produced; but it happened that meanwhile the field had been gone over with a grubbing machine, and the chances of the recovery of the discarded envelope were thereby greatly lessened. the ploughman's son was set to work, however, to make a search, and after toiling a whole day, he found the envelope. on examination, it was seen that the postage-stamp affixed was still undefaced, and the envelope bore nothing to show that it had ever been in the post-office. the whole circumstances left no doubt that the letter had either got into the waste-paper basket of the senders, or had been dropped on the way to the post-office, and that it had been carried ten miles into the country amongst street rubbish, with which, as manure, the farm in question was supplied from the town of leith. a registered letter posted at newcastle, and addressed to a banker in edinburgh, not having reached the addressee's hands, a telegram was forwarded to the sender intimating the fact, and requesting explanation of the failure. the banker supposed that the letter had been lost or purloined in the post-office; but it was afterwards proved to have been duly delivered to the bank porter, who having locked it up in his desk, had quite forgotten it. a lady residing in jersey applied to the post-office respecting a letter which had been sent by her to a clergyman at oxford. inquiry was made for it at all the offices through which it would pass, but unsuccessfully, no trace whatever of it being found. subsequently the clergyman informed the secretary of the post-office that he had found the letter between the cushions of his own arm-chair, where it had been placed, no doubt, at the time of delivery. "a person complained of delay in the receipt of a letter which appeared to have passed through the post-office twice. it transpired that the letter had, in the first instance, been duly delivered at a shop, where it was to remain till called for, but that it had accidentally been taken away with some music by a customer, who had afterwards dropped it in the street. subsequently the letter must have been picked up and again posted, and hence its double passage through the post-office." "a barrister complained of the non-delivery of a letter containing the halves of two £ bank of england notes, stating that he had posted the letter himself; but he shortly afterwards wrote to say that the letter had reached its destination. it appeared that, instead of putting it into the letter-box, he had dropped the letter in the street, where, fortunately, it was picked up by some honest person, who posted it." a business firm having frequently failed to receive letters which had been addressed to them, made complaint on the subject from time to time; but the inquiries which were instituted resulted in nothing. after much trouble, however, it was at length discovered that a defect existed in the letter-box in the firm's office-door, and fifteen letters were found lodged between the box and the door, some of which had been in that situation more than nine years. a letter said to contain a cheque for £ , s., addressed to a london firm, not having reached its destination, inquiries were made with respect to it. at the end of three months it turned up at a _papier-mâché_ factory, whither it had, no doubt, been carried among waste-paper from the office at which it had been delivered. in , a registered letter sent from dunkeld on a given date was duly received in edinburgh, and delivered at its address, which was a bank, the postman obtaining a signature to the receipt-form in the usual way. some little time afterwards complaint was made by the manager of the bank that the letter had not been received; but the post-office was able to prove the contrary by the receipt, the signature to which, on being submitted to the manager, was acknowledged to be that of the wife of the housekeeper of the establishment. yet this person could give no account of the letter, nor had any one else seen it; and as the letter was stated to have contained four £ notes and a bank deposit-book, the fact of its disappearance gave rise to a state of things which can be better imagined than described. the post-office, in the circumstances, offered the suggestion that the bank's waste-paper should be carefully examined. as it happened, however, a quantity of this material had just been cleared out, having been purchased by a waste-paper dealer; and the fact made the chances of recovery in that direction all the more remote. yet the housekeeper was set to work: he traced the bags first to the store of the dealer, then to the premises of a waste-paper merchant in another part of the city. with assistance he carefully examined the contents of the bags filled at the bank, and his efforts were rewarded by the discovery of the registered letter, which was in precisely the same state as when delivered, never having been opened. it had very likely fallen from a desk in the bank on to the floor, and by a careless person been brushed aside with used envelopes and scraps of paper, thus finding its way into the waste-paper basket. in april , a letter was posted in a certain village in ayrshire, addressed by a wife to her husband, who was in command of a vessel bound for new york. the letter was properly directed to the captain by name, it bore the name of his ship, and was addressed to the care of the british consul, new york. the captain never received the letter, and this circumstance gave rise, upon his return from sea, to what is described as a "feud" between him and his wife,--he, reposing perhaps greater faith in the post-office than in the dutiful attentions of his wife, believing that his better-half had not written to him, since he failed to receive the letter on application at its place of address in new york. time, with its incessant changes, hopes, fears, joys, and disappointments, winged its hurried flight for a period of eleven years ere the matter which had caused the feud came to be fully understood. at the end of that time the same letter was returned to the writer through the dead-letter office, having (according to the stamp upon it) been unclaimed at new york. it was stated that the return of the letter had "put all to rights" between the couple concerned, though it is to be hoped that the healing hand of time had already done much in this direction, and that the return of the long-lost letter did nothing more than put the finishing touch to restored confidence. in connection with this matter, it was afterwards ascertained that the letter was one of over similar letters returned to the new york post-office from the offices of the british consul in that city, upon a new appointment being made to the consulate,--the "new broom," as one of his first acts, having made a clean sweep of this accumulation of letters, some of which had been lying there no less than seventeen years. how far the failure of these letters to reach the persons addressed was due to their not having been called for, or to the negligence of clerks at the consulate, is not known, nor will it ever be ascertained what heart-burnings and misery may have been occasioned by this wholesale miscarriage of correspondence. in march , a letter plainly addressed to an individual by name, and bearing the name and number of a street in a certain district of london, reached the dead-letter office, whither it had been sent by the postman of the district, owing to the person to whom it was directed not being known at the address given. when opened, with a view to its return to the writer, the letter was discovered to contain a bank of england note for £ , together with a short memorandum suggesting the return of the note to some person, but in such vague and general terms that no one who had not had previous information on the subject could have fully understood the purport of the message. the memorandum was, moreover, without head or tail--it had no superscription to indicate whence it had come, nor had it a signature to show by whom it had been written. the circumstance being one of an exceptional character, special steps were taken with a view to trace the owner, and an advertisement was inserted in several of the metropolitan newspapers--bringing up, it is true, a responsive crop of claimants for lost notes, but without eliciting any such claims as would warrant the surrender of the note in question. from the terms of the memorandum in the letter, and the fact that it was anonymous, the suggestion readily arose that whoever had had the note last had not come by it in the regular way of business; and this idea was strengthened by the discovery that the note had been paid over by a bank about eight years previously to a person whose name and address were endorsed upon it; and from that period the note had evidently not been in circulation. it was thought probable that the endorser had lost the note in some way shortly after receiving it, and that coming into the hands of some individual who feared to put it in circulation, it had been kept up during these eight years. meanwhile, the right to receive the note not having been established by any one, the amount was paid in to the revenue. in the postmaster-general's report for , further mention was made of the finding of the note in the dead-letter office, and several claims again reached headquarters, one of which proved to be so far good, that, when the facts had been fully investigated, the amount was paid over to the claimant. it appeared that the person whose name was endorsed on the note received it in part payment of a cheque cashed by him in , when he was bought out of the business in which he had till then been a partner. two years afterwards--viz., in --he died, and his widow was unaware at the time that the note had been lost. from circumstances which this lady was able to prove, however, there seemed to be every reason to believe that her husband (whose practice it was to endorse notes when he had received them) had by some means lost the note, or that it had been carelessly left by him in some old book or other papers which were sold as waste-paper after her husband's death; and thus the post-office was made the means of restoring a considerable sum of money to the rightful owner, while the person who had without title possessed it in the interval dared not claim it. "a letter said to have been posted by a person at fochabers, enclosing a letter of credit for £ , was supposed to have been appropriated by an officer of the post-office; but on inquiry it was ascertained that, instead of posting the letter himself, as he asserted, the writer had intrusted it to a servant, who had destroyed the letter, and had attempted to negotiate the order." "a person complained repeatedly of letters addressed to him having been intercepted and tampered with, and of drafts having been stolen from them and negotiated. there being ground to suspect that the thief was in the complainant's own office, he reluctantly consented to test the honesty of his clerks; and the result showed that one of them was the guilty party, the man being subsequently tried and convicted. the thefts had been committed by means of a duplicate key, which gave the clerk access to the letter-box." "several complaints were made of the non-delivery of letters addressed to the editor of a newspaper; but this gentleman afterwards intimated that he had discovered that the delinquent was his own errand-boy, who confessed to having pilfered his letter-box." "a similar case occurred at romsey, where, on an investigation by the surveyor, it was discovered that the applicant's errand-boy had abstracted the letters from his private bag, which it was found could be done even when the bag was locked." "application was made respecting a letter containing a cheque for £ , s. d., which had been presented and cashed. the letter had not been registered, and no trace of it could be discovered. the applicants, however, ultimately withdrew their complaint against the post-office, stating their belief that the missing letter had not been posted, but had been stolen by one of their clerks, who had absconded." "a merchant sent his errand-boy to post a letter, and to purchase a stamp to put upon it. the letter contained negotiable bills amounting to £ ; and as the merchant did not receive an acknowledgment from his correspondent, he cast the blame on the post-office. an inquiry followed, which resulted in showing that the errand-boy had met another boy on a similar mission, who undertook to post the letter in question. on further reflection, however, the latter resolved to convert the penny intended for a postage-stamp into sweetmeats, which he did, and then destroyed the letter with its contents, carrying the fragments into a field near the post-office, where they were found hidden." a sailor applied for a missing letter containing a money-order for s., which he said had been sent, but had not reached him; but when he found that the matter was under strict investigation, he confessed that the money had been paid to him, and that he had denied having received it, in order to excuse himself from not paying a debt to the person with whom he lodged. "a person having applied for a missing letter, said to contain two £ and one £ bank of england notes, and which he stated had been sent to him by his father, it appeared on inquiry that no such letter had been written; and he afterwards confessed that his object in asking for the letter was a device to keep in abeyance a pecuniary demand upon him by his landlady." some years ago a person complained that twelve sovereigns had been abstracted from a letter received by him while it was in transit through the post, but he was told in reply that the envelope bore evidence that it had not contained coin to that amount. this person then communicated with the sender of the letter, who persisted in declaring that she had put therein the amount stated. at this stage of the inquiry an officer was despatched to investigate the matter; and upon his requiring the woman who had sent the envelope to accompany him before a magistrate to attest the truth of her statement upon oath, she confessed that the statement was false, and explained her conduct by saying that she had promised to lend the person to whom the envelope had been addressed £ , but that she had been unwilling to do so, as she felt sure that she should never get her money back again; and that she determined, therefore, to keep her money, and throw the blame on the post-office. "a bank in glasgow some years ago complained that a letter had been delivered there without its contents--halves of bank-notes for £ ; and on a strict investigation, it appeared that the letter had been intrusted to a boy to post, who confessed that, being aware the letter contained money, and finding that the wafer with which it was fastened was wet, he had been tempted to steal the contents, which, at the time, he believed to be whole notes; but who added that when, on afterwards examining them, he found them to be halves only, he enclosed them in an unfastened sheet of paper, which he directed according, as he believed, to the address of the letter from which he had taken them. the halves of the notes and sheet of paper were subsequently discovered in the glasgow post-office, the address on the paper being, however, very different from that of the letter in which the notes had been enclosed." "complaint was made that a letter containing the halves of bank of england notes for £ , sent to a firm in liverpool, had failed to reach its destination. on inquiry, it appeared that the letter had been duly delivered, and subsequently stolen by a well-known thief, who had the audacity to go and claim the corresponding half-notes from another firm in liverpool, to whose care the stolen letter showed they had been sent by the same post; and in this object the scoundrel succeeded." an unregistered letter containing a £ bank of england note, posted at macclesfield and addressed to manchester, was stated not to have reached its destination. full inquiry was made, but the letter could not be found. subsequently, however, the note was presented at the bank of england, and on being traced, it was discovered that the letter had been stolen after its delivery. "a letter containing two £ bank of england notes was stated to have been posted at leeds, addressed to a lady at leamington, without reaching its destination; but the inquiry that was instituted by the post-office caused the sender to withdraw his complaint, and to prefer against the clerk whom he had intrusted with the letter, a charge of having purloined it before it reached the post-office." "the secretary of a charitable institution in london gave directions for posting a large number of 'election papers,' and supposed that these directions had been duly acted upon. shortly, however, he received complaints of the non-receipt of many of the papers, and in other cases of delay. he at once made a complaint at the post-office; but, on examination, circumstances soon came to light which cast suspicion on the person employed to post the notices, although this man had been many years in the service of the society, and was supposed to be of strict integrity. ultimately, the man confessed that he had embezzled the postage, amounting to £ , s. d., and had endeavoured to deliver the election papers himself." "complaint having been made by a dealer in foreign postage-stamps that several letters containing such stamps had not reached him, a careful investigation was made, but for some time without any result. the letters should have been dropped by the letter-carrier into the addressee's letter-box; but to this box no one, the dealer asserted, had access but himself. some time afterwards, however, a cover addressed to the complainant was picked up in the street, and on inquiry being made whether the letter to which it belonged had been delivered, the complainant stated that it had not. but it so happened that the letter-carrier had a clear recollection of dropping this letter into the letter-box, and, moreover, remembered to have observed a young girl who was at the window move, as he thought, towards the box. this led to the girl being closely questioned, when she admitted the theft, confessing also that she had committed other similar thefts previously. thus, by a mere chance, a suspicion which had been cast on the post-office was dispelled." "the publisher of one of the london papers complained of the repeated loss in the post-office of copies of his journal addressed to persons abroad. an investigation showed that the abstraction was made by the publisher's clerk, his object apparently being to appropriate the stamps required to defray the foreign postage. in another case a general complaint having arisen as to the loss of newspapers sent to the chief office in st martin's-le-grand, inquiry led to the discovery of a regular mart held near the office, and supplied with newspapers by the private messengers employed to convey them to the post. on another occasion a man was detected in the act of robbing a newsvendor's cart, by volunteering on its arrival at the general post-office to assist the drivers in posting the newspapers: instead of doing so, he walked through the hall with those intrusted to him, and, upon his being stopped, three quires of a weekly paper were found in his possession." in the spring of , a young lady, fifteen years of age, whose parents resided in a small english town, which shall be nameless, was sent to a boarding-school at some distance therefrom to pursue her education. the mother of the young lady was in a delicate state of health, and, as was most proper in the circumstances, letters were written from time to time and forwarded to the daughter at school, giving particulars of her mother's progress. so far this is all plain and straightforward. the young lady, however, one day declared that though on a particular date mentioned by her she had written home to inquire how her mother was, that letter had not been delivered; and that on the second day thereafter a brown-paper parcel was placed in a very mysterious manner in the hall of the house where she was at school. in this parcel was found a letter for the young lady intimating her mother's death, and explaining that the parcel had been brought by a friend--thus accounting for the absence from it of all post-marks. other circumstances were related by the girl--that she had seen a man galloping along the road, and that he had left the parcel in question. two days after this event, a letter was posted from her parents' residence to inform the young lady that her mother was much better; but when the letter arrived and was opened, she produced another letter requiring her immediate return, in order to attend her mother's funeral. the case was very puzzling, and naturally excited great interest,--the more so, as some suspicion arose that a conspiracy existed to carry off the young lady, in which some person in the post-office was aiding and abetting. the matter formed the subject of two separate investigations, ending in failure, and the mystery still remained. it was only after a third attempt at elucidation--when an officer specially skilled in prosecuting inquiries of a difficult kind had visited the school--that the truth began to appear. this officer reported that, in his opinion, the whole proceedings were but a plot of a school-girl to get home; and the young lady afterwards confessed this to be the case. it is not probable that the petty fraud of again using stamps which have already passed through the post is perpetrated with any great frequency upon the post-office. still, cases no doubt do occur, and may at any time lead to criminal proceedings, like those which took place at hull some years ago. a person in that town having posted a letter with an old stamp affixed, the stamper who had to deface the stamp in the usual way, detected the irregularity, and brought the matter under notice. proceedings were taken against the offender, and the case being established against him, and the fact being stated that this person had previously been warned by the post-office against committing like frauds, he was mulcted in a fine of £ and costs, with the alternative punishment of three-months' imprisonment. the accidents and misfortunes which are the lot of letters in this country, seem also to attend post-letters in their progress through the post-offices of other countries. a curious case was noticed some years ago in the french capital. some alterations were being carried out in the general post-office in paris, when there was found, in a panel situated near a letter-box, a letter which had been posted just fifty years before. there it had remained concealed half a century. the letter was forwarded to the person whose address it bore, and who, strange to say, was still alive; but the writer, it transpired, had been dead many years. on one occasion notice was given to the post-office by a clergyman residing in a country town in the south of england, that a packet sent by him containing a watch had been tampered with in the post, the packet having reached the person addressed, not with the watch that had been despatched, but containing a stone, which, it was alleged, must have been substituted in course of transit. as is usual in cases of this kind, very particular inquiries were necessary to establish whether the post-office was really in fault, because experience has shown that very often obloquy is laid upon the department which ought to rest elsewhere; and accordingly, a shrewd and practised officer in such matters was sent to the town in question to make investigations. arrived at the clergyman's residence, the officer found that that gentleman was from home; but introducing himself to the sender's wife, he explained his mission, and in a general way learned from her what she was able to communicate with regard to the violated packet. while the interview was thus proceeding, the officer, with professional habit, made the best use of his eyes, which, lighting upon a rough causeway of small stones somewhere on the premises, afforded him a hint, if not as yet a suspicion, as to the locality of the fraud. in fact, he remarked a striking resemblance between the stone which had been received in the packet and the stones forming the causeway. in the most delicate way he insinuated the inquiry whether the lady might not possibly entertain some shadow of a suspicion of her own servants. "oh dear, no," was the reply; "they are all most respectable, and have the highest characters." the lady had the utmost confidence in them, and to admit such a thought was to do them grave injustice. the officer was not to be satisfied with such an assurance, however, and by using tact and patience he brought the lady to see that, if there was no dishonesty with her own servants, they would come safely out of the inquiry, and it might be well to allow him to question them. it was further permitted, after some objection on the lady's part and persuasion on that of the officer, that the latter should ask each of the servants separately whether they would allow their boxes to be examined. if they had nothing to conceal, the ordeal could not, of course, hurt them. the female servants were called up one by one and closely questioned, and on the proposed examination of the boxes being suggested, the girls at once assented. this was so far satisfactory, but there was still the butler to deal with. in due turn the presence of this household ornament was summoned to the room, when, up to a certain point, everything went well; but it being put to him to have his boxes searched, injured virtue cried out, and indignation and scorn were vented upon the obtrusive inquirer. the officer had, however, gained a point, for he was now in a position to say that if the butler continued to object, the suspicion would arise that he might possibly be the culprit, and it might even be concluded that he and not the post-office ought to account for the watch. at length the man-servant gave way, and he and the officer proceeded to the butler's quarters. upon the trunk being opened, the first thing to attract notice was three bottles of wine. "holloa!" says the officer, "what have we here? a strange wine-cellar this!" "oh," observed the butler, "these are three bottles of ginger-wine which were given me by my father, a grocer in the town." "indeed!" says the officer, who had meanwhile been noting the colour as he held a bottle between himself and the light; "it looks a queer colour for ginger-wine. you won't mind letting me taste your wine, will you?" overborne by the assurance of the officer perhaps, or thinking him quite chatty and chummy, a cork was withdrawn, and the officer was sipping capital old crusted port. the wine was pronounced very good, but the missing watch was not forthcoming. the scene of inquiry was now changed. the officer proceeded to the shop of the grocer, made some trifling purchase, put on his most affable ways, and he soon had the grocer talking, first on general topics, then on personal matters, and at last on the theme of his own family. "how many have you?" says the officer. "so-and-so," responds the grocer. "all doing for themselves by this time, i suppose?" continues the officer. this flung the door open for a full statement of the position of the family, which was given without reserve, as if to an old friend, until the butler with the clergyman was mentioned, when the officer interrupted him with the remark-- "ah, to be sure; i know something of him. that was capital ginger-wine you gave him lately." "ginger-wine!" quoth the grocer; "i never had wine in my house in my life, and i certainly never gave my son any." this was enough for the officer, who remarked that there might be a mistake; and soon thereafter he found means to bring the conversation to a close. returning immediately to the clergyman's house, he again saw the lady, and told her what had occurred. he made bold to say, moreover, that her butler was a thief, that he was stealing her husband's wine, that he in all probability had made away with the watch, and that she ought to give him into custody, and to prosecute him. at this point the butler was called in, and in presence of his mistress plainly taxed with the theft of the wine. finding it useless to stand out, he confessed that he had taken it, but protested that he had not stolen the watch. the lady, however, had no longer any doubt in the matter; and deeply distressed at finding how greatly she had been deceived in her estimate of his character for integrity, exclaimed--"oh john! to think that after all the pains your master and i have taken to make you a good man, you should have done this wicked thing! oh john, john!" the officer saw that in the lady's view all suspicion was removed from the post-office, and prepared to leave; but feeling anxious about the lady in the absence of her husband, said he should go to the police-station and fetch a couple of constables to attend to the matter. on this hint the butler became greatly excited and alarmed, and earnestly begged that only one policeman might be sent. "oh no," said the officer, "you are a big man, and we must have two;" and beckoning mrs ---- to leave the room, he turned the key in the door, and went for the police. during his absence, the household was in a state of wild excitement, the lady of the house being in a high state of nervousness, while below-stairs the servants were in no better condition. meanwhile, one of the females, either through sympathy for the idol of the kitchen, or in pursuance of womanly curiosity, which is not less likely, sought the vantage-ground of a water-butt at the rear of the premises, in order to make a reconnaissance through the window, and ascertain how the butler was comporting himself in the new and extraordinary situation where he was. but one glance into the room was enough; she sprang to the ground, and ran to her mistress screaming that john was cutting his throat. sure enough he had been engaged in this operation, using a pocket-knife for the purpose; and the officers of justice, on opening the door, found him streaming with blood from the self-inflicted wound. at this juncture the post-office official left the matter to be dealt with by the clergyman as he might see fit. he felt sufficient interest in the case, however, to make inquiry subsequently as to the fate of the culprit, and learnt that he had recovered from his injury; that his kind master and mistress had forgiven him; and although they did not receive him back into their service, they helped him in other ways, and were assiduous in their endeavours to keep him in the paths of rectitude and honesty. the following anecdote, borrowed from a french source,[ ] will illustrate how serious the consequences may be when letters are not clearly and intelligibly addressed, and by what slight accidents such missives sometimes go far from their right course. [ ] 'la poste anecdotique et pittoresque.' par pierre zaccone. about the year there was garrisoned at a small town in the department of the pas-de-calais an honest soldier named goraud, who had served with the colours a term of seven years. though he had conducted himself well, and was favourably thought of by his superiors, he had never been able to rise above the grade of full private. he liked his profession, but being unable either to read or write, the avenues to promotion remained closed against him. goraud came from an obscure village in provence, where his poor old mother, a woman of over sixty, lived, and where also resided a married brother, younger than himself, who was surrounded by a rising family of children. the soldier received from time to time letters from his mother, which, on being read to him, affected him deeply, sometimes even to tears. there were, besides, other friends in his native place of whom he entertained kindly recollections, and with whom he kept up intercourse through his family; especially a young woman towards whom he had formerly had very tender feelings, which, though not now so strong, time and distance had not as yet effaced. becoming home-sick, and having no bright prospect before him in the army, goraud yearned to be set free, so that he might spend the rest of his days "in the midst of those he so much loved," as is expressed on the tomb of the great napoleon. he had already, as has been before stated, served seven years; he had been of good conduct; and now he had but to demand his discharge in order to accomplish his fondest wish. but just as he was about to make the necessary request, and to realise the dream which he had been cherishing, a letter from his brother changed all his plans. his joy was turned to sorrow. this letter informed him that his mother was seriously ill, and, moreover, that some distemper had assailed his brother's stock, carrying many of them off; in fact, misery stared in the face those among whom he had hoped to live happily, and to eke out the remainder of his days in comfort. the poor fellow was sadly cast down; the phantom of pleasure had passed from his view; he shed bitter tears of disappointment, and was at his wits' end. dejection and irresolution did not, however, last. he soon regained command of himself, and filial affection suggested to him the course which he should pursue. next day he proceeded to the office of an agent whose business it was to procure substitutes for individuals desirous of avoiding service in the army; and in a few days thereafter he engaged to serve his country for seven years more, receiving in return a payment down of francs. it may be guessed what was the next step taken by the worthy soldier. he remitted the francs to his mother, in a letter directed to the care of his brother; and at the same time he intimated that he was to start at once for algeria, there to join the new regiment to which he had been posted. three months passed, and as yet no acknowledgment for the money came to hand. this to goraud, after the sacrifice he had made, was sadly disappointing; but he did not at first feel alarmed. the idea occurred to him that his mother might be a trifle worse, or that something might have delayed the reply. he decided to write again. he related what he had done, explained the cause he had for uneasiness, and begged that an early answer might be sent to him. this was not long in coming. it stated that the old mother was again well, that the brother had had a hard struggle, and that though he hoped to pull through, it might prove necessary for him to quit the place. in regard to the alleged remittance, it was briefly added that no money had been received. this latter statement created a most painful impression upon the soldier. his brother's letter appeared to breathe a tone which was not usual; he imagined that, under the guise of calculated frigidity, was to be perceived an insinuation that no money had been sent: and, smarting under the sting of such reflections, the blush of offended virtue rose to his cheek. his feelings ran over the whole gamut of wounded sentiment. he saw himself an injured man, and felt deeply hurt; his money had gone unacknowledged, and he became roused to anger; and then, revolving the whole circumstances in his mind, suspicion took possession of him. recollecting that the money-letter had been sent as an ordinary letter by post, and that the reply had not seemed quite right, he now suspected that his brother had received the remittance, appropriated it to his own use, and denied the receipt of his letter. in this frame of mind, he had a communication penned to his brother full of denunciations and reproaches, and couched in such terms of violence, that he would not allow the epistle when written to be read over to him. next day he started with a distant expedition on active service. gloomy, cast down, and above all irate, he was ready to fight with the wind or his own shadow. in the first brush with the enemy he threw himself into their midst with fury, and fought desperately for several hours, as if to provoke the end which he now longed for. instead of meeting his death, however, he gained the hero's prize--the cross of honour. one month previously he would have hailed this distinction with delight; now everything was dull and indifferent to him--even glory! about a year after this event goraud accompanied his regiment to paris. as he was leaving the barracks one day a voice hailed him with the question, "is not your name goraud?" "yes, major," was the soldier's reply. "very good," says the other, "here is a letter for you. there are several gorauds in the regiment, and the letter has already been opened. i see you are wanted at the dead-letter office of the post-office about some business which concerns you." he took the letter, and at once hastened to the post-office. there an explanation awaited him of the miscarriage of his remittance, and the mystery which had clouded his spirits and embittered his life for a whole year. the same letter that he had despatched lay before him with its contents intact. it had been written and addressed for him by a comrade in the regiment, the superscription, turned into english, being something in this form-- "to m. jacques goraud, for widow goraud, at la bastide, canton of marseilles." as it happened, the obliging comrade was a poor scribe, and was without any great experience in letter-writing, or in the art of addressing letters. the only word in the direction which had been plainly written, and stood out in a way to catch the eye, was the word "canton." this was the key to the mystery; the letter had been sent to china! at the period in question the sailing-ships conveying the mails took about six months to reach that distant country, and the same time for the return voyage. the soldier's letter had made the double journey; and the blunder being discovered when the letter came back to france, it was sent to the village in provence to which it was really addressed. but, alas! adversity had overtaken the family in the old home. they had left the place, and gone no one knew whither; and, so far as the post-office was concerned, it only remained to return the letter to the writer through the dead-letter office. the moral of this anecdote is, that letters ought to be plainly addressed. some examples of the rambling style in which addresses are often written are given in another chapter. it would be a useful work were the school boards to give some instruction in this matter to the children under their care. the copy-books might be headed with specimen addresses for the purpose, and the teachers could point out how desirable it is, in addition to plain writing, that the addresses should be well arranged--the name of the person occupying one line, the street and number another, and the name of the town a conspicuous place to the right, in a line by itself. in this particular "they do things better in france," for in that country instruction of the kind in question was introduced into the primary schools more than twenty years ago. chapter xviii. odd complaints. the post-office, in its extensive correspondence with the public, has often great difficulty in satisfying what are deemed to be the reasonable claims and representations of reasonable people; but it has also to endeavour to satisfy and persuade persons who, as shown by the demands made by them, are not altogether within the category above mentioned. what would be thought of the following appeals made to the secretary on the subject of the injury supposed to be done by electricity thrown off from telegraph wires?-- "sir,--i have been rejoicing in the hope that when the last telegraph wire was removed i should be at peace; but alas for human hopes! last sunday and saturday nights, i suppose all the wires must have been working simultaneously, for about . a.m. i was awakened by the most intense pains in my eyes, and for the two nights i do not think i had more than six hours sleep--that is, none after . in the morning. since then i have slept from home, and must continue to do so until either the wires are removed or i leave the house, which i shall be obliged to do, even though it remain unoccupied. the wires are carried in a tube to a pole about yards from my house on the angle, and i imagine that when they are all working, and emerge from the tube, that the electrical matter thrown off must be very great. pipes have now been run up ---- road, where a pillar or pole might very easily be fixed, and the present one might be removed yards farther off, where it would electrify nothing but fields.--with many apologies for troubling you again, for, i hope, the last time, and with many thanks for your kindness hitherto, i am," &c. "sir,--i am sorry to be obliged to trouble you again respecting the wires opposite my house at ----. you promised in your favour of ---- that the wires should be removed within a month from that date, a great amount of labour having to be gone through. i was not surprised that six months were required for their removal instead of one, and therefore bore patiently with the delay, although my eyesight, and indeed every one's in the house, suffered most severely; but why, when at last eight were removed, should one be allowed to remain? since the eight have gone, i have been able to sit in my own house without being in as excruciating pain as formerly; but still i am pained, and particularly between the hours of four and seven in the morning. if one wire affects me so much, imagine my sufferings when nine were working! such being the case, will you kindly cause the remaining wire either to be removed or encased in the vulcanized tube, so as to contract the current.--thanking you for your kindness hitherto, and hoping you will add this favour to the rest, i am," &c. there are some persons who suffer from the delusion that their landladies and the sorters in the post-office habitually conspire to keep up, or rob them of, their letters--letters generally which they look for to bring them money or the right to property. these people are always giving trouble, and are difficult to shake off. on one occasion a lady, who was possessed of a set idea of this kind, called at the general post-office in london to state her grievance, which she did in most fluent terms. her complaint was noted for inquiry, and then she went away. an hour or two after, she returned to ascertain whether she had left a packet of papers which she had meanwhile missed; but they could not be found. this circumstance, she stated, convinced her that she had been robbed; and an incident that happened when she quitted the building in the morning confirmed her, she stated, in her idea. a man came up to her and asked if he could show her the way to the dead-letter office. "no, thank you," was the reply; "i can find the way myself." she said she knew him to be a magistrate or a judge: "he had a thick neck and flat nose, and the bull-dog type of countenance, and was altogether repulsive-looking." she felt assured he was watching her, &c. an aged couple in the south of england moved about from place to place in order to escape from persons who were supposed by them to open their letters. persecuted, as they imagined, in one town, they would take lodgings in another town, and very soon they would suspect the servants of the house and the officers of the post-office of obtaining a knowledge of the nature of their correspondence. then they would wait on the postmaster, and generally go through their chronic grievance. the postmaster, in turn, would assure them that their letters were fairly dealt with; but this did not satisfy them, and very soon they were off to another town, in the hope of evading their tormentors, but in reality to go through the same course as before. mr anthony trollope has left us, in the account of his life, a capital specimen of the frivolous and groundless complaints with which the post-office has frequently to deal. his account is as follows:--"a gentleman in county cavan had complained most bitterly of the injury done to him by some arrangement of the post-office. the nature of his grievance has no present significance; but it was so unendurable that he had written many letters, couched in the strongest language. he was most irate, and indulged himself in that scorn which is so easy to an angry mind. the place was not in my district; but i was borrowed, being young and strong, that i might remember the edge of his personal wrath. it was mid-winter, and i drove up to his house, a squire's country seat, in the middle of a snowstorm, just as it was becoming dark. i was on an open jaunting-car, and was on my way from one little town to another, the cause of his complaint having reference to some mail-conveyance between the two. i was certainly very cold, and very wet, and very uncomfortable when i entered his house. i was admitted by a butler, but the gentleman himself hurried into the hall. i at once began to explain my business. 'god bless me!' he said, 'you are wet through. john, get mr trollope some brandy-and-water,--very hot.' i was beginning my story about the post again, when he himself took off my greatcoat, and suggested that i should go up to my bedroom before i troubled myself with business. 'bedroom!' i exclaimed. then he assured me that he would not turn a dog out on such a night as that, and into a bedroom i was shown, having first drank the brandy-and-water standing at the drawing-room fire. when i came down i was introduced to his daughter, and the three of us went in to dinner. i shall never forget his righteous indignation when i again brought up the postal question, on the departure of the young lady. was i such a goth as to contaminate wine with business? so i drank my wine, and then heard the young lady sing, while her father slept in his arm-chair. i spent a very pleasant evening, but my host was too sleepy to hear anything about the post-office that night. it was absolutely necessary that i should go away the next morning after breakfast, and i explained that the matter must be discussed then. he shook his head and wrung his hands in unmistakable disgust,--almost in despair. 'but what am i to say in my report?' i asked. 'anything you please,' he said. 'don't spare me, if you want an excuse for yourself. here i sit all the day,--with nothing to do; and i like writing letters.' i did report that mr ---- was now quite satisfied with the postal arrangement of his district; and i felt a soft regret that i should have robbed my friend of his occupation. perhaps he was able to take up the poor-law board, or to attack the excise. at the post-office nothing more was heard from him." the department not only takes much trouble to investigate cases of irregularity of which definite particulars can be given, but it has frequently to enter into correspondence with persons who seem to have no clear idea of the grounds upon which they make their complaints. a person having stated that his newspapers were not delivered regularly, was requested to answer certain questions on the subject, and the following is the result:-- questions. answers. title and date of newspaper? don't know. whether posted within eight days from date of publication? don't know. how many papers were there in the packet? one. was each newspaper under oz. in weight? don't know. where posted, when, and at what hour? don't know. by whom posted? don't know. amount of postage paid, and in what manner paid? don't know. the want of information on the part of the public in regard to postal matters of the most ordinary kind cannot at times but give rise to wonder. a person in a fair position of life, residing in one of the eastern counties of england, having obtained a money-order from his postmaster, payable at a neighbouring town, called again a few days afterwards and complained that his correspondent could not obtain payment in consequence of some irregularity in the advice. thereupon a second advice was sent; but a few days later the sender called again, stating that the payee was still unable to obtain payment. the sender added that he was quite sure that he had sent the money, as he had the receipt in his pocket. on being asked to show it, he produced the original order, which should, of course, have been forwarded to the payee, and without which the money could not be obtained. a similar instance of ignorance of the method of business as carried on by the post-office was exhibited by a poor irishman in london, and is thus described in the 'life of sir rowland hill':-- "the belief has more than once been manifested at a money-order-office window that the mere payment of the commission would be sufficient to procure an order for £ ,--the form of paying in the £ being deemed purely optional. an irish gentleman (who had left his hod at the door) recently applied in aldersgate street for an order for £ on a tipperary post-office, for which he tendered (probably congratulating himself on having hit upon so good an investment) sixpence. it required a lengthened argument to prove to him that he would have to pay the £ into the office before his friend could receive that small amount in tipperary; and he went away, after all, evidently convinced that his not having this order was one of the personal wrongs of ireland, and one of the particular injustices done to hereditary bondsmen only." chapter xix. curious letters addressed to the post-office. the fountain-head of the post-office establishment of this country, whose personal embodiment is the postmaster-general, possesses very ample means for the collection of information of various kinds through its willing and trusty agents, to be found in every corner of the empire; and this idea seems to be entertained as well by individuals abroad as by our neighbours at home, who, when they fail to ascertain what they want by other means, frequently fall back upon the postmaster-general for assistance and guidance--the post-office being pre-eminently a people's institution, whose head even no poor man need fear to approach--at any rate by letter. it is a common expression to say that a thing cannot be done for love or money; but while the postmaster-general is addressed by inquirers on every variety of subject, it will be found that love and money are at the bottom of many of the communications addressed to him not strictly upon the business of his department. in the following paragraphs will be found specimens of such letters--some entreating him to render assistance in tracing missing relatives, some asking help in the recovery of fortunes supposed to have been left to the writers, others begging him to obtain situations for them, and the like; but the letters generally explain themselves. the dead-letter office must occasionally be supposed to be a repository for the human dead, as inquiries for deceased persons are sometimes addressed to the "dead office." thus:-- "we heard in the paper about or months back mary ann ---- the servant girl at london was dead. please send it to the printer's office by return of post whether their was a small fortune left for ----." "i beg of you to let me if you do no something about a young sailor. his name hugh ----. he is away now since or years. i hope gentlemen you will let me no if he is dead or alive as i am anxious to no as it is a deal of trouble on my mind as he is a boy that i have reared up without father an mother an he a deal of trouble on my mind. he has a dark eyes an brown hair, looking pael. please gentlemen to let me no if you can by return." "i rite a line two see if you hard enny thing of my husband ---- that was left at ---- ill. pleese will you rite back by return of post as we are in great trobble." "i have just been hearing of men that was drowned about months ago. i hear there was one of the men went under the name of john ----. could the manager of the office give any particulars about that man,--what he was like, or if there was such a name, or if he had any friend. he just went amissing about that time. i here enclose a stamp, and address to ----" &c. again, the post-office is asked to hunt up missing relatives:-- "i write to ask you for some information about finding out persons who are missing. i want to find out my mother and sisters who are in melbourne in australia i believe--if you would find them out for me please let me know by return of post and also your charge at the lowest." "i right to you and request of you sinsearly for to help me to find out my husband. i ham quite a stranger in london, only two months left ireland. i can find know trace of my husband. your the only gentleman that i know that can help me to find him. thears is letters goes to him to ---- in his name and thears is letters comes to him to the ---- post-office for him. sir you may be sure that i ham low in spirit in a strange contry without a friend. i hope you will be so kind as not to forget me. sir, i would never find ---- for i would go astray, besides i have no money." "i right these fue lines to you to ask you if you would be so kind as to teel me if there his such a person living in england. she was living at birmingham last rtimmas--this his mi sister and brother-in-law--they hant in birmingham now--let this letter go to every general post-office there is." then come requests for information about property that may be supposed to have been left by relatives in this country to persons abroad--generally in america--in which the postmaster-general is usually treated to an insight, more or less deep, into the family affairs or history of the writers, the rich relatives being as a rule faithfully remembered by the poor, while the recollections in the opposite direction would seem to exhibit features of a less enduring nature. here are a few specimens:-- "kansas. "my grandfather mr john ---- made a will on or about oct. -- dated at ---- leaving to his son, my father, £ , the interest to be paid to him half yearly, the prinsaple to be divided among his children at his death. my father died on the ---- last leaving myself and one brother who wishes you to look up and collect the money for us." "california. "i take the plesure in writing a few lines to you wishing you to ask some old friend of yours to find my father wether he is ded or gone to some other place. his trade was when i left a artist and a panter. i left london when i was four years old. i came to california, my mother and him had some fuss. the street where we lived is on oxford street. you will find my name on the regester in the blumsbery church. my father is german and my mother she is french. i wish you would try and find him for me i woud be so glad if you find him. i will pay you for your truble. "i was born in --. if you go to that ---- church you will find my age if the church is there or the book. pleas let me know as soon as you can." "missouri. "you must excuse me for writing to you for i dont know any one in england. i know the names of no lawyers, and thought i would write to you. we have seen it in our paper several times of money being left to the ---- heirs, and heard that a lawyer of london made a flying visit to st louis to find the heirs, but failed. my father was born and raised in ---- england. his name was ---- the oldest son of three. my parents died shortly after we came to america, and i was quite small. i know but little about any of them. i remember hearing my father say that he had rich relatives who intended to make him their heir. i am very poor; lost everything during the war. if you know of some lawyer who will see to it without money as i have none to invest. please answer to tell me what you think you can do for me." "as i have no correspondent in london at present i adopt this plan of procuring one that i can transact business through--the matter i wish to call your attention to is this--to the estate of ---- and the heirs. the papers were sent here once but have been lost. ---- died in london about years ago and left a large estate of which my client's interest would be about seventy-five thousand dollars at the time of his death--will you please inform me what it is necessary for us to do in the matter in full." "united states. "will you do me the kind favour, as you are the postmaster and able to know, as i judge of. it is this, give to me the full name and address of any 'mac----' that you know of in england, or in scotland, or ireland, or wales, or in india, or at or in any other country that you may know of, with their full names and correct address, so that i can write to them myself. "if you have any list, or book, or pamphlet, with the names of parties who have died, and left money or land to their heirs at law, as i want such information," &c. a farmer in the country wants a postmaster to act as go-between in a little business matter, and pens him a few lines to the following effect:-- "john ---- acting as farmer here would be very much obliged to the postmaster if he would be so good as to name a suitable party at ---- to whom he might sell a stone pig of good quality well--for he understands it is the best place to sell. the pig is now quite ready for killing." a sharp fellow in tennessee, anxious to become rich by a short cut, wants an instrument to hunt gold and silver, and forthwith applies to the post-office:-- "i want you to do me a kines, to hand this (letter) to some good watch maker and tell him to see if i can by a instrument to tell where gold or silver is in the ground or if there is a instrument maid to find mettel--gold or silver--that are in the ground. if it will attrack it. a instrument for that perpos. i understand there are sutch a thing made. if so, be pleas tell me where i can by one and what it will cost me. it can be sent to new york to ---- where i can get it. i want to get a instrument to hunt gold & silver. you will pleas write to me as i think if there are sutch a thing maid i could get one in your country. i send you a stamp." a stranger in the country expresses his readiness to reward the postmaster-general with some partridges if he will get some one to send him a parcel of mithridate mustard:-- "will you do me the favour of dropping me a line to say if you know of an herbalist or greengrocer that could send me a parcel of mithridate mustard. it grows at hatfield by the river side, and in the streets of peckham on the surrey side. as i am a stranger, if you will kindly see if you can get any one to send it me i will send a post-office order or stamps for what it will cost before they start it by train; or if you will get it i will send it to you. i will send you some partridges for your trouble if you will kindly let me know. it dont grow in any part of ----shire that i am aware of. we have the common hedge mustard growing here, but that wont do what the gentleman wants it for." a massachusetts owner of an old clock begs for antiquarian search into the history of an ancient timepiece which has come into his possession:-- "i have tuke the liberty to address you, wishing to know if i could ask the favour by paying you for the trouble i ask to know. "i have an old clock in my collection made by henton brown, london, in the first part of . i would like to know where he was in business and when he died, if it could be ascertained. please inform me if you could find out by any record in london. i would pay you for all trouble. "this darling ---- is one of the loveliest places in massachusetts." now a brother, being doubtful of a love business in which his sister is concerned, claims the help of the post-office in clearing matters up:-- "will you, if you please, let me know if there is such a gentleman as mr ---- in ----. i beleave he is a chirch clurdgman. there is a young man in ---- who has been engaged to my sister, and he says mrs ---- at ---- is his sister. i should very much like to know, if you will oblige me by sending. i thought if mrs ---- was his sister i would rite and ask for his charetar, because he is a stranger to us all." a frenchman, with hat in hand, and all ready to propose, merely wants to know, as a preliminary, whether the lady he has in view is still alive!-- "Ã� monsieur le "directeur de la poste de londres. "j'ai cinquante trois ans. veuillez être assez bon de me faire réponse pour me donner des résultats sur l'existence de madame ----? si parfois elle était toujours veuve je voudrais lui faire la proposition de lui demander sa main d'après que j'en aurais des nouvelles. en attendant, monsieur, votre réponse." a couple, having got over the proposal and acceptance stage, write for a special licence to get married forthwith:-- "will you please oblige susannah ---- and walter ---- with the particulars of an aspecial licence to get married--is it possible for you to forward one to us without either of us coming to you--if you enclose the charge and have it returned, would we get one before next monday week to get married at ----. if you will kindly send by return to the address enclosed the particulars, we should feel greatly obliged." and matters being advanced one stage further in another case, the following inquiry is sent to the postal headquarters:-- "will you please inform me if there is to be a baby show this year at woolwich; if so, where it is to be holden, and what day." nor is the purely social element lost sight of in the letters reaching st martin's-le-grand, unconnected with post-office business, as the two specimens hereafter show:-- "united states. "i have always had a great desire to visit your country, but as i probly never shall, i thought i would write. "i am a young lady attending the high school at ----, a pictorest town bordering on the ---- river. our country seat is four miles and a half west of ----. my father is a rich gentleman farmer. "we have four horses, or head of cattle, or pigs, and a large henery. we have about acres of land, so of course we have to keep a house full of servants. "we are quite well off in worldly goods, but should be better off if you could inform me about that fortune i expect from a great-uncle, great-aunt, or somebody. it is about half a million either on my father's or mother's side. if you would be so kind as to write and inform me, i would be a thousand times obliged. if you would assist me in getting it i will reward you handsomely. their name is ----. they used to be very fond of me when i was a crowing infant in my mother's arms. it is a very pretty country out hear, wide rolling prairies enter spersed with fine forests. there is a stream of water running through our land, a stream so softly and peasfully wild that it looks as if nature had onely just made it and laid down her pencil and smiled. "the schoolroom is just a little ways from ----, the name of our farm. it is the schoolroom where i learnt my a b, abs, but i probly never shall go there to school again. it is vacation now and i have come out on to the farm to stay till school commences again. it seems so nice to be where i can have new milk to drink and nice fresh eggs again. i intend to enjoy myself till school commences again. father has sold off most all of our horses, but he saved my riding horse, so i intend to have rides and drives without number. "well, as i have said as much as you will care to read, i will stop. i hope you will excuse all mistakes as i am not a very old young lady--only years old." "indiana, u.s. "enclosed you will please find a letter which i would like for you to give some young lady or gent--lady preferred--who you think would like a correspondent in this country. will correspond on topics of general interest. for further particulars glance at enclosed letter as it is not sealed. "to the person in whose hands this message may fall, i would like a correspondent in your city which i think would be of interest to each of us in the way of information. "my house is in the central part of the united states, my age is . i am a partner in the manufacturing of ----. we are also dealers in ---- work. i have travelled all over the united states and canada. i can give you any information you may desire in reference to this country--this must necessarily be brief. would like to discuss the habits and nature of our people. to-day is thanksgiving day set apart by our president as a day of thanksgiving for our prosperity, &c; it is observed annually all over the u.s. it is principally observed by giving receptions, dinners, &c. it is snowing to-day; it is the first day of winter we have had. the thermometer is ten above zero. all business is suspended to-day. please state what day you receive this, as i would like to know how long a letter is on the road--if you do not wish to answer this, please give to some of your friends who will--my address you will find on the enclosed card." an individual who had apparently, like rip van winkle, been asleep for a number of years, suddenly starts up, and imagines that he has committed a petty fraud upon the post-office, and so, to ease his conscience, pens the following confession:-- "i enclose you sixpenny stamps, and ask you to credit shillings to revenue as conscience money, as i consider that i owe your department that amount, having enclosed some weeks ago letters to india within a cover to a friend. at the time of my doing so i thought i was doing no wrong, as the three letters enclosed were merely messages which i did not like to trouble my friend with; but lately i have thought differently, and to quiet my conscience i send you the enclosed stamps, and beg of you to be good enough to acknowledge the receipt of s. in the columns of the 'daily telegraph' as conscience money from ----. i send s. d. extra as cost of insertion of the acknowledgment." the question even of "who shall be the hangman" is thought to be a fit subject for elucidation at the post-office. "i hope you will pardon me for asking of you the favour of satisfying a curiosity which cannot, without distortion, be called a morbid one. the question i am about to put is prompted by the statement in the london papers that marwood is to be the executioner of peace. "now, being fully cognizant, from my readings of journals more than years back, that york has always retained its own executioners (askern having succeeded howard), i am sceptical as to the correctness of the above statement. but, assuming it to be correct, i should like to be informed why peace's particular case should cause a deviation from the old bylaws of your county (york), which gives name to an archiepiscopal province.--hoping to be pardoned for thus troubling you, i am," &c. and again, the postmaster-general is begged to step in and prevent people being called hard names. "i humbly beg your consideration if there is no law to stop persons from calling all manner of bad names day after day as it is annoying me very much in my calling as a gardener and seedsman; as i have applyed to the office at ---- for a summons for a little protection and they tell not, so i think it rather too hard for me as i have done all the good i have had the means to do with to the hospitals and institutions and all charityable purposes both in ----and elsewhere if needed; but i suffer from lameness with a ulcerated leg not being able for laborious hard work, although i wish to do as i would be done by. please to answer this at your leisure." the next specimens are from persons out of employment:-- "i am taking the liberty of writeing you those few lines, as i am given to understand that you do want men in new south wales, and i am a smith by trade, a single man. my age is next birthday. i shood be verry thankfull if you wood be so kind and send all the particulars by return." "having lost my parents, i am desirous of taking a housekeeper's situation where a domestic is kept. must be a dissenting family, baptist preferred. thinking that such a case might come under your notice, i have therefore taken the liberty of sending to you." "illinois, u.s. "mr postmaster if you would be so kind as to seek for us work as we are two colored young men of ---- illinois, and would like to come to england and get work as coachmen or race horse trainers, as we have been experance for twelve years practicesing training--if any further information about it we can be reckemend to any one that wish to hire us, pleas to advertise it in the papers for us." the two letters of inquiry for situations which follow are rather amusing, owing to their mode of expression, being written by foreigners not having a command of the english idiom; and they will mirror to our own countrymen what sort of figures they must sometimes cut in the eyes of our neighbours across the channel, when airing their "dictionary french" in the metropolis of fashion:-- "sir,--i have the honour of coming to solicit of your goodwill of telling me if i could not to pass into the english telegraphic administration, and, in the affirmative, what i would must make for that. i have undergone here all the examens demanded by the french administration; i am now surnumerary, and in a few months i shall be named clerck. i know completely the two breguet's and morse machines, and i have begun the 'hughes.' but, as i am now in a little office where that last is not employed, i cannot improve me actually. i have also some knowledge of the english language. i have kept the last year the post of ---- during several months. "as for my family, my father died from two years, was advocate and sus-prefect ---- during thirty years. myself, at paris, i have had for scholl-fellow, several young gentlemen, among others, master ----, the son of the great english perfumery, and others notable manufacturers of london, where i should desire ardently to be clerck, if, by effect of your good-will, you give satisfaction to my claim. i am old of twenty-five years, and i have satisfied to the military law. "i dare to hope, master the director, that, be it as it may, you will make to me the honour of answering what i must expect of your resolution, and in the same time yours conditions. "i am, master, in expecting, with the most profound respect, your very humble servant." "switzerland. "you will excuse me of the liberty which i take to write to you, but as i know nobody in your town, i have not found an other way for find relations with some body honourable. i will ask you if you can procure me a place in the english colonies or plantations as teacher in an institution or tutor in a good family. i am old of years. i have gone a good course of study in the college and gymnasium in ----, and i have held during a - / year in the pensionnat ---- an place as teacher of french language and mathematics. i can give you some good certificates; i speak french, german, and a little english. i should wish for be entirely defrayed of the charges of lodging, nourishment, &c., to have a good salary and the voyage paid. these are my conditions; perhaps will you found something for satisfy them. i will give you a commission proportionably to the importance of the place. i hope sir a favorible answer, and it is in this expectation that i am," &c. the next letter is of another kind, and is not a bad effort for a schoolboy:-- "not having received the live bullfinch mentioned by you as having arrived at the returned-letter office two days ago, having been posted as a letter contrary to the regulations of the postal system, i now write to ask you to have the bird fed and forwarded at once to ----; and to apply for all fines and expenses to ----. if this is not done and i do not receive the bird before the end of the week, i shall write to the postmaster-general, who is a very intimate friend of my father's, and ask him to see that measures are taken against you for neglect. this is not an idle threat, so you will oblige by following the above instructions." in the rules laid down by the post-office for the guidance of its officers and the information of the public, an endeavour is made to use plain language; but in any case of doubtful meaning, the post-office, having framed the rules, claims the right of interpreting them. at one time an element in the definition of a newspaper, under the newspaper post, was that it should consist of a sheet or sheets _unstitched_. a newspaper having been taxed a penny, owing to the sheets being tied together with thread, the person who sent the newspaper made the following sharp remonstrance:-- "sir,--i had hoped that the utterly indefensible regulation in reference to which i send a wrapper had been silently abolished. the public is quite unable to understand why stitching is made the _differentia_ of a newspaper and a pamphlet, and i can hardly suppose that the occasional penalty of d. can be the motive. if in the printed regulations you would assign a sufficient motive, no one would of course object. allow me to ask, if a piece of string is passed through two holes and the ends not tied in a knot, if that is considered stitching? according to johnson's definition of stitching my newspaper was not stitched, but tied, _for i used no needle_." again, a person having suffered the loss of a letter, containing something of value perhaps, launched a bolt from scripture at the department:-- "i got no redress before, but i trust i shall on this occasion; or else there must be something rotten in the state of denmark. judas iscariot was a thief, and carried the bag, and it will be a pity and a great scandal if he has found a successor in some branch of the post-office." a fond parent, finding that some white mice sent by his little boy were detained in the post-office, owing to the transmission of live animals being contrary to regulations, writes very indignantly to the department, overlooking its impersonal nature, and singles out the officer whose performance of duty provoked him for such castigation as his pen was capable of inflicting. here is his letter, and it is mild compared with some of the comminatory effusions which occasionally reach the post-office:-- "sir,--tuesday last week my little son sent three white mice to a friend at ----, in a wooden revolving cage, done up strongly in brown paper, with such sufficient biscuit to serve them for the day; but to-day we have heard that your officious manager at our district office delayed sending it, and wrote instead to ask the address of the sender, and called to-day to say he would not forward the cage. now allow me to ask by what law has he dared to delay the delivery, and by that means no doubt killed the little animals? they were in a wooden cage, carefully packed, and could not in any way have been an annoyance; they were not explosive, they were not loose; and i know of no notice in your regulations whereby he dare to delay the delivery and starve the little creatures to death. i would also ask by what law did he open the package? the full postage was on the parcel, and no doubt the stamp ( d.) has been obliterated, which he will of course have to refund, as also the cost of the white mice; he cannot, of course, pay the disappointment. why did the office at ---- take it if wrong? but it is not, because he has sent several such little creatures to others, and they have always reached safely. he likewise had the impudence to say i was to send to the office for the cage, &c. i feel assured you will be equally astonished with me at his assurance. the package was booked from here over eight days ago, and it was his duty to have delivered it. please see to it; the address on the parcel was ----."[ ] [ ] the mice were duly fed during their detention, and were eventually sent for by the applicant. a young man, conceiving that he had a call to the ministry, quitted the post-office service to qualify for that vocation. after a time, the following letter, which fully explains its own purpose, reached headquarters:-- "enclosed is from a young man in my parish, whose sister is a permanent invalid, and his father a retired church officer, so that he must have a _dry_ crust. "i suppose his _style_ does not take amongst the independent congregations wanting pastors, so he is sent back to business (a great mistake, i told him, he ever left it). "he says something about being over twenty-four years of age; but i think it hard he should go to college for three years, and then be sent adrift without a plank. is it possible to reinstate him at the post-office? he goes to chapel in my parish, and his family are all deserving and needy. excuse this effort to help a respectable though needy fellow." chapter xx. singular coincidences. extraordinary coincidences have been chronicled in connection with almost every situation in life, some fortunate and attended with profit to those involved, others unfortunate or disastrous; and the post-office is no exception to the rule as being a field for the observation of such occurrences. the peculiar nature of the coincidences to be observed in the following examples may be worthy of note, or at any rate the cases may repay their perusal with some small degree of interest:-- "among the workmen employed in some alterations at a nobleman's country seat were two bearing exactly the same christian name and surname, but unconnected and unacquainted with each other, one being a joiner, the other a mason. the joiner, who was a depositor in the post-office savings' bank, having received no acknowledgment of a deposit of £ , obtained a duplicate. the mason, who was not a depositor, became insane and was removed to a lunatic asylum about the same time; and the original acknowledgment, intended for the joiner, having fallen into the hands of the mason's mother, she concluded that the account was his, and made a claim for the money towards defraying the expenses of his maintenance, and was with difficulty undeceived." a registered packet containing a valuable gold seal was sent to a firm of fancy stationers in newcastle-on-tyne, and delivered at its address in due course. complaint was shortly afterwards made, however, that the young person who opened the packet found the seal was not enclosed, and inquiries were at once set on foot in the post-office to discover how and where it could have been abstracted. a week or two after, and while these inquiries were still proceeding, the firm in question reported that a tradesman in town had presented to them the identical seal, with the view of ascertaining its value! this information served as a clue to the elucidation of the matter, and the loss of the seal was shown to have occurred in the following fashion:--in the process of opening the packet, the young person concerned had carelessly allowed the seal to fall, unobserved by her; it got mixed up with waste-paper, which formed part of some waste shortly thereafter removed to the premises of a marine-store dealer, where it underwent a course of sortation. an old woman engaged in this work found the seal, appropriated it, and without more ado pawned it. the person with whom it was pledged was he who presented it at the address where it had dropped from the letter. the coincidence is not only a curious one, but the case illustrates how, but for the coincidence, the blame of the loss would have rested on the post-office. a traveller in the north of europe became sadly puzzled with letters which followed him about, although not intended for him, and the difficulties in his case are described in a letter written by him, of which the following is a transcript:-- "i am sorry you have had so much trouble respecting the registered letter supposed to have been lost in transmission from my wife to me in ----. but i assure you the letter was most carefully and punctually delivered, not having been even a post behind its due time, and i think your case can hardly have referred to me at all. there was another rev. j---- d---- (the same name) travelling in norway at the same time, whose letters kept crossing my path everywhere; and when i read them, i was almost in doubt whether i was myself or him, for his wife had the same name as mine, and his baby the same name as mine, and just the same age; but who he can be i cannot make out, only he is not i. perhaps the registered letter which has given you such trouble may have been for him. it may satisfy you, however, to know that mine was all right." the following incident occurred about twenty years ago. a gentleman of the uncommon name of onions was travelling in scotland, and was expected by his friends to call at a certain post-office for letters on a particular day. the day prior to this, a telegram reached this post-office from his home in the south of england, requesting that he might be told to return at once, owing to the serious illness of his brother. the telegram upon its receipt was duly placed in the proper box by the clerk in charge of the _poste restante_ at the time, and who of course, the telegram being open, was aware of its contents. next day, when the same clerk was upon duty, a mr onions presented himself, asking for letters; but the clerk, on going to the box to get the aforesaid telegram, was unable to find it, nor could any one in the office at the time say anything about it. mr onions was, however, informed of its import, whereupon he said he had no brother, but as his father had been ailing when he left, he supposed a mistake of "brother" for "father" had been made in transmission, and that the message was no doubt intended for him. he then left the office. a few days later the postmaster received a letter from this gentleman, then in the south of england, stating that he had been made the victim of a cruel hoax (he having found on reaching home that no telegram had been sent to him), and he was the more convinced of this because his visit to scotland was in pursuance of his honeymoon. the matter being investigated, it transpired that on the morning of the day on which mr onions called for letters, another mr onions, for whom the message was meant, had called and received the telegram from a clerk who shortly thereafter went off duty. the confusion had thus arisen through two persons of the same uncommon name calling at the same post-office on the same day for letters, and, as it happened, applying for their letters at hours when two different clerks were in attendance. in the following case the names are fictitious, but in their similarity they will adequately illustrate the narrative:-- the sudden expansion of telegraph business upon the transfer of the telegraphs to the state in , necessitated the employment of a large number of inexperienced operators, and some awkward blunders were the consequence. in the year mentioned, a liverpool man named parlane went to london; but before parting with his wife, it was arranged that on a certain day he would telegraph whether she should join him in london or he would return to liverpool. on the appointed day the promised telegram was sent asking his wife to come to london, the message being directed (we shall say) to mrs parlane, menzies street, toxteth park, liverpool. by some accidental failure of current, or imperfect signalling the word "menzies"[ ] reached liverpool as "meins,"[ ] and there being no meins street in liverpool, the messenger was directed to take the message for trial to main street, for which it was thought it might be intended. the messenger found at main street[ ] a mrs m'farlane, and to this person the message was presented. the names being similar, mrs m'farlane opened the telegram, and her husband also being in london, she had no doubt whatever that the command which it contained to repair to london, though altogether unexpected, was intended for herself. that evening she accordingly started for the metropolis. [ ] the names are given from memory. meanwhile mrs parlane had been suffering intense anxiety at not receiving the promised telegram, and being unable longer to endure the suspense in which she found herself, she likewise started for london the same evening. strange as it may appear, both mrs parlane and mrs m'farlane travelled to london not only by the same train, but in the same compartment; and it was by a comparison of notes that the telegram intended for the one was discovered to have got into the hands of the other. the string of coincidences in this matter is exceedingly singular--viz., that two persons of similar names should reside at the same number in neighbouring streets; that the husbands of both should be in london at the same time; that the two wives should travel to london in the same train; and that they should find themselves companions in the same compartment. identity in names and addresses in all particulars sometimes gives rise to trouble and inconvenience. through the misdelivery of a savings-bank acknowledgment, it was brought to light that in a suburban district of london, where there were two terraces bearing exactly the same designation, there were residing, at the same number in each, two persons having, not only the same surname, but the same christian name. but even more curious are the following facts in the matter of similar names and addresses, though in this instance nothing of ill-consequence has yet arisen beyond the occasional misdelivery of a letter. in edinburgh at the present time ( ), there resides at st andrew's terrace a mr james gibson, and, immediately opposite, at st andrew's place, another mr james gibson. it happens, also, that a mr john gibson is to be found at st andrew square. hence we have this very singular series of almost identical addresses, the persons concerned being all different, and, so far as we are aware, unacquainted with each other:-- ( ) mr j. gibson, st andrew's terrace. ( ) mr j. gibson, st andrew's place. ( ) mr j. gibson, st andrew square. in consequence of the misdelivery of a post-packet, the following case of almost identical addresses in two different towns was brought under notice:-- mr andrew thom, boot maker, south bridge street, airdrie. and mr andrew thom, boot top manufacturer, south bridge, edinburgh. not very long ago, two letters directed to mrs r---- at her residence in edinburgh were duly delivered there; but as the lady was at the time living at the grand hotel in london, they were placed under a fresh cover by one of her family and forwarded thither. some days thereafter the postmaster of glasgow received a communication from a mrs r---- (the same name), residing at the grand hotel, expressing great astonishment that the two letters, which she now returned, had been sent to her, since her permanent address was not in edinburgh, but glasgow. the matter was afterwards explained, on the fact becoming known that two ladies of the same name, one hailing from glasgow, the other from edinburgh, had been living at the same time in the same hotel, and that the waiter had delivered the letters to the wrong person. chapter xxi. savings-bank curiosities. with persons who deposit their hard-earned savings in the post-office savings bank, there is sometimes observed a disposition, not to be wondered at in their case, to use more than ordinary care in keeping their savings secret,--which care, however, does not always secure the aim which they have in view, but results in quite a different fashion. a domestic servant who had invested in a trustee savings bank about £ , entered the holy bonds of matrimony in , when it might have been expected she would be ready to admit the man of her choice to a knowledge of her monetary worth; but instead of doing so, she concealed this matter from him, and he remained ignorant of it throughout the remainder of his life. the sum at her credit in the trustee savings bank was afterwards transferred to the post-office savings bank, and by dint of saving she added to that amount nearly £ more. at length, in , after thirty-six years of married life, she died, leaving her husband with three children, but without revealing what she had so jealously guarded, in the interest, no doubt, of her children. not many months thereafter the man married again. the second wife seems by some means to have come to a knowledge of her predecessor's savings, and in order to pave the way to future possession, prevailed upon the old man to make a will in her favour, which he consented to do, not knowing that he was worth anything, and thus gratified a whim, as he might suppose, at small cost. the effect of this was, that, when the old man died, the second wife obtained the whole amount of the account, while the poor children, whose mother had kept her secret so many years in their interest, derived no benefit whatever from the savings which she had hoped to leave them. an irishman who had managed to get some savings together in the savings bank was exercised as to the safe-keeping of his deposit-book, and he adopted the following plan to give himself peace of mind on this score:--first of all, he placed his book inside a box, which he then locked. this box he placed inside a second box, which he locked likewise. continuing the series of operations, he locked the second box inside a third box; and then, to crown the business, hung up all the keys in a place where they were accessible to many persons. in a short time the book disappeared, and by forging the signature of the rightful owner, the thief succeeded in obtaining payment of the poor irishman's deposits to the amount of about £ . this unfortunate depositor is a type of a considerable class of persons, who show themselves capable of carrying out plans to a certain stage, but fail in some one particular to give them the completeness necessary to success. another individual who had some misgivings as to the safety of his deposit-book, suggested a plan for his identification, furnishing the necessary data, which were his age, and a statement that he had a scar under his left arm, known to himself alone. he desired that no one should be allowed to withdraw money from his account unless upon satisfactory information being given on these points. in another instance a depositor proposed to send his likeness, with a view to his identification, lest some other person might get possession of his book, and so withdraw his savings. he then proceeded in his letter to touch upon another matter as follows:--"there are some little articles i would like to get from london, and one of them is some natural leaf-tobacco, which i would be glad if you sent me an ounce of, and charge me for it--it is only to be bought in the largest tobacco-stores." not receiving the tobacco, he expressed surprise in a subsequent letter that his request had not been complied with, observing, by way of reproach perhaps, that "the commonest person in america (my country) can speak to general grant, and there is nothing said wrong about it." a good deal of trouble has to be taken in sifting claims for moneys in the post-office savings bank--especially in cases where the persons concerned are of a poor and illiterate class. the following may be taken as a case in point:-- "an account had been opened in a manufacturing town in yorkshire in by a girl who was described as a minor over seven years of age. only one deposit was made; and nothing further was heard of the account until , when a labourer wrote from northumberland claiming the money as having been deposited by his wife, who had recently died. on a marriage certificate being forwarded, it was found that the marriage took place in , and that the wife was thirty-five years of age at that time. the applicant also stated that he could swear to his wife's handwriting, whereas the depositor could not write. he was informed of these discrepancies, but still insisted that the money was deposited by his wife, and employed a lawyer to urge his claim." sometimes depositors mislay their deposit-books, or lose them altogether, and in course of time forget that they have anything lying at their credit. this is an instance of such a case:--a depositor, upon being reminded that he had not sent up his book for a periodical examination--the time for which was already past--replied that his book was lost, but that if there was any balance due to him, he would be glad to have the particulars. the amount due to him was upwards of £ ; but as, when a depositor has lost his book, it is usual to test his knowledge of the account, this course was followed, when, from the answers received, it was made clear that he was entirely ignorant of the sum standing to his credit--and, indeed, that he believed his account to be closed. but for the notice sent to him in regard to his deposit-book, he would never have made any claim. as might readily be supposed, strange communications are often received on savings-bank business--some quaint and curious, though written quite seriously, while others are evidently written with the intention of making fun; yet another class deriving their peculiarities from a too common cause--want of education. a few of such specimens are given as follows:-- a depositor being asked to furnish particulars of his account, the reply received from some one who had opened the letter on his behalf was to this effect:--"he is a tall man, deeply marked with smallpox, has one eye, wears a billycock, and keeps a pea-booth at lincoln fair,"--a description ample enough, and one that would rejoice the heart of a detective. the envelopes supplied to depositors, in which they send their books to headquarters, have within the flap a space provided to receive the depositor's address, and the request is printed underneath--"state here whether the above address is permanent." this request has called forth such rejoinders as these--"here we have no continuing city," "this is not our rest," "heaven is our home," "yes, _d. v._" in one case the reply was "no, _d. v._, for the place is beastly damp and unhealthy;" while another depositor, being floored by the wording of the inquiry, wrote--"doant know what permanent is"! when deposit-books are lost or destroyed, some explanation is usually forthcoming as to how the circumstance occurred, and some of these statements are of a very curious kind. thus a person employed in a travelling circus accounted for the loss of his book in these terms: "last night, when i was sleeping in the tent, one of our elephants broke loose and tore up my coat, in the pocket of which was my bank-book, and eat part of it. i enclose the fragments." in another case the statement furnished was: "i think the children has taken it out of doors and lost it, as they are in the habbit of playing shutal cock with the backs of books." another depositor said that his book was "supposed to have been taken from the house by our tame monkey." while in a further case the explanation vouchsafed was as follows: "i was in a yard feeding my pigs. i took off my coat and left it down on a barrell; while engaged doing so, a goat in the yard pulled it down. the book falling out, the goat was chewing it when i caught her." a sergeant in the army lost his book "whilst in the act of measuring a recruit for the army,"--a circumstance which is, perhaps, not creditable to the recruit. a needy depositor pledged his coat, forgetting, however, to withdraw his deposit-book, which was in one of the pockets. on applying to redeem his property, he found that the coat had been mislaid by the pawnbroker, and that his book was thus lost. in a somewhat similar way another depositor accounted for his loss "through putting the book in an old coat-pocket, and selling the coat without taking out the book again." it was suggested that he should apply to the person who purchased the coat, when he replied that he had been "to the rag merchant," but could find no trace of his book. on another occasion a depositor explained that his book had been mutilated by a cat. another book, which was kept in a strong box in a pigsty, had been destroyed by the tenant--a pig. while in yet another case the depositor explained that "his little puppy of a dog got hold of it and tore it all to pieces--not leaving so much as the number." a coast-guardsman employed on the sussex coast, writing shortly after the occurrence of some severe storms, explained that his book had been washed away with the whole of his household effects. in a case of mutilation of a book, the following account of the circumstance was given by the owner: "in the early part of last year i was taken seriously ill away from home; and having my bank-book with me, i wrote in the margin in red ink what was to be done with the balance in case of a fatal result, and as a precaution against its being wrongfully claimed on my recovery, i cut this out." these are some of the more curious instances of the loss of books--the loss being ordinarily ascribed either to change of residence, to the book being dropped in the street, or to its being burnt with waste-paper. chapter xxii. replies to medical inquiries. for many years past it has been incumbent upon all candidates seeking employment in the post-office, as in other public departments, to undergo medical examination, with the view of securing healthy persons for the service; and in the course of such examinations the medical officer requires to make inquiry into the state of health of the candidates' parents, brothers, sisters, &c., the information being elicited in forms to be filled up by the candidates. though it is not to be expected that persons entering as postmen, messengers, and so on, should exhibit perfection in their orthography, still, in referring to the more common troubles that afflict the human frame, some approach to an intelligible description of diseases might be hoped for. dr lewis, who held the post of medical officer in the general post-office, london, for many years, recorded the following examples of answers received to his questions:-- "father had sunstroke, and i caught it of him." "my little brother died of some funny name." "a great white cat drawed my sister's breath, and she died of it." a parent died of "apperplexity"; another died of "parasles." one "caught tiber fever in the hackney road"; another had had "goarnders"; a third "burralger in the head." some of the other complaints were described as "rummitanic pains," "carracatic fever," "indigestion of the lungs," "toncertina in the throat," "pistoles on the back." one candidate stated that "his sister was consumpted, now she's quite well again"; while the sister of another was stated to have "died of compulsion." it is to be hoped that the work of the school boards will be seen in the absence of such answers from the medical officers' schedules of the future. in addition to the medical scrutiny as to health, all candidates for service have to give satisfactory accounts in regard to their previous employment; and this is elicited by means of questions put to the candidate on what is known as the a. form. the following are questions and answers in the case of a young lady candidate:-- write your christian and surname in full. elizabeth b---- your usual signature? yours ever, lizzie. state how you have been employed since leaving school. _ans_. music and singing, and nursing dear mamma, who is an invalid! chapter xxiii. various. _superstition_. superstition rarely stands in the way of the extension of postal accommodation or convenience; but a case of the kind occurred some time ago in the west of ireland. application was made for the erection of a wall letter-box, and authority had been granted for setting it up; but when arrangements came to be made for providing for the collection of letters, no one could be found to undertake the duty, in consequence of a general belief among the poorer people in the neighbourhood that, at that particular spot, "a ghost went out nightly on parade." the ghost was stated to be a large white turkey without a head. _curious names_. everything that departs from the usual mode or fashion of things is regarded as curious, and the term may be applied also to the incidence of names and professions, either in regard to their relative fitness of relationship, or to an opposite quality. as the sight of two or three individuals with wooden legs walking in company would be sure to claim our attention, if it did not excite our mirth, so the coming together of persons having similar names under the same roof by mere chance, would not fail to attract notice, and be thought a peculiar circumstance. of the first class the following cases may be noted,--namely, that at torquay, devonshire, there used to be a butcher called bovine; in the east of london there is a james bull, a cow-keeper; and at birnam, perthshire, a gardener and strawberry-grower called john rake. there is further, we are informed, at cork a person carrying on the pawnbroking business whose name is uncle, than which there could be nothing more appropriate. of the second class the following is an instance, persons of the names given having been employed together in a single office of the general post-office some years ago:-- a lacroix. a parsons. a partridge. a laforet. an archer. a peacock, a deforge. a fisher. and a defraine. a hunter. one berdmore. a clark. _letter-box, st martin's-le-grand._ so much has it become the custom in these later times for the post-office to afford facilities to the public in whatever will tend to increase the business of the department, that in all large towns pillar-boxes or branch offices are dotted about everywhere at short distances, thus altering the conditions which formerly obtained, when the chief office was the great central point where correspondence had to be deposited for despatch. london is no exception to this general plan of accommodation, and there may be some lingering regrets that the stirring scenes which used to attend the closing of the letter-box at st martin's-le-grand (when the great hall led right through the building) no longer exist, at least as things worthy of note. lewins, who wrote the history of the post-office (her majesty's mails), thus describes what nightly took place at the closing of the box at six o'clock:-- "the newspaper window, ever yawning for more, is presently surrounded and besieged by an array of boys of all ages and costumes, together with children of a larger growth, who are all alike pushing, heaving, and surging in one great mass. the window, with tremendous gape, is assaulted with showers of papers, which fly thicker and faster than the driven snow. now it is, that small boys of eleven and twelve years of age, panting sinbad-like under the weight of huge bundles of newspapers, manage somehow to dart about and make rapid sorties into other ranks of boys, utterly disregarding the cries of the official policemen, who vainly endeavour to reduce the tumult into something like post-office order. if the lads cannot quietly and easily disembogue, they will whizz their missiles of intelligence over other people's heads, now and then sweeping off hats and caps with the force of shot. the gathering every moment increases in number, and intensifies in purpose; arms, legs, sacks, baskets, heads, bundles, and woollen comforters--for who ever saw a veritable newspaper boy without that appendage?--seem to be getting into a state of confusion and disagreeable communism, and yet 'the cry is still, they come.' heaps of papers of widely opposed political views are thrown in together--no longer placed carefully in the openings; they are now sent in in sackfuls and basketfuls, while over the heads of the surging crowd were flying back the empty sacks, thrown out of the office by the porters inside. semi-official legends, with a very strong smack of probability about them, tell of sundry boys being thrown in, seized, emptied, and thrown out again void. as six o'clock approaches still nearer and nearer, the turmoil increases more perceptibly, for the intelligent british public is fully alive to the awful truth that the post-office officials never allow a minute of grace, and that 'newspaper fair' must be over when the last stroke of six is heard. one--in rush files of laggard boys, who have purposely loitered in the hope of a little pleasurable excitement; two--and grown men hurry in with the last sacks; three--the struggle resembles nothing so much as a pantomimic _mêlée_; four--a babel of tongues vociferating desperately; five--final and furious showers of papers, sacks, and bags; and six--when all the windows fall like so many swords of damocles, and the slits close with such a sudden and simultaneous snap, that we naturally suppose it to be a part of the post-office operations that attempts should be made to guillotine a score of hands; and then all is over, so far as the outsiders are concerned." though the tradition referred to of boys being thrown into the letter-box may not have a very sure foundation in fact, it is the case at any rate that a live dog was posted at lombard street, and falling into the bag attached to the letter-box, it was not discovered till the contents of the bag were emptied out on a table in the general post-office. _curious explanations._ in the considerable army of servants who carry on the work of the post-office, embracing all grades from the postmaster-general to the rural postman, are to be found individuals of every temperament, character of mind, and disposition--the candid, the simple, the astute, the wary; and the peculiarities of the individuals assert themselves in their official dealings as surely as they would do in the ordinary connections of life. the following "explanations" furnished by postmasters who had failed to send up their accounts at the proper time, will illustrate the procedure of the candid or simple when in trouble, who seem quite unnecessarily to give every detail of their shortcomings, instead of doing, as most men would do in the circumstances--make a general excuse:-- "my daily accounts would have reached you in time; but on saturday morning, whilst purchasing american cheeses and sampling them, i tasted some of them, which brought on a bilious complaint, so that i was obliged to suspend work on monday. being now somewhat better, i trust all will go on right." "i regret the daily accounts should have been delayed so long; but having some friends to see me, the accounts were forgotten." "the postmistress of ----, cambridge, is very sorry that she has not sent her accounts before this; she will be sure to do so to-morrow. the delay is on account of her having three little motherless grandchildren staying with her for a few days." the following will bear company with the three foregoing specimens. it is a pathetic appeal from a letter-receiver, who, mistaking the purpose for which a certain credit of official money was allowed him, spent it, and was unexpectedly called upon to account for the balance due by him to the head office:-- "mr ----, superintendent of the money-order department, called upon me yesterday, and dispelled a very mistaken notion of mine--viz., that as i had given a guarantee of £ , i was perfectly 'justifiable' in making use of a portion of the money received for my own business. i am now very sorry indeed that the idea had gained such an ascendancy over me as it had done. the letter i received from you a few days ago aroused me from that delusive lethargy into which i was sinking; and if you would have the kindness to compare the amount now with what it was then, you will perceive that an effort has been made to retrieve my folly. "my object in writing this to you is an earnest appeal not to degrade me in the position i have struggled so hard to maintain through such distress as we have had, by suspending the business of the office. i beg and earnestly entreat of you to give me time to recover myself; and i assure you that under such a stimulation a vigorous effort will be made to place myself in that honourable position which it has been my desire to hold. therefore, hoping that you will take a favourable view of the case, i subscribe myself, your contrite and obedient servant." _prisoners of war._ the following incident, though not directly bearing upon post-office matters, has a relation to letters. it forms the subject of a pathetic story, and brings into contrast the possible isolation of poor fellows who may be taken in war, with the rapid and constant intercourse kept up between the peoples of enlightened countries during times of peace by the intermediary of the post-office. the facts are here quoted from a notice of the circumstance published in a local newspaper:-- "the extensive works for the manufacture of paper belonging to alex. cowan & sons, at valleyfield, near edinburgh, were in , owing to the dulness of trade, sold to government, and converted into a prison for the french soldiers and sailors, of whom over were kept from to , when peace was happily established between britain and france. during these three years died, whose remains rest in a quiet spot near the mills. of these, a list of the names, ages, and place of capture is preserved by messrs cowan. the mills were reacquired from government about , and are carried on as among the largest paper-mills of britain by the same firm. in some repairs lately carried out at these works ( ) an old floor was lifted, and underneath was found a letter written by a prisoner, but which he was never able to despatch. a copy of this letter is annexed, as possibly some of the writer's relatives may see it and be interested by a perusal." the french is not very good; but here it is:-- "prison, valleyfiel, _mars, année_ . "mon cher perre et ma cher mÃ�re,--d'après plusieur lettre que je vous ecrives, étant en angleterre, sans en avoir pu en recevoir aucune réponse. je ne sais à quoi attribuer cette interuption, et depuis on va arrivez en ecosse, je me suis toujours empressez pour vous donner de mes nouvelles, et qui a été bien impossible, à moins jusqu'à presens, d'en recevoir. je désirai ardement d'en recevoir des votres, ainsi mon cherre père et ma cherre mère, je vous prie trêes umblement de prendre des procotions pour me donné de vos nouvelle, est des changement du pays, est dans ce qui est égale à mon égard, de la famille, seullement pour à l'égard de ma santé, elle a toujours etté bonne depuis mon de part. je désire que la présente vous soient pareille, ainsi que mes frerre et seurre, paran, et ami, rien autre chose que je puis vous marqué pour le ----. je soussignez jean françois noel de sariget, la commune de saint leonard, canton de fraize, arrondissement de saint dies, departemeant voges. monsieur perigord lafeste, banquier à paris, dans la rue de mont no. . je soussignez jean nicolas demange de saint leonard, canton de franche." a handsome monument was erected in over the last resting-place of the poor prisoners who died during their period of captivity, and it bears the following inscription:-- "près de ce lieu réposent les cendres de prisonniers de guerre morts dans ce voisinage entre le mars et le juillet . "nés pour bénir les voeux de vieillissantes mères, par le sort appelés a devenir amants aimés, epoux, et pères, ils sont morts exilés! "plusieurs habitans de cette paroisse aimant à croire que tous les hommes sont frères, firent élever ce monument l'an ." _explosion in a pillar-box._ a singular accident, though one not altogether unique in its character, befell one of the pillar letter-boxes in montrose some years ago. a street had been opened up for the purpose of effecting repairs on the gas-pipes, and while the examination and repairs were in progress, some gas, escaping from the pipes, found its way into the letter-box. the night watchman, intending to light his pipe, struck a match on the box close to the aperture, when a violent explosion immediately followed, blowing out the door, and otherwise doing damage; but, luckily, neither the watchman nor the letters sustained any injury. _a mother's love_. the affection of mothers for their children has been a theme of tenderest writing in all ages; and innumerable effusions of this nature, more or less intense, are daily carried by the post-office. the following is a case in point, the writing being observed on the back of a christmas card. "my dear child,--accept this little gift as a token of true friendship, from your mother." the card was found in the dead-letter office! _the mulready envelope._ the failure of the mulready envelope to establish itself in public favour is surely a monument to the caprice of the national taste, if it be not an evidence of how readily the tide of thoughtless opposition may set in to reject that which is new or unusual, without serious grounds for dislike. a facsimile of the design is here given, the envelopes for sale being printed in two colours--black and blue. [illustration] it was introduced to the notice of the public at the time of the establishment of the penny postage, being intended to supply a desideratum in this respect, that the cover should serve the combined purposes of an envelope and a postage-stamp, the envelopes being good for a postage of one penny or twopence, according as they were printed in black or blue. mulready, a member of the royal academy, was the artist, and the design had the approval of the royal academicians, so that it did not go forth without substantial recommendations. if the subjects be examined, it will be found that they are accurately drawn, ingeniously worked together, and apposite in their references to the beneficent work of the post-office department. britannia sending forth her messengers to every quarter of the globe, ships upon the sea with sails unfurled ready to obey her instant behests, the reindeer as the emblem of speed in the regions of snow, intercourse with the nations of the east and of the west, and the blessings of cheap postage in its social aspects, are all suitably depicted. yet the whole thing fell flat; the envelope drew down upon itself scorn and ridicule, and it had to be quickly withdrawn. in the end, it was necessary to provide special machinery to destroy the immense quantities of the envelope which had been prepared for issue. it is amusing, however, to read the contemptuous and very funny criticisms which were showered upon the artist and mr rowland hill by the newspapers of the day, in one of which the following remarks appear:-- "the envelopes and half-sheets have an engraved surface, extremely fantastic, and not less grotesque. in the centre, at the top, sits britannia, throwing out her arms, as if in a tempest of fury, at four winged urchins, intended to represent postboys, letter-carriers, or mercuries, but who, instead of making use of their wings and flying, appear in the act of striking out or swimming, which would have been natural enough if they had been furnished with fins instead of wings. on the right of britannia there are a brace of elephants, all backed and ready to start, when some hindoo, chinese, arabic, or turkish merchants, standing quietly by, have closed their bargains and correspondence. the elephants are symbolic of the lightness and rapidity with which mr rowland hill's penny postage is to be carried on, and perhaps, also, of the power requisite for transporting the £ a-year to his quarters, which is all he obtains for strutting about the post-office with his hands in his pockets, and nothing to do, like a fish out of water. on the left of britannia, who looks herself very much like a termagant, there is an agglomeration of native indians, missionaries, yankees, and casks of tobacco, with a sprinkling of foliage, and the rotten stem of a tree, not forgetting a little terrier dog inquisitively gliding between the legs of the mysterious conclave to see the row. below, on the left, a couple of heads of the damsel tribe are curiously peering over a valentine just received (scene, valentine's day), whilst a little girl is pressing the elders for a sight of cupid, and the heart transfixed with a score of arrows. on the right, again, stands a dutiful boy, reading to his anxious mamma an account of her husband's hapless shipwreck, who, with hands clasped, is blessing rowland hill for the cheap rate at which she gets the disastrous intelligence. with very great propriety the name of the artist is conspicuously placed in one corner, so that the public and posterity may know who is the worthy oliver of the genius of a rowland on this important occasion. as may well be imagined, it is no common man, for the mighty effort has taxed the powers of the royal academy itself, if the engraved announcement of w. mulready, r.a., in the corner, may be credited. considering the infinite drollery of the whole, the curious assortment of figures and faces; the harmonious _mélange_ of elephants, mandarins' tails, yankee beavers, naked indians squatted with their hindquarters in front, cherokee chiefs with feathered tufts shaking missionaries by the hand; casks of virginia threatening the heads of young ladies devouring their love-letters; and the old woman in the corner, with hands uplifted, blessing lord lichfield and sir rowland for the saving grace of d. out of the shilling, and valuing her absent husband's calamity or death as nothing in comparison with such an economy,--altogether, it may be said that this is a wondrous combination of pictorial genius, after which phiz and cruikshank must hide their diminished heads, for they can hardly be deemed worthy now of the inferior grade of associates and aspirants for academic honours." all this is excessively funny, and enables us to smile; but if the grounds of condemnation were of no more solid kind, we might venture the suggestion that the envelopes had hardly a fair trial at the bar of serious public judgment. _lines on the penny postage._ the following lines were popular about the year , when sir rowland hill introduced the uniform penny rate of postage. the scheme was not looked upon hopefully in all quarters, and some persons predicted an early failure for it, while others only saw in the new departure grounds for ridicule or jest. these lines, which are certainly amusing, are said to be the production of mr james beaton:-- something i want to write upon, to scare away each vapour-- the "penny postage" shall i try? why, yes, i'll write on paper. thy great invention, rowland hill, each person loudly hails; the females they are full of it, and so are all the mails. this may be called the "penny age," and those who are not mulish, are daily growing "penny wise," though not, i hope, pound foolish. we've penny blacking, penny plays, penny mags, for information, and now a "penny post," which proves we've lots of penetration. their love-sick thoughts by this new act may lucy, jane, or mary, array in airy-diction from johnson's dictionary. each maid will for the postman watch the keyhole like a cat, and spring towards the door whene'er there comes a big rat-tat. and lots of paper will be used by every scribbling elf, that each should be a paper manufacturer himself. to serve all with ink enough they must have different plans; they must start an "ink walk" just like milk, and serve it round in cans. the letters in st valentine so vastly will amount, postmen may judge them by the lot, they won't have time to count; they must bring round spades and measures, to poor love-sick souls deliver them by bushels, the same as they do coals. as billet-doux will so augment, the mails will be too small, so omnibuses they must use, or they can't carry all; and ladies pleasure will evince, instead of any fuss, to have their lovers' letters all delivered with a 'bus! mail-coachmen are improving much in knowledge of the head, for like the letter which they take, they're themselves all over red. postmen are "men of letters" too; each one's a learned talker, and 'cause he reads the diction'ry, the people call him "walker." handwriting now of every sort the connoisseur may meet; though a running hand, i think, does most give postmen running feet. they who can't write will make their mark when they a line are dropping, and where orthography is lame, of course it will "come hopping." invention is progressing so, and soon it will be seen, that conveyance will be quicker done than it has ever been; a plan's in agitation--as nought can genius fetter-- to let us have the answer back, before they get the letter. _at the stamp-counter._ a man who can stand at the stamp-counter and serve the public without fear and without reproach, must needs be possessed of a highly sweetened temper. what with the impatient demands of some, the unreasonable demurs of others, the tiresome iteration of questions propounded by the eccentric, and the attention required to be given to the mrs browns of society, not to mention the irritating remarks at times of the inconsiderate, the position behind the counter is one which calls for self-control and a large share of good-nature. the sort of thing that has to be endured at the hands of "perfect woman, nobly planned, to warn, to comfort, and command," when she chooses to lay siege to the stamp-window, is thus described by an american writer, and the description is not to any great extent an exaggeration (if it be so at all) of experiences which are had in our own country in this particular direction:-- "just about eleven o'clock yesterday forenoon there were thirteen men and one woman at the stamp-window of the post-office. most of the men had letters to post on the eastern trains. the woman had something tied up in a blue match-box. she got there first, and she held her position with her head in the window and both elbows on the shelf. "'is there such a place in this country as cleveland?' she began. "'oh yes.' "'do you send mail there?' "'yes.' "'well, a woman living next door asked me to mail this box for her. i guess it's directed all right. she said it ought to go for a cent.' "'takes two cents,' said the clerk, after weighing it. 'if there is writing inside, it will be twelve cents.' "'mercy on me, but how you do charge!' "here the thirteen men began to push up and bustle around, and talk about the old match-box delaying two dozen business letters; but the woman had lots of time. "'then it will be two cents, eh?' "'if there is no writing inside,' observed the clerk. "'well, there may be; i know she is a great hand to write. she's sending some flower-seed to her sister, and i suppose she has told her how to plant 'em ----' "'two threes,' called out one of the crowd, as he tried to get at the window. "'hurry up!' cried another. "'there ought to be a separate window here for women,' growled a third. "'then it will take twelve cents?' she calmly queried, as she fumbled around for her purse. "'yes.' "'well, i'd better pay it, i guess.' "from one pocket she took two coppers, from her reticule she took a three-cent piece, from her purse she fished out a nickel; and it was only after a hunt of eighty seconds that she got the twelve cents together. she then consumed four minutes in licking on the stamps, asking where to post the box, and wondering if there was really any writing inside. "but woman proposes and man disposes. twenty thousand dollars worth of business was being detained by a twelve-cent woman, and a tidal wave suddenly took her away from the window. in sixty seconds the thirteen men had been waited on and gone their ways, and the woman returned to the window, handed in the box, and said, 'them stamps are licked on crooked; it won't make any difference, will it?'" chapter xxiv. about postmasters. the description furnished by scott in the 'antiquary' of the internal management of a country post-office, as existing towards the close of last century, is extremely amusing and piquant; but the probability is that, while so much of what is said might be true to circumstances, the picture was heightened in colour for the purpose of literary effect. no doubt a certain amount of gossip emerged from such country offices, derived from the outsides and occasionally from the insides of letters; yet it is hardly likely that a group of curious women should have gathered together in the postmaster's room to make a general overhaul of the contents of the mail-bag, as is described in the case of the post-office at fairport. in small country towns in the present day, it is no uncommon thing to attribute the spread of "secrets" about the place to a breach of confidence at the post-office, while the real fact is that things told by the persons concerned in strictest secrecy to their most intimate friends are by these communicated again to other kind friends, and so the ripple of information rolls on till there is no longer any secret at all, and the poor official at the post-office is assumed to be the only possible offender. the smaller the place the greater is the thirst for neighbourly gossip, the more quickly does it spread when out, and the more ready are those whose secrets ooze forth to point the finger of suspicion at the post-office. every one knows what a small country post-office is nowadays. when we seek change of air and relaxation in the holiday season, choice is made maybe of some little country village or seaside resort whereat to spend the few weeks at our disposal. if the place be a _place_ at all, there we shall find a post-office; but possibly there is no house-to-house delivery, and letters must be called for at the post-office itself. as the post-hour approaches, groups of visitors take up positions near the office door, or squat themselves down on any patch of sward that may be conveniently near. young ladies waited upon by their admirers, mothers with their children, a bachelor group or two from the inn, and here and there a native of the place, some expecting letters, others indulging a feeble hope in that direction, attend as assistants at what is one of the excitements of the day. presently the post-runner, with his wallet slung upon his back and a rustic walking-stick in his hand, appears in the distance, jogging along with that steady swinging stride which is so characteristic of his class. the visitors begin to close up around the post-office; in a few minutes the runner steps into it; he throws down his wallet of treasures on the counter, removes his faded and dusty hat, and with his coloured cotton handkerchief wipes the sweat from his soiled and heated face. meanwhile the attention of the postmistress is given to the contents of the bag; and as the expectant receivers of letters crowd in at or around the door, a few who have been unable to approach sufficiently near derive what consolation they can from eyeing the operations through the shop window, or by vainly endeavouring to catch an early glimpse of some well-known superscription as the letters pass one by one through the hands of the postmistress. the division of the letters, which can hardly be called a system of sorting, is a proceeding worthy of study. some letters are placed up on end against sweetie-bottles in the window, others are laid down on shelves, others again are spread out on drawers or tables, quite in an arbitrary fashion. the postmistress has no difficulty in reading the addresses, as a rule, but the name of a new-comer seems to demand a little study: the letter is looked at back and front, and then laid down hesitatingly in a place by itself, as if it were an uncanny thing. the address of a letter for any young lady supposed to be engaged in correspondence of a tender kind seems also to require scrutiny; and should she happen to be well in at the door, it is immediately handed to her, those who are in the secret and those who are not forming different ideas as to the reason for this special mark of favour. while this is being done, an undefined sensation is produced in the small crowd, and the recipient retires in confusion to peruse the letter in peace and quiet elsewhere. at length the whole treasures are ready, and the distribution to the eager callers is a matter of a very few minutes, to be renewed again at the same hour next day. something like this is the routine observed when the delivery is being effected at small rural post-offices in our own days--the keeper of the post being a shopkeeper, generally a grocer. in the earlier history of the post, and up till the time of mail-coaches, the post-office was very generally to be found established at the inn of the place. there was an evident convenience in this, owing to the innkeeper being the postmaster in the other and original sense of the provider of horses to ride post, when it was common to send on expresses, by means of these agents, from stage to stage. but the innkeepers, being often farmers besides, had business more important than that of the post to look after, and consequently the work was delegated to others. the duty of receiving and despatching the mails was frequently left to waiters or chambermaids, with the undesirable but inevitable result that the work was badly done. often there was no separate place set apart for post-office business; letters were sorted in the bar or in one of the public rooms, where any one could see them, thereby excluding all possibility of secrecy in dealing with the correspondence. referring to the middle of last century, a surveyor expressed himself to the effect that "the head ostler was often the postmaster's prime minister in matters relating to the mails." [illustration: interior of an old post-office.] the interest taken by boniface in the post-office does not seem to have been very great; for an english surveyor, writing in , thus expresses himself: "persons who keep horses for other uses, and particularly innkeepers, may assuredly more conveniently and at less expense work the mails than those who keep horses for that business only. but, on the other hand, it may be observed that innkeepers, so far from paying government service the compliment of employing in it their best horses, too often send their worst with the mails; and as to their riders, they are, in general, the dregs of the stable-yard, and by no means to be compared to those employed by postmasters in private stations." lack of interest in the mails did not, however, stand in the way of their turning the post to account in favour of their visitors; for in another official report the following observation is made on the subject of franking: "the post-office is not of the consequence or recommendation to an inn which it used to be before the restriction in franking took place; and a traveller, now finding that my host at the public office is deprived of that privilege, moves over to the red lyon." when mail-coaches came to be put upon the road, the necessity for having postmasters other than innkeepers forced itself upon the authorities, so that there should be an independent check upon the contractors, and a better regulation of the arrival and departure of the mails, with less chance of excuse for delays; and thus a change was brought about in the status of country postmasters. but postmasters in the old days do not seem to have been uniformly happy in their posts. the following from a surveyor's report of december , relating to the postmaster of wetherby, in yorkshire, shows this, and no doubt describes the case accurately. the wetherby office had been made more important by some rearrangement of posts, with the result which the surveyor thus pathetically brings under notice: "the postmaster-general's humanity, i humbly apprehend, would be very much affected if they knew exactly the situation of this poor deputy. he has now experienced the difference between his former snug duty and the very great fatigue of a large centre office, and labour throughout almost the whole of every night since the th october . also the very heavy expenses incurred thereby for assistance, coal, candles, paper, wax, &c., without any addition to his salary. to add to his distresses--for he is not rich" (who ever heard of a rich postmaster?)--"he has been so closely pressed from the bye-letter office for his balance due there as to have been compelled to borrow money to discharge them, at the very time that he could not obtain any account from the general office, nor warrants for payment of as large sums due to him." it is not difficult to picture this poor postmaster of wetherby, tied to duty all night long arranging his mails by the light of a guttering candle, and smarting under financial difficulties; the head office squeezing him for revenue with one hand, and holding back what was due to him for his services with the other. sometimes country post-offices would be the scene of small gatherings late at night, waiting the arrival of the mail, as was the case at dumfries in , when some few of the inhabitants would wait up till ten, eleven, or twelve o'clock to receive the english newspapers, so eager were they to peruse them. similar anxiety to be first in possession of commercial or political news conveyed through the newspapers was no doubt common to all business centres at the period referred to; though in our own age such information is largely anticipated and discounted by the telegraph, and in this respect the circumstances have changed. senex, in 'glasgow past and present,' humorously describes the scene enacted at the tontine coffee rooms, in glasgow, during the french war, at the close of last century, on the arrival of the mail. he says:--"immediately on receiving the bag of papers from the post-office, the waiter locked himself up in the bar, and after he had sorted the different papers and had made them up in a heap, he unlocked the door, and making a sudden rush into the middle of the room, he tossed up the whole lot of newspapers as high as the ceiling. now came the grand rush and scramble of the subscribers, every one darting forward to lay hold of a falling newspaper. sometimes a lucky fellow got hold of five or six newspapers, and ran off with them to a corner, in order to select his favourite paper; but he was always hotly pursued by some half-dozen of the disappointed scramblers, who, without ceremony, pulled from his hands the first paper they could lay hold of, regardless of its being torn in the contest. on these occasions i have often seen a heap of gentlemen sprawling on the floor of the room, and riding upon one another's backs like a parcel of boys. it happened, however, unfortunately, that a gentleman in one of these scrambles got two of his teeth knocked out of his head, and this ultimately brought about a change in the manner of delivering the newspapers." again, when a mail was passing through a town between stages in the middle of the night, the postmaster, awoke by the postboy's horn, would present himself at an upper window and take in his bag by means of a hook and line, his body shivering the while in the cold night blast. an instance of such a proceeding is given by williams in his history of watford, where the destinies of the post were, at the time, presided over by a postmistress. "in response," says he, "to the thundering knock of the conductor, the old lady left her couch, and thrusting her head, covered with a wide bordered night-cap, out of the bedroom window, let down the mail bag by a string, and quickly returned to her bed again." coming thus nightly to the open window in her night dress could not have been without its risks to a delicate creature like the postmistress. these postmasters required looking after occasionally, however, for they sometimes did wrong. in the postmaster of edinburgh got into trouble by levying charges of d., d., or d. upon letters over and above the proper rates, and he was peremptorily ordered to discontinue the practice. [illustration: the postmistress of watford despatching the mail.] they also, it would appear, exercised some sort of surveillance over private correspondence. chambers, in his 'domestic annals of scotland,' to which valuable work we are again indebted, gives a case in point: "in july , two letters from brussels, _having the cross upon the back of them_, had come with proper addresses under cover to the edinburgh postmaster. he _was surprised with them_, and brought them to the lord advocate, who, however, on opening them, found they were of no value, being only on private business; wherefore he ordered them to be delivered by the postmaster to the persons to whom they were directed." yet zeal for the king's interest did not always have an acceptable reward, as is shown by the scotch privy council record of . the keeper of the edinburgh letter-office was accused of "sending up a _bye-letter_ with the flying packet upon the twenty-two day of june last, giving ane account to the postmaster of england of the defeat of the rebels in the west, which was by the said postmaster communicated to the king before it could have been done by his majesty's secretary for scotland, and which letter contains several untruths in matter of fact." for having forestalled his majesty's secretary, probably, rather than for the inaccuracy as to facts, the keeper of the post was sent to the tolbooth, there to meditate upon the unprofitableness of official zeal, during the council's pleasure. it does not seem to have been thought prudent to intrust the date-stamping of letters to postmasters generally until some time in the present century. down to the close of last century, at any rate, according to a survey report of the year , this was allowed only at the more important offices. the report is as follows:--"in regard to having the dumbarton letters stamped with the day of the month, as now done at glasgow, the subject has often been considered, and although it has been approved of with some large commercial towns in england, and edinburgh and glasgow in scotland, it has been much doubted how far it would be proper or necessary to establish it generally with less towns, where the practice might be more subject to irregularity or abuses, besides the very great expense such a supply of stamps would occasion to the revenue." the smallness of the salaries allowed to the postmasters of former times is referred to in another chapter, and this may, no doubt, have contributed to the lack of interest taken in the work by some of these officials. but while their pay was small, a good deal of form and circumstance attended their appointment, as will be seen from the following reproduction, on a reduced scale, of the formal appointment of the postmaster of east grinstead in . from a post-office point of view the form is interesting, as no such documents are now in use. [illustration: this whole page is a facsimile. charles _earl of_ tankerville, _and_ henry frederick _lord_ carteret, _his majesty's postmaster-general of all his majesty's dominions in_ europe, africa, _and_ america. to all people to whom these presents shall come, greeting. know ye, that we, the said charles _earl of_ tankerville, and henry frederick _lord_ carteret, having received good testimony of the fidelity and loyalty to his majesty, of mr. thomas palmer and reposing great trust and confidence in the knowledge, care and ability of the said thomas palmer to execute the office and duties required of a deputy postmaster, have deputed, constituted, authorized and appointed, and by these presents do depute, constitute, authorize and appoint, the said thomas palmer to be our lawful and sufficient deputy, to execute the office of deputy postmaster of the stage of east grinsted in the county of sussex to have, hold, use, exercise and enjoy, the said office of deputy postmaster of the stage aforesaid, with all and every the rights, privileges, benefits and advantages to the same belonging, from the fifth day of january last for the term of three years, unless sooner removed by us, under such conditions, covenants, provisoes, payments, orders and instructions, to be faithfully observed, performed and done by the said deputy, and servants, as he or they shall, from time to time, receive from us, or by our order. in witness whereof, we the said charles _earl of_ tankerville, and henry frederick _lord_ carteret, have hereunto set our hands, and caused the seal of the said office, in such cases used, to be affixed. dated the eighth day of in the twentysixth year of his majesty's reign. by command] traditions of hard work and long hours linger still in the post-office, though nowadays the periods of duty are generally reduced to moderate limits. some idea of the service required to be rendered formerly by post-office servants may be gathered from the following order, dating about or . it refers to the secretary to the post-office in dublin, but we ought perhaps to put a very free interpretation upon it:--"the duty of the secretary is to carry on the general correspondence, and, under the direction of the postmaster-general, to superintend the whole business of the office; to attend the board, and give directions for carrying into execution the orders of the postmaster-general. his attendance is constant, and at all hours by day and by night--generally from until , from until , and from until o'clock each day." the postmasters of the united kingdom are a very large class, numbering many thousands, and comprising every variety of individual from the honest country shopkeeper to the highly intelligent men who are placed in charge of the offices in our principal towns. the former have enough to do in mastering the various codes of rules under which the many branches of business are carried on; while the latter, in exercising discipline over their forces, carrying out changes of administration, and endeavouring to meet the wishes of a public ever wakeful to their interests and privileges, are something in their way like petty sovereigns, of whom it might not inaptly be said, "uneasy is the head that wears a crown," though the material emblem itself be wanting. chapter xxv. red tape. the post-office is no stranger to the taunt that it is swathed from head to foot in red tape; or, at any rate, that its operations are so trammelled with routine that no inquiry into irregularities can be made with anything like due expedition. such accusations as these often come from unreflecting persons, or from those whose business operations are of a small kind, and who have no idea of the methods necessary for carrying on a huge administration. an ordinary shopkeeper, for example, has under his own eye the whole sphere of his daily business; he has a personal knowledge of all purchases from the wholesale houses, and knows exactly the particulars of his daily sales; he has, moreover, the behaviour of his servants constantly under observation with a view to discipline; in fact, he is ever present in his own business world, the whole scope of which is within his individual purview. if a person of this class were asked a question in regard to his affairs, it would probably be in his power to afford an answer at once; and when he addresses an inquiry to the post-office he expects a reply with like rapidity. not receiving an answer with the looked-for despatch, as might very likely happen, the cause would be assumed to be needless routine--otherwise red tape. now it is proper here to observe, that between business or trade in the ordinary sense, and the administration of a department like the post-office, there exists a gulf which forbids all comparison, and establishes a contrast of the most striking kind. a stranger, were he taken through the secretariat of the post-office at st martin's-le-grand, the brain of the whole department, could not fail to be struck by the method which reigns throughout, and the way in which various subjects coming up for consideration are disposed of in different branches. in one quarter he would find inquiry going on into the characters and antecedents of candidates for appointments throughout the country, and preparations being made for their examination by the civil service commissioners. in another room would be found officers exercising judicial functions in regard to cases of misbehaviour reported from the country-- meting out arrest of pay or dismissal in accordance with the gravity of the offence in each instance. then in other rooms questions as to new buildings, their fittings and furniture, and the increase of staff when demanded by provincial offices, are undergoing close examination. inquiries for missing letters take up attention in one branch; various other kinds of irregularities are dealt with in another. the foreign mails branch, the home mails and parcel-post branch, the telegraph branch, with all their subdivisions of work, occupy separate rooms, and claim the attention of officers specially trained to their several duties. and how does all the correspondence for the secretary at headquarters find its way to its proper quarter for treatment? there is a branch called the registry, in which every letter or communication of any importance is registered on receipt--that is, it receives a number, the name of the writer is indexed, and the subject of his letter recorded. the number of officers employed in the registry is ; and the original papers passing through the branch in the way stated exceed , annually. from this branch every morning the papers for treatment are distributed over the secretariat, each officer receiving the papers proper to his duty. nor does the business of the registry end here, for every _case_--each separate set of papers on a subject is called a _case_--is recorded again whenever sent elsewhere, so that its destination can be traced. were this not done, laggard postmasters, or persons acting from base or interested motives, might find it convenient not to return the papers, and so by silence _end them_. sometimes a single case will go backwards and forwards thirty or forty times, yet its whole history of travel is recorded. this is the routine which some people call _red tape_. in dealing in this way with large masses of correspondence, each atom of which has to receive its due share of brain-attention, there is necessarily some degree of retardation; and it may be remarked that, between this process and the law in mechanics, under which, other things being equal, a gain of power is accompanied by a loss of speed, there exists a strong analogy. but by this classification and division of labour it is possible to bring about results which could not be achieved by a much larger staff under any plan of desultory working. we will mention one thing which, perhaps more than any other, excites the public to use the taunt of _red tape_. it is a printed reply to a complaint, commonly spoken of as the "stereotyped reply." the public do not know how carefully and conscientiously delays and reported losses of letters are investigated in the post-office. inquiries are made in every office through which the letters would pass in transit, and records made, lest an explanation should afterwards be forthcoming; but after all, in the eyes of some persons, the printed reply spoils all. these persons forget, however, that the printed letter conveys all that is to be said on the subject, and that it is used in the interests of economy. it may be admitted of the post-office, that of all its characteristics, the most prominent is that of its method, routine, or red-tapeism, in the limited sense of what is necessary for the furtherance of the public service; but there is, perhaps, no concern of like magnitude in the world in which there is less of the musty fusty red tape of antiquity that has outlived its time, and no longer serves any useful purpose. [illustration: red tape] printed by neill and company, edinburgh. the royal mail: its curiosities and romance. by james wilson hyde, superintendent in the general post-office, edinburgh. opinions of the press. =the times.=--"the author of 'the royal mail' has served five-and-twenty years in the post-office, and had it been his fortune to turn novelist, like his confrère anthony trollope, he would never have been so lavish of invaluable materials. the merest glance through his pages might suggest subjects or incidents for half a score of sensational romances. but the whole of the volume is so full of fascination that once taken up it is difficult to lay it down." =saturday review.=--'mr hyde's work certainly shows that, even at the present time, the business conducted by the post-office is not unfrequently enlivened by romantic incidents; while in antiquarian interest it is rich beyond the average." =pall mall gazette.=--"this volume is a storehouse of amusing anecdotes." =the echo.=--"the curiosities and romance of the post-office have furnished mr j. wilson hyde, superintendent in the general post-office, edinburgh, with a subject for one of the most entertaining books of the year. the book is well written, well arranged, and thoroughly deserves success." =graphic.=--"contains a vast number of well-arranged facts, some valuable, some curious, about what is pre-eminently 'the people's institution.'" =st james's gazette.=--"the result is a work that is sure to be widely read. the author treats of the old coaching days in a cheery spirit; and if some of his excellent anecdotes lack the gloss of novelty, that was only to be expected. but by far the most interesting pages in his interesting book are those in which he deals with the working of the present system.... an extremely readable and meritorious book." =whitehall review.=--"'the royal mail' is not a book to be put down unfinished, for what is told in it is well worth knowing, and the admirable way it is related makes it all the more enjoyable." =the literary world.=--"this book is free from the least suspicion of dulness, and is replete with the liveliest anecdotes we have seen for many a day. there is a good story on almost every page." =daily news.=--"a book which is an interesting addition to post-office literature, and it will be read with pleasure by thousands who know nothing of the internal working of the postal service." =scotsman.=--"a book of singular interest, and excellence.... the carelessness with which in some cases the mails were conveyed, the means taken to preserve them from robbers, the length of time occupied in their transmission from one place to another, the difficulty in dealing with particular portions of them,--all these are described in the earlier chapters of mr hyde's book, and are described with singular power and ease of narrative. the book, in short, is far more interesting than most of the modern novels, and it will enable the country to understand better than it could otherwise understand the vast and complicated machinery by which one of the most ordinary and yet imperative requirements of modern life is carried out. mr hyde must have hearty commendation for the manner in which he has done his work." =glasgow weekly citizen.=--"positively the most interesting book i have seen for an age. it is certain to have an immediate and very wide popularity. it reads like a novel, and shows in many cases how true is the old maxim, that 'truth is stranger than fiction.' to everybody this volume will be of the greatest interest. and many subjects of great and universal interest are treated in the most lively and entertaining manner. the volume abounds in capital stories." =north british daily mail.=--"it is brimful of the most curious out-of-the-way facts illustrative of the early struggles of the postal service, and also contains some very amusing and romantic stories of the old stage-coach days. the work is written in such an easy unpretentious chatty style, and is so admirably arranged, that when taken up few will lay it down until they have read it through to the end. it is, moreover, capitally illustrated." =newcastle daily journal.=--"this is a thoroughly instructive and amusing book. mr hyde approaches his subject in the character of a chronicler. the book is a most entertaining one." =liverpool daily post.=--"his volume is replete with interesting facts, anecdotes, and illustrations, and it is written on a subject which has an interest for every one.... his pages will repay perusal." =dundee advertiser.=--"a perusal of mr hyde's clever book will show the difference between the postal service of a century ago and that of the present time. to the credit of the author be it said, that he succeeds in doing this without being tiresome, a consummation not always achieved by those who undertake such a mission." =aberdeen journal.=--"every page is full of interest, and the whole book shows the man accustomed to put the greatest amount of information in the fewest and most appropriate words. from beginning to end of the book the reader finds himself in the company of one that speaks what he knows." =bristol times and mirror.=--"in this work, mr j. wilson hyde has gathered together a perfect budget of information pertaining to our postal service both in the past and present days. the book is neatly bound, and is decidedly a valuable addition to the literature of the season." =manchester examiner and times.=--"'the royal mail' is singularly interesting. the writer has unearthed from ancient documents, old newspapers, and official reports, a curious collection of incidents and facts which give a vivid idea of the difficulties of the postal service in its youth, and of the immense improvements which have been made in recent years. the book is both entertaining and instructive. the reader will find a good deal that is strange and even romantic in the account." =quiz.=--"a delightful book, by the superintendent of the edinburgh general post-office.... a book, full of contemporary curiosities and old-world romances, which, while it gives an entertaining account of the inner workings of the post-office of to-day, transports you to the grand idyllic epoch of sleepy britain, the times of pack-horses and postboys, of wayside inns and county hostelries, of masked cavaliers, and great snows and impracticable roads. a glance at the contents of mr hyde's volume is sufficient to indicate the extent and variety of the materials he has gathered together." =birmingham daily mail.=--"a book which may be looked upon in the light of a historical work.... its aim, while historic, seems to be to deal with the lighter features of the great department of the state, the post-office. 'the royal mail' ... will be found very entertaining, and sometimes very strange and romantic reading." =practical teacher.=--"a book which, albeit not a novel, has all the charm and interest of the most exciting romance. altogether it would be difficult to speak too highly of mr hyde's delightful volume." =yorkshire post.=--"mr j. w. hyde of edinburgh has collected and arranged an altogether admirable array of historical and illustrative matter bearing on our postal system." =courant.=--"he has made a wonderfully good book. by some curious instinct he has divined what is most interesting in the subject he writes about, and there is not a dull page from the first to the last. no previous writer on the post-office has given us so graphic a picture of its daily life, and of the adventures it undergoes from hour to hour. he has in truth written a romance of the post-office abounding in truths stranger than fiction." transcriber's notes: ( ) obvious punctuation and typographical errors have been rectified. ( ) italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equals=. ( ) where there are slight differences of print style in facsimiles of actual documents, they have not been altered (e.g. "postboy", "post-office", etc.). ( ) in chapter xi, the table has been restructured to fit the available space and some abbreviations have been adjusted and defined. generously made available by the internet archive/american libraries.) the postal system of the united states and the new york general post office [illustration] _prepared and issued by_ manufacturers trust company new york brooklyn queens [illustration] the postal system of the united states and the new york general post office by thomas c. jefferies assistant secretary, manufacturers trust company copyright, , by manufacturers trust company [illustration: _honorable hubert work, postmaster general._] honorable hubert work, postmaster-general, was a practising physician for many years in colorado prior to entering government service, and was also president of the american medical association. he served as first assistant postmaster-general under postmaster-general will h. hays, his predecessor, who, upon assuming management of the post-office department, practically dedicated it as an institution for service and not for politics or profit. since that time all possible efforts have been made to humanize it. the administration of mr. hays was ably assisted by mr. work who had direct supervision of the , post-offices and more than two-thirds of all postal workers. by persistent efforts to build up the spirit of the great army of postal workers and bring the public and the post-office into closer contact and more intimate relationship, the postal system has been placed at last on a footing of _service to the public_. mr. work is an exponent of a business administration of the postal service, and representatives of the larger business organizations and chambers of commerce, from time to time, are called into conference, in order that the benefit of their suggestions and their experience may be obtained and their fullest co-operation enlisted in the campaign for postal improvement. _"messenger of sympathy and love servant of parted friends consoler of the lonely bond of the scattered family enlarger of the common life carrier of news and knowledge instruments of trade and industry promoter of mutual acquaintance of peace and good will among men and nations."_ inscription on post office building at washington, d. c. [illustration] statement prepared for the manufacturers trust company by honorable hubert work, postmaster-general the need for a more general understanding of the purpose of the postal establishment, its internal workings and the problems of operation, is paramount if it is to afford the ultimate service which it is prepared to render. the business man, whose success is definitely connected with its smooth operation, especially should be concerned with the directions for its use. the post-office functions automatically, so far as he is concerned, after he drops the letter into the slot; but before this stage is reached, a certain amount of preparation is necessary. he could scarcely expect to operate an intricate piece of machinery without first learning the various controls, and no more is it to be expected that he can secure the utmost benefit from such a diversified utility as the postal service without knowing how to use the parts at his disposal. accordingly our efforts have been directed to the circulation of essential postal information, and with the aid of the public press and the coöperation of persons and organizations using the service, the people throughout the country are now better informed on postal affairs than at any time in its history. the recognition of the human element is a recent forward step in postal administration. although the post-office has probably been the most powerful aid to the development of a social consciousness, the management until recently seems to have overlooked the relative value of the individual in the postal organism. the individual postal worker is now considered to be the unit, and the effort to maintain the service at a high standard of efficiency is based upon the betterment of his physical environment and the encouragement of the spirit of partnership by enlisting his intelligent interest in the problems of management and recognizing his real value to the postal organization. suggestions for improvement are invited and considered from those within the service as well as those without, and it is believed that a full measure of usefulness will not be attained until the american public, which in this sense includes the postal workers themselves, are convinced that the service belongs to them. [illustration] general officers of the post-office department the postmaster-general is assisted in the administration of the post-office department by four assistant postmasters-general. the first assistant postmaster-general has supervision over the postmasters, post-office clerks, and city letter carriers at all post-offices, as well as the general management of the postal business of those offices, the collection, delivery, and preparation of mail for despatch. the second assistant postmaster-general is concerned entirely with the transportation of mail by rail (both steam and electric), by air, and by water. he supervises the railway mail, air mail, foreign mail services, and adjusts the pay for carrying the mail. the third assistant postmaster-general is the financial official of the department and has charge of the money-order and registry service, the distribution of postage-stamps, and the classification of mail matter. the fourth assistant postmaster-general directs the operation of the rural delivery service, the distribution of supplies, and the furnishing of equipment for the post-offices and railway mail service. in addition to the four assistants there is a solicitor, or legal officer; a chief post-office inspector, who has jurisdiction over the traveling inspectors engaged in inspecting, tracing lost mail, and investigating mail depredations, or other misuse of the mail; a purchasing agent; a chief clerk, who supervises the clerical force at headquarters in washington; and a controller, who audits the accounts of the , postmasters. [illustration: _the postmaster general and general administration assistants._ --hon. hubert work, _postmaster general_. --hon. john h. bartlett, _first assistant postmaster general_. --hon. paul henderson, _second assistant postmaster general_. --hon. w. irving glover, _third assistant postmaster general_. --hon. h. h. billany, _fourth assistant postmaster general_. ] united states postal statistics year post- extent of gross revenue gross expenditure (fiscal) offices post-routes of department of department (number) (miles) , $ , $ , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , comparison of money-orders and postal notes issued, fiscal years to , inclusive no. of domestic money-orders issued money- fiscal order year offices number value , $ , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , , . , , , , , , . --------------------------------------------------------------- no. of international money-orders postal notes issued money- issued in u. s. fiscal order year offices number value number value , $ , . , , , , . , , , , . , , , , . , , $ , , . , , , , . , , , , . , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , , . , , , , . [illustration] _the post-office of general concern_ there is no governmental activity that comes so uniformly into intimate daily contact with different classes of this country's inhabitants, nor one the functioning of which touches practically the country's entire population, as does the united states postal system. mr. daniel g. roper, in a volume highly regarded by postal executives, entitled "the united states post-office," called the postal service "the mightiest instrument of human democracy." this system, as we know it to-day, represents the growth, development, and improvement of over a century and a third. in the last seventy-five years this growth has been particularly marked; the total number of pieces of all kinds of mail matter handled in , for instance, was , , ; in it was estimated that , , , pieces were handled, and to-day about , , , letters are handled every hour in the postal service. in the gross postal revenues were $ , in round numbers and the expenditures $ , . in the revenues were $ , , and expenditures $ , , . in the revenues were $ , , and the expenditures $ , , . in the revenues were $ , , and the expenditures $ , , . the revenue of the postal service for the fiscal year ending june , , including fees from money-orders and profits from postal-savings business, amounted to $ , , . , an increase of $ , , . over the receipts for the preceding fiscal year, which were $ , , . . the rate of increase in receipts for over was . per cent., as compared with an increase in over of . per cent. the audited expenditures for the year were $ , , . , an increase over the preceding year of $ , , . , the rate of increase being . per cent. the audited expenditures for the fiscal year were therefore in excess of the revenues in the sum of $ , , . , to which should be added losses of postal funds, by fire, burglary, and other causes, amounting to $ , . , making a total audited deficiency in postal revenues of $ , , . . the material increase in the deficiency over that for was due to large increases of expenditures made necessary by reason of the re-classification act allowing increased compensation estimated at $ , , to postal employees, and to increased allowances of more than $ , , for railroad mail transportation resulting from orders of the interstate commerce commission under authority of congress. the revenues of this department are accounted for to the treasury of the united states and the postmaster-general submits to congress itemized estimates of amounts necessary under different classifications; congress, in turn, makes appropriations as it deems advisable. in there were a total of officers, postmasters, and employees of all kinds in the postal service. postmaster-general work to-day directs the activities of nearly , officers and employees. the number of post-offices in the united states in was seventy-five; in the number had increased to , ; in it was , ; and on january , , there were , . the greatest number of post-offices in existence at one time was , , in , but the extension of rural delivery since its establishment in has caused, and will probably continue to cause, a gradual decrease in the number of smaller post-offices. _the post-office in colonial times_ the first colonial postmaster, richard fairbanks, conducted an office in a house in boston in to receive letters from ships. in governor lovelace of new york arranged for a monthly post between new york and boston, which appears to have been the first post-route officially established in america. much of this route was through wilderness, and the postman blazed the trees on his way so that travelers might follow his path. this route, however, was soon abandoned. in the massachusetts general court provided for certain payments to post messengers, although the first successful postal system established in any of the colonies was that of william penn, who, in , appointed henry waldy to keep a post, supply passengers with horses, etc. in the following year governor dungan of new york revived the route that had been established by governor lovelace, and, in addition, he proposed post-offices along the atlantic coast. in a post was started between certain points in connecticut. the real beginning of postal service in america seems to date from february , , when william and mary granted to thomas neale authority to conduct offices for the receipt and despatch of letters. from that time until the postal system seems to have been under the direction of andrew hamilton and his associates. in the latter year john lloyd was appointed postmaster-general, to be succeeded in by alexander spotsward. head lynch was postmaster-general from to , and elliott berger from to . in july, , the continental congress established its post-office with benjamin franklin as its first postmaster-general. mr. franklin had been appointed postmaster of philadelphia in . samuel osgood, of massachusetts, however, was the first postmaster-general under the constitution and washington's administration. from samuel osgood to hubert work there have been forty-five postmasters-general, that official becoming a member of the president's cabinet in . _fast mails of pioneer days_ post-riders and stage-coaches were the earliest means of transporting the mails, to be followed by steamboats, railway trains, and, in time, by airplanes. in considering our modern mailing methods, no feature of the development of our postal system is more striking than the improvement that has been made in methods of mail transportation. up to a few decades ago, pony express riders sped across the western part of our country, and back, carrying the "fast mail" of the days when indians and road-agents constituted a continual source of annoyance and danger to stage-coach passengers and drivers, and made the transportation of valuables extremely hazardous. the coaches carried baggage, express, and "slow mail," as well as passengers, while the "fast mail" was handled exclusively by pony riders. the inimitable mark twain has given us a great word-picture of these pony express riders, from which we quote the following: in a little while all interest was taken up in stretching our necks and watching for the "pony rider"--the fleet messenger who sped across the continent from st. joe to sacramento, carrying letters nineteen hundred miles in eight days! think of that for perishable horse and human flesh and blood to do! the pony rider was usually a little bit of a man, brimful of spirit and endurance. no matter what time of the day or night his watch came on, and no matter whether it was winter or summer, raining, snowing, hailing, or sleeting, or whether his "beat" was a level straight road or a crazy trail over mountain crags and precipices, or whether it led through peaceful regions or regions that swarmed with hostile indians, he must be always ready to leap into the saddle and be off like the wind! there was no idling time for a pony rider on duty. he rode fifty miles without stopping, by daylight, moonlight, starlight, or through the blackness of darkness--just as it happened. he rode a splendid horse that was born for a racer and fed and lodged like a gentleman; kept him at his utmost speed for ten miles, and then, as he came crashing up to the station where stood two men holding fast a fresh, impatient steed, the transfer of rider and mail-bag was made in the twinkling of an eye, and away flew the eager pair and they were out of sight before the spectator could get hardly the ghost of a look. the postage on his literary freight was worth five dollars a letter. he got but little frivolous correspondence to carry--his bag had business letters in it, mostly. his horse was stripped of all unnecessary weight, too. he wore a little wafer of a racing-saddle, and no visible blanket. he wore light shoes, or none at all. the little flat mail-pockets strapped under the rider's thighs would each hold about the bulk of a child's primer. they held many and many an important business chapter and newspaper letter, but these were written on paper as airy and thin as gold-leaf, nearly, and thus bulk and weight were economized. the stage-coach travelled about a hundred to a hundred and twenty-five miles a day (twenty-four hours), and the pony rider about two hundred and fifty. there were about eighty pony riders in the saddle all the time, night and day, stretching in a long scattering procession from missouri to california, forty flying eastward, and forty toward the west, and among them making four hundred gallant horses earn a stirring livelihood and see a deal of scenery every single day in the year. [illustration: _the pony express rider._ photo by courtesy of american telephone & telegraph company ] we had had a consuming desire, from the beginning, to see a pony rider, but somehow or other all that passed us and all that we met managed to streak by in the night, and so we heard only a whiz and a hail, and the swift phantom of the desert was gone before we could get our heads out of the windows. but now we were expecting one along every moment, and would see him in broad daylight. presently the driver exclaims: "here he comes!" every neck is stretched further, and every eye strained wider. away across the endless dead level of the prairie a black speck appears against the sky, and it is plain that it moves. well, i should think so. in a second or two it becomes a horse and rider, rising and falling, rising and falling--sweeping toward us, nearer and nearer--growing more and more distinct, more and more sharply defined, nearer and still nearer, and the flutter of the hoofs comes faintly to the ear--another instant and a whoop and a hurrah from our upper deck, a wave of the rider's hand, but no reply, and man and horse burst past our excited faces, and go winging away like a belated fragment of a storm! so sudden is it all, and so like a flash of unreal fancy, that but for the flake of white foam left quivering and perishing on a mail-sack after the vision had flashed by and disappeared, we might have doubted whether we had seen anything at all, maybe. _mail transportation to-day_ mails are now carried over about , miles of railroads. service on the railroads is authorized and paid for under a space basis system authorized by congress and approved by the interstate commerce commission. the present post-office organization dates from about , as the period that followed that year was one of transition from stage-coach to rail car for the transportation of mails. as railway mail service was increased and extended, sometimes railroad companies made arrangements with contractors to handle it. occasionally contracts were transferred to the contractors at the same rates received by the railroads. frequently the compensation was divided pro rata as far as the railroad covered the route. it was not uncommon for postmasters in large cities to make the arrangements for the department. naturally such a lack of uniformity of procedure and control invited irregularities of one kind or another, although they were for the most part not serious ones, and were eventually corrected and a system of standards and of unified control put into effect. _origin of mail classes_ in any letter that weighed one half ounce or less was classified as a single letter without regard to the number of sheets it contained; a five-cent rate was charged for distances under three miles and ten cents for greater distances. in the postage-stamp was officially adopted and placed on sale july of that year at new york. in the year , , postage-stamps were sold; in , , , , stamps were sold, and in there were issued to postmasters , , , adhesive stamps, , , , postal cards, , , , stamped envelopes, and , , newspaper wrappers. in the rates were reduced to three cents for any distance less than three hundred miles, if prepaid, and five cents if not prepaid, and, for a greater distance, six cents if prepaid and ten cents if not prepaid. the prepayment of postage was finally made compulsory in . in a uniform rate of three cents for single letters not exceeding one half ounce in weight was adopted for all distances, and twenty years later, in , the two-cent letter was adopted. in the rates of three cents on letters and two cents for postal cards were adopted, the extra cent in each case being for war revenue. on june , , however, the three-cent letter rate and the two-cent postal-card rate expired by limitation, and the two-cent letter rate and one-cent postal-card rate returned. when the parcel post was established in , and the air mail service was inaugurated in , special stamps were issued, although they were soon discontinued. our friends who collect stamps may be glad to know that a philatelic stamp agency has been established under the third assistant postmaster-general at washington, which sells to stamp-collectors at the face-value all stamps desired which are in stock and which may have special philatelic value to stamp-collectors. _emergency measures during the war_ as a war measure, on july , , by executive order issued in accordance with a joint resolution of the house and senate, the telegraph and telephone systems of the united states were placed under the control of the postmaster-general, and on november , , the marine cables were also placed under his control. these utilities were conducted by a wire control board, of which the postmaster-general was the head. the marine cables were returned to their owners may , , and the telephone and telegraph lines were returned to their owners in accordance with an act of congress on august , , having been under government control just one year. when the telegraph was invented, in , the first line between washington and baltimore was built through an appropriation authorized by congress. then, as now, there were public men who advocated government ownership of the wire systems as a means of communication, the same as the postal service. it was placed in private control, however, one year after its inauguration, and has grown up under that control. the government's operation during the war of both the wire and railroad systems seems to have cooled the ardor of even the most enthusiastic advocates of government ownership of such utilities. early in the post-office department used the wireless telegraph in connection with air mail service. a central station is located in the post-office department building at washington, and other stations are located in cities near the transcontinental air mail route from new york city to san francisco. experiments are being made with the wireless as a means of directing airplanes in flight, especially during foggy and stormy weather, and it is expected planes will ultimately be equipped with either wireless telegraph or telephone outfits. on april , , the post-office department adopted the use of the wireless telephone in addition to the wireless telegraph service, and is now using both in the air mail service, and also for the purpose of broadcasting to farming communities governmental information such as market reports from the agricultural department and the big market centers. it is not contemplated, however, that the post-office department will maintain the wireless telegraph and telephone except as an aid in the development of the air mail service; only when not in use for this purpose is it utilized to broadcast the governmental information referred to for the benefit of farming communities and without expense to them. _the post-office in the war_ as may be imagined, the work of the post-office department consequent upon the war was enormous; it participated in and did war work for practically all other departments of the government. besides the great increase of ordinary mail as a result of the war, it assisted in the work of the draft, the liberty loans, the red cross service, food, fuel, and labor conservation, the enforcement of the alien enemy and espionage laws, and nearly every war activity placed upon it some share of the burden. the post-office department, whose function is purely civil, with responsibility for a business service that must not be interrupted, kept open channels of communication upon which the vital activities of the nation depended, and unquestionably made material contributions toward the successful prosecution of the war. the department was of assistance to the department of justice, the bureau of intelligence of both the army and the navy; the department of labor, in collecting data relative to firms and classes of labor in the country; the department of agriculture, the shipping board, and various independent bureaus of the government. under proclamation of the president, postmasters of towns having populations of or less had the duty of registering enemy aliens. the department collected all the statistics and lists of aliens for the department of justice. a similar work was performed with respect to the duties of the alien property custodian. nine million questionnaires were distributed for the war department, each being handled three times during the first draft; about thirteen million questionnaires were distributed in the second draft. the department distributed literature for the liberty loans and the red cross, and assisted in the sale of war savings stamps and internal revenue stamps. new postal service was established for the soldiers at nearly a hundred cantonments in this country. when the american forces went abroad an independent postal service was established in france by the post-office department which was later turned over to the military authorities. that the united states postal service was the only one in the world that did not break down during the war might well be cause for pardonable pride. _beginning of registered mail, postal money-orders, savings, free delivery, special delivery, parcel post, and air mail_ the registry service was established in and the money-order service was established in . about $ , , , is transmitted by money-orders annually. postal-savings service was established january , , and during the first year the deposits reached a total of $ , . the increase in this department has been continuous each year, and in a recent year the amount was over $ , , . the parcel-post system was established january , , and now nearly three billion parcels are handled annually. in the innovation of free delivery of mail in forty-nine cities was undertaken, for which carriers were employed. in , cities enjoyed free delivery of mail and carriers did the work. in there were about city delivery post-offices and about , carriers. the post-office department owns and operates almost automobiles in the collection and delivery of mail in cities, but this is a small part of the number operating under contract. the regular use of the automobile in the postal service dates back only to . the feature of special delivery of mail was inaugurated in . the first regular air mail route was inaugurated may , , between washington and new york, a distance of about miles, the schedule being two hours, compared with about five hours for steam trains. [illustration: _airplane mail equipment._] an air route between cleveland and chicago was inaugurated may , , and between new york and cleveland july , . the transcontinental air mail route from new york to san francisco, inaugurated september , , is the only route at present in operation. this coast-to-coast route is miles in length, passing through cleveland, chicago, omaha, cheyenne, salt lake city, and reno. relays of planes are used, but, contrary to the general impression, mail is not carried all the way by air; instead, planes pick up mail which has missed trains and advance it to points where it will catch through trains. three rural routes, the first ones, were established in in west virginia. by there were ; in , , ; , , ; on january , , there were , . rural routes now in operation cover a total of , , miles and the number of patrons served is about , , . the rural free delivery service brings in but about one fourth of its cost. there are also about , contract mail routes (star routes) serving communities not reached by rail or rural routes. _postal business increases_ in the five years from to , the increase in the volume of business as reflected by the annual gross receipts of the post-office was . per cent., and in the ten-year period from to , inclusive, it was . per cent. during this decade there was a decrease in postal receipts in but one year as compared with the previous year, and that was in , when the percentage of decrease was . per cent. for the ten years mentioned the percentage of increase in receipts for each year over the previous year was as follows: percentage . . . . [ ] . . [ ] . [ ] . [ ] . . [ ] decrease. [ ] additional revenue on account of increased postage rates incident to the war not included. [ ] see footnote . [ ] see footnote . _the post-office and good roads_ the pony express riders, to whom reference has already been made, rode over trails and cow-paths made by herds of buffaloes, deer, or cattle. to-day, however, as part of our post-office appropriations, large sums are included for construction and keeping in repair public roads and routes used by different branches of our mail service. for the present year there was appropriated for carrying out the provisions of the federal highway act the sum of $ , , for what is known as federal aid to the states in road construction, and $ , , for forest roads for . a comprehensive program has been adopted and, in order that the states may make adequate provisions to meet their share for the federal appropriations, they know in advance just what federal appropriation they can depend upon. the total federal aid funds which have been apportioned to the states from to amount to $ , , . on february , , $ , , had been paid on actual construction, leaving a balance for new construction of $ , , . between february and july of this year about $ , , more was put into construction. _washington headquarters_ the main post-office department building is located at th street and pennsylvania avenue, n.w., washington, d.c. what is known as the city post-office building is at north capitol street and massachusetts avenue in that city, and the mail equipment shops are located at th and w streets, n.e. the total number of employees in the general department is . the clerks throughout the department, in character, intelligence, and dependability, are above the average. not only must postal clerks be familiar with the location of several thousand post-offices, but they must know on what railroad each post-office is located, through what junction points a letter despatched to that office must pass, and many other important details. the schedules of railroads affect the method of despatching mail, and these are constantly changing so that postal clerks must be up to the minute on all schedules, etc. _red corpuscles for our postal arteries_ a new post-office policy that is well expressed by the words "humanized service" has been inaugurated. the postal educational exhibits which have been conducted in many of the larger offices for the purposes of teaching the public how to mail and how not to mail letters, parcels, and valuables were but single manifestations of this new spirit. some persons may think--and with good reason--that only recently have postal authorities indicated concern in what the public did; but that the present interest is genuine is evident to any one. the department is likewise interested in its workers and makes an effort to understand them. says the head of the department in his latest report: "we are dependent on the nerve and the sense of loyalty of human beings for the punctual delivery of our mail regardless of the weather and everything else. to treat a postal employee as a mere commodity in the labor market is not only wicked from a humanitarian standpoint, but is foolish and short-sighted even from the standpoint of business. the postal employee who is regarded as a human being whose welfare is important to his fellows, high and low, in the national postal organization, is bound to do his work with a courage, a zest, and a thoroughness which no money value can ever buy. the security which he feels he passes on to the men and women he serves. instead of a distrust of his government, he radiates confidence in it. i want to make every man and woman in the postal service feel that he or she is a partner in this greatest of all business undertakings, whose individual judgment is valued, and whose welfare is of the utmost importance to the successful operation of the whole organization. we want every postal co-worker to feel that he has more than a job. a letter-carrier does a good deal more than bring a letter into a home when he calls. he ought to know the interest which his daily travels bring to the home. we have , men and women with the same objective, with the same hopes and aspirations, all working together for the same purpose, a mutual appreciation one for the other, serving an appreciative public. if we can improve the spirit and actual working conditions of these , men and women who do this job, that in itself is an accomplishment, and it is just as certain to bring a consequent improvement in the service as the coming of tomorrow's sun." _welfare work_ few people know that to-day a welfare department is in operation throughout the postal system which is directly interested in improving the working conditions of all the postal workers. the department was organized in june, , by the appointment of a welfare director. councils of employees meet regularly to consider matters affecting their welfare and to discuss plans for improving the postal service. the national welfare council has been formed of the following postal employee organizations: national federation of post-office clerks the railway mail association united national association of post-office clerks national rural letter-carriers association national association of letter-carriers national federation of rural carriers national association of supervisory employees national federation of federal employees national association of post-office laborers mutual aid and benefit societies with insurance features are conducted, athletics are encouraged, sick benefits are provided, retirement pensions are in effect, and postal employees to-day can well believe that somebody cares about their comfort and welfare. incidentally, savings aggregating many thousands of dollars annually have been effected through the suggestions and inventions of employees in the service. one of the important divisions in the postal service is that which pertains to the inspection work, much of which does not attract outside attention and only comes to public notice when some one has gotten into trouble with the postal authorities. in a large measure, inspection work pertains to the apprehension of criminals and the investigation of depredations, but that is only a comparatively small part of the division's activities. post-office inspectors investigate and report upon matters affecting every branch of the postal service; they are traveling auditors and check up accounts and collect shortages; they decide where an office should be located, how it should be fitted up, and how many clerks or carriers may be needed. the rural carriers, for instance, must be familiar with the regulations that cover the delivery of mail, registration of letters, taking applications for money-orders, sale of stamps, supplies, etc., but the inspector must also know all of these and also be able to determine when the establishment of a route is warranted, to lay out and fix the schedules and prepare a map and description of the route, also measure the routes if the length is in dispute, inspect the service, ascertain whether it is properly performed, and give necessary instructions to the carriers and postmasters. carriers must know their districts, understand regulations covering the delivery of mail, handling of registry, insurance and collection on delivery matter, collection of mail and handling of change of address and forwarding orders. the inspector, however, determines when conditions are such at an office that city delivery service may be installed, the number of carriers necessary, and the number of deliveries to be made. he lays out the routes, locates the collection boxes, and fixes the schedules. he is also called on to investigate the service when extensions are desired or when carriers are deemed necessary, and is concerned with clerks, supervisory officers, postmasters, new post-offices, railway mail service, contracts for transportation of mail and furnishing of supplies, as well as the enforcement of criminal statutes covering train robberies, post-office burglaries, money-order forgeries, lottery men, the transmission of obscene literature, mail-bag thieves, embezzlers, etc. [illustration] the following regular employees were in the post-office department and postal service on july , : post-office department proper , post-office inspectors clerks at headquarters, post-office inspectors employees at united states envelope agency first assistant postmasters: first class second class , third class , fourth class , ------ , assistant postmasters , clerks, first and second class offices , city letter carriers , village carriers , watchmen, messengers, laborers, printers, etc., in post offices , substitute clerks, first and second class offices , substitute letter carriers , special delivery messengers (estimated) , second assistant: officers in railway mail service railway postal clerks , substitute railway postal clerks , air mail employees fourth assistant: rural carriers , motor-vehicle employees , substitute motor-vehicle employees government-operated star-route employees -------- total , the following classes or groups are indirectly connected with the postal service in most instances through contractual relationship, and take the oath of office, but are not employees of the post-office department or the postal service: clerks at third-class offices (estimated) , clerks at fourth-class offices (estimated) , mail messengers , screen-wagon contractors carriers for offices having special supply clerks in charge of contract stations , star-route contractors , steamboat contractors ------ total , the post-office in new york _list of new york city postmasters from to date_: william bogardus april , henry sharpas april , richard nichol (postmaster in ) alexander colden (postmaster in - ) ebenezer hazard october , william bedloe (postmaster in , appointed after close of revolutionary war) sebastian bauman february , josias ten eyck january , theodorus bailey april , samuel l. gouverneur november , jonathan i. coddington july , john l. graham march , robert h. morris may , william v. brady may , isaac v. fowler april , john a. dix may , william b. taylor january , abram wakeman march , james kelly september , patrick h. jones april , thomas l. james march , henry g. pearson april , thomas l. james (acting) april , cornelius van cott may , charles w. dayton july , cornelius van cott may , edward m. morgan (acting) october , william r. willcox january , edward m. morgan (acting) july , edward m. morgan september , edward m. morgan (reappointed) december , robert f. wagner april , . declined thomas g. patten march , edward m. morgan (reappointed) july , [illustration: _some of the early postmasters of new york city._ ] _early new york_ the first ships which arrived after the settlement of new york as new amsterdam brought letters, and the first post-office, such as it was, began to function about the time the city was founded. when vessels arrived, those letters relating to the cargoes were delivered to merchants; persons who welcomed the ships received their letters by hand. if a letter was unclaimed, it was left with a responsible private citizen until called for. in time a system of voluntary distribution was developed, which became known as the "coffee house delivery." it was naturally popular and continued for over a century. at first this method of delivery was used by vessels and by people from distant points who left their mail for delivery at some well-known tavern. here it reposed in a box accessible to all, or it was tacked to the surface of a smooth board with tape or brass-headed nails and placed in a conspicuous part of the tavern. in the year the postmaster-general of great britain designated a "chief letter office" in the city of new york, philadelphia having been the headquarters of the colonial organization up to that time. in the following year arrangements were completed for the delivery of boston mail twice a month, and a foot-post to albany was proposed. in a complete road was blazed from paulus hook, jersey city, to philadelphia, over which the mail was carried on horseback between philadelphia and new york. alexander colden was postmaster here at the time of the revolution, but when the british troops took possession of new york, the office was abolished by the provost-marshal and for seven years little correspondence not connected with the movement of troops was handled. william bedloe, after whom bedloe's island was named, was the first postmaster after the war, but in sebastian bauman succeeded him. _the new york general post-office to-day_ the world's greatest post-office to-day is the new york general post-office, located at eighth avenue and west d street, but a short block from the west side office of the manufacturers trust company, and we are glad to be able to include in this booklet a message to our readers from hon. e. m. morgan, postmaster, who directs the activities of that great organization. [illustration] the new york general post-office of the past, the present, and the future by e. m. morgan, postmaster the growth of business transacted by the new york post-office is illustrated by the following statement showing the postal revenues for the years mentioned. it appears that the first account of revenues of the new york post-office was published in the year , and the first city directory was also published in that year, and contained names. year amount . . . . . . . . . . . $ , . (estimated) . . . . . , , . . . . . . . . . . . . , , . according to a recent statement by hon. hubert work, postmaster-general, the postal business now done in new york city alone is equivalent to that of the united states twenty-five years ago, and is double that of the dominion of canada. during my personal experience with the postal affairs of this great city, the service has been expanded from a post-office with eleven stations and employees to an enormous establishment having a total of stations, including fifty carrier and financial stations, contract stations, and forty-one united states warship branches; requiring a total force of , post-office employees. the postmaster at new york is also the central accounting postmaster for district post-offices ( third-class and fourth-class post-offices) located in thirty-five counties of new york state. the transactions of this important office are constantly increasing in volume as a result of the great expansion and growth of new york city, which is greatly influenced by the progress and growth of the entire country. new york city, as the metropolis of the united states, is taking her place at the head of the large cities of the world in population, finance, and commercial affairs. if the progress made in the past fifty years by the united states and its possessions in the conduct of national and international business continues, the postal business here will, no doubt, make tremendous strides. at the end of another fifty years, or in the year , the postmaster at new york will be the head of a much greater establishment than the present office, which will be comparable to that organization of the future as the first post-office in new york city, located in the "coffee house," coenties slip, in , is comparable to the present post-office. the future postmaster of new york, in , will probably be the head of a number of consolidated post-offices in the metropolitan area, and, no doubt, other public services will be placed under his supervision. the further development and improvement of the aëroplane mail service will no doubt result in a greater use of that facility for the transportation of mails. the transportation of the mails through the streets of new york is a great problem. at present motor trucks are principally used for that purpose. it is anticipated that even with this service augmented by the re-establishment of the pneumatic tubes, future extensions to the underground method of transportation will be necessary. it is likely that before many years are passed a system of tunnels for the transportation of mails in pouches and sacks will be built and placed in operation. congress and the post-office department are now looking into the matter of providing the post-office at new york with a large amount of additional room in new buildings specially constructed for post-office purposes and it is the constant aim and purpose of all concerned in the operation of the new york post-office to furnish its patrons the best postal service. e. m. morgan, postmaster. _the new york post-office_ conceive, if you can, an organization that is incessantly and perpetually going at top speed; that knows not a moment of rest the year round, or generation after generation; which never sleeps, nor pauses, nor hesitates; that disposes each day of a mountain of , , pieces of ordinary mail, or more than any other office in the world; that does a parcel-post business that makes the business of the express companies seem small in comparison; that handles in excess of , , pieces of registered mail each year; that issues nearly four million money-orders annually, and pays over seventeen million more; that, as a mere side issue does a banking business which is exceeded by but a few banks in the whole state; that has in its safe custody the savings of approximately , depositors, amounting to more than $ , , ; that employs an army of , men and women; that occupies one of the largest buildings in the city, two blocks in length, and then overflows into approximately fifty annexes, called "classified stations," and nearly sub-annexes, called "contract stations"; that has receipts in excess of $ , , per annum; that has doubled its business in ten years. having conceived this, you will begin to get some idea of the new york post-office, the biggest thing of its kind in the world and still growing. the average man's conception of a post-office includes little more than an impression of a letter-carrier in a gray uniform; a mail wagon recently dodged by a narrow margin; a post-office station somewhere in his neighborhood, and a hazy picture of a dingy place in which men sometimes post letters. of the details of the organization aside from these things, the extent and complexities of the service, or how it accomplishes what it does, or of the executive experts operating the system, he knows practically nothing. he is aware, it is true, that letters are collected and that letters are delivered, and that continents and oceans may divide the sender and addressee; but by what mystic methods delivery is accomplished he has never stopped to think. yet the organization that lies behind the words "new york post-office" is one of the most complex, efficient, and interesting in the world, and yet it operates with a simplicity and a smoothness that betoken master design and perfection of detail. _the postmaster_ at the head of this great organization and directing its every movement, watching its development, adjusting its activities, is one of the most experienced and efficient postal experts in america, in the person of postmaster edward m. morgan, whose interesting statement is included at the head of this section. mr. morgan entered the postal service in as a letter-carrier, at the foot of the ladder, and by an industry that was tireless and force of character he worked his way up, round after round, to the very top. in the course of his long public service he transferred from the carrier force to the clerical force, and then graduated from this to the supervisory ranks, discharging each successive grade with conspicuous ability. his several titles in the course of this career were: carrier, clerk, chief clerk, superintendent of stations, superintendant of delivery, assistant postmaster, acting postmaster, postmaster. he was first appointed postmaster by president roosevelt, and reappointed by president taft. for an interval during president wilson's administration he was out of office, but was reappointed by president harding. with such a record of progress and experience it is very evident that he must "know the game," but if one knows nothing of his history, and meets him for a few minutes, his grasp of detail and vision of opportunity for future development become at once apparent. postmaster morgan has gathered around him as his heads of divisions a corps of enthusiastic aides who have grown up in the service under his tutelage, and each of whom has advanced step by step under the keenest competition, demonstrating his competency for the position he fills by the satisfactory manner in which he has discharged the duties of the position of lower rank. among his aides there are no amateurs; all have been tried for a generation or more in positions of varying and increasing importance, and they have stood the test; they are recognized the country over as postal experts, and the work they are doing and the efficiency they are showing are proof that their reputations are well merited. _the organisation of the new york post-office_ next in rank to the postmaster are the assistant postmaster and the acting assistant postmaster, the first at the head of the financial divisions and miscellaneous executive departments, and the second at the head of various divisions engaged in handling the mails proper. [illustration: _postmaster, new york, n.y., and staff._ _upper row (left to right)--edward p. russell, postal cashier; arthur h. harbinson, secretary to the postmaster; joseph willon, superintendent of registry; albert b. firmin, superintendent of money orders; justus w. salzman, auditor. lower row (left to right)--peter a. mcgurty, acting superintendent of mails; thomas b. randies, acting assistant postmaster (mails); hon. edward m. morgan, postmaster; john j. kiely, assistant postmaster (finance): charles lubin, superintendent of delivery._ ] _the assistant postmaster_ the assistant postmaster is mr. john j. kiely, who has been in the service thirty-seven years, and, like the postmaster, has worked up from the ranks, advancing through the various grades as foreman, assistant superintendent, superintendent, division head, etc., to the title he now holds. for a number of years he was in charge first of one and then of another of the great terminal stations of the city, where the greatest volumes of mail are handled of any of the stations in this country, and later was made superintendent of mails, from which position he was recently promoted to the title he now holds. [illustration: post office, new york, n.y. this post office is a business institution _patrons are entitled to and must receive prompt, efficient and courteous service._ =if you think our methods or conduct can be improved, the postmaster wants to hear about it, personally.= _edward m. morgan, postmaster_ _a new kind of sign in government offices._ _the acting assistant postmaster_ ] the acting assistant postmaster is mr. thomas b. randles, who is responsible for the movement of the mails, and who, for several years prior to his attaining his present rank, was assistant superintendent of mails; prior to that, he was superintendent of different stations in various parts of the city. he has seen twenty-eight years' service in various ranks. _the division heads_ next in rank to the officials mentioned there is a group of division heads, corresponding with the various major activities of the office, including the division of delivery, the division of mails, the division of registered mails, and the division of money-orders, followed by the cashier, the auditor, the classification division, etc. the duties of each of these heads are very clearly defined by postmaster morgan, and each head is held to strict responsibility for the faithful and efficient conduct of his division or department. the postmaster himself is ever ready to give advice and counsel, and is the most accessible of executives, not only to his staff, but to employees of all rank and to the public. he in turn requires of all of his aides not only a thorough knowledge of every detail of their work, but also that they shall be as accessible to those under them and to the public as he is himself. _the postmaster's weekly conference_ once each week the postmaster meets his division heads and department chiefs in formal council, when the problems of the service are freely discussed and plans are formulated for such undertakings as may require unity of action and coöperative effort. these conferences keep the various heads apprised of what is of importance in the various departments, and promote an esprit de corps and coöperative attitude that explain the exceptional unity of effort that is characteristic of the entire organization. one has only to study the organization for a short time to discover that one of its strongest features is the manifest team-work, the one animating and controlling influence throughout it all being "the interest of the service." _the delivery division_ closest to the heart of the public of all the postal employees--probably because they see so many of them and know so much of their faithful work as they plod along day in and day out, in all kinds of weather, with their heavy loads weighing down their shoulders and twisting their spines--are the letter-carriers. these are all under the division of delivery, the superintendent of which is mr. charles lubin. mr. lubin entered the service in , as a substitute clerk, and is another example of the executive who has risen, step by step, through all the various clerical grades to supervisory rank, and then through the various supervisory ranks to his present title. the delivery division includes in its personnel, in addition to letter-carriers, clerks, laborers, and substitute employees, so that it constitutes a small army in itself. the new york post-office covers both manhattan and the bronx, with a postal population which greatly exceeds the population as shown by the census. to new york gravitate daily hundreds of thousands of people who are employed in manhattan and the bronx but who reside in brooklyn, new jersey, long island, or elsewhere. hundreds of thousands of others reside at one address in manhattan or the bronx, but do business at another, receiving mail at both addresses. including these, the transients, and the commuters mentioned, it is estimated that the delivery division is receiving mail for approximately , , addressees in the boroughs of manhattan and the bronx. adequately to meet the requirements of this vast number there are scheduled, for the business section of the city, six carrier deliveries daily, and four for the residential sections. just what this means will be better appreciated if one will pause and try to visualize what it means to traverse every street and alley of the great area covered by manhattan and the bronx from four to six times daily, stopping at every door for which there is mail, and effecting delivery in apartments, in tenements, in office buildings, and in factories. of the carriers mentioned above, are employed in collecting mail from the street boxes, both package and letter, and from the chutes in office buildings, etc. from the boxes in remote suburban districts three to five collections are made daily, from boxes in the residential sections from seven to fifteen collections daily, while in the business sections the collections run from fifteen to twenty-seven. even with the frequency of collection that takes place in the intensively developed business sections, the boxes fill up as quickly as they are emptied. to appreciate how quickly, and to make clear the volume of mail collected by the carriers, it may be stated that among the office buildings equipped with chute letter-boxes are the equitable life, thirty-nine stories, and the woolworth, fifty-five stories, from each of which fifty-five to sixty full sacks of mail are collected by the carriers daily between and . p.m. these sacks are conveyed by wagons to the varick street station for postmarking and despatch, four carriers being engaged on the task. the volume of mail collected at the close of business in the lower part of the city, and largely from buildings equipped with chutes and boxes, exceeds that handled by many first-class post-offices for an entire twenty-four-hour period. [illustration: _rear view of new york general post office and pennsylvania railroad tracks. manufacturers trust company, west side offices, nearby (in semi-circle)._] _the stations_ for greater efficiency in handling the mails, to shorten the trips of carriers and collectors and to serve the public convenience, as the city has grown, various classified or carrier stations have been established, and of these there are now no fewer than forty-eight in operation and also two financial stations. the classified or carrier stations are practically complete post-offices, so far as the public is concerned, affording full facilities for the sale of stamps, money-orders, postal savings, registration of mail, acceptance of parcel post, the distribution of mail, etc., and for the delivery and collection of mail by carriers. the financial stations afford all the conveniences mentioned for the benefit of the public, except that they do not make delivery of mail nor effect its distribution. it is estimated that the delivery division effects the delivery daily through the carriers assigned to the general office and to the various stations of approximately , , letters, cards, and circulars, , papers, periodicals, and pieces of printed matter and small parcel-post packages, and , bulky parcel-post packages, or, in all, close to , , pieces of mail of all classes. but the delivery of mail is only part of the story, for it is estimated that the public mail daily in the various chutes, classified station "drops," and street letter boxes, etc., approximate , , pieces of first-class mail and several million circulars, all of which have to be gathered together and put through the various processes of cancellation, sorting, etc., before the actual work of delivery or despatch begins. the tremendous magnitude of the business of the various stations is shown not only in the volume of mail received and delivered, but in the sale of stamps, the collection of postage on second-class matter, etc., constituting the receipts. the receipts at the city hall station, for instance, are greater than the receipts of any post-office in the united states except chicago, ill., philadelphia, pa., and boston, mass., as shown by the table below, giving figures for the fiscal year . in the case of all the offices named, the figures include not only the main office but all the stations of the offices. in the case of the city hall station alone, the figures are for this unit exclusively, and no other point. receipts for fiscal year chicago, ill. $ , , philadelphia, pa. , , boston, mass. , , city hall station , , saint louis, mo. , , kansas city, mo. , , cleveland, ohio , , detroit, mich. , , brooklyn, n. y. , , san francisco, cal. , , pittsburgh, pa. , , cincinnati, ohio , , minneapolis, minn. , , los angeles, cal. , , baltimore, md. , , washington, d. c. , , buffalo, n. y. , , milwaukee, wis. , , from these figures it will also be seen that the receipts of the city hall station are greater than the receipts of the entire city of saint louis, as great as the receipts of cleveland, ohio, and buffalo, n. y., combined, as great as the receipts of detroit, mich., and washington, d. c., combined, as great as those of brooklyn, n. y., and milwaukee, wis., combined, or those of cincinnati, ohio, and minneapolis, minn., combined. the rapid increase in the volume of business at the city hall station is shown by the following figures of receipts: calendar year $ , , . , , . , , . , , . , , . , , . increase in five years-- . per cent. city hall is not the only station of great receipts, as the following statistics show: receipts for fiscal year - madison square station $ , , . grand central station , , . wall street station , , . station "d" , , . times square station , , . west d street station , , . station "p" , , . station "g" , , . station "o" , , . station "f" , , . station "s" , , . station "a" , , . in addition to the actual receipts of the various stations, made up by the sale of stamps, etc., as described, their financial transactions incident to the money-order and postal-savings business are tremendous, as will later be shown in detail under the heading "division of money-orders" and "postal savings"; suffice it to say here that the city hall station issued last year money-orders to the value of $ , , , and the madison square station money-orders to the value of $ , , , while station "b" had to the credit of its postal-savings depositors $ , , , tompkins square station, $ , , , and station "u," $ , , . how greatly the business of the stations has grown is evidenced by the fact that in the gross receipts for the year amounted to but $ , , . , which is less than the receipts for one month at the present time, the receipts for last july amounting to $ , , . . to those who are now enjoying the advantage of free delivery service it seems that it is the natural thing, and it is difficult for them to realize how a busy community could get along without it, yet as a matter of fact it was not established until , when it was experimentally installed in forty-nine cities, with but carriers, which number is about a seventh of those employed at the present time in new york alone. the number of stations has also increased rapidly. in there were but eighteen classified stations and twenty contract stations in new york, while to-day, as previously mentioned, there are forty-eight of the former, two financial, and contract stations authorized, and also forty-one warship branches. _foreign mail for city delivery_ the receipts of foreign mail from europe is increasing very rapidly. during the month of july, , there was received for delivery in new york city from foreign countries , , letters and sacks of foreign papers. [illustration: _few people who hasten through the new york general post office building notice its architectural beauty of design and perspective._] the task of handling the city mail received from steamers is particularly trying, since many of the addresses are difficult to read, insufficient postage is prepaid in many cases, and it comes not in a steady flow but in quantities at one time; and it is, of course, always in addition to the regular daily quota of domestic matter. in exemplification of this it may be said that on august , , a single steamer, the _mauretania_, brought in sacks of letters. _the division of mails_ the division of mails embraces the division of delivery, which has already been described, the great terminal stations, that is, the grand central station (including the foreign station annex); also the division of registered mails and the motor vehicle service. all of these, as previously mentioned, are under the general supervision of acting assistant postmaster randles. the division of mails proper, exclusive of the division of delivery and of the division of registered mails, is under the acting superintendent of mails, mr. peter a. mcgurty. mr. mcgurty was formerly assistant superintendent of delivery, and has been in the postal service in new york since . mr. mcgurty, like other division heads, served first as a clerk, and rose gradually, grade by grade, to his present position. in the mailing division there are employees. the duties of the mailing division are many and varied. in the main it is responsible for the distribution and despatch of all outgoing mail, including the parcel post. it is in itself a complex organization, employing not only the army of men above mentioned but an enormous fleet of motor vehicles and complex mechanical equipment for the conveyance of mail from one part of an office to another, and the loading of it upon railroad cars, ships, etc. the average daily transactions of the division are as follows: outgoing letters , , circulars , , second-and third-class matter , , parcel-post matter , customs due matter collections on customs due matter $ , one duty of the mailing division is the weighing of second-and third-class matter to determine the postage required thereon. the daily average of the matter thus weighed is approximately , pounds, and on this postage is collected to the amount of approximately $ , . in order to make clear what is involved in the handling of a great volume of mail such as is disposed of daily in this division of the new york office, it may be well to describe the course that is followed by a single letter. assume that a letter is mailed in a street letterbox, in the district of a great terminal; it is brought in by a collector, who deposits it upon a long table surrounded by many employees. the table is likely to be what is known as a "pick-up table," which is one equipped with conveyor belts and convenient slide apertures for letters of different lengths, and into these apertures, with nimble fingers, the clerks grouped around it separate the mass of letters received, placing the letters with all the stamps in one direction. as quickly as they do so, the conveyor belts carry the letters, according to the different sizes into which they have been separated, to the electrically-driven canceling machines. these canceling machines are operated by a second group of employees, who feed in the letters, which are canceled at the rate of approximately , letters per hour. the whirling dies by which are imprinted the postmarks which cancel the stamps revolve at almost lightning speed. these postmarks are changed each half-hour, and the aim is to postmark the letters as rapidly as they come to hand, so that but a few minutes intervene between the time of mailing and time of postmark. this postmark is, in fact, the pace-maker. once it is imprinted upon a letter, it can be determined by the postmark at any time just how long a time has been required for it to reach a particular point in the progress toward despatch. from the postmarking machine the letters are carried, sometimes by conveyors, sometimes by hand, and sometimes by small trucks, to what are known as the "primary separating cases." these cases are manned by employees who separate the letters into groups, according to certain divisions which facilitate the secondary and further distributions. thus at the primary cases the letters are likely to be broken up into lots for the city delivery, for many different states, for foreign countries, and for certain large cities. each separation on the primary case will likely be followed by a secondary separation almost immediately. a sufficient number of men is kept on the facing or pick-up tables, on the primary cases, and on the secondary cases and pouching racks, to maintain a continuous movement of the mails. the aim is to keep the mail moving not only continuously from the point of posting to the point of delivery, as nearly in a direct line as practicable, but rapidly also, and with only an arresting of the movement when this is made necessary by awaiting the departure of the next train. from the secondary cases the letters are carried to the pouching rack. by the time they reach the pouching rack they are made up into bundles, various letters for the same localities having been segregated and tied together. in some instances the packages of letters are tagged or labeled for states, in others for cities, and still others for railroad lines or for sections of such lines. the handling of papers and circulars is much the same, so far as distribution is concerned, as the handling of letters, though there is considerable variation as to the details of segregation. [illustration: _carriers sorting mail in the general post office._] with this distribution of the mails there goes a system of despatches. in respect to these it may be said that it is essential that various clerks engaged in the process as described shall know the time of departure of the many trains leaving new york for different points. they must know how much time in advance of departure is essential between "tying out" the packages of letters and the actual departure of the train from the station, and thereby allow sufficient time, but no more time than is absolutely necessary, to make the connection. every detail of the work is plotted; nothing is left to chance. at a certain hour and at a certain minute every clerk engaged in the same distribution at the same station ties out for the same office or route, and likewise at the pouching rack the pouches are closed, locked, and despatched according to a fixed schedule. if the pouch has to be carried from the rack to the truck a given number of feet, a time allowance is made. at a set time the truck that conveys the pouches to the station whence the train is to depart must leave. the time for the vehicle to traverse the prescribed route is fixed; sufficient time for this _and not more_ is allowed. also the time for unloading the truck and loading the train is fixed. when it is understood that this course has to be followed by every one of the millions of letters handled, and that there are , offices in the united states to which mail is forwarded, and that in addition to this it is being distributed for practically every city, town, and hamlet in the world, the complexity of the task becomes apparent. from the general post-office alone there are as many as despatches of first-class mail daily, and forty-five despatches of second-, third-, and fourth-class matter. within the last few years the burden of the parcel post has been added to the duties of the post-office. it is estimated that , pieces of parcel-post matter are handled at the general post-office daily, and that , additional pieces of this matter are received at the same point from the stations. parcel-post packages are commonly very bulky. such may now be mailed for local delivery and for delivery in the first, second, and third zones, that is, within three hundred miles of the place of mailing, if they do not exceed seventy pounds in weight, while packages not in excess of fifty pounds may be mailed to any address in the united states. the handling of these packages necessitates the use of entirely different character of equipment. as far as it is practicable to do so, this matter is segregated from mail of the other classes. many of the packages are too large to be inclosed readily in mail sacks, and are forwarded "outside." in the distribution of parcel-post matter, sack racks are used into which all parcels which are small enough to be sacked are separated. the distribution, as in the other classes, is made at primary and secondary racks. a feature of the mailing division is the handling of such equipment, as pouches, sacks, etc., intended to be used for the transportation of the mails. approximately , sacks and , pouches are shipped by the new york general office daily. _the mailing division--incoming foreign section_ in this section mails are handled which are received from foreign countries. these arrive chiefly on steamers that make new york their port of destination. some of the foreign mails, however, reach new york via boston, philadelphia, key west, new orleans, laredo, san francisco, seattle, and vancouver. the number of pieces of mail received from foreign countries weekly by this section approximates , , letters and cards, , , pieces of printed matter, , packages of parcel post, and , registered articles. these are forwarded to their destination after distribution. many of the letters and cards are not prepaid, or are prepaid but partly, and the postage charged on such matter approximates $ , each week. [illustration: _carriers leaving the general post office on an early morning delivery._] owing to the unsettled conditions in europe the rates of postage in foreign countries are continually changing. as a result of the depreciation of russian currency, letters coming from that country have recently been prepaid at the rate of , rubles per ounce or fraction thereof. prior to the war a ruble was worth approximately . cents. the , rubles are now equivalent to fifty centimes of gold, or ten cents in united states currency. [illustration: _mail at the post office ready to be loaded onto trucks._] many peculiarities are noted in the addresses of incoming foreign letters. very frequently a letter will bear upon the envelop a copy of a business letter-head or bill-head. this is accounted for by the fact that some one in this country when writing to europe will direct his correspondent to address the expected answer according to the address on the letter-head or bill-head he uses, and the foreigner, not knowing what to select from whatever is printed, takes what he regards to be the safe course and copies all. a letter will sometimes be found to bear a full list of everything sold in a country store, including hardware, provisions, clothing, shoes, and periodicals and newspapers. in other cases the senders cut short the addresses and are satisfied if, in addition to their correspondent's name, they give "america" spelled in any way that suits them best, and the ways are legion. _mailing division--motor vehicle service_ the motor vehicle service of the new york post-office is in charge of mr. william m. taggart. the fleet consists of vehicles. all these are owned by the government. the government likewise makes its own repairs, employs its own chauffeurs and mechanics, painters, upholsterers, and various artisans incidental to the operation, repair, and maintenance of the vehicles. there are two garages, and in all men are employed. the garages include fully equipped machine-shops, and stock-rooms in which are constantly kept duplicate parts for all the machines in use. the magnitude of the service will be realized when it is known that during the last fiscal year the vehicles traveled , , miles, or times the distance around the world. during the last fiscal year the motor vehicle service made , trips, according to predetermined schedules, and , trips which were not scheduled but of an emergency character. this gave a total of , trips. of this vast number of trips, scheduled and emergency, there were but which were but partly performed and but which failed. [illustration: _mail trucks loaded with parcel post matter to be transported to different stations in the city._] these trucks are maintained in a condition for operation at all hours of the day and night. no matter what weather conditions prevail, the mails must be moved, and the motor vehicles must be maintained in a condition of efficient repair to permit of their utilization in this work. every detail of expenditure for the fleet is maintained on a strictly scientific cost accounting basis, the number of gallons of oil, the service of the tires, the cost of operation per mile, with and without chauffeur, are all a matter of record. the repairs made on each machine are carefully recorded, with the cost for the parts and the cost of the mechanical help figured separately, so that it is ascertainable from the records what was spent under this heading for each vehicle during each month and year. _mailing division--transportation section_ the transportation section, under assistant superintendent of mails john j. mckelvey, is closely coördinated with the motor vehicle section. the duty of this section is to effect the loading of the vehicles and to arrange the schedules so as effectively to move the mails from the point at which they are made up to their despatch by train, or delivery to some station or group of stations. how great is the volume of mail handled will be understood when it is said that from the general post-office alone the average number of pouches received and despatched daily is approximately , , while the average number of sacks received and despatched is approximately , . the pouches contain first-class mail and the sacks contain mail of other classes. the average number of pieces received and despatched daily, too large to be inserted in either sacks or pouches, is approximately , . at each of the great terminals there are very extensive platforms; the one at the city hall station is a block long; that at the general post-office two blocks long, and these platforms are under the control of the transportation department. during the hours when the mails are being despatched they are among the busiest spots in the postal system. as many as trucks commonly receive and discharge mail from the general post-office platform daily. other platforms are correspondingly busy. _the pneumatic tubes_ the pneumatic tube service has now been resumed between the general post-office, the terminals, and certain of the principal stations of the new york postal system, which was discontinued june , , owing to the antagonism to this method of transportation on the part of the then postmaster-general, mr. albert burleson. legislation has been enacted and departmental action taken within the last year to bring about the resumption of operation of this valuable system. the pneumatic tubes form what is practically a great loop running north in two branches from the city hall. one branch goes up the east side of the city, east of central park, and the other up the west side, west of central park, the two lines being joined together at th street by a line running east and west. this loop and its extensions link the general post-office and the following named stations: a, c, d, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, n, o, p, u, v, w, y, grand central, madison square, times square, wall street, city hall, and varick street. the city hall station is also connected with the brooklyn general post-office. the pneumatic tubes are located four to six feet below the surface of the city's streets, and through these tubes cylindrical steel containers are forced by compressed air. the containers are approximately seven inches in diameter and twenty-one inches long, and the pressure of air is sufficient to impel them at the rate of about thirty miles per hour. containers carry from to letters each, and can be despatched as frequently as one every eight or ten seconds. it will be seen, therefore, that by means of the pneumatic tubes a practically continuous flow of the mails can be maintained between stations. the pneumatic tubes are not owned by the government, but the service is leased on a yearly rental basis. under the terms of the lease the company that owns the tube system operates it, and the government delivers to the despatching points within the different stations and terminals the mail to be transported. upon arrival at its destination the mail is again delivered to the postal employees, who are ready to receive it. there are approximately twenty-eight miles of double tubes, so that mail can be despatched in both directions at the same time. during the period the system was in operation before the tubes conveyed the mails with remarkable efficiency, and it is said that as to stoppages and breakdowns, etc., their operation was . per cent. perfect. in one day , containers were despatched through the tubes, with a total capacity of more than , , letters. they averaged for a year, though not used to maximum capacity, , , letters a day. one advantage of the pneumatic tubes is their freedom from interruption by inclement weather. as the tubes are below the surface of the street, conditions of ice, snow, and sleet, which are embarrassing to motor vehicles, do not interrupt operation. at different times in several of our cities vehicles conveying the mails have been "held up," but with the tubes, robbery is practically impossible. it is anticipated that with the tube system resumed a large percentage of the letter mail intended both for city delivery and for despatch to other points will be materially advanced in delivery. the foreign station of the new york post-office stands out among the postal activities of the country for it is the station at which are made up all the mails intended for foreign countries, with few exceptions, such as canada. the superintendent of the station is mr. thomas j. walters, who has been connected with it for many years. it is a busy place, particularly just before the departure of a steamer, when every effort is exerted to despatch all mail that can be crowded in, up to the very last minute. this station has grown in a comparatively short time and from a very small beginning. in the average weekly number of sacks made up for all parts of the world was only ; by the number had grown to ; by it had reached about ; in the figures were , , and at the present time the average is approximately , sacks weekly. mail is forwarded to the foreign station from all parts of the united states, and is here distributed for the various foreign countries and cities for which it is intended. in this distribution expert knowledge of foreign geography and political divisions is required, for a large percentage of the mail received is indefinitely directed, and only an expert could determine for what points much of it is intended. the shifting map of europe has added greatly to the difficulties, for many correspondents in this country are still ignorant of the new boundaries. in the equipment of this station are hundreds of distribution cases, and many of the letters which the experts at these cases rapidly sort are actually so poorly written that the average man would not be able to decipher them without much study. [illustration] [illustration: _exhibits used for educational work in postal improvement campaign._] one interesting feature of the foreign station is the parcel-post section. the united states now has parcel-post conventions with many foreign countries, and the volume of this business is growing very rapidly. the rate of postage is but twelve cents a pound, and for this small fee a package will be accepted, even in distant california or oregon, transmitted across the continent, over the ocean, and to a destination in south america, europe, or elsewhere. in the early days of the parcel-post it was used chiefly by the person who had friends or relatives in europe and wished to send a present to them, but it is now being used very extensively in commercial transactions. by this means goods ordered from abroad are forwarded by the great mail-order houses, and the total volume of this business is large. much difficulty is experienced in inducing senders of mail matter to wrap it securely. a long campaign of education has been conducted, but there is still room for improvement, as evidenced by the fact that four clerks are engaged repacking, rewrapping, and repairing packages not properly and safely wrapped, and supplying addresses in the case of indefinite directions, etc. with the increase in the volume of the mail there has been an increase in the number of ships carrying the mails, and so, while in august, , there were but thirty-four vessels carrying mail that sailed from new york, during july, , such vessels sailed; on a single day twenty ships left this port carrying a total of , sacks. during the month of july, , , sacks of mail were shipped, a quantity that would tax the capacity of a large warehouse. a special feature of the service is the operation of post-offices on u. s. naval vessels. there are more than fifty such post-offices, serving the convenience of the boys in blue. whether the naval vessels are equipped with post-offices or not, the foreign station is kept posted as to their movements by the navy department, and special efforts are made to so forward all mail received as to reach the addressee at the first port of call. during the war the foreign station experienced many trying times in its efforts to get american mail to destination. the sailing time of ships was seldom known much in advance of actual sailing, and the utmost secrecy was maintained as to vessel movements. the navy department advised the foreign station of the intended sailing of vessels by cipher, though such information was most jealously guarded. the utmost caution was taken in the making out of address tags, etc., to conceal the identity of the various units, the mail for which had to go out by the different ships, and throughout the war there was not a single leak. the service performed during this trying time by the employees of the foreign station were so conspicuously efficient as repeatedly to win approbation. a recapitulation of the several classes of mail despatched from this station to foreign countries is shown below and indicates the rapidity of its growth: letters , , , , printed matter, etc. , , , , circulars , , , , registered articles , , , , parcel post , , , ----------- ----------- total number of articles despatched. , , , , _the registry department_ one of the most important departments of the new york post-office is the registry division, which is under the supervision of mr. joseph willon. mr. willon has been long in the postal service, and for many years prior to his present assignment was superintendent of some of the larger stations of the city, including the one at times square. in the registry division at the general post-office persons are employed; at the city hall station, ; and at the foreign station there is a large force, assigned exclusively to the handling of the foreign registered mails. the registered mails are the most important and the most valuable. just how valuable they are no one knows, but millions of dollars in cash and securities are handled daily, and the banks as well as other financial and commercial interests of the country would be seriously affected if the registry system ceased to operate, even for a brief period. some idea as to the enormous values handled by the registry department may be gained from the fact that during the last fiscal year packages containing diamonds only were received from abroad, the dutiable value of which approximated $ , , . in all, , packages were received that were regarded as dutiable. notwithstanding the enormous values handled, the percentage of losses is exceedingly small. according to the last report of the postmaster-general, throughout the united states the number of registered pieces amounted to , , . the new york post-office handled , , , or more than half of the total. as stated, the percentage of losses is small, and in the case of first-class registered matter of domestic origin there is an indemnity up to fifty dollars, and for the matter of the third class an indemnity up to twenty-five dollars. under the agreements that prevail with certain foreign countries provision is also made for indemnifying the owners under certain circumstances where foreign losses occur. the handling of registered mail differs chiefly from the handling of ordinary mail in the extra care which is taken to safe-guard it. the aim is to record it at the time of receipt, and to thereafter require all persons handling it to account for it as it passes through their hands along its route. receipts are required at all points, and the letters are forwarded in pouches secured by "rotary locks," provided with certain numbers running in sequence, controlled mechanically, the mechanism being such that the lock cannot be opened without raising the number at which the lock was set. if the lock is tampered with in transit, since record is made of the number set when it was despatched, the circumstance is apparent. registered articles handled at new york, n. y., year ending december , total no. station n. y. city distribution foreign of pieces handled g. p. o. , , , , , , , , city hall , , , , , , , foreign , , , , , ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- total , , , , , , , , _the division of money-orders and the postal savings_ the financial transactions of the new york post-office are of enormous volume. through its division of money-orders it issues and pays money-orders of a value comparable with the business of the large banks of the city. the postal savings system also has on deposit a sum which is exceeded by the deposits of only nine savings-banks in manhattan, and is operated as part of the organization of the division of money-orders. this division is under the supervision of mr. albert firmin, who has been connected with the postal system within a few months of forty years, and in point of service is dean among the division heads. it has been through mr. firmin's especial assistance that we have been able to obtain so complete a story of the new york post-office, although every office and every executive has coöperated in every possible way, for which extended courtesies we hereby make grateful acknowledgment. the new york post-office issues more money-orders than any office in the united states. the volume of money-order business, domestic and international, for the last five years, is shown below: domestic money-orders issued year number amount , , $ , , . , , , , . , , , , . , , , , . , , , , . ----------- ---------------- total , , $ , , . international money-orders issued year number amount , $ , , . , , , . , , , . , , , . , , , . ---------- --------------- total , $ , , . domestic money-orders paid year number amount , , $ , , . , , , , . , , , , . , , , , . , , , , . ---------- --------------- total , , $ , , . international money-orders paid year number amount , $ , . , , , . , , , . , , . , , . --------- --------------- total , $ , , . during the fiscal year last past, , international money-orders, amounting to $ , , . , were certified to foreign countries, and , such orders were certified from foreign countries to the united states, the total amount of these being $ , , . . occasionally in excess of , money-orders are paid in a single day, and it is the rule that this volume of business must be balanced to a cent daily. [illustration: photo by courtesy of powers accounting machine company _money order accounting machines in use at the new york general post office._ ] the employees engaged in handling these millions of orders are held strictly accountable for the accuracy of their work, and if error occurs resulting in loss, it must be borne by the person at fault. the most modern methods of accounting are in use, mechanical labor-aiding equipment being utilized wherever it is practicable. the method followed is to perforate a card by means of a small electric machine, so that the perforations show the various data upon the paid money-order that are required to record the payment, the amount, etc. these machines are operated by skilled women employees, trained in methods of accuracy and speed, and whose rating and advancement depend on their efficiency. the cards are then fed into electrically-driven adding- and printing-machines, known as tabulators, which automatically print upon sheets, in columns, all the data shown by the perforations in the card. from this machine the cards are transferred to sorting machines, which operate at great speed and automatically set the cards up numerically according to the numbers of the offices which issued them. thereupon other sheets are printed by the tabulators showing the orders in their new and correct numerical sequence, these sheets being used for searching purposes in the event of applications being made for duplicates, etc. various other mechanical devices are employed in other branches of the work, and the equipment is in all respects up to date, and minimizes clerical work to the greatest extent. _the country's foreign exchange clearing-house_ in addition to the work which is usually done in a post-office in the issue and payment of money-orders, the new york post-office is the international exchange office for the united states, handling all money-orders passing between this country and europe, south america, africa, etc. the volume of this business has been materially reduced since the war, and is affected by the unsettled condition of the old world finances, but it is nevertheless large, as shown by the figures given below for the last fiscal year. number amount international money-orders certified to foreign countries , $ , , . international money-orders certified from foreign countries , , , . the duty of purchasing foreign exchange also falls upon the new york post-office, and the transactions in this are at times very heavy. the total financial transactions of the division of money-orders, exclusive of the postal savings, amounted last year to $ , , . . _the postal savings_ at practically all the stations of the new york office there are postal-savings depositories which are open to the public from a.m. to p.m. the rate of interest on postal savings is but two per cent., but the advantage of absolute safety which the system affords appeals to those who utilize it. not more than $ is accepted from one depositor, but a deposit as small as one dollar is accepted, and this may even be accumulated by the purchase of ten-cent postal-savings stamps, which are obtainable at all stations. new york has on deposit close to one third of all the postal-savings deposits in the united states. there are approximately , depositors in manhattan and the bronx, and they have to their credit in excess of $ , , . thus it will be seen that the new york office is not only a colossus among post-offices, viewed from the standpoint of postal facilities and postal business, but that as a financial institution as well it is a giant. _office of the cashier_ the cashier is the disbursing officer of the new york office, and he likewise receives all money derived from the sale of postage-stamps, stamped envelops, postal cards, and internal revenue stamps which are disposed of at the different stations and in all the third-and fourth-class post-offices in thirty-five counties in the state of new york. the cashier is mr. e. p. russell, and his financial responsibilities are great. the new york post-office is the depository for surplus postal funds from all first-and second-class post-offices in new york state, and it likewise provides hundreds of offices with treasury savings stamps and certificates, and accounts for the revenue received therefrom. how great is the volume of business of the cashier's office will be seen from the statistics given below, which are for the fiscal year ended june , . stamps kind number ordinary , , , postage due , , parcel post , proprietary (revenue) , , documentary (revenue) , , stamps in coils , , ------------- , , , books of stamps , , international reply coupons , postal cards denomination number postal cards-- c. , , postal cards-- c. , , postal cards-- c. , , ----------- , , stamped envelops kind number low-back , , high-back , , open-window , , extra-quality , special-request , , ----------- , , treasury stamps and certificates since december , $ . stamps , . certificates , . certificates , . certificates , if the postage and revenue stamps shown above could be placed lengthwise, in one single line, it would reach a distance of , miles, more than enough to encircle the earth. _pay-roll worries of magnitude_ the cashier's office pays the salaries of the , employees of the new york office, which in the last fiscal year amounted to $ , , . . it also pays many of the employees of the railway mail service, this salary list for the year totaling $ , , . ; also all the rural delivery carriers in new york state, their earnings being $ , , . for the year. a feature of the parcel-post system is the indemnity which is paid in the case of damage or loss to insured parcels. when applications for indemnities are received from the public they are investigated by the inquiry section, and when it is determined that payment should be made, the cashier's office makes the disbursement. approximately drafts are drawn daily to cover these cases. mention has been made of treasury savings certificates handled by the new york office, which in the month of july were sold to the value of about $ , . these certificates, as the name indicates, while issued by the treasury department are handled largely by the post-office department as a convenience to the public and in the interest of the government to better promote the sales. the large amount of one month's sales indicates the measure of service thus provided and the extent to which it is used. _office of the auditor_ the auditor is the checking officer of all receipts and disbursements of the new york post-office. the position is held by mr. justus w. salzmann, another postal veteran, and his corps audits the postal, money-order, and postal-savings accounts, prepares statements of these accounts for transmission to the comptroller of the post-office department, and verifies the money-order and postal accounts of mail clerks in charge of post-offices on naval vessels. he also audits the accounts of approximately post-offices in the state of new york known as "district offices," of which new york city is the central accounting office, and he corresponds with the postmasters of these offices in connection with the conduct of their offices. the auditor also supervises the examination of financial accounts at the main office and at all stations, made by station examiners, corresponds with and prepares statements for the commissioner of pensions in connection with refunds under the retirement act, and with the united states employees' compensation commission in connection with injuries sustained by employees while on duty. he has charge of contracts requiring expenditures, as well as correspondence relating to leases of post-office stations and to repairs and additional equipment required at these stations. the organization of the auditor's office is divided into two sections, each under the supervision of a bookkeeper; one has charge of the general accounts of the new york office and the accounts of district post-offices; the other has charge of the auditing of the money-order and postal-savings accounts, the preparation and verification of pay-rolls, and second-class and permit-matter accounts. the auditor has immediate charge of six station examiners who report on the financial accounts of all stations; they also investigate and report on the need for establishing and maintaining contract stations and attend to complaints received concerning the operation of such stations. the auditor, as the checking officer of the new york post-office, audits receipts and disbursements totaling over $ , , annually. the postal receipts for the fiscal year ended june , , were $ , , . , as compared with $ , , . for the previous fiscal year, a gain of $ , , . . _the appointment section_ the appointment section corresponds to a well-organized personnel bureau of a modern business establishment. this section is under the superintendency of mr. peter putz. all appointees from the civil service list report to this section, and from here they are assigned to the various divisions and departments, according to the requirements. in a force of , men there are, of course, many changes daily, caused by deaths, resignations, promotions, and demotions. whatever action is involved in the changes is taken by the appointment section. the efficiency records of all employees are filed here, and likewise the bonds covering their financial responsibility. from the day a person enters the service to the time he or she leaves it, a record is kept of all ratings, of qualifications as determined by his superior officers, and of all delinquencies. _the drafting section_ how diversified the requirements of the postal service are is illustrated by the work of the drafting section, under the direction of mr. john t. rathbun, whose corps of draftsmen are constantly engaged in laying out new stations, replotting equipment in different units as various changes incident to the growth of the city necessitate, or as changes in the regulations affect the volume of business at different points. this section includes also a corps of mechanics engaged in the repair and maintenance of mail-handling apparatus and equipment. _the supply department_ the supply department of the new york post-office corresponds to a well-equipped store and printing establishment. it is under the superintendency of mr. william gibson. by this division supplies are furnished not only to the new york office and its stations, including those on naval vessels, but to post-offices throughout new york state, as many as points in all being cared for. among the items supplied are , , penalty envelops and different varieties of forms and books, of which approximately , , copies are used annually. this department furnishes different items of stationery and of janitors' supplies, and innumerable repair parts for a great variety of mechanical contrivances used in the postal system. the aim of the official in charge of the department is to keep in touch with the latest labor-aiding mechanical devices that can be utilized in the service, and among the various bureaus and sections will be found more than type-writers, eighty adding-machines, cancelling machines, check-writing, check-protecting, accounting, and duplicating machines. for these numerous repairs are required and parts have to be secured, all of which is attended to by this department. a feature of this department is a well-equipped printing section, which prints a daily paper or bulletin containing instructions, orders, and information for the employees, as well as numerous forms, posters, placards, etc., utilizing in this work a monotype type-setting machine, two cylinder and five job presses. a detail in its workshop is the precancellation of postage-stamps, to meet the requirements of large mailers who desire to purchase them, of which the yearly output is approximately , , . _the classification section_ in the division of classification all questions involving rates and conditions of mailing are passed upon. at the head of this section is mr. frederick g. mulker, whose experience with these matters is probably unequaled. all applications for the entry of publications as "second-class" matter are handled here, and to this bureau publishers come to arrange for the acceptance of their magazines and papers. after a publication is admitted to the mails at the second-class rate its columns are scrutinized to detect anything that infringes upon the regulations, and if anything is found, action is taken by this section. the law defines various classes of mail matter, and innumerable questions arise as to the class in which certain articles belong, many of the questions being difficult of determination and involving numerous technicalities, but here, sooner or later, all questions are settled. it is to this point, also, that the public comes for information as to the preparation of matter for the mails, how it should be wrapped, addressed, and posted; this section passes upon the mailability of matter under the lottery laws, which cover everything relating to prize schemes, contests, competitions, drawings, endless-chain schemes, etc. many are the plans submitted, and while the law is rigid in respect to these matters, the field is alluring, and each day some novel proposition is submitted with the hope that it will not infringe the law, yet be attractive to the public through some subtle appeal to its gambling proclivity. _the inquiry department_ this is one of the most interesting departments of any post-office. the one at new york is under the supervision of mr. william t. gutgsell, and its functions are many. it handles all inquiries for missing mail, and during the year ended june , , this amounted to , . the number of inquiries, however, by no means equals the number of letters and packages which are found to be undeliverable. undeliverable mail is disposed of by the inquiry section, and the magnitude of its work may be appreciated from the fact that no fewer than , letters were mailed without postage during the year. among the other items that loom large in the report of the inquiry department is the number of letters directed to hotels which were not claimed by the addressees. of these there were , , ; , parcels of fourth-class matter were found without address, the delivery of which could not be effected, and , pieces of unaddressed matter were restored to the owners. in former years all letters and packages of value found to be undeliverable throughout the country and not provided with the cards of the senders were forwarded to the division of dead letters at washington, but on january , , branch dead-letter offices were established at new york, chicago, and san francisco. the branch at new york is conducted by the inquiry section, and its work concerns maine, new hampshire, vermont, massachusetts, connecticut, rhode island, and new york, offices being included. from this area last year there were received , , pieces of undeliverable matter of domestic origin. a very large part of this mail had to be opened in order that restoration to the owners could be effected. many of the letters, etc., were found to contain valuable enclosures, as indicated by this tabulation: opened dead mail with valuable enclosures number amount money , $ , . drafts, checks, money-orders, etc. , , , . postage-stamps , , . many letters found to contain drafts, checks, money-orders, etc., are restored to the owners, for if the contents do not themselves disclose the address of the owners, the banks upon which the checks are drawn are communicated with to secure the information desired. the inquiry department includes the indemnity bureau, which reviews, adjusts, and pays claims involving loss or damage to insured or c. o. d. parcels. of these claims , were filed during the last fiscal year, and the amount paid on the claims was $ , . . another bureau of this department is charged with the duty of examining all misdirected letters and parcels which cannot be distributed or delivered by the employees regularly engaged in sorting the mails. the carelessness of the public in the matter of addressing mail is apparent from the statistics of this bureau for the year just passed, which show that it handled , , letters with the very creditable result that of this number it succeeded in correcting and forwarding , , from which it is evident that the post-office took more pains than did the senders. of the number handled it also restored to the senders approximately , . _order and instruction section_ this department is under the supervision of mr. edward r. mcalarney and is maintained for the issuance of various bulletins of information, public announcements, news items, and the circulation through official publications of instructions, orders, and intelligence regarding postal matters. it is "the office of publication" to the post-office; it issues posters, bulletins, news of the service, notices announcing the change in rates and conditions, the sailing and arriving of ships, changes in time of despatch and routing of the mail, etc. it is a busy department and the magnitude of its service corresponds to the great volume of work that it performs. _the examination section_ how the employees are trained a survey of the post-office quickly illustrates the fact that it could only be successfully conducted by the agency of skilled employees, especially trained for the work. the distribution of the mail is dependent upon employees who certainly must closely apply themselves to the mastery of the schemes of separation, and we should imagine that these are rather tedious to study, for it seems to be largely a matter of "grind" and memory taxation regarding absolutely unrelated names and places, times of train departures, etc. it is a work to which men must devote a good part of their lives and must have constant practice in order to maintain speed, and the duty of standing eight hours a day in front of a case and boxing letters by the thousand, year in and year out, must sometimes be closely akin to drudgery. to add to the difficulties of these men there are constant changes in the list of post-offices, in the timetables, etc., so that a scheme of separation is no sooner mastered than it is necessary to memorize new changes. a department devoted to the training of the employees engaged in this work is known as the "examination section," and is under the supervision of mr. h. s. mclean. as soon as a substitute is appointed he is sent to this section, where he is drilled in the fundamentals, in the rules and regulations, and in proper methods of performing the duties ordinarily performed by new employees. later the employees are graduated to practical work, and are assigned certain schemes to study on which they are examined from time to time and required to attain a certain standard of proficiency to justify their retention and advancement in the service. in the examinations, which continue as long as the employees are engaged in the distribution of mail, they are tested not only as to accuracy but as to speed, and if an employee fails to maintain the required efficiency, demotion follows. a feature of the work is the endeavor to impress upon the employee the importance of his employment, the necessity for devoting to it his best efforts and of not only maintaining but improving the standard. the following statistics in a way show the extent of this work: number of regular clerks subject to examination , approximate number of substitute clerks subject to examinations , -------- total , number of examination schemes issued to regular clerks subject to examination , approximate number of examination schemes issued to substitute clerks subject to examinations , ------- total , number of examinations conducted july , , to june , , number of cards handled in conducting case examinations , , average case examinations, daily number of clerks instructed in post-office duties july , , to june , , average instructions, daily number of study schemes in use in examination section which are divided into examination sections mail schedule divided into examination sections number of schemes examined july , , to june , _welfare work in new york_ in the new york post-office there is a welfare council, which consists of representatives elected by the clerks, carriers, laborers, motor-vehicle employees, and supervisors. this council considers all matters pertaining to the welfare of the employees and makes recommendations in regard to them to the postmaster. at the general post-office there has been established a clinic of the government health service. this clinic is equipped with an operating table, surgical instruments and supplies, two cots, and the other appurtenances of a first-class dispensary. three doctors and three nurses are in attendance. the clinic is open throughout the twenty-four hours with the exception of a short interval at night. approximately fifty patients are treated each day and without charge. the employees also own and operate a coöperative store and cafeteria in the general office, and among the terminals and stations there are numerous other similar undertakings. the employees also maintain numerous associations formed to better their conditions. several of these include sick benefits, insurance features, etc. some of these organizations are of national extent, others are local; every station and department has its own association or associations in addition to the major organizations of large membership. at the newer stations well-equipped and well-lighted "swing rooms" are provided. these are utilized by the men during their lunch periods and by the employees who are awaiting the time to go on duty. the manufacturers trust company cordially invites the officials and employees of the united states postal system, wherever located, to make use of its facilities and services, whenever their interests may thus be advanced. this company conducts eight banking offices, at convenient locations throughout the city of new york, and at each of these offices it cares for the needs of its customers in every department of commercial, investment, and thrift banking. our officers welcome opportunities to be of service, or to advise with you regarding your banking needs. nathan s. jonas, _president_. the last letter by fritz lieber illustrated by dillon [transcriber's note: this etext was produced from galaxy science fiction june . extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] who or what was the scoundrel that kept these couriers from the swift completion of their handsomely appointed rondos? on tenthmonth , a.d., at exactly a.m. planetary federation time--but with a permissible error of a millionth of a second either way--in the fifth sublevel of newnew york robot postal station , black sorter gulped down ten thousand pieces of first-class mail. this breakfast tidbit did not agree with the mail-sorting machine. it was as if a robust dog had been fed a large chunk of good red meat with a strychnine pill in it. black sorter's innards went _whirr-klunk_, a blue electric glow enveloped him, and he began to shake as if he might break loose from the concrete. he desperately spat back over his shoulder a single envelope, gave a great _huff_ and blew out toward the sorting tubes a medium-size snowstorm consisting of the other nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine pieces of first-class mail chewed to confetti. then, still convulsed, he snapped up a fresh ten thousand and proceeded to chomp and grind on them. black sorter was rugged. the rejected envelope was tongued up by red subsorter, who growled deep in his throat, said a very bad word, and passed it to yellow rerouter, who passed it to green rerouter, who passed it to brown study, who passed it to pink wastebasket. unlike black sorter, pink wastebasket was very delicate, though highly intuitive--the machine equivalent of a white russian countess. she was designed to scan in , codes, route special-delivery spacemail to interplanetary liners by messenger rocket, and distinguish s from upside-down s. pink wastebasket haughtily inhaled the offending envelope and almost instantly turned a bright crimson and began to tremble. after a few minutes, small atomic flames started to flicker from her mid-section. white nursemaid seven and greasy joe both received pink wastebasket's distress signal and got there as fast as their wheels would roll them, but the high-born machine's malady was beyond their simple skills of oilcan and electroshock. * * * * * they summoned other machine-tending-and-repairing machines, ones far more expert than themselves, but all were baffled. it was clear that pink wastebasket, who continued to tremble and flicker uncontrollably, was suffering from the equivalent of a major psychosis with severe psychosomatic symptoms. she spat a stream of filthy ions at gray psychiatrist, not recognizing her old friend. meanwhile, the paper blizzard from black sorter was piling up in great drifts between the dark pillars of the sublevel, and flurries had reached pink wastebasket's aristocratic area. an expedition of sturdy machines, headed by two hastily summoned snowplows, was dispatched to immobilize black sorter at all costs. pink wastebasket, quivering like a demented hula dancer, was clearly approaching a crisis. finally gray psychiatrist--after consulting with green surgeon, and even then with an irritated reluctance, as if he were calling in a witch-doctor--summoned a human being. the human being walked respectfully around pink wastebasket several times and then gave her a nervous little poke with a rubber-handled probe. pink wastebasket gently regurgitated her last snack, turned dead white, gave a last flicker and shake, and expired. black coroner recorded the immediate cause of death as tinkering by a human being. the human being, a bald and scrawny one named potshelter, picked up the envelope responsible for all the trouble, stared at it incredulously, opened it with trembling fingers, scanned the contents briefly, gave a great shriek and ran off at top speed, forgetting to hop on his perambulator, which followed him making anxious clucking noises. the nearest human representative of the solar bureau of investigation, a rather wooden-looking man named krumbine, also bald, recognized potshelter as soon as the latter burst gasping into his office, squeezing through the door while it was still dilating. the human beings whose work took them among the top brass, as the upper-echelon machines were sometimes referred to, formed a kind of human elite, just one big nervous family. "sit down, potshelter," the sbi man said. "hold still a second so the chair can grab you. hitch onto the hookah and choose a tranquilizer from the tray at your elbow. whatever deviation you've uncovered can't be that much of a danger to the planets. i imagine that when you leave this office, the solar battle fleet will still be orbiting peacefully around luna." "i seriously doubt that." * * * * * potshelter gulped a large lavender pill and took a deep breath. "krumbine, a letter turned up in the first-class mail this morning." "great scott!" "it is a letter from one person to another person." "good lord!" "the flow of advertising has been seriously interfered with. at a modest estimate, three hundred million pieces of expensive first-class advertising have already been chewed to rags and i'm not sure the steel helms--god bless 'em!--have the trouble in hand yet." "judas priest!" "naturally the poor machines weren't able to cope with the letter. it was utterly outside their experience, beyond the furthest reach of their programming. it threw them into a terrible spasm. pink wastebasket is dead and at this very instant, if we're lucky, three police machines of the toughest blued steel are holding down black sorter and putting a muzzle on him." "great scott! it's incredible, potshelter. and pink wastebasket dead? take another tranquilizer, potshelter, and hand over the tray." krumbine received it with trembling fingers, started to pick up a big pink pill but drew back his hand from it in sudden revulsion at its color and swallowed two blue oval ones instead. the man was obviously fighting to control himself. he said unsteadily, "i almost never take doubles, but this news you bring--good lord! i seem to recall a case where someone tried to send a sound-tape through the mails, but that was before my time. incidentally, is there any possibility that this is a letter sent by one _group_ of persons to another group? a hive or a therapy group or a social club? that would be bad enough, of course, but--" "no, just one single person sending to another." potshelter's expression set in grimly solicitous lines. "i can see you don't quite understand, krumbine. this is not a sound-tape, but a letter written in letters. you know, letters, characters--like books." "don't mention books in this office!" krumbine drew himself up angrily and then slumped back. "excuse me, potshelter, but i find this very difficult to face squarely. do i understand you to say that one person has tried to use the mails to send a printed sheet of some sort to another?" "worse than that. a written letter." "written? i don't recognize the word." "it's a way of making characters, of forming visual equivalents of sound, without using electricity. the writer, as he's called, employs a black liquid and a pointed stick called a pen. i know about this because one hobby of mine is ancient means of communication." * * * * * krumbine frowned and shook his head. "communication is a dangerous business, potshelter, especially at the personal level. with you and me, it's all right, because we know what we're doing." he picked up a third blue tranquilizer. "but with most of the hive-folk, person-to-person communication is only a morbid form of advertising, a dangerous travesty of normal newscasting--catharsis without the analyst, recitation without the teacher--a perversion of promotion employed in betraying and subverting." the frown deepened as he put the blue pill in his mouth and chewed it. "but about this pen--do you mean the fellow glues the pointed stick to his tongue and then speaks, and the black liquid traces the vibrations on the paper? a primitive non-electrical oscilloscope? sloppy but conceivable, and producing a record of sorts of the spoken word." "no, no, krumbine." potshelter nervously popped a square orange tablet into his mouth. "it's a hand-written letter." krumbine watched him. "i never mix tranquilizers," he boasted absently. "hand-written, eh? you mean that the message was imprinted on a hand? and the skin or the entire hand afterward detached and sent through the mails in the fashion of a martian reproach? a grisly find indeed, potshelter." "you still don't quite grasp it, krumbine. the fingers of the hand move the stick that applies the ink, producing a crude imitation of the printed word." "diabolical!" krumbine smashed his fist down on the desk so that the four phones and two-score microphones rattled. "i tell you, potshelter, the sbi is ready to cope with the subtlest modern deceptions, but when fiends search out and revive tricks from the pre-atomic cave era, it's almost too much. but, great scott, i dally while the planets are in danger. what's the sender's code on this hellish letter?" "no code," potshelter said darkly, proferring the envelope. "the return address is--hand-written." krumbine blanched as his eyes slowly traced the uneven lines in the upper left-hand corner: _from_ richard rowe west th st. (horizontal) rocket court (vertical) hive , newnew york , n. y. columbia, terra "ugh!" krumbine said, shivering. "those crawling characters, those letters, as you call them, those _things_ barely enough like print to be readable--they seem to be on the verge of awakening all sorts of horrid racial memories. i find myself thinking of fur-clad witch-doctors dipping long pointed sticks in bubbling black cauldrons. no wonder pink wastebasket couldn't take it, brave girl." * * * * * firming himself behind his desk, he pushed a number of buttons and spoke long numbers and meaningful alphabetical syllables into several microphones. banks of colored lights around the desk began to blink like a theatre marquee sending morse code, while phosphorescent arrows crawled purposefully across maps and space-charts and through three-dimensional street diagrams. "there!" he said at last. "the sender of the letter is being apprehended and will be brought directly here. we'll see what sort of man this richard rowe is--if we can assume he's human. seven precautionary cordons are being drawn around his population station: three composed of machines, two of sbi agents, and two consisting of human and mechanical medical-combat teams. same goes for the intended recipient of the letter. meanwhile, a destroyer squadron of the solar fleet has been detached to orbit over newnew york." "in case it becomes necessary to z-bomb?" potshelter asked grimly. krumbine nodded. "with all those villains lurking just outside the solar system in their invisible black ships, with planeticide in their hearts, we can't be too careful. one word transmitted from one spy to another and anything may happen. and we must bomb before they do, so as to contain our losses. better one city destroyed than a traitor on the loose who may destroy many cities. one hundred years ago, three person-to-person postcards went through the mails--just three postcards, potshelter!--and _pft_ went schenectady, hoboken, cicero, and walla walla. here, as long as you're mixing them, try one of these oval blues--i find them best for steady swallowing." bells jangled. krumbine grabbed up two phones, holding one to each ear. potshelter automatically picked up a third. the ringing continued. krumbine started to wedge one of his phones under his chin, nodded sharply at potshelter and then toward a cluster of microphones at the end of the table. potshelter picked up a fourth phone from behind them. the ringing stopped. the two men listened, looking doped, krumbine with an eye fixed on the sweep second hand of the large wall clock. when it had made one revolution, he cradled his phones. potshelter followed suit. "i do like the simplicity of the new on-the-hour puffyloaf phono-commercial," the latter remarked thoughtfully. "the bread that's lighter than air. nice." krumbine nodded. "i hear they've had to add mass to the leadfoil wrapping to keep the loaves from floating off the shelves. fact." * * * * * he cleared his throat. "too bad we can't listen to more phono-commercials, but even when there isn't a crisis on the agenda, i find i have to budget my listening time. one minute per hour strikes a reasonable balance between duty and self-indulgence." the nearest wall began to sing: mister j. augustus krumbine, we all think you're fine, fine, fine, fine. now out of the skyey blue come some telegrams for you. the wall opened to a small heart shape toward the center and a sheaf of pale yellow envelopes arced out and plopped on the middle of the desk. krumbine started to leaf through them, scanning the little transparent windows. "hm, electronic soap ... better homes and landing platforms ... psycho-blinkers ... your girl next door ... poppy-woppies ... poopsy-woopsies...." he started to open an envelope, then, after a quick look around and an apologetic smile at potshelter, dumped them all on the disposal hopper, which gargled briefly. "after all, there _is_ a crisis this morning," he said in a defensive voice. potshelter nodded absently. "i can remember back before personalized delivery and rhyming robots," he observed. "but how i'd miss them now--so much more distingué than the hives with their non-personalized radio, tv and stereo advertising. for that matter, i believe there are some backward areas on terra where the great advertising potential of telephones and telegrams hasn't been fully realized and they are still used in part for personal communication. now me, i've never in my life sent or received a message except on my walky-talky." he patted his breast pocket. krumbine nodded, but he was a trifle shocked and inclined to revise his estimate of potshelter's social status. krumbine conducted his own social correspondence solely by telepathy. he shared with three other sbi officials a private telepath--a charming albino girl named agnes. "yes, and it's a very handsome walky-talky," he assured potshelter a little falsely. "suits you. i like the upswept antenna." he drummed on the desk and swallowed another blue tranquilizer. "dammit, what's happened to those machines? they ought to have the two spies here by now. did you notice that the second--the intended recipient of the letter, i mean--seems to be female? another good terran name, too, jane dough. hive in upper manhattan." he began to tap the envelope sharply against the desk. "dammit, where _are_ they?" "excuse me," potshelter said hesitantly, "but i'm wondering why you haven't read the message inside the envelope." * * * * * krumbine looked at him blankly. "great scott, i assumed that at least _it_ was in some secret code, of course. normally i'd have asked you to have pink wastebasket try her skill on it, but...." his eyes widened and his voice sank. "you don't mean to tell me that it's--" potshelter nodded grimly. "hand-written, too. yes." krumbine winced. "i keep trying to forget that aspect of the case." he dug out the message with shaking fingers, fumbled it open and read: _dear jane_, _it must surprise you that i know your name, for our hives are widely separated. do you recall day before yesterday when your guided tour of grand central spaceport got stalled because the aide blew a fuse? i was the young man with hair in the tour behind yours. you were a little frightened and a groupmistress was reassuring you. the machine spoke your name._ _since then i have been unable to forget you. when i go to sleep, i dream of your face looking up sadly at the mistress's kindly photocells. i don't know how to get in touch with you, but my grandfather has told me stories his grandfather told him that his grandfather told him about young men writing what he calls love-letters to young ladies. so i am writing you a love-letter._ _i work in a first-class advertising house and i will slip this love-letter into an outgoing ten-thousand-pack and hope._ _do not be frightened of me, jane. i am no caveman except for my hair. i am not insane. i am emotionally disturbed, but in a way that no machine has ever described to me. i want only your happiness._ _sincerely_, _richard rowe_ krumbine slumped back in his chair, which braced itself manfully against him, and looked long and thoughtfully at potshelter. "well, if that's a code, it's certainly a fiendishly subtle one. you'd think he was talking to his girl next door." potshelter nodded wonderingly. "i only read as far as where they were planning to blow up grand central spaceport and all the guides in it." "judas priest, i think i have it!" krumbine shot up. "it's a pilot advertisement--boy next door or--that kind of thing--printed to look like hand-writtening, which would make all the difference. and the pilot copy got mailed by accident--which would mean there is no real richard rowe." at that instant, the door dilated and two blue detective engines hustled a struggling young man into the office. he was slim, rather handsome, had a bushy head of hair that had somehow survived evolution and radioactive fallout, and across the chest and back of his paper singlet was neatly stamped: "richard rowe." when he saw the two men, he stopped struggling and straightened up. "excuse me, gentlemen," he said, "but these police machines must have made a mistake. i've committed no crime." then his gaze fell on the hand-addressed envelope on krumbine's desk and he turned pale. * * * * * krumbine laughed harshly. "no crime! no, not at all. merely using the mails to communicate. ha!" the young man shrank back. "i'm sorry, sir." "sorry, he says! do you realize that your insane prank has resulted in the destruction of perhaps a half-billion pieces of first-class advertising?--in the strangulation of a postal station and the paralysis of lower manhattan?--in the mobilization of sbi reserves, the de-mothballing of two divisions of g. i. machines and the redeployment of the solar battle fleet? good lord, boy, why did you do it?" richard rowe continued to shrink but he squared his shoulders. "i'm sorry, sir, but i just had to. i just had to get in touch with jane dough." "a girl from another hive? a girl you'd merely gazed at because a guide happened to blow a fuse?" krumbine stood up, shaking an angry finger. "great scott, boy, where was your girl next door?" richard rowe stared bravely at the finger, which made him look a trifle cross-eyed. "she died, sir, both of them." "but there should be at least six." "i know, sir, but of the other four, two have been shipped to the adirondacks on vacation and two recently got married and haven't been replaced." potshelter, a faraway look in his eyes, said softly, "i think i'm beginning to understand--" but krumbine thundered on at richard rowe with, "good lord, i can see you've had your troubles, boy. it isn't often we have these shortages of girls next door, so that temporarily a boy can't marry the girl next door, as he always should. but, judas priest, why didn't you take your troubles to your psychiatrist, your groupmaster, your socializer, your queen mother?" "my psychiatrist is being overhauled, sir, and his replacement short-circuits every time he hears the word 'trouble.' my groupmaster and socializer are on vacation duty in the adirondacks. my queen mother is busy replacing girls next door." "yes, it all fits," potshelter proclaimed excitedly. "don't you see, krumbine? except for a set of mischances that would only occur once in a billion billion times, the letter would never have been conceived or sent." "you may have something there," krumbine concurred. "but in any case, boy, why did you--er--written this letter to this particular girl? what is there about jane dough that made you do it?" "well, you see, sir, she's--" * * * * * just then, the door re-dilated and a blue matron machine conducted a young woman into the office. she was slim and she had a head of hair that would have graced a museum beauty, while across the back and--well, "chest" is an inadequate word--of her paper chemise, "jane dough" was silk-screened in the palest pink. krumbine did not repeat his last question. he had to admit to himself that it had been answered fully. potshelter whistled respectfully. the blue detective engines gave hard-boiled grunts. even the blue matron machine seemed awed by the girl's beauty. but she had eyes only for richard rowe. "my grand central man," she breathed in amazement. "the man i've dreamed of ever since. my man with hair." she noticed the way he was looking at her and she breathed harder. "oh, darling, what have you done?" "i tried to send you a letter." "a letter? for me? oh, darling!" * * * * * krumbine cleared his throat. "potshelter, i'm going to wind this up fast. miss dough, could you transfer to this young man's hive?" "oh, yes, sir! mine has an over-plus of girls next door." "good. mr. rowe, there's a sky-pilot two levels up--look for the usual white collar just below the photocells. marry this girl and take her home to your hive. if your queen mother objects refer her to--er--potshelter here." he cut short the young people's thanks. "just one thing," he said, wagging a finger at rowe. "don't written any more letters." "why ever would i?" richard answered. "already my action is beginning to seem like a mad dream." "not to me, dear," jane corrected him. "oh, sir, could i have the letter he sent me? not to do anything with. not to show anyone. just to keep." "well, i don't know--" krumbine began. "oh, _please_, sir!" "well, i don't know why not, i was going to say. here you are, miss. just see that this husband of yours never writtens another." he turned back as the contracting door shut the young couple from view. "you were right, potshelter," he said briskly. "it was one of those combinations of mischances that come up only once in a billion billion times. but we're going to have to issue recommendations for new procedures and safeguards that will reduce the possibilities to one in a trillion trillion. it will undoubtedly up the terran income tax a healthy percentage, but we can't have something like this happening again. every boy must marry the girl next door! and the first-class mails must not be interfered with! the advertising must go through!" "i'd almost like to see it happen again," potshelter murmured dreamily, "if there were another jane dough in it." * * * * * outside, richard and jane had halted to allow a small cortege of machines to pass. first came a squad of police machines with black sorter in their midst, unmuzzled and docile enough, though still gnashing his teeth softly. then--stretched out horizontally and borne on the shoulders of gray psychiatrist, black coroner, white nursemaid seven and greasy joe--there passed the slim form of pink wastebasket, snow-white in death. the machines were keening softly, mournfully. round about the black pillars, little mecho-mops were scurrying like mice, cleaning up the last of the first-class-mail bits of confetti. richard winced at this evidence of his aberration, but jane squeezed his hand comfortingly, which produced in him a truly amazing sensation that changed his whole appearance. "i know how you feel, darling," she told him. "but don't worry about it. just think, dear, i'll always be able to tell your friends' wives something no other woman in the world can boast of: that my husband once wrote me a letter!" transcriber's note: every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible, including non-standard spelling and inconsistent hyphenation. some changes of spelling and punctuation have been made. they are listed at the end of the text. text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). oe ligatures have been converted to "oe." her majesty's mails: an historical and descriptive account of the british post-office. together with an appendix. by william lewins. "our english post-office is a splendid triumph of civilization."--_lord macaulay._ london: sampson low, son, and marston, , ludgate hill. . london: r. clay, son, and taylor, printers, bread street hill. preface. this volume is the first of a contemplated series designed to furnish some account of the history and ordinary working of the revenue departments of the country--to do for the great _governmental_ industries what mr. smiles has so ably done (to compare his great things with our small) for the profession of civil engineering and several _national_ industries. few attempts have ever been made to trace the rise and progress of the invaluable institution of the post-office. we have more than once seen the question asked in _notes and queries_--that _sine quâ non_ of the curious and the learned--where a continuous account might be found of english postal history. in each case, the inquirer has been referred to a short summary of the history of the post-office, prefixed to the postmaster-general's _first report_. since that, the messrs. black, in the eighth edition of the _encyclopædia britannica_, have supplied an excellent and more extended notice. still more recently, however, in an admirable paper on the post-office in _fraser's magazine_, mr. matthew d. hill has expressed his astonishment that so little study has been given to the subject--that it "has attracted the attention of so small a number of students, and of each, as it would appear, for so short a time." "i have not been able to find," adds mr. hill, "that even germany has produced a single work which affects to furnish more than a sketch or outline of postal history." the first part of the following pages is offered as a _contribution_ to the study of the subject, in the hope that it will be allowed to fill the vacant place, at any rate, until the work is done more worthily. with regard to that most interesting episode in the history of the post-office which resulted in the penny-post reform, the materials for our work--scanty though they undoubtedly are in the earlier periods--are here sufficiently abundant. the scope, however, of the present undertaking would not allow of much more than a proportionate amount of space being devoted to that epoch. besides, the history of that eventful struggle can be properly told but by one hand, and that hand, if spared, intends, we believe, to tell his own story. mr. torrens maccullagh, in his _life of sir james graham_, has thrown much new light on the letter-opening transactions of , and we have been led, on inquiry, to concur in many of his views on the subject. the greater portion of the second division of this volume, as well as a portion of the first part, appeared originally in the pages of several popular serial publications--principally _chambers's journal_ and mr. chambers's _book of days_; the whole, however, has been thoroughly revised, where it has not been re-written, and otherwise adapted to the purposes of the present work. we are indebted to mr. robert chambers, ll.d., not only for permitting the republication of these papers in this form, but also for kindly indicating to us sources of information from the rich storehouse of his experience, which we have found very useful. on collateral subjects, such as roads and conveyances, besides having, in common with other readers, the benefit of mr. smiles's valuable researches in his _lives of the engineers_, we are personally indebted to him for kindly advice. we have only to add that, while in no sense an authorized publication, personal acquaintance has been brought to bear on the treatment of different parts of it, and that we have received, in describing the various branches of the post-office, much valuable information from mr. j. bowker and several gentlemen connected with the london establishment. it is hoped that the information, now for the first time brought together, may prove interesting to many letter-writers who are ignorant, though not willingly so, of the channels through which their correspondence flows. if our readers think that the wise man was right when he likened the receipt of pleasant intelligence from a far country to cold water given to a thirsty soul, surely they will also admit that the _agency_ employed to compass this good service, which has made its influence felt in every social circle, and which has brought manifold blessings in its train, deserves some passing thought and attention. the appendix is designed to afford a source of general reference on many important matters relating to the post-office, some parts of it having been carefully collated from parliamentary documents not easily accessible to the public. _april , ._ contents. part i. historical account of the post-office. chapter i. page introductory chapter ii. the rise of the general post-office chapter iii. on old roads and slow coaches chapter iv. the settlement of the post-office chapter v. palmer and the mail-coach era chapter vi. the transition period at the post-office chapter vii. sir rowland hill and penny postage chapter viii. early results of the penny-postage scheme chapter ix. the post-office and letter-opening chapter x. the development of the post-office part ii. descriptive account of the post-office. prefatory chapter i. the organization of the post-office chapter ii. on the circulation of letters chapter iii. the mail-packet service chapter iv. on postage-stamps chapter v. post-office savings' banks chapter vi. being miscellaneous and suggestive chapter vii. concerning some of the popular misconceptions and misrepresentations to which the post-office is liable appendix (a). chief officers of the post-office appendix (b). abstract of the principal regulations appendix (c). information relative to the appointments in the post-office service appendix (d). appointments in the chief office in london principal appointments in the chief offices of dublin and edinburgh appointments, with salaries, of the five principal provincial establishments in england and scotland information respecting other principal provincial post-offices appendix (e). sale of postage-stamps appendix (f). conveyance of mails by railway appendix (g). manufacture of postage-labels and envelopes appendix (h). results of postal reform part i. historical account of the post-office. her majesty's mails. chapter i. introductory. circular letters, and a kind of post for conveying them, are frequently mentioned both in sacred and profane history. queen jezebel is remarkable as being the first letter-writer on record, though it is not surprising to find that she used her pen for purposes of deception. according to the sacred chronicler, she "wrote letters in ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles in the city." from the book of esther we learn that ahasuerus, king of persia, being displeased at the disobedience of his wife, vashti, sent letters into every province of his vast empire, informing his subjects that it was his imperial will that "every man should bear rule in his own house." the first recorded _riding post_ was established in the persian empire by cyrus, who, when engaged in his scythian expedition, in order to have news brought expeditiously, "caused it to be tried how far a horse could go in a day without baiting, and, at that distance, appointed stages and men whose business it was to have horses always in readiness."[ ] another authority[ ] tells us that there were one hundred and eleven postal stages, a day's journey distant from one another, between susa and the Ægean sea, and that at each stage a large and beautiful structure was erected, with every convenience for the purpose designed. it is certainly remarkable that neither in this nor in any other recorded instance have the posts in ancient times developed into one for the conveyance of private correspondence. it is certain that the greeks and romans, even when at the height of their civilization, had no regular public post. there are some traces of _statores_ and _stationes_ under the roman republic; and augustus, we find, instituted posts on the principal trunk-roads, for the use of the imperial government. he also established a class of mounted messengers, called _tabellarii_, who went in charge of the despatches. that these messengers should have been strictly forbidden to convey letters for private persons, or that no provision was subsequently made for that purpose, is the more wonderful, when we consider the high character of the nations themselves, and the fact, often pointed out, that the progress of civilization has always been intimately and essentially connected with, and dependent upon, facilities for intercommunication--keeping pace, in fact, with the means which nations possessed for the interchange of person and property, and with them of thought and knowledge. that those nations to which we are so greatly indebted for so much that exalts the intellect and adorns life, should not have left us an example of such a useful and (considering the vast extent of their respective territories), we should have thought, indispensable institution as that of a public letter-post, is marvellous. marco polo, the famous venetian, who travelled in china in the fourteenth century,[ ] describes the government post as similar to that in use in persia under cyrus. the posts had existed in china from the earliest times. every twenty-five miles there were posts, called _jambs_, where the imperial envoy was received. there were frequently as many as three or four hundred horses in waiting at one of these places. polo further states that there were ten thousand stations of this kind in china, some of them affording sumptuous accommodation to travellers. two hundred thousand horses are said to have been engaged in the service. the fact affords a curious commentary on the progress of civilization in the celestial empire, that, though this gigantic and elaborate establishment has been in existence so long and up to the present century, it is only within the last few years that provision has been made in china for public letter-posts. the earliest date in modern history at which any postal service is mentioned, is the year , when an organization was planned by the emperor charlemagne. the service, however, did not survive him. the first regular european letter-post was established in the hanse towns in the early part of the thirteenth century. this federation of republics required constant communication with each other; for, being largely engaged in similar commercial pursuits, it became indispensable to their existence that some system of letter-conveyance should be originated. the next establishment was a line of letter-posts connecting austria with lombardy, in the reign of the emperor maximilian, said to have been organized by the princes of the house of thurn and taxis. the representatives of the same house established another line of posts from vienna to brussels, thus further connecting the most distant parts of the vast dominions of the spanish emperor, charles v. it may be mentioned here, that the counts of thurn and taxis have, in virtue of their original establishment, which they controlled from the first, always held peculiar rights and privileges in relation to the postal systems of germany; and up to this day the posts of the house of thurn and taxis are entirely distinct from the existing crown establishments, and, in fact, are maintained in rivalry to those of some of the german states. in france, in the fifteenth century, louis xi. revived the system of charlemagne, organizing a body of couriers for purposes of state. we may gather from the existing materials, scanty though they be, something like a continuous account of the early history of the english post-office, tracing, very clearly, its progress from the fifteenth century to its present position. while the _general post_ dates from the stuarts, the establishment of a regular _riding post_ in england owes its origin to edward iv. the english post seems from the first to have been fully commensurate with the demands for its service, its growth depending on the gradual advance which the country made in other measures of social progress. four or five centuries ago, few private persons could either read or write. on the other hand, the business of the state demanded correspondence. the king had his barons to summon, or his sheriffs to instruct, and letters of writ were issued accordingly, a few government messengers supplying all the wants of the time. now and then the nobles would require to address each other, and sometimes to correspond with their dependents, but, as a general rule, neither the serf nor his master had the power, even if they had the will, to engage much in writing. as time wore on, and we come nearer the age of the tudors, the desire for learning spread, though still the few who engaged in literary or scientific pursuits were either attached to the court or to the monastic establishments. even when the tudor dynasty came in, trade with foreign countries, and remote districts in our own country, was almost equally unknown. each district dwelt alone, supplied its own wants, and evinced very little desire for any closer communication. in the earliest times in england, and prior to the first regular horse posts, both public and private letters were sent by private messengers, travelling when required. in the reign of henry i. messengers were first permanently employed by the king. so early as the reign of king john the payments to _nuncii_--as these messengers were now called--for the conveyance of government despatches, are to be found entered in the _close_ and _misæ rolls_, "and the entries of these payments may be traced in an almost unbroken series through the records of many subsequent reigns." nuncii were also attached to the establishments of the principal barons of the time, and communications passed between them by means of those functionaries. in the reign of henry iii., the son and successor of king john, these messengers began to wear the royal livery. at first it was necessary for them to keep horses of their own, or use those belonging to the royal or baronial mansion. in the reign of edward i. we find that fixed stations or _posts_ were established, at which places horses were kept for hire, the _nuncii_ ceasing to provide horses of their own, or borrowing from private individuals. several private letters are in existence, dating as far back as the reign of edward ii., which bear the appearance of having been carried by the _nuncii_ of that period, with "haste, post, haste!" written on the backs of them. with the machinery thus ready to his hand, the improvements contrived by edward iv. were easily accomplished. in this monarch was engaged in war with scotland, when, in order to facilitate the transmission of news from the english capital, he ordered a continuous system of posts, consisting of _relays_ of horses and messengers every twenty miles. by this arrangement, despatches were conveyed to him at the english camp with marvellous expedition, his couriers riding at an average rate of seventy miles a day. when peace was restored, the system of relays was allowed to fall into disuse, only to be revived in cases of urgency. little improvement in communication could be expected under such a course of procedure, and little was effected. henry viii. was the first monarch who endeavoured to keep the posts in a state of efficiency, and improve their organization, in peace as well as in war; though still it is noticeable that the post stages are kept up purely and exclusively as a convenience to the government for the conveyance of its despatches. henry viii. instituted the office of "master of the postes,"[ ] with entire control of the department. during the king's lifetime the office was filled by one brian tuke, afterwards sir brian. we gain some insight into the duties of the office, and also into the manner in which the work is done, from the following letter (found in the voluminous correspondence of thomas cromwell) from the "master of the postes," no doubt in exculpation of himself and his arrangements, which seem to have been in some way called in question by the lord privy seal. "the kinge's grace hath no moo ordinary postes, ne of many days hathe had, but betwene london and calais. for, sir, ye knowe well, that, except the hackney horses betwene gravesende and dovour, there is no suche usual conveyance in post for men in this realme as in the accustomed places of france and other _parties_; _ne men can keepe horses in redynes without som way to bere the charges_; but when placardes be sent for such cause, (viz. to order the immediate forwarding of some state packet,) the constables many tymes be fayne to take horses oute of plowes and cartes, _wherein can be no extreme diligence_." the king's worthy secretary thus charges the postmaster with remissness, and the mails with tardiness, when the facts, as gathered from the above letter, show that the government had not gone to the trouble and expense of providing proper auxiliaries, as in france; _ergo_, they could not expect the same regularity and despatch. master tuke then defends the character of his men. "as to the postes betwene london and the courte, there be now but ; whereof the _on_ is a good robust felowe, and wont to be diligent, evil intreated meny times, he and other postes, by the herbigeours, for lack of horse rome or horse mete, _withoute which diligence cannot be_. the other hathe been a most payneful felowe in nyght and daye, that i have knowen amongst the messengers. if he nowe _slak_ he shalbe changed as reason is." during the insurrection in the northern counties in the reign of henry viii., the rebel leaders, in order to insure a rapid transmission of orders, established regular posts from hull to york, york to durham, and durham to newcastle.[ ] the council of edward vi. finding that a great many irregularities existed in the hire of post-horses, had an act passed ( & edward vi. c. ) fixing the charge at a penny per mile for all horses so impressed. up to the end of the reign of queen elizabeth, no further improvements seem to have been made, although her council took steps to make the existing service as efficient as possible, by reforming some abuses which had crept into it during queen mary's reign. before elizabeth's death, the expenses of the post were reduced to rather less than , _l._ per annum. before the reduction, the sum charged for conveying her majesty's despatches from stage to stage was enormous. up to the thirty-first year of her reign, a rate of _d._ a letter was levied by the proprietors of the post-horses, for _every post travelled over_. the council resolved to pay the proprietors _s._ a day for the service, irrespective of the distance travelled. the payment was reduced to _s._ and ultimately to _d._ a day. much information respecting the service--the different stages, the routes taken at this early period, &c. &c. has been found in old records of the "master of the postes," exhumed some twenty years ago from the vaults of somerset house. this functionary, it would appear, paid all current expenses appertaining to his department, "the wages and entertainment of the ordinary posts," and he was reimbursed in full under the grant "for conveyance of her highness's letters and her council's." the information respecting the routes taken is especially interesting, because it serves to show that even at this early period arrangements were made with great circumspection, and that some of these early routes existed, with only trifling modifications, down to the present century, and to the time of railroads. the route from london to berwick is shown by the lists of posts (or stages) laid down between the two places in the fifteenth year of queen elizabeth's reign. they run as follows:-- . london; . waltham; . ware; . royston; . caxton; . huntingdon; . stilton; . stamford; . grantham; . newark; . tookesford (tuxford); . foroby (ferriby); . doncaster; . ferry bridge; . wetherby; . bouroughbridge; . northallerton; . derneton (darlington); . durham; . newcastle; . morpeth; . hexham; . hawtwistle; . carlisle; . alnwick; . belford; . berwick. for three centuries, therefore, the high north road took in all these posts with the exception of tuxford. a considerable diversion, it will be noticed, was made at morpeth towards the west, in order to take in the then important towns of hexham and carlisle; but it is more probable that the direct post-road continued north through alnwick to berwick, and that the west road was only a kind of cross-post. there were no less than three post routes to ireland in this reign, and all of them were used more or less. the first and most important, perhaps, left london and took the following towns in its way; the distance between each town constituting a "stage;" viz. dunstable, dayntry (daventry), collsill (coleshill), stone, chester and liverpool, from which latter place a packet sailed. the remaining two mails took slightly different routes to _holyhead_, whence also a packet sailed for ireland. we find there were also _two_ posts between london and bristol and the west of england; the first going by way of maidenhead, newbury, marlborough and chippenham; the other, by hounslow, maidenhead, reading, marlborough, maxfield to bristol. to dover there were also _two_ posts; the one passing through dartford, gravesend, rochester, sittingbourne, canterbury, margate and sandwich; the other passing through canterbury direct, without calling at the two last-named places. the posts above enumerated were called the "ordinary" posts, and may be supposed to have been the permanent arrangements for the transmission of the government despatches. when these posts did not avail--and it must be understood that they were never allowed to make a _détour_ into the cross-roads of the country--"extraordinary posts" were established. generally speaking, these extra posts were put on for any service which required the greatest possible haste. here is an extract from the records of which we have spoken, on this point. "thomas miller, gent. sent in haste by special commandment of sir francis walsingham, throughout all the postes of kent to warn and to order, both with the posts for an augmentation of the ordinary number of horses for the packet, and with the countries near them for a supply of twenty or thirty horses a-piece for the 'throughe posts,' during the service against the spanish navy by sea, and the continuance of the army by land." again, in st elizabeth, special or "extraordinary" posts were laid between london and rye, upon unwelcome news arriving from france, "and for the more speedy advertisement of the same." "thomas miller, gent. sent at easter, , to lay the posts and _likest_ landing places either in kent or sussex, upon intelligence given of some practices intended against the queen's person." mr. miller seems to have judged rye to be the "likest landing place" for the purpose, and, returning, "received seven pound for his services." other extraordinary posts were often laid down between hampton court and southampton and portsmouth, for the "more speedy advertisement" of occurrences from the ports of normandy and bretaigne. in the early part of queen elizabeth's reign, disputes were frequent with the foreign merchants resident in london with regard to the foreign post, which, up to this reign they had been allowed to manage among themselves. in , the queen's council of state issued a proclamation "for the redresse of disorders in postes which conveye and bring to and out of the parts beyond the seas, pacquets of letters." it would seem that soon after the arrival of the flemings in this country, in the previous century, they established a post-office of their own, between london and the continent, appointing one of themselves as postmaster, by the sufferance and favour of the reigning sovereign. "afterwards," says stowe,[ ] "by long custom, they pretended a right to appoint a master of the _strangers' post_, and that they were in possession of from the year ." this continued till , in which year the foreign merchants fell out among themselves over the question of appointing a postmaster. the flemings, aided by the spanish ambassador, chose one raphael vanden putte; the italians, by this time a considerable body of foreigners, chose one of their number for the vacant place. not being able to agree, the disputants referred their case to the english council, when, to the surprise of the foreigners, their right to appoint at all was publicly disputed. the english merchants took up the matter very warmly, and addressed the privy council in two or three petitions. they took the opportunity to complain that the authorities of the foreign post had frequently acted unfairly to them, in keeping back their continental letters, and so giving the foreigners the advantage of the markets. in one of the petitions, they urged, "that it is one of the chief points of the prerogative belonging to all princes, to place within their dominions such officers as were most trusty of their own subjects; that the postmaster's place was one of great trust and credit in every realm, and therefore should be committed to the charge of the natural subjects and not strangers, especially in such places as had daily passages into foreign realms, and where was concourse of strangers." further, "the strangers were known to have been the occasion of many injuries in the staying and keeping back of letters, and, in the meantime, an extraordinary would be despatched to prevent the markets and _purpose_." the english merchants urged that it would be doing the foreigners no injustice to appoint an english postmaster; no new exactions need be imposed upon them, "and such men might be placed in the office as could talk with them in their own language, and that should make as good promise, and as faithfully perform the same in all equity and upright dealings, as any stranger had done." the result was, that it was finally settled that the "master of the postes" should have the charge of both the english and foreign offices, and that the title of this functionary should be changed to "chief postmaster." thomas randolph was the first "chief postmaster" of england. under the tudor dynasty, marvellous strides were taken in the social progress of the country. the habits of a great nation can, of course, only change slowly; but, notwithstanding, the england of the plantagenets was a different country to the england which elizabeth left in . the development of trade, which really commenced with the tudors, gave the first great impulse to a new social era. people began to feel more interest in each other, and as this became manifest, the demand for interchange of thought and news became more and more urgent. in the reign of henry viii. the english people began a considerable trade with flanders in wool. a commercial treaty subsequently gave free ingress and egress to the ships of both nations. the change that this new trade wrought was immediate and striking. english rural districts which had before been self-supporting--growing their own corn and feeding their own cattle--now turned their corn-land into pasture-land, and sought grain among their neighbours. the dissolution of the monasteries under the same monarch had the effect, among other results, of scattering broadcast over the country those who had previously lived together and enjoyed almost a monopoly of learning. the reformation civilized as well as christianized the people. other causes were at work which operated in opening out the country, and encouraging habits of locomotion and the spread of intelligence generally. amongst many such, were changes, for instance, in the routine of law procedure, introduced by henry. up to his time, courts of arbitration had sat from time immemorial within the different baronies of england, where disputes, especially those between landlord and tenant, were cheaply and equitably adjusted. now, such cases were ordered to be taken to london, and country people found themselves compelled to take journeys to london and sue or be sued at the new courts of westminster.[ ] we could not well exaggerate the difficulties which encompassed _travellers_ at this early period. as yet there were but one or two main roads. even in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, and certainly in all the remote parts of the country, the roads were not unlike broad ditches, much waterworn and strewn with loose stones. travellers had no choice but to ride on horseback or walk. everybody who could afford it rode. the sovereign and all gentlefolk rode. judges rode the circuit in jackboots. ladies rode on pillions fixed on the horse, and generally behind some relative or serving-man. in this way queen elizabeth, when she rode into the city, placed herself behind her lord chancellor. the wagon was an invention of the period. it was a rude contrivance; nothing, in fact, but a cart without springs, the body of it resting solidly upon the axles. the first conveyance of this sort was constructed for the queen's own use, and in it she journeyed to open parliament.[ ] elizabeth rode in it but on this one occasion, and has left behind her a curious and most graphic account of her sufferings during the journey, in a letter, written in the old french of that period, to the french ambassador at her court, who seems to have suggested the improvement to her. the wagon, which had been originally contrived for ladies, now that the queen discarded it, was not brought into great use during her reign. it seems to have found its way into the provinces, however, the gentry of that time being delighted with it. "on a certaine day in ," according to mr. smiles, "that valyant knyght, sir harry sydney, entered shrewsbury in his wagon, with his trompeter blowynge, verey joyfull to behold and see." under such circumstances, it cannot be wondered at that general intelligence travelled slowly. among the common people, few ever saw a letter. pilgrims, as they travelled between the monasteries of the period, or who, after their dissolution, visited their shrines, dispensed news to the poor, and would occasionally carry letters for the rich.[ ] public and private couriers riding post were sometimes surrounded, at the villages or towns on their _route_, by crowds of people desirous of obtaining some information of the world's doings. at times, they were not suffered to pass without furnishing some kind of information. the letters of the period, many of which survive, show that great care was taken to protect them from the curiosity of the bearer; and precautionary measures were resorted to to prevent delay. they were usually most carefully folded, and fastened at the end by a sort of paper strap, upon which the seal was affixed, whilst under the seal a piece of string or silk thread, or even a straw, was frequently placed, running round the letter. the following letter, still extant, will serve to give an insight into the way letters were dealt with at this period, and the speed at which they were forwarded.--(vide _postmaster-general's nd report_, p. .) archbishop parker _to_ sir w. cecil. sir, according to the queen's majesty's pleasure, and your advertisement, you shall receive a form of prayer, which, after you have perused and judged of it, shall be put in print and published immediately, &c. &c. from my house at croyden, this d july, , at four of the clock, afternoon. your honour's alway, matthew cant. this letter is thus endorsed by successive postmasters, according to the existing custom. received at waltham cross the d of july, at nine at night. received at ware the d of july at at night. received at croxton the th of july, between and of the morning. so that his grace's letter, which would appear to have been so important as that one or more messengers were required to travel night and day in order to deliver it at the earliest possible moment, took hours to travel miles. footnotes: [ ] xenophon. [ ] herodotus. [ ] travels of marco polo, pp. , . [ ] camden's annals. [ ] froude's history, vol. iii. p. . [ ] surveye of london, vol. ii. [ ] froude's history, vol. iii. p. . [ ] smiles's lives of the engineers, vol. i. [ ] historian of craven, speaking of the close of the sixteenth century. chapter ii. the rise of the general post-office. it was reserved for the stuarts to organize for the first time in england a regular system of post communication, the benefits of which should be shared by all who could find the means. england was behind other european nations in establishing a public letter-post. it was not until the foreign post had been in existence a hundred years, and until the foreigners had drawn particular attention to their postal arrangements by their constant disputes, that the english government established a general post for inland letters, similar to the one whose benefits "the strangers" had enjoyed even prior to the reign of henry the eighth. little progress towards this end was made in the reign of the first james, if we except a better organization for the conveyance of official despatches. at the same time, it ought to be stated, that the improved organization here referred to was the groundwork for the subsequent public post. one of the results attendant on the accession[ ] of the scotch king to the english crown necessitated important improvements in the system of horse posts, for which it called loudly. immediately on his accession, the high road from edinburgh to london was thronged night and day with the king's countrymen. all ordinary communications fell far short of the demand; so much so, that post messengers riding from the council at edinburgh to the king in london, or _vice versâ_, were stopped whole days on the road for want of horses, which had been taken by the scottish lords and gentlemen rushing forward to the english capital to offer their congratulations to his majesty. as a remedy, the lords of the english council issued a proclamation, calling upon all magistrates to assist the postmasters "_in this time so full of business_," by seeing to it that they were supplied with "fresh and able horses as necessitie shall require." they were to be "able and sufficient horses," well furnished "of saddles, bridles, girts and stirropes, with good guides to look to them; who for the said horses shall demand and receive of such as shall ride on them the prices accustomed" (_book of proclamation_, - ). as the general intercourse between the two capitals now promised to be permanent, and travelling along the north road increased rather than diminished, further general orders were published from time to time by royal proclamation. two kinds of post were established during the reign of james the first, both being in operation together towards its close. they were known as the "_thorough post_," and "_the post for the packet_." the first, consisting of special messengers who rode "thorough post," that is, through the whole distance "with horse and guide," was established in . the couriers were ordered to pay at the rate of "twopence-halfpenny the mile" for the hire of each horse, and to pay in advance. further, they must not ride any horse more than one stage (or seven miles in summer, and six in winter), except "with the consent of the post of the stage at which they did not change." for the service of the second post, or "_the post for the packet_," every postmaster was bound to keep not less than two horses ready, "with furniture convenient," when on the receipt of a "packet" or parcel containing letters, from a previous stage, he was to send it on towards the next within a quarter of an hour of its receipt, entering the transaction in "a large and faire ledger paper book." as a further precaution, and in order to prevent the courier loitering on the road with any important despatch, each postmaster was required to endorse each single letter with the exact time of the messenger's arrival, just as we have seen in the case of the one found in the collection of archbishop parker's correspondence. for the purposes of this packet-post, we find it arranged that each postmaster should have ready "two bags of leather, at the least, well lined with baize or cotton, so as not to injure the letters." it also rested with the different postmasters to furnish the couriers with "_hornes_ to sound and blowe as oft as the post meets company, or at least four times in every mile."[ ] thus arose a custom which, under slightly different circumstances, was strictly observed in the days of mail-coaches. it will be readily observed that in the arrangements of the packet-post there was nothing to prevent its being extensively used, except the important restrictions which the king put upon its use. during the reign of james nothing but the despatches of ambassadors were allowed to jostle the government letters in the leather bags, "lined with baize or cotton," of "the post for the packet." it was not until charles the first had succeeded his father, that this post came to be used, under certain conditions, by merchants and private persons. it was during the reign of james the first that the government secured, and kept for a hundred years, certain privileges with respect to the hiring of post-horses. we have seen that the royal couriers, travelling with despatches by either of the two posts, had priority of claim to sufficient horses and proper accommodation on their journeys. they also settled, by order in council, that any person, whether travelling on the business of the government or not, should, if furnished with warrants from the council, have prior claim to private individuals, over post-horses and proper entertainment, demanding them in the name of the king. in a warrant of council, for instance, dated whitehall, may , , we find the privy council ordering all postmasters to furnish sir cornelius vermuyden with horses and guides to enable him to ride post from london to boston, and thence to hatfield, where he was engaged in draining the royal chase for the king.[ ] little as james the first did towards establishing an inland post, though with materials so ready to his hand, in the posts of which we have spoken, yet he deserves some credit for setting on foot a general post for letters to foreign countries. it would seem that the abuses complained of by english merchants, with regard to letters coming _from_ abroad, had been lessened by the appointment of an english postmaster for the foreign office, but not so with letters _sent_ abroad: hence the independent foreign post projected by the king. in another of the very numerous proclamations of his reign, it is stated that the king had created the office of postmaster-general for foreign parts, "being out of our dominions, and hath appointed to this office matthew de quester the elder, and matthew de quester the younger." the duties of this new office are stated to consist in the "sole taking up, sending, and conveying of all packets and letters concerning his service, or business to be despatched into forraigne parts, with power to grant moderate salaries." these appointments interfering in some way with his department, gave great offence to lord stanhope, the english "chief postmaster," and mutual unpleasantness sprung up between the officers of the two establishments. a suit was instituted in the law courts, and whilst it was pending, both offices got completely disarranged, some of lord stanhope's staff going without salary for as long as eight years; "divers of them," as we find it given in a petition to the council, "lie now in prison by reason of the great debt they are in for want of their entertainment." the dispute was not settled until after charles the first had become king--namely, in --when lord stanhope was induced to retire from the service as "chief postmaster," the de questers at the same time assigning the office they had jointly held to william frizell and thomas witherings. a royal proclamation was thereupon issued, to the effect that the king approved of the above assignment. "the king," it went on to say, "affecting the welfare of his people, and taking into his princely consideration how much it imports his state and this realm, that the secrets thereof be not disclosed to forraigne nations, which cannot be prevented if a promiscuous use of transmitting or taking up of forraigne letters and packets should be suffered, forbids all others from exercising that which to the office of such postmaster pertaineth, at their utmost perils." witherings seems to have made good use of his time, for in , or only three years from the date of his appointment, he saw the great necessity which existed for some improvement in the postal resources of the country, and proposed to the king to "settle a pacquet post between london and all parts of his majesty's dominions, for the carrying and recarrying of his subjects' letters." in this memorial, which justly entitles him to a front rank in the number of great postal reformers, witherings stated some curious facts relating to the service of those days. "private letters," it was said, "being now carried by carriers or persons travelling on foot, it is sometimes full two months before any answer can be received from scotland or ireland to london." "if any of his majesty's subjects shall write to madrid in spain, he shall receive answer sooner and surer than he shall out of scotland or ireland." witherings proposed that the existing posts should be used; that the journey between london and edinburgh should be performed in three days, when--"if the post could be punctually paid--the news will come _sooner than thought_." witherings' memorial had the desired effect on the council, who at once set about making the machinery already in use applicable for a general post for inland letters. in they issued a proclamation, in which they state that there had not been hitherto any constant communication between the kingdoms of england and scotland, and therefore command "thomas witherings, esquire, his majesty's postmaster for forraigne parts, to settle a running post or two, to run night and day between edinburgh in scotland and the city of london, to go thither and back again in days." directions were also given for the management of the correspondence between the principal towns on the line of road. _bye_ posts shall be connected with the main line of posts, by means of which letters from such places as lincoln, hull, chester, bristol, or exeter, shall fall into it, and letters addressed to these and other places shall be sent. other bye posts are promised to different parts of the country. all postmasters on the main line of posts, as well as those of the bye posts, were commanded to have "always ready in their stables one or two horses." the charges settled by james i. were ordered to be the charges under the new system, " ½_d._ for a single horse, and _d._ for two horses per mile." in a subsequent proclamation two years afterwards, a monopoly of letter-carrying was established, which has been preserved ever since, in all the regulations of the post-office. no other messengers or foot posts shall carry any letters, but those who shall be employed by the king's "chief postmaster." exceptions were made, however, when the letters were addressed to places to which the king's post did _not_ travel; also, in the case of common known carriers; messengers particularly sent express; and to a friend carrying a letter for a friend. these exceptions, trifling as they were, were withdrawn from time to time, as the post-office became more and more one of the settled institutions of the country. as it was, the prohibitory clauses caused great dissatisfaction in the country. the middle of the seventeenth century was certainly a bad time for introducing a measure that should bear any appearance of a stretch of the royal prerogative. that no one but the servants of the king's postmaster should carry private letters was regarded as an unwarrantable interference with the liberty of the subject; so much so, that in a committee of the house of commons was appointed to inquire into that part of the measure. the subject was also frequently mentioned in parliament; notwithstanding which, the government strictly adhered to the clause.[ ] the first rates of postage for the new service were fixed at _twopence_, for a single letter, for any distance under miles; _d._ up to miles; _d._ for any longer distance in england; and _d._ to any place in scotland. of course the distances were all reckoned from london. the control of the english letter-office was entrusted to the foreign postmaster-general, who had suggested the new undertaking. witherings held the joint offices for five years, when in he was charged with abusing both his trusts, and superseded by philip burlamachy, a london merchant. it was arranged, however, that burlamachy should execute the duties of his offices under the care and inspection of the principal secretary of state. and now began a quarrel which lasted incessantly from to . when the proclamation concerning the sequestration of his office was published, witherings assigned his patent to the earl of warwick. mindful of this opportunity, lord stanhope, the "chief postmaster" under the king's father, who had surrendered his patent some years before, now came forward and stated that the action had not been voluntary, but, as we learn from his petition to the house of lords, he "was summoned to the council table, and obliged, before he was suffered to depart, to subscribe somewhat there penned upon your petitioner's patent by the lord keeper coventry." lord stanhope found a staunch friend and adherent in mr. edmund prideaux, a member of the house of commons, and subsequently attorney-general to the commonwealth. two rival offices were established in london, and continued strife was maintained between the officers of the two claimants. on one occasion, prideaux himself helped to seize the plymouth mail which had just arrived in london, and was proceeding to the office of the earl of warwick near the royal exchange. burlamachy and the government failed to restore peace. in the commission on the post-office, to which we have already referred, the subject was taken up, but the resolution of the committee only rendered matters more complicated. the committee, though prideaux contrived to be made chairman of it, declared that the sequestration of two years before "was a grievance and illegal, and ought to be taken off," and mr. witherings restored to office. the commission decided against the government, both as regards the sequestration and the monopoly of letter-carrying, which the king proclaimed in . both questions were left in abeyance for two years, when, in , the parliamentary forces having begun to gain an ascendancy over those of the king, the lords and commons by a joint action appointed edmund prideaux, the chairman of the committee of , "and a barrister of seven years' standing," to the vacant office. it is somewhat amusing to note how the monopolizing tendencies of the crown, denounced but two years ago by the parliament, were now openly advocated and confirmed by an almost unanimous vote of both houses. the resolution establishing prideaux in the office states,[ ] that the lords and commons, "finding by experience that it is most necessary for keeping of good intelligence between the parliament and their forces, that post-stages be erected in several parts of the kingdom, and the office of master of the post and couriers being at present void, ordain that edmund prideaux shall be and hereby is constituted master of the posts, couriers, and messengers." prideaux must have been an energetic and pains-taking manager. he was very zealous and greatly improved the service, "establishing," says blackstone, "a weekly conveyance of letters to all parts of the country, thereby saving to the public the charge of maintaining postmasters to the amount of , _l._ per annum." it seems to have been clearly seen in parliament that the post-office would eventually pay its own expenses, and even yield a revenue; for, in deciding on prideaux's proposal, their object is stated quite concisely in one of the clauses sanctioning it:--"that for defraying the charges of the several postmasters, _and easing the state of it_, there must be a weekly conveyance of letters to all parts of the country." for twenty years previously the establishment of the post had been a burden to the extent of three or four thousand pounds a year on the public purse. prideaux at first was allowed to take the profits of his office, in consideration of his bearing all the charges. in , five years after his appointment, the amount of revenue derived from the posts reached , _l._ and a new arrangement was entered into. the practice of farming the post-office revenue began from the year , and lasted, as far as regards some of the bye posts, down to the end of the last century. in the revenue was farmed for the sum of , _l._ in the year the common council of london deliberately established a post-office for inland letters in direct rivalry to that of the parliament. but the commons, although they had loudly denounced the formation of a monopoly by the crown, proceeded to put down this infringement of the one which they had but lately secured to themselves. the city authorities, backed, as they were in those days, by immense power, stoutly denied that the parliament had any exclusive privilege in the matter. they could see no reason why there should not be "another weekly conveyance of letters and for other uses" (this latter clause most probably meaning conveyance of parcels and packets). though pressed to do so, "they refused to seek the sanction of parliament, or to have any direction from them in their measure."[ ] "the common council," it is further stated by way of complaint, "have sent agents to settle postages by their authority on several roads, and have employed a natural scott, who has gone into scotland, and hath there settled postmasters (others than those for the state) on all that road." prideaux took care to learn something from the rival company. he lowered his rates of postage, increased the number of despatches, and then resolutely applied himself to get the city establishment suppressed. prideaux, who had now become attorney-general, invoked the aid of the council of state. the council reported that, "as affairs now stand, they conceive that the office of postmaster is, and ought to be, in the sole power and disposal of parliament." after this decision the city posts were immediately and peremptorily suppressed, and from this date the carrying of letters has been the exclusive privilege of the crown. though the government succeeded in establishing the monopoly, public opinion was greatly against the measure. the authorities of the city of london, as may well be imagined, were incessant in their exertions to defeat it, not only at that time, but on many subsequent occasions. pamphlets were written on the subject, and one book, especially, deserves mention, inasmuch as its author bore a name now memorable in the annals of the british post-office. in was published a book, entitled _john hill's penny post; or a vindication of the liberty of every englishman in carrying merchants' or other men's letters against any restraints of farmers of such employment_. _to._ . under the protectorate, the post-office underwent material changes. whilst extending the basis of the post-office, cromwell and his council took advantage of the state monopoly to make it subservient to the interests of the commonwealth. one of the ordinances published during the protectorate sets forth that the post-office ought to be upheld, not merely because it is the best means of conveying public and private communications, but also because it may be made the agent in "discovering and preventing many wicked designs, which have been and are daily contrived against the peace and welfare of this commonwealth, the intelligence whereof cannot well be communicated except by letters of escript." a system of espionage was thus settled which has always been abhorrent to the nature and feelings of englishmen. but perhaps we ought not to judge the question in the light of the present day. and we would do justice to the council of the commonwealth. the post-office now for the first time became the subject of parliamentary enactments, and the acts passed during the interregnum became the models for all subsequent measures. in the year an act was passed, "to settle the postage of england, scotland, and ireland," and henceforth the post-office was established on a new and broad basis.[ ] it was ruled that there "shall be one general post-office, and one officer _stiled_ the postmaster-generall of england, and comptroller of the post-office." this officer was to have the horsing of all "through" posts and persons "riding post." "prices for the carriage of letters, english, scottish, and irish," as well as foreign, and also for post-horses, were again fixed. all other persons were forbidden "to set up or employ any foot-posts, horse-posts, or packet-boats." two exceptions, however, were made under the latter head, in favour of the _two universities_, "who may use their former liberties, rights, and privileges of having special carriers to carry and recarry letters as formerly they did, and as if this act had not been made." the _cinque ports_ also must "not be interfered with, and their ancient rights of sending their own post to and from london shall remain intact." at the restoration this settlement of the post-office was confirmed in almost all its particulars. the statute car. ii. c. re-enacts the ordinance of the commonwealth, and on account of its being the earliest recognised statutory enactment, is commonly known as the "post-office charter." it remained in full force until . the following is the important preamble to the statute in question: "whereas for the maintainance of mutual correspondencies, and prevention of many inconveniences happening by private posts, several public post-offices have been heretofore erected for carrying and recarrying of letters by post to and from all parts and places within england, scotland, and ireland, and several posts beyond the seas, the well-ordering whereof is a matter of general concernment, and of great advantage, as well for the preservation of trade and commerce as otherwise." it does not appear _why_ prideaux's connexion with the post-office was dissolved, nor yet exactly _when_. probably his more onerous duties as first law officer of the government demanded all his time and energy. however it was, we hear no more of him after his victory over the then formidable city magnates. during the remaining years of cromwell's life, the revenues of the post-office, wonderfully augmented by prideaux's management, were farmed for the sum of , _l._ a year to a mr. john manley. during manley's tenure of office, the proceeds must either have increased with marvellous rapidity, or the contracts were under estimated; for when, in , manley left the post-office, he calculated that he had _cleared_ in that and some previous years the sum of , _l._ annually. a parliamentary committee instituted a strict scrutiny into the proceeds of the office in the first year of the restoration, at which period it became necessary that a new postmaster-general should be appointed. it was agreed by the members of this committee to recommend that a much higher sum be asked from the next aspirant to the office, inasmuch as they found that mr. manley, instead of over-estimating his receipts, had erred on the other side, and that they could not have come far short of the annual sum of , _l._ the result of the committee's investigation was, that mr. henry bishop was only appointed to the vacant place on his entering into a contract to pay to government the annual sum of , _l._ in estimating the increase of post-office revenue from year to year, it must be borne in mind that a considerable item in the account was derived from the monopoly in post-horses for travelling, which monopoly had been secured under cromwell's ordinances, and re-secured under car. ii. c. . by this act, no traveller could hire horses for riding post from any but authorized postmasters.[ ] this statute remained in force, under some limitations, till . many matters of detail in the arrangements of the post-office were discussed in parliament during the first three years of the restoration. long-promised bye-posts were now for the first time established; the circulation of the letters, meaning by that the _routes_ the mails shall take, and many such subjects, best settled of course by the authorities, weary the reader of the journals of the house of commons about this date. in december, , for instance, we find the house deliberating on a proviso tendered by mr. titus to the following effect:--"provided also and be it enacted, that a letter or packet-post shall once every week come to kendal by way of lancaster, and to the town of penrith in cumberland by way of newcastle and carlisle, and to the city of lincoln and the borough of grimsby likewise;" and we are glad to find that this reasonable proviso, to give these "_out-of-the-way places_" the benefit of a weekly post, was agreed to without cavil. we notice one important resolution of the session of this year, setting forth that, as the post-office bill has been carried through the houses satisfactorily, "such of the persons who have contributed their pains in improvement of the post-office, be recommended to the king's majesty for consideration, to be had of the pains therein taken accordingly." let us hope (for we find no further mention of the matter) that all concerned got their deserts. tardy as the english people were, compared with their continental neighbours, in rearing the institution of the post, the foundation of an establishment was now laid which has, at the present time, far distanced all competitors in its resources and in the matter of liberal provisions for the people. even before the days of penny postage, the duke of wellington, than whom no man was supposed to know better the postal regulations of the continent, gave it as his deliberate opinion, that "the english post-office is the only one in europe which can be said to do its work." in rewarding, therefore, those who contributed so much to this success at this early period of the history of the establishment, king charles would simply pay an instalment of the debt which future generations would owe to them. mr. bishop was only left undisturbed for two short years. as it was evident that the revenue of the office was increasing, the house of commons took advantage, at the close of his second year of office, to desire his majesty that "no further grant or contract of the post-office be again entered into till a committee inspect the same and see what improvements may be made on the revenue, as well as in the better management of the department." they pray that the office may be given to the highest bidder. his majesty replies that he has not been satisfied with the hands in which it has been. notwithstanding that a measure was carried requiring the officers of the post-office in london and the country to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, and notwithstanding that these oaths were properly subscribed, his majesty is not at all satisfied, "for the extraordinary number of _nonconformists and disaffected persons_ in that office," and is desirous of a change. the term being expired, his majesty "will have a care to see it raised to that profit it may fairly be, remembering always that it being an office of much trust as well as a farm, it will not be fit to give it to him that bids most, because a dishonest or disaffected person is likeliest to exceed that way." there can be no manner of doubt now, that the king's words on this occasion were meant to prepare the minds of his faithful commons for the successor which he had by this time fully resolved upon. two months subsequently to the above message to the commons, the entire revenue of the post-office is settled by statute, car. ii. c. , upon james, duke of york, and his heirs male in perpetuity. this arrangement existed only during the lifetime of charles, for when, at his death, the duke of york ascended the throne, the revenue of the post-office, which had by that time reached to , _l._ a-year, again reverted to the crown. no means were spared to make the post-office fruitful during the remainder of the years of charles ii. not only were direct measures sanctioned, but others which had only a bearing on the interests of the post-office were introduced, and easily carried through the houses. now, for the first time, in , the _turnpike act_ made its appearance on our statute-book, and we may gather from the preamble to this useful act some of the impediments which at that time existed to postal communication. it sets forth that the great north road--the main artery for the post-roads and our national intercourse--was in many parts "very vexatious," "almost impassable," and "very dangerous." the act provided for needful improvements, and was the beginning of legislation on that subject. letter-franking also commenced in this year. a committee of the house of commons which sat in the year reported, "that the privilege of franking letters by the knights, &c. chosen to represent the commons in parliament, began with the creating of a post-office in the kingdom by act of parliament." the proviso which secured this privilege to members cannot now be regarded otherwise than as a propitiatory clause to induce a unanimous approval of the bill in general. the account[ ] of the discussion of the clause in question is somewhat amusing. sir walter earle proposed that "members' letters should come and go free during the time of their sittings." sir heneage finch (afterwards lord chancellor finch) said, indignantly, "it is a _poor mendicant_ proviso, and below the honour of the house." many members spoke in favour of the clause, sir george downing, mr. boscowen, among the number, and sergeant charlton also urged "that letters for counsel went free." the debate was, in fact, nearly one-sided; but the speaker, sir harbottle grimstone, on the question being called, refused for a considerable time to put it, saying he "felt ashamed of it." the proviso was eventually put and carried by a large majority. when the post-office bill, with its franking privilege, was sent up to the lords, they threw out the clause, _ostensibly_ for the same reasons which had actuated the minority in the commons in opposing it, but _really_, as it was confessed some years afterwards, because there was no provision made in the bill that the "_lords' own letters should pass free_." a few years later this important omission was supplied, and both houses had the privilege guaranteed to them, neither lords nor commons now feeling the arrangement below their dignity. complaint is made for the first time this year, that letters have been opened in the general post-office. members of parliament were amongst the complainants. the attention of the privy council having been called to the subject, the king issued a proclamation "for _quieting_ the postmaster-general in the execution of his office." it ordained that "no postmaster or other person, except under the immediate warrant of our principal secretary of state, shall presume to open letters or packets _not_ directed unto themselves." two years before the death of charles ii. a penny post, the only remaining post-office incident of any importance during his reign, was set up in london for the conveyance of letters and parcels. this post was originated by robert murray, an upholsterer, who, like many other people living at the time, was dissatisfied that the post-office had made no provision for correspondence between different parts of london. by the then existing arrangements, communication was much more easy between town and country than within the limits of the metropolis. murray's post, got up at a great cost, was assigned over to mr. william docwray, a name which figures for many succeeding years in post-office annals. the regulations of the new penny post were, that all letters and parcels not exceeding a pound weight, or any sum of money not above _l._ in value, or parcel not worth more than _l._, might be conveyed at a charge of _one penny_ in the city and suburbs, and for _twopence_ to any distance within a given ten-mile circuit. six large offices were opened at convenient places in london, and receiving-houses were established in all the principal streets. stowe says, that in the windows of the latter offices, or hanging at the doors, were large placards on which were printed, in great letters, "penny post letters taken in here." "letter-carriers," adds the old chronicler, "gather them each hour and take them to the grand office in their respective circuits. after the said letters and parcels are duly entered in the books, they are delivered at stated periods by other carriers." the deliveries in the busy and crowded streets near the exchange were as frequent as six or eight times a day; even in the outskirts, as many as four daily deliveries were made. the penny post was found to be a great and decided success. no sooner, however, was that success apparent, and it was known that the speculation was becoming lucrative to its originator, than the duke of york, by virtue of the settlement made to him, complained of it as an infraction of his monopoly. nor were there wanting other reasons, inducing the government to believe that the penny post ought not to be under separate management. the protestants loudly denounced the whole concern as a contrivance of the popish party. the great dr. oates hinted that the jesuits were at the bottom of the scheme, and that if the bags were examined, they would be found full of treason.[ ] the city porters, too, complained that their interests were attacked, and for long they tore down the placards which announced the innovation to the public. undoubtedly, however, the authorities were most moved by the _success_ of the undertaking, and thereupon appealed to the court of king's bench, which decided that the new post-office, with all its profits and advantages, should become part and parcel of the royal establishment. docwray was even cast in slight damages and costs. thus commenced the _london district post_, which existed as a separate establishment to the _general post_ from this time until so late as . it was at first thought that the amalgamation of the two offices would be followed by a fusion of the two systems; but this fusion, so much desired, and one we would have thought so indispensable, was not accomplished (from a number of considerations to be adduced hereafter), although the object was attempted more than once. about a year after the new establishment had been wrested from him, mr. docwray was appointed, under the duke of york, to the office of controller of the district-post. this was doubtless meant as some sort of compensation for the losses he had sustained.[ ] in , charles ii. died, and the duke of york succeeding him, the revenues of the post-office, of course, reverted to the crown. throughout the reign of the second james, the receipts of the post-office went on increasing, though (the king being too much engaged in the internal commotions which disturbed the country) no improvements of any moment were made. the only subject calling for mention is, that james first commenced the practice of granting pensions out of the post-office revenue. the year after he ascended the throne, the king, acting doubtless under the wishes of the "merry monarch," that provision should be made for her, granted a pension of , _l._ a-year to barbara villiers, duchess of cleveland, one of the late king's mistresses, to be paid out of the post-office receipts. this pension is still paid to the duke of grafton, as her living representative. the earl of rochester was allowed a pension of , _l._ a-year from the same source during this reign. in , during the reign of william and mary, the list of pensions[ ] paid by the post-office authorities stood thus:-- earl of rochester £ , duchess of cleveland , duke of leeds , duke of schomberg , earl of bath , lord keeper , william docwray, till docwray's pension began in , and was regarded as a further acknowledgment of his claims as founder of the "district-post," or the "penny-post," as it was then called. he only held his pension, however, for four years, losing both his emoluments and his office in , on certain charges of gross mismanagement having been brought against him. the officers and messengers under his control memorialized the commissioners of the treasury, alleging that the "controller doth what in him lyes to lessen the revenue of the penny post-office, that he may farm it and get it into his own hands;" also, that "he had removed the post-office to an inconvenient place to forward his ends." there appears to have been no limit as to the weight or size of parcels transmitted through the district-post during docwray's time, but the memorial goes on to say that "he forbids the taking in of any band-boxes (except very small) and all parcels above a pound; which, when they were taken in, did bring a considerable advantage to the post-office;" that these same parcels are taken by porters and watermen at a far greater charge, "which is a loss to the public," as the penny-post messengers did the work "much cheaper and more satisfactory." nor is this all. it is further stated that "he stops, under spetious pretences, most parcells that are taken in, which is great damage to tradesmen by loosing their customers, or spoiling their goods, and many times hazard the life of the patient when physick is sent by a doctor or an apothecary."[ ] it was hinted that the parcels were not only delayed, but misappropriated; that letters were opened and otherwise tampered with: and these charges being partially substantiated, docwray, who deserved better treatment, was removed from all connexion with the department. it was only towards the close of the seventeenth century, that the scotch and irish post establishments come at all into notice. the first legislative enactments for the establishment of a scotch post-office were made in the reign of william and mary. the scotch parliament passed such an act in the year . of course the proclamations of king james i. provided for the conveyance of letters between the capitals of the two countries; and although posts had been heard of in one or two of the principal roads leading out of edinburgh, even before james vi. of scotland became the first english king of that name, it was only after the revolution that they became permanent and legalized. judging by the success which had followed the english establishment, it was expected that a scotch post would soon pay all its expenses. however, to begin, the king decided upon making a grant of the whole revenue of the scotch office, as well as a salary of _l._ a year, to sir robert sinclair, of stevenson, on condition that he would keep up the establishment.[ ] in a year from that date, sir robert sinclair gave up the grant as unprofitable and disadvantageous. it was long before the scotch office gave signs of emulating the successes of the english post, for, even forty years afterwards, the whole yearly revenue of the former was only a little over a thousand pounds. about , the posts between london and edinburgh were so frequently robbed, especially in the neighbourhood of the borders, that the two parliaments of england and scotland jointly passed acts, making the robbery or seizure of the public post "punishable with death and confiscation of moveables." little is known of the earlier postal arrangements of ireland. before any legislative enactments were made in the reign, it is said, of charles i., the letters of the country were transmitted in much the same way as we have seen they were forwarded in the sister country. the viceroy of ireland usually adopted the course common in england when the letters of the king and his council had to be delivered abroad. the subject is seldom mentioned in contemporary records, and we can only picture in imagination the way in which correspondence was then transmitted. in the sixteenth century, mounted messengers were employed carrying official letters and despatches to different parts of ireland. private noblemen also employed these "intelligencers," as they were then and for some time afterwards called, to carry their letters to other chiefs or their dependents. the earl of ormond was captured in , owing to the faithlessness of tyrone's "intelligencer," who first took his letters to the earl of desmond and let him privately read them, and afterwards demurely delivered them according to their addresses.[ ] charles i. ordered that packets should ply weekly between dublin and chester, and also between milford haven and waterford, as a means of insuring quick transmission of news and orders between the english government and dublin castle. we have seen that packets sailed between holyhead and dublin, and liverpool and dublin, as early as the reign of elizabeth. cromwell kept up both lines of packets established by charles. at the restoration, only one--namely, that between chester and dublin--was retained, this being applied to the purposes of a general letter-post. the postage between london and dublin was _d._, fresh rates being imposed for towns in the interior of ireland. a new line of packets was established to make up for that discontinued,[ ] to sail between port patrick and donaghadee, forming an easy and short route between scotland and the north of ireland. for many years this mail was conveyed in an open boat, each trip across the narrow channel costing the post-office a guinea. subsequently, a grant of _l._ was made by the post-office in order that a larger boat might be built for the service. this small mail is still continued. footnotes: [ ] the special messenger who informed james of queen elizabeth's death accomplished a great feat in those days. sir robert carey rode post, with sealed lips, from richmond in surrey to edinburgh in less than three days. [ ] _notes and queries_, . [ ] this instance, showing the usage, gives us an insight into the amount of control under which these public servants were held. sir cornelius was in the bad grace of the people of the district through which he had to pass, on account of being a foreigner; so at royston edward whitehead refused to provide any horses, and on being told he should answer for his neglect, replied, "tush! do your worst. you shall have none of my horses, in spite of your teeth."--_smiles._ [ ] blackstone, in speaking of the monopoly in letter traffic, states that it is a "provision which is absolutely necessary, for nothing but an exclusive right can support an office of this sort; many rival independent offices would only serve to ruin one another."--_com._ vol. i. p. . [ ] journals of the house of commons, . [ ] journals of the house of commons, st march, . [ ] in burton's _diary_ of the parliament of cromwell, an account is given of the third reading of the new act, which is important and interesting enough to be here partly quoted. "the bill being brought up for the last reading-- sir thomas wroth said: 'this bill has bred much talk abroad since yesterday. the design is very good and specious; but i would have some few words added for general satisfaction: to know how the monies shall be disposed of; and that our letters should pass free as well in this parliament as formerly.' lord strickland said: 'when the report was made, it was told you that it (the post-office) would raise a revenue. it matters not what reports be abroad, _nothing can more assist trade and commerce than this intercourse_. our letters pass better than in any part whatsoever. in france and holland, and other parts, letters are often laid open to public view, as occasion is.' sir christopher pack was also of opinion, 'that the design of the bill is very good for trading and commerce; and it matters not what is said abroad about it. as to letters passing free for members, _it is not worth putting in any act_.' colonel sydenham said: 'i move that it may be committed to be made but probationary; _it being never a law before_.'" the bill was referred to a committee, and subsequently passed nearly unanimously. [ ] lord macaulay states that there was an exceptional clause in this act, to the effect, that "if a traveller had waited half an hour without being supplied, he might hire a horse wherever he could."--_history of england_, vol, i. [ ] cobbett's parliamentary history, vol. ix. [ ] macaulay's history of england, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] under william and mary, docwray was allowed a pension, differently stated by different authorities, of _l._ and _l._ a year. [ ] amongst the post-office pensions granted in subsequent reigns, queen anne gave one, in , to the duke of marlborough and his heirs of , _l._ the heirs of the duke of schomberg were paid by the post-office till , when about , _l._ were paid to redeem a fourth part of the pension, the burden of the remaining part being then transferred to the consolidated fund. [ ] stowe's survey of london. [ ] stark's picture of edinburgh, p. . [ ] "letters and despatches relative to the taking of the earl of ormond, by o'more. a.d. ." [ ] in , the line of milford haven packets was re-established, the rates of postage between london and waterford to be the same as between london and dublin, _viâ_ holyhead. the packets were, however, soon withdrawn. chapter iii. on old roads and slow coaches. if we seem in this chapter to make a divergence from the stream of postal history, it is only to make passing reference to the tributaries which helped to feed the main stream. the condition of the roads, and no less the modes of travelling, bore a most intimate relationship, at all the points in its history, to the development of the post-office system and its communications throughout the kingdom. the seventeenth century, as we have seen, was eventful in important postal improvements; the period was, comparatively speaking, very fruitful also in great changes and improvements in the internal character of the country. no question that the progress of the former depended greatly on the state of the latter. james the first, whatever might be his character in other respects, was indefatigable in his exertions to open out the resources of his kingdom. the fathers of civil engineering, such as vermuyden and sir hugh myddleton, lived during his reign, and both these eminent men were employed under his auspices, either in making roads, draining the fen country, improving the metropolis, or in some other equally useful scheme. the troubles of the succeeding reign had the effect of frustrating the development of various schemes of public utility proposed and eagerly sanctioned by james. under the commonwealth, and at intervals during the two succeeding reigns, many useful improvements of no ordinary moment were carried out. in the provinces, though considerable advances had been made in this respect during the century, travelling was still exceedingly difficult. in , perhaps the dover road, owing to the great extent of continental traffic constantly kept up, was the best in england; yet three or four days were usually taken to travel it. in that year, queen henrietta and household were brought "with expedition" over that short distance in four long days. short journeys were accomplished in a reasonable time, inasmuch as little entertainment was required. it was different when a long journey was contemplated, seeing how generally wretched were the hostelries of the period.[ ] so bad, again, were some of the roads, that it was not at all uncommon, when a family intended to travel, for servants to be sent on beforehand to investigate the country and report upon the most promising track. fuller tells us that during his time he frequently saw as many as six oxen employed in dragging slowly a single person to church. waylen says that horses were taken prisoners at one time during the civil wars by cromwell's forces, "while sticking in the mud." many improvements were made in modes of conveyance during the century. a kind of stage-coach was first used in london about ; towards the middle of the century they were gradually adopted in the metropolis, and on the better highways around london. in no case, however, did they attempt to travel at a greater speed than three miles an hour. before the century closed, stage-coaches were placed on three of the principal roads in the kingdom, namely those between london and york, chester, and exeter. this was only for the summer season; "during winter," in the words of mr. smiles, "they did not run at all, but were laid up for the season, like ships during arctic frosts." sometimes the roads were so bad, even in summer, that it was all the horses could do to drag the coach along, the passengers, _per force_, having to walk for miles together. with the york coach especially the difficulties were really formidable. not only were the roads bad, but the low midland counties were particularly liable to floods, when, during their prevalence, it was nothing unusual for passengers to remain at some town _en route_ for days together, until the roads were dry. public opinion was divided as to the merits of stage-coach travelling. when the new threatened altogether to supersede the old mode of travelling on horseback, great opposition was manifested to it, and the organs of public opinion (the pamphlet) began to revile it. in , for instance, a pamphlet[ ] was written which went so far as to denounce the introduction of stage-coaches as the greatest evil "that had happened of late years to these kingdoms." curious to know how these sad consequences had been brought about, we read on and find it stated that "those who travel in these coaches contracted an idle habit of body; became weary and listless when they had rode a few miles, and were then unable to travel on horseback, and not able to endure frost, snow, or rain, _or to lodge in the fields_." in the very same year another writer, descanting on the improvements which had been introduced into the post-office, goes on to say, that "besides the excellent arrangement of conveying men and letters on horseback, there is of late such an _admirable commodiousness_, both for men and women to travel from london to the principal towns in the country, _that the like hath not been known in the world_, and that is by _stage-coaches_, wherein any one may be transported to any place, sheltered from foul weather and foul ways; free from endamaging of one's health and one's body by hard jogging or over violent motion; and this not only at a low price (about a shilling for every five miles), but with such velocity and speed in one hour as that the posts in some foreign countreys cannot make in a day."[ ] m. soubrière, a frenchman of letters who landed at dover in the reign of charles ii., alludes to stage-coaches, but seems to have thought less of their charms than the author we have just quoted. "that i might not take post," says he, "or again be obliged to use the stage-coach, i went from dover to london in a wagon. i was drawn by six horses placed one after another, and driven by a wagoner who walked by the side of them. he was clothed in black and appointed in all things like another st. george. he had a brave monteror on his head, and was a merry fellow, fancied he made a figure, and seemed mightily pleased with himself." the stage-wagon here referred to was almost exclusively used for the conveyance of merchandise. on the principal roads strings of stage-wagons travelled together. a string of stage-wagons travelled between london and liverpool, starting from the axe inn, aldermanbury, every monday and thursday, and occupying _ten_ days on the road during summer and generally about _twelve_ in the winter season. beside these conveyances, there were "strings of horses," travelling somewhat quicker, for the carriage of light goods and passengers. the stage-wagon, as may be supposed, travelled much slower on other roads than they did between london and liverpool. on most roads, in fact, the carriers never changed horses, but employed the same cattle throughout, however long the journey might be. it was, indeed, so proverbially slow in the north of england, that the publicans of furness, in lancashire, when they saw the conductors of the travelling merchandise trains appear in sight on the summit of wrynose hill, on their journey between whitehaven and kendal, were jocularly said to begin to brew their beer, always having a stock of good drink manufactured by the time the travellers reached the village![ ] whilst communication between different large towns was comparatively easy--passengers travelling from london to york in less than a week before the close of the century--there were towns situated in the same county, in the year , more widely separated for all practical purposes than london and inverness are at the present day. if a stranger penetrated into some remote districts about this period, his appearance would call forth, as one writer remarks, as much excitement as would the arrival of a white man in some unknown african village. so it was with camden in his famous seventeenth-century tour. camden acknowledges that he approached lancashire from yorkshire, "that part of the country lying beyond the mountains towards the western ocean," with a "_kind of dread_," but trusted to divine providence, which, he said, "had gone with him hitherto," to help him in the attempt. country people still knew little except of their narrow district, all but a small circle of territory being like a closed book to them. they still received but few letters. now and then, a necessity would be laid upon them to write, and thereupon they would hurry off to secure the services of the country parson, or some one attached to the great house of the neighbourhood, who generally took the request kindly.[ ] almost the only intelligence of general affairs was communicated by pedlars and packmen, who were accustomed to retail news with their wares. the wandering beggar who came to the farmer's house craving a supper and bed was the principal intelligencer of the rural population of scotland so late as .[ ] the introduction of newspapers formed quite an era in this respect to the gentlefolk of the country, and to some extent the poorer classes shared in the benefit. the first english newspaper published bears the date of . still earlier than this, the news letter, copied by the hand, often found its way into the country, and, when well read at the great house of the district, would be sent amongst the principal villagers till its contents became diffused throughout the entire community. when any intelligence unusually interesting was received either in the news letter or the more modern newspaper, the principal proprietor would sometimes cause the villagers and his immediate dependants to be summoned at once, and would read to them the principal paragraphs from his porch. the reader of english history will have an imperfect comprehension of the facts of our past national life if he does not know, or remember, how very slowly and imperfectly intelligence of public matters was conveyed during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and what a bearing--very difficult to understand in these days--such circumstances had upon the facts themselves. thus, a rebellion in one part of the country, which was popular throughout the kingdom, might be quelled before the news of the rising reached another part of the country. remote districts waited for weeks and months to learn the most important intelligence. lord macaulay relates that the news of queen elizabeth's death, which was known to king james in three days, was not heard of in some parts of devonshire and cornwall till the court of her successor had ceased to wear mourning for her. the news of cromwell having been made protector only reached bridgewater nineteen days after the event, when the church bells were set a-ringing. in some parts of wales the news of the death of king charles i. was not known for two months after its occurrence. the churches in the orkneys continued to put up the usual prayers for him for months after he was beheaded; whilst their descendants did the same for king james long after he had taken up his abode at st. germains. in scotland, all the difficulties in travelling were felt to even a greater degree than in england. there were no regular posts to the extreme north of scotland, letters going as best they could by occasional travellers and different routes. nothing could better show the difficulties attendant on locomotion of any sort in scotland, than the fact that an agreement was entered into in to run a coach between edinburgh and glasgow, to be drawn by six horses, the journey, there and back, to be performed in six days. the distance was only forty-four miles, and the coach travelled over the principal post-road in the country! the reader has thus some idea of the difficulties which stood in the way of efficient postal communication during the seventeenth century. however much the work of the post-office, and the slow and unequal manner in which correspondence was distributed, may excite the scorn of the present generation, living in the days of cheap and quick postage, they must nevertheless agree with lord macaulay in considering that the postal system of the stuarts was such as might have moved the envy and admiration of the polished nations of antiquity, or even of the contemporaries of our own shakespeare or raleigh. in cornwall, lincolnshire, some parts of wales, and amongst the hills and dales of cumberland, westmoreland, and yorkshire, letters, it is true, were only received once a week, if then; but in numbers of large towns they were delivered two and three times a week. there was _daily_ communication between london and the downs, and the same privileges were extended to tunbridge wells and bath, at the season when those places were crowded with pleasure-seekers.[ ] accounts survive of the post-office as it existed towards the close of the seventeenth century, an outline of which, contributed to the _gentleman's magazine_ by a correspondent in the early part of the present century, we must be excused for here presenting to the reader. the postmaster-general of the period, under the duke of york, was at that time the earl of arlington. the letters, it would seem, were forwarded from london to different parts on different days. for instance: every monday and tuesday the continental mails were despatched, part on the former day, the remainder on the latter. every saturday letters were sent to all parts of england, scotland, and ireland. on other days posts were despatched to the downs, also to one or two important towns and other smaller places within short distances of london. the london post-office was managed by the postmaster-general and a staff of twenty-seven clerks.[ ] in the provinces of the three countries, there were deputy-postmasters. two packet-boats sailed between england and france; two were appointed for flanders, three for holland, three for ireland, and at deal two were engaged for the downs. "as the masterpiece," so our authority winds up, "of all these grand arrangements, established by the present postmaster-general, he hath annexed (_sic_) and appropriated the market-towns of england so well to the respective postages, that there is no considerable one of them which hath not an easy and certain conveyance for the letters thereof _once a week_. further, though the number of letters missive was not at all considerable in our ancestors' day, yet it is now so prodigiously great (_and the meanest of people are so beginning to write in consequence_) that this office produces in money , _l._ a year. besides, letters are forwarded with more expedition, and at less charges, than in any other foreign country. a whole sheet of paper goes miles for twopence, two sheets for fourpence, and _an ounce of letter_ for but eightpence, and that in so short a time, by night as well as day, that every twenty-four hours the post goes one hundred and twenty miles, and in _five_ days an answer to a letter may be had from a place distant miles from the writer!" footnotes: [ ] there were many exceptions, of course. numbers of innkeepers were also the postmasters of the period. taylor, the water-poet, travelling from london into scotland in the early part of the century, has described one of these men, in his _penniless pilgrimage_, as a model boniface. [ ] "the grand concern of england explained in several proposals to parliament."--harl. mss. . [ ] chamberlayne's present history of great britain. . [ ] private coaches were started in london at the time when the stage- or hackney-coaches were introduced, and mr. pepys secured one of the first. mightily proud was he of it, as any reader of his _diary_ will have learnt to his great amusement. [ ] there are few traces in this country, at any time, of _public_ letter-writers. this is somewhat remarkable, inasmuch as then, and still in some of the southern states of europe, the profession of public letter-writer has long been an institution. in england it has never flourished. some years ago there might have been seen at wapping, shadwell, and other localities in london where sailors resorted, announcements in small shop-windows to the effect that letters were written there "to all parts of the world." in one shop a placard was exhibited intimating that a "large assortment of letters _on all sorts of subjects_" were kept on hand. there were never many, and now very few, traces of the custom. [ ] chambers' domestic annals. [ ] lord macaulay. vol. i. p. . [ ] no less interesting are the particulars of one year's postal revenue and expenditure, extracted from the old account-books of the department, by the present receiver and accountant-general of the post-office. the date given is within a year or two of that referred to in the text, viz. - . the net produce of the year was a little over , _l._, and the following is a few of the most important and most suggestive items:-- £ _s._ _d._ product of foreign mails for the year , the king's majesty paid for his foreign letters product of harwich packet-boats the inland window money amounted to the letter-receivers' money the letter-carriers' money , the postmaster's money , officers were _fined_ to the extent of the profits of the irish office were , ditto penny-post the scotch office appears not only not to have brought in any profits, but we find an item of absolute loss on the exchange of money with edinburgh to the extent of _l._ _s._ _d._ amongst the more interesting items of expenditure we notice that-- £ _s._ _d._ the six clerks in the foreign office and about twenty clerks belonging to other departments received per annum the salary of the postmaster-general was , two officers had _l._ per annum, a third had _l._, and a fourth had _l._--all four, doubtless, heads of departments there were eight letter-receivers in london, viz. at gray's inn, at temple bar, at king street, at westminster, in holborn, in covent garden, in pall mall, and in the strand two offices, whose yearly salaries amounted in all to the yearly salaries of the whole body of letter-carriers , the salaries of the deputy-postmasters , the entire total expenditure was , _l._ _s._ _d._ "thus we find," adds mr. scudamore, "that while the 'whole net produce' of the establishment for a year was not equal to the sum which we derive from the commission on money-orders in a year (mr. scudamore is writing of ), or to the present 'net produce' of the single town of liverpool, so also, the whole expenditure of the whole establishment for a year was but a little larger than the sum which we now pay _once a month_ for salaries to the clerks of the london office alone." if we subtract the total expenditure from the "whole net produce," as it is called, we get a sum exceeding , _l._ as the entire net _receipts_ of the post-office for the year - . chapter iv. the settlement of the post-office. ten years after the removal of docwray from his office in connexion with the "penny post," another rival to the government department sprung up in the shape of a "halfpenny post." the arrangements of the new were nearly identical with those of docwray's post, except that the charges, instead of a penny and twopence, were a halfpenny and penny respectively. the scheme, established at considerable expense by a mr. povey, never had a fair trial, only existing a few months, when it was nipped in the bud by a law-suit instituted by the post-office authorities. in , the acts relating to the post-office were completely remodelled, and the establishment was put on an entirely fresh basis. the statutes passed in previous reigns were fully repealed, and the statute of anne, c. , was substituted in their place, the latter remaining in force until . the preamble of the act just mentioned sets forth, that a post-office for england was established in the reign of charles ii. and a post-office for scotland in the reign of king william iii.; but that it is now desirable, since the two countries are united, that the two offices should be united under one head. also, that packet-boats have been for some time established between england and the west indies, the mainland of north america, and some parts of europe, and that more might be settled if only proper arrangements were made "at the different places to which the packet-boats are assigned." it is further deemed necessary that the existing rates of postage should be altered; that "with little burthen to the subject some may be increased" and other new rates granted, "which additional and new rates," it is added, "may in some measure enable her majesty to carry on and furnish the present war." suitable powers are also needed for the better collecting of such rates, as well as provision for preventing the illegal trade carried on by "private posts, carriers, higlers, watermen, drivers of stage-coaches, and other persons, and other frauds to which the revenue is liable." as these alterations and various improvements cannot be well and properly made without a new act for the post-office, the statutes embodied in charles ii. and the statutes referring to the scotch post-office passed in the reign of william and mary, entitled "an act anent the post-office," and every article, clause, and thing therein, are now declared repealed, and the statute of anne, c. , called "an act for establishing a general post-office in all her majesty's dominions, and for settling a weekly sum out of the revenue thereof for the service of the war, and other her majesty's occasions," is substituted. this act, which remained in force so long, and may be said to have been the foundation for all subsequent legislation on the subject, deserves special and detailed notice. . by its provisions a general post and letter-office is established within the city of london, "from whence all letters and packets whatsoever may be with speed and expedition sent into any part of the kingdom of great britain and ireland, to north america and the west indies, or any other of her majesty's dominions, or any country or kingdom beyond the seas," and "at which office all returns and answers may be likewise received." for the better "managing, ordering, collecting, and improving the revenue," and also for the better "computing and settling the rates of letters according to distance, a chief office is established in edinburgh, one in dublin, one at new york, and other chief offices in convenient places in her majesty's colonies of america, and one in the islands of the west indies, called the leeward islands." . the whole of these chief offices shall be "under the control of an officer who shall be appointed by the queen's majesty, her heirs and successors, to be made and constituted by letters patent under the great seal, by the name and stile of her majesty's _postmaster-general_." "the postmaster-general shall appoint deputies for the chief offices in the places named above, and he, they, and their servants and agents, and no other person or persons whatsoever, shall from time to time, and at all times, have the receiving, taking up, ordering, despatching, sending post with all speed, carrying and delivering of all letters and packets whatsoever." the only exceptions to this clause must be--[ ] (_a_) when common known carriers bear letters concerning the goods which they are conveying, and which letters are delivered with the goods without any further hire or reward, or other profit or advantage. (_b_) when merchants or master-owners of ships send letters in ships concerning the cargoes of such ships, and delivered with them under the self-same circumstances. (_c_) letters concerning commissions or the returns thereof, affidavits, writs, process or proceeding, or returns thereof, issuing out of any court of justice. (_d_) any letter or letters sent by any private friend or friends in their way of journey or travel. . the postmaster-general, and no other person or persons whatever, shall prepare and provide horses or furniture to let out on hire to persons riding post on any of her majesty's post-roads, under penalty of _l._ per week, or _l._ for each offence.[ ] the rates of charge for riding post are settled as follows:--the hire of a post-horse shall be henceforth _d._ a mile, and _d._ a mile for a person riding as guide for every stage. luggage to the weight of pounds allowed, the guide to carry it with him on his horse. . the rates of postage under the present act are settled. _s._ _d._ for any single letter or piece of paper to any place in england not exceeding miles " double letter " packet of writs, deeds, &c. per ounce " single letter, &c. exceeding miles, or as far north as the town of berwick " double letter " packet, per ounces from london to edinburgh and all places in scotland south of edinburgh, per single letter " " double letter " " packets, per ounce the other scotch posts were calculated from edinburgh, and charged according to the distance as in england. _s._ _d._ from london to dublin, single letter " " double letter " " packets, per ounce from dublin to any irish town the charge was according to distance, at the english rate. any letter from any part of her majesty's dominions for london would be delivered free by the penny post, and if directed to places within a circuit of ten miles from the general post-office, on payment of an extra penny over and above the proper rate of postage. _s._ _d._ the postage of a single letter to france was " " spain " " italy " " turkey " " germany, denmark " " sweden " " from london to new york other rates were charged to other parts of the american continent, according to the distance from new york, at something less than the english rate. . the principal deputy postmasters are empowered to erect _cross-posts_ or stages, so that all parts of the country may have equal advantage as far as practicable, but only in cases where the postmasters are assured that such erections will be for "the better maintainance of trade and commerce, and mutual correspondences." . a survey of all the post-roads shall be made, so that the distances between any place and the chief office in each country "shall be settled by the same measure and standard." these surveys must be made regularly, "as necessity showeth;" and when finished, the distances must be fairly shown by "_books of surveys_" one of which must be kept in each of the head offices, and by each of the surveyors themselves. the surveyors who shall be appointed and authorized to measure the distances must swear to perform the same to the best of their skill and judgment.[ ] . letters may be brought from abroad by private ship, but must be delivered at once into the hands of the deputy postmasters at the respective ports, who will pay the master of such ship a penny for every letter which he may thus deliver up to them. it is hoped that, by these arrangements, merchants will not suffer as they had previously done, by having their letters "_imbezilled_ or long detained, when they had been given into the charge of ignorant and loose hands, that understandeth not the ways and means of speedy conveyance and proper deliverance, to the great prejudice of the affairs of merchants and others." . the postmaster-general and the deputy postmasters must qualify themselves, if they have not already done so, by receiving the _sacrament_ according to the usage of the church of england; taking, making, and subscribing the test, and the oaths of allegiance, supremacy, and adjuration. it is also decided that the post-office officials must not meddle with elections for members of parliament. the officers of the post-office must also qualify themselves for the duties of their office by observing and following such orders, rules, directions, and instructions, concerning the settlements of the posts and stages, and the management of post-horses, and the horsing of all persons riding by royal warrant, as her majesty shall see fit from time to time to make and ordain. a short proviso follows concerning the time-honoured privileges of the two english universities, and guaranteeing the same; and then we come to an arrangement for the attainment of which object, it would appear (almost exclusively), the post-office was remodelled in the manner we have shown. . "towards the establishment of a good, sure, and lasting fund, in order to raise a present supply of money for carrying on the war, be it enacted that from the present time, and during the whole term of years, the full, clear, and entire weekly sum of _l._ out of the duties and revenues of the post-office shall be paid by the postmaster-general into the receipts of the exchequer on the tuesday of every week." whatever else was arranged permanently, the increased rates of postage were only meant to be temporary; for at the end of thirty-two years, it was provided that the old rates shall be resorted to. the clause was simply inserted as a war measure, for the purpose of raising revenue, but we shall see that, so far from returning to the old postages, fresh burdens were imposed at the end of that period and from time to time.[ ] the improvements introduced by the bill of had the natural effect of increasing the importance of the post-office institution, and of adding to the available revenue of the country considerable sums each year. for ten years no further steps were taken to develop the resources of the service; but in ralph allen appears, another and perhaps the most fortunate of all the improvers of the post-office. up to this year, the lines of post had branched off, from london and edinburgh respectively, on to the principal roads of the two kingdoms; but the "cross-posts," even when established, had not been efficient, the towns off the main line of road not being well served, whilst some districts had no direct communication through them. the post-office bill had given facilities for the establishment of more "cross-posts;" but, till , the authorities did not avail themselves of its provisions to any great extent. mr. allen, at that time the postmaster of bath, and who must, from his position, have been well aware of the defects of the existing system, proposed to the government to establish cross-posts between exeter and chester, going by way of bristol, gloucester, and worcester, connecting in this way the west of england with the lancashire districts and the mail route to ireland, and giving independent postal intercommunication to all the important towns lying in the direction to be taken. previous to this proposal, letters passing between neighbouring towns were conveyed by circuitous routes, often requiring to go to the metropolis and to be sent back again by another post-road, thus, in these days of slow locomotion, causing serious delay. allen proposed a complete reconstruction of the cross-post system, and guaranteed a great improvement to the revenue as well as better accommodation to the country. by his representations, he induced the lords of the treasury to grant him a lease of the cross-posts for life. his engagements were to bear all the cost of his new service, and pay a fixed rental of , _l._ a-year, on which terms he was to retain all the surplus revenue. from time to time the contract was renewed, but of course at the same rental; each time, however, the government required allen to include other branches of road in his engagement, so that at his death, in , the cross-posts had extended to all parts of the country. towards the last, the private project had become so gigantic as to be nearly unmanageable, and it was with something like satisfaction that the post-office authorities saw it lapse to the crown. at this time it was considered one of the chief duties of the surveyors--whose business it was to visit each deputy postmaster in the course of the year--to see that the distinction between the bye-letters of the cross-posts, the postage of which belonged to mr. allen, and the postage of the general post letters, which belonged to the government, was properly kept up. the deputies were known to hold the loosest notions on this subject, some of them preferring to appropriate the revenues of one or the other post rather than make mistakes in the matter. the disputes and difficulties lasted to the death of allen.[ ] notwithstanding the losses he must have suffered through the dishonesty or carelessness of country postmasters, the farmer of the cross-posts, in an account which he left at his death, estimated the net profits of his contract at the sum of , _l._ annually, a sum which, during his official life, amounted in the total to nearly half a million sterling! whilst, in official quarters, his success was greatly envied, mr. allen commanded, in his private capacity, universal respect. in the only short account we have seen of this estimable man, a contemporary writer states[ ] that "he was not more remarkable for the ingenuity and industry with which he made a very large fortune, than for the charity, generosity, and kindness with which he spent it." it is certain that allen bestowed a considerable part of his income in works of charity, especially in supporting needy men of letters. he was a great friend and benefactor of fielding; and in _tom jones_, the novelist has gratefully drawn mr. allen's character in the person of _allworthy_. he enjoyed the friendship of chatham and pitt; and pope, warburton, and other men of literary distinction, were his familiar companions. pope has celebrated one of his principal virtues, unassuming benevolence, in the well-known lines:-- "let humble _allen_, with an awkward shame, do good by stealth, and blush to find its fame." on the death of allen, the cross-posts were brought under the control of the postmaster-general. an officer, mr. ward, was appointed to take charge of the _bye-letter office_, as the branch was now called, at the salary of _l._ a-year. the success of the amalgamation scheme was so complete, that at the end of the first year, profits to the amount of , _l._ were handed over to the crown. afterwards, the proceeds continued to increase even still more rapidly; so much so, that when, in , the "bye-letter office" was abolished, and its management transferred to the general office, they had reached the enormous yearly sum of , _l._! at the revision of the post-office in , the bounds of the penny post were extended, as we have seen, to a district within ten miles of the general post-office. this extension was granted on a memorial from several townships in the london district, who volunteered, if such extension were made, that they would pay an extra penny for every letter delivered beyond "the boundaries of the cities of london and westminster, and the borough of southwark." numerous disputes having arisen owing to the _wording_ of the act, and many inhabitants claiming in consequence to have their letters delivered free within the ten-mile circuit, a supplementary act was passed in , "_for the obviating and taking away such doubts_," as to what was the proper charge, and directing that the "penny postmen" must not deliver any letters out of the original limits, but may detain or delay such letters or packets, unless an extra penny were paid for each on delivery. the statute of queen anne provided that a weekly payment of _l._ should be made to the exchequer from the post-office for a period of thirty-two years. this term having expired in , an act was passed in that year making the payment _perpetual_, and all clauses, powers, &c. in the act of were also made perpetual. in order to keep up this source of revenue, which was too good to relinquish, the rates of postage, instead of being lowered again as stipulated, were kept up, and several times during subsequent years, as we shall see, fresh additions were made to the burdens of letter-writers. while on this subject, we may simply state the clause of queen anne's act relating to the disposal of the _surplus_ revenue. all pensions were to be paid out of it, and the remainder retained by the queen "for the better support of her majesty's household, and for the honour and dignity of the crown of great britain." on the accession of george i. a bill, granting the same rights and privileges during the king's lifetime, was passed in the first session of parliament. in the first year of the reign of george ii. and his grandson george iii. the same rights and privileges were obtained under the self-same conditions. though the conditions of the following act were, in reality, carried out several years previously, when a salary of , _l._ a-year was granted to the king for the support of his household, section of george iii. enacts that, for the king's lifetime, "the entire _net_ revenue of the post-office shall be carried to and made part of the fund, to be called 'the consolidated fund.'" it is scarcely needful to say that this arrangement has existed from to the present time. from the date of allen's improvement in to the year , when the postage of letters was again disturbed and many other alterations made, little of special importance was done in the post-office, and we cannot do better than take advantage of this quiet time to give some account of the internal arrangements of the establishment, and to notice certain minutiæ, which, though trifling in themselves, will serve to give the reader an insight into the details, the way and means, of this early period.[ ] in the time of george i. the officers of the post-office in london consisted of _two_ postmasters-general, with a secretary and a clerk. there were four chief officers in the inland-office--viz. a controller, a receiver, an accountant, and a solicitor. the staff of clerks consisted of seven for the different roads--chester, north west, bristol, yarmouth, kent, and kent night-road. thirteen clerks were engaged in other duties, and three more clerks attended at the window to answer inquiries and deliver letters. the foreign office, which was a separate department, included a controller and an alphabet keeper, with eight assistant clerks. the whole london establishment, which at the present day numbers several thousand officers of different grades, was then, without counting letter-carriers, worked with a staff of thirty-two. "to show the method, diligence, and exactness of our general post-office," says a writer of the period, "and the due despatch of the post at each stage, take this specimen." and for our purpose we cannot do better than take stowe's advice, and insert here a copy of a post-office proclamation to postmasters and time-bill, given in his _history of london_:-- "whereas the management of the postage of the letters of great britain and ireland is committed to our care and conduct: these are therefore in his majesty's name to require you in your respective stages to use all diligence and expedition in the safe and speedy conveyance of this mail and letters: that you ride five miles an hour according to your articles from london to east grinstead, and from thence to return accordingly. and hereof you are not to fail, as you will answer the contrary at your perils. signed, cornwallis. james craggs."[ ] to the several postmasters betwixt london and east grinstead. haste, haste, post haste! +--------+-----------------------------------------------------------+ | | from the letter-office at _half an hour past two in the_ | |_miles._| _morning_, july , . | | | | | | received at epsom half an hour past six, and sent away | | | three-quarters past. alexander findlater. | | | | | | received at dorking half an hour after eight, and sent | | | away at nine. chas. castleman. | | | | | | received at _rygate_ half an hour past ten, and sent away | | | again at eleven. john bullock. | | | | | | received at east grinstead at half an hour after three | | | in the afternoon. | +--------+-----------------------------------------------------------+ the speed at which the east grinstead mail travelled was greater than usual: few post-boys, in the provinces at any rate, were required to go at a greater rate than three or four miles an hour. not only this, but the boys as a rule were without discipline; difficult to control; sauntered on the road at pleasure, and were quite an easy prey to any robber or ill-disposed persons who might think it worth their while to interfere with them. about this time, we find the post-office surveyor complaining dolorously to headquarters, that the gentry "doe give much money to the riders, whereby they be very subject to get in liquor, _which stopes the males_." expresses at that time travelled somewhat quicker, but still not quick enough for some persons. on one occasion, mr. harley (afterwards lord oxford) complained of delay in an express which had been sent to him; but the postmasters-general thought there were no grounds for complaint, inasmuch "as it had travelled miles in hours, which," added they, "is the usual rate of expresses." in the year , the treasury sanctioned an arrangement for conveying the mails between bristol and exeter, twice a week, under the stipulation that the distance of sixty-five miles should be performed in twenty-four hours! in scotland, about the same time, this work was done even slower, and with greater hardships. the post-boy walked all distances under twenty miles; longer distances required that the messenger should be mounted, though no relays of horses were allowed, however long and tedious the journey might be.[ ] at this time, it was only a secondary consideration, _when_ or _how_ letters should be delivered. for a number of years the authorities were simply bent on raising revenue out of the post-office. thus, about the period of which we are speaking, a request was made to the authorities from certain inhabitants of warwick, that the london letters for that place should be sent direct to warwick and not through coventry, by which latter route a great many hours were lost. a decided negative was returned to this very reasonable request, and for the following cogent _official_ reason, which exhibits well the exacting tendencies of the government. "from london to warwick, through coventry, is more than _eighty_ miles," say the postmasters-general; "so that we can charge _d._ per letter going that way, whereas we could only charge _d._ if they went direct." no doubt this reply is given to the lords of the treasury, through whom all such applications as the foregoing had then, and still have, to pass; for it cannot be imagined that they gave this reply to the people of warwick themselves. "perhaps, however," add the post-office officials, with some glimmering idea of the true business principle, "we might get _more letters_ at the cheaper rate." present profits, nevertheless, could not be sacrificed, even though there should be a prospect of increased future revenue. another instance is on record, proving that in this respect the post-office authorities of the period were wiser than the executive that held them in check. the postmasters-general apply (fruitlessly however) to the treasury to lower the rates of postage in a particular district, and in urging their request, state that "we have, indeed, found by experience, that where we have made the correspondence more easie and cheape, the number of letters has been thereby much increased, and therefore we do believe such a settlement may be attended with a like effect in these parts." the treasury lords are slow to sanction what appeared to them to be a sacrifice of revenue, and from the frequent applications which were made to them by deputy postmasters in the early part of last century to settle accounts of long standing, or remit the arrears owing to the government, we may imagine that their hands were full and their temper soured. many postmasters in the west of england now petitioned the treasury to the effect that they had been nearly ruined in the times of his majesty king william, "through much spoiling of their horses by officers riding-post in the late blessed revolution." others grumble at the lowness of their salaries. it was all very well, they argued, that the deputies, during the civil wars or at the revolution, should be contented with low salaries, because they were exempted from having soldiers quartered upon them, but now that the time of peace had come, they submitted that their salaries should be raised. the act of queen anne provided for one postmaster-general. how it came to be altered is not clear; but it is nevertheless certain that, for the greater part of the eighteenth century, the office was jointly held by two chiefs. all letters and mandates bore the signature of both of them; though it seems probable that the work of the office was equitably divided between the two gentlemen, the one taking charge principally of the inland business, while the other managed the packets. the duties of the latter department were much more onerous than might be supposed, when viewed in the light of the history of that period. as we have not yet directed attention to this department of the post-office, we may here state that some curious accounts survive of the infancy of the postal sea-service, during the former part of last century, when sir robert cotton and sir thomas frankland shared its management. in those sad times when war was raging, and french privateers covered every sea, our postmasters-general were anxious, though shrewd and active men. the general orders to the captains of the vessels under their control were such as, under the circumstances, they ought to be: "you must run while you can, fight when you can no longer run, and throw the mails overboard when fighting will no longer avail." notwithstanding such an order, and on account of so many mails travelling short of their destination, the postmasters-general resolve to build swift packet-boats that shall escape the enemy; but in their inexperience, they get them built so low in the water, that shortly afterwards, "we doe find that in blowing weather they take in soe much water that the men are constantly wet through, and can noe ways goe below, being obliged to keep the hatches shut to save the vessel from sinking." it is clear that better and stronger boats must be built, and stronger boats are built accordingly. to make up for the expense, they order that the freight of passengers shall be raised, though "recruits and indigent persons shall still have their passage free." it is noteworthy here, that about this time no political refugee seeking an asylum in england is ever hard pressed for a fare on the continental packet-boats, but an entry is made in the agent's letter-book that so and so "have not wherewithal to pay their charges," and are sent on their path to liberty without further question. every provision is supplied by the authorities in london, and salaries and pensions of all kinds are granted. thus, in one place, a chaplain is appointed for the crew of one of the packets, with a small stipend, "for doing their offices of births, marriage, and burial." pensions for wounds received in the service are granted with nice discrimination of the relative parts of the body. in a letter to their agent at falmouth, the postmasters-general send a scale of pensions to be granted according to the kind of wound--thus: "for every arm or leg amputated above the elbow or knee, l. per annum; below the arm or knee, twenty nobles. loss of the sight of one eye must be l. ; of the pupil of the eye, l. ; of the sight of both eyes, l. ; of the pupils of both eyes, l. ; and according to these rules, we _consider also how much also the hurts affect the body_, and make the allowances accordingly." the duties devolving upon the chief post-office officials seem not only to have been onerous and heavy--some of their instructions to their agents bearing dates from the middle of the night and other extraordinary hours--but curiously varied. many of their letters are preserved among the old records in the vaults under the general post-office, and some of them are quite sad and plaintive in their tone. "we are concerned," they say to one agent, "to find the letters brought by your boat [one from the west indies] _to be so consumed by the ratts_, that we cannot find out to whom they belong." another letter to their agent at harwich is evidently disciplinary, and runs as follows:-- "mr. edisbury--the woman whose complaint we herewith send you, _having given us much trouble upon the same_, we desire you will inquire into the same, and see justice done her, believing she may have had her brandy stole from her by the sailors.--we are your affectionate friends[!], r. c., t. f." it would be difficult to fancy such a letter as the above proceeding from officialdom in the year of grace eighteen hundred and sixty-four. in another letter we find the authorities affectionately scolding an agent because "he had not provided a sufficiency of pork and beef for the prince" (who this pork-loving prince was does not appear); in another, because "he had bought powder at falmouth that would have been so much cheaper in london." in other cases they act as public guardians of morality and loyalty, suspending one because "he had stirred up a mutiny between a captain and his men, _which was unhandsome conduct in him_;" bringing one captain clies to trial, inasmuch as "he had spoken words reflecting on the royal family, which the postmasters-general _took particular unkind of him_," and can by no means allow; and reprimanding another captain for "breaking open the portmanteau of a gentleman-passenger, and spoiling him of a parcel of snuff." what with all these cares and duties, the postmasters-general of those days could scarcely have had an easy time of it. this sole control over the resources of the packet-service explains much in the history of the _franking system_, which would be quite unintelligible without the information just given. the treasury warrants of that day franked the strangest commodities--articles which certainly would not be dropped into any letter-box, and which would neither be stamped nor sorted in the orthodox way. the following list of a few franked commodities is culled from a still larger number of such in the packet "agent's book," found amongst the old records to which reference has already been made:-- "_imprimis._ fifteen couple of hounds, going to the king of the romans with a free pass. "_item._ two maid servants, going as laundresses to my lord ambassador methuen. "_item._ doctor crichton, carrying with him _a cow_ and divers necessaries. "_item._ two bales of stockings, for the use of the ambassador to the crown of portugal.[ ] "_item._ a deal case, with ffour flitches of bacon, for mr. pennington of rotterdam." whilst referring to the subject of letter-franking, we may as well notice here, that before the control of the packet-service passed out of the hands of the post-office authorities, and when the right of franking letters became the subject of legislative enactments, we hear no more of these curious consignments of goods. the franking system was henceforth confined to passing free through the post any letter which should be indorsed on the cover with the signature of a member of either house of parliament. as it was not then made a rule absolute that parliament should be in session, or that the correspondence should necessarily be on the affairs of the nation in order to insure immunity from postage, this arrangement led to various forms of abuse. members signed huge packets of covers at once, and supplied them to friends and adherents in large quantities. sometimes they were sold. they have been known to have been given to servants in lieu of wages, the servants selling them again in the ordinary way of business. nor was this all. so little precaution seems to have been used, that thousands of letters passed through the post-office with forged signatures of members.[ ] to such an extent did this and kindred abuses accumulate, that, in , the worth of franked correspondence passing through the post was estimated at , _l._ during the next year--viz. in --parliament enacted that no letter should pass free through the post-office unless the whole address was in the member's own handwriting and his signature attached likewise. even these precautions, though lessening the frauds, were not sufficient to meet the evil, for fresh regulations were thought necessary in . this time it was ordered that all franks should be dated, the month to be given in full; and further, that all such letters should be put into the post on the day they were dated. from to the date of penny postage no further regulations were made concerning the franked correspondence, the estimated value of which during these years was , _l._ annually. the rates of postage ordered by the government of queen anne continued in force for eighteen years after it was designed by the act that they should cease, and it was only in , at the commencement of the reign of george iii., that any alteration was made. even then the rates were increased instead of diminished. geo. iii. c. provides, that the improvement of correspondence is a matter of such great concernment and so highly necessary for the extension of trade and commerce, that the statutes of queen anne need repealing to some extent, and especially as, through vast accessions of territory, no posts and post-rates are arranged to all his majesty's dominions. the improvements and alterations made at this time may thus be summed up, viz.:-- . additions are made to the vessels on the american station. other and cheaper rates of postage are established between london and north america and all his majesty's territories in america. . concerning letters brought by private ships from any foreign part, no ship or vessel shall be permitted to make entry in any port of great britain, or to unload any of its cargo, until all letters and packets brought by such ship, or any passenger on board such ship, are delivered into the hands of the deputy-postmaster of the port, and until the captain shall receive the deputy's receipt for the same. in cases where the vessel "is liable to the performance of quarantine," the first step must be to deliver the letters into the hands of the superintendent of the quarantine, to be by him despatched to the post-office. a penalty of _l._ with full costs to be inflicted on any master not delivering a letter or packet of letters according to this act, one moiety to go to the king and the other to the person informing. . the roads are to be re-surveyed, under the arrangements laid down in queen anne's act, for the purpose of settling the rates of postage afresh. . letters to be charged according to the post-stages travelled, or shorter distances to be paid for; thus:-- _s._ _d._ for the conveyance of every single letter not exceeding miles " " double letter " " ounce " " single letter, miles and under miles " " double letter " " ounce " " single letter, miles and under miles " " double letter " " ounce and so on. these rates were again altered in the twenty-fourth year of the reign of george iii. for the raising of revenue to defray his majesty's expenses, the alteration, which took effect on the introduction of mail-coaches, consisting of the addition of one penny to every existing charge.[ ] . permission is given to settle penny post-offices in other towns in england, on the same basis as the london penny-post establishment. the permission thus granted was soon applied, and long before the establishment of uniform penny-postage, there were at least a thousand penny-posts in existence in different towns. the principle which guided the department in establishing penny-posts was to select small towns and populous neighbourhoods not situated in the direct line of general post conveyances, which were desirous of obtaining extra facilities, and granting such posts provided that they did not afford the means for evading the general post. the only requisite was, that the authorities should have a reasonable hope that the proposed post would yield sufficient to pay for its maintenance--a thing considered settled if the receipts on its first establishment would pay two-thirds of the entire charges. . the weight of any packet or letter to be sent by the london penny-post, or any of the new penny-posts to be established under this improved act, must not now exceed _four ounces_. in , the act restraining any other but officers of the post-office from letting out horses to hire for the purpose of riding post, is stated not to refer to cases where chaises, "calashes," or any other vehicles, are furnished. vehicles to drive may be provided on either post-roads or elsewhere by any person choosing to engage in the trade. in , all acts giving exclusive privileges to the postmaster-general and his deputies as to the letting of post-_horses_ for hire are henceforth repealed. in the year the first penny-post was established in edinburgh by one peter williamson, a native of aberdeen. he kept a coffee-shop in the hall of the parliament house, and as he was frequently employed by gentlemen attending the courts in sending letters to different parts of the city, and as he had doubtless heard something of the english penny-posts, he began a regular post with hourly deliveries, and established agents at different parts of the city to collect letters. he employed four carriers, who appeared in uniform, to take the letters from the different agents, and then to deliver them as addressed. for both these purposes they were accustomed to ring a bell as they proceeded, in order to give due notice of their approach. the undertaking was so successful, that other speculators were induced to set up rival establishments, which, of course, led to great confusion. the authorities saw the success of the undertaking, and, aware of its importance, they succeeded in inducing williamson to take a pension for the good-will of his concern, and then merged it in the general establishment. we cannot attempt more than a short _résumé_ of the incidents in the previous history of the scotch post-office, although the annals of the seventeenth century contain little of interest, and might, therefore, soon be presented to the reader. the first regular letter-post was established in the reign of james i. (of england). in , owing to the sending of forces from scotland to put down the irish rebellion, it was found that the post arrangements in the south-west of scotland were defective in the extreme. the scotch council proposed to establish a line of posts between edinburgh and portpatrick, and portpatrick and carlisle, and the english, being more immediately concerned in the rebellion, agreed to bear the whole expense.[ ] in the privy council records of the period, we find a list of persons recommended by the commissioners for appointment on the two lines of road as postmasters, "such persons being the only ones fit for that employment, as being innkeepers and of approved honesty." seven years afterwards we find the post-office at edinburgh was under the care of john mean, husband of the woman who discharged her stool at the bishop's head when the service-book was introduced into st. giles's in . he seems to have himself borne the charges of attending to the office "without any reasonable allowance therefor;" and petitioning the committee of estates to that effect, they allowed him to retain the "eighth penny on all letters sent from edinburgh to london (no great number), and the fourth penny upon all those coming from london to edinburgh." at the restoration the office was bestowed on robert main, and considerable improvements were made under his management, although only with existing posts. little was done for other parts of scotland. a traveller in scotland so late as , commenting on the absence of stage or other coaches on most scotch roads, says,[ ] that "this carriage of persons from place to place might be better spared, were there opportunities and means for the speedier conveyance of business by letters. they have no horse-posts besides those which ply between berwick and edinburgh, and edinburgh and portpatrick for the irish packets.... from edinburgh to perth, and so on to other places, they use foot-posts and carriers, which, _though a slow way of communicating our concerns to one another, yet is such as they acquiesce in till they have a better_." our traveller is somewhat wrong in his date, for in a horse-post to aberdeen from edinburgh, twice a week, was started, with the consent of patrick graham, of inchbrakie, his majesty's postmaster-general, "for the _timous_ delivery of letters and receiving returns of the _samen_." two years afterwards inverness got dissatisfied with the want of postal communication, when robert main, the edinburgh postmaster, was commissioned to establish a constant foot-post between edinburgh and inverness, going once a week, "wind and weather serving."[ ] "wind and weather serving" is an amusing qualification, as pointed out by mr. chambers, considering that there was only one ferry of six or seven miles, and another of two miles, to cross. in , we find the edinburgh postmaster useful in another capacity, for in that year the privy council grant a warrant to him "to put to print and publish _ane diurnal weekly_, for preventing false news which may be invented by evil and disaffected persons." we must now pass over many years, as not offering any incidents of any moment. in the year we find that the scotch establishment yielded the sum of , _l._ as the whole gross revenue. from about the year , the mails began to be carried from stage to stage, as in england, by relays of fresh horses and different post-boys, though not entirely to the exclusion of the post-runners, of whom we have previously spoken. in , the edinburgh post-office occupied the first-floor of a house near the cross, above an alley which still bears the name of the post-office close. it was afterwards removed to a floor on the south side of the parliament square, which was fitted up shop-fashion, and where the letters were given out from behind an ordinary shop counter, one letter-carrier doing all the out-door work. the post-office was removed to its present situation in . towards the close of , it is expected, the handsome building now rising up near the old office will be finished and opened for postal purposes.[ ] even less interest attaches to the early annals of the irish post-office. during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was certainly more remunerative than the scotch, though much less remunerative than the english departments. previous to the introduction of mail-coaches, all mails were conveyed, or supposed to be conveyed, by the postmasters, to whom certain special allowances were made for each particular service. "there were no contracts, and no fixed rules as to time. three miles and a half (per hour) seems to have been the pace acknowledged to have been sufficient. the bags were usually conveyed by boys. in the immediate neighbourhood of the metropolis, some sort of cart was used, but with this exception the bags were carried either on ponies or mules, or on foot."[ ] the same authority tells us further that, "at this time, the bags were carried to cork, belfast, limerick, and waterford, six days a week; and three days a week to galway, wexford, and enniskillen. there were three posts to killarney; but for this the government refused to pay anything. the postmaster had a salary of _l._ a-year, but the mail was carried by foot-messengers, who were maintained at the cost of the inhabitants and of the news-printers in cork. carrick-on-shannon was the only town in county leitrim receiving a mail, and this it did twice a week. now it has two every day. except at the county-town, there was no post-office in the whole county of sligo; and there were but sixteen in the province of connaught, where there are now one hundred and seventy-one." footnotes: [ ] these exceptions were again made in the act vic. c. . s. , and still remain the law. [ ] this clause was repealed in the reign of george ii. [ ] the office of post-office surveyor, of which we here see the origin, still exists (though the officers now so designated have very different duties) among the most responsible and lucrative appointments in the department. [ ] "there cannot be devised," says blackstone, "a more eligible method than this of raising money upon the subject; for therein both the government and the people find a mutual benefit. the government requires a large revenue, and the people do their business with greater ease, expedition, and cheapness than they would be able to do if no such tax existed."--_com._ vol. i. p. . [ ] at this time, and for some years subsequently, the mails were carried on horseback in charge of post-boys. some of these post-boys were sad rogues, who, besides taking advantage of confusion in the two posts, were accustomed to carry letters themselves concealed upon them and for charges of course quite unorthodox. in old records of the post-office, principally the surveyor's book, referring to country post-offices from the year , there are long complaints from the surveyor on this head. the following, "exhibiting more malice than good grammar," may be taken as a specimen, and will suffice to show the way things were managed at that date:--"at this place (salisbury) found the post-boys to have carried on vile practices in taking the _bye-letters_, delivering them in this cittye and taking back answers, especially the _andover_ riders. on the th found on richard kent, one of the andover riders, bye-letters, all for this cittye. upon examining the fellow, he confessed he had made it a practice, _and persisted to continue in it_, saying he had noe wages from his master. i took the fellow before the magistrate, proved the facts, and he was committed, but pleading to have no money or friends, desired a punishment to be whipped, which accordingly _he was to the purpose_. wrote the case to andover and ordered the fellow to be dismissed, but no regard was had thereto, but the next day the same rider came post, ran about the cittye for letters _and was insolent_. again he came post with two gentlemen, made it his business to take up letters; the fellow, however, instead of returning to andover, gets two idle fellows and rides off with three horses, which was a return for his master not obeying my instructions." our shrewd surveyor thus amply got his revenge, and the post-office and mr. allen suffer no more from the delinquencies of richard kent.--_from mr. scudamore's notes._ [ ] _gentleman's magazine_, august, . [ ] mr. scudamore, of the general post-office, to whom we are indebted for much of the _minutiæ_ in question, has been successful in his efforts to preserve permanently some of the old records of the post-office; and the result of his labours may be found in the appendix to the postmaster-general's first report. [ ] son of the james craggs who succeeded addison as secretary of state, and who obtained such an unusual portion of the poetical praise of pope. the son came in for a share also, as, for example:-- "statesman, yet friend to truth! of soul sincere, in action faithful, and in honour clear." [ ] campbell, in his _tales of the highlands_, relates two or three incidents which show that little improvement had taken place in post communications in some part of scotland even a hundred years later. the english order of posts and express posts seem there to have been reversed, express work being done the worst. for instance: "near inverary, we regained a spot of comparative civilization, and came up with the post-boy, whose horse was quietly grazing at some distance, whilst red jacket himself was immersed in play with other lads. 'you rascal,' i said to him, 'are you the post-boy and thus spending your time?' 'nae, nae, sir,' he answered, 'i'm no the post, i'm only an express!'" [ ] what the right hon. john methuen wanted with two bales of stockings is, of course, a mystery, if he was not embarking in the haberdashery line. it may be he was desirous of regaining the favour of the portuguese court, by supplying the whole with english stockings. this was the methuen who gave his name to a well-known treaty, which, by the way, was found so distasteful to the portuguese that when, in , he carried it to pedro ii. for his signature, that monarch gave vent to his displeasure by kicking it about the room.--_marlborough despatches_, vol. v. p. . [ ] at the investigation in it was related that "one man had, in the course of five months, counterfeited , dozens of franks of different members of parliament." [ ] as an example of the summary proceedings of those days, we may here just note the remarks which mr. pitt made in his place in parliament when he proposed this increase, calculating that the change would produce at least , _l._ additional revenue out of the post-office. the tax upon letters, said he, could be calculated with a great degree of certainty, and the changes he had to propose would _by no means reduce the number sent. it was idle to suppose that the public would grumble in having to pay just one penny additional for valuable letters safely and expeditiously conveyed._ he proposed "to charge all letters that went one stage and which now paid one penny in future the sum of _d._, and this would bring in the sum of , _l._ all that now pay _d._ paying an additional penny would yield , _l._ threepenny letters paying another penny would produce , _l._ the increase of fourpenny letters would produce , _l._" the cross-roads he could not speak of with great certainty, but he thought they might calculate on at least , _l._ from that source, and so on, till the estimated sum was reached. [ ] _domestic annals of scotland._ by mr. r. chambers. vol. ii. p. . [ ] _a short account of scotland_, published in london in . [ ] the wording of the qualifying clauses in the proclamations of stage-coaches, &c. are very various, and sometimes exceedingly amusing. in england the divine hand was generally recognised in the formula of "god willing," or, "if god should permit." on the contrary, the human element certainly preponderated--whether it was meant so or not--in the announcement made by a carrying communication between edinburgh and a northern burgh, when it was given out that "a waggon would leave the grass market for inverness every tuesday, god willing, but on wednesday _whether or no_." [ ] it will be remembered that the late lamented prince consort laid the foundation-stone of this structure in , being the last occasion on which he assisted at any public ceremony. for further information of the scotch office, see mr. lang's _historical summary of the post-office in scotland_. [ ] appendix to postmaster-general's third report, supplied by mr. anthony trollope, then one of the post-office surveyors for ireland. chapter v. palmer and the mail-coach era. we have now arrived at a most important epoch in the history of the english post-office. fifteen years after the death of mr. allen, john palmer, one of the greatest of the early post-reformers rose into notice. to give anything approaching to a proper account of the eminent services that palmer rendered towards the development of the resources of the post-office, it is requisite that we notice the improvements which had been made up to his time in the internal communications of the country. trade and commerce, more than ever active, were the means of opening out the country in all directions. civil engineering had now acquired the importance and dignity of a profession. this was the age of brindley and smeaton, rennie and telford, watt and boulton. roads were being made in even the comparatively remote districts of england; bridges were built in all parts of the country; the bridgewater and other canals were opened for traffic, whilst many more were laid out. and what is perhaps more germane to our special subject, many improvements were apparent in the means of conveyance during the same period.[ ] while, on the one hand, the ordinary stage-coach had found its way on to every considerable road, and was still equal to the usual requirements, the speed at which it travelled did not at all satisfy the enterprising merchants of lancashire and yorkshire. so early as , a company of merchants in manchester started a new vehicle, called the "flying coach," which seems to have owed its designation to the fact that the proprietors contemplated an acceleration in the speed of the new conveyance to four or five miles an hour. it started with the following remarkable prospectus:--"however incredible it may appear, this coach will actually (barring accidents) arrive in london in four days and a half after leaving manchester." in the same year a new coach was brought out in edinburgh, but the speed at which it travelled was no improvement on the old rate. it was of better appearance, however; and the announcement heralding its introduction to the edinburgh public sought for it general support on the ground of the extra comfort it would offer to travellers. "the edinburgh stage-coach," says the prospectus, "for the better accommodation of passengers, will be altered to a new genteel two-end glass machine, hung on steel springs, exceedingly light and easy, to go (to london) in ten days in summer and twelve in winter."[ ] three years afterwards, the liverpool merchants established another "flying machine on steel springs," which was designed to, and which really did, eclipse the manchester one in the matter of speed.[ ] three days only were allowed for the journey between liverpool and london. sheffield and leeds followed with their respective "fly-coaches," and by the year they had not only become quite common, but most of them had acquired the respectable velocity of eight miles an hour. the post-boy on horseback travelling at the rate of three or four miles an hour, had been an institution since the days of charles ii., and now, towards the close of the eighteenth century, the post-office was still clinging to the old system. it was destined, however, that mr. palmer should bring about a grand change. originally a brewer, mr. palmer was, in , the manager of the bath and bristol theatres. he seems to have known mr. allen, and to have been fully acquainted with his fortunate post-office speculations. in this way, to some extent, but much more, doubtless, through his public capacity as manager of two large theatres, he became acquainted with the crude postal arrangements of the period. having frequently to correspond with the theatrical stars of the metropolis, and also to journey between london and the then centres of trade and fashion, he noticed how superior the arrangements were for travelling to those under which the post-office work was done, and he conceived the idea of improvements. palmer found that letters, for instance, which left bath on monday night were not delivered in london until wednesday afternoon or night; but the stage-coach which left through the day on monday, arrived in london on the following morning.[ ] not only did the existing system of mail conveyance strike him as being exceedingly slow, but insecure and otherwise defective. as he afterwards pointed out, he noticed that when tradesmen were particularly anxious to have a valuable letter conveyed with speed and safety, they never thought of giving it into the safe keeping of the post-office, but were in the habit of enclosing it in a brown paper parcel and sending it by the coach: nor were they deterred from this practice by having to pay a rate of carriage for it far higher than that charged for a post-letter. robberies of the mails were so frequent, that even to adopt the precaution recommended by the post-office authorities, and send valuable remittances such as a bank note, bills of exchange, &c. _at twice_, was a source of endless trouble and annoyance, if it did not prove entirely ineffective. who can wonder at the post-office robberies when the carelessness and incompetency of the servants of the post-office were taken into account? a curious robbery of the portsmouth mail in illustrates the careless manner in which the duty was done. the boy who carried the mail had dismounted at hammersmith, about three miles from hyde park corner, and called for beer, when some thieves took the opportunity to cut the mail-bags from off the horse's crupper, and got away undiscovered. the french mail on its outward-bound passage _viâ_ dover was more than once stopped and rifled before it had got clear of london. a string stretched across a street in the borough through which the mail would pass has been known to throw the post-boy from his horse, who, without more ado, would coolly retrace his steps, empty-handed, to the chief office, and report the loss of his bags. what could be expected, however, in the case of raw, unarmed post-boys, when carriages were stopped in broad daylight in hyde park, and even in piccadilly itself, and pistols pointed at the breasts of the nobility and gentry _living close at hand_? horace walpole relates that he himself was robbed in hyde park in broad daylight, in a carriage with lord eglinton and lady albemarle. mr. palmer, however, was ready with a remedy for robbery, as well as for the other countless defects in the existing postal arrangements. he began his work of reform in , by submitting a full scheme in a lengthy report to mr. pitt, who was at that time prime minister. he commenced by describing the then existing system of mail transmission. "the post," he says, "at present, instead of being the quickest, is almost the slowest conveyance in the country; and although, from the great improvements in our roads, other carriers have proportionately mended their speed, the post is as slow as ever." the system is also unsafe; robberies are frequent, and he saw not how it could be otherwise if there were no changes. "the mails," continued palmer, "are generally intrusted to some idle boy without character, mounted on a worn-out hack, and who, so far from being able to defend himself, or escape from a robber, is more likely to be in league with him." if robberies were not so frequent as the circumstances might lead people to suppose, it was simply because thieves had found, by long practice, that the mails were scarcely worth robbing--the booty to be obtained being comparatively worthless, inasmuch as the public found other means of sending letters of value. mr. palmer, as we have before stated, knew of tradesmen who sent letters by stage-coach. why, therefore, "should not the stage-coach, well protected by armed guards, under certain conditions to be specified, carry the mail-bags?" though by no means the only recommendation which mr. palmer made to the prime minister, this substitution of a string of mail-coaches for the "worn-out hacks" was the leading feature of his plans. evincing a thorough knowledge of his subject (however he may have attained that knowledge), and devised with great skill, the measures he proposed promised to advance the postal communication to as high a pitch of excellence as was possible. to lend to the scheme the prospect of _financial_ success, he laboured to show that his proposals, if adopted, would secure a larger revenue to the post-office than it had ever yet yielded; whilst, as far as the public were concerned, it was evident that they would gladly pay higher for a service which was performed so much more efficiently. mr. pitt, who always lent a ready ear to proposals which would have the effect of increasing the revenue, saw and acknowledged the merits of the scheme very early. but, first of all, the post-office officials must be consulted; and from accounts[ ] which survive, we learn how bitterly they resented proposals not coming from themselves. they made many and vehement objections to the sweeping changes which palmer's plans would necessitate. "the oldest and ablest officers in the service" represented them "not only to be impracticable, but dangerous to commerce and the revenue."[ ] the accounts of the way in which they met some of his proposals is most amusing and instructive. thus, palmer recommended mr. pitt to take some commercial men into his councils, and they would not fail to convince him of the great need there was for change. he also submitted that the suggestions of commercial men should be listened to more frequently, when postal arrangements for their respective districts should be made. mr. hodgson, one of the prominent officers of the post-office, indignantly answered that "it was not possible that any set of gentlemen, merchants, or outriders (commercial travellers, we suppose), could instruct officers brought up in the business of the post-office. and it is particularly to be hoped," said this gentlemen, with a spice of malice, "if not presumed, that the surveyors need no such information." he "ventured to say, that the post as then managed was admirably connected in all its parts, well-regulated, carefully attended to, and not to be improved by any person unacquainted with the whole. it is a pity," he sarcastically added, "that mr. palmer should not first have been informed of the nature of the business in question, to make him understand how very differently the post and post-offices are conducted to what he apprehends." mr. palmer might not be, and really was not, acquainted with all the working arrangements of the office he was seeking to improve: yet it was quite patent to all outside the post-office that the entire establishment needed remodelling. mr. hodgson, however, and his _confrères_ "were amazed," they said, "that any dissatisfaction, any desire for change, should exist." the post-office was already perfect in their eyes. it was, at least, "almost as perfect as it can be, without exhausting the revenue arising therefrom." they could not help, therefore, making a united stand against any such new-fangled scheme, which they predict "will fling the commercial correspondence of the country into the utmost confusion, and which will justly raise such a clamour as the postmaster-general will not be able to appease." another of the principal officers, a mr. allen, who seems to have been more temperate in his abuse of the new proposals, gave it as his opinion, "that the more mr. palmer's plan was considered, the greater number of difficulties and objections started to its ever being carried completely into execution." from arguing on the general principles involved, they then descend to combat the working arrangements of the theatre-manager with even less success. mr. palmer complains that the post is slow, and states that it ought to outstrip all other conveyances. mr. hodgson "could not see _why_ the post should be the swiftest conveyance in england. personal conveyances, i apprehend, should be much more, and particularly with people travelling on business." then followed mr. draper, another official, who objected to the coaches as travelling too fast. "the post," he said, "cannot travel with the expedition of stage-coaches, on account of the business necessary to be done in each town through which it passes, and without which correspondence would be thrown into the utmost confusion." mr. palmer had proposed that the coaches should remain fifteen minutes in each town through which they passed, to give time to transact the necessary business of sorting the letters. mr. draper said that half an hour was not enough, as was well enough known to persons at all conversant with post-office business. living in this age of railways and steam, we have just reason to smile at such objections. then, as to the appointment of mail-guards, mr. palmer might, but mr. hodgson could, see no security, though he could see endless trouble, expense, and annoyance in such a provision. "the man would doubtless have to be waited for at every alehouse the coach passed." he might have added that such had been the experience with the post-boys under the _régime_ which he was endeavouring to perpetuate. mr. palmer stipulated, that the mail-guards should in all cases be well armed and accoutred, and such officers "as could be depended upon as trustworthy." but the post-office gentlemen objected even to this arrangement. "there were no means of preventing robbery with effect,[ ] as the strongest cart or coach that could be made, lined and bound with iron, might easily be broken into by determined robbers," and the employment of armed mail-guards would only make matters worse. instead of affording protection to the mails, the following precious doctrine was inculcated, that the crime of murder would be added to that of robbery; "for," said the wonderful mr. hodgson, "when once desperate fellows had determined upon robbery, resistance would lead to murder"! these were peace and non-resistance principles with a vengeance, but principles which in england, during the later years of pitt's administration, would seldom be heard, except in furtherance of some such selfish views as those which the post-office authorities held in opposition to mr. palmer's so-called innovations. mr. palmer's propositions also included the timing of the mails at each successive stage, and their departure from the country properly regulated; they would thus be enabled to arrive in london at regular specified times, and not at any hour of the day or night, and might, to some extent, be delivered simultaneously. again: instead of _leaving_ london at all hours of the night, he suggested that all the coaches for the different roads should leave the general post-office at the same time; and thus it was that palmer established what was, to the stranger in london for many years, one of the first of city sights. finally, mr. palmer's plans were pronounced impossible. "it was an impossibility," his opponents declared, "that the bath mail could be brought to london in sixteen or eighteen hours." mr. pitt was less conservative than the post-office authorities. he clearly inherited, as an eloquent writer[ ] has pointed out, his father's contempt for impossibilities. he saw, with the clear vision for which he was so remarkable, that mr. palmer's scheme would be as profitable as it was practicable, and he resolved, in spite of the short-sighted opposition of the authorities, that it should be adopted. the lords of the treasury lost no more time in decreeing that the plan should be tried, and a trial and complete success was the result. on the th of july, , the post-office secretary (mr. anthony todd) issued the following order:--"his majesty's postmasters-general, being inclined to make an experiment for the more expeditious conveyance of mails of letters by stage-coaches, machines, &c., have been pleased to order that a trial shall be made upon the road between london and bristol, to commence at each place on monday, the d of august next." then follows a list of places, letters for which can be sent by these mail-coaches, and thus concludes: "all persons are therefore to take notice, that the letters put into any receiving-house before six of the evening, or seven at this chief office, will be forwarded by these new conveyances; all others for the said post-towns and their districts put in afterwards, or given to the bellmen, must remain until the following post at the same hour of seven." the mail-coaches commenced running according to the above advertisement, not, however, on the d, but on the th of august. one coach left london at eight in the morning, reaching bristol about eleven the same night. _the distance between london and bath was accomplished in fourteen hours._ the other coach was started from bristol at four in the afternoon on the same day, reaching london in sixteen hours. mr. palmer was installed at the post-office on the day of the change, under the title of controller-general. it was arranged that his salary should be , _l._ a-year, together with a commission of two and a half per cent. upon any excess of net revenue over , _l._--the sum at which the annual proceeds of the post-office stood at the date of his appointment. the rates of postage, as we have before incidentally pointed out, were slightly raised--an addition of a penny to each charge; but, notwithstanding this, the number of letters began at once, and most perceptibly, to increase. so great was the improvement in security and speed, that, for once, the additions to the charges were borne ungrudgingly. coaches were applied for without loss of time by the municipalities of many of our largest towns,[ ] and when they were granted--as they appear to have been in most of the instances--they were started at the rate of six miles an hour. this official rate of speed was subsequently increased to eight, then to nine, and at length to ten miles an hour.[ ] the opposition to mr. palmer's scheme, manifested by the post-office officials before it was adopted, does not seem to have given way before the manifest success attending its introduction. perhaps mr. palmer's presence at the council board did not conduce to the desirable unanimity of feeling. however it was, he appears for some time to have contended single-handed with officials determinately opposed to him. when goaded and tormented by them, he fell into their snares, and attempted to carry his measures by indirect means. in , when his plans had been in operation about eight years, and were beginning to show every element of success, it was deemed desirable that he should surrender his appointment. a pension of , _l._ was granted to him in consideration of his valuable services. subsequently he memorialized the government, setting forth that his pension fell far short of the emoluments which had been promised to him, but he did not meet with success. mr. palmer never ceased to protest against this treatment; and his son, major-general palmer, frequently urged his claims before parliament, until, in , after a struggle of twenty years, the house of commons voted him a grant of , _l._ mr. palmer died in . now that mr. palmer was gone from the post-office, his scheme was left to incompetent and unwilling hands. all the smothered opposition broke out afresh; and if it had been less obvious how trade and commerce, and all the other interests promoted by safe and quick correspondence, were benefited by the new measures; and if it had not been for the vigilant supervision of the prime minister--who had let the reformer go, but had no intention of letting his reforms go with him--all the improvements of the past few years might have been quietly strangled in their infancy. though we know not what the country lost in losing the guiding-spirit, it is matter of congratulation that the main elements of his scheme were fully preserved. though the post-office officials scrupled not to recommend some return to the old system, mr. palmer's plans were fully adhered to until the fact of their success became patent to both the public and the official alike. in the first year of their introduction, the net revenue of the post-office was about , _l._ thirty years afterwards the proceeds had increased sixfold, to no less a sum than a million and a half sterling! though, of course, this great increase is partly attributable to the increase of population, and the national advancement generally, it was primarily due to the greater speed, punctuality, and security which the new arrangements gave to the service. whilst, financially, the issue was successful, the result, in other respects, was no less certain. in , the greater part of the mails were conveyed in one-half of the time previously occupied; in some cases, in one-third of the time; and on the cross-roads, in a quarter of the time, taken under the old system. mails not only travelled quicker, but mr. palmer augmented their number between the largest towns. other spirited reforms went on most vigorously. three hundred and eighty towns, which had had before but three deliveries of letters a-week, now received one daily. the edinburgh coach required less time by sixty hours to travel from london, and there was a corresponding reduction between towns at shorter distances. ten years before the first liverpool coach was started, a single letter-carrier sufficed for the wants of that place; before the century closed, _six_ were required. a single letter-carrier sufficed for edinburgh for a number of years;[ ] now _four_ were required. no less certain was it that the mails, under the new system, travelled more securely. for many years after their introduction, not a single attempt was made, in england, to rob palmer's mail-coaches. it is noteworthy, however, that the changes, when applied to ireland, did not conduce to the greater security of the mails. the first coach was introduced into ireland in , and placed on the cork and belfast roads, a few more following on the other main lines of road. though occasionally accompanied by as many as _four_ armed guards, the mail-coaches were robbed, according to a competent authority, "as frequently as the less-aspiring riding-post." not many months after the establishment of mail-coaches, an act was passed through parliament, declaring that all carriages and stage-coaches employed to carry his majesty's mails should henceforth be exempt from the payment of _toll_, on both post- or cross-roads. previously, all post-horses employed in the same service travelled free of toll. this act told immediately in favour of the post-office to a greater extent than was imagined by its framers. innkeepers, who, in england, were the principal owners of stage-coaches,[ ] bargained for the carriage of mails, very frequently at merely nominal prices. in return, they enjoyed the advantages of the coach and its passengers, travelling all roads free of toll. arrived at the end of the century, we find the mail-coach system is now an institution in the country. other interests had progressed at an equal rate. travelling, as a rule, had become easy and pleasant. not that the service was performed without any difficulty or hindrance. on the contrary--and it enters within the scope of our present object to advert to them--the obstacles to anything like a perfect system seemed insurmountable. though the difficulties consequent on travelling, at the beginning of the present century, were comparatively trifling on the _principal post-roads_, yet, when new routes were chosen, or new localities were designed to share in the common benefits of the new and better order of things in the post-office, these same difficulties had frequently to be again got over. cross-roads in england were greatly neglected--so much so, in fact, that new mail-coaches which had been applied for and granted, were often enough waiting idle till the roads should be ready to receive them. the highway act of , so far as the roads in remote districts were concerned, was completely in abeyance. early in the century we find the subject frequently mentioned in parliament. as the result of one discussion, it was decided that every inducement should be held out to the different trusts to make and repair the roads in their respective localities; while, on the other hand, the postmaster-general was directed by the government to indict all townships who neglected the duty imposed upon them. under the acts of & george iii. c. , and george iv. c. , commissioners were appointed to arrange for all necessary road improvements, having certain privileges vested in them for the purpose. thus, they recommended that certain trusts should have loans granted to them, to be employed in road-making and mending. mr. telford, at his death, was largely employed by the road commissioners--the improvements on the shrewsbury and holyhead road being under his entire superintendence. and it would seem that the above-mentioned road needed improvement. when, in , a new mail-coach was put on to run between the two places, no fewer than twenty-two townships had to be indicted by the post-office authorities for having their roads in a dangerous and unfinished state. in scotland and ireland, great improvements had also been made in this respect, considering the previously wretched state of both countries, scotland especially. at a somewhat earlier period, four miles of the best post-road in scotland--namely, that between edinburgh and berwick--were described in a contemporary record as being in so ruinous a state, that passengers were afraid of their lives, "either by their coaches overturning, their horses stumbling, their carts breaking, or their loads casting, and the poor people with burdens on their backs sorely grieved and discouraged;" moreover, "strangers do often exclaim thereat," as well they might. things were different at the close of the last century; still, the difficulties encountered in travelling, say by the bar, may well serve to show the internal state of the country. "those who are born to modern travelling," says lord cockburn,[ ] "can scarcely be made to understand how the previous age got on. there was no bridge over the tay at dunkeld, or over the spey at fochabers, or over the findhorn at forres. nothing but wretched peerless ferries, let to poor cotters, who rowed, or hauled, or pushed a crazy boat across, or more commonly got their wives to do it.... there was no mail-coach north of aberdeen till after the battle of waterloo.... i understand from hope, that after , when he came to the bar, he and braxfield rode a whole north circuit; and that, from the findhorn being in a flood, they were obliged to go up its bank for about _twenty-eight miles_, to the bridge of dulsie, before they could cross. i myself rode circuits when i was an advocate depute, between and ." a day and a half was still, at the end of the last century, taken up between edinburgh and glasgow. in , a direct mail-coach was put on between london and glasgow, to go by what is known as the west coast route, _viâ_ carlisle.[ ] the glasgow merchants had long wished for such a communication, as much time was lost in going by way of edinburgh. on the day on which the first mail-coach was expected, a vast number of them went along the road for several miles to welcome it, and then headed the procession into the city. to announce its arrival on subsequent occasions, a gun was fired. it was found a difficult task, however, to drive the coach, especially in winter, over the bleak and rugged hills of dumfriesshire and lanarkshire; the road, moreover, was hurriedly and badly made, and at times quite impassable. robert owen, travelling between his model village in lanarkshire and england, tells us[ ] that it often took him two days and three nights, incessant travelling, to get from manchester to glasgow in the coach, the greater part of the time being spent north of carlisle. on the eastern side of the country, in the direct line between edinburgh and london, a grand new road had been spoken of for many years. the most difficult part, viz. that between edinburgh and berwick, was begun at the beginning of the present century, and in , a good road was finished and opened out as far south as morpeth, in northumberland. a continuation of the road from morpeth to london being greatly needed, the post-office authorities engaged mr. telford, the eminent engineer, to make a survey of the road over the remaining distance. the survey lasted many years. a hundred miles of the new great north road, south of york, was laid out in a perfectly straight line.[ ] all the requisite arrangements were made for beginning the work, when the talk of locomotive engines and tramways, and especially the result of the locomotive contest at rainhill in the year , had the effect of directing public and official attention to a new and promising method of travelling, and of preventing an outlay of what must have been a most enormous sum for the purposes of this great work.[ ] the scheme was in abeyance for a few months, and this time sufficed to develop the railway project, and demonstrate its usefulness to the postal system of the country. but we are anticipating matters, and must, at any rate, speak for a moment of the services of mr. macadam. the improvements which this gentleman brought about in road-making had a very sensible effect on the operations of the mail-coach service. most of the post-roads were _macadamized_ before the year , and it was then that the service was in its highest state of efficiency. accelerations in the speed of the coaches were made as soon as ever any road was finished on the new principle. from this time, the average speed, _including stoppages_, was nine miles, all but a furlong. the fastest coaches (known as the "crack coaches" from this circumstance, and also for being on the best roads) were those travelling, in , between london and shrewsbury (accomplishing miles in hours), london and exeter ( miles in hours), london and manchester ( miles in hours), and london and holyhead ( miles in hours). on one occasion, the devonport mail, travelling with foreign and colonial letters, accomplished the journey of miles, including stoppages, in hours and minutes. in , there were fifty four-horse mails in england, thirty in ireland, and ten in scotland. in england, besides, there were forty-nine mails of two horses each. in the last year of mail-coaches, the number which left london every night punctually at eight o'clock was twenty-seven; travelling in the aggregate above , miles, before they reached their several destinations. we have already stated how the contracts for _horsing_ the mail-coaches were conducted; no material change took place in this respect up to the advent of railways. early in the present century, it was deemed desirable that the mail-coaches should all be built and furnished on one plan. for a great number of years, the contract for building and repairing a sufficient number was given (without competition) to mr. john vidler. though the post-office arranged for building the coaches, the mail contractors were required to pay for them; the revenue only bearing the charges of cleaning, oiling, and greasing them, an expense amounting to about , _l._ a-year. in , however, on a disagreement with mr. vidler, the contract was thrown open to competition, from which competition mr. vidler, for a substantial reason, was excluded. the official control of the coaches, mail-guards, &c., it may here be stated, was vested in the superintendent of mail-coaches, whose location was at the general post-office. had hogarth's pencil transmitted to posterity the _tout ensemble_ of a london procession of mail-coaches, or of one of them at the door of the customary halting-place (what herring has done for the old brighton coach the "_age_," with its fine stud of blood-horses, and a real baronet for driver), the subject could not but have occasioned marked curiosity and pleasure. no doubt he would have given a distinguished place to the guard of the mail. the mail-guard was no ordinary character, being generally _d'accord_ with those who thought or expressed this opinion. regarded as quite a public character, commissions of great importance were oftentimes intrusted to him. the country banker, for example, would trust him with untold wealth. though he was paid only a nominal sum by the post-office authorities for his official services, he was yet enabled to make his position and place a lucrative one, by the help of the regular perquisites and other accidental windfalls which we need not further specify. gathering _en route_ scraps of local gossip and district intelligence, he was often "private," and sometimes "special," correspondent to scores of different people. the _muddleton gazette_, perhaps the only newspaper on his line of road, was submissively dependent upon him. more of him anon: here we would only add that he had special duties on special occasions. the mail-coach was looked for most anxiously in times of great excitement. during the trial of queen caroline, says miss martineau, "all along the line of mails, crowds stood waiting in the burning sunshine for news of the trial, which was shouted out to them as the coach passed."[ ] again, at the different stages in the history of the reform bill, the mail-roads were sprinkled over for miles with people who were on the _qui vive_ for any news from london, and the coachman and guards on the top of the coaches shouted out the tidings.[ ] when the ministry resigned, many of the guards distributed handbills which they had brought from london, stating the facts. in these days of cheap postage and newspapers in every household, it may be difficult to comprehend the intense interest centring in the appearance of the mail on its arrival at a small provincial town. the leather bag of the post-office was almost the undisputed and peculiar property of the upper ten thousand. when there was good reason to suppose that any communication was on its way to some member of the commonalty, speculation would be eager among the knot of persons met to talk over the probable event. thus we may understand with what eagerness the mail would be looked for, and how the news, freely given out, especially in times of war, would be eagerly devoured by men of all ranks and parties. it only remains to notice, in conclusion, the annual procession of mail-coaches on the king's birthday, which contemporaries assure us was a gay and lively sight. one writer in the early part of the century goes so far as to say that the cavalcade of mail-coaches was "a far more agreeable and interesting sight to the eye _and the mind_ than the gaud and glitter of the lord mayor's show," because the former "made you reflect on the advantages derived to trade and commerce and social intercourse by this _magnificent establishment_" (the post-office). hone, in his _every-day book_, writing of , tells us that george iv., who was born on the th of august, changed the annual celebration of his birthday to st. george's-day, april d. "according to custom," says he, "the mail-coaches went in procession from millbank to lombard street. about twelve o'clock, the horses belonging to the different mails with entire new harness, and the postmen and postboys on horseback arrayed in their new scarlet coats and jackets, proceed from lombard street to millbank and there dine; from thence, the procession being re-arranged, begins to march about five o'clock in the afternoon, headed by the general post letter-carriers on horseback. the coaches follow them, filled with the wives and children, friends and relations, of the guards or coachmen; while the postboys sounding their bugles and cracking their whips bring up the rear. from the commencement of the procession, the bells of the different churches ring out merrily and continue their rejoicing peals till it arrives at the post-office again, from whence the mails depart for different parts of the kingdom." great numbers assembled to witness the cavalcade as it passed through the principal streets of the metropolis. the appearance of the coachmen and guards, got up to every advantage, and each with a large bouquet of flowers in his scarlet uniform, was of course greatly heightened by the brilliancy of the newly-painted coach, emblazoned with the royal arms. footnotes: [ ] no one who has read _roderick random_ can forget the novelist's description of his hero's ride from scotland to london. as it is generally believed to be a veritable account of a journey which smollett himself made about the middle of the last century, the reader may be of opinion that the improvement here spoken of was not so great as it might have been. roderick, however, travelled in the "_stage-waggon_" of the period. he and his faithful friend strap having observed one of these waggons a quarter of a mile before them, speedily overtook it, and, ascending by means of the usual ladder, "tumbled into the straw under the darkness of the tilt," amidst four passengers, two gentlemen and two ladies. when they arrived at the first inn captain weazel desired a room for himself and his lady, "with a separate supper;" but the impartial innkeeper replied he "had prepared victuals for the passengers in the waggon, without respect of persons." strap walked by the side of the waggon, changing places with his master when roderick was disposed to walk. the mistakes, the quarrels, and the mirth of the passengers, are told by the novelist with a vivacity and humour which would have been admirable but for their coarseness. after five days' rumbling in the straw, the passengers get quite reconciled to each other; "nothing remarkable happened during the remaining part of our journey, _which continued six or seven days longer_." there were also a few bad roads. arthur young, in his famous _tour in the north of england_, has described a lancashire turnpike-road of about the same period in the following vigorous phraseology:--"i know not in the whole range of language terms sufficiently expressive to describe this infernal road. to look over a map and perceive that it is a principal road, one would naturally conclude it to be at least decent; but let me most seriously caution all travellers who may purpose to travel this terrible country to avoid it as they would the devil, for a thousand to one they will break their necks or their limbs by over-throws or breakings-down. they will here meet with ruts which actually measured four feet deep and floating with mud, and this only from a wet summer; what, therefore, must it be after a winter? the only mending which it in places receives is the tumbling in some loose stones, which serve no other purpose but jolting a carriage in the most intolerable manner. these are not merely opinions, but facts, for i actually passed three carts broken down in these eighteen miles of execrable memory." the road in question was that between wigan and preston, then a regular post-road and now on the trunk line of mail conveyance into scotland. [ ] chambers' _traditions of edinburgh_, vol. i. p. . [ ] baines's _history of lancashire_, p. . [ ] the bath post was no exception. the letters which left london at two o'clock on monday morning did not reach worcester, norwich, or birmingham till the wednesday, exeter not till thursday, and glasgow and edinburgh for about a week. [ ] _vide_ report of the committee of house of commons in , on "mr. palmer's agreement for the reform and improvement of the post-office and its revenue," p. . [ ] report of the committee appointed to inquire into the state of the public offices in . [ ] post-office robberies had been exceedingly numerous within a few years of the change which palmer succeeded in inaugurating. though one prosecution for a single robbery cost the authorities no less a sum than , _l._, yet they regarded the occurrences as unavoidable and simply matters of course. [ ] mr. m. d. hill, in _fraser's magazine_, november, . [ ] the liverpool merchants were the first to petition the treasury for the new mail-coach. "this petition being complied with in the course of a few months, the letters from london reached liverpool in thirty hours. at first these coaches were small vehicles, drawn by two horses, which were changed every six miles. they carried four passengers, besides the coachman and guard, both dressed in livery, the latter being armed to the teeth, as a security against highwaymen."--baines's _history of liverpool_. in october, , york applied for a mail-coach, to pass through that place on its way to the north. [ ] this velocity was not attained without considerable misgivings and distrust on the part of travellers. when the eight was increased to ten miles an hour, the public mind was found to be in different stages of alarm and revolt. vested interests indulged in the gloomiest forebodings on those who should thus knowingly spurn the way of providence. lord-chancellor campbell relates that he was frequently warned against travelling in the mail-coaches improved by palmer, on account of the fearful rate at which they flew, and instances were supplied to him of passengers who had died suddenly of apoplexy from the rapidity of the motion. [ ] sir walter scott relates that a friend of his remembered the london letter-bag arriving in edinburgh, during the year , with but one letter for the british linen company. about the same time the edinburgh mail is said to have arrived in london, containing but one letter, addressed to sir william pulteney, the banker. [ ] in ireland, on the contrary, the trade was in the hands of two or three large contractors, who charged heavily for work only imperfectly performed. until the introduction of railways, the mail service of ireland, owing to the absurd system adopted, was always worked at a greater cost, comparatively, than in england. in , the irish service, of considerably less extent, cost four times as much as the entire mail establishment of england. mr. charles bianconi has been the palmer of ireland. in the early part of the present century he observed the want of travelling accommodation and formed plans for serving the country by a regular system of passenger-cars. he succeeded in inducing the different postmasters (who, up to the year , had the conveyance of mails in their own hands, getting certain allowances for the service from government, and then arranging for carriage in the cheapest way possible) to let him carry their mails. this he did at a cheap rate, stipulating, however, that he should not be required to run his cars at any inconvenient time for passenger traffic. on the amalgamation of the english and irish offices in , mr. bianconi, who had now established a good reputation, entered into contracts with the general authorities to continue the work, though on a larger scale than ever, the extent of which may be judged by the fact that in he had , horses employed. the growth and extent of railway communication necessarily affected his establishment, but, with unabated activity, mr. bianconi directed his labours into new districts when his old roads were invaded by the steam-engine and the rail. he is described to have been "ready at a moment's notice to move his horses, cars, and men to any district, however remote, where any chance of business might show itself." a year or two ago this indefatigable man was still busy, and held several postal contracts; his establishment ( ) consisting of , horses, and between sixty and seventy conveyances, daily travelling , or , miles and traversing twenty-two counties. [ ] _memorials of his time_, vol. i. p. . [ ] dr. cleland, in his _statistical account of glasgow_, tells us that before this time, viz. in , the course of post from london to glasgow was by way of edinburgh, _five_ days in the week. only five mails arrived in glasgow from london on account of no business being transacted at the edinburgh office on sundays. it now occurred, however, to some one of the astute managers of the post-office, that the _sixth_ mail, which the sunday regulations of the edinburgh office prevented being passed through that medium, might be sent by the mail-coach to carlisle, while a supplementary coach should travel every sixth night between carlisle and glasgow. this was done, and the result was the saving of an entire day between london and glasgow. the other mails continued, as usual, for twelve months longer, it having taken the authorities the whole of that time to discover that the five mails, which required _five_ days to reach glasgow by way of edinburgh, might, like the sixth, be carried by way of carlisle, in _four_ days. dr. cleland, however, does not seem to have perceived that there might be some other reason for adhering to the old route, such as increased outlay, &c. [ ] _life of robert owen._ _written by himself._ london, . [ ] smiles' _lives of the engineers_. [ ] _ibid._ [ ] _history of england during the thirty years' peace_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _ibid._ vol. ii. p. . chapter vi. the transition period at the post-office. it must not be supposed that the improvements in mail-conveyance were the only beneficial changes introduced into the post-office during the fifty years which we have designated as the mail-coach era. it is true that, compared with the progress of the country in many other respects, the period might be termed uneventful. still, there are incidental changes to chronicle of some importance in themselves, and likewise important in their bearing on the present position of the post-office. if we retrace our steps to the year , we shall find, for instance, that in that year an entirely new branch of business was commenced at the general post-office. we refer to the origin of the money-order establishment. the beginnings of this system, which, as the reader must be aware, has of late years assumed gigantic proportions, were simple and unassuming in the extreme. the government of the day had expressed a desire for the establishment of a medium by which soldiers and sailors might transmit to their homes such small sums as they could manage to save for that purpose. three officers of the post-office jointly submitted a scheme to make a part of the post-office machinery available in this direction, and a monopoly was readily conceded to them. the undertaking was further favoured with the sanction of the postmasters-general. the designation of the firm was to be "stow & co.," each of the three partners agreeing to find a thousand pounds capital. the stipulations made were, that the business should be carried on at the cost and at the risk of the originators, and that they, in return, should receive the profits. it was agreed, also, that they should enjoy the privilege of sending all their correspondence free of postage--no inconsiderable item saved to them. contrary to anticipations, the proceeds were considerable--not so much on account of the number of transactions, as on the high commission that was charged for the money-orders. their terms were eightpence for every pound; but if the sum exceeded two pounds, a stamp-duty of one shilling was levied by government in addition. no order could be issued for more than five guineas; and the charge for that sum amounted to four shillings and sixpence, or nearly five per cent. when it is considered that the expense did not end here, but that a letter containing a money-order was subjected to _double postage_, it cannot be wondered at that those who dealt with the three monopolists were few in number, and only persons under a positive necessity to remit money speedily. such a system, it will be admitted, could not of itself be expected to foster trade. when the general public were admitted to the benefits of the money-order office--as they were some few years after the establishment of the office--it does not appear that the business was greatly increased. almost from the commencement, the managers drew yearly proceeds, which varied but slightly from year to year, averaging about _l._ each. while, on the one hand, this office was seen to be a most useful institution, good in principle, and likely, if properly managed, to contribute largely to the general revenue of the post-office; on the other hand, it was clearly stationary, if not retrograde in its movements. in , the attention of practical men was more immediately called to the question by a return which was asked for by the house of commons, for a detailed account of the poundage, &c. on money-orders of each provincial post-office, and the purpose or purposes to which the monies were applied. the postmaster-general replied, that the money-order office was a private establishment, worked by private capital, under his sanction; but he could give no returns, because the accounts were not under his control. in , a new postmaster-general, lord lichfield, sought and obtained the consent of the treasury to convert the office into a branch under his immediate direction. in that year the chief money-order office commenced business in two small rooms at the north end of st. martin's-le-grand, with a staff of three clerks. though the charges were reduced to a commission of sixpence for sums under two pounds, and of one shilling and sixpence for sums up to five pounds, the new branch was worked at a loss, owing to the high rates of postage and the double payment to which letters containing enclosures were subjected. after the introduction of penny postage, the change was so marked, that the immense success of this branch establishment may be considered as entirely owing to the reduction of postage-rates. had the penny-postage scheme done no more for the nation than assisted the people in the exercise of a timely prudence and frugality, stimulating them, as it can be proved, to self-denial and benevolence, it would have done much. but we are anticipating an important era. soon after the passing of the penny-postage act, the commission on money-orders was reduced to threepence instead of sixpence, and sixpence for any amount above two pounds and under five pounds. in , the number of money-order transactions had increased to thousands, in the place of hundreds under the old _régime_. the money passed through the office in the advent year of cheap postage amounted to nearly half a million sterling, the post-office commission on the sum exceeding , _l._ the rate of increase, subsequently, may best be shown by taking a month's work ten years afterwards. thus, during one month of , twice as many orders were taken out and paid as were issued and paid during , the particulars of which year were given above. the same rate of increase has continued up to the present moment. during the year , the number of orders had, in round numbers, risen to more than seven and a half millions, or a money-value exceeding sixteen millions sterling, the commission on the whole amounting to more than one hundred and thirty-six thousand pounds.[ ] by the statute of queen anne, letters might be brought from abroad by _private ships_ under certain distinctly-specified regulations. on the contrary, no law existed enabling the postmaster-general to _send_ bags of letters by the same medium until , when an act was passed with this object. masters of such ships refusing to take bags were subjected to heavy penalties.[ ] the postage of letters so sent (on account of the slowness of transit in the majority of cases) was fixed at half the usual rates. this act is the foundation of the ship-letter system, by means of which, besides the regular packet communication, letters are forwarded to all parts of the world. at the same period the government rigorously adhered to the law as laid down with regard to letters _brought_ by private vessels. a case was tried in in the court of king's bench--"king _v._ wilson"--in which the defendant--a merchant who had had letters brought from the continent in a ship of his own, and pleaded that he had a right to do so--was cast in heavy damages, and told that "all and every such letters, as well as others," must pass through the post-office in the usual way. in the year , the business of the post-office had increased so greatly, that an agitation was commenced with the object of securing better accommodation for its despatch than was afforded by the office in lombard street. the first general post-office was opened in cloak lane, near dowgate hill, and removed from thence to the black swan in bishopsgate street. after the great fire of , a general office was opened in covent garden, but it was soon removed to lombard street, to a house which had been the residence of sir robert viner, once lord mayor of london. it was now proposed that a large and commodious building should be specially erected in some central part of the city, and the business once more transferred. in the session of we find a mr. butterworth presenting a petition to the house of commons from four thousand london merchants, in favour of an early removal of the post-office from lombard street. he was assured, he said, that the present office "was so close and confined, as to be injurious to the health of those concerned;" he further stated, that "two guineas were expended weekly for vinegar to fumigate the rooms and prevent infectious fevers." another hon. member stated that the access to the office was so narrow and difficult, that the mail-coaches were prevented from getting up to it to take the letter-bags. it is curious to note that even this change was contested. counter-petitions were presented to parliament, stating that the lombard street office was convenient enough, and that the movement was got up by interested parties. many years passed before the discussions ended and the preliminary arrangements were made. nothing could better serve to show the stationary character of the post-office than the fact that, year by year, and in the opinion of the authorities, the lombard street establishment sufficed for its wants and requirements. in , however, government acquiesced in the views of the great majority of london residents, and st. martin's-le-grand--the site of an ancient convent and sanctuary--was chosen for a large new building, to be erected from designs by sir r. smirke. it was five years in course of erection, and opened for the transaction of business on the th of september, . the building is of the grecian-ionic order, and is one of the handsomest public structures in london. the basement is of granite, but the edifice itself, which is feet in length and feet in width, is built of brick, faced all round with portland stone. in the centre is a grand portico with fluted columns, leading to the great hall, which forms a public thoroughfare from st. martin's-le-grand to foster lane. from the date of the opening of the new general post-office, improvements were proposed and carried out very earnestly. under the duke of richmond, reforms in the establishment set in with considerable vigour.[ ] he seems to have been the first postmaster-general during the present century who thought the accommodation which the post-office gave to the public was really of a restrictive nature; that more facility might easily be given to the public; and that the system of management was an erroneous one. in , the duke of richmond submitted a list of improvements to the treasury lords, in which there were at least thirty substantial measures of reform proposed. it is true that many of these measures had been strongly recommended to him by the commissioners of post-office inquiry, who had sat yearly on the post-office and other revenue branches of the public service. the previous policy, however, of the authorities was to put on a bold front against any recommendations not originating with themselves. the duke of richmond had considerably less of this feeling than some of his predecessors. thus, to take the principal measure of reform concluded in his time--namely, the complete amalgamation of the scotch and irish offices with the english post-office--we find that the twenty-third report of the commissioners, signed by "wallace," w. j. lushington, henry berens, and j. p. dickenson, spoke strongly on the inadequacy "of the present system of administration to reach the different parts of the country," and urging the expediency "of providing against any more conflict of opinion, and of securing a more extended co-operation, as well as unity of design, in the management of the distinct offices of england, scotland, and ireland." again, in , on the recommendation of the commission, the postmaster-general ordered that the boundaries of the london district post--which, in , became a "twopenny post," and letters for which post, if delivered beyond the boundaries of the cities of london and westminster and the borough of southwark, were charged threepence--should now be extended to include all places within _three_ miles of the general post-office. two years afterwards, on the recommendation of another commission, the limits of the "twopenny post" were again extended to places not exceeding _twelve_ miles from st. martin's-le-grand, and this arrangement continued till the time of uniform penny postage. the duke of richmond likewise appointed a daily post to france, established a number of new mail-coaches, and abolished, in great part, the system of paying the clerks, &c. of the post-office by fees, substituting fixed salaries in each case.[ ] in , on the opening of the liverpool and manchester railway, the mails of the district were consigned to the new company for transmission. the railway system developed but slowly, exerting little influence on post-office arrangements for the first few years. after public attention had been attracted to railways, many proposals were thrown out for the more quick transmission of mails, to the supercession of the mail-coach. one writer suggested the employment of balloons. professor babbage threw out suggestions, in his _economy of machinery and manufactures_, , pp. - , deserving more attention, because in them we see shadowed forth two at least of the greatest enterprises of our time. after proceeding to show, in a manner which must have been interesting to the post-reformers of - , that if the cost of letter-carrying could be reduced, the result might be (if the post-office people chose) a cheaper rate of postage and a corresponding increase in the number of letters, he proceeded to expound a scheme which, though vague, was described in words extremely interesting, seeing that he wrote long anterior to the time of the electric telegraph. imagine, says he, a series of high pillars erected at frequent intervals, as nearly as possible in a straight line between two post-towns. an iron or steel wire of some thickness must be stretched over proper supports, fixed on these pillars, and terminating at the end, say of four or five miles, in a very strong support, by which the whole may be stretched. he proposed to call each of these places station-houses, where a man should be in attendance. a narrow cylindrical tin case, to contain bags or letters, might be suspended on two wheels rolling upon the wire, whilst an endless wire of smaller size might be made to pass over two drums, one at each end, by which means the cylinder could be moved by the person at the station. much more of the details follow, and our author thus concludes:--"the difficulties are obvious; but if these were overcome, it would present many advantages besides velocity." _we might have two or three deliveries of letters[ ] every day_; we might send expresses at any moment; and "it is not impossible that a stretched wire might itself be made available for a _species of telegraphic communication yet more rapid_." after the first few years of railways, all other speculators quietly withdrew into the shade. in the post-office, towards and , the influence of railways promised soon to be paramount, and it was now that acts were passed in parliament "to provide for the conveyance of mails by railways." in , sir francis freeling, the secretary of the post-office, died, when his place was filled by lieutenant-colonel maberly. the latter gentleman, who was an entire stranger to the department, was introduced into the post-office by the treasury for the purpose, as it was stated, of zealously carrying out the reforms which another commission of inquiry had just recommended.[ ] on the premature fall of sir robert peel's first cabinet, early in the previous year, the earl of lichfield had succeeded to the office of postmaster-general under lord melbourne. the two new officers set to work in earnest, and succeeded in inaugurating many important reforms. they got the money-order office transferred, as we have already seen, from private hands to the general establishment; they began the system of registering valuable letters; and, taking advantage of one of mr. hill's suggestions, they started a number of day-mails to the provinces. towards the close of , the stamp duty on newspapers was reduced from about threepence-farthing net to one penny, a reduction which led to an enormous increase in the number of newspapers passing through the post-office. though all these improvements were being carried out, and in many respects the post-office was showing signs of progression, the authorities still clung with a most unreasonable tenacity to the accustomed rates of postage, and of necessity to all the evils which followed in the train of an erroneous fiscal principle. contrary to all experience in any other department, the government obstinately refused to listen for a moment to any plan for the reduction of postage rates, or, what is still more remarkable, even to the alleviation of burdens caused directly by the official arrangements of the period. for example, colonel maberly had no sooner learnt the business of his office, than he saw very clearly an anomaly which pressed heavily in some cases, and was felt in all. he at once made a proposition to the treasury that letters should be charged in all cases according to the exact distance between the places where a letter was posted and where delivered, and not according to the distance through which the post-office, _for purposes of its own_, might choose to send such letters. it may serve to show the extent to which this strange and anomalous practice was carried, if we state that the estimated reduction in the postal revenue, had colonel maberly's suggestion been acted upon, was given at no less than , _l._ annually! the lords of the treasury promptly refused the concession. in the average general postage was estimated at ½_d._ per letter; exclusive of foreign letters, it was still as high as ¾_d._ in the reign of queen anne the postage of a letter between london and edinburgh was less than half as much as the amount charged at the accession of queen victoria, with macadamized roads, and even with steam. notwithstanding the heavy rates, or let us say, on account of these rates, the net proceeds of the gigantic monopoly of the post-office remained stationary for nearly twenty years. in , the revenue derivable from the post-office was estimated at one and a half millions sterling. in , the increase on this amount had only been between three and four thousand pounds, though the population of the country had increased immensely; knowledge was more diffused, and trade and commerce had extended in every direction. had the post-office revenue increased, for instance, in the same ratio as population, we should have found the proceeds to have been increased by half a million sterling; or at the ratio of increase of stage-coach travelling, it must have been two millions sterling. the high rates, while they failed to increase the post-office revenue, undoubtedly led to the evasion of the postage altogether. illicit modes of conveyance were got up and patronised by some of the principal merchants in the kingdom. penal laws were set at defiance, and the number of contraband letters became enormous. some carriers were doing as large a business as the post-office itself. on one occasion the agents of the post-office made a seizure, about this time, of eleven hundred such letters, which were found in a single bag in the warehouse of certain eminent london carriers. the head of the firm hastened to seek an interview with the postmaster-general, and proffered instant payment of _l._ by way of composition for the penalties incurred, and if proceedings against the firm might not be instituted. the money was taken, and the letters were all passed through the post-office the same night.[ ] for one case which was detected, however, a hundred were never made known. the evasion of the post-office charges extended so far and so wide that the officials began to declare that any attempt to stop the smuggling, or even to check it, was as good as hopeless. prosecutions for the illicit conveyance of letters had, in fact, ceased long before the misdemeanours themselves. the post-office was now ripe for a sweeping change. mr. wallace, the member for greenock, had frequently called the attention of the house of commons to the desirability of a thorough reform in the post-office system. we find him moving at different times for post-office returns. for instance, in august, , mr. wallace[ ] brought forward a subject which, he said, "involved a charge of the most serious nature against the post-office--viz. that the postmaster-general, or some person acting under his direction, with the view of discovering a fraud upon its revenue, has been guilty of a felony in the opening of letters." he moved on this occasion for a return of all and every instruction, bye-law, or authority, under which postmasters are instructed and authorized, or have assumed a right, to open, unfold, apply strong lamp-light to, or use any of them, or any other means whatever, for ascertaining or reading what may be contained in words or in figures in any letter, of any size or description, being fastened with a wafer or wax, or even if totally unfastened by either. at the same time he moved for a return of all post-office prosecutions,[ ] especially for the expenses of a recent case at stafford. in reply, the post-office answered in a parliamentary paper that no such instruction had ever been issued from the general post-office. every person in the post-office was required to take the oath prescribed by the act of queen anne, c. . it was added, that "whenever it is noticed that a letter has been put into the post unfastened, it is invariably sealed with the official seal for security." in reply to the other return, the post-office were forced to admit that the cost of prosecuting a woman and a female child at the suit of the post-office at the late stafford assizes exceeded three hundred and twenty pounds. there can be no question that mr. wallace's frequent motions[ ] for post-office papers, returns, statistics, detailed accounts of receipt and expenditure, &c., were the means of drawing special attention to the post-office, and that they were of incalculable service to the progress of reform and the coming reformer. mr. wallace seems to have been exceedingly honest and straightforward, though he was somewhat blunt and outspoken. he succeeded in gaining the attention of the mercantile community, though the government honoured him with just as much consideration as he was entitled to from his position, and no more.[ ] in estimating properly the penny-post system, and the labours of those who inaugurated the reform, the share mr. wallace had in it should by no means be lost sight of. footnotes: [ ] these items are exclusive of those relating to colonial money-orders. [ ] the government can grant a release to any ship fixed for this service. it will be remembered by many readers that after the _peterhoff_ was taken by admiral wilkes of the united states' navy, february, , the proprietors of the vessel, who had other ships on the same line (with all of which the post-office sent ship-letters), asked the government for the protection of a mail-officer. on the principle of choosing the least of two evils, and rather than take such a decisive step, which might lead to troubles with the united states' government, earl russell relieved the _sea queen_ from the obligation to carry the usual mail-bag to matamoras. [ ] the duke of richmond, though opposed to the reform bill, was a member of lord grey's cabinet. indefatigable in the service of the department over which he was placed from to , he refused at first to accept of any remuneration of the nature of salary. in compliance, it is stated, with the strong representation of the treasury lords, as to the objectionable nature of the principle of gratuitous services by public officers, "which must involve in many cases the sacrifice of private fortune to official station," his grace consented to draw his salary _from that time only_. [ ] the salary of the secretary to the post-office in the last century was _l._ a-year, and a commission of ½ per cent. on the produce of the mail-packets.--(vide _pitt's speeches_, vol. i. p. - , debate of june , .) in the secretary's salary was _l._ a-year, but what with compensations, fees, and other emoluments, his annual income is stated to have amounted to no less than , _l._--(_mirror of parliament_, ). the clerks, according to a parliamentary return, were paid small salaries, regulated on different scales, but their income consisted principally of emoluments derived from other sources. the _established_ allowances, charged on the public revenue, consisted of sums for postage, stationery, payment in lieu of apartments, and for continuing indexes to official books. the remaining emoluments, of course not chargeable against the revenue, arose from _fees on deputations_, commissions, expresses, profits on the publication of the _shipping_ and _packet lists_, payments for franking letters on the business of the land-tax redemption, and for the tax-office, &c. and from lloyd's coffee house for shipping intelligence, &c. there were, besides, other gratuities for special services. [ ] we give the following simply to show the vagaries of clever, scientific men. speaking of london, the professor said:--"perhaps if the steeples of churches, properly selected, were made use of--as, for instance, st. paul's--and if a similar apparatus were placed at the top of each steeple, and a man to work it during the day, it might be possible to diminish the expense of the twopenny post, and make deliveries every half-hour over the greater part of the metropolis." p. . [ ] evidence of colonel maberly before the _select committee on postage_, , p. . [ ] mr. matthew devonport hill. . [ ] _mirror of parliament._ barrow. . [ ] now and then the house was enlivened and amused by even post-office discussions. thus, in the discussion on the above motion, mr. cobbett complained that a letter of his, which "was not only meant to be read, but to be printed," had never been received by him, nor could he get any satisfaction out of the post-office authorities. he advised all honourable members who had complaints to make against the post-office, to make them at once to the house, without having any interview with ministers. for his own part, with regard to letters being opened, he felt sure that the post-office read all the letters it cared to read; so he took care to _write accordingly_. he didn't care about his letters being read, provided they were allowed to go on, as he addressed them. _mr. secretary stanley_ (the present lord derby) thought it would be a subject of deep regret that any negligence on the part of the post-office had prevented the elaborate lucubrations of the hon. member for oldham from appearing in the _register_ on the appointed saturday. _mr. cobbett._ it never appeared at all. mr. secretary stanley was grieved. he felt sure, however, that the hon. member spends too much time over the midnight oil not to have kept a copy of his precious essay. he protested against hon. members taking up the time of the house with complaints against a department which managed its work very well. [ ] some of his motions must have been far from palatable to the powers that were, and we confess to thinking some of them wanting in charity and good taste. for example, september , , we find him moving for a return, to supplement another which had been sent in imperfectly drawn up, which should show "what the special services are for which sir francis freeling receives _l._ a-year, the number of rooms allotted to him at the general post-office, and how often he resides there. also the number allotted to the under-secretary; whether the whole or part, and what parts are furnished at the public expense; also the annual sum for coals and candles, for servants, &c.; also the probable expense of expresses, messengers, and runners, passing between the post-office and the secretary at his private residence," and a number of other items still more trifling. [ ] _the quarterly review_, for october, , speaking of his motions for different papers, says, "what _grounds_ he had for making them could only be imagined. they were, in fact, the kind of random motions with which a member _fishes for abuses, but is still more anxious to catch notoriety_." the italics are not ours. chapter vii. sir rowland hill and penny postage. miss martineau, in her history of the _thirty years' peace_, narrates a somewhat romantic incident to account for mr. hill's original relation to our subject, tracing the fiscal reform with which his name is indissolubly connected to the "neighbourly shilling" well laid out of a "pedestrian traveller in the lake district." unluckily for the historian, the incident never happened to mr. hill. the repeated motions of mr. wallace in the house of commons are proved beyond dispute to have brought home the subject to the consideration of many thoughtful minds, and amongst those, to one who had scholarly leisure and philosophical ingenuity to bring to its service. born in , and for many years a tutor in his father's school near birmingham, mr. rowland hill was, at this time, the secretary of the commissioners for conducting the colonization of south australia, upon the plan of mr. edward gibbon wakefield. at this post, according to the testimony of the commissioners themselves, mr. hill laboured unweariedly, "evincing," as they said, "considerable powers of organization." mr. hill, in one place,[ ] gives a clear account of the way he prepared himself for the work he took in hand, when once his attention was arrested by the subject. "the first thing i did was to read very carefully all the reports on post-office subjects. i then put myself in communication with the hon. member for greenock, who kindly afforded me much assistance. i then applied to the post-office for information, with which lord lichfield was so good as to supply me. these were the means i took to make myself acquainted with the subject." in january, , mr. hill published[ ] the results of his investigations, and embodied his scheme in a pamphlet entitled _post office reform: its importance and practicability_. this, the first edition, was circulated privately amongst members of the legislature and official men; the second edition, published two months afterwards, being the first given to the world. the pamphlet, of which we will here attempt a _résumé_, immediately created a sensation; especially so in the mercantile world. mr. hill may be said to have started with the facts to which we have already adverted[ ], namely, that the post-office was not progressing like other great interests; that its revenue, within the past twenty years, instead of increasing, had actually diminished, though the increase of population had been six millions, and the increase in trade and commerce had been proportionate. the increase in the ratio of stage-coach travellers was still more clear; but this fact need not be pressed, especially as one smart quarterly reviewer answered, that, of course, the more men travelled, the less need of writing. from the data which mr. hill was enabled to gather--for accounts of any sort were not kept as accurately at the post-office then as now, and there were no accounts of the number of inland letters--he estimated the number of letters passing through the post. he then took the expenses of management and analysed the gross total amount. he proved pretty clearly, and as nearly as necessary, that the _primary distribution_, as he termed the cost of receiving and delivering the letters, and also the cost of transit, took two-thirds of the total cost of the management of the post-office. of this sum, the amount which had to do with the _distance_ letters were conveyed, mr. hill calculated at , _l._ out of the total postal expenditure of , _l._ applying to this smaller sum the estimated number of letters--deducting franks and taking into account the greater weight of newspapers--he gave the apparent _average_ cost of conveying each letter as less than one-tenth of a penny. the conclusion to which he came from this calculation of the average cost of transit was inevitable, and that was, that if the charge must be made proportionate (except, forsooth, it could be shown how the postage of one-tenth or one-thirty-sixth of a penny could be collected) it must clearly be uniform, and for the sake of argument, and not considering the charge as a tax, or as a tax whose end was drawing near, any packet of an equal weight might be sent throughout the length and breadth of the country at precisely the same rate. the justice and propriety of a uniform rate was further shown, but in a smaller degree, by the fact that the relative cost of transmission of letters under the old system was not always dependent on the distance the mails were carried. thus, the edinburgh mail, the longest and most important of all, cost _l._ for each journey. calculating the proportionate weight of bags, letters, and newspapers, mr. hill[ ] arrived at the absolute cost of carrying a newspaper of an average weight of ½ oz. at one-sixth of a penny, and that of a letter of an average weight of ¼ oz. at one-thirty-sixth of a penny. these sums being the full cost for the whole distance, mr. hill assumed, fairly enough, that the same rating would do for any place on the road. it was admitted on all hands, that the chief labour was expended in making up, opening, and delivering the mails; therefore the fact whether it was carried one mile or a hundred made comparatively little difference in the expenditure of the office. the expenses and trouble being much the same, perhaps _even less_ at edinburgh than at some intermediate point, why should the charges be so different? but the case could be made still stronger. the mail for louth, containing as it did comparatively few letters, cost the post-office authorities, as the simple expense of transit, one penny-farthing per letter. thus, an edinburgh letter, costing the post-office an infinitesimal fraction of a farthing, was charged one shilling and three-halfpence to the public, while a letter for louth, costing the post-office fifty times as much, was charged to the public at the rate of tenpence! nothing was clearer, therefore, that if mr. hill's propositions were opposed (and his opponents did not advocate the payment according to the actual cost of transit), that those who were adverse to them must fall into the absurdity of recognising as just an arrangement which charged the highest price for the cheapest business! at first sight it looked extravagant, that persons residing at penzance or near the giant's causeway, at watford or wick, should pay equal postage for their letters. the intrinsic _value_ of the conveyance of a letter, it must be admitted, is a very different thing from its _cost_, the value being exactly equal to the time, trouble, and expense saved to the correspondents, of which, perhaps, the only _measure_ appeared to be the actual distance. looked at more narrowly, however, in the clear light of mr. hill's investigations, it became obvious that it was really "a nearer approximation to perfect justice"[ ] to allow distant places to feel the benefits of the measure; passing over the little inequalities to which it might give rise; while all might pay such a sum as would cover the expenses in each and every case.[ ] mr. hill succeeded likewise in proving many of the facts adverted to in the preceding chapter. he showed that the high rates were so excessive (not only varied according to distance, but doubled if there was an enclosure, with _fourfold_ postage if the letter exceeded an ounce in weight) as greatly to diminish, where they did not absolutely prevent, correspondence. not only so, but the high rate created an illicit traffic, involving all classes of the country in the meshes of a systematically clandestine trade. these facts and their results on the public revenue shine out of the pamphlet as clear as noonday. but this was not all. the expenses of the department, or the _secondary distribution_, might be much reduced by simplifications in the various processes. the existing system resulted in a complicated system of accounts, involving great waste of time as well as offering inducements to fraud. the daily work of exposing letters to a strong light, in order to ascertain their contents, also offered a constant temptation to the violation of the first duty of the officers of the state, in respect to the sanctity of correspondence. if, instead of charging letters according to the number of sheets or scraps of paper, a weight should be fixed, below which, whatever the contents of a letter, a certain rate be charged, much trouble would be saved to the office, not to speak of any higher reason. again, he suggested that if anything could be done to expedite the delivery of letters by doing away with the collection of postage from door to door, a great object would be gained; that five or six times the number of letters might be delivered with the existing machinery, and this even in less time than under the old system. the only requisite was, that some plan for the prepayment of letters should be devised, so that the post-office might be relieved from the duty of charging, debiting, &c. and the letter-carriers from collecting the postage. the post-office authorities had had the question of prepayment, by means of some kind of stamp or stamped covers, under consideration prior to this time. the commissioners of post-office inquiry deliberated on the measure in the early part of (after mr. charles knight had suggested a penny stamp, or stamped cover, for collecting the now reduced postage on newspapers), considering it very favourably. hence it arose that that part of the proposals relating to prepayment by stamped labels or covers, formed part of mr. hill's scheme, and was considered with it. mr. hill, in his able pamphlet, exhausted the subject. by a variety of arguments, he urged upon the nation a trial of his plans--begged for an unobstructed and cheap circulation of letters, expressing his most deliberate conviction,[ ] that the post-office, "rendered feeble and inefficient by erroneous financial arrangements," was "capable of performing a distinguished part in the great work of national education," and of becoming a benefaction and blessing to mankind. he left the following proposals to the judgment of the nation:--( ) a large diminution in the rates of postage, say even to one penny per letter weighing not more than half an ounce. ( ) increased speed in the delivery of letters. ( ) more frequent opportunities for the despatch of letters. and ( ) simplification in the operations of the post-office, with the object of economy in the management. the fundamental feature in the new scheme was, of course, the proposal that the rate of postage should be uniform, and charged according to weight. no wonder that the scheme, of which, in our own order, we have just attempted an outline, roused feelings of delight and approbation from the people at large, throughout the length and breadth of the land. still less is it a matter of surprise that the government and the post-office authorities, in charge of the revenue, should stand aghast at the prospect of being called upon to sanction what they considered so suicidal a policy. lord lichfield, the postmaster-general at the time, speaking for the post-office authorities, as to its practicability, described the proposal in the house of lords,[ ] "of all the wild and visionary schemes which i have ever heard of, it is the most extravagant." on a subsequent occasion, his opinion having been subjected for six months to the mellowing influence of time, he is less confident, but says that, if the plan succeeds (in the anticipated increase of letters), "the walls of the post-office would burst--the whole area on which the building stands would not be large enough to receive the clerks and the letters."[ ] on the one side, many well-known names[ ] were ranked in opposition, who believed that the scheme, among other drawbacks, would not only absorb the existing revenue, but would have to be supported by a ruinous subsidy from the exchequer. on the other side of the question, however, there were many intelligent writers and great statesmen ready to advocate the sacrifice of revenue altogether, if necessary, rather than not have the reform; while an immense number believed (and mr. hill himself shared in this belief) that the diminution would only be temporary, and should be regarded as an _outlay_ which, in the course of years, would yield enormous profits. "suppose even an average yearly loss of a million for ten years," says a celebrated economist of the period; "it is but half what the country has paid for the abolition of slavery, without the possibility of any money return. treat the deficit as an outlay of capital. even if the hope of ultimate profit should altogether fail, let us recur to some other tax ... any tax but this, certain that none can operate so fatally on all the other sources of revenue. letters are the _primordia rerum_ of the commercial world. to tax them at all is condemned by those who are best acquainted with the operations of finance." nor was mr. hill to be cried down. he admitted, as we have said, that his plans, if carried out, would result in a diminution of revenue for a few years to come. on the reliable _data_ which he had collected, he calculated that, for the first year, this decrease might extend to as much as , _l._; but that the scheme would pay in the long run, and pay handsomely, he had no manner of doubt whatever. his case was strengthened by all previous experience. the number of letters would increase in the ratio of reduction of postage. in , the irish postage-rates were reduced, and an immediate increase of revenue to a large extent was the result. the rate for ship-letters was reduced in . in four years the number increased in liverpool from fifteen to sixty thousand; in hull from fifteen to fifty thousand. the postage of letters between edinburgh and the adjacent towns and villages was reduced in from twopence to a penny. in rather more than a year the number of letters had more than doubled. mr. hill's proposals were instantly hailed with intense satisfaction, especially by the mercantile and manufacturing classes of the community. whatever might be said in parliament, public opinion in the country was decided on the question, that if the success of the new scheme was sufficient to cover the charges of the post-office establishment, it ought by all means to be carried out. scarcely ever was public sympathy so soon and so universally excited in any matter. the progress of the question of post-reform was in this, and some other respects, very remarkable, and shows in a strong light how long a kind of extortion may be borne quietly, and then what may be accomplished by prompt and conjoint action. before mr. hill's pamphlet appeared no complaints reached the legislature of the high rates of postage. during the year in which it did appear five petitions reached the house of commons, praying that its author's scheme might at least be considered. in the next year , and in the first half of the year no fewer than , petitions were presented in favour of the measure. within a few, the same number were sent up to the house of lords. during the agitation, it is calculated that no less than , petitions reached st. stephen's, including from town-councils and other public bodies--the common council of london, and the society for the diffusion of useful knowledge, among the number. during the month of february, , mr. wallace moved for a select committee of the commons to investigate and report upon mr. hill's proposals; but the government resisted the motion.[ ] they intimated that the matter was under their consideration, and they intended to deal with it themselves. but the community were dissatisfied. they continued to petition till ministers were compelled to show a greater interest in the subject, which they did "by proposing little schemes, and alterations, and devices of their own, which only proved that they were courageous in one direction, if not in another."[ ] meanwhile, the "merchandise committee"--formed of a number of the most influential and extensive merchants and bankers in london, with mr. bates, of the house of baring & co. for chairman--was called into existence through the manifested opposition to reasonable reform. large sums were subscribed by this committee for the purpose of distributing information on the subject by means of pamphlets and papers, and for the general purposes of the agitation. so great and irresistible, in fact, was the pressure applied in this and other ways, that the government found it impossible any longer to refuse an inquiry. a month or two after mr. wallace's motion, mr. baring, the then chancellor of the exchequer, proposed a committee "to inquire into the present rates or modes of charging postage, with a view to such reduction thereof as may be made _without injury to the revenue_; and for this purpose, to examine especially into the mode recommended, of charging and collecting postage, in a pamphlet by mr. rowland hill." it was noticed that most of the members nominated by the chancellor of the exchequer were favourable to the government, all but two--lord lowther and sir thomas fremantle--having voted for the ballot. the conservatives did not grumble, however, as on this subject the government was conservative enough. the committee sat sixty-three days, concluding their deliberations in august, . they examined all the principal officers of the post-office and the stamp department, and eighty-three independent witnesses of different pursuits and various grades. the post-office authorities were specially invited to send any witnesses they might choose; and as the postmaster-general and the secretary of the post-office objected to the penny rate as likely to be ruinous to the revenue, and to the principle of uniformity as unfair and impossible, we may be certain that the witnesses sent were judiciously chosen. the examination was by no means _ex parte_, but seems to have been carried on with the greatest fairness. those members of the committee who were particularly pledged to the protection of the revenue, as well as lord lowther--who had a thorough knowledge of the subject from having sat on a previous commission--appear to have missed no opportunity of sifting the opinions and the statements of each witness. the members of the committee did their work, altogether, with zeal, great discrimination, and ability. the plan and the favourable witnesses stood the scrutiny with wonderful success; and mr. hill himself bore up, under what george stephenson regarded as the greatest crucial test to which mortal man can be subjected, with tact and firmness, fully proving, in evidence, the soundness of the conclusions on which judgment had to be passed. we may say here, as we have not before referred to the circumstance, that it was necessary to make it clear to the committee, the amount of increase in correspondence necessary to the success of the scheme. in opposition to the views of official men,[ ] mr. hill held that a fivefold increase in the number of letters would suffice to preserve the existing revenue, and he hazarded a prediction that that increase would soon be reached. as regarded the means of conveyance, he showed that the stage-coaches, &c. already in existence could carry twenty-seven times the number of letters they had ever yet done; and this statement passed without dispute. the evidence was clear and convincing as to the vast amount of contraband letters daily conveyed; and no less certainly was it shown that, if mr. hill's schemes were carried out, the temptation to evasion of postage would be at once abolished, inasmuch as there would then be no sufficient inducement to resort to illegal mediums. a glasgow merchant stated before the committee, that he knew five manufacturers in that city whose correspondence was transmitted illegally in the following proportions, viz.--( ) three to one; ( ) eighteen to one; ( ) sixteen to one; ( ) eight to one; and ( ) fifteen to one. manchester merchants--among whom was mr. cobden--stated that they had no doubt that four-fifths of the letters written in that town did not pass through the post-office. no member of the committee had any idea of the extent to which the illicit conveyance of letters was carried. a carrier in scotland was examined, and confessed to having carried sixty letters daily, on the average, for a number of years--knew other carriers who conveyed, on an average, five hundred daily. he assured the committee that the smuggling was alone done to save the postage. "there might be cases when it was more convenient, or done to save time, but the great object was cheapness." the labouring classes, especially, had no other reason. "they avail themselves of every possible opportunity for getting their letters conveyed cheaply or free." in his opinion, the practice could not be put a stop to until the post-office authorities followed the example that was set them in putting down illicit distillation in scotland. "i would reduce the duty, and that would put an end to it, by bringing it down to the expense of conveyance by carriers and others." mr. john reid--an extensive bookseller and publisher in glasgow--sent and received, illicitly, about fifty letters or circulars daily. "i was not caught," he said, "till i had sent twenty thousand letters, &c. otherwise than through the post." he constantly sent his letters by carriers; he also sent and received letters for himself and friends, inclosed in his booksellers' parcels. any customer might have his letters so sent, by simply asking the favour. it also came out in evidence, that twelve walking-carriers were engaged exclusively in conveying letters between birmingham and walsall and the district, a penny being charged for each letter. the most curious modes of procedure, and the oddest expedients[ ] for escaping postage, were exhibited during the sitting of the committee. one, largely patronized by mercantile houses, consisted in having a number of circulars printed on one large sheet, when, on its arrival at a certain town, a mutual friend or agent would cut it up, and either post or deliver the parts. nay, matters had been brought to such a state, that a leading journal, commenting on the matter of illicit letter-conveyance just previous to the sittings of the committee, went the length of saying, that, "_fortunately_ for trade and commerce, the operation of the government monopoly is counteracted by the clandestine conveyance of letters."... "the means of evasion are so obvious and frequent, and the power of prevention so ineffectual, that the post has become only the _extraordinary_, instead of the usual, channel for the conveyance of letters." notwithstanding this testimony, the evidence of the post-office officials on this and the other heads of inquiry betrayed fully the usual degree of official jealousy of interference, and quite an average amount of official partiality. thus, colonel maberly argued, that if the postage of letters were reduced to a penny it would not stop smuggling: in which case they might as well have smuggling under the one system as the other. but his zeal on this point overcame his discretion. "for," he continued, " , letters might still be sent as a coach-parcel for seven shillings, whereas the post-office charge for them would be four guineas." but the gallant colonel seems altogether to have forgotten that the item of _delivery_ is, after all, the chief item in all post-office charges. a few more examples of the statements of the authorities may here be given. thus, the secretary said, relative to an increase of letters, that "the poor were not disposed to write letters" ( , ). he thought that, during the first year, the letters would not double, even if franking were not abolished ( , ). "if the postage be reduced to one penny, i think the revenue would not recover itself for forty or fifty years." lord lichfield said that he had ascertained that each letter then cost "within the smallest fraction of twopence-halfpenny" ( , ). with regard to the principle of the uniform rate, colonel maberly thought it might be "desirable, but impracticable" ( , ). "most excellent for foreign postage, but impracticable for inland letters" ( , ). he also said that the public would object to pay _in advance_ whatever the rate ( , - ). the committee next had their attention called to still more important facts, viz. that the number of letters conveyed illegally bore no proportion to the number which were not written at all on account of the high rates of postage. on the poor the post-office charges pressed grievously, and there seemed no other course open to them than that, if their letters could not be received without the payment of exorbitant rates, they must lie in the hands of the authorities. it is only necessary to compare the income of a labouring man with his pressing wants to see that it was idle to suppose that he would apply his little surplus to the enjoyment of post-letters other than in cases of life and death. the committee were absolutely flooded with instances in which the post-office charges seriously interfered with the wants and reasonable enjoyments of the poor. on the general question involved, nearly all the witnesses, of whatever rank or grade, evidenced that the public, to an enormous extent, were deterred from writing letters and sending communications, which otherwise, under a cheaper tariff, they would write and send. that this part of the case was proved may be concluded from the language of the committee themselves:--"the multitude of transactions which, owing to the high rates of postage, are prevented from being done, or which, if done, are not announced, is quite astonishing. bills for moderate amounts are not drawn; small orders for goods are not given or received; remittances of money are not acknowledged; the expediting of goods by sea and land, and the sailing or arrival of ships not advised; printers do not send their proofs; the country attorney delays writing to his london agent, the commercial traveller to his principal, the town-banker to his agent in the country. in all these, and many other cases, regularity and punctuality is neglected in attempts to save the expenses of exorbitant rates of postage." on all the other parts of the scheme, and on the scheme itself as a whole, the committee spoke no less decisively. generally and briefly, they considered that mr. hill's strange and startling facts had been brought out in evidence. they gave their opinion that the rates of postage were so high as materially to interfere with and prejudice trade and commerce; that the trading and commercial classes had sought, and successfully, illicit means of evading the payment of these heavy charges, and that all classes, for the self-same reason, corresponded free of postage when possible; that the _rate_ of postage exceeded the _cost_ of the business in a manifold proportion; and that, altogether, the existing state of things acted most prejudicially to commerce and to the social habits and moral condition of the people. they conclude, therefore,-- . that the only remedy is a reduction of the rates, the more frequent despatch of letters, and additional deliveries. . that the extension of railways makes these changes urgently necessary. . that a _moderate_ reduction in the rates would occasion loss, without diminishing the peculiar evils of the present state of things, or giving rise to much increased correspondence, and, . that the principle of a low, uniform rate, is _just in itself_, and when combined with prepayment and collection by stamp, would be exceedingly convenient and highly satisfactory to the public. so far, their finding, point by point, was in favour of mr. hill's scheme. they reported further that, in their _opinion_, the establishment of a penny rate would not, after a temporary depression, result in any ultimate loss to the revenue. as, however, the terms of their appointment precluded them from recommending any plan which involved an immediate loss, they restricted themselves to suggesting an uniform _twopenny_ rate. the commissioners of post-office inquiry,--consisting of lord seymour, lord duncannon, and mr. labouchere,--who were charged with an "inquiry into the management of the post-office," had already concluded their sittings, and had decided upon recommending mr. hill's plan as far as it concerned the "twopenny post" department; that being the only branch then under consideration. "we propose," say they, and the words are significant, "that the distinction in the rates and districts, which now applies to letters delivered in the twopenny and threepenny post, shall not in any way affect correspondence transmitted under stamped covers; and that any letter not exceeding half an ounce shall be conveyed free within the metropolis, and the district to which the town and country deliveries extend, _if inclosed in an envelope bearing a penny stamp_." with these important recommendations in its favour, the scheme was submitted to parliament. it had met with so much approval, and the subject seemed so important, that the government took charge of the measure. the chancellor of the exchequer had the project of a uniform rate of postage embodied in a bill, which passed in the session of . this act, which was affirmed by a majority of members, conferred temporarily the necessary powers on the lords of the treasury. many of the conservative party opposed the government proposals. sir robert peel's chief argument against the change was, that it would necessitate a resort to a direct tax on income. in order, however, to strengthen the hands of the government, now that the question was narrowed in all minds to the single one of revenue, the majority in the house of commons pledged themselves to vote for some _substituted_ tax, if, upon experiment, any substitute should be needed.--(_hansard_, vol. xlix.) no one out of parliament, at any rate, who read mr. hill's pamphlet attentively, but was convinced of the practicability of the measure, and the careful perusal of the evidence collected by the committee appointed, determined any waverer as to the necessity of its being adopted. still there existed serious misgivings in the country as to the steps which the melbourne administration must soon announce. that there were some few objections to mr. hill's plan, and some difficulties about it, cannot be doubted; the nation at large had decided for it, however, and some of the principal men in the country, not favourable to the existing ministry, decided for it also. the duke of wellington was "disposed to admit that that which was called mr. r. hill's plan, was, if it was adopted as it was proposed, of all the plans, that which was most likely to be successful."[ ] the duke of richmond pressed upon the ministers, that if they gave their sanction to any uniform plan, it should be to mr. hill's, "for that alone, and not the twopenny postage, seems to me to give hope of ultimate success."[ ] on the th of november, , the lords of the treasury issued a minute, under the authority of the act before referred to, reducing the postage of all inland letters to the uniform rate of _fourpence_. the country, generally, was greatly dissatisfied. mr. hill's measure was what was required, and the fourpenny rate was in no respect his plan, nor did it even touch the question of the _practicability_ of the uniform postage proposed by the reformer. this quarter measure of the government did not even suffice to exhibit the benefits of a low rate of postage; was consequently a most improper test, and likely to be prejudicial to the interest of the penny post. the increase of letters was in no place more than fifty per cent., whilst the decrease in the post-office revenue was at the rate of forty per cent. in london, for instance, the diminution of receipts was at the lowest computation, _l._ a day, and the number of letters were only just doubled. the plan did not abolish the franking system. it did not abolish smuggling, inasmuch as a letter might be sent illicitly for a penny. how, therefore, it was argued, can it be expected that in the interior of the country, at any rate, and without custom house officers, or any other responsible officers, a duty of per cent. can be levied on the carriage of an article so easily transported as a letter? for a few weeks all was dissatisfaction. more than that, business men trembled for the success of the whole scheme, and lest the government should return to the old _régime_. the treasury lords were convinced, however, that they had made a mistake, and they resolved to give the measure a full and fair trial. on the th of january, , another minute was issued, ordering the adoption of a uniform penny rate. by adopting mr. hill's plan, the government simply placed itself in the position of a trader, who declared that he intended for a time to be satisfied with a part of his former profits; but hoped eventually to secure himself against loss by increased business, greater attractiveness, and diminished cost of management. in six months, the policy of the government was acknowledged on all hands to be the correct one, for on the th of august the treasury had its minute confirmed by the statute & vict. chap. . the _quarterly review_,[ ] as an exception to the general feeling, stigmatizes the measure "as one of the most inconsiderate jumps in the dark ever made by that very inconsiderate assembly." it is "distinguished by weakness and rashness," &c. but the judgment of posterity is sadly against the reviewer. a treasury appointment was given to mr. hill to enable him to work out his plans, or, in the wording of the said appointment, "to assist in carrying into effect the penny postage." he only held his office about two years, for when the conservative party came into power in , he was politely bowed out of it on the plea that his work was finished; that his nursling had found its legs, and might now be taken into the peculiar care of the post-office authorities themselves. a study of the past history of the post-office might have enlightened the minds of the members of the executive government as to the advisability or otherwise, of leaving entirely the progress of post-office improvement in the hands of the authorities. mr. hill intreated the new premier, sir robert peel, to let him remain at any pecuniary sacrifice to himself, but his entreaties were unavailing. he must watch his scheme from a distance.[ ] speaking of the hindrances which mr. hill met with in official circles, we are reminded of a pamphlet which appeared shortly after this period, evidently from some post-office official, "_on the administration of the post-office_." this precious pamphlet has been long consigned to well-merited oblivion, and we only rescue it for a moment from the limbo of all worthless things, to show the spirit which then actuated some of those in office. it reminds us forcibly of the criticism which mr. palmer's scheme called forth from the leading spirits of the post-office of his day. the pamphlet, illogical and abusive throughout, laid it down as a principle that "the post-office is not _under any obligation_ to convey the correspondence of the public." again, that "the post-office is a government monopoly for the benefit of the public revenue, and exists for the _sole_ purpose of profit." then there are praises for the old, and abuses for the new _régime_. "the celerity, the certainty, the security with which so vast a machine executed such an infinite complexity of details, were truly admirable!" mr. hill comes in for a good share of detraction. he is counselled to leave his "pet scheme" to the "practical men" of the post-office. in the following flowery language he is recommended "to behold it (his project) as a spectator from the shore, viewing his little bark in safety, navigated by those who are practically best acquainted with the chart, wind, and waves." mr. hill's popularity outside the post-office contrasted favourably with the estimation in which he was held inside. the whole community had become impressed with the value of his measures and the important services he had rendered. spurred on to exertions by the treatment he had received at the hands of an administration, which, to use the fine expression of lord halifax in reference to another public benefactor, "refused to supply the oil for a lamp which gave so much light," a public subscription was opened throughout the country, which, joined in by all classes, was quickly represented by a handsome sum. the money, which amounted to over thirteen thousand pounds, and which was only considered an expression of national gratitude, and by no means a full requital for his services, was presented to him at a public banquet got up in london under the auspices of the "merchandise committee." in an address which accompanied the testimonial, mr. hill's measure of reform was pronounced one "which had opened the blessings of a free correspondence to the teacher of religion, the man of science and literature, the merchant and trader, and the whole british nation--especially the poorest and most defenceless portions of it--a measure which is the greatest boon conferred in modern times on all the social interests of the civilized world." mr. hill's bearing on the occasion in question is described as most modest and unassuming. he expressed his gratitude for the national testimonial in few but telling phrases. he delicately alluded to his proscription from office, regretting that he could not watch the progress of his measure narrowly, and pointed out improvements which were still necessary to give complete efficiency to his reform. mr. hill gave ample credit to those who had sustained him in his efforts to carry his plans through parliament, and especially named messrs. wallace and warburton, members of the special committee of , mr. baring the ex-chancellor of the exchequer, and lords ashburton and brougham. we shall have frequent occasion as we advance, to mention mr. hill's name in connexion with post-office history during the past twenty years; but we may here notice the remaining particulars of mr. hill's _personal_ history. on the restoration of the whigs to power in , mr. hill was brought back into office, or rather first placed in office at st. martin's-le-grand, as secretary to the postmaster-general, the present marquis of clanricarde. in , on colonel maberly's removal to the audit office, mr. hill attained the deserved honour of secretary to the post-office under the late lord canning--the highest fixed appointment in the department, and second only in responsibility to that of postmaster-general. in mr. hill was further honoured with the approval of his sovereign, and few will question it, when we say it was a worthy exercise of the royal prerogative, when he was called to receive the dignity of knight commander of the bath. the arduous exertions, extending over a quarter of a century, and the ever-increasing duties of the secretary of the post-office have, within the last few years, begun to tell upon the physical system of sir rowland hill, and have more than once caused him to absent himself from the post which he has made so honourable and responsible. during the autumn of last year he obtained leave of absence from active duty for six months--his place being filled by mr. tilley, the senior assistant secretary of the post-office--a step which was generally understood to be preparatory to his resignation, should no improvement be manifest in his health. now (march, ) his retirement is announced, and he leaves us and passes "not into obscurity, but into deserved repose." may he be long spared to enjoy the rest and quiet which he has so well earned, and the gratitude and sympathy which must be universally felt for him. his early work, that would have been herculean, even if he had not been assailed by foes without and foes within, must have caused him immense labour of hand and labour of brain; the carrying out also of many important subsequent measures, which may be said to have followed as necessary corollaries of his great reform, must have occasioned him an amount of bodily and mental toil and excitement of which the "roll of common men" have neither experience nor conception. not to speak of his services to commerce, sir rowland hill, more than any living individual, has succeeded in drawing close the domestic ties of the nation, and extending in innumerable ways the best interests of social life. he deserves well of his country, and we are only giving expression to a feeling which is uppermost at this moment in most men's minds, when we add the hope that a debt of gratitude may soon be discharged by some gracious national tribute.[ ] the executive government, on its part, has shown a just and highly appreciative estimate of sir rowland hill's remarkable services in the provision which has been made for him on his retirement. by a treasury minute, dated march th, , advantage is taken of the special clause in the superannuation act, relating to extraordinary services, to grant him a pension of three times the usual retiring allowance. the language in which this resolution is couched--doubtless from the pen of mr. gladstone--is unusually complimentary for this class of official documents. after recounting sir rowland hill's eminent services--the facts of which are based upon a statement just presented by the veteran reformer himself, (see appendix h)--and stating the amount of his pension if treated on the ordinary superannuation allowance, the lords of the treasury say that they consider the present a fitting case for special arrangement. "under the circumstances, it may justly be averred that my lords are dealing on the present occasion with the case not merely of a meritorious public servant, but of a benefactor of his race; and that his fitting reward is to be found not in this or that amount of pension, but in the grateful recollection of his country. but my lords discharge the portion of duty which belongs to them with cordial satisfaction, in awarding to sir rowland hill for life his full salary of , _l._ per annum." lord palmerston has further given notice that he will move in the house of commons, that the pension be continued to lady hill, in the event of her surviving her husband.[ ] one thing only mars the gracefulness of the minute in question. a vague and indefinite attempt is made towards partitioning the merit of the original suggestion of the penny postage scheme between sir r. hill and some other nameless projector or projectors. on the contrary, we have not been more definitely led to any conclusion in the range of postal subjects which have claimed our attention, than to the one which gives to sir rowland hill the entire merit of the suggestion, and the chief merit in the carrying out, of penny-post reform. it would, of course, have been impossible to carry out and perfect the system without the cordial assistance and co-operation of the other principal officers of the post-office; for the past twenty years that assistance seems to have been faithfully rendered; and sir rowland hill, in retiring, pays a just tribute to those who have laboured to promote the new measures, and into whose able hands they have now fallen. footnotes: [ ] _select committee of postage_, , p. . [ ] miss martineau, quoting from the _political dictionary_, vol. ii. p. , says that mr. hill first offered his scheme to the government of lord melbourne before it was presented to the country. however this may be, mr. hill makes no mention of the fact in his frequent appearances before committees of the house of commons, &c. [ ] _post-office reform_, p. , third edition. [ ] _post-office reform_, p. , third edition. [ ] _our exemplars, poor and rich_, edited by matthew davenport hill. london, , p. . [ ] _the westminster review_, july, , p. , in an able but exceedingly _ex parte_ article on "the post-office monopoly," doubts whether mr. hill's system is a near approximation to perfect justice, being, in its opinion, "by no means the _summum bonum_ of letter-rates." "a charge of one penny for the carriage of all letters of a certain _weight_ within the united kingdom, irrespective of distance, is eminently arbitrary."... "no one in london who has written two letters, one to a friend residing in the same town as himself, and another to one in edinburgh, can have failed, in affixing the stamps to them, to observe the unfairness of charging the same sum for carrying the one yards and the other miles, when the cost of transmission must in the one case be so much more than in the other." these quotations plainly show that mr. hill's early arguments have been lost upon the reviewer. if mr. hill demonstrated one thing more plainly than another, it was that the absolute cost of the transmission of each letter was so infinitesimally small, that if charged according to that cost, the postage could not be collected. besides, it is not certain that the one letter would cost the post-office more than the other. moreover, to the sender the value of the conveyance of the local letter was equal to its cost, or he would have forwarded it by other means. no doubt a strong argument might be based on these grounds, as to the justice of a lower rate for letters posted and delivered in the same town. such a measure might be supported on mr. hill's principles; but the apparent anomaly is surely no argument against a state monopoly of letter-carrying. [ ] _post-office reform_, p. . [ ] _mirror of parliament_, th june, . [ ] _ibid._ th december, . [ ] rev. sydney smith, mr. mccullagh. [ ] hansard, xxxviii. p. . [ ] miss martineau, vol. ii. p. . [ ] lord lichfield said it would require a twelvefold increase, "and i maintain," said he, "that our calculations are more likely to be right than his."--(_report_, .) [ ] mr. hill related some of these in his pamphlet. thus, at page , we read:--"some years ago when it was the practice to write the name of a member of parliament for the purpose of franking a newspaper, a friend of mine, previous to starting on a tour into scotland, arranged with his family a plan of informing them of his progress and state of health, without putting them to the expense of postage. it was managed thus: he carried with him a number of old newspapers, one of which he put into the post daily. the postmark, with the date, showed his progress; and the state of his health was evinced by the selection of the name, from a list previously agreed upon, with which the newspaper was franked. 'sir francis burdett,' i recollect, denoted vigorous health." better known is the anecdote of a postal adventure of samuel taylor coleridge, already adverted to at the commencement of the present chapter. the story is told originally, in mr. hill's pamphlet also:--once, on the poet's visits to the lake district, he halted at the door of a wayside inn at the moment when the rural postman was delivering a letter to the barmaid of the place. upon receiving it she turned it over and over in her hand and then asked the postage of it. the postman demanded a shilling. sighing deeply, however, the girl handed the letter back, saying she was too poor to pay the required sum. the poet at once offered to pay the postage, and in spite of some resistance on the part of the girl, which he deemed quite natural, did so. the messenger had scarcely left the place, when the young barmaid confessed that she had learnt all she was likely to learn from the letter; that she had only been practising a pre-conceived trick: she and her brother having agreed that a few hieroglyphics on the back of the letter should tell her all she wanted to know, whilst the letter would contain no writing. "we are so poor," she added, "that we have invented this manner of corresponding and franking our letters." [ ] select committee on postage, . [ ] _ibid._ [ ] october, , art . see also raikes' _diary_, vol. iii. [ ] "lord lowther," so mr. hill was told, "was a steady friend to post reform, and was well acquainted with the department." without doubt the new postmaster-general's feelings, however ridiculous, were consulted in this matter. mr. hill's anxiety for the general scheme, and for subsequent minor proposals, was quite natural. when refused the treasury appointment, he asked to be taken into the post-office there to see his plans worked out. lord lowther, when he comes to speak on the proposal, somewhat indignantly asks the treasury lords if "the character and fortunes of the thousands employed in the post-office are to be placed at the mercy of an _individual_ who confesses that he is 'not very familiar with the details of the methods now practised.'" "it is easy to imagine," continued lord lowther, "the damage the community might sustain from _his tampering_ with a vast machine interwoven with all the details of government and necessary to the daily habits and events of this great empire!" the matter is not one of "detail," but of "principle;" if their lordships want this or that carried into execution, they have only to say so, and lord lowther will see that it is done, "though it may be in opposition to my own opinion." [ ] we find that birmingham, at which town sir rowland hill spent some of the earlier years of his life, has been the first to move in the matter. at a meeting held march , a statue was voted to cost , _l._ to be placed in the new public hall. a petition to the house of commons was likewise adopted. [ ] this motion has twice been deferred, owing, it is said, to representations made by members of both sides of the house of commons. a few days ago, an influential deputation from the house met the first lord of the treasury at his official residence, the members of which strongly urged, that in place of the deferred pension to lady hill, a parliamentary grant, sufficient though reasonable, be made to sir rowland hill at once. it is considered certain that, when the house resumes after easter, lord palmerston will propose a grant, most probably, of , _l._ chapter viii. early results of the penny-postage scheme. there are, of course, two aspects in which to contemplate the measure of penny-post reform. the first relates to its social, moral, and commercial results; the second views it in its financial relationship. when the system had been in operation two years, it was found that the success of the scheme in its first aspect had far surpassed the most sanguine expectations ever formed of it by any of its advocates. as a financial measure, it cannot be said to have succeeded originally. in this latter respect it disappointed even mr. hill, who, though he never mentioned the date when the revenue derivable from the post-office would be recovered under the new system, was very emphatic in his assurances that the loss during the first year would not exceed , _l._ calculating upon a fourfold increase of letters, in his pamphlet[ ] he estimated the net revenue, after deducting for franks and newspapers, in round numbers at , , _l._; a sum only , _l._ less than the revenue of . we do not say that mr. hill originally calculated on recovering the absolute _net_ revenue by the collection of postage; but any deficiency which might continue after the scheme was fairly tried, he expected to see supplied, eventually, by increased productiveness in other departments of the revenue, which would be benefited by the stimulus given to commerce by improved communication.[ ] before the parliamentary committee he was equally explicit:[ ] when asked, if, on a fivefold increase, there would still be a deficiency on the net revenue, he answered in the affirmative, to the extent of, he should think, , _l._ he again, however, stated his conviction that the deficit would be made up by the general improvement of trade and commerce in the country. it is true that events proved that the falling off in the _gross_ revenue was considerably in excess of all the calculations which had been made: but even under this head, much may be said; and in considering the different results of penny postage, we expect to be able to point out that the scheme had intrinsic qualities in it, which, under proper treatment, must have made it in all respects a success. mr. hill met another parliamentary committee in , when his recommendations--in their principal features, at any rate--had been acted upon for nearly two years. in the course of this further investigation--to the circumstances attending which we shall presently allude--much information relative to the carrying out of the measure, its successes, and failures, was elicited. it was shown beyond all dispute, that the scheme had almost entirely prevented breaches of the law, and that if any illicit correspondence was carried on, it was simply and purely in matters where the question of speed was involved; that the evils, amounting to social prohibitions, so prevalent before the change, had been, for the most part, removed. commercial transactions, relating even to very small amounts, were now managed through the post. small orders were constantly transmitted; the business of the money-order office having increased almost _twenty-fold_--first, from the reduction of postage in , and then from the reduction of the fees in november of the same year. these orders are generally acknowledged. printers send their proofs without hesitation;[ ] the commercial traveller writes regularly to his principal, and is enabled for the first time to advise his customers of his approach; private individuals and public institutions distribute widely their circulars and their accounts of proceedings to every part of the land. better than any account that we might give of the reception of this boon by the country, and the social and commercial advantages which were immediately seen to follow from it, we may here give some account of the correspondence which flowed in upon mr. hill between - , and which he read to the select committee appointed to try the merits of his scheme. ten times the weight of evidence, and far more striking instances of the advantages of the penny-post scheme might _now_ be adduced, but it must be remembered that we are here speaking merely of first results, and when the scheme had been but two years in operation. numbers of tradesmen wrote to say how their business had increased within the two years. one large merchant now sent the whole of his invoices by post; another increased the number of his "prices current" by , per annum. messrs. pickford and co. the carriers, despatched by post _eight_ times the number of letters posted in ; whilst the letters, had they been liable to be charged as per single sheet, would have numbered , in from this one firm, against , letters in . in this case we have an exemplification of the correctness of the argument upon which mr. hill built his scheme; for the increase of money actually paid for postage was at the rate of per cent. mr. charles knight, the london bookseller, said the penny postage stimulated every branch of his trade, and brought the country booksellers into almost daily communication with the london houses. mr. bagster, the publisher of a polyglot bible in twenty-four languages, stated to mr. hill that the revision which he was just giving to his work as it was passing through the press would, on the old system, have cost him , _l._ in postage alone, and that the bible could not have been printed but for the penny post. secretaries of different benevolent and literary societies wrote to say how their machinery had been improved; conductors of educational establishments, how people were everywhere learning to write for the first time in order to enjoy the benefits of a free correspondence, and how night-classes for teaching writing to adults were springing up in all large towns for the same object. mr. stokes, the honorary secretary of the parker society--composed of the principal church dignitaries and some intelligent laymen--which has done so much for ecclesiastical literature by reprinting the works of the early english reformers, stated that the society could never have come into existence but for the penny postage. one of the principal advocates for the repeal of the corn laws subsequently gave it as his opinion, that their objects were achieved _two years earlier_ than otherwise would have been the case, owing to the introduction of cheap postage. after a lapse of twenty years, many more useful societies might be mentioned of which the same could be said. an interesting letter from the late professor henslow, the then rector of hitcham in suffolk, may be given, as it contains a pretty accurate estimate of the social advantages accruing to the masses. the professor had, consequent upon the change at the post-office, arranged a scheme of co-operation for advancing among the landed interest of the county the progress of agricultural science. after stating that the mere suggestion of such a thing had involved him in a correspondence which he could not have sustained if it had not been for the penny postage, he goes on to say: "to the importance of the penny postage to those who cultivate science, i can bear most unequivocal testimony, as i am continually receiving and transmitting a variety of specimens by post. among them, you will laugh to hear that i have received three living carnivorous slugs, which arrived safely in a pill-box! that the penny postage is an important addition to the comforts of the poor labourer, i can also testify. from my residence in a neighbourhood where scarcely any labourers can read, much less write, i am often employed by them as an amanuensis, and have frequently heard them express their satisfaction at the facility they enjoy of now corresponding with distant relatives. the rising generation are learning to write, and a most material addition to the circulation of letters may soon be expected. of the vast domestic comfort which the penny postage has added to homes like my own, i need say nothing more." miss harriet martineau bore testimony to the social advantages of the measure in the neighbourhood where she resided. a celebrated writer of the period[ ] gives it as his opinion, that "the penny-post scheme was a much wiser and more effective measure than the prussian system of education" just then established. "by the reduction of the postage on letters," adds he, "the use and advantage of education has been brought home to the common man (for it no longer costs him a day's pay to communicate with his family). a state machinery of schoolmasters on the prussian system would cost far more than the sacrifice of revenue by the reduction of postage. this measure will be the great historical distinction of the reign of victoria. every mother in the kingdom who has children earning their bread at a distance lays her head on the pillow at night with a feeling of gratitude for this blessing." almost all now living, who shared the benefits of the scheme at this early date, could probably relate some anecdote which circumstances had brought to their knowledge as to the operation of penny postage _on the poorer classes especially_. thus, the then inspector of prisons for scotland, visiting the shetland islands in , writes:[ ] "the zetlanders are delighted with cheap postage. the postmaster told me that the increase in the number of letters is astonishing.... another gentleman who is well acquainted with the people told me, that although the desire of parents to keep their offspring at home is unusually strong in zetland, yet that cheap postage has had the effect of reconciling families to the temporary absence of their members, and has thus opened to the islanders the labour-market of the mainland." an american writer,[ ] in an admirable pamphlet on cheap postage, says: "the people of england expend now as much money as they did under the old system; but the advantage is, they get more service for their money, and it gives a spring to business, trade, science, literature, philanthropy, social affection, and all plans of public utility." joseph hume, writing to mr. bancroft, then american minister at the court of st. james's, , says: "i am not aware of any reform, amongst the many which i have promoted during the past forty years, that has had, and will have, better results towards the improvement of the country socially, morally, and politically." and mr. hill himself, in addressing the statistical society in may, ,[ ] made a statement which was neither an idle nor a vain boast, when he assured them that "the postman has now to make long rounds through humble districts where, heretofore, his knock was rarely heard." we have yet the second, or financial, aspect of the measure to consider. in two years a tolerably correct idea might be formed as to the results of the scheme financially; but it would certainly not be fair to attempt any full estimate of such a thorough reform within a more circumscribed period. not that this was not attempted. colonel maberly discovered, at the end of the _first week_, that mr. hill's plan had failed, at any rate, as a question of revenue. no doubt the wish was father to the thought. he not only thought so, however, but proceeded to take timely action and shield himself and his congeners against some probable future attack. in his own words, he charged "the officials to take care that no obstacle was thrown in the way of the scheme, so as to give a colour to the allegation"--which the prophetic colonel was only too sure would be made--"that its failure was owing to the unwillingness of the authorities to carry it fairly into execution."[ ] in the first year of penny postage, notwithstanding all the confident prophecies to the contrary from those who might have been supposed to have had means of judging, the net proceeds of the post-office were between four and five hundred thousand pounds, whilst the number of letters actually sent was _tripled_. against a million and a half yearly revenue of the previous year, there certainly appeared an enormous deficit; but till all other arguments were exhausted, it ought not to have been considered either evidence or proof of the failure of cheap postage. in the first instance, the post-office authorities said the scheme would not pay its expenses: a year sufficed to prove their mistake. it was then said that the revenue sacrificed would never be recovered, and accidental circumstances, of which we shall presently speak, favoured for a time this view: the argument, however, was based on erroneous views, as subsequent events have sufficiently shown. bad as things appeared, there were, nevertheless, many significant signs at the end of two years that the _gross_ revenue under the old would soon be reached under the new system, and even prospects that the past _net_ revenue might still be recoverable. both these anticipations have now been entirely realized. with a tenfold--nay, in many cases, a hundredfold--gain to different classes of the community--with the post-office supplying more situations by thousands than under the _ancien régime_, the old gross revenue was passed in - , and the net revenue was reached last year. moreover, every complaint under this head has long since been silenced. many considerations went to hinder the early growth of the revenue; and it is to some of these considerations that we must now turn for a moment. it is of primary importance that the reader should remember that mr. hill, in his pamphlet and elsewhere, expressed a decided opinion that the maintenance of the post-office revenue depended upon the carrying out of _all his plans_.[ ] in a speech which he delivered at wolverhampton, september th, , he said: "the mere reduction in the rates of postage will, of course, greatly increase the number of letters; but much will still depend on the extent to which the facilities for despatching letters are improved by a careful employment of the many economical and speedy modes of conveyance which now exist, and by a solicitous attention to all the minute ramifications of distribution. if, on the one hand, due attention is paid to the increasing demands of the public for the more frequent and more speedy despatch of letters, and, on the other hand, pains are taken to keep down the cost of management, though some temporary loss of revenue will arise, i see no reason to fear that the loss will be either great or permanent." mr. hill's proposals, it will be remembered, were embraced under four principal heads. the first, a uniform and low rate of postage, was fully carried out; but it was the only part of the measure which was realized at this time. the second, increased speed in the delivery of letters; and the third, consisting of provisions for greater facility in the despatch of letters, were not attempted, or, if attempted, only in the slightest degree. with regard to the simplifications of the operations of the post-office, which formed the fourth great item, little or nothing was done, though that little was rendered easy of accomplishment by the uniformity of postage-rates. not only was the scheme not fairly worked, and the improvements only partially carried out, but they were crippled in their operation by officials who, if not hostile, were half-hearted and far from anxious for a successful issue. the natural difficulties in the way of the measure were numerous enough without the addition of official opposition. trade was flourishing when the postage bill was carried; it was fearfully depressed in the first year of penny postage. it is well, as miss martineau points out, that none foreknew the heavy reverse which was at hand, and the long and painful depression that ensued after the passing of the act, for none might then have had the courage to go into the enterprise. this circumstance, accounting, as it does, for some of the deficit in the first and second years, also served to test the real principles of the reform.[ ] mr. hill's plan, though given over to the apathy and _vis inertiæ_ of the authorities--to "the unwilling horses of the post-office," as mr. baring subsequently designated them--really worked well, though at a loss, when everything else was working ill. moreover, the tendency of cheap communication to improve the general revenue of the country was clearly apparent so early as ; and this is a fact which ought not to be lost sight of for a moment. the reduction of postage-rates was to the community a reduction of taxation; the capital released was driven into other and perhaps more legitimate channels. the exchequer lost revenue from one source, but it gained it in other ways, as a consequence on the outlay at the post-office. in , there was an acknowledged loss to the post-office revenue of , _l._ in the same year, no serious defalcation appeared in the general accounts of the country, notwithstanding the extent of the depression in trade. there were special as well as general considerations entering into the question of the acknowledged deficiency in the revenue. it is clear that mr. hill--who did not foresee that so much money would be sacrificed, and who was sanguine of recovering it at no distant date--likewise could have had but an indefinite idea of the vast amount of extra machinery which would be called into operation by the full development of his plans; the extent of the measures that must follow if the country was to be equally privileged with cheap correspondence; and the concessions that would have to be granted when the wedge was driven in by this, his principal measure. as one only of the causes leading to the extra heavy expenses of the post-office department, we may mention the changes in the system of mail-conveyance consequent on the introduction of railways. dating from , railways had been gradually absorbing all the stage-coach traffic. mr. hill, when making his original proposals, calculated that the number of chargeable letters might be increased twenty-four fold without overloading the mails, and without any material addition to the sums paid to contractors. so great and important--we would almost say vital--was the question of _speed_ to the post-office, that railways were almost immediately brought into requisition, although the cost of the carriage of the mails was, at the outset, doubled, tripled, and even quadrupled! many striking examples of the great difference in the cost of the two services are furnished in different post-office reports. for instance:[ ] in , a coach proprietor in the north of england actually _paid_ to the post-office department the sum of _l._ annually for what he regarded as the privilege of conveying the mails, twice a-day, between lancaster and carlisle. now the post-office _pays_ the lancaster and carlisle railway the sum of , _l._ annually for the same service. the items of charges for mail-conveyance by railway at the present time--if they could have been known by any means, or even guessed at, by the enterprising post-reformer of --might have had the effect of deterring him from offering his suggestions when he did. certain it is, that the proposals would have had small chance of success, if those who had charge of the fiscal concerns of the country could have known that the sum which would have to be paid by the post-office to railway companies alone, in the year , would not fall far short of the whole amount standing for the entire postal expenses of . in mr. hill left the treasury, and was thus cut off from all active supervision of his measures. the post-office authorities found a friend in mr. goulbourn, the new chancellor of the exchequer, who was known to sympathise with their views. it had been arranged that mr. hill should continue his services for some short time longer in his improvised place at the treasury offices. the divergence in the views of the new chiefs and the reformer made his position more and more unpleasant. on his being bowed out of office, mr. hill petitioned the house of commons. the petition--which was presented by mr. baring, the ex-chancellor of the exchequer--described briefly the post-office measures of ; his own appointment to the treasury; the fact of his appointment being annulled; the benefit of the new measures in spite of their partial execution; the obstructive policy of the post-office officials; and thus concludes:-- "that the opinion adopted by her majesty's government, that the further progress in post-office improvements may be left to the post-office itself, is contrary to all past experience, and is contradicted by measures recently adopted by that establishment. "that, notwithstanding the extreme depression of trade which existed when the penny rate was established, and has prevailed ever since; and notwithstanding the very imperfect manner in which your petitioner's plans have been carried into effect, the want of due economy in the post-office, the well-known dislike entertained by many of those persons to whom its execution has been entrusted, and the influence such dislike must necessarily have upon its success, yet the results of the third year of partial trial, as shown by a recent return made to the house of lords, is a gross revenue of two-thirds, and a net revenue of one-third, the former amount. "that your petitioner desires to submit the truth of the foregoing allegations to the severest scrutiny, and therefore humbly prays your honourable house will be pleased to institute an inquiry into the state of the post-office, with the view of adopting such measures as may seem best for fully carrying into effect your petitioner's plans of post-office improvement, and thus realizing the undoubted intentions of the legislature." the prayer of the petition was granted, and its proceedings are duly chronicled.[ ] the object of this committee was "to inquire into the measures which have been adopted for the general introduction of a penny rate of postage, and for facilitating the conveyance of letters; the results of such measures, as far as relates to the revenue and expenditure of the post-office and the general convenience of the country; and to report their observations thereon to the house." before proceeding to give any account of the further measures brought under discussion in connexion with this committee, we must give, in a few sentences, a _résumé_ of the principal improvements which had actually been carried out during the interval of the sittings of the two committees. . the uniform rate of one penny for a letter not above half an ounce, with weight adopted as the standard for increase of charge. . the value of a system of prepayment was established,[ ] the necessary facility being afforded by the introduction of postage-stamps. double postage was levied on letters not prepaid _in london only_. . day-mails were established on the principal railway-lines running out of london, thus giving some of the principal towns in the provinces one additional delivery, with two mails from the metropolis in one day. . an additional delivery was established in london, and two were given to some of the suburbs. . colonial and foreign rates for letters were greatly lowered, the inland rates--viz. the rates paid for those letters passing through this country--being abandoned altogether in some cases, as mr. hill had recommended. . the privilege of franking, private and official, was abolished, and low charges made for the transmission of parliamentary papers. . arrangements were made for the registration of letters. . the money-order office was rendered available to a fourfold extent. and-- . the number of letters increased from millions in - , to millions in - .[ ] this was certainly a large instalment of the improvements which the promoters of penny-post reform hoped to see realized; but, at the same time, it was only an instalment. the committee for which mr. hill had petitioned must now judge for themselves whether all had been done that might and ought to have been done to enhance the merits of the measure, and make it as profitable to the country as possible. in addition, it was requisite that they should consider several further suggestions which mr. hill had, since the introduction of his plan, proposed as likely to improve it, as well as hear him on some of the objections that had been raised to it. thus, with regard to the latter, the chancellor of the exchequer (mr. goulbourn) had stated; just before the committee was appointed, that "the post-office did not now pay its expenses." this statement was startling, inasmuch as colonel maberly himself had given , _l._ or , _l._ as the proceeds of the penny postage rates in the advent year of the measure. but mr. hill resolved the difficulty. the inconsistency was explained quite simply, that in a return furnished by the post-office, the whole of the cost of the packet-service--a little over , _l._--was charged against the post-office revenue. though the cost of the packets had not been charged against the post-office for twenty years previously, this new item was here debited in the accounts to the prejudice of the scheme; and mr. goulbourn, who disclaimed any hostility to the new measure, thought himself justified, under the circumstances, in making the statement in question. again: it was strongly and frequently urged that correspondence was less secure than under the old system. it was said by the post-office officials, that the system of prepayment operated prejudicially against the security of valuable letters. under the old _régime_ it was argued, the postman was charged with a certain number of unpaid letters, and every such letter, so taxed, was a check upon him. "what security," it was now asked, "can there be for the delivery of letters for which the letter-carriers are to bring back no return?" with prepaid letters, it was said, there was great temptation, unbounded opportunity for dishonesty, and no check. to some extent, and so far as letters containing coin or other articles of value were concerned, there were some grounds for these remarks. it is a great question whether, in the case of valuable letters, the dishonest postman would be discouraged from a depredation by the thought that he would have the postage of the letter to account for; but still, freedom from all such considerations, under the new system, would clearly seem to increase the risks which the public would have to run. previously to the penny postage era, all letters containing, or supposed to contain, coin or jewellery, were registered gratuitously at the post-office as a security against their loss. under the new system, it was considered impracticable to continue the service, and the post-office authorities, with the sanction of the treasury, dropped it altogether. the money-order office was available; the fees had been greatly reduced, and the officials, in warning persons against sending coin in letters, strongly recommended that this office should be used for the purpose. still, the number of coin-letters increased, and the number of depredations increased with them, to the great prejudice of the measure. mr. hill, whilst in the treasury, recommended a system of registration of letters, which appears to have been somewhat similar to a plan proposed by the post-office authorities themselves in . a system of registration was the result; but the rate of charge of one shilling per letter was enough in itself to render the entire arrangement nugatory. in october, , lord lowther proposed to the treasury that they should let him put down the evil in another way, viz. that they should allow him to use his powers, under the & vict. c. , sec. , to establish a _compulsory_ registration of letters supposed to contain coin or jewellery, and to make the charge for such compulsory registration a shilling per letter. the treasury lords referred the proposal to mr. hill. he concurred in the opinion of the postmaster-general, and thought the principle of compulsory registration quite fair. he pointed out, however, in a letter to the chancellor of the exchequer, many objections to the plan, and contended that, so long as the registration fee was fixed at the high rate of a shilling, inducements enough were not held out to the public to register their letters _voluntarily_. mr. hill, therefore, suggested that the fee should be at once lowered to sixpence, to be reduced still further as soon as practicable. the public, under a lower rate, would have little excuse for continuing a bad practice; but if it was continued, restrictive measures might _then_ be tried, as the only remaining method of protecting the public from the consequences of their own imprudence. the sixpenny rate would, he thought, be remunerative; nor would the letters increase to a much greater number than that reached under the old system when they were registered gratuitously. this subject was still under discussion when the special committee was granted, when, of course, all the proposals relative to the registration of letters were laid before it and investigated. strong objections were made to mr. hill's proposition to lower the rate. it was contended that the number of registered letters would so increase, that other post-office work could not be accomplished. the postmaster-general, for example, contested the principle of registration altogether, admitting, however, that it was useful in reducing the number of ordinary letters containing coin, and the consequent temptations to the officers of the post-office. like many of the additional proposals, this subject was left undecided; but no one at this date questions the propriety of the recommendations made under this head. the charge for registration has, within the last few years, been twice reduced, with benefit to the revenue, and no hindrance to the general efficiency of the post-office. not only so, but the compulsory registration clause is now in active operation. we cannot enter far into the minutiæ of the committee's deliberations. mr. hill endeavoured to show that economy in the management of the post-office had been neglected. the number of clerks and letter-carriers which had sufficed for the complex system that had been superseded, must more than suffice for the work of the office under his simplified arrangements: yet no reduction had been made. economy, he said, had been neglected in the way contracts had been let; in the manner railway companies were remunerated for carrying mails. he computed that the sum of , _l._ a-year had been paid to these companies for space in the trains that had never been occupied. he also endeavoured to show that the salaries of nearly all the postmasters in the country needed revision; that the establishments of each should also be revised. the changes under the new system, taken together with the changes which railways had made, had had the effect of increasing the work of some offices, but greatly decreasing that of many more. he proposed that there should be a complete revision of work and wages; that postmasters should be paid on fixed salaries; and that all perquisites, with the exception of a poundage on the sale of postage-stamps, should be given up. late-letter fees had, up to the year , been received by the postmasters themselves. under the penny postage act, however, these fees went to the revenue, and compensation, at a certain fixed rate, was granted to the postmasters in lieu of them. mr. hill stated that the amount of compensation granted was generally too much, and was to be accounted for on the ground that the postmasters had, in all the cases, made their own returns. mr. hill's principal recommendations to this committee were-- ( ) the plan of a cheap registration of letters. ( ) that _all_ inland letters should be prepaid (care being taken that postmasters should be supplied with a sufficient stock of postage-stamps), and double postage charged for all unpaid letters. ( ) reduction in the staff of officers till the number of letters increased to five or sixfold; that the london officers should be fully and not only partially employed; and that female employment might be encouraged in the provinces. ( ) simplification in the mode of assorting letters. ( ) the adoption of measures to induce the public to facilitate the operations of the post-office--by giving complete and legible addresses to letters, by making slits in house-doors, and other means. ( ) the establishment of a greater number of rural post-offices, till, eventually, there should be one set up in every village. ( ) all restrictions as to the weight of parcels to be removed, and a book-packet rate to be established, with arrangements for conveying prints, maps, &c. &c. that railway stations should have post-offices connected with them, and that letter-sorting should be done on board the packets, were among his miscellaneous suggestions. with especial reference to the london office, mr. hill recommended ( ) the union of the two corps of general and district letter-carriers; ( ) the establishment of district offices; ( ) an hourly delivery of letters instead of one every two hours, the first delivery to be finished by nine o'clock. nearly the whole of these recommendations were combated by the officers of the post-office during their examination--and successfully so--though it is certainly remarkable that, in the face of their opinions, the great majority of the proposals have subsequently been carried out with unquestioned advantage to the service. it would be a weary business to relate the objections made, and the exceptions taken to each recommendation as it came up to be considered. of course the _non possumus_ argument was frequently introduced. colonel maberly said it was an impossibility that there should be hourly deliveries in london. a post-office in every village was thought equally absurd. we need only add, that the labours of the committee led to little practical result. they decided, by a majority of four, not to report any judgment on the matter. though this result must have been eminently unsatisfactory to mr. hill, especially on account of their not having expressed themselves on his grievances, yet, by refusing to exonerate the post-office from the charges which he had brought against it, the committee may be said to have found for the reformer. with regard to mr. hill's further suggestions, they refer to the evidence, and, "entertain no doubt that his propositions will receive the fullest consideration" from the treasury and the post-office. so they did eventually, after some weary years of waiting. fifty years before, mr. palmer, writing to mr. pitt, said, "i have had every possible opposition from the office." mr. hill might truly have said the same. thus it is that history repeats itself, and "the thing which hath been, it is that which shall be." footnotes: [ ] _post-office reform_, p. . [ ] _results of the new postal arrangements_, read before the statistical society of london, . [ ] second report, p. . [ ] the reader of such books as cowper's _life and letters_, and moore's _correspondence_, will find that the means of obtaining franks, or carriage for their manuscripts or proofs, gave the poets frequent uneasiness, and lost them much time. so with many needy literary men, in what professor de morgan somewhat absurdly calls the "prerowlandian days." the professor himself gives an instance of an author sending up some dry manuscripts to him, under cover to a member of parliament, expressing a hope, we think, that the representative would feel some interest in the subject. [ ] laing's _notes of a traveller_. [ ] _fraser's magazine_, september, . [ ] mr. joshua leavitt. [ ] page . [ ] select committee on postage, , p. . [ ] parliamentary committee, _third report_, p. . [ ] "the first result of the scheme amply vindicated the policy of the new system, but it required progressive and striking evidence to exhaust all opposition."--_ency. brit._ eighth edition. [ ] postmaster-general's _first report_. [ ] select committee on the post-office, . [ ] in the last month of high charges, of two and a half million letters passing through the london office, nearly two millions were unpaid, and few more than half a million paid. twelve months afterwards, the proportion of paid to unpaid letters was entirely changed, the latter had run up to the enormous number of five and a half millions; the former had shrunk to about half a million. [ ] select committee on postage, , p. . chapter ix. the post-office and letter-opening. it will be fresh in the memory of many readers, that the year revealed to the public certain usages of the government, and a branch of post-office business--previously kept carefully in the dark--which went far to destroy the confidence of the nation in the sanctity of its correspondence. in the session of , mr. thomas s. duncombe presented a petition from mr. w. j. linton, m. mazzini, and two other persons residing at , devonshire street, queen's square, complaining that their letters were regularly detained and opened at the post-office. the petitioners declared that they "considered such a practice, introducing the spy-system of foreign states, as repugnant to every principle of the british constitution, and subversive of that public confidence which was so essential to a commercial country." the petitioners prayed for an inquiry, and mr. duncombe supported their prayer. sir james graham, then home secretary, got up in the house and stated that, as regarded three of the petitioners, their letters had not been detained; as for the case of m. mazzini, a warrant had been obtained from the home-office to stop and open the correspondence of that person. he had the power by law and he had exercised it. "the authority," said sir james, "was vested in the responsible ministers of the crown, and was intrusted to them for the public safety; and while parliament placed its confidence in the individual exercising such a power, it was not for the public good to pry or inquire into the particular causes which called for the exercise thereof."[ ] he hoped that the house would confide in his motives, and that they would not call upon him to answer any further inquiries. the speech of the home secretary added fuel to the flame. had sir james graham entered more fully into the subject, and gone into the real state of the law, it is probable that the subject might have been allowed to drop. not only was the slightest explanation of the principle adopted refused by the home secretary, but that refusal was given somewhat cavalierly. public attention was thus roused; the most exaggerated rumours got abroad; it was openly stated by the press that a gigantic system of espionage had been established at st. martin's-le-grand, and now no mere general assurances of its unreality could dispel the talk or stop newspaper extravagances. sir james graham was abused most unreasonably. there was hardly a public print or public speaker in the kingdom that did not heap insults or expressions of disgust on his name. this state of things could not continue; accordingly, we find lord radnor, moving soon after in the house of lords, for a return of all the warrants which had been issued for the detention of letters during a certain period, animadverting especially upon the alleged practice of general warrants to intercept all letters addressed to a certain person instead of there being issued a separate warrant in the case of each letter.[ ] this mode of proceeding, as he truly said, if acted upon, was a flagrant violation of the words of the statute. lord campbell expressed the same views. lord brougham observed that the first statute conferring this power had been framed by lord somers. it had been continued ever since by various acts, and had been exercised by sir robert walpole, lord grenville, and mr. fox, as well as under the administrations of lord grey and lord melbourne. if lord campbell's construction of the act were correct, the sooner they had a new one the better. lord denman was for putting an end to the power altogether. the return was granted, the duke of wellington approving the home secretary's conduct notwithstanding. on the th of june, , mr. duncombe again called the attention of the house of commons to the subject, by presenting a petition from mr. charles stolzman, a polish refugee, complaining that his letters had been detained and opened. mr. duncombe contended that the act of never meant to confer an authority upon a minister of the crown to search out the secrets of exiles resident in this country at the instance of foreign governments, but was only designed to meet the case of domestic treason. "mr. stolzman was a friend of m. mazzini," said mr. duncombe, "and this was why his letters had been tampered with." after describing the way in which letters were opened, he concluded a most powerful speech by again moving for a committee of inquiry. he did not want to know government secrets; he doubted if they were worth knowing; but he wanted inquiry into the practice of the department, which he contended was unconstitutional and contrary to law. sir james graham, without entering into any further explanation, except saying that the law had not been violated, and that if it had, the honourable member might prove it before a legal tribunal, objected strongly, and in almost a defiant manner, to any committee. mr. macaulay, lord howick, mr. sheil, and lord john russell warmly supported the motion for an inquiry. sir robert peel, lord stanley, and mr. monckton milnes opposed it, when it was rejected by a majority of forty-four. what party speeches failed in doing, the clamour and popular tumult outside at length accomplished. popular ridicule settled upon the subject; pencil and pen set to work upon it with a will. newspapers were unusually, and sometimes unreasonably, free in their comments, and all kinds of stories about the post-office went the round of the press. sir james graham had to bear the brunt of the whole business; whereas the entire cabinet, but especially lord aberdeen, the foreign secretary, ought equally to have shared the opprobrium. as it was, the bearing of the home secretary in the house of commons was singularly unwise and unadroit. the subject had now come to be regarded as of too great public importance to be suffered to rest; besides, it was an attractive one for the opposition side of the house. mr. duncombe renewed his motion towards the end of july in the same session. it was in a slightly altered form, inasmuch as he now moved for a select committee "to inquire into a department of her majesty's post-office commonly called 'the secret or inner office,' the duties and employment of the persons engaged therein, and the authority under which the functions of the said office were discharged." mr. duncombe made some startling statements as to the mode and extent of the practice of letter-opening, all of which he declared he could prove if the committee was granted. the government saw the necessity of giving way, in order that the public mind might be quieted. the home secretary now acknowledged, that since he was last questioned on the subject, the matter had assumed a very serious aspect, and he thought it was time that the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, should be told. though he would have readily endured the obloquy cast upon him, even though it should crush him, rather than injure the public service; and though he had endured much, especially after the votes and speeches of the opposition leaders--all men conversant with official duties--in favour of mr. duncombe's former motions, he now felt himself relieved from his late reserve, and felt bound to confess that he believed it to be impossible to maintain the power confided to him longer without a full inquiry. he would now not only consent to the committee, but would desire that it should make the fullest possible inquiry, and he would promise on his part, not only to state all he knew, but lend all the resources of his department to attain that object. in accordance with this determination, he proposed that the committee should be a secret one, invested with the amplest powers to commence the investigation at once, and should be composed of five usually voting against the government, viz. sir c. lemon, mr. warburton, mr. strutt, mr. orde, and the o'connor don; and four who generally support them, viz. lord sandon (chairman), mr. t. baring, sir w. heathcote, and mr. h. drummond. "to this committee," said sir james, "i gladly submit my personal honour and my official conduct, and i make my submission without fear." the committee was appointed after mr. wilson patten's name had been substituted for mr. drummond's, on account of the latter being a lawyer; and after an unsuccessful attempt to add mr. duncombe's name, which was rejected by to . its object was "to inquire into the state of the law with respect to the detaining of letters in the general post-office, and to the mode in which that power had been exercised, and that the committee should have power to send for persons, papers, and records, and to report the result of their inquiry to the house." a committee of the house of lords was appointed at the same time. sir james graham's examination lasted four days, when he fulfilled his pledge to make a full and unreserved disclosure of all he knew. almost all the members of that and former governments were examined. lord john russell confessed to having done the same as sir james graham when he held the seals of the home-office, though he had not used the power so frequently. he also stated that he supported mr. duncombe in his previous motions for inquiry, because he thought it necessary that the public should have the information asked for. lord normanby had used the power in ireland for detecting "low ribbonism, which could not be _ferretted out_ by other means." lord tankerville testified to the existence of a warrant signed by mr. fox in , ordering the detention and opening of all letters addressed to foreign ministers; another, ordering that all the letters addressed to lord george gordon should be opened. witnesses were also brought from the post-office. mr. duncombe, on being asked for a list of witnesses to prove his allegations, refused to hand in their names unless he were allowed to be present during the examination. this the committee had no power to grant, and consequently he declined to proceed. mr. duncombe appealed to the house, but the decision of the committee was confirmed. no inconsiderable part of the committee's time was taken up in the production and examination of records, acts, and precedents bearing on the subject. the officers of the state paper office and other high government functionaries produced records and state papers of great importance, from which we learn many interesting particulars of early postal history. at some risk of being charged with anachronism, we have thought it desirable to introduce these details in the order of the _subject_ under treatment. james i. in establishing a foreign post, was more anxious that government secrets should not be disclosed to foreign countries, "which cannot be prevented if a promiscuous use of transmitting foreign letters and packets should be suffered," than that the post should be of use to traders and merchants. there was a motive for the jealous monopoly of postal communications; and if the proclamation from which the above is taken (rymer's foedera) is not clear on the subject, the following extract from a letter written by the one of james's secretaries to the other, lord conway, is sufficiently explicit: "your lordship best knoweth what account we shall be able to give in our place in parliament of that which passeth by letters in and out of the land, if every man may convey letters as he chooseth." sir john coke, the writer of the above, would seem to have got rid of the difficulty in a thorough manner, if we may believe an english letter-writer addressing a friend in scotland, when he wrote, "i hear the posts are waylaid, and all letters taken from them and brought to secretary coke."[ ] during the commonwealth, of course, letter-opening was to be expected. the very reason which cromwell gave for establishing the posts was, that they would be "the best means of discovering and preventing many wicked designs against the commonwealth, intelligence whereof cannot well be communicated but by letter of escript." foreign and home letters shared an equal fate. on one occasion, the venetian ambassador remonstrated openly that his letters had been delayed and read, and it was not denied. at the restoration, a distinct clause in the "post-office charter" provided that "no one, except under the immediate warrant of one of our principal secretaries of state, shall presume to open any letters or pacquets not directed unto themselves." under the improved act of queen anne, , it is again stated that "no person or persons shall presume to open, detain, or delay any letter or letters, after the same is or shall be delivered into the general or other post-office, and before delivery to the persons to whom they are addressed, except by an express warrant in writing under the hand of one of the principal secretaries of state for _every such opening_, detaining, or delaying." this act was continued under all the georges, and again agreed to in , under vict. c. . during the last century, the practice of granting warrants was exceedingly common; and they might be had on the most trivial pretences. it was not the practice to record such warrants regularly in any official book,[ ] and few are so recorded: we can only guess at their number from the frequent mention made of them in the state trials of the period, and in other incidental ways. in , at bishop atterbury's trial, copies of his letters were produced and given in evidence against him. a clerk from the post-office certified to the fact that they had passed through the post, and that he had seen them opened, read, and copied. atterbury, as well he might, asked for the authority for this practice; and, especially, if the secretary of state had directed that his letters should be interfered with? a majority in the house of lords decided that the question need not be answered. it is pleasant to relate that twenty-nine peers recorded an indignant protest against this decision. one of them proposed to cross-examine the rev. (!) edward willes, "one of his majesty's post-office decipherers," but the majority going to a still greater length, resolved: "that it is the opinion of this house that it is not consistent with the public safety to ask the decipherers any questions which may tend to _discover the art or mystery of deciphering_."[ ] again, at the trial of horne tooke for high treason in , a letter written to him by mr. joyce, a printer, was intercepted at the post-office, and was stated by the prisoner to be the immediate occasion of his apprehension. on his requiring its production, a duly certified copy was brought into court by the crown officers and given in evidence. twelve years after the trial of bishop atterbury, members of both houses became alarmed for the safety of their correspondence, and succeeded in getting up an agitation on the subject. several members of the house of commons complained that their letters had been opened. revelations were made at this time which remind us strongly of the episode of , both discussions resulting in a parliamentary committee of inquiry. it was stated in the debate of , that the liberty which the act gave "could serve no purpose but to enable the idle clerks about the office to pry into the private affairs of every merchant and gentleman in the kingdom."[ ] it transpired on this occasion that a regular organization existed, at enormous expense, for the examination of home and foreign correspondence. the secretary of the post-office stated that the greater part of , _l._ had been paid, without voucher of any kind, to robert, earl of oxford, for defraying the expenses of this establishment. among the principal annual expenses were the salaries of the chief decipherers[ ] (dr. willes and his son), , _l._; the second decipherer, _l._; the third, _l._; four clerks, , _l._; doorkeeper, _l._; incidental charges, but principally for seals, _l._ the result of the inquiry was, that the committee condemned the practice, and the house declared that it was a breach of privilege on the part of the government to use the power except in the exact manner described in the statute. whether any real improvement took place may best be judged by the following circumstances. walpole, who doubtless carried his prerogative in those matters beyond any two secretaries of state we could mention, lent his ear to both public and private applications alike, issuing warrants even to further cases of private tyranny. in the report of the secret committee, p. , we find that a warrant is granted, in , for what purpose may be judged by the following: "at the request of a, a warrant is issued to permit a's eldest son to open and inspect any letters which a's youngest son might write to two females, one of which that youngest son had imprudently married." and this inquisitorial spirit beginning with the highest, descended even to the lowest class of officials. a writer in the _encyclopædia britannica_, vol. xviii. p. (quoting from the _state trials_, vol. xviii. p. ), tells us, in relation to this subject, that so little attention was paid to the requirements of the act of queen anne, or the committee of the house of commons just referred to, the very bellmen took to scrutinizing the letters given them for their bags. one of those functionaries was examined at the trial of dr. hensey in , and deposed as follows: "when i have got all my letters together i carry them home and sort them. in sorting them i observed that the letters i received of dr. hensey were generally directed abroad and to foreigners; and i, knowing the doctor to be a roman catholic, advised the examining-clerk at the office to inspect his letters." this witness, in answer to the questions, "how came you to know dr. hensey to be a roman catholic?" and "what had you to do with his religion?" clinched his evidence thus: "we letter-carriers and postmen have great opportunities to know the characters and dispositions of gentlemen, from their servants, connexions, and correspondents. but, to be plain, if i once learn that a person who lives a genteel life is a roman catholic, i immediately look upon him as one who, by education and principle, is an inveterate enemy to my king and country." at the beginning of the present century an improvement was carried out. it was seen that the indiscriminate issue of the warrants was stimulated and fostered by the fact that no account was kept of them. as a means of placing a necessary check upon the officers, lord spencer, then home secretary, introduced the custom in , of recording the dates of all warrants granted, and the purposes for which they were issued. since the year , the whole of the warrants themselves have been preserved at the home office. in comparing the number of warrants issued by different home secretaries during the present century, we find that sir james graham enjoys the unenviable notoriety of having granted the greatest number, though the fact is partly explained by the commotion which the chartists made in the north of england, - . the revelations made in the two committees with reference to foreign correspondence, especially that of foreign ministers accredited at the english court, were very remarkable, and not likely to induce confidence in our postal arrangements on the part of other powers. it was shown that in times of war whole foreign mails had been known to have been detained, and the letters almost individually examined. the lords' committee went so far as to say it was clear, "that it had been for a long period of time and under successive administrations, up to the present time, an established practice that the foreign correspondence of foreign ministers passing through the general post-office should be sent to a department of the foreign office, before the forwarding of such correspondence, according to the address." what the feelings of foreign governments were at this revelation may well be imagined. they would know, of course, that the english government, hundreds of years ago, had not scrupled to lay violent hands on the letters of their representatives, if by any possibility they could get hold of them. when wolsey, for example, wanted possession of the letters of the ambassadors of charles v. he went to work very openly, having ordered "a watche should be made" in and about london, and all persons going _en route_ to the continent to be questioned and searched. "one riding towards brayneford," says an early record, "when examyned by the watche, answered so closely, that upon suspicion thereof, they searched hym, and found secretly hyd aboute hym a pacquet of letters in french." in the reign of queen mary, gardiner ordered that the messengers of noailles, the french ambassador, should be taken and searched in much the same manner.[ ] notwithstanding this, they would scarcely be prepared for the information that later governments, with less to fear, had preferred more secret measures, establishing a system of espionage which was certainly not in accordance with the english character, or likely to subserve the interests of peace in europe. that the arrangement with regard to foreign mails was unlawful, may be judged by the prompt action which was taken in the matter. "since june, , the postmaster-general," so runs the lords' report two months later, "having had his attention called to the fact, that there was no sufficient authority for this practice, has discontinued it altogether." the commons' committee reported that the letter-opening warrants might be divided into two classes--( ) those issued in furtherance of criminal justice, usually for the purpose of affording some clue to the hiding-place of an offender, or to the mode or place of concealment of property. ( ) those issued for the purpose of discovering the designs of persons known or suspected to be engaged in proceedings dangerous to the state, or deeply involving british interests, from being carried on in the united kingdom. in the case of both classes of warrants, the mode of proceeding was nearly similar. the first were issued on the application of the law-officers; the principal secretary of state himself determined when to issue the latter. no record was kept of the grounds on which the second class of warrants were issued. "the letters which have been detained and opened are," according to the committee,[ ] "unless retained by special order, as sometimes happens in criminal cases, closed and re-sealed _without affixing any mark to indicate that they have been so detained and opened_, and are forwarded by post according to their respective superscriptions." they then classed the warrants issued during the present century in the following way:--for thefts, murders, and frauds, ; for treason and sedition, ; foreign correspondence, ; prisoners of war, ; miscellaneous, ; and for uncertain purposes, . undoubtedly, with one class of letters, the government were only performing a duty in applying the law as laid down in vict. c. . the information obtained by the warrants to find the _locale_ of chartist disaffection was described by the committee as most valuable and useful to the government. while the whole history of the transaction in question grates unpleasantly on english ears, there can be no doubt that in other cases--such as frauds on the banks and revenue, forgeries, murders, &c.--the power was used impartially to the advantage of individuals and the benefit of the state. whether, however, the discoveries and the benefits were so many as to counterbalance the odium of countenancing what was so like a public crime, and which violated public confidence in the post-office, or whether the issue of a few warrants annually, in proportion to the , committals[ ] which took place yearly at that time, could by any means be called an efficient instrument of police, are vastly different questions. with regard to the general question of letter-opening, the issue was altogether vague and uncertain. though the _practical_ end of the inquiry was, no doubt, gained, and warrants may almost be said to have ceased, still the committees recommended parliament to decide that the power and prerogative of opening letters, under certain given circumstances, should _not_ be abrogated. they argued that, if the _right_ of the secretary of state was denied, it would be equivalent to advertising to every criminal conspirator against the public peace, that he might employ the post-office with impunity.[ ] it was decided, in consequence of this finding, that the law should remain unaltered. mr. duncombe was not satisfied. in the next session he attempted to revive the subject by calling the attention of the house to what he termed the evasive and unsatisfactory character of the report of the secret committee, and moving the appointment of a select committee to investigate the whole subject over again; but he met with little success. sir j. graham, sir. r. peel, viscount sandon, mr. warburton, mr. ward, and lord john manners, spoke against his motion, which he then withdrew. upon this, lord howick tried to carry a resolution for the appointment of a committee to inquire into the case of mr. duncombe's letters only. mr. disraeli seconded the motion, desiring not to have the government censured, but to see the practice condemned. mr. roebuck believed that the country would not be content until the invidious power intrusted to the secretary of state respecting letter-opening was absolutely abolished. lord john russell spoke against the motion, which was negatived by to members.[ ] a few days later mr. duncombe renewed his attack in another form, moving that colonel maberly, secretary to the post-office, should attend at the bar and produce certain books connected with his office. the home secretary resisted the motion, grounding his objection on the reports of the committees and the necessities of the public service. lord john russell and a great number of the liberal party concurring in this view, the motion was again rejected by to .[ ] for some weeks the subject was not again noticed in parliament, and probably would have dropped; but it was a theme on which the press could not be induced to be silent. fresh events occurring in italy, owing, it was said, to the past action of the english government at the post-office, mr. sheil gave notice of a resolution, which he moved on the st of april, , expressing regret that government had opened the letters of m. mazzini, thus frustrating the political movement in italy. few members, however, showed any desire to prolong a desultory debate, and thirty-eight only were found willing to affirm mr. sheil's proposition. mr. wakley, a day or two afterwards, tried to revive the same discussion, but a motion which he made was negatived by three to one. on the th of april, , mr. duncombe, while intimating his desire to waive personal questions, and disclaiming all party feeling, moved for leave to bring in a bill "to secure the inviolability of letters passing through the post-office." he was at war with the system, not with the government. let the government approach the subject in a fair and not in a party spirit. all the ministers, however, and the chiefs of the liberal party, again stoutly resisted any change in the law; and this long controversy was finally set at rest by an adverse decision of to . the english people, it must be added, all along objected less to the _power_ which the government possessed in the exertion of their discretion, than to the _manner_ in which that power was exercised. mr. duncombe's statements during the earlier stages of the discussions, relating to the "secret office"--never denied--could not be forgotten by the public when they intrusted their letters to the custody of the post-office. the revelations in question caused a perfect paroxysm of national anger, because it was felt, throughout the length and breadth of the land, that such arrangements were repugnant to every feeling of englishmen. had the officers of the government broken open letters in the same way as, under certain circumstances, the law allows the sheriff's officers to break open houses and writing-desks, there might still have been complainings, but these complainings would neither have been so loud nor yet so justifiable.[ ] there was something in the melting apparatus, in the tobacco-pipe, in the forged plaster of paris seals, in the official letter-picker, and in the place where, and manner how, he did his work, utterly disgusting to john bull, and most unsuitable to the atmosphere of england. the law, it is true, remains unaltered, but it is believed to be virtually a dead letter. footnotes: [ ] hansard, . [ ] _ibid._ [ ] lang's _historical summary of the post-office in scotland_. postmaster-general's _third report_. [ ] report of secret committee, , p. . [ ] _lords' journal_, xxii. pp. - . [ ] _commons' journal_, vol. xxii. p. . [ ] the place was not only lucrative, but in the path of promotion. we find that, for the proper performance of these very unclerical duties, the rev. dr. was first rewarded with the deanery of lincoln and afterwards with the bishopric of st. david's. [ ] froude. [ ] report of secret committee, , pp. - . [ ] report of the secret committee, , pp. - . [ ] _ibid._ commons' committee. [ ] hansard, - . [ ] _ibid._ [ ] among many expressions of opinion to which the inquiry on the subject gave rise, we find the following characteristic effusion from thomas carlyle: "it is a question vital to us that sealed letters in an english post-office be, as we all fancied they were, respected as things sacred; that opening of men's letters, a practice near of kin to picking men's pockets, and to other still viler and far fataler forms of scoundrelism, be not resorted to in england, except in cases of the very last extremity. when some new gunpowder plot may be in the wind, some double-dyed high treason, or imminent national wreck not avoidable otherwise, then let us open letters; not till then. to all austrian kaisers and such like, in their time of trouble, let us answer, as our fathers from of old have answered--not by such means is help here for you." chapter x. the development of the post-office. from the year to the present time the progress of the post-office institution has been great and unexampled. among mr. hill's minor proposals were those for the institution of day-mails, the establishment of rural posts, and the extension of free deliveries. the period between the passing of the penny postage act and the year saw these useful suggestions carried out to an extent which proved highly beneficial to the public. with regard to the day-mails, mr. hill proposed that on the _morning_ of each day, as well as evenings, mails should leave london after certain country and continental mails had arrived, by which means letters, instead of remaining nearly twenty-four hours in london, might be at once forwarded to their addresses, and two mails per diem be thus given to most english towns. the earl of lichfield would seem to have seen the useful and practicable nature of these proposals, for, being postmaster-general at the time, he did not wait to adopt them till the passing of the act of . as early as one or two day-mails were established, running out of london. before we find the list included those of dover, southampton, bristol, birmingham, and cambridge. these day-mails are now established on every considerable line of railway in the kingdom. london, in , possesses not only day-mails on all the lines running from the metropolis, but one to ireland, and two by different routes into scotland. further, a great number of railways in the united kingdom have stipulated to take mails by any passenger-train. mr. hill also contemplated the establishment of rural posts in every village. in , the number of village post-offices was about , . at that time nothing but "guarantee posts"--by means of which parties in the country might obtain additional accommodation on their consenting to bear the whole additional expense--were granted to new localities. mr. hill urged upon the post-office authorities the abandonment of this plan, and the gradual establishment of ordinary post-offices. he calculated that an annual outlay of , _l._ would suffice to give additional daily posts to neglected districts, and he pledged his word that the outlay would be remunerative. there are now more than , additional rural post-offices, the erection of which has done all for the public and the post-office revenue that mr. hill anticipated. the extension of free deliveries, also strongly urged by mr. hill, has progressed fairly from that time to this. round each provincial town there used to be drawn a cordon, letters, &c. for places beyond which had either to be brought by private messenger, or were charged an extra sum on delivery as a gratuity to the postmaster. from year to year new places have been included in these free deliveries; soon the most remote and inaccessible parts of our country--the nooks and crannies of our land--will enjoy nearly equal privileges with our large towns, more rural messengers being appointed as this work approaches completion. in , the advantages of a book-post were granted to the country. by the new rate, a single volume might be sent to any part of the united kingdom at the uniform rate of sixpence per pound. the privileges of this book-post were gradually extended to the colonies. the railway companies, at the time and subsequently, complained loudly that the post-office, by establishing the book-post, had entered into an unfair competition with them. this competition was described as very injurious, on account of the low rates at which books and book-packets were conveyed. it was answered, however--and in this answer the country very generally agreed--that the railway companies had no legal or equitable right to the monopoly of parcel-traffic; and if they had, the exceptions taken in the case of the book-post were only to books and printed matter intimately connected with objects such as the diffusion of knowledge and the promotion of education--matters with which the post-office was now most immediately concerned. the facts, however, were, that very few indeed of the packets sent by the book-post were such as had been previously sent by railway. the post-office, by offering its vast machinery for the transmission of such articles, especially to remote districts, gave facilities which had never before been offered, and which caused books and documents to pass through the post-office which otherwise, had no book-post existed, would not have been sent through any other channel. a select committee, which sat in , on the conveyance of mails by railway, took evidence on this point, and in their report stated it as their opinion, that a large proportion of the packets sent would not have been so forwarded but for the facilities offered by the post-office in their distribution. any loss, however, which the railways might experience in this respect was more than counterbalanced when the executive abolished the compulsory impressed stamp on newspapers, this arrangement giving rise to a conveyance of newspaper-parcels by railway-trains to an enormous extent, and proportionately lessening the work and profits of the post-office. the year is principally remarkable for the agitation which existed with respect to sunday labour at the general post-office. previous to this year no work was allowed in the london establishment, but now an arrangement was proposed to receive the mails as on other days, officers attending, though not during the period of divine service, to assort and dispose of the letters received. public meetings were held in london and many of the principal towns to protest against any increase of the post-office work. public opinion in the metropolis was pretty unanimous against any change; in the provinces it was more divided. the authorities gave way before the force of opinion, and the london office has remained closed ever since on the first day of the week. in the country different arrangements are made. in scotland, and in one or two english towns, no letter-delivery takes place from house to house, a short time only being allowed for the public to apply for their letters at the post-office windows. in the majority of english towns the early morning delivery only is made. the day-mails, as a rule, do not run on sundays. the post-offices in the major part of our english and scotch villages are entirely closed on sundays. wires having been laid down to st. martin's-le-grand from the different railway stations, telegraph messages were first used to expedite post-office business on the st of august, . all important matters, such as bag or registered letter irregularities, requiring prompt notice, are made known or explained through the medium of the electric telegraph. commissioners were appointed from about this year to secure the services of railways on the most equitable terms, and to arbitrate for that purpose between the post-office and the railway companies. the committee, on the conveyance of mails by railways, suggested this course. on the debate which followed the report of the committee to which we have before alluded, sir robert peel frankly acknowledged "the enormous error" into which he, and the house generally "had fallen when the railroad bills were under discussion. they ought to have foreseen," said he, "when these bills were before them, that they were in fact establishing a monopoly, a monopoly in respect to which there could be no future condition. they ought to have foreseen that, if the railroads were successful, other modes of internal communication would almost necessarily fall into disuse, and they ought, therefore, to have stipulated--_as it would have been perfectly just and easy for them to have done_--that certain public services should be performed at a reasonable rate." however, as this had not been done, parliament could only fall back upon its inherent right to say on what terms such services should be provided from time to time; for which purpose they could not do better than employ arbitration, as it was the same course pursued when the companies disputed with the owners of property the value of land compulsorily taken for railway works. sir james graham[ ] moved a declaratory clause on the occasion, that arbitrators should take into consideration the cost of the construction of the particular lines in awarding the sums for different services. mr. labouchere, the vice-president of the board of trade, speaking for the government, wished the arbitrators to be wholly free, but he gave a pledge on behalf of the post-office that no attempt would be made to exclude the cost of construction from the consideration of the arbitrators. with this assurance, the opposition expressed themselves satisfied. in , the postmaster-general, the late lord canning, commenced the practice of furnishing the lords of the treasury, and through them the public, with annual reports on the post-office. these reports, which have been continued up to the present time, show the progress of the department from year to year, and present to the general reader, as well as to the statistician, a vast mass of interesting information. compared with the reports of the committee of revenue inquiry or of the commissioners of post-office inquiry, they are lucid and interesting in their nature. though constructed on the same plan and little varied from year to year, they are much above the ordinary run of official documents. lord canning, in recommending the adoption of the plan, gave as one reason among many, that the post-office service was constantly expanding and improving, but that information respecting postal matters, especially postal changes, was not easily accessible. this information, he believed, could be given without any inconvenience, whilst many misapprehensions, and possibly complaints, might be avoided. the public might thus see what the post-office was about; learn their duty towards the department, and find out--what half the people did not then and perhaps do not even yet understand--what were the benefits and privileges to which they were justly entitled at its hands. the duke of argyll succeeded lord canning in the management of the post-office in , and his years of office are distinguished by many most important improvements and reforms. one important change consisted in the amalgamation of the two corps of london letter-carriers, effected soon after the installation of the duke of argyll at the post-office. the two classes of "general post" and "london district" letter-carriers were perhaps best known before , by the former wearing a red, and the latter a blue, uniform. the object of this amalgamation, for which mr. hill had been sedulously striving from the period of penny postage, was to avoid the waste of time, trouble, and expense consequent on two different men going over the same ground to distribute two classes of letters which might, without any real difficulty, be delivered together. the greatest objection in the post-office itself to completing the change, arose from the different _status_ of the two bodies of men, the one class being paid at a much higher rate of wages and with better prospects than the other class. this difficulty was at length surmounted, when the benefits of this minor reform became clearly apparent in earlier and more regular deliveries of letters. inside the post-office the work was made much more easy and simple, and the gross inequality existing between two bodies of public servants whose duties were almost identical, was done away.[ ] still more important was the division of london into ten postal districts, carried out during the year . the immense magnitude of the metropolis necessitated this scheme; it having been found impossible to overcome the obstacles to a more speedy transmission of letters within and around london, or properly to manage without some change, the ever increasing amount of post-office business. under the new arrangements, each district was to be treated in many respects as a separate town, district post-offices to be erected in each of them. thus, instead of all district post-letters being carried from the receiving houses to the chief office at st. martin's-le-grand, there to be sorted and re-distributed, the letters must now be sent to the principal office of the district in which they were posted; sorted there; and distributed from that office according to their address. the time and trouble saved by this arrangement is, as was expected, enormous. under the old system, a letter from cavendish square to grosvenor square went to the general post-office, was sorted, and then sent back to the latter place, travelling a distance of four or five miles: whereas, at present, with hourly deliveries, it is almost immediately sent from one place to the other.[ ] an important part of the new scheme was, that london should be considered in the principal provincial post-offices as ten different towns, each with its own centre of operations, and that the letters should be assorted and despatched on this principle. country letters would be delivered straightway--without any intermediate sorting--to that particular part of london for which they were destined; whilst the sorters there having the necessary local knowledge, would distribute them immediately into the postmen's walks. with respect to the _smaller_ provincial towns, it was provided that their london correspondence should be sorted into districts on the railway during the journey to the metropolis. thus, on the arrival of the different mails at the several railway termini, the letters would not be sent as formerly to the general post-office, but direct to each district office, in bags prepared in the course of the journey. it was a long time before this new and important plan was thoroughly carried out in all its details; but now that it is in working order, the result is very marked in the earlier delivery of letters, and in the time and labour saved in the various processes. in fact, all the anticipated benefits have flowed from the adoption of the measure. in the same year a reduction was made in the rates for book-packets. the arrangement made at this time, which exists at present, charges one penny for every four ounces of printed matter; a book weighing one pound being charged fourpence. a condition annexed was, that every such packet should be open at the ends or sides, and if closed against inspection, should be liable to be charged at the unpaid letter rate of postage. this penalty was soon found to be unreasonably heavy and vexatious, and was therefore reduced to an additional charge of sixpence only. at the present time, the conditions under which such packets may be sent through the post are the same, but the fines inflicted for infringements are still further reduced. in , a new regulation provided that a book-packet might consist of any number of sheets, which might be either printed or written, provided there was nothing in it of the nature of a letter. if anything of the sort should be found in the packet on examination, it was to be taken out and forwarded separately as a letter, and charged twopence as a fine in addition to the postage at the letter rate. the packet might consist of books, manuscripts, maps, prints with rollers, or any literary or artistic matter, if not more than two feet wide, long, or deep. in the same year, the letter-rate to all the british colonies (which were not previously under the lower rates) was reduced to the uniform one of sixpence for each half-ounce, payable in advance. the privileges of the english book-post were also extended to the colonies; the rate at which books &c. might be sent being threepence for every four ounces. exceptions were made in respect to the following places, viz.--ascension island, east indies, hong kong, australia, new zealand, and the gold coast, to which places the rate charged was fourpence for four ounces, the weight being restricted to three pounds. another important improvement was made when, about the same time, the postage on letters conveyed by private ship between this country and all parts of the world, was reduced to a uniform rate of sixpence the half-ounce. nor were these reforms the only results of the wise rule of the duke of argyll. through his exertions, a postal convention was concluded with france, resulting not only in a considerable reduction of postage on letters passing between the two countries, but in the lowering of the rate to all european countries, letters for which _went by way of france_. an attempt was made to arrange a postal convention with the united states during the year , but like so many previous ones, it came to nothing. the duke of argyll is also favourably remembered in the metropolitan offices, for having granted--to the major establishment at any rate--the boon of a saturday half-holiday. but perhaps his grace laboured most arduously to bring about a more satisfactory relation between the railway companies and the post-office. since the advent of cheap postage, nothing had so much impeded the progressive development of the post-office, as the adverse attitude of the companies who must convey the mails, now that all other modes of conveyance had been virtually superseded by the power of steam. although the postmaster-general failed in this instance, he is none the less entitled to the gratitude of the country for his well-meant attempt to repair the mistake which the executive originally made in not carefully providing for the public service. few could say that the existing law was, and is, not defective. the gain to the post-office through railways is certainly enormous: besides the advantage of increased speed, they make it possible to get through the sorting and the carrying of the mails at the same time. but here the gain ends; and the cost for the service really done is heavy beyond all proportion. the cost of carrying mails by coaches averaged twopence farthing a mile; the average cost under railways is tenpence a mile, some railways charging nearly five shillings per mile for the service they render. the cost of running a train may be reckoned, in most cases, at fifteen pence per mile; and thus the post-office, for the use of a fraction of a train, may be said constantly to be paying at the rate of from sixty to three hundred per cent. in excess of the whole cost of running! the postmaster-general stated that the terms upon which one railway company would undertake postal service was totally disproportionate to those of a neighbouring company. on the other hand, all the companies were alike dissatisfied, however dissimilar the contracts, or the terms imposed and agreed to.[ ] moreover, it was declared next to impossible to secure regularity and punctuality in the conveyance of mails, and to agree to amicable arbitration for the services which were done, until the legislature should lay down reasonable laws, binding all the companies alike. a bill was introduced into the house of lords regulating the arrangements between the post-office and the different companies. though it was carefully prepared, it was strongly opposed by the railway interest in parliament. the opposition was all the more unreasonable, inasmuch as many of its clauses sought to remove objections to the existing law which railway companies had frequently complained of. as far as the post-office was concerned, it seems to have been the extent of the wish of the authorities that the question of remuneration might be based on the actual cost of running the trains, making due allowance, on the one hand, for the benefits accruing to the companies from their connexion with the mail service, and adding, on the other hand, compensation for any special extra expenses to which the companies might be subjected by the requirements of that service, _together with a full allowance for profit_.[ ] the bill also provided for the more extensive employment of ordinary passenger trains,--not, however, to the supercession of the regular mail-trains--for the _exclusive_ employment of certain trains for postal purposes, for penalties, &c. the measure had been brought in late in the session, and was eventually withdrawn. the bill itself, with its twenty-one clauses, forms part of the appendix to the postmaster-general's fourth report; and as the basis of arrangements between the two interests is still unsettled and uncertain, the duke of argyll there commends it to the careful attention of the public, as well as to the fair consideration of the railway authorities themselves. in , on the accession of lord derby to power, lord colchester was appointed to the post-office without a seat in the cabinet. improvements continued during his short administration, both as regards inland, foreign, and colonial postages; but nothing calls for special mention here except an attempt on the part of the post-office to render the payment of inland letters compulsory. the plan cannot be said to have had a fair trial. its benefits and advantages were not clearly apparent, except to those who were acquainted with the machinery of the post-office. while, without doubt, the principles upon which it was based were sound, the objections to the arrangement lay on the surface, and were such as could not be overcome except by the exercise of great patience on the part of the public: the measure pressed heavily on certain interests: a great portion of the less thoughtful organs of the public press manifested considerable repugnance to it, and, in consequence, the postmaster-general was led to recommend to the treasury the withdrawal of the order after the expiration of a few weeks of partial trial. as pointed out by mr. hill at the time, compulsory prepayment of letters was a part of the original plan of penny postage; it was one of the recommendations which he made having for their object the simplification of accounts, and the more speedy delivery of letters. the secretary of the post-office in urging a fair trial of the measure,[ ] argued that after the lapse of a few months it would be productive of good even to letter-writers, not to speak of the saving of time, trouble, and expense to the department. he very truly added that there were no difficulties attributable to the new rule which might not be surmounted by a little care or ingenuity. as it was, the public preferred an immediate termination of the experiment to the possible and problematical advantages that might arise from its continuance; and in this instance the country was indulged by an early return to the old plan. in the following year, lord colchester was succeeded by the late earl of elgin as postmaster-general, with a seat in lord palmerston's cabinet. when lord elgin was sent on the special mission to the east in , the duke of argyll held the joint offices of lord privy seal and postmaster-general until a permanent successor was appointed in the person of lord stanley of alderley, who now (march, ) holds the office. in , the money-order office in london, and the money-order system generally, were remodelled. by a process meant to simplify the accounts, and other judicious alterations, a saving of , _l._ a-year was effected, while the public were benefited by some concessions that had been much desired, such as the granting of money-orders up to the amount of _l._ instead of _l._ the money-order system was likewise extended to the colonies, the first connexion of the kind having been opened with canada and our european possessions of gibraltar and malta. it has subsequently been extended to the principal british colonies, including the whole of australia. important improvements were also made in the department charged with the transmission of mails. several accelerations--in one case a most important one--were made in the speed of the principal mail-trains; the number of travelling post-offices was increased; the construction of the whole of them was improved; and the apparatus-machinery, attached to the carriages for the exchange of mail-bags at those stations where the mail-trains do not stop, was called more and more into requisition. under the earl of elgin, the british post-office endeavoured to form conventions with foreign countries, the object in all cases being the increase of postal facilities. in the case of spain and portugal, the authorities seem to have been successful, and partially so with the german postal union. an attempt to renew negotiations with the united states calls for mention here. the advocates of ocean penny postage (of which so much was heard some years previously--not only a desirable, but a practicable scheme) may thus obtain some idea of the difficulty of coming to any reasonable arrangement between the two countries. we have already stated that a former postmaster-general urged upon the government of the united states the necessity of reduction in the rates of postage of letters circulating from one country to the other, but was unsuccessful at the time.[ ] in , the postmaster-general of the united states (mr. holt) communicated to the english department his concurrence in the principle of a reduction in the postage of british letters from twenty-four to twelve cents, providing that england would give america the lion's share of the proposed postage! the united states' government would agree to the change provided the new rate be apportioned as follows, viz.:-- united states' inland postage cents. sea rate of postage " british inland postage " the earl of elgin objected to this proposal as not equitable. he argued, with perfect truth and fairness, that each country ought to be remunerated according to the value of the service it rendered, and that, whether the inland service was considered (where the three items of collection, conveyance,[ ] and delivery must be taken into account), or the sea service (undoubtedly better worked and regulated with us than in america), this country had a fair claim to a larger share of postage than the united states. as, however, an unrestricted intercourse between the two countries was far more important than a nice adjustment in the revision of the postage, the english postmaster-general would only press for equality, and proposed the following division:-- british inland postage _d._ or cents. sea postage _d._ " " united states' inland postage _d._ " " ----- --------- _d._ cents. ----- --------- in the event of the american government not being prepared to agree, lord elgin proposed that a disinterested third party should be called in, to whom the whole matter might be amicably referred. to this communication no answer whatever was returned, and the english department had to wait until the next report of the united states post-office was published, in order to ascertain how the proposals had been received. it was found that mr. holt here complained that a reasonable offer that he had made to england had been declined there, "_and for reasons so unsatisfactory_, that for the present no disposition is felt to pursue the matter further." it is sincerely to be regretted that this great improvement, which would have been gladly hailed by thousands on both sides of the atlantic, should have been so arrested, and especially that the united states' government should have been deaf to the proposition to send the matter to arbitrament. unquestionably, the present results, as well as the responsibility of future exertion, lies at the door of the united states; and it is to be hoped that, in justice to the thousands whom the americans have eagerly invited to populate their country--not to mention other considerations--they will soon renew their efforts to obtain the boon of a sixpenny postage, and be prepared to meet the mother-country on reasonable grounds with equal terms. the postal service with ireland being considered deficient, so much so, that frequent mention was made of the subject in the house of commons, a new and special service was brought into operation on the st of october, . night and day mail-trains have, on and from that date, been run specially from euston square station to holyhead, and special mail-steamers employed, at enormous expense, to cross the channel. letter-sorting is carried on not only in the trains, but on board the packets; nearly all the post-office work, including the preparation of the letters for immediate delivery at london and dublin respectively, being accomplished on the journey between london and dublin, and _vice versâ_--a journey which is now accomplished in about twelve hours. by means of this new service, a great saving of time is also effected on the arrival and departure of most of the american and canadian mails. it cannot but be interesting to the reader who may have followed us as we have endeavoured to trace the progress of post communication in this country, to know how much is really possible under the improved facilities of our own day. a better instance could not be afforded than that occurring at the beginning of the year , when the important news on which depended peace or war was hourly expected from the united states. before the packet was due, the inspector-general of mails took steps to expedite the new irish mail service, to the greatest possible extent, in its passage from queenstown to london, and the result is so clearly and accurately given in the _times_ of the th of january, , that we cannot do better than quote the account entire:-- "the arrangements for expressing the american mails throughout from queenstown to london, which we described as being so successfully executed with the mails brought by the _africa_ last week, have been repeated with still more satisfactory results in the case of the mails brought by the _europa_. these results are so exceptional that we record them in detail. the _europa_ arrived off queenstown, about five miles from the pier, at p.m. on monday night. her mails and the despatches from lord lyons were placed on board the small tender in waiting, and arrived at the queenstown pier at . p.m., at which point they were transferred to an express steamboat for conveyance by river to cork. leaving queenstown pier at . p.m., they arrived alongside the quay at cork at . p.m. and thirteen minutes afterwards the special train left the cork station for dublin, accomplishing the journey to dublin ( miles) in four hours and three minutes, _i. e._ at a speed of about miles an hour, including stoppage. the transmission through the streets between the railway termini in dublin and by special train to kingstown occupied only thirty-six minutes, and in four minutes more the special mail-boat _ulster_ was on her way to holyhead. the distance across the irish channel, about sixty-six statute miles, was performed by the _ulster_, against a contrary tide and heavy sea, in three hours and forty-seven minutes, giving a speed of about seventeen and a half miles an hour. the special train, which had been in waiting for about forty-eight hours, left the holyhead station at . a.m., and it was from this point that the most remarkable part of this rapid express commenced. the run from holyhead to stafford, ½ miles, occupied only minutes, being at the rate of no less than fifty-four miles an hour; and although so high a speed was judiciously not attempted over the more crowded portion of the line from stafford to london, the whole distance from holyhead to euston, miles, was performed by the london and north-western company in exactly five hours, or at a speed of about - / miles an hour, a speed unparalleled over so long a line, crowded with ordinary traffic. the entire distance from queenstown pier to euston square, about miles, was thus traversed in fifteen hours and three minutes, or at an average speed of about thirty-four and a quarter miles an hour, including all delays necessary for the several transfers of the mails from boat to railway, or _vice versâ_.... by means of the invention for supplying the tender with water from a trough _in transitu_, the engine was enabled to run its first stage of ½ miles, from holyhead to stafford, without stopping." during the session of - , an act was passed through parliament for the establishment of post-office savings' banks on a plan proposed by mr. sykes, of huddersfield. in order to encourage the registration of letters containing coin or valuable articles, the registration fee was reduced, in , from _d._ to _d._ each letter. at the same time, the plan of compulsory registration of letters was revived, and applied to all letters passing through the _london office_ which contained, or were supposed to contain, coin. last year the plan was found to have been so successful in its results, that it was extended to _all inland letters_. the public may judge of the benefits and blessings of this proscriptive measure--to the officers of the post-office at any rate--when we state that the convictions for letter-stealing, since the plan was fully adopted, have been reduced more than ninety per cent. in , the pneumatic conveyance company set up a branch of their operations at the euston square station, london. the post-office took advantage of this new mode of conveyance to send the mail-bags to the north-western district office from this important railway terminus. the work is, of course, accomplished with marvellous expedition. the machinery for other localities is in course of construction, and may ultimately extend all over the metropolis, to the supercession, as far as the post-office is concerned, of the existing mail-vans. during the month of may, , a postal congress--the first of the kind--originated, we believe, by mr. rasson of the united states, assembled at the _bureau des postes_, in the rue jean jacques, paris, under the presidency of the french postmaster-general, m. vandal. the object of the congress was "the improvement of postal communication between the principal commercial nations of the world." as we find that the little republic of ecuador was represented, the postal affairs of _little_ kingdoms were also not overlooked. each civilized nation was asked to send a delegate, and all the most important states responded. mr. frederic hill, brother of sir rowland hill, and assistant secretary, was the english representative; the president represented france; m. metzler, prussia; mr. rasson, the united states; m. hencke, hamburg, &c. &c. the prepayment of foreign letters was one of the most difficult subjects discussed. the congress came to the conclusion that it would be best to leave it optional with the writer of the letter whether the postage should be paid to its destination, or paid on receipt; in the latter case, however, it was thought desirable that a moderate additional postage should be charged. another important matter was settled in a conclusive manner. it was first decided that the postage of foreign letters should be regulated by weight: it then became highly necessary, in order to the carrying out of this decision, that the postage should be calculated by a common standard; hence the following resolution, which was agreed to--"the metrical decimal system, being of all systems of weighing that which is best suited to the requirements of the postal service, it is expedient to adopt it for the international postal relations, to the exclusion of every other system." other subjects of lesser importance, such as the route of foreign letters, the division of postage rates, the transmission of coin in letters (which they agreed to allow), were discussed very fully and, we are assured, very amicably. the congress seems to have arrived at a good understanding of the principles of postal reciprocity, and good will doubtless be the result. the postal congress of last year was a peace congress of the most efficient kind, and in every sense of the term. within the last ten years the facilities offered to letter-writers by the post-office have materially increased. four thousand additional persons have had to be employed in the service, one half, at least, of whom are engaged on account of the facilities and improvements in question, whilst the remainder may be said to have been required by the gradual increase of work in the establishment. the establishment of mid-day mails, increasing the number of daily deliveries in almost every provincial town; the acceleration of night-mails, allowing more time for posting in some places, and earlier deliveries in all; the increase in the number of village posts, to the extent of between three and four hundred every year; the gradual extension of free deliveries; the establishment of pillar letter-boxes as receptacles for letters; reductions in the rate of foreign and colonial letters, and also in the registration fee for home letters; the division of london, and to some extent other large towns, like liverpool, into districts; and above all, the establishment of thousands of new savings' banks on safe principles, in connexion with improved money-order offices; are some of the principal advantages and facilities to which we refer. the past ten years have been years of great, gradual, and unexampled improvement. nor is there anything but progress and advancement in prospect. the fact is, that the post-office is capable of infinite extension and growth: besides it belongs to the nation, and the people will expect the development of the utmost of its utilities. at the present time the experiment is being tried whether, without impairing its efficiency or the performance of its more proper business, the post-office can undertake the distribution of stamps; and it is not impossible, considering that it has at its command an organization which penetrates the entire kingdom, as no other private or public institution does, that the stamp department may be transferred to the control of the postmaster-general. further, there is no doubt but that mr. gladstone's bill, if passed through parliament, "to amend the law relating to government annuities," will have a most important effect upon the post-office institution.[ ] it is true that under the savings' bank act any person may purchase a deferred annuity through the post-office, only the clause making it necessary to pay the purchase-money in one sum has a direct deterrent effect upon the measure. the provisions of the new bill, on the contrary, allow the purchase-money to be paid in even weekly instalments. equally important is the second part of the bill, which empowers the government to assure a person's life for _l._ it is proposed to draft all this extra business on to the post-office establishment, and no interest, except the insurance company interest, is likely to say nay. until assurance or other companies can appoint agents, and open out offices in every town and village, the government is likely to have a monopoly of any business it chooses to undertake. footnotes: [ ] _life of sir james graham._ by mr. t. maccullagh torrens, vol. ii. [ ] postmaster-general's _first report_, p. . [ ] so late as the year , a letter posted at any london receiving-house after _two_ in the afternoon was not delivered at islington until the next morning.--postmaster-general's _second report_. [ ] see address by the late mr. robert stephenson on his election to the presidency of the institution of civil engineers in , given in the appendix to the larger edition of mr. smiles' _life of george stephenson_, and also a reply to it from the inspector-general of mails.--postmaster-general's _second report_, pp. - . [ ] appendix to postmaster-general's _second report_, p. . [ ] _fifth report_, appendix, pp. - . [ ] during the progress of one of these negotiations the following memorandum, written by mr. bancroft, american minister, is so characteristic of his people that we are tempted to amuse our readers with its reproduction entire.--postmaster-general's _first report_, appendix, p. . "approved as far as 'the rate for sea.' what follows is superfluous and objectionable. make your rates (england) to your colonies and possessions, and foreign countries, what you please, high or low, one sea-rate or a dozen, or none at all; one inland rate or a dozen, or none at all. what your people pay we are willing to pay, but not more, and _vice versâ_. our security is, that we pay what your people pay from the same place for the same benefit, and _vice versâ_." [ ] in america letters are certainly carried much greater distances, at the uniform charge of three cents, than with us for a penny; but it must be borne in mind that there are no official deliveries of letters in the united states. [ ] it is possible that this useful measure may be delayed. however it is, the post-office machinery is ready for this incidental application, and it is surely thrifty to make the most of available resources, though they may have been originally provided for very different purposes. part ii. descriptive account of the post-office. "it has often struck me that some pains should be taken to make the main features of the post-office system intelligible to the people."--_speech of mr. rowland hill at liverpool_, . prefatory. it is scarcely possible to over-estimate the importance of the postal regulations of this country. every section of society, and, to some extent, every individual, participates in the benefits--commercial, social, and moral--bestowed by our cheap post-office. it is not our purpose here to urge the value and utility of the post-office institution--which most of our readers gratefully admit--but rather to furnish some general information relative to the organization and ordinary working of the department, sensible that an intelligible account of the principal features in the system will increase the interest already felt in the post-office, as a mighty engine spreading the influences of commerce, education, and religion throughout the world. the postmaster-general for , in starting an annual report of the post-office, stated that "many misapprehensions and complaints arise from an imperfect knowledge of matters which might, without any inconvenience, be placed before the public;" and also, "that the publicity thus given will be an advantage to the department itself, and will have a good effect upon the working of many of its branches." endeavouring to exclude all matter that is purely technical, and presenting the reader with no more statistical information than is necessary to a proper understanding of the subject, and only premising that this information--for the correctness of which we are alone responsible--has been carefully collated from a mass of official documents not easily accessible, and others presented to the public from time to time, we will first describe-- chapter i. the organization of the post-office. the post-office being a branch of the public service, instituted by statute, is, of course, under the control of the government of the country in every respect. the principal acts of parliament which now regulate the post-office are those of vict. c. - , entitled "an act to repeal the several laws relating to the post-office;" "an act for the management of the post-office;" "an act for consolidating the laws relative to offences against the post-office;" one to which we have previously referred, vict. c. , "an act to provide for the conveyance of mails by railway;" & vict. c. , "an act for the regulation of the duties of postage." besides these more important acts, there are others of later date relating to the money-order office, colonial posts, and, more recently, one relating to the post-office savings' banks. according to the latest returns,[ ] there are , post-offices in the united kingdom, of which are head-offices, and , sub-offices. to these must be added a great number of road letter-boxes, making a total of , public receptacles for letters, or more by , than the total number before penny postage. the total number of letters passing through the post-office during the year was , , , or, in the proportion of letters to population, no less than to each person in the three kingdoms. as contrasted with the last year of dear postage, the number of letters show an _eightfold_ increase. the distance over which the mails travel with this enormous amount of correspondence, in the united kingdom alone, is nearly , miles per day. of the mails conveyed by railway, a distance of , miles is accomplished every working-day; , miles per diem are traversed on foot; and the rest are carried by mail-coaches, mail-carts, and steamboats. the gross revenue of the post-office for the year was, in round numbers, , , _l._, being more by nearly a quarter of a million sterling than the proceeds for the year . of this enormous total, england contributed upwards of , , _l._, the remainder having been raised from ireland and scotland. to this sum should be added a further item of , _l._ for the impressed stamp on newspapers sent through the post, the charges for which are collected by the commissioners of inland revenue. the actual expenditure of the department, including the expenses of mail-packets (great part of which appertain to the admiralty), amounted, in round numbers, to , , _l._ the amount of all the items belonging exclusively to post-office charges is, however, less than two and a quarter millions. the net revenue of the post-office for may, therefore, be stated at , , _l._; or, counting the whole of the packet expenses--which mode of reckoning, however, would lead to erroneous notions of the financial success of penny postage--to a clear revenue of , _l._ at the end of , the staff of officers employed in the british post-office numbered , . of this number , were engaged in the british isles, in foreign countries (as agents collecting the british share of foreign postage), and in the colonies.[ ] of the _employés_ at home, between , and , are attached to the london office alone, while the remainder, including more than , postmasters, belong to the establishments in the various towns and villages of the united kingdom. the entire staff is under the immediate control of the postmaster-general, assisted by the general secretary of the post-office in london. the service of the three kingdoms, notwithstanding this direct control, is managed in the respective capitals, at each of which there is a chief office, with a secretarial and other departmental staffs.[ ] _the postmaster-general_, the highest controlling authority at the post-office representing the executive, is now always a peer of the realm, a member of the privy council, and generally, though not necessarily, a cabinet minister. of course he changes with the government. as we have seen in the origin of the office, he holds his appointment by patent granted under the great seal. the postmaster-general has in his gift all the postmasterships in england and wales where the salary is not less than _l._ per annum (all under that sum being in the gift of the treasury lords), and to those in ireland and scotland where the salary is _l._ and upwards. besides this amount of patronage, now dispensed to officers already in the service, he has the power of nomination to all vacancies in the general post-offices of london, edinburgh, and dublin.[ ] the following noblemen have occupied the position of postmaster-general during the last forty years, or since the joint postmaster-generalship was abolished in ,[ ] viz. earl of chichester ( ), lord frederick montague ( ), duke of manchester ( ), duke of richmond ( ), appointed postmaster-general of great britain and ireland the year after; marquis of conyngham (july, ), lord maryborough (december, ), marquis of conyngham again (may, ), earl of lichfield (june, ), viscount lowther (september, ), earl st. germains (june, ), marquis of clanricarde (july, ). still more recently, we find the earl of hardwicke, viscount canning, duke of argyll (twice), lord colchester, the earl of elgin, and lord stanley of alderley. _the secretary of the post-office_ holds the highest fixed appointment in the establishment, and may be regarded, therefore, as the responsible adviser of the postmaster-general. the principal secretaries during the century have been francis freeling, esq. ( ), created a baronet in ; lieut.-colonel william leader maberly ( ); rowland hill, esq. ( ), knighted in ; and, as at present, john tilley, esq. ( ).[ ] the chief office in london is divided into six principal departments, each under the charge of a chief officer. these heads of departments are severally responsible to the postmaster-general for the efficiency and discipline of their respective branches. something like the same arrangement, though on a much smaller scale, is preserved in the less-important chief offices of edinburgh and dublin. the branches in question consist of--( ) the secretary's office; ( ) the solicitor's office; ( ) the mail office; ( ) the receiver and accountant-general's office; ( ) the money-order office; and ( ) the circulation office. . _the secretary's office_ exercises a general _surveillance_ over all the other departments of the post-office, including, of course, all provincial offices. it is the medium of communication with the lords of the treasury, and also with the public. all important matters originating in other branches, or in country offices, pass through this office to the postmaster-general, returning through the same channel. in , the secretaries of the post-office had one clerk and two supernumerary clerks assigned to them. now, the three secretaries are assisted in their duties by one chief clerk, one principal clerk for foreign and colonial business, sixteen senior clerks, and thirty-eight clerks in other two classes. there is also a force of nineteen supplementary clerks, five official paper-keepers, and nineteen messengers.[ ] . _the solicitor's office_, as its name implies, deals with the law business of the post-office. it gives employment to a solicitor, an assistant-solicitor, and four clerks. . _the mail office_ has to do with all matters connected with the transmission of mails, whether the conveyance be by railroad, water, or stage-coach. attached to this office are the travelling post-offices of the country, which are under its exclusive management. the mail office arranges with the different railway companies for the conveyance of the mails, in the contracts for which are included provision for the employment of post-offices fitted up in railway-carriages; it also looks to the proper performance of each post-office contract embracing mail-conveyance. the staff of the mail office comprises an inspector-general of mails, a deputy inspector-general, two principal clerks, and twenty-one clerks in three classes. the connexion between the mail office in london and its important adjuncts, the travelling post-offices, is kept up by a staff of five inspectors of mails (three employed in england, one in scotland, and one in ireland), a supervisor of mail-bag apparatus, and several subordinate officers. the travelling offices employ a force of clerks in three classes, and sorters in four classes. . _the receiver and accountant-general's office_ takes account of the money of each department, remittances being received here from all the other branches and each provincial town in england. general accounts of revenue and expenditure are also kept, this office being charged with the examination of the postage and revenue accounts of each postmaster. all salaries, pensions, and items of current expenditure are also paid through this office. in , the duties of these offices, then distinct, were performed by a receiver, an accountant, and four clerks. now, the appointments comprise the receiver and accountant-general, a chief examiner, a chief cashier, a principal book-keeper, with forty-seven clerks in three classes, and nine messengers. . _the money-order office_, occupying a separate building in aldersgate street, takes charge of the whole of the money-order business of the country, in addition to doing an enormous amount of work as a money-order office for the metropolis. of course, everything relating to this particular branch of post-office business, and also some part of the savings' bank accounts, pass through this channel. each provincial postmaster sends a daily account of his transactions to this office. attached to the money-order office, we find a controller, a chief clerk, an examiner, a book-keeper, clerks in three classes, and messengers. . _the circulation office_ in london manages the ordinary post-office work of the metropolis. in it, or from it, all the letters, newspapers, and book-packets posted at, or arriving in, london, are sorted, despatched, and delivered. not only so; but in this office nearly all the continental, and most part of the other foreign mails for the whole of the british islands, are received, sorted, and despatched. under ordinary circumstances, moreover, british letters for a great number of places are sent in transit through london, where it is requisite they should be rearranged and forwarded. this daily herculean labour is performed by the clerks, sorters, and letter-carriers attached to the department. the ten district-offices in london, engaged with the same kind of work on a small scale, are subordinate to the circulation office at st. martin's-le-grand. the registered letter branch, employing no less than fifty clerks, and the returned letter branch, with the office for blind letters, are parts of the circulation department. the _major_ branch of the circulation office comprises the controller, a vice-controller, deputy-controllers, and clerks in three classes. the _minor_ establishment, as it is called, employs no fewer than , persons. in this force are included inspectors of letter-carriers in three classes; the rest, being composed of sorters, stampers, letter-carriers, and messengers. to these six principal departments may now be added that for the management of the new _post-office savings' banks_. like the money-order office, it occupies a separate building, in st. paul's churchyard. the savings' bank department keeps a personal account with every depositor. it acknowledges the receipt of every single deposit, and upon the requisite notice being furnished to the office, it sends out warrants authorizing postmasters to pay withdrawals. each year the savings' bank-book of each depositor is sent here for examination, and at the same time the interest accruing is calculated and allowed. the correspondence with postmasters and the public on any subject connected with the banks in question is managed entirely by this department. the already-existing machinery of the post-office has been freely called into operation, and the business of the new banks has increased the work of almost all the other branches, especially those of the receiver and accountant-general's and the money-order offices. through the former all the investments are received, and all remittances to postmasters for the repayment of deposits are made; while the surplus revenue goes from that office direct to that of the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt. again, and as another instance of our meaning, the money-order office is required to undertake the examination of the general savings' bank account of each provincial postmaster. the staff of the savings' bank office in london is not yet complete, nor will it be until the complete effect of the new on the old savings' bank system be seen.[ ] at present, it comprises a controller, an assistant-controller, a principal clerk, ten first-class clerks (four of upper and six of lower section), fifteen second-class clerks, with a number of third-class clerks, and six messengers. the branches of minor importance and the miscellaneous officers of the london establishment, consist of a _medical department_, comprising one medical officer, one assistant medical officer, and one messenger. there are, besides, distinct medical officers attached to each of the london districts. the amount required for this service for - , including medicine (given gratuitously to all officers who are not in receipt of _l._ salary), is , _l._ _a house-keeper's department_, including a housekeeper and sixteen female servants, requiring a yearly payment of _l._ six engineers, ten constables, and six firemen are also constantly employed and paid by the post-office. when we add to this gigantic organization no less than letter-receivers in london, who receive from _l._ to _l._ a-year for partial service, the reader will have a tolerably correct idea of the establishment required to compass the amount of london postal business in the twenty-fourth year of penny postage.[ ] _the surveyor's department_ is the connecting medium between the metropolitan offices and the post-offices in provincial towns. the postmasters of the latter are under the immediate supervision of the surveyor of the district in which the towns are situate, and it is to this superior officer that they are primarily responsible for the efficient working and discipline of their respective staff of officers. among the many responsible duties of the surveyors, may be mentioned[ ] those of visiting periodically each office in their district, to remedy, where they can, all defects in the working of the postal system; to remove, when possible, all just grounds of complaint on the part of the public; "to give to the correspondence of their district increased celerity, regularity, and security" when opportunity offers, and to arrange for contracts with these objects. the act of queen anne provided for the appointment of one surveyor to the post-office, whose duties it should be to make proper surveys of post-roads. little more than a hundred years ago, one of these functionaries was sufficient to compass the duty of surveyor in england. there are now thirteen surveyors in the united kingdom,[ ] nine of whom are located in england, two in ireland, and two in scotland. these principal officers are assisted in their duties by thirty-two "surveyors' clerks," arranged in two classes, and thirteen stationary clerks. to this staff must also be added thirty-three "clerks in charge," in two classes, who are under the direction of the surveyors, and whose principal duty consists in supplying temporarily the position of postmaster, in case of vacancies occurring through deaths, removals, &c. there are, in all, head provincial establishments in england and wales, in ireland, and in scotland. they vary exceedingly, no two being exactly alike, but are settled in each town pretty much in proportion to the demands of the place, its size, trade, &c. sometimes, however, the _position_ of a town--the centre of a district, for instance--gives it more importance in an official sense than it would otherwise acquire from other and ordinary circumstances. the number of sub-offices attached to each town also varies greatly, according to the position of the head-office.[ ] next to the three chief offices, the largest establishments are those of liverpool, manchester, glasgow, birmingham, and bristol. among the most important offices of the second class, we may enumerate aberdeen, bath, belfast, cork, exeter, leeds, hull, newcastle-on-tyne, norwich, sheffield, southampton, and york.[ ] with respect to the rest, classification would be difficult; the postmasters receiving salaries ranging from _l._ to _l._ per annum, and varying from those where the whole of the duty of the office is performed by the postmaster himself, to others where he is assisted by a large staff of clerks and other auxiliaries.[ ] each head-postmaster is directly responsible for the full efficiency and proper management of his office. under the approval of the district surveyor, the sanction of the postmaster-general, and the favourable report of the civil service commissioners, the postmaster is allowed to appoint nearly the whole of his own officers, he being responsible to the authorities for their proper discipline and good conduct. formerly, and up to as late as eight years ago, each postmaster rendered an account of his transactions to the chief office quarterly. he now furnishes weekly general accounts, and daily accounts of money-order business, besides keeping his book open to the inspection of the superior officers of the post-office.[ ] footnotes: [ ] postmaster-general's _reports_, , , and _revenue estimates_ for - , from which the whole of our statistics are derived. [ ] the colonial post-offices proper are not under the rule of the english postmaster-general. all appointments to these offices are made by the colonial secretary, if the salary is over _l._; if under that sum, by the governors of the different colonies. [ ] an attempt was made at further centralization a few years ago, when it was proposed to reduce the chief offices of edinburgh and dublin to the position of offices in other large towns, a measure which had the effect of rousing the people of the sister-countries to arms. the commissioners of post-office inquiry who sat in reported against the proposal, considering the present system to possess advantages to the public over those accruing from the suggested change. [ ] for information relative to the necessary qualifications, examinations, &c. of candidates for appointment in the metropolitan or provincial offices, see appendix (c). [ ] the following list of postmasters-general before this period, taken from a return made to the house of commons, march , , may not be uninteresting to some of our readers. after sir brian tuke, the first "master of the postes," we find his successors to have been sir william paget, one of henry viii.'s chief secretaries of state, and john mason, esq. "secretary for the french tongue." "the fees or wages" of each of these functionaries are given at _l._ _s._ _d._ a-year. the reader will be familiar with the postmasters-general under elizabeth, james i., charles i. and the commonwealth. coming to the reign of charles ii. we find philip froude, esq. acting for the duke of york from to . william and mary. sir robert cotton; thomas frankland, esq. - queen anne. sir thomas frankland; sir john evelyn - george i. lord cornwallis; james craggs, esq. - edward carteret, esq.; galfridus walpole - george ii. edward carteret, esq.; lord thomas lovel - sir john eyles; lord lovel - lord lovel alone (now earl of leicester) - earl of besborough george iii. earl of egmont; hon. r. hampden lord hyde; hon. r. hampden earl of besborough; lord grantham earl of sandwich; lord de spencer viscount barrington; hon. henry carteret earl of tankerville; hon. h. carteret lord carteret; lord walsingham lord walsingham; earl of chesterfield earl of chesterfield; earl of leicester earl of leicester; lord auckland lord auckland; lord charles spencer lord spencer; duke of montrose earl of buckinghamshire; earl of carysfort earl of chichester alone earl of chichester; marquis of salisbury when the earl of salisbury died in , a successor was not appointed, the joint office being abolished, principally through the exertions of the late marquis of normanby. [ ] see appendix (a). [ ] for further information respecting this and all the other metropolitan offices, see appendix (d). extracts from the revenue estimates of - . [ ] the closing of the birmingham old savings' bank, for example, must have greatly increased the work of the central office, and this will follow as a consequence if in other large towns the example of birmingham be followed. [ ] large as this staff undoubtedly is, it would have been larger but for timely changes in the system of keeping accounts. in the civil service commission suggested various improvements in the organization, which resulted in a decrease of officers attached to some of the branches. [ ] postmaster general's _second report_. [ ] see appendix (a). [ ] _head-office_ is the official term given to the independent post-towns, and such as are only subordinate to one of the three metropolitan offices. _sub-offices_ are, of course, under the head-offices. _receiving-offices_, at which letters are received, but not delivered, are also under the authority of the head-office of the neighbourhood. those post-offices at which money-orders are issued and paid are designated _money-order offices_, and include all the head-offices and a large number of sub-offices, and a few receiving-offices. _packet-offices_ are those at which the regular mail-packets (ship-letters may be received or despatched. at any port) are received and from which they are despatched. london and southampton are packet-offices for the continental mails, the east and west indies, and south america. liverpool, and queenstown take the united states and canada. the mail-packets for the cape of good hope and the west coast of africa sail to and from devonport. [ ] for further information respecting these offices, see appendix (d), _revenue estimates_; also, for a statement of the amount of postage collected in our largest towns, see appendix (e). [ ] the staff of the largest provincial offices usually consists of clerks, sorters, stampers, messengers, letter-carriers, and rural post-messengers. the _clerks_ are now principally engaged on clerical duties, attending to the public on money-order business, &c. or in connexion with registered letters or unpaid-letter accounts. in offices where the staff is smaller, the clerks also engage in sorting and despatching letters. in many small country towns females are employed as clerks. the _sorters_ are principally engaged in sorting duties. _stampers_ and _messengers_ do duties such as their designations denote. _letter-carriers_--the familiar "postmen" of every household--are almost exclusively engaged in delivering letters, &c. from door to door. _auxiliary letter-carriers_ are those only partially so employed, principally on the largest, or early morning delivery. _rural post-messengers_ is the official name for "country postmen," who make daily journeys among the villages and hamlets surrounding each town, delivering and taking up letters on their way. [ ] for fuller information on this head, see appendix, to the postmaster-general's _first report_, pp. - . the following forms part of a later document (_ninth report_, - ), and is interesting enough to be quoted entire: "owing to the successful measures which the department has adopted by means of bonds, frequent supervision, and care in the selection of persons admitted into the service, and afterwards promoted therein, very few losses have occurred, of late years at least, through defalcation. more than twenty years ago, however, a postmaster who owed the office , _l._ but who had given security for only a part of that sum, absconded, leaving an unpaid debt of upwards of , _l._ the recovery of the debt had long been considered hopeless, but a short time ago a letter was unexpectedly received from the postmaster's son enclosing a remittance in payment of part of his father's debt, and expressing a hope that after a time he should be able to pay the remainder--a hope which was soon realized, every farthing of the debt having now been discharged, in a manner most creditable to the gentleman concerned." chapter ii. on the circulation of letters. in order to give the reader a proper idea of the channel through which ordinary correspondence flows--the circulation of letters in the post-office system--it will be necessary to devote a long chapter to the subject. we therefore propose to post an imaginary letter in the metropolis for a village in the far away north, following it from its place of posting till we finally see it deposited in the hands of the person to whom it is addressed. the general post-office. the general post-office, the great heart of the english postal system, is a fine and, now that so many district offices are opened in london, very convenient building. on the ground-floor the different offices attached to the circulation and mail departments are located. upstairs we find the secretary's department, that of the receiver and accountant-general, and other branches of the circulation office. approaching the large hall of the general post-office, through one of the three-columned porticoes, we post our letter, and as it is now nearly six o'clock p.m. we stand aside, for a few minutes only, to witness one of the most stirring scenes in the metropolis. throughout the day, one side of the hall presents a busy enough scene, and its boxes, open for the receipt of correspondence for all parts of the world, are constantly beset with people. not only do these huge slits still gape for letters, but the large windows, closed through the day, are thrown wide open as a quarter to six chimes from the neighbouring clocks. it is then that an impetuous crowd enters the hall, and letters and newspapers begin to fall in quite a literary hail-storm. the newspaper window, ever yawning for more, is presently surrounded and besieged by an array of boys of all ages and costumes, together with children of a larger growth, who are all alike pushing, heaving, and surging in one great mass. the window, with tremendous gape, is assaulted with showers of papers which fly thicker and faster than the driven snow. now it is that small boys of eleven and twelve years of age, panting, sinbad-like, under the weight of huge bundles of newspapers, manage somehow to dart about and make rapid _sorties_ into other ranks of boys, utterly disregarding the cries of the official policemen, who vainly endeavour to reduce the tumult into something like post-office order. if the lads cannot quietly and easily disembogue, they will whiz their missiles of intelligence over other people's heads, now and then sweeping off hats and caps with the force of shot. the gathering every moment increases in number and intensifies in purpose; arms, legs, sacks, baskets, heads, bundles, and woollen comforters--for whoever saw a veritable newspaper-boy without that appendage?--seem to be getting into a state of confusion and disagreeable communism, and "yet the cry is still they come." heaps of papers of widely-opposed political views are thrown in together; no longer placed carefully in the openings, they are now sent in in sackfuls and basketfuls, while over the heads of the surging crowd were flying back the empty sacks, thrown out of the office by the porters inside. semi-official legends, with a very strong smack of probability about them, tell of sundry boys being thrown in, seized, emptied, and thrown out again _void_. as six o'clock approaches still nearer and nearer, the turmoil increases more perceptibly, for the intelligent british public is fully alive to the awful truth that the post-office officials never allow a minute of grace, and that "newspaper fair" must be over when the last stroke of six is heard. _one_, in rush files of laggard boys who have purposely loitered, in the hope of a little pleasurable excitement; _two_, and grown men hurry in with their last sacks; _three_, the struggle resembles nothing so much as a pantomimic _mêlée_; _four_, a babel of tongues vociferating desperately; _five_, final and furious showers of papers, sacks, and bags; and _six_, when all the windows fall like so many swords of damocles, and the slits close with such a sudden and simultaneous snap, that we naturally suppose it to be a part of the post-office operations that attempts should be made to guillotine a score of hands; and then all is over so far as the outsiders are concerned. among the letter-boxes, scenes somewhat similar have been enacted. letters of every shape and colour, and of all weights have unceasingly poured in; tidings of life and death, hope and despair, success and failure, triumph and defeat, joy and sorrow; letters from friends and notes from lawyers, appeals from children and stern advice from parents, offers from anxious-hearted young gentlemen, and "first yesses" or refusals from young maidens; letters containing that snug appointment so long promised you, and "little bills" with requests for immediate payment, "together with six-and-eightpence;" cream-coloured missives telling of happy consummations, and black-edged envelopes telling of death and the grave; sober-looking advice notes, doubtless telling when "our mr. puffwell" would do himself the honour of calling on you, and elegant-looking billets in which business is never mentioned, all jostled each other for a short time; but the stream of gladness and of woe was stopped, at least for one night, when the last stroke of six was heard. the post-office, like a huge monster, to which one writer has likened it, has swallowed an enormous meal, and gorged to the full, it must now commence the process of digestion. while laggard boys, to whom cartoons by one "william hogarth" should be shown, are muttering "too late," and retiring discomfited, we, having obtained the requisite "open sesame," will make our way to the interior of the building. threading our course through several passages, we soon find ourselves among enormous apartments well lit up, where hundreds of human beings are moving about, lifting, shuffling, stamping, and sorting huge piles of letters, and still more enormous piles of newspapers, in what seems at first sight hopeless confusion, but in what is really the most admirable order. in the newspaper-room, men have been engaged not only in emptying the sacks flung in by strong-armed men and weak-legged boys, but also in raking up the single papers into large baskets, and conveying them up and down "hoists," into various divisions of the building. some estimate of the value of these mechanical appliances, moved of course by steam power, may be formed from the fact that hundreds of tons of paper pass up and down these lifts every week. as many of the newspapers escape from their covers in the excitement of posting, each night two or three officers are busily engaged during the whole time of despatch, in endeavouring to restore wrappers to newspapers found without any address. great as is the care exercised in this respect, it will occasionally happen that wrong newspapers will find their way into loose wrappers not belonging to them, and under the circumstances it would be by no means a matter of wonder if--as has been more than once pointed out--mr. bright should, instead of his _morning star_, receive a copy of the _saturday review_, or an evangelical curate the _guardian_ or _punch_, in place of his _record_ paper. in the letter-room the officers are no less busily engaged: a number of them are constantly at work during the hours of the despatch, in the operation of placing each letter with the address and postage label uppermost, so as to facilitate the process of stamping. in the general post-office the stamping is partly effected by machinery and partly by hand, and consists simply in imprinting upon each letter the date, hour, and place of posting, while at the same time the queen's head with which the letter is ornamented and franked gets disfigured.[ ] it will easily be imagined that a letter containing a box of pills stands a very good chance of being damaged under this manipulation, as a good stamper will strike about fifty letters in a minute. unpaid letters are kept apart, as they require stamping in a different coloured ink and with the double postage. such letters create much extra labour, and are a source of incessant trouble to the department, inasmuch as from the time of their posting in london to their delivery at the land's end or john o'groat's, every officer through whose hands they may pass has to keep a cash account of them. the double postage on such letters is more than earned by the post-office. all unfastened and torn letters, too, are picked out and conveyed to another portion of the large room, and it requires the unremitting attention of several busy individuals to finish the work left undone by the british public. it is scarcely credible that above letters daily are posted _open_, and bearing not the slightest mark of ever having been fastened in any way; but such is the fact. a fruitful source of extra work to this branch of the office arises through the posting of flimsy boxes containing feathers, slippers, and other _récherché_ articles of female dress, pill-boxes containing jewellery, and even bottles. the latter, however, are detained, glass articles and sharp instruments of any sort, whenever detected, being returned to the senders. these frail things, thrown in and buried under the heaps of correspondence, get crushed and broken, yet all are made up again carefully and resealed. when the letters have been stamped, and those insufficiently paid picked out, they are carried away to undergo the process of sorting. in this operation they are very rapidly divided into "roads," representing a line of large towns: thus, letters for derby, loughborough, nottingham, lincoln, &c. might be placed in companionship in one division or "road," and bilston, wednesbury, walsall, west bromwich, &c. in another. when this primary divisional sorting is finished, the letters are divided and subdivided over and over again, with the exception of those for the various travelling sorting-carriages upon the different lines of railway, which remain in divisions corresponding with various portions of the country through which the several mail-trains run. it is into one of these divisions that our own letter falls, to be seen again, however, when we come to describe the travelling post-offices. during the time occupied in making up the mails, the circulation branch of the general post-office presents a busy scene, yet retains the utmost order and regularity. hundreds of men are engaged in the various operations of sorting and sub-sorting, yet all proceeds really noiselessly, and as if the hundreds and thousands of letters representing the commerce and intelligence of the english people could not be treated too carefully. every now and again the sorter pauses in his rapid movements, and places a letter on one side. in some cases this signifies that he has detected a letter containing a _coin_ of some sort; and when such letters have been posted without being registered by the sender, the department takes this duty upon itself, charging a double fee on delivery. the number of letters of this class detected in london alone during the first six months after the plan was brought into operation, was upwards of , . letters which cannot be read, or letters imperfectly addressed, are also thrown on one side and conveyed to another part of the circulation branch, where gentlemen whose extraordinary faculty of discernment have gained them the singularly inappropriate name of "blind officers" sit in state. the blind letter-office is the receptacle for all illegible, misspelt, misdirected, or insufficiently addressed letters or packets. here the clerk or clerks, selected from amongst the most efficient and experienced officers, guess at what ordinary intelligence would readily denominate insoluble riddles. large numbers of letters are posted daily with superscriptions which the sorters cannot decipher, and which the great majority of people would not be able to read. others, again, are received with perhaps only the name of some small village, the writers thinking it a work of supererogation to add some neighbouring town, or even a county. numberless, for instance, are the letters bearing such addresses as "john smith, gardener, flowerdale," or "throgmorton hall, worcestershire." circulars, by the thousand, are posted in london and other large towns without hesitancy, and with the greatest confidence in the "final perseverance" principle of the post-office people, with addresses not more explicit than the foregoing. many country gentlemen would seem to cherish the idea that the names of their mansions should be known equally far and near from their manorial acres, and somehow they seem to inoculate their correspondents with the same absurd notion. if, however, it be possible to reduce the hieroglyphics on some strange letter to ordinary every-day english, or find, from diligent search in his library of reference, information relative to imperfectly-addressed letters (information which might have been given much more easily by the senders), our readers may be sure that the cunning gentleman of the blind office, justly known for his patience and sagacity, will do it, unless, indeed, the letter be "stone blind," or hopelessly incomplete. as a genuine example of stone-blind letters, take the following, the first of a batch which has been known to pass through the blind-room of the general post-office:-- +-----------------------------------+ | | | uncle john | | | | hopposite the church | | | | london. hingland | | | +-----------------------------------+ it would certainly have been a wonderful triumph of skill to have put this letter in a fair way for delivery: for once the blind officer would acknowledge himself beaten; and then the dead letter officers would endeavour to find "uncle john's" _relative_, intimating to the said relative that greater explicitness is needed if "uncle john" must be found. but they manage better with the next letter in the batch. +--------------------------+ | | | coneyach lunentick | | | | a siliam | | | +--------------------------+ is part of the address of a letter which the sorter no doubt threw away from him with some impatience. the blind officer, however, reads it instantly, strikes his pen, perhaps, through the address, and writes on the envelope, "colney hatch lunatic asylum," and passes it out for delivery. +-------------------------+ | | | | | obern yenen | | | | | +-------------------------+ is seen in an instant to be meant for "holborn union." "isle of wight" is, in like manner, written on a letter improperly addressed as follows:-- +-------------------------------+ | | | ann m---- | | | | oileywhite | | | | amshire | | | +-------------------------------+ the probability is that the last-mentioned letter will come back to the dead letter-office, on account of no town being given in the address; still, the usual course is to send it out to the local district designated, there being always the possibility that certain individuals may be locally known. "_ashby-de-la-zouch_" is a town to spell which gives infinite trouble to letter-writers; but the post-office official is especially lenient and patient in cases of this kind. there are fifty different ways of spelling the name, and few letters, except those of the better classes, give it rightly spelt. "hasbedellar-such" is the ordinary spelling among the poor living at a distance. +---------------------------------------+ | | | ash bedles in such | | | | for john horsel, grinder | | | | in the county of lestysheer | | | +---------------------------------------+ is a copy of a veritable address meant for the above town. the blind letter officers of an earlier date succumbed before the following letter:-- +-------------------------------------------+ | | | for mister willy wot brinds de baber | | | | in lang-gaster ware te gal is | | | +-------------------------------------------+ but the dead letter officers were enabled from the contents to make out that it was meant for the editor of a lancaster paper, "where the gaol is." the communication enclosed was an essay written by a foreigner against public schools! the blind officers are supplied with all the principal london and provincial directories, court guides, gazetteers, &c.; and by the help of this, their library of reference, added to their own experience and intelligence, they are generally able to put again into circulation without the necessity of opening them, five out of six of all the letters which are handed over to them. the addresses of some letters are at once seen to be the result of mistake on the part of senders. letters addressed "lombard street, manchester," "st. paul's churchyard, liverpool," both obviously intended for london, are sent out for trial by the letter-carriers at what are believed to be their real destinations. (see _ninth report_.) letters, again, for persons of rank and eminence, dignitaries of the church, prominent officers of the army or navy, whose correct addresses are known, or can be ascertained, are immediately sent out for delivery to their right destination, however erroneously directed, without question or examination of contents. the following strange letters, meant for the eye of royalty, would not be impeded in their progress in any way:-- +----------------------------+ | | | keen vic tory at | | | | winer casel | | | +----------------------------+ and another-- +----------------------------+ | | | miss | | | | queene victoria | | | | of england | | | +----------------------------+ would go to windsor castle without fail; while the following, posted in london at the breaking-out of the polish insurrection, would find its way to st. petersburg as fast as packet could carry it:-- +----------------------------------+ | | | to the king of rusheya | | | | feoren, with speed. | | | +----------------------------------+ when the letter-carriers and the blind officers have expended all their skill upon certain letters in vain, the next step is to send them to the dead-letter office. in order that they may be returned to the writers, provided any clue can be obtained from the contents as to their whereabouts. the branch in which this work is accomplished is now a very considerable establishment, employing at least a score more clerks, &c. than in the days of the old postage. in , just a hundred years ago, the records show that two clerks only were engaged in opening "_dead and insolvent letters_." now, nearly fifty officers are employed in the same duties. nor are these duties by any means so only in name. last year considerably over two millions of letters were returned to their writers through the dead-letter office from failures in the attempts to deliver them. "three-quarters of the non-deliveries," says the postmaster-general, "were on account of the letters being insufficiently or incorrectly addressed, nearly , letters having been posted _without any address at all_." in every provincial post-office in england and wales a dead or returned letter-bag is now forwarded daily to london, containing all the letters which, from any cause, cannot be delivered. each letter bears on its front, written prominently in red ink, the reason of its non-delivery. thus, if the addressee cannot be found, or should have left the town, the words "cannot be found," or "gone--left no address," are written respectively. on the arrival of these bags in london, inclosed in the larger bags containing the general correspondence, they are at once passed to the "returned-letter branch," as the dead-letter office is called, where no time is lost in opening them. every letter received is first examined by an experienced and responsible officer, to make sure that it has been actually presented according to its address, and that the reasons assigned on the cover of the letter are sufficient to account for its non-delivery. in doubtful cases, before the letter is opened, the directories and other books of reference, of which there is a plentiful supply in this office, are consulted, and should it be found or thought that there has been any oversight or neglect, the letter is re-issued, with proper instructions, by the first post. about letters are thus re-issued daily, many of which ultimately reach the persons for whom they are intended. when it has been fully ascertained that nothing further can be done to effect the delivery of an imperfectly or improperly addressed letter, it only remains to have it sent back to the writer. this is done, if possible, without the letter being opened. by an arrangement of ten years' standing, if the returned letter has the writer's name and address embossed on the back of the envelope, impressed on the seal, or written or printed anywhere outside, it will not be opened, but forwarded back according to this address. we may point out here, however, that this arrangement, excellent and satisfactory as it is, has sometimes led to serious mistakes and confusion; so much so, in fact, that the postmaster-general, in his report for , appealed to the public on the subject. it would appear that the practice of using another person's embossed envelope is on the increase. when such a letter, according to the arrangement, is forwarded to the supposed writer, it has frequently fallen into the wrong hands (the master and merchant instead of the clerk or other servant), and grievous complaints have been made on the subject. the remedy, of course, lies with letter-writers themselves. if there are no outward marks to indicate the sender, the letter is then opened, and, if a suitable address can be found inside, the letter is inclosed in the well-known dead-letter envelope and forwarded according to that address. if a letter should be found to contain anything of value, such as bank-notes, drafts, postage-stamps, the precaution is taken of having a special record taken of it, and it is then sent back as a registered dead letter. money to the value of , _l._ or , _l._ is annually found in these returned letters. of this sum about _l._ per annum falls into the public exchequer, on account of no address being found inside, and no inquiry being made for the missing letters. a vast number of bank post-bills and bills of exchange are likewise found, amounting in all, and on the average, to something like , , _l._ a-year. these bills, however, as well as money-order advices, always afford some clue to the senders, even supposing no address should be given inside the letter, and inquiries are set on foot at the bankers and others whose names may be given in the paper transactions. forty thousand letters reach the english returned branch each year containing property of different kinds. many presents, such as rings, pins, brooches, never reach their destination, and are never sent back to the sender, because they are often unaccompanied with any letter. these articles, of course, become the property of the crown. postmasters of irish towns send their "dead and insolvent letters" to dublin, and the residuum of the local scotch post-towns are sent to edinburgh. in both these capitals, this particular class of letters is dealt with in exactly the same manner as in the london office. we are assured that the letters themselves, and the articles found in the scotch and irish dead letters, illustrate no little the characters, the feeling, and habits of the two people. the scotch have, comparatively speaking, the fewest dead letters; and as the writers are generally careful to give their addresses inside the letters, little trouble is said to be experienced in returning them, if it is necessary. the irish dead letters are more numerous than either the english or the scotch. this mainly arises from the circumstance of the nomadic habits of a considerable portion of the irish people: owing also to the same circumstance, it is impossible to return many of the letters to the writers. the scotch dead letters rarely contain coin or any very valuable enclosures, while of articles of jewellery, such as usually form presents or tokens of affection, we are told there is a "lamentable deficiency." the irish dead letters, on the contrary, "are full of little _cadeaux_ and small sums of money," illustrating at the same time both the careless and the affectionate nature of the people. letters which can neither be delivered nor returned through the post-office are, if found to be valuable and if posted in the united kingdom, appropriated to the public revenue after a certain time; if received for delivery from a foreign state, they are sent back to the chief office of that country for final disposition. letters posted in this country found to be of no value, are kept at the post-office for a month and then destroyed; foreign letters under the same circumstances are not destroyed for two months. and now, unless we at once return from our digression, we shall not be in time to see the great night-mail despatched from st. martin's-le-grand. whilst we have been occupied with a contemplation of the few waifs and strays of our national correspondence, the great bulk of that correspondence has been well and carefully disposed of: the letters and newspapers which we saw two hours ago as a mass of inextricable confusion, are now carefully stowed away in their respective bags, and not a letter or newspaper can be found. the hall clock is silently approaching the hour of eight, when the bags must all be sealed and ready to leave the place. at five minutes before that time, all is still bustle and activity; five minutes perhaps after that hour the establishment is nearly deserted. "everything is done on military principles to minute time." "the drill and subdivisions of duties are so perfect," adds a close observer, "that the alternations are high pressure and sudden collapse." this is the more remarkable, inasmuch as the post-office, is subject to great variations in the amount of work to be done. particular nights in the week, mondays and tuesdays for example, are known as the "heaviest," and even such events as elections, influence the labour to be performed within the same given time. during the last election for lambeth, , circulars were posted in london in one day, and properly disposed of. on the th of february last, , extra letters, or valentines, passed through the circulation office in london. compared with valentine's day , there was an increase of a quarter of a million letters! in place of the old mail-coaches waiting in the yard of the office until the work is completed inside, we have now the well-known mail-vans. as they are rapidly supplied with bags, they chase each other to the various railway stations, from which, to all points of the compass, the night-mails now depart. half an hour afterwards, we find ourselves in one of these trains watching operations not dissimilar to those we have just left, but much more wonderful, considering how they are accomplished. the travelling post-office. the travelling post-office deserves special attention, not less on account of the interesting nature of the work performed, than because it serves many important ends in the system of which it forms a part. it is to the railway post-offices that the department is indebted for much of the simplification of its accounts. at different points in a mail-coach journey, long stoppages used to be made in order that the "bye" and "forward" letters might get sorted; on the introduction of railways, it was seen that the number of bags must either be enormously increased, and other complications arise, or the railways could not to any extent be rendered available for post-office purposes. just at this juncture, it was suggested that the work might be done during the journey, and the obstacles were soon surmounted. further, by means of the travelling offices, the post-office is enabled to offer more time for the posting of letters, and not only so, but to give the public the benefit of earlier deliveries. the railway-mail service has now assumed quite gigantic proportions. twenty-six years ago, when railways were only partially used for post-office purposes, a writer predicted that they would "soon become the _ne plus ultra_ of rapidity," and that the post-office would have to take to them more and more. "in a few years," said the writer, "railways will have become so general, that scarcely a mail-coach will be left in england; certainly, none will be wanted in london." both predictions have since been verified; for the last twenty years, railways have gradually absorbed all the mail contracts,--year by year the estimates for this service showing a corresponding increase.[ ] the first railway post-office journey was made on the grand junction railway, between liverpool and birmingham, on the st of july, . when the line was completed to london, in january, , the travelling office started from the metropolis. the following curious account of the "grand northern railway post-office," as it was called, is culled from the _penny magazine_. "on the arrival of the four 'accelerators' at the euston station with the mails, the railway servants immediately carry the large sacks to a huge looking machine, with a tender attached to it, both at the end of the train. this caravan is the flying post-office, with a table for sorting letters, and holes round the walls for their reception." the carriage was certainly either an ungainly structure, or the above is a most ungainly report. "in ten minutes," continues the narrator, "the omnibuses are emptied of their contents, and the train of carriages is then _wound up_ to the station at camden town, where the engine is attached, _and the primrose hill tunnel soon prevents us hearing the thunder of their rapid progress_." the londoner of , in these days of metropolitan railways can afford to smile at this last sentence. that the change in the system of mail conveyance wrought immediate and striking improvement at the post-office does not admit of question. in a contemporary account, we find an interesting but wonder-stricken writer stating that "by means of the extra railway facilities, letters now pass along this line (london and birmingham) in a space of time so inconceivably quick, that some time must elapse before our ideas become accustomed to such a rapid mode of intercourse." we learn from different works published by mr. charles knight, that when the railways were extended farther northwards, the railway post-office was extended with them, and was formed into sections. thus, when the lines were continued north as far as lancaster, there were two divisions formed, one staff of clerks, &c. to the number of eight, working between london and birmingham, and ten between birmingham and lancaster.[ ] there were two mails each day in both directions. the distance between london and lancaster ( miles) was accomplished in eleven hours and a half. the weight of the railway post-office, tender, bags, and clerks, is stated by mr. whishaw, in his work on railways, to have been at that period about nine tons. at that time, the expense of the service was regulated by the weight carried. at present, on the great trunk line of the london and north western railway company, no fewer than eight mail-trains run daily up and down, each conveying railway post-office carriages and post-office employés. half of these trains are run specially, the number of passengers being limited. the weight of mails running over this ground must have increased fourfold at the least, inasmuch as the number of officers have been augmented in even a greater proportion. surprising as was the speed at which the first railway post-office travelled, and wonderful as it was thought at the time, one of the mail-trains now runs nearly double the distance between london and lancaster during the time which used to be taken for that ground alone. _the limited night-mail_, travelling between the euston square station in london, and perth in scotland, accomplishes the distance of miles in eleven hours and a half, or about forty miles an hour including stoppages! the railway post-office proper, is now extended over nearly every considerable line of railway in the kingdom. it comprises a number of divisions or sections, named generally from the locality through which they extend, or the railway travelled over, as the bangor and leeds division, the caledonian railway post-office. the four principal or trunk mails, three of them being divided into two sections, are ( ) the north-western railway post-office, travelling between london and carlisle; ( ) the irish mail, between london and holyhead; ( ) the great western, between london and exeter; and ( ) the midland, between bristol and newcastle-on-tyne. most of these divisions have _day_- as well as _night_-mails running over them daily. four trains a-day, being two in each direction, are therefore the usual proportion of mails on the chief lines of railway. as london is the _heart_ of the postal system, so these four principal mails may be termed its _main arteries_, while as veins in the great system, there are a number of smaller divisions of the railway post-office that have not been enumerated. again, at other parts or points not important or extensive enough for travelling offices, railway trains are arranged to wait the arrival of the trunk mails; and thus, to continue the figure, our letters--the life-blood of a nation's commerce and sociality--are conveyed to the remotest corners of the country. it may be imagined that a proper control of this vast machinery, extending through almost every county in the kingdom, with its scattered staff of officials, will be difficult; but the efficient working of the whole is nevertheless as thoroughly and promptly maintained as in any other department where personal supervision is more direct. each divisional part has distinct officers allotted to it, the number of _clerks_ being regulated according to the number of mails running over the division in the course of a day, and the number of _sorters_ according to the amount of sorting duties to be performed. each mail travels under the charge of one clerk, while each division is locally superintended by one senior clerk. the entire direction, however, of all the travelling officers is vested in the inspector-general of mails, who also presides over the mail office at st. martin's-le-grand. we may here further state, that the _length_ of the divisions--the extent of one of which forms a post-office journey or "trip"--varies slightly, averaging about miles; the average _time_ taken to perform the journeys being between five and six hours. as a rule, the night-mails travel during the night-time, or between eight p.m. and six a.m.; the day-mails generally speaking throughout the day. but we must make ready for our journey, and enter more into detail. while van after van is arriving with its heavy loads of mail-bags, we have time to notice that the train standing at the great london terminus is nearly all post-office. two or three carriages are being filled as full as possible with made-up bags, and two more, fitted up like post-offices, are simply meant for operations similar to those we have already seen at the general post-office, in connexion with the unfinished work which has now to be accomplished during the journey. it is with the remaining carriage only that we have to do. seen from the outside, the office itself may still answer to the description given of it twenty-five years ago by our authority above adverted to, although considerable improvements must have been made in its construction since that time. though the structure is built with a very evident serviceable purpose, the large, heavily-painted, windowless vehicle, looks more as if intended for the conveyance of her majesty's horses than her majesty's mails; the roof, however, covered with glass, with other contrivances for the purposes of ventilation, soon convinces us that it is intended for some description of the _genus homo_. we go inside, and find it built like an ordinary saloon carriage, about twenty-two feet long, and as wide and spacious as the railway arrangements will allow. it is night-time, the reader will remember, and the interior looks warm and cheerful with its row of bright-burning moderator lamps, and, in this respect, contrasts strongly and pleasantly, as far as we are concerned, with the dimly-lighted station, through which the cold night air is rushing. the reader who is following us in this description must abstain from imagining anything like luxury in the internal fittings. everything here is requisite for accomplishing the work in hand, but there is no provision for any kind of indulgence; and spacious as the place seems at a first glance, there is not to be found, when we come to look narrowly, a single foot of spare room. along the whole length of one side of the carriage, and encroaching materially upon its width, a number of tiers of boxes--the "holes" of our ancient authority--are arranged for the sorting processes; the smaller ones for the letters, and the larger ones in the centre of the office--more like shelves, many of them being movable--for the newspapers and all that vast variety of articles forwarded according to the rules of book-post. every available inch of space on the other side of the office is covered with upright pegs, in recesses sunk in the carriage-sides, upon which are hung the bags--now made of canvas, with the names of towns conspicuously painted upon them--to be used in the course of the journey. these recesses, as well as the two ends of the office, are well padded over, to secure additional safety to the officers in the event of any accident.[ ] under the desks or counters, which run from one end of the carriage to the other, bags are packed, to be given out as the train arrives at the respective stations. in less time, however, than it would take to read the foregoing, the mail has speeded miles away, and reached, by this time, the fox-covers and game-preserves of those hertfordshire landowners who, when the railway was projected, expressed the wish that its concoctors "were at rest in paradise!" the train possibly "thundered" through camden town as it used to do in olden times, but it would be but a momentary sensation, not to speak of the inhabitants being now quite accustomed to it. the post-office work commenced when the train left the station. the bags were quickly seized by the proper sorter, cut, and their contents turned out on the desk. then he distributes what he finds in the bags according to a pre-arranged order. the registered letters which have found their way to the office he at once transfers to the clerk on duty whose special province it is to deal with them; the bundles of ordinary letters--in one of which packets is the identical letter we ourselves posted--he hands over to his fellow-sorters, who, each standing opposite to a distinct set of boxes, labelled with the names of different towns on the route, at once sort them away. the newspapers he deals with himself. the work thus started, the scene presently becomes one of considerable animation and a pleasant-enough sort of excitement, till every bundle of letters is cut open and disposed of in the boxes. there is then a lull, but it is only temporary. it is true that the train will not stop till the county of warwickshire is reached; but the intervening country is provided for nevertheless--arrangements having been made that at all the towns we pass the exchange of letter-bags shall be effected by means of machinery whilst the train is progressing at its usual speed. the contrivance in question deserves minute description.[ ] the machinery is not worked in the post-office, but in an adjoining van. by means, however, of a substantial iron gangway, the two carriages are connected, so that we can pass easily from one to the other and see the operation itself. as we do so we are evidently nearing some town, for the sorter is at that moment engaged in peering out of the window into the darkness in search of some familiar object, such as bridge, river, or cluster of trees, by means of which he is enabled to tell his whereabouts with almost mathematical precision. whilst he is busy finding his position we will take the time to explain, that the machinery is arranged so as to secure, simultaneously in most cases, both the receipt and the despatch of bags. for the purpose of receiving bags, a large strong net is fixed to one side of the van, to be drawn down at the proper moment; and close to the door, on each side of it, securely fixed to the carriage, are hollow iron bars, inside each of which, working by means of a rope and pulley, an iron arm is fixed, upon which the bags to be delivered, securely strapped in a thick, leathern pouch, are suspended. where the exchange has to be effected at the station we are nearing, the arrangements are just the counterparts of this. a net is spread to catch each pouch from the extended arm of the carriage, and pouches are hung from iron standards in the ground of sufficient height for the net in the train. the operation itself is just commencing. the door is pushed back into the groove in which it works, and then the sorter, touching a spring that holds up the net, it is loosened from its supports, and projects over the carriage-sides; the iron arm, acting on its pulley-rope, is drawn round into the carriage, where the pouch is rapidly fastened to it by means of a catch or spring--but in such a manner that a touch from the net-apparatus at the station will bring it off--and then let down, remaining by virtue of its own weight at right angles to the door. a moment of waiting, and then all the machinery acts its assigned part properly; the pouch disappears from the arm (or arms, if the bags have been heavy enough for two to be used), and at the same moment another descends into the post-office net, and all is over and quiet as before. we mean, of course, comparative quiet, as much as is possible amid the din and endless rattle of a train speeding at the rate of forty miles an hour. we follow the sorter as he makes his way back into the post-office carriage, carrying with him the treasures we have watched him pick up by the wayside. these new arrivals disposed of in the orthodox way, and the process repeated two or three times, there is suddenly a movement among the officers as they busy themselves in collecting from the different boxes all the letters that have been received from first to last for the bags about to be despatched at the approaching town--the first junction station. the letters in question are examined to test the correctness of the sorting, then tied up in bundles in a sharp and decisive way, then placed away carefully in the several bags, which are tied, sealed, and ready for delivery just as the train is brought to a stand. here they are given out; fresh supplies are received from a number of large towns in the immediate district, and the train is again on its way. the bags received are at once opened; the same round of sorting, collecting, examining, is gone through; the same process of despatching for the next and all subsequent postal stages is repeated, just as we have described. little variation is noticed, except that at certain points a much larger number of bags are thrown into the office--for instance, as the train nears the more thickly populated parts of the midland counties, then the "black country," as it is called, and subsequently the manufacturing districts. at one of these points a considerable addition was made to the staff of sorters, who fell at once to work in the vacant spaces left for them. and it was not before they were required; for presently the train arrives at one of the principal mail junctions in the kingdom, where an immense number of bags wait our arrival. these bags have been brought somewhat earlier on, by other mail trains, arranged so as to effect a junction with us; these having in their turn met with other trains running across the country in transverse directions. thus there are here, bags from towns near and towns remote, containing letters for places from which we are, as yet, hundreds of miles distant. the work, however, will be resumed with increased activity, according to the number of letters which may be forthcoming, only whatever number there may be, all must be finished in a given time. so far, the reader may imagine the duty to be one of dull routine and very monotonous; so as a rule we believe it is: there are circumstances connected with the manner of travelling, however, which conspire to make it at times somewhat varied and exceptional. one moment, and we are clattering down a hill, and the sorting partakes, to some extent, of the same tear-away speed; another time, we are panting up a line of steep gradient, and the letters find their boxes very deliberately; now, the rails are somewhat out of order, or the coupling of the carriages has not been well attended to, or we are winding round a succession of sharp curves, and can scarcely keep our feet as the carriage lurches first to one side, then to the other; in all which cases, not only is our own equilibrium a source of difficulty to us, but we see that things proceed anything but smoothly among the letters, which refuse to go in at all, or go in with a spirited evolution, fluttering outside, and then landing at their destination upside down, or in some other way transgressing official rules in such case made and provided. then the work is accompanied to the different kinds of music, well known to "express travellers." now the train is tearing away through a tunnel, or through an interminably long cutting of thick-ribbed stone, and then under or over a bridge. nor is this all, nor the worst: these noises are very frequently varied by what is anything but a lively tune on the engine whistle, but which, supposing the signal lights to be against us, or cerberus asleep at his post, is too often a round of screeching and screaming enough to waken the seven sleepers. whatever be the general character of the work, we are bent on enjoyment during this particular journey. the country through which the train is now proceeding is but thinly supplied with towns, hence the number of letters received is much smaller, and we may avail ourselves of the opportunity which this break in the character of the duty gives us, to examine more closely and from our own point of view, a few of the letters which are waiting to be despatched. the sorters also, glad of a little relaxation, have produced from their hiding places under the blue cloth-covered counter, an oval kind of swing-seat attached to it, which turns outside somewhat ingeniously upon a swivel, and seat themselves at their work. undoubtedly, the first thing which will strike an observer placed in circumstances like ours, is, that the post-office is eminently a democratic establishment, conducted on the most improved _fraternité et égalité_ principles. the same sort of variety that marks society, here marks its letters; envelopes of all shades and sizes; handwriting of all imaginable kinds, written in all shades of ink, with every description of pen; names the oddest, and names the most ordinary, and patronymics to which no possible exception can be taken. then to notice the _seals_. here is one envelope stamped with the escutcheoned signet of an earl; another where the wax has yielded submissively to the initials of plain john brown; and yet another, plastered with cobbler's wax, with an impression that makes no figure in _burke_ or _debrett_, but which, indeed, bears many evidences of having been manufactured with hob-nails. then to think that queen victoria, and john brown, and the cobbler aforesaid, must each find the inevitable queen's head, without which no letter of high or low degree can pass unquestioned! here they are--these letters--mingling for a few hours at any rate in silent but common fellowship, tossed about in company, belaboured with the self-same knocks on the head, sent to their destination locked in loving embrace, and sometimes, as in the case of the cobbler's, exceedingly difficult to part. if we turn to consider the addresses, how amusing we find some in their ambiguity; how blundering and stupid a few more! some say too little, others too much; some give the phonetic system with _malice prepense_, others because it is nature's own rendering and they have never known school! sometimes (and the practice is growing) the envelope is covered with long advertisements, for the benefit and information of the post-office officials, we presume, in which case it is difficult to arrive at the proper address of the letter at the first or even second glance. some give the address of the _sender_ in prominent printed characters, and it is surely not a matter of wonder when the letter, as not unfrequently, happens, finds its way back to the sender. in all cases of this kind, time is of course lost to the post-office, and the work of examination is necessarily deliberate, hesitating, and slow. at one point, the quota of letters from the sister-isle is received, and it is then perhaps that the sorter's patience is put to the severest test. the addresses of the letters of the poorer irish are generally so involved--always being sent to the care of one or two individuals--that they usually present the appearance of a little wilderness of words. as a specimen of the kind of letter referred to, we give our readers a copy of one which actually passed through the post-office some time ago, assuring them that though the following is rather an _ultra_ specimen, this kind of minute but indefinite address is by no means uncommon among the class referred to:-- +----------------------------------------------+ | | | to my sister bridget, or else to | | | | my brother tim burke, in care | | | | of the praste, who lives in the parish | | | | of balcumbury in cork, or if not to | | | | _some dacent neighbour in ireland_. | | | +----------------------------------------------+ the english poor oftener, as we have already seen, show their unbounded confidence in the sagacity of the officers of the post-office by leaving out some essential part of the address of a letter, but very seldom writing too much. we once saw a letter addressed as follows:--"mary h----, a tall woman with two children," and giving the name of a large town in the west of england. the scotch people, as a rule, attain the golden mean, and exhibit the greatest care in such matters. nor can we wonder at this. the poorer classes are certainly better educated, and whilst seldom profuse on their letters, they are cautious enough not to leave anything of consequence unwritten. the statistics of the dead letter offices of the three countries confirm, to some considerable extent, our rough generalizations. after all, however, the cases of blunder are exceptional; and as no really blind letters are found in the travelling offices, because no letters are posted here, little difficulty is felt, comparatively speaking, and nothing but patience and the rosetta stone of experience are needed for the performance of the duty. the great majority of letters are like the great majority of people--ordinary, unexceptionable, and mediocre. it could not well be otherwise. in the railway post-office, however, much is learned from the habit of association. the officers, of course, take some degree of interest in the towns on his ride; for, almost domesticated on the rail, he becomes a sort of denizen of those towns he is constantly passing, and sees, or fancies he does, from the letters that arrive from them, a kind of corroboration of all he has settled in his mind with regard to them. almost every town has its distinctive kind of letters. that town we just passed is manufacturing, and the letters are almost entirely confined to sober-looking advice-cards, circulars, prices current, and invoices, generally very similar in kind and appearance, in good-sized envelopes, with very plainly written or printed addresses. now and then a lawyer's letter, written in a painfully distinct hand, or a thick, fat, banker's letter, groaning under the weight of bills and notes, escapes from company such as we have described; but still the letters sustain the town's real character. now we are at an old country town, with quiet-going people, living as their fathers did before them, and inheriting not only their money and lands, but their most cherished principles: their letters are just as we expected, little, quiet, old-fashioned-looking things, remarkable for nothing so much as their fewness. _now_ we are among the coal-districts, and almost all the letters have a smudged appearance, making you imagine that they must have been written by the light of pit-candles, in some region of carbon "two hundred fathoms down." _this_ bag comes from a sea-bathing place, and so long as summer continues, will unmistakably remind you of sea-shore, sea-sand, and sea-anemones. _these_ bags have previously had to cross a broad sea ferry, and the letters tell of salt water as certainly as if they were so many fishes. another twenty miles, and we come to an old cathedral town with its letters looking as orthodox as any convocation could wish; whilst that other town is clearly a resort of fashion, if we may judge from the finely scented, perfumed, elegant-looking billets that escape from its post-bag. and thus interested and observing, we are rapidly reaching our destination. we are at the terminus at last. the office is emptied of all its contents, and the bags, securely made up, are forwarded under care of other officers in different trains, proceeding far and near. nor have we forgotten our own letter. in the vast mass of letters it holds a well-secured place, being safely ensconced in one of these very bags; and we will endeavour to be present when the bag is opened, that we may verify our assertion. out of the carriage and once on _terra firma_, we feel a sensation of dreamy wonder that nothing has happened to us; that, considering the noise and the whirl, and the excitement of the work we have witnessed, our brain is not tied up in a knot somewhere in the head, instead of only swimming. dusty, tired, and sleepy, we hurry through the streets for refreshment, if not repose, while the day is just breaking. of course, this post-office machinery, which we have attempted to describe, is necessarily delicate and liable to derangements, inasmuch as it has to depend to a great extent on the proper carrying out throughout the country of an infinite number of railway arrangements. its successful working is doubtless primarily due to the special time chosen for the conveyance of mails. the ordinary traffic disposed of, the mail-trains take its place, and through the long night the best part of the post-office work is accomplished. the good or bad management of railway companies may assist or retard the efficiency of the post-office to an almost incalculable extent. the railway post-office is like a gigantic machine, one part interdependent on another, and all alike dependent on the motive power of the different contracting parties. railway accidents are fruitful sources of discomfiture to the post-office department. the mail-trains have, within the last two or three years, enjoyed an immunity from any very serious calamity of this nature: yet even when this is not the case, it very seldom happens that the post-office arrangements suffer, except on the particular journey wherein the accident occurred. fresh supplies of men and _matériel_ are summoned with a speed that would, or ought to, surprise some other commissariat departments, and the work proceeds the next day or night as if the equilibrium had never been disturbed. as the question whether continual railway travelling is prejudicial to health has frequently been discussed of late, it may not be out of place to instance the case of the travelling _employés_ of the post-office, which seems to show that persons in the enjoyment of good health are benefited by railway travelling. the ratio of sickness among the post-office clerks and sorters engaged upon railways is certainly not greater, we are told, than among the same class of officers employed at the london establishment. the fact seems to be that, were it not that the former travel generally at night-time, are exposed to sudden changes of weather, and are, on certain emergencies, forced to travel oftener and further than the authorized limits, the ratio would be considerably less than it is. dr. waller lewis, the medical officer of the post-office, supplies us, in a recent report, with a number of cases that have come under his immediate notice, where incessant, and even excessive railway travelling, does not seem to have been at all detrimental to the health of those so engaged. "one of our best officers," says dr. lewis, "states that he has no doubt that, during the period of twenty years that he has been engaged in railway duties, he travelled, on an average, a hundred miles a-day, sundays included. all this time he not only enjoyed excellent health, but he was stouter and stronger than he has been since leaving that duty." dr. lewis further tells us, that it is part of his duty to examine candidates for appointment in this department of the public service, and again to examine them after they have undergone a probation varying from six to eighteen months. "in reply to my question, addressed to such officers after a probationary term, of how they found the travelling agree with them, some stated that they had never been so well in their lives. a considerable number of them replied that they had not had an hour's illness since they commenced railway duty." of course, these last-mentioned persons were _candidates_ for appointments in a lucrative branch of the post-office, and their statements must be received subject to this understanding and with due caution: still, it seems certain that the general testimony borne in the travelling offices is not unfavourable to the healthiness of the employment. with regard to the question of injury to the eyesight from railway travelling, dr. lewis may again be supposed to speak authoritatively when he considers "it very injurious to allow the eyes to rest on external objects near at hand, such as telegraph-poles or wires, near trees or hedges, &c. whilst the train is in motion;" but, speaking of the same subject, he "does not find that in the travelling post-office much mischief is occasioned to the sight."[ ] when we remember that the post-office work is generally performed by means of a strong artificial light, and much tedious deciphering of the addresses of letters necessarily occurs, as we have seen, during travelling, it must be admitted that the eyesight is here put to the strongest possible test. we have now traced our letter, posted in the metropolis, through the travelling post-office into the establishment of a provincial town. we shall follow it presently, and not leave it till it is properly delivered at the rural village to which we saw it addressed; but we must take the opportunities as they occur to describe with minuteness each particular, whether bearing directly or collaterally on our subject, as well as to add now and then a timely exhortation to the reader. thus, you are indignant, perhaps, that a certain letter you ought to have had is not to hand at the proper moment, but has suffered some delay in transit. however, just think how many letters you do get, which come to your desk as true as the needle to the pole. just listen to the old gentleman yonder as he tells how long the same business letter from a certain old-established house used to be in arriving, and what was paid for it when it did arrive. above all, pray think of the travelling caged officials--those wingless birds of the post-office--and of what they go through o' nights in order that you may have your letter or your newspaper--posted yesterday in some quiet corner of the country or miles away--with your buttered toast to breakfast in town! a provincial post-office. thirty years ago the arrangements in the north country town of the district to which our imaginary letter was addressed, and which we are engaged to visit, were of the most primitive kind. it has always been an important town. even anterior to the first establishment of the british post-office, it was the first town in the county in which it stands. subsequently, it was on the direct line of one of the principal mail-routes in the kingdom, and now, in these days of railroads, it is a kind of junction for the district. postally speaking, it was, and is, a place of importance, including within its boundaries nearly a hundred villages, all deriving their letter-sustenance from it. at the period of time in question the post-office was situated in the most central part of the town, the outside of the building partaking of the ugly and old-fashioned style of the shops of that day. it was then considered quite sufficient for the business of the place that there should be a small room of about twelve feet square devoted to postal purposes; that there should be a long counter, upon which the letters might be stamped and charged, and a small set of letter-boxes for the sorting processes. added, however, to the proper business of the neighbourhood, there used to be a kind of work done here which was confined to a few towns only on the line of mails, selected for this supplementary business on account of their central positions. the mail-coaches, as they passed and repassed northwards and southwards, stopped here for half an hour until certain necessary sorting operations could be performed with a portion of the letters. in this way our particular town held the style and designation, and with it the _prestige_, of a "forwarding office." the public required little attention, and got but little. being prior to the time of postage-stamps, and we may almost add of money-orders, not to speak of savings' bank business, few applications were ever made to the officers--consisting of a postmaster, his wife, and another clerk--for anything but stray scraps of information relative to the despatch of mails. the communication with the public was anything but close, being conducted in this town--and, in fact, in all others of our acquaintance--through a trap-door in a wooden pane in the office-window. near to it was a huge slit, being a passage to a basket, into which letters and newspapers were promiscuously thrown. the principal labour incident to the old style of postage was in regulating the amount to be paid on the different letters. those posted in the town for the town itself were delivered for a penny; twopence was charged into the country places surrounding; letters for the metropolis cost a shilling; and scotch letters eightpence-halfpenny at least, the odd halfpenny being the charge as a toll for the letter crossing the tweed. the delivery of the letters in the town took place at any time during the day, according to the arrival of the mails, and it was effected by a single letter-carrier.[ ] private boxes for the principal merchants in the town, and private bags for the country gentlemen, were almost indispensable to those who cared for the proper despatch and security of their correspondence. many gentlemen who did not arrange to have private bags (at a great yearly expense) were compelled to make frequent journeys to the town to ascertain if any letters had arrived for them. some letters for places within a few miles of the town would be known to be at the office for days and weeks unguessed at, till perhaps some one would hear, through one of many channels, that a letter was lying at the post-office for persons of their acquaintance, and inform them of the fact. letter-delivering in the rural districts was then a private concern, and, in consequence, those letters destined for one particular road were laid aside till a sufficient number were accumulated to make it worth while to convey them at a charge of a penny the letter.[ ] owing to the wretched system then in force, many country places round a post-office were, to all intents and purposes, more remote than most foreign countries are at this hour. one letter-carrier sufficing for the wants of the town, we need scarcely say that the number of letters received was exceedingly small. not more than a hundred letters were posted or delivered, on an average, each day, though the town was the seat of many brisk manufactories, and was, besides, in the heart of the colliery districts. _now_, a single firm in the same town will cause a greater amount of daily postal business. our purpose will not allow of our describing all the attendant circumstances of the state of things existing at this early period, or more fully than we have already done the postal arrangements of the past. but there were the "_expresses_," which ought not to be forgotten. designed to supply some sudden emergency, they were of great use where quick intelligence was urgently required. for this purpose they might be had from the post-office people at any hour, and generally they were procured through the night. a special mounted messenger might be despatched, under this arrangement, with a single letter, marked "haste! post haste!" carrying with him a way-bill, to account for the time it had taken him to perform the journey. the charge for expresses was at the rate of a shilling a mile, the speed at which they travelled averaging ten miles an hour. nor can we stay, much as we should like to do so, to picture the old mail-coach--its glittering appearance, its pawing horses; or to describe the royal-liveried guard, "grand and awful-looking in all the composure of a felt superiority." in the old times it used to pull up at the half-wooden inn near the post-office, and, during the half-hour allowed for postal business, was the observed of all observers. the half-hour was one of unusual bustle both at the office and at the inn; but, as soon as the time was up, the passengers would take their seats (the guard occupying a solitary one at the end of the coach), the mails were thrown as a small addition to the load of bags at the top, and off the cavalcade would start, to the tune, perhaps, of the "blue bells of scotland," if the mail was going northwards, or, if southwards, may be "the green hills of tyrol," from the clear silver key-bugle of his majesty's mail-guard. now, this is changed, and almost all postal arrangements prior to the days of sir rowland hill are as so many things of the past. and into what a grand establishment the post-office itself is metamorphosed! the part now dedicated to the public might be part of a first-class banking establishment. entering by a spacious doorway, with a lofty vestibule, there is accommodation for a score of people to stand in the ante-room and leisurely transact their business. then there runs along the whole length of the first or public room a substantial mahogany counter, behind which the clerks stand to answer inquiries and attend to the ordinary daily business. there is a desk for the money-order clerk, and drawers in which postage-stamps are kept. close by we see one or two ranges of boxes; one for callers' letters--"_the poste restante_"--and another for those who prefer to engage private boxes to having their letters delivered by letter-carriers. outside things are changed also. the wooden pane--nay, the window itself--has disappeared to make way for a more modern structure; and instead of the single letterbox, there are several. late letters are now provided for in a separate box, and so also are newspapers. the principal post-office work is accomplished in an interior apartment, from which the public are studiously excluded.[ ] a large table stands in the centre of the room; a smaller one, well padded with leather, stands near, and is used specially for letter-stamping; a number of letter-benches--for boxes are not used much now--are arranged against three of the four walls and in the middle of the room, on which the letters and newspapers are sorted. empty canvas bags of different sizes, with tin labels attached (if the name of the town is not _painted_ on them), books, printed papers of different kinds, bundles of string, &c. make up the furniture of the apartment, and complete the appearance of it immediately prior to the receipt of the early-morning mail. long before the ordinary workmen in our towns are summoned from their repose, the post-office work in the provinces may be said to commence by the mail-cart clattering through the now silent streets to the railway station, there to await the arrival of the first and principal mail, and its first daily instalment of bags. at the given time, and only (even in the depth of winter) very occasionally late, the train emerges out of the darkness, its two shining lamps in front, into the silent and almost empty station. the process described in our account of the travelling post-office is here gone through; a rapid exchange of bags is made, and each interest goes its separate and hurried way. during the interval, and just before the mail-cart deposits its contents at the door of the post-office, the clerks and letter-carriers will have been roused from their beds, and somewhat sulkily, perhaps, have found their places in time. they look sleepy and dull, but this is excusable; the hour is a drowsy one, and half the world is dozing. the well-known sound of the mail-cart breaks the spell, however, and soon they are all thoroughly alive, nay, even interested, in the duties in which they are engaged. the bags just arrived are immediately seized by one of their number, who hurriedly cuts their throats, and then empties the contents upon the huge table in a great heap: somewhere in the heap our letter is safely deposited. the bundles of letters are quickly taken to the letter-stampers, through whose hands they must first pass. with a speed and accuracy which rivals machinery,[ ] an agile letter-stamper will soon impress a copy of the dated stamp of the office upon the back of a hundred letters, and this done, they are passed over to the clerks and sorters to arrange them in the different boxes, the process being repeated till the whole are disposed of. the newspapers and book-packets are taken from the table without being stamped, and sorted by the letter-carriers. as soon as the first or preliminary sorting is over, each sorter will proceed upon distinctive duties; some will prepare the letters for the letter-carriers, by sorting each man's letters together, according to their different number. when this is done, the letters are handed to the carriers, who retire to a separate room, looking with its desks very like a small schoolroom, and there arrange them in order to deliver them from house to house. other officers will prepare the letters for the sub-officers and rural messengers. when all the letters, &c. for a certain village are gathered up, they are counted and tied up in bundles; if any charged letters are sent, the amount is debited against the sub-postmaster of the place on a letter-bill--something like an invoice--which invariably accompanies every post-office letter-bag despatched from one post-town to another, or from one head office to a sub-office. if any registered letters are of the number to be sent, the name of each addressee is carefully written on the letter-bill. private and locked bags for the country gentry still survive, and may be obtained for an annual fee of two guineas. they are attended to with some care, and are carried to their destination with the other made-up bags. when the mails are ready, they are sent from the post-office in various ways. those for one or two country roads are sent to a local railway station, and taken in charge by the railway guard, who drops the bags at the different points on the line according to their address; others are carried by mail gigs under one or more private contractors, while the rest are taken by country-walking postmen, who make certain journeys during the day, returning in the evening with the letters and bags they have gathered during their travels. of course the rural messengers take out loose letters as well; _e. g._ those for detached dwellings on their line of road. our letter falls into the hands of one of those hard-working and deserving men.[ ] the village, or rather hamlet, to which it is addressed is too small for a post-office, but a rural postman passes through it on his daily journeyings about ten o'clock each morning, delivering with scrupulous fidelity everything committed to his care. thus, posted where we saw it last night, it passes from hand to hand all through the long night, and eventually reaches that hand for which it was intended odd miles away, nearly as surely as if we had travelled to deliver it ourselves. but to return. while some of the officers are attending in this way to the wants of the country, others are serving the interests of the town. a hundred or two gentlemen, bankers and manufacturers, pay an extra guinea yearly in order to secure certain special privileges at the post-office. these privileges consist, in brief, of having their letters arranged in private boxes, each labelled with their names, and delivered from these boxes by one of the clerks as soon as the office is opened, or the moment the letter-carriers emerge from it to enter upon any of the daily deliveries of letters. of course these letters must be prepared previously. the office is open to the public for money-orders and for the transaction of the business of the new savings' banks at nine o'clock, and continues open on every day, except saturdays, until six, on which day two hours longer are allowed. it is not necessary to describe the arrangements in these branches, seeing that the public are familiar from daily experience with them. it will suffice to say that separate clerks are usually delegated to these duties in our large towns, and are answerable to the postmaster for the correctness of their accounts. the same clerk attends to the sale of postage-stamps, keeping an account with the postmaster of the quantity _sold_, and also of the stamps _bought_ from the public under the recent arrangement. in larger towns where one clerk is specially retained for these duties, he is known as the "window clerk," as it devolves upon him to answer all applications and inquiries. throughout the day, the quietness of the post-office proper is broken in upon and varied by the arrival of some small mail. on one of these occasions, namely, on the receipt of the day-mail from london, the operations of the morning are gone over again on a small scale, and for a short time the office presents an appearance of some of its early bustle. letters are delivered in the town, but those arriving for the country places remain at the office till the next morning. the work of the post-office commences before "grey dawn," and long before the usual period of ordinary business in our towns; it lasts also far into the "dewy eve." when merchants lock up their desks and offices, and complete their last round of duties by posting their letters, the serious work of the post-office, for the second time during the day, may be said to begin. the hour before the despatch of the principal mail in any provincial post-office, thanks in great part to the dilatoriness of the public in general, is an hour of busy activity, seldom witnessed in any other branch of industry whatever. almost at the same moment the country mail-gigs from their different rides, mail-carts from the local railway stations, the rural postmen from their walks, and the receiving-house keepers from the outskirts of the town, approach the post-office door, and speedily cause the office to groan as it were under the weight of letters and bags. all the force of the office is now engaged, and engaged with a will, if the bags are to be ready for the london night-mail due from scotland at the railway station in sixty minutes. again, the same round of bag-opening, checking, stamping (only now the stamps must be obliterated, as the letters are about to be despatched for the first time), and sorting, which we described in the morning, is again repeated. the sorted letters are examined, tied up in bundles of sixty or seventy each, and then despatched in the bags received at the beginning of the day from the london mail. the bags are tied, sealed, and hurried away to the station. now, at length, the postmaster and his staff breathe freely. for a full hour they have been engaged as busily, yet as silently, as so many bees in a hive; but now that the work is finished, the thoughts of rogues, lovers, bankers, lawyers, clergymen, and shopkeepers; the loves and griefs, the weal and woes, of the town and country lie side by side, and for a few hours at least will enjoy the most complete and secret companionship. every working day, and to some extent on sunday, the same routine of work is prescribed and accomplished with little variation. in all this consists the _prose_ of post-office life; but who shall describe its _poetry_? scarcely a day passes in any of our provincial post-offices without some incident occurring calculated to surprise, amuse, or sadden. very probably within a few minutes one person will have come to make a complaint that a certain letter or letters ought to have arrived, and must have been kept back; another will make an equally unreasonable request, or propound some strange inquiry which the poor post-office clerk is supposed to be omniscient enough to answer. most often, however, the cases of inquiry disclose sorrowful facts, and all the consolation which can be offered--supposing that the clerk has any of "the milk of human kindness" in him, a quality of mind or heart, much too rare, we confess, in the post-office service--will likely be the consolation of hope. the official sees now and then brief snatches of romance; perhaps the beginning or the end, though seldom the transaction throughout. amusing circumstances are often brought out by requests tendered at the post-office, that letters which have been posted may be returned to the writers. a formal, but most essential rule, makes letters once posted the property of the postmaster-general until they are delivered as addressed, and must not be given up to the _writers_ on any pretence whatever. one or two requests of this kind related to us we are not likely soon to forget. on one occasion, a gentlemanly-looking commercial traveller called at an office and expressed a fear that he had inclosed two letters in wrong envelopes, the addresses of which he furnished. it appeared from the account which he reluctantly gave, after a refusal to grant his request, that his position and prospects depended upon his getting his letters, and correcting the mistakes, inasmuch as they revealed plans which he had adopted to serve two mercantile houses in the same line of business, whose interests clashed at every point. he failed to get his letters, but we hope he has retrieved himself, and is now serving one master faithfully. another case occurred in which a fast young gentleman confessed to carrying on a confidential correspondence with two young ladies at the same time, and that he had, or feared he had, crossed two letters which he had written at the same sitting. we heartily hope a full exposure followed. writing of this, we are reminded of a case where a country postmaster had a letter put into his hand through the office window, together with the following message delivered with great emphasis: "here's a letter; she wants it to go along as fast as it can, cause there's a feller wants to have her here, and she's courted by another feller that's not here, and she wants to know whether he is going to have her or not." if the letter was as explicit as the verbal message to which the postmaster involuntarily lent his ear, no doubt the writer would not be long in suspense. these cases, however, are uninteresting compared to one related by another postmaster. a tradesman's daughter who had been for some time engaged to a prosperous young draper in a neighbouring town, heard from one whom she and her parents considered a creditable authority, that he was on the verge of bankruptcy. "not a day was to be lost in breaking the bond by which she and her small fortune were linked to penury." a letter, strong and conclusive in its language, was at once written and posted, when the same informant called upon the young lady's friends to contradict and explain his previous statement, which had arisen out of some misunderstanding. "they rushed at once to the post-office, and no words can describe the scene; the reiterated appeals, the tears, the wringing of hands, the united entreaties of father, mother, and daughter for the restoration of the fatal letter." but the rule admitted of no exception, and the young lady had to repent at leisure of her inordinate haste. we have only space to close with a graphic extract from the reminiscences of a post-office official, in which the everyday life of a country post-office is admirably described: "for the poor we were often persuaded both to read and write their letters; and the irish especially, with whom penmanship was a rare accomplishment, seldom failed to succeed in their eloquent petitions; though no one can realize the difficulty of writing from a paddy's dictation, where 'the pratees, and the pig, and the praiste, god bless him!' become involved in one long, perplexed sentence, without any period from beginning to end of the letter. one such epistle, the main topic of which was an extravagant lamentation over the death of a wife, rose to the pathetic climax, 'and now i'm obleeged to wash meself, and bake meself!'" the officers of the dead-letter office could a tale unfold, one would think, only an essential rule of the service binds them to honourable secresy. the post-office official often, however, and in spite of himself, learns more than he cares to know. "for," as the writer continues, "a great deal can be known from the outside of a letter, where there is no disposition to pry into the enclosure. who would not be almost satisfied with knowing all the correspondence coming to or leaving the hands of the object of his interest? from our long training among the letters of our district, we knew the handwriting of most persons so intimately, that no attempt at disguise, however cunningly executed, could succeed with us. we noticed the ominous lawyers' letters addressed to tradesmen whose circumstances were growing embarrassed; and we saw the carefully ill-written direction to the street in liverpool and london, where some poor fugitive debtor was in hiding. the evangelical curate, who wrote in a disguised hand and under an assumed name to the fascinating public singer, did not deceive us; the young man who posted a circular love-letter to three or four girls the same night, never escaped our notice; the wary maiden, prudently keeping two strings to her bow, unconsciously depended upon our good faith. the public never know how much they owe to official secresy and official honour, and how rarely this confidence is betrayed. petty tricks and artifices, small dishonesties, histories of tyranny and suffering, exaggerations and disappointments were thrust upon our notice. as if we were the official confidants of the neighbourhood, we were acquainted with the leading events in the lives of most of the inhabitants." once more, "never, surely, has any one a better chance of seeing himself as others see him than a country postmaster. letters of complaint very securely enveloped and sealed passed through our hands, addressed to the postmaster-general, and then came back to us for our own perusal and explanation. one of our neighbours informed the postmaster-general, in confidence, that we were 'ignorant and stupid.' a clergyman wrote a pathetic remonstrance, stating that he was so often disappointed of his _morning star and dial_, that he had come to the conclusion that we disapproved of that paper for the clergy,[ ] and, from scruples of conscience, or political motives, prevented it--one of passing daily through our office--from reaching his hands whenever there was anything we considered objectionable in it." chapter iii. on the mail-packet service. our home and foreign mail-packet service is a costly and gigantic branch of the post-office establishment. during the greater part of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the service was under the control of the post-office authorities. we have already given many details of the packet management of the period. it was then transferred to the board of admiralty, in whose hands it continued up to so late as . even at the commencement of the present century, the service seems to have been carried on regardless of economy, and not without traces of that wastefulness--we might almost say corruption--in the management, which, a hundred years previously, would not have been regarded as very remarkable. the arrangements eighty years ago, were none of the best. at this period some of the vessels employed to convey mails were hired, without any tender, while some few were the property of the crown. in , the state of the marine mail service attracted parliamentary attention; for in that year we find a committee of fees and gratuities reporting that the cost of the mail service had reached an unreasonable sum. they stated that for eighteen years that cost had been over a million sterling, or an average charge of , _l._ annually. with regard to the manner in which the work was done, they found that many officers of the post-office, "even down to the chamber keepers," were owners of some of the packets employed to the exclusion of all else. this committee, with a view to remedying these and other abuses, recommended that the government should change the system entirely--the government share of the packets to be sold, and the entire service offered by public and competitive tender. that this advice was not acted upon, is clear from the fact that four years afterwards, the finance committee urged upon the government the necessity of complying with the recommendations of . in , the cost of the service had increased to , _l._; in to , _l._[ ] steam vessels had been in successful operation for three years before they were introduced into the mail service. in , the _rob roy_ steam-packet plied regularly between greenock and belfast; in , the year in which crown packets were established, the post-office, or rather the admiralty on behalf of the post-office, asked the help of steam. the holyhead station for ireland, and the dover station for the continent, were chosen for the experiment of mail-steamers. they were successful; and soon we find six steam-packets stationed at each place. then we have the gradual introduction of mail contracts. the first of these commercial contracts was made in , with the mona island steam company, to run steamers twice a week between liverpool and douglas, in the isle of man. immediately after, the general steam navigation company contracted to carry the rotterdam and hamburgh mails for , _l._ a-year. in these mails were transferred to the ostend route. the year was quite an epoch in the history of the packet service; mr. samuel cunard of halifax, nova scotia, having in that year contracted with the british government for a fortnightly mail across the atlantic, for the sum of , _l._ a-year. the cunard line of steamers is now universally known, and is unrivalled. little more than a hundred years ago, , _l._ sufficed to pay for the entire mail service of the period; about half that sum being the extent of the charges properly appertaining to the post-office. then, only a few continental mails and an occasional packet to the colonies of north america and the west indies, were all that had to be sustained; even those were kept up at a considerable loss.[ ] at that time the aboriginal inhabitants of australia and new zealand were in undisputed possession of these enormous colonies; the dutch were then the only targets for the arrows of the caffres in south africa; warren hastings and lord clive were children at daylesford and market drayton, and little dreamt of their subsequent career in the east; while the tide of emigration which has since carried anglo-saxon blood and anglo-saxon energy into every corner of the globe had not then, to any extent, set in. that a hundred years of unequalled internal progress has developed our great empire and called into life fresh and important agencies, what reflecting mind can doubt? for many recent years the packet service of the country, traversing every known sea to keep up a connexion with those whom the exigencies of life and commerce have dispersed so widely, has cost the nation something like a million sterling per annum! in accordance with the provisions of an act passed in the session of - , the general control of the british packet service was transferred (on the st of april, ) to the post-office authorities, from whom it ought never to have been taken. it was considered that the postmaster-general, under the treasury, was the best judge of the requirements of the service, and could best set about reducing the enormous expenditure arising from contracts, which the lords of the admiralty, generally from political motives, had entered into. that this judgment was the correct one, three years have amply sufficed to prove. contracts have been thrown open to public competition; and although many of the companies which had previously done certain services re-secured them, it was found that they had to engage to do the work at a much lower figure--in one or two cases, in fact, for half the amount they had been wont to receive. all the packet contracts, as they fall vacant, are advertised fully by the post-office authorities, and in sufficient time. printed forms are issued, and intending contractors are required to fill them up, every arrangement being made to secure the efficiency of the work. nearly all the contracts are now made terminable on twelve months' notice being given by the postmaster-general. another change which the post-office authorities have made is a radical but a necessary one, and bids fair to make the mail-packet service, at no distant date, self-supporting, so far as the mother-country is concerned. under the new principle already applied to india and australia, the british colonies are required to pay _half the cost_ of their respective services, the english government paying the remainder. the result in some instances has been an increase in postage rates, but we hope this will not long be considered necessary. according to the postmaster-general's _ninth report_--from which much of the information concerning the present state of the mail service is taken--we find that the total number of steam-ships employed in the mail-packet service, exclusive of tenders, &c., is no less than ninety-six, with an aggregate of , tons, and of , horse-power. the largest and most powerful mail-packet in the service is the cunard paddle-wheel steam-ship _scotia_, of , tons burden, and , horse-power. it belongs to the contractors for the north american service, messrs. cunard, burns, and maciver. the smallest packet, according to the same authority, was stated to be the _vivid_, of tons, and horse-power, the property of mr. churchward. it is more than probable, however, that this packet is not now in the service, as mr. churchward's contracts have subsequently been given to the belgian government. the mail-packet contracts are divided into those of the home and those of the foreign services. the most important home service is that for carrying the irish mails, entered into by the city of dublin steam-packet company. they are required to keep four powerful steam-vessels to ply twice a-day between holyhead and kingstown, for a yearly payment of , _l._ this contract lasts until . the least important contract in the home service, if we may judge by the terms imposed, is that for the daily conveyance of mails between greenock and belfast, entered into by mr. burns of glasgow. mr. burns undertakes to perform this service in all weathers, _free of expense_, and to pay an annual sum of _l._ as penalty for general improper performance of the duty! the home contracts dwindle into insignificance before those of the foreign service. the foreign packets travel over the immense distance of , , of statute miles each year. as the cost of the whole service is nearly a million pounds annually, the average charge per mile is _s._ _d._ the average speed of the foreign packets is ten miles an hour. the principal contracts are those for the indian and chinese mails, entered into by the peninsular and oriental steam-navigation company, and for which the sum of , _l._ is paid yearly. in this service, packets sail four times a month from southampton, and other mails are met at marseilles at the like intervals. a fleet of steamers, of not less than , tons, are engaged for a system of relays established in the mediterranean, and also between suez and bombay, suez and calcutta, and bombay and china. the australian mails are carried out to ceylon in the indian packets, when, on arrival at that point, another fleet of steamers, engaged from the same company on a supplementary contract of , _l._ a-year, carry them between point de galle and sydney. an additional line of packets to the antipodes, _viâ_ panama, will be run in january, . the west indian are the worst paying of all the foreign mails, costing twice as much as they yield.[ ] the royal mail steam-packet company is paid the enormous sum of , _l._ a-year for their conveyance. the north american mails are carried by messrs. cunard & co. for the sum of , _l._ a-year. eight steam-vessels are employed by this firm, leaving liverpool once a-week, and travelling also between new york and nassau once a-month. sir samuel cunard himself contracts for the canadian mails, receiving the yearly sum of , _l._ these supplementary packets sail from halifax, on the arrival of the cunard steamers from europe, to bermuda and st. thomas, and also to newfoundland. the canadian contract costs less than any other on the foreign service. the most distant point to which english mails are conveyed by the british packet service is auckland, new zealand, about , statute miles from southampton. this service is rendered by the intercolonial royal mail-packet company, with a fleet of four strong steamers, for , _l._ annually. of course, this company only performs the journeys between sydney in new south wales and auckland in new zealand. the nearest point from england is calais, twenty-six miles from dover. notwithstanding the extraordinary length of some of the journeys of the different mail packets, the postmaster-general informs us that, except in case of accident, the packets, even when late, arrive within a few hours of their time, sometimes within a few minutes. as examples of remarkable punctuality, which is now the rule, and not the exception, he gives several instances, from which we select the following:--"the mails for the west indies and central america, despatched from southampton on the th of september, were delivered at the danish island of st. thomas, distant more than , miles, at the precise moment at which they were due. on the same voyage, the mails for jamaica and demerara, conveyed in each case by a separate branch-packet, were delivered within a few minutes of the time at which they were due; the mails for parts of central america and for the pacific were delivered at colon, on the eastern coast of the isthmus of panama, distant , miles, thirty minutes after time, the packet having been detained at sea that precise period by h.m.s. _orlando_; while the mails for chili, after having been conveyed with others across the isthmus of panama, were delivered at valparaiso, distant nearly , miles from southampton, two hours before the appointed time." the mail packets employ a force, including officers, of more than , men. in addition to these, there is a staff of thirty-three naval officers--all officers of the royal navy, though maintained by the post-office--employed upon such packets as those for the cape and the west coast of africa, and charged with the care and correct delivery of the mails. they are further required to do all they can to guard against delay on the voyage, and to report on nautical questions affecting in any way the proper efficiency of the service. other officers, besides, are fixed at different foreign stations to direct the transfers of mails from packet to packet, or from packets to other modes of conveyance. then, again, in growing numbers, another class of officers travel in charge of mails, such as the indian and australian, and on all the north american packets, who, with a number of sorters, are employed in sorting the mails _during the voyage_, in order to save time and labour in the despatch and receipt of mails at london and liverpool respectively. there are now twenty-eight of this new class of working mail officers, who, of course, are substituted for the old class of naval agents. on the less important mail packets no naval officer is specially appointed, but the mails are taken in charge by the commander. in past years few casualties, comparatively, have occurred in this service. the loss of the mail packet _violet_, on her journey between ostend and dover, in , will be remembered by many. one incident in that melancholy shipwreck deserves mention here, affording a gleam of rich sunshine amid a page of dry though not unimportant matter. mr. mortleman, the mail officer in charge of the bags, on seeing that there was no chance for the packet, must have gone down into the hold and have removed all the cases containing the mail bags from that part of the vessel; and further, placed them so that when the ship and all in it went down, they might float--a proceeding which ultimately led to the recovery of all the bags, except one, containing a case of despatches. on another occasion, the mail master of a canadian packet sacrificed his life, when he might have escaped, by going below to secure the mails intrusted to him. other cases of a similar devotion to duty have, on several occasions of exposure to imminent danger, distinguished the conduct of these public officers, proving that some of them regard the onerous duties of their position in a somewhat higher light than we find obtains in the ordinary business of life. during the last year, however, an "unprecedentedly large number of shipwrecks"[ ] are on record, no less than five valuable packets having been totally lost. in the early part of the year, the _karnak_, belonging to messrs. cunard and co., was wrecked in entering nassau harbour. shortly after, the _lima_ struck on a reef off lagarto island, in the south pacific ocean, and went down. the only loss of life occurred in the case of the _cleopatra_, the third packet which was lost. this last-named vessel, belonging to the african steam-ship company, the contractors for the cape service, was wrecked on shebar reef, near sierra leone, when an officer and four kroomen were washed from a raft and drowned in endeavouring to reach the shore. towards the close of , the _avon_, belonging to the contractors for the west indian service, was wrecked at her moorings in the harbour of colon, new granada; and, lastly, the _colombo_ (conveying the australian mails from sydney) shared the same fate on minicoy island, miles from ceylon. the greatest loss of correspondence was caused by the failure of the last-mentioned packet, though, from the care of the post-office authorities, and the prompt arrangements of the contractors, the loss was not nearly so great as it might otherwise have been if the proper appliances had not been ready to hand. the mails were rescued from their ocean bed and brought to london, where every effort that skill could devise was made to restore them to their original condition. they were carefully dried, in order that the addresses of the letters and newspapers might be deciphered. when dried it was requisite that they should be handled most carefully to prevent them crumbling to pieces--so much so, in fact, that many were unfit to travel out of london without being tied up carefully, gummed, and placed in new envelopes, and re-addressed, providing that the old address could by any means be read or obtained. notwithstanding all the care and attention bestowed, a great number of letters remained, in the words of the post-office people, "in a hopeless state of pulp." an australian _carte de visite_, which arrived with the rescued mails from the _colombo_, and now before us, may have been a gem of art from one of the antipodean "temples of the sun," but we have not now the means of judging, as a yellow bit of paper, with an indistinct outline upon it, is all that remains. footnotes: [ ] at this period the packets were worked at a considerable loss; though this large item was occasioned by the war, yet the sea-postage never amounted to half the cost of the maintenance of the mail-packets. [ ] in the american colonies, benjamin franklin was the last and by far the best colonial postmaster-general. he had forty years experience of postal work, having been appointed postmaster of philadelphia in . mr. pliny miles, in his history of the post-office in america, _new york bankers' magazine_, vol. vii. p. , has furnished many interesting particulars of this period. it appears that franklin notified his appointment in his own newspaper as follows: "notice is hereby given, that the post-office at philadelphia is now kept at b. franklin's in market street, and that henry pratt is appointed riding-postmaster for all stages between philadelphia and newport, virginia, who sets out _about the beginning_ (!) of each month, and returns in twenty-four days, by whom gentlemen, merchants, and others may have their letters carefully conveyed." what follows is also interesting. it would seem that franklin was somewhat unceremoniously dismissed from his post, upon which he wrote, by way of protest, that up to the date of his appointment "the american post-office never had paid anything to britain. we (himself and assistant) were to have _l._ a-year between us, _if we could make that sum out of the profits of the office_. to do this, a variety of improvements were necessary; some of these were, inevitably, at the beginning expensive; so that in the first four years the office became above _l._ in debt to us. but it soon after began to repay us; and before i was displaced by a freak of the minister's we had brought it to yield three times as much clear revenue to the crown as the whole post-office of ireland. since that imprudent transaction," adds franklin, with a bit of pardonable irony, "they have received from it--not one farthing!" [ ] the amount of sea-postage collected has never reached within late years to more than _half_ the entire cost of the mail-packet service. in , this cost was , _l._ and the postage collected amounted to , _l._ [ ] postmaster-general's _ninth report_, p. . chapter iv. on postage-stamps. the history of postage-stamps is somewhat remarkable. first used, as many of our readers will remember, in may , the postage stamp has only just passed out of its years of minority, and yet at this present moment there are more than fifteen hundred different varieties of its species in existence, and the number is increasing every month. the question as to who invented the postage-stamp would not be easily settled; it appears to be the result of innumerable improvements suggested by many different individuals. we will not enter far into the controversy, and would only urge that the discussion as to its origin has once more served to exemplify the truth of the saying of the wise man, "the thing which hath been, it is that which shall be, and there is no new thing under the sun." post-paid envelopes were in use in france as early as the reign of louis xiv.[ ] pelisson states that they originated, in , with a m. de velayer, who established, under royal authority, a private penny post in paris, placing boxes at the corners of the streets for the reception of letters, which should be wrapped up in certain envelopes. shopkeepers in the immediate neighbourhood sold the envelopes, some of which are still extant.[ ] in england, stamps to prepay letters were most probably suggested by the newspaper duty-stamp, then, and for some time previously, in use. mr. charles whiting seems to have thrown out this suggestion to the post-office authorities in .[ ] afterwards, mr. charles knight proposed a stamped cover for the circulation of newspapers. dr. gray, of the british museum, claims the credit of having suggested that letters should be prepaid with them, as early as .[ ] no steps, however, were taken in regard to any recommendations on the subject till the proposals for post reform; and, consequently, the credit of the improvement has fallen, to a considerable extent, to sir rowland hill. the use of postage-stamps was scarcely part of his original scheme, though it followed almost as a matter of course: and, indeed, this public benefactor, crowned with so many well-won laurels, may easily afford to dispense with the adornment of this single one. mr. hill's famous pamphlet on _post reform_ went through three editions rapidly. in the first edition, which was published privately, we find no mention of the use of stamps--though prepayment of letters was always a principal feature in his proposals--_money payments_ over the counter of the receiving-office being all that was suggested under this head. immediately after the publication of the first edition, the members of the royal commission on the post-office, which had been sitting at intervals since , called the author before them. in connexion with the subject of the prepayment of letters, the officers of the stamp office--mr. dickenson, the paper-maker, and several others--were also examined, and the subject was thoroughly discussed.[ ] almost, as it would seem, as a consequence of the proceedings before committee, mr. hill, in the second edition of his pamphlet, recommended definitely the use of some kind of stamps or stamped envelopes as a means of prepayment. when the committee of the house of commons met in - to investigate the merits of mr. hill's penny-postage scheme, they were, of course, required to express an opinion as to the desirability or otherwise of prepayment by means of stamps. a favourable opinion was given on the subject, so that when the government brought in and carried the penny-postage act, a clause for their use formed a component part of it. though it was agreed on all hands that stamps, or stamped paper of some sort, should come into use with the advent of cheap postage, it was by no means easy to hit upon a definite plan, or, when a number of plans were submitted, to decide upon the particular one to be adopted. stamped _paper_, representing different charges, was first suggested. folded in a particular way, a simple revenue-stamp would then be exposed to view, and frank the letter. another suggestion was that a stamped _wafer_, as it was called, should be used, and, placed on the back of a letter, seal and frank it at the same time. the idea of stamped _envelopes_, however, was at first by far the most popular, and it was decided that they should be the prepaying medium. plans and suggestions for the carrying out of this arrangement being required at once, the lords of the treasury issued a somewhat pompous proclamation, dated august d, , inviting "all artists, men of science, and the public in general," to offer proposals "as to the manner in which the stamp may best be brought into use." so important was the subject considered, that lord palmerston, the then foreign secretary, was directed to apprise foreign governments of the matter, and invite suggestions from any part of the civilized world. three months were allowed for plans, and two prizes of _l._ and _l._ were offered for proposals on the subject, "which my lords may think most deserving of attention." the palm was carried off by the late mr. mulready, royal academician, who designed the envelopes now known by his name. these envelopes, which allegorically celebrated the triumphs of the post in a host of emblematical figures, were of two colours; the one for a penny being printed in black, and the other, for the twopenny postage, in blue ink. they gave little satisfaction, however, and at the end of six months were withdrawn from use. there was little room left on the envelope for the address. they left to the common and vulgar gaze, as miss martineau, we think, has pointed out, emotions of the mind which had always best be kept in the background, and instead "of spreading a taste for high art," which had been hoped, they brought it into considerable ridicule.[ ] before the postage-envelope was finally withdrawn from use, the treasury issued another prospectus, offering a reward of _l._ for the best design and plan for a simple postage-_label_. it was made a condition that it should be simple, handy, and easily placed on paper, and of a design which would make forgery difficult, if not impossible. about , designs were sent in, but not one was chosen. eventually, the ugly black stamp, said to be the joint production of some of the officers of the stamp- and post-offices, was decided upon and brought into use. two years afterwards, this black stamp was changed to brown, principally with a view to make the obliterating process more perfect, and the better to detect the dishonesty of using old stamps. for the same reasons, the colour was again changed in a short time to red, and so it has remained to the present time. the twopenny stamp has been from the first blue. up to this date, at different intervals, six other stamps have been issued, as the necessities of the inland or foreign postage required them. the tenpenny stamp, of an octagonal shape and brown colour, is now scarcely ever used, if it be not even withdrawn from circulation. the list comprises, besides the stamps we have mentioned, the sixpenny (lilac), the shilling (green), the fourpenny (vermilion), the threepenny (rose), and the ninepenny (yellow). the last two were issued only two or three years ago. the whole of the english labels bear the impression of the head of queen victoria, and are all of the same size and shape (if we except the tenpenny stamp), the sole difference being in the colour, and in the various borderings round the queen's portraits. besides these distinguishing marks, however, they all tell the tale of their own value.[ ] soon after the introduction of postage-stamps, stamped envelopes were again proposed. this time the proposition was a very simple one, only consisting of the usual kind of stamp embossed on the right-hand corner of a common envelope; the shape to be oval, round, or octagonal, according to the value of the envelope. for the envelopes themselves, a peculiar kind of paper was prepared by mr. dickenson, and was considered on all hands to be the best possible preventive of forgery. this paper, which was manufactured with lines of thread or silk stretched through its substance, has been used ever since. russia, in adopting the stamped envelope, guards against forgery by means of a large water-mark of a spread eagle running over the envelope. the english stamp-office affords every facility in the matter of stamped paper and envelopes, and private individuals may indulge their tastes to almost any extent. the officers of inland revenue, somerset house, will place an embossed stamp on any paper or envelope taken to them, equal to the value of any of those above mentioned, or to a combination of any of them, under the following regulations:-- st. when the stamps required do not amount to _l._ worth one shilling is charged, in addition to the postage stamps, for each distinct size of paper. d. when the stamps amount to _l._ worth no fee is charged if one size of paper only be sent. d. when the stamps amount to _l._ worth, no fee is charged, and two sizes of paper are allowed; _l._ three sizes are allowed; _l._ four sizes. th. no _folded_ paper can be stamped; and therefore paper, whether intended for envelopes or letters, must be sent unfolded and without being creased. th. every distinct size and form of envelope or paper must be marked so as to indicate the plan on which the stamp is to be impressed, in order that, when the envelope or letter is folded and made up, the stamp may appear in the proper position according to the rules of the post-office. th. no coloured paper can be received for stamping, nor any paper which is too thin to bear the impression of the dies. th. envelopes provided by the office, with the proper stamps thereon, will be substituted for any which may be spoiled in the operation of stamping. a recent concession made by the board of inland revenue may be regarded as one of the latest novelties in the advertising world. under the arrangement in question, the stamp-office permits embossed rings with the name of a particular firm, _e. g._ "allsop & co., burton-on-trent," "de la rue & co.," to be placed round the stamp as a border to it. in , after the _exposé_ of the letter-opening practices at the general post-office, mr. leech gave in _punch_ his "anti-graham envelopes," and his satirical postage envelope, afterwards engraved by mr. w. j. linton, and widely circulated, represents sir james graham sitting as "britannia." about the same time there might have been seen in the windows of booksellers of the less respectable class, a kind of padlock envelope, exhibiting the motto, "not to be grahamed." for eight long years, the english people may be said to have enjoyed a complete monopoly in postage-stamps. towards the close of , they were introduced into france, and subsequently into every civilized nation in the world. last year they even penetrated into the ottoman empire, and strange as it appears, when viewed in the light of mohammedan usage, the sultan has been prevailed upon to allow his portrait to appear on the new issues of turkish stamps. in pursuance of a recommendation of a select committee of the house of commons which sat in , a perforating machine was purchased from mr. henry archer, the inventor, for the sum of four thousand pounds.[ ] the same committee could not decide, they said, on the "conflicting evidence" whether copper-plate engraving or surface printing would best secure the stamps against forgery, but they considered that the accurate perforation of the sheets would be a valuable preventive against forgery, "inasmuch as it would be exceedingly difficult to counterfeit sheets, and sheets badly done would at once excite suspicion when offered for sale." the invention of the perforating machine is said to have been attended with considerable labour, as, undoubtedly, it was by skill and ingenuity. to the post-office and the public the patent was sufficiently cheap. for a number of years the stamps had to be separated from each other by knives or scissors; now one stamp may be torn from the other with ease and safety. the process of puncturing the narrow spaces round each stamp--an undertaking not so easy as it seems--is the last the sheet of stamps undergoes before it is ready for sale. with regard to the other processes, little is known out of the stamp-office, beyond what may be gathered from a close inspection of the postage-stamps themselves. for obvious reasons, it has never been thought desirable to publish any account of the manufacture of stamps. we may simply say that all english postage-labels are manufactured at somerset house, and the entire establishment, which is distinct from the other branches of the inland revenue department, is managed at the annual expense of thirty thousand pounds.[ ] of this sum, nineteen thousand pounds is the estimated cost for the present year, - , of paper for labels and envelopes, and for printing, gumming, and folding. about five thousands pounds will be necessary to pay the salaries of the various officers, including five hundred pounds to the supervisor, and one hundred pounds to the superintendent of the perforating process. mr. edwin hill, a brother of sir rowland hill, is at the head of the department. a large number of boys are employed at the machines, under the superintendence of three or four intelligent superintendents. the paper used for the stamps is of a peculiar make, each sheet having a water-mark of two hundred and forty crowns; the blocks used are of first-rate quality, and only subjected to a certain number of impressions. the blocks are inked with rollers as in letter-press printing. of course, the stamps are printed in sheets, though each one is struck with the same die or punch. after the printing, and before the sheets are perforated, they are covered on the back with a gelatine matter to render the label adhesive. great precaution is taken in the printing of the stamps to provide against forgery. all the lines and marks, as well as the initial letters in the corner, are arranged so as to make the whole affair inimitable. the best preservative, however, in our opinion, against a spurious article, is the arrangement under which stamps are sold. only obtainable in any large quantity from the stamp or post-offices, any attempt on the part of the forger to put a base article into circulation is encumbered with difficulties. stamps, while they do duty for coin, are used almost exclusively for small transactions, and generally among people well known to each other. other precautions are nevertheless very necessary; and besides the initial letters on each stamp--different in every one of the two hundred and forty in the sheet--which are regarded as so many checks on the forger, this pest to society would have to engrave his own die, and cast his own blocks, and find a drilling-machine, perhaps the most difficult undertaking of all. the paper, besides, would be a considerable obstacle, and not less so the ink, for that used in this manufacture differs from ordinary printer's ink, not merely in colour, but in being soluble in water. when postage-stamps were first introduced in england, it was little thought that they would become a medium of exchange, and far less that they would excite such a _furore_ among stamp collectors. the same stamp may do duty in a number of various ways before it serves its normal purpose. it may have proceeded through the post a dozen times imbedded within the folds of a letter, before it becomes affixed to one, and gets its career ended by an ugly knock on the face--for its countenance once disfigured, it has run its course. besides their being so handy in paying a trifling debt or going on a merciful errand, the advertising columns of any newspaper will shew the reader many of the thousand and one ways in which he may turn his spare postage-stamps to account. you may suddenly fall upon a promise of an easy competence for the insignificant acknowledgment of half-a-crown's worth of this article. friends to humanity assure you a prompt remittance of thirteen queen's heads will secure you perfect exemption from all the ills that flesh is heir to. for the same quantity another who does the prophetic strain, will tell you which horse will win the derby, "as surely as if you stood at the winning-post on the very day." "stable boy," promises all subscribers of twelve stamps that if they "do not win on this event, he will never put his name in print again." of course all this is quackery, or worse; still the reader need not be told how in innumerable _bonâ fide_ cases the system of postage-stamp remittances is exceedingly handy for both buyer and vendor, and how trade--retail at any rate--is fostered by it. as a social arrangement, for the poorer classes especially, we could not well over-estimate its usefulness. again we see a good result of the penny-post scheme. since , not only has the use of postage-stamps in this way never been discouraged (as it was always thought that fewer coin letters would be sent in consequence), but the post-office authorities have recently made provision for taking them from the public, when not soiled or not presented in single stamps. this arrangement is already in force at the principal post-offices, and will ultimately extend to all. in america, as will be familiar to most readers, postage-stamps have formed the principal currency of small value almost since the breaking out of the present fratricidal war. more recently, the united states government has issued the stamps without gum, as it was found inconvenient to pass them frequently from hand to hand, after they had undergone the gelatinizing process. under an act, "postage currency, july th, ," the federal authorities have issued stamps printed on larger sized paper, with directions for their use under the peculiar circumstances. the obliteration of postage-labels in their passage through the post, requires a passing notice. different countries obliterate their stamps variously and with different objects. in france they obliterate with a hand-stamp having acute prominences in it, which, when thrown on the stamp, not only disfigures, but perforates it with numerous dots placed closely together. in holland, the word "_franco_" is imprinted in large letters. some countries, _e. g._ italy, austria, and prussia, mark on the label itself, the name of the despatching town, together with the date of despatch. in england, the purpose of the defacement marks is _primarily_ to prevent the stamp being used again. it also serves to show--inasmuch as the obliterating stamp of every british post-office is consecutively numbered--where the letter was posted, in the event of the other dated stamp being imperfectly impressed. for this purpose the british postal guide gives a list of the post-towns and the official number of each. the mark of st. martin's-le-grand is a changeable figure in a circle, according to the time of day during which the letter has been posted and struck; for the london district offices, we have the initials of the district, and the number of the office given in an oval. the figures in england are surrounded by lines forming a circle; in scotland by three lines at the top and three at the bottom of them; in ireland the lines surround the figures of the particular office in a diamond shape. it only remains to refer for a moment to the _timbromanie_, or stamp mania. the scenes in birchin lane in , where crowds nightly congregated, to the exceeding annoyance and wonderment of policeman x--where ladies and gentlemen of all ages and all ranks, from cabinet-ministers to crossing-sweepers, were busy, with album or portfolio in hand, buying, selling, or exchanging, are now known to have been the beginnings of what may almost be termed a new trade. postage-stamp exchanges are now common enough; one held in lombard street on saturday afternoons is largely attended. looking the other day in the advertisement pages of a monthly magazine, we counted no fewer than sixty different dealers in postage-stamps there advertising their wares. twelve months ago, there was no regular mart in london at which foreign stamps might be bought; now there are a dozen regular dealers in the metropolis, who are doing a profitable trade. about a year ago, we witnessed the establishment of a monthly organ for the trade in the _stamp-collector's magazine_; at this present moment there are no less than _ten_ such publications in existence in the united kingdom. england is not the only country interested in stamp-collecting. as might be expected, the custom originated in france, and has prevailed there for a number of years. in the gardens of the tuileries, and also to some extent in those of the luxembourg, crowds still gather, principally on sunday afternoons, and may be seen sitting under the trees, sometimes in a state of great excitement, as they busily sell or exchange any of their surplus stock for some of which they may have been in search. the gathering of a complete set of postage-stamps, and a proper arrangement of them, is at least a harmless and innocent amusement. on this point, however, we prefer, in conclusion, to let dr. gray, of the british museum, speak,[ ] and our readers to judge for themselves. "the use and charm of collecting any kind of object is to educate the mind and the eye to careful observation, accurate comparison, and just reasoning on the differences and likenesses which they present, and to interest the collector in the design or art shown in their creation or manufacture, and the history of the country which produces or uses the objects collected. the postage-stamps afford good objects for all these branches of study, as they are sufficiently different to present broad outlines for their classification; and yet some of the variations are so slight, that they require minute examination and comparison to prevent them from being overlooked. the fact of obtaining stamps from so many countries, suggests to ask what were the circumstances that induced the adoption, the history of the countries which issue them, and the understanding why some countries (like france) have considered it necessary, in so few years, to make so many changes in the form or design of the stamp used; while other countries, like holland, have never made the slightest change. "the changes referred to all mark some historical event of importance--such as the accession of a new king, a change in the form of government, or the absorption of some smaller state into some larger one; a change in the currency, or some other revolution. hence, a collection of postage-stamps may be considered, like a collection of coins, an epitome of the history of europe and america for the last quarter of a century; and at the same time, as they exhibit much variation in design and in execution as a collection of works of art on a small scale, showing the style of art of the countries that issue them, while the size of the collection, and the number in which they are arranged and kept, will show the industry, taste, and neatness of the collector." footnotes: [ ] fournier. [ ] vide _quarterly review_ for october, . [ ] report of select committee on postage, vol. iv. p. . [ ] _hand catalogue of postage-stamps_, p. . [ ] dr. j. e. gray. [ ] the mulready envelopes are regarded as great curiosities by stamp-collectors, and as their value rose to about fifteen shillings, a spurious imitation found its way into the market, usually to be had at half a crown. in , stamp-dealers were shocked by the vandalism of the government, who caused, it is said, many thousands of these envelopes to be destroyed at somerset house. [ ] our colonies issue their own stamps, with different designs. some of them are emblematical; the swan river territory using the design of a "swan," and the cape of good hope choosing that of "hope" reclining; but they are gradually adopting the english plan of a simple profile of the sovereign. the portrait of our queen appears on two hundred and forty varieties of stamps. nearly all those used in the colonies, and even some for foreign governments, are designed, engraved, printed, and embossed in london, and many of them are much prettier than the products of our own stamp-office. the principal houses for the manufacture of colonial stamps, are messrs. de la rue & co. and perkins, bacon, & co. of fleet street. see also dr. gray's handbook, p. . [ ] "an abstract of grants for miscellaneous services." sums voted in supply from to inclusive, moved for by sir h. willoughby. in the same return we find , _l._ were paid for "foudrinier's paper-machinery"--we presume for the manufacture of mulready's envelopes. [ ] for further information of the staff of officers, and the expenses of the stamp-office, see appendix (g). [ ] _hand catalogue of postage-stamps_, introduction, p. . chapter v. post-office savings' banks. the idea of savings' banks for the industrial classes was first started at the commencement of the present century. they are said to owe their origin to the rev. joseph smith, of wendover, who in , circulated proposals among his poorer parishioners to receive any of their spare sums during the summer, and return the amounts at the christmas following. to the original sum, mr. smith proposed to add one-third of the whole amount, as a reward for the forethought of the depositor. this rate of interest, ruinous to the projector, proves that the transactions must have been of small extent, and charity, a large element in the work. the first savings' bank really answering to the name was established at tottenham, middlesex, in , by some benevolent people in the place, and called the charitable bank. five per cent. interest was allowed to depositors, though for many years this rate was a great drain on the benevolence of the founders. in , these banks had increased in england and wales to the number of seventy-four. during that year acts of parliament were passed offering every encouragement to such institutions, and making arrangements to take all moneys deposited, and place them in the public funds. from to , the savings' banks of the united kingdom increased to . a reference to the various deficiencies of the old banks for savings, and the steps which led to the formation of those now under consideration, will not be out of place here. we have said that, in the early part of this century, successive governments offered every inducement and facility to the savings' bank scheme. such encouragement was indispensable to their success. when first started, government granted interest to the trustees at the rate of ½_l._ per cent. this rate, reduced to _l._ as the banks became more established, now stands at _l._ _s._ per cent. of this sum depositors receive _l._ per cent.; the difference paying the expenses of management. the encouragement which the legislature has given to the savings' banks of the country since their commencement, has entailed a loss of about four and a half millions sterling on the public exchequer. from to , a loss of nearly two millions sterling had been incurred by reason of the rate of interest which was allowed by government, being greater than that yielded by the securities in which the deposits had been invested. savings' banks have suffered most severely from frauds in the management, and the feeling of insecurity which these frauds have engendered from time to time has gone far to mar their usefulness. government is only responsible to the trustees for the amounts actually placed in its hands. the law, previous to , gave the depositor a remedy against the trustees in case of wilful neglect or default. in , the legislature thought right to make a most important change in the law, by which trustees of savings' banks were released from all liability, except _where it was voluntarily assumed_. it remains a most significant fact, that all the great frauds with this class of banks have occurred since that date. we have, indeed, to thank only the influential gentlemen, who, as a rule, take upon themselves the management of savings' banks, that such cases have been so rare as they have.[ ] the known frauds in savings' banks are calculated to have swallowed up a quarter of a million of hard-earned money. the fraud in the cuffe street bank, in dublin, amounted to , _l._; the tralee bank stopped payment in with liabilities to depositors to the extent of , _l._, and only , _l._ of available assets; in the same year, the killarney savings' bank stopped with liabilities of , _l._, and assets of only half that amount. about the same time, the rochdale bank frauds became known, and losses to the extent of , _l._ were the result. there can be no doubt that the state of the law is still most anomalous, and that the great majority of the people of this country are under the impression that there is government security for each deposit in every savings' bank. year by year, changes have been proposed in the legislature for giving more security to depositors, but the body of managers have hitherto been successful in their opposition. whilst legislation is thus deferred, the risks to the provident poor still continue. in the report of a government commission appointed during one of these annual discussions "on the savings of the middle and working classes," several well-known authorities in such matters, such as mr. j. stuart mill, and mr. bellenden kerr, expressed decided opinions of the insecurity of savings'-bank deposits. mr. j. malcom ludlow spoke to the feeling of the working-classes themselves: "i should say the _great_ reason why the working-classes turn away from savings' banks, is the feeling of insecurity so largely prevailing amongst them." mr. j. s. mill, when asked for any suggestion on the subject, said: "i think it would be very useful to provide some scheme to make the nation responsible for all amounts deposited. certainly the general opinion among the depositors is, that the nation is responsible; they are not aware that they have only the responsibility of the trustees to rely upon." some change, or some new system, had long been regarded as absolutely necessary. in , the number of savings' banks on the old plan was ; yet out of this number there were no less than fourteen counties in the united kingdom without a bank at all. even in england, when the test was applied to _towns_, all, for instance, of a size containing upwards of , inhabitants, it was found that there were at least twenty-four without savings'-bank accommodation of any sort. nor was this all. even where savings' banks already existed, were open only once a-week, and that for a few hours; some twice a-week; but very few--only twenty, in fact--were open for a few hours every day. when, added to all this want of accommodation and absence of facility, we remember the unsatisfactory state of the law concerning them, there can be no wonder that public attention was called to the subject from time to time. so early as , mr. whitbread introduced a bill into parliament to make the money-order office at the post-office available for collecting sums from all parts of the country, and transmitting them to a central bank which should be established in london. at that time, the money-order department of the post-office had not arrived at the state of efficiency to which it subsequently attained, and the bill was withdrawn. other proposals shared the same fate, till, in , mr. sykes of huddersfield, engaged in the savings' bank of that town, addressed mr. gladstone on the deficiencies of the existing system. through his practical acquaintance with the old plan of working, he was able to demonstrate that increased facilities for depositing at any time, and almost at any place, were great desiderata amongst the poorer classes. the same facilities were necessary for withdrawing deposits. mr. sykes proposed that a bank for savings should be opened at every money-order office in the kingdom; that each postmaster should be authorized to receive deposits; and that all the offices should have immediate connexion with a central bank in london. the general principle of this scheme was at once seen to be useful and practicable, though, again, the _mode_ of working was evidently unsatisfactory. mr. sykes, for instance, proposed that all payments and withdrawals should be severally effected by means of money-orders to be drawn for each separate undertaking. any one at all acquainted with the machinery of the money-order office was aware that this would of necessity be a slow and complex, as well as expensive plan. mr. sykes's idea was, that no deposit should be less in amount than twenty shillings. this arrangement, again, would have gone far to negative the merits of the whole plan, and especially to interfere with its usefulness amongst the classes which the measure was really intended to benefit. for a few months this scheme, like those preceding it, exhibited signs of suspended animation, when it was referred to the practical officers of the revenue department of the post-office, and by them resolved into the simple and comprehensive measure which the chancellor of the exchequer proposed in , and which was the crowning effort of the legislative session of that year. this bill, entitled "an act to grant additional facilities for depositing small savings at interest, with the security of government for the due repayment thereof," became law on the th of may, . the first savings' banks in connexion with the post-offices of the country were established on the th of september, . a limited number was first organized, and in places where no accommodation of the kind had ever been afforded. the extension of the scheme to ireland and scotland was effected on the d and th of february respectively. nearly all the , money-order offices of the united kingdom are now post-office savings' banks. these banks are in regular working order, , , in round numbers, existing in england and wales, in ireland, and in scotland. many of our largest towns have several banks. thus, at the present time, january, , we find five banks in edinburgh, five in glasgow, twelve in dublin, ten in liverpool, sixteen in manchester, ten in birmingham, and seven in bristol. only seventy of the entire number of new banks have failed to obtain depositors--a fact which sufficiently proves that the advantages offered by the post-office establishment are understood and appreciated throughout the kingdom. up to the end of , the total number of depositors in new banks had been , , of which number no fewer than , then held accounts. at present (march, ), the weekly deposits amount, in the aggregate, to , _l._, while the withdrawals are no more than one-third of that sum. the total amount intrusted to the post-office banks since their first opening has been , , _l._, of which sum no less than , , _l._ remain to the credit of depositors. the most gratifying fact in connexion with the new banks is, that they show a much larger proportion of small depositors than the old savings' banks have been able to attract, the average amount of a deposit being _l._ _s._ _d._ in the new, against _l._ _s._ _d._ in the old class of banks. between fifty and sixty old savings' banks, including the birmingham bank, closed their accounts during the last year ( ), great part of the business of each being transferred to the new banks. a sum amounting to over , _l._ has already been transferred from these banks to the post-office by means of transfer certificates; whilst additional sums, the amount of which cannot be correctly ascertained, have been withdrawn from the old and paid into the post-office banks in cash. with a view to facilitate the proceedings of the trustees of banks which have been or may hereafter be closed, an act of parliament was passed in the last session which will doubtless have the effect of winding up the affairs of many of the smaller banks under the old plan, and increasing the work of those on the new. the _modus operandi_ of this scheme is as simple as it is satisfactory. on making the first deposit, under the new arrangements, an account-book is presented to the depositor, in which is entered his name, address, and occupation. all the necessary printed regulations are given in this book. the amount of each deposit is inserted by the postmaster, and an impression of the dated stamp of the post-office is placed opposite the entry, thus making each transaction strictly official. at the close of each day's business, the postmaster must furnish to the postmaster-general in london a full account of all the deposits that have been made in his office. by return of post an acknowledgment will be received by each depositor in the shape of a separate letter from the head office, the postmaster-general thus becoming responsible for the amount. if such a letter does not arrive within ten days from the date of the deposit an inquiry is instituted, and the error rectified. an arrangement like the foregoing shows the boundless resources which the government possesses in its post-office. the acknowledgment of every separate transaction in each of the money-order offices of the three kingdoms, which in any private undertaking would be an herculean labour, involving an enormous outlay in postage alone, is here accomplished with marvellous ease, and the whole mass of extra communications make but an imperceptible ripple on the stream of the nation's letters flowing nightly from st. martin's-le-grand. when a depositor wishes to withdraw any of his money, he has only to apply to the nearest post-office for the necessary printed form, and to fill it up, stating his name and address, where his money is deposited, the amount he wishes to withdraw, and the place where he wishes it paid, and by return of post he will receive a warrant, in which the postmaster named is authorized to pay the amount applied for. in this respect post-office savings' banks offer peculiar advantages. a depositor, for instance, visiting the metropolis, and having--as he may easily do in london--run short of ready money, may, with a little timely notice to the authorities in london, draw out, in any of the hundred new banks in the metropolis, from his amount at home sufficient for his needs. another person, leaving one town for another, may, without any expense, and no more trouble than a simple notice, have his account transferred to his future home, and continue it there under precisely similar circumstances as those to which he has been accustomed. last year this power was largely used, there being no fewer than , deposits and , withdrawals made under these circumstances, _e. g._ at places where the depositor is temporarily residing.[ ] the facilities offered by the post-office in this way are unique; no other banks can offer them; and such is the admirable system adopted by the post-office, that complicated accounts of this nature are reduced to a matter of the simplest routine. at the end of each month the accounts of the two offices concerned in transactions of this kind are reconciled by the addition or deduction of the amounts in question, which arrangement, so far from being an irksome one, enables the department to obtain a very valuable check upon its gross transactions. under the old system, a depositor could only effect a transfer of his account from manchester to liverpool by withdrawing it from the one, under the usual long notice, and taking it to the other. this course was not only troublesome to the parties concerned, but the depositor ran the risk of losing his money, or, perhaps, of spending the whole or part of it. under the post-office system, however, the transfer may be effected in a day or two, without the depositor even seeing the money, and without the smallest risk of loss. suppose a depositor wishes to transfer his account from a bank under the old plan to one under the new, or _vice versâ_, the matter is one of equally simple arrangement. he has only to apply to the old savings' bank for a certificate to enable him to transfer his deposits in that bank to that belonging to the post-office, and when he obtains such certificate he may present it to any postmaster who transacts savings'-bank business. the postmaster receives it as if it were so much money, and issues a depositors' book, treating the case as if the amount had been handed over to him. a few days longer are required before an acknowledgment can be sent from london; but this is all the difference between the case and that of an ordinary savings'-bank deposit[ ] in the order of advantages which post-office savings' banks offer the depositor, we would rank next to their unquestionable security their peculiar convenience for deposit and withdrawal. twelve months ago, a person might be the length of an english county distant from a bank for savings. under the present arrangement, few persons will be a dozen miles distant from a money-order office, whilst nine-tenths of the entire community will find the necessary accommodation at their very doors. as new centres of population are formed, or as hamlets rise into flourishing villages, and the want of an office for money-orders becomes felt, the requirement will continue to be met, with the addition in each case of a companion savings' bank. again, the expenses of management--amounting to a shilling in the old banks for each transaction, against something like half that amount in the new--will not allow of the ordinary banks being opened but at a few stated periods during the week. the post-office savings' bank, attached as it is to the post-office money-order office, is open to the public full eight hours of every working day. sums not below one shilling, and amounts not exceeding thirty pounds in any one year, may be deposited in these banks; depositors will not be put to any expense for books, postage, &c. and the rate of interest to be allowed will be ½ per cent.--a sum which, though not large, is all which it is found the government can pay without loss. it is not thought that this low rate of interest will deter the classes most sought after from investing in these banks. the poorer classes, as a rule, regard the question of a safe investment as a more important one than that of profits, and wisely think far more of their earnings being safe than of their receiving great returns for them. this scheme, last and best of all, must help to foster independent habits among the working population. their dealings with the post-office banks are pure matters of business, and no obligation of any sort is either given or received. the existing banks, on the other hand, partake largely of the nature of a charity. an objection frequently urged against savings' banks with much bitterness is, that many great employers of labour are on the directorate of such institutions, and that, consequently, they are able to exercise an oversight over their characters and savings, not always used for the best of purposes. in the committee of inquiry to which we have already alluded, cases--designated "rare," we are glad to add--were adduced, from which it appeared that provident workmen's wages had been reduced by their employers, upon the ground of their being already well enough off. no such considerations, however, can affect the new banks: postmasters are forbidden to divulge the names of any depositor, or any of the amounts which he or she may have placed in their hands.[ ] the advantages of these banks are so obvious, and the arrangements under which they are worked are of such a simple nature, that they cannot help but be increasingly useful and successful. moreover, they are so accessible, that the working man, especially, requires nothing but the _will_ to do that which his everyday experience tells him is so necessary should be done for the comfort of his family and home. footnotes: [ ] the case of a fraud of this kind was mentioned by lord monteagle when the post-office savings'-bank bill was before the lords. in a hertfordshire savings' bank, a deficiency of , _l._ was discovered, and the entire amount was subscribed by nine of the trustees, who were noblemen and gentlemen in the neighbourhood. [ ] one of the first deposits which was made on the first day of opening in the banks started on the new system was withdrawn the next week in another town at some distance. the depositor was a person travelling with a wild beast menagerie.--_mr. gladstone's speech at mold_, january , . [ ] of course in this case inquiry would have to be made of the old bank and the national debt office. ordinarily, the receipt of letters on savings'-bank business received in london, involving inquiry, is promptly acknowledged, the writers being told that the delay of a few days may occur before a reply can be sent. at the general savings'-bank office in london, the transactions of each day are disposed of within that day; the monthly adjustment of accounts being also prompt. warrants for withdrawals are issued in reply to every correct notice received up to eleven o'clock each morning, and these warrants are despatched by the same day's post to the depositors who have applied for them. every letter received up to eleven o'clock a.m. is answered the same day, or at the latest the next day, if no inquiry involving delay is necessary. the arrangements for the examination of savings'-bank books every year are also very admirable. a few days before the anniversary of the first deposit, an official envelope is sent down from london to every depositor, in which he or she are asked to enclose their book so that it may arrive at the chief office at such a date. it makes its appearance again in the course of two or three days with the entries all checked, and the interest stated and allowed. see appendix (b). also an interesting paper by mr. frank i. scudamore, the newly-appointed assistant secretary of the post office, read before the _congrès international de bienfaisance_, june , . [ ] we have seen complaints made from the public press that in the post-office there is only a pretension to secrecy in this matter, while the arrangements which make the savings-bank operations so closely connected with money-order business, conducted by the same clerk at the same desk, is anything but conducive to desirable privacy. there is much truth in the latter remark; and if, when the system is perfected and its work properly gauged, there be no change, the new banks may very possibly suffer on this account. chapter vi. being miscellaneous and suggestive. . every person or firm engaged in extensive correspondence should purchase the "british postal guide," at least once a-year. it is published quarterly, and may be had at any post-office for a shilling. . those engaged in frequent correspondence with our colonies or with foreign countries should, in addition, subscribe for the "postal official circular," published weekly for a penny, which gives the latest information on all points regarding the incoming and outgoing of all foreign and colonial mails. . since the division of the metropolis into postal districts, those requiring frequent communication with different parts of london will find of great service a penny book which contains a list of all the streets, &c. in london and its environs, as divided into the ten districts, and giving the initials in each case. this book may be purchased at any post-office. it is said that delay is sometimes avoided by adding the initials of the london districts to letters forwarded from the provinces. . as a rule, with few exceptions indeed, letters are forwarded according to their address. it is of paramount importance, therefore, that the addresses of letters should not only be legible, but the proper and the complete address. perhaps the following suggestions on this head may be found useful, viz.:-- (_a_) never to post a letter without addressing it either a post town or a county. if the information cannot otherwise be obtained, the "british postal guide" contains a list of all post-offices in the united kingdom, and gives post town to which they are subordinate. (_b_) letters for small towns or villages ought not to addressed to the nearest large town, merely because it the _nearest_; although, as a rule, the town in question will be the correct post town, there are many exceptions, which can only be known by reference to the "guide" provided, or by inquiry. (_c_) if the town be not well known, or if there be two towns of the same name in the country, the _county_ ought to be added. (all the cities and county towns are well known.) thus, letters addressed to newport should always give the county, inasmuch as there are several towns and villages of that name in england. again, letters for newcastle should either have the county added, or the usual designation thus: newcastle-on-tyne, newcastle-under-lyme, or newcastle emlyn. (_d_) letters posted in england for scotland or ireland, _vice versâ_ (except in the case of the great towns of the three countries), should have the name of the country to which they are sent given as part of the address. n. b. (north britain) for scotland, and s. b. (south britain) for england, would generally be thought sufficient for letters circulating between the two countries. (_e_) foreign letters should invariably have the name of the country given (in english if possible). it ought also to be given in full. letters addressed "london, c. w." and intended for london in western canada, have not unfrequently been sent to the west central district in london, and so delayed. letters addressed to "hamilton, c. w." have also been mis-sent to hamilton in scotland, the initials having been overlooked. (_f_) the street, &c. should be given on all addresses. well known persons and firms get their letters, &c. regularly, although this rule may not be adhered to; but the omission frequently leads to delays in the _general_ distribution, and sometimes to serious mistakes. in large towns where many names of firms approximate in appearance somewhat to each other, the addresses of letters cannot be too fully given. with london letters, this rule should be strictly adhered to. (_g_) the number of the house, and the correct one, should be carefully added.[ ] when information of this sort is kept back, hesitation and delay frequently occur in delivery; though, perhaps, few letters eventually fail to reach their destination on this account. . every letter should be examined with care before it is dropped in a letter-box, in order to see that it has been securely sealed. thousands of letters are posted yearly without any precaution of the kind having been taken with them, the post-office authorities having to secure them as a consequence.[ ] not only so, but twelve thousand letters are yearly posted without any address at all. . good adhesive envelopes, not too highly glazed, of the ordinary size, are sufficient security for letters,[ ] if the adhesive matter has been but _slightly_ wetted. if, for additional security, it be thought advisable also to seal a letter with wax, it should be placed outside the envelope. very frequently, the wax is found to have been placed on the adhesive matter inside the envelope, thus rendering both ineffective. . letters intended for warm climates should not be sealed with wax at all, inasmuch as there is great danger of the wax melting and injuring the letter, as well as the other contents of the mail-bag. . care should be used in securing newspapers and large packets.[ ] newspapers, when not sent at first from the newspaper offices, should be addressed on the paper itself and tied with string, as great risk is run in the matter of covers becoming detached from the newspapers themselves. book packets, in addition to being enclosed in covers, sealed with wax, gum, or other adhesive matter (but open at the ends or sides), may be tied round the ends with string, as additional security. when the latter precaution is taken, there is less chance of letters getting within the folds of the packet, which may happen when it is not thoroughly secured. . valuable packets or books, if they cannot be well secured, should scarcely be sent through the post. all such packets are liable to be roughly handled, and in the mail-bags exposed to pressure and friction. when safely deposited in the mail-bags, valuable packets are still in danger, inasmuch as the bags in many cases are constantly being transferred from one kind of conveyance to another, and frequently despatched from railway trains by apparatus machinery whilst the train is in motion. . books with valuable bindings, if it is necessary that they should be sent through the post, might be well secured in strong boards; valuable papers or prints should be enclosed in strong paper, linen, parchment, or other material which will not readily tear or break. fragile articles of value (which should by all means be registered, as special care will then be taken of them in all respects) might best be enclosed in wooden boxes, and then wrapped in paper. . it is hardly necessary now to point out that the postage-stamp should be placed on the upper right-hand corner of the envelope, and the address written as much towards the left hand as possible; the address will then be removed from the stamp and the postmark of the office, which will be impressed upon the letter before it is despatched. delay is caused to the post-office operations when the stamp is otherwise placed; and in cases which occasionally occur, where the stamp is placed at the _back_ of the letter, it frequently happens that it is sent away charged with the unpaid postage. . the penny receipt-stamp will not, under any circumstances, serve the purpose of the penny postage-stamp, though many people would seem to think differently; all letters bearing a receipt-stamp are, of course, charged as if unpaid. the two kinds of stamp might easily be assimilated, and there are rumours that this may soon be done; but they have their distinct duties at present, and the one cannot take the place of the other. . the post-office stamped envelopes (which may be obtained singly, in part packets, or entire packets, of two or three sizes, and embossed with either penny or twopenny stamps) are in every way the most secure; and if the paper were of better quality, would be quite as economical, as if the ordinary envelope and the ordinary stamp were used. all risk of the stamps becoming detached is, of course, avoided by the use of stamped envelopes. . in place of affixing penny postage-stamps according to the weight of a letter, however heavy it may be, application might be made for twopenny, fourpenny, sixpenny, or shilling labels, as the case may be. . in affixing stamps, care should be had lest by excess of moisture all the gum be washed off.[ ] the practice of dipping the stamp in water is objectionable, except some absorbent be used immediately to remove any unnecessary moisture. it will be found to be a good plan to wet slightly the gummed side of the stamp, and also the right-hand corner of the envelope, and then to keep the finger gently on the stamp until it is firmly fixed. highly glazed envelopes should be avoided. . letters about which any doubt exists should be carefully weighed before posting. if the post-office weight be exceeded to the smallest extent, even to the turning of the scale, a letter becomes liable to, and is charged higher postage--viz. the difference in double or unpaid postage. so trained has the post-office clerk become of late years by a recent system of surcharges, that few letters can now pass with an insufficient number of stamps affixed. to provide against errors in scales, &c. it would be well in all cases to allow a little margin, or ask that the letter be weighed in the post-office scales. in the case of newspapers and book-packets, the same remarks, as well as the same arrangements, apply. it should be particularly remembered that a newspaper when posted, say wet from the printing-office, will often weigh more than it does on delivery; hence surcharges for which the receiver sometimes cannot account. . in posting letters, care should be taken to see that they fall into the box, and do not stick in the passage. the pillar-boxes of our towns, whatever may be said to the contrary, are completely safe as a rule, though the same care should be exercised in depositing the letters.[ ] . the earlier a letter is posted the better in all cases: towards the time for the closing of the letter-box, great haste is indispensably necessary in the manipulations which a town's correspondence must undergo, whilst earlier on it gets carefully disposed of in proper box and bag. when letters or newspapers are posted in great numbers, as in the case of circulars, they should be posted as early as practicable, and should be tied up in bundles with the addresses all in one direction, or they may be delayed in the press of work.[ ] . every letter of consequence put into the post should contain the name of the sender and also his address, in order that, if it cannot be delivered as addressed, it may be promptly returned to the writer. . all business letters, at any rate, might have the sender's name and address embossed on the back of the envelope. on failure to deliver such letters, they would then be returned to the writers without being opened. care should be taken, however, not to use envelopes with another person's name embossed in this way, as the letter will be forwarded back to the address thus given, though it should not happen to be the sender's own. . coin is prohibited to be sent in ordinary letters passing between one part of the united kingdom and another.[ ] if a letter be posted containing coin, it will be registered and charged a double registration fee. coins or any other articles of value, if properly secured, will be certain of careful treatment under the registration system.[ ] . letters meant to be registered must never be dropped into the letter-box as in the case of ordinary letters, but should be given to the clerk in charge of the post-office counter or window to be dealt with, who will in each case give his receipt for it. the receipt is the sender's evidence that it has been posted in proper course. . letters containing sharp instruments, liquids, &c. or any other articles which would be likely of themselves, or if they should escape, to do injury to the other contents of the mail-bag, should never be posted. postmasters have instructions not to forward such letters according to their address, but, when observed, to send them to the dead-letter office, from which place they will be returned to the writers. valuable letters of this forbidden kind, therefore, run great risks of delay, while the articles are liable to be destroyed in their passage through the post.[ ] . though the transmission of coin in letters is now absolutely forbidden, except under the registration scheme, arrangements are made for rendering it easy to send small sums by post in postage-stamps. when presented at any of the numerous money-order offices in the united kingdom, they may be exchanged for money, at a charge of ½ per cent. any person wishful to send through the post a sum of money under five or six shillings will find it cheaper to buy stamps and enclose them, in place of a post-office order. one penny will be charged for buying forty stamps, a halfpenny for twenty stamps. , _l._ worth of postage-stamps were bought from the public during the year . . in sending postage-stamps in letters, care should be taken to use _thick_ envelopes, so that enclosures of this kind may neither be seen nor felt. it is easy to feel a quantity of postage-stamps in a letter sent in a thin and crisp envelope, and some official becoming aware of this may not be able to resist the temptation to appropriate them. . no enclosures whatever should be sent in newspapers impressed with the regular newspaper-stamp. even an old address of such a newspaper should be carefully cut out. it is not enough that it be obliterated with the pen, as the rules forbid writing of any kind in addition to the mere address.[ ] with newspapers stamped by the ordinary postage-label the arrangements are quite different. any printed paper or manuscript may be folded up with the newspaper on which an ordinary penny-stamp is placed, provided the total amount of the package does not exceed four ounces. the old address (supposing the newspaper has circulated through the post before) may be left on or not at the discretion of the sender, as this does not interfere with the regulation that nothing in the packet shall be of the nature of a letter. on the other hand, any sentence or message written in ink or pencil on any part of the paper makes the packet liable to the unpaid letter-rate of postage. . when any letter, book-packet, or newspaper is lost, miscarried, or delayed, inquiry should be made as soon as evidence has been obtained that the article in question was really posted. the postmaster of the town should be informed by the complainant of every particular relating to the missing letter, &c. the day and hour of its posting, the office at which and the person by whom this was done. in cases of delay or mis-sending, the covers ought to be produced in order that the office stamps on them may indicate the exact place where the delay has been occasioned. correspondence on the subject of the complaints will subsequently be carried on between the applicant and the secretary's department in england, scotland, or ireland, as the case may be. . when any one has reason to believe that he has paid extra postage on a letter or packet improperly, or has been charged more than the case would warrant, he should apply to his postmaster, who will bring the case before the notice of the secretary, when, if any mistake has been made, the money will be refunded by order. postmasters cannot return postage paid improperly until instructed to do so from the chief offices. . when an unpaid letter is presented to a person who has not the means at disposal of paying the demand upon it (some foreign or colonial letter may be taxed heavily), it will be kept at the post-office a month, _if a request be made to that effect_, in order that efforts may be made to obtain the necessary money to release it. . postmasters and their clerks are forbidden to be parties to the deceptions which used to be practised, and which are now sometimes attempted, as to the place of posting of a letter. if any communication should be forwarded, under cover, to the postmaster of a provincial town, with a request that it may be posted at his office, it will be sent to the returned-letter branch in london, and from thence to the writer. . advertisements are occasionally seen, and applications frequently made, for defaced postage-stamps. it is stated, in some cases, that a given number will gain certain individuals admission to different charitable institutions. whatever may be the purpose for which the old stamps are required, the post-office authorities have found, by inquiry, that the ostensible reason here given has uniformly been false. it is sometimes feared that attempts are made to clean and re-issue them, though this can be attended with but partial success. it is much more probable that they are sought to indulge some whim, such as papering boxes or even rooms. . with reference to money-orders, the public should be careful-- (_a_) always to give particulars of any order required _in writing_. when a number of orders are required, to write out a full list of them. forms for single orders may be had gratuitously at all money-order offices. these forms, or other written papers, are invariably kept on files for a given time, so that reference may easily be made to them in the event of any mistake. mistakes may, of course, be made either by the applicant or the clerk on duty. if, on production of the paper, the error is seen to have been the sender's, he must pay (generally a second commission) for the necessary alterations: if, however, it be proved to be caused by the clerk issuing the order, the post-office calls upon the latter to bear the expense himself. (_b_) never to present an order for payment on the day on which it is issued, nor, on the other hand, to allow two months to elapse before calling for payment.[ ] (_c_) when sending an order, either to send it to its destination singly, or in a letter signed only by initials. money-orders passing between friends need not be accompanied with information such as is sometimes required in business transactions. footnotes: [ ] the irregularities and eccentricities in the numbering of streets and houses is a great difficulty. on one occasion a london inspector of letter-carriers, going round the districts, noticed a brass-plate with the number between two houses numbered respectively and . he made inquiry, when the old lady who tenanted the house said that the number had belonged to a former residence, and, thinking it a pity that it should be thrown away, she had transferred it to her new home, supposing that it would do as well as any other number! [ ] about two hundred letters pass through the general post-office every day unsealed. [ ] it is calculated that per cent. of the letters circulating through the united kingdom are enclosed in envelopes; the number of those sent abroad in envelopes is somewhat smaller, or about per cent. [ ] the number of newspapers delivered in amounted to nearly , , , a considerable increase on the previous year. the number of book-packets exceeded , , , being an increase on the previous year of about , , , or nearly per cent. upwards of , newspapers, or about one in two hundred, were undelivered in the same year, about half of which failures arose from improper or incorrect addresses, while the remainder were owing to the newspapers becoming detached from their covers in transit through the post. [ ] it is calculated that every year nearly fifty thousand postage-stamps rub off letters and newspapers in their passage through the post-office. at one time the quality of the adhesive matter was called in question, loud complaint, even ridicule, settling on the theme. now, however, that the gum is better the number of stamps which "will not stick" is scarcely perceptibly smaller. [ ] only one instance is on record of any violent and wilful attempt to damage a pillar letter-box. this is the more wonderful as the temptation to lift the lid and contribute articles not contemplated by our postage-system must naturally be strong in the eyes of our city arabs. a singular accident befell one of these letter-boxes ( ) in montrose. a quantity of gas from the street pipes seems to have got into the box, and a night-watchman to have ignited it by striking a match on the top in order to light his pipe. the top was blown off and the pillar-box hopelessly damaged, although the watchman and the letters escaped without injury. [ ] the following announcement from the postmaster of manchester, as given in a bill dated , contrasts strangely with the latitude allowed now. "the post goes out to london," says he, "on monday, wednesday, and saturday, at nine o'clock in the morning. it will be best to bring the letters the _night before the going out of the post_, because the accounts and baggs are usually made up _over-night_." in these days, when we may post up to within five minutes of the despatch of a mail, and letters for america may be posted within ten minutes of the sailing of the packet, we cannot be too thankful for our privileges. [ ] this arrangement does not apply to foreign letters coming to or going out of this country. [ ] the number of registered letters last year was over two millions, or one registered letter to about three hundred ordinary letters. [ ] most of our readers will have heard or read stories of curious articles passing through the post, and without doubt the records of the returned-letter branch of the london office will present strange appearances in this respect. sir francis b. head, who was permitted to peruse an extraordinary ledger in the general post-office where several notable letters and packets were registered, has strung together a catalogue of them, which reminds us of the articles passing through the post before the revocation of the franking privilege. he tells us he found amongst the number--two canaries; a pork-pie from devonport to london; a pair of piebald mice, which were kept at the office a month, and duly fed till they were called for by the owner; two rabbits; plum-pudding; leeches in bladders, "several of which having burst, many of the poor creatures were found crawling over the correspondence of the country." further, there was a bottle of cream from devonshire; a pottle of strawberries; a sample bottle of cider; half a pound of soft soap wrapped in thin paper; a roast duck; a pistol, _loaded almost to the mouth with slugs and ball_; a live snake; a paper of fish-hooks; fish innumerable; and last of all, and most extraordinary of all, a human heart and stomach.--_head's essays._ [ ] the annual return just published (february, ) shows to some extent how far the public prefers the stamped newspaper, which can be sent through the post-office, in fact, until it is fifteen days old. the number of stamps issued to the principal london newspapers from june, , to june, , are as follows:-- _times_, , , ; _express_, , ; _morning post_, , ; _daily news_, , ; _morning herald_, , ; _globe_, , ; _shipping gazette_, , ; _evening standard_, , ; _evening star_, , ; _evening mail_ (thrice a week), took , ; _st. james's chronicle_, , ; _record_, , ; _the guardian_ (weekly), , ; _the illustrated london news_, , , ; _punch_, , . eleven english country newspapers took , each, the principal being the _sussex express_, , , and the _stamford mercury_, , . thirty country newspapers bought more than , stamps. [ ] many orders are never claimed at all. in ireland twice as many orders are allowed to "lapse" as in england or scotland, though there are many more orders granted in the two latter countries than in ireland. perhaps the fact may be accounted for by the wretched addresses of most irish letters, which make it impossible to deliver many of them and equally impossible to return them to the writers. of ordinary money-orders, one in are unclaimed within two months; whilst as a curious fact, instancing the pertinacity of a careless habit, it may be stated that when these very orders have been renewed on payment of a second commission, one in every thirty-nine are again overlooked, and allowed to lapse, many of them, in fact, becoming entirely cancelled, and the money forfeited. chapter vii. concerning some of the popular misconceptions and misrepresentations to which the post-office is liable. the post-office, from its peculiar organization and the nature of its business, is liable to many misconceptions from which the other great government departments are more or less free. in one of the reports of the postmaster-general, many of these misunderstandings are recounted and answered with an evident endeavour to bring about a better feeling between the people and the people's post-office. we cannot do better than refer here to a few of the instances given, supplementing them by more which have been suggested to us from that consideration of the entire economy of the post-office, into which we have been led in dealing with our subject. . unquestionably, the post-office is blamed for many errors and shortcomings which ought never to have been charged against it. on this important point, the evidence given by each post-office report is remarkably clear, although, by the way, a writer in a recent number of a highly respectable quarterly review regards the instances given by successive postmaster-generals as so many "testimonials to character," reminding him--so he scurvily added--of nothing so much as "the testimonials given by dyspeptic noblemen in favour of the revalenta arabica or holloway's pills and ointment."[ ] of course, much trouble and many losses must, from time to time and at all times, have been caused by the carelessness or dishonesty of some of many thousand officials of the post-office, though the cases are far from few, and the authorities, in which it has been shown, to the satisfaction even of the complainant, that the fault at first attributed to the post-office rested really in other quarters. some examples are afforded. the publisher of one of the london papers complained of the repeated loss in the post-office of copies of his journal, addressed to persons abroad. an investigation showed that the abstraction was made by the publisher's clerk, his object apparently being to appropriate the stamps required to defray the foreign postage. in another case, a general complaint having arisen as to the loss of newspapers sent to the chief office in st. martin's-le-grand, the investigation led to the discovery of a regular mart held near the office, which was supplied with newspapers by the private messengers employed to convey them to the post. again: a man was detected once in robbing a newsvendor's cart by volunteering, on its arrival at the entrance of the general post-office, to assist the driver in posting the newspapers. instead of doing so, however, he walked through the hall with those intrusted to him, and, upon his being stopped, three quires of a weekly paper were found in his possession. to these cases of newspapers let us add a few concerning letters, the substance of which are adduced in subsequent reports. thus, a letter containing a cheque for _l._ and sent to a london firm, was said not to have reached its destination; the post-office was blamed for not delivering it; inspectors were set to work, and after a diligent search, it was traced from the premises of the person to whom it was addressed to those of a papier-maché manufacturer, where it doubtless had been pulped into tea-trays or writing-cases. again: a bank agent sends his son to the post with a letter, which on his journey he opens. spying a figured cheque, he abstracts it, and posts the letter without it, and it is afterwards found ornamenting his copy-book! another bank agent sends his youthful son to the post-office to receive for him his letters, one of which, containing some very valuable inclosures, he leaves in his pocket, and immediately afterwards leaves town for school, carrying with him the precious missive--worth some , _l._--where it consorts with his marbles, everton toffy, and cold bologna sausage, till the vacation, the lad all the time being in blissful unconsciousness of the stir paterfamilias was making about it. another person complained that several of his letters were not forthcoming. this case was a mystery. at length it struck one of the shrewd officials--who grow shrewd through dint of unravelling the most curious cases--that the letter-box at the person's door ought to be carefully examined. this was done, and the box was found exceedingly defective. fifteen letters were jammed between the box and the door, where some of them had quietly reposed for the space of nine years.[ ] the secretary of a charitable institution in london gave directions for posting a large number of "election papers," and supposed that his directions had been duly acted upon. shortly, however, he received complaints of the non-receipt of many of the papers, and in other cases of delay. he at once lodged a strong complaint at the post-office; but, on examination, circumstances soon came to light which cast suspicion on the person employed to post the notices, although this man had been many years in the service of the society, and was supposed to be of strict integrity. ultimately, the man confessed that he embezzled the postage ( _l._ _s._ _d._), and had endeavoured to deliver the election papers himself. once more: a short time since a registered letter was said to have been posted at newcastle, addressed to a banker in edinburgh, who, not receiving it according to his expectation, sent a telegraphic message to learn why it had not been forwarded. the banker supposed that the letter had been lost or purloined in the post-office; but it was at last found to have been duly delivered to the bank porter in order to post it, but he had locked it up in his desk and forgotten it. . the knowledge of the following misconception may also help to save the public and the post-office a great amount of trouble. "it is often assumed," says the postmaster-general, "that a mail-conveyance passing by, or through a place, ought, as a matter of course, to deposit," there and then, "the letters directed thereto; the practice being, on the contrary, that until the mail arrives at the head post-office of the district, the letters in question are not separated from the other letters of the district. a slight consideration of the nature and objects of the postal service will show that such separation cannot be effected in any other way, unless, indeed, the mail-conveyance, even supposing it to be but a _mail-cart_, were converted into a travelling post-office, and furnished with clerks of unlimited local knowledge (which is plainly impossible), or unless every town and village in the kingdom, having any correspondence with the place in question, were to make up a bag for that place; in which case its mail would contain nearly as many bags as letters." . "it happens from time to time that, owing to the stream of postal communications having been diverted from the old mail-road to a line of railway, or from other causes of like nature, it becomes desirable to reduce the post-office of a town from the condition of a _principal_ office to that of a _sub_-office. this step not unfrequently gives rise to complaints, the inhabitants being under the impression that they will not in future be so well served. this is a misconception. the change is not made when it will subject the correspondence to delay; nor does it cause any withdrawal of accommodation in respect to money-orders. it is, in fact, only a departmental arrangement, which consists in carrying on the sorting of the letters for the new sub-office at some intermediate office, instead of sending the letters in direct bags." . "another misconception, which occasionally causes trouble and disappointment, consists in assuming that a discretionary power can be intrusted to subordinate officers to remit penalties or overcharges under special circumstances. cases will occur in which strict observance of a general rule may inflict more or less injustice upon individuals, and where a dispensing power immediately at hand might furnish a remedy. in an establishment as large and as widely spread as the post-office, however, there will always be many subordinate officers, some of them carrying on their duties beyond the easy reach of any supervising authority, who are not fit depositaries of such a power, affecting, as it would to a great degree, the public revenue. it therefore becomes necessary to lay down definite and precise rules, from which no departure can be allowed, except under sanction of the postmaster-general; and in the few instances in which these rules press hardly, appeal must be made to the general post-office. it must be added, that in many instances even such appeal is necessarily fruitless, the postmaster-general being bound to a particular course by positive law." . "in regard to the expense of railway conveyance, the public naturally supposes, that as such conveyance is cheapest for ordinary purposes, and as the charges made for the carriage of mails are subject to arbitration, that it must be cheapest for postal purposes also; and, indeed, so cheap, as to warrant the free use of the railways, either as substitutes for other conveyance, or for the multiplication of mails. the fact, however, is very different. except in certain instances, where companies have entered into arrangements, securing to the post-office the use of their trains on moderate, though still highly remunerative terms, railway conveyance, with all its acknowledged advantages, has proved much more expensive than that which it has superseded." we have already spoken at length of railways in relation to the post-office, and will not here add any further remark. . the english postmaster-general is frequently supposed to have some control over colonial post-offices, and even those of foreign countries. except at gibraltar and malta, however, he is quite powerless out of the united kingdom. . frequent applications are made, it seems, for extra foreign and colonial mails, yet those existing are only kept up at a ruinous loss. of the eight great lines of packet communication, only one pays its expenses and yields a profit. if the letters sent abroad were charged with the whole cost of the packets, the foreign agencies, and other incidental expenses, not only would all the sea-postage be swallowed up, but the mails would entail a loss of nearly four hundred thousand pounds a year. "we want," said a leading weekly commercial paper lately, "increased facilities for communication with our west indian colonies;" yet every letter now forwarded to those colonial possessions of ours costs one shilling over and above the postage charged! on each letter conveyed between this country and the cape there is a dead loss of sixpence; to the west coast of africa, one shilling and sixpence. everybody has heard of the new galway line of packets for america, now suspended for the second time: every letter carried by these packets under their first contract was charged _one_, and cost the country _six_ shillings; under the second attempt, each letter is said to have cost even more than six shillings! with the change of system and change of management, described briefly in speaking of the packet service, there can be no question that this state of things will not be allowed to continue. the principle of requiring the colonies themselves to pay a moiety of the cost of their service is a step in the right direction, and is, certainly, only just:[ ] the colonies will not be taxed for the mother-country, as in one memorable instance in history, nor, as at present, will the mother-country be taxed unfairly for the colonies: there will then be equal interest in keeping down the expenditure, and in establishing rates of postage high enough to be remunerative. . the english post-office will compare favourably with that of any nation in the world. in no country are post-office privileges procured cheaper than with us. like any other institution capable of endless growth, and which must grow and expand with the progressive influences of the times, it clearly is not perfect in every arrangement; but in answer to complaints of the hard, unyielding, and stringent rules which are said to bind the english post-office, it may not be out of place to institute a few comparisons, asking that some reference should be made to contemporary history. in england, coin was suffered for many years to pass in ordinary letters, to the temptation and seduction of many of the officers, and the practice grew from a thoughtless economy, in spite of all the appeals that were made to the contrary. at present coin is not allowed to pass through the post-office, except in registered letters: in france it has long been, and is now, a _penal_ offence to transmit coin in letters.[ ] at the time sir rowland hill was urging his penny-postage scheme on the attention of the british legislature, another european state (piedmont, ) had the most stringent and severe regulations maintained in its post-office. the law punished any one posting a book or a newspaper opposed to the principles of the monarchy with from two to five years' hard labour; any one who might receive of such newspapers or books through the post without having delivered it into the hands of the authorities with two years' imprisonment; a reward of one hundred crowns was offered to any one giving information. these arbitrary and iniquitous laws are equalled and even surpassed, in european codes of still later date--witness russia and, until quite recently, austria. . the opinion is frequently expressed in conversation, and we have often met with such expressions of opinion in our daily and weekly press, to the effect that the post-office ought to give more accommodation to the public in many ways, and so disburse some, if not all, of its enormous profits. these profits are said to be absurdly large; that fifty per cent. is ten times the interest of money lent on decent security, and five times as much as would satisfy sanguine private speculators. this subject of post-office profits is made, _de facto_, the principal argument against what is called the post-office monopoly. we have already, in other parts of this book, offered an opinion on steps which might be taken in the way of affording extra facilities to the public. a cheaper sea service and a halfpenny post for our towns are two of the most important and most practicable measures. granted that our packet service ought to be kept up as at present, we have an invincible argument for universal free deliveries at home. when asked[ ] if he thought it necessary that our colonies should have greater postal facilities than they could pay for, mr. hamilton, assistant secretary of the treasury, answered that "a colony might reasonably complain if it was deprived of advantages of postal communication, simply because that postal communication might not be remunerative." again, on the question of post-office revenue,[ ] "i think the first charge upon that revenue is to supply reasonably all portions of her majesty's dominions with postal communication," which consideration, it seems to us, will apply equally at home and abroad. still more important seems the plan of a halfpenny post for local letters, that is, for letters posted and delivered in the same town. before the days of penny postage, we had penny posts in all the principal towns of the country. a halfpenny post, if only applied to our largest towns, where it would be certain to be remunerative,[ ] would have the effect of materially lessening the weight of the argument that our present rate of charges is anomalous and unfair. but this would be by no means the most important result. such posts would necessitate more frequent deliveries in provincial towns--the postmen to be paid accordingly as fully, and not as now, only partially, employed. on the other hand, it is quite clear that the post-office net revenue is a fair and honourable item on the credit side of the government accounts, with which the public, except through their representatives in parliament, have nothing whatever to do. the penny postage scheme was carried through parliament in the confident expectation resolutely urged by the intrepid founder of that scheme, that all the benefits promised under it would result to the country, without any great relinquishment of post-office revenue, and that only for a term of years. gradually, year by year, with enormous gain to the public convenience in innumerable ways, the revenue derivable from this branch of the service has risen beyond the highest standard of the past. any relinquishment of the profits--which, by the way, staves off other taxes--depends on parliament, and not on the post-office.[ ] . perhaps of all the prevalent misconceptions to which the public have been, and still are, liable, none is so unfounded as that the servants of the post-office are, as a body, ill-used and ill-paid. without question, individual cases of hardship and inequality exist; but that there is anything inherently wrong in the system, or that that system is administered with harshness or partiality, or that there is in this department more than the usual modicum of cases in which the legislation for the many presses heavily on the few, no one who will make himself acquainted with the subject in all its bearings can believe for a moment. statements to a contrary effect have often appeared in the public newspapers; instead, however, of representing the feelings of the officers, they have much more frequently goaded them into discontent, no doubt, at times, against their better feeling and judgment. two or three years ago, the postmaster-general, in referring to these statements, dwelt upon the weight of responsibility resting with that part of the public press who, unthinkingly, and on an _ex parte_ view of their case, indulged the martial sentiments of the men with encouragement to the utter abandonment of discipline and control. we incline to the belief that the time will come when, in the provinces for instance, more liberal allowances will be made to the lower grades of post-office officials; when the graphic description already given by the postman poet would, if uttered, be regarded as a libel on his class of officers. on the other hand, with regard to the same class of men in the metropolitan office, the more the question is calmly considered, the less reason is there for sympathy with the popular view. in , the _times_ gave a dismal account of the sufferings of the london letter-carriers, whose cause it espoused more warmly than wisely. "hard-worked and ill-paid," said the leading journal, "these men are all discontented and sullen; they are indifferent to the proper performance of their duties, and hold the threat of dismissal in utter disdain, feeling sure, as they say, that even stone-breaking on the road-side would not be harder labour and scarcely less remunerative." a short time after, the other side of the picture relating to these would-be stone-breakers was given, not by an anonymous writer in the _times_, but by a cabinet minister. the report of the late lord elgin stated that "there need not be the least difficulty in procuring, at the present wages, honest, intelligent, and industrious young men, perfectly qualified for the office of letter-carrier: and, i may add, that in cases of dismissal--happily a rare occurrence, considering the number of men employed--the most strenuous efforts are made to obtain readmission to the service." regarding the question in a practical common-sense light, there could be no manner of doubt as to which statement should carry most weight. other organs of the press, however, either thought differently, or dispensed with the preliminary investigation which the post-office courts rather than discourages, and which inquiry it would only have been fair to make. only last year an important commercial paper commented sympathisingly on "the loud and deep complainings of the london letter-carrier, of the grinding oppression to which they are subjected, and their ineffectual struggles to obtain redress;" and this opinion was echoed round by many smaller lights. what, however, are the facts? the rate of wages of the lowest class of letter-carriers in london ranges from _s._ to _s._ a week. each man (who must necessarily begin _under years of age_) commences at the former sum, and steadily advances at the rate of a shilling more each year, till he attains the maximum of _s._ this is for the lowest class, be it remembered: but besides the chances of rising into a higher class of carrier, he has the prospect, realized by many in the course of two or three years, of being promoted to the higher grade of sorter. if, as some have been, he be appointed to the corps of travelling sorters, he will nearly double his income at a bound. but not to dwell on chances of promotion, the letter-carrier, in addition to his wages, is allowed to receive christmas-boxes; and many thus receive, as the public must know well, most substantial additions to their income. he is supplied with two suits of clothes, one for summer, and the other for winter wear. if ill, he has medical attendance and medicine gratis. when unfitted for work, he may retire upon a pension for which he has not now to pay a farthing; and during service, if he insure his life for the benefit of his family, the post-office will assist him to pay his premiums, by allowing him per cent. on all his payments. every year he is allowed a fortnight's holiday, without any deduction from his pay; many spare hours each day he may devote to other pursuits, for if, when at work at the office, his hours of duty exceed eight hours daily, he is at full liberty to ask for investigation and redress. in short, a london letter-carrier is in as good a position, relatively, as many skilled artisans, without, as regards his pay, being subject to any of the contingencies of weather, trade, and misfortune, which make the wages of other workmen occasionally so precarious, and without having had to go through any expensive apprenticeship or preparation for his calling, as in the case of most of the numerous handicrafts of life.[ ] finally, it cannot truly be said that the post-office institution is not moving with the age, but is as it used to be, intrenched in the traditions of the past. different from other departments, with their undeviatingly narrow routine, the post-office is managed with that enlightened policy which openly invites suggestion and criticism; nay, it goes further, and offers rewards to persons, either in its employ or otherwise, who may devise any plan for accelerating its business. post-office work is of such a nature that the post-office establishment admits of constant improvement as well as constant expansion. the authorities publicly intimate that they will be glad to receive clear and correct information respecting any faulty arrangements, promising that such information shall have the best attention of the practical officers of the department. at the same time, they take the opportunity to urge upon john bull the practice of patience, reminding him of what he is often inclined to forget, that changes in machinery so extensive and delicate must be made carefully, and only after the most mature thought and fullest investigation. "the post-office," says mr. mathew d. hill, the respected recorder of birmingham,[ ] "no longer assumes to be perfect, and its conductors have renounced their claims to infallibility. suggested improvements, if they can sustain the indispensable test of rigid scrutiny, are welcomed, and not, as of old, frowned away. the department acts under the conviction that to thrive it must keep ahead of all rivals; that it must discard the confidence heretofore placed in legal prohibitions, and seek its continuance of prosperity only by deserving it." footnotes: [ ] in this category we suppose the reviewer placed the following letter addressed to the secretary of the post-office, from lord cranworth when lord chancellor. we adduce it here, on the contrary, as a specimen of a handsome and manly apology: "sir,--complaints were made early last month, that a letter posted by mr. anderson, of lincoln's inn, and addressed to me, had never reached its destination.... you caused inquiry to be made.... i feel it a duty to you, sir, and the post-office authorities, to say that i have just found the missing letter, which has been accidentally buried under a heap of other papers. i have only to regret the trouble which my oversight thus caused, and to take the earliest opportunity of absolving all persons, except myself, of blame in the matter. i have, &c. &c. cranworth." somewhat similar to the above case, occurring only last year, we may refer to the circumstance, probably in the memory of most of our readers, when, among a batch of complainants whose letters the _times_ admitted to its columns, was one from the late mr. john gough nicholls, the eminent _littérateur_, who grieved bitterly that a letter sent through the post to him had not arrived at his address. from a manly apology which he made to the post-office authorities a few days afterwards, also given in the _times_, it appeared that the reason why he never received the letter was, that _it had not been sent through the post-office_, as it ought to have been, but was delivered by a private messenger at another house in the street. [ ] we do not mention this latter circumstance, be it understood, to discourage the use of slits or letter-boxes in private doors. an occurrence of the above kind must be exceedingly rare, whilst nothing so much helps the prompt delivery of letters as such an arrangement. [ ] perhaps, however, there is room to doubt whether the true reform will consist in anything less than the entire abolition of packet subsidies, and the offering of the contracts in the ordinary way of commercial transactions. an ocean penny-postage, _e. g._ penny sea-postage, would then be almost inevitable. a letter charged a penny the half-ounce would amount to nearly _l._ a ton, an enormous freightage it will be admitted, to the united states, being even fifteen times steam freight to india. nor when the letters get across the sea would they be subject to heavy inland postage either in the one country or the other. in the united states letters are circulated for thousands of miles for three cents, while for half an anna, a sum equivalent to three farthings of english money, a letter may be forwarded through the length and breadth of british india. [ ] as another example, take the united states, with mr. anthony trollope for a judge on postal concerns. in his _north america_, vol. ii. p. , we read: "it is, i think, undoubtedly true that the amount of accommodation given by the post-office of the states is small, as compared with that afforded in some other countries, and that that accommodation is lessened by delays and uncertainty.... here in england, it is the object of our post-office to carry the bulk of our letters at night, to deliver them as early as possible in the morning, and to collect them and take them away for despatch as late as may be in the day; so that the merchant may receive his letters before the beginning of his day's business, and despatch them after its close. in the states no such practice prevails. letters arrive at any hour of the day miscellaneously, and were despatched at any hour. i found that the postmaster of one town could never tell me with certainty when letters would arrive at another. i ascertained, moreover, by painful experience that the _whole_ of a mail would not always go forward by the first despatch. as regarded myself, this had reference chiefly to english letters and newspapers. 'only a part of the mail has come,' the clerk would tell me. with us the owners of that part which did not _come_ would consider themselves greatly aggrieved and make loud complaint. but, in the states, complaints made against official departments are held to be of little moment." we are further told that the "letters are subject to great delays by irregularities on railways. they have no travelling post-offices in the states, as with us. and, worst of all, there is no official delivery of letters." "the united states' post-office," says mr. trollope, "does not assume to itself the duty of taking letters to the houses of those for whom they are intended, but holds itself as having completed the work for which the original postage has been paid when it has brought them to the window of the post-office of the town to which they are addressed." the recognised official mode of delivery is from the office window, many inhabitants paying for private boxes at the post-office. if delivered, a further sum must be paid the bearer. surely english people have reason to be content with their privileges, and in a certain degree to "rest and be thankful." [ ] report of the committee of the house of commons on packet and telegraph contracts, p. . [ ] _ibid._ p. . [ ] a halfpenny post is in full operation at the city of quebec. [ ] the chancellor of the exchequer, in his place in parliament, has just adverted (april) to the argument indicated above. "if the post-office revenue be abandoned in whole, or in part, a gap will be created which will have to be supplied by direct taxation." that our postage rates may be regarded as a kind of mild taxation, not unfairly levied, and that the work is done by the state with more uniformity of purpose and greater regularity than would be possible under any private company, our senators agree, perhaps with the single exception of mr. roebuck. that gentleman, however, it will be remembered, held that sebastapol might have been reduced more easily had the business been made a subject of contract! with respect to the state monopoly and the advantages derived from it, political economists are also pretty well agreed. blackstone has been referred to previously. sergeant stephens, in his _commentaries_, endorses blackstone's views. mr. m'cullagh, in his _principles of political economy_, is so clear on this point that we venture to make a quotation: "perhaps, with the single exception of the carriage of letters, there is no branch of industry which government had not better leave to be conducted by individuals. it does not, however, appear that the post-office could be so well conducted by any other party as by government; the latter only can enforce perfect regularity in all its subordinate departments, can carry it into the smallest villages and even beyond the frontier, and can combine all its separate parts into one uniform system on which the public may rely for security and despatch. besides providing for the speedy and safe communication of intelligence, the post-office has everywhere almost been rendered subservient to fiscal purposes, and made a source of revenue; and provided the duty on letters be not so heavy as to oppose any very serious obstacle to the frequency and facility of correspondence, it seems to be a most unobjectionable tax; and is paid and collected with little trouble and inconvenience." fourth edition, , pp. - . see also m'cullagh's _commercial dictionary_, where he speaks still more decidedly, and mr. senior's _political economy_. sydney smith, who with mr. m'cullagh was opposed to the penny-postage movement, was favourable to the government monopoly of the post-office. [ ] these remarks must not be understood to apply to the _clerks_ in the different branches of the london establishment. these clerks, &c., who are required to be educated gentlemen, are as a rule, paid on lower scales of salary than obtain, we believe, in the other government departments. [ ] _fraser's magazine_, september, , p. . appendix. appendix (a). chief officers of the post-office _england._ _her majesty's postmaster-general._ the right hon. lord stanley of alderley. _secretary_ john tilley, esq. _assistant secretaries_ {frederic hill, esq. and {frank ives scudamore, esq. _chief clerk of the secretary's office_ rodie parkhurst, esq. _chief clerk of foreign business_ william page, esq. _solicitor_ wm. henry ashurst, esq. _assistant solicitor_ r. w. peacock, esq. _inspector-general of mails_ edward john page, esq. _deputy inspector-general of mails_ john west, esq. _receiver and accountant-general_ vacant. _controller of circulation department_ william bokenham, esq. _deputy controller_ _ditto_ thomas boucher, esq. _controller of money-order office_ fred. rowland jackson, esq. _controller of post-office savings'_} _banks_ } george chetwynd, esq. _medical officer_ waller lewis, esq. m.d. _post-office district surveyors._ northern district chris. hodgson, esq. penrith. southern district j. h. newman, esq. dorking. eastern district anthony trollope, esq. waltham cross. western district g. h. cresswell, esq. devonport. derby district ernest milliken, esq. derby. manchester district william gay, esq. altrincham. shrewsbury district w. j. godby, esq. shrewsbury. gloucester district john patten good, esq. london. birmingham district a. m. cunynghame, esq. london. _ireland._ _secretary_ gustavus charles cornwall, esq. _accountant_ joseph long, esq. _controller of sorting office_ r. o. anderson, esq. _solicitor_ r. thompson, esq. _surveyors_ {h. james, esq. limerick, and {w. barnard, esq. dublin. _scotland._ _secretary_ francis abbott, esq. _accountant_ john marrable, esq. _controller of sorting office_ t. b. lang, esq. _solicitor_ j. cay, jun. esq. _surveyors_ {john warren, esq. aberdeen, and {e. c. burckardt, esq. edinburgh. appendix (b). abstract of the principal regulations. "it may not be too much to say that half the people in this country who use the post-office do not know clearly all the benefit they may derive from it."--_household words_, . we have already directed the attention of those engaged in frequent correspondence, especially with our colonies and foreign countries, to the necessity of consulting the official books published for their guidance. the following digest of post office regulations may, perhaps, answer the ordinary requirements of the general reader. the letter-post. as at present constituted, the british post-office has, with the few exceptions noticed in our historical survey, an exclusive authority to convey _letters_ within the united kingdom. it is also required by law to convey newspapers when the public choose to use the post for that purpose. the post-office further undertakes the conveyance of books and book-packets, and the remittance of small sums of money. still more recently, it has entered into competition with the banking interest of the country: it now threatens a scheme which will compete with benefit societies and insurance offices. it is only with regard to the carriage of letters, however, that the post-office possesses any special privileges, the other branches of its business being open to any person or persons who may choose to undertake them. (_a_) the rates of postage on all letters passing through the post-office are now regulated by weight,[ ] irrespective of distance, and (with some exceptions, which we will mention presently) altogether irrespective of their contents. letters weighing _less than four ounces_ may be sent unpaid, but they will be charged double postage on delivery. letters may be sent insufficiently stamped, but that deficiency, whatever it may be, will also be charged double postage on delivery. the rate for letters is familiar to every reader. (_b_) all re-directed letters are liable to additional postage, but at the _prepaid_, and not the unpaid rate. thus, for a letter under half an ounce, re-addressed from one post-town to another, additional postage, to the amount of one penny, is levied. re-directed letters, not addressed to a fresh post-town, but to a place within the district belonging to the same post-town to which they were originally sent, are not charged with any additional postage, the first payment franking them until they are delivered. letters for officers in the army and navy, and private soldiers and seamen employed on actual service, have their letters re-addressed to them from place to place without any charge for re-direction. (_c_) no letter, &c. can be forwarded through the post which is more than two feet in length, breadth, or depth, nor any unpaid letter or packet which weighs more than four ounces, unless three-quarters of the postage due on it have been paid. the exceptions to this rule are-- st. packets sent to or received from places abroad. d. packets to or from any of the government departments or public officers. d. petitions or addresses to the queen, whether directed to her majesty or forwarded to any member of either house of parliament. th. petitions to either house of parliament. th. printed parliamentary proceedings. (_d_) late letters, &c. are received till within five minutes of the despatch of the mails, except where the post-office surveyor may deem a longer interval necessary, and providing that this arrangement does not necessitate any office being open after ten o'clock at night. in each post-office window placards are exhibited showing the time up to which such letters may be posted. no late letters can be forwarded by the mail preparing for despatch unless prepaid in stamps, including the ordinary postage and the late-letter fee. government letters are an exception to this rule; they may be posted, without extra fee, up to the latest moment. (_e_) letters containing sharp instruments, knives, scissors, glass, &c. are not allowed to circulate through the post, to the risk of damaging the general correspondence. such communications, when posted, are detained and forwarded to the metropolitan office, where correspondence is at once opened with the senders. letters for the united kingdom found to contain coin are only forwarded to their destination under certain restrictions. such letters, if not registered, are at once treated as if they were, and charged on delivery with a double registration-fee, or eightpence in addition to the postage. registered letters. the registration-fee of fourpence, prepaid in stamps, will secure careful treatment to any letter, newspaper, or book-packet addressed to any part of the united kingdom. record is kept of all such letters throughout their entire course. the registration of a packet makes its transmission more secure, by rendering it practicable to trace it from its receipt to its delivery. for a fee of sixpence letters may be registered to any british colony, except ascension, vancouver's island, british columbia, and labuan, for which places they can only be registered part of the way. letters may be registered to several foreign countries at varying rates. (_see british postal guide._) every letter meant for registration should be presented at the post-office window, or counter (as the case may be) and a receipt obtained for it, and must on no account be dropped into the letterbox among the ordinary letters. if, contrary to this rule, a letter marked "registered" be found in the letter-box, addressed to the united kingdom, it will be charged an extra registration-fee of double the ordinary fee, or one of eightpence instead of fourpence. the latest time for posting a registered letter on payment of the ordinary fee is generally up to within half an hour of the closing of the letter-box for that particular mail with which it will require to be forwarded. a registered letter will be received at all head offices up to the closing of the general letter-box, or until the office is closed for the night, on payment of a late fee of fourpence in addition to the ordinary registration fee. all fees, as well as postage, of registered letters must be prepaid in stamps. a registered letter, when re-directed, is liable to the same additional charge as if it were an ordinary letter, the original register fee, however, sufficing until it is delivered. by act of parliament, the post-office is not responsible for the absolute security of registered letters, though every care and attention are given to them. each registered letter may be traced from hand to hand, from posting to delivery, with unfailing accuracy, and there can be no question as to the great security which is thus afforded. any officer who may neglect his duty with registered letters is called to strict account, and, if the postmaster-general should see fit, will be required to make good any loss that may be sustained. in cases where registered letters have been lost (in the proportion, it is said, of about one in ninety thousand), or some abstraction of their contents, the department makes good the loss, if the fault is shown to rest with the post-office, and if the sum lost be of moderate amount and the sufferer a person not in affluent circumstances. foreign and colonial letter-posts. for information of the despatch of foreign and colonial mails; rates of postage; and as to whether prepayment be optional or compulsory; see the "british postal guide," published quarterly. letters addressed to places abroad may be prepaid in this country either in money or stamps, but such payment must be made either wholly in stamps or wholly in money. the only exception to this rule is when the rate of postage includes a fractional part of a penny, for which, of course, there are no existing english stamps. with certain exceptions, the only admitted evidence of the prepayment of a foreign letter is the mark agreed upon with the particular foreign country or colony. when prepayment is _optional_, any outward letter (_e. g._ going abroad) posted with an insufficient number of stamps is charged with the deficient postage in addition, unless the letter has to go to holland, or to the united states, or to a country through france, in which case it is treated as wholly unpaid, the postal conventions with these countries not allowing the recognition of partial prepayment. when, however, prepayment of the whole postage is _compulsory_, a letter, or aught else posted with an insufficient number of stamps, is sent (by the first post) to the returned letter office. letters for russia and poland are also treated as wholly unpaid, if the full postage has not been paid in the first instance. letters to or from ceylon, australia, new zealand, british west indies (except turk's island), honduras, and st. helena, posted wholly unpaid, or paid less than one rate, are detained and returned to the writers for postage. if the letters should be paid with one rate (paid for half an ounce, for instance, when the letter weighs more than half an ounce), they are forwarded (except in the case of new zealand), charged with the deficient postage and sixpence as a fine. letters for new zealand must be fully prepaid. letters for nearly all our remaining british colonies, if posted unpaid, either wholly or in part, are, on delivery, charged sixpence each in addition to the ordinary postage. letters intended to be sent by private ship should, in all cases, have the words "by private ship," or "by ship," distinctly written above the address. the postage of letters forwarded by private ship is sixpence--if the weight does not exceed half an ounce--and the postage must generally be prepaid. exception is made to most of our north american and african colonies, to which places prepayment by private ship is not compulsory. (see table in the _british postal guide_.) when the route by which a foreign or colonial letter is to go is not marked on the letter, it will be sent by the principal or earliest route. in some cases, the postage paid (provided it be by stamps) is regarded as an indication of the wish of the sender, and the letters are forwarded by the route for which the prepayment is sufficient. thus, letters for holland, denmark, norway, &c. which, as a rule, are sent _viâ_ belgium, are sent _viâ_ france, if the prepayment be insufficient for the former, but sufficient for the latter route. _north american and indian mails._--letters for passengers on board the cunard mail packets for america touching at queenstown, provided they be addressed to the care of the officers in charge of the mails on board such packets, _and be registered_, may be posted in any part of the united kingdom up to the time at which registered letters intended for transmission to america by the same packets are received, and they will be delivered on board the packets at queenstown. letters for passengers on board the mediterranean packets about to sail from southampton for india, china, australia, &c. and the canadian mail packets touching at londonderry, may, under similar conditions, be posted up to the same time as registered letters for india and canada. the letters should be addressed thus: "mr. ----, on board the mail packet at queenstown, londonderry, or southampton (as the case may be), care of the officer in charge of the mails." letters directed to the care of the packet agent at suez, and despatched by the indian mails _viâ marseilles_, which always leaves after the mails _viâ southampton_, will most probably there reach passengers for india, &c. who may have previously sailed in the southampton packets. newspaper posts. (_a_) it is not compulsory to send newspapers through the post. (_b_) the rate for newspapers stamped with the _impressed_ stamp is one penny for two sheets, three-halfpence for three sheets, and twopence for four sheets, of printed matter. (_c_) no newspaper, or other publication, can pass through the post, unless the impressed stamp be of the value of at least one penny. (_d_) the title and date of every publication so passing must be printed at the top of every page. (_e_) the impressed stamp (or stamps, if more than one publication be sent under one cover) must be distinctly visible on the outside. when a newspaper is folded so as not to expose the stamp, a fine of one penny is made in addition to the proper postage of the paper. (_f_) the publication must not be printed on pasteboard or cardboard, but on ordinary paper, nor must it be enclosed in a cover of either material. (_g_) newspapers bearing the impressed stamp cannot circulate through the post after they are _fifteen days old_. (_h_) they must not contain any enclosure, and must either have no cover at all, or one which shall be open at both ends. they must have no writing either inside or outside, except the name of the persons to whom they are sent, the printed title of the publications, and the printed names of the publishers or agents sending them. if one of these newspapers be addressed to a second person, the address in the first instance still remaining, it is regarded as an infringement of the above rule, and renders the paper liable to be charged as an unpaid letter. (_i_) in order that newspapers may be sent abroad, the publishers must first have had them registered at the general post-office. (_j_) newspapers intended for transmission to our colonies or foreign countries must, in all cases, be prepaid _with postage-stamps_, the impressed stamp here, in all respects, standing for nothing. though this is the case, all newspapers sent abroad are liable to the same regulations as english newspapers bearing impressed stamps. (_k_) it must be borne in mind, that the arrangements for inland newspapers forwarded under the book-post regulations, and paid with the ordinary postage-stamp, are entirely distinct from the above. parliamentary proceedings. (_a_) printed proceedings of the british parliament are forwarded through the post-office at a special rate, and possess privileges in their transmission not belonging to either the newspaper- or book-postage. parliamentary proceedings, however, may pass through the post at either the special rate, the newspaper rate, or book-post rate, always provided that the conditions of the particular rate chosen be complied with. (_b_) "parliamentary proceedings," if these words are written or printed on the cover (otherwise they are liable to be charged letter rate), may circulate through the united kingdom at the following rates of postage:-- weighing not more than oz. _d._ weighing more than oz. and not exceeding oz. _d._ " oz. " oz. _d._ " oz. " oz. _d._ and so on; one penny being charged for every additional _quarter_ of a pound or fraction of a quarter of a pound. (_c_) prepayment of parliamentary proceedings is _optional_ throughout the united kingdom. prepayment may also be made in part, when the _simple difference only_ will be charged on delivery. parliamentary proceedings can only be sent to the colonies or foreign countries by means of the book-post system, and, of course, only where book-posts are established. the book-post. (_a_) written or printed matter of any kind--including matter which may be sent by the ordinary newspaper-post, or under the special privileges of parliamentary proceedings--may be sent through the book-post under the following rates and conditions:-- (_b_) a packet weighing not more than oz. _d._ " more than oz. but not exceeding oz. _d._ " more than oz. " lb. _d._ " more than lb. " ½ lb. _d._ " more than ½ lb. " lb. _d._ and so on; twopence being charged for every additional _half-pound_ or fraction of a half-pound. (_c_) the postage on book-packets must be prepaid, and that by postage-stamps affixed outside the packets or their covers. if a book-packet should be posted insufficiently prepaid, it is forwarded, charged with the deficient book postage together with an additional rate; thus, one weighing over four ounces and only bearing one penny stamp, would be charged twopence additional postage on delivery. if a book-packet is posted bearing no stamps at all, it is charged as an _unpaid letter_. (_d_) in cases where a book-packet is re-directed from one to another postal district in the united kingdom, the same charge is made on delivery as was originally made for the postage, one penny for four ounces, twopence for a packet under eight ounces, and so on. (_e_) every book-packet must be sent either without a cover, or with one open at the ends or sides, in order that the contents may be examined if it be thought necessary. for greater security, it may be tied round the ends with string, though each postmaster is empowered to remove it for the purpose of examining the packet. he will re-secure it, however, after examination. as a security against fraud, it has been found necessary to adopt precautionary measures with book-packets and newspapers: it has been demonstrated over and over again that many people will evade the post-office charges, cheap as they now are, if it be possible to do so.[ ] when any head postmaster has grounds for suspecting an infringement of the rules of the book-post, and occasionally when he has no suspicion, he is required to open and examine packets passing through his office, in order to assure himself that the privileges of the book-post are being legitimately used. (_f_) a book-packet may contain any number of separate books or other publications (including printed or lithographed letters), photographs (when not on glass or in cases containing glass), prints, maps, or any quantity or quality of paper, parchment, or vellum. the whole of this description of paper, books, and other publications, may either be printed, written, engraved, lithographed, or plain, or the packet may consist of a mixture of any or all these varieties. the binding, mounting, or covering of books and rollers, &c. in the case of prints or maps, are allowed. in short, whatever usually appertains to the sort of articles described, or whatever is necessary for their safe transmission, may be forwarded through the post at the same rate charged for the articles themselves. (_g_) among the general restrictions, we find the following:-- no book-packet must exceed two feet in length, width, or depth. no book-packet must contain anything inclosed which is sealed against inspection, nor must there be any letter inclosed, or anything in the way of writing in the packet of the nature of a communication, either separate or otherwise. entries on the first page of a book, merely stating who sends it, are allowable (and even desirable in case of failure of delivery) inasmuch as they are not regarded as of the nature of a letter. any packets found with a communication written in it (if the communication in question cannot be taken out, but forms a component part of the packet) will be charged with the _unpaid letter postage_, and then sent forward. if a packet be found containing an enclosure, whether sealed or otherwise, or anything of the shape of a letter, such enclosure or letter will be taken out and forwarded separately to the address given on the packet. it is sent forward, of course, as an unpaid letter, but, in addition, another single rate is charged. thus, if the article taken out of the packet does not exceed half an ounce in weight, the charge of threepence will be levied on delivery, while the remainder of the packet, if prepaid, will be delivered free at the same time. (_h_) and lastly. the conveyance of letters being the main business of the post-office, the authorities make distinct stipulations that book-packets and newspapers must not interfere with the quick and regular conveyance and delivery of letters. though it is believed to be of very rare occurrence, head postmasters are authorized to delay forwarding any book-packet or newspaper for a period not exceeding twenty-four hours beyond the ordinary time, if the other interests of their office demands it. the pattern-post. arrangements for an inland pattern-post, such as has been in existence for a short time between this country and france, for the conveyance of _patterns_, have just been made. the pattern-post is now in operation, and must prove beneficial to those engaged in mercantile pursuits. (_a_) at present, parcels of patterns may be forwarded through the post, subject to the undermentioned regulations, at the following fixed rates, prepaid with stamps, viz.:-- for a packet weighing under oz. _d._ " above oz. and not exceeding oz. _d._ " above oz. " lb. _s._ _d._ " above lb. " ½ lb. _s._ _d._ and so on; threepence being charged for every additional four ounces. (_b_) the pattern must not be of intrinsic value. all articles of a saleable nature, wearing apparel, medicine, &c. or anything which may have a value of its own and not necessarily a money value, are excluded by this rule. (_c_) the patterns-packet must not contain any writing inside, except the address of the manufacturer or trademark, the numbers, or the prices of the articles sent. (_d_) the patterns must be sent in covers open at the ends or sides, in the same way as book-packets, so as to admit of easy and thorough examination. samples of seeds, drugs, and other things of that character, which cannot be sent in open covers, may be inclosed in bags of linen, paper, or other material, tied at the neck with string. if transparent bags are used, as in france, the articles may easily be seen; but even then the bags must not be tied so that they cannot easily be opened in their passage through the post. (_e_) articles such as the following are prohibited by this new post, and few of them can be sent even at the letter-rate of postage, viz. metal boxes, porcelain or china, fruit, vegetables, bunches of flowers, cuttings of plants, knives, scissors, needles, pins, pieces of watch or other machinery, sharp-pointed instruments, samples of metals or ores, samples in glass bottles, pieces of glass, acids, &c., copper or steel-engraving plates, or confectionary of all kinds. in almost all these cases, the contents of a letter-bag would be in danger of being damaged or spoiled. money-orders. (_a_) inland money-orders are obtainable at any of the offices of the united kingdom on payment of the following commission:-- on sums not exceeding _l._ for _d._ above _l._ and not exceeding _l._ " _d._ above _l._ " _l._ " _d._ above _l._ " _l._ " _s._ _d._ the commission on money-orders made payable in any of the british colonies where money-order business is transacted is _four times_ the sum charged for inland orders, except at gibraltar and malta, where the commission is only three times the british rate. (_b_) the amount of any one money-order cannot exceed _l._, nor less than _d._ no order is allowed to contain a fractional part of a penny. (_c_) applications for a money-order should always be made in writing. "application forms" are supplied gratuitously at all money-order offices. the surname, and, at least, the initial of one christian name of both the person who sends the order, and the person to whom the money is to be paid, must always be given. the address of the remitter of the money should also be given. the following exceptions are allowed to the above rule:-- ( ) if the remitter or payee be a peer or bishop, his ordinary title is sufficient. ( ) if a firm, the usual designation will suffice--if that designation consist of names of persons, and not of a company trading under a title. ( ) money-orders sent to the privy council may be issued payable to "the privy council office." ( ) when the remitter notifies that the order is to be paid through a bank, he may withhold the name of the person for whom it is intended if he chooses; or he may, if he wishes, substitute a designation instead of a person's name; as, for example, he may make an order payable, through a bank, to "the cashier of the bank of england," or "the publisher of _the times_." (_d_) a money-order is always issued on the _head_ office of any town where there are several money-order offices, except the persons sending it request that it should be made out for some other subordinate office. (_e_) the sender of any money-order may make his order payable ten days after date, by simply signing a requisition at the foot of the order to that effect, and affixing a penny receipt-stamp to his signature. (_f_) an order once made out cannot be cancelled by the officer issuing it under any circumstances. if the sender should require to transmit it to a different town than the one he first mentioned, or to a different name, he must apply to the issuing postmaster, and make the necessary application on the proper form which will be furnished to him. directions on all these subjects are printed on the back of money-orders. (_g_) when an order is presented for payment (not through a bank), the postmaster is required to see that the signature on the order is identical with the name to which he is advised to pay the money, and that the name be given as full in the one case as it is in the other. if this is so, the person presenting the order is required to state the name of the party sending it, and should the reply be correct, the order is paid, unless the postmaster shall have good reason for believing that the applicant is neither the rightful claimant, nor deputed by him. if presented through a bank, however, it is sufficient that the order be receipted by some name, and that (crossed with the name of the receiving bank) it be presented by some person known to be in the employment of the bank. the owner of a money-order is always at liberty to direct, by crossing it, that an order be paid through a bank, though the sender should not make it so payable. the ordinary questions are then dispensed with. (_h_) money-orders, when paid, do not require a receipt-stamp. (_i_) under no circumstance can payment of an order be made on the day on which it has been issued. (_j_) after once paying a money-order, by whomsoever presented, the post-office is not liable to any further claim. every endeavour, it is stated, will be made to pay the money to the proper party, or to some one believed to be delegated by the proper party. (_k_) a money-order in the united kingdom becomes _lapsed_, if it be not presented for payment before the end of the second calendar month after that in which it was issued (thus, if issued in january, it must be paid before the end of march). a second commission for a new order will then, after that time, be necessary. _six_ months are allowed in the colonies. if the order be not paid before the end of the twelfth calendar month after that in which it was issued, all claim to the money is lost.[ ] (_l_) in case of the miscarriage or loss of an inland money-order, a duplicate is granted on a written application (enclosing the amount of a second commission and the requisite particulars) to the controller of the money-order office of england, scotland, or ireland (as the case may be), where the original order was _issued_. if it be desired to stop payment of an inland order, a similar application, with postage-stamps to the amount of a second commission, must be made to the controller of the money-order office in that part of the united kingdom in which the order is _payable_. all mistakes made in money-orders can only be rectified in this manner by correspondence with the chief metropolitan office and by payment of a second commission. whenever the mistake is attributable to the post-office, however, and a second commission is rendered necessary, the officer in fault is called upon to pay it. proper printed forms, moreover, are supplied for every case likely to arise, and full instructions are given on money-orders. in addition, however, to supplying the proper forms, the postmasters are required to give every necessary information on the subject of second or duplicate orders. (_m_) no money-order business is transacted at any post-office on sundays. on every lawful day, the time for issuing and paying money-orders is from ten till four at the chief offices in london, edinburgh, and dublin, and from nine till six at provincial offices. on saturday nights it is usual to allow two extra hours for this business. post-office savings banks. we have already explained at some length the origin and ordinary working of these banks; the following _résumé_ of the distinctive features of the new plan may therefore suffice:-- (_a_) nearly all the money-order offices in the united kingdom are now open each working-day for the receipt and payment of savings-bank accounts. (_b_) deposits of one shilling, or any number of shillings, will be received, provided the total amount of deposits in any one year does not exceed _l._, or the total amount standing in one name does not exceed, exclusive of interest, _l._ (_c_) each depositor, on making the first payment, must give every necessary particular regarding himself, and sign a declaration. he will then receive a book (gratis) in which all entries of payments and withdrawals will be regularly made by an officer of the post-office. (_d_) interest at the rate of _l._ _s._ per cent. is given on all money deposited. (_e_) secrecy is observed with respect to the names of depositors in post-office banks, and the amounts of their deposits. (_f_) depositors have direct government security for the prompt repayment, with interest, of all their money. (_g_) married women may deposit money in these banks, and money so deposited will be paid to the _depositor_, unless her husband give notice of marriage, in writing, and claim payment of the deposits. (_h_) money may also be deposited by, or in behalf of, minors. unlike some ordinary savings-bank, depositors over seven years of age are treated here as persons of full age, though minors under seven cannot withdraw, or have drawn, their deposits until they attain that age. (_i_) charitable societies and penny-banks may deposit their funds in the post-office banks, but a copy of their rules must, in the first instance, be sent to the postmaster-general. special aid is given to penny-banks established in connexion with those of the post-office. (_j_) friendly societies, duly certified by the registrar of these societies, may also deposit their funds, without limitation or amount, under the same condition. (_k_) a depositor in an old savings-bank may have his money transferred to the post-office banks with the greatest ease. he has only to apply to the trustees of the old savings-bank for a certificate of transfer (in the form prescribed by the act of parliament regulating the transactions of these banks, viz. vict. cap. ), and he can then offer the certificate to the post-office bank, and it will be received as if it were a cheque. of course he can draw out from one bank and pay into the other in the usual way, but the transfer certificate will save him both trouble and risk. (_l_) a depositor in any one of the post-office savings-banks may continue his payments in any other bank at pleasure without notice or change of book. the same facilities of withdrawal, as we have previously shown, are also extended to him. (_m_) additional information may be obtained at any post-office, or by application to the controller, savings-bank department, general post-office, london. all applications of this kind, or any letters on the business of the savings-banks, as well as the replies thereto, pass and repass free of postage. miscellaneous regulations. . petitions and addresses to her majesty, or to members of either house of parliament, forwarded for presentation to either house, may be sent _free_, provided that they do not weigh more than two pounds, and are either without covers, or enclosed in covers open at the ends or sides. they must not contain any writing of the nature of a letter, and if, upon examination, anything of the kind be found, the packet is liable to be charged under the book-post arrangement. . letters on the business of the post-office, relating to any of its numerous branches, may be forwarded to the head offices of london, edinburgh, or dublin, by the public, free of all postage. letters for the different departments of the government in london may be prepaid, or otherwise, at the option of the sender. . letters addressed by the public to the district surveyors of the post-office, on postal business, may also be sent without postage, though all letters addressed to local postmasters should be prepaid by stamps. . it is absolutely forbidden that information respecting letters passing through the post-office should be given to any persons except those to whom such letters are addressed. post-office officials are strictly prohibited from making known official information of a private character, or, in fact, any information on the private affairs of any person which may be gathered from their correspondence. . letters once posted cannot be returned to the writers under any pretence whatever--not even to alter the address, or even the name, on a letter. further, postmasters have not the power to _delay forwarding_, according to the address, any letter, even though a request to that effect be made on the envelope, or to them personally, either orally or in writing. each letter, put into the post-office, is forwarded, according to its address, by the _first mail_ leaving the place, unless, indeed, it be posted "too late," when it is not forwarded till the next succeeding mail. . each postmaster is required to display a notice in the most conspicuous position in his office, giving every necessary information respecting the time of despatch and receipt of mails, delivery of letters, hours of attendance, &c. &c. . on sundays there is usually but one delivery of letters, viz. in the morning, and two hours are allowed during which the public may purchase postage-stamps, have letters registered, or pay foreign and colonial letters, &c.; but for the rest of the day all other duties, so far as the public are concerned, are wholly suspended. in the general post-office in london no attendance is given to the public. in all the towns of scotland, and also in one or two towns in england, no delivery of letters takes place from door to door, but the public may have them by applying during the time fixed for attendance at the post-office. . in england and ireland, where, as a rule, letters are delivered on sunday mornings, arrangements are made under which any person may have his letters kept at the post-office till monday morning by simply addressing a written request to the postmaster to that effect. of course, all the correspondence for such applicant is kept, even supposing some of it should be marked "immediate;" and no distinction is allowed. letters directed to be kept at the post-office in this way cannot be delivered from the post-office window, except in the case of holders of private boxes, who may either call for their letters or not, as they may think proper. instructions sent to the postmasters of towns under this arrangement are binding for three months, nor can a request for a change be granted without a week's notice. . any resident, in town or country, can have a private box at the post-office on payment of an appointed fee. that fee is generally fixed at a guinea per annum, payable in advance, and for a period of not less than a year. private bags in addition are charged an extra sum. . "no postmaster is bound to give _change_, or is authorized to demand change; and when money is paid at a post-office, whether in change or otherwise, no question as to its right amount, goodness, or weight, can be entertained after it has left the counter." . except in the case of foreign or colonial letters about to be prepaid in money, a postmaster or his clerks are not bound to weigh letters for the public, though they may do so provided their other duties will allow of it. . postage-stamps or stamped envelopes (the latter to be had in packets or parts of packets, and charged at an uniform rate, viz. _s._ and _d._ for a packet of twenty-four envelopes) may be obtained at any post-office in the united kingdom at any time during which the office is open--in most cases, from or . a.m. till p.m. . a licence to sell postage-stamps can be obtained, free of expense, by any respectable person, on application to the office of inland revenue, somerset house, london, or (in the provinces) by application to the district stamp distributor. . every rural messenger is authorized to sell stamps and embossed envelopes at the same price at which postmasters sell them; and when, in the country, the rural postman is applied to for these articles, he must either supply them, or (if he has none in his possession) must take letters with the postage in money, and carefully affix stamps to them when he arrives at the end of his journey. . each postmaster is authorized to purchase postage-stamps from the public, if not soiled or otherwise damaged, at a fixed charge of ½ per cent. single stamps will not be received, but those offered must be presented in strips containing at least two stamps adhering to each other. this arrangement was fixed upon primarily in order to discourage the transmission of coin by post. . letter-carriers and rural messengers are prohibited at any time from distributing letters, newspapers, &c., except such as have passed through the post-office. they are not allowed to receive any payment beyond the unpaid postage on letters or newspapers delivered.[ ] further, in delivering letters, they are not allowed to deviate from the route laid down for them by the proper authorities. . persons living within the free delivery of any town cannot obtain their letters at the post-office window, unless they rent a private box, in which case they may apply for them as often as a mail arrives. in some cases where there are not frequent deliveries of letters, persons may apply at the post-office for their letters arriving by a particular mail after which there is not an immediate delivery from door to door. . persons having a distinct residence in any town cannot have their letters addressed to the post-office (except a private box be taken), and a postmaster is warranted, when such letters arrive so addressed, to send them out by the first delivery. the "poste restante" is meant for commercial travellers, tourists, and persons without any settled residence. letters so addressed are kept in the office for one month, after which, if they are not called for, they are returned to the writers through the dead-letter office. "ship-letters" in sea-port towns, or letters addressed to seamen on board ship expected to arrive at these towns, are kept _three_ months before they are thus dealt with. . when any letters, &c. remain undelivered, owing to the residences of the persons to whom they are addressed not being known, a list of such addresses is shown in the window of the post-office to which they may have been sent, during the time (only _one week_ in these cases) they are allowed to remain there. . greenwich time is kept at the post-office. london district posts. . the london district comprises all places within a circle of twelve miles from st. martin's-le-grand, including cheshunt, hampton, hampton court, sunbury, and the post towns of barnet, waltham cross, romford, bromley, croydon, kingston, and hounslow. . there are ten postal districts, each of which is treated in many respects as a separate post town. the names of the districts are as follows, the initial letter or letters of the name forming the necessary abbreviation to each, viz.:--east central, west central, western, south-western, north-western, northern, north-eastern, eastern, south-eastern, and southern. . the portion of each district within three miles of the general post-office is designated the town delivery. within the town limits there are eleven deliveries of letters daily, the first or principal commencing at . and generally concluded by a.m.; the last delivery commences at . p.m.; there being something like hourly deliveries within the interval. each town delivery occupies on an average forty-five minutes. there are seven despatches daily to the suburban districts. . as a general rule, the number of despatches from the suburban districts is the same as the number of deliveries. . information relative to the time of delivery and the time for each despatch to the head office, and also from thence to the provinces, is afforded at each town and suburban receiving-house. at each of these houses, several hundreds in number, stamps are sold, letters are registered, and separate boxes are provided for "london district" and "general post" letters. the "poste restante" at the general post-office. . the "poste restante" arrangements for london are somewhat different to those in the provinces; but like the latter they are meant to provide for strangers and travellers who have no permanent abode in london,--residents in london not being allowed the privilege. . letters addressed to "initials" cannot be received; if so addressed they are returned to their writers through the returned letter-office. . letters addressed "post-office, london," or "poste restante," are delivered only at the poste restante office, on the south side of the hall of the general post-office, between the hours of a.m. and p.m. . all persons applying for letters at the poste restante must be prepared to give the necessary particulars to the clerk on duty, in order to prevent mistakes, and to insure the delivery of the letters to the persons to whom they properly belong. if the applicant be a subject of the united kingdom (and subjects of states not issuing passports are regarded as british subjects), he must be able to state from what place or district he expects letters, and produce some proof of identification; and if he sends for his letters the messenger must be supplied with this information, as well as show a written authority to receive them. if the applicant be a foreigner, he must produce his passport; or should he send for his letters, the messenger must take it with him. footnotes: [ ] the average weight of inland letters is now about a quarter of an ounce; that of colonial letters about a third of an ounce; of a foreign letter also about a quarter of an ounce. the average weight of newspapers is about three ounces, and of book-packets ten ounces. [ ] with charges extremely low, the post-office is victimized by all kinds of craftiness. the dodging of the proper payment is sometimes quite ludicrous. hundreds of newspapers, for instance, are annually caught (and we may reasonably assume that thousands more escape) with short loving messages deftly inscribed between their paragraphs of type, or letters, different descriptions of light articles, and even money curiously imbedded in their folds. almost everybody might tell of some adventure of this kind in his experience not only before penny-postage, but even after it. [ ] moneys accruing to the revenue from lapsed orders are allowed to go into a fund for assisting officers of the post-office to pay their premiums on life assurance policies. no officer, however, can be assisted to pay for a policy exceeding _l._ [ ] this prohibition does not extend to christmas gratuities. appendix (c). information relative to the appointments in the post-office service. all candidates for appointment in the post-office, whether to places in the gift of the postmaster-general, or to those in provincial towns in the gift of the respective postmasters, must pass the stipulated examination prescribed by government, and which is conducted under the auspices of the civil service commissioners in london. i. candidates for clerkships in the secretary's office, london, must pass an examination on the following subjects, viz.[ ]:-- . exercise designed to test handwriting and composition. . arithmetic (higher branches, including vulgar and decimal fractions). . precis. . a continental language, french or german, &c.[ ] ii. candidates for general clerkships in the metropolitan offices are examined in[ ]-- . writing from dictation. . exercise to test orthography and composition. . arithmetic (higher rules). iii. candidates for the place of letter-carrier, &c. . writing from dictation. . reading manuscript. . arithmetic (elementary). all officers nominated to places in provincial offices must be examined by the postmaster, under the auspices of the civil service commissioners, the examination-papers to be in all cases submitted to the commissioners for inspection and judgment. iv. for clerks, the examination consists in . exercises designed to test handwriting and orthography. . arithmetic. v. for sorters, letter-carriers, and stampers:-- . writing from dictation. . reading manuscript. . arithmetic (of an easy kind). vi. for messengers:-- . writing their names and addresses. . reading the addresses of letters. . adding a few figures together. no person under sixteen years of age is eligible for any situation in the post-office. candidates for clerkships in london must be under twenty-four years of age but not under seventeen. the stipulated age in the country is from seventeen to twenty-eight. no one is eligible for an appointment who has been dismissed the civil service. no one is eligible who is connected, directly or indirectly, with the management of an inn or public-house. sorters, stampers, or railway messengers must not be under ft. in. high in their stockings. all officers appointed to the london office must pass a medical examination before the medical officer of the department. a special examination after probation is required from those appointed to the travelling post-offices. in the country, candidates must provide a medical certificate to the effect that they enjoy good health. sorters and letter-carriers may be promoted to clerkships. persons of either sex are eligible for appointment in provincial offices. letter-carriers are provided with uniforms. post-office officials are assisted, at the rate of about per cent. in payment of premiums for life assurance. they are also entitled to superannuation allowance, according to their length of service. clerks in the general post-office are allowed a month's, and sorters, letter-carriers, &c., a fortnight's, leave of absence each year. clerks, sorters, &c. in the provinces are allowed leave of absence for a fortnight in each year. postmasters in the country and officers in the general post-offices must give security to the postmaster-general for the faithful discharge of their duties, in amounts calculated according to the responsible nature of the appointment. a guarantee office[ ] or two sureties are taken. the clerks, &c. in the country offices are required to give security in the same manner to the postmasters who may have appointed them. after the preliminary examinations have been passed successfully, each new officer, before commencing duty, is required to make a declaration before a magistrate, to the effect that he will not open, or delay, or cause or suffer to be delayed, any letter or packet to which he may have access. he is then put on _probation_ for a term of six months, after which period, if able to perform all the duties required of him, he receives a permanent appointment. promotion from class to class in the post-office is now, as a rule, regulated by seniority of service--a much more satisfactory arrangement to the whole body of officers than the system of promotion by merit which it has just superseded. heads of departments, postmasters, and all other officers employed in the post-office, are prohibited by law, under heavy penalties, from voting or interfering in elections for members of parliament. no officer of the post-office can be _compelled_ to serve as mayor, sheriff, common councilman, or in any public office, either corporate or parochial; nor can he be compelled to serve as a juror or in the militia. footnotes: [ ] this examination is for third-class clerks only. vacancies are filled up in the first and second classes from the third without any further examination. [ ] clerks in the solicitor's office are examined also in conveyancing, and in the general principles of equity and common law. [ ] a post-office mutual guarantee fund, suggested by mr. banning, the postmaster of liverpool, is in active operation in london, and deserves mention. by means of this fund many officers of the post-office have been relieved from the necessity of providing personal securities, or of paying yearly sums to some guarantee office. any clerk in london who may wish to join _deposits_ the sum of _s._, and letter-carriers _s._ these deposits are invested in the name of trustees in government securities. there are at present nearly , subscribers, with an invested capital of _l._ last year there were no demands at all on the fund except payments to members leaving the service, who not only draw out their original deposits, but are entitled to receive back a proportionate amount of interest after defaults have been paid. appendix (d). appointments in the chief office in london. (_extracted from the estimates of - ._) in all cases marked thus * the present holders of office, or some of them, receive additional allowances, either on account of length of service, compensation, as paid on some previous _scale_ of salary, or for extra work. ----------+----------------------+------------------------------------- _number_ | | _salary of office._ _of_ | _designation._ +-----------+------------+------------ _persons._| | _minimum | _annual | _maximum | |per annum._|increment._ |per annum._ ----------+----------------------+-----------+------------+------------ | | £ | £ _s._ | £ | postmaster-general | -- | -- | , | secretary | , |after yrs | , | assistant | | | , | secretaries* | | | | | | | |_secretary's office._ | | | | | | | | chief clerk | | | |{principal clerk } | | | |{for foreign and } | | | |{colonial business*} | | | | first-class clerks:--| | | | first section | | | | second section* | | | | senior clerks | -- | -- | | second-class clerks* | | | | third-class clerks | | | | supplementary clerks | | | | probationary clerks | | | | at _s._ a day | | | | | | | |_solicitor's office._ | | | | solicitor | -- | -- | , | assistant solicitor | -- | -- | | second-class clerk | | | | third-class clerks | | | | fourth-class clerk | | | | | | | | _mail office._ | | | | | | | | inspector-general* | | | | deputy | | | | inspector-general | | | |{principal clerk of } | | | |{ stationary branch} | | | | | | | |{principal clerk of } | | | |{ travelling branch} | | | | | | | | first-class clerks | | | | second-class clerks* | | | | third-class clerks | | | | inspectors of mails | | | | allowance of _s._| | | | a day when | | | | travelling. | | | | | | | | _travelling | | | | post-office._ | | | | | | | | first-class clerks | | | | second-class clerks | | | | third-class clerks | | | | sorters:-- | | | | first-class | s. a wk. | | s. a wk. | second-class | s. " | | s. " | third-class | s. " | | s. " | fourth-class | s. " | | s. " | clerks in this | | | | office are also | | | | allowed travelling | | | | allowances at the | | | | rate of s. a | | | | trip; sorters, s. | | | | a trip | | | | | | | |{supervisor of mails'}| | | |{ bag apparatus }| -- | -- | | | | | | _receiver and | | | | accountant-general's | | | | office._ | | | | | | | |{receiver and }| | | |{ accountant-general*}| | | | | | | | chief examiner* | | | | cashier* | | | |principal book-keeper*| | | | first class clerks:--| | | | first section | | | | second section* | | | | second-class clerks* | | | | third-class clerks | | | | | | | |_money-order office._ | | | | | | | | controller* | | | | chief clerk* | | | | examiner* | | | | book-keeper* | | | | first-class clerks:--| | | | first section | | | | second section | | | | second-class clerks | | | | third-class clerks | | | | probationary clerks | | | | _s._ per day | | | | | | | | _circulation | | | | department._ | | | | | | | | controller* | | | | vice-controller* | | | | sub-controllers | | | | deputy controllers | | | | first-class clerks* | | | | second-class clerks* | | | | third-class clerks* | | | | {first-class } | | | | { inspectors of } | | | | { letter-carriers } | | | | | | | | second-class ditto | | | | third-class ditto | | | , | sorters, messengers, | | | | &c. viz.-- | | | | sorters: | | | | st class | s. a wk.| | s. a wk. | d class | s. " | | s. " | messengers: | | | | " | s. " | | s. " | stampers st class| s. " | | s. " | " d class| s. " | | s. " | letter-carriers: | | | | st class* | s. " | | s. " | d class* | s. " | | s. " | | | | | _surveyors' | | | | department._ | | | | | | | | surveyors* | | | | surveyors' clerks:-- | | | | first class* | | | | second class* | | | | stationary clerks | | | ----------+----------------------+-----------+------------+------------ the surveyors have travelling allowances at the rate of _s._ per diem; surveyors' clerks, _s._ per diem; clerks in charge, _s._ and _s._ per diem. the whole are also allowed actual expenses of locomotion. principal appointments in the chief offices of dublin and edinburgh. (_extracted from the estimates of - ._) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | _salary of office._ _number| |-------------------------------- of | _designation _ | _minimum | _annual | _maximum persons_| |per annum_|increment_|per annum_ --------|-----------------------------|----------|----------|---------- | | | | | _dublin_ | £ | £ _s._ | £ | | | | |secretary | | | , |chief clerk | | | |first-class clerks | | | |second-class clerks | | | |solicitor | -- | -- | , |accountant* | | | |examiner* | | | |controller of sorting office | | | |deputy controllers | | | | | | | | _general body of clerks._ | | | | | | | |first-class clerks* | | | |second-class clerks | | | |supplementary clerks | | | |inspector of letter-carriers | | | |medical officer | -- | -- | | | | | | _edinburgh._ | | | | | | | |secretary | | | , |chief clerk | | | |first-class clerks | | | |second-class clerks | | | |solicitor | -- | -- | |accountant* | | | |examiner* | | | |controller of sorting office | | | |deputy controllers | | | |inspector of letter-carriers | | | |medical officer | -- | -- | | | | | | _general body of clerks._ | | | | | | | |first-class clerks | | | |second-class clerks | | | |probationary clerks, | | | | s. a day | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- appointments, with salaries, of the five principal provincial establishments in england and scotland. (_extracted from the estimates of - ._) --------+---------------------+--------+---------------------------------- number | |poundage| salary of office. of |designations. |allowed.|-----------+---------+------------ persons.| |[ ] | minimum |annual | maximum | | |per annum. |increase |per annum. --------+---------------------+--------+-----------+---------+------------ | | | | | |_liverpool office._ | £ | £ | £ s. d.| £ | | | | | |postmaster | | -- | -- | , |chief clerk | -- | | | |principal clerks | -- | | | |{controller of} | -- | | | |{sorting office} | | | | |assistant controllers| -- | | | |{inspector of } | | | | |{letter-carriers} | -- | | | |assistant inspectors | -- | | | |first-class clerks | -- | | | |second-class clerks | -- | | | |third-class clerks | -- | | | |first-class sorters | -- | s. a week| | s. a week. |second-class sorters | -- | s. " | | s. " |third-class sorters | -- | s. " | | s. " |fourth-class sorters | -- | s. " | | s. " |{allowance to a } | -- | -- | -- | l. a-year. |{medical officer} | | | | | | | | | |_manchester office._ | | | | | | | | | |postmaster | | -- | -- | |chief clerk | -- | -- | -- | |principal clerks | -- | | | |first-class clerks | -- | | | |second-class clerks | -- | | | |medical officer | -- | -- | -- | |{inspector of } | | | | |{letter-carriers} | -- | | | |assistant ditto | -- | | | |sorting clerks:-- | | | | | first-class | -- | s. a week| | s. a week. | second-class | -- | s. " | | s. " |letter carriers | -- | s. " | | s. " | | | | | | _glasgow office._ | | | | | | | | | |postmaster | | -- | -- | |{controller of } | | | | |{sorting office} | -- | | | |first-class clerks | -- | | | |second-class clerks | -- | | | |supplementary clerks | | | | |{inspector of } | | | | |{letter-carriers} | -- | | | |{assistant } | | | | |{inspectors of } | -- | | | |{letter-carriers} | | | | |first-class sorters | -- | s. a week| | s. a week. |second-class sorters | -- | s. " | | s. " |third-class sorters | -- | s. " | | s. " |fourth-class sorters | -- | s. " | | s. " |{auxiliary } | | | | |{letter-carriers} | -- | -- | -- | s. " |{allowance to } | | | | |{medical officer} | -- | -- | -- | | | | | | |_birmingham office._ | | | | | | | | | |postmaster | | -- | -- | |chief clerks | -- | | | |clerks | -- | | | |ditto | -- | | | |{inspector of } | | | | |{letter-carriers} | -- | | | |{assistant } | | | | |{inspector of } | | | | |{letter-carriers } | -- | | | |sorters | -- | s. a week| | s. a week. |{third-class } | | | | |{letter-carriers} | -- | s. " | | s. " |{fourth-class } | -- | s. " | | s. " |{letter-carriers} | | | | |{temporary } | -- | -- | -- | s. " |{letter-carriers} | | | | |auxiliaries | -- | -- | -- | s. d. " |medical officer | -- | -- | -- | l. a year. | | | | | | _bristol office._ | | | | | | | | | |postmaster | | -- | -- | |chief clerk | -- | | | |first-class clerks | -- | | | |second-class clerks | -- | | | |{supplementary} | -- | | | |{clerks } | |{inspector of } | | | | |{letter-carriers} | -- | | | |first-class sorters | -- | s. a week| | s. a week. |second-class sorters | -- | s. " | | s. " |third-class sorters | -- | s. " | | s. " |fourth-class sorters | -- | s. " | | s. " |auxiliaries | -- | -- | -- | s. d. " |medical officer | -- | -- | -- | l. a year. --------+---------------------+--------+-----------+---------+------------ information respecting other principal provincial post offices. ------------------+----------+--------+------+-----------+------------- |salary of |poundage|staff |other |total name of town. |postmaster|allowed.| of |subordinate|expenses of | | |clerks|officers. |establishment | | | | |for - . ------------------+----------+--------+------+-----------+------------- | £ | £ | | | £ bath | | | | | , brighton | | | | | , birkenhead | | | | | , carlisle | | | | | , derby | | | | | , exeter | | | | | , gloucester | | | | | , hull | | | | | , leeds | | | | | , newcastle-on-tyne| | | | | , norwich | | | | | , oxford | | | | | , plymouth | | | | | , portsmouth | | | | | , preston | | | | | , sheffield | | | | | , shrewsbury | | | | | , southampton | | | | | , worcester | | | | | , york | | | | | , | | | | | belfast | | | | | , cork | | | | | , | | | | | aberdeen | | | | | , dundee | | | | | , greenock | | | | | , ------------------+----------+--------+------+-----------+------------- footnotes: [ ] on the sale of postage-stamps. appendix (e). amount of postage (including postage-stamps sold by the post-office and by the office of inland revenue) during the years and at those towns in the united kingdom where the amount was largest. +---------------------+------------- -+----------------+ | | | | +---------------------+------------- -+----------------+ | | | | | _england._ | £ | £ | | | | | | bath | , | , | | birmingham | , | , | | bradford, yorkshire | , | , | | brighton | , | , | | bristol | , | , | | cheltenham | , | , | | exeter | , | , | | hull | , | , | | leeds | , | , | | leicester | , | , | | liverpool | , | , | | london | , [ ] | , , [ ] | | manchester | , | , | | newcastle-on-tyne | , | , | | norwich | , | , | | nottingham | , | , | | plymouth | , | , | | sheffield | , | , | | southampton | , | , | | york | , | , | | | | | | _ireland._ | | | | | | | | belfast | , | , | | cork | , | , | | dublin | , | , | | | | | | _scotland._ | | | | | | | | aberdeen | , | , | | edinburgh | , | , | | glasgow | , | , | +---------------------+------------- -+----------------+ footnotes: [ ] including £ , for postage charged on public departments. [ ] including £ , for postage charged on public departments. appendix (f). conveyance of mails by railway. (_estimates_ - ). _conveyance of mails by railway _amount required in england and wales, viz._:-- for_ - . £ by the birkenhead railway , " bristol and exeter , " chester and holyhead , " cockermouth and workington " colne valley " cowes and newport " cornwall , " great northern , " great western , " great eastern , " knighton " lancaster and carlisle , " lancashire and yorkshire , " leominster and kington " llanelly " london, brighton, and south coast , " london, chatham, and dover " london and north western , " london and south western , " manchester and altrincham " manchester, sheffield, and lincolnshire , " maryport and carlisle " midland , " monmouthshire " london, tilbury, and southend " north eastern , " north staffordshire " north union , " oystermouth " oldham and guide bridge " seaham and sunderland " shrewsbury and hereford , " shrewsbury, borth, &c. , " shropshire union railway , " south devon , " south eastern , " south staffordshire " south yorkshire " stockton and darlington , " taff vale , " tenbury " west cornwall , " west hartlepool " whitehaven junction " allowance for probable variation of awards or agreements , -------- , the irish railway service (the principal recipients being the great southern and western £ , , midland and great western £ , , belfast and dublin junction £ , , dublin and drogheda, £ , ) requires , the scotch railway service (the principal items being the caledonian £ , , the scottish central £ , , the scottish north eastern £ , , and the great north of scotland £ , ) requires , -------- total for conveyance of mails by railway £ , appendix (g). manufacture of postage-labels and envelopes. (_from the estimates of - ._) --------+--------------------------------------------------+--------- _number | |_ amount of | |required persons | | for_ | | - . --------+--------------------------------------------------+--------- | | £ | controller | | assistant-controller | | assistant-superintendent of postage stamping | | clerk | | superintendent of printing label-stamps | | " perforating " | | foreman of embossing machines, _s._ per week | | packer, at _s._ per week | | tellers, from _s._ to _s._ per week | | assistant-telling boys, from _s._ to _s._ per | | week | | boys for working machines, from _s._ to _s._ | | per week | | allowance to the accountant's department for | | keeping the accounts, to the receiver- | | general's and to the warehouse-keeper's | | departments | , | | ------ | total salaries, &c. | , | | | poundage to distributors and sub-distributors | , | paper for labels and envelopes, printing | | and gumming labels, and folding and | | gumming envelopes | , | postage and carriage of parcels | | tradesmen's bills | | miscellaneous expenses | | estimate of additional expenditure for increase | | of business | nil. | | ------ | total amount required for the | -- | manufacture of postage-labels | | and envelopes | , --------+--------------------------------------------------+--------- appendix (h). the following important document, published by sir rowland hill on his resignation of the secretaryship of the post-office, and circulated privately, is deserving of careful study, as giving the results of the penny-postage reform up to the latest date:-- results of postal reform. before stating the results of postal reform, it may be convenient that i should briefly enumerate the more important organic improvements effected. they are as follows:-- . a very large reduction in the rates of postage on all correspondence, whether inland, foreign, or colonial. as instances in point, it may be stated that letters are now conveyed from any part of the united kingdom to any other part--even from the channel islands to the shetland isles--at one-fourth of the charge previously levied on letters passing between post towns only a few miles apart;[ ] and that the rate formerly charged for this slight distance, viz. fourpence--now suffices to carry a letter from any part of the united kingdom to any part of france, algeria included. . the adoption of charge by weight, which, by abolishing the charge for mere enclosures, in effect largely extended the reduction of rates. . arrangements which have led to the almost universal resort to prepayment of correspondence, and that by means of stamps. . the simplification of the mechanism and accounts of the department generally by the above and other means. . the establishment of the book-post (including in its operation all printed and much ms. matter) at very low rates, and its modified extension to our colonies and to many foreign countries. . increased security in the transmission of valuable letters afforded, and temptation to the letter-carriers and others greatly diminished, by reducing the registration fee from _s._ to _d._, by making registration of letters containing coin compulsory, and by other means. . a reduction to about one-third in the cost--including postage--of money-orders, combined with a great extension and improvement of the system. . more frequent and more rapid communication between the metropolis and the larger provincial towns, as also between one provincial town and another. . a vast extension of the rural distribution--many thousands of places, and probably some millions of inhabitants, having, for the first time, been included within the postal system. . a great extension of free deliveries. before the adoption of penny postage many considerable towns, and portions of nearly all the larger towns, had either no delivery at all, or deliveries on condition of an extra charge. . greatly increased facilities afforded for the transmission of foreign and colonial correspondence, by improved treaties with foreign countries, by a better arrangement of the packet service, by sorting on board, and other means. . a more prompt despatch of letters when posted, and a more prompt delivery on arrival. . the division of london and its suburbs into ten postal districts, by which, and other measures, communication within the twelve-miles circle has been greatly facilitated, and the most important delivery of the day has, generally speaking, been accelerated as much as two hours. . concurrently with these improvements, the condition of the _employés_ has been materially improved; their labours, especially on the sunday, having been very generally reduced, their salaries increased, their chances of promotion augmented, and other important advantages afforded them. results. my pamphlet on "post-office reform" was written in the year . during the preceding twenty years, viz. from to inclusive, _there was no increase whatever in the post-office revenue, whether gross or net_, and therefore, in all probability, none in the number of letters; and though there was a slight increase in the revenue, and doubtless in the number of letters, between and the establishment of penny postage early in --an increase chiefly due, in my opinion, to the adoption of part of my plan, viz. the establishment of day mails to and from london--yet, during the whole period of twenty-four years immediately preceding the adoption of penny postage, the revenue, whether gross or net, and the number of letters, were, in effect, stationary. contrast with this the rate of increase under the new system, which has been in operation during a period of about equal length. in the first year of penny postage the letters more than doubled; and though since then the increase has, of course, been less rapid, yet it has been so steady that, notwithstanding the vicissitudes of trade, every year, without exception, has shown a considerable advance on the preceding year, and the first year's number is now nearly quadrupled. as regards revenue, there was, of course, at first a large falling off--about a million in gross, and still more in net revenue. since then, however, the revenue, whether gross or net, has rapidly advanced, till now it even exceeds its former amount, the rate of increase, both of letters and revenue, still remaining undiminished. in short, a comparison of the year with (the last complete year under the old system) shows that the number of chargeable letters has risen from , , to , , ; and that the revenue, at first so much impaired, has not only recovered its original amount, but risen, the gross from , , _l._ to about , , _l._ and the net from , , _l._ to about , , _l._[ ] the expectations i held out before the change were, that eventually, under the operation of my plans, the number of letters would increase fivefold, the gross revenue would be the same as before, while the net revenue would sustain a loss of about , _l._ the preceding statement shows that the letters have increased, not fivefold, but nearly eight and a half fold; that the gross revenue, instead of remaining the same, has increased by about , , _l._; while the net revenue, instead of falling , _l._, has risen more than , _l._ while the revenue of the post-office has thus more than recovered its former amount, the indirect benefit to the general revenue of the country, arising from the greatly increased facilities afforded to commercial transactions, though incapable of exact estimate, must be very large. perhaps it is not too much to assume that, all things considered, the vast benefit of cheap, rapid, and extended postal communication has been obtained, even as regards the past, without fiscal loss. for the future, there must be a large and ever-increasing gain. the indirect benefit referred to above is partly manifested in the development of the money-order system, under which, since the year , the annual amount transmitted has risen from , _l._ to , , _l._--that is, fifty-two fold. an important collateral benefit of the new system is to be found in the cessation of that contraband conveyance which once prevailed so far that habitual breach of the postal law had become a thing of course. it may be added, that the organization thus so greatly improved and extended for postal purposes stands available for other objects, and passing over minor matters, has already been applied with great advantage to the new system of savings' banks. lastly, the improvements briefly referred to above, with all their commercial, educational, and social benefits, have now been adopted, in greater or less degree--and that through the mere force of example--by the whole civilized world. i cannot conclude this summary without gratefully acknowledging the cordial co-operation and zealous aid afforded me in the discharge of my arduous duties. i must especially refer to many among the superior officers of the department--men whose ability would do credit to any service, and whose zeal could not be greater if their object were private instead of public benefit. rowland hill. hampstead, _feb. rd, _. r. clay, son, and taylor, printers, london. footnotes: [ ] when my plan was published, the lowest general post rate was fourpence; but while the plan was under the consideration of government the rate between post towns not more than eight miles asunder was reduced from fourpence to twopence. [ ] in this comparison of revenue, the mode of calculation in use before the adoption of penny-postage has of course been retained--that is to say, the cost of the packets on the one hand, and the produce of the impressed newspaper stamps on the other, have been excluded. the amounts for are, to some extent, estimated, the accounts not having as yet been fully made up. * * * * * * transcriber's note: a missing reference to footnote [ ] was inserted. the following is a list of changes made to the original. the first line is the original line, the second the corrected one. been the permanent arrangements for the transmision of the been the permanent arrangements for the transmission of the nothwithstanding the losses he must have suffered notwithstanding the losses he must have suffered wafer or wax, or even if totally unfastened by either. "at wafer or wax, or even if totally unfastened by either. at rusely no argument against a state monopoly of letter-carrying. surely no argument against a state monopoly of letter-carrying. rev. sydn smith, mr. mccullagh. rev. sydney smith, mr. mccullagh. it might be desirable, but impracticable" ( , ). "most it might be "desirable, but impracticable" ( , ). "most offices; ( ) a hourly delivery of letters instead of one every offices; ( ) an hourly delivery of letters instead of one every vender, and how trade--retail at any rate--is fostered by it. vendor, and how trade--retail at any rate--is fostered by it. the parties concerned, but the depositor run the risk of the parties concerned, but the depositor ran the risk of thus, letters addressed to newport should alway give the thus, letters addressed to newport should always give the a singular accident befel one of these letter-boxes ( ) in montrose. a singular accident befell one of these letter-boxes ( ) in montrose. every town and village in the kingdom, having any correpondence every town and village in the kingdom, having any correspondence none images generously made available by the internet archive/american libraries.) the post in grant and farm [_all rights reserved_] the early history of the post in grant and farm by j. wilson hyde controller in the general post-office, edinburgh author of "the royal mail: its curiosities and romance" and "a hundred years by post" london adam & charles black preface there has not hitherto been published any detailed account of the first establishment, in this country, of the post office as a public institution; nor does it appear that anything has been made known of the men who were instrumental in building up this useful fabric, in the years of its infancy, beyond the barren mention of their names. in some cases, moreover, in such bald notices as have been given of the early posts, important names are wholly omitted, and in others the names of men are associated with events in which they had little concern. what is disclosed in the following pages is an attempt not only to give a fairly full and true account of the first forty years' existence of the inland posts in britain, but to tell something of the men to whom the credit is due of contriving and bringing into working shape this great machine of public convenience and utility. the facts here narrated are collected from the public records, original documents, and other authentic sources. in the extracts which have been made from original papers, modern orthography, as being more convenient for the reader, has been generally employed; but in a few cases the tone and flavour of the antique have been retained in the original spelling. i have to acknowledge with gratitude the very kindly assistance given me by librarians, not only in edinburgh but elsewhere, and by other gentlemen in public positions, who have assisted me in clearing up points of difficulty. edinburgh, . contents chapter i page the king's post--john stanhope's patent, wages of chief postmaster--confusion of terms "post," "packet," etc. charles i. in need of money--offices bought and sold--scope of lord stanhope's patent new office created of postmaster for foreign posts, out of the king's dominions de quester and his son appointed foreign postmasters contest between stanhope and the de questers--who the de questers were william frizell and thomas witherings succeed the de questers letters for the public carried by the foreign postmasters--delays of the posts philip burlamachi, subsequently acting postmaster--who he was orders for the foreign posts drawn up by secretary coke witherings visits the continent posts by estafette, or fixed stages, established--dover packet quarrels between witherings and others--witherings suspended from office witherings and frizell contend for possession of the office sir john coke, witherings' patron conflicting opinions of witherings merchants petition in favour of witherings attempts to set up rival posts chapter ii witherings recovers his office settlement of accounts during period of sequestration post stages in france robberies of channel packets measures taken to resist attacks--more outrages people of calais attack the english packet boat armed packet boat, the _speedy post_, provided witherings' family connection stated to have been a papist, and gentleman harbinger to the queen probable interest at court--said to have been a mercer of london--his wife--she assists in purchasing his office--value of money in middle of seventeenth century corruption and court favouritism inland posts means for sending inland letters--probable conveyance by postmasters on their own account conveyance by carriers postmasters on western road set up a chain of posts for letters of the public, --foot post from barnstaple to exeter to work into the london posts project for inland public posts, --estimated number of letters then reaching london troubles with postmasters and hackneymen on dover road as to charges pressing of horses--difficulties between postmasters and public stanhope interferes with the public conveyance of letters by the western postmasters--he tries to raise the price of purchase of their offices petition of foreign post messengers dismissed by witherings foot post between london and dover--carrying gold out of the realm speed of posts, condition of roads and difficulty of travelling quality of english horses and riders chapter iii witherings propounds a scheme of inland posts for use of public, proclamation issued for giving effect to his proposals probable difficulties of working deputy postmasters unable to supply fit horses arrears of deputies' pay stanhope's removal from office, he petitions for arrears of pay reasons for his removal suggested the manner of his removal patent granted to witherings for foreign letter office stanhope's place granted to secretaries coke and windebank witherings appointed their deputy--claim to stanhope's late office by endymion porter servile language of the period william lake applies for some benefit in the post office deputy postmaster of the court scale of wages allowed to deputy postmasters direct courses of old roads new regulations for the posts, july the king's troubles in scotland the mails run _thick_ women oppose the introduction of the service-book plague at hull, method of disinfecting letters chapter iv the secretaries consider as to the removal of witherings--reasons for proposed removal troubles with public carriers--carriers contend for their right to convey letters they are supported by the norwich merchants concessions made to the carriers jason grover, carrier, imprisoned proclamation settling witherings' office complaints made by postmasters demands for horses complaints against postmasters made by the public traffic in postmasterships more petitions from postmasters witherings quarrels difficulty with the earl of northumberland chapter v sickness of witherings and his reported death--philip burlamachi applies for witherings' office divisions in the kingdom proposed opening of post letters burlamachi's services to the king's party fight for the possession of a post letter a proposed duel over the seizing of post horses packet boat employed between whitehaven and dublin--witherings' office sequestered attacks upon witherings nature of charges made against him the secretaries of state try to undo witherings--witherings imprisoned--assigns an interest in his place to the earl of warwick committee of the house of commons to consider question of the posts--deliverance in favour of witherings as regards the foreign letter office deliverance respecting the inland posts decision against witherings, coke, and windebank, in regard to imprisonment of carriers rough treatment of witherings earl of warwick urges ejection of burlamachi chapter vi inland letter office to be delivered to earl of warwick burlamachi required to produce accounts mails to be seized and delivered to the earl of warwick burlamachi imprisoned--he produces accounts foreign letter office remains with witherings, the inland letter office with the earl of warwick james hickes, clerk in the foreign letter office--goes over to the king at oxford king charles sets up an independent system of posts imprisonment of hickes witherings assessed by committee for advance of money earl of warwick removed from the post office, and mr. prideaux ordered to settle post stages orders to search the mails--witherings to prosecute wilkes for seditious speeches witherings prosecuted on a charge of taking part in an insurrection in essex he is acquitted--has a serious illness, and makes his will packet boat taken by the irish--irish packets in the council recommend that the posts be in the sole power and disposal of parliament council of state place mr. prideaux, attorney-general, in charge of the inland posts--witherings still enjoys the foreign letter office serjeant-at-arms ordered to search the mails vigilance of the council council consider the question of the foreign letter office renewed charges of delinquency against witherings witherings alleges malicious prosecution--he is acquitted contributes £ "to the going-away of the lord-lieutenant for ireland" witherings' death--epitaph to witherings in church at hornchurch, essex his character and work chapter vii council of state to consider question of the inland and foreign posts foreign letter office carried on for behoof of witherings' son and nephew rival claimants for possession of the posts, inland and foreign suggestions made by the committee for the management of the posts--the posts to be farmed and tenders called for tenders council of state let the posts--inland and foreign--on farm to john manley rival posts the "first undertakers" for reducing the postage prideaux's agents murder a post-boy the "first undertakers" drive prideaux out of the field council furnish manley with warrant to take possession of the posts his method of taking possession chapter viii manley at the head of the posts--who he was john thurloe, secretary of state, to manage the post office act passed for post office, postage rates post office farmed to thurloe--interception of letters mails violated mails searched for counterfeit gold--value of post office to ruling powers thurloe removed from the post office the farm passes to dr. benjamin worsley his previous employments worsley turned out of the post office thomas scott controls the post office scott a regicide--his execution chapter ix colonel henry bishop obtains the farm--who he was his burial-place--some conditions of the farm clement oxenbridge's influence at the post office scramble for places at the restoration some petitions disaffected staff in the post office number of officers letters first stamped charges against bishop bishop ceases to be farmer colonel dan. o'neale succeeds to the office o'neale's previous career attempts to put down irregularities independence of the edinburgh deputy profits of post office settled on duke of york chapter x music at the post office the plague of london petition of james hickes the great fire of london locations of the post office labels or post-boys' way-bills stages from london to berwick times of transit of continental mails news collected through the post office rate of travelling by post-boys in notice taken of neglects chapter xi lord arlington becomes postmaster-general his deputy postmasters-general country deputies pay a fine for continuance in office reduction of salaries early post-office letter-books preserved colonel roger whitley appointed arlington's deputy wages further reduced--exemptions enjoyed by deputies dilatoriness of the deputies in making payments delays of mails in wales advantages of farming the post office conciliatory character of whitley whitley pushes business by-letters whitley's opinion of attorneys on conformity chapter xii caustic correspondence liverpool's first horse-post circulation of irish letters one delivery a day in london the packet service an express way-bill ship letters irregular conduct of masters of packet boats tonnage of packets proposed transit through england of letters from flanders and holland to spain and portugal whitley's sympathy for his seamen want of accommodation for letters at the post-houses careless treatment of the mails young post-boys lame horses whitley's care for members of parliament foreign craftsmen brought over in packet boats salary of post-master of edinburgh accidents to post riders treatment of dead letters whitley's obliging nature his views of the wicked rebellion presents made to whitley whitley's love of oysters delayed payment for conveying expresses duke of york a postmaster-general the post in grant and farm chapter i in order to understand the circumstances under which the public postal service in england was first established, it is necessary to go back to an earlier period, and look at the patents granted to the chief postmasters, whose duties did not then go beyond the forwarding of despatches for the monarch or his government. a patent granted by queen elizabeth in to john stanhope, as master of the posts, was surrendered to james i. in , and (with the view, no doubt, of securing the succession to stanhope's son) a new patent was granted to stanhope, now lord stanhope of harrington, and to charles, his son and heir-apparent. the appointment was as "master of the messengers and runners, commonly called the king's posts, as well within the kingdom as in parts beyond the seas, within the king's dominions." the nominal wages or fee attaching to this office amounted to £ , s. d. per annum, being the same as was granted to the postmasters sir william paget and john mason in the year . but there were casualties attaching to the office, yielding a more certain income, which were doubtless the sums paid by the deputies for admittance to their employments. this will be referred to hereafter. in studying the post-office history of this early period, the inquirer is apt to be misled by some of the terms used; for the words "post," "postmaster," "pacquett," and the like, were not always applied in the modern sense, the word "post" sometimes serving to designate common carriers, and "postmaster" being used indifferently to indicate the master of the posts and the postmasters on the roads. the word pacquett was also applied to common carriers. an instance of the last mentioned is given in m'dowall's _chronicles of lincluden_. a letter was written from the abbey on the th august , to the "richte noble and verrie guid lord the earl of nithisdaill," in which the following words appear:--they "intreat the richt guid lord to help them suddenly--at once; and more especially that he would procure an order from the king's treasurer to stay the legal proceedings directed against them, until his majesty's pleasure in the matter shall have been made known. because of the urgency of their case, the noble lord is requested to favour them with an answer by a bearer of his own in the event of the ordinary 'pakett' being unavailable." now the word "pakett" here does not refer to the post, but to the packman--the carrier--with his pack of goods. in what follows we shall endeavour, as far as possible, to use terms that will prevent any confusion of the kind indicated. the reign of charles i. was one full of abuses. the king required money to maintain the excesses of his court; his ministers were called upon to find the money; they themselves had to wring it out of the pockets of the people; and its passage through their hands produced such attenuation that but a small portion reached the royal coffers. clarendon says that of £ , drawn from the subject in a year by various oppressions, scarcely £ came to the king's use or account. monopolies in trade were granted for lump sums paid down, offices were bought and sold, no man seemed secure without support of a patron, and patronage was a marketable commodity. it will be remembered that lord stanhope's patent covered not only the control of the inland posts, but the posts in foreign parts, _within the kings dominions_. although stanhope was not by patent specifically empowered to send or work posts in foreign parts, _out of the kings dominions_, it appears to have been his practice to do so, undertaking, as may be supposed, all the various duties of conveying the king's letters and packets to whatever parts they might be directed. a somewhat similar condition of want of funds as that existing in the reign of charles distinguished the reign of his father, james i. now it is quite probable that, for the sole purpose of raising money by the sale of a new office, advantage was taken by james of an opening in stanhope's patent, to make a new appointment of master of the posts in foreign parts, _out of the kings dominions_. by the recital of a patent bearing date the th april of the seventeenth year of james i., we learn that the king "appointed that there should be an office or place called postmaster of england for foreign parts, being out of the king's dominions; that the office should be a sole office by itself, and not member or part of any other office or place of postmaster whatsoever; and that there should be one sufficient person or persons, to be by the king from time to time nominated and appointed, who should be called the postmaster or postmasters of england for foreign parts, etc.; and, for the considerations therein mentioned, the king appointed mathew de quester, and mathew de quester, his son, to the said office; to hold to them the said mathew de quester, the father, and mathew de quester, the son, as well by themselves, or either of them, as by their or either of their sufficient deputy or deputies, during the natural lives of mathew de quester, the father, and mathew de quester, the son, the said office of postmaster of england for foreign parts, for their natural lives and the life of the survivor," etc. on the setting up of the de questers, stanhope was naturally unwilling to surrender part of the service which he had hitherto undertaken, and a long contest took place between stanhope and these men, resulting, as it would appear, in confirming the latter in their new office, and in the discomfiture of stanhope. thus from the seventeenth year of the reign of james i. down to the period upon which we are about to enter, commencing in , and for some years thereafter, there were in england two distinct masters of the posts--one for places within the kingdom itself and in foreign parts, within the king's dominions; the other for foreign parts, out of the king's dominions. stanhope filled the one office, the de questers the other. it is interesting to know who the people were that are now passing in review before us at this distant date. a return made to the council by the lord mayor in , of strangers inhabiting london, tells us something of the de questers. it is this:--"in ward of billingsgate, st. andrew's parish. mathew de quester, late postmaster, born in bruges, of years' continuance in london; naturalised by act of parliament. all his family english born." he was probably one of the many foreign merchants who at that period were gathered together in the neighbourhood of lower thames street. by letters patent, dated th march , the office of master of the posts for foreign parts, out of the king's dominions, was made to devolve upon william frizell and thomas witherings. mathew de quester the younger had died, and the elder de quester being stricken in age, "the king ... declares his will and pleasure, that the office shall have perpetual continuance, and grants unto william frizell and thomas witherings, gentlemen, the office of place of postmaster of england for foreign parts, out of the king's dominions; to do all things to the said office belonging and appertaining; to hold, exercise, and enjoy the said office of postmaster of england for foreign parts, out of the king's dominions, together with all powers, etc., by themselves or either of them, or their or either of their sufficient deputies, during their natural lives and the life of the survivor, from and after and so soon as the said office shall become void by the death, surrender, forfeiture, or other determination of the estate of mathew de quester, the father. the king prohibits all persons other than the said william frizell and thomas witherings from intruding themselves in the said office after the determination of the estate of mathew de quester; and the lord chamberlain, the lord warden of the cinque ports, the secretaries of state, etc., in their several jurisdictions and places, are not only to be aiding and assisting the said frizell and witherings, but to the utmost of their power to repress all intruders." the patent, it will be observed, only vested the patentees in the office as from the death of de quester; and de quester the elder was still living. accordingly, with a view to frizell and witherings being at once admitted to the active management of the place, a proclamation was issued, on the th july , to the following effect:-- "the late king appointed mathew de quester, the father, and mathew de quester, the son, postmaster for foreign parts for their lives. mathew de quester, the son, being dead, and the father aged and infirm, he (that is, de quester) has appointed william frizell and thomas witherings his deputies. the king approves this substitution, and charges all his subjects that none of them, other than the said frizell and witherings, presume to take up or transmit foreign packets or letters." thus frizell and witherings entered upon their office as foreign postmasters on the th of july . it must be understood that, though there was no authority for carrying letters of the public at this time by the inland posts, it was the practice of the foreign posts to carry the letters of merchants and others to and from the continent,--and the posts who actually conveyed the packets would seem to have been men engaged in mercantile traffic. the following letter, dated westminster, th october , from humphrey fulwood to sir john coke, principal secretary to his majesty at court, throws a good deal of light upon the subject:-- "upon inquiry of mr. burlamachi, what should be the cause why letters have not of late come from germany, the hague, and brussels, as usually, he entered into a large relation of the present disorder of the posts. he imputed the fault merely to the posts who have heretofore bought their places. they more minding their own peddling traffic than the service of the state or merchants, omitting many passages, sometimes staying for the vending of their own commodities, many times through neglect by lying in tippling-houses. the opinions of mr. burlamachi and mr. peter rycaut favourable to mr. witherings and frizell in their places of postmasters. for reformation they both agree in one, and that with the proposition wherewith mr. witherings hath formerly acquainted your honour. the displacing of these posts, and laying of certain and sure stages whereby his majesty will save, as mr. burlamachi will make appear, above £ or £ yearly, now expended for expresses," etc. mr. burlamachi, whose christian name was philip, and peter rycaut were merchants in london, and would no doubt be well informed as to the way in which the mail service was conducted. in the lord mayor's return of foreigners residing in london in , burlamachi is described as follows:--"in the ward of langbourne, in st. gabriel, fenchurch. mr. philip burlamachi, merchant, naturalised by act of parliament. he was born in sedan in france, and has been in england this thirty years and more. he hath certain rooms at mr. gould's house in fenchurch street, for his necessary occasions of writing there some two or three days in the week; but his dwelling-house, with his wife and children and family, is at putney." burlamachi, besides being a merchant, was a great financier, and, as will be seen hereafter, he had intimate relations in money matters with the court. not very long after the date of the letter above quoted, namely, on the th january , the following orders for the foreign postmasters and packet posts were drawn up by secretary coke:-- "in consequence of complaints, both of ministers of state and merchants, it is thought fit to send no more letters by carriers who come and go at pleasure, but, in conformity with other nations, to erect 'staffetti' or packet posts at fit stages, to run day and night without ceasing, and to be governed by the orders in this paper. among these it is provided that the foreign postmasters shall take the oaths of supremacy and allegiance, shall have an office in london, and shall give notice at what time the public are to bring their letters. a register is to be kept of the writers or bringers of all letters, and of the parties to whom they are sent. the letters are to be put into a packet or budget, which is to be locked up and sealed with the postmasters' known seal, and to be sent off so that it may reach dover while there is sufficient daylight for passage over sea the same day. various other minute regulations are laid down, both for the carriage of the packet to dover, the sending of the passage-barks to calais, and the transmission from stage to stage. the course to be adopted with letters received from beyond seas is laid down with equal minuteness. letters for the government and foreign ministers residing here were to be immediately delivered to them, after which a roll or table of all other letters was to be set up in the office for every man to view and demand his letters." in pursuance of the scheme here sketched out, witherings appears to have been sent to the continent shortly thereafter; for on the th april , he writes from calais (to sir john coke probably) describing the steps then taken in the business:-- "right honourable and my good patron, i found here the countess taxis' secretary with the postmaster of ghent, they having settled stages betwixt antwerp and calais for the speedy conveyance of letters; they have placed a postmaster at dunkirk, having dismissed all their couriers, and seven days hence they intend to begin by the way of 'staphetto' (_estafette_) from antwerp to london; their request is we shall do the like, which accordingly i have ordered my man to do, having taken order at dover for the passage. the governor of this place promiseth me all favour. "the boatmen of this place who take their turns for dover i find unwilling to be obliged to depart upon the coming of the portmantell. but upon the advice of mr. skinner and other merchants of our nation in this place, i have found out a very sufficient man, who will oblige himself, with security, that for forty shillings he will wait upon the coming of the packet, upon sight whereof he will depart, engaging himself to carry nothing but the said packet. asks directions, and will stay till the first packet shall come by 'staphetto' from antwerp." this then was the commencement of the forwarding of the continental mails by fixed and regular stages, instead of by carriers proceeding through the whole way, and engaged in other kinds of business. witherings had not long entered upon his office, jointly with frizell, when troubles began. in the year , a curious complication came to light, in which not only witherings and frizell, but two or three other persons were involved, and which resulted in the temporary suspension of the foreign postmasters from their functions. the matter is referred to in a memorandum from the king to secretary windebank, dated august . it runs thus: "the king having granted the place of foreign postmaster to his servant william frizell, he has given the king to understand that, whilst he was beyond seas, thomas witherings endeavoured to defraud him of that place, the examination whereof the king has referred to secretary windebank. the king understands, moreover, that the place has been mortgaged for money, both by frizell and witherings, which he condemns in them both; and has therefore thought good, for the present, that the place shall be sequestered into the hands of mathew de quester, the king's ancient servant in that place. windebank is therefore to send for john hatt, an attorney, in whom the legal interest of that place, for the present, is vested, and to will him to make an assignment thereof to de quester." although the question of this sequestration was not finally disposed of till the year , the period during which witherings was removed from the active management and possession of the place was from the th september to the th december . the details of the arrangement of this business are not easily understood, but it would seem that the first step was to get rid of the attorney; and with this in view the earl of arundel (the earl marshal) advanced about £ to pay off hatt, the earl retaining possession of witherings' patent. another claim was put forward by one robert kirkham for £ , due th may , for a reversion of the postmaster's office surrendered to witherings and frizell. this indebtedness was not denied by witherings; but how there came to be a reversion in favour of kirkham does not appear. prior to the difficulties in connection with the suspension of witherings and frizell from office, these two men were not getting along smoothly. on th june , witherings writes to (secretary coke probably) ... "i hear mr. frizell declares that the lord marshal will, by his majesty's means, compel me to deliver the place back again, and pretends he will have a bout with me for my own moiety. i beseech you move his majesty as occasion shall offer, for i am confident the king will be much moved for (in favour of) mr. frizell." on th june of the same year, witherings writes to humphrey fulwood: "mr. frizell is at the court, pretending that witherings owes him a great sum, and intending to move his majesty for a proclamation for possession of the whole place (of deputy foreign postmaster), offering security to be accountable if it be recovered from him again. witherings owes him nothing. he has sent the affidavit of frizell's own servant to secretary coke. prays fulwood to speak to mr. secretary that witherings suffer not in his absence." on the rd july, witherings again writes to fulwood: "to answer all frizell's allegations would be troublesome. upon their meeting, frizell spoke of paying witherings back his money; but he is not able. assures fulwood that he can clear himself--with the help of his noble friends he doubts nothing. desires fulwood to sift him (frizell presumably), for the knowledge of his intents doth much advance witherings." then on the same day, as it happens, the earl of arundel, who was at stirling with the king, writes to secretary windebank: "mr. frizell's business is referred to windebank to examine and report to the king. needs not entreat him to do frizell favour, since his case is so well understood, and the foulness of witherings' abuse, which the writer is confident windebank will represent as it deserves." sir john coke seems to have been the patron and protector of witherings, who, in a letter to coke about this time, concludes his communication with the words: "i rest, though never rest, to pray for your honour as my only patron." in a letter sent by coke to windebank on the th may , witherings is introduced to the latter thus: "the bearer is the postmaster who went over to antwerp and calais and settled the business of the foreign letters. he has settled with frizell's assignee, so as the charge of the office is again reduced to one hand. frizell never did any service in the place, but the king never till now heard of witherings' name. how he satisfied the merchants, their testimony witnesses; how he acquitted himself at the council board, their order declares. he complains that he is now called again upon some reference which his majesty remembers not. secretary coke must avow that hitherto he has carried himself honestly and with general approbation." the settling with frizell's assignee may possibly refer to the paying-off of attorney hatt by means of money found by the earl marshal already referred to. the criticisms made upon witherings at this time are somewhat conflicting, and on that account it is not by any means easy to determine what sort of a man he was. on the st may , secretary windebank writes: "mr. witherings the postmaster's industry and dexterity for that place appeared at the council-table by many testimonies, in the midst of much powerful opposition. mr. witherings misbehaved himself toward my lord marshal and his son, the lord maltravers, and how he will be able to give them satisfaction i know not." on th june, lord goring, master of the horse to the queen, writes: "i must highly commend the extraordinary care of the posts; and especially mr. witherings, the master, of whose care her majesty hath taken most especial notice, for he is indeed the most diligent in his services that ever i saw." in commendation of witherings' plans and work, a petition was presented to the council in april , signed by fifty-four merchants in london, to the following effect:--"by their order (the council's order) of the th february , it was determined that letters should be sent by _staffeto_ or pacquet posts; according to which order thomas witherings, one of the postmasters for foreign parts, has, by consent of foreign states, settled the conveyance of letters from stage to stage, to go night and day, as has been continued in germany and italy; by which agreements letters are to be conveyed between london and antwerp in three days, whilst the carriers have for many years taken from eight to fourteen days, having played the merchants, and answered complaints by saying that they had bought their places and could come no sooner." early in , an attempt was made to set up another foreign-post service, as appears by a petition from eighty-nine london merchants, addressed to the king, as follows:--"they are informed that some strangers living here have made choice of a postmaster by whom they have sent their letters, whilst his majesty has chosen william frizell and thomas witherings for his postmaster for foreign services, who have hitherto carried themselves carefully. pray the king to protect them (frizell and witherings), and not to suffer strangers to make their own choice." while on this subject of unauthorised posts, it may be noted that in december , burlamachi writes to secretary coke respecting a post set up in paris, to work thence to london. he says: "i must not fail to tell you that yesterday a courier from france called upon me, who appears, from what he says, to have agreed with the postmaster of paris, to take up the letters for conveyance to and from that city and london. i told him that this was a proceeding that could not be allowed, and counselled him to return to paris, which i believe he has done. it is to be considered that, if the mails for france and flanders are not soon put into good order, all will go into confusion. we might have letters to or from paris in five days and less, while at present they take fourteen days to come." this statement does not reflect creditably upon witherings' system of posts established early in the year; but at this time witherings was under sequestration of his office, and it may be that de quester, who was temporarily in charge of the situation, had allowed matters to go back into their old groove. chapter ii the sequestration of witherings' office of foreign postmaster ceased on the th december , but it was not till the th august that he was made legally secure in his place. on this latter date he writes to sir john coke as follows:--"four days past he procured his order to be drawn up by sir william becher (clerk of the council in ordinary), which he shewed mr. march, the earl marshal's steward, who went with mr. witherings to mr. recorder, whose opinion was, that the order not only cleared frizell in law and equity, but all others." witherings had, however, to sign a covenant holding the earl marshal harmless, and thereupon the patents were signed over to witherings. it is tolerably clear that de quester and witherings were not on particularly good terms. at anyrate the former wrote to secretary coke in march , complaining against witherings "for breaking open a packet directed to de quester, and using disdainful speeches of him." he also reminds the secretary of a promise "that he should receive no damage or detriment." the occurrence of the sequestration has been the means of leaving on record details of these early posts which would not otherwise have survived. a statement of the accounts of mathew de quester during the sequestration of the post office in london for foreign parts (_i.e._ th september to th december ), made up in the year , gives much curious information, as also witherings' comments on various alleged inaccuracies therein. "witherings desires that de quester may bring in all the rolls and books of accounts, from which witherings may draw out a just account. among the items in this account, covering a period of seventeen weeks, are the following:--for three portmantles, £ , s.; for cord and cloth to cover the mails, s. d.; for pack-thread to bind up the letters, s. d.; for pens, ink, and paper to write and to pack, £ , s.; to george martin for carrying letters abroad, seventeen weeks, £ , s.; to john ridge for the like service, £ , s.; to clerks' allowance for seventeen weeks, at the rate of £ per annum a piece, £ , s. d.; for candles, wax, and sealing-thread, s. d.; one quarter's rent for the office and other rooms, £ ." in another paper, making further remarks in objection to de quester's accounts, witherings suggests "that if he and lynde, who is paid £ per annum for nothing else but to keep the accounts, were jointly to inspect the rolls and accounts, they would be able to 'just' them in one day." there is reason to conclude that at this time some of the stages in france were under english control; for on the th august , witherings writes to secretary coke that he "had procured the french ambassador's letters for settling the stages in france, and to-morrow he begins his journey. at his coming to paris he will write coke of all that passeth." we may assume from the foregoing particulars that the posts with the continent were now laid in stages, and in a way to expedite the mail service not previously existing. the channel was, however, about this time infested with foreigners who plundered the mail packets and robbed the passengers. a few instances may be interesting. on the th june , the deputy postmaster of dover writes to secretary coke:--"on tuesday, th, he received advertisement by certain seamen whom the writer employs for carriage of the merchants' letters to dunkirk, and to bring the same from thence, that, coming by calais, their shallop and such passengers as were in it were rifled of all the money they had and some trifles, and the mail (wherein his majesty's and the merchants' letters were put) was taken away by men of calais, who laid them suddenly aboard with a small shallop full of musketeers. this advice coming to the writer in the night very late, he wrote to mr. witherings, and did not then give the lord warden's deputy notice, by which means the news came to his majesty's knowledge before it was written of to the lord warden." again, in the month of august, henry hendy, the post of dover, had an unpleasant experience. in an examination which he underwent touching the facts, he states that, "going to and returning from dunkirk, he has been robbed five times within these seven weeks--four times by the french, and once by a flushinger. they shot at him, and commanded him to strike, calling him and the rest 'english dogs'; and coming aboard, they used violence, beating them, stripping them of all their money, apparel, and goods, and took from the post all his bundle of letters, among which was a packet from the king. the post showing them his pass from secretary coke, they bid him keep it to wipe his breech." the ill words of calling the men dogs seem to have been in common use in the channel at that time; for sobrière, a frenchman who visited england at the period in question, makes mention of the incivility which his countrymen received on landing at dover, the children running after them and calling with all their might, "a _mounser_! a _mounser_!" and, as they warmed up, they became more offensive. when told to be off, they would cry out, "french dogs, french dogs." but the english were not content to undergo all this offence and ill-usage without showing that they could fight, and were prepared to maintain their position on the high seas. the measures taken in this sense are described in the following despatch, dated th august , from admiral lord lindsey to secretary coke:--"on saturday last, speaking with the post of dover that plys to dunkirk, the writer found him unwilling to undergo the service any longer, unless he were better provided to resist the violences offered him. the earl encouraged him, and lent him fifteen men, well fitted with muskets and half-pikes and swords, and sent them aboard his ketch. on sunday morning they went off from dover, and in the afternoon were chased awhile by a shallop, and then by a holland man-of-war that made six great shots at them. the _sampson_, which the writer had the day before employed to sea, was in their sight, but they durst not bear up to him, for then they had been overtaken; but keeping upon a tack, they were too swift for the man-of-war, who, after five hours' chase, left them in open sea. the next morning, between gravelines and calais, the same shallop that used to rob the post came to the ketch, as near as a man might throw a biscuit into her. the master of the ketch had stowed all the men within, there to remain until he should give the watchword, when they were to appear and give fire. the shallop shot four or five times at the ketch, and hailed the master and the rest in such english as one of them could speak, crying out, 'english dogs! strike, you english rogues! we will be with you presently,' the chief of them, in a red coat, flourishing his falchion over his head. hereupon the master gave the word; and the men came out, pouring shot so fast into the shallop that the french had not power to return one shot, but rowed away with a matter of four using oars that were left of about sixteen men. it was a dead calm, and the ketch had neither oars nor boat to help her, otherwise she had brought away the shallop and the remainder of the men. the post has desired the same supply again for his defence on sunday next; the writer has taken order accordingly, and furnished him also with letters of safe-conduct." in the following month, september, another outrage upon the mail boat was committed. waad, the deputy postmaster of dover, gives an account of the transaction, and a capture made thereafter, in a letter to his chief, witherings, on the th september. he writes: "the manner of taking the boats by those that were laid in dover castle was: that the zealanders shot at them divers times, when one of the packet boatmen struck sail and showed the lord general's warrant, which they slighted, and were like to stab the old man whom waad trusts with the mail, with base words to his majesty. the place was off the splinter, betwixt gravelines and dunkirk. the day was the nd instant; and on the rd, setting out another boat with the mail, one of the ketch told waad that he saw the captain that took them and some of his men; whereupon, about twelve in the night, he called the watch and carried the captain and other two to the town jail, having paid sir william monson's gentlemen's dinners and horse-hires to acquaint the lord general in the forenoon before that the vessel was in dover road. whereupon sir william monson came into the road and took the ship out, and sent his boat after ashore. the prisoners being claimed by sir william monson, and also by mr. moore, secretary to the lord warden, the mayor adjudged to sir william, who carried them to the lord general. after examination, he returned them to dover castle; but their ship was cleared in the downs, and on the sunday morning took a bylander of bruges; also that night the prisoners made escape out of the castle by a mat twisted very laboriously." the meaning of this last sentence probably is, that these sailors untwisted the strands of a mat, then spun the material into a kind of rope, and let themselves down from their cell in the castle. again, in february , another outrage was perpetrated on the packet boat. the particulars are furnished by the examination of william dadds, master; harry hendy, passenger; and richard swan, servant to william dadds. they swore as follows:--"the earl of lindsey authorised his majesty's passage boat at dover to wear a flag of his majesty's colours upon the rudder-head. it hath secured the said boat from the dutch, the french, and spaniards ever since till tuesday last; at which time the said boat, riding at anchor by dunkirk harbour, near the splinter fort, with the said flag, there came down from the said fort three musketeers, and shot three or four volleys of shot at the said packet boat, and in the hull of the said boat some of the shot are still to be seen. they retired to the said fort, and shot one piece of great ordnance at the said boat. the three musketeers began to beat the said r. swan with a crabtree cudgel of two inches about; they came aboard, searched the packet boat, and fetched w. dadds ashore, and made him pay s. in money, which h. hendy laid down to prevent imprisonment. the master and his company, in the dark of the night, set sail and came away. the serjeant-major and the soldiers gave no other reason, than because they came not on shore to fetch the searcher on board; and if they did not the next time come to fetch the searcher aboard, they would hang the master upon the gallows. and this is the first time that ever the searcher did question his majesty's packet boat." several other violations of the packet boat occurred about this time, and a good deal of friction arose between the peoples on the two sides of the channel; but probably the robberies were partly the result of conditions arising from the unsettled relations existing between england and the countries on the continent at the period. the english took extreme measures with these pirates, as will be seen by the two following despatches from the earl of suffolk to secretary coke:-- "july , , dover castle.--since the writing of his last letter, and the condemnation of the french prisoners, two of them, who were quitted and returned to calais, reported there that, after the condemnation of the prisoners, three of them were presently hanged; whereupon the people of calais were much influenced, and have committed many insolencies, as will appear by the enclosed examination. "declaration of john adams of gillingham, kent, master of the _john_ of that place:--arriving with the packet ordinary from thomas witherings, his majesty's postmaster for foreign parts, he received from the master of a ship of lynn this intelligence: that the people of calais came aboard, to the number of or , presently after the arrival of the two sailors cleared at dover, in the court of admiralty, and assaulted the master and company of the said ship, beating all the company, wounding the master, and doing many outrageous acts--which are stated here with a good deal of confusion, and probably exaggeration. the informant concludes, that carrying the mail to the postmaster of calais, and having his majesty's colours at the stern of his ketch, the people came down upon them, throwing stones to the endangering of their lives, and rending the said 'unite' colours. "august , .--by all men that come from calais, he perceives that there is in that town a froward inclination against his majesty's subjects, and therefore sends him (sir john coke) this present information from the master of his majesty's packet boat, that the secretary may thereupon use means to the french ambassador, or otherwise, to prevent greater mischiefs that may happen. "enclosure.--information of john keres of leith, mariner, that about the th july, carrying over to calais mr. witherings, his majesty's postmaster, as soon as he came on shore they threw stones at informant that he could not walk in the streets without great danger; and being forced by stress of weather out of that road for dunkirk, a little off gravelines he met with three french shallops of calais, who commanded him to strike, and then boarded him, spoiled his bark, beat him with their swords, and would have taken the clothes off his back. having nothing in his bark worth pillaging, they went their way." shortly after this period, it was thought fit to provide an armed vessel for the channel service. it was named the _speedy post_; and we find that in february and march there was some correspondence between the council and the officers of ordnance as to the supply of six brass guns for the postmaster's frigate, the _speedy post_ of london. it is probably to this vessel that evelyn refers in his diary, under date of the th october :--"from hence (dunkirk), the next day, i marched three english miles towards the packet boat, being a pretty fregat of six guns, which embarked us for england about three in the afternoone. at our going off, the fort against which our pinnace ankered saluted my lord marshall with twelve greate guns, which we answered with three. not having the wind favorable, we ankered that night before calais. about midnight we weighed; and at four in the morning, though not far from dover, we could not make the peere till four in the afternoon, the wind proving contrary and driving us westward; but at last we got on ashore, oct. the th." leaving these squabbles of the channel for a time, it will perhaps be convenient to consider for a moment who witherings was. by the "visitation of london, - ," we find it stated that thomas withering, "postmaster of england for forrayne parts," was a second son; that he was of a staffordshire family who had property in that county for many generations; that an uncle named anthony withering was a yeoman usher, and his elder brother a gentleman sewer--both places, we apprehend, attaching to the court. in proceedings held before the council in june , of which secretary windebanke made notes, and wherein thomas witherings was interested, mention is made that witherings was stated to be a papist, and "to have been at one time gentleman harbinger to the queen." the office of harbinger was that of "agent in advance," the harbinger proceeding one day ahead of the queen, to secure for her suitable lodging and entertainment on occasions when she was upon progress. if witherings really held this office of harbinger, it is possible that he may have shown a leaning towards papacy (though in later life he was a declared protestant), for king charles' wife henrietta maria was a roman catholic herself, and many of her followers were of that religion. there is nothing improbable in the suggestion that witherings held the office of harbinger, seeing that his brother and uncle were servants at the court; but whether he was or was not, he would have, by his friends, interest with the royal family. in a remonstrance of the grievances of his majesty's posts in england, carriers, waggoners, and others ( ), "miserably sustained by the unlawful projects of thomas witherings," witherings is referred to as "sometime mercer of london." of this mention will be made hereafter. witherings was married to dorothy, daughter of john oliver of wilbrougham; and she brought him a fair fortune. in a petition or representation made by her after witherings' death, she mentions that £ a year of her land was sold to assist him in procuring his place as postmaster. it is well here to remark, in relation to this sum, and the matter should be borne in mind in perusing what follows, that £ in would be equivalent to about £ in the present day. professor masson, when speaking of the relative equivalents of english money now and in the first half of the seventeenth century, gives his impression "that any specified salary in english money (of that time) would have purchased at least four times as much, whether in commodities or in respectability, as the same english money would purchase now." as only a portion of mrs. witherings' land was sold, she must have had a very respectable fortune of her own. witherings lived in an age characterised by corruption, by court intrigue and court favouritism, when envy and uncharitableness struggled for place and power, and when those who failed to secure the royal smile were in imminent danger of going to the wall. he did not achieve his official career without attempts being made to oust him from his place. many general allegations were made against him of irregularities committed in his office, but for the most part with an irritating absence of any definite charges; and in the opposite scale we have the fact that he was still postmaster for foreign parts at the time of his death, in the year . we have hitherto been dealing with the postmastership for foreign parts; and having accompanied witherings over a portion of his service, it will be convenient now to see what was going on in the inland posts. it will be remembered that charles lord stanhope was the king's postmaster at home and in foreign parts, within the king's dominions. the duties of stanhope were to appoint and supervise the deputy postmasters on the roads, to provide for the conveyance of letters to or from the king or the court, and, generally, letters on state business; but there was no arrangement, recognised as a state service, for the conveyance of letters of the merchants or the public generally by the deputy postmasters under stanhope. although this was so, there is apt to be some misapprehension as to the means available at this time for the forwarding of letters of the public throughout the country. it might be supposed that no machinery to this end existed. there is, however, we think, every probability that while the postmasters were not officially authorised to convey letters from place to place, they did so, and reaped some benefit from the work. the postmasters throughout the country were constantly sending guides and horses between their several stages; the horses had to be brought back by the guides to their headquarters; and it would be surprising if the postmasters, when opportunity offered, did not undertake the carriage of letters for a fee. further, in a state-paper office document, dated , it is mentioned that the king's postmasters carried the subjects' letters, but up to that time had never reaped any benefit from it. the meaning of this must be, that the chief postmaster and his predecessors had never reaped any benefit; but it is not likely that the deputy postmasters, who did the work, would perform the service for nothing. when the carriage of letters was afterwards taken up as a state affair, we shall hear an outcry for arrears of wages due to the postmasters, who previously were apparently content to let that matter lie over, deriving their profits from the letting out of horses, and the fees from the carriage of private letters. but the carriers with their carts and pack horses also conveyed letters for the public, and though the travelling was slow, it extended to all parts. by consulting old calendars and like books of reference, the reader will see how extensive was this carrying business, down to the time when it was superseded by the railways. but we are not left in any doubt as to the part the country postmasters took in the carriage of letters for the public, at anyrate on the western road from london to plymouth, antecedent to this period, for by a petition which will be quoted hereafter from the postmaster of crewkerne, it will be seen that, under an order of the council of state, dated the th february , a weekly carriage of letters had been set up by the several postmasters on that road for their own profit. confirmation is given to this statement by papers belonging to the borough of barnstaple, under date the th september . it is there recorded that the mayor and aldermen of barnstaple established communication between their borough and exeter by means of "a foote post to goe weekly every tuesday morning about seaven of the clock in the morning from the said towne of barnstaple unto exceter, and to be there at the postmaster's howse in exceter the wednesday morning, and there to deliver unto the post whiche is to goe that morneing toward london all such letters as shalbe sent him to be conveyed unto london, ... which foote post is to stay in exceter untill the london post for that weeke shall come from london, and shall take upp all such letters as the said post shall bringe from london," etc. it is then explained that, "by means of which so speedie conveyance, men may in eleaven days write unto london and receive answers thereof backe again, and their friends and factours may have three dayes' respitt to give answere unto such letters as shalbe sent; as also any man receiving letters from london may have like time to answer the same," etc. now, if we deduct from the eleven days here mentioned the two days coming and going of the foot post between barnstaple and exeter, and the three days' "respitt" in london, it leaves only six days for the double journey between exeter and london, or three days for a single journey of over miles. there is no doubt whatever from these statements that there existed, prior to witherings' posts, a regular weekly horse post from london to the west of england for the general service of the public. a project for a new and extended arrangement of the business of the post office was drafted in --probably by witherings. according to this paper, "it was calculated that in the counties of england there were at least market towns, which, one with another, sent letters per week to london, which, in respect of their answers, are to be reckoned at d. each, making in all , letters, or £ per week. the estimated charge for conveyance of these letters would be only £ per week, leaving £ , s. weekly profit by this office, out of which was to be deducted £ per annum paid to the postmasters for the charge of conveying his majesty's packets. all letters on the road to scotland were to be charged d. for every single, and d. for every double letter, to be paid at the receiving and delivery in london; for yorkshire and northumberland, d. a letter; and for scotland, d. the postmasters in the country were not to take any money for letters, save d. for carriage to the next market town." thus, in , it would appear that nearly , letters a week reached london from the country, and, as replies, a similar number would be sent thence to the country. the project sketched out above was not, however, then carried out. some curious questions as to the post service arose at this period. on the th may , the mayor and jurats of dover made a representation to the lieutenant of dover castle and of the cinque ports, to the effect that the deputy postmasters and the hackneymen of dover and canterbury had admeasured the highway between these places, and set up posts at every mile's end, making the distance fifteen miles and a quarter. for this "distance they charged s. d. for horse hire, being d. more than the ordinary rate." the mayor and jurats "called before them the postmaster's deputy and some of the hackneymen, and found them resolute therein. they have done the same without commission from his majesty or the lords." it appears that the kentish miles were longer than the miles elsewhere, and that d. per mile was allowed here, while in some other places only - / d. was paid. the men of kent wanted to be paid the higher rate for the shorter miles, which they had measured for themselves. the postmaster of st. albans, by the methods which he employed in carrying on the business of his office, got himself into deep water with the people of that town. on the th january , informations were made by edward seabrooke, john tuttle, and fromabove done, setting forth complaints against john wells, postmaster of st albans, in pressing their horses for the service of the post maliciously or corruptly, in order to procure a bribe for their release. on the next day informations were made by john mitchell of sandridge, ralph heyward of bushey, henry pedder of luton, and john bolton of harding, all containing charges of corruption or misconduct against john wells, postmaster of st albans. again, on the d august , the inhabitants of the parish of st. stephens, in st. albans, forward depositions, taken before sir john garrard and others, justices of the peace, seeking to establish that "under colour of a commission granted by lord stanhope, wells sent to the several parishes in and about st. albans to furnish horses for his majesty's service, there being not any such horses needed; but warrants being issued merely to compel the owners of the horses to compound." whether mr. wells was as bad as painted we cannot say, but he no doubt had at times to call in extra horses; for, on the th may , lord stanhope issued the following warrant to all deputy lieutenants, justices of the peace, and other officers:--"special occasions are offered, for the affairs of the state and service of his majesty, to send in post both packets and otherwise oftener than ordinary; the persons addressed are therefore to assist john wells, post of st. albans, and on his application to take up ten or twelve sufficient horses, as the service shall import." this was within a few days of the king's setting out upon a progress into scotland. on the th june , a petition to the council is forwarded by edward hutchins and joseph hutchins, sons of thomas hutchins, post of crewkerne, lately deceased, and by all the posts between london and plymouth, as follows:[ ]-- "having obtained an order, dated th february , from this board for the weekly carriage of letters between london and plymouth, the settling whereof had cost them £ , besides their great and daily charge in keeping men and horses. neither lord stanhope, nor mr. dolliver, the paymaster of the posts, had given any encouragement to this business, but rather opposed it; lord stanhope going about to assume the benefit of the merchants' letters, and raising the valuation of the post places of the western road from £ to £ . pray their lordships to require lord stanhope and the paymaster of the posts to answer wherefor they should raise the post places from £ anciently given, and for what cause they (stanhope and the paymaster) should have the benefit of the merchants' letters. pray also that edward and joseph hutchins may, for £ , have the place filled by their father and grandfather for seventy years, or else the benefit of the merchants' letters, which their father had." lord stanhope's answer was to the effect that he doubted the statement as to the "great sums alleged to have been given for obtaining the merchants' letters," that he did not "take notice of disposing any place in that road, nor aim at any profit by reason of those letters; he only takes upon him the appointment of the posts." the meaning of this answer is not very clear; but the two papers taken together show that the postmasters were in the habit of buying their offices, paying £ for them, and that it was now attempted to raise the charge to £ . stanhope's salary was only £ , s. d. per annum, and, in consonance with the shameful traffic of the age, he made his profit in his own position by requiring his subordinates to purchase their places. when witherings set up the new plan of "estafette" posts in , the men who had up to that time performed the post service between england and the continent were all dismissed. they, like the deputy postmasters, had purchased their places, and upon being turned off received no compensation. aggrieved as they felt themselves to be, they had recourse to a petition to lord cottington. they were sampson bates, enoch lynde, jarman marsham, job allibon, abraham van solte, and samuel allibon "heretofore ordinary posts for the low countries." "at their first entrance into their places," says the petition, "they paid great sums of money for the same, and they were granted for term of life, some of petitioners having served twenty-six years, and others various other long periods. about april petitioners were all dismissed without restoring any of their moneys, or giving them any allowance towards their maintenance, so that they have been driven to pawn their household stuff, and, if not relieved, are like to perish. the ordinary posts beyond the seas likewise dismissed have been allowed £ yearly, although their places were not so good as petitioners'. pray that, upon a new election of a postmaster, petitioners may be admitted to their several places again, or each of them receive a pension from the office of the postmaster." besides the constant stream of horse posts passing from london to dover in connection with the continental mail service, there was a service by foot messenger between these two towns. at this period there was a prohibition against the carrying of gold out of the country. in _moryson's itinerary_, , the following limitation is stated to have been in force:--"in england the law forbids any traveller, upon paine of confiscation, to carry more money about him out of the kingdom than will serve for the expenses of his journey, namely, about twenty pounds sterling." in , the prohibition was still in force. on the th june of that year, the foot post between london and dover, edward ranger, was examined as to the exporting of gold before sir john bankes, the attorney general. ranger deposed "that within two years last past he had carried from london to dover gold and silver, to the value of several thousand pounds in the whole, for cæsar dehaze, edward buxton of lime street, jacob deleap, roger fletcher, walter eade, and john terry of canning street, charles french of wallbrook, peter heme of love lane, lucas jacob of botolph's lane, and john fowler of bucklersbury, and isaac bedloe, and had delivered the same, in various sums, severally to john parrott, nathaniel pringall, mark willes, john demarke, david hempson, david neppen, john wallop, and henry booth, at dover; that he had after the rate of five shillings for every hundred pounds he carried; and that he believes that the greatest part of the gold was sent beyond the seas by such persons as he delivered the same unto at dover." this man ranger was still foot post for dover down to ; but in that year he was superseded in his place in consequence of certain irregularities. in the council of state's proceedings of the th december of that year, the mayor and jurats of dover were to be advised that the council approved of another appointment being made, "as it would not have been safe for the state to suffer him (ranger) to continue in that employment." the king's posts at this period ( ) were not remarkable for their great speed. on the th june, secretary coke and the king received letters at edinburgh which had taken five days in coming from greenwich. on th july, sir francis windebank writes to secretary coke, that "your several letters of the nd and rd of this present, written from lithco (linlithgow) and stirling, and sent by davis, came to my hands upon sunday the th, late in the evening. i send these by davis again because of the slowness of the posts, some of your letters being ten days upon the way, and never any packet yet dated at the stages as they ought to be." a captain plumleigh, writing from kinsale, apparently to the lord deputy, complains that "your lordship's letters unto me seldom come to my hands under fourteen days' time. i beg that the despatch of this of mine may come on towards kinsale day and night, for otherwise we shall haply lose the opportunity of a fair wind," etc. the condition of the roads in these times was an important factor in causing the posts to travel slowly; and the through couriers, after riding during the day, would necessarily rest during the night. the following letter, dated th december , from sir gervase clifton to sir john coke the younger, at selston, nottinghamshire, describes a journey by road:--"i will be bold to trouble you with a discourse of my perambulation. i came on tuesday to dunstable, somewhat, albeit not much, within night. on wednesday to northampton, almost three hours after daylight, yet with perpetual fear of overturning or losing our way, which without guides hired, and lights holding in, i had undoubtedly done. on thursday to leicester, a great deal later, and so much more dangerously, as the way (you know) was worse at the end of the journey. on friday we were the most of all troubled with waters, which so much covered the causeways, and almost bridges, over which we were to pass, as made me nearer retiring than coming forward; which, nevertheless, at length i ventured to do, and am (god be thanked), with my wife, safely got to clifton (near loughborough), where i remain yet, the worse of the two, by reason of a great cold i have taken." even a good many years later the roads were in a bad way. in , lady russell writes to her husband from tunbridge wells: "i do really think, if i could have imagined the illness of the journey, it would have discouraged me: it is not to be expressed how bad the way is from seven oaks; but our horses did exceeding well; and spence very diligent, often off his horse to lay hold of the coach." smiles, in his _lives of the engineers_, gives an account of the great north road, the principal thoroughfare into scotland, from a tract published in by thomas mace, one of the clerks of trinity college, cambridge:-- "the writer there addressed himself to the king, partly in prose and partly in verse, complaining greatly of the 'wayes, which are so grossly foul and bad,' and suggesting various remedies. he pointed out that much ground 'is now spoiled and trampled down in all wide roads, where coaches and carts take liberty to pick and chuse for their best advantages; besides, such sprawling and straggling of coaches and carts utterly confound the road in all wide places, so that it is not only unpleasurable, but extreme perplexin and cumbersome both to themselves and all horse travellers.' "but mace's principal complaint was of the innumerable controversies, quarrellings, and disturbances, caused by the pack-horse men in their struggles as to which convoy should pass along the cleaner parts of the road. from what he states, it would seem that these disturbances, daily committed by uncivil, refractory, and rude russian-like rake-shames, in contesting for the way, too often proved mortal, and certainly were of very bad consequences to many. he recommended a quick and prompt punishment in all such cases. 'no man,' said he, 'should be pestered by giving the way (sometimes) to hundreds of pack-horses, panniers, whifflers (_i.e._ paltry fellows), coaches, waggons, wains, carts, or whatsoever others; which continually are very grievous to weary and loaden travellers; but more especially near the city and upon a market-day, when, a man having travelled a long and tedious journey, his horse well-nigh spent, shall sometimes be compelled to cross out of his way twenty times in one mile's riding, by the irregularity and peevish crossness of such-like whifflers and market-women; yea, although their panniers be clearly empty, they will stoutly contend for the way with weary travellers, be they never so many, or almost of what quality soever.' 'nay,' said he further, 'i have often known travellers, and myself very often, to have been necessitated to stand stock-still behind a standing cart or waggon, on most beastly and insufferable deep wet wayes, to the great endangering of our horses, and neglect of important business; nor durst we adventure to stir (for most imminent danger of those deep rutts and unreasonable ridges) till it has pleased mister carter to jog on, which we have taken very kindly.'" these were the sort of roads the posts had to travel in the seventeenth century; but fortunately the horses were suited to the conditions. with respect to these, moryson says, in his _itinerary_ ( ), that: "the horses are strong, and for journies indefatigable; for the english, especially northern men, ride from daybreak to the evening without drawing bit, neither sparing their horses nor themselves." in considering the speed of the posts and the endeavours made to accelerate them, it is well to bear in mind the condition of the highways. footnotes: [footnote : this petition has already been referred to as establishing the fact that before witherings' inland posts, the postmasters on the western road had already established a weekly post for the public.] chapter iii we now come to an important period of witherings' connection with the post office. in june , the following scheme of public posts for inland letters was propounded; it is attributed to witherings:-- "proposition for settling a 'staffeto' or packet post betwixt london and all parts of his majesty's dominions for carrying and recarrying his subjects' letters. the clear profits to go towards the payment of the postmasters of the roads of england, for which his majesty is now charged with £ per annum." the chief points of the proposal are: "that an office or counting-house should be established in london for receiving letters; that letters to edinburgh and other places along that road should be put into a 'portmantle,' with particular bags directed to postmasters on the road; for instance, a bag should be directed to cambridge, where letters were to be delivered, taking the same port (postage) as was then paid to the carriers, which was d. for a single letter, and so according to bigness. at cambridge a foot-post was to be provided with a known badge of his majesty's arms, who on market-days was to go to all towns within , , or miles to receive and deliver letters, and to bring back those he received to cambridge, before the return of the 'portmantle' out of scotland, when the letters being put into a little bag, the said bag was to be put into the 'portmantle'; that the 'portmantle' should go forward night and day without stay; that the port should be advanced in proportion to the distance the letter is carried; that a horse should be provided for carrying letters to towns which lie far off the main roads, as, for example, hull. similar arrangements were to be made on the road to westchester, and thence to ireland; to shrewsbury and the marches of wales; to exeter and plymouth; to canterbury and dover; to colchester and harwich; to norwich and yarmouth. by these means, letters which were then carried by carriers or foot-posts or miles a day (so that it was full two months before any answer could be received from scotland or ireland) would go miles in one day and night. at this rate of travelling, it was declared that news would come from the coast towns to london 'sooner than thought.' "in the first place, it will be a great furtherance to the correspondency betwixt london and scotland, and london and ireland, and great help to trades and true affection of his majesty's subjects betwixt these kingdoms, which, for want of true correspondency of letters, is now destroyed; and a thing above all things observed by all other nations. "as for example:-- "if any of his majesty's subjects shall write to madrid in spain, he shall receive answer sooner and surer than he shall out of scotland or ireland. the letters being now carried by carriers or foot-posts or miles a day, it is full two months before any answer can be received from scotland or ireland to london, while by this conveyance all letters shall go miles at the least in one day and night. "it will, secondly, be alleged, that it is a wrong to the carriers that bring the said letters. to which is answered, a carrier sets out from westchester to london on the monday, which is miles. the said carrier is eight days upon the road, and upon his coming to london, delivers his letters of advice for his reloading to westchester again, and is forced to stay in london two days, at extraordinary charges, before he can get his reloading ready. by this conveyance letters will be from westchester to london in one day and night, so that the said carriers' loading will be ready a week before the said carriers shall come to london; and they no sooner come to london, but may be ready to depart again. the like will fall out in all other parts. "besides, if at any time there should be occasion to write from any of the coast towns in england or scotland to london, by this conveyance letters will be brought immediately; and from all such places there will be weekly advice to and from london. "as for example:-- "any fight at sea; any distress of his majesty's ships (which god forbid); any wrong offered by any other nation to any of the coasts of england, or any of his majesty's forts, the posts being punctually paid, the news will come 'sooner than thought.' "it will be, thirdly, alleged that this service may be pretended by the lord stanhope to be in his grant of postmaster of england. to which is answered, neither lord stanhope nor any other that ever enjoyed the postmaster's place of england had any benefit of the carrying and recarrying of the subjects' letters; besides, the profit is to pay the posts of the road, which, next unto his majesty, belong to the office of the said lord stanhope; and by determination of any of the said posts' places, by death or otherwise, the lord stanhope will make as much of them as hath heretofore been made by this said advancement of all their places,--the lord stanhope now enjoying what either he or any of his predecessors hath ever heretofore done to this day." the foregoing scheme of public posts is doubtless an amplification of that drafted by witherings in , already quoted. witherings refers, in the closing paragraph of his scheme, to possible difficulties with lord stanhope; but he meets this by saying that "lord stanhope will make as much of them"--that is, the deputy postmasters' places--"as hath heretofore been made by this said advancement of all their places." the meaning of this appears to be, that stanhope would still receive his fee of £ , s. d. as chief postmaster of england, would appoint the deputies of the roads, and continue to receive payment for the sale to them of their places. the plan being now ripe to be put into operation, the king issued a proclamation, dated at bagshot the st july , "for the settling of the letter office of england and scotland." the general features of the scheme are described to be: the laying of regular posts between london and edinburgh to perform the double journey every week,--the travelling to be done in six days,--the laying of weekly posts on the other principal roads out of london, the providing of by-posts to serve the towns lying beyond the main roads. the postage rates prescribed were:-- for a single letter under miles d. " " " between and " d. " " " above " d. " " " to scotland or its borders d. when several letters were made up in one packet, the charge was to be according to the "bigness" of the packet. the postage both for outward and inward letters was to be payable in london. on the western road to plymouth the charge was to be as near as possible the same as that heretofore charged. this must refer to the system of posts already established by the deputy postmasters on that road before alluded to. the several postmasters of the roads were required to keep one or two horses in their stables ready for the service as witherings might direct them; and it was commanded that on the day on which the mail would be due, these horses were not to be let or sent forth "upon any other occasion whatsoever." for the hire of the horses, the post-messenger was to pay - / d. per horse per mile. all other messengers or foot-posts on the roads covered by witherings were to be put down, so far as the carriage of letters was concerned, exception being made only in respect of "common known carriers, or particular messenger to be sent on purpose with a letter by any man for his own occasions, or a letter by a friend." these, then, are the lines upon which the first general system of inland posts in great britain, for the use and convenience of the public, was launched by the state. there was this curious complication about the business. thomas witherings was already postmaster for foreign parts, out of the king's dominions; charles lord stanhope was master of the posts in england and for foreign parts, within the king's dominions, stanhope's sphere being restricted to the appointing of deputy postmasters on the roads and managing the conveyance of letters for the king and state officials; and now a third control is introduced by the appointment of witherings to manage a system of public posts, to be grafted upon the chain of deputy postmasters already existing upon the roads and under the direction of stanhope. such complex arrangements were not likely to work smoothly, nor did they. the postmasters of stanhope were not all in a good position to perform their part in the new system of posts, as will be seen by the following representation made by the mayor and others of coventry to secretary coke on the th april :--"by his letter of the th march, they perceive that many complaints are made of the backwardness of their city to furnish post-horses for persons employed in his majesty's service between that and ireland. they find that john fletcher is postmaster within their city, authorised by lord stanhope. fletcher, by reason of poverty and lameness, keeps his house, but employs john scott, another poor aged man, as his deputy. scott acknowledged that fletcher had not had for a month past above three horses, and that all of them are lame. they sent the sheriff of the city to see how the postmaster was provided for the said service, by whom answer was returned that neither fletcher nor scott have so much as one horse, mare, or nag. by an order of the council, it was ordered that the postmaster, not being able to find sufficient numbers of horses for packets and persons employed in his majesty's service, should have a supply of horses out of the country within twelve miles' distance from coventry. they also find that the postmaster, by himself and agents, makes composition with the towns about the city, and has taken yearly of them several sums of money to spare them from the service, by which means the burden of the whole service falls upon the city, which hath occasioned many late complaints. the writers are in great hope that some speedy reformation may be had therein. they recommend to that place edward mosse, an innholder in their city." in order the better to understand the position in which the country postmasters found themselves about this period, and later, it will be well to quote some of the petitions sent forward by the postmasters, most of which relate to arrears of pay. and it is not unlikely that the demands for arrears were due to the new scheme of witherings, under which the postmasters would no longer be allowed to carry letters for the public on their own account:-- . "petition of william parbo, post of sandwich, to the lords of the treasury:--about years since petitioner bought the said post's place in the name of a poor kinsman, arthur ruck, then a child, intending the profits to be applied towards his education. being much impoverished by the forbearance of his post wages for ten years and a half, petitioner is unable longer to maintain his kinsman at the university of oxford. if his arrearage of d. per diem were paid, he should be a loser above £ , he being at charges of boat-hire to carry his majesty's letters aboard his majesty's ships, and of warning-fires on shore, besides of horse and man by land. prays payment of his arrears, amounting to £ , s." . "petition of alexander nubie to the council:--petitioner being post of dartford, is forced to keep sixteen horses for the performance of the service, which is an extraordinary great charge, and for which he has received no pay these two years and a half, so that there is due to him about £ . is poor and in debt, and dare not go abroad for fear of arrest by creditors by whom he has been furnished with hay and other provisions. prays for protection until he may receive his money." . "petition of thomas hookes, servant to the prince, to secretary coke:--petitioner's father, nicholas hookes, lately deceased, executed the post of conway, co. carnarvon, for years. about six years since petitioner was appointed to the said place by lord stanhope. understanding that all posts are in person to supply their places, petitioner, being tied to attendance on the prince, prays the secretary to grant the place to petitioner's brother, henry hookes, who was living in the said town, and also to give order for £ , arrears due for the same place." . "william hugessen, postmaster of dover, to secretary windebank:--has served as postmaster in the port of dover many years, and keeps the most convenient and fairest house betwixt london and dover, and where ambassadors generally lodge. is behindhand of his pay about £ . if there be an order that no man may enjoy the place except he serve by himself, he desires that edward whetstone, who is his tenant in the house called the greyhound of dover, may have the place upon such conditions as others, but if possible in hugessen's name as formerly." . "march th.--petition of edmund bawne, postmaster of ferrybridge, co. york, to the council:--after the death of petitioner's grandfather, who served as postmaster in the place abovesaid thirty years, petitioner, for £ , by his grandfather three years since paid lord stanhope, was admitted into the same place. upon questioning lord stanhope's patent, petitioner gave mr. witherings £ more for his settlement, and was, by the signatures of secretaries coke and windebank, and witherings, admitted into the same. petitioner's grandfather is owing for wages at least £ from his majesty. without any misdemeanour, being now sought to be ousted, he prays relief." these various petitions set forth not only that the country postmasters were being badly treated in regard to their pay,--this pay being what may conveniently be described as their retaining-fee,--but that there was some stirring-up by witherings of derelictions of duty on the part of the postmasters. allusion has already been made to the fact that matters could not go along smoothly with the whole system of posts, seeing that the control was in two sets of hands, and that the spheres of action were not properly divided. so a blow shortly fell upon lord stanhope. this must, apparently, have been unlooked for by stanhope, for, shortly before his fall, a proclamation was issued by the king bearing stanhope's signature. it had regard to the duties of the postmasters, and is supposed to have been issued early in the year . its chief provisions were: that ( ) in all places where posts were laid for the packet, the postmasters were to have the benefit and pre-eminence of letting, furnishing, and appointing of horses to all riding in post; that ( ) none were to be regarded as riding on public affairs unless with special commission signed by one of our principal secretaries of state, or six at least of the privy council, etc.; that the postmasters or owners of the horses were to be allowed to claim - / d. per mile (besides the guide's groats); but that private persons riding post were to pay such rate as might be agreed upon between the parties; that ( ) no horse was to be ridden away until the fare was first paid, nor taken beyond the next stage without the owner's consent; baggage was not to exceed lbs., and no horse was to be ridden above seven miles an hour in summer, or six in winter; and that ( ) the constables and magistrates were to take up horses for the postmaster's service in the posts when the postmaster was himself short of horses. not long after the issue of the proclamation above referred to, lord stanhope was driven from office. the immediate cause is not apparent; but the fact is dealt with in the following petition, dated march :-- "petition of charles lord stanhope, late postmaster of england and wales, to the king:-- "there is due to the petitioner for his fee of marks per annum (£ , s. d.), as master and comptroller of the posts, being in arrear for years and more. £ , s. d., which petitioner, when he enjoyed the said place, was in some sort better able to forbear, and therefore did not importune for the same; but now, having resigned the said office, full sore against his will, but in obedience to his majesty's pleasure, signified to him by the commissioners for the posts,--the archbishop of canterbury, the lord keeper, the lord treasurer, lord cottington, and the secretaries coke and windebank,--he has lost divers profits incident thereunto, which were a great help to his support (his other means left by his father being small as yet, and most of it in his mother's hands), whereby, since the loss of his office, he is disabled to maintain himself in the degree of an english baron. in consideration of his free yielding of his place, prays order for payment of the arrear, and some satisfaction for his office. a man of quality, and honourable knight, would willingly have given petitioner £ for his office." lord stanhope states that he resigned his office "sore against his will," and "in obedience to his majesty's pleasure"; but no hint is given of the immediate cause for this pressure being applied. an event happened in , however, which may have had some bearing upon the present matter. on the nd of march in that year, the king desired, by means of the speaker, sir john finch, to dissolve parliament before the commons could proceed with certain business which they had in hand. in order, however, to carry their protest, certain patriots in the house, denzil hollis among the rest, laid hands upon the speaker and held him in the chair while the house voted its protest. in consequence of the violence thus shown to the speaker, the chief actors in the scene were thrown a few days thereafter into the tower. while these men lay in confinement, they were visited by certain of their friends. in a paper dated , found among the coke manuscripts, and headed "the lieutenant of the tower's information of such as had visited the prisoners in the tower, from their first imprisonment to the th march ," it is recorded that "the lord hollis (brother of denzil) brought the lord stanhope, postmaster, and other persons to visit denzil hollis." it is quite possible from this, and other circumstances which have not come down to us, that stanhope may have been suspected of sympathy with the parliamentary party, and that, on that account, he was no longer to be relied upon as a faithful adherent of the king. although the removal of stanhope was not effected till , at which period the tension between the royalists and the popular party was becoming more severe, it is possible that the event of the tower may have had its share in bringing about his loss of office. in a petition of lord stanhope's in the year of the restoration, , on the subject of the loss of his office, some further information of the way in which he was "removed" is given by stanhope. he says, that "when by the contrivance of one witherings, and some great persons, he was summoned to bring his patent before the council, and, after writing his name upon the back, to leave it there, words purporting to be a surrender of the patent were afterwards written above his name, and copied on to the enrolment; the late king offered him a new patent if he would agree that sir henry vane, senior, should be joined with him; but this petitioner declined, being advised to appeal to the parliament then about to meet," etc. if this be a correct statement of what happened, there is little doubt that stanhope was deprived of his place by the operation of a gross job. in connection with his petition of , stanhope produced a copy of a letter from mr. prideaux, dated th september (of whom we shall hear later on as attorney general to cromwell, and more intimately connected with the posts), about erecting stages in all the roads for the service of the state; and this letter was held to show that prideaux recognised stanhope's right to the office. the committee who examined stanhope's claims in were of opinion that "he should be put into a position to recover the profits of the office since the th april "; but it does not appear that he succeeded eventually in his suit. according to rymer's _foedera_, the king granted to thomas witherings, by letters patent, on the nd day of june , the office of postmaster of foreign parts during life, which office, in , had been granted in the joint names of william frizell and thomas witherings. the details of this grant, if such were made, are not given; and it is a curious fact that, before and after witherings' death, the grant put forward as the ground for witherings' interest in the foreign post office was not that mentioned by rymer, but the joint grant made in favour of frizell and witherings of an earlier date. in the same month (june ), a grant was made to secretaries coke and windebank "of the office of postmaster within his majesty's dominions for their lives, if they so long continue secretaries, with the like fee of £ , s. d. (per annum), to be paid quarterly out of the exchequer, as was formerly granted to lord stanhope, who has surrendered that grant. his majesty thereby annexes the office of postmaster to the principal secretaries for the time being, and declares that the surviving secretary is to surrender this grant to his majesty, who thereupon will grant the said office to the secretaries who for the time shall be, to hold the same while they continue secretaries." following this change, we find, from a letter written by sir john coke to his son, dated the th august , that the secretaries had then appointed witherings their deputy for executing this office. it states that: "your letters come sometimes late. i hope that will, by mr. witherings' posts, be amended. for we, the postmasters general, have made him our deputy, that he may the better accommodate his letter office." so now we have got to this stage, that witherings, being postmaster for foreign parts, was also appointed deputy postmaster general for the inland posts, and there was more likelihood of his plans being successfully carried out. the reader will remember that, in , witherings was for some months suspended from office, and that several claims were made against him, in respect of which he made terms of settlement. one of these claims, not already mentioned, was put forward by endymion porter, groom of the bedchamber; but this claim was met by witherings with a flat denial of any indebtedness. what the grounds were does not appear. but by an opinion given by attorney general bankes in , it seems that on the th september an indenture of deputation of stanhope's place was made in favour of endymion porter and his son george; which deputation of place, in the attorney general's opinion, only referred to the post-work incidental to the forwarding of state despatches, and not "the ordering of the carriage of letters by post to be settled within the kingdom, at the charge of particular persons and not of his majesty." it is to be remarked that the date of porter's indenture almost coincides with the date upon which witherings' inland posts were started; and the idea occurs to us, that possibly the groom of the bedchamber was brought into the business with the view of providing a channel of access to his majesty for the furtherance of stanhope's interests. be this as it may, porter, having had a taste of the post office, seemed desirous of obtaining stanhope's place wholly to himself. on the th april he writes a letter to secretary windebank, of which the following is the import:--"the secretary is best acquainted how long porter followed the business of the postmaster's place, being one to whom it was referred; and porter has intimated to his majesty his former intentions towards porter in that business, to which he has received so gracious an answer from his _sacred mouth_ as has much lessened porter's sickness; yet he fears, by something his majesty said, that he imagines porter is not willing to have lord stanhope's patent made void. begs the secretary to let his majesty know that porter has no disposition nor thought to be averse to any intention of his majesty. he hopes his majesty does it for the good of porter (_his poor servant and creature_); and if he be thought worthy of the office, he will make it such for his majesty's honour and profit as he shall have no cause to think it ill bestowed." "sacred mouth," and "his poor servant and creature"! such expressions may have been common at the period under review; but they would be sadly out of place in the present day. the english language is rich enough in figure to convey sentiments of submission, and even veneration, without involving the writer in such wretched abjection. may it not be that the doctrine of divine right is responsible for this tone of servility in a large degree? a better specimen of self-effacement in a petition could not be quoted than that of denzil hollis to the king about , found among secretary coke's manuscripts. it will be remembered that hollis was one of the parliament men who gave serious offence to the king by holding speaker finch in the chair. as a punishment for the rash act, he was cast out of the sunshine of royal favour and thrown into prison. from this changed position, hollis, patriot and parliament man, penned the following petition:--"most gracious sovereign, your majesty be pleased to vouchsafe leave to your most afflicted suppliant again to cast himself at your royal feet, there still to implore your majesty's grace and favour, for he is no longer able to bear the weight either of your majesty's displeasure or of his own grief; and he languisheth under it so much the more by how much he hath been heretofore comforted with the sweet influence of your majesty's goodness to him, and gracious acceptation of him. his younger years were blessed with his attendances upon your princely person, and it was the height of his ambition to end his days in your service; nor did he ever willingly entertain the least thought which might move your majesty to cast him down from that pitch into this precipice of your indignation; but in anything he may have failed, it hath been through misfortune, and the error of his judgment. imitate the dread sovereign the god of heaven, whose image you bear here upon earth, both in yourself in regard to your royal excellencies and in relation to us your loyal and obedient subjects. he is best pleased with the sacrifice of a sorrowful heart, and accepts only that person who mourns because he hath offended him; and such a sacrifice do i here offer myself unto your majesty, a heart burdened with the sense of your majesty's displeasure, prostrate at your royal feet with all humble submission waiting till your majesty will reach out the golden sceptre of princely compassion to raise me out of this lowest dust, and so, by breathing new life into me, make me able and capable to do your majesty some acceptable service. and, as i am bound in duty, i shall ever pray for the increase of your majesty's happiness and the continuance of your glorious reign. this is the humble petition and prayer of your majesty's most obedient and loyal subject and servant, denzil holles." hollis was not taken back to bask in the desired sunshine; and biography has left upon record that he was a "man of firm integrity, a lover of his country and of liberty, a man of great courage and of as great pride. he had the soul of a stubborn old roman in him!" there are patriots and patriots. a contrast to hollis is found in a contemporary patriot, lilburne, of whom it is recorded that, "whilst he was whipped at the cart, and stood in the pillory, he uttered many bold speeches against tyranny of bishops, etc.; and, when his head was in the hole of the pillory, he scattered sundry copies of pamphlets (said to be seditious) and tossed them among the people, taking them out of his pocket; whereupon, the court of star chamber, then sitting, being informed, immediately ordered lilburne to be gagged during the residue of the time he was to stand in the pillory, which was done accordingly; and, when he could not speak, he stamped with his feet, thereby intimating to the beholders he would still speak were his mouth at liberty." the higher places in the post office were apparently much sought after, and there must have been a good deal of court manoeuvring on the part of those in possession to remain in, and of suitors who desired possession to get in. here is the letter of another candidate, william lake, who gives something of his personal history in his letter. it is addressed to secretary windebank from putney park, on the th august :-- "i enclose copy of my former petition, which the duke of lennox presented to his majesty. i hope you will find my demands such as his majesty may approve of. he may be possessed that i acquired some very great estate under my master, the late lord treasurer, but it was far otherwise. i was always more careful of my honour and my honesty than of increasing my fortune. my main hope was that, by my lord's means, i might have obtained some grant from his majesty which might have eased me of the trouble of being a suitor. i know that his lordship meant me some good in that place which witherings how enjoys, whereof i give a little touch in my petition. how i missed it, _nescio quid, nec quare_. i entreat that, when you move his majesty on my behalf, you would affirm that all the fortune i got does not amount to above £ , which is but a small thing to maintain myself, my wife, and six children. neither will i be so immoderate in my suit as to desire more than what the late king once thought me worthy of: i mean the place for the latin tongue." besides the officers of the post office bearing the title of chief postmasters or postmasters-general, there was an officer attached to the court called the deputy postmaster of the court. what his precise duties were, is not very apparent; but he probably looked after the despatch of letters over short distances from the court, whereever situated, and arranged for post stages being temporarily set up in places where they did not usually exist, when the court was on progress. the court deputy postmaster did not, however, enjoy any greater punctuality, as regards payment of wages, than the postmasters of the roads. the following petition of proves this:--"petition of john wytton, deputy postmaster of the court, daily attending your majesty, to the king. for his wages of s. per diem there is due to him about £ ; neither has he allowance of diet, or horsemeat, or any other perquisite, the nonpayment whereof has brought him much into debt. some of his creditors have petitioned the lord chamberlain to have the benefit of the law against him. he has granted the request, unless the petitioner give satisfaction by the middle of michaelmas term. prays that the lord treasurer may make present payment of what is due to petitioner, and meanwhile that he may have a protection." it appears that wytton was not the real holder of the place, although by delegation he executed the office; for by a petition laid before secretary coke in , he states that in the first year of charles' reign, buckbury, the king's postmaster, assigned to him the execution of the place, and that for his pains he was to receive the third part of buckbury's wages when they were paid. wytton was turned out of the place in , when there were for wages eight years and a half due to him, amounting to £ . this would no doubt be one-third of the sum due to buckbury. "i can make it appear by bills upon oath," says wytton, "that during the time the debt grew i have disbursed almost £ out of purse in executing the place. and i do humbly conceive that my own attendance, my keeping of lodgings and horses in town for eight years and a half, may be thought worthy of the remainder of the sum above mentioned." in july , a warrant was issued to secretaries coke and windebank, masters and comptrollers-general of the posts, for a sum of money to be paid to the postmasters of the roads, up to the th september following, as under mentioned:-- per diem _s._ _d._ thomas swinsed, of ware thomas hagger, " rayston ralph shert, " babraham john cotterill, " newmarket john riggshis, and } late " huntingdon william kilborne, } james cropper, " witham richard leeming, " grantham thomas atkinson, " newark edward wright, " scrooby edmund hayford, " doncaster edmund bawne, " ferrybridge thomas tayler, " tadcaster john howsman, " york william thompson, " wetherby andrew wilkinson, " boroughbridge john scarlet, " north allerton john glover, " darlington william sherrington, " durham george swan, " newcastle john pye, " morpeth alexander armorer, " alnwick thomas armorer, " belford thomas carre, " berwick james ware, " dartford thomas lond, " gravesend richard jennings, " sittingbourne thomas parks, " london roger pimble, " charing cross john briscoe, " barnet robert story, " st. albans john gerrard, " brickhill andrew clark, " daventry john fletcher, " coventry ralph castlon, " birmingham robert francis, " chester james wilkinson, " staines gilbert davies, " hartford bridge, hants anthony spittle, " basingstoke richard miles, late " salisbury roger bedbury, now " " nicholas compton, " shaftesbury john smith, " sherborne robert searle, " honiton thomas newman, " exeter samuel smith, " brentwood william neale, " chelmsford robert bunny, " witham henry barron, " looe joshua blaxton, " perryn (penryn) gilbert davies, " hartford bridge william brooks, " portsmouth rowland roberts, late " langfenny} richard roberts, now " " } william folkingham " stamford these seem at first sight to be small allowances to the postmasters; but we must be under no illusion as to this; and it is proper to remember, what has already been pointed out, that in all cases of money payments at this period, and mentioned in these pages, the figures must be quadrupled in order to estimate their value in relation to the present worth of money. the payments here ordered may have been intended to keep the principal postmasters quiet until a new arrangement, promulgated under his majesty's directions on the th july (hereafter to be quoted), should come into force. the date fixed for its taking effect was michaelmas next ensuing. but the payments above authorised did not by any means clear off the indebtedness of the state towards the postmasters; for by a petition of the postmasters to the house of lords in december , it is set forth that "in the year they were upwards of £ , in arrear of their wages, whereof they have never received one penny." that means that, according to our present value of money, the postmasters were in arrears of pay to the extent of about a quarter of a million sterling. in looking over the post stages mentioned in the foregoing list, and tracing them upon the map, whether from london to berwick, london to the stages in cornwall, or in the other directions, one cannot fail to be struck with the very direct courses which the post routes followed. the lines taken are straight as an arrow; and considering that the roads were not laid out by engineers, but were the product of a mere habit of travel, worked out by packmen with their horses, and travellers making for a preconceived destination, the exact result attained to is very remarkable. on the great north road, the stages are in many cases the same as those which served in the days of mail coaches two centuries later. shortly after the appointment of the two principal secretaries of state, coke and windebank, to be masters and comptrollers-general of the posts, witherings being their deputy for the inland posts and himself also foreign postmaster, a very important document was drawn up for the governance of the posts generally. it is as follows:-- "by the king. "orders for the furtherance of our service, as well to our pacquets and letters, as for riding in post; specially set downe, and commanded to be observed, where our postes are established within our county of___________. * * * * * "orders for the pacquet. "first, that no pacquets or letter shall be sent by poste, or bind any poste to ride therewith in poste, but such as shall be directed first for our speciall affaires, and subscribed by the writer's name or sender thereof; neither shall it be holden for our affaires, but as the same shall be directed and subscribed by our high treasurer, lord warden of the cinque ports, lord admirall, principall secretaries of state, being masters and comptrollers of our postes, lord lieutenant of the said county, writing from the court, or otherwise to the court, subscribed by any admirall, or vice-admirall from the narrow-seas, lieutenant of dover castle, or mayor of any port town, ambassadours, or agents beyond the seas for the time being, or deputy lieutenant of our said county, writing to any of those personages afore-named, or to the body of our privy councell. " . all pacquets or letters so directed shall be carryed by the postes in poste from stage to stage onley, and not otherwise nor further, they being dated and signed first on the outside by the sender or writer, and shall run therewith in summer, vizt from the first of april to the last of september, after miles the houre, and miles the houre in winter, which is the rest of the yeare, as the wayes and weather afford. " . and that it may appeare from time to time (as oft as shal be needfull) with what expedition the service is by our posts performed, every post shall keep a faire paper book to enter the pacquets in, being so brought unto him, with the day, month, and houre they came to his hands, two leather bags lined with cotten or bayes, to carry the pacquet in, and hornes to sound, as oft as he meets and sees company comming, or foure times in every mile. " . and to the end our posts attending thus our special service, may performe their several duties in that behalfe, our pleasure is, that they and every of them shal brook and enjoy the benefit of all former favours and immunities by our predecessors allowed them: namely, that they and their servants be holden free and exempted from all summons, prests and personal attendance at assises, sessions, inquests, and musters. " . every poste in his severall stage is commanded, and hereby required to carry out and in once a week, the maile of letters that shall come from, and goe to the letter office of london, free without charge. and to that end, are from time to time to have in readinesse one good gelding or mare sadled against the houre the maile shall come that way, and not to detaine the maile above halfe a quarter of an houre at no time; and run with the same after miles in winter, and miles in summer, which is to be done in consideration that the master of the letter office is to pay them their wages according to the reglement set downe by the lords committees; and that to begin at michaelmas next, and he that shall faile, to be discharged from his place. and to enter the houre of the day or night upon a label, which is to be annexed to the said male, with their owne names and the names of the stages. " . every poste is required to deliver all such letters in the country, either at or neere his stage, as shall be sent to him from the master of the letter office, and to receive port according to the taxe set upon every letter; and to be accomtable for such moneys as they shall receive at the end of every three months. and likewise to returne such letters to london as shall be brought to them in the country. and in case post paid be written upon any letter that shall come from london, they are not to take port for it in the country againe. " . and that it may appeare from time to time when and as often as it shall be required, with what care and diligence the service is at all hands applyed and performed--first, he that is appointed by our masters and comptrollers generall of our posts, to attend this service at the court, and also every other post-master shall keep a large and faire ledger booke to enter our packets in, as they shall be brought to him or them, with the name of the poste who brought the same, and the day of the month, houre of the day or night that they came first to their hands, together with the name of him or them, by whom or unto whom they were subscribed and directed, taking and entering onely such for our pacquets as come warranted, as is aforesaid. " . and further our will and pleasure is, that every post-master shall write upon a labell fastened to every or any our packets, the time of his receite thereof, and not on the packet or letter, as hath been disorderly used. * * * * * "orders for thorow-postes in ________. "first, as the service of the pacquet so the horsing of all thorow-posts (through posts) and persons riding in poste, with horne or guide, by commission or otherwise, shall be performed by our standing posts in their severall stages, who to that end shall keep and have in a readinesse under their direction a sufficient number of poste-horses, with saddles, bridles and furniture convenient; and if it shall fall out, that by the repaire of ambassadors, or other residents of service, men riding in poste, that is to say, with horn or guide, come so thick, or in such numbers, that their ordinary provision will not suffice, then the constables of the places where they dwell, with the aid and assistance of the cheife magistrates there, and the countries adjoyning (being required in our name) shall take up, bring in, and supply the posts with horses and with furniture where they may be had or hired. " . and that it be not any way a let or impeachment to the liberty of any man riding on his own or ordinary affaires, within the realme at his or their pleasure; it is hereby meant that all strangers borne, specially riding with horne or guide by themselves, or in company of our ordinary messengers or posts for the low countries, or france, all ambassadors, riding or sending on their princes affairs, and all other whatsoever, riding with horne and guide, shall take and change their horses onley of the posts, and at the post-house, of that place, or with his consent, and appointment, they taking for each horse after the rate of iijd. ( d.) the mile beside the guide groat. " . and to prevent all advantages of unconscionable dealing, by such as keep horses to hire, in the horsing of strangers beyond the ordinary stages, to the wronging of our posts, and injury to the beast and the rider. it is found expedient, and our will and pleasure is, that all strangers borne, as well going forth of the realme, as comming into the same, through our county of____, although it be about their owne and private affaires, without horne or guide, shall likewise be horsed by our ordinary posts from stage to stage, or with the posts knowledge and consent, not taking for each horse above iijd. the mile. " . it shall not be lawfull for any so riding in poste, to take and ride away the horse or horses of any man, not having first and aforehand fully paid and satisfied the hire, nor ride them further than the next stage, without the knowledg and consent of the poste of that place, nor charge any horse taken to ride poste with any male (mail) or burthen (besides the rider) that exceeds the weight of pound. and if it shall happen, any to disobey these our commandements, and orders, to the manifest wrong of our posts, injury of any owner, or hurt of his beast; the officers or magistrates of the place, upon complaint thereof made, shall stay the party offending, till satisfaction be made, or sufficient security given to repay the dammage. but if it so fall out, that the obstinacy of any herein offending, require further punishment than the ordinary power of the magistrate of the place can or may conveniently inflict. then we require our said master and comptroller of the posts, upon notice thereof given him or them, to send for the party or parties to answer their conptempt. " . this being in generall our will and command, for the speedy, safe and orderly expedition of our publike dispatches and occurrents, as well in writing for our own affaires, as riding in poste, whatsoever besides shall fall out more particularly to the behoofe of our said posts, or ease of their horses, that in these kind of services are most subject to abuses, our like care is specially to be respected; and to that end we doe hereby eftsoones recommend both the one and the other to the wisedome and protection of our said masters of the posts, and the aid of all magistrates and others that love the furtherance of our service, or regard our safety or pleasure. "given at our court at oatlands the day of july in the thirteenth yeare of our raigne, , of great brittaine, france and ireland. "signed by his majesty, and subscribed by sir john coke, and sir francis windebanke, knights; our principall secretaries of state, and masters and comptrollers generall of our posts. "'god save the king.'" * * * * * this ordinance is important in two or three particulars. it raised the price per mile for post horses from - / d, as provided by stanhope's notice (issued in the king's name a few months previously), to d. per mile; it gave the postmasters a practical monopoly of hiring-out horses on the roads; but in return they were required to carry the regular mails within their several stages once a week "free without charge," and to deliver letters directed to their own towns and districts. the meaning of the term here used, "free without charge," is not very clear, for immediately thereafter the document proceeds to say that the work was to be done "in consideration that the master of the letter office is to pay them their wages according to the reglement set downe by the lords committees." what this reglement was it is not now possible to ascertain, for unfortunately there is a hiatus in the records of the lords' proceedings from to , within which period the events to which we refer occurred. it may be that for the regular weekly service, no mileage rate was to be charged, a revised daily wage being granted which, together with the additional halfpenny per mile authorised to be levied upon travellers, would remunerate the postmasters for carrying the mail. but the postmasters were further required, apparently, to convey letters sent "express" to or from the king and certain specified officials, from stage to stage, without fee or payment; the arrangement being a great relief to the king's exchequer, inasmuch as, on many occasions, such conveyance would dispense with the necessity for sending through-messengers with the letters to destination. labels or way-bills were also first introduced under this order, and the markings on the letters themselves discontinued. it should be borne in mind that at this period the country was in a very considerable state of commotion. charles had had a taste of parliament early in his reign, and he did not like it. he resented the trammels that such a body of men imposed upon his actions; and he desired to be a real king, like the continental potentates. accordingly, he dispensed with the calling together a parliament during the period from to : he ruled by means of a council, who made the laws, directed public affairs, and generally guided the vessel of the state. his principal secretaries were sir john coke and sir francis windebank; his other chief advisers were laud and wentworth. in , there was much business for the post, owing to the tension between the king and laud on the one hand and the people of scotland on the other, over the matter of episcopacy. communications were constantly kept up between london and scotland, baillie, principal of glasgow university, mentioning that "from the th of july to the th of august, the posts rann thick betwixt the court and the counsell, which sat every other day, to finde means for peaceable introduction of the service." in reading the history of this period, it is curious to observe what elements were at work; among these, the active interest that women took in the question of church service is noticeable. everyone knows the story of the throwing of the stool at the preacher by jenny geddes in the church of st. giles in edinburgh. if she were but an instance of the feelings aroused generally among the women of the east, there is evidence that the women of the west were equally determined to have nothing to do with the service-book. baillie writes thus of the preachings at the synod of glasgow in : "mr william annan (moderator of ayr) on the st of timothy, 'i command that prayers be made for all men,' in the last half of his sermon, from the making of prayers, ran out upon the liturgie, and spake for the defence of it in whole, and sundry most plausible parts of it, as well, in my poor judgment, as any in the isle of brittain could have done, considering all circumstances; howsoever, he did maintain, to the dislyk of all in ane unfit tyme, that which was hinging in suspense betwixt the king and the country. of his sermon among us in the synod, not a word; but in the towne among the women, a great dinne. to-morrow (next day) mr john lindsey, at the bishop's command, did preach.... at the ingoing of the pulpit, it is said that some of the women in his ear assured him, that if he should twitch the service book in his sermon, he should be rent out of the pulpit; he took the advyce and lett that matter alone. at the outgoing of the church, about or of our honestest women, in one voyce, before the bishope and magistrates, did fall in rayling, cursing, scolding with clamours on mr. william annan; some two of the meanest was taken to the tolbooth. all the day over, up and down the streets where he went, he got threats of sundry in words and looks; bot after supper, whill needleslie he will go to visit the bishop, who had taken his leave with him, he is not sooner on the causey, at nine of clock, in a mirk night, with three or four ministers with him, but some hundredths of inraged women, of all qualities are about him, with neaves, and staves, and peats, but no stones; they beat him sore; his cloake, ruffe, hatt, were rent; however, upon his cryes, and candles set out from many windows, he escaped all bloody wounds; yet he was in great danger, even of killing. this tumult was so great, that it was not thought meet to search, either in plotters or actors of it, for numbers of the best qualitie would have been found guiltie." it is no wonder that in an opposition such as this to the pet scheme of charles and his buttress laud, taking shape in a terrible flutter of scottish petticoats, the posts between the court and scotland "rann thick." in the year , england appears to have been visited by a plague, which about the month of september had extended to hull. on the th of that month, secretary coke writes a letter from bagshot, which is interesting as showing the ideas then entertained as to the methods of preventing the spread of infection. it also attests that the speed of the posts was improving under witherings' management. "this day i received at bagshot yours dated from york the nd, whereby you may see what expedition is now used in the carriage of letters.... he (his majesty) is sorry to hear of the visitation at hull, and well approves your care in prohibiting goods to pass from hull to howden or malton fairs, with other particulars of the proclamation expressed; as to such cautions as were fit to be given to the justices of peace, i doubt not but your provident care will give the board good satisfaction. for the letters which come weekly by post, the manner in other countries is to open and air before the fire all such letters as are bound up with silk thread, pack-thread, or such like, but for letters of bare paper they use no such observance, but suffer them to pass. wherein, nevertheless, if any one that receives any letters from a known infected place will but take that care to air them before the fire, which the secretaries do sometimes practice when we conceive danger, it may be well hoped no inconvenience will ensue." chapter iv witherings had not long put the posts into some kind of order, as regards expedition and regularity, with the result no doubt of increased business and growing profit to himself, when his possession of the office of postmaster for foreign parts excited the covetous heart of windebank--one of the two principal secretaries of state and joint comptroller with coke of the inland posts, and a friend or creature of laud. pigeon-holes in public offices, as elsewhere, have long memories; and a paper referring (as is supposed) to the year has been preserved, containing "observations of secretary windebank for recalling the patent formerly granted to mr. witherings to be postmaster for foreign parts." the principal grounds suggested for getting rid of witherings are the following:--"the inconvenience of suffering such an office to remain in the hands of a person who is no sworn officer. suspicion that his patent was surreptitiously obtained--no signed bill was found. persons who hold the office of postmaster abroad are of so great quality that they disdain to correspond with a man of his mean condition. some satisfaction may be given him, but he has very much enriched himself upon the place. he is said to be worth £ a year in land. the office of postmaster-general being now vested in the secretaries, the carrying of letters is a business of state. if witherings shall insist upon his patent, his majesty may sequester the place into the hands of the secretaries." we cannot say whether witherings was aware of what was hatching in the mind of windebank, but we know that he was not then driven from his office. troubles now arose out of the exclusive privilege of carrying letters as set forth and described in the king's proclamation of the st july . it appears, by an order of council of the th december , that one "jason grover, carrier of ipswich and yarmouth, was taken in custody by a messenger, upon complaint that he had transgressed the proclamation and patent granted to mr. witherings." the lords could not then settle the matter, and jason was discharged upon a bond of £ , to appear at hilary term next, to answer what was alleged against him. in a petition to the council in january , grover gives his version of the affair as follows:--"petitioner, about two months ago, riding on one of his pack-horses with his pack, was arrested by the procurement of mr. witherings, postmaster of england for foreign parts. petitioner remained in the messenger's custody days before he came to this board, when it was ordered that he should attend to be heard the first week in hilary term, and in the meantime petitioner was permitted to follow his vocation. but on the th instant there came a messenger, and summoned petitioner to attend on wednesday then next, all which he has punctually observed, yet mr. witherings threatens that he will not leave petitioner worth a groat." witherings gives his view of the matter in petition to the council about the same time. "about three weeks since," says he, "the _posts_ of norwich and yarmouth petitioned to be released, which was granted, with the proviso that they should attend after the holidays, and in the meantime be comformable to the grant of the letter office by bond, which bond grover of ipswich has already forfeited. on the hearing, mr. hieron, counsel for the _posts_, cast an aspersion on the petitioner that he should say they ought not to be heard by your lordships, which petitioner denies, and doubts not to clear himself of everything else that shall be objected to him. as the _posts_ continue to carry letters contrary to petitioner's grant, he prays the lords to consider the great charge he has been at in settling the conveyance of letters throughout england, scotland, ireland, and other parts beyond the seas, and not to suffer the _posts_ to continue carrying letters." it should be noted that the word "posts," as used in this memorial of witherings, applies to the common carriers or packmen. grover was not left to fight the battle of the carriage of letters alone. he was supported by the merchants of norwich, and others trading in norwich stuffs, in a petition addressed to the council as follows:--"there has long been a constant trade betwixt london and norwich in sundry sorts of stuffs and stockings made in norwich and norfolk, which trade has always been maintained by the merchants of norwich employing their stocks in buying the wares of the makers, and sending them up weekly in carts by common carriers to london, whence they are dispersed into all parts of this kingdom, and also exported to foreign parts, in which intercourse of trade we always had our letters safely and speedily carried by our common carrier, by a horseman, not in manner of postage by change of horses, but as is usual by common carriers, and for little or no charge to us. of late mr. witherings has intercepted our letters and molested our carriers, forbidding them to carry any of our letters otherwise than to go along with their carts, and no faster." petitioners then explain why the new system of conveying letters will prove detrimental to their trade, and pray that "they may enjoy their ancient course of conveying letters by their common carriers." a separate memorial to a similar effect was sent up by robert sumpter, mayor, and seventeen others of the town of norwich. after hearing thomas witherings and jason grover, and their counsel, upon this dispute, an order in council was drafted, on the th january, to the following effect:-- "it was ordered that grover and all carriers shall henceforth conform to the letters patent granted to witherings of the letter office, and the proclamation in that behalf. _but their lordships declared that it would be lawful for any carrier that should receive the letters of merchants or others, to be carried from town to town within the kingdom, to use what diligence he may, and to ride what pace he will, so as he do it without shifting or change of horses._ it was objected that witherings took more for the carriage of letters within the kingdom than was usual; the lords referred the consideration of all complaints of that nature to the secretaries of state, praying them to take courses for redress of such abuse." this draft, on being submitted to the king, did not wholly satisfy him; and he struck out the clause in italics, writing in the margin the words, "this clause to be left out." on the st january another order in council was drafted on this vexed question: "it was ordered that the carriers of norwich, as was ordered on the th instant for the carrier of letters of yarmouth and ipswich, should conform to the letters patent granted to witherings of the letter office, and to the proclamation on that behalf, and not presume to do or attempt anything contrary to the same." three days later, namely, on the th january, yet another order in council was issued from the inner star chamber, making a concession to the carriers: "it was now ordered that for the better accommodation of the said merchants, it should be permitted to the common and known carriers of letters belonging to norwich, or any other town, to carry the letters of merchants and others, travelling with the same letters the ordinary journeys that common carriers travel, and coming to london, norwich, or any other town, not above eight hours before the carts, waggons, or pack-horses, whereunto witherings and others are to conform themselves." this concession would appear to refer to the practice of the masters of the heavy waggons performing the common carrying business of the country, riding on a horse alongside the waggons, and who, leaving the waggons in charge of their men when nearing their destination, might make a dash forward to arrange the loading for the return journey. the masters of a string of pack-horses would probably adopt the same practice. jason, who had been fighting for the continuance of the old state of things, seems not to have become aware at once of the limited concession made to the carriers, and the result is described in the following _de profundis_ addressed to the earl of dorset, lord chamberlain to the queen, and one of the lords of the council, from the uncongenial precincts of the fleet prison:-- "petitioner and the carriers of norwich were lately questioned by mr. witherings touching the carriage of letters; and the lords ordered a settled course, not only for the carriers of norwich, but for all other carriers, by order of the th january last, to which order petitioner is willing to conform himself, but had no knowledge that the same was drawn up till the th february instant. and although petitioner has not broken the said order since the drawing up thereof, yet he, with his two men, were by witherings' procurement for days committed to a messenger, and now to the fleet, and cannot be discharged except petitioner will enter into bond to perform such order as witherings has prescribed, which is contrary to the order of the board. prays that he may enjoy the benefit of the said order, and not be punished before he has broken the same, nor compelled by witherings to enter into bond, the order being a sufficient tie." jason grover must have found himself in very respectable company in the fleet prison, for, at the very time of his confinement, two well-known historical characters, john lilburne and john warton, were, under the proceedings of the notorious star chamber, thrown into this place of evil note. "upon the th february , the star chamber ordered that, as the two delinquents had contemptuously refused to take the oaths tendered to them, they should be remanded to the fleet prison, there to remain close prisoners, and to be examined," etc. it is a curious coincidence that the charge against these men was for the "unlawful printing and publishing of libellous and seditious books, entitled _news from ipswich_," etc., and that grover's incarceration was for the carriage of letters from the same district of country. in order to put matters beyond all doubt, as between witherings on the one hand and the common carriers and the public on the other, and to lay down clearly the mode of working, with the claims of the whole postal service committed to the hands of witherings, a fresh royal proclamation was issued on the th february . of the original issue of this document it is understood that copies are extremely rare. the main provisions of the proclamation are the following:--that as the secrets of the realm might be disclosed to foreign nations were promiscuous carriers of letters allowed to the continent, none other were to be suffered than those employed by witherings; that witherings' carriers to the continent should travel by the sole route of dover, calais, boulogne, abbeville, and amiens, and thence to paris. noticing that "sundry abuses and miscarriages" are daily being committed in respect of the inland posts to the prejudice of witherings, the proclamation sets forth that, where witherings' posts are laid down, "no post or carrier whatsoever within his majesty's dominions" ... "shall presume to take up, carry, receive and deliver any letter or letters," etc., "except a particular messenger sent on purpose with letters by any man for his own occasions, or letters by a friend, or by common known carriers, who are hereby permitted to carry any letters along with their carts, waggons, and pack-horses, travelling with the same the ordinary known journeys that common carriers use to travel. provided always that they, nor any of their servants, at no time stay at any place from whence they carry any letters above eight hours after their carts, waggons, or pack-horses are departed, nor bring any letters to london, or elsewhere, above eight hours before the said carts, waggons, or pack-horses shall come there." the postage exigible by witherings for inland letters was to be as follows:-- single double heavy miles. letter. letter. letter. under d. d. d. per oz. from to d. d. d. " over d. s. d. s. d. " to ireland d. -- s. d. " provision is made for the punishment of any post-boy or other servant charging any sum in excess of these rates. the council, in managing the affairs of the country generally, must have had their hands very full, for the amount of business brought to their consideration in connection with the posts alone, judging by the records left, was by no means small. the postmasters were constant complainers of their treatment by the state, and the public equally constant complainers against the postmasters. in november , robert challenor, his majesty's post of stone, county stafford, memorialises secretaries coke and windebank as follows:--"petitioner for years has been postmaster in the said place, which office he has always faithfully executed in his own person, until visited with a long sickness, as by an annexed certificate appears. mr witherings endeavours to put another in petitioner's place, upon pretence that petitioner had put in a deputy, being his son, who about a year and a half since, in the time of petitioner's sickness, gave his assistance for performance of his majesty's service; and on the th march petitioner, during his illness, disposed of his estate by will, and then assigned his arrears due to him for his post-wages to his son, towards discharging petitioner's debts, and benefit of his wife and children. mr witherings, in regard petitioner would not give him £ for petitioner's place (over and above the carriage of the merchants' letters twice every week), has for £ given orders for the said place to another, whose parents have been great recusants. petitioner being still able and willing, and his arrears £ (that stage being the longest between london and chester, and yet is allowed only d. per diem), prays order that he may be continued in his place, and may receive the said £ ." this petition was backed up by a certificate of the justices of the peace of the county, setting forth the petitioner's fitness for the office. another postmaster, thomas parks, on the stage from london to barnet, petitions secretary windebank to the following effect:--"has executed that office about six years, which has stood him in £ , without any neglect, as mr. railton can inform you, and has received but two years' pay at the rate of d. per diem. notwithstanding his diligence, mr witherings endeavours to bring in another, and has already taken from petitioner the through posts place of charing cross, which cost petitioner £ , s. prays order to witherings to deliver petitioner his orders and confirm him in his place." david francis, late post of northop, petitions thus:--"there is £ in arrear to petitioner for execution of the said place, as appears by the last account of lord stanhope to the auditors. has been three months in town soliciting payment, and received fair promises from mr. witherings; but now he absolutely says petitioner shall have none, so that he is like to be imprisoned. has spent near his whole estate in coming to town to solicit for his father's arrears, who was post of chester years. prays order to receive part with the rest who are in the privy seal, otherwise he is like to perish by the prosecution of his greedy creditors." richard scott, innkeeper of stilton, huntingdonshire, petitions coke and windebank for the place of a postmaster who discharges his office by deputy. "for some years past," says he, "the place of post of stilton, being in the high north road, has been executed by a deputy, who keeps an alehouse there, the postmaster living twelve miles distant, and his deputy no ways able to receive gentlemen and travellers, much less noblemen, whereby the posts are forced to travel at unseasonable times and are not fitted with able horses. petitioner being an innkeeper in the town, both able and willing to give noblemen and gentlemen entertainment, prays that he may serve his majesty in that place." royston, a market-town in cambridgeshire and hertfordshire, was an important place in relation to the posts for two reasons: it was a stage not far distant from london, on the great north road, and a place of residence for the king when he retired to hunt in the neighbourhood. now, on these two accounts there must have been frequent demands made upon the postmaster to provide horses, and, on occasions, considerable numbers of horses. we are little familiar with the demands then made for horses when the sovereign was pleased to go on progress. in _nichols' progress of james i._, it is stated that the number of carts employed when the sovereign went on progress was, about the year , reduced from to ! and even when the king moved about, not in a formal progress, it is probable that large orders were given for horses. in an account of the number of post horses taken up at royston by four o'clock in the morning of one day in february , it is recorded that, from nineteen parishes, horses were so taken up, each parish contributing from six to fourteen horses. that the duties of the postmaster were more than usually onerous, is recognised in the fact that he and the postmaster of newmarket, where there was another royal hunting seat, were paid (or were supposed to be paid) on the highest scale allowed to postmasters, namely, s. d. a day, as will be seen by the list of wages previously given. but all this levying of horses was extremely burdensome and irritating to the people, who, however, do not appear to have submitted quietly to the infliction. the following petition of eighteen inhabitants of royston, to the justices of peace for the county of hertford, shows how matters stood, and the estimation in which they held their postmaster; it refers to april :--"thomas haggar, of their town, innholder, bearing himself so irregularly by authority of his office (as postmaster), abuses his protection, to the great grievance of the town and country: breaking open some of their doors in the night without constable; taking away their horses without their privity; extorting, bribing, beating, commanding, threatening countrymen that will not fee him, or do him service with their carts, or spend their money in tippling in his house; hindering poor men from coming to the market to sell their corn, by taking their horses post when there is no cause; causing the horses to be double posted, keeping them longer than the service requires; and misusing young colts and horses not fit for that service, whereby they are oftentimes spoiled; as also taking more horses than need requires. they state the consequences to their market, and pray relief." with this petition the following specific cases of abuse were set forth, some of them sworn under affidavit. one john rutter, a husbandman of harleton, co. cambridge, having his horse, along with others, taken up to go post to ware, and seeing one of the others released, "said he feared there was underhand dealing; whereupon the postmaster's wife, and afterwards the postmaster himself, violently assaulted him, so that he was forced to lie at royston all night for his hurts to be dressed, and was compelled to go to ware after his horse, and had to pay charges for him, being paid only for one stage, although his horse had gone two; and was much wronged thereby." the statement adds that the postmaster, and also his wife and servants, "usually take money to free horses from going post, and then take other horses to do the service." a yeoman of croydon, co. cambridge, named amps, complained of haggar taking a horse to go post one stage from royston, but discovered that it had been ridden to newmarket. when the horse was returned, the postmaster refused payment; and because amps made complaint, he found that whenever he came to royston the postmaster was "ready to take his horse and put an unreasonable load upon him." one of the chief constables of the hundred of odsey, co. hertford, stated that, having to serve a warrant on haggar for an assault, he compelled him to send on the packet, which means that his horse was taken to ride the post stage. the complainer adds, that "by taking money to excuse post horses, the market of royston is much wronged." another case of assault by haggar and his wife upon a countryman is alleged; the grounds being that he had imputed bribery on seeing another man's horse released while his own was seized for service. sundry other instances of misconduct and oppression are charged against the postmaster, one of which is: that four men were sent out with warrants to warn country towns to bring in horses; that in two days about were summoned, but that most of them were believed to have been compounded for by the constables. in reading this story of the proceedings of the postmaster and his wife, the comment suggests itself, that "the grey mare must have been the better horse." on the th may , a mr. john nicholas writes to his son, mr. edward nicholas, to the following effect, complaining of his local postmaster:--"edward nicholas may do his country good, and especially that neighbourhood, who are much oppressed by the postmaster of sarum, roger bedbury, the innkeeper of the three swans, in sarum. sends copy of a warrant bedbury has procured from the secretaries of state. by virtue thereof he sends his warrants to the constables to bring in horses furnished, and to pay for their keep, and employs them, not in his majesty's service, but to his own benefit. leonard bowles, one of the constables of the hundred of alderbury, being required, brought in horses; and in his presence a minister, coming to the postmaster to hire horses, he delivered to the minister one of them. the constable asked the postmaster wherefore the minister rode post, imagining he was not employed in his majesty's service, to which the postmaster answered, he rode for a benefice, as he thought. if edward nicholas may prevent the postmaster's knavery, prays him to do so." from an enclosure with this letter, it appears that, in issuing his warrant to the constables to send in on the th may "six able horses, with furniture, for his majesty's service for two days and two nights, at the charge of the owners," the postmaster relied upon and recited a warrant from secretaries coke and windebank, dated th february, "for sending to the postmaster ten or twelve horses from new sarum, a six-miles' compass." a week later, mr. john nicholas, finding that the prosecution of the complaint was likely to prove troublesome, declares that he will have nothing more to do with it. "touching the postmaster," he writes, "i will meddle no further, if there be such a business in it; but let the constable, or who else finds himself wronged, follow it and inform against him. it will be good service in any that shall do it, and good for your own understanding to know the ground of the warrant, and whether the postmaster may require the owner of the horse to pay for his meat two days and two nights. it may be my own case, for the constable has been to me for a horse. i put him off with good words; but how i shall do it again, i know not; yet if it be too troublesome to you, i pray you meddle no further." mr. john nicholas was one of a very common type of men, who are ever ready to make a fuss over a grievance in the first instance, but who are at all times forward to draw someone else in to fight their battles for them. there are grounds for supposing that at this time some order had been issued, empowering the postmasters to keep in their stables supplies of horses, taken up in the neighbourhood, and, while standing in the stables, to be fed at the owners' expense. this seems the meaning of a presentment made at the grand inquest at the assizes holden at bath on the nd july . the statement made is: "that of late there are come commissions into the country, under the hand of the two secretaries of state, to all postmasters, for taking up such numbers of horses as the postmasters shall think fit; and the postmasters take into their stables ten or twelve horses at one time, and keep them two nights, and then take in so many more; and if they have employment for any of them, they pay the post price, otherwise they make the owners pay for their meat and dressing what rate they please; but some, upon composition, they release, which makes the burthen the heavier upon the rest. we beseech you to present this grievance to his majesty." the way in which traffic was carried on in the places of country postmasterships, and the duties delegated to deputies, is set forth in a petition to the king, of february , from randolph church, one of his majesty's gentlemen pensioners. petitioner "has for sixteen years served as serjeant-at-arms, and, since he left that place, in the place wherein he now serves; during which time he never received benefit by any suit; but he purchased some post places under lord stanhope, which he has executed by deputies for many years. but now lord stanhope, having surrendered his patent, petitioner's post places, to the value of £ per annum, are taken away, there being £ due to him for wages upon the said places; and now petitioner, being employed in the prosecution of delinquents for converting timber to coal for making iron, and having expended much money therein, and being likely to bring great sums into the exchequer, the means by which he should subsist are taken away. beseeches some such satisfaction out of moneys brought into the exchequer by his present service as may equal his places and arrears." there seems almost no end of the petitions which came up from the postmasters upon all phases of their duties and pay. thomas carr, postmaster of berwick, thus complains: "thomas witherings, in consideration of his grant of the letter office of england and foreign parts, is to pay the posts their wages. witherings has reduced the wages of thomas carr from s. d. to s. per diem, all the rest being cut off only but the third part of their pay, which will not be sufficient to find horse and man to perform the service; moreover, they are enjoined to more service than formerly, viz. to carry his mail of letters forward and backward once a week gratis. witherings employs one at berwick to carry his letters from thence to edinburgh for s. a week. carr has offered to perform it for a great deal less; but witherings not only denies the same, but threatens to put carr out of his place if he go not speedily down, he waiting only for the arrears of his post wages, without which he is not able to subsist. requests that his pay may be made s. d. per diem, that he may carry the letters from berwick to edinburgh, and also that he may be sworn his majesty's servant, as the other posts are." in a position such as witherings held, and in a period when the public mind was greatly disturbed, it must have been a hard task for any man to keep free from entanglements and quarrels with the public. we have several notices of differences, more or less serious, in which witherings was concerned. in may , he is reported to have "misbehaved himself toward my lord marshal and his son lord maltravers," but in what respect is not stated. again, in may , captain carterett writes (to sir john coke, apparently), from on board his ship in the downs, complaining of witherings, as follows:--"being in dover road, there came unto me one mr. thomas witherings (who is also called postmaster-general) for to have captain dunning's vessel to carry him over for calais, having a packet (as he said) from your honour to my lord ambassador at paris. i told him he should have the _roebuck_, or i would go over with him myself. i desired him to show me the packet, but he told me he would neither show me order nor packet; he began to use me in very rough and coarse language, notwithstanding that i did use him with all the civility i could. i have heard that he had never a packet, but only went over to calais about his own businesses. he gave out that he doth belong to your honour." there are always two sides to a story; and when witherings' version had been heard, the tables were turned upon the captain. this appears by a letter, written by secretary coke to (probably) the governor of dover about the same period. "finding our foreign letters," says coke, "come with less expedition than they were used to do, and requiring account thereof from the postmaster of foreign parts, he excused himself by a certificate that captain carteret, who is trusted with that business, refuses to put to sea with merchants' letters only. he formerly charged mr. witherings with uncivil usage, which i discovered to have no ground. his majesty requires your lordship to rectify this disorder; and to charge captain carteret, to whom you give this trust, to be careful to convey the merchants' packets as his own. and if he be not conformable, that you appoint some other more proper for that duty; which captain drury before him performed with good content, and may haply be still ready to undertake." but two years later witherings had a difference with a man of much higher standing, namely, the earl of northumberland, then lord general of the forces at sea, arising out of some failure in the conveyance of a packet. the precise facts are not clear; but the immediate action taken by the earl is described in a letter from witherings (to secretary coke, no doubt) dated th september :--"it was my unhappy fortune," says witherings, "to meet with mr. smyth, secretary to the earl of northumberland, who told me that his lordship had sent a warrant directed to a messenger for me. i went to his lordship's house--was there by six of the clock in the morning, where, after two hours' stay, i spoke with his honour; and the weather being extreme cold, i got an ague, and am now forced to keep my bed. the stage at farnham, he told me, was a stage in pay; and i promised (if it were so) i would move your honour to compel him (the postmaster) to carry his lordship's packets. he also told me i had abused his lordship in not sending forward the packets which were brought to my house; to which i answered: that belonged not to me, but to the ordinary posts of the road" (probably the ordinary carriers are meant). "i also told his honour that i had sent for the packet books of all the posts betwixt london and dover, to the intent if any abuse were committed it might be punished. notwithstanding his honour was very well satisfied with my answers to him, his servant smyth delivered the warrant to the messenger; and though i was in bed, yet he came up to my chamber, and, in a very violent way, asked me if i would obey the warrant or not; to whom i answered, that in regard of my sickness i could not at this time do it. your honour may be pleased to satisfy his lordship in this business." in perusing this letter, we are struck with two things--the peremptoriness of the proceedings taken against a man in witherings' position, and with his treatment at the earl's house. the latter is reminiscent of dr. johnson in the ante-room of the earl of chesterfield. chapter v in august , witherings was returning from a journey he had made into the north, when he was laid-up ill at ware. on the th of that month, his servant waad writes to secretary coke, that "yesterday i found my master ill at ware, intending this day to set forward to walthamstow." it immediately became rumoured in london that witherings was dead. "the wish" may, in some minds, "have been father to the thought"; for windebank had been looking into the possible removal of postmaster witherings, and burlamachi, merchant and financier, lost no time in taking steps with a view to securing the office to himself. the very next day after the rumour was set about, a letter was written by burlamachi to sir john coke, bespeaking the succession to the supposed vacant place. "since witherings is dead," says burlamachi, "i write to offer my services to your honour; assuring you that you may dispose of me; and i hope i shall be not less capable of advancing the interests of his majesty than witherings has been." but witherings, although he had had a sharp attack of illness, was not dead. a week later, he was no farther on his way towards london than walthamstow, whence he writes a doleful letter to sir john coke, dated the th august . the letter is as follows:--"it pleased the lord, in this last northern journey (wherein i was sent by mr. secretary windebank), to inflict upon me two great fevers, which have been so heavy, that indeed, had not the lord been more merciful, gracious, and favourable towards me, i should no ways have been able to endure them for one hour of the time. i am a weak and miserable man; yet no doubt of life nor fear of health, if god (for my manifold sins) do not again lay his heavy hand upon me. to-morrow (god willing) i shall be at london," etc. the period at which we have now arrived, - , was one of widespread distraction and trouble throughout the whole kingdom, the people being divided into two very marked parties,--the covenanters in scotland and presbyterians in england being on the one side, and the king's council, with the bishops and the church party, on the other. in circumstances such as these, it must have been very difficult for a man at the head of the post office to steer a middle course, as in all cases of interception or delay of letters suspicion was likely to fall upon the postmasters. advice was given by one of the king's party, that "because there be divers scots covenanters about court, who give intelligence (both by the ordinary and posters"--that is, by men riding post--"and journiers into scotland), a course should be taken that the letters may be opened; and that the governor of berwick may give order for some strict searching and examining the scots travellers." and as a matter of fact, the posts were waylaid and the letters carried to secretary coke. in a letter written from berwick to secretary windebank, on the th september , sir james douglas complains that "he who carries the running-post letters betwixt berwick and edinburgh plays the rogue with all the letters that come from edinburgh to me, so i have prohibited any to write to me that way." it is not clear whether witherings lent himself to this espionage of the letters, or whether he tried to keep clear of it; but subsequent events might almost seem to suggest that witherings inclined to the presbyterian or popular party, and that he was distrusted by the court. reference has been made to burlamachi, who lately applied for the place of chief postmaster. this man, as has already been mentioned, was a native of sedan in france, but naturalised in england. he was largely employed by the king and council in financial matters of state, and had a hand in negotiating a loan of money upon the crown jewels taken over to holland early in charles' reign. these jewels remained in holland until november ; and while there, burlamachi seems to have had power to pawn and repawn them at pleasure, to the tune and measure of court necessities. at one time burlamachi was a broken man; he was granted a protection from the diligence of his creditors in - and ; yet he still enjoyed the confidence of charles. this is not, however, surprising; for, in a petition from burlamachi's daughters, at the time of the restoration, it is stated "that their father was ruined by his advances to the king." under these circumstances there would be a potent tie between these men, for burlamachi could only hope for the recovery of his money through the good fortune and favour of the king. it is well that all this should be borne in mind, for burlamachi's name will come up hereafter. the public do not realise how effective, as a trap, the post office is, until they find themselves in the position of having written and posted a letter which, upon cooler reflection, they would fain withhold from the eyes of the person addressed. cases of this kind occasionally happen in our own day, when proof is given of the irrevocability of the act of dropping a letter into the letter-box. writers in such cases can then do nothing,--they are left to settle the business with their correspondents as best they may,--and no difficulty or trouble, as a rule, results to the officers of the post office. in the earliest days of the post the trap existed, as is shown by the following account of an attempt to recover a letter, after it had been committed to the care of witherings' officers, in the year . the incident shows that in these days, as well as in ours, men could write letters in haste and repent at leisure. the account comes to us in a declaration by laurence kirkham, an assistant in one of the offices appointed in london for the taking in letters for the post. it states that "upon tuesday the th june came william davies to my master's shop, my mistress and i being there present, to take in letters for mr. witherings, his majesty's postmaster both for the northern road and west, etc., for conveyance of letters both by sea and land. davies, coming as above, demanded a letter again which he said was his own, and that he delivered it to me that same day to go by post. i, not remembering any such thing, and he being a stranger to me, i told him that it was more than i could answer or dared do, to deliver any man's letter again, being once in my hands, especially not knowing it to be his letter; but, for quietness' sake, he being so outrageous for his letter, i told him that if he would stay until the box were opened wherein his letter was, if i found any such letter with such a superscription as he expressed his to have, i would deliver it to him, provided that he carried it not away nor break it open; but he might add something outside, or stick a note in it, if i saw it were no hurt; or rather, if he would write another letter after it, i would give him the portage of it. but this would not satisfy him; he swore i should not keep his letter from him, but he would have it; and thrust his hand into a heap of letters which lay before him in the shop, he well knowing that his letter was not there, and took what he could get of letters and packets, and put in his pocket--some scattering in the street and some in the shop, a multitude of people being gathered together. what he took and what he lost is uncertain, as also what damage my master and others may receive thereby, there being letters to the nobility and many others to the army in the north, and divers to other countries. my mistress, striving with him, was hurt, and her hand bruised; and i, holding him in the street for the letters, he fell upon me, beat and pulled me by the hair, kicked me, and tore my apparel, by which abuse i received damage." this must have been a very pretty little scene, and it would have been interesting to know how the law took notice of mr. davies' obstreperous conduct. the proceedings of these times have a smack of dramatic interest, surrounded as they are by conditions which do not obtain in the present day. in may , a scene was enacted in the market-place of ware, of which a description is given in a letter from edmund rossingham, dated the th of may. the reader can perhaps imagine the open space of this town where the market is held, thronged with country folks with their produce for sale, stalls of vendors, horses and carts of the farmers, and idlers hanging about to see what might turn up to their advantage. a clatter of horses' feet is heard, and into the market-place dash three men on horseback, who draw rein at the post house of ware. with the preliminary statement that the king was at this time lying with his army at berwick, the letter must itself describe what took place. the letter, which is addressed to viscount conway, proceeds: "lord carr (ker), the earl of roxburgh's son, riding post the other day into the north, having letters from the queen, came to ware, and the postmaster went out to take up three horses for his use; but out of malice would have taken a great carthorse which carried corn to the market, only the owner, a poor countryman, would not part with it, saying his horse was not to ride post. the postmaster and he being in strife together in the market, three deputy lieutenants, justices of the peace, namely, sir richard lucy, sir john butler, and sir john watts, convening there about county business, saw this contention out of a window of the inn, and they relieved the countryman, bidding the postmaster seek out other horses more fit for the service; whereupon the postmaster, in a great chafe, goes back to lord ker and tells him the deputy lieutenants had taken one of those horses he had taken up by his warrant. lord ker frets at this, and learns of the postmaster where the deputy lieutenants' horses stand, and commands three of these horses to be saddled to ride post with. the deputy lieutenants have notice of this, and will not let their horses be saddled, whereupon a great contention ensued between the lord and these deputy lieutenants; so hot grew lord ker, who had a case of pistols by his side, that he and his two men challenged the three justices into the field to end the difference. sir john butler and sir john watts had good stomachs to go out with them; but sir richard lucy, a more temperate man, would rather use his authority than his courage that way, as being much the more justifiable course; and so sent out to provide post horses for them, which were brought to the gate. sir richard then tells lord ker there are post horses for him, and, if he will not take them, himself will make his lordship fast and take from him the queen's letters, send them to his majesty, and do his errand, which would be little to his lordship's advantage; whereupon the lord ker cools a little, and, grumbling at being thus thwarted, takes the horses provided for him, and away he posts." the justices were well aware of the advantage of being early in the field with their account of this business; and accordingly they forthwith wrote a statement of the whole matter to their lord-lieutenant, lord salisbury, who was then with the king in the north, and which "they sent post after the lord, to be at court so soon as he should be." the better to keep up communications between the king, then in the north, and the governing powers in ireland, a packet was at this time employed between whitehaven and dublin. the agreement with the master, nicholas herbert, was that his barque should be provided "with one sufficient master and other meet and able sailors" ... "to carry the letters of his majesty or the council to the lord deputy at dublin, and shall receive £ per lunar month." as has already been remarked, there is reason to suppose that witherings had come to have leanings towards the parliamentarians, a posture which would alienate him from the court party. at anyrate, on the th july , the office held by witherings was sequestered by the king's privy seal into the hands of philip burlamachi, "who was directed by proclamation to execute the office." the proclamation here referred to is probably that dated the th august . the first clause sets forth the reason for the proceeding as follows:--"whereas we have received information of divers abuses and misdemeanours committed by thomas witherings in the execution as well of the office of postmaster of foreign parts as also of the letter office within our own dominions, and thereupon have been pleased to sequester the said office into the hands of p. burlamachi of london, merchant, who is to execute the same, under the care and oversight of our principal secretary of state, till we shall signify our pleasure to the contrary; and have accordingly declared the same under our royal hand and signet, and commanded our said secretary to see the sequestration put into speedy execution, and to take such course that neither our service nor the business of the merchants nor our other subjects might thereby receive any prejudice or interruption." in pursuance of this ordinance the business of the post was removed from witherings' offices to other premises. when a man is down there are always a lot of unthinking or interested persons ready to give the unfortunate individual another kick, and the king's followers were not slow to avail themselves of the chance presented by witherings' sequestration. sir francis windebank writes from paris in april , whither he had found it convenient to remove, as follows:--"i wrote lately to mr. treasurer (vane) by mr. frizell, who touched here in his passage out of italy toward england. he was postmaster before witherings, and drew him in to be his partner; but witherings, in token of his thankfulness, joined with sir john coke and thrust the poor man utterly out. he is able, and not unwilling, if he be dexterously managed, to discover much of witherings' miscarriage in that place, which i have desired mr. treasurer to make use of, and you will do well to put him in remembrance of it from me." in another letter about the same date windebank complains of the miscarriage of his letters, and remarks: "how they are come to miscarry now i do not understand, presuming that witherings, though he want no malice to betray anything that may fall into his hands concerning me, yet dares not intercept any packet addressed to mr. treasurer, as this was." about the same time a letter from robert reade, residing at paris, makes mention of the failure of letters, and proceeds: "but the world grows every day worse and worse, and is so full of deceit and malice that i think there will be no living shortly for an honest man in it. perhaps witherings has met with it again; if he have, my comfort is that no better fortune will befall him in that than usually does to harkeners, who never hear good of themselves; yet, methinks, since the house of parliament were more noble than to countenance him in his last unworthiness of that kind, he should not have much courage to do it again." in another letter the same writer says: "i think your honour will have very uncertain dealing from mr. witherings, for in all his affairs he appears so." there is a marked indefiniteness in the references made by private persons who at this period were ready to speak ill of witherings--a want of specific charges against him. but in a report appended to certain resolutions of the house of lords, dated th september , information is supplied showing how witherings had been badgered, and what the various complaints were. the allegations set forth are: "misdemeanours in opening letters, not giving advices in due time, taking greater rates than usual, transporting prohibited commodities, not suffering the passage boat to be searched, not able to hold correspondence for want of language, breach of correspondence for want of paying foreign posts." happily for witherings none of these charges were found proved. witherings seems to have believed that burlamachi had had a principal hand in bringing about the sequestration of his office, for we find him writing to sir john coke, on the th november , as follows:--"burlamachi stands upon his justification, which is, that these offices were forced upon him. my humble suit unto your honour is, that you will be pleased to deliver to ----, your son, upon his coming up, such letters as your honour received from him years past, whereby he was a practiser from time to time to take from me my office, contrary to his own declaration. your honour may be pleased to certify something therein to your son, who may declare it to the house of parliament." burlamachi was not, however, witherings' only enemy in this matter; for, in a letter from thomas coke to sir john coke, of th may , two months before the sequestration, it is stated that "the two secretaries do now, since the parliament, prosecute him again for the right of his place; but they cannot yet fasten anything upon him, neither can mr. attorney find any imperfection in his patent; so that he hath now great hopes again that the question will be to save him a thousand pounds a year in his purse." at the time of the sequestration witherings was put in prison, but probably his detention was of short duration. witherings found himself hard pressed by his enemies, and, feeling himself not very able perhaps to contend against large odds, he assigned an interest in his office to the earl of warwick. this is mentioned in a letter to sir john coke from his son, the th of march : "he hath now, without the advice of his friends, put himself under the protection of the earl of warwick, by passing some interest in his places to him. this the violent prosecution of his adversaries hath driven him unto, out of fear to be oppressed. i wish by this means he do not lose all in the end." in april , the earl of warwick was sworn a privy councillor, and thus, in point of interest, witherings had secured an important ally. while his friends may have thought the step taken by witherings of uncertain advantage, witherings no doubt considered that "half a loaf would be better than no bread." it is a troublesome business to unravel all the records of the proceedings in the parliament and council of this affair of the possession of the posts. there were two offices held by witherings, as the reader will remember,--the postmastership of the foreign posts (held by patent) and the postmastership (by delegation from the principal secretaries of state) of the inland posts. in the records we have of witherings' present troubles, these two offices are not always clearly defined, and it is somewhat difficult to understand the references. but this much is quite clear, that, on the th february , a committee of the house of commons was appointed "to consider of the complaints of the inland posts, foreign courriers and carriers, and foot posts, and the several abuses of mr. witherings and the rest of the postmasters." the proceedings of this inquiry dragged on for a period of over two years. at length, on the th march , the house of commons gave a deliverance, by resolution, in favour of witherings, respecting the foreign posts as follows, namely, "that this sequestration of the office of foreign postmaster from the possession of witherings is a grievance and illegal, and ought to be taken off and repealed" ... "that the proclamation for the putting mr. witherings out of possession of the exercise of his place of postmaster for foreign parts is a grievance and illegal, and ought not to be put in execution" ... "resolved that mr. witherings ought to be restored unto the possession of his place as postmaster for foreign parts, and to the mean profits received since he was out of possession, deducting the reasonable and usual charges of execution" ... "that for the legality of his patent, it shall be referred to a trial at law." then, on the th august , the following resolutions were passed by the house of commons respecting the inland posts:--"that the sequestration of the inland letter office to philip burlamachi is illegal and void, and ought to be taken off" ... "that philip burlamachi and his deputies shall forthwith bring in an account of the profits of the office received by him or his deputies since his illegal sequestration to the committee for the accounts where mr. trenchard has the chair" ... "that the proclamation in pursuance of the sequestration is illegal and void." it will be observed that nothing is said in these latter resolutions indicating that witherings should again take charge of the inland posts, by delegation or otherwise. but a deliverance was also given at this time on the subject of witherings' interference with the public carriers in conveying letters for the public, which events occurred in - , and have already been mentioned. the house resolved "that the taking of the several letters in this case from the several carriers, and the several restraints and imprisonment of grover, chapman, cotton, and mackerill, is against the law and liberty and freedom of the subject" ... "that these several persons ought to have reparations and damages from sir john coke and sir f. windebank, then secretaries of state, and mr. witherings respectively" ... "that sir j. coke, sir f. windebank, and mr. witherings are delinquents." now, although witherings' office had been in sequestration from till , it would almost seem that he was not entirely suspended from all share in the management of the place during that period, for in writings of reference is made to services performed by witherings in the transmission of foreign correspondence. in a letter, dated from edinburgh nd november , from secretary vane to edward nicholas, the latter is requested to instruct mr. witherings as to the forwarding of two packets, "much concerning his majesty's service," one of which was for hamburgh; and this witherings was to forward by an express, which by his office he was bound to provide for and pay. in a letter from witherings, dated at walthamstow th november , to edward nicholas, respecting these instructions, witherings writes: "i have sent the one express for hamburgh with my own packet-boat, which not only carries the king's colours, but is of defence and well known on the seas. be confident there shall be no neglect, neither of the one nor the other in me." during the proceedings against witherings, he was unquestionably handled in a very rough manner; for a warrant was issued in (as is supposed) by the secretary of state to a messenger of the chamber in the following terms:--"these are by his majesty's command, to require and authorise you to repair to the office and house of thomas witherings, postmaster for foreign service, and there to search for and take into custody all papers, pamphlets, and letters." on the th october , robert earl of warwick petitioned that, in virtue of the assignment of the inland letter office to him by witherings, and in view of the fact that burlamachi had failed to obey the ordinance delivered by parliament, by continuing to hold and administer that office, burlamachi should be ejected from the place and punished for his disobedience. chapter vi on the th november , "it was thought fit, and ordered by the lords, that the said office--that is, the inland letter office--shall be delivered to the earl of warwick or his deputies, and that burlamachi and his deputies shall, within eight days after serving of this order, bring in a particular account upon oath to the earls clare and bolinbroke, and lord grey of werke and lord bruce, of the profits of that office during all the time of their being in possession of the same. the lords above mentioned are to make reports to the house, that thereby the earl of warwick may have the profits of that office, to be paid to him by the parties aforesaid; and the posts and their agents are hereby commanded to bring the mails, with letters, to such place as the earl of warwick shall appoint." another order, dated nd december , was issued confirming the foregoing order, and also giving authority to the earl, in the event of the country postmasters refusing to carry or deliver up the mails as directed, "to seize upon the mails, and to put the postmasters out of their places, until they conform themselves unto the order of the house." it was further ordered that all colonels, captains, justices, constables, and others, his majesty's officers, should aid and assist in the execution of this order. on the th december, the house of lords seem to have issued a peremptory order to burlamachi to produce the "books of accompts for receipt of the profits of the inland letter office, with the warrants and acquittances," etc. but this burlamachi neglected to do, and, in consequence of his contumacy, the house make a further order on the st december to the effect "that the sheriffs of london or their deputies shall, by virtue of this order, seize the said books of accompts, etc., and send them to the clerk of the parliament on saturday, the th present." the lords at the same time confirm the previous orders of the th november and nd december, "for that it appears that the possession of the inland letter office, settled by the order of this house on the earl of warwick, has been interrupted by divers refractory and obstinate persons." the lords further give order "that all colonels, mayors, sheriffs, and other officers shall have full power and authority to seize all mails of letters in all places, both coming in and going out, and to deliver the same to the earl of warwick or his deputies at his office near the royal exchange, london, and this order to be their sufficient warrant." events were developing very rapidly at this period, for, on the th december , burlamachi was in custody for not bringing in the books of account already referred to, and on that date he petitions for his discharge. he was not, however, then released. on the following day, th december, a brief return was made by burlamachi of the revenue and expenditure of the inland letter office, from th august to th december , as follows:--moneys received, £ ; moneys expended, £ ; balance in hand, £ , whereof £ has been paid to the secretary of state. of the other £ , burlamachi states that "those that keep the office are to be considered for their pains and attendance, which are great," and he adds something about a probable increase from the irish correspondence. on the th december, burlamachi draws up a fresh petition, this time to the effect that his accounts may be audited by one of his majesty's auditors, and he again prays that his liberty may be granted to him. on the st december, an order is issued from the house of lords requiring that "philip burlamachi shall within eight days account upon oath to john worfield, the city auditor, for all moneys derived from the inland letter office since the sequestration, and how the same have been disposed of, upon which mr. worfield is to report to this house." the precise issue of these varied proceedings cannot readily be made out; but it would seem that at this time, , the foreign letter office remained in possession of witherings, and that the inland letter office was handed over to the earl of warwick. the period from to was one full of incident and surprises, a time when every man had to risk all by declaring himself either for the king or the parliament, or remain, if this were possible, in passive obscurity; and, in the former case, unhappy was the man who chose the losing side. to men in positions like that of witherings, the situation must have been most trying, for however he might strive to serve the party in power, his proceedings would be open to suspicion. and so later experience will show. leaving witherings for a moment, we will refer to an officer of the post office who did important service for the king. this was james hickes, one of witherings' clerks, the only member of the staff who threw his lot in with the royal cause. when, in , charles held his court at oxford, he was cut off from the service of the postal system having its centre in london; and he took steps for erecting a rival post system for his own use. hickes was ordered by warrant to "receive and demand from all postmasters on the western and other roads obedient to his majesty, the arrears in their hands due to the letter office; all refusers of the arrears to be dealt with according to their deserts." he had other directions generally, to the effect of establishing a system of posts in the west, well affected for the king, and extending south to weymouth, from which port to cherbourg a weekly service by packet was being set up. more complete instructions were given to hickes on the th january , as follows:--"knowing your experience in the letter office, we hereby appoint you to reside in weymouth, for the receiving and despatching all packets and letters coming to your hands, either from court or any part within this kingdom,--not possessed by the rebels,--or from beyond seas, and to receive money for their port, such only excepted as are for his majesty's service, or to tax them according to the rules of the letter office; as also to hire one or more passage boats as sir nicholas crispe, our deputy, shall direct you, taking special care that all letters passing through the said port, and all passengers and goods passing in the said passage boats, be duly taken notice of by you, and all duties paid before you dismiss them, the master of the packet boat to be answerable to you for the passage money of all goods and passengers he shall take on board; and generally in this employment to demean yourself as may be most for his majesty's service, and the just benefit of the letter office under us, and to observe all directions you shall receive from us and from the said sir nicholas crispe, and to render a constant true weekly account of all your receipts and disbursements to mr thomas nevile at oxford. and we desire the governor, mayor, constable, etc., of weymouth, to aid you therein." hickes is a somewhat remarkable figure in post-office history. sometime before the restoration he was again employed in the post office in london; and in a petition addressed to the king in , he describes the services rendered by him during the period above mentioned. in that memorial he says that he then "carried personally his majesty's foreign letters and packets to oxford, with the hazard of his life"; that "in the year he was committed to prison by corbett the traitor, and in great danger of being tried for his life by the unjust laws then practised, for holding correspondence with mr. secretary nicholas in his majesty's service, and, having with much difficulty escaped to oxford, he was employed in several expeditions and employments of trust, by both the then principal secretaries of state; and settled at weymouth to manage two packet boats, for conveyance of his majesty's despatches to and from foreign parts, as will appear by their several commissions, and under his said majesty's royal hand and signet; during which time he exposed his wife and children to the charity of others, himself to daily dangers, and his small fortune to an utter diminution." "corbett the traitor" referred to is no doubt one of the regicides afterwards taken in holland, and who was hanged and quartered at tyburn on the th april . his full name was miles corbett. about the year , thomas witherings must have been, or considered to be, a man of a respectable estate, for, according to the proceedings of the committee for the advance of money, he was, on the th june of that year, assessed for a contribution of £ . now, as the assessment was based upon one-twentieth of real estate, and one-fifth of personal estate, the sum assessed represents a condition of fair wealth. the full amounts of these assessments were seldom, however, exacted, and witherings seems to have been let off after making payments amounting to about £ . by an order in parliament of rd february , the appointment of robert earl of warwick as lord high admiral and lord warden of the cinque ports was revoked; and on the same day, at the the council of state, a request was made that mr. prideaux should come to the council to settle stages for all the posts. from this it may be inferred that the posts also had been taken out of the earl of warwick's hands. warwick's brother, lord holland, being dissatisfied with the proceedings of the parliamentary party, had gone over to the king's side, and taken active service against the parliament, on account of which it may probably have been considered unwise to continue the earl of warwick at the head of the inland posts. on the th march, the council appointed sir henry vane, alderman wilson, and messrs. heveningham, holland, and robinson to be a committee on the postal service. things at the post office were becoming very unsettled. on the th march, by order of the council, the mails were that night to be searched for the book called the _new chains_; on the th april instructions were issued that any person named edward broun, calling for letters at the post office, was to be detained; in the same month mr. witherings was ordered to prosecute "wilkes" for the seditious speeches mentioned by him. the council of state gave orders, on the th june, to stay all letters brought to the post, directed to mons. de la caille, marchand français, démeurant à la haye, and to bring them to the council. and in the following month the council gave further orders that all letters which might be thought to contain anything prejudicial to the state should be examined. later, complaints were made against captain stephen rich, for miscarriages in the execution of his place as postmaster in not transporting the state's packets between holyhead and dublin. rich, it appears, resided at dublin, and the matter was referred for investigation to the authorities in that city. in a letter from a lady in london to her brother at rochelle, dated th february , the following account of the state of the posts is given:--"the jealousies of the time are great, and consequently the danger of writing; all packets are stopped, which is the reason you do not hear from me, for a high court of justice is erecting, and all intelligence with the king or his ministers is voted treason." these particulars exhibit something of the business that was proceeding in the post office. in , a crisis occurred in withering's official career. on the nd april of that year, information was laid against him "that he had assisted lord goring in the late insurrection in essex ( ), by going into arms and setting out three armed men,--one with a horse,--for which he was sequestered in essex." shortly thereafter orders were issued for the seizure of all his money, plate, goods, rents, debts, and estate, and the essex commissioners were required to send up copies of all depositions against him. in may he petitioned to be freed from further trouble, alleging that he had always faithfully served parliament. he had previously asked for the charge against him, and went down to the county commissioners, who unanimously agreed that there was no cause for the seizure or sequestration of his estate. thereupon orders were given "that he be discharged, and no further proceedings taken against him." about this time witherings had a serious illness, brought on, in all probability, by the worries with which he was surrounded. he thought proper now to make his will, and in the preamble he refers to his indisposition in the following terms. he states that "he was taken upon a sudden with a dizziness in his head, and being thereupon very ill-disposed in body, yet well and perfect in memory, doth dispose, in case of mortality, his will to be," etc. witherings was owner of the estate called "nelmes," near hornchurch, essex, where was a fine old house, which still remains, and is inhabited to the present day. in , one of the packet boats plying between holyhead and dublin, named the _patrick_, of waterford, was taken by the irish; but it was afterwards retaken by capt. fearmes, of the _president_, and restored to its owner, the salvage due to the mariners being paid by the state. in , authority was given for employing a post barque for the conveyance of letters, etc., to ply between liverpool and carlingford or carrickfergus. the boat proposed was the galiot _robert_, and the sum to be paid for its use, £ a month. about the same time, two post barques were settled to ply between milford haven and the headquarters of the lord-lieutenant of ireland, to carry letters "from attorney-general prideaux or any other public minister." the cost of maintaining the packet boats between holyhead and dublin at this period was £ , s. d. each per month. in order to keep up a constant correspondence between the forces in ulster and the standing army, a packet boat was also ordered to ply between ulster and carlisle. an important step was taken, in respect of the posts, by the council of state, upon a paper given in by the attorney-general, on the th march . the council ordered that their opinion be reported to parliament, that, "as affairs now stand, it is safe and fit that the office of postmaster shall be in the sole power and disposal of parliament." on the st march, an order was passed in parliament, "that the offices of postmasters, inland and foreign, ought to be in the sole power and disposal of the parliament. that it be referred to the council of state to consider of the offices of postmasters, and of all the interests of those persons who claim any, how the same may be settled for the advantage and safety of the commonwealth, and to take order for the present management thereof." two days later, the council of state resolved that mr. prideaux, the attorney-general, should undertake the management of the inland posts, and to be accountable to the commonwealth for the profits quarterly. and in further proceedings of the council of the th april, sir william armyne was instructed to inform the house of the arrangement. witherings would appear not to have been disturbed in his position of postmaster for foreign parts at this time; for on the th may the council issued a warrant to him and the other masters of the letter packet boats, "not to carry any male passengers to france or flanders until further orders." and, again, on th july, the council of state ordered witherings to forbear paying any money to william jessop or benedict moore, "to the use of the earl of warwick, or lord rich, or to col. charles fleetwood, until further order." on th june , the council of state issued orders to serjeant dendy (serjeant-at-arms to the council) and his assistant to make a raid upon the country mails coming to and going from london, in the following terms:--"you are to repair to some post stage twenty miles from london, on the road towards york; seize the letter mail going outward, and all other letters upon the mail rider, and present them, by one of yourselves, to council; the other shall then ride to the next stage, and seize the mail coming inwards, and bring the letters to council, searching all persons that ride with the mail, or any other that ride post without warrant, and bring them before council or the commissioners for the examination; all officers, civil and military, to be assistants." like orders were also given in respect of the mails on the chester and western roads. the seizure of the mails was doubtless due to a desire on the part of the council to discover such persons as might be holding correspondence with the enemy. the vigilance of the council continued, for, on th december, the deputy governor of dover was required to examine the master of the post barque, lately come over, as to his bringing a person who (as he had been previously informed) "was dangerous, and brought commissions and letters from the enemy." and, again, on the th may , the council of state gave order to the committee of examinations, "to inquire into the opening of capt. bishop's letter between england and scotland, and to write such persons as they think fit for the discovery of the same. the attorney-general to bring in a list of the persons employed as postmasters upon the several roads throughout this nation, with their character." "to write the lord general to cause an inquiry to be made after the persons who presumed to break open some letters directed to him, and, if he finds any of them to be near the southern parts, he is to give notice thereof to council, that they may prosecute them." again, on the st august , the council gave directions that "the packet brought in this day from the northern parts be searched before the letters be delivered out." these are specimens of the measures taken at the period in question with the view of preventing the post-office service being used in the interest of the king's party. on the th march , the council of state gave order for the revival of a committee, which was set up the year before, to consider the business of the foreign post. they were to send for mr. witherings and "confer with him as to what money he had on hand that was formerly wont to be paid to the earl of warwick." it is not clear whether this inquiry had reference to any supposed irregularity on witherings' part, or merely to the question of moneys claimed by the earl. be this as it may, a fresh storm was soon to break over witherings' head. in the month of june , the charges of delinquency of which he had been acquitted in were levelled at him in an aggravated form. the information laid against him was to the effect "that when oxford was a king's garrison, he compounded with delinquents, and paid moneys for them, by order of sir edw. sydenham. that in the essex insurrection he sent a man and horse to lord goring, and was in person at bow bridge when held by the enemy. that he was at many private meetings at the hoope tavern, leadenhall street, plotting about the revolt of capt. batten and the fleet ( ). that he conveyed moneys into france for the relief of cavaliers, some of which was taken. that he concealed an annuity of £ , and several sums due to the state which are in his custody, and paid several sums to sir edw. sydenham, a delinquent, contrary to the order of the council of state. that he is very familiar with delinquents, stands bound for them, conceals their letters, and conveys letters and intelligence to them beyond seas." a few days later, witnesses were summoned to appear against him, including sir edward and lady sydenham. sir edward was a county neighbour of witherings, residing at gidea hall, hornchurch, and is said to have been a moderate royalist. after full hearing, witherings was finally dismissed from the charges on the th july . it is somewhat difficult to fit in all the events connected with these prosecutions owing to the conflicting dates under which they are recorded. but this much appears, that one of the processes took place before the committee of essex, that it continued over a period of seven months, and that witherings carried thirty witnesses from london to chelmsford in support of his case. witherings tells us that wilkes, "with the assistance of some butchers whom witherings had sued for great sums," prosecuted him maliciously, and that wilkes and others offered from £ to £ to witnesses to swear against witherings. this man wilkes seems to have been a troublesome fellow, for witherings relates that "wilkes was committed prisoner by parliament for furnishing horses to the enemy," and that, "after his enlargement, he accused parliament of being rogues, villains, and devils, and declared he hoped to see the destruction of them all; for which words he was indicted, by order of the council." witherings, in his defence, and as showing his attachment to the party then in power, makes mention of the fact that he had been "very serviceable to parliament, contributing £ on the going away of the lord-lieutenant for ireland." the indebtedness of the butchers, above referred to, may have had its origin in sales of cattle reared or fed on witherings' property in essex; or it may be that he traded in cattle, for he seems to have carried on business in a variety of ways. it is recorded of him that, about this period, he and several other merchants of london contracted with the navy commissioners "for the supply of provisions at london, dover, etc., and at kinsale, for the navy, at the rate of d. a day per man at sea, and d. when in harbour, the state bearing all charges of transport." witherings did not long survive these unsuccessful attacks of his enemies, for on the th september, two months after his acquittal, he was stricken down by death. he was one of the two elders of the church at hornchurch; and on the day mentioned, being sunday, whilst proceeding to service, he died suddenly on the way. his remains were laid under the chancel of the church, and a mural tablet was erected to his memory. this has since been removed from the chancel to the north-east side of the entrance immediately under the old tower. the inscription upon the tablet is as follows:-- "sacred to the memory of thomas witheringe, esqr., chiefe postmaster of greate britaine, and foreigne parts, second to none for unfathomed poilesicy, unparralled sagacius and divining genius; witness his great correspondence in all parts of ye christian world. "here lies interred who god from hence did call, by speedy summons, to his funerall. upon his sacred day, the world by love may judge it was to sing his praise above. when on his way unto god's house love brings him swifter passage upon angell's wings full spread with zeal wherein his soul doth fly to mercies throne in twinkling of an eye. this epitaph may all him justly give, who dies in christ he dies not but to live. in christo mori est vivere. obiit anno. dni. , Ætat. suæ ." in _memories of old romford_, it is stated that witherings was a puritan; in any case his profession in later life seems to have been that of a protestant. it may be that the charge of being a papist in his earlier years was but a base invention of his enemies. reference has previously been made to a suggestion that witherings had been a mercer in london in his earlier life. we find, on inquiry, that one thomas witherings was admitted a member of the mercer's company, by redemption, on the th february . this means that he purchased his admission; but it does not follow that he was a mercer in the present meaning of the word. from the conflicting statements made in regard to witherings during the course of his official life, it is perhaps now impossible to arrive at any true estimate of his character. he lived in a troublous time, surrounded by enemies covetous of his office, and during a period of civil war, when to steer a course free from strife and collision would be impossible. he must have been a man of originality and of persevering disposition. in a negative sense, it may be said that he was no tin-plate man, devoid of stability, reflecting only the opinions of others, and capable of being cut into any shape by the scissors of expediency; he was possessed of fight and determination, and must have lived a trying and exciting life. what his pursuits or predilections were, apart from business, it is not now possible to determine. during his official career he was twice sequestered in his office; once he was put in prison; twice his property was seized; and twice he was declared to be, or was charged with being, a delinquent. the probabilities are that the worries and anxieties of office thrust him into his grave, for he died a comparatively young man. from the point of view of work done, he has some claim to be regarded as an early rowland hill; it was he who first organised the inland posts generally in britain for the use of the public; though it is to the credit of the deputy postmasters on the road from london to the west of england, that they had anticipated witherings by several years in setting up a horse post for the benefit of the people on that line of road. he was the forerunner of a long line of able, zealous, and accomplished men, whose lives have been spent in, and have adorned, the post office for two centuries and a half, whose work has been swallowed up in the ever-advancing tide of improvement, and whose names, when their work was done, have disappeared from view and have hardly left an echo behind. chapter vii two days after witherings' death, namely, on the th september , by order of parliament, a previous order of st march , touching the office of postmaster, inland and foreign, was revived, and the council of state were directed to report their opinion thereon forthwith. on the th october, the committee for the posts pass an order, "that the committee sit in the inner horse chamber on thursday, at p.m., to receive the claims of all persons pretending any interest in the foreign or inland letter office, as also the propositions of any person about the improvement and management thereof." this invitation to claimants to come forward opened a very large door, as will be seen presently. it had all along been insisted upon by witherings that, as his patent for the office of foreign postmaster stood in favour of two lives,--his own and that of william frizell,--the possession of the office was in his right (having many years before bought out frizell), and must remain of his right so long as either of the two lived. now, by a provision in witherings' will, he left £ a year to sir david watkins to execute the office after his death, and to maintain and educate his son thomas until he should be of sufficient age to take his father's place. witherings' son died about , and, as a matter of fact, sir david watkins carried on the office of foreign postmaster, in favour of witherings' son, and afterwards of his nephew, who became heir, until the th june , when a change was made in the whole postal arrangements, both inland and foreign. in response to the invitation of the committee for the posts of the th october, the following claims were sent in, in addition to the claim of sir david watkins. that of henry robinson by deputation from endymion and george porter, who previously had been granted a deputation by charles lord stanhope. this claim was for both offices, inland and foreign. that of walter ward, merchant, also to both offices. that of thomas billingsley to the foreign office; and that of benedict moore and william jessop, on behalf of the creditors and three daughters of robert lord rich, to a payment of £ a year out of the foreign letter office. a claim was also preferred by mrs. witherings, on behalf of herself and daughter, on the ground that a large part of her fortune had been spent in purchasing and developing the foreign letter service. the council of state and various committees had much trouble in dealing with these various claims, the legal opinions obtained upon them, which still remain, having apparently been of little use in clearing matters up. the committees, by way of escape from their difficulties, were fain to throw up the whole business, so far as deciding the question of the claims is concerned; and, proceeding upon a resolution of the committee on the posts of the th november , it was determined that "the offices should be let to farm." references continued to pass, however, between the parliament, the council of state, the committee on the posts, and the irish and scotch committee; and it was not till the year that any final step was taken. in may of that year, the committee for the management of the posts made certain suggestions for the future carrying on of the posts. among these were, that the inland and foreign posts be placed under one and the same control. that the inland rates should be as follows:-- for single letters to places within miles from london d. do. over " " d. do. to ireland d. do. to scotland d. that the irish mails should go by way of milford and waterford, and chester and dublin; and that all letters to or from scotland should circulate by way of leith or edinburgh. that public letters--letters of government--should be carried free. that the rental for both offices should not be less than £ per annum. soon after this time tenders were called for, in connection with which the following conditions were prescribed:-- "( ) the undertakers are to be of known integrity and good affection, and responsible in outward estate. "( ) they are to carry all extraordinary despatches to or from the supreme authority, lord-general cromwell, the council of state, commissioners of admiralty, general of the fleet, general officers of the army, army committee, and irish and scotch committee, or any person entrusted with the management of a public affair wherein private interest is not concerned. "( ) all such letters by, as also those to and from, all members of the legislative power, are to be carried free from postage, provided that such as are not known by their seals have an endorsement as follows:--'these are for the service of the commonwealth,' signed by the persons themselves or their clerks. "( ) that the sum of £---- be paid by the undertakers of this business every three months. "( ) they shall receive for single letters carried into ireland, d.; into scotland, d.; to all parts above miles from london, d.; to all parts less remote, d.--with note of the difference between single, double, and triple letters. "( ) that a weekly intercourse may be continued between england and ireland, they are to maintain one or more packet boats weekly between milford and waterford, and between chester and dublin. "( ) that besides the several post stages now in use, there is to be a post settled between dover and portsmouth, portsmouth and salisbury, london and yarmouth, and lancaster and carlisle. "the persons nominated by the undertakers for posts in their several stages, as also all other officers subordinate to them, shall be approved by persons authorized thereto by the lord-general and the council of state." on the th june , offers were considered by the posts committee, under the foregoing specification of conditions, as follows:-- henry robinson £ per annum. ben. andrewes " john goldsmith " ralph kendall " john manley (with good security) - / " richard hicks " rich. hill " two other offers at least had been made; but they do not seem to have been taken into serious account for certain reasons--one being, apparently, that the offerers had prescribed conditions outside the specifications set down. no time was now lost by the council of state. on the very next day they passed the following resolution:--"john manley to carry all packets, public and private, inland and foreign, according to the terms agreed on between him and a committee of council for that purpose, and to enter on the execution of the said office to-night, and receive the profits thereof, and a warrant to be drawn for that purpose; power given him to stop all mails of letters carried by any person not authorized by him; and his office for postage of letters to be freed from all taxes." the terms agreed upon as to payment were not those in manley's offer, but £ , a year. before proceeding further, it is necessary to revert to the year . in this year the common council of london set up a rival post of their own on the several roads leading from london, and, as a report of prideaux states, they "have employed a natural _scott_ into the north who has gone into scotland and hath settled postmasters (others than those for the state) on all that road." the alleged reason for this proceeding was, that the common council required another weekly conveyance of letters for their uses. they were pressed to come before parliament in order that they might set forth their claim to the right of setting up an independent post, but they declined to do so. prideaux represented that his rivals, besides "intrenching upon the rights of parliament," would cause a decrease of his revenue; and, under these circumstances, he could not be expected to carry on the business of the posts; for under the arrangement then existing, the "charge of all the postmasters of england were taken off the state." these representations were made by prideaux in march . the government was more arbitrary than particular as to the strict observance of precedents in law, and the posts of the common council of london were promptly put down. but shortly after witherings' death, in , a combination of men, relying upon the votes of the parliament of , under which it was declared that the secretaries of state and witherings had no exclusive monopoly in the carriage of letters, succeeded in setting up a system of posts in opposition to the officially recognised posts of prideaux, and actually drove the latter from the field. the men who conducted this campaign against prideaux were--clement oxenbridge, richard blackwall, francis thomson, and william malyn. oxenbridge was checkmaster to the collector for prize goods ( ); blackwall was at the same period a collector for prize goods; thomson is probably a man of the name who, in , resigned his interest in windsor little park and other property (of course, for a consideration), which he had purchased some time before from the state; malyn appears to have been connected with one or other of the public offices. these men called themselves "the first undertakers for reducing letters to half the former rates." they tell us that prideaux continued to exact the high rate of d. for every letter. in the account given by them of their proceedings, they say that:--"the undertakers, observing this extortive rate to be held up, as well in witherings' lifetime as after his death,--when the pretence of that illegal grant was ended in point of limitation--and observing that the whole benefit went into one private hand, ... they conceived it would be a work both acceptable to the state and beneficial to the people, to contrive the abatement of those excessive rates; and therefore, maugre all oppositions and abuses of the monopolizer and his interest, they at first dash adventured on postage at the rate of d. a letter beyond eighty miles, and d. a letter within or to eighty miles; and to make return three times weekly." the "undertakers" thus started upon their venture by reducing the minimum rate for a letter from d. to d., and by running the mails three times a week instead of once as hitherto. prideaux tried to put down this combination by reducing his rates and establishing extra mails, but without avail; for the public were so grateful for the reform introduced by the undertakers, that they gave him no encouragement, and he was obliged eventually to give up the business. as prideaux was written to by the council of state about neglects on the portsmouth road on the rd may , his giving up the posts must have been subsequent to this date. the rival concerns were carried on, as might be supposed, in a spirit of bitter antagonism, in which the deputy postmasters had their share. prideaux's agents on one occasion murdered a mounted post riding with the opposition mail, and threw his body into a river; and near the same place a son of one of the old postmasters assaulted another of the rival messengers with a drawn sword. the account goes on to say, that "these practices not accomplishing his (prideaux's) aim, an order from the council of state was procured--not to stop us or our mails, that being too apparently illegal, but in such doubtful terms as might affright the weak from sending their letters to us. libels also were posted up and down the city by him or his agents, signifying that our mails should be stopped, but his go free. this project failing, mr. prideaux, out of a hypocritical pretence of keeping the sabbath day, by his own warrant commanded his postmasters to require the justices of peace in the several counties to stop our mails on the sabbath, whereas his own went free." ... "whilst we were labouring amidst these difficulties, it pleased god to devolve authority on such worthy persons as had from the beginning countenanced us in our work; who, in their first entrance on their management of public affairs, intrusted us with their ordinary and extraordinary despatches." this appears to refer to the period of the breaking up of the long parliament, th april , when the undertakers "were the only persons who performed the service of conveying the state's despatches." "we continued to perform the service of the state freely, fulfilling all things concerning the postage of inland letters; we reduced the same into one channel, and entertained as many of the old postmasters as were honest and well affected, according to direction of the council of state (which constrained us to lay aside divers of those honest persons ready to assist us in carrying on so good a work), took the old post-house in london, where three days a week the state and all persons were accommodated," etc. from this account it seems clear that the old post system under prideaux was ousted by the new company, and that the latter had established itself as the recognised inland post of the country. on the very day on which manley was appointed to the farm of the posts, the th june , he was furnished by the council of state with a warrant as follows:--"to clement oxenbridge, and all others concerned in the inland and foreign post. john manley having contracted for and farmed these offices, we authorize him to enter on his duties this night, to receive and carry all packets, and to receive the profits to his own use. and you are required to permit him to do this without interruption or molestation." upon the strength of this warrant manley proceeded to enter upon his new duties, and, as regards the foreign letter office, there seems to have been no difficulty. but with the inland letter office the case was very different. up to the day when manley was appointed, the managers of the inland post were hopefully negotiating with the council of state for the farm of the posts. their hopes of success were, however, suddenly blighted. the account of the transactions at this time given by these men, which is somewhat amusing, is as follows:--"after we were withdrawn (from the council), col. rich, after private conference with a member of council, so represented the business that an order within half an hour was passed by council immediately to invest manley with the management of the inland and foreign letters. he, that very night, without further warning, demanded the letters which we had received, and the profits of the letters then brought to us by our own servants, at our own charges. with much persuasion we prevailed with manley that the money should be deposited into a clerk's hand intrusted by him, till the pleasure of the council were known; yet before that could be obtained, manley, with some old clerks and postmasters of mr. prideaux's company, violently with swords broke into our house, where our letters and goods were, thrust out our servants, and by force kept possession. the same night, manley and others violently broke into the dwelling-house of some of us in wood street, demanded the letters there, and would by force have broke into the room where some of us were, had we not by main strength kept the door against them; and he, with threatening speeches, required us not to receive any more letters. on complaint to col. rich, he, with rough words, commanded us not to meddle with receiving or sending any more letters, declaring that such was the sense of the council's order, and that, if we persisted, those of us who had any employment under the state should be turned out, and soldiers should be sent to our houses to stop persons bringing any letters to us. from real tenderness to the present posture of public affairs in that juncture of time we forbore contest, in expectation of justice from the supreme authority, rather than occasion disturbance." in this hustling way was the post-office business transferred to new hands. chapter viii the inland and foreign post offices were now combined under the management of john manley, to whom they were farmed for a sum of £ , a year. this was in , and the grant was limited to a period of two years. manley was a justice of peace for the county of middlesex, and is referred to in some contemporary records as justice manley. he made himself useful on the bench to cromwell's party in connection with many political cases brought before him for trial. it is probable that he had previously been a soldier, as he is sometimes referred to as captain manley. in , when manley's term was up, the office changed hands. on the rd of may in that year, an order in council was passed, to the effect that the management of the post office should be performed by john thurloe, secretary of state, "security being given for the payment of the present rent of £ , a year, and for keeping the conditions of the contract with the present farmer, etc., beginning from the expiration of manley's contract." manley's contract fell to expire on the th june following. in pursuance of this order, thurloe succeeded manley in the management of the posts. during thurloe's possession of the office an act was passed for settling the postage of england, ireland, and scotland (june ). the act sets forth that "experience having shown that the settling a post office is the best means to maintain trade, convey dispatches, and discover dangerous designs, it is enacted that there shall be but one post office, and one postmaster-general and controller to settle posts, who shall carry all letters except those sent by known carriers, or merchants' letters of advice sent by ship-masters; also, except private letters sent by messengers. he is to have the horsing of all who ride by post." the rates of postage for letters were as follows, viz.:-- single. double. per oz. to or from any place within miles } d. d. d. of london } " " at a greater } d. d. s. distance } " scotland d. d. s. d. " ireland d. s. s. within ireland. to or from any place within miles } d. d. d. of dublin } " " at a greater } d. d. s. distance } foreign. to leghorn, genoa, florence, lyons, } marseilles, smyrna, aleppo, and } s. s. s. d. constantinople } " bordeaux, rochelle, nantes, bayonne, } d. s. d. s. cadiz, and madrid } " st. malo, morlaix, and newhaven[ ] d. s. s. s. " hamburgh, frankfort, and cologne d. s. d. s. " dantzic, leipsic, lubeck, stockholm, } copenhagen, elsinore, } s. s. s. and queenesbrough[ ] } for every through post, or persons riding in post, - / d. the mile for each horse, besides the guide groat for every stage. all persons save the postmaster-general or his deputies were forbidden to supply post horses on pain of a fine of £ a month--half to the protector and half to the discoverer. many other provisions are set down which need not be quoted here. two months later, th august , on a report from the committee on the postage, it was ordered that a lease be granted of the office of postmaster-general to thurloe, at a rent of £ , , to be paid quarterly; "he to be at all charges, take no greater rates of postage than expressed in the act, and send all government letters free: the grant to be for as many years as his highness thinks fit, not exceeding , or one life." during thurloe's time, the post office was made very serviceable in the discovering of "dangerous designs"; for it is said that the control of the office gave him an "immense advantage in intercepting letters and collecting intelligence, abroad as well as at home." the truth is, that not only in thurloe's time, but in the years immediately preceding the restoration, during the settlement of the kingdom after the restoration, and probably for long after that, the post office was regarded as the pulse of all political movements, the deputy postmasters in the country serving as a hydra-headed agency for the state--seeing, hearing, and reporting everything of importance that transpired in their districts; while the opening of letters in the post afforded a means of securing evidence against the enemies of the ruling powers for the time being. one or two examples of how these things were done may be interesting. on the th august , the council approves of "col. crompton's stopping the irish mail, not knowing of how dangerous consequence some of the letters might be, and judging it fit that they be perused before passing further." then major-general lambert, to whom this communication is addressed, is desired to "examine all the letters, send up any that are dangerous, and send the rest forward to ireland." on the th january , the postmaster of northallerton reports to the postmaster-general, that "four disaffected scottish ministers,--dunkinson, ord, douglas, and jamieson,--thought to be spies and deluders of loyal subjects, are at northallerton, and write many letters to berwick and different parts of yorkshire. asks whether the letters should be received, and, if so, whether they should be opened in presence of a magistrate." these facts being communicated through secretary nicholas to the king, the former writes to the postmaster as follows:--"the king being acquainted with his letter to col. bishop, about scottish ministers and disaffected persons now in northallerton, and corresponding with others in berwick and elsewhere, wishes him to carry to sir w. penniman, a deputy lieutenant, all letters from the four ministers whom he names; to be opened, perused, and sent up to london if they contain anything prejudicial to the public peace; otherwise to be forwarded as addressed." on the st january , a warrant was issued to the head of the post office "to permit john wickham and john hill to search the next mails from holland for counterfeit gold, and, if any be found, to accompany them with it to secretary nicholas, it being reported that much base gold has lately been imported by the mails." these incidents show how the interception and perusal of letters in the post were carried out--all under sufficient authority. there were no newspapers in these days, as _we_ know them, and no telegraphs; all news, except such as might be conveyed by special messengers, or clandestinely by carriers, passed in letters through the post. the possession of the office was therefore, under the conditions previously stated, of the first importance to the powers holding the reins of government; and as parliamentary parties, having various and conflicting political views, were constantly changing positions at this time, the control of the post office changed hands with almost equal frequency. to return to john thurloe. thurloe was secretary of state under both oliver and richard cromwell; and, after the resignation of the latter, he continued to hold his secretaryship till the th january . "in april , he used his utmost efforts to dissuade the protector from dissolving the parliament; a step which proved fatal to his authority." he had previously been "very obnoxious to the principal persons of the army, to whose interests, wherever they interfered with those of the civil government, he was a declared enemy"; and it is not improbable that this antagonism led to his being relieved of the farm of the post office. but his deprivation of the office of postmaster-general and farmer of the post did not take place till later in the year, and under circumstances which thurloe describes in his state papers. in a document of february , he writes:--"i humbly offer to consideration, that within less than a fortnight of the th sept. last"--that is, a fortnight after--"my farm was, by virtue of an act of parliament dated the th oct., made null and void; and the office itself, as it stood at that time, set aside; and consequently no more rent payable; and it was then lawful for any other person to set up other posts for the carrying of such letters as should be brought to them, which very many accordingly practised." the state records during the closing period of the interregnum are very imperfect, but sufficient has been left to enable us to trace the position of affairs as relating to the posts. two months before the passing of the act just mentioned,--namely, on the th of august,--the council of state resolved that the post office should be farmed, that is, let out to some farmer other than thurloe; but, until thurloe should be removed, this could not be arranged. now, as a consequence of these proceedings, and of the act of the th october, the office passed into the hands of dr. benjamin worsley, to whom the farm was then granted for a term of seven years, at a rental of £ , . this seems a large advance upon the previous rent of £ , ; but thurloe states that he improved the office £ per annum to the state voluntarily, which he might have put in his own purse; and the rent he was paying when he vacated the farm must have been £ , a year. but worsley did not long enjoy the position, for shortly thereafter he was "violently turned out." worsley had been selected, as one of several persons, for nomination to parliament as a general officer by the committee of safety in july . in october following, the government was in the hands of a committee of safety composed for the most part of officers; and worsley being a military man, the post office might be supposed to be in safe hands if placed under his care. we have been unable to discover to what family dr. worsley belonged. it is not improbable that he was connected by family ties with charles worsley, who had been one of the colonels of cromwell's own regiment of foot. according to the journals of the house of commons, benjamin worsley was, in july , appointed to be one of the physicians, general-surgeons, and apothecaries of the army in ireland, and was then sent to dublin. in march , he was appointed secretary to the commissioners under the act for regulating trade, and, in , secretary to the commissioners for ireland. he was then selected as a fit person to accompany viscount lisle, as secretary, in a projected embassy to sweden; but the embassy, so far as lisle was concerned, did not proceed. now, on the th december , the rump was again in the ascendant, and constituted themselves a house. on the rd january , parliament appointed a new council; on the th january, the house of commons resolved to take the post office into its own hands, and that it should "be managed for the best advantage of the commonwealth"; on the th january, thomas scott, a member of parliament, one of the council of state, and a hot-headed republican, was appointed by the house of commons "to receive informations of private and public intelligence, as the secretary of state heretofore had and used, and present them to the council of state"; and, a week later, he was appointed secretary of state to the commonwealth. now these events, taken in connection with the fact that, on the st january , the council of state issued an order "to apprehend benj. worsley and bring him in custody before the council," may warrant us in concluding that this is the time when worsley was "violently turned out" of the post office. in succession to worsley, secretary of state scott seems to have become postmaster-general, but his connection with the post office was of brief duration; for a parliament more favourable to the restoration commenced sitting on the rd march , and all persons who had been active in their opposition to the royal house began to consider what was best for their own preservation. scott was one of the men who had signed the death-warrant of king charles i., and no doubt he would be forward in clearing out. that scott was virtually postmaster-general for a time seems to be proved by a warrant, issued by the council of state on the th march , "for intelligence, from the proceeds of the post office, paid by wm. scott and isaac dorislaus, whilst they managed it under thomas scott, £ ." like most of the postmasters-general of these early days, scott had an experience of imprisonment. after the restoration he was taken; he had been excepted out of the general indemnity given by charles ii.; and on the th october he suffered death, with several others, in the presence of the king. evelyn thus refers, in his diary, to the closing scene in the career of postmaster-general scott:--"i saw not their execution, but met their quarters, mangled and cut and reeking, as they were brought from the gallows in baskets on the hurdle. oh! the miraculous providence of god!" so much for a royalist exclamation, and the laying of responsibility on the shoulders of providence. for a short period after secretary scott quitted the post office, it is not very clear how it was managed; but a state paper of rd august shows that an account was rendered of its business from th march to th june of that year by job allibond and francis manley--the former a clerk in the office, and the latter riding purveyor to his majesty. the receipts for the quarter were stated to be £ , s. d., and the disbursements, £ , s. d. manley speaks of himself as being late manager. footnotes: [footnote : havre-de-grace.] [footnote : königsberg.] chapter ix the restoration was now an accomplished fact, and the post office passed into the hands of col. henry bishop of henfield, sussex, to whom was granted the farm of the office for a period of seven years, dating from the th june , at an annual rental of £ , . bishop was the third son of sir thomas bisshopp, knight, of henfield. the bisshopps were formerly a yorkshire family, some of whom served under lord wharton in his proceedings against the scotch in a previous age. henry bishop, the postmaster-general, was married to lady elizabeth plumley or plumleigh, a widow who, in religion, was a papist. before proceeding to deal with bishop's work in the post office, we may here mention, as a matter of interest personal to the individual, that in the impropriator's chancel of the church of henfield is a mural monument to his memory, setting forth that he died in , at the age of eighty. it is not apparent upon what grounds bishop obtained the farm, or whether he had performed any services entitling him to such an appointment. under his indenture he was required to pay one quarter's rent in advance, namely, £ , to bear all the expense of transmitting government letters, and to carry, free, single letters from members of parliament. he was required "to give in a true catalogue of all postmasters employed by him, and dismiss those excepted against by a secretary of state, to whom all alterations in postage, or erection of post stages, were to be submitted." he was, however, to be granted certain allowances in case of plague, civil war, etc., which might affect the revenue of his farm. in connection with bishop's appointment, there is a curious circumstance related in a state paper of september . the document, although written under the initials "a.b.," is evidently the production of clement oxenbridge, who, it will be remembered, was one of the "first undertakers for the reduction of postage," and who was the means of prideaux's giving up the post office. indeed the paper is indorsed "mr. oxenbridge." it reads as follows:-- "statement of a.b.: that he was in youth a servant of the princess royal, and was also allied to a grandee under the late powers; that in he got prideaux put out of the post office, by reducing the price of letters from d. to d., and bringing in a threefold weekly postage; that, to recompense him for £ , s. spent therein, he was to have a weekly payment from the post office; and he took the office in in bishop's name, and settled a foreign correspondence, but, being dissatisfied with bishop, had the office transferred to his cousin o'neale" (o'neale was successor to bishop) "on condition of continuing him £ a year therefrom, but this has not been done," etc. whether oxenbridge was able to exercise the interest here pretended is not clear. he was employed in the post office under bishop for a time, but, as will be seen hereafter, there is little doubt he was turned out of it. the return of the king from exile was signalised by a general scramble for offices, the king and his ministers being inundated with petitions for all kinds of places. while the king came in upon a promise of general pardon, his return was followed by measures of great severity; and it is perhaps not far from the truth to attribute much of what took place to the clamour of the royalists, whose claims to place could not be satisfied without turning other men out. in order to clear the way, it would obviously be necessary to proceed against the then holders upon some plea or other. the petitions are founded on every variety of alleged service or suffering, from the most trivial to the most important. for example, one suitor begs for the place of groom of the great chamber to the king or the dukes of york or gloucester, stating that he "had been clerk of the chapel to the late king, and served his majesty, when prince, as keeper of his balloons and paumes, and of tennis shoes and ankle socks." an aged widow, named elizabeth cary, begs a place as page for her son, on the ground that she had suffered greatly for her loyalty. she had had her back broken at henley-on-thames, and a gibbet was erected to take away her life. she was imprisoned at windsor castle, newgate, bridewell, the bishop of london's house, and lastly in the mews, at the time of the late king's martyrdom, "for peculiar service in carrying his gracious proclamations and declarations from oxford to london, and only escaped with her life by flying into her own country." many petitions were received for places in the post office. the plaint of one applicant is, that "his father's property was destroyed by lord fairfax at the siege of leeds." in another case it is set forth that the petitioner "should have succeeded his father, but was put by for taking arms for the late king." a suppliant in the west says, that he "has been a constant sufferer from the tyranny of his majesty's enemies. would not mention his sufferings, in the joy of the restoration, but for his wife and children, those patient partakers of all his troubles. was the first man in exeter to be taken up and imprisoned in all occasions during the late rebellion," etc. a former postmaster of lichfield says, that "he suffered much loss by pulling down of his house and plunder of his goods, and was displaced by the then parliament." the prayer of thomas challoner, postmaster of stone, is based on the fact that he is brother to richard challoner, martyred for his loyalty before the royal exchange in , and has often been plundered, etc. thomas taylor, of tadcaster, solicits the postmastership of that place: urging his claim upon the fact that his ancestors had served since queen elizabeth's time; that his father, thomas taylor, had been seized and executed by lord fairfax for carrying an express to prince rupert, when york was besieged, to hasten to its relief; and that his family had been kept out of the place ever since. a former postmaster of newcastle-on-tyne, thomas swan, claims restoration to the place of postmaster because the "pretenders who oppose him have not the least interest"; that his family had been loyal almost to their extirpation and banishment from the town; and that £ , s. is still due to his late father as postmaster, burlamachi not having allowed him to pay himself out of the letter office, etc. these are specimens of the memorials sent in immediately after the restoration, and which the new powers were called upon to satisfy. the working staff of the post office in london at the period of the restoration seems to have been a very mixed company. a number of them had been continued from the time of the commonwealth; some had been brought in by bishop; and the system of intercepting and opening letters, for the discovery of sedition, so largely practised during the commonwealth, being still carried on, there was a great outcry against these officers who were not regarded as staunch royalists. bishop himself was distrusted. in december , the postmaster of newbury complains that many members of the post office are ill-affected, and "that major wildman, and thompson and oxenbridge, anabaptists, put in and out whom they please." in the autumn of , an account is given of the condition of the post office. therein it is stated, that "it is managed by those who were active for cromwell and the late government: first, major wildman, a subtle leveller and anti-monarchy man; second, oxenbridge, a confidant of cromwell and betrayer of many of the king's party; third, dorislaus, the son of the man who pleaded for the king's death at his trial; and, fourth, vanderhuyden, agent of nieuport, the dutch ambassador to cromwell, now treating, underhand, to settle the postage by way of amsterdam. the letter officers are chiefly disloyal: col. bishop himself and the office are under major wildman's control." the writer of this statement urges that the office should be put under fresh management. shortly after this time, as would appear, there had been a clearing-out of several of the persons objected to; for in "a perfect list of all the officers, clerks, and others employed in and about the post office in london by henry bisshopp, esq., his majesty's farmer of the said office," the principal names mentioned above do not appear. the staff and constitution of the office, as exhibited by this paper, are as follows:-- in the inland office. job. allibond } clerks of the northern road. anselme fowler } james hickes } clerks of the chester road. matthew hanscomb } thomas chapman } clerks of the eastern road. benjamin lamb } thomas aylward } clerks of the western road. robert aylward } andrew leake } receivers of letters at the windows samuell allibond } of the office. cornelius glover } thomas bucknor general accomptant. benjamin andrews clerk and accomptant of the moneys in the office. john rea, son of mr. } john rea, between ye } letter marker or stamper. temple gates } mr francis thomson "agent to ryde ye severall rodes and find out abuses, and take care of ye due carriage of ye mayles and of all postmasters' doeing their severall and respective dutyes." of porters or letter carriers, whose names need not be given here, there were . in the foreign office. thomas harper } jeremiah copping } clerks. richard bostock } john mansfield office-attendant. this return is exceedingly interesting on several grounds. it shows that in the autumn of the total effective force of the post office in london numbered persons; it contains the first recorded mention, probably, of a surveyor,--"agent to ryde ye severall rodes,"--a numerous class of officers nowadays, who perform the same duties as then, taking into account the changes in the methods and work of the post office; and it also contains the first record of a stamper of letters being employed. as regards the stamping, this is also mentioned by bishop, in an answer made to the council of state respecting alleged abuses in the post office, under date nd august , as follows:-- ... "that he only employs old officers because new ones cannot serve for want of experience"; and he shows the precautions he has taken to rectify abuses, "by setting up printed rules, taking securities of the letter-carriers, stamping the letters," etc. in complaints made of irregularities in the post office, very unflattering comments are made upon some of its officers. thus: "bishop's agent, thompson, is a very juggler; they both"--that is, bishop and thompson--"will be complained of next parliament." a clerk, ibson, who had been dismissed, refers, in a vindication he attempted of himself, to the "dangerous character of the disaffected and scurrilous men who witness against him"; and that, "having accused them to secretary nicholas and col. bishop, they procured his dismissal." james hickes, a clerk in the post office, on the other hand, recriminates that, during the late troubles, ibson was accustomed "to open and read the letters, and give news therefrom; that he was careless of the letters; and often wrong in his accounts"; and that on these grounds he was dismissed. in another information, thomas chapman is described as being a leveller; and glover, a servant of hugh peters--both being accused of speaking disrespectfully of the king and parliament. in a memorandum of secretary nicholas it is stated that "glover of the post office was last sunday at mr. jenkins' church, whispering amongst the people to take heed what they write, as their letters are often opened." the period was evidently one of very severe examination, and the weeding out from the post office of unreliable servants. col. henry bishop did not escape in the general round of attack. a statement, dated st december , is left on record to the following effect:--"that william parker, who keeps the nonsuch, formerly commonwealth club, in bow street, covent garden, was wildman's man, the wife his servant, and the house furnished by him for meetings in cromwell's time. that col. bishop often met wildman there, and revealed the design of the late king's party, wherein lord mordaunt, major smith, and others were betrayed, and dr. hewitt lost his life; major smith declared on his deathbed that he never spoke the words by which he was betrayed to any but bishop. most of the post-office clerks used to meet and dine weekly at this house; and those now in hold, on suspicion of the plot, had meetings there. the night before wildman was committed, a clerk of the post office, and another, rode to the post house at hounslow, stopped the two western mails, carried the letters into a private room, and, after spending two hours with them, charged the boy who carried the mail forward not to speak of what they had done." in a petition of the discharged clerk ibson, some time later, ibson states that "he was bound in loyalty to disclose the horrid and dangerous practices of henry bishop, for which bishop dismissed him in disgrace, and imprisoned him on several feigned actions." bishop's farm of the post office must have given him much trouble and anxiety, arising partly from the nature of the staff employed by him, and partly from the conditions of unrest pervading society, these two things inspiring distrust and suspicion in the management of the office. when the time arrived for his forced retirement from the farm, he would doubtless be glad to get quit of it. this event occurred in . the immediate cause is not made quite clear. no less an authority than dan. o'neale, who succeeded bishop, states that "col. bishop was turned out for continuing disaffected persons in the management of the post." but bishop was about this time harassed with suits at law, and the king thought fit to step in and arrest the proceedings. the following document, addressed to "our attorney-general and all others," was issued with this intent from whitehall on the th march :--"whereas we are informed that john hill hath caused an information to be exhibited against henry bishop, esq., for the exercising of the office of our postmaster-general, and that other suits are intended to be brought against him by the said hill, which will much tend to the disquieting of the said henry bishop and to our disservice; our royal pleasure therefore is, that the said suit be no further prosecuted against him, and that our attorney-general do enter a _non vult ulterius prosequi_ upon it, and that no other suit be commenced or prosecuted against him for the same, and that our counsel at law do appear in the behalf of our servant the said henry bishop." about the same time,--a few weeks later,--a formal pardon of all indebtedness to the crown was granted to bishop; the document setting forth that bishop had surrendered his grant on the th april; and proceeding that "by reason of some supposed variance between the letters patent, indentures of covenants, and the said late act for establishing a post office, bishop may be liable to suits and questions concerning the execution of the said office or yearly rent due for same; the king therefore pardons and releases to bishop all sums of money the crown may now or hereafter claim of him," etc. under a cloud of proceedings of this nature bishop ceased to be postmaster-general. the farm of the office was now transferred to col. dan. o'neale for the remaining portion of the seven years' lease granted to bishop. it would seem that a money consideration was made by o'neale to bishop for the transfer of the office; for in a statement of some proceedings (before the council apparently), it is stated "that colonel bishop, before his last appearance at council, would have taken £ for resignation of his grant, but has since advanced to £ , which he says mr. o'neale has offered to him; o'neale also offers to secretary bennet £ , and £ a year during bishop's lease; this can be no disservice to the duke of york, who can expect no improvement till bishop's lease terminates." apparently o'neale took up the grant under the whole conditions, privileges, and obligations applicable to bishop's tenure. o'neale, an irish gentleman, was the king's harbinger and groom of the bed chamber. during the rebellion in ireland, wherein owen roe o'neale was concerned, before the downfall of charles i., the marquess of ormonde engaged daniel o'neale, a relative of owen's (said to be a nephew), in an endeavour to win the latter over to charles' interest. in this, however, he was unsuccessful. later, during the commonwealth, he was declared a delinquent, impeached, and thrown into the tower; but from this durance he managed to effect his escape. clarendon says of him that "he made his escape in a dexterous way, clad in a lady's dress." when the duke of ormonde crossed over to england from the continent, in disguise, with the view of ascertaining the hopes then existing for a return of the royal house, he was accompanied by dan. o'neale, at the hazard of his life. he also took part in an attempt upon scotland, for the royal cause, in , but was apprehended and banished by the council, being then put under a written obligation "by which he consented to be put to death, if he were ever after found in the kingdom." o'neale is known as the builder of belsize, at hampstead, which he is said to have erected at vast expense. he would appear to have been a special favourite of charles ii., for he enjoyed several grants or monopolies besides that of the post office. o'neale's grant, dating from the th march , was for a period of four and a quarter years, at a rental of £ , , but, like several of the other grantees, he did not complete his term, his death taking place about october . pepys, in recording this event, adds the remark, "i believe to the content of all the protestant pretenders in ireland." o'neale left, as his widow, katherine countess-dowager of chesterfield, who was his executrix. the countess was allowed to have the benefit of the remainder of the term; and henry lord arlington and john lord berkeley were empowered, by warrant, to make contracts with foreign states on behalf of the post office, and to act for "the better carrying out of that office." the interception and inspection of letters in the post for government purposes, so largely carried on under the farmers immediately preceding, had the inevitable result of engendering discontent and suspicion, and of driving the public to make use of other means for the conveyance of their correspondence. recoiling upon the farmers would necessarily be the loss of revenue. no sooner had o'neale entered upon his trust than steps were taken to put down or curtail the irregularities both inside and outside the post office. on the th may , a proclamation was issued forbidding all persons except dan. o'neale or his deputies to carry or deliver letters for hire, and ordering searches to be made for the discovery of unlicensed letter-carriers. as evidence of compliance with the royal views, all postmasters were required to produce, within six months, a certificate of their conformity to the church of england, on pain of dismissal; and a very important clause in the proclamation provided that no letters should be opened by any but the persons to whom they were addressed, "without immediate warrant from a secretary of state." about the same date secretary bennet issued a warrant "to all mayors and other officers, and particularly to richard carter and eight others, specially appointed for twelve months, to search for and apprehend all persons carrying letters for hire without licence from the postmaster-general, and to bring them before one of the secretaries, delivering their letters into the post office." the searchers were what, in a later period of post-office history, were officially called "apprehenders of letter-carriers." these restrictive measures had not been a month in operation when o'neale found it necessary to make a representation with respect to them. he complained that the means at the disposal of bishop for dealing with offences against the post office were quicker in operation than those prescribed to himself; and he expressed himself to the effect that he would rather quit the office than go to law against every offender. o'neale further says that the lord chancellor had declared the opinion that the secretaries, being superintendents over the post office, should take notice of offences. it is quite evident that o'neale did not find the post office a bed of roses. o'neale also discovered, soon after entering the post office, that while his grant purported to cover all the king's dominions, the postmaster at edinburgh, robert mein, was independent of him, mein having had a gift of that office made by his majesty at stirling, and confirmed since the restoration. for the loss of revenue in this quarter, o'neale claimed a deduction from his rent of £ a year. it may be well here to mention that, shortly after o'neale's grant of the post office, an act was passed-- chas. ii. c. ( )--settling the profits of the business upon james duke of york and his heirs male. that is to say, the rentals were the claim or right of the duke of york; but they were subject to payments to be made, under privy seal, in favour of the king, to an amount not exceeding £ , s. per annum. by a later act-- & chas. ii. c. --this reservation in favour of the king was made perpetual. chapter x a curious connection between the post office and music is referred to as existing at this period. to pepys we are indebted for a knowledge of the fact. in his _diary_, under date wednesday, the th october , he has the following note:--"to the musique-meeting at the post office, where i was once before. and thither anon come all the gresham college, and a great deal of noble company; and the new instrument was brought called the arched-viall, where being tuned with lute-strings, and played on with kees like an organ, a piece of parchment is always kept moving; and the strings, which by the kees are pressed down upon it, are grated in imitation of a bow, by the parchment; and so it is intended to resemble several vyalls played on with one bow, but so basely and so harshly, that it will never do. but after three hours' stay it could not be fixed in tune; and so they were fain to go to some other musique of instruments." it might be supposed that the post office would be the last place on earth to which "a great deal of noble company" would resort for musical entertainment. but, fortunately, evelyn in his _diary_ throws some light on the subject by referring to the same meeting in the following terms:--"to our society.--there was brought a new invented instrument of musiq, being a harpsichord with gut strings, sounding like a concert of viols with an organ, made vocal by a wheele, and a zone of parchment that rubb'd horizontally against the strings." "our society" referred to by evelyn, and pepys' allusion to gresham college, as also the fact that the minutes of the royal society record a meeting on this day, leave little room for doubt that the gathering at the post office was a meeting of the royal society. evelyn was one of the original council when the society, a couple of years before, obtained its charter, and pepys became a fellow some four months after this meeting at the post office. but the question arises--why was the meeting held at the post office? the usual meeting-place of the royal society was gresham college. it is necessary to understand that the post office, at the period with which we are dealing, was located in the black swan, bishopsgate street, at a trifling distance, probably, from gresham college. it was no doubt one of the old city inns, built with an interior courtyard, and possessing a number of rooms more or less adapted for public meetings. within the inn lived certain of the principal officers of the post office. it may be that some of these officers were interested in the royal society, and, as a matter of favour, afforded accommodation at the post office for exceptional meetings. at anyrate, an original member of the society, andrew ellis, became deputy postmaster-general in , and joseph williamson, secretary to lord arlington (who, by the way, practised music as an amateur), was also a member, the last mentioned (arlington) becoming postmaster-general in the same year. or it may be that, as the members of the royal society moved in the best circles, they were granted accommodation for special meetings by the farmer of the posts, col. dan. o'neale, who would doubtless be on intimate terms with many of the members. another supposition is, however, open to us. it may be that the post office occupied only a part of the black swan premises, that the business of an inn was still carried on within the building, and that the meetings referred to by pepys were held in a room rented for the purpose. however this may be, the entertaining diarist has left it on record that he went "to the musique-meeting at the post office." about the time of o'neale's death, or a little later, occurred the great plague of london, - . the officers of the post office did not escape the fatalities of that terrible scourge. the senior clerk of the establishment, james hickes, with whom the reader must now be familiar, describes, in a petition written shortly thereafter, how the plague affected the post office. he says "that dureing the late dreadfull sickness, when many of the members of the office desert the same, and that betweene and of the members dyed thereof, your petitioner, considering rather the dispatch of your majesty's service then the preservation of himselfe and family, did hazard them all, and continued all that woefull tyme in the said office to give dispatch and convayance to your majesty's letters and pacquetts, and to preserve your revenue ariseing from the same." now, as in august the number of officers attached to the london post office was only , it would appear by hickes' statement that from one-half to two-thirds of the staff were carried off by the plague. in a letter written to jos. williamson (who, like a great many other principal officers of the government, had fled from the scourge), dated the th august , hickes gives some further particulars of how things proceeded at that time. he tells williamson that the postmaster of huntingdon has been directed to forward his letters, "airing them over vinegar before he sends them." then he adds, that the chief office is "so fumed, morning and night, that they can hardly see each other; but had the contagion been catching by letters, they had been dead long ago. hopes to be preserved in their important public work from the stroke of the destroying angel." williamson had asked hickes to give £ on his behalf to the poor of st. martins-in-the-fields; but the latter answered that he did not know where to get it at this time, "where all doubt ever seeing each other again." hickes adds, that the sickness is increasing, and that their gains at the post office are so small that "they will not at the year's end clear £ of their salaries." the whole business of the city of london seems to have become paralysed. on the rd august an ambassador in london wrote to his government that "there was no manner of trade left, nor conversation, either at court or on the exchange." on the th of the same month one richard fuller wrote that not one merchant in a hundred was left in the city; that every day seemed like sunday; and that though he had a great deal of money owing to him, he could not get in a penny, nor could he sell any goods. the concluding portion of hickes' petition, above referred to, may merit perusal. in justification of his prayer, he says: "soe that your petitioner, being now arrived to neere years of age, hath acquired for all the service of his life nothing but weaknesses and severe distempers, which his dayly attendance and assiduitie hath contracted. may it therefore please your most sacred majesty, in consideration of your petitioner's service and sufferings, his age and weakness, haveing gained noe estate, but a bare subsistance by his hard services, that your majesty wilbe gratiously pleased to give him such a compensation as may suport and preserve your petitioner and his wife, now in their old age." hickes did not, however, immediately retire from the post office: he remained in its service some time longer. in another petition at the time of the restoration, he makes mention of some of his official antecedents. he says that "he sent the first letter from nantwich to london by post in , a road now bringing in £ a year." he settled the bristol and york posts, and conveyed letters to the late king at edgehill and oxford. he refers to his committal to prison, previously mentioned in these pages, in ; and gives us the further information that his aged father was one of the royalists who are said to have been slain on the field of edgehill. hickes, after his imprisonment, was employed in the king's service; but somehow he got back into the london post office, under the commonwealth, about the year . in yet a further petition, hickes, again claiming credit for keeping the post office open during the plague, begs that he may have an order to the commissioners of prizes, to deliver to him some brown and white sugar granted to him by his majesty from the ship _espérance_ of nantes, condemned as a prize at plymouth. shortly after the plague, the great fire of london broke out. it commenced on the st september , and on the rd september it reached the chief post office, in bishopsgate street. in these early times, as has already been mentioned, some of the officers lived on the premises--the higher officials, at anyrate. sir philip frowde was then one of the controllers, and james hickes was senior clerk. on the rd september the latter writes to williamson as follows, dating his letter from the post house at the golden lion, red cross street (this inn was probably a branch post office at the time):--"sir philip and his lady fled from the office at midnight for saftey; stayed himself till a.m., till his wife and children's patience could stay no longer, fearing lest they should be quite stopped up; the passage was so tedious, they had much ado to get where they are. the chester and irish mails have come in; sends him (williamson) his letters; knows not how to dispose of the business. is sending his wife and children to barnet." it is not very clear whether the post office in bishopsgate street was entirely destroyed,--it was certainly destroyed in part. at any rate, on the th august , nearly a year after the fire, an official notice was issued that the kentish office had been removed "from the round house to the grand office in bishopsgate street, for the better dispatch of business." whether this grand office was in the old black swan or in other premises we are unable to say. these records make it tolerably clear that the chief post office was still placed in bishopsgate street for some time subsequent to the fire. the early locations of the post office in london seem to have been as follows:-- .--in sherborne lane, king william street. .--inland letter office (under the earl of warwick) in bartholomew lane, at the back of the old exchange. removed afterwards to cloak lane, dowgate. removed later to the black swan, bishopsgate street, where it was at the time of the great fire. was again in bishopsgate street after the great fire. later it was removed to the black pillars in bridges street, covent garden. in the new regulations laid down for working the posts in , it was ordered that each mail should be accompanied by a label, or what would now be called a time-bill or way-bill, and that upon this label the arrivals at the several stages should be noted, instead of upon the letters or packets as had previously been done. the labels used in , specimens of which exist in the public record office, are curious documents. they are like a double sheet of foolscap, but longer and narrower, and are furnished with a printed heading as follows:-- [illustration] _for the special service and affairs of his majesty._ haste, haste. poste-haste. whereas the management of the poste stage of letters of england, scotland, and ireland, is committed to my care and conduct; these are therefore in his majesties name to require you, in your respective stages, to use all diligence and expedition in the safe and speedy conveyance of this mail and letters from london to ____ , and from thence to return; and hereof you are not to fail, as you will answer the contrary at your perils. given under my hand this ____ past ____ in the morning. to the several postmasters on ____ road. the bills were signed in writing by philip frowde, the then working head of the post office. the stages, and the official distances between the stages, at this time from london to berwick, were as follows:-- london to waltham, miles. waltham " ware, " ware " royston, " royston " caxton, " caxton " huntingdon, " huntingdon " stilton, " stilton " stamford, " stamford " witham, " witham " grantham, " grantham " newark, " newark " tuxford, " tuxford " scroby, " scroby " doncaster, " doncaster " ferribrigs, " ferribrigs " tadcaster, " tadcaster " yorke, " yorke " burrowbridge " burrowbridge " n. allerton, " n. allerton " darlington, " darlington " durham, " durham " newcastle, " newcastle " morpeth, " morpeth " alnwicke, " alnwicke " belford, " belford " berwick, " ---- ==== the number of despatches weekly to the principal continental cities, and the times allowed for transit to or from london, were these:-- madrid, once a week, transit, days. venice, " " " " geneva, " " " " marseilles, " " " " paris, twice " " " the hague, " " " " brussells, " " " " frankfort, once " " " dantzicke, " " " " stockholme, " " " " cologne, twice " " " mayence, once " " " hamburg, twice " " " copenhagen, " " " " leghorne, " " " " naples, once " " " about this time joseph williamson became editor of the _london gazette_; and for his purpose, as well as for the use of the government, all manner of news was collected through the post office. williamson had a rival in the news business in one muddiman, who had previously had charge of williamson's correspondence. hickes exerted himself to the utmost in opposing muddiman, writing to his correspondents "to assure them that muddiman, being dismissed by williamson from the management of his correspondence, for turning it to his own advantage, could not communicate much news, and that his letters were no longer to be franked." the zeal of hickes carried him so far as to violate muddiman's letters; and as listeners often hear unpleasant things of themselves, so hickes had a like experience in looking into the rival's letters. a copy of one of muddiman's letters to his correspondents, left in hickes' own handwriting, runs as follows:-- "james hickes, a little fellow of the post office, having written about him, he informs them that, on a misunderstanding with williamson about the _gazette_, he has quitted that office, turned his correspondents to secretary morice, and will write fully and constantly as before. has discovered hickes in some practices, and has not therefore given him his letters to sign, nor a copy of them to write after." the following are specimens of the news sent up from the country to hickes:-- th march --from richd. foster, newcastle. "in the impress of seamen, the mayor, sir ralph delaval, and others agreed to make volunteers of capt. john wetwyng's pressmasters, who, knowing the haunts of most of the seamen of the town, managed so well that almost as great a number of volunteers and pressed men will be returned as will be had out of scotland; as none can escape the pressmasters, many come in as volunteers because they will not be pressed; there are hundreds of stout young keel and barge men who could do good service, and hundreds would go volunteers, if they may be employed." th march --from luke whittington, hull. "col. morley, the present governor of hull, sent out several files of musketeers to serjeant bullock's house, two miles off, where a conventicle of to fanatics was held; only were seized, as their scouts were out, and they fled." th june --from edward suckley, landguard fort. "on the th, the duke of york with all his fleet came to sole bay, where they are at anchor, with dutch ships taken and prisoners; sail are sunk or taken; opdam, trump, and eversen, and other commanders, killed. on our side lords fitzherbert and falmouth, and two other lords, are killed." th october --from fras. newby, harwich. "a mighty eagle lighted yesterday on the ropehouse on the green; her wings seven feet long, and one claw inches long; she is thought to have come from some far country, and to have been extremely weary, for she budged not at the first shot made at her, and was killed by the second. has sent him a dried salmon," etc. at this period ( ), the riding work seems to have been very slow indeed. on the th may of this year, hickes gives a return which shows the following results:-- plymouth to london, at the rate of to miles an hour. yarmouth " " " - / " " bristol road " " " " " gloucester " " " - / " " chester " " " " " york " " " " " the speed at which the mails should have been carried between lady day and michaelmas was seven miles an hour, so they were travelling at little more than half their speed. yet severe measures were taken by the post-office authorities against the postmasters. by a petition of john paine, postmaster of saxmundham, it is set forth that he was taken into custody "for not having seven horses ready as soon as sir philip howard expected, though they were ready within half an hour." the postmaster of witham, essex, was also summoned before lord arlington for neglect, and imprisoned. so great had been the effect of the pressing of men for the fleet at this period that, on the nd july , sir philip frowde writes to williamson, that "most of the post-boys on the kentish road are pressed, so that unless some course be taken, expresses or envoys cannot come or go." chapter xi on the expiry of o'neale's grant, the office of postmaster-general was conferred upon henry lord arlington, the grant in his case being for a period of ten years, dating from midsummer . during the commonwealth, arlington, as sir henry bennet, had been a faithful adherent of the king while in exile on the continent, and for a time was his representative at the court of madrid. as a statesman, after the restoration, he was held in high esteem by charles, and is well known as a member of the cabal. he was a busy man in the affairs of his country, and, consequently, was unable to fulfil, in person, his duties at the post office. and so we find that he discharged these duties by deputies, the two men intrusted in the first instance with the work being his brother, sir john bennet, and one andrew ellis. ellis died in , and in his place was appointed his cousin, colonel roger whitley, who continued to hold the office of deputy postmaster-general till the close of lord arlington's first term in . the precise conditions of arlington's grant, as regards rent, are not known. the patent roll sets forth that the sum of £ , s. was to be reserved to the order of the king as in previous grants, but that the remaining rent payable by arlington was to be determined by a tripartite indenture, of the same date as the patent, to be executed between james duke of york of the first part, henry lord arlington and lord berkeley of stratton of the second part, and mary dowager-viscountess falmouth of the third part. the terms of this indenture have not apparently come down to us. the third party to the indenture was the widow of viscount falmouth, who fell in the battle with the dutch off lowestoft, on the rd june , and the arrangement here made was probably with the view of securing her some allowance. haydn, however, places lord arlington's rent, in , at £ , , but we are unable to say from what source these figures are taken. lord arlington's advent to the post office in was marked by measures that were held to be very oppressive by the staff of that office. this is abundantly clear from letters written at the period by james hickes, the senior clerk. he writes to williamson, secretary to lord arlington, with whom he had intimate relations in connection with the _gazette_ business, as follows:--"many postmasters are in london, or coming up, in order to their future settlements: understands his lordship's pleasure to be that they must pay a fine; and has given reasons therefor to those who applied to him for advice, so as to prevent hard thoughts of his lordship, and prepare them for quiet submission." the fine here mentioned is a payment that was demanded for renewal of employment, something after the plan previously in vogue whereby the deputy postmasters obtained their places by purchase. to obtain places by purchase was the common practice during the reigns of james i. and charles i. again hickes writes about himself, that he "expects little compassion, notwithstanding all his services and diligence, if williamson do not stand firm to him." then, upon some interference by sir john bennet with the clerks sending letters or news books post-free, hickes says that "he would rather withdraw and live on salt and water," and that he refused to pay for his own letters or news books. he "told sir john that the governors had rather blamed the clerks for not corresponding more with the postmasters to keep things right, as by so doing a correspondence had been settled with all parts of the kingdom. told him there was not a man in the office who did not deserve continuance and encouragement instead of reduction of salary, and that such severity would ruin the office." sir john, "said he could have officers who wanted employment. told him that blades with swords at their sides, and velvet jackets, would not do the business, as some had proved very rogues and cheats, and were rooted out.... sir john said that as his lordship had to pay a greater rent than before, other things must be improved." he again writes, that "sir john bennett tries to reduce the postmasters to s. a mile, which lowers them from £ to £ a year; and that he makes and unmakes contracts, so that they fear they may be removed at pleasure. the two porters are reduced from s. to s. a week, and are no longer to have d. for each express sent to whitehall; the letter carriers are reduced from s. to s.... will do his best, though told he is designed for ruin when he has served their turn," etc. in a further letter hickes writes, that he "will wait upon williamson and his lordship shortly, and if no more kindness is shown him for services done, shall take his leave, and rest upon god. is hardly dealt with, as whatever care and pains he takes, it contribrites not a candle, nor a cup of beer as formerly granted; and the taking away of these poor petty things is the present reward for the most considerable and advantageous service done. writes all this to him, as being the only person to whom he can unbosom himself." we will add but one more extract, from a later letter written in hickes' despair. he intimates a desire to wait upon williamson, but he pleads that "his service is so severe that he has not two hours' rest between the post going out and coming in, and seldom has half an hour's sleep, by which means he is becoming decrepid and dropsical." then he adds, that "he will wait with patience; and if he die without consideration, it will be a comfort to know that he has discharged his duty faithfully in all hazards and hardships." incidentally, hickes mentions in one of these plaintive letters that his salary as senior clerk was £ a year. he also indicates that sir john bennet[ ] was no favourite with the staff; for he says of him, that when he comes into the office "it is with such deportment and carriage that no king can exceed." these letters afford a fair idea of the measures which were being applied to the service under lord arlington's postmaster-generalship. the paucity of information left to us of the internal working of the post office in its earlier years, is doubtless due to the fact that the books in use under the various farmers of the post were removed at the termination of each farm, being the property of the farmer, and in most cases these books have disappeared with time. fortunately, however,[ ] one set of books remains, that referring to the period from to , when, under lord arlington, colonel roger whitley was deputy postmaster-general. these books contain the correspondence with the deputy postmasters throughout, the country, and afford much interesting information as to the state of the posts in that limited term. colonel roger whitley, as appears by the _historical manuscripts commission reports_, was either the individual of that name who, when governor of aberystwith castle, had to surrender to the parliamentary troops, or a son of that person. he was, at anyrate, an attendant upon king charles ii. during his exile, and, in the semblance of a court then maintained, he held the position of a member of the privy chamber. a letter is extant in which the king begs from whitley the loan of £ . at the restoration, whitley received the appointment of harbinger to the king, and now the appointment of deputy postmaster-general. it is not improbable that he was a cheshire man, from the facts that his daughter was married to sir john mainwaring of peover, in that county, and that colonel whitley himself, or his son, was mayor of chester in . during the time of whitley's deputy postmaster-generalship, he represented flint in the house of commons. andrew marvell says of him that by the farm of the post office "he got a vast estate." in some loose sheets prefaced to the first volume of whitley's office letter-books, referring apparently to the year , is a schedule showing a rearrangement of the salaries of the deputy postmasters in the country, when lord arlington assumed the farm of the post office. the fragment of the document on the opposite page shows how the matter was arranged. for the renewal of their deputations under the new postmaster-general, the postmasters were mulcted in a fine or payment equal to one year's salary as adjudged to be proper to the several offices, the rate allowed being about s. per mile per annum. now, as the mails, as a rule, at this time travelled three times a week, the rate per single-journey mile carrying the mail works out at about twopence and one-third of a penny. it is worthy of note, that on the admission of the deputy postmasters to office they were required to pay, in addition to the fine above referred to, fees for their deeds of deputation amounting to £ , s. these fees went to the clerks at head-quarters, among whom they were divided, as a payment, apparently, for the drafting and preparing the necessary papers. this must have been a heavy tax upon the postmasters, the sum mentioned being equivalent in value to at least £ of our present money. chester road. +-----------+------------+-----------------------+-----------+-----------+ | miles | | | | salaries | | (up and | | | old | according | | down). | stages. | postmasters' names. | salary. | to derby | | | | | | road. | +-----------+------------+-----------------------+-----------+-----------+ | | | | £ s. d. | £ s. d. | | | | | | | | single | london | j. bennett | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | and | barnet | walter yorke | | | | " | st. albans | sarah simpson | | | | " | dunstable | robert joxon | | | | " | brickhill | john younger | | | | " | towcester | andrew snape | | | | " | daventry | valentine suckborough | | | +-----------+------------+-----------------------+-----------+-----------+ --------------+---------------------------+------------+ salary | | | according to | | | judgement. | | fines. | | | | -------------+----------------------------+------------+ £ s. d. |{ viz. for riding, £ } | £ s. d. | |{ per annum, and £ } | | |{ per annum for sending } | | |{ his horse each } | | |{ night to the office. } | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | -------------+----------------------------+------------+ the letters of roger whitley on subjects relating to the appointment of deputies, to the riding work, the packet services, and to his dealings with the public, are interesting in many ways. they are somewhat curious in language and style, and show a quaint relationship existing between himself and his subordinates. to the country postmasters, whitley ordinarily subscribed himself, "your very loving friend," "your assured loving friend," and the like. the salaries of the postmasters were usually arranged after negotiation by letter, and, in many cases, by a subsequent visit from a friend on behalf of the postmasters. whitley rather discouraged visits from the deputies themselves on the subject of salaries, and the object of the friend's visit is not very clear. while lord arlington had reduced the scale of pay in to something like s. a mile per annum, the scale was further reduced under whitley to about s. a mile. the postmasters were not entirely remunerated by salary. they enjoyed privileges not allowed to other innkeepers, which brought them profits and immunities. they had the old monopoly of providing horses for persons riding post, at the fixed rate of d. per mile, with d. per stage for the guide. they were exempt from serving in the militia and in certain other public capacities, and they frequently had relief from the quartering upon them of soldiers. this exemption did not, however, apply to the regiments of guards. in some cases, also, they were favoured with a couple of _gazettes_ weekly, out of which they probably made something by attracting thereby customers to their inns, or by circulating them in their towns and districts. from these various sources did the postmasters receive a return for their services to the posts. beyond this, however, the riding work brought travellers to their houses; and if the wages paid by the deputy postmaster-general were not high, the deputy postmasters probably "took it out" of the public. at anyrate, colonel whitley had himself some experience of high charges, as appears by a remonstrance made by him to one of his postmasters, as follows:--"i much admire to have a bill of charges sent after me (for i use not to leave any place till these be defrayed), especially since my son paid all that could be demanded, which was judged by all that had skill in these affairs to be extreme (or rather unreasonably) dear. mr. davies, i made use of your house out of civility and kindness to you, but did not expect your exactions. i could have had better entertainment, on better terms, elsewhere. consider well of it; and as i have always been civil and just to you, so let me receive the like from you." the postmasters were very dilatory in sending up their moneys to the head office, and admonitory letters were daily sent out urging upon them greater punctuality. these varied in terms from a gentle reminder to the veriest threat. the following is a fair specimen of the latter:--"by yours of the th you promise to pay the money due for last quarter when you receive this quarter's accounts. i am resolved no man shall be employed by me (in this office) that does not clear every quarter immediately after it is due. wherefore, i once more require you to send up your money upon the receipt of this letter, or i will endeavour to get it some other way, and find a more punctual man for the employment.--your loving friend." whitley was greatly troubled, or had every reason to be troubled, by the very frequent delays of the mails. it would be tedious to cite case after case, and more interest will be found to lie in the terms of whitley's letters, two of which run as follows:-- * * * * * "to mr. sadler, postmaster of marlborough. "i can no longer endure your shameful neglect of the mails. i have grievous complaints from bristol of the prejudice they receive thereby; and find that it is , , , or hours commonly betwixt you and chippenham, which is but miles, and ought to be performed in hours. this is a most abominable shame and scandal to the office; and i tell you, mr sadler, in few words (for i will not any more trouble myself to write you on the subject), that if this be not speedily amended, but the like abuse be committed again, you may expect a messenger for you to answer it before those that will be impartial judges and just rewarders of such shameful neglects. be advised to look better about your business, or you will suffer for it." * * * * * "to mr ballard, monmouth. "i am tormented with complaints from the gentlemen of glamorgan and monmouthshires, of the neglect and slow coming of the mails to these parts. i observe the labels, after they have passed gloucester, commonly omitted to be dated, that it may not so easily be discovered where the fault lies. i have writ so often on this subject that i am weary of it; and admire you should be so little concerned, when it is evident you are so far from performing your duty as you ought, and are obliged to do. i acknowledge to have much respect for you, but cannot suffer the public to be wronged by anyone i employ. i pray let this neglect be amended, or it will make a breach; consider well of it." the threat held out in the former of these two letters of a messenger being sent for the postmaster was really a serious affair, for it meant the taking the postmaster into custody, and his being probably involved in expenses to the extent of £ before he could obtain release. it might be supposed that the farming of the posts was a most unbusinesslike way of carrying on the work of the public conveyance of letters. but there is another side to the question; and arguments are not wanting that, for the development of the service, the farming was, in some respects at anyrate, a very satisfactory arrangement. the work was committed to the hands and control of a single individual, who was unfettered by treasury or other restrictions, and who was bound to find a sum sufficient for the payment of his rent. he was further under the influence of a personal interest in the way of securing a profit to himself, and as a consequence, while his tenure lasted, he put forth his utmost endeavour to make his office useful to the public, and to extend its scope. further, upon each increase of rent came a new incentive to fresh exertions in the way indicated, and the growth of the post office was steady and rapid. whitley was a man of a very conciliatory nature: his letters attest it. he was always anxious to please the public. in disputes over irregularities, and matters relating to alleged overcharges, he was most indulgent. in a letter of apology to dr. bathurst, president of trinity college, oxford, he writes:--"i will not permit him (the postmaster) to dispute, but submit my interest to your pleasure, being assuredly safe therein. i have ordered him to wait on you, and not only to do you right in this matter, but conform with your demands in all things; and i humbly beseech you to have that goodness and charity for me as to believe me of another composition than to be guilty of such low unworthy practices, but own me as one that is ambitious of the honour of being esteemed, your," etc. to the postmaster of york he writes in a strain advising like conciliatory dealings with the public. "i cannot imagine," says he, "why you should not think yourself sufficiently empowered by my last and former letters to do right to the merchants in all their just demands; nay further, to gratify them sometimes in little disputes (though they be in the mistake) rather than exasperate and disoblige gentlemen that support the office by their correspondence. if you reflect on my last letter, you will find that i refer it to you and them to do with me (almost) what you please.... i hope when you acquaint these gentlemen with what i write, it will give them satisfaction, especially seeing i make them chancellors in their own case." in a like matter of dispute at norwich, whitley writes to the postmaster:--"i know their own ingenuity will prompt them to consider the usefulness of this office to their commerce, and how we work and travail night and day for them.... i never found, in all my experience, that i lost anything by submitting to the justice and civility of conscientious men." a similar strain of patient forbearance towards the public runs through the whole of whitley's correspondence. whitley was at all times alive to the interests of the office and himself, by giving additional facilities for the sending of letters. writing to the postmaster of oxford, he says:--"in my opinion, the college butlers may be useful to you in receiving and dispersing letters, etc., and i wish you would be in a good correspondence with them; and let your letter-carriers call there for letters, to be sent to london, immediately before the post goes away, as well as to bring letters to them when the post comes in." it was seen that a field for extended business presented itself at tunbridge wells. accordingly whitley seizes the opportunity and makes the necessary arrangements, giving the postmaster advice and instructions as follows:--"i have ordered the mails to go from hence sooner than ordinary, that the letters may be at tunbridge early in the morning; wherefore fail not to be there ready to receive them, and then make all possible haste with them to the wells, that the gentry may have them before they go to their lodgings." this arrangement would doubtless appeal to the love of gossip in the frequenters of the wells, who would naturally have some rivalry to receive the most recent _items_, and to discuss them while they lingered over the morning cup. the post-master was further ordered to call every post-day "on mr. miles, confectioner on the walk, who will deliver you what letters he receives for london or elsewhere." during the season the posts ran daily between london and tunbridge. the by-letters occasioned uneasiness to whitley, because he was entirely in the hands of the postmasters for the accounting of them. he thus defines them:--"by by-letters i mean all letters of your stage and branch sent by your agents or boys, to any place but london or beyond it." the revenue from this class of letters was a matter of arrangement between the deputy postmaster-general and the country postmasters, the former finding it a convenient plan to farm this correspondence to the postmasters. whitley distrusted the returns of by-letters made by his agents, as the following letters to postmasters show:--"i wonder at your great mistake in your by-letters; the account you give me amounts to much more by the year, and yet i have good reason to believe (i speak it without any disrespect or reflection on you) that i have not account of the fourth part of your stage. your servants may be negligent, and boys abuse you; however, i am at the loss; but resolve, where i find any injustice of that kind hereafter, to sue the bond, and doubt not but some postmasters will be so kind and honest as to give me true information." again, "i find a great decay in our by-letters of late. i hope you are a person of more integrity than to design (by this means) to beat down the price. do not do it; i have other measures to go by; you will but wrong yourself as well as me. you do not offer the third part of the value. however, to avoid suspicion, the trouble of accounts, and possibly suits at law, i will let you have it for thirty pounds the year (hull gives fifty), and take the benefit of by-letters into the bargain. you know i could have other chapmen." colonel whitley may have had painful experience of law suits, for he expresses himself to one of his postmasters in the following strain:--"being forced by mr. vaughan's ill-payment to have recourse to the law to get my money, i cannot meet with a sincere attorney, but they juggle and will not serve the writ, pretending they cannot; wherefore, relying much on your kindness and ingenuity, and having no other way to get my right, i send the enclosed writs to you." he gives directions as to the serving of them, and adds, that "it will be an extraordinary kindness to me." on the th july , whitley wrote his views on the subject of conformity to the postmaster of belford (mr. carr) in the following safe terms. in some respects the letter is amusing. it runs:--"i think it not only convenient but necessary for every postmaster to conform to the late law about the sacrament and oaths; not that it will anyway concern me or this office, only in the safety and wellbeing of those that relate to it. i pray consult the law itself, being too nice a point for me to give my opinion of, and the judges themselves are shy in the matter; but on the one hand you are sure not to err, therefore that is the safest way." the postmaster of ware having, by a like omission, got himself into trouble, is thus written to:--"i am sorry to hear that information is given into the exchequer of your neglect in not taking the oath of allegiance and supremacy and the test lately ordained by parliament.[ ] i fear this may be troublesome to you, it being unsafe for anyone to bear an office that will not conform to the laws established." footnotes: [footnote : andrew marvell says of bennet that he "got of the poor indigent cavaliers' money £ , , and other wayes near £ , more."] [footnote : the property of sir philip mainwaring, bart., of peover hall, knutsford, by whose courtesy they have been consulted.] [footnote : the declaration required was in the following terms:--"i do believe that there is not any transubstantiation in the sacrament of the lord's supper, or in the elements of bread and wine, at or after the consecration thereof, by any person whatsoever."] chapter xii as compared with the sober and temperate style of official correspondence in the present day, when a civilly expressed request is generally held to convey all the force of a direct command, whitley's letters to his deputies savour of smartness and incisiveness that are somewhat striking. mr. pye, the deputy at morpeth, having quarrelled with some of the postmasters at neighbouring post stages, by sending travellers bound for scotland by the road through owler (wooler) instead of by belford and berwick, whitley had to fall upon him. one of whitley's letters to mr. pye is as follows:--"i understand you well and your designs, but you shall not prevail with me (for all your specious arguments or applications to great persons) to countenance you in your indirect ways. as for the scottish lord that _pufft_ at my letter, i value it not. i would rather he did so than applaud me for doing otherwise," etc. the postmasters were very tenacious of their rights as to the posting work, which was probably the most remunerative part of their business, and they did not stick at trifles in asserting these rights. the postmaster of dartford, mr. glover, got into trouble in december by laying hands upon several french gentlemen of quality, monsieur vendome among the rest. it appears that these persons had hired horses in london for their journey; but on reaching dartford they were pulled off their horses, and forced to take post horses from the deputy. down to the year , liverpool was without a horse post. correspondence took place in that year between whitley and the mayor of the town with the view of improving the service. in one letter whitley writes:--"i agree with you that the trade of that industrious place ought to have quicker despatch in its correspondence, and may deserve a horse post as well for expedition of letters as conveniency of travellers; but if the charge be imposed on the office, the benefit will not balance the expense." negotiations were thereafter entered upon with alderman chanler of liverpool, with a view to his taking up the work. the proposal was "to carry the preston mail from warrington to wigan (as it is now done), to send to liverpool by a horse post, also to prescod and ormskirk (if a foot post will not be as convenient to this latter), and to carry the mail back again to knutsford; and i hope you will do this for forty pounds per annum." previous to irish letters from manchester were carried up to london, to be thence forwarded to their destination by way of chester and holyhead, from which latter place the irish packets sailed. in this year, however, a more direct circulation was arranged: the manchester letters being carried south to stone in staffordshire, where, striking the post road for holyhead, they were carried forward with the london mails for ireland. between london and south wales the transit of letters was of the slowest possible kind, and gave rise to much complaint. on the th july , mr. courcy, postmaster of pembroke, is written to on the subject in these terms:--"yours of the th came not to hand till the rd, the usual despatch of the south wales posts, or days in the way; if you can tell me who opens your bag i know how to have satisfaction, but without that discovery i am in the dark, and know not what to do." in london at this period there must have been but one delivery a day by letter-carrier. this appears by the terms of a complaint made to the postmaster of harwich concerning the late arrival of the mails, which resulted either in the keeping the "letter-carriers in the office to attend your bag, or not issue out your letters till the next morning." the country mails were at this time due to arrive in the very early hours of the morning. in , there were at least seven branch post offices in london for the receipt of letters for the mails, and from these offices letters were required to be sent up to the central office nightly as despatches were made every week-day for one or other of the roads, or for foreign parts. the packet service was the occasion of much trouble and anxiety. the french and flanders packet boats sailed from dover, and those for holland from harwich. whitley had a great deal of correspondence with the agents at these two ports on the subject of their irregular proceedings. to the agent at dover he writes:--"there is an information that the boats stay at calais (sometimes) hours after the mail is on board to take in goods, and that occasions the irregular coming over of the mails." the agent at harwich is informed that "the commissioners of customs complain that you refuse to enter and pay custom for some rack wine which you (or some of your masters) lately took up at sea; they are much offended at it." the same agent has conveyed to him, "lord arlington's command to require the masters of the holland packet boats not to refuse passage to any english soldiers that shall desire to come over in their boats; but that care be taken, as soon as they arrive in england, to secure them and put them into safe custody. this you are to give them in charge and see it strictly observed." the soldiers here referred to were doubtless deserters from the english force in holland, with which country we were then ( ) at war. peace, following this war, was proclaimed in london on the th february , and the same night an express was despatched to the duke of lauderdale, a member of the cabal, then at edinburgh. it no doubt contained tidings of the peace. the instructions issued to the postmasters for the special urgency of the express were as follows:--"all postmasters between london and edinburgh are hereby required to forward this express with all possible expedition, and not detain it in any stage for the ordinary maile, but hast itt away as soon as received, as they will answer the contrary. "dated at the generall letter office in london past six att night this th feb. ." colonel whitley was greatly annoyed by the neglect to secure letters from the merchant fleets when they arrived off our coasts. on this subject he writes to the agent at deal:--"i am much troubled to find so small an account of letters from the great merchant fleet that came lately into the downs. such a fleet was wont to allow me or letters, and now i have not so many hundreds. there was certainly a great neglect in your boats, which, turning so much to my loss, i know not how to pass by." in a similar matter the agent at dover is remonstrated with. "i wonder," says whitley, "how i came to be disappointed of the great abundance of ship letters that came in with the last fleet, and were brought on shore at dover by the pursers and others--great bags and portmantlesfull. here they are carried to the exchange and round the town in great quantities, and those they cannot get off they bring to this office. the parties confess that they brought them on shore at dover without control." dissatisfaction was also given through the irregular carriage of freight by the packet boats. "i have yours of the rd," says whitley to the dover agent, "but do not understand why your masters should pretend to such a privilege as to carry over silver or any commodities in the packet boats without giving me account thereof. i find that that practice hath been longer, and is more used than you mention. i expect satisfaction. the harwich packet boats would not carry over oysters without my order, and give me account of all they do; but i know it much otherwise at dover." the good opinion thus expressed of the virtues of the harwich people was not of long duration, for a few days later we find whitley writing the agent there in the following very irate fashion:--"you are very brisk in yours of the th; perhaps i may be so too when i see you. i deny that you ever told me of your bringing over any goods in the packet boats upon your own or any merchant's account without paying for them; and why should you do it? are not the boats mine? should i suffer you or others to drive so profitable a trade in my boats, and by the assistance and management of my servants (as those seamen are that i pay wages to), and i to have no benefit for freight, nor thanks, but the contrary? i need not tell you how this comes to be a prejudice to me; you are not so ignorant as to require information in the case; you are free to follow any lawful callings, but not at my charges, in my boats, and with my seamen. you cannot justify it (as you say you can); but i will justify that in this and other things you are ungrateful, and (perhaps i shall make it appear) unjust too. i have deserved better from you." on the st september , a letter is written to the agent at deal, wherein whitley puts his finger on the cause of the neglects at that port. "i am daily tormented," says he, "with the complaints of the merchants, and my ears are filled with the noise of seamen's wives and others concerning the neglect of their letters, who are now fully resolved to redress themselves to his majesty.... it will be proved that your boats very seldom go on board with letters, to force the seamen to come ashore to drink at your house.... they go on board other ships with brandy and other liquors." the boats sailing in the packet service to and from holland were galiot-hoys, of which three were regularly engaged--two of tons and one of tons, and in each six men were employed. the tonnage of these boats was not greater than that of a decently-sized stonehaven fishing boat; yet they were supposed to provide adequate accommodation for passengers. in , the passenger fare from harwich to holland was s. in february , a proposal was on foot for conveying letters from flanders and holland to spain and portugal by way of england, but it does not appear that the plan was given effect to. the idea was to set up a packet service for this purpose from plymouth to some port in spain, the boats to be employed being of , , or tons, "with good conveniency of cabins, and able to encounter storms," and furnished with crews of not under seven or eight good men. in one of his letters on this subject whitley writes, that "the gentleman that demands £ per mensem for a vessel of tons is much out of the way"; and he adds, "i have two of that burthen to holland at a less rate." a service of this kind from plymouth is stated to have been kept up in cromwell's time; but possibly the reference is to the packets set up by charles i. when he was in the west of england and at war with the parliamentary party. the port of despatch then was weymouth. whitley was very sympathetic over the hardships to which the seamen were exposed in his service. to the agent at dover he writes, on the occasion of a disaster:--"i am very much afflicted for the loss of mr. lambert, who had the character of an honest, able man. it was a great mercy that the rest were preserved. i pray god send us good accounts of our other boats, with better weather. we must resign ourselves and all our concernments to the will of god, and depend on his providence." on another occasion, he expresses himself thus:--"i pray god keep our men and boats in safety these terrible storms; i assure you my heart aches often for them." about the same period, whitley deplores the loss of the captain of one of the dublin packet boats, who was washed overboard. reference has been made to the packet boats conveying passengers as well as mails. these, it seems, were not always kept in a tidy condition, and the deputy postmaster-general had to speak his mind on the subject, drawing an unpleasant contrast between his own countrymen and foreigners. "your boats," says whitley to the agent at harwich, "are also rendered so contemptible, so nasty, ill provided, and out of order, that we do not only lose many passengers, that will not venture with them, but it is a reproach to our nation to have such bad accommodation, when our neighbours are so neat and exact in theirs." in some respects the reproachful contrast is one not confined to whitley's days. not only was it the case that separate rooms were not always provided at the country post offices for the treatment and safe custody of letters, but the following complaints from the deputy postmaster-general prove that at certain places the letters were very carelessly dealt with. to the postmaster of rochester, whitley writes:--"i hear there is great neglect in your sending out of letters, and that there is a great abundance of them scattered about your house, especially in your chamber and upon the tester of your bed. this shows want of order in your business. you should get some room apart to be your office, in which only you should bring your mails, open and close them, and where you should sort letters, and let nobody come into it but yourself." the position of affairs at hereford was perhaps worse. in june , the postmaster, mr philpotts, is thus written to:--"i have complaints from persons of very good credit, that their letters are not safe in your hands; they do not directly accuse you, but allege that your office being kept in the prison, it gives opportunity to prisoners, by countenance with some of your servants, to intercept letters of business with writings, and whereby the parties concerned are much damnified and the office abundantly scandalized." at witham, on one occasion, the mail was allowed to lie at the stage from ten o'clock at night till six the next morning, "the servants refusing to rise out of their beds to forward it." at times the mail seems to have been intrusted to anyone who could ride a horse. for carelessness in a matter of this kind the postmaster of sittingbourne was challenged, in july , in the following terms:--"now have you completed the score of your neglects and miscarriages, in sending the flanders mail yesterday by a stranger, a dutchman (without any guide or servant of your own), who suffered it to be broke open on the way, the secretaries of states' packets and letters to be visited and tore, and many letters lost," etc. about the same time, the postmaster of rochester offended in a like fashion. "you sent the mail," writes whitley, "by a seaman last saturday, who rid alone, thinking he had some gentleman's portmantle behind him; but coming to dartford, and understanding it to be the mail of letters, he presently swore that if he had known what it had been, he would have cast it into some ditch by the way, for he scorned to be a post-boy." the post-boys employed were not certainly of high character in all cases. in an inquiry respecting the opening of a mail by the way, whitley writes thus to the postmaster of colchester:--"i have made inquiry what has become of the post boy that formerly lived at whitechapel, whom you rendered such a notorious rogue, whose father was hanged, and he deserved the same; and i find you have got him to your house, which i much wonder at, you knowing him to be such a wicked villain. i cannot conceive any place to be more likely for such rogueries to be committed than where such are employed." the boys employed were in some cases very young. about delays at sarum, whitley writes:--"i am apt to believe the boys that ride are very little, and so discouraged in a dark night, which may be the chief occasion of the slow coming of the mails." well might the little fellows be discouraged in a midwinter's night, riding through lonely country, along ill-kept roads lying at times under water and full of ruts and stones. frequent mention is made at this time of the waters being out covering the ways, and one postmaster was desired to provide "able and high horses" in order to secure the forwarding of the mails. in one of whitley's letters, the road from london to dover is described as the "best and fairest in england," although, compared with our own fine system of highways, it may have been a very sorry affair. but relatively it carried the palm at the time we are dealing with. the horses supplied for riding the posts were at some places very poor creatures, and in certain cases the postmasters appear not to have had any horses of their own. on the st december , the postmaster of berwick was complained of for not having a horse and boy to carry the mail for edinburgh, and for having sent it forward to cockburnspath by carriers, thus causing great delay. on the th january , the following letter on this subject was written to mr. glover, postmaster of dartford:--"this day your boy brought the mail on his back to the office, about one o'clock in the afternoon. his horse, as he says, died on the way; which was, as i understand, one that was hired, and very unfit for his majesty's service, your boy having been often forced to drive him before him. i am also informed that you keep your own horses for posters, and hire one for the mail, though never so bad." the post office certainly did not get the best of the animals. during the time of whitley's control of the posts, the foreign mails were closed not only by means of a seal, but also by a chain which in some way rendered them more secure. great care was taken to avoid complaints from members of parliament. on occasions when parliament was about to assemble, or to break up, the postmasters were put upon their guard by means of a circular-letter addressed to them. on th march , the following letter was sent out on the subject:--"these are to advise you that the parliament being speedily to assemble, it is probable that many members may come up by post, wherefore i desire your especial care for the speedy and well accommodating of them for their satisfaction, and the honour of your employment. also to receive and deliver their letters free during their time of privilege." on the th july , the agent at dover was instructed to facilitate the bringing over from the continent of certain tradesmen, as follows:--"his majesty being informed that there are several weavers and other handy craftsmen that are desirous of transporting themselves for england, to whom his majesty (being desirous to give encouragement) has commanded me to order you to give directions to your masters of the packet boats to give passage to such of these weavers and handy craftsmen as shall bring passes with them from mr. linch, consul of ostend, or his majesty's minister at brussels, and are desirous to come and inhabit here in england." whitley had a long and troublesome correspondence with mr. mein, the postmaster at edinburgh, on the subject of settling the remuneration to be made to the latter as agent for the english correspondence. mein held an independent appointment from the king as head of the letter office in edinburgh, and whitley was not his master. the terms on which the business was arranged are set forth in a letter to mein of the th august , to this effect:--"i am content to allow you your full / th of unpaid letters from hence, with your £ salary from the commencement of my time till our late agreement of £ per annum takes place; and upon examination you will find that it exceeds what you have now contracted for and are content to accept of." at this time two boys were employed in edinburgh to deliver the letters; and the rate of postage for one ounce weight from london to edinburgh was s. d. whenever the king went to reside at newmarket, windsor, or elsewhere, daily posts were put on between london and the court, the deputy postmasters being required to keep additional horses at call for the service. it is recorded that in the midlands of england more irregularities happened with the post riders than elsewhere. this appears by a letter to the postmaster of lichfield in , wherein it is stated that "your riders are oftener lost in the night, and have more unfortunate accidents happen to them on your road, than half england besides." undelivered letters were returned by the deputies to the head office in london once in three months. at this early period ( ), the term "dead letters" was already applied to these returns. whitley had reason to suspect unfair dealing in connection with returned letters at the office of a certain deputy, to whom, in december , he wrote the following letter, which explains itself:--"this day mr. lambe brought me a parcell of returned letters from you to ye damage of above eight pounds; ye losse being soe considerable and unusuall made me more inquisitive into the particulars; and opening or bundles, i found that almost all of them had bin apparently opened; which causes my greater admiration (wonder), comeing from soe discreete a person (and one of soe much integrity and reputation as mr. gloyne is esteemed to be). if they were opened by ye partyes to whom they were directed, they ought to have bin first payd for; when ye contents are read, most letters are of small use afterwards. perhaps ye persons you imploy may buy such letters at easy rates, and so impose them on you. i cannot tell how to understand it, but under one of these notions, and soe must returne them to you; resolving not to submit to such a practise, whether it proceed from ye ignorance, corruption (or perhaps want of care and diligence) of your officers; the respect i have for you keeps me from any reflection on your selfe; onely i must oblige you to more circumspection hereafter, for if the like were done in other stages, wee should not be able to support ye charge of ye office." notwithstanding the sharp and severe terms of many of whitley's admonitions to the postmasters, his letters contain repeated offers to serve and oblige them, if only they would do their duty to the office; and the same spirit of kindly disposition is shown towards persons outside the service. in reply to an application from the agent at harwich, in the matter of finding employment for a relative, whitley writes:--"by yours of the th, i understand that a relative of yours will be in london this summer, with a design to get some employment, wherein i should think myself happy could i be serviceable to him; but the world is so altered of late to the disadvantage of young gentlemen in point of education, that there is little encouragement to be had. in times past (before the wicked rebellion), a nobleman, or great officer of state or court, would have half a score or a dozen gentlemen to attend him, but now all is shrunk into a _valet de chambre_, a page, and or footmen; and this is part of our cursed reformation. if i can serve you in this or anything else, you shall always find me to be," etc. in the matter of a lost horse, belonging to a private friend, whitley engages the services of a postmaster in the west of england, with a view to its recovery. he writes thus to the postmaster:--"sir john hanmer (a worthy gentleman) hath lately lost a large white gelding, about hand fulls high, with a blew velvett saddle, silke and silver fringe, silver nailes, etc.; the horse trots and gallops, but not pace. me was stole from chester, and heares is seised on at bristoll. i pray enquire after it; and if it be there, secure it, and give me speedy notice, whereby you will oblige," etc. this kindly spirit was not altogether on the side of the deputy postmaster-general, for repeated instances are given of good offices performed for whitley, and of presents made to him by the postmasters. in many cases whitley's letters commence with an acknowledgment in brief terms, thus: "with thanks for your kind present." it may be ungenerous to put a meaning upon these presents apart from mere feelings of kindness on the side of the postmasters; but there is reason to suspect that the presents often took the shape of money, and were the complement of expectation on the part of the deputy postmaster-general. in one acknowledgment whitley says: "i have received your token, and thank you for it, as coming from an honest man for whom i have a great respect and kindness." the "honest man" was the postmaster of manchester. replying to a letter of the postmaster of doncaster, he remarks: "i thought the seven guineas you sent by mr. butcher had been in recompence for the damage done me last year in your stage in the matter of by-letters; or a present upon some other account; but it seems you intend it to clear what you owed to the office at midsummer." reference has been made to the exaction of fines upon the postmasters at the time of lord arlington's assuming the position of postmaster-general. the deputations received by the postmasters were generally for a term of a few years; and on their renewal, the practice appears to have been to make a present to the head of the post office, or at anyrate a present was expected. this seems very clear by some letters of instruction sent by whitley to his confidential servant, saladine, when on a visit of inspection in the west of england. in one letter he says: "haste the settling all my business (but on safe terms), that you may haste homewards; get the £ , and what you can for the expense of this journey, and get what you can for me from the several postmasters by way of fine, or gratuity, for renewing their deputations." the meaning here is plain enough, but in a further letter saladine is given more particular instructions how to proceed in the matter:--"i think," says whitley, "i shall renew (the deputations) but for a year, because lord arlington hath no more time in the farm, but doubtless the postmasters will be continued if they deserve it. get what gratuities you can from them, without lessening their salaries; or if any will increase their salaries, they must fine proportionably--this to yourself." "at sarum nothing is to be done. let him know i am so sensible of his civilities that he shall be continued as long as i have to do in the office. if he offers of his own accord to make me a present, receive it; or you may drop some words as if others did it, and is usual upon renewing deputations; but not propose it; and make him sensible that i have a greater kindness for him than any of the rest. if you can prevail fairly with mr. westcombe to make a present, i pray do it; but he is a touchy person, and must be gently handled." some of the presents and civilities were, however, of a less questionable character. from beccles he receives a red-painted box containing a turkey; from shrewsbury, a cheese; from newcastle, a salmon; and he sends his humble thanks to the gentlemen of amsterdam for their kind present. to captain langley, the agent at harwich, whitley writes: "i have received a single barrel of oysters by a colchester waggon, for which i thank you." the carriage of the barrel is stated to have been d. at another time he acknowledges to have received from harwich ten lobsters; and to the agent at edinburgh he writes: "i thank you heartily for your kind present of herring. i will send to look after them, and they shall be disposed of as you desire." to the postmaster of colchester, mr hollister, the following request is made:--"i desire you to send me every week two barrels of oysters, and keep an account of them, and you shall be allowed for them in your account. but let them be the best; or when you cannot get the best, send none." the best were not always forthcoming; for some months later, th march , mr hollister is informed that: "the last oysters you sent me were so bad they could not be eaten, and one of the last was but half full; if you cannot help me with better, and better ordered, i desire to have no more; but if you could get such as are very good, and contrive some way to seal the barrels, that they may not be abused, you would oblige me to send me barrels a week for a month to come." to the postmaster of hull, mr mawson, colonel whitley makes the following request:--"i pray do me the kindness to bespeak two barrels of ale (as good as you can get), and send it with as much speed as you can to monsieur muilman, at the post office in amsterdam. let it be sent by an honest, careful (_man_), that will not suffer it to be wronged by the way, and presented from me to him. pray take care that it be excellent, and speedily sent, and let me know the cost; i will remit the money." the sums due to the country postmasters for conveying expresses on his majesty's special service were claimed every six months by the deputies, whose accounts under this head had to be accompanied by an affidavit sworn before a master in chancery or other magistrate. the amounts were afterwards obtained from the exchequer; but it is mentioned that the claims for were only paid shortly before january , while those for were still outstanding at that period ( ). whitley's correspondence in discloses a very curious fact, and one that has been entirely overlooked or forgotten, namely, that the duke of york, afterwards james ii., had at one time the post office in his own hands; and he has a claim, therefore, to be ranked as one of the early postmasters-general. on the th april of that year, whitley wrote the following circular-letter to postmasters, probably the whole number of postmasters at the time:-- "the farm of this office expiring at midsummer, and his r.h. the duke of york having declared his pleasure to take it then into his own management, commands me to give you notice of it, requiring you (if you intend to continue your employment as postmaster of ----) to come yourself, or authorize some other to appear for you at this office, before the th of may next ensuing, in order to your future contract; and in the mean time to send me the names, quality, and abode of your security, that there may be time to enquire after their sufficiency. if you fail herein, care will be taken to provide another for your stage, that the public may not suffer by your neglect. i expect your speedy answer, and remain," etc. some of the postmasters thought the occasion favourable for asking an increase of pay; but whitley gave them no hopes of success, to one of them writing that "his r. highness will expect all postmasters should serve him on their present terms." three months after the first intimation of the proposed change, a further circular-letter was issued to all the deputies as follows:--"this is to give you notice, that as money grows due to the office since midsummer last, you are to order payment thereof, by bill or otherwise, to sir allen absley, his r.hs. the duke of york's treasurer and receiver-general, making your bills payable to him or his order, enclosing them under cover directed to him; herein you are not to fail." these letters seem to leave no doubt that the duke of york actually entered upon the management of the post office, and carried it on (it may be nominally) for a time in his own hands. in connection with this royal direction of the posts, however, the historical records produce a strange complication; because, according to the patent rolls of charles ii., a grant of the office of postmaster-general for life was made to the earl of arlington, dating from june , the period when his previous grant for ten years expired. lord arlington died on the th july . whether it be that the duke of york had entered upon the new situation in the belief that he could draw to himself the whole profits of the affair without bearing any serious personal burden of troubles and anxieties, and found it far otherwise; or whether the new duties interfered in an unexpected way with his pursuits of hunting, hawking, and love-making, and that he threw aside the more troublesome business in consequence, does not appear. we know from the correspondence that whitley, after his term expired, was to continue the management of the office for the duke of york; and as (according to evelyn), arlington was "now beginning to decline in favour (the duke of york being no great friend of his)," it may be that the duke was dissatisfied with the returns from the office, and entered into it in the position of deputy postmaster-general, aided by whitley in the practical management. as regards arlington's extended tenure of the position of postmaster-general, it should be remembered that he had not only been intimately associated with the king as a minister of state, but had become nearly connected in another way--through the marriage of his only daughter and heiress, when an infant, in , to the natural son of charles ii. by the duchess of cleveland. the son-in-law afterwards became the duke of grafton; and arlington's continued connection with the post office may have been arranged by the king with a view to enhancing the postmaster-general's fortune in the interests of the duke and duchess of grafton. all this, however, will remain for elucidation when the history of the period is better known. morrison and gibb, printers, edinburgh. advertisements third edition. the royal mail: _its curiosities and romance._ by james wilson hyde, superintendent in the general post-office, edinburgh. crown vo. price s. opinions of the press. the times.--"the author of 'the royal mail' has served five-and-twenty years in the post-office, and had it been his fortune to turn novelist, like his confrère anthony trollope, he would never have been so lavish of invaluable materials. the merest glance through his pages might suggest subjects or incidents for half a score of sensational romances. but the whole of the volume is so full of fascination that once taken up it is difficult to lay it down." saturday review.--"mr. hyde's work certainly shows that, even at the present time, the business conducted by the post-office is not unfrequently enlivened by romantic incidents; while in antiquarian interest it is rich beyond the average." pall mall gazette.--"this volume is a storehouse of amusing anecdotes." the echo.--"the curiosities and romance of the post-office have furnished mr. j. wilson hyde, superintendent in the general post-office, edinburgh, with a subject for one of the most entertaining books of the year. the book is well written, well arranged, and thoroughly deserves success." graphic.--"contains a vast number of well-arranged facts, some valuable, some curious, about what is pre-eminently 'the people's institution.'" london: simpkin, marshall, hamilton, kent, & co. ltd. a hundred years by post. by james wilson hyde, superintendent in the general post-office, edinburgh. crown vo. price s. opinions of the press. daily chronicle.--"within the covers of this bright little book, mr. hyde has managed to present a most interesting picture of our post-office system in its infant days.... every page of his book is full of interest." publisher's circular.--"we anticipated being interested in this new little work, nor have we been disappointed.... mr. hyde's book comes at an opportune moment, and we have no doubt will be widely read." globe.--"this is no dry-as-dust compilation, but a brightly-written résumé, full of significant facts and picturesque incidents. the little brochure is neatly printed and usefully illustrated." scottish leader.--"it is a prettily got up little volume, containing abundance of interesting information, and a number of well-executed illustrations." scotsman.--" ... his delightful book--gives a very interesting account of the more remarkable changes that have taken place in the postal service during the past century. the book is written with the same thorough knowledge of its subject, and the same anecdotal felicity as characterised its author's _royal mail_. it is well illustrated." speaker.--"a chatty description, illustrated by reproductions of quaint contemporary prints, of the marvellous changes which have taken place in the collection and distribution of letters since the close of last century.... mr. hyde writes pleasantly, and there is not a page of his narrative which is open to the charge of dulness." daily graphic.--" ... a brightly-written narrative. mr. hyde gives many interesting figures in connection with the rise and growth of the various departments of post-office work." glasgow herald.--"mr. j. wilson hyde possesses the faculty of throwing a halo of romance around the working of the department with which he has been so long connected, and his present volume is fresh and vigorous in both matter and tone.... will serve to show the entertaining way in which he treats the subject. his illustrations are equally humorous and meritorious." the north british economist.--" ... the memories recalled are curious and amusing ... there are numerous quaint and interesting illustrations." queen.--"it gives an account of the work and development of the postal system of great britain, and relates some curious details respecting the changes that have come about in the course of years. to persons interested in this subject, the little volume will be welcome." london: sampson low, marston, & co. limited. new novels. _at all the libraries._ a romance of dijon by m. betham-edwards. poste restante by c.y. hargreaves. john darker by aubrey lee. margaret drummond by sophie f.f. veitch. paul romer by c.y. hargreaves. my indian summer by princess altieri. the curb of honour by m. betham-edwards. born in exile by george gissing. the great chin episode by paul cushing. the last touches by mrs. w.k. clifford. a tangled web by lady lindsay. the philosopher's window by lady lindsay. cap and gown comedy by ascott r. hope. under two skies by e.w. hornung. london: adam and charles black. works on economics. historical progress and ideal socialism. by j. shield nicholson, m.a., d.sc., professor of political economy in the university of edinburgh. crown vo, cloth, s. d. labour and the popular welfare. by w.h. mallock. new edition, revised and enlarged. crown vo, paper covers, s.; cloth, s. d. principles of political economy. by j. shield nicholson, m.a., d.sc. to be completed in two vols. vol. i., demy vo, price s. a treatise on money, and essays on monetary problems. by j. shield nicholson, m.a., d.sc. revised and enlarged edition. crown vo, price s. d. a history of political economy. by john kells ingram, ll.d., fellow of trinity college, dublin. crown vo, cloth, price s. a history of socialism. by thomas kirkup. crown vo, price s. the encyclopædia britannica. a dictionary of arts, sciences, and general literature. ninth edition. contains articles by the following economists:--w.s. jevons, thomas kirkup, j. shield nicholson, t.b. sprague, right hon. leonard h. courtney, mrs. fawcett, henry sidgwick, robert somers, j.e. thorold rogers, e.w. brabrook, j.k. ingram, f.a. walker, c.f. bastable, prince kropotkine. in twenty-four vols. and index. each vol. is to be had in four parts, price s. d. each. london: adam and charles black. the post office of india [illustration: group of senior officers of the post office in p. sheridan e. c. o'brien w. alpin w. j. ham g. j. hynes rai bahadur sunder lal h. m. kisch e. r. douglas j. dillon f. r. hogg h. e. m. james e. hutton _director general_ ] the post office of india and its story by geoffrey clarke indian civil service with sixteen illustrations london: john lane the bodley head new york: john lane company mcmxxi _the mayflower press, plymouth, england._ william brendon & son, ltd. preface when i first decided to write a short account of the post office of india my intention was to close my story with the amalgamation of the post office and the telegraph department, which took place in . publication has been delayed for various reasons, chiefly owing to the outbreak of the war in , and since then many strange things have happened. consequently i have had to revise several chapters and felt compelled to write one upon the wonderful work done by the indian post office in the great war. i have also brought the statistical information up to the year . much of the matter referring to the early posts in india has already been given in mr. hamilton's book, _an outline of postal history and practice_. this is only natural, as we have both drawn from the same sources--namely, the records of the postal directorate in calcutta. i have tried to tell the story of the post office in such a way as to be interesting to the general reader as well as useful to the student. the ordinary routine of post office work is not exciting, but the effect of the work, the benefits it confers, the dependence of the public upon its proper execution, are themes to inspire the pen of a romantic writer. "the romance of the post office" was the title of a delightful article in _blackwood's magazine_ by sir arthur fanshawe, late director-general of the department, and to this article i must acknowledge my obligations for several passages in the book. i am much indebted to mr. r. w. hanson and mr. f. f. shout, assistant directors-general of the post office of india, for their assistance in producing this work. mr. hanson is responsible for the chapter on "the post office in mesopotamia and the persian gulf," and mr. shout for the chapter on "the sea post office" and the paragraphs dealing with the district post, as well as for the index. the chapter upon indian stamps is based largely upon _the postage and telegraph stamps of british india_, by hausburg, stewart-wilson and crofton, published by messrs. stanley gibbons, and i am greatly indebted to messrs. stanley gibbons for the loan of their blocks and for permission to use them in this book. contents chapter page i. the post office of india ii. the origin of the post office iii. early postal regulations iv. later postal regulations v. parcel post vi. the railway mail service vii. money orders viii. savings bank ix. the people and the post office x. the indian postman xi. post office buildings xii. the post office in indian states xiii. the overland route xiv. the sea post office xv. the post office in mesopotamia and the persian gulf xvi. the post office during the indian mutiny xvii. the indian field post office xviii. the indian field post office during the great war xix. indian postage stamps appendices page a. personnel of the post office b. extracts from the early regulations regarding the mail service c. methods of travel in early days d. statement showing the work of the post office savings bank from to e. statement of inland money orders issued in india since f. historical associations of the calcutta general post office g. extract from the narrative of the interruption in the mail arrangements in the n.-w.p. and punjab subsequent to the mutiny at meerut and delhi on the th and th may, , by mr. g. paton, postmaster-general, north-west provinces h. the work of the field post office between and j. the post office insurance fund index illustrations group of senior officers of the post office in _frontispiece_ sir charles stewart wilson, k.c.i.e. _facing page_ group of senior officers in " sir william maxwell, k.c.i.e. " combined passenger and mail motor van " general post office, bombay " general post office, madras " post office, agra " group of senior officers in " early stamps " sheet of four-anna stamps, " block of half-anna (blue) stamps of " victorian issues of postage stamps " edwardian and georgian issues of postage stamps " general post office, calcutta " site of black hole, calcutta " the post office of india the post office of india and its story chapter i the post office of india to anyone connected with the work of the post office of india it is almost inconceivable that the present institution, with its vast organization and its elaborate system, has grown up in the course of little more than half a century. previous to the post office was a medley of services in different provinces, each having separate rules and different rates of postage. regular mails were conveyed over a very few main lines between important towns, and collectors of districts were responsible for the management of their own local post offices. there were no postage stamps, and since rates were levied according to distance, and distances were often unknown, the position of a postal clerk in a large office was a distinctly lucrative one. in large cantonments a military officer with plenty of other duties was usually postmaster, and his supervision was at best sketchy, especially during the snipe shooting season. in a commission of the kind with which we are now so familiar both in india and england was appointed to consider the state of the postal services, and the result of its deliberations was the post office act of and the conversion of the post office into an imperial department under a single head called the director-general. uniform rates of postage were introduced and postage stamps instead of cash payments were brought into use. that marvellous set of rules known as the post office manual was prepared, which has since grown into four healthy volumes. every official in the department is supposed to have the contents of these at his fingers' ends, but in reality few have ever read them through, and anyone who attempted to obey all their instructions would find himself sadly hampered in the exercise of his duties. the appointment of a director-general, by bringing the separate services under a single administration, laid the foundation for future progress. suitable officers were recruited and were taught their duties, better pay and improved prospects of promotion were a great inducement to the staff to take an interest in the work, and through communications which took no account of district or provincial boundaries were established. the gradual growth of the powers of the director-general has largely depended on the needs of the department, and also, to an appreciable extent, upon his own strength of will and his personal relations with the member of council, who controls the department of government to which the post office is subordinate.[ ] the director-general is assisted by two deputy directors, who are, in fact, the secretaries of the post office, and under these again are four assistant directors in charge of four main branches of post office work. all the above officers have the title "general" attached to their designations in order to increase their self-respect, but i have omitted it to avoid an annoying reiteration. of the three personal assistants, one has to be a walking encyclopædia since he is in personal attendance on the director-general; the others are financial and technical experts. the office itself is under the immediate supervision of a titled bengalee gentleman of considerable attainments, and his clerks are mostly bengalee graduates whose abilities are supposed to vary with their salaries. for the purposes of administration, the whole of india and burma is divided into eight circles, corresponding with presidencies and provinces as far as possible. each of these is under the control of a postmaster-general, who is sometimes a member of the indian civil service and sometimes an official of the department. the powers of a postmaster-general are great, his patronage is large and the working of the post office is dependent on his capacity for railway travelling at all seasons of the year. his circle is divided into divisions in charge of superintendents, who should be little understudies of himself. the real business of the department, however, is performed by post offices, and these are divided into head, sub and branch offices. the head office is the account and controlling office of one or more districts and is in charge of a postmaster, who in large towns ranks as a divisional officer. the sub-office is under the control of a head office for account purposes. it does all kinds of postal work and is always opened where there is a sufficiency of correspondence to justify its existence. the branch office is only intended for villages and places where there is no need of a sub-office. it is really the pioneer of the department for the purpose of opening up new areas to postal communications. in small places a branch office is put in charge of a schoolmaster, a shopkeeper or any other local resident who has sufficient education to keep the very simple accounts required, and by this means the post office is able to give the advantages of its great organization to villages which could never support a departmental office. a still cheaper agency is used for the outlying hamlets, which only receive and send a few letters a week. these are visited periodically by the village or rural postman, who is a kind of perambulating branch office. he delivers letters and money orders, and also receives articles for despatch. he sells stamps and quinine, and being a local man he has to face a certain amount of public opinion if he doesn't act fair and square towards the villagers in his beat. in some hill tracts he is provided with a bugle to announce his arrival, and to the inhabitants of these he brings news of the outside world; he writes their letters and explains to them his own conception of the mysteries of the money order system. but what would be the use of all these offices and all this organization without lines of communication? the chief lines are, of course, the railways, but they form a separate organization and will be discussed in another chapter. for places off the railway there are motor lines and tonga services, such as that sung by kipling between kalka and simla but now a thing of the past owing to the completion of the hill railway. the romance of the post office, however, must always lie in the mail runner, or hirkara as he is called in old books on india. the number of tigers sated with his flesh is past count, the himalayan snows have overwhelmed him, flooded rivers have carried him off and oozy swamps sucked him down. but in the face of all these dangers, has the runner ever failed to do his duty? according to the stories, never, and in real life perhaps not more than once or twice. is the torrent in spate? he must ford it or swim. has the rain wrecked the road? he must climb by the cliff. the service admits not a but, nor an if, while the breath's in his mouth, he must bear without fail in the name of the emperor--the "overland mail."--kipling. postal runners are largely drawn from the less civilized races of india, many of whom are animists by religion. they will face wild beasts and wandering criminals, but will go miles to avoid an evil spirit in a tree. with them the mail bag is a kind of fetish which must be protected and got to its destination at all costs. dishonesty among them is almost unknown and they are wonderfully true to their salt, which with them seldom exceeds twelve rupees a month. to prove that the old stories are not all myths, a case came before the director-general recently in a rather peculiar manner. the audit office, that soulless machine which drives executive officers out of their minds, sent in an objection to a gratuity being given to the family of a runner who, when carrying the mails, had been eaten by a tiger. the objection was that gratuities were only given for death in special circumstances, for instance, when death occurred in the performance of some specially courageous action, and that, since carrying the mails was part of the man's ordinary duty, his family was not entitled to any consideration. the actual story of the runner's death, as told by the villagers and the village watchman, is this: the runner's beat had been recently frequented by a man-eating tiger, and several of the country people had been carried off by him during the previous few days. on the afternoon in question the tiger was known to be in the neighbourhood, and when the mails arrived the villagers warned the runner not to go then, but to wait until next morning. since the man-eater was an early feeder--that is to say, he killed his prey early in the afternoon, the runner waited until five o'clock and then persuaded the village watchman to accompany him. he hadn't gone more than two miles when out came the tiger and seized him. the watchman escaped and took the mails to the next stage, and the family of the man who nobly faced death in the execution of his duty was deprived of its wage-earner. this is a very bald account of a really heroic deed, and it is pleasing to learn that mr. levett yeats, the accountant-general of the post office at the time, who was the very soul of romance and chivalry, dealt with his objecting subordinate in a manner worthy of the heinous nature of his offence. the road establishment of the indian post office amounted to , persons out of a total staff of , on the st march, , so there is some excuse for having devoted so much space to it. the postal staff had to deal with over millions of articles during the year, of which, according to the annual report of - , only . per cent failed to reach their proper destination. when one considers that there are more than twenty written languages in india in common use, and that a large number of addresses are almost illegible and are mixed up with invocations to the deity and many other high-sounding phrases, one can only say, "bravo, the post office! how do you do it?" with such a large correspondence a handsome revenue might be expected, even when the minimum rate for letters is a halfpenny; but the indian is a frugal person and he does most of his correspondence on farthing postcards, on which he can cram a great deal of information by carefully using every available portion. postcards were introduced in and now account for nearly half of the articles handled. the private card, with a figure of some favourite god or goddess, is competing strongly with the ordinary government postcard, and wonderful ingenuity is employed to enable the writer to avail himself of more space than the regulations permit. the unpaid letter is also much in evidence in india. there is an idea that a letter on which postage has to be collected is much more certain to reach its destination than a prepaid one. this heretical doctrine has been strongly condemned in several pamphlets issued by the director-general, but with little effect. and who knows? perhaps there is a certain amount of truth in it, founded on bitter experience. unpaid postcards had to be abolished recently, when it was discovered that they were universally read and then returned to the postmen as refused. the writer generally concealed his identity from the officials, with the result that it was useless to try and recover the postage due. among a suspicious and ignorant people any innovation is likely to be looked at askance, and this is especially the case in india, where the introduction of postcards was received with suspicion, although their low price ensured a ready sale. an extract from the _amrita bazar patrika_, one of the foremost indian papers, shows that they were not at first regarded as an unmixed blessing. the extract is taken from the issue of the th july, , and is as follows:-- "postal cards are now a rage all over india. there are men who, to make the contents of the cards unintelligible, make them altogether illegible. some express themselves in hints which are not only unintelligible to the postal clerk and peon, but to the person addressed also. others have got a notion that all letters, to be sent either through the post or through private harkaras, must be written on postcards, that being the hookum[ ] of the sirkar; and it is not unusual to see a fat and ignorant, though extremely loyal and law-abiding, zemindar[ ] sending his letters to his steward written on half a score of postcards, one or two not sufficing to contain his great thoughts. there are others who write their thoughts on postcards and enclose them in an envelope, and attach a half-anna stamp before posting. these men have naturally raised a loud complaint against the unconscionable exactions of government, and native papers given to writing sedition should not let slip this opportunity of indulging their profitable pastime. but the great difficulty is to teach the people on which side of the card the address is to be written, and we think it will be some years before they are enlightened in this respect. but really does it matter much if the address is written on the wrong side? we think that the people of india living under the enlightened rule of the british should have the privilege of writing the address on whichever side they like." what a merry time the poor sorters would have if the sentiments expressed in the last sentence were given effect to! but doubtless the _amrita bazar patrika_, with its enlightened staff, its splendid circulation and carefully printed addresses would scarcely maintain the same opinions now. the post office of india must be congratulated upon its good fortune in never having been regarded by government as a revenue-producing department, and as long as it paid its way with a small surplus the powers were satisfied. any excess was devoted to improvements in the service, and full advantage has been given to this concession in past years by the introduction of many reforms destined to meet the growing needs of the country. recently, postage rates were reduced to such an extent that for a few years the post office worked at a loss, a most unsatisfactory state of affairs; however, a marked recovery is noticeable already and it is again a self-supporting institution, the gross revenue for the year ending the st march, , being more than lakhs[ ] of rupees, which gave a net surplus of nearly lakhs on the year's working. from being merely an agency for the conveyance and distribution of letters and light articles, the post office has gradually undertaken an enormous amount of what may be called non-postal work. it deals with vast numbers of money orders, collects the price of goods for tradesmen, pays pensioners, sells quinine, deals in government loans, and is the poor man's bank, all of which matters will be dealt with separately. it is to be hoped that no new line of business is going to be taken up in the near future, such as the sale of railway tickets, which was once seriously proposed, or else the principal duty of the department may be forgotten in the turmoil of the side shows. footnotes: [ ] this is at present the department of commerce. [ ] order. [ ] landholder. [ ] one lakh = rs. , . chapter ii the origin of the post office the postal system of india, like that of other countries, had its origin in the necessity of maintaining communication throughout the various parts of a great empire in order that the emperor might be kept continuously informed of what was taking place and might be able to keep in constant touch with the officers in charge of provinces at a distance from the capital. when ibn batuta was travelling in india in the middle of the fourteenth century he found an organized system of couriers established throughout the country governed at that time by the great mahomed din tughlak. the system seems to have been very similar to that which existed in the roman empire, and is thus described: "there are in hindustan two kinds of couriers, horse and foot; these they generally term 'el wolak.' the horse-courier, which is generally part of the sultan's cavalry, is stationed at a distance of every four miles. as to the foot-couriers there will be one at the distance of every mile occupying stations which they call 'el davah' and making on the whole three miles; so that there is, at the distance of every three miles, an inhabited village, and without this, three sentry boxes where the couriers sit prepared for motion with their loins girded. in the hands of each is a whip about two cubits long, and upon the head of this are small bells. whenever, therefore, one of the couriers leaves any city he takes his despatches in one hand and the whip, which he keeps constantly shaking, in the other. in this manner he proceeds to the nearest foot-courier and, as he approaches, shakes his whip. upon this out comes another who takes the despatches and so proceeds to the next. for this reason it is that the sultan receives his despatches in so short a time." some of the oldest runners' lines in india were established for the purpose of conveying fruit and flowers to famous temples, and colonel broughton in his most interesting book, _letters from a mahratta camp_, describes one such line between udeypore and pushkar in rajputana. in his _historical sketches of the south of india_, colonel wilks tells us that among the earliest measures of raja chick deo raj of mysore, who came to the throne in , was the establishment of a regular post throughout his dominions. the post office in mysore was not merely an ordinary instrument for conveying intelligence, but an extraordinary one for obtaining it. the postmasters were confidential agents of the court and the inferior servants were professed spies, who made regular reports of the secret transactions of the districts in which they were stationed. this system, which was more fully developed by hyder ali, became a terrible instrument of despotism. the moghul emperors kept up a regular system of daks, and ferishta tells us that sher shah, during his short reign of five years, - , was the first who ever employed a mounted post in india. he constructed a road from sonarung in bengal to the banks of the indus in sind, a distance of two thousand miles, and placed two horses on the road at every two miles. the emperor akbar had post houses built at stages ten miles apart on the principal roads and swift turki horses were placed at each stage. one of these post houses can still be seen on the road between agra and sikandra. the british do not appear to have found any established system of communication when they began to extend their dominion in india, and in the beginning of the eighteenth century it was a matter of no small difficulty to send a letter more than a distance of one hundred miles. a regular postal system was first introduced by lord clive in , and the zemindars or landholders along the various routes were held responsible for the supply of runners to carry the mails. for this service a deduction was made in their rents in proportion to the number of runners supplied. the order recorded in the minutes of consultations of the th march is as follows:-- "for the better regulation of dauks" "ordered that in future all letters be despatched from the government house; the postmaster or his assistant attending every night to sort and see them sent off; that the letters to the different inland settlements be made up in separate bags, sealed with the company's seal; that none may open the packets except the chiefs at the different places, who are to open only their own respective packets; and "ordered that they be directed to observe the same rule with respect to the letters sent down to calcutta." the following is an extract from the public proceedings th july, ;-- "as there have been of late frequent miscarriages of packets to and from madras without possibility of tracing the cause, not knowing the stages where they do happen, as no advice is ever sent us by the neighbouring residencies, and as this on any emergency may be attended with the worst of consequences, it is agreed to establish the following rules and communicate them to the presidency of madras, recommending the same to be circulated to the factories and residencies subordinate to them, as we shall do to those dependent on bengal:-- "that the packets henceforward be numbered in regular succession for the present season from this time to the end of the year, and in future from the st january to the last of december. "that the day and hour of despatch as well as the number be noted on the tickets affixed to the packets; that on every packet the number and date of the next preceding despatch be noted. "that in order to have the earliest information of the loss of a packet at any time, the resident or chief of a factory shall regularly give advice of the receipt of each packet to the resident of the stage from whence it came last. "that when any packets are found to be missing the chiefs or residents at the two nearest stages shall immediately make it their business to examine the dauks or tappies very particularly, and punish them severely when they do not give a satisfactory account how the packets came to be lost, giving advice in the meantime to each presidency. "that the postmaster at calcutta and residents at balasore, cuttack and ganjam do keep separate registers of despatches to and from madras. "that all packets be sealed with the governor's as well as the company's seal to prevent their being opened till they arrive at the destined place. "and as we have reason to believe that by proper attention to the tappies, the communication with madras may be more expeditious, particularly between vizagapatam and bandermalanka, where making allowances for passing the rivers, it is remarked they are very tardy, it is agreed to write to the gentlemen at madras to mention this to their subordinate factories that they may fall upon proper measures to remedy it, and recommending small boats or saugarees to be stationed at the different rivers." under the administration of warren hastings the post office in india was placed on a better footing and steps were taken to make the posts which were established for official purposes more generally available for private communications. in january, , the details of a regular system were laid down, which was brought into force on the st march, . a postmaster-general was appointed and postage was charged for the first time on private letters. the lowest rate of letter postage was two annas per hundred miles, and copper tickets of the value of two annas, to be used solely for postal purposes, were specially struck for public convenience. in november, , revised regulations for the post office were laid down which took effect in the province of bengal from december of that year. in madras followed suit upon proposals made by mr. j. p. burlton, a junior civilian in government service. he suggested the adoption of a regular postal system on the lines of bengal, under which all letters except those on the public service should pay postage. in mr. archibald campbell was made postmaster-general, madras, and arrangements were made for fortnightly services to calcutta and bombay. there was some dispute between the court of directors and the madras government regarding the appointment of a postmaster-general. the former refused to accept mr. campbell and nominated mr. burlton; the latter objected to mr. burlton and appointed mr. legge wilks, who was shortly afterwards succeeded by mr. oliver colt. for the next fifty years the history of the post office is obscure. the territory occupied by the east india company in consisted of three isolated portions adjoining the three presidency towns of calcutta, madras and bombay. the company obtained the administrative control of part of the carnatic and the provinces known as the northern circars in . the fiscal administration of the provinces of bengal, behar and orissa was handed over by the delhi emperor in , and by the treaty of salbai in the bombay government retained the islands of elephanta and salsette. in lord wellesley arrived in india inspired by imperial projects which were destined to change the map of the country. in tippoo, sultan of mysore, was defeated and slain at seringapatam, and the carnatic or south-eastern portion of india ruled by the nawab of arcot, as well as the principality of tanjore, were placed under british rule. these territories constitute the greater part of the present madras presidency. in the whole of the tract between the ganges and jumna, known as the doab, with rohilkhand, were obtained by purchase from the nawab vizir of oudh. in , after the second mahratta war, orissa was forfeited to the british and berar to the nizam of hyderabad. in the himalayan states were taken from the nepalese, in the pindaris were crushed in central india and in , after the third mahratta war, the bombay presidency was formed. assam was annexed in , and bharatpur taken in . the extension of postal services over this vast increase of territory can be traced only by scattered references in official documents. there was no general postal system in the country prior to . a few main lines of couriers connecting the principal towns in the various provinces with the seat of government had been established for the conveyance of government letters and parcels, but the use of these mail services by private persons was conceded only as a privilege. the local posts in districts between police stations and head-quarters were maintained by the zemindars or landholders of each district, and their duties in this respect are laid down in bengal regulation xx of . the postmasters of presidency towns exercised the functions of a postmaster-general in their own provinces up to , and the collectors or district officers were responsible for post office and mail lines within the limits of their own jurisdictions. there was no central authority to secure the co-operation of postal officials in different provinces or to maintain uniformity of procedure, and the charges for the conveyance of letters, which, in the absence of postage stamps, were levied in cash, varied according to weight and distance. thus the cost of conveyance of a letter from calcutta to bombay was one rupee a tola ( / oz. approximately), and from calcutta to agra twelve annas a tola. as postal officials were inclined to get as much as possible out of the public, private posts existed everywhere and were able to compete successfully with the government services. the letters of victor jacquemont, who travelled in india in as naturalist to the royal museum of natural history, paris, throw some light on the working of the post office at the time. the post was carried altogether by runners, and the travellers' bungalows on the various routes were under the post office. according to jacquemont, three servants were attached by the postal administration to each bungalow, to look after the comforts of travellers and to supply them with palanquin bearers. letters seem to have had very uncertain careers. the usual time from france to upper india was eight months. jacquemont had no great faith in the post. on several occasions he trusts his letters to the almighty to watch over during their travels. under the provisions of act xvii of a public post was established and government assumed the exclusive right to convey letters for hire in the territories of the east india company. uniformity was attempted by the issue to all post offices of elaborate polymetrical tables, which fixed the charges to be levied on the principal routes. the act of caused a great deal of dissatisfaction owing to the abolition of many private and well-organized services which were not at once replaced, or else replaced very inefficiently, by government services. the landholders had to pay a local cess to maintain the district posts, and they felt it a distinct grievance that they should have to pay for the upkeep of these, as well as fees for their correspondence, while all official letters were carried free of charge. an inquiry made by captain taylor of the bengal establishment into the working of the act brought many of these grievances to light, and on his recommendation certain improvements were made in the interests of the landholders. thus there grew up in india a dual system of posts--on the one hand, the imperial post, which controlled all main routes and large offices; on the other, the district post, which was entirely local and controlled the rural services in each district. the establishments were quite separate, and where the two systems came in contact there was often a great deal of friction. the principle on which the district post was based was the liability of landholders to maintain communications for government purposes between the executive head of a district and his subordinates in outlying places--a responsibility which in many instances they were glad to discharge by a money payment to the magistrate who undertook the organization of the requisite agency. the laws under which it was administered were framed with the object of levying a small cess in each district. this was used, at the discretion of the magistrate, for the payment of dak-runners and other persons who conveyed correspondence between police stations and district officials. this local post undoubtedly existed from ancient times, and its maintenance was a liability to which the landholders had been subject from a period long before the advent of british rule. the district post in india, which was an important, though not very efficient, auxiliary to the imperial post, thus owed its origin to the need for maintaining the means of official communication between the head-quarters of each district and the revenue and police stations in the interior, where the general wants of the locality were not such as to call for the provision of imperial post offices. it consisted of lines of communication connecting such stations, and was maintained primarily for the conveyance of official correspondence in accordance with the requirements of each district, but subsequently it was also made available for private correspondence. in some parts of the country the cost of the district post lines was met by local cesses specially levied for the purpose, and in other places it was met from imperial or provincial grants as a charge on the general revenues of the country. originally the district post in india was managed by district officers or other local officials quite independently of the imperial post, but, in order to increase the efficiency of the service, local governments and administrations were asked to transfer the management to the officers of the imperial post office. the north-western provinces (now united provinces) government was the first to accept the proposal, and the management of the district post there was taken over by the postmaster-general of the circle in the year . this arrangement did not constitute an incorporation of the district post with the imperial post, but merely a transfer of the management of the former to the officers of the latter, the financial control of the district post remaining as before with the local government. as was anticipated, this measure led to rapid development of private correspondence, an acceleration of the speed at which the mails were carried and a marked improvement in the postal arrangements in the interior of districts. consequently the objections which were at first raised in many quarters were silenced, and the other local governments and administrations soon fell into line, so that in the course of the next fourteen years the management of the whole of the district post throughout india was gradually transferred to the imperial post office. as the number of imperial post offices increased the primary object of the district post became less important and its funds were devoted more and more to the extension of rural delivery and postal facilities in backward rural tracts. as these tracts developed and the postal traffic produced sufficient revenue to cover the expenditure the imperial post took them over, and the money thus set free was used to start offices, lines and rural messengers in country not yet opened. in this way the district post acted the part of pioneer to the imperial post and greatly assisted its progress. in , in connection with the revision of the provincial settlements, the government of india decided to abolish the exceptional arrangement under which, in some provinces, a portion of the revenue and expenditure in connection with the district post was included in the provincial accounts. it was ordered that from the commencement of the new settlements all such receipts and charges which were then provincial would be made imperial. in accordance with this decision all the district post establishments in the presidencies of bengal and madras and the province of assam, which were formerly paid from provincial funds, were brought directly on the general establishment of the imperial post office with effect from the st april, . two years later the government of india decided to take over the remaining district post charges in india, and the district post was abolished entirely with effect from the st april, . it was at the same time ordered that from that date every postal charge would be an imperial one and that no postal charges of any description whatsoever might be incurred from provincial or local funds. in three commissioners, messrs. courtney, forbes and beadon, were appointed by the government of india to inquire into the methods for making the post office more efficient and more conducive to the convenience of the public than it had been hitherto. in the commissioners, after making exhaustive inquiries, presented a report which dealt with every phase of post office work, and on this report has been based the whole fabric of the present administration. the most important questions discussed were: ( ) the necessity for a uniform rate of postage irrespective of distance. ( ) the need for prepayment of postage by means of adhesive postage stamps. ( ) the fixing of a low initial rate of postage. ( ) the abolition of franking. ( ) the formation of the post office as an imperial department under a director-general, with postmasters-general in each province who would not be subject to the authority of the local government. ( ) the publication of manual rules for the use of postal officials. ( ) the establishment of sorting offices at suitable places. ( ) the introduction of money orders. ( ) the regulation of the bhangy or parcel post. ( ) the introduction of cheap and uniform postage for newspapers, books, pamphlets, etc. ( ) the transfer of district posts to the imperial post office. the report of the commissioners is contained in a bulky volume of some six hundred pages, of which the preamble is most interesting and throws a great deal of light on the domestic history of india in the first half of the nineteenth century. the reforms are based throughout on the principle that the post office is to be maintained for the benefit of the people of india and not for the purposes of swelling the revenues, and it is greatly to the credit of the government of india that in all times of stress and strain, as well as in times of prosperity, they have loyally observed this principle, although there have been many temptations to act contrary to it. with the advance of postal administration in india in the last sixty years we can hardly realize the difficulties that had to be faced in . one of the chief ones was the poverty of the great bulk of the population, many of whom could ill afford to spend even the smallest indian coin, namely, one pie, a twelfth part of a penny, on anything that was not necessary for their own sustenance. in dealing with this matter the following remarks of the commissioners are very interesting:-- "in considering what plan of postage is best suited to the circumstances of india, and most likely to conduce to the convenience of the public, the social and commercial advancement of the country, and the ultimate financial advantage of the department, the difference between the circumstances of the european and native portion of the community must be distinctly borne in mind. it must be remembered that the former are very few in number, but, generally speaking, well educated and in affluent circumstances; that they are accustomed and inclined to social correspondence, for which, from being collected at particular stations throughout the country, they have great facilities; and are comparatively little hindered from indulging in it by the expense which it entails on them, being for the most part regardless of the pecuniary advantage which they might derive from a more careful attention to the weight of their letters. the natives, on the other hand, are incalculably more numerous than their european fellow-subjects. upon the moderate assumption that there are two thousand natives for every european, and that not more than per cent of the former can read and write, still there must be twenty natives for every european who can correspond by the post without assistance, provided that the means of paying postage are within their reach, and that the receipt and delivery of their letters are facilitated. but they are poor, and, though well inclined to correspond, greatly prevented from doing so by the present high rates of postage to distant stations, and still more by the distance which separates the mass of them from the nearest post office, and by the consequent trouble, expense, uncertainty and perhaps loss, which the receipt and despatch of their letters involve. the occupations in which large numbers of natives are engaged connected with the internal trade of the country are such as naturally to render their correspondence on matters of business far more extensive than that of europeans, the greater part of the latter being engaged in the service of government and not under the necessity of writing letters except on their own personal concerns or those of their friends. with the improvement of the means of communication, extension of trade and the gradual spread of knowledge throughout the country, the instructed and writing portion of the native community will continue to bear an increasing ratio both to the rest of their fellow-countrymen men and to the european residents in india, but to the bulk even of these the amount they can afford to expend on the postage of their letters must ever be a matter of strict economical calculation. it may be regarded as certain that the utmost care will always be observed by the native community in keeping the weight of their letters within the minimum chargeable weight; and unless some considerable reduction is made in the existing rates of postage to distant places they will continue to resort to ingenious contrivances for the purpose of saving expenditure under that head, or avoiding it altogether." the practice of "clubbing" or of enclosing a number of small letters in one cover addressed to a person who undertook to deliver them by hand was very common in india before and is not unknown at the present time. when the difference in cost between a single and double letter was considerable, this practice entailed a great loss of revenue to the post office, and in order to stop it the commissioners proposed to make the unit of weight a quarter of a tola and to charge extra postage for each quarter tola of weight. the unit finally adopted was half a tola, as it was thought that post office clerks would have difficulty in detecting such small divisions of weight as a quarter of a tola. at the same time heavy penalties were imposed on clubbing, and the practice has gradually fallen into disuse. [illustration: sir charles stewart wilson, k.c.i.e. director general - ] uniformity of postage irrespective of distance had many opponents at the time. it was recommended by the commissioners on the ground of fairness, simplicity and the facilities it gave for the introduction of other improvements into the department. to use their own words: "combined with a low rate of charge, it forms the conspicuous and chief benefit which the monopoly of the carriage of letters enables government to confer upon the whole body of its subjects, by almost annihilating distance and placing it within the power of every individual to communicate freely with all parts of the empire. it makes the post office what under any other system it never can be--the unrestricted means of diffusing knowledge, extending commerce and promoting in every way the social and intellectual improvement of the people. it is no longer an experiment, having been introduced with eminent success into the united kingdom as well as into the united states of america, france, spain and russia." there was a strong body of opinion in favour of the compulsory prepayment of postage in all cases on the ground that in india it was most difficult to collect the postage due on bearing letters; in fact, the letters were usually sent open, read by the addressees and then refused, so that both the sender and recipient got all they wanted out of the post office for nothing. however, wiser counsels prevailed. it was recognized that compulsory prepayment might mean great hardship in many cases, and the english system of charging double postage on unpaid articles was adopted. these few extracts are sufficient to show the fine spirit that pervaded the work of the commissioners. they were true imperialists and never took the petty view, but adhered to the maxim of the greatest benefit to the greatest number. their names are forgotten, but the result of their labours has remained in the fine organization now known as the post office of india. chapter iii early postal regulations act xvii of , the earliest enactment establishing a proper postal system in india, repealed bombay regulation xi of which declared all private dawks within the bombay presidency to be illegal. it conferred the exclusive right of carrying post for hire on the governor-general in council and fixed the penalty for evasion of this order at rs. for each letter. the bhangy post was opened to the public with the condition that letters exceeding tolas must be sent by bhangy wherever such a line existed. the governor-general in council was authorized to frame a scale of distances, according to which the rates for inland postage should be calculated and also to fix the rates for steamer and ship postage. strict regulations were laid down compelling commanders of vessels to deliver all letters on board to the post office at each port of call, also to receive all letters handed over to them by the post office at any port. the commander of the vessel received one anna for each letter delivered or received. we find the origin of the dead letter office in sections to of the act. unclaimed letters after lying for three months at any post office were to be sent to the general post office of the presidency, and at intervals, not exceeding three months, lists of such unclaimed letters and packets were to be published in the official gazette, when letters and packets lay unclaimed for a period of eighteen months at the general post office, the postmaster-general was authorized to open them and pay any valuable property found therein into the government treasury for the benefit of the party having a right to it. after a further period of twelve months unclaimed letters were to be destroyed. the governor-general in council had the power to grant to any person the privilege of sending and receiving all letters and packets by letter post free of postage, and of sending and receiving letters and packets by bhangy on the public service free of postage. this privilege was granted to the following persons:-- his majesty's principal secretaries of state. the president and secretaries of the board of control. the chairman, deputy chairman and directors of the east india company. the secretary, deputy secretary and assistant secretary at the east india house. the governor-general. the governors of bengal, madras and bombay. the governor of ceylon. the lieutenant-governor of the north-west provinces. the chief justices of bengal, madras and bombay. the bishops of calcutta, madras and bombay. the members of the supreme council. the members of council of madras and bombay. the puisne judges of the supreme courts of bengal, madras and bombay. the recorder of prince of wales' island, singapore and malacca. the commander-in-chief of his majesty's naval forces. the commander-in-chief of the army in india. the commander-in-chief of the army at madras and bombay. postage was charged for letters according to the following schedules:-- _distance_ _postage for a letter not_ _in miles._ _exceeding tola._ anna. annas. " " " " " " " " " " " " " rupee. single postage to be added for each additional tola or part thereof. special rates for distance were also fixed for: ( ) law papers, accounts and vouchers attested as such, with the full signature of the sender. ( ) newspapers, pamphlets and other printed or engrossed papers, packed in short covers open at each end, imported matter being charged at a cheaper rate than matter printed in india. parcels were limited to tolas ( lbs.) in weight, and the rate was annas for tolas ( oz.) for miles, then annas for every additional tolas or part thereof for every miles up to miles, after which annas was charged for each tolas for every additional miles up to miles. for miles the rate was rs. as. for every tolas, and for miles and upwards rs. . by act xx of the weight of letters and packets which could be carried by a road on which there was no bhangy post was raised from to tolas, and the postmaster was allowed to use his discretion in forwarding packets exceeding tolas. it was also enacted that "all fines incurred under post office acts shall be demanded by notice from postmasters-general or from any postmaster, and if not paid shall be levied together with costs on goods and chattels. if no goods are forthcoming the offender may be committed to prison for twenty-two calendar months unless the fines, etc., are sooner paid." postmasters were authorized to detain any letter in respect of which any party was liable to a fine. act xvii of empowered the governor-general in council to alter postage duties as fixed by sections and of the act, but not to increase them. the fact that postage rates were fixed with respect to distances in is not a matter for surprise when the state of indian roads at the time is considered. in , shore, in his _notes on indian affairs_, describes the main road between calcutta and benares as no better than a cart-track, and says that the only road worthy of the name in india is that between calcutta and barrackpore. nor was it until , with the abolition of the old military boards and the establishment of the public works department, that the art of road-making began to improve. it will thus be understood that in the maintenance of postal lines was a real difficulty. all mail matter had to be conveyed by runners, and a slight extra weight entailed a considerable extra cost. with the introduction of railways in and good metalled roads, upon which light wheeled carriages could be used for the conveyance of mails and passengers over long distances, a complete change in postal administration was effected, and it was no longer necessary to vary the rates for letters according to distance. with all the advance made in postal legislation and the regulation of rates there was not yet any controlling head. the post office was managed by postmasters-general who were also postmasters in the presidency towns, while collectors of districts had charge of post offices upcountry. receipts were still granted for every article received for despatch, and in the bombay presidency the addresses of all articles were entered in lists known as puttees; these were given to the postmen who brought back the addressees' signatures on them. the addresses upon all articles passing in transit through the post office were also recorded; bags were not used, only packets of paper or cloth. the english mail at this time was received once a month and, since not more than lbs. weight of mails could be conveyed along the bombay-calcutta line in one day, a week was often required for its disposal. originally the opium merchants had their own lines, and on these being stopped they used to send private expresses by the government dawk, which was a great source of revenue to the post office. act xvii of marks the commencement of the organization of the indian post office upon its present footing. according to its provisions the whole department was placed under the control of a director-general; the office of postmaster-general was separated from that of presidency postmaster; postmasters-general were appointed for the direct administration and supervision of the postal services in the larger provinces and deputy postmasters-general, at first designated chief inspectors, were appointed to the less important provinces and the principal political agencies. postage stamps were first introduced in and rates were fixed for the conveyance of letters irrespective of distance.[ ] in this act the postal monopoly of the east india company was again laid down, and the three exceptions to that monopoly were legalized, namely ( ) letters sent by a private friend to be delivered on his way or journey to a person, without any hire or reward for such service; ( ) letters solely concerning the affairs of the sender or receiver thereof sent by a messenger on purpose; ( ) letters solely concerning goods or other property sent by land or sea, to be delivered with such goods or property without any hire or reward for carrying the same. it was important to include these exceptions in the act, as under the post office act of there was nothing to prevent a man who sent a letter to his friend by messenger incurring a penalty of rs. , a fine to which both the messenger and recipient were equally liable. the great advance made in was the introduction of postage stamps and the fixing of postage rates for letters irrespective of distance. the rates were as follows:-- on every letter not exceeding ¼ tola in weight, pies. on every letter exceeding ¼ tola and not exceeding ½ tola in weight, anna. on every letter exceeding ½ tola and not exceeding tola, annas. on every letter exceeding tola and not exceeding ½ tolas in weight, annas. on every letter exceeding ½ tolas and not exceeding tolas in weight, annas. and for every tola in weight above tolas, additional annas. with respect to newspapers and engraved papers a distinction, similar to that laid down in the act of , was made between imported and locally produced matter. the former was charged with annas for every tolas or part thereof; the latter was charged at the following rates:-- two annas for a weight not exceeding ½ tolas. four annas for a weight not exceeding tolas, and annas for every additional tolas above tolas. this difference in postage encouraged the circulation of newspapers and printed matter imported from england, but the high internal rates must have greatly hampered the postal circulation of journals printed in india. reduced rates, but still varying with distance, were laid down for bhangy post according to the following scale:-- | if not exceeding in weight. +------+------+------+------+------+------+------ for distances. | | | | | | | |tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas. ------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------ miles. |rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a. not exceeding | | | | | | | not exceeding | | | | | | | not exceeding | | | | | | | not exceeding | | | | | | | not exceeding | | | | | | | exceeding | | | | | | | books, pamphlets, packets of newspapers and of printed and engraved papers were charged at the following rates by bhangy post:-- not exceeding tolas anna exceeding tolas and not exceeding tolas annas for every tolas above tolas anna provided that the total weight must not exceed tolas. the postage on bhangy parcels was calculated by the most elaborate polymetrical tables which were supplied to all post offices in english and vernacular. many a grievous complaint was laid by members of the public against the strange methods employed by the post office in calculating the distance between two places. the sender of a parcel naturally considered that he should pay for the shortest distance between the place of despatch and the place of receipt, but not so the post office. it decided that the "postal route," however circuitous, was the one by which postage should be calculated. letters were ordinarily limited to tolas in weight, but by act xx of the weight had been raised to tolas upon lines where no bhangy post existed; this limit was now raised to tolas ( lb.) and, where both a bhangy and letter post were conveyed in the same carriage, a special prohibition was made that letters or packets of newspapers of less than tolas weight must not be sent by bhangy post under penalty of a fine of rs. for each offence. this clause was evidently introduced on account of the charge made by the railway companies for the carriage of bhangy parcels. the tola limit for parcels was continued except in special cases which were laid down by the governor-general in council, but in no circumstances was the weight of any parcel to exceed tolas ( lbs.). ship postage was levied on parcels, when conveyed by the east india company's post by sea, at the rate of annas for each tolas. when any parcel had to be conveyed by bhangy as well as by sea, this postage was levied in addition to bhangy postage. letters and newspapers for ceylon or any place where no postal communication was established by the east india company were dealt with as unclaimed, unless the full postage was prepaid by means of postage stamps. with the introduction of postage stamps we now find the first regulations for encouraging the prepayment of postal articles. in section it is laid down that, where the east india company have a postal communication, double postage shall be charged on unstamped letters at the time of delivery, and in the case of insufficiently stamped letters double the deficiency. this rule did not apply to newspapers or other printed matter, but in order to compel the public to use the new postage stamps, post offices were forbidden to accept money in prepayment of any postal articles except parcels. redirected letters were charged with postage at prepaid rates, and a penalty of rs. was imposed for sending "any explosive or other dangerous material or substance by post." rules were drawn up for the use and sale of postage stamps, vendors were appointed, and heavy penalties were exacted from vendors who failed to comply with the regulations. registration of any article was allowed upon payment of a fee of annas which entitled the sender to a receipt, but, strange to say, the registration fee had to be paid in cash, stamps not being recognized in payment. the clauses of act xvii of regarding the obligations of commanders of vessels were renewed, and also the clauses dealing with unclaimed and refused articles. the privilege of free postage was entirely abolished, but the letters and packets sent on the public service by certain officials were still carried under frank. the postage due on such articles was charged to the several public departments concerned. this measure led to wanton extravagance in the matter of official postage, no care was taken to economize either in the number or the size of "public service" articles and various abuses of franking occurred. the list of officers authorized to frank became so large that the post office could not exercise any proper check, and the difficulty of accounting in connection with the postage due was enormous. the first restriction was placed on franking in when the use of service stamps was made compulsory on all letters passing outside the presidency towns or limits of the district in which they were posted, and in all franking privileges were abolished. in section of the act the duty of the post office to abide by the customs regulations is insisted upon. officers in charge of post offices were bound to detain articles suspected of containing anything contraband, and they could refuse to forward any parcel or packet addressed to a foreign post, unless it was accompanied by a customs' house pass. a long list of penalties, most of which exist at the present day, was drawn up for offences and misdemeanours committed by postal officials. informers were encouraged by being allowed to receive half of every fine imposed, but no proceedings could be taken against any one under this act without an order in writing from government, the director-general or a postmaster-general. in mr. riddell was appointed the first director-general of the post office, and he compiled the first manual of rules to be observed by the whole department. at this time there were head-quarter offices and minor offices in india, but every office kept its own accounts separately and submitted them direct to the audit office which was part of the accountant general's office. it was not until that postal accounts were removed from the civil auditors and handed over to an officer known as the "compiler of post office accounts" and not until - that the distinction between head and branch offices was made for account purposes. the manual of made no proper arrangement for sorting offices, it only provided for mails being received _en masse_ and for their distribution afterwards to peons and into the "thana" and forwarding boxes. every post office upon a line had to make up a separate mail packet for every office in advance, and it received one from every office in rear, a most cumbersome proceeding, which was put a stop to in , when long detentions were made at certain large stations upon the main routes for the purpose of sorting the mails. paid letters were impressed with a red date-stamp to distinguish them from unpaid, which bore a black date-stamp. letters for foreign countries were sent with steamer postage invoices (chalans) to the different presidency towns. prepayment of articles sent to england via marseilles, for which brindisi was substituted in , was not possible, nor could letters for countries like the united states be prepaid. it seems hardly credible that in one of the longest chapters of the manual was devoted to an elaborate system of fining, under which different offices claimed fines from one another for bad work brought to light by them. the official who detected the finable offence was allowed to keep the amount of the fine subject to a deduction of per cent, which was remitted to the postmaster-general's office to cover the cost of printing fine statements, bills, etc. a regular schedule of offences with the fine allotted for each was drawn up; for instance, the missending of a mail bag was assessed at rs. , while the missending of a parcel or packet cost annas. naturally there was great energy expended in detecting offences for which fines were imposed, and the result was an enormous amount of correspondence and bitter recrimination between offices. this vicious practice continued for many years and was not finally put a stop to until . footnote: [ ] the first issue of postage stamps in india was actually made in by sir bartle frere, commissioner of scinde. they were local stamps for use in scinde only, and bore the inscription "scinde district dak." chapter iv later postal regulations by act xiv of postage rates were still further reduced as follows:-- for letters not exceeding ¼ tola pies. exceeding ¼ tola and not exceeding ½ tola anna. for every additional ½ tola " for newspapers not exceeding tolas " for every additional tolas " it will be noticed that the distinction in rates between imported and local newspapers was withdrawn. books, pamphlets, packets, etc.-- not exceeding tolas in weight anna. for every additional tolas " parcels were still charged according to the distance they had to be conveyed, but the rates were reduced. the following table gives the scale of charges:-- | not exceeding tolas. | distance in +------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------ miles. | | | | | | | | |tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas. ------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------ |rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a. not exceeding | | | | | | | | not exceeding | | | | | | | | not exceeding | | | | | | | | not exceeding | | | | | | | | exceeding | | | | | | | | it was now ordered that registration upon letters, the fee for which was still fixed at annas, should be prepaid in postage stamps. the penal clauses relating to counterfeiting stamps had been included in the indian penal code, act xlv of , and were therefore omitted from this act. the other penal clauses were practically the same as those that existed in the act of , and the principle is again laid down of the non-responsibility of government for any loss or damage which may occur in respect of anything entrusted to the post office for conveyance. from the work of the post office began to develop enormously, and its functions had to be gradually extended to meet the growing needs of the public. in the charge on redirected letters was abolished and the letter postage rates were further reduced as follows:-- for letters not exceeding ½ tola pies. exceeding ½ tola but not exceeding tola anna. for every additional tola or fraction thereof " the antiquated system of making parcel post rates vary with distance could no longer be maintained, and in a system of rates which varied with weight, irrespective of distance, was introduced. a parcel post service was established between india and england in , but the collection and distribution of parcels were at first effected through the agency of the peninsular and oriental steamship company, and it was not until that the post offices of both countries undertook the management of the parcel post. in special postage rates were introduced for official articles, namely: not exceeding ½ tola ½ anna. not exceeding tolas " not exceeding tolas annas. not exceeding tolas " every additional tolas " at the same time it was laid down that official covers from government offices should be prepaid by means of service postage stamps. under the provision of the act of parliament (iii-iv vict. cap. ) soldiers and seamen were allowed the privilege of sending letters not exceeding half an ounce in weight at the rate of d. for each letter. this rate was introduced into india in , and pies was reckoned the equivalent of d. in the postage on such letters was fixed at pies for half an ounce owing to the increase in the rate of exchange. in the imperial penny postage scheme was introduced, by which the initial rate of postage to the united kingdom and to certain british colonies and possessions was fixed at anna for a letter not exceeding half an ounce in weight, so that the privilege enjoyed by soldiers and seamen was no longer of any advantage, and when in the initial rate under the imperial penny postage scheme was raised from half an ounce to ounce there was no further object in retaining this special concession. in the value-payable or cash on delivery system was introduced, and in the post office undertook the insurance of letters and parcels. at first there was no limit to the amount for which an article could be insured, until a claim for the contents of a parcel insured for rs. , showed the enormous liabilities which the department might incur under this system. accordingly, in the limit was fixed at rs. , but was raised in to rs. , and the procedure was greatly simplified. the insurance fee was originally fixed at one-half per cent, which was subsequently reduced to a quarter, and in to one-eighth per cent. previous to the money order work of the country was carried on by the government treasuries, and the procedure was rather cumbersome; in that year it was handed over to the post office, with the result that in a few months the number of money orders issued and paid quadrupled. the extent to which money order business has increased may be gauged from the fact that the value of inland money orders in - was millions, and in - it had increased to over millions of rupees. in government savings banks were first established in india in connection with district treasuries, and in permission was given to open savings bank accounts at post offices, but the management and control of the funds still remained with the treasuries. in all savings banks at treasuries were closed and the business was transferred entirely to the post office. the general development of this branch will be treated of in the chapter on savings banks, but, as an example of the growth of business, the figures of - and of - are remarkable. in - there were , depositors with a balance of rs. , , ; in - there were , , depositors with a balance of rs. , , , . in combined post and telegraph offices were introduced, and it is no exaggeration to say that these are solely responsible for the extension of telegraph facilities to the smaller markets and rural tracts of india. in the sale of british postal orders was authorized, and the same year marks the introduction of postal life insurance, a measure at first confined to servants of the department but afterwards extended to all government servants. in , at the request of the military authorities, the post office undertook the payment of military pensioners in the punjab. in this way the department has grown. from being a mere agency for the carriage of correspondence and parcels in , the post office has now become the poor man's bank; it does an enormous value-payable and money order business; it is an important insurance agency and pension paymaster, and to such an extent have postage rates been reduced in india that it would be hard to find a man who could not afford to communicate by post with his friends. needless to say, the post office act of was quite unsuited to modern needs, and act vi of was framed to deal with the new requirements of postal work. the act was amended by act iii of , which authorized any officer of the post office empowered in this behalf by the governor-general in council to search for newspapers regarding which a notification had been published under the sea customs act. by act iii of powers were provided in accordance with the general policy of the postal union for dealing with fictitious or previously used postage stamps of other countries found on articles received from abroad, and by act xvi of the post office was authorized to collect customs duty paid in advance in the same manner as postage under the act. act vi of is to a great extent an enabling act which reserves to government the power of dealing by rule with numerous questions of postal practice and procedure affecting the public. for the first time legal recognition was given to registered newspapers, and the governor-general in council was empowered to make rules for their registration in the offices of postmasters-general. the acceptance of the official marks of the post office on postal articles as prima facie evidence that they have been refused, that the addressee cannot be found, or that any sum is due on them, was a principle taken from the english law. section of the act was quite new and prohibits the sending by post of indecent or obscene articles, and the tendency of the age is shown by the first mention in this clause of the word "sedition" in connection with postal articles. "articles having thereon or on the cover thereof any words, marks or designs of an indecent, obscene, seditious, defamatory or grossly offensive character" were prohibited from being sent by post. the wording of this section is interesting owing to the difficulty of interpreting the meaning of the word "thereon"; it would almost seem that the framers of the act wished to wrap this clause in ambiguity. in section the important principle of the english law is laid down that the post office is not bound to send parcels and packets along with the letter mail, but may detain them as long as is necessary. by section special power is given to search for goods notified under the sea customs act, and in section , the public emergency section, "the governor-general in council, or a local government, or any officer specially authorized in this behalf by the governor-general in council, may, by an order in writing, direct that any postal article or class or description of postal articles in course of transmission by post shall be intercepted or detained." had the framers of this act any idea of the extent to which this power would have to be used they might have expressed themselves in greater detail.[ ] sections to and to of the act deal with the power of the governor-general in council to make rules for the insurance of postal articles and the transmission of value-payable articles and money orders by post. to judge from the large number of additional penalty clauses introduced into this act, postal crime seems to have grown side by side with postal development. every possible misdemeanour and fraud is visited with appropriate punishment; not even the mail runner who fails in his duty to appear at the time he is required can escape, while the postman who makes a false entry in his book to show that he has been visiting a certain village, when all the time he has been loitering in a neighbouring bazaar, renders himself liable to six months' imprisonment or a fine of one hundred rupees. sections and are taken from the english post office protection act, , and impose penalties for injuring the contents of any letter-box or for disfiguring any post office or letter-box. to prevent hasty and ill-considered prosecutions, it was laid down in section that no court should take cognizance of any offence under the act, except with the previous sanction or on the complaint of the director-general of the post office or of a postmaster-general. in postage rates on letters were reduced to the following scale:-- not exceeding ½ tola ½ anna. " " ½ tolas " " " " annas. for every additional ½ tolas or fraction thereof anna. the postage on newspapers was fixed at: not exceeding tolas ¼ anna. " " " ½ " for every additional tolas or part thereof ½ " in a still further reduction in letter postage was made, namely: not exceeding ¾ tola ½ anna. " " ½ tolas " " " " annas. for every additional ½ tolas or fraction thereof anna. in , after a long discussion, it was decided to make the indian anna rate approximate to the english penny rate. the british post office had decided to carry ounces for one penny, and as an ounce is roughly ½ tolas the weight that could be sent for an anna was increased from ½ to tolas. the ¾ tolas for ½ anna was very properly considered absurd, and the weight was raised to tola. the rates as revised in were: not exceeding tola ½ anna. " " tolas " for every additional tolas or fraction thereof anna. this was a sweeping measure which mainly benefited that portion of the community which could best afford to pay high rates of postage, and the argument for making the anna rate correspond to the penny rate in england left out of account the very important fact that in england the minimum rate for letters was a penny, whereas in india it is half that amount. it is difficult to estimate what the loss to the post office must have been, but when one considers that a letter of tolas, which under the previous rates would have had to bear annas postage, could be sent for anna it will be understood that the loss was considerable. the measure was also one that affected the post office in two ways, since less revenue was received in postage stamps and the increased number of bulky letters necessitated a larger carrying staff. despite the admitted cheapness of postage in india, some short-sighted agitators cry out for a ¼ anna letter rate; but the post office can well afford to disregard their murmurings and may congratulate itself on having made its services accessible to even the very poorest member of the community. by act iii of the indian post office act of was further amended, and special rules were made to protect postmasters who had to search or detain articles passing through the post. the public who use the value-payable system have been protected from fraudulent traders by a section which provides for the retention and repayment to the addressee, in cases of fraud, of money recovered on the delivery of any value-payable postal article; at the same time the post office is authorized to levy a fee before making any inquiry into complaints of this kind. [illustration: group of senior officers in c. stewart-wilson g. s. curtis w. maxwell c. j. badshah j. cornwall h. m. kisch sir arthur fanshawe a. t. forbes _director general_ ] since the great war broke out in it has been found necessary to increase inland postage rates for both letters and parcels. in the letter rates were fixed as follows:-- for letters: not exceeding tola ½ anna. exceeding tola, but not exceeding ½ tolas " for every additional ½ tolas or part thereof " for parcels: not exceeding tolas annas. exceeding tolas, but not exceeding tolas " for every additional tolas or part thereof " many complaints were received that the parcel rates were excessive and injuring the fruit trade and other local industries, so that with effect from the st june, , the rates were reduced to annas for every tolas up to tolas, the minimum of annas for tolas remaining the same. footnote: [ ] the first instance of an article being prohibited from passing through the post is that of the _bengal gazette_ (editor, j. a. hicky), quoted by dr. busteed in his _echoes of old calcutta_: "_order._ fort william, november th, . public notice is hereby given that as a weekly newspaper called the _bengal gazette_ or _calcutta general advertiser_, printed by j. a. hicky, has lately been found to contain several unbroken paragraphs tending to vilify private characters and to disturb the peace of the settlement, it is no longer permitted to be circulated through the channel of the general post office." chapter v parcel post the parcel post in india has its origin in the old "bhangy post," a name derived from the bamboo stick or bhangy which an indian carrier balances on his shoulder with the weights slung at each end. the bhangy post was first used solely for the conveyance of official records and articles sent on government service, and the limit of weight was tolas ( lbs.). in a regular bhangy post was established and opened to the public. the rates varied with weight and distance according to the scale laid down in the post office act of . where communication by rail existed, the practice was to hand over bhangy parcels to the railway at the latter's risk and to demand their conveyance to destination free of charge. this procedure led to a series of those acrimonious disputes which are so characteristic of the early relations between the post office and the railway companies. the contention of the post office was that the bhangy mail formed part of the regular mail which the railway was bound by law to carry free of charge. the east india railway, which took up the cudgels on the other side, denied this contention and insisted upon charging for parcels as goods sent by passenger train. finally, after much wrangling, the matter was settled by government in , when it was decided that service bhangy parcels should be carried free and that the rate for non-service parcels should be fixed at / anna per maund ( lbs.) per mile, which was the existing rate for passengers' luggage. at the same time the post office was directed to withdraw from the carrier traffic wherever the railway could supply its place, and post offices were forbidden to accept non-service bhangy parcels for places situated on railway lines. these rules were not very effective, since it was impossible to distinguish service from non-service parcels or to ascertain the weight of the latter when they were both despatched together and lump sum payments were accepted. the amounts paid show that the traffic cannot have been very great; for instance, in the great india peninsula railway agreed to accept a monthly payment of rs. , the madras railway rs. and the bombay, baroda and central india railway rs. , which was afterwards raised to rs. in . the whole question was soon merged in that of general haulage rates for postal vehicles, which is discussed in the chapter upon the railway mail service. the statement at the end of this chapter shows the variation in parcel rates from to . the first great step forward in the administration of the parcel post was in , when rates according to distance were abolished and a fixed rate of annas for tolas was introduced. the limits of weight were retained at tolas for foot lines and tolas for railway lines, which were fixed in . in rates were reduced and registration for all parcels exceeding tolas in weight was made compulsory. in , after a strong representation made by the railway conference that the parcel post was interfering with the railway parcel traffic, the limit of weight was lowered to tolas ( lbs.). as a matter of fact, after a careful inquiry it was found that very few parcels above this weight were carried by the post office and that these were carried at a loss. in the same year the rates for small parcels were greatly reduced, with the result that the total number carried in - increased by over , . the railways did not gain much by the concession, as the retail dealers adopted the simple device of packing their goods in smaller bulk, which the low rates enabled them to do without any appreciable loss. the development of parcel traffic since is shown by the following figures:-- _number of parcels._ - , - , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , the increase in the last few years is little short of marvellous and is due to the reduction in rates and the growth of the value-payable or cash on delivery system so largely adopted by all retail traders, which has diverted the whole of the light parcel traffic from the railways to the post office. in an overland parcel post was established between great britain and india through the agency of the peninsular and oriental steam navigation company. the british post office had no concern with this arrangement, and in a direct exchange, which was quite separate from the p. & o. company's contract, was introduced between the two administrations for parcels up to a limit of seven pounds in weight. in , at the universal postal congress held at washington, india joined the international parcel post union, and since , when the acts of the congress came into force, parcels can be exchanged with almost any country in the world. as already mentioned, nothing has affected the parcel post traffic of the country to such an extent as the value-payable or cash on delivery system, which was introduced in and is now used generally by all retail firms in india. by this system the post office not only undertakes to deliver a parcel, but also, for a small commission, to collect the cost of it from the addressee. in india, where there are few large firms outside the presidency towns, the value-payable system has proved an inestimable convenience to the upcountry purchaser, who pays the post office for his purchases on receipt and is put to no further trouble. like everything designed for the good of mankind, the value-payable post is not altogether an unmixed blessing, and it is a source of continual worry to the officials of the department. the weak point in the system is that people have to buy articles without seeing them, and if they are disappointed in their purchases they are inclined to think that the post office is at fault and to demand their money back. it is customary in india for certain ladies to dispose of their garments through the medium of the advertisement columns of the _pioneer_, one of the leading newspapers. the dresses are always by paquin and quite new; the hats are the latest from paris. this is the seller's point of view. how different that of the purchaser! as postmaster-general i have received many a bitter complaint of the rag which has been received under the name of a new paquin gown and for which i apparently was held personally responsible. "i never imagined that the post office could lend its assistance to such disgraceful swindling," once wrote an indignant lady who had suffered in this way and who was told that the department could not possibly adjudicate on the quality of the goods received by her, that the department was only in the position of carriers and that she must settle her dispute with the sender. the value-payable system suffers chiefly from the firm belief in providence which is so deeply engrained in the eastern mind. although strictly forbidden by the rules of the post office, the small trader sends out numbers of articles by value-payable post to persons who have not given any orders for them, trusting that some of them will be accepted by a confiding public, and, strange to say, he manages to do a certain amount of business in this way. on the other hand, many people are quite ready to order things from shops which they hope to be able to pay for upon arrival, but, unfortunately for the firms that supply them, these hopes are often not fulfilled. the indian schoolboy, who is very like all other schoolboys in the world in this respect, is specially tempted by the flashy catalogues issued by the cheap calcutta firms, and when, in the enthusiasm of the moment, he orders a five rupee watch, it doesn't follow that he has the money or is even likely to have it; but his self-esteem is satisfied by the mere issue of the order and, as for his ability to pay when the time comes, it lies on the knees of the gods. the result of this trait in eastern character is that about per cent of the value-payable articles posted are returned to the senders. some years ago a firm of box-makers who wanted to push their business discovered that the value-payable post, assisted by the national character, provided them with a royal road to success, and they set to work on the following lines. they issued a large number of tickets by post, which were delivered on payment of rupee and annas. any person who was innocent enough to accept one of these found that the ticket was composed of six coupons, and that if he could induce six of his friends to send the coupons to the firm and each to receive in return a similar ticket _and pay for it_, then he as the original recipient would be presented with a steel trunk. the success of this scheme was extraordinary, and every post office in india was flooded with these coupon tickets. about per cent were refused, but the firm lost nothing by this, as it saved them in the matter of trunks, since, if any one of the coupon holders failed to keep faith with his friend the bargain was off. the whole business was a gigantic swindle, and it so offended the director-general's sense of morality that he had a regulation passed to put a stop to any articles being sent by post which contained "coupons, tickets, certificates or introductions for the sale of goods on what is known as the snowball system." a complete history of the indian parcel post would require the pen of a military historian. it is a history of warfare with continuous engagements, sometimes regular pitched battles with the railways and sometimes small but sharp skirmishes with irate ladies. the latest foes are the municipal councils of certain large towns in which the revenue is raised by an octroi tax upon all imported articles. hitherto articles received by post have been exempt from any tax of this kind, and all attempts made by municipalities to be allowed to scrutinize the parcel post have been strenuously opposed. the thin end of the wedge has, however, been introduced at delhi, where lists of insured parcels are supplied to the municipality, which makes its own arrangements for ascertaining the contents from the addressees. the practice is wrong in principle, because it is a breach of the confidence which the public place in the post office on the understanding that no information of any kind regarding postal articles is imparted except to the persons immediately concerned, and any measure which tends to shake the confidence of the public in the secrecy of the department is to be strongly deprecated. a great deal of fuss was made in simla some years ago about this very matter on the ground that the local traders suffered from people purchasing goods outside the municipality and getting them in by post. when an inquiry was held, it was found that the large majority of parcels received by post were addressed to the firms in the town, a discovery which put a sudden stop to the agitation. it is very doubtful if the parcel post at the present rates pays the post office, and where places are situated some distance off the line of rail and have to be reached by foot lines it is quite certain that every parcel is carried at a loss. unfortunately these are the very places where people make the greatest use of the parcel post; the tea planters of assam, for example, getting their whisky, jam and other stores in this way from calcutta. a further agitation is now afoot to have the weight of parcels brought down to eleven pounds, which is the maximum weight for a foreign parcel and is also the limit of weight in england. this, on the whole, is as much as the post office can be fairly expected to carry, but whether the proposal will be adopted remains to be seen. parcel post rates ( ) rates of postage on inland parcels in force from to st march, : | if not exceeding in weight -------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------ for distances | | | | | | | | |tolas.|tolas.|tolas |tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas.|tolas. -------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------ miles|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a.|rs. a. not exceeding | | | | | | | | not exceeding | | | | | | | | not exceeding | | | | | | | | not exceeding | | | | | | | | exceeding | | | | | | | | ( ) rates of postage on inland parcels in force from st april, , to th august, : not exceeding tolas in weight annas. exceeding tolas and not exceeding tolas " for every additional tolas " ( ) rates of postage on inland parcels in force from th august, , to st july, : not exceeding tolas in weight annas. exceeding tolas and not exceeding tolas " for every additional tolas " ( ) rates of postage on inland parcels in force from st august, , to th june, : any parcel not exceeding tolas in weight annas. any parcel exceeding tolas, but not exceeding tolas in weight annas. for each additional tolas or fraction of tolas up to tolas " registration fee (optional for uninsured parcels not exceeding tolas in weight)-- for a parcel not exceeding tolas in weight annas. for a parcel exceeding tolas in weight " ( ) rates of postage on inland parcels in force from st july, , to th september, : (_a_) parcels not exceeding tolas in weight-- for a parcel not exceeding tolas in weight annas. for a parcel exceeding tolas, but not exceeding tolas in weight " for every additional tolas or part of that weight " (_b_) parcels exceeding tolas in weight-- for a parcel exceeding tolas, but not exceeding tolas in weight rs. for every additional tolas or part of that weight annas. ( ) rates of postage on inland parcels in force from st october, , to st october, : (_a_) parcels not exceeding tolas in weight-- for a parcel not exceeding tolas in weight annas. for every additional tolas or part of that weight " [illustration: sir william maxwell, k.c.i.e. director general posts and telegraphs -- ] (_b_) parcels exceeding tolas in weight-- for a parcel exceeding tolas, but not exceeding tolas rs. for every additional tolas or part of that weight annas. ( ) from st october, , the maximum limit of weight for an inland parcel was reduced from tolas to tolas in the case of a private (non-official) parcel, and raised from tolas to tolas in the case of an official parcel. ( ) rates of postage on inland parcels in force from st november, , to th may, : for a parcel not exceeding tolas annas. for a parcel exceeding tolas, but not exceeding tolas " for every additional tolas or part of that weight up to tolas " ( ) rates of postage on inland parcels in force from th may, , up to date: (_a_) parcels not exceeding tolas in weight-- for a parcel not exceeding tolas annas. for a parcel exceeding tolas, but not exceeding tolas " for every additional tolas or part of that weight " (_b_) parcels exceeding tolas in weight-- for a parcel exceeding tolas, but not exceeding tolas rs. for every additional tolas or part of that weight annas. chapter vi the railway mail service one of the most important branches of the post office is the railway mail service, which used to be called the travelling post office. the railways are the arteries through which the very life-blood of the department flows, and it is upon the arrangements for the conveyance of mails by rail that proper postal administration depends. before the mail bags were carried in the guard's van if the weight was small, but when the mail was heavy a separate compartment in charge of a mail guard was used. as there was no intermediate sorting, every post office had to make up a packet or bag for every other post office in front, and these various packets were received and delivered at each station by the mail guard. in a short time the number of such packets became quite unmanageable, and the inconvenience and delay in disposing of them considerable, so that, in order to make it possible to sort the mails between north-west india and calcutta, long detentions had to be made at allahabad, cawnpore and benares, otherwise letters could not possibly be sent direct to their destinations. in a solution of the difficulty was proposed by mr. riddell, director-general of the post office, namely, the establishment of a travelling post office between calcutta and raneegunge, but the government of india refused to sanction it. in , however, a sorting section was established on the great indian peninsula railway between allahabad and cawnpore, but no regular service was organized until , when the frontier travelling post office was introduced under a superintendent with his head-quarters at allahabad. in the designation of this officer was altered to chief superintendent, t.p.o., and in to inspector-general, railway mail service. the inspector-general worked as an assistant director-general in the direction until , but in that year he was placed in a much more independent position as an administrative officer. owing to the large increase in the mileage of the railway mail service it was found impossible for one man to exercise an efficient control over it, and in a deputy inspector-general was appointed; but even with his assistance the work was too heavy, and in the whole of india was divided into four circles and each of them placed under the jurisdiction of an officer designated inspector-general, railway mail service and sorting, known by the wits of the department as an inspector-general of sorts. the gentlemen with this sesquipedalian title control the railways or portions of railways in their own circles. in their number was reduced to three by the abolition of the southern circle, and their designation was altered to deputy postmaster-general, railway mail service. the main conditions under which a railway should carry mails were laid down in clause of the contract made with the east indian railway in , and was as follows: "that the said railway company will at all times during the said determinable term convey on the said railway the government mails and post bags and the guards and other servants of the post office in charge thereof free of charge." a similar condition existed in the contract with the great indian peninsula railway, but the companies contended that the conveyance of mails did not include the haulage of sorting carriages in which sorters were employed. the post office refused to accept this view and nasty things were said on both sides. the post office seemed to think that railways had been invented for the conveyance of mails without any regard to dividends, while the railways regarded the post office as a confounded nuisance and its officials as unscrupulous thieves. it was finally settled that two compartments of a second-class carriage should be set apart and specially fitted for the travelling post office on ordinary mail trains free of charge. if a special carriage was required in addition, then the haulage rate of ½ annas a mile would be charged, and the rate for special trains was fixed at rs. - a mile. with respect to the cost and maintenance of postal vehicles it was decided that, if they were paid for by government in the first instance, the charge for maintenance only should be incurred, but, if the companies had to bear the cost of construction, then the charge should include the cost of maintenance, the interest on capital and the cost of restoring the vehicles when worn out. the settlement between the post office and the railways did not last long. despite their acquiescence in the regulations which had been laid down, the companies refused to abide by them and repeated demands were made for the cost of hauling postal vans. on the great indian peninsula railway everything possible was done to hamper the work of the department, parcel bags were deliberately left behind at stations, postal vans were cut off at way-side places without any warning and there never was any certainty that the whole mail would reach its destination. in the nuisance became so intolerable that petitions were made by the public for the interference of government, and after some deliberation a settlement was made with this railway on the following terms:-- ( ) the post office was to pay rs. a month for the ordinary services performed for it by the railway, and for this payment a large fitted van with a well and extra vans for weekly foreign mails would be supplied. ( ) the price for additional reserved accommodation was raised from to pies a mile on each vehicle. in the government of india prescribed definite sizes for postal vans and called them standard full and standard half vans, and arrangements were made with the east indian and madras railways to accept annas a mile as the haulage of a standard van. various agreements were made with the other railways, some of which claimed payment not for haulage but for the conveyance of bhangy parcels, and in some cases lump sum payments were made annually to cover all services. for instance, the darjeeling steam tramway was given a fixed sum of rs. , annually, which represented exactly the cost of the old tonga line between siliguri and darjeeling. the question of haulage of postal vans and of payment for the carriage of mails was finally settled in connection with state railways. in it was ruled by the governor-general in council that the conveyance of mails over state railways should be paid for. the question was raised with reference to the conveyance of mails on the hathras-muttra (provincial) railway, and it was decided that the actual cost of carrying the mails on all imperial and provincial railways should be borne by the post office. the rules regarding payment on all state lines, both broad and metre gauge, were: ( ) eighteen pies per vehicle per mile to be levied in proportion to the space occupied by the postal department. ( ) for mail bags and parcels sent in luggage vans in charge of railway guards, the amount to be paid was fixed at ½ pies per maund ( lbs.) per mile. ( ) accounts to be settled half-yearly and the space as well as weight charged to be adjusted for the six months on the basis of actual space allotted (as above) and actual weight carried on the st june and the st december of each year. ( ) all officers and servants of the postal department travelling in the mail compartment to be carried without passes. all officials of the travelling post office not travelling in the mail compartment to be carried free on being furnished with passes under the revised free pass rules. all other officers of the postal department to pay usual fares. ( ) a list to be kept of all free passes issued. ( ) these arrangements to have effect from the st april, , and to remain in force until the st april, . all claims against the postal department to be settled in accordance therewith without delay, and adjusted in the accounts of the current official year. no arrear adjustment to be made in respect of any claims other than those arising out of the vehicle charge at pies a mile. some misunderstanding seems to have arisen on the state railways regarding the half-yearly calculations mentioned in paragraph , and the question of ferry charges upon railway steamers was also raised. there was also a certain amount of disagreement about the construction and maintenance of post office vehicles, and on the rd may, , government issued a resolution to the following effect:-- ( ) that from the st april, , and until further orders the following rules shall determine the payment for the haulage of post office vehicles, etc., on state railways, and for the conveyance of mails by state railway ferry steamers, and that they shall be applied to the east indian railway under the terms of clause of the company's contract. ( ) with reference to the ruling laid down by the government of india public works department circular no. r, dated the rd april, , that the actual expenses incurred for the carriage of mails on all imperial and provincial railways shall be paid by the postal department, the charges on all state lines, both broad and metre gauge, for the carriage of mails shall be based on a fixed rate of pies per vehicle per mile, and shall be levied in proportion to the space actually allotted to the postal department on its own requisition. ( ) for mail bags and parcels sent in luggage vans in charge of railway guards the amount to be paid by the postal department shall be pie per maund per mile. under this rule mails may be despatched either (_a_) as a regular daily service according to lists supplied to the traffic managers for each half-year; or (_b_) as occasional despatches not provided for in the list, a voucher being given for each despatch; occasional despatches should be restricted to a weight of maunds for each despatch. ( ) in addition to the above, a charge equal to ½ per cent per annum on the original cost shall be paid by the postal department for all vans or parts of carriages, built or altered on its own requisition since the st january, , for the exclusive use of the post office. ( ) in the event of the mileage run on the requisition of the post office officials by any special postal vans and compartments specially fitted for post office work (so as to be unuseable with convenience for ordinary traffic) being in any half-year greater in one direction than in the other, the charge for haulage shall be made, not on actual distance run, but on double the highest run in one direction. for this purpose the railway administration will keep a register of the up and down daily mileage of all special postal vans or compartments as aforesaid, but this mileage is not to be used as the basis of a charge against the postal department in supersession of the procedure laid down in paragraph below unless there is a considerable difference between the requisitioned up and down mileages. ( ) with respect to the conveyance of mails by state railway ferry steamers where the distance traversed is miles and less, an addition on account of the ferry should be made to the bill for railway service, calculated at the same mileage rate as the railway charge laid down in paragraph , but the addition shall not be less than annas for each trip across the river. ( ) when the ferry service is over miles and reserved sorting accommodation is not required or provided on board, the charge shall be separately calculated at the rate of pie per maund per mile. if reserved accommodation is required, the rate of charge will be the same as for a whole carriage, viz. pies per mile. ( ) accounts are to be settled half-yearly, and the space as well as weight to be paid for shall be adjusted for the six months on the basis of actual space allotted (paragraph ) and actual weight carried (paragraphs (_a_) and ) on the st june and the st december of each year, or on such other date as may be mutually agreed upon. it is to be assumed that the actual service, inclusive of mileage, rendered on these dates is constant throughout the six months. payments under paragraph (_b_) will be made monthly on bills supported by vouchers. regarding interest on capital outlay (paragraph ) and the mileage of special postal vans (paragraph ), the accounts should be rendered for the half-year ending the st may and the th november. the bills for the services rendered to the postal department by state railways should be made out as above, submitted for acceptance in the months of january and july and adjusted in the accounts for february and august in each year, excepting bills for occasional despatches (paragraph _b_) which will be adjusted in the month after presentation of the bills. ( ) all officers and servants of the postal department travelling in the post office vans or compartments shall be carried without passes. all officers of the railway mail service and the officers and employés named in government of india letter no. r of th january, , not so travelling will be carried free on being furnished with passes under the state railways free pass rules. all other officers of the postal department will pay the ordinary fares. ( ) a list shall be kept of all free passes issued and periodically recorded in the minutes of official meetings. all the larger railways in their renewed contracts with government have agreed to accept these state railways rules for the conveyance of mails. in the government of india public works department issued the following addenda to the above: ( ) in addition to the above the postal department shall hereafter pay, in the first instance, the original cost of building or fitting up all vans or parts of carriages required for its use as well as the cost, when no longer required by the post office, of reconverting them for railway purposes. ( ) the postal department shall also pay interest at ½ per cent on the original cost of all vehicles now in use, built or altered on its own requisition since the st january, , for the exclusive use of the post office until such time as it may desire to repay the aforesaid original cost. these are the rules that still govern the dealings between the post office and railways, and at the risk of being wearisome i have quoted them _in extenso_. in the railway conference association started an agitation that the haulage rates paid were insufficient, and that by comparison with those paid for goods they were performing the work of the post office at a considerable loss. the result of an inquiry into their demands for an increase was an offer from the director-general to increase the rate on broad-gauge lines to pies a mile and to retain the existing rate of pies on narrow-gauge lines. this offer was accepted provisionally by the railway conference association in , but the narrow-gauge railways were not very enthusiastic about an arrangement which put four hundred thousand rupees annually into the pockets of their colleagues and gave them nothing but the honour and glory of having deprived the post office of a portion of its earnings. until the last few years the railway mail service was by far the most unpopular branch under the administration of the post office. the pay was bad, the hours of duty were long, the work was trying and the discomfort of the old postal vans baffled description. in the hot weather they were like ovens and, being closed in with sorting cases, it was difficult to get a through current of air. the lighting, provided by indifferent oil lamps, was injurious to the sight and did not lend itself to accurate sorting. the sorters started life on rs. a month; they could not ordinarily hope for more than rs. at the end of thirty years' service, and the result was an inefficient and discontented body of men with not a small proportion of rogues. since the beginning of the present century the immense importance of the railway mail service to the proper working of the department has been recognized. salaries have been greatly increased, and the best sorters are picked for appointments as inspectors and assistant superintendents. the vans have been improved, and the bogies in which the large sections work are comparatively comfortable. they are fitted with electric light and fans, and work is carried on in them under the most favourable conditions. in the old days a continuous duty of twelve hours in the train was an ordinary occurrence, and it is not a matter for surprise that men, exhausted by hard work and travel in a temperature of degrees, made absurd mistakes. the length of the beats has now been reduced, rest houses have been provided at the out-stations and every man gets a sufficient time off duty upon his return to head-quarters. the new conditions have attracted men of much higher qualifications and position, and it has now been found possible to entrust the r.m.s. with almost the whole sorting of the post office. in important offices sorting for the outward mail is usually performed in a mail office at the railway station, the great advantage being that skilled men are employed and that, by concentrating the work in one place, economy both in staff and bags is effected. for instance, if the calcutta g.p.o. and its sixty-three town sub-offices each perform their own sorting they must each make up separate bags or bundles for a large number of important towns and r.m.s. sections with which they are in postal communication; but if they despatch their mail to a central sorting office, that office, as it deals with a far greater number of articles, will be in a position to make up direct bags for a very much larger number of places, like bombay, cawnpore, agra, lucknow and delhi, thereby saving labour in handling and sorting articles in the running sections. it is an axiom of the post office that no work should be thrown on a running section which can be performed in a stationary one, the expense being in the ratio of to in staff alone, not to mention the cost of haulage. concentration of sorting, although admirable for large towns, is not without its drawbacks. where the system exists, postmasters are no longer answerable for the disposal of the outward mail, and they are unable to make any direct inquiry into public complaints regarding the loss or missending of articles. as all the sorting is thrown on one mail office, it is necessary for the various post offices which serve it to close their mails sooner than they would if direct bags were prepared for the travelling sections, so that the latest time of posting has to be fixed at an earlier hour and the public suffer some inconvenience, especially in places remote from the station. a certain amount of double handling also occurs in towns with a large local delivery, in which case the mail has to be overhauled before despatch in order to pick out the local articles. despite these drawbacks, the system is undoubtedly a good one whenever the postings of a number of offices can be concentrated in one mail office, but in small towns it is preferable for the post office to do its own sorting. supervision is better, and the sorters can be used for other work. a solution of the difficulty might be found by placing the control of all the important through services under one director of mails with a few assistants to help him in supervision, and it has been suggested that probably the best results would be obtained if the postmasters-general were responsible for both the sorting arrangements and the discipline of the staff upon all the railways within their circles. the present system of having different officers in charge of r.m.s. circles has caused a great deal of correspondence and not unfrequently means divided counsels. it has estranged the heads of postal circles from one of the most important branches of postal work, namely, the conveyance of mails by railway. at the same time, the railway mail service work requires expert knowledge, and it is important that each railway should have to deal with only one man in the matter of the conveyance of mails within its system. this could not be done if postmasters-general were in charge, as many railways pass through several postal circles. the question is full of difficulties, and after careful consideration it has been decided not to interfere with the existing arrangements, but to provide a closer co-ordination between the officers in charge of railway mail service circles. chapter vii money orders previous to the money order system of india was managed by the government treasuries. bills of exchange (hundis) current for twelve months were issued by one treasury payable upon another, and as there were only offices of issue and payment in the country the money order was not a popular means of remittance--in fact, it failed altogether to compete with the remittance of currency notes by post. in mr. monteath, director-general of the post office, proposed to government to take over the money order business from the treasuries. he argued that, with the small number of treasuries and the trouble involved in reaching one of these every time a money order had to be sent or paid, the existing system could never become popular. the post office was able to provide offices of issue and payment, and the number of these would be always increasing and becoming more accessible to the people. mr. monteath's proposal was strongly opposed by the comptroller-general, but was accepted by government and sanctioned by the secretary of state on the th november, . on the st january, , the post office took over the whole management of issue and payment of money orders, and the audit was performed by the compiler of post office accounts. for the purposes of money order work post offices were classified under four heads: ( ) offices of issue. ( ) offices of preparation. ( ) offices of delivery. ( ) offices of payment. the office of preparation was always the head office of the district in which the addressee resided, and its duty was to prepare the money order in the name of the payee upon receipt of the intimation from the office of issue. the procedure was as follows: an application for a money order was made at the office of issue and, on payment of the amount with commission, a receipt was given to the remitter and the application was sent to the head office of the district in which the payee resided. this office was called the office of preparation, and if the payee resided in its delivery area it would also be both the office of delivery and payment. if, however, the payee resided at a sub or branch office, the office of preparation made out a money order for delivery at such sub or branch office and for payment at the post office named by the remitter in his application. it was not necessary for the office of delivery to be the office of payment; the remitter could name any office authorized to pay money orders as the office of payment. upon receipt of the money order by the payee an acknowledgment signed by him was sent to the remitter, and the payee had to make his own arrangements for cashing his money order at the proper office of payment. the commission charged on money orders was accounted for by postage stamps affixed to the back of the application by the office of issue, and the rates were as follows: rs. a. p. not exceeding rs. exceeding rs. , but not exceeding rs. " rs. " " rs. " rs. " " rs. " rs. " " rs. " rs. " " rs. " rs. " " rs. rs. was the maximum amount of a money order. redirection was permissible, but such redirection did not affect the original office of payment, and this could only be altered by the payee signing the order and sending it to the office of preparation with an application for the issue of a new order payable to himself or anyone named by him at some specified office. a new order was issued, but a second commission was charged for this service. money orders lapsed at the end of the month following that of issue, but were still payable for two months after lapsing if a second commission was paid; upon the expiry of that period they were forfeited to government. certain special conditions with respect to money orders were ( ) that not more than four could be issued to the same person by the same remitter in one day, except under special permission from the compiler of post office accounts, and ( ) that under special orders the issue of money orders could be refused by any post office. foreign money orders were granted on the united kingdom, canada, germany, belgium, luxemburg, heligoland, the netherlands, switzerland, denmark and italy. the maximum amount was £ , and the rates of commission were: rs. a. p. not exceeding £ exceeding £ , but not exceeding £ " £ , " " £ exceeding £ , " " £ for canada the rates of commission were doubled. in the telegraphic money order system was introduced, with a charge of rs. for the telegram exclusive of the money order commission upon the amount to be remitted. the charge was so high that it was thought safe to allow a money order up to rs. in value to be sent by this means. the anomaly thus existed of having rs. as the limit of an ordinary money order and rs. as the limit of a telegraphic money order. the rule prohibiting more than four money orders daily being sent by the same remitter to the same payee, besides being quite unnecessary, proved no safeguard whatsoever. in actual practice the name of the remitter was not entered in the money order receipt, so that the post office of issue had no means of knowing how many money orders were sent by the same remitter, unless they were all presented at the same time. there was really no necessity to fix a low limit to the amount of a money order, as the whole procedure was quite different from that previously followed by the treasuries. the old treasury rule was that the amount of money orders issued in favour of one person in a district treasury must not exceed rs. in one day, but then the money order was like a cheque payable to bearer and the paying treasury had no knowledge of the time at which it would be presented. the post office, on the other hand, carried its own money orders and, if the office of payment was short of funds, it could hold back the money order until funds were obtained, and do so without the knowledge of the payee. these arguments prevailed, and in the restrictions were removed. the maximum value of an ordinary money order was raised to rs. , and no limit was placed upon the number which could be issued in favour of any one person. at the same time the rates were modified as follows:-- rs. a. p. not exceeding rs. exceeding rs. , but not exceeding rs. exceeding rs. -- annas for each complete sum of and annas for the remainder, provided that, if the remainder did not exceed rs. , the charge would be annas. on the st april, , after a great deal of pressure from all classes of the community, government reduced the commission upon a money order not exceeding rs. to anna. the extension of the money order system to the payment of land revenue was first tried in the benares division of the north-west provinces at the suggestion of rai bahadur salig ram, postmaster-general, in the year , and proved an immediate success. in eleven months, , land revenue money orders were sent, the gross value of which amounted to rs. , , . the system was a great advantage to small proprietors who lived at a distance from the government collecting stations. they found that the use of the ordinary money order for payment of revenue dues was not acceptable to the subordinate revenue officials, who suffered the loss of considerable perquisites thereby. such remittances were generally refused on some pretext or other, either because they did not contain the correct amount due or else because the exact particulars required by the land revenue department were not given on the money order form. to meet this difficulty a special form of money order was devised and the co-operation of district collectors was invited. in the system was extended to the whole north-west provinces except kumaon, and a beginning was also made in ten districts of bengal. the action of the post office was fully justified by results, and revenue money orders were quickly introduced into the punjab, central provinces and madras. in madras they proved a failure, and were discontinued in after a three years' trial. the system was again introduced in , but it still does not show any great signs of popularity, the figures for - being , revenue money orders for rs. , , . rent money orders were first tried in the north-west provinces in march, ; an experiment was also made in bengal in october, , and the system was extended to the central provinces in . except in parts of bengal and the north-west provinces, now known as the united provinces, the payment of rent by money orders has never been popular, and the reason is not far to seek. rent in india is usually in arrears and, whenever a tenant pays money to a zemindar (landholder), the latter can credit it against any portion of the arrears that he thinks fit. with a rent money order, the case is different, the money order itself and the receipt which has to be signed by the zemindar indicate exactly the period for which rent is being paid, and to that period it must be devoted. this is the ordinary ruling of the rent courts and does not at all meet the wishes of zemindars who want to have their tenants in their power. besides this important factor, there is the rooted objection of all subordinates, whether they be government servants or zemindars' agents, to be deprived of the time-honoured offerings which all self-respecting tenants should make to the landlord's servants at the time of paying their rents, and the appearance of a postman with a sheaf of money orders, however punctual the payments may be, is hardly an adequate substitute for the actual attendance of the tenants themselves. in the plan of paying money orders at the houses of payees was adopted and proved very satisfactory. india was indebted to germany for the idea, which not only conferred a great boon on the public but tended to reduce the accumulations of cash at post offices and to accelerate the closure of money order accounts. in appendix "e" is given the number and value of inland money orders issued in india from - to - , and the steady increase from year to year is a certain sign of the great public need which the indian money order system satisfies, and of the confidence that is placed in it. on the st october, , the public was given the opportunity of employing the telegraph for the transmission of inland money orders, and during the first six months of the scheme money orders for rs. , , were issued. the cost of rs. for the telegram and ½ per cent for money order commission was a decided bar to the popularity of the telegraphic money order, which at first was chiefly used in burma and madras owing to the isolated positions of those provinces. in the post office relinquished its commission on orders for sums not exceeding rs. , and the telegraph charge was reduced to r. . this led to an immediate increase of traffic, the number of such orders in - being , compared with , in the previous year, more than half of which were issued from burma. in - the total number of telegraphic money orders issued was , and the value rs. , , , of which about three-fifths came from burma. with the improvements in railway communication in india which are continually taking place, the pre-eminence of burma in the matter of telegraphic money orders is likely to continue owing to her isolation and the largely expanding trade of rangoon. the ubiquitous swindler was not long in taking advantage of the telegraphic money order to ply a profitable trade. his chief resorts are benares, rameswaram, tripati and the other great places of pilgrimage in india; his victim is generally some unfortunate pilgrim, who is only too anxious to meet an obliging friend willing to act as a guide and adviser in one of the sacred cities, and the procedure adopted is always the same. the swindler acts the part of the kind stranger and finds out all the details of the pilgrim's family. he then goes to the local post office, represents himself to be the pilgrim and sends a telegram to his victim's relations to say that he has lost his money and wants a certain sum at once. so confiding are the people of india that it is very seldom that a request of this kind does not meet with an immediate response, and the swindler, by waiting a couple of days during which he takes good care to ingratiate himself with the post office officials, walks off the richer by a considerable amount. the earlier reports of the post office on the telegraphic money order system abound in cases of the kind, and very stringent measures were adopted to put a stop to the practice. identification of payees by well-known residents of the neighbourhood was insisted upon, and a payee of a telegraphic money order had to prove his claim and give satisfactory evidence of his permanent address. despite all precautions, the telegraphic money order swindler is still common enough and manages to get away with large sums from time to time. probably in no country in the world is the poor man so dependent upon the post office for the transmission of small sums of money as in india. the average value of an inland money order in - was rs. , and it is not infrequent for amounts as small as rs. to be sent by telegraphic money order. the reason undoubtedly is the facility with which payment is made and the absolute confidence which the indian villager places in the post office. an indian coolie in burma, who has saved a few hundred rupees and wants to return to his village, seldom carries the money on his person, and he has a strange mistrust for banks; they are much too grand places for him to enter. he usually goes to a post office and sends to himself a money order addressed to the post office nearest his own home and then he is satisfied. it may be months before he turns up to claim the money, as he frequently gets a job on the way back or spends some time at a place of pilgrimage, but he knows that his money is safe enough and he is quite content to use the post office as a temporary bank to the great inconvenience of the audit office. it is not too much to say that the money order system of india is part and parcel of the life of the people. they use it to assist their friends and defy their enemies. they have in that magic slip of paper, the money order acknowledgment, what they never had before, that which no number of lying witnesses can disprove, namely, an indisputable proof of payment. chapter viii savings bank the first government savings banks were opened at the three presidency towns of calcutta, madras and bombay in , and , respectively. these banks were announced as intended for the investment of the savings of "all classes british and native," the return of the deposits with interest being guaranteed by government. between and the management of the savings banks was transferred to the presidency banks, and each presidency framed its own rules. the first deposits were limited to rs. , and upon the balance reaching this sum it was invested in a government loan. the limit was gradually increased to rs. with interest at per cent, but, as it was found that many people deposited the maximum amount at once, a rule was brought in prohibiting the deposit of more than rs. a year in any one account. in district savings banks were instituted in all parts of india except calcutta and the presidencies of madras and bombay. the limits for deposits were fixed at rs. a year with a total of rs. and interest at ¾ per cent was fixed. in december, , revised rules were drawn up for district and other government savings banks, the most important change being that the limit of a deposit account was raised to rs. and interest was fixed at - / per cent. the result of these rules was to attract to the savings banks a large number of deposits which should have gone to other banks, and in the monthly limit of rs. with a maximum of rs. was again imposed and interest was reduced to ¾ per cent. the proposal to establish post office savings banks on the lines of those which existed in england met with great opposition, especially from the comptroller-general. the same arguments were brought forward which the opponents of the post office savings bank bill in england used when mr. gladstone managed to get this wise and beneficial measure through both houses in . in the first post office savings banks were opened in every part of india except calcutta, bombay and the head-quarter stations of madras. in madras, savings banks could be opened by the director-general, provided they were not within five miles of a head-quarter station. the immediate consequence of this measure was an increase in the number of savings banks in the country from to . the minimum deposit was fixed at annas, and interest was allowed at pies a month on every complete sum of rs. ; it was also arranged to purchase government securities for depositors. the end of the first year's working showed , depositors with a balance of rs. , , . on the st april, , district savings banks were abolished and the balances transferred to the post office, but the local government savings banks at calcutta, bombay and madras remained in the hands of the presidency banks until the st october, . in , when the balance at the credit of depositors exceeded millions of rupees, the government of india began to be rather nervous of being liable to pay up such a large sum at call without any warning. a sudden rush of depositors to withdraw their savings would tax the resources of government to the utmost and, in order to afford some protection, a rule was made that an extra quarter per cent would be paid upon deposits, which were not liable to withdrawal until six months' notice had been given. needless to say, the bait did not prove attractive. the additional interest meant practically nothing to small depositors and was poor compensation to large depositors for the inconvenience of having their money tied up for six months. what the measure did involve was a great increase of work and account-keeping for little or no purpose, as the number of accounts subject to six months' notice of withdrawal never exceeded per cent of the total. these accounts were abolished in and, although the government of india does not keep any special reserve against the balance in the post office savings bank, the depositor has the satisfaction of knowing that his deposit is guaranteed by the whole revenue of the country. the history of the post office savings bank in india is rather monotonous. with a single exception it has been one of continual prosperity and expansion from , the year of its commencement, to . the balance on the st march, , was over million rupees, and, as the money belongs very largely to small depositors, who can demand immediate payment, the bank is placed in a very responsible position towards the public. it will, therefore, be of advantage to examine the political and economic crises which have occurred in this period, and how they have affected the small depositors' confidence in the government of india. in appendix d is given the number of accounts and the balance year by year from to , which shows that in no year have the accounts failed to increase in number and only in - has the balance at the credit of depositors declined. yet during this period three important crises occurred. the first was in , and was known as the russian scare, the second in - when india was visited by the worst famine on record, and the third in - when a great wave of sedition and discontent spread over the country. two of these crises were political and one economic, and it is a remarkable fact that the effect of the former two was felt almost entirely, and of the latter very largely, in the bombay presidency. this circumstance goes to prove that the inhabitants of bombay are more in touch with the affairs of the world than those in other parts of india. the russian scare of , culminating in the "penjdeh affair," led to very heavy withdrawals from almost all the more important savings banks on the bombay side. no less than rs. , , were paid out to depositors in the presidency savings bank from the st to the nd april. the withdrawals in march from ahmedabad, kaira, broach and surat totalled rs. , , against rs. , , in march, , and the excess of withdrawals over deposits for the whole presidency in january, february and march amounted to rs. , , . the rest of india was not affected by the scare, in fact the total number of savings bank accounts increased by , and the balances by rs. , , despite the heavy deficit in bombay. the crisis of was purely economic and was due to a widespread famine and abnormally high prices. its effect was felt in the savings bank for three years, the balance falling from rs. , , , in - to rs. , , , in - , and not reaching rs. , , , until - . the bombay postal circle accounted for rs. , , out of the rs. , , deficit in india, the other deficits being in madras, the north-west provinces and oudh, and bengal. in - , as i have already mentioned, the country was full of unrest. leaflets calling on the men to mutiny were being distributed broadcast among the indian regiments. several sikh regiments were supposed to be seriously disaffected. the feeling in bengal against the british government was being carefully nurtured, but the real head-quarters of the anti-british movement was poona. in - the balance of the savings bank increased by rs. , , only, which meant a serious set-back considering the way in which the post office was developing, but the figures for the bombay postal circle are peculiarly instructive. the number of accounts actually increased from , to , , whereas the balance at the credit of depositors declined from rs. , , , to rs. , , , , the actual decrease being rs. , , . now in this year bengal showed an increase of nearly rs. , , , and the decline in the proportional rate of increase in india was found to be due to the heavy withdrawals of some depositors in bombay. there is reason to believe that a number of wealthy persons belonging to the commercial class use the post office savings bank in bombay as a convenient place to deposit money. this class of depositors numbered , in - and , in - , which is larger than in bengal. such people do not deposit their money from motives of saving or thrift, but merely take advantage of the convenience which the post office offers as a safe place to keep, at interest, money which can be immediately realized. the rule which permits a depositor to have accounts in his own behalf or on behalf of any minor relatives or any minor of whom he happens to be the guardian has opened a way to great abuse of the system. there is nothing to prevent a man having any number of imaginary relatives and opening accounts in all their names. he can deposit the maximum in each account, and naturally in times of crisis or when money is tight the savings bank has to face the immediate withdrawal of all these amounts. as one example of what is done, a case came to light some years ago in which a depositor at dharwar was authorized to operate on eighty-three accounts with a balance of nearly rs. , . he was a broker by profession and it was quite possible for him to control a balance of rs. , , in the post office, if he wished to do so. further inquiries made at the time elicited that one depositor at bijapur controlled forty-two accounts, another at surat thirty, and another at karwar nineteen. such persons are really speculators and are a danger to the savings bank, and it would be interesting to know what proportion they hold of the total deposits in the bombay circle. these deposits represent a very high proportion of the total in india, so that the action of any strong body of depositors in bombay has a very serious effect on the balance of the savings bank. the examination of transactions for the thirty years previous to has this satisfactory result that, with the exception of the undesirable element in bombay, a political crisis, at any rate, seems to have no marked influence upon the great mass of depositors in india. the number of depositors on the st march, , was , , with a balance of rs. , , , . the outbreak of the war with germany, however, had a disastrous effect on the savings bank balances. when the announcement was made that the german government had temporarily confiscated the savings bank deposits in that country, a regular panic ensued and within a few months about millions of rupees were withdrawn. the action of the government of india, however, in meeting all claims in full did a great deal to allay public fears, and a certain amount of money came back later in the year, but the balance on the st march, , had declined from about to millions of rupees. since then there has been a gradual recovery, and the balance on the st march, , was nearly million rupees. the recovery would have been much quicker but for the large sale of five-year cash certificates in - on behalf of the war loan. the price received was about million rupees, of which a considerable portion was withdrawn from savings bank deposits. at the same time the small depositors were busy purchasing cash certificates with money that would otherwise have been put into the post office savings bank. now that the war is over and the rush for cash certificates has ceased, there is every prospect that the post office savings bank will shortly regain its former popularity. chapter ix the people and the post office there is no branch of the public service that comes into such close contact with the people as the post office. its officials are consulted in all kinds of family troubles, they have to deal with curious superstitions and beliefs and to overcome the prejudices ingrained by an hereditary system of caste. the official measure of the successful working of the department is gauged by the annual statistics, but the real measure of its success may be learned from the attitude of the people themselves. the indian villager dreads the presence of the government officer in his neighbourhood, but he makes an exception in the case of post office employés. the postman is always a welcome visitor and, if he fails to attend regularly, a complaint is invariably made. it is in the delivery of correspondence throughout the smaller towns and rural tracts in india that the post office has to face some of its most difficult problems. towns in india, with the exception of the presidency and more important towns, are mere collections of houses, divided into "mohullas" or quarters. few streets have names, and consequently addresses tend to be vague descriptions which tax all the ingenuity of the delivery agents. among the poorer classes definite local habitations with names are almost unknown, and the best that a correspondent can do is to give the name of the addressee, his trade and the bazaar that he frequents. such cases are comparatively simple, as the postman is usually a man with an intimate knowledge of the quarter, and the recipients of letters have no objection to be described by their physical defects, such as "he with the lame leg" or "the squint eye" or "the crooked back"! real difficulties, however, arise when articles are addressed to members of the peripatetic population consisting of pilgrims, boatmen and other wanderers. there is an enormous boat traffic on the large rivers of bengal and burma. the boat is the home of a family, it wanders over thousands of miles of channels carrying commodities, and letters to the owner rarely give anything except a general direction to deliver the article on board a boat carrying wood or rice from some river port to another. the pilgrims who travel from shrine to shrine in the country are also a puzzle to the post office, and in sacred places, like benares, special postmen have to be trained to deliver their letters. the forms of address are seldom very helpful for a speedy distribution and delivery of the mail. the following are characteristic of what a sorter has to deal with any day:-- "with good blessings to the fortunate babu kailas chandra dey, may the dear boy live long. the letter to go to the baidiabati post office. the above-named person will get it on reaching baidiabati, khoragachi, goynapara. (bearing.)" "to the one inseparable from my heart, the fortunate babu sibnath ghose, having the same heart as mine. from post office hasnabad to the village of ramnathpur, to reach the house of the fortunate babu prayanath ghose, district twenty-four parganas. don't deliver this letter to any person other than the addressee, mr. postman. this my request to you." "if the almighty pleases, let this envelope, having arrived at the city of calcutta in the neighbourhood of kulutola, at the counting house of sirajudin and alladad khan, merchants, be offered to and read by the happy light of my eyes of virtuous manners and beloved of the heart, mian sheikh inayat ali, may his life be long! written on the tenth of the blessed ramzan in the year of the hejira of our prophet, and despatched as bearing. having without loss of time paid the postage and received the letter, you will read it. having abstained from food and drink, considering it forbidden to you, you will convey yourself to jaunpur and you will know this to be a strict injunction." the three addresses given below have been taken from letters posted by hindus to hindus, and it will be noticed that they merely bear the names of persons with no indication of the place of delivery. "to the sacred feet of the most worshipful, the most respected brother, guru pershad singh!" "to his highness the respected brother, beneficent lord of us the poor, my benefactor, munshi manik chand." "to the blessed feet of the most worshipful younger uncle, kashi nath banerji." it is not uncommon for europeans to receive letters with honorific titles added to their names, in fact it would be considered impolite to address an english gentleman in the vernacular by his mere name. such a thing is never done. whatever address is given by the writer, the indian postman has his special methods of noting it. he seldom knows english, and when names are read out to him by the delivery clerk he scrawls his own description on the back in a script that can only be read by himself. a well-known judge of the calcutta high court, sir john stevens, was much amused to find that the words "old stevens sahib" were constantly written in the vernacular on the back of his letters, this being done to distinguish him from his younger colleague, mr. justice stephens. a story recently received from the persian gulf explains how it is that letters sometimes fail to reach their destinations despite the greatest care on the part of the post office. the incident is worthy of the _arabian nights_, and i will quote the account given by the sub-postmaster of linga. "on the th of december in the year a well-known merchant of linga, aga abbasalli by name, informed me that his agents at bombay, karachi and other places in india had informed him by telegraph that for the last two weeks they had received no mails from him. he asked for an explanation from me for this, indirectly holding me responsible and even threatening to report me to you, for he maintained that the letters he sent to the post for many years past had, at least, always reached their destination, if late, and that he could not now for his life imagine as to how it was that the several letters which he himself sent to the post, by bearer, for the last two weeks, were lost during transmission. as abbasalli was known to me, i sent word to him through somebody to the effect that, in the first place, he would do well to examine the bearer with whom he sent his letters to the post. the bearer was thereupon called by him and confronted with the question of his mails; but before quoting the silly dolt's interesting reply it would be better to note the following few points:-- there are two identical terms in persian, the "poos" and the "poost," which have three distinct meanings, the word "poos" meaning a dock, or, in such a place as the port of linga, only a shelter for ships' anchorage, whilst the word "poost" meaning ( ) hides and skins, or leather and ( ) the post office. as far as pronunciations are concerned it has been a very indiscriminate colloquialism at linga to pronounce both the above said words alike as "poos," without any regard to the final "t" of the word "poost"; and practically, therefore, the word "poos" has three separate meanings as quoted above. the "poost-e-buzurg" or the "poos-e-buzurg," literally equal to the big post office, is used by the mass of people for the british post office at linga, as distinct from the persian post office, which is known as the "poost-e-ajam." but to many again the "poos-e-buzurg" is known as the big dock, also styled the "poos-e-aga bedar" (aga bedar's dock), in contradistinction from another which is smaller, and is only known as the "poos-e-bazar," that is, the bazar dock. moreover, both the big dock and the british post office are situated somewhere near aga bedar's coffee shop, the latter being, however, a little farther than the dock. having noted these points i now beg to revert to the question put to his bearer by abbasalli and the former's reply thereto. "what did you do with my mails, that i gave you, for the last two weeks, to be conveyed to the 'poost'?" asks abbasalli in his vernacular, and the bearer replies, "the first week when you told me to carry your letters to the 'poost' i _went_ to the shoemaker's and was putting them _exactly_ amongst the 'poost' (meaning leather and leather-ware), as ordered by you, but, he won't let me do so, and said i should carry the letters to the 'poos-e-buzurg' near aga bedar's coffee shop." "ah! you blockhead, you," explained the exasperated merchant, "but, what did you do with my letters after all when he told you to carry them to the 'poos-e-buzurg'?" "why, rest easy on the point," says the bearer, "i carried them exactly to the 'poos-e-buzurg' (meaning the big dock) and threw the letters in. the first time when there was plenty of water in the dock (on account of tide) i had simply to throw your letters in, and i am sure they must have reached their destination quite all right; but the next week, when there was but little water in the dock, i had to dig a pit in the sand to put the mails in, and perhaps they may not have reached their destination." poor abbasalli was quite perplexed and awfully sorry to know that all the valuable letters written by him for the two weeks, some containing cheques even, as i am given to understand, were thus entirely washed away by the merciless waves; but, no less embarrassed am i, on hearing of the tomfoolery, to think of what blame it may sometimes accidentally and unnecessarily entail on a postmaster, and i therefore venture to put this real story before you, with the fullest hope that, in future, complaints of a like nature may kindly be considered only on their due merits. i may be allowed to add that the story was related by me before h.b.m.'s vice-consul and the small european community at the linga club, and they all, while sympathizing with me in my perplexity, enjoyed a hearty laugh over the recital. on the st march, , there were over , post offices and , letter boxes in india to serve a population of million people in an area of , , square miles. this gives a post office to about every , persons, or to each square miles of country, which seems a very poor service by comparison with western countries, but, when one considers that the literate population of india is only , , , the service is good and the prospect of future development with the increase of education is enormous. it must not be supposed, however, that the post office confines its energies to the literate population. it is largely used by people who can neither read nor write, and this is made possible by the existence of professional letter-writers, who are to be found in every town and village in the country. for a pice (farthing) they will write an address, and for two pice they will write a short letter or a postcard or fill up a money order, though slightly higher fees are charged if the letter is very long. in rural tracts where it is not worth while to maintain a post office, the people are served by a letter-box or by a village postman who makes periodical visits and acts as a travelling post office. it is a wonderful achievement of the department that there is scarcely a village in india which does not lie within the beat of a village postman. the competition between villages to obtain post offices is often very keen, and a postmaster-general has many a troublesome decision to make, as to which of two or three neighbouring villages is to have the honour conferred upon it. while the matter is yet undecided the competitors vie with each other in pouring correspondence into the nearest post office in order to show the postal importance of their respective villages, an importance which is apt to decline sadly when once the post office has been opened. on one occasion, when postmaster-general, i received application from two villages a and b for the opening of post offices. there happened to be an office in a village c close by, but the applications stated that this village was separated from them by a river, difficult to cross at most seasons and quite impossible during the rains. the inspector who visited the locality reported that the river could be crossed dry-shod at most seasons and with little difficulty during the monsoon, but that a was a much more important place than c and that the post office ought to be transferred there. a fresh complication was then started, and the indignation of the villagers in c knew no bounds. they threatened to carry the matter up to the viceroy, and for the time they began to post enough letters to justify the existence of an office in the village. the dispute was finally settled by establishing an office at a in addition to the one at c, on condition that one or the other would be closed if the postal work done did not justify its continuance. one of the most important duties of a superintendent is to watch carefully the work of village postmen. statistics are kept regularly of the articles delivered and collected by them, and these statistics give a very true indication of the places where new post offices are required in rural tracts. in this way the department keeps in touch with the whole country, and a special grant has been allowed by government for opening experimental offices in places which show signs of needing permanent ones. an experimental office is opened for a period of six months and, if it leads to a development of correspondence and pays its way, it is made permanent at the end of that time, but unless it is a complete failure the experiment is extended up to two years in order to give the people of the neighbourhood every chance of retaining the office. this policy has been most successful and has taught the village people that they are largely responsible for the maintenance of their own post offices. the postmaster is invariably a local man, either the village schoolmaster or a shopkeeper, who gets a small salary, which, combined with the dignity of his majesty's mails, gives him a direct interest in making the office a profitable concern. the annual statistics of the post office serve as a barometer of the prosperity of india. the department has entered into the lives of the people with its lines of communication, its savings bank, money orders, payment of pensions and sale of quinine. it has only one aim and that aim is recognized by all, namely, to do the greatest good for the greatest number. chapter x the indian postman the conditions under which postal articles in england and india are delivered differ so vastly that a knowledge of indian life is necessary in order to understand the difficulties that lie in the way of good delivery work in this country. the smart official walking four miles an hour and shooting the contents of his satchel into every house on his beat with a rat-a-tat is unknown. house doors in india have no knockers and no letter-boxes, and among the better class inhabitants, both european and indian, it is customary to send messengers to the post office to fetch the unregistered mail, so that to this extent the postman's work is reduced. the balance of the articles received by him often forms a strange medley in many languages, of which perhaps he is able to read one with difficulty. in a large town like calcutta letters are received addressed in as many as a dozen different languages, and special clerks versed in the various tongues have to be employed. luckily people of the same race are accustomed to congregate in the same quarters of the town, and the postmen are able to get some of the local residents to assist them in deciphering many a doubtful address. in bombay certain private delivery agencies exist, which are recognized by the department and which work very satisfactorily. on the whole the distribution of letters to the public is performed in a leisurely fashion which is quite in accordance with the national character. one may often see a postman, with the assistance of a dozen of the literate inhabitants of the quarter, spelling out from a dirty piece of folded paper an address, which turns out to be one gunga din living near the temple of hanuman in the courtyard of some ancient who has died years ago, but whose name is still perpetuated in the soil where his house once stood. gunga din may be dead or vanished, the quarter knows him no more, but his sister's grandnephew arrives to take the letter, and after some haggling agrees to pay the anna due on it, for such letters are invariably sent bearing. this little episode being finished the postman proceeds on his beat to find another enigmatical addressee, and is it any wonder that, although his salary is often a low one, the indian postman is one of the most expensive delivery agents in the world? he seldom delivers more than three hundred articles a day, and in the indian business quarters of the town he gets rid of the majority of these at the post office door, since the merchants and others who expect letters always waylay the postman just as he is proceeding on his beat, knowing well that it may be many hours before he will find it convenient to visit them at their houses. in the matter of slow delivery, however, the public are more frequently to blame for delays than the postman, especially in the case of articles which have to be signed for. parcels, money orders or registered letters are taken at the door by a servant and, if the sahib is at his bath or busy, there is a long and tedious wait before the signed receipts are brought back. it is extraordinary how callous people are in this respect towards the interests of the post office and their own neighbours, while they are always ready to complain if the smallest delay or mistake occurs to any articles for themselves. it can be easily understood that where such conditions prevail, and that is all over india, fast delivery is impossible, and the very best regulations for getting the men quickly to their beats are useless when they are detained unnecessarily at every house. [illustration: combined passenger and mail motor van. kangra valley service] in india most money orders are paid at the door by postmen, and in towns, where there are large payments to be made, special sets of postmen are employed for the purpose. the rules regarding the payment of money orders are very strict and, when the payees are not well-known persons, identification by a respectable resident is insisted upon. in large pilgrim resorts, like benares, where the pilgrims are continually getting remittances and are necessarily unknown, there is a special class of professional identifiers, consisting chiefly of the innkeepers. these men for a small fee are always ready to swear to the identity of any pilgrim for whom a money order has arrived, and, strange to say, they are often ready to pay up if it is found that their identification was incorrect and that the money was paid to the wrong person, a not unfrequent occurrence. the postman, however, has to bear the brunt in case of the identification not being complete, and his responsibility in the matter is great. the convenience to the public of having their money brought to their doors is considerable, but it is a source of continual anxiety and expense to the post office. large sums of money are entrusted daily to men on small pay. when the limit, which a postman is allowed to take, is exceeded, an overseer has to accompany him on his beat. accounts have to be kept with each of the money order postmen and must be settled before the day's cash can be closed. complaints of short payment are frequent and necessitate detailed inquiries with usually very unsatisfactory results, while the opportunities for blackmail are unlimited. despite these drawbacks, it would now be scarcely possible to revert to a system by which everyone who received a money order was obliged to take payment of it at a post office, although greater security for both the public and the department would be gained thereby. in certain parts of the country rural delivery is effected with extraordinary difficulty. on the north-west frontier the village postman goes in danger of his life from trans-border tribesmen. in the forest tracts of central india the attacks of man-eating tigers are not merely travellers' tales, but grim realities. in the riverine districts of eastern bengal the postman has to go from village to village by boat, and a storm on one of these immense rivers is a bad thing to face in a frail canoe. nor is the boat journey the worst trouble; a long tramp from the bank through swampy rice and jute fields is often the only way to a village which has to be visited twice a week. it is no wonder that the village postman sometimes takes the easiest way of delivering his letters by going to the most important place in his beat on market day; for, if he cannot find the actual addressees there, he is pretty sure to find some people from the vicinity who are willing to take charge of their neighbours' correspondence, but often not too careful about delivering it. hence the origin of much trouble, complaints and hard swearing. half a dozen witnesses are always forthcoming to affirm that the postman visited the village _in propria persona_ on that particular day, and to prove it the visit book with the signature of one of the perjurers is produced. how can the mere negative evidence of another half-dozen stand against these convincing proofs? on the malabar side of the peninsula, where a very strict form of brahminism prevails, persons of low caste are forbidden to enter the quarters of a town occupied by brahmins, and care has to be taken to place these quarters in the beats of high caste postmen. in palghat there was almost a riot on one occasion when a postman of inferior caste attempted to enter a brahmin street in the performance of his duties, and the postmaster-general was promptly called to order by the indignant inhabitants. it was nearly a question whether he should be fined and compelled to feed a thousand beggars in accordance with the custom of the caste, but, on proving that he was an indigent member of the indian civil service with a wife and family in england, he was pardoned on admitting his error and promising that no repetition of the offence should occur. as a rule the indian postman is reasonably honest and, if not interfered with at an unseasonable moment by an over-zealous inspector, his accounts will come out square in the course of time. the maintenance of a private debit account with the department at the expense of the payees of money orders is not unknown. the usual practice is to withhold the payment of a certain number of money orders for a few days and to use the money for some profitable speculation, such as cotton gambling or betting on the opium sales. recently one of the most respected postmen in the big bazaar of calcutta was found to have overreached himself in carrying out this policy. he was on a very heavy money order beat, and used regularly to keep back a number of money orders and forge the payees' receipts so as to satisfy the office that payment had been made. he kept a private account of these, and when he decided to pay any one whose money had been withheld he filled up a blank form, of which plenty are always available, and took the payee's signature on this. the practice continued for some time and, as everyone got paid in turn and the postman was a most plausible fellow, no complaints were made. at last his speculations went wrong, he got into very deep water and an unpleasant person complained to the postmaster that he had not received a money order which he knew to have been sent weeks before. this led to an inquiry, and the postman, being caught unawares, was unable to account for about , rupees' worth of money orders due to various people in the city. one of the great problems of the post office in large towns is to arrange deliveries and beats of postmen so that people will get their letters in the shortest time after the arrival of the mail trains. it used to be thought that the best way to effect this purpose was to have several delivery centres in order that postmen might be near their beats and the waste of time in walking to the beats be avoided. to enable this to be done, the railway mail service was expected to sort all postal articles into separate bags for the different delivery offices. the principle is excellent in theory, but in practice it has not worked well and has led to indiscriminate missending to wrong delivery offices. for instance, madras at one time had twenty-six delivery offices and, if people could have been induced to address their correspondence to one of these offices with the word (madras) in brackets underneath, there might have been some hope of it being properly sorted by the railway mail service, but probably per cent of articles were simply addressed to madras with or without the name of a street, so that the sorters were set an impossible task and the general post office had to maintain a special staff for sorting and conveying such letters to the offices from which they would eventually be delivered. the present policy is to have as few delivery offices as possible, and to have postmen conveyed to more distant beats. this has proved far more satisfactory; it relieves the work in the r.m.s., enables the postmen to be kept under better control and reduces the possibility of articles going astray. while working at the best arrangements for delivery at calcutta mr. owens, late presidency postmaster, devised the system of what is known for want of a better name as "continuous delivery." every beat is provided with a locked box placed in a shop or some suitable place in the beat, and the letters for delivery are placed in this box by messengers sent direct from the post office. the postman goes straight to his beat and remains on duty there for six hours, he finds his letters in the box and is supposed to make the complete round of his beat every hour, delivering articles and clearing the pillar boxes _en route_. when he returns to the locked box he finds a fresh consignment of letters for delivery, and deposits those that he has collected for despatch, to be taken away by the messenger on his next visit. the system is a good one and has worked well. it saves labour and, if the beats are properly supervised and the postmen work conscientiously, a great quickening up of delivery is effected. if, however, supervision is at all lax, human nature asserts itself, postmen are inclined to loiter and they allow letters to accumulate so that one round can be made to do the work of two. owing to the difficulty of supervision, the continuous delivery system has not many ardent supporters in the post office at the present time. the postman is, in fine, one of the most important factors in the department, and upon his energy and honesty much depends. it therefore behoves the authorities to see that a good class of man is recruited. in addition to being able to read and write the language of that part of the country in which he serves, he should know enough english to be able to read addresses easily, but in order to obtain this class of man careful recruitment is necessary and a good initial salary with reasonable prospects of promotion must be given. much has been done in recent years to improve the status of postmen and all branch postmasterships, which are not held by extra-departmental agents, are now open to them. this is a great step forward. the department used to be very parsimonious in the matter of uniforms, and in many important offices postmen had to pay for them themselves. nor was there any uniformity even in each circle about the uniforms supplied by government. in one town red coats and blue turbans were seen, in another blue coats and red turbans, in another khaki coats and nondescript turbans, while the men who supplied themselves with uniform presented at times the most extraordinary appearance. the pattern of postmen's uniform has now been standardized for each circle, and uniforms are supplied free of cost in all head offices and large sub-offices. warm clothing is also given in all places with a cold climate. there is no doubt about the value of a uniform to a postman. it adds a certain amount of dignity to him and, like the soldier, he is the better man for having a distinctive badge of office. the pay has recently been greatly improved and much has been done to ameliorate conditions under which they serve. there are over , postmen in india; the interests of these men are identical with those of the department, and their welfare should be the aim of every postal officer. chapter xi post office buildings "i don't think" was the terse though somewhat vulgar reply of a well-known district officer on the western side of india when asked if he would like to have a post office erected in a conspicuous place at the head-quarters of his district. he was willing to give the site in question for a clock tower, a public library or even a statue of one of his predecessors, but a post office, "no, thank you." the reason for this attitude may be easily understood by those who have seen the ordinary indian post office of a few years ago. it used generally to be a rented building quite unsuited for the purpose and made perfectly hideous by small additions and projections constructed from time to time in order to meet demands for increased space. the windows and doors were used not for light and air nor even for giving access to the interior, but for business purposes. they were blocked up with the exception of a small hole just the size of a pane of glass, through which the members of the public had to try to get a clerk to attend to their requirements. when a government building existed it was very little better, except in the matter of repairs. the interior of the ordinary post office was a dreadful sight a few years ago, a mass of untidy tables, a large number of cupboards, known in india as almirahs, ill-designed sorting cases and dirt, this last article being the most prevalent everywhere. letters were sorted on the floor for convenience, and the delivery table with its ragged occupants, who did duty for postmen, was a sight for the gods. the position of a post office in a town is a matter of the first importance, but the chief object of the authorities in the early days of the imperial post office seems to have been economy. as a building in a back street naturally costs less than one in a main street, many of the city offices are hidden away in the most inaccessible slums. it is, indeed, a case of mohamed and the mountain, and the post office, secure in its monopoly, was not going to afford any unnecessary conveniences to its clients. many of my readers will doubtless recall some of those upstairs offices in big cities, which do an enormous amount of work, especially in the afternoon, the approach being a single staircase just broad enough for one person to ascend. imagine the turmoil at the busy hours of the day. in bara bazar, calcutta, and benares city, two famous instances which come to mind at the moment, where there is a heavy despatch of parcels, the confined space round the parcel windows was the scene of a petty riot every afternoon. such a state of affairs could not exist for a month in a country where the better class of people perform their own post office business; unfortunately in india all this kind of work is done by native messengers who are not particular about the surroundings of an office and usually have plenty of time to spare. things, however, improved in recent years under the direction of sir arthur fanshawe and sir charles stewart-wilson, both of whom had the critical faculty strongly developed. assisted by the genius of mr. james begg, consulting architect to the government of india, they have done much to improve the modern post office, with the result that the department now has some really fine buildings. for beauty of design the new bombay general post office, completed in , is one of the finest in the east. the reproduction of it in this book gives but little idea of its splendid proportions, and its internal structure has been planned with a view to facilitate postal work and to allow for future expansion. the general post office in calcutta was built in from designs made by mr. granville, architect to the government of india. the site is of great historical interest owing to its association with the tragedy of the black hole of calcutta. the building is hardly large enough now for the great mass of work which it has to transact and, although the removal of the postmaster-general's office and the sorting branch has somewhat relieved the congestion, there is already a demand for increased accommodation. the same thing has happened in madras where there is a large post and telegraph office facing the sea, designed by mr. chisholm and opened to the public in . the expansion of business has outgrown the capacity of the building, and the time has come to construct a new post office and to use the present building as a telegraph office. most head offices and important sub-offices are now designed to provide a proper hall for the public who wish to transact business, with a counter for clerks and sufficient open space in the building to allow each branch to work independently and in comfort under the supervision of a responsible officer. at lahore, nagpur, patna, chittagong, bareilly, rawalpindi, cawnpore, howrah, poona, agra, allahabad, mandalay, benares, sholapur and mount road madras, excellent offices have been recently constructed, and the next few years will see rangoon, delhi, dacca, darjeeling, ajmere, ahmedabad and several other large towns provided with post office buildings, not only scientifically planned, but handsomely designed. apart from its architectural features the essentials in a post office building are very much those of a bank, namely, space, facility for supervision and an arrangement of the branches dealing with the public, so that anyone entering the office to do postal business can find his way immediately to the clerk concerned. space is most necessary, especially in the sorting and delivery of mails. in crowded offices thefts occur, packets of mails get mixed up and shot into wrong bags, and proper supervision is almost impossible. the old indian system of letting the public stand in the veranda of the post office and transact business through the windows of the buildings has always been fatal to good and quick work. in the first place it is not easy to find the proper window for the exact purpose one requires, and there are seldom sufficient for all the branches. in the second place, when one has discovered the right window, the clerk is seated inside some distance away, and it is often difficult to attract his attention. the only sensible arrangement is a hall with a proper counter and screen on which the departments are clearly indicated, and the clerks sitting right up face to face with the public. the postal clerk has the gift of complete aloofness when his services are in the greatest request, but it requires extra strong nerves to feign indifference to a man who is looking straight at you two feet away and shouting his demands in unintelligible hindustani, especially if he hasn't yet breakfasted and the weather is very hot. the real value of the counter is, in fine, that it enables all work with the public to be performed in half the time. except in the very largest offices where the postmaster sits in some secluded abode like an olympian god, the postmaster's seat should be in the main office and readily accessible to the public. deputy and assistant postmasters are very fine fellows, but nothing can compensate for the eagle eye of the head. it is extraordinary how quickly a delivery gets out when he is present to urge it along, and how swiftly one gets one's money orders or savings bank deposits when he is looking on. for this reason he should be always within hail and, if he can accustom himself to deal courteously with the public and treat his staff with justice and consideration, he will be the man that the post office requires. the policy in past years of obtaining rented buildings for post offices has proved a serious misfortune to the department. they are seldom or never suitable for public offices, and the various attempts to adapt them for postal purposes have been expensive and unsuccessful. every addition means an increase of rent and, with each renewal of the lease, the rental is regularly enhanced. i don't think that it is an exaggeration to say that throughout india the rents paid for post office buildings have increased by per cent in the last twenty-five years. in many instances the total value of the house itself has been paid many times over, and the department still continues to pay an exorbitant price for the privilege of occupying the ruins. no more miserable or extravagant policy than this can be imagined, and in large stations the post office is absolutely in the hands of the landlord who can demand what he likes when a lease expires, a position which he is inclined to take full advantage of. in recent years the folly of this system has become more and more apparent, and efforts are now being made to provide government buildings for all important offices, but any such scheme must necessarily take time since good sites in suitable positions are seldom available and funds are strictly limited. [illustration: general post office. bombay] a far-sighted man who thinks that his business will expand in time will provide for such expansion even as a speculation and, when expansion is a certainty as in the case of the post office which doubles its business in ten years, to provide merely for the needs of the moment is the falsest of false economy. the standard rule laid down by sir charles stewart-wilson with respect to new buildings was that, when a new post office is required, the space necessary for the office at the time should be taken and multiplied by two. then there would be some hope of the accommodation being sufficient at all events for one official generation. there is hardly a single office built more than twenty years ago which is not now overcrowded and which will not have to be enlarged at considerable expense. if this lesson is taken to heart by the designers of our new post offices, they will earn the gratitude of future generations of postmasters. chapter xii the post office in indian states the continent of india is divided into territory of two kinds, namely, british india and indian states. there are states with varying degrees of independence according to the treaties that exist between them and the british government. except in three of these, mysore, travancore and cochin, no proper postal system can be said to have existed before the imperial post office of india was established. in mysore the anche, a local post, was a very old institution, and its extension to the whole kingdom was one of the earliest measures of the reign of chikka devaraj wadayar in the year . a similar system known as anchel has existed for many years in travancore and cochin, but its origin is not known. other states had no post offices in the proper sense of the term, and when the post office of india was established it extended its operations to many of these without any question. from many of the larger states, however, the imperial post office was rigidly excluded, with the result that there was great difficulty in maintaining any postal communication between them and british india. gradually certain states began to develop postal organizations of a distinct and independent character with special postage stamps of their own and others had organizations without any postage stamps. all kinds of different arrangements existed and the position is well described by sir frederic hogg, the director-general, in his annual report of - : "in some places the delivery of correspondence proceeding from the imperial post is effected by an agency independent of this department, in other places this agency is subject to imperial post control; while sometimes again both descriptions of distributing agencies are employed. there exists an arrangement under which the imperial post is subsidized for the delivery of correspondence, and there are some localities in native territory which are destitute of any postal organization, and where letters cannot be delivered at all. nor is diversity of method the sole difficulty that has to be met. beyond the limits of this department information on postal matters can hardly be obtained. native states issue no _postal guide_, print no lists of post offices and publish no postal matters for the information of the public. postal information is not available. it is uncertain whether a letter will ever be delivered. not only is prepayment to destination in many cases impossible, but correspondence is subject on delivery to arbitrary and unknown charges. registration is often impossible. postcards don't exist and the inhabitants of native states, which oppose imperial post extensions, are debarred from the benefits of the money order, insurance and value-payable systems and other facilities afforded by the imperial post office to the public. restrictions of correspondence must be the natural consequence of this diversity of system or absence of system, and the only real remedy lies in the gradual extinction of all post organizations and their supersession by the imperial post. such a measure must entail great expense for several years, but uniformity of postage rates, rules and conditions would result and the cost involved would doubtless ultimately be more than covered by increased revenue." the first case that came prominently to notice was that of the patiala state with which there was considerable trouble regarding postal exchanges. a proposal was made in to extend the imperial postal system to the state, but it was not acceptable to the council of regency, and after much discussion it was decided to prepare a convention according to which a mutual exchange of correspondence could be arranged. the convention was ratified in and similar ones were made with gwalior, jhind and nabha in and with faridkot and chamba in , the last four constituting with patiala the group known as the phulkian states. the conventions with these states are all similar and to the following effect:-- ( ) there shall be a mutual exchange of correspondence, parcels and money orders between the imperial post office and the post offices of the native state, this exchange including registered, insured and value-payable articles, and being governed by the rules of the _indian postal guide_, as periodically published. ( ) certain selected post offices in british india and in the native states shall be constituted offices of exchange, and these offices shall be the sole media of exchange for insured and value-payable articles and money orders, and shall be entrusted with the duty of preparing the accounts arising from the exchange. ( ) indian postage stamps and postal stationery overprinted with the name of the native state shall be supplied by the government of india on indent at cost price, and shall be used for the purpose of prepaying inland correspondence posted in the state. ( ) the government of india shall bear the cost of conveying mails over british territory, and the native state shall bear the cost of conveying mails within the limits of the state. ( ) the imperial post office shall establish no new post offices in native state territory without the permission of the durbar, excepting at railway stations or within british cantonments, the durbar undertaking the establishment of any post offices or letter-boxes required in state territory by the imperial post office. ( ) on foreign correspondence posted in the state, postage shall be prepaid only by means of imperial postage stamps not bearing the overprint, postage stamps with such overprint not being recognized for the purpose. ( ) monthly accounts shall be kept of the amounts due to the imperial post office by the native state and vice versa upon the money order exchange. no sooner had these conventions been agreed to than government began to regret the step that had been taken, and it was then seen that real postal unity in the country could only be effected by the abolition of separate systems in the different states, a policy directly opposed to that which had been adopted towards gwalior and the phulkian states. when, therefore, the dewan or prime minister of mysore asked for a convention, he was met with a definite refusal, and an alternative proposal was made to the mysore government that the imperial post office should undertake the postal service of the state. the proposal was accepted in , and the mysore anche was abolished at the end of . this measure of amalgamation, in which the mysore darbar rendered substantial assistance, was carried into effect from the beginning of . the facilities afforded by the indian post office, which were thus extended to the whole of mysore, were fully appreciated by the people and resulted in a great development of postal business, the number of articles delivered having increased in the first year by no less than a million. the case of mysore was such a striking example of the benefits arising from the unification of a state post office with the imperial system that sir arthur fanshawe, the director-general, used every endeavour to extend the policy to other states. the result was that the kashmir state followed suit in , and shortly afterwards bamra, nandgaon and pudakottah. the efforts to win over hyderabad, the premier state of india, were not successful. although negotiations were extended over many years and every inducement was offered, the nizam steadfastly refused to surrender the management of his own posts as a separate system. in mr. stewart-wilson, who succeeded sir arthur fanshawe as director-general, started a fresh campaign for the unification of the post office all over india, and he succeeded in getting indore and bhopal to join in . since then jaipur asked for a convention, but this was refused in accordance with the policy that conventions were undesirable as only tending to perpetuate the many diversities which government were anxious to abolish. the position at present is that out of states, , including faridkote which voluntarily abandoned its convention in , have cast in their lot with the imperial post office, the number of outstanding states is thus fifteen, of which only hyderabad, gwalior, jaipur, patiala and travancore are of much importance. [illustration: general post office. madras] the policy of the government of india has been clearly laid down in the correspondence dealing with the unification of the hyderabad posts with the imperial post office. the government is unwilling to take over the postal system of any state without the full consent of the durbar or state council, but it exercises the right of opening an imperial post office or placing a letter-box anywhere in a state if imperial interests require it. as a rule such offices are opened at railway stations or military cantonments, but they may be opened elsewhere in cases of real necessity. the aim of the government is towards complete unification of the post office all over the country. the inconvenience of separate systems is keenly felt, and the inequality of conventions on mutual terms between a great empire and a small state is obvious. the principle upon which each country of the postal union retains its own postage on foreign correspondence is based on the theory that for every letter sent a letter is received, and that the transit charges are fairly apportioned, and in many cases the difference is slight when spread over a long period. when the principle is applied to a small state in a big country like india, the burden of handling correspondence is very unevenly divided. for every ten miles a letter has to be conveyed within the state, the post office of india may have to convey it a thousand miles or more at a cost altogether out of proportion to the postage receipts for half the correspondence handled. the difference is still more marked in the case of parcels and money orders and, despite all efforts to make the division of fees correspond with the work done by each administration, the position has never been satisfactory. the postal future of the few states that still refuse to join the imperial system is uncertain. all compromises have been rejected, and the arguments of prestige and prejudice are used to contest those of uniformity and convenience. as matters stand now the inconsistencies of small postal systems within the indian empire seem likely to continue until a firm hand on the one part and enlightened opinion on the other combine to abolish them. chapter xiii the overland route overland trade between europe and india has existed from the earliest times and was fully developed during the roman empire. after the overthrow of the western empire by odoacer in a.d. and during the struggles with the persians and saracens the overland trade with the east languished until the consolidation of the saracenic power at damascus, cairo and bagdad. it was again thrown into disorder by the ascendancy of the turkish guard at bagdad, and did not revive until the thirteenth century, when, as the result of the crusades, venice and genoa became the great emporia for eastern spices, drugs and silks. the merchandise came by land to the ports of the levant and the black sea, but the capture of constantinople by the ottoman turks in drove the traffic to alexandria, which continued to be the mart for eastern wares until the discovery of the cape route to india altered the whole conditions of trade. the first historical attempt to reach england from india by the overland route was made in when lord pigot, governor of madras, was placed in confinement by his own council. both parties attempted to avoid loss of time in representing their case to the board of directors by despatching messengers up the red sea and across egypt. the council's messenger, captain dibdin, managed to land at tor near the mouth of the gulf of suez, to make his way across egypt and finally to reach his destination. not so mr. eyles irwin, the messenger of the governor. he sailed in the brig _adventure_, and after many mishaps only succeeded in reaching cosseir on the red sea in july, where he and his companions were detained by the turks. in , after the fall of pondicherry, warren hastings was determined that the good news should go home via suez, and he engaged to send mr. greuber by a fast sailing packet to that port with the despatches. the proposal was strenuously opposed by francis and wheler, but hastings, having barwell on his side and a casting vote in council, was able to carry out his intention. mr. greuber managed to get through by this route, but neither hastings nor the board of directors anticipated the objections which the ottoman porte had to any navigation of the red sea by the company's ships. in the porte issued a firman putting a stop to all trade between egypt and india by the way of suez and decreed that ships from india could proceed only as far as jeddah. if despatches were to be sent by suez, the messenger conveying them had to travel from jeddah by turkish ship. this was a hopeless arrangement and meant endless delay, besides which the fate of messengers or of any europeans crossing the desert between suez and cairo was very uncertain. the terrible dangers and difficulties of the journey are graphically described in mrs. fay's letters. owing to the opposition of the turkish government the overland route was abandoned for some time, but in an arrangement was made with them and the company's cruiser _panther_, under the command of captain speak, sailed in that year with despatches. she left bombay on the th march and reached suez on the th may, where she waited for three months for return despatches; but since these did not arrive she returned to bombay, and, being delayed by contrary winds at mocha, finally arrived after an absence of thirteen months. in the government carried into execution a project which they had long been contemplating, namely, the establishment of a mail route from india to england by the persian gulf and turkish arabia. a number of packet boats were put on this service which plied between bombay and basrah once a month. private correspondence was allowed to be sent by this route upon the following conditions:-- . no letter was to exceed four inches in length, two in breadth, nor to be sealed with wax. . all letters were to be sent to the secretary to government with a note specifying the name of the writer and with the writer's name under the address, to be signed by the secretary previous to deposit in the packet, as a warrant of permission. . postage had to be paid upon the delivery of each letter at the rate of rupees for a single letter weighing one-quarter of a rupee, for letters weighing half a rupee rupees, and for letters weighing one rupee rupees. two mails were sent by each despatch, one by bagdad and one by aleppo. we are not told if many private people were wealthy enough to pay these overwhelming rates of postage or were prepared to face the irksome conditions imposed upon anyone using this route. in the first quarter of the nineteenth century the east india company continued to retain a resident at busra long after their trade had ceased to be of any consequence. one of his principal duties was in connection with the desert post, by which despatches were forwarded to england from the bombay government. later on the post of resident was abolished, and in the desert post was closed, as despatches, when forwarded overland, were sent in the company's cruisers via cosseir on the red sea and cairo. on the th november, , a meeting was held in the town hall at calcutta to discuss the feasibility of establishing communication with great britain by means of steam navigation via the mediterranean, isthmus of suez and the red sea. a premium of £ , was offered to the first company or society that would bring out a steam vessel to india and establish the communication between india and england. the first steamer to reach india via the cape was the _enterprise_, commanded by captain johnson, in . she was a vessel of five hundred tons burthen with two engines of sixty horse-power each and also built to sail, and she performed the journey in fifty-four days. her great fault was want of room for coal, a circumstance which nearly led to a disaster on the voyage, as the coal, which had to be packed on top of the boilers, ignited and the fire was extinguished with difficulty. the credit for establishing the suez route belongs to lieutenant thomas waghorn, of the east india company's marine. he was the first to organize direct communication between england and india by means of fast steamers in the mediterranean and red seas. in the steamer _hugh lindsay_ made the first voyage from bombay to suez, and waghorn from that time worked hard at his scheme. he built eight halting places in the desert between cairo and suez, provided carriages and placed small steamers on the nile and the canal of alexandria, waghorn's triumph was on the st october, , when he bore the mails from bombay, only thirty days old, into london. this memorable feat settled the question of the superiority of the overland as compared with the old cape route, but it was not given effect to without great opposition from the shipping companies. in the peninsular and oriental steamship company obtained a charter of incorporation, and one of the conditions was that steam communication with india should be established within two years. this condition was fulfilled by the despatch of the _hindustan_ to india via the cape of good hope in . the advantages of the route across the isthmus of suez were, however, too obvious, and the p. and o. company took up a contract for the conveyance of mails between london and suez, while vessels of the east india company's navy conveyed them between suez and bombay. the journey from alexandria to suez was most uncomfortable for passengers. it was made by canal boat to cairo, and then by two-wheeled vehicles across the desert to suez. in a contract was given for five years to the p. and o. company to establish a regular mail service in the indian seas, with a subsidy of £ , a year for the combined india and china services. this contract was subsequently extended, and in january, , a fresh contract was concluded with the company under which fortnightly communication was secured between england, india and china, with a service once in two months between singapore and sydney. on the th july, , a supplementary contract was entered into for the conveyance of mails between southampton and bombay through alexandria, by which way the transit time was twenty-eight days. the total subsidy under both contracts was £ , a year. the sea postage collected by the united kingdom and india was devoted to the payment of this subsidy, and any deficiency was borne equally by both countries. in a fresh contract for twelve years was concluded with the company for a weekly service to and from bombay and a fortnightly one to and from china and japan. the annual subsidy was fixed at £ , , to be increased to £ , if such should be necessary, in order to enable the company to pay per cent dividend upon their capital. this absurd clause was cancelled in , and the annual subsidy was fixed at £ , . the suez canal was opened in , but owing to difficulties with the british government it was not used for the passage of the mail steamers until many years later. in the southampton route was abolished, and the contract for the weekly service stipulated for a transit time of ½ days between london and bombay via alexandria and suez. it was not until that the mails were sent by the suez canal instead of by rail across egypt. during the term of the contract - , the port for reception and despatch of mails was marseilles. arrangements were made in the new contract of for the substitution of brindisi for marseilles on the completion of the mont cenis tunnel and railway, and brindisi remained the european port for the reception and despatch of mails until the outbreak of war in . [illustration: post office. agra] on the st july, , a new contract was drawn up for a combined eastern and australian service. the transit time between london and bombay was limited to ½ days and the annual subsidy was fixed at £ , , of which £ , represented the payment for the service between brindisi, india, ceylon, the straits settlements and china. the last contract was entered into with the company on the st july, , for seven years. the transit time between brindisi and bombay was reduced to ¼ days with an allowance of thirty-six hours in the monsoon, and the total subsidy was fixed at £ , . the present contract with the p. and o. company expires in , and what fate the future has in store for the suez canal route we cannot tell. there has been much talk of a through railway from calais to karachi, and with the channel tunnel completed this would mean a railway route from london to india. the cost, however, of transporting the indian mail, which often consists of more than ten thousand bags, over this enormous distance by rail would probably be prohibitive. under the international postal convention each country traversed would have the right to claim a territorial transit charge, and with fast steamers between marseilles and bombay the saving in time might not be so great as has been anticipated. another competitor to the steamer service has appeared recently in the form of aviation. several proposals for an air mail service between england and india have been made, but the success of long distance transits by air is not yet assured. it has been stated that the old familiar scenes at port said and aden will soon be as unknown to the eastern traveller as table bay and st. helena. the old trade routes are to be revived again, no longer with slow and picturesque caravans, but with rushing trains and aeroplanes. despite these prophecies the p. and o. continue to build new ships, they book passages even a year ahead, and are preparing to tender for a new mail contract. is this mere contempt, is it optimism, or is it the adoption of warren hastings' motto: "mens aequa in arduis"? chapter xiv the sea post office in the postmaster-general, united kingdom, announced that it had been determined to open the homeward-bound mails on board the steamers between alexandria and southampton and alexandria and marseilles, with a view to effect a partial or complete sorting of the letters and newspapers. he also suggested that the clerks entertained for this service might during the voyage out be employed in sorting the letters and newspapers contained in the mails despatched from england to india. at the same time he inquired whether the government of india would be willing to bear their proportion of the cost of the scheme. the offer was declined on the ground that english clerks could not sort letters correctly for stations in india, where there were many places with the same name. in the bombay government reported that on the europe side of egypt the former practice of sending an admiralty agent with each steamer of the peninsular and oriental company in charge of mails had been abolished, and instead the company carried a couple of post office clerks to sort the homeward mail. they embarked on the marseilles boat at alexandria, and before arriving at malta they sorted all the letters for transmission via marseilles. at malta these clerks were transferred to the vessel for southampton, and when the steamer reached that port all the heavy mails were sorted. the bombay government suggested that a similar arrangement might be adopted east of suez, the clerks told off for the work being employed in the bombay post office when they were not engaged on the steamer. the bombay government's suggestion was negatived on the ground of expense in view of the unsatisfactory state of the indian finances at the time. in the subject was revived by lord lawrence, the director-general, mr. monteath, agreed with the objections formerly urged that english post office clerks could not sort letters for all stations in india, but held that they could sort letters received by the marseilles route only for bombay and put up in boxes the letters and papers for the several governments or administrations in the provinces. it was then decided that sorting to the above limited extent might best be done in london and that, if it were done by a sorting establishment on a steamer west of suez, the indian government might be reasonably called upon for a contribution. thus the discussion ended for the time and nothing was done. the subject was revived in , when weekly communication between england and india was established. in the new contract with the peninsular and oriental company provision was made to accommodate a postal sorting office and give free passages to sorters on the vessels east of suez. the government of india decided to take advantage of this arrangement and authorized experimental sea-sorting establishments on the scale of six sets of sorters for fifty-two voyages annually in each direction between bombay and suez. each set consisted of a head sorter, a sorter and two packers. the calculation was based on an allowance of fifteen days each way for the voyage to and from suez, with an interval of from two days to six days between a return from suez and the next departure from bombay, notice was at the same time given for the withdrawal of the naval agents employed on board the steamers. one of the principal duties of these naval agents appears to have been to report whether penalties for delay should be exacted or not according to the circumstances in which the delays occurred. in his final report in on the working of the system, as a result of which the establishment was permanently continued, the director-general described the work of the sea post office as "embracing the sorting of mails for transmission to the various localities of a huge continent, as well as the checking of the accounts made out in respect of such correspondence by the various european offices from which the mails are received.... it is a work which, in an office on shore, would be distributed among a large establishment, each member of which would have to learn only a small portion of the business; and it is a work the bad performance of which even occasionally will give rise to the most serious consequences." the experimental formation of the sea-sorting office had succeeded so well that the inward overland mail was received at bombay ready for despatch into the interior, instead of having to be detained there for about six hours, which often involved the loss of a whole day for certain places. the bombay delivery ticket-holders got their overland letters at the post office window about ten minutes after the mail had arrived, and the delivery to calcutta ticket-holders of letters, which had been sorted at sea, was similarly expedited. the indian sea-sorting office sorted letters for the united kingdom, but the london general post office did not reciprocate by sorting the mail for india, the latter being done at sea, which enabled london to dispense with a large expenditure for naval agents. although the revised contract with the peninsular and oriental company provided for proper sorting accommodation on their vessels eastward of suez, there was no similar provision westward of suez; on the contrary, it was specially provided that the master or commander of the vessel should take charge of the mails to the west of suez. the fact was that the work done by the indian sea-sorting office on the homeward voyage was so complete and thorough that the british post office was able to abolish all its sea-sorting establishments west of suez. the steady growth in the work to be done and in the number of men required to cope with it gave rise to many difficulties in connection with the provision of suitable and adequate accommodation on board the steamers, the proper supervision of the staff, and the improvement of the service. the sorting arrangements had to be revised frequently, and the extent of the run, which, as stated above, was originally between suez and bombay, had in to be curtailed to the voyage between aden and bombay in consequence of the decision of the peninsular and oriental company to tranship the outward and homeward mails at aden every alternate week. with the steady increase in the volume of the mails to be dealt with, it was found necessary to add to this staff considerably from time to time. in the total staff of the six sets comprising the "marine postal service, suez and bombay," was raised to six mail officers, six assistant mail officers, six supernumerary assistant mail officers and twelve packers, i.e. five men for each set. when the journey was curtailed to the bombay-aden run the sets were reduced to three, but the number in each set had to be steadily increased until in it reached twenty-nine, consisting of an assistant mail officer, fifteen sorters and thirteen packers. in the year a special inquiry, made in connection with a question asked in parliament as to the effect of the introduction of imperial penny postage on work in the sea post office, revealed the fact that the conditions of the service were very exacting on the staff. the extent to which the sorting of the mails could be done at bombay or in the railway mail service instead of at sea was very fully considered, and, although the committee of postal officers convened at bombay to examine the subject did not recommend the discontinuance of the existing arrangement, its retention was made conditional upon the adoption of a number of special measures to reduce the amount of work at sea. a further inquiry into the conditions of service in the sea post office, instituted in the year in connection with a representation on the subject made to the secretary of state for india by the late mr. samuel smith, m.p., again brought into prominence the fact that the work had to be performed in circumstances of a peculiarly trying nature. it also established that, owing to the rapid increase, at the rate of to per cent a year, in the volume of the mails, the question of arranging for the sorting work to be done on shore instead of at sea could not be deferred much longer. this growth was bound to involve further additions to the staff from time to time, while the accommodation which it was possible to secure for the work, especially on board the through mail steamers, was strictly limited. the subject of abolishing the sea post office altogether, or, at least, of restricting it to very small proportions, was again taken up in , as the postmaster-general, bombay, reported that the service could not be placed on a proper footing without the provision of much more accommodation on board the through steamers, and expressed the opinion that the time had come for considering whether it was not possible to have most of the work of sorting done on shore. by the end of the volume of the mails had become so large and the difficulty of dealing with them on board so great that a radical change was needed. the question of having the sorting work done on shore was, therefore, fully examined again with the postmaster-general, bombay. the position at the time was as follows: the mails for india despatched from the united kingdom were received by the aden-bombay sea post office partly sorted for the various territorial divisions of india, and partly unsorted. the unsorted portion, which amounted to about per cent of the total, consisted of the articles of all classes posted or received in london late on friday evening, which the london general post office did not sort before despatch. the indian mails from countries other than the united kingdom were received by the sea post office wholly unsorted. with the exception of trade circulars and price lists, all the unsorted mails received were dealt with by the sea post office between aden and bombay. the average number of the unregistered letters, postcards, newspapers, packets of printed papers, and samples which had to be sorted by the sea post office on each voyage from aden to bombay was , and, in addition, some registered articles had to be specially treated and about unpaid articles examined and taxed with postage. this work had to be performed under very trying conditions and, during the monsoon season especially, the staff was hard pressed to finish the sorting before the steamer reached bombay. the accommodation for sorting the mails provided on the through mail steamers was becoming less and less adequate as the volume of the mail increased and no additional space could be obtained. the proposal to meet the situation by again extending the run of the sea post office to port said or suez had to be negatived owing to the transhipment at aden on alternate weeks. moreover, it was undesirable to resort to a measure of this kind, as, quite apart from the large additional expenditure involved in return for insufficient advantages, the difficulty of keeping the staff under close and constant supervision was becoming more pronounced. in fact, this difficulty of exercising proper supervision over the enormous volume of work at sea furnished in itself a very strong argument in favour of having the work of sorting and dealing with these important mails done entirely on shore. it was estimated that, with the provision of all necessary appliances and conveniences for dealing rapidly with the work on shore, a staff of about well-trained and efficient sorters could do within a period of two and a half hours from the time of the _landing_ of the mails the whole of the work then done by the sea post office. this number could be easily provided from among the sorters already employed in the sea post office, in the bombay general post office, and in sections of the railway mail service working into and out of bombay. the provision of suitable accommodation for the sorting to be done on shore, which was formerly a matter of much difficulty owing to the want of space in the general post office, bombay, no longer existed as the new general post office near the victoria terminus, the building of which was then well advanced, had ample room for this purpose. it was unnecessary to enter into any examination of the question in respect of the outward mails from india as the whole of the work done by the sea post office in connection with those mails could just as easily be performed, without any public or postal inconvenience and at very little extra cost, by the railway mail service and in the various large post offices in india. in view of the increasingly unfavourable conditions under which the sorting had to be performed at sea and of the greater security and efficiency that would be secured by having it done on shore, it was admitted that the best course would be to abolish the sea sorting service, but to do so gradually in order to avoid any dislocation in the disposal of the foreign mails. the various indian chambers of commerce were consulted in , and the general opinion was that no change should be made until the alexandra docks at bombay were completed. the authorities of the bombay port trust were accordingly requested to provide a sorting hall for the post office on the new pier. on the completion of the new mole in the harbour the mail steamer, instead of discharging its mails in the stream, would be able to berth alongside the pier; the delay in transhipment would be greatly reduced, and with a sufficient staff of sorters on the spot the mails would be ready for despatch by the special trains due to leave bombay within four and a half hours of the signalling of the steamers. the question was finally settled by the outbreak of the war in . the sailings of the mail steamers became very irregular, accommodation on board could no longer be provided for sorters, and consequently the sorting of both the outward and inward mails had to be performed in the bombay general post office. the sorting of the homeward mail on shore was undertaken from the th august, , and the last inward mail sorted on board arrived at bombay on the th august, . in spite of war conditions, the first special train usually started within seven hours of the steamer having been signalled. in these circumstances the sea post office was formally abolished as such, and the indian share of the eastern mail service subsidy was reduced by a sum of £ a year on account of its discontinuance. no other postal administration of the world has ever attempted to undertake the task of sorting the foreign mails while in course of transit by sea on anything like the scale on which this work was done by the indian post office. a certain amount of sorting of mails was done on the steamers of the white star line sailing between liverpool and new york, and on those of the american line sailing between southampton and new york, also on board the german steamers sailing between bremen or hamburg and new york. the work done on those lines, however, was on a very minor scale and a small staff of four men on the white star and american line steamers, and of three on the german steamers was employed. the strength of the staff of the sea post office working between bombay and aden was, in , one hundred and three men, divided into three sets of one assistant mail officer, seventeen sorters and fourteen packers each, with seven probationary sorters. the staff was a most extravagant one; the men were not employed for more than half their time. by using a large staff and with proper organisation the work that took five days at sea is now being done more efficiently in a less number of hours in bombay. under present arrangements the mails are hoisted from the steamer direct into the foreign mail sorting office on the ballard pier. there they are opened and sorted for the various parts of india by about one hundred and fifty sorters, and within three hours they are ready for the postal special trains which leave the pier station for calcutta, madras, lucknow and the punjab. foreign mail service sections work in each of these trains to deal with the final sorting and distribution of the mails to the various stations _en route_. chapter xv the post office in mesopotamia and the persian gulf the great war has thrown such strong light on the countries which border on the persian gulf that it may be interesting to record the important part which has been played by the post office of india in connection with imperial policy in persia and mesopotamia. owing to political considerations and the necessity of keeping open alternative means of communication between europe and india, the importance of the persian gulf and mesopotamia as a mail route was established nearly a century and a half ago. the ships of the old indian navy carried mail packets from bombay to basra, which was the starting-point of a regular dromedary post to aleppo, linked with a horse post from aleppo to constantinople, and it is an interesting piece of history that lord nelson's letter to the bombay government, giving the news of the naval victory of the nile, was transmitted by this route. during the first half of the last century, as the persian gulf and the shat-el-arab were infested with pirates, these waters were avoided by british trading vessels, so that, when a ship of the indian navy was not available to convey mails to bombay, letters from the political residents of the east india company stationed at bagdad and basra were sent to india by the desert route via damascus and beyrout and thence through egypt, and correspondence between bushire and india had to be diverted through teheran and alexandria. in a regular six-weekly mail service between bombay and basra was undertaken by the british india steam navigation company, and about the same time the euphrates and tigris steam navigation company agreed to extend the mail service from basra to bagdad by running their steamers in connection with the ocean line. the postal system at the coast ports, however, was defective owing to the absence of local post offices for the collection and distribution of mails, but these were gradually established from the year onwards at bushire, muscat, bandar abas, bahrain, mohammerah, and other places under the protection of british consular officers, and post offices were opened at bagdad and basra in turkish arabia in . although all these post offices were primarily intended for the benefit of political officers of the government of india, they have proved just as useful to the consular representatives of other european nations and to the public, and there is no doubt that, by supplying a commercial want, they gave a great impetus to trade in the persian gulf region. for years there was no other local postal service worthy of the name, and intercourse with the hinterland was entirely under the control of the british consular officers. in turkish arabia was wholly dependent for regular communication with the outside world on english enterprise. there were two mail routes from bagdad, one to teheran via kermanshah, a distance of miles, and the other from bagdad to damascus, miles, in connection with the british consulate at the latter place and the route to england via beyrout. a monthly mail service was also maintained by the government of india for the convenience of the british legation at teheran and the residency of bushire, the route lying through shiraz and ispahan, where british agencies had been established, but no postage was charged on letters despatched, as the line was kept up purely for political purposes. in addition to this post the indo-european telegraph department had a weekly service from bushire to shiraz. these persian lines were worked partly by runners and partly by horsemen, and continued until the persian government inaugurated its own service in and established a weekly post between bushire and teheran. the turkish representative at the international postal congress held at berne in urged that all foreign post offices in the ottoman dominions should be suppressed, but the demand was rejected as it involved a diplomatic question outside the province of the congress. in the turkish government established a dromedary post between bagdad and damascus in opposition to the english consular overland post and, after repeated representations on the part of the ottoman government, the latter was abolished in after having been in existence for upwards of a hundred years. in the following year the ottoman government closed their own line, and the only direct route left open to europe was the turkish post via mosul on the tigris to constantinople. when reporting the closing of the british desert post, the british consul-general at bagdad asked the postmaster-general in london to warn the british public not to post anything of value by any route other than the one from london to bombay and thence by sea to basra and bagdad, and the numerous complaints of the loss of parcels, books and letters fully justified his want of confidence in the ottoman post. the british post offices at basra and bagdad and the service by river steamer between these two ports were subjected to marked hostility on the part of the turks, notwithstanding the continued efforts of the british consular officer to limit their functions. competition with the local ottoman postal institutions was never aimed at, and indian post offices were primarily and chiefly maintained for consular purposes and located in the consulate buildings. local traders, however, were not slow to discover the advantage of the safe transit offered by the indian mail service and the convenience of the parcel post system, but their efforts to avoid payment of customs dues on articles imported by this means were frustrated at the outset by the british consul-general of bagdad, sir arnold kemball, who went so far as to suspend the parcel traffic in the interests of the turkish government until the latter could make adequate provision for custom-house examination and levying of dues on both import and export parcels. after various methods of detecting and dealing with dutiable parcels had been tried for many years, the system of handing over all inward parcels received from the offices of exchange at bombay, karachi and bushire to the turkish customs at bagdad and basra with copies of the customs declarations and invoices received was adopted by the consular post offices, the addressees being required to take delivery at the customs house on presentation of a delivery order signed by the british-indian postmaster. anyone who has had experience of the vagaries of turkish customs house officials can sympathize with people whose goods fell into their hands. the smallest irregularity, however unintentional, detected in a declaration or manifest could only be set right by the liberal distribution of bribes. woe betide the scrupulous owner or consignee who declined to adopt such methods and decided instead to stand by his rights and carry his complaint to higher authorities. the story is told of a young missionary lady whose wedding outfit was packed into a box which was taken in custody by a turkish official and was detained for the ostensible purpose of examination of the contents and assessment of duty. the settlement of this knotty point proceeded in a leisurely fashion for weeks, because the owner's conscience or purse would not permit of her speedily clinching the matter by a suitable payment. when the box was finally delivered the addressee found, to her horror, that the wedding dress and other articles of her trousseau bore unmistakable traces of having been worn. to add insult to injury, the customs authorities threatened to confiscate the goods, saying that there was a prohibition against the importation of "worn clothes"! there is no doubt that they had been freely used by the harem of some ottoman customs official, as the curiosity of turkish ladies regarding the latest european fashions was notorious and could usually overcome official scruples. when the inland insurance system was introduced in india in it was extended to the post offices in the persian gulf and turkish arabia. the insured parcel post was used largely by traders at bagdad, basra and bushire for the exportation of specie, and the total value insured in - amounted to over twenty-four lakhs of rupees. the pearl merchants at bahrain, which is the centre of the pearl fisheries in the gulf, availed themselves largely of the insured parcels post for the export of valuable parcels of pearls. protests were soon lodged by the british india steam navigation company, which held the mail contract, against this competition on the part of the post office on the ground that it infringed their monopoly. they argued that the carriage of specie and pearls was almost the sole source of profit from the persian gulf service, and after a careful review of the whole question it was decided in to abolish insurance of parcels and letters to and from the british post offices in the gulf and turkish arabia. this measure resulted in a heavy loss in postal revenue, but was only fair to a company which had risked much in maintaining british trade relations with that part of the world, and which has done more than any other to throttle german competition. the steamship companies employed to carry mails have all along had to contend with serious difficulties at the gulf ports. the original mail service undertaken by the british india steam navigation company between bombay and basra, and by the euphrates and tigris steam navigation company between basra and bagdad, was a six-weekly one, but a monthly service was arranged in and a fortnightly service in . from onwards mails were despatched weekly in both directions, and this has been supplemented in recent years by a fast service in connection with the english mail, the steamers calling only at the principal intermediate ports. there were many obstacles to speedy transit and delivery of mails, such as absence of lights and buoys, want of harbour facilities at the persian ports, difficulties of navigation in the river tigris during the dry season, obstruction on the part of the authorities, especially the turks, and difficulty of obtaining regular labour at the various anchorages. at many places the mail steamers have to anchor far out in the roadstead, and in rough weather there is some risk and delay in landing and embarking mails. the mail contract with the british india steam navigation company required that mails should be exchanged during daylight, and three hours were specified for the purpose; but this condition could not always be observed, and it was in the power of the local postmaster to upset all arrangements. unrest was a common feature of the political life of these parts, especially when there was a change of governors, and the authorities were generally too feeble to cope with a rising among the arab or persian tribes without the assistance of british bluejackets or indian troops, who were not always available on the spot. at such times the indian postmaster used to shut up his office long before darkness set in and barricade himself and his mails in the inner rooms of the building, so that the ship's mail officer arriving at dusk had no easy task in getting access to him. on one occasion the political resident of the persian gulf, whose word is law in these regions, was a passenger by the mail steamer which arrived at a certain port on a very sultry summer evening. being anxious that the steamer should sail to karachi without unnecessary delay, he asked the captain to expedite its departure, and the latter, who had previous experience of the local post office, said that he had his doubts about receiving the mails before morning, but promised to try his best, and went ashore himself. two hours later a message came to the ship asking for the political resident's personal assistance, and there was nothing left for the distinguished official to do but to go to the office himself. he found the captain and his second officer pelting the roof of the post office with stones, while from inside issued forth the vilest abuse of all ships' captains and their relations, with threats to report the attack to the resident. the matter was eventually settled, and the story is still told by all the natives with great gusto, as the eastern mind sees a special humour in the setting down of an important official. the euphrates and tigris steam navigation company, owned by messrs. lynch brothers, during the many years of its existence was never able to obtain permission from the ottoman government to run more than two steamers between basra and bagdad. the distance is five hundred miles, and, as the paddle-boats had occasionally to tie up during the night when the river was low, it is not surprising that the weekly mail service each way had no reputation for regularity. there were several other causes which contributed to misconnection between these boats and the ocean-going mail steamers of the british india company. the run from basra to bagdad and vice versa was usually accomplished in five days, which left only two days at either end for loading and unloading, cleaning and repairs of engines and other duties. if a steamer reached port towards the end of the week, little or no work could be done. friday is a general holiday among the turks and arabs who are mohammedans, and the customs house is kept closed; saturday is the hebrew sabbath, when jews are absent from the wharves; while sunday is a _dies non_ with the armenian christians, who are among the most important of the shippers. it was hard for an european merchant to contend with such an accumulation of sacred days. he was willing to keep open and work on every day of the week, but the susceptibilities of the local population cannot be overridden. the turkish government tried every conceivable method of hindering the enterprise of messrs. lynch and company, but their steamers continued to flourish and gain in popularity, whereas the ottoman line of steamers, established in under the auspices of the government with the avowed object of smashing the british line, failed to justify its existence. the turkish steamers were badly equipped and inefficiently controlled, and being always in a state of dilapidation became a byword of reproach even among the turkish subjects of mesopotamia. it was not surprising, therefore, that overtures on the part of this company to obtain the english contract for the carriage of mails were never seriously considered. apart from the unreliability of the service, there were strong political grounds for supporting the company which had done so much under the british flag to open up the commerce of mesopotamia. originally the merchants at the intermediate river ports of kurnah, kut and amara, on the tigris, were accustomed to post letters on the river mail boats and the clerk on board acted as a sort of travelling postmaster, but it was not long before the turkish authorities raised objections to this practice as an infringement of their postal rights, notwithstanding that they had a concession of free carriage of turkish official correspondence through the british post. after much correspondence and discussion between the indian political and postal authorities it was decided not to allow the mail steamer to be used as a post office. consequently all letters posted on board were made over to the ottoman post offices, and this procedure was also followed in respect of local postings in the british post offices at basra and bagdad for all places in turkish arabia. the purely consular status of the post office in the persian gulf region was shown by the fact that our mail bags for bagdad were always labelled "h.m.'s consul-general, bagdad," and those for basra directed to "h.m.'s consul," special seals with the royal arms being used. the british indian postmasters at these places held no written communication with turkish officials, and the rule was that all such correspondence should pass through the consul or consul-general. service privileged correspondence between turkish government departments, if properly franked, was allowed to pass free of postage through our post offices at bagdad and basra, and registered letters or packets suspected to contain precious stones, jewellery and other valuables liable to duty were transferred to the local customs house. the indian post office in mesopotamia and the persian gulf was not only the handmaiden of british commercial enterprise for many years, but also helped in an unostentatious way to consolidate our position and influence in those regions. over thirty years ago a persian gulf division was formed under the control of an european superintendent who had to supervise and visit the offices regularly. the postmasters are either indian christians, mohammedans or hindus, and they are invested by the backward and unenlightened inhabitants of the remote gulf ports with mysterious powers as the representatives of the great indian government. wild-looking central asian traders armed with dagger and pistol, who bring down camel-loads of carpets, dried fruit and other merchandise from the interior of persia and the mekran; courtly and picturesque arab horse-dealers who ship their thoroughbreds to bombay every year; sleek persians in their sky-blue tunics; emancipated negro slaves--all trust the postmaster in matters relating to their private business as they would never trust one of their own kind. the arrival of the weekly mail at a persian gulf port is like a festival. the precincts of the post office are thronged with a large and motley crowd drawn from all grades of the populace. letters are delivered on the premises on this day, and everyone who has any link with the outer world is present on the off-chance of getting a communication through the post. the postmaster or his munshi stands at an open window calling out the addresses on the letters, the owners holding up their hands when they hear their names called. most letters are prefixed with the word "haji," which denotes that the recipients are good mohammedans who have made the pilgrimage to the prophet's tomb at mecca. the deep, guttural arabic or the soft persian response is occasionally broken by a reply in the more familiar hindustani or gujrati, for in each gulf port there is a small colony of hindu traders from the west coast of india, easily distinguishable by their alert and business-like appearance. women are conspicuous by their absence--more so, in fact, than in other eastern countries--but, after the crowd has dispersed, a closely veiled and sheeted figure occasionally glides to the window and in plaintive tones asks for some service, the performance of which she must personally see to in the absence of her lord and master from home. the great war completely altered the conditions in mesopotamia. in consequence of the turkish government having ordered the closure of all foreign post offices within their territory, the indian post offices at bagdad and basra were closed under protest on the st october, . the sub-postmaster, basra, continued at work settling the affairs of his office until the th october, , and left for india next day, whereas the postmaster, bagdad, was made a prisoner on the outbreak of hostilities with turkey on the st november, , and the post office property in his charge fell into the hands of the turks. the formal entry into basra by british troops was made on the rd november, , and the postal service was undertaken by the indian field post office. the service was developed and extended as the troops advanced. a railway was constructed from basra to amara and from kut-el-amara to bagdad, and a regular mail service has been introduced by river steamers between amara and kut-el-amara. the transit time of mails between basra and bagdad has thus been reduced to two days. excellent jetties have now been built at basra, so that much time is saved in loading and unloading mails, and, with well-equipped post offices at all important places, the postal service of mesopotamia has become quite efficient. since the armistice in the indian field post offices have been gradually withdrawn and have been replaced by civil offices under a civil director of postal services. the occupied territory in mesopotamia is known as iraq, and turkish postage stamps overprinted with the words "iraq under british occupation" were introduced in . on the st may, , the military director of postal services was withdrawn and the postal administration of the country handed over to the civil director, who is now an official of the local government. a few indian field post offices are still retained for the troops stationed beyond the frontiers of iraq, but these will be closed as soon as military operations are finished. the first civil director of the post office of iraq was mr. c. j. e. clerici, an officer of the indian establishment. almost the whole staff consists of men from the post office of india, and will continue to do so until local men have been trained in postal work. indian inland postage rates were at first charged for correspondence exchanged between india and iraq, but from the st september, , the british imperial foreign rates of postage were introduced. with the exception of four post offices on the persian gulf--namely, koweit, abadan, mohammerah and ahwaz, which are being administered by iraq--the other indian post offices in the persian gulf area are still under the control of the post office of india. such is the history of the establishment of the indian post office in mesopotamia and the persian gulf region. it began with the opening of small offices for the british consular agencies and commercial establishments of the east india company. the public, however, were not slow to take advantage of the means of communication thus provided, and, despite the strenuous opposition of the ottoman empire, a really efficient postal system was organized. the extension of the bagdad railway, the euphrates valley irrigation project and the opening of the anglo-persian oil field, whose pipe-line terminates on the shat-el-arab, are the three great factors in the development of mesopotamia. this country already occupies a prominent place in the affairs of the empire, and, situated, as it is, on a main highway between east and west, it is possible that the region, which was the centre and cradle of the earliest civilization of the world, will recover its old importance. when this has been achieved the post office of india will always be able to look back with pride on the pioneer work which it has done in its quiet, unassuming way during the past half century. chapter xvi the post office during the indian mutiny every student of the history of the indian mutiny of knows the part played by the indian telegraph department during that great crisis. the famous telegram of warning which was transmitted to the principal stations in the punjab by two young signallers of the delhi office (messrs. brendish and pilkington) upon their own initiative on the morning of the th may, , when the meerut rebels, flushed with success, crossed the bridge of boats over the jumna and entered the city of delhi to join hands with their comrades there, is a splendid example of an assumption of responsibility followed by prompt action. sir herbert edwardes refers to the final telegraphic message sent by brendish to mr. montgomery, the judicial commissioner at lahore, in these terms: "when the mutineers came over from meerut and were cutting the throats of the europeans in every part of the cantonment, a boy, employed in the telegraph office at delhi, had the presence of mind to send off a message to lahore to mr. montgomery, the judicial commissioner, to tell him that the mutineers had arrived and had killed this civilian and that officer, and wound up his message with the significant words 'we're off.' that was the end of the message. just look at the courage and sense of duty which made that little boy, with shots and cannon all round him, manipulate that message, which, i do not hesitate to say, was the means of the salvation of the punjab." in the general report of the telegraph department for the year - the director-general remarked: "the value of that last service of the delhi office is best described in the words of montgomery: 'the electric telegraph has saved india.'" excellent work was also done by post office officials during the indian mutiny, but unfortunately it is forgotten owing to its having received little historical recognition. a perusal of musty records which lie in the archives of the indian government reveals a record of duties well performed in the midst of insuperable difficulties and dangers of which the department may well be proud. at the time of the mutiny the british army in india was deficient in the organization of two branches indispensable to the success of military operations in the field, and it was left to the post office to supply the want to a considerable extent. the intelligence and transport departments were in their infancy, and the military authorities were not slow to take advantage of facilities afforded by the post office. at the commencement of the outbreak it was evident that postmasters in the affected districts were in a position to keep the authorities accurately informed of the direction in which the rebellion was spreading and to report the movements of the mutineers as long as the postal lines of communication remained intact, especially in the districts where there were no telegraph lines or where the wires had been cut. many officials--european, eurasian and indian--were killed at the outset, post offices being looted and destroyed and mails intercepted on the various lines wherever the rebels were in power. much valuable information regarding such occurrences was collected and passed on to the authorities by postal employés in remote places. for transport, the army had ready at hand, on the trunk roads of india, the machinery of the post office horse transit and bullock train, which was then in a high state of efficiency, and was able to render incalculable service in connection with the forward movement of troops and munitions of war as well as the despatch down country of wounded officers and men--and of refugees when the campaign was well advanced. after the final relief of lucknow by sir colin campbell many of the ladies and children of the garrison were conveyed by this means in safety to calcutta. [illustration: group of senior officers in p. rogers h. a. sams c. h. harrison c. h. hogg e. r. jardine g. r. clarke e. a. doran h. n. hutchinson c. stewart wilson h. c. sheridan w. maxwell _director general_ ] the sepoy mutiny began at meerut on the th may, . from the th may, , onwards telegrams and letters were received at the director-general's headquarters in calcutta from the postmasters at allahabad, benares, umballa and other stations, reporting the stoppage of mail communication with places which had fallen into the hands of the mutineers. news was also thus given of the destruction of post offices and plunder of mails at sitapore, indore, hirapore, cawnpore, shahazadpore, daryabad, saugor, segombe, hamirpur, jaunpor, azimgarh and many more places. on the th may, , the postmaster-general, north-western provinces, gave instructions to his postmasters to collect waggons and bullocks for the conveyance of troops. on the st may the postmaster, agra, reported to the director-general that dr. clark, who had been specially vested with the authority of postmaster-general in a portion of the north-western provinces, was safe and well at muttra, and was trying to open mail communication. on the th may, , the postmaster, benares, applied to the director-general for authority to supply horses for conveyance of troops. mr. h. b. riddell, director-general at the time, was fully alive to the situation and set a brilliant example to all ranks. he addressed the following letter to the government of india from his camp at sherghotty on the th may, :-- "i have the honour to report that arrangements have been made or are in train which will, i trust, enable the bullock train establishment to convey daily without interruption one hundred men from raneegunge to benares. there will be fifty-six pairs of bullocks at each stage between sherghotty and benares. "the bullocks procurable are of the smallest and most miserable description.... a workshop will be established at dehree and, as the road over the sand of the soane will be broken up in a day or two, the men of each detachment will be conveyed over in country carts, fresh waggons being ready on the other side. i shall probably have to stay to-morrow and make some arrangements at the soane, but will, after doing so, move on to benares and arrange for the despatch of troops from benares to allahabad. if the commissariat bullocks are stationed along the line and they have any covered carts, large detachments can be sent every two or three days, but i will telegraph what can be done when i reach benares. in the meantime commissariat gun bullocks should be stationed along the line." the director-general's efforts were ably seconded by mr. c. k. dove, postmaster-general, and mr. garrett, deputy postmaster-general of bengal, both of whom did all in their power to ensure the prompt despatch of troops up country, calling in the aid of the local magistrates to secure the best cattle and the services of the engineering department to facilitate the passage of carts over unbridged rivers along the grand trunk road. on the nd july, , it was arranged to place the whole of the bullock train establishment north of benares at the disposal of the military authorities. the transfer was made at the instance of general havelock, who had just assumed command of the troops at allahabad. he decided to use the bullock train entirely for the transport of stores and ammunition to the front and, when the rains had broken and the rivers became navigable, to convey troops by river steamers, a far more convenient and expeditious means than road conveyance. when it was necessary to use the roads, elephants were provided by the commissary-general at calcutta and by local zemindars (landholders). on the th july, , the government of india published a notification authorizing the chief covenanted civil or military officer at every station throughout india where there was a post office under a deputy postmaster and no resident postmaster had been specially appointed, to assume the office of postmaster or to assign the office to some other covenanted civil or military officer at the station, reporting the arrangement in each instance for the information of the postmaster-general of the presidency. the deputy postmaster was to perform duties connected with the post office under the orders of the postmaster so appointed. the functions of inspecting postmasters remained unaffected by this order, and post offices at places where there was no covenanted civil or military officer were left in charge of the deputy postmasters. these orders were necessitated by the interruption of mail communication between many post offices and their head-quarters and the difficulty of control being exercised by postmasters-general who were not always in a position to issue prompt instructions to their subordinates in matters of importance or emergency. at the same time no general power of censorship over correspondence was granted to officers, nor was anything done to diminish public confidence in the government mail service. reports regarding the plunder of mails continued to come in from places as far removed as kolhapur in the southern mahratta country and bahraich in the united provinces. mails between bengal and the united provinces on one side and the punjab on the other had to be diverted via bombay, the commissioner of sind taking the responsibility for their safe despatch through hyderabad (sind). many of the reports from postmasters referred to fresh outbreaks, and the movements of mutineers who did not hesitate to remove dak horses from relay stations on the mail routes whenever they had the chance. the information contained in these letters was duly passed on to the military authorities. in connection with the correspondence for the army in the field, post offices were organized to accompany the movable columns under general havelock, the malwa field force and later the divisions commanded by general outram and other distinguished leaders. during the campaign soldiers' letters were exempt from forward postage. the large tract of country known as the north-western provinces and oudh was the focus of the disturbance of , and the strain put upon the postal officials in those provinces was greater than in other affected parts of the country. most of the post offices and mail lines had to be closed at the beginning of the outbreak and were reopened one by one, as order was gradually restored by the british forces. a most interesting narrative of the interruption in the mail arrangements in the north-western provinces and punjab subsequent to the outbreak at meerut and delhi on the th and th may, , was supplied by mr. paton, postmaster-general, and will be found in appendix g. as might be expected, the outbreak of the mutiny caused a complete disorganization of postal communications, and the task of restoring mail lines in hostile territory was no easy one. the pay offered by the department was not sufficient to induce men to risk their lives in isolated places, which were always open to attacks by the mutineers or by bands of armed villagers, and it is characteristic of the indian government at the time that they expected men to serve for salaries which were admitted to be inadequate even in times of peace. i will quote extracts from the reports of the postmasters-general of the north-western provinces, bengal and bombay, which throw an interesting light upon the difficulties with which the post office had to contend in these troublous times. report of the postmaster-general, north-western provinces, for the year ending the st march, : "in consequence of the rebellion, the post offices and lines of postal communication in the north-western provinces and oudh were closed more or less, nearly throughout the year under review, and many of those in oude and bundelkund have not yet been reopened, owing to a portion of the above provinces being still in the hands of the rebels, so that a report of the transactions of the present year is chiefly a narrative of the effects of the disturbances on the post office department, the results shown herein cannot therefore be fairly compared with those of the previous years. "the number of complaints of the loss and missending of letters during the year under review is comparatively greater than many of the previous years, which is chiefly owing to the frequent loss of the mails on different lines of road by rebels, their transmission by circuitous routes from the direct lines being closed or unsafe, and their irregular despatch by inexperienced hands employed in the camp post offices. "the proportion of bearing to paid or stamped letters is . to , which shows a progressive increase in the number of the former. this may be fairly attributed to the general habit of the natives, especially those in the army, and also among lower classes to despatch their letters bearing, more particularly at this period, when, from the constant movements of the troops from one place to another and the disturbed state of the country, they are undoubtedly liable to miscarry. "i may also observe that a very large number of letters posted by the military and lower classes of the people are intended for places in the interior of districts, and, as the district post establishments have not yet been fully reorganized, there is no guarantee for their punctual or safe delivery. natives, being real economists, naturally prefer the despatch of their letters bearing, and so prevent any loss from prepayment of postage. "the staff of the department was much reduced by casualties during the late mutinies, and much difficulty has been experienced in procuring properly qualified persons to accept employment. a large number of offices having had to be hastily reopened, the demand for english-speaking clerks has been unprecedented, and, without raising the salaries, i could not fill up the vacancies in the post office. "it is not a matter of surprise that extraordinary difficulty has been experienced in reorganizing the post office in such a crisis, when it is recollected that the salaries allowed to the officers of the department are on a scale below that generally obtained in other departments, that there are no holidays allowed them, and that leave of absence, excepting on medical certificate, is in a measure prohibited, owing to the establishment being generally on such a minimum scale as not to admit of any one being absent without providing a trained substitute. "but notwithstanding an increase to the salaries of the officials having been generally granted to the extent that i have represented as necessary, i regret to have to record that i have not yet been able to complete the revision of all the office establishments to my satisfaction. there are still many incompetent officials in the department, whom i am obliged to tolerate, until i meet with better qualified persons to take their places. "as might be expected from an inexperienced or untrained establishment, working under great disadvantages, a comparatively large number of complaints of the missending and loss of letters have been received during the year under review, and, though every care has been taken to prevent mistakes, yet, from the circumstance of the direction on letters being often hastily and illegibly written, and the army, in numerous detached parties, constantly in the field, without their locality or destination being correctly known to the post office, the percentage of missent covers for the troops has unavoidably been great. "i have again to remark the increase in the number of bearing letters; but considering the unsettled state of these provinces, it is only what might be expected. i need not here repeat the reasons which induce the non-commercial class of natives to send their letters bearing postage. "taking into consideration the variety of languages in which native letters are generally written, and the very careless and illegible manner in which the directions and the names of addressees and senders are given, i am of opinion that the proportion disposed of at my office (being about per cent on the whole number received) is satisfactory." report of the postmaster-general, bengal, for the year - : "the mutinies which broke out in the north-western provinces in may, , were also felt during the past year in the bengal presidency, and parts of the province were more or less affected by them, but, happily for bengal, the interruptions and disorganization to her postal department caused by them were, by the adoption of prompt and vigorous measures, speedily restored. the post office department, however, did not escape--a deputy postmaster and an overseer were killed, a runner was wounded, a number of post offices, especially in behar, were plundered, and a number of mails and mail packets were seized and destroyed by the mutinous sepoys. "the rebellion of koer sing and the mutinies of the dinapore sepoys interrupted and closed for a short time a portion of the grand trunk road between saseram and benares, and the insurgents carried off some cattle belonging to the department, and also burnt down some dak bungalows above sherghotty. "the revolt of the hill tribes on the southern line in the neighbourhood of sumbulpore disturbed the communication with bombay via sumbulpore, which had been opened after the interruption of communication with bombay by the jubbulpore road, and the rebellion of the ramghur battalion disorganized the daks for a while in the south-west frontier agency between chota nagpore and chyebassa. "the mutinies of the chittagong sepoys and the segowlee insurgents caused only the destruction of some packets that fell into their hands, but passed off without any serious interruption to any mail line in bengal." report of the postmaster-general, bombay, for the year - : "the mutinies imperilled and interrupted almost every line in the presidency; the foot lines were obliged to be strengthened, diverted, abandoned and reopened as circumstances required; those most severely tried were in malwa, rajpootana, khandeish, berar, the southern mahratta country and guzerat, on some of which double pay and double numbers were scarcely sufficient to keep them open, and it was only by the activity, local knowledge, morale and reliance of the inspecting officers (always supported strongly by the civil officers), whose powers were discretionally enlarged by me, that the lines were sustained. "it is remarkable that in the midst of universal disturbance (especially in malwa and rajpootana), when distrust and confusion were at their height, and opportunities for plunder were frequent, and detection next to impossible, only one case occurred, or rather was brought home, in which the carriers of the mails either personally plundered or wilfully destroyed them. "although animosity was directed against the servants of the post office in common with every class of persons in government employ, it was not especially so in this presidency against the post office, unless where the collections offered temptation, as at indore, erinpoora, neemuch and mundessore, which offices were assailed and gutted. "the knowledge that other lines of post either existed or would assuredly be established, and that no efforts would be left unemployed to effect free postal intercourse whenever required, possibly pointed to the futility of a general crusade against post runners. nevertheless, both as a precaution against disappointment and as removing a source of temptation, banghy parcels were discontinued for four months, from july until november. "the only lines which have been permanently closed are four branch lines in malwa. "that no coercion was used, and that the post was kept open (it is true by circuitous routes, but still open) all through this postal range, is strong evidence that the feeling of the country was not unfavourable to british authority; it was found that whenever a road was impracticable, it was rendered so only from fear of the acts of rebels, upon whose departure or overthrow the post line was again opened. "exempt as the post carriers have been from concurrence in the general insurrection, the conduct of the other descriptions of postal servants has been not less good, with the exception of those attached to the indore post office. there the temptation of plunder excited an overseer and peon, and the people of the workshop, to join in plundering the post office and premises, and one kitmutgar (table servant), a mussulman at samwere, near oojein, hounded on some miscreants to murder an european serjeant from mahidpore, who took refuge in it, for which he was subsequently hanged, and the others transported. "in the higher grades, the conduct of the postal officers has been very exemplary; no instance has occurred in which a postmaster either deserted his post, or has been suspected of having made use of his position to give information, to open letters, or to favour in any way the rebel cause. "ten travellers' bungalows and seven post offices have been burned down, and ten evacuated, of which three only have remained closed. this does not represent the extent of injury done, or loss occasioned, the destruction of stamps, and in other ways by the carrying away of mail carts, destruction of property, and loss in postage collection, and compensation to people in postal employ for good behaviour, or for personal suffering." the success of the postal arrangements during the mutiny is largely due to the organization and example of mr. riddell, the director-general, who attended to all important matters personally. he was assisted by the loyal devotion of the entire staff, and the men whose names may be mentioned for special services are mr. dove, officiating postmaster-general, bengal; mr. bennett, mr. wallace and mr. mcgowan, of the bengal establishment; lala salig ram in the north-western provinces; dr. clark and mr. h. a. brown in agra; captain fanshawe and babu eshan chander mookerjee in aligarh; mr. taylor in the deccan and babu sheo pershad in delhi. where so many did well it seems invidious to mention only a few names, and the president in council, when thanking the director-general for the work done by the post office during the crisis, expressed the high opinion which the government entertained of the services rendered by all the officers of the department, european and indian, in circumstances of the greatest difficulty. enough has been written to show the nature of the help given to the indian empire by the staff of the post office during the mutiny. it is a record of loyalty and devotion to duty of which the department may well be proud. chapter xvii the indian field post office in a country where there is seldom perfect peace it is only natural that the post office must accustom itself to war conditions, and the field postal service has been a feature of the indian post office for more than sixty years. during that period there have been over forty wars and expeditions, extending from burma to the mediterranean, and, as postal arrangements were required for the forces engaged, the field post office system in india has been gradually developed and perfected, and is now recognized as an important part of the military organization of the country. field post office arrangements used to be in the hands of the postmaster-general of the punjab, and he maintained lists of men willing to serve. in , however, owing to the wide distribution of the postal staff in various parts of the world, it was found necessary to bring the field post organization under the immediate control of the director-general. when an expedition is announced, the forces of the post office are immediately mobilized according to the strength of the field army, and, as the staff required for a brigade and division has been settled by long experience, no time is lost in getting the necessary number of men to the assembling stations. the regulations for the working of field post offices are laid down in the indian field service manual and the postal manual (war), two handbooks issued by the indian army department; and a complete equipment of tents and furniture, sufficient for three base post offices, fifty first-class and twenty second-class field offices, and for the use of the supervisory staff, is kept at lahore ready for immediate despatch. when the department has to make its own arrangements for the carriage of mails between the base post office and the field offices, overseers are employed to supervise the transit. the establishment laid down for a base office is one postmaster, two deputy or assistant postmasters, fifteen clerks and ten menials, but these numbers must necessarily vary with the number of field offices required with the different units. postal officials in the field are subject to full military discipline under the army act. superior officers wear field service khaki uniform with badges of rank and the letters "post" in brass on the shoulders. a deputy postmaster-general or assistant director-general of the post office ranks as a lieutenant-colonel, and a superintendent as major, captain or lieutenant, according to his grade and length of service. subordinate officials, if europeans, are classed as assistant commissaries, sub-conductors or sergeants, according to their pay, and indians are given rank as subadars, jemadars, havildars or naiks. field allowances, in addition to pay, are fixed according to a sanctioned scale, the rate for a director or superintendent being per cent of his pay, subject to a minimum monthly allowance of rs. in the case of the latter. inspectors and postmasters draw rs. a month in addition to pay, other subordinates being remunerated at a lower rate. in virtue of the military rank held by them, officers and subordinates are entitled to all privileges and advantages for service in the field, such as wound pensions, family pensions, medals and compensation for loss of baggage. the officer in charge of field post offices is attached to the head-quarters of an expeditionary force as adviser to the military authorities on all postal matters; he is required to visit the base and field post offices as frequently as possible, and is responsible for the proper working and efficiency of mail arrangements. he arranges with headquarters for carriage of mails between the base and the field, fixes the hours of despatch of mails from all post offices and the hours during which money orders are issued, and also settles the question of making over cash collections to the nearest field paymaster, treasure chest officer, regimental accounts officer or post commandant, as the case may be. the development of the field postal system has been gradual and has undergone many changes. the earliest record of a regular indian post office staff proceeding for active service with a military force is in connection with the persian expedition of . the establishment consisted of two clerks, an interpreter (moonshee) and four peons, and, as no suitable departmental officer could be found to take charge of the arrangements, the government of bombay appointed the military paymaster of the persian expeditionary force to take control. the work accomplished by the post office during the indian mutiny has been described in a separate chapter. every office situated within the wide area of the disturbances or on the line of march of the troops performed the functions of a field post office, the control of the arrangements devolving on the chief local civil or military authority in places where there was no departmental officer of sufficient seniority or rank to hold charge. the great services rendered by the post office horse transit and bullock train establishments to the army were a prominent feature of the campaign. separate field post offices accompanied the moving columns under generals havelock, outram, campbell, hugh rose, hope grant and other leaders. twenty years later, when the afghan war broke out, the army had again to rely on the post office for the transport of mails and military stores for hundreds of miles through the khyber and bolan passes into afghanistan. the extension of the railways to the frontiers of india has put an end to this branch of postal enterprise. mail tonga lines worked by contractors still flourish on routes where there are no railways, but they are being gradually supplanted by motor conveyances. a scheme under which the post office should maintain a large number of motor mail vans, which could be used in time of war for military transport, has already been suggested, and it is one well worth consideration. an arrangement of this kind should go far towards solving the problem of maintaining transport in times of peace, and should prove advantageous and economical to both the army and the post office. the success of the indian field post office in the numerous wars and expeditions in which it has been employed can be vouched for by the reports of commanding officers. experience has been bought by long practice, and the department never loses an opportunity of training its staff for military service. at the great military manoeuvres which are frequently held during the cold weather in india the troops engaged are always accompanied by field post offices fully equipped for war conditions, with the result that there is always a large body of men in the post office thoroughly trained in this kind of work. on field service the postal official is "nobody's child." he has to fend for himself, and, although transport is told off for the conveyance of camp equipment and mails, it is seldom forthcoming when required. the army head-quarters staff looks after its own post office, but is inclined to regard the others as an encumbrance, and this attitude has developed a faculty of "slimness" in the field postal officer, which he uses for defeating military regulations. he has become an expert in stealing transport; a mule, a cart, a few coolies, a motor lorry, even an idle railway train, all serve his purpose as occasion rises, and his motto is "get there, if not by fair means, then somehow," and get there he generally does. he has an uncanny instinct for finding out the secret destination of his brigade and is often on the ground, sorting the mail, before the troops arrive. mr. charles sheridan, a very well-known member of the department, used to tell an amusing story of the horror of a senior staff officer meeting him one day on a frontier road pronounced absolutely unfit for wheeled traffic. mr. sheridan was driving along merrily with the mails in a two-horsed tonga; it was the shortest road and he took it, and the staff had to reconsider seriously their strategic plans, simply because the superintendent of the postal service would not act according to military instructions. the heart of the field postal system in any campaign is the base office. it is there that all information concerning the movements of regiments and units is carefully recorded. lists of officers are kept in alphabetical order, and these lists are kept corrected from day to day on information received from the various field offices. the base office controls the main routes of mails to the divisional and brigade offices, it issues instructions and is ready to supply reliefs. it searches for missing men, disposes of undeliverable correspondence and has a hospital for repairing articles damaged in transit; in fact, the smooth running of the whole organization depends on the work done at the base. the arrangements for conveying the mails between the base office and the field offices devolves on the supervising officers, and endless difficulties have to be faced in order to obtain transport. a great deal depends on the personality of the postal officer in charge. if he is a pleasant fellow and popular with the transport staff he can get most things done, but, if he is insistent on his rights and has not learnt the meaning of "give and take" on a campaign, he will get nothing but excuses and regrets, the mail bags will be left behind in the last camp, irate colonels will write to their personal friend the director-general and the promising career of a conscientious public servant will be seriously injured. in appendix h is given a list of the most important expeditions in which field post offices have been employed, with a brief account of the arrangements made on each occasion. most of these were small frontier wars and little difficulty was felt in providing the personnel. the great war, however, was a very different matter. it necessitated the despatch of large numbers of post offices all over the world, and the demand on the resources of the post office of india was on such a vast scale that an account of it has been reserved for a separate chapter. chapter xviii the indian field post office during the great war in , when war broke out, a large postal contingent accompanied the troops sent to france. it was under the control of mr. pilkington, assistant director-general of the post office, who had the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and it comprised one base office and field offices, with a staff of supervising officers, field postmasters, clerks and menials. during the early years of the war the work performed by this staff was very heavy. frequently over , letters and parcels would arrive for the indian contingent in one day, while newspapers published in england were regularly received for delivery to the troops. at the end of the indian field postal staff in france was considerably reduced, as large numbers accompanied the indian troops transferred to egypt and mesopotamia, and at the end of the war only one or two field offices remained to serve some labour corps units which had been left behind. at the end of mesopotamia was the most important theatre of war so far as the indian post office was concerned. a small field postal contingent was sent in and was steadily increased as the operations extended. mr. a. b. thompson, deputy postmaster-general, was the first director of postal services. he was succeeded in by mr. a. j. hughes, who had been deputy director in egypt. by the end of the army was so large and the work of the post office so extensive that it was decided to place an officer of the rank of postmaster-general in charge, and mr. h. a. sams, postmaster-general, central circle, was selected to be director of postal services in mesopotamia. by the staff consisted of superintendents, inspectors, base postmasters, deputy postmasters, field postmasters, clerks and menials. the field post office in mesopotamia had not only military work, but also a great deal of civil work. the magnitude of the business may be gauged by the following monthly figures:-- about number of letters received and despatched , , number of parcels received and despatched , number of money orders issued and paid , value of money orders issued and paid rs. , , large numbers of british postal orders were also sold and savings bank business was freely transacted. during the year a great deal of difficulty was experienced in mesopotamia in dealing with returned letters, the addressees of which could not be traced. to dispose of these a returned letter office was established at basra, for which a staff of permanent base men was employed. subsequently, as these men were released or recalled to military duty, their places were taken by anglo-indian boys recruited in india. the establishment of the returned letter office put a stop to very many complaints regarding loss of letters. the office used to deal with about , articles a month and worked very efficiently under the supervision of the base postmaster, basra. upon the fall of kut the field post office there shared the fate of the garrison, and a number of postal officials were taken prisoners of war by the turks. from the beginning of to the end of the war the postal service in mesopotamia was extremely good, and both in basra and bagdad a regular local post was established and deliveries by postmen were introduced. at the end of a number of civil post offices were opened and steps were taken to close down field post offices wherever possible. from the st may, , the postal administration of mesopotamia was finally handed over to the civil authorities and almost all the field post offices were withdrawn, but a very large proportion of the indian field staff remained in the country and took service under the new iraq government. next in importance to mesopotamia came the indian postal services in egypt, palestine and salonika, and in these places the indian field post offices worked side by side with the british army postal corps. in they were under the control of mr. a. j. hughes as deputy director, who was succeeded later by mr. s. c. sinclair. in indian field post offices were sent to gallipoli, and the work done by them there won the warm appreciation of the military authorities. the extension of operations to palestine necessitated the despatch of a number of field post offices to that country. in it was found necessary to separate the postal contingent at salonika from the control of the deputy director in egypt, and the force was placed in charge of mr. a. gillespie as an independent assistant director, with a staff of base postmaster, inspectors, field postmasters and clerks and menials. the salonika postal service extended to baku and constantinople, where there were indian field post offices. field post offices were sent to east africa in under the control of mr. k. a. appleby, who was subsequently made a brevet lieutenant-colonel. the organization consisted of a base office, field post offices, with a staff of superintendents, inspectors, base postmaster, field postmasters, clerks and menials. about a million letters and parcels were handled monthly by this staff, and work had to be carried on under the most trying conditions, as many of the mail lines traversed country covered with thick jungle. in and the whole postal service of german east africa was carried on by the indian field post office, and the greatest credit is due to lieutenant-colonel appleby for the excellent arrangements made by him. in lieutenant kilman was sent to take control of the field post offices attached to the east persian cordon between meshed and dalbandin. the east persian cordon was subsequently known as the force in east persia, and the postal organization consisted of base post office and field post offices, with a staff of an assistant director of posts and telegraphs, inspector, base postmaster, field postmasters, clerks and menials. a field post office contingent was also sent to bushire in in connection with the operations between bushire and shiraz. this was placed under the control of mr. c. f. quilter as assistant director, who was also given control of the postal arrangements of the british mission escort in south persia operating from bunder-abbas to kerman and shiraz. the british mission escort commenced its operations early in and its postal arrangements were in charge of captain greene, r. e., superintendent of post offices, prior to their being taken over by mr. quilter. up to march, , the postal organization of the bushire force and british mission escort consisted of base post offices and field post offices, with a staff of an assistant director, a deputy assistant director, inspectors, base postmasters, field postmasters, clerks and menials. from april, , the force was considerably reduced and a large portion of the field postal staff was withdrawn. the operations in the neighbourhood of aden led to the establishment of a few field post offices under the postmaster of aden, who carried out this work in addition to his own. the total number of officials of the indian field post offices serving with the various expeditionary forces in was about two thousand, and with this large contingent serving abroad the department in india had to undertake the difficult task of equipping and despatching regular reinforcements to the several theatres of war. in order to deal with the enormous quantity of army mails, both originating in india and received from abroad, two special base offices were established, one at bombay and one at karachi. the base office in bombay was converted in into a base postal depot, and in addition to dealing with the mails for the troops it was also assigned the duty of recruitment and mobilization of postal reinforcements. the establishment of the base postal depot in bombay solved many of the difficulties which attended the organization of field post offices and the disposal of mails for armies in the field. the depot was divided into four main sections for enquiry, sorting, mobilization and correspondence. the chief duty of the enquiry section was to ensure the correct delivery of correspondence for the troops that had returned or had been invalided from the field. this section was in charge of a lady superintendent with forty lady clerks, and their duty was to keep up to date a regular record giving the names, designations and addresses of officers and men who had returned to india. the enquiry section kept its records by means of index cards, of which there were over , when the armistice was declared. about , letters monthly were disposed of in this section. in the sorting section the average number of postal articles dealt with in a month was about one million. the sorting of mails for all the forces was done by units, separate bundles or packets being prepared for the officers and men with each unit. these mails were then forwarded ready sorted to the base offices at the various fronts, where they were distributed to the field offices serving the units in question. the mobilization section dealt with all matters relating to the mobilization of the staff recruited in india for service overseas. only men who had volunteered for field service were taken, and on receiving orders these men reported themselves to the officer commanding, base postal depot, bombay, who arranged for their kit, uniform and transport to the force for which they were detailed. the correspondence section dealt with all complaints regarding postal articles for the field forces, and, by being in close connection with the enquiry branch, it was able to dispose of a large number of complaints without delay. the base postal depot, bombay, was thus the most essential factor in the whole postal organization, and the smooth working of mail arrangements for the expeditionary forces depended very largely upon its efficiency. the depot was directly under the control of the director-general of posts and telegraphs and in charge of captain love, a pensioned officer of the department, who had retired as presidency postmaster, bombay. to reward the good work done by the indian postal staff in the field, no less than fifty-two personal distinctions were granted and over three hundred men were mentioned in despatches. the department may well be proud of its achievements during the war. volunteers were always ready to come forward for service in the worst places and many lost their lives. the best proof of their work, however, is the high reputation which the post office of india has earned among all branches of the army. chapter xix indian postage stamps the first issue of postage stamps in india was made by sir bartle frere in the province of scinde (now spelt sind) in . at that time the post offices of scinde were administered by the local government, and it was not until that they were placed under the control of the postmaster-general of bombay. the scinde district dawk stamps are very rare. there were three kinds: ( ) the design embossed on white paper without colour; ( ) blue embossed on white paper; ( ) the design embossed on vermilion wafers. the design is shown in the accompanying illustration (fig. ), and the central portion consists of a modification of the broad arrow used by the east india company. the issue was a comparatively small one, and the stamps were withdrawn from use in september, . the early postal system of india was solely used for official purposes, and it was not until that a public post was established. postage rates varied with distance, and the charge was levied in cash, the lowest rate being two annas for every hundred miles. for this purpose copper tokens of the value of two annas were struck which were available for the prepayment of postage. in a commission was appointed to inquire into the working of the post office, and among its recommendations were the formation of an imperial post office of india under a director-general, the abolition of franking and the employment of stamps in prepayment of postage. [illustration: early stamps fig. , fig. , fig. , fig. ] [illustration: sheet of four anna stamps, . printed in calcutta] there was a great deal of discussion between the indian government and the court of directors in london as to where the stamps should be manufactured; the former desired to procure them from england, but the latter, on the ground of economy, decided that sufficiently good stamps could be made in india. the first effort was a design of the "lion and palm tree" made by colonel forbes of the calcutta mint. this essay (fig. ), however, was never used, as the mint could not promise a sufficient supply. subsequently the manufacture of stamps was entrusted to the survey office, and after many failures captain thuillier, deputy surveyor-general, succeeded in producing nine hundred sheets of red half-anna stamps by means of lithography. these stamps are known as the red ½ anna stamps "with ½ arches" and were printed in sheets of one hundred and twenty, consisting of twelve rows of ten labels. they were sent to bombay on the th april, , but after despatch it was found that the stock of vermilion was exhausted, and as the same quality of ink could not be procured in india a new ink was prepared and at the same time a fresh design was made. owing to the fresh design, it was decided not to issue the " ½ arches" stamps. it is disappointing to think that this first and historic set of indian stamps was never used postally; but the omission does not seem to have detracted from their philatelic value. good specimens are very rare, and command a high price in the market. the design for the ½ anna stamp that was finally accepted was one of eight arches, and it was printed in blue. there are three distinct shades of blue in the issues, varying from deep to pale. these stamps were prepared by engraving on copper plate and transferring to stones. the sheets consisted of twelve horizontal rows of eight stamps on paper watermarked with the arms of the east india company. the sheets, dated may and july, , were evidently made up of blocks of twenty-four stamps, repeated four times on each sheet. this is apparent from the fact that the fifth stamp in each of the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth rows is slightly out of alignment, and the sixth stamp in each of the first, fourth, seventh and ninth rows has had the chignon redrawn (plate facing p. ). the sheets are not perforated, and are without gum: , sheets were printed in and , in . the anna stamp was printed in vermilion-red, and , sheets were ready by august, ; there were further supplies of , sheets in november, , and , sheets by november, . the colour selected for the annas stamp was green, and the printing was completed in october, . there is no record of the number printed. the need for a annas stamp was badly felt for postage to the united kingdom, which cost rupee annas an ounce in . a design was prepared in two colours, blue and red, and the first sheets contained only twelve stamps (plate facing p. ), and the first supply consisted of , sheets delivered on th october, ; in all , sheets were printed. in april, , a new setting was adopted with twenty-four stamps on a sheet, and two arrangements of this setting were made, one with the stamps much closer together than the other. [illustration: block showing one third of a sheet of blue half anna stamps of . printed in calcutta] all the stamps referred to above were prepared by captain thuillier, who subsequently became general sir henry thuillier, c.s.i., surveyor-general of india. in november, , stamps of the value of ½, , , and annas were received from messrs. de la rue & co. the designs were engraved on steel and the stamps were printed on white wove unwatermarked paper with white gum. the and annas are also found printed on a highly glazed thick bluish paper without watermark. these stamps supplanted the old issues manufactured in india, but the stocks of the latter were not finally called in and destroyed until . in pies[ ] stamps were on sale in india. these were required for prepayment of soldiers' letters to the united kingdom. up to august, , british soldiers' correspondence was carried free of charge, but when this privilege was withdrawn they had the option of prepaying the postage in cash at pies a tola ( / of an ounce) or else affixing a stamp for pies. up to certain changes were made in the colours of some of these stamps; the annas green was altered to brown-pink early in , subsequently to buff, and then to yellow. at the end of the colour of the annas was changed from black to green, as the stamp had been forged. the annas and annas stamps on bluish glazed paper, and the annas, anna and pies on white paper, have been found cut in halves upon postal articles in order to pay half their face value postage. all covers found with these bisected stamps were posted in singapore, which had an indian post office at the time. the first issue of indian postage stamps with the elephant's head watermarked was made in . the values bearing this watermark are ½ anna, pies, anna, annas pies, annas, annas, annas pies, annas, rupee. the annas pies stamps were printed as this was the rate per ounce for letters to the united kingdom via marseilles between and . the stamps, however, were not actually issued until , and their sale was discontinued in , when the marseilles route was abandoned. up to all the indian stamps printed in london were of smaller size than english stamps, and they bore the inscription "east india postage." in new dies on a larger scale were prepared by messrs. de la rue, and the inscription was changed to "india postage." the values issued were ½ anna pies, anna, anna pies, annas, annas, annas, annas pies, annas, annas, rupee. the stamps were printed on medium white wove paper watermarked with a five-pointed star. on st january, , the postage to the united kingdom was reduced to annas and pies, and a new stamp was prepared. until the new issue was ready the annas pies stamps were surcharged with " ½ as." bi-coloured stamps of rupee, rupees, rupees and rupees were also printed and a provisional pies stamp was issued, made by surcharging the ½ anna stamp with "¼" in black. the stamps of , and rupees were of specially large size and bore a later portrait of the queen (fig. ). this portrait was also adopted for the pies carmine stamp which was issued in . owing to the decision of the postal union to have uniform colours for stamps representing the initial rates of international postages the colours of the ½ anna, anna and annas pies stamps were changed to yellow-green, carmine and ultramarine. this necessitated a change in the pies from carmine to grey and in the annas from ultramarine to mauve. [illustration: specimen victorian issues] the king edward vii issues of - were of the same corresponding values as those of the queen victoria stamps - . the colours are pies, grey; ½ anna, yellow-green; anna, carmine; annas, mauve; annas pies, ultramarine; annas, orange-brown; annas, olive-green; annas, bistre; annas, purple; annas, purple on red paper; rupee, green and carmine; rupees, carmine and yellow-brown; rupees brown and green; rupees, ultramarine and violet. in it was decided to abolish the special receipt stamp and to use the ½ anna and anna postage stamp for both postage and revenue purposes. a new design was therefore prepared for these values with the inscription "india postage and revenue." in the double-headed telegraph stamps were abolished and it was decided to employ postage stamps in payment of telegrams. the value of telegraph stamps extended to fifty rupees, but it was considered sufficient to add three new values to the postage stamps for use upon the more expensive telegrams, namely , and rupees. these stamps are of the same size and design as the , and rupees issues, and the colours are rupees, pink and green; rupees, olive-brown and blue; rupees, orange and blue. the stamps of george v issued in were completely re-designed. the higher values with the elephants as supporters are very artistic. in the annas pies stamp was re-designed and the colour changed from ultramarine to bright blue. in the united kingdom raised the postage rate to india from d. to ½d., and, to correspond with the increase, the government of india raised the postage to the united kingdom to ½ annas. the new stamp was intended to be a dark chocolate-brown, but was printed by messrs. de la rue & co. in a light chocolate. in service postage stamps first came into use for employment on official correspondence. the ½ anna, anna, annas and annas were overprinted with the word "service." the first supply was overprinted in india pending the arrival of the stamps ordered from england. a consignment of annas overprinted was also received from england. in the overprint was altered to "on h. m. s.," as shown in fig. , and in the rupee stamp was also overprinted in this way. various other overprints were used by local bodies in india, but after a time the practice was forbidden. in the overprint was again altered to "service." the following overprints were also used for indian postage in other countries: straits settlements - , queen's head. zanzibar - " british east africa " " c.e.f. (china expeditionary force) to present date. british somaliland - , queen's and king's head. i.e.f. (indian expeditionary force) to present date. [illustration: specimen edwardian and georgian issues] overprints (indian convention states) patiala to present date. gwalior " jhind " " nabha " " faridkot - . chamba to present date. there are many varieties of the overprints in the indian convention states stamps and many errors, which have led to numerous forgeries of the different overprints. a very exhaustive history of the postage stamps of india with detailed accounts of errors and provisional issues will be found in _the postage and telegraph stamps of british india_, by l. l. r. hausburg, c. stewart wilson and c. s. f. crofton, published by messrs. stanley gibbons. this is the standard work on the subject, and it contains many fine plates and illustrations. part i, on postage stamps, is written by mr. hausburg, and no article on indian stamps can pretend to be anything more than a résumé of his detailed researches. one merit the postal administration of india can justly claim and that is the purity of its stamp issues. the simple design of the sovereign's head has always been maintained and the temptation to issue fancy pictures for commemoration purposes has always been steadily avoided. footnote: [ ] pies = anna = penny approximately. appendices appendix a personnel of the post office the following table gives the staff of the department on the st april, :-- controlling staff general supervising staff postmasters , extra departmental agents , clerical and signalling staff , postmen and peons , road establishment , linemen , ------- total , the audit staff of the posts and telegraphs has not been included as this is under the control of the finance department. recruitment for the posts of superintendent is effected in two ways, namely-- ( ) by the selection of qualified persons not already in the service of the department, and ( ) by the promotion of officials from the subordinate ranks of the department. in the former case the person selected is generally required to join as a probationary superintendent, and is not given a permanent appointment until he has shown his fitness in every respect for the position and has passed an examination in post office work. ordinarily a probationary superintendent is not allowed to act as a superintendent until he has had a practical training in postal work; that is to say, he performs the duties of a postmaster, accompanies a superintendent on tour and is given an insight into the general working of the department in the offices of the postmaster-general and superintendent. there is no minimum period fixed in which a probationer, when fully qualified, must receive a permanent post. it depends on the vacancies that occur in the sanctioned cadre; but experience has shown that the period seldom exceeds two and a half years, and the average is two years and two months. postmasters are generally recruited from the lower ranks of the department, such as sub-postmasters and clerks, who usually start their careers as probationers. the exceptions to this rule are the probationary postmasters, who are specially selected in order to improve the personnel in the higher appointments. appendix b extracts from early regulations regarding the mail service an extract from the consultations, th january, , gives in detail the arrangement made by warren hastings for the improvement of postal arrangements. the president lays down before the board the following plan for the better regulations of the dauks and for forming a general post office:-- the present management of the dauks is attended with many inconveniences. private letters are exempt from postage and the whole expense of the establishment falls upon the company. the dauks from the same cause are loaded with packages of the most frivolous kind and of unreasonable weights. the privilege of sending private letters by the dauks being confined to the european inhabitants, affords but a partial aid to the necessary intercourse of trade. the establishment is branched out into various departments, all independent and unconnected, the expense partly defrayed by ready-money payments and partly by taxes on the zemindars and farmers, who make an advantage of them in the deductions of their rents. from all these causes the establishment is involved in a labyrinth of obscurity, without checks and without system. the delays on the road are often greater than those of common cossids or couriers without a possibility of correcting them, because it cannot be known by whom they are occasioned. of these delays the president himself has had repeated proofs insomuch that whenever he has had occasion for extraordinary despatch he has made use of express cossids, and these never failed to exceed the regular dauks by nearly half the space of time employed by the latter for the same distance. the loose and irregular manner in which the letters are received and distributed exposes the correspondence of individuals and even the public despatches to great delays and to the risk of being lost or intercepted. to remedy these evils, the following plan is submitted to the board, for the future management of this office, in which it is attempted to limit the expense to provide a fund for its support by laying a moderate postage on private letters, to render it of more extensive use and to form the different parts into one uniform and general system. _plan of a new establishment of dauks and of a general post office_ . that the dauks be formed into four divisions as follows:-- first division from calcutta to ganjam; second division from calcutta to patna; third division from patna to benares and to such farther distance as may be hereafter determined; fourth division from calcutta to dacca. . that no dauks be appointed to the cross-roads (excepting dinagepur) as hereafter mentioned, but cossids only occasionally employed by the provincial councils and collectors to convey the letters to the nearest stages of the dauks; the pay and other charges of these cossids to be transmitted monthly to the postmaster-general, whose office will be hereafter described. . that as the military operations in cooch behar require a constant and regular correspondence, a cross-post be established between dinagepur and rajmehal, and that it remains for future consideration whether it will be necessary to establish a cross-post from burdwan on the assembling of the council at that place. . that three hercarrahs or dauks, one massalchy[ ] and one drum be appointed to each stage, viz.: miles. furl. stages. harcrs. massl. drum. from calcutta to ganjam " calcutta to patna " patna to benares " calcutta to dacca cross-road from dinagepur to rajmehal ---- -- --- --- --- --- . that a munshi be fixed at each capital stage who shall have charge of a certain number of stages. . that two gurreewallas or time-keepers be appointed with each munshi for the purpose of determining the arrival of each packet, which shall be written on the outside of the packet and an account thereof with the time of the last despatch kept by the munshi. . that a deputy postmaster be appointed with the following establishment of servants at the following stations, who shall have charge of all the stages from the presidency to the place of his residence, pay the munshi's charges dependent on him, take an account of all letters received and despatched, receive and issue letters, transmit his accounts and reports to the postmaster-general, and receive his orders:-- establishment at deputy. peons. moorshedabad patna benares ganjam dacca dinagepur -- -- . that a postmaster-general be appointed at calcutta with one deputy, one merda or native assistant, seven sorters, one jemadar and fifteen peons for distributing letters. he will have the control of the whole establishment, and all the accounts will be brought into his office. bye-rules . that all letters shall pay postage, excepting such as are on the public service. . that the postage on inland letters shall be paid when put into the office at the following rates:-- single letters for every miles, annas. double letters in proportion according to their weight. . that letters coming by sea, or from foreign settlements, shall pay on delivery and be rated at half postage. . that a table of postage, formed according to the above rules, be affixed at the different offices for the public inspection. . that the post office in calcutta shall be open from o'clock in the morning till for the delivery of letters, and from till in the evening for the receipt of letters. . that a daily account of the number and weight of letters despatched, with the amount of postage, be kept at each office, that a monthly account be transmitted to the postmaster-general by his deputies and that a general abstract of the whole receipts and disbursements be laid before the board every month. . that the letters when received into the offices shall be sorted and put up in separate bags for the different stations, together with a note of the number in each. . that all letters shall be stamped with the day of the month on which they are delivered into any chief office. . that for the facility of paying the postage on letters small copper tickets be immediately struck to be received at the rate of annas each, but to pass only at the post office. footnote: [ ] torchbearer. appendix c methods of travel in early days the dak or travelling system prevailing in india in the year was almost wholly arranged by the post office and was available for private individuals as well as for officials. when a traveller contemplated a journey he applied to the local postmaster for means of transport, giving, as a rule, two or three days' previous notice. horse daks, i.e. wheeled conveyances drawn by horses, were available only on the great trunk roads, which were metalled. on other roads, the journey, when not performed on horseback, was accomplished in a palanquin or palkee, a kind of wooden box, about six feet in length by four in height, fitted at the sides with sliding shutters and suspended on two poles borne on the shoulders of four men. the pleasures of travelling in this fashion have been described by bishop heber and other writers. the traveller provided his own palanquin, and the postmaster supplied the palkee-burdars or palanquin-bearers, eight in number, as well as two mussalchees or torchbearers and two bhangy-burdars or luggage porters. the charges, about one shilling per mile for the entire set of twelve men, had to be paid in advance, the traveller notifying the time and place of starting and the duration and localities of halts. there was also an extra charge for demurrage or delays on the road attributable to the traveller himself. for these charges the postmaster undertook that there should be relays of dak servants throughout the whole distance, and, to ensure this, he had to write in advance to the different villages and post stations ordering relays to be ready at the appointed hours. the stages averaged ten miles each and were accomplished in three hours, at the end of which time the twelve men retraced their steps, having been succeeded by another twelve; for each set of men belonged to a particular station. the horse daks were established on the same system, several pairs of horses or ponies being kept at the different stages as relays. the bullock train, which was intended chiefly for baggage and parcels, was largely used for conveyance of troops during the mutiny. there were one or two private companies in existence, but the public as a rule preferred to use the government vehicles, as they were considered more reliable. there were no hotels or inns on the road, but dak bungalows or rest houses, a convenient substitute, were established at places varying from fifteen to fifty miles apart, according as the road was much or little frequented. these bungalows were under government control, a khidmatgar or servant and a porter being in attendance at each, the traveller paying a fixed sum for the use of his room and making a separate bargain for any few articles of provisions that might be obtainable. the building was little more than a thatched house of one story, divided into two or three rooms, to each of which a bathroom was attached. the khidmatgar cooked and served the meals ordered, while the porter supplied wood and water. the dak system was perfected by lord dalhousie, during whose administration many fine metalled roads, including the grand trunk road from calcutta to the punjab, were completed. the new system was a great improvement upon the primitive arrangements in force during the punjab campaign of , when, owing to the tedious nature of the journey and the slow method of progress, out of one hundred officers sent off by palanquin from calcutta to aid viscount hardinge only thirty arrived at the sutlej before the campaign was over. appendix d statement showing the work of the post office savings bank from to balance. year. no. of banks. no. of accounts. rs. - , , , , - , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , , , , , appendix e statement of inland money orders issued in india since ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- number and amount of ordinary number and amount of number and amount of money orders revenue money orders rent money orders issued in india. issued in india. issued in india. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- year. number. value. number. value. number. value. - , , , , , -- -- -- -- - , , , , , -- -- -- -- - , , , , , -- -- -- -- - , , , , , -- -- -- -- - , , , , , , , , -- -- - , , , , , , , , -- -- - , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- appendix f historical associations of the calcutta general post office this handsome building is situated on the west side of dalhousie square at the corner of koila ghat street, being a portion of the site of the old fort of calcutta. the removal of the old foundations was a work of great difficulty owing to the extreme hardness of the masonry, which in many cases had to be blasted away. the building was erected from designs by mr. walter b. granville, architect to the government of india. it was opened to the public in the year and cost , , rupees. it consists of two lofty storys, the east and south fronts being faced with tall corinthian columns flanked by massive piers in which are the staircases. the south-east angle of the building is semicircular, also faced with corinthian columns leading to a lofty circular hall in which are the public counters. this is surmounted by a lantern crowned by a dome, which forms a conspicuous object in the city. the site of the general post office is of great historical interest owing to its association with the great tragedy of the black hole of calcutta. on entering the post office courtyard from koila ghat street there are two tablets with the following inscriptions:-- [illustration: general post office. calcutta] [illustration: black hole, calcutta. adjoining the general post office] i. the brass lines in the stone, on the adjacent ground, mark the position and extent of the south curtain of old fort william. ii. the two lines of twelve arches to the west of this tablet are all that now remains above ground of old fort william and originally formed a portion of the arcade within the south curtain. the black hole prison was a small room formed by bricking up two arches of a similar but smaller arcade within the east curtain south of the east gate. the sunken arches, where the post office vans were kept, once formed part of the arcade within the south curtain, the wall line of which is marked out by brass lines let into the pavement. the wall of the curtain, a portion of which was still standing in , backed the old export and import warehouses, and through the arches one would have in the old days looked into the parade ground within the fort. the export and import warehouses were built against the south curtain in and would have followed the line of koila ghat street. the angle of the south-east bastion and the thickness of its walls is indicated by brass lines let into the steps of the post office. a tablet pointing out this fact is on the adjacent wall, and the entrance to the east gate of the fort is commemorated by a tablet fixed into the red building opposite the holwell obelisk: sixteen feet behind this wall was the entrance of the east gate of old fort william through which the bodies of those who perished in the black hole were brought and thrown into the ditch of the ravelin on st june, . to the north of the general post office building, inside the large gateway, is a tablet with the following inscription:-- the black hole. the marble pavement below this spot was placed here by lord curzon, viceroy and governor-general of india, in to mark the site of the prison in old fort william known as the black hole. in which british inhabitants of calcutta were confined on the night of the th june, , and from which only came out alive. the pavement marks the exact breadth of the prison, ft. in., but not its full length, feet. about one-third of the area at the north end being covered by the building on which this tablet is erected. near by mr. holwell, then collector of calcutta, who was one of the survivors, erected an obelisk at his own expense to the memory of those who perished in the black hole on the spot where the killed were buried. the tablet bore the following inscriptions:-- to the memory of-- edward eyre, william bailie, esqrs.; the revd. jervas bellamy; messrs. jenks, reeveley, law, coates, napcourt, jebb, torrians, e. page, s. page, grub, street, harod, p. johnstone, ballard, n. drake, carse, knapton, goslin, dod, dalrymple; captains clayton, buchanan, and witherington; lieutenants bishop, hays, blagge, simpson, and j. bellamy; ensigns paccard, scott, hastings, c. wedderburn, and dymbleton; sea-captains hunt, osburn, and purnell; messrs. carey, leech, stevenson, guy porter, parker, caulkee, bendal and atkinson; who, with sundry other inhabitants, military and militia, to the number of persons, were, by the tyrannic violence of suraj-ud-dowlah, suba of bengal, suffocated in the black-hole prison of fort william, on the night of the th day of june, , and promiscuously thrown the succeeding morning into the ditch of the ravelin of this place. this monument is erected by their surviving fellow-sufferer, j. z. holwell. this horrid act of violence was as amply as deservedly revenged on suraj-ud-dowlah, by his majesty's arms, under the conduct of vice-admiral watson and col. clive, anno . the marquis of hastings in had the monument pulled down, but lord curzon in had a replica made and placed in the same spot where it now stands. appendix g extract from the narrative of the interruption in the mail arrangements in the n.-w.p. and punjab subsequent to the mutiny at meerut and delhi on the th and th may, . by mr. g. paton, postmaster-general, north-west provinces. on the mutiny of the native troops at meerut and delhi on the th and th may, , the mail communication between meerut, delhi and allyghur was interrupted. the eastern mails were then forwarded from allyghur via anoopshahur and moradabad to meerut and thence direct to kurnaul or via seharanpore to umballa. in like manner the mails from the north-west were forwarded from kurnaul and umballa to allyghur. there was delay by the arrangement, but it was the only one practicable on the route via delhi being closed by the mutiny and rebellion there. . after the lapse of a week the mail was reopened between allyghur and meerut, but by the mutiny of the th regiment n.i. on the th june at allyghur all postal communication from the north, the south, the east and west of that station was stopped. . exertions were made to establish communication between cawnpore and meerut via futtehgurh, bareilly and moradabad. mails were forwarded towards bareilly, but none issued from or through that station. this excited much uneasiness for some time, but was explained by the mutiny of the troops there and at shajehanpore on the th june. bareilly was, like delhi, the scene of the political intrigue, and the suppression of postal communication was there, as elsewhere, an object of the first importance with the insurgents. . the post offices and mail lines in oude, generally, became disorganized about the same time as in rohilcund, as the troops mutinied almost simultaneously in both provinces. . while the grand trunk road between cawnpore and agra was open, arrangements were made to maintain communication between the punjab and cis-sutledge states with agra via kurnaul hansie and jeypore, but the mutiny of the hurrianah battalion and a portion of the th irregular cavalry at hansie and hissar in the end of may entirely stopped that line. . an attempt was made to open communication with agra and meerut via muttra and by a line midway between khoorjah and secunderabad, but it had to be abandoned owing to the rebel wulleedad khan and his followers having obtained undisputed possessions of the district of bulundshahur. . but, although bulundshahur and a large portion of allyghur were occupied by the rebel wulleedad khan, a line of runners was established between meerut and agra via gurhmooktesur ghat, the left bank of the ganges, anoopshahur and allyghur. letters of light weight were managed to be conveyed with tolerable safety by that route, notwithstanding that large sums were offered for the murder of those caught in the act of conveying english correspondence. . on or about the th june the troops at allahabad, cawnpore, futtehgurh, hameerpore, banda jansie, lullutpore and saugor mutinied; and, in consequence, all the post offices and mail lines in the doab and bundlekund as low down as mirzapore became disorganized. communication between agra, the cis-sutledge states and calcutta was then fairly cut off and could not be re-established by the grand trunk road so long as delhi remained in the possession of the mutineers. the route via multan to bombay was, however, open and instructions were given for the mails to and from the n.-w.p., cis-sutledge and punjab being forwarded via lahore. . between agra and bombay the mail was not interrupted till the mutiny of the gwalior contingent on the th june, and since then up to st february, , or a period of seven months and thirteen days, the road via gwalior and indore to bombay was closed or not practicable and safe for the mail. . so soon as it was apparent that the mail between bombay and agra could not be re-established via gwalior and indore, the establishment of runners between agra, jeypore, naseerabad, deesa and ahmedabad was strengthened, and the mails to and from bombay, calcutta, madras, etc., were very regularly conveyed by that route. . in the course of the month of august, dr. clark managed at agra to organize an establishment of kossids, thence via etawah to cawnpore, and for very light letters not exceeding a ¼ tola in weight the arrangements, although occasionally interrupted, were generally successful excepting for a period of nearly eighteen days in the end of november and beginning of december, when the troops of the gwalior contingent crossed the jumna and invested cawnpore. on the defeat of the gwalior contingent at cawnpore on the th december the kossid dak was again useful in keeping up communication between agra and cawnspore until the th january, , when the mail carts were re-established after having ceased to run from the th june, or a period of seven months. . communication with the province of kemaon was uninterruptedly maintained by an establishment of runners posted via sreenugger, teeree, mussoorie and deyrah dhoon. . between meerut and the camp at delhi runners were posted via bagput, but they were frequently cut off, and the communication had to be kept up via shamlie and kurnaul or via seharunpore and umballa. when the runners between meerut and the camp at delhi were intercepted it was frequently impossible to open direct communication even by kossids, so closely was the country infested with insurgents. . the mail cart establishment between the camp at delhi and lahore was steadily kept up. occasionally it was unsafe to take the carts over the twelve miles leading to and from the camp, and there the coachman rode the horses across country or proceeded on foot and so managed to elude the insurgents. . the mail cart establishment was the only available means by which officers could travel to and from the camp before delhi, and it afforded them an easy and speedy mode of travelling. . extra horses were posted at each stage between the jhellum and delhi to admit of express cart daks being laid when necessary for mails or passengers. . in the month of august it became necessary to provide means for the removal of the sick and wounded officers from the camp in delhi to kurnaul or umballa, and some of the inland transit company's carriages, in addition to the palanquin carriages and vans attached to the post office, were hired for the purpose. all sick and wounded officers were allowed, at the recommendation of the brigadier-general, now sir archdale wilson, to travel free of expense. many valuable lives were thus saved. . i consider the conduct of the native coachmen beyond all praise during the disturbances. great temptations to desert us were held out to them by the mutineers, but not one of them proved unfaithful to government. from the date of arrival of our troops before delhi on the th june till the th of september, the date of the fall of delhi, the coachmen conveyed the mails to and from the camp with the same safety and the same regularity as before the outbreak. . the public mind of the punjab and cis-sutledge states was at the highest pitch of excitement watching the result of the operations of our troops against the mutineers at delhi, and any interruption of the mail would have had a fatal effect on the peace of those states. the telegraph wire connecting the camp with the punjab was frequently cut, and thus it may be easily understood that the regularity of the mail throughout the crisis was of the most vital importance. . the commissioner of scinde, anticipating the possibility of the communication between the punjab and scinde or bombay being cut off, organized on his own responsibility a mail establishment between bhawulpore and jaudhpore, and again with deesa and hyderabad. this arrangement was useful in conveying intelligence between agra, the punjab and central india, and also as an auxiliary line of communication between the punjab and bombay. . in the middle and end of july the mail cart establishment between googairah and mooltan became very clamorous and appeared to be inclined to strike. the vital importance of that establishment made me determine on travelling to mooltan so as to ascertain whether the contractors had any reasonable grievance. there had been many expresses besides passenger daks, and their horses had been perhaps somewhat overworked in consequence, and accordingly i authorized an additional horse at each stage, which for the time quieted the contractors and they gave no more trouble. i was not without some suspicion that there were political influences exciting dissatisfaction amongst them. this impression was in some degree corroborated by an effort on the part of the prisoners of the jail at googairah attempting to effect their escape. happily, through the prompt and rigorous measures adopted by the deputy commissioner, mr. elphinstone, the _émeute_ amongst the prisoners was most successfully crushed and the peace of the district was not disturbed. otherwise the mails would have there been interrupted. . on the th september insurrection broke out between googairah and hurruppa. many horses of the mail cart establishment were carried off by the rebels. several carts were burnt, and communication by the direct route between lahore and mooltan was for several days wholly cut off. the local authorities of the district had no warning of the outbreak till the morning of the night on which it took place. the district officers gave me reason to hope that the insurrection would be instantly put down, but unfortunately, owing to their paucity of troops, the rebels were not overawed sufficiently to admit of the mails being conveyed by the direct road within fifteen days. in the interim, however, they were, after several days' stoppage, conveyed via shahpore and seeah to and from mooltan and lahore. . it is here worthy of remark that the successful assault of delhi on the th september by our troops was telegraphed to lahore, and full particulars thereof were transmitted by the mail of that date from lahore to mooltan, scinde, bombay, etc., before the outbreak between googairah and humppa. the receipt of the news of the successful assault of delhi was signally opportune in scinde, as the native troops then at karachi, hyderabad and shikarpore were in a state approaching to open mutiny. . the route for the mail between lahore and mooltan via shahpore being very circuitous and also unsafe as the country between the sutledge and ravee and even for some distance west of the ravee was in open revolt, it became necessary to determine on having a more direct line of communication between lahore, scinde and bombay. accordingly a camel dak was established by the chief commissioner of the punjab between bhawulpore and ferozepore. the head overseer of the jullunder division, hurdeo bux, was transferred for the superintendence of this dak and managed it most successfully. . the establishment of runners between ferozepore, lahore and loodianah was at the same time strengthened in view to provide for the extra weight of the mails in transit via bhawulpore, and thus the stations east and west of the sutledge were rendered independent of the direct mail line between lahore and mooltan in respect to scinde, bombay, calcutta, etc., etc. . the post offices and mail lines at and above meerut and throughout the cis-sutledge states and punjab have continued in uninterrupted operation excepting those situated on the line of road between googairah and humppa, which were for a short time the scene of insurrections in september. appendix h the work of the field post office between and _the abyssinian expedition._ at the end of september, , the postmaster-general, bombay, reported that a reconnoitring party under colonel merewether, political agent, had left for abyssinia and a field force was shortly to follow. a post office under mr. j. gardiner as inspecting postmaster sailed for abyssinia on the th november along with the second detachment of the expeditionary force. a portion of the staff was left at massowah, where the troops disembarked, and the rest was ordered to advance with the army. having fallen ill through overwork, mr. gardiner was replaced by mr. e. de c. williams on the st march, . ordinary postage stamps were used, the denominations of the stamps supplied for the field force being ½ anna, anna, annas, annas, annas pies, and annas pies. the postage payable on articles for members of the expeditionary force was as follows: letters-- annas for every ½ oz., annas for oz. and annas for every additional oz. in excess of the first oz. newspapers-- pies for ozs., anna pies for ozs. books-- annas for ozs., annas for ozs. and annas for every additional ozs. prepayment in the latter two cases being compulsory. it does not appear that parcels or money orders were exchanged or savings bank transactions allowed. the postal officials began to return from abyssinia by the end of june, , the last batch arriving at bombay on the th july. _the afghanistan expedition._ the war broke out in november, , and mr. j. h. cornwall was appointed to take charge of postal arrangements with the column under the command of general stewart, mr. w. t. van someren with the column under the command of major-general f. s. roberts, and mr. j. l. fendal with the peshawar column. the approximate strength of the whole force was about , fighting men and , camp followers. the mails between quetta and kandahar were conveyed under the control of the political agent and the military authorities. when general roberts moved out, a hill cart service was opened from kohat to thull, a distance of sixty-four miles, in the kurram valley. the principal difficulty was the work of organizing and maintaining the mail lines, which were also used for conveying military stores. apart from the work done at the post office workshops at aligarh, workshops had to be opened at rawalpindi, jund, thull and other places for the construction and repair of carts. in this expedition non-commissioned officers were taught to do postal work, and whenever they were required to do so they were allowed a postal salary of rs. a month. the control of the whole postal arrangements devolved upon colonel w. m. lane, postmaster-general, punjab, and it was due to his exertions that the arrangements met with success. _malta expeditionary force._ in april, , it was decided to send an expeditionary force to malta under major-general j. ross, c.b., and at the instance of the military authorities a small postal staff, consisting of a postmaster (mr. dinshaw jijibhoy) with a clerk and three peons, was selected to accompany the troops. the postal arrangements were made under the direction of the postmaster-general, bombay, and the expeditionary force started from bombay on the st may, . when the island of cyprus was ceded to great britain by turkey the indian contingent went to occupy it, and the postal staff was accordingly ordered to embark for cyprus. a british post office was opened at larnaka and mr. dinshaw was placed in charge of it, and there he worked conjointly with the british postal staff till his return to india on the nd august, . shortly after sir garnet wolseley came out from england as governor, and the island was then divided into six parts, each with a civil commissioner and garrisoned by a regiment. the commissioners were ex-officio postmasters of their respective divisions, and there was no regular arrangement between these divisions for the exchange of mails, which were occasionally conveyed by means of japties or policemen. when cyprus was first occupied there was only a fortnightly communication with india by means of the austrian lloyd steam navigation company's steamers; subsequently a weekly service was also established by the bells asia minor line of steamers. a small austrian post office at larnaka was permitted, and this served the entire island. the field post office was opened at malta on the th may and closed at cyprus on the nd august, . _egypt expeditionary force._ in the beginning of july, , the government of india directed an expeditionary force of about men of all arms for service in egypt under the command of major-general sir h. macpherson, v.c., k.c.b. the postal arrangements were made by mr. fanshawe, postmaster-general, bombay, and mr. j. h. cornwall, who had special experience of the management of field post offices in afghanistan, was selected as the chief superintendent of field post offices. the indian field post office establishment started from bombay on the nd august, , and returned there on the st october of the same year. _kalahandi expedition._ the rising of khonds in kalahandi, an important feudatory state in the chattisgarh division in central provinces, necessitated the despatch of troops. in june, , the deputy postmaster-general, central provinces, reported that the rising was of a serious character and that the country was not likely to be quiet for some time. the troops marched from sambalpur and raipur, and three field post offices were opened to serve them. mr. p. gorman, superintendent of the division, was in entire charge of the postal arrangements. the expedition lasted for only a short time, but the communications had to be maintained till about the end of the year. _suakim field post office, ._ in february, , it was decided to send an expeditionary force composed of indian troops to egypt, and the director-general was asked to make arrangements for a field post office to accompany it. mr. o'shea, as chief superintendent, was in charge of the postal staff, under the direction of the postmaster-general, bombay. the strength of the expeditionary force was , , including followers, and general hudson, c.b., was in command of the force. the postal staff started from bombay on the afternoon of the th february, , and on the th march, , arrived at suakim, where the base post office was opened on the th current. mails were exchanged between egypt and india by government transports and p. & o. packets. only two officers, messrs. o'shea and lalkaka, received medals, and none were granted to the subordinate postal staff. the field post office was closed in november, . _the upper burma expedition._ on the rd october, , the government of india asked the director-general to make the postal arrangements for the expeditionary force in upper burma. the strength of the force consisted of , fighting men and followers, besides dhooly bearers and coolies. on the th november, , the expedition, under the command of major-general h. n. d. prendergast, c.b., v.c., left rangoon for upper burma by steamers up the irrawaddy river to thayetmyo and thence by the land route to mandalay. mr. g. barton groves, deputy postmaster-general, burma, was called on to organize the service and accompany the force as deputy postmaster-general in charge. the rangoon, prome and thayetmyo post offices were strengthened, and the last-named was converted into a base office. five field post offices were also opened on board the head-quarters steamers of each of the five brigades which composed the force. _the pishin field force._ in march, , the governor-general in council decided to increase the garrison in baluchistan to a strength of three divisions comprising about , men and , followers, and the necessary postal arrangements had to be made. mr. j. short, deputy postmaster-general, sind and baluchistan, was in charge, assisted by mr. e. walker, inspector of post offices. in april, , a head office was opened at rindli, in baluchistan, which was designated the "pishin force frontier office," and the quetta post office was strengthened. nine camp post offices were also opened, and mails were carried to these offices by camels and sowars. _sikkim expedition._ the orders for the despatch of a force for operations in sikkim were notified in the _gazette of india_ of the rd march, . shortly after the commencement of hostilities the government of bengal requested mr. h. m. kisch, postmaster-general, bengal, to open a runners' line from siliguri to kalimpong, a distance of thirty-seven miles. this line was used only for transmission of letter mails, parcel mails being conveyed by the old route from darjeeling via ghum and pasok. on the th march the padong post office was converted into a sub-office, and from that date it was constituted a base office for the expedition. on the th march the force, which concentrated at padong, moved out in two columns, one under brigadier-general t. graham, r.a., commanding the expedition, and the other under colonel michel, of the th bengal infantry, the former advancing towards fort lingtu and the other towards the rhenok bazar. with the advance of troops the post office opened at dulapchin was shortly removed to ranglichu. other post offices were opened at gnatong, sedonchin, gangtok, rhenok bazar and pakyong. the mail lines connecting these offices were under the management of the post office as far as ronglichu and pakyong, but the lines beyond were under the political authorities. _the black mountain or hazara field force._ towards the beginning of september, , the home government having decided to send a punitive expedition against the tribesmen of the black mountain, a field force was organized on the hazara frontier. the object of the expedition was to punish the khan khel hassanzai and the akazai tribes. brigadier-general j. w. mcqueen, c.b., commanding the punjab frontier force, directed the expedition. on the th september, , mr. w. t. van someren, superintendent of post offices, rawalpindi division, was deputed to make the postal arrangements with the force. haripur was constituted a base office for the derband column, and abbottabad for the oghi column. the tonga service from hassan abdal to abbottabad was strengthened and extended to mansera, and a mixed tonga and horse service was established between abbottabad and oghi. a runners' line was opened from haripur to derband. a railway sorting office, under the supervision of mr. n. g. wait, was also opened at hassan abdal for the sorting and onward transmission of articles for the field force. _the chin expedition, burma._ in december, , a small force of about men, besides civil officers and followers, headed by brigadier-general faunce, started for the chindwin division to quell a rising of burmans and to reduce to order the country which was then infested with dacoits. the expedition was undertaken very suddenly, and the quartermaster-general in india asked the deputy postmaster-general, burma, to arrange for the opening of a field post office at kalemyo at a distance of twenty-seven miles from the base of operations at kalewa. about july, , the country was brought to a normal state and the troops were withdrawn. _the lushai expedition._ in the government of india having decided to send a punitive expedition against the shendus and other tribes in the chitagong hill tracts, a small force under colonel v. w. tregear was organized and concentrated at demagiri. the force was styled the "lushai expeditionary force," and consisted of about men besides followers and coolies. an inspector was deputed to make the postal arrangements. the boat line from rangamati to demagiri, which was maintained by the frontier police, was strengthened, also the post offices at rangamati and demagiri, the latter being constituted a base office, and a post office was opened at barkul--half-way between rangamati and demagiri--where there was a stockade of military police. the troops kept the field for about four months and came back at the end of april, . _the chin lushai expedition._ in two armies operated in this expedition, one from burma and the other from chittagong. the troops in burma were divided into two columns, one operating from fort white as a base against the syins and other tribes, and the other starting from gangaw as a base and advancing via yokwa on haka. the chittagong force advanced from fort lungleh on haka. brigadier-general w. p. symons commanded the operations on the burma side, and colonel tregear commanded the chittagong column. the strength of the force concentrated at gangaw consisted of about officers, european and indian troops and followers. the strength of the chittagong column consisted of about men besides followers and coolies. on the burma side much difficulty was experienced by the supervising officers in organizing and maintaining the lines, which lay over sandy beds of rivers, hillocks and jungles and on the chittagong side, on account of constant illness and the consequent change of officials deputed. mr. j. w. mccrea, superintendent of post offices, burma circle, was deputed to make postal arrangements for the force under the direction of mr. g. j. hynes, deputy postmaster-general, burma. on the other side postal arrangements were made by mr. g. s. clifford, superintendent of post offices, under the direction of mr. g. barton groves, deputy postmaster-general, eastern bengal. _the zhob expedition._ the object of the expedition was to explore the borders of the zhob valley and to take steps either to capture the outlaw dost muhammad or to expel him from the kakar country and to coerce the khiddarzai shirani tribe into submission. towards the middle of september, , intimation was received from the quartermaster-general in india that a force of about men, besides camp followers, was about to start for the zhob valley, and on the th of that month a small field post office, consisting of a sub-postmaster and two peons, started from quetta with a portion of the troops for hindubagh, which was to be the general rendezvous. the expedition was commanded by sir george white. _the black mountain expedition._ in a force was sent for operations against the hassanzai and akazai tribes of the black mountains. the strength of the force, which was under the command of major-general elles, c.b., was about men, and it advanced from darband in two columns--one marching via baradar and pailam to tilli, and the other along the river route via kotkai and kunhar. the postal arrangements were made by mr. w. t. van someren under the direction of mr. g. j. hynes, postmaster-general, punjab. _the chin hills expedition._ the government of india sanctioned military operations in the north and east frontier of the bhamo district and chin hills during the cold season of - . in the bhamo direction the object of the expedition was to explore the amber and jade mines, the hukong valley and the country on the east and north-east frontier above the taeping river on the chinese border. the expedition had a quasi-military character, and about troops, including police battalions, operated in various columns, under the direction of major-general r. c. stewart, commanding the burma districts. mr. f. mccrea, inspector of post offices, eastern division, was deputed to organize and supervise the arrangements. _the manipur expedition._ the outbreak in manipur in , and the consequent massacre of mr. quinton, the chief commissioner of assam, and his party, necessitated the despatch of troops to quell the rebellion. the force was designated the "manipur field force," and about men, including followers, operated from the tammu side and about the same number from kohima and silchar. mr. w. roussac was in charge of the postal arrangements with the tammu column, and mr. f. p. williams, assisted by an inspector, with the kohima column. all correspondence for the tammu column was sent from india to rangoon and thence by boats to kindat. from kindat to tammu the mails were conveyed by runners, and a runners' line was opened from tammu to manipur. these arrangements worked for a very short time on account of the rapid advance of troops and their immediate return. _the miranzai expedition._ the object of the expedition, which was under the command of brigadier-general sir william lockhart, k.c.b., was to overawe the recalcitrant samil clans of the urakzai tribe in the miranzai valley. the force was ordered to the front in january, , and advanced in three columns, the first column having its base at shahu khel, the second at tog and the third at hangu. mr. a. bean, superintendent of post offices, peshawar division, was placed in charge of field postal arrangements connected with the force in addition to his own duties. _the wuntho expedition._ on the th february, , the station of kawlin was suddenly attacked by a party of rebels from the wuntho state, in upper burma, and a few police who formed the garrison of the place had to evacuate it. the post office had to be abandoned and the sub-postmaster had to come away along with the other officials. a combined force of police and military, consisting of about men, was at once organized and advanced on wuntho from shwebo, katha and tigyaing to put down the rebellion and bring the country under permanent occupation. the troops employed were not designated a field force, and the postal arrangements were therefore carried out on ordinary scale and not according to the rules of the field service manual. _the isazai field force._ in september, , the government of india decided to send out an expedition under major-general sir william lockhart to punish certain villages of the trans-indus isazai clans who had harboured hashim ali khan of seri in contravention of their agreement entered into at seri in may, . a force of about men of all arms concentrated at derband and was styled the "isazai field force." on the th september, , mr. c. j. dease, superintendent of post offices, was deputed to make the special arrangements for the force with the assistance of an inspector. _kurram field force._ in the beginning of october, , the government of india decided to depute a political officer at the head of a force in the lower kurram valley. the object was to expel the chikkai tribes from the valley and to effect a thorough settlement of the country. the force which accompanied the political officer, mr. w. r. h. merk, c.s.i., consisted of about men, including followers. mr. p. sheridan, postmaster-general, punjab, arranged for field post offices, and the superintendent of post offices, peshawar division, was placed in charge. by the end of october the presence of troops in kurram was no longer necessary, and the field offices were closed with the exception of the head-quarters office, which was retained for the use of the garrison. _the wano expedition._ in august, , owing to disturbances in afghanistan, a detachment of troops had to be sent beyond the frontier to take up position at kajuri kuch in the wano country, thirty miles beyond the gomal pass. as there was no post office at the place, arrangements were made by the superintendent of post offices, derajat division, to send and receive mails via gomal post office. in september, however, owing to the despatch of further troops, the post office was called upon to make arrangements. by the end of april, , the strength of the kajuri and jandola forces was considerably reduced, and the postal establishments were gradually abolished. _the abor expedition, ._ the only postal arrangements made in connection with this expedition, which lasted for a very short time, were the opening of a runners' line from sadiya to bomjur and the strengthening of the delivery staff of sadiya post office by an additional postman. _the waziristan field force._ in august, , the government of india sanctioned the despatch of troops to accompany the british commissioner in connection with the afghan boundary demarkation. pundit shiv pal, the superintendent of post offices, derajat division, was placed in charge assisted by two inspectors, till he was relieved by mr. w. t. van someren, who was placed on special duty in this connection. the post office at tank was temporarily converted into a base head office, and three field post offices were opened to move with the force. on the rd november the mushud waziri made a determined night attack on the british camp at wano, and, although the attack was repulsed, it resulted in casualties. in the beginning of december, , the government of india having sanctioned active operations in waziristan, lieutenant-general sir william lockhart, who was now placed in command, asked for an additional superintendent, and mr. a. franks ryan was placed on special duty with the force. _the chitral relief force._ in the middle of march, , a scheme was prepared for field operations in chitral, the object of which was to compel umra khan of jandol to withdraw from the chitral country, and the director-general was requested to make postal arrangements for the force, which consisted of about , troops of all arms and about , camp followers. this was the largest force mobilized in india since the afghan war of , and the postal arrangements had therefore to be made on a proportionately large scale. the expedition was titled "the chitral relief force" and was commanded by major-general sir robert low, k.c.b. on the th march, , mr. p. sheridan, postmaster-general, punjab, was requested by the director-general to arrange field post offices, and by the end of the month the postal staff, who were collected at nowshera, were in readiness to start. mr. a. franks ryan was the senior superintendent in charge. in the early stages of the campaign considerable difficulty was experienced by the supervising officers in organizing lines for the conveyance of mails. mule transport being very limited, pack bullocks had to be used for the first few days, and when those were withdrawn a temporary runners' line had to be opened. information, however, was shortly received that the country was open as far as durgai, a distance of forty-one miles from nowshera, and arrangements were made with messrs. dhanjibhoy to open a tonga line. on the th march the force moved out to mardan and the head-quarters field post office went with it. on the nd april, , information was received that colonel kelly had succeeded in reducing the chitral fort from the gilgit side, and a further hasty advance of troops was therefore no longer necessary. with the occupation of the chitral territory by the rd brigade the expedition practically came to an end. the abbottabad force was broken up on the st may, . _suakim expedition, ._ in may, , under orders from the home government, an expeditionary force, strong, was sent to suakim under the command of brigadier-general c. c. egerton, c.b., d.s.o., and a field post office was ordered to accompany it. the chief of the postal staff was mr. bennett, who, however, did not hold the rank of chief superintendent as the force was too small. it started on the nd may, , and arrived on the st june at suakim, where the base office was opened. subsequently a sub-office was opened at tokar, and the exchange of mails between this office and the base office was carried on by camel dak twice a week. there was fortnightly communication between india and suakim by egyptian steamers, and parcel and letter mails were conveyed by these and by p. & o. steamers. the field post office was closed on the th december, . _the malakand field force._ on the st july, , the adjutant-general in india forwarded to the director-general a scheme for operations in the malakand country, and mr. p. sheridan, postmaster-general, punjab and n.-w.f., was requested to make special postal arrangements for the force. mr. h. c. sheridan, assistant director-general of the post office, was placed in charge. by the middle of august all the troops forming the st and nd brigades went across the malakand to the swat valley. in the meantime, fresh trouble having arisen round and about peshawar, the government of india issued orders for punitive operations against the mohmands, who had invaded british territory and attacked the village and fort of shabkadar, nineteen miles from peshawar. accordingly a strong force was concentrated about the place, and mr. c. a. stowell was deputed to peshawar to make special postal arrangements for this force. "the mohmand field force," under major-general ellis, left shabkadar on the th september and returned to peshawar on the th october, . during the expedition a small force was sent to abazai to guard the works of the swat canal, and a field post office accompanied it. on new year's day of orders were issued for an advance to buner, and the nd brigade marched to katlang, which was at once connected with mardan by an ekka service, later extended to sanghao. there were now two ekka services--one from mardan to rustam, a distance of nineteen miles, and the other from mardan to sanghao, a distance of twenty-one miles. on the th january the name of the force was changed to the "buner field force." the postal arrangements for this force, which was not in existence for more than a fortnight, were in the hands of mr. n. m. cama, superintendent of post offices. the malakand field force began to be demobilized on the nd january, , but only a small portion of the troops returned to india. the rest went forward and became part of the swat garrison. in this expedition arrangements were made for the first time for the sale of newspapers by field post offices, a service which was greatly appreciated. so efficient were the postal arrangements and the regularity of the tonga service that the mails to and from the front travelled with a punctuality which would compare favourably with any long-established line in india. _the tirah expedition._ on the th september, , the director-general was asked to make arrangements for a postal service for the expeditionary force to be sent against the afridi and orakzai tribes on the kohat and peshawar frontier. the postmaster-general, punjab and n.-w.f., mr. p. sheridan, was immediately communicated with, and mr. van someren was appointed chief postal superintendent with the expedition. the base post office for the main force was at first situated at kohat, and the base office for the peshawar column at peshawar. when the troops marched through tirah and took up their position for the winter in the bara valley, the khyber pass and the neighbourhood of peshawar, messrs. dhanjibhoy established two tonga services connecting peshawar with bara and jamrud, while beyond these places they arranged for the carriage of mails by a horse post. the mail service for the peshawar column previous to this had been carried on by the afridi horse contractors, and as the roads were improved the tonga services were extended up to landi kotal in the khyber pass and gandao in the bara valley. the postal arrangements lasted for a period of six months. on this occasion, too, the field post offices were specially authorized to sell newspapers to the troops and were allowed a commission on the sales. _the tochi field force._ the postal arrangements in connection with the tochi field force lasted for a period of about eight months, from july, , to february, . the base of the operations was bannu, which is miles away from the railway at khushalgarh, and, as soon as it was known that a force was to be mobilized at bannu, arrangements were made for the introduction of an efficient tonga service from khushalgarh to that place and for a proper railway connection between golra and khushalgarh. between khushalgarh and kohat a feeble tonga service was already in existence under the management of the district board of kohat, while for the local demands an ekka service had been established between kohat and bannu. neither of these lines could be relied upon to meet the special requirements for mails and passengers caused by the expedition, and mr. dhanjibhoy, the mail contractor of the rawalpindi-srinagar line, established a complete and efficient tonga service over the entire distance. the postal arrangements were carried out very satisfactorily. mr. w. t. van someren was in charge of the actual arrangements in the field from the beginning till september, , when he was relieved by mr. f. o'byrne, who remained in charge during the remainder of the operations. _the tochi valley field force._ after the breaking up of the tochi field force in december, , it was decided to retain in the valley a brigade of troops on field service scale under the command of the general officer commanding, tochi. the troops were quartered in six military posts, and camp post offices were opened to serve them. during the tochi expedition there was a tonga service between edwardesabad and bannu, but this having been discontinued a new arrangement had to be made for a tonga service with messrs. dhanjibhoy and sons for the conveyance of mails between khushalgarh and kohat and an ekka service between edwardesabad and miranshah and datta khel. _the swat valley column._ when the second division of the tirah force was demobilized it was decided to retain a strong column in the swat valley to take up positions in dir territory for the protection of the line of communications and the route of the relieving and relieved chitral force. the arrangement necessitated the opening of three field post offices from the st may, , and from the same date the swat sorting office at nowshera was strengthened. it was also decided to retain the services of a superintendent to accompany the column up to dir territory and return with the relieved troops from chitral. the postal arrangements had to be maintained till the end of june, when the column having been considerably reduced, two field offices were abolished and only one was retained till the th july, . _the mishmi expedition._ in november, , the director-general was requested to open a field branch post office at bonjur and connect it by a runners' line (twenty-four miles long) with sadiya, where there was a civil post office. this place was made the base of operations of the mishmi field force. about military police and regular troops operated in this expedition, which began in december, , and ended in january, . the bonjur office was opened on the st december, , and closed on the th february, . _the china expeditionary force._ at the request of the home government, a force entitled "the china expeditionary force" was mobilized in india for service in china under the command of general sir a. gaselee. the first intimation of the despatch of the army was received on the th june, . this, however, referred only to one brigade of troops of all arms; but on the th june intimation was received that a force of two brigades with divisional troops were under orders for china. the control of the field postal arrangements was in the hands of mr. stewart-wilson, postmaster-general, punjab, under whose orders the postal staff was mobilized and equipped. at first it was decided to fit out twelve field post offices to accompany the force. mr. w. t. van someren was appointed chief superintendent, and mr. a. bean and mr. a. b. thompson were selected to work under him. by the end of august, , the force in china was strengthened by a cavalry brigade, one infantry brigade and three large coolie corps, and the postal staff had to be supplemented. thus by the end of the year there were in china: chief superintendent. superintendents. inspectors. postmaster. deputy postmasters. sub-postmasters. clerks. followers. on the th june, , a notification was issued regarding the conditions under which postal articles could be exchanged with the china expeditionary force. the indian base office was at first opened at linkung-tao (wei hai wei), but was shortly transferred to hongkong. articles for the force were despatched by the steamers of the b.i.s.n. company, the messageries maritimes and also by the opium steamers to hongkong. the colonial post office at hongkong had an arrangement with all merchant vessels binding them to carry mails as far as shanghai, and owing to the courtesy of the postmaster-general, hongkong, this concession was made use of to carry the mails of the field force. north of shanghai the mails were carried by transports and men-o'-war. later on the chinese imperial postal authorities carried our mails from shanghai to taku and back free of charge until the latter port was closed by the winter ice. another route had then to be chosen for the north china mails, and once more we had to resort to the kindness of the imperial chinese post office, who agreed to supply transport from chifu to chaingwantao twice a week on condition that half the cost of the coal used should be paid. thus the mails were conveyed from hongkong to shanghai, from shanghai to chifu and from chifu to chaingwantao and thence to tientsin. the chief postal land routes were ( ) taku to pekin and ( ) tientsin to shanhaikwan. dollar currency was used in the field offices, the rate of a dollar being fixed at s. d., equivalent to rs. . . . the first postal detachment took with them a full supply of postage stamps, postcards, etc., but it was found inadvisable to use them owing to the fact that it would be impossible to sell them at a price exactly equivalent to face value. at hongkong the postal equivalent for centimes, i.e. anna, is cents. it followed, therefore, that twenty-five -anna stamps could be bought for a dollar and that the purchaser would be able to make annas for every dollar spent on stamps, and it was feared that advantage would be taken of this to buy up indian stamps wholesale for remittance to india. the postage stamps were therefore overprinted with the letters "c.e.f.," i.e. "china expeditionary force," so that their use would be localized, and the surcharged stamps came into circulation about the middle of august, . in order to confine the use of field offices to the members of the force, orders were issued that our postage stamps should not be sold except to soldiers and officers in uniform. the rates of postage fixed for all purposes were those in force in india, the postage to india being reckoned at indian inland rates. difficulty had all along been felt in supplying postal facilities to the small bodies of troops stationed at or near railway stations where there were no post offices. mr. van someren removed this difficulty by introducing a combined post and railway mail service between pekin and taku and tientsin and shanhaikwan, a scheme which was a new one in the history of the field postal service. postal clerks had not only to sort letters in the trains, but also to receive and deliver letters and sell postage stamps at each railway station. by august, , there was a reduction of the number of troops in china and fourteen field post offices were closed, the supervising staff being reduced to a chief superintendent and an inspecting postmaster in north china and a superintendent and an inspecting postmaster at hongkong. mr. van someren left china on the th august, , leaving mr. thompson in charge. this was the first occasion that a large postal establishment had to be sent out with a military expedition overseas to a foreign country. the force consisted of over , men stationed at various places from shanghai to taku and taku to pekin. the harmonious relations with the chinese imperial postal administration and the material assistance which it rendered on every possible occasion greatly helped to the success of the indian field post office administration in china. _the somaliland field force._ the postal arrangements made to serve the somaliland field force extended over a period of nearly two years from january, , to november, . mr. wynch, who was appointed chief superintendent, remained till june, , when he was invalided and relieved by mr. a. j. hughes, who held charge until the end of the operations. the strength of the force was , and at first one base office and one field post office, with one postmaster, five clerks and four packers, were provided. mails were exchanged between india and somaliland by government transports. the field post offices were closed on the th november, . _the tibet mission._ in the government of india decided to send a small force to escort the tibet frontier commission. at first a number of temporary post offices and lines were opened under the control of the superintendent of post offices, jalpaiguri division, to serve the mission, but it was not until it was decided that the mission should advance into the chumbi valley that field post offices and lines were required. the mission was headed by colonel younghusband and the escort was commanded by general macdonald, with mr. h. tulloch as chief superintendent. the rapid development of field post offices necessitated the appointment of a second superintendent, and mr. a. bean was deputed to field service. on the th january, , mr. bean took over charge of the base division, but shortly after died of heart disease on the rd march, . the entire arrangements then devolved again on mr. tulloch until the st april, , when mr. c. j. dease took over charge of the base division. the mission advanced on gyantse on the th april. from tuna to gyantse the mail arrangements were in the hands of the military authorities, and only one postal clerk, whose duty it was to distribute letters, was sent up with the escort. the mission reached gyantse on the th may, and a field post office had to be opened there and at several other places on the lines of communications. the force remained at lhassa from the rd august to the rd september and returned to gyantse on the th october, . there was by this time at gyantse an accumulation of over parcels addressed to the members of the lhassa column, but mr. angelo, who was then placed in charge of the advance division, disposed of them in three days before the troops left on their return march. the demobilization of the force began by the end of october, and the postal officials were ordered to leave chumbi on the th and to close the field post offices between chumbi and gangtok on their way down. mr. tulloch relinquished charge of the f.p.o.'s on the th november, . _the bazar valley field force._ the postal arrangements made to serve the bazar valley field force extended over a period of twenty-five days, from the th february to the th march, . on the night of the th february the chief of the staff informed the postmaster, peshawar, that the force would leave the station the next morning. a base office, four first-class field post offices and three second-class field post offices were sent to the front, and on receipt of the scheme for the organization and mobilization of the force on the th february this establishment was reduced considerably. the work of the field post offices on this occasion was limited almost entirely to the disposal of articles of the letter and packet mails. _the mohmand field force._ the postal arrangements made to serve the mohmand field force extended over a period of thirty-eight days, from the th april to the th june, . the first intimation that an expedition would take place was received on the rd april, and the postmaster-general, punjab and n.-w.f., was at once directed to make all arrangements to serve the troops that were concentrating on the frontier. mr. mcminn, who was chief superintendent of post offices with the bazar valley field force, was placed in charge. _the abor expeditionary force, - ._ the postal arrangements made to serve the abor expeditionary force extended over a period of about one year, from may, , to may, . a temporary post office was first opened on the th may, , at saikwaghat, a terminus of the dibru-sadiyah railway, to serve the troops making preparations there for the expedition. the office was under the control of the superintendent of post offices, upper assam division. it was not until september, , when the force advanced towards kobo, that the department was called upon to organize a field postal service. the arrangements were placed under the control of the postmaster-general, eastern bengal and assam, and for the supervision of the work in the field mr. a. j. faichnie, superintendent of post offices, upper assam division, was, in addition to his own duties, appointed superintendent of field post offices, assisted by an inspector. appendix j the post office insurance fund the suggestion to establish a state life assurance was first made in by sir richard temple, the finance member of council. after a great deal of discussion it was dropped in , but was revived again in by mr. hogg, the director-general of the post office, when it was accepted by the viceroy's council and finally by the secretary of state. the principal features of the scheme which was actually introduced on the st february, , were: ( ) for the time the fund was confined to the employés of the post office. ( ) provision was made for effecting life insurance in three ways, viz.-- (i) by a single payment. (ii) by monthly payments until the person insured attained the age of or . (iii) by monthly payments during life. ( ) provision was also made for two classes of monthly allowances, viz. "immediate" or "deferred." ( ) one life could be insured for any sum which was a multiple of rs. up to the total of rs. , , and the monthly allowance granted on any one life might consist of any sum which was a multiple of rs. up to the limit of rs. . ( ) medical examination of proposers for insurance was made free. ( ) arrangements were made for the deduction of the monthly premia from the insured person's salary except the first premium or premium paid during leave without pay. ( ) policies and contracts issued under the scheme were exempt from stamp duty. the scheme worked smoothly, and, taking into consideration that many employés of the post office are poorly paid officials, a fair measure of success was attained during the first few years except in the monthly allowance branch and in the system of life insurance by single payment. the following figures show the proportion of officials who availed themselves of insurance during the first three years:-- - · % of the whole post office establishment. - · % " " " - · % " " " in the rule under which one-half surrender value could be allowed on all policies and contracts when payment had been discontinued was modified so as to exclude from this privilege policies and contracts on which three years' premia or subscriptions had not been paid. in september, , the fund was opened to the telegraph department, and in to employés of the indo-european telegraphs and to women employed in all the departments. with effect from the st february, , the benefits of the scheme were extended generally to all permanent government servants whose pay was audited in civil or public works account offices and all members of establishments of the military department, under audit of the military account offices, who were subject to civil rules. from the same date a system of endowment assurances providing for payment at any age between and was introduced. with this general extension of the scheme it was decided that the medical examination of proposers for insurance should be more stringent and that medical officers, who had until then been examining proposers for insurance free of any charge, should be allowed a fee of rs. for each examination, as their insurance work would be substantially increased. in the same year ( ) the system of life insurance by a single payment which had proved to be a failure, was abolished. in , temporary engineers and temporary upper subordinates of the public works department were allowed by government to be admissible to the benefits of the fund, provided that the chief engineer declared that they were eligible for admission. in it was extended to permanent government servants in foreign service in india, and in the same year life insurance policies were allowed to be converted into endowment assurance policies. in , the following relaxations of the rules were sanctioned with a view to meet the convenience of government servants. ( ) insured persons who had retired from the service and whose pensions were paid in india were allowed the option of deducting their premia or subscriptions from their pension bills instead of being compelled to pay them in cash at a post office. ( ) when there was any difficulty in the way of a proposal being signed by the proposer in the presence of his immediate superior, this duty might, with the permission of the postmaster-general, be performed in the presence of the local postmaster or any other responsible officer who had to sign the certificate. ( ) the table of subscriptions for "immediate monthly allowance," which contained rates up to the age of sixty, was extended so as to provide for contracts with persons above that age. in the same year the benefits of the fund were extended to temporary lower subordinates, clerks of the public works department and to clerks of the punjab university on the same conditions as to temporary engineers and temporary upper subordinates. the year witnessed several important changes in the post office insurance fund made on the recommendation of the government actuary. these were: ( ) that the sums eventually payable in respect of policies in existence on st march, , in the life branch of the fund were increased by per cent and that the premia payable in respect of sums assured in that branch after that date would be correspondingly reduced. the rates of premia for life insurance were revised accordingly. ( ) that a life policy, with monthly payments payable till death, was allowed to be converted into a life policy with monthly payments payable to a specified age or into a fully paid up policy payable at death. ( ) that an endowment policy might be converted into a paid-up policy payable at some anterior date or at death, if earlier. ( ) that insurants could reduce their monthly premia to any desired extent from any specified date. ( ) that when a policy of either class was surrendered the policy holder should be given the full surrender value which on an actuarial calculation could be paid without loss to the fund, instead of half that amount as hitherto given. ( ) that the surrender value of a lapsed policy was payable at any time after default, on application being made for the same. ( ) that the period up to which payment of arrears of premium or subscription was allowed for the revival of a policy of less than three years' duration was extended from three to six months. the tables of premia, introduced at the time the fund was started, as already stated, were calculated on the mortality rates which had been deduced from the experience of the uncovenanted service family pension fund, bengal--a fund which was confined to europeans resident in india--there being no more reliable mortality statistics available for the purpose at the time. in the india office actuary, in his review on the operations of the fund for the year - , noticed that, in view of the rapid growth of the scheme, it was necessary to revise the tables according to more accurate mortality statistics. in his review on the work of the fund for - the actuary asked for detailed particulars of all the policies issued by the fund since its institution in the form of statements, in order to enable him to deduce therefrom the necessary mortality rates, and thus prepare fresh tables of premia. these statistics were submitted with the director-general's annual report on the operations of the fund for the year - . in the meantime it was brought to notice in that, under the existing method of calculating surrender values of life policies, the values in certain cases were found on calculation to be considerably in excess of the total amount of premia paid on the policies. taking advantage of this, insurants began to surrender their policies in large numbers. the matter was referred to the secretary of state. as a result, the actuary at the india office forwarded revised tables for the calculation of surrender values of life policies, to be used until the general revision of the mortality tables and of the tables of premia, which had been under contemplation, was effected. in an important concession was sanctioned regarding the payment of premia by insured persons while on leave or suspension or when retiring. it was laid down that an insured person should not be considered as in arrears of premium or subscription for any month so long as he has not drawn any pay, pension or suspension allowance. in , with a view to afford greater facilities to the lower grades of postal servants to insure their lives and to popularize the fund, sanction was obtained to grant to these officials from the post office guarantee fund travelling expenses actually incurred by them in their journey for examination by the medical officer for insurance, provided the proposer actually took out a policy and paid the premium for not less than twelve months. in mr. ackland, the actuary at the india office, made a thorough investigation into the past experience of the fund from the statistics furnished to him. he drew up a report showing the results of the investigation and prepared fresh tables of mortality statistics, as well as new tables of premia for both life insurance and endowment assurance. he also prepared new formulæ for the calculation of paid-up policies, surrender values, etc., and recommended the following further concessions and changes:-- ( ) the grant to all policy holders on the st march, (the valuation date), of a bonus at the rate of per cent per annum in the case of whole life assurances, and at per cent in the case of endowment assurances in respect of each month's premium paid since st march, , up to st march, . ( ) the grant of an interim bonus at half of the above rates in respect of the premiums paid since st march, , in the case of policies which became claims by death or survivance between st april, , and st march, , provided that premiums have been paid for at least five years and up to date of death or survivance. ( ) "age next birthday" should be taken as the age at entry for all classes of assurances. ( ) an integral number of years' premia should be charged on endowment assurance policies and life policies with limited payments. ( ) transfers from the whole life to the endowment assurance class or vice versa should be allowed only after any number of complete years' premia have been paid. ( ) when surrender values were granted in the monthly allowance class, medical examination at the policy holder's expense should be insisted on and payment should in no case exceed per cent of the present value of the monthly allowance. ( ) policy holders should be allowed to commute future premia by payment either of a lump sum or of an increased monthly premium ceasing at age or . ( ) transfers from the endowment assurance to the whole life class should be allowed only on the production of a fresh medical certificate obtained at the policy holder's expense. ( ) the valuations of the fund should be made at quinquennial intervals. it was also decided that, as an actuary had been appointed by the government of india, all questions relating to the administration of the fund, as well as future valuations of the fund, might be dealt with by that officer instead of being submitted to the secretary of state. index abolition of district post, abolition of sea post office, abolition of unpaid postcards, abor expedition, , abor expeditionary force, - , abyssinian expedition, accounts, postal, act, post office. _see_ post office act address, forms of, , aden, military operations in neighbourhood of, aden, transhipment of mails at, , admiralty agents, , , afghanistan expedition, , anche, the, , anchel, the, aviation, bagdad railway, , baku, field service in, bank, savings, base office, , , base postal depot, bazar valley field force, beadon, mr., "bearing" correspondence, , , , , bhangy post, , , , black hole of calcutta, , black mountain expedition, black mountain or hazara field force, bombay g.p.o. building, bombay regulation xi of , branch office, brindisi as european port for indian mails, , british india steam navigation company, , british mission escort in south persia, british postal orders, buildings, post office, bullock train, , , buner field force, bungalows, dak or travellers', , burlton, mr. s. p., burma, chin expedition, bushire force, calcutta, black hole of, , calcutta g.p.o. building, , camel dak, cape route to india, the, , cash certificates, five-year, cash on delivery system, , , , caste, centres, delivery, chin expedition, burma, chin hills expedition, chin lushai expedition, china expeditionary force, chitral relief force, "clubbing," combined post and telegraph offices, introduction of, commission of , , , compiler of post office accounts, , compulsory prepayment of postage in all cases, rejection of, constantinople, field service in, construction and maintenance of postal vans, consultations of th march, , minutes of, consultations of th january, , extract from, continuous delivery system, control of the department, , , conventions with indian states, copper tickets, or tokens for postal purposes, , , cost of carrying mails on railways, counterfeit stamps, , courtney, mr., crises in the savings bank, custom-house, turkish, at bagdad and basra, , customs regulations, cyprus, dak bungalows, , dak system, dead letter office, delivery centres, delivery of mails, delivery system, continuous, department, control of the, , , department, never regarded as revenue-producing, , department, organization of the, , , depot, base postal, deputy postmaster, , desert post, the, , , direction, organization of the, director-general of the post office, first, distance, uniformity of postage irrespective of, , , , district dawk stamps, scinde, , district post, , district post, abolition of, district savings banks, dromedary post, , early postal regulations, east africa, field service in, east persian cordon, egypt during the great war, field service in, , egypt expeditionary force, encouragement of prepayment of postage, england, parcel post with, , english mail, , , , euphrates and tigris steam navigation company, , , european port for reception and despatch of indian mails, , experimental post offices, , ferry charges upon railway steamers, , field post office, the, field post offices, field service manual, field service, military rank on, field service uniform, fines incurred under post office acts, fining, first appointment of a postmaster-general, first director-general of the post office, five-year cash certificates, forbes, mr., force in east persia, foreign money orders, foreign parcel post, france, field service in, franking, free postage, abolition of privilege of, free postage, grant of privilege of, to certain persons, gallipoli, field service in, great war, , great war, effect of, upon savings bank balances, guarantee fund, post office, haulage charges, , hazara field force, black mountain or, head office, horse transit and bullock train, , , , identification of payees of money orders, , imperial penny postage scheme, imported and locally produced printed matter, differentiation between, , indian convention states, , indian mutiny, the post office during the, , , , indian states, the post office in, insurance fee, insurance system in the persian gulf and turkish arabia, introduction of first regular postal system by lord clive, introduction of postage stamps, , , , introduction of postcards, introduction of railways, iraq, , isazai field force, kalahandi expedition, kurram field force, kut, land revenue money orders, later postal regulations, letter-writers, professional, life insurance policies, surrender values of, life insurance, postal, , loan, war, lord clive, regular postal system introduced by, lushai expedition, mail runner, malakand field force, malta expeditionary force, malwa field force, manipur expedition, manual, post office, , manual (war), postal, marine postal service, suez and bombay, marseilles as european port for indian mails, , mesopotamia and the persian gulf, the post office in, mesopotamia, field service in, methods of travel in early days, military pensioners, payment of, military rank on field service, minors' accounts, minutes of consultations of th march, , miranzai expedition, mishmi expedition, mohmand field force, , mohmand field force, , money order work transferred to post office, , money orders, money orders, foreign, money orders, inland, statement of issues since , money orders, land revenue, money orders, rent, money orders, telegraphic, , monopoly, postal, , mosul, turkish post to constantinople via, mounted post, first employment of, mutiny, the post office during the indian, , , , naval agents, , , newspapers, registered, newspapers, sale of, by field post offices, , non-postal work, octroi tax, official articles, special postage rates for, official marks of the post office, acceptance of, as evidence, organization of the department, , , organization of the direction, origin of the post office, overland route, the, , overprinted postage stamps, , , , , overprinted turkish postage stamps, overprints, indian convention states, , overseer, , palestine, field service in, parcel post, parcel post, foreign, parcel post rates, statement of, parcel post with england, , parcels and packets liable to be detained, paton, mr. g., , payment of money orders at houses of payees, , peninsular and oriental steamship company, charter of incorporation of, , penjdeh affair, penny postage scheme, imperial, persian expedition, persian gulf and turkish arabia, insurance system in the, persian gulf, the post office in mesopotamia and the, personnel of the post office, phulkian states, conventions with, pishin field force, polymetrical tables, post, bhangy, , , , post, district, , post, district, abolition of, post office act-- of , , of , of , of , , of , of , of , of , of , of , post office, branch, , post office buildings, post office, experimental, , post office, field, post office, head, post office manual, , post office, origin of, post office, sub, post office, travelling, post free, grant to certain persons of privilege of sending and receiving correspondence, postage rates, , , postage stamps, introduction of, , , , postal life insurance, postal manual (war), postcards, abolition of unpaid, postcards, introduction of, postcards, unpaid, postman, postman, village or rural, , , postmaster, deputy, , postmaster, probationary, postmaster-general, first appointment of, , prepayment of postage, encouragement of, prepayment of postage in all cases, compulsory, rejection of, presidency postmaster, , , private posts, probationary postmaster, probationary superintendent, professional letter-writers, public proceedings of th july, , extract from, quinine, sale of, , railway conference association, , railway mail service, railways, introduction of, rates of postage, , , receipt stamp, abolition of special, redirected letters, abolition of charge on, registered newspapers, registration, registration fee to be prepaid in postage stamps, regular postal system introduced by lord clive, regulations, early postal, regulations, later postal, rent money orders, rented buildings for post offices, , returned letter office at basra, revenue-producing, department never regarded as, , riddell, mr. h. b., , , runner, mail, rural postman, , , russian scare, salonika, field service in, savings bank, savings bank balances, effect of great war upon, savings bank, statement showing work from to , savings bank work transferred to post office, , scinde district dawk stamps, , sea customs act, sea post office, sea post office, abolition of, seamen's letters, soldiers' and, , service stamps, , , ship postage, , , sikkim expedition, "snowball" system, sale of goods on the, soldiers' and seamens' letters, , somaliland field force, sorting, concentration of, sorting offices, introduction of, , south persia, british mission escort in, southampton route, , special postage rates for official articles, stamps, employment of postage stamps in place of telegraph, stamps, overprinted or surcharged postage, , , , , stamps, service, , , standard vans, suakim expedition, , suakim field post office, , sub-office, suez canal, opening of, suez canal route, future of, superintendent, superintendent, probationary, suppression of foreign post offices in ottoman dominions, turkish demand for, , surcharged postage stamps, , surrender values of life insurance policies, swat valley column, taylor, captain, telegraph stamps, employment of postage stamps in place of, telegraphic money orders, , thuillier, general sir henry, , tibet mission, tirah expedition, tochi field force, tochi valley field force, transhipment of mails at aden, , travel in early days, methods of, travellers' bungalows, , travelling post office, turkish arabia, insurance system in the persian gulf and, turkish customs house at bagdad and basra, , turkish post to constantinople via mosul, turkish postage stamps overprinted, unification of indian state posts with the imperial post office, uniform, field service, uniform, postmen's, uniformity of postage irrespective of distance, , , , unpaid correspondence, , , , , upper burma expedition, value-payable system, , , , vans, construction and maintenance of postal, , vans, standard, village postman, , , waghorn, lieutenant thomas, wano expedition, war loan, watermarks, , waziristan field force, wuntho expedition, zhob expedition, transcriber's notes obvious punctuation errors repaired. hyphen removed: missending (p. ), upcountry (p. ). p. : "addresses" changed to "addressees" (read by the addressees). p. : last column of third row of table changed from " " to " ". p. : "seldoms" changed to "seldom" (he seldom knows english). p. : "bolundshahur" changed to "bulundshahur" (although bulundshahur and a large portion of allyghur). ten years among the mail bags: or, notes from the diary of a special agent of the post-office department. by j. holbrook. with illustrations. philadelphia: h. cowperthwait & co. . entered, according to act of congress, in the year . by j. holbrook in the clerk's office of the district court for the district of columbia. this work is respectfully dedicated to those officially connected with the mail service of the united states. preface. the idea of preparing the present work was suggested to the author by the universal interest manifested in regard to the class of delinquencies to which it relates, and the eagerness with which the details of the various modes adopted in successful cases to detect the guilty parties, have been sought after by all classes. he was also induced to undertake this series of narratives by the hope and belief that while it afforded interesting matter for the general reader, it might prove a public benefit by increasing the safety of the united states mails, and fortifying those officially connected with the post-office and mail service, against the peculiar temptations incident to their position, thus preserving to society some at least who, without such warnings as the following sketches contain, might make shipwreck of their principles, and meet with a felon's doom. it has been said that whoever acts upon the principle that "honesty is the best policy," is himself dishonest. that is, policy should not be the motive to honesty, which is true; but taking into view how many there are who would not be influenced by higher considerations, it is evident that whatever serves to impress on the mind the inevitable connection between crime and misery, if not between honesty and happiness, will aid in strengthening the barriers against dishonesty, too often, alas! insufficient to withstand the pressure of temptation. the author has endeavored to enforce these truths in the following pages, and he relies for the desired impression on the fact that they are not dry, abstract precepts which he presents, but portions of real life; experiences the like of which may be the lot of any young man; temptations before which stronger men than he have fallen, and which he must flee from if he would successfully resist. the most elaborate treatise on rascality would not compare in its effects on the mass of mankind, with the simplest truthful narrative of a crime and its consequences, especially if addressed to those exposed by circumstances to the danger of committing offences similar to the one described. two objections to the publication of a work like the present, occurred to the author as well as to others whom he consulted, and caused him to hesitate in commencing the undertaking. first, the possibility that the detailed description of ingenious acts of dishonesty, might furnish information which could be obtained from no other source, and supply the evil-disposed with expedients for the prosecution of their nefarious designs. second, the danger of again inflicting pain upon the innocent relatives and friends of those whose criminal biography would furnish material for the work. in reference to the first of these objections it may be said, that, although descriptions of skilful roguery are always perused with interest, and often with a sort of admiration for the talent displayed, yet when it is seen that retribution follows as certainly and often as closely as a shadow; that however dexterously the criminal may conceal himself in a labyrinth of his own construction, the ministers of the law track him through all its windings, or demolish the cunningly devised structure; and that when he fancies himself out of the reach of justice, he sees, to his utter dismay, her omnipresent arm uplifted to strike him down; when these truths are brought to light by the record, an impressive view will be given of the resources which are at command for thwarting the designs of dishonesty, and of the futility of taking the field against such overwhelming odds. and in addition to the certainty of detection, the penalty inflicted for offences of this description is to be taken into the account. doubtless many employés in post-offices have committed crimes of which they never would have been guilty but for a mistaken idea of security from the punishment to which they were making themselves liable. it is well for all to be correctly informed on this subject, and to know that offences committed against this department are not lightly dealt with. information of this character the author has fully supplied. again--comparatively but few of the secret modes of detection are exhibited, and he who should consider himself safe in evading what plans are here described, will find to his sorrow that he has made a most dangerous calculation. as to the second objection above mentioned, namely, the danger of wounding the feelings of innocent parties, the author would observe that fictitious names of persons and places are generally substituted for the real ones; thus avoiding any additional publicity to those concerned in the cases given. and furthermore, he ventures to hope that few of the class to which this objection refers, would refuse to undergo such a trial of their feelings, if by this means a wholesome warning may be given to those who need it. there are other wrongs and delinquencies connected with our postal system, of a mischievous and immoral tendency, and of crushing effect upon their authors, which, although not in all cases punishable by statute, yet require to be exposed and guarded against. descriptions of some of the most ingenious of these attempts at fraud, successful and unsuccessful, are also here held up to public view. it was the author's intention to give two or three chapters of an historical and biographical character,--a condensed history of our post-office system, with some notice of that of other countries, and brief biographical sketches of our post masters general. but matter essential to the completeness of the work in hand, as illustrating the varieties of crime in connection with post-offices, has so accumulated, that the chapters referred to could not be introduced without enlarging the volume to unreasonable dimensions; and the author has been compelled to limit his biographies of the post masters general to a short chronological notice of each of those officers. [illustration] the post masters general. under the revolutionary organization, the first post master general was benjamin franklin. he was experienced in its duties, having been appointed post master of philadelphia in , and deputy post master general of the british colonies in . he was removed from this office, to punish him for his active sympathies with the colonists; and one of the first acts of their separate organization was to place him at the head of their post-office department. it is a singular coincidence that this eminent philosopher, who cradled our postal system in its infancy, also, by first bringing the electric fluid within the power of man, led the way for the electric telegraph, the other great medium for transmitting intelligence. the necessities of the revolutionary struggle, demanded the abilities of franklin for another sphere of action. richard bache, his son-in-law, was appointed to succeed him as post master general, in november, . he was succeeded by ebenezer hazard, who subsequently compiled the valuable historical collections bearing his name. he held the office until the inauguration of president washington's administration. in relation to the several post masters general, since the adoption of the federal constitution, the author regrets that he is compelled, contrary to his original intention, to confine himself to brief chronological notes. the succession is as follows:-- . samuel osgood.--born at andover, mass., feb. , . graduated at harvard college in . a member of the massachusetts legislature, and also of the board of war, and subsequently an aid to gen. ward. in , a member of the massachusetts constitutional convention. in , appointed a member of congress; in , first commissioner of the treasury; and sept. , , post master general. he was afterwards naval officer of the port of new york, and died in that city aug. , . . timothy pickering.--born at salem, mass., july , . graduated in . was colonel of a regiment of militia at the age of nineteen, and marched for the seat of war at the first news of the battle of lexington. in , appointed judge of two local courts. in the fall of marched to new jersey with his regiment. in appointed adjutant-general; and subsequently a member of the board of war with gates and mifflin. in he succeeded greene as quarter master general. in he was employed in negotiations with the indians; aug. , , he was appointed post master general; in , secretary of war; and in , secretary of state. from to he was senator, and from to , representative in congress. died at salem, june , . . joseph habersham.--born in . a lieutenant colonel during the revolutionary war; and in a member of congress. appointed post master general feb. , . he was afterwards president of the u.s. branch bank in savannah, georgia. died at that place nov. . . gideon granger.--born at suffield, ct., july , . graduated at yale college in , and the following year admitted to the bar. in elected to the connecticut legislature. nov. , , appointed post master general. retired in , and removed to canandaigua, n. y. april, , elected a member of the senate of that state, but resigned in , on account of ill health. during his service in that body he donated one thousand acres of land to aid the construction of the erie canal. died at canandaigua, dec. , . . return jonathan meigs.--born at middletown, ct., in . graduated at yale college in , and subsequently admitted to the bar. in emigrated to marietta, ohio, then the north western territory. in , during the indian wars, he was sent by gov. st. clair on a perilous mission through the wilderness to the british commandant at detroit. in the winter of - , he was elected by the legislature the first chief justice of the supreme court of the new state. in october, , he was appointed colonel commanding the united states forces in the upper district of the territory of louisiana, and resigned his judgeship. in the following year he was appointed as one of the united states judges for louisiana. april , , he was transferred to the territory of michigan. in october following he resigned his judgeship, and was elected governor of the state of ohio, but his election was successfully contested on the ground of non-residence. he was chosen at the same session as one of the judges of the supreme court of the state; and at the next session as united states senator, for a vacancy of one year and also for a full term. in he was again elected governor of ohio, and on the th of december resigned his seat in the senate. in he was re-elected governor. on the th of march, , he was appointed post master general, which he resigned in june, . died at marietta, march , . . john mclean.--born in morris co., new jersey, march , . his father subsequently removed to ohio, of which state the son continues a resident. he labored on the farm until sixteen years of age, when he applied himself to study, and two years afterwards removed to cincinnati, and supported himself by copying in the county clerk's office, while he studied law. in he was admitted to the bar. in he was elected to congress, and re-elected in . in he was unanimously elected by the legislature, a judge of the supreme court of the state. in he was appointed by president monroe, commissioner of the general land office, and on the th of june, , post master general. in he was appointed as one of the justices of the supreme court of the united states, which office he yet holds. . william t. barry.--born in fairfax co., va., march , . graduated at the college of william and mary. he was admitted to the bar, and in early life emigrated to kentucky. in , he was a candidate for governor of that state, and defeated by a small majority, after one of the most memorable contests in its annals. appointed post master general march , . in appointed minister plenipotentiary to spain, and died at liverpool, england, on his way to madrid. . amos kendall.--born at dunstable, mass., august , . graduated at dartmouth college in . about the year removed to kentucky, and in was appointed post master at georgetown, in that state. in he assumed the editorial charge of the _argus_, published at frankfort, in the same state, which he continued until , being, most of the time, state printer. in he was appointed fourth auditor of the united states treasury; and, may , , post master general. he resigned the latter office in , and has, since the introduction of the electric telegraph, been mainly employed in connection with enterprises for its operation. he is yet living. . john milton niles.--born at windsor, ct., august , . admitted to the bar in december, . about he removed to hartford, and was one of the first proprietors of the _hartford times_, and had charge of its editorial columns until the year . in he was appointed judge of the hartford county court, which office he held until . in he represented hartford in the connecticut legislature. in april, , he was appointed post master at hartford; which he held until december, , when he was appointed united states senator to fill a vacancy, and in the ensuing may was elected by the legislature for the remainder of the term. in and he was supported by his party, though without success, for the office of governor of the state. may , , he was appointed post master general. in he was elected united state senator for a full term. mr. niles is yet living. . francis granger.--born at suffield, ct., dec. , . graduated at yale college in . admitted to the bar in may, . he was elected a member of the new york legislature in , and again in , , , and . in he was a candidate for the office of lieutenant governor, but was defeated; and in and again in , he was run for governor, with the same result. in he was elected to congress. in he was a candidate for vice president, and received the electoral votes of the states of massachusetts, vermont, new jersey, delaware, ohio, indiana, and kentucky. he was again elected to congress in and in . appointed post master general march , , but resigned the following september. his successor in congress thereupon resigned, and mr. granger was again elected to that body. on the th of march, , he finally retired from public life, but is yet living. . charles a. wickliffe.--born at bardstown, kentucky, june , , and was admitted to the bar at an early age. he was twice elected to the state legislature during the war of . he twice volunteered in the northwestern army, and was present at the battle of the thames. in he was again elected to the legislature. in he was elected to congress, and was four times re-elected. during his service in that body, he was appointed by the house as one of the managers in the impeachment of judge peck. upon leaving congress, in , he was again elected to the lower branch of the state legislature; and, upon its assembling, was chosen speaker. in he was elected lieutenant governor of the state, and in , by the death of gov. clark, he became acting governor. he was appointed post master general, september , . in he was chosen as a delegate to the constitutional convention of kentucky; and, under the new constitution, he was appointed as one of the revisers of the statute laws of the state. he is yet living. [illustration] . cave johnson.--born, january , , in robertson co., tennessee. his opportunities for education were limited, but made available to the greatest extent. in his youth, he acted as deputy-clerk of the county, his father being clerk. he was thence led to the study of the law. in he was appointed deputy quarter master in a brigade of militia commanded by his father, and marched into the creek nation under general jackson. he continued in this service until the close of the creek war in . in he was admitted to the bar. in he was elected by the legislature one of the attorneys general of the state, which office he held until elected a member of congress in . he was re-elected in , , and . defeated in . again elected in , , and . appointed post master general, march , . in he served for a few months as one of the circuit judges of tennessee; and, in , was appointed by the governor and senate as president of the bank of tennessee, at nashville. he is yet living. . jacob collamer.--born at troy, n. y., about , and removed in childhood to burlington, vt., with his father. graduated at the state university at that place in . served during the year , a frontier campaign, as a lieutenant, in the service of the united states. admitted to the bar in . practised law for twenty years, serving frequently in the state legislature. in he was elected an associate justice of the supreme court of the state, from which position he voluntarily retired in . in the course of that period, he was also a member of a convention held to revise the constitution of the state. in elected to congress to fill a vacancy, and re-elected for a full term, in , and again in . appointed post master general march th, . in he was again elected a justice of the supreme court of vermont; and in he was chosen united states senator, which office he now holds. . nathan kelsey hall.--born at skaneateles, n. y., march th, . removed to aurora in the same state in , and commenced the study of the law with millard fillmore. removed with the latter to buffalo in . admitted to the bar in . appointed first judge of the court of common pleas in . in elected a member of the state legislature, and in a member of congress. he was appointed post master general july , ; and, in , united states judge for the northern district of new york, which office he now holds. . samuel dickinson hubbard.--born at middletown, ct., august , . graduated at yale college in . he was admitted to the bar in , but subsequently engaged in manufacturing enterprises. he was mayor of the city of middletown, and held other offices of local trust. in he was elected a member of congress, and re-elected in . he was appointed post master general september , . died at middletown october , . . james campbell, the present post master general of the united states, was born september , , in the city of philadelphia, pa. admitted to the bar in , at the age of twenty-one years. in , at the age of twenty-eight, he was appointed judge of the common pleas court for the city and county of philadelphia, which position he occupied for the term of nine years. in , when the constitution of the state was changed, making the judiciary elective, he was nominated by a state convention of his party as a candidate for the bench of the supreme court of the state, but was defeated after a warmly contested and somewhat peculiar contest, receiving however , votes. in january, , he was appointed attorney general of pennsylvania, which he resigned to assume the duties of post master general. he was appointed to that office on the th of march, . introduction. a mail bag is an epitome of human life. all the elements which go to form the happiness or misery of individuals--the raw material, so to speak, of human hopes and fears--here exist in a chaotic state. these elements are imprisoned, like the winds in the fabled cave of Æolus, "biding their time" to go forth and fulfil their office, whether it be to refresh and invigorate the drooping flower, or to bring destruction upon the proud and stately forest-king. well is it for the peace of mind of those who have in temporary charge these discordant forces, that they cannot trace the course of each missive as it passes from their hands. for although many hearts are made glad by these silent messengers, yet in every day's mail there is enough of sadness and misery, lying torpid like serpents, until warmed into venomous life by a glance of the eye, to cast a gloom over the spirits of any one who should know it all; and to add new emphasis to the words of the wise man, "he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow." but until they are released from their temporary captivity, the letters guard in grim silence their varied contents. joy and sorrow as yet have no voice; vice and crime are yet concealed, running, like subterranean streams, from the mind which originated, to the mind which is to receive their influence. the mail bag is as great a leveller as the grave, and it is only by the superscription in either case, that one occupant can be distinguished from the other. but leaving these general speculations, let us give more particular attention to the motley crowd "in durance vile." if each one possessed the power of uttering audibly the ideas which it contains, a confusion of tongues would ensue, worthy of the last stages of the tower of babel, or of a woman's rights convention. indeed matters would proceed within these leathern walls, very much as they do in the world at large. the portly, important "money letter," would look with contempt upon the modest little _billet-doux_, and the aristocratic, delicately-scented, heraldically-sealed epistle, would recoil from the touch of its roughly coated, wafer-secured neighbor, filled to the brim, perhaps, with affections as pure, or friendship as devoted as ever can be found under coverings more polished. would that the good in one missive, might counteract the evil in another, for here is one filled with the overflowings of a mother's heart, conveying language of entreaty and remonstrance,--perhaps the traces of anxious tears,--to the unwary youth who is beginning to turn aside from the path of rectitude, and to look with wishful eyes upon forbidden ground. need enough is there of this message to strengthen staggering resolution, to overpower the whispers of evil; for close by are the suggestions of a vicious companion, lying in wait to lure him on to vice, and to darken the light of love which hitherto has guided his steps. in one all-embracing receptacle, the strife of politics is for a time unknown. epistles of whigs, democrats, pro and anti-slavery men lie calmly down together, like the lion and the lamb, (if indeed we can imagine anything lamb-like in political documents,) ready, however, to start up in their proper characters like satan at the touch of ithuriel's spear, and to frown defiance upon their late companions. theological animosity, too, lies spell-bound. orthodoxy and heterodoxy, old and new school, protestant and catholic, free thinkers and no thinkers, are held in paper chains, and cease to lacerate one another with controverted _points_. nor in this view of dormant pugnacity, should that important constituent, the law, be left out of sight. an opinion clearly establishing the case of a. b. unsuspectingly reposes by the side of another utterly subverting it, thus placing, or about to place, the unfortunate a. b. in the condition of a wall mined by its assailants, and counter-mined by its defenders, quite sure (to use a familiar phrase,) of "bursting up" in either case. and the unconscious official who "distributes" these missiles, might well exclaim, if he knew the contents, "cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war." but we come to another discord in our miniature life-orchestra. those all-embracing, ever-sounding tones, which lie at the two extremities of the "diapason of humanity," namely, life and death, here find their representatives. here lies a sable-edged missive, speaking to the eye as the passing bell speaks to the ear, telling of blighted happiness, a desolate home, and loving hearts mourning and refusing to be comforted because the loved one is not; while close at hand and perchance overlying the sad messenger, is the announcement of another arrival upon the stage of life--our first--and though it is as yet behind the curtain, not having made its bow to the world at large, is an important character in the green room; and the aid of that convenient individual, uncle sam, is invoked to convey the information of its advent to a circle of expectant friends, as highly favored as that select few who are sometimes invited to witness a private performance by some newly-arrived artist, before he makes his appearance in a more public manner. nor should we omit at least a passing notice of the humorous aspects of our bag. physiognomy will not go far in aiding us to determine as to a given letter, whether its contents are grave or gay. a well-ordered epistle, like a highly bred man, does not show on its face the emotions which it may contain. but in what we may call the lower class of letters, where nature is untrammeled by envelopes, and eccentricity or unskilfulness display themselves by the various shapes and styles in which the documents are folded and directed, there is more room for speculation on their internal character; and it is the author's intention to furnish some rare specimens of unconscious humor of this kind, for the delectation of his readers. as we contemplate the wit, fun, humor, and jollity of all sorts, which lie dormant within these wrappages, we are tempted to retract our commiseration for the imaginary official whom we have supposed to know the contents of the letters in his charge, and therefore drag out a miserable existence under their depressing influence. at least we feel impelled to modify our remarks so far as to say that in the case supposed, his days would be passed in alternate cachinnations and sympathizing grief. he would become a storehouse of wit, a magazine of humor. for there is much of wit, humor, and jollity running through these secret channels, that never is diffused through the medium of the press, but flows among the privacies of domestic circles, adding life to their intercourse, and increasing the attractions of social fellowship, like some sparkling stream, both refreshing and adorning the landscape through which it takes its course. we leave the further development of this prolific train of thought, to the reader's imagination. yet the imagination can devise no combination more strange than those which may be found every day within the narrow precincts of which we have been speaking; and the same may be said of the post-office system at large, interwoven as it is with the whole social life of civilized man. the laws of the land are intended not only to preserve the person and material property of every citizen sacred from intrusion, but to secure the privacy of his thoughts, so far as he sees fit to withhold them from others. silence is as great a privilege as speech, and it is as important that every one should be able to maintain it whenever he pleases, as that he should be at liberty to utter his thoughts without restraint. now the post-office undertakes to maintain this principle with regard to written communications as they are conveyed from one person to another through the mails. however unimportant the contents of a letter may be, the violation of its secrecy while it is in charge of the post-office department, or even after having left its custody, becomes an offence of serious magnitude in the eye of the law; and as the quantity and importance of mail matter is continually increasing, it has been found necessary to adopt means for its security, which were not required in the earlier history of the post-office. one kind of danger to which the mails were exposed before the days of railroads and steamboats, namely, highway robbery, is now almost unknown. the principal danger at present to be apprehended, is from those connected with their transportation and delivery, and a system of _surveillance_ has been adopted, suited to the exigency of the case, namely, the creation of special agents, who have become a fixed "institution," likely to be essential to the efficiency of the department, as long as any of its employés are deficient in principle or honesty. the origin of this special agent system will be given elsewhere. it is sufficient to say here, that the curious developments of character, and combinations of circumstances, which will be found in the following pages, were mainly brought to light by the operation of this system, as carried out by one of its agents. "ten years" of experience have given the author (or at least ought to have given him) an ample supply of material for the illustration of nearly every phase in post-office life. his principal difficulty is the "_embarras des richesses_;" yet he has endeavored to select such cases as are not only interesting in themselves, but well calculated to benefit those for whose use the present work is especially designed. contents. chapter i. no "ear-biters" employed--the commission--a whole school robbed--value of a "quarter"--embargo on trunks--unjust suspicion--the dying mother--fidelity of post masters--a venerable pair of officials--president pierce assists--a clue to the robberies--the quaker coat--an insane traveler--the decoy letters--off the road--the dancing horse--the decoy missing--an official visit by night--finding the marked bills--the confession--the arrest page chapter ii. a competent assistant--yielding to temptation--an easy post master--whispers of complaint--assistant embarrassed--application to his uncle--the refusal--value of a kind word--resort to depredations--evidences of guilt--decoy letter taken--the bowling saloon--the agent worsted--the restaurant--bother of the credit system--the fatal bank-note--keen letter to the agent--the arrest--the next meeting chapter iii. business rivalry--country gossiping--museum of antiquities--new post master--serious rumors--anonymous letters--package detained--bar-room scene--_ram_ifications of the law--first citizens--rascally enemies--lawyer's office--gratuitous backing--telegraphing--u. s. marshal arrives--the charge--the fatal quarter--enemies' triumph--the warrant--singular effects of fear--a faithful wife--sad memories--the squire's surprise--all right chapter iv. high crimes in low places--honest baggage-masters--suspicious circumstances--watching the suspected--shunning the dust--honesty triumphant--an episode--unexpected confession--the night clerks--conformity to circumstances--pat the porter--absents himself--physician consulted--the dead child--hunting excursions--"no go"--pat explains his absence--his discharge--the grave-stones--stolen money appears--the jolly undertakers--pat at the grave--more hunting--firing a salute--removing the deposits--crossing the ferry--scene at the post-office--trip to brooklyn--recovery of money--escape--encounter with a policeman--searching a steamer--waking the wrong passenger--accomplices detained--luxuries cut off--false imprisonment suit--michael on the stand--case dismissed chapter v. an infected district--a "fast" route agent--heavy bank losses--amateur experiments--dangerous interference--a moral lecture--the process discovered--an unwelcome stranger--midnight watching--monopoly of a car--detected in the act--the robber searched--his committal--a supposed accomplice--the case explained--honesty again triumphant--drafts and letters--a long sentence--public sympathy--a christian wife--prison scenes--faithful to the last--an interesting letter chapter vi. safety of the mails--confidence shaken--about mail locks--importance of seals--city and country--meeting the suspected--test of honesty--value of a string--a dreary ride--harmless stragglers--a cautious official--package missing--an early customer--newspaper dodge--plain talk--a call to breakfast--innocence and crime--suspicion confirmed--the big wafers--finding the string--the examination--escape to canada--a true woman--the re-arrest--letter of consolation--the wife in prison--boring out--surprise of the jailor--killing a horse chapter vii. startling complaints--character against suspicion--the two clerks--exchanging notes--the faro bank--tracing a bill--an official call--false explanation--flight of the guilty--the fatal drug--the suicide--sufferings of the innocent--the moral chapter viii. a night in a post-office. midnight mails--suspected clerk--a trying position--limited view--a "crack" agent--sneezing--"counter irritation"--the night bell--fruitless speculations--insect orchestra--picolo introduced--snoring--harmless accident--the boot-black--a tenanted boot--the exit chapter ix. throwing off the cars--fiendish recklessness--the boot-tracks--a scamp among the printers--obstruction removed--a ruse--the boots secured--"big jobs"--the trial--unreliable witness--a life-sentence chapter x. stopping a post-office. the unpaid draft--the forged order--a reliable witness--giving up the mail key--a lady assistant--post-office records--the official envelope--return of the post master--the interview--embarrassment of guilt--duplicate circular--justice secured chapter xi. indian depredations--the model mail contractor--rifles and revolvers--importance of a scalp--indian chief reconnoitering--saving dead bodies--death of a warrior--the charge--a proud trophy--sunset on the prairie--animal life--a solitary hunt--the buffalo chase--desperate encounter with an indian--ingenious signal--returning to camp--minute guns--a welcome return chapter xii. cheating the clergy--duping a witness--money missing--a singular postscript--the double seal--proofs of fraud--the same bank-note--"post-boy" confronted--how the game was played--moving off chapter xiii. young offenders--thirty years ago--a large haul--a ray of light chapter xiv. obstructing the mail. a sound principle--a slow period--a wholesome law--"ahead of the mail"--moral suasion--indignant passengers--dutch oaths--a smash--interesting trial--a rowdy constable--the obstructors mulcted chapter xv. a dangerous mail route--wheat bran--a faithful mail carrier--mail robber shot--a "dead-head" passenger--an old offender--fatal associate--robbery and murder--conviction and execution--capital punishment--traveling in mexico--guerillas--paying over--the robbers routed--a "fine young english gentleman"--the right stuff chapter xvi. the tender passion--barnum's museum--little eva--the boys in a box--the bracelet--love in an omnibus--losses explained chapter xvii. detached incidents. bank letter lost--the thief decoyed--post-office at midnight--climbing the ladder--an exciting moment--queer place of deposit--a post master in prison--afflicted friends--sighs and saws--the culprit's escape--how it was done--a cool letter--a wife's offering--moral gymnastics--show of honesty--unwelcome suggestion--"a hard road to travel"--headed by a parson--lost time made up--a male overhauled chapter xviii. frauds carried on through the mails. sad perversion of talent--increase of roguery--professional men suffer--young america _at_ the "bar"--papers from liverpool--the trick successful--a legal document--owning up--a careless magistrate--letters from the un-duped--victimizing the clergy--a lithograph letter--metropolitan sermons--an up-town church--a book of travels--natural reflections--wholesome advice--the seed mania--_strong_ inducements--barnes' notes--"first rate notice"--farmer johnson--wethersfield outdone--joab missing--"gift enterprise"--list of prizes--the trap well baited--evading the police--the _scrub_ race chapter xix. post-office sites. embarrassing duty--an exciting question--a "hard case"--decease of a post master--the office discontinued--the other side--call at the white house--the reference--agent's arrival--molasses incident--an honest child--slicking up--the academy--stuck fast--the shoe factory--a shrewd citizen--the saw mill--a tenantless building--viewing the "sites"--obliging post master--the defunct bank--a funeral scene--the agent discovered--exciting meeting--"restoration hall"--eloquent appeals--a fire brand--committee on statistics--generous volunteers--being "put down"--good-nature restored--the bill "settled"--a stage ride--having the last word chapter xx. harrowfork post-office. a gloomy picture--beautiful village--litigation in harrowfork--a model post master--the excitement--petitioning the department--conflicting statements--the decisive blow--the new post master--the "reliable man"--indignant community--refusal to serve--an editor's candidate--the temperance question--newspaper extracts--a mongrel quotation--a lull--a "spy in washington"--bad water--new congressmen--the question revived--delegate to washington--obliging down easter--the lost letters--visit to the department--astounding discovery--amusing scene--a congressman in a "fix"--the difficulty "arranged" chapter xxi. unjust complaints. infallibility not claimed--"scape-goats"--the man of business habits--home scrutiny--a lady in trouble--a bold charge--a wronged husband--precipitate retreat--complaints of a lawyer--careless swearing--wrong address--no retraction--a careless broker--the charge repulsed--the apology--mistake repeated--the affair explained--a comprehensive toast chapter xxii. practical, anecdotal, etc. the wrong address--odd names of post-offices--the post-office a detector of crime--suing the british government--pursuit of a letter box--an "extra" customer--to my grandmother--improper interference--the dead letter--sharp correspondence--the irish heart--my wife's sister chapter xxiii. responsibility of post masters chapter xxiv. official courtesy, etc. chapter xxv. importance of accuracy chapter xxvi. post masters as directories--novel applications--the butter business--a thievish family--"clarinda" in a city--decoying with cheese--post master's response--a truant husband--woman's instinct chapter xxvii. a windfall for gossipers--suit for slander--profit and loss--the resuscitated letter--condemned mail bag--an epistolary rip van winkle chapter xxviii. valentines. their origin--degeneration--immoral influence--incitement to dishonesty chapter xxix. the clairvoyant discovery chapter xxx. poetical and humorous addresses upon letters chapter xxxi. origin of the mail coach service chapter xxxii. evasion of the post-office laws chapter xxxiii. post-office paul prys chapter xxxiv. special agents chapter xxxv. route agents chapter xxxvi. decoy letters supplementary chapter. practical information--post-office laws--improved letter case ten years among the mail bags. chapter i no "ear-biters" employed--the commission--a whole school robbed--value of a "quarter"--embargo on trunks--unjust suspicion--the dying mother--fidelity of post masters--a venerable pair of officials--president pierce assists--a clue to the robberies--the quaker coat--an insane traveller--the decoy letters--off the road--the dancing horse--the decoy missing--an official visit by night--finding the marked bills--the confession--the arrest. in the fall of , information was received from the post-office department at washington, of extensive depredations upon the mails along the route extending from boston to a well known and flourishing inland town in one of the new england states, accompanied with the expression of a strong desire on the part of the post master general, that prompt and thorough efforts should be made to ferret out, if possible, those who were concerned in these wholesale peculations. it so happened that the gentleman at this time at the head of the post-office department, had not been a very ardent believer in the necessity or usefulness of "secret agents," so called. in fact, when he entered upon the duties of his office, he dismissed the entire corps of this class of officials, and notwithstanding the urgent calls of the public, and the dissenting views of his most experienced assistants, he steadily refused to re-employ them, excepting temporarily, and in special cases, until near the close of his official term. justice to that honest and thorough-going officer, however, requires some mention of the causes which controlled his decision in this important matter. while he was a representative in congress, a violent onslaught was made upon the system of special agents, for the reason (as was alleged,) that they were neither more nor less than so many political emissaries, supported at the public expense; and in consequence of their secret, and therefore commanding position, possessing, and often exerting an undue and improper influence against those opposed to them in politics. believing this charge to be unjust, he took up, in the house of representatives, the defence of this special agent system, and called for proof in support of the accusations of violent partisan conduct brought against these agents. those who know him will be able to judge of his mortification and displeasure when it was distinctly proved that in one instance a special agent relieved his pugnacious propensities by getting into a regular fight at the polls, and damaging one _poll_, by biting off an ear attached thereto; the poll aforesaid being the property of a political opponent. it was also shown that this sanguinary agent inserted a dirk knife between the ribs of another antagonist, thus performing a sort of political phlebotomy, with the intention, doubtless, of relieving the patient of some portion of his superabundant whig or democratic blood (whichever it might have been) and thereby bringing him to a rational view of public questions. this, and some other equally reputable cases of interference in elections, having been fully established, it is not wonderful that strong prejudices should have arisen in the mind of the future post master general against this class of officers, although such disorderly and disgraceful conduct was clearly the fault of the individuals who indulged in it, and not of the corps or system, with which they were connected. and i would here say, in justice to this body of agents, that many of them were gentlemen of intelligence and discretion, who would be far from countenancing such proceedings as have just been mentioned. when, therefore, in the year above designated, the writer found himself in possession of a special agent's commission, signed by the same gentleman, as "post master general," and rendered impressive by the broad seal of that department, which represented a . steed rushing madly along, with a post-rider on his back, and the mail portmanteau securely attached,--when he received accompanying instructions to look into the alarming state of things on the route aforesaid--his leading thought and ambition was to satisfy the distinguished tennessean that a special agent could catch a mail robber by the ear quite as readily as a political antagonist, and apply the knife of justice to those whose case required it, with at least as much courage and skill as could be displayed in the matter of disabling belligerent "shoulder hitters" at the ballot boxes. how much the result of this first investigation, after the restoration of the "ear-biters" (as they were then sometimes facetiously called,) had to do with the radical change in opinion and action, noticeable in certain quarters, as to the utility and indispensable necessity of this "right arm" of the department, it may not be advisable, nor indeed modest, to inquire. the depredations in the case thus placed in my hands for investigation, were seemingly very bold, although from the length of the route, and the number of post-offices thereon, the rogue had no doubt flattered himself that it would take a long time to trace him out, even if government should condescend to notice the complaints which he might suppose would be made at head-quarters. it is also possible that he was encouraged to this course of rascality by the belief that the department had no officials whose particular business it was to be "a terror to evil-doers," and that he could easily elude the efforts of those no more experienced than himself in the crooks and turns through which every villain is compelled to slink. the letters stolen were principally addressed to the members of a large and flourishing literary institution, situated in the town already mentioned, and embracing in its catalogue pupils of both sexes from almost every section of the union. so keen was the scent of the robber, that, like an animated "divining rod," he could indicate unerringly the existence of gold, or its equivalent beneath the paper surface soil, and he "prospected" with more certainty, though less honesty, than a california miner. from all the mail-matter passing through his office, he would invariably select the valuable packages, abstracting their _material_ contents, and, as it afterwards appeared, committing the letters to the flames. "dead men tell no tales." neither do burnt letters. the results of this system of robbery, as regarded those who suffered by it, were somewhat peculiar. the abstraction of an equal amount from the members of a business community, might have inconvenienced some, but would have made little perceptible difference in the course of business. the temporary deficiency would have been as little felt, on the whole, as the withdrawing of a pail-full of water from a running stream. the level is quickly restored, as supplies flow in. but when the victims of dishonesty are youth pursuing their studies at a distance from home, and depending on remittances from their parents and friends for the means of discharging the debts which they may incur, the case is widely different. here the stream is dammed up somewhere between its source and the place where the waters ought to be flowing, and the worst description of drought--a drought of money--ensues. all sorts of consequences, in the present instance, followed this state of things. the school became, in this particular, like a besieged city, cut off from supplies from without, while its inhabitants lived on under an ever increasing pressure of difficulties, which made premature micawbers of the unfortunate aspirants to that temple which is so artistically represented in the frontispiece to webster's spelling book, as surmounting the hill of science, and animated by the figure of fame on the roof, proclaiming through her trumpet a perpetual invitation to enter the majestic portals beneath. the possessor of money, received, under these circumstances, a greater degree of consideration than is usually accorded to the millionaire in the world at large. the owner of a "quarter" had troops of friends, and became purse-proud on the strength of that magnificent coin. happy was he who had unlimited "tick;" to whose call livery-stable keepers were obsequious, and with whom tailors were ready to in_vest_, having faith to believe that the present dry aspect of the financial sky would be succeeded by refreshing showers of "mint-drops" from the paternal pockets. some of the young ladies who had invoked the milliner's assistance in defiance of the poet's line--"beauty unadorned, &c.," occasionally received hints respecting the settlement of their trifling accounts, which materially diminished the pleasure that they would otherwise have felt in the contemplation of their outer adornments. bonnets reminded them of bills, and dresses of duns. the more juvenile portion of our scholastic community, too, felt the pressure of the "hard times" which some invisible hand had brought upon them. in early life, the saccharine bump is largely developed, but unlike other organs described by phrenologists, this is within the mouth, and is commonly called the "sweet tooth." those luxurious youth who had hitherto indulged the cravings of this organ _ad libitum_, or as far as they could do so without the knowledge of their teachers, found the wary confectioners unwilling longer to satisfy their unsophisticated appetites, without more "indemnity for the past" if not "security for the future," than they had yet furnished. so these victims of raging desire were compelled to retire hungry from untasted luxuries, not without sundry _candid_ expressions of their feelings toward the obdurate retailers of sweets, and _tart_ replies from those individuals. their only consolation was to revel in dreams in which the temple of fame was supported by pillars of candy, with a protuberant pie for a dome; while her trumpet was converted into a cornucopia from which unfailing streams of sugar-plums were issuing. but such annoyances and inconveniences as have been enumerated were trifling, compared with other consequences which resulted from this prolonged and systematic robbery of the mails. it is hard for one who never had his word doubted, to learn by unmistakeable indications that his story of money expected and not received, is disbelieved by an impatient creditor, who perhaps hints that the money has come and gone in some other direction than that which it should have taken. the honorable pride of some was wounded in this manner, and much ill-feeling arose between those who had hitherto regarded each other with mutual respect. the term of the school was just closing, and worthy mrs. k., who had several of the pupils as boarders in her family, being blessed with a rather large organ of caution, refused to allow one or two to leave (who did not expect to return the next term,) without depositing some collateral security for the payment of their board-bills. those luckless youth had written again and again for the money necessary to settle their accounts in the place; but their entreaties were apparently unnoticed and unanswered. they were in the condition of mr. pecksniff's pupils, who were requested by their preceptor to ring the bell which was in their room, if they wanted anything. they often did so, but nobody ever answered it. it very naturally seemed almost incredible to mrs. k. that the parents of her boarders should neglect to provide for the various expenses which arise at the close of a school term, especially as these pupils were not to return. so the good lady felt bound by her duty to herself to lay an embargo upon their trunks, and she further took occasion to observe that if there hadn't been so much horseback riding, &c., during the summer, her bill could have been settled. this of course provoked an angry retort, and suspicion smouldered on one side, and resentment flamed out on the other, until the whole mystery was unravelled. in another boarding-house, inhabited by pupils of both sexes, it had been customary for some of their number to get from the post-office the letters and papers sent to them, and this duty had lately devolved, for the most part, on one person, henry s., who was a relation of the post master, and, from other circumstances, had frequent occasion to visit the office. as he returned almost empty-handed of letters from day to day, his disappointed fellow-boarders at first wondered at the silence of their friends, then suspicion began to work in their minds; and since the post master was a man of unsullied honor, and entirely reliable for honesty, they at length reluctantly admitted the supposition that henry s. must be the delinquent. acting on the ground that s. was the guilty one, his fellow-boarders gave orders to the post master, forbidding the delivery of their letters to him. so the next day, when he presented himself at the office, he was thunderstruck by the information that he had lost the confidence of his fellow-pupils, and that they would no longer trust their letters in his hands. "it can't be," exclaimed he, "that they suppose i took their letters." "i guess they do," said the old post master; "but i think they had better be sure that there were letters coming to them, before they suspect you." "oh, now i see why they have acted so strangely, lately, just as if they didn't want me around. i never once thought that this was the reason of it." from that time, he withdrew himself as much as possible from the society of his fellow-pupils, stung by a sense of their injustice, and cherishing anything but amiable feelings towards them; yet he did not escape sundry taunts and flings at his character for honesty, from the maliciously disposed. and although those who had regarded him with suspicion, frankly acknowledged their error when the true culprit came to light, yet it was long before he could entirely forgive them the deep mortification they had caused him. nor were such cases as this the worst that occurred. there was a boy in the school, "the only child of his mother, and she was a widow." the lad was quick in intellect, amiable in disposition, and a general favorite throughout the institution. he loved his mother with a strength of affection not often surpassed, and it was fully responded to, by his tender parent. the frequent visits which she made him during his residence at the school had given her opportunities to become acquainted with many of her son's young companions, as well as with his teachers, so that she was quite well known in the little community. let us place ourselves at the residence of mrs. e. (the lady in question,) some hundred miles away. she is lying upon a sick-bed, from which she will never arise. let us listen to the conversation between her and her attendant. "has the train come up yet, mary?" "yes, ma'am, it passed a few minutes ago, but charley hasn't come." "of course he hasn't, he would have been in my arms before this, if he had." "perhaps," suggests mary, "he will be here by the next train." "god grant he may," groans the dying mother. "it is now more than a week since they first wrote to him, telling him that i was very sick, and requesting him to come immediately. oh, what _can_ keep him away so long? i fear he is sick himself. some one must go to-morrow, and find out what it is that keeps him from me. i cannot die without seeing him once more." while this mother was struggling with disease, and with that "hope deferred" that "maketh the heart sick," her son was pursuing his daily round of studies and amusements, anticipating with delight his return home at the close of the term. we may imagine the grief and distress of the poor boy when his uncle, who came for him, told him how the friends at home had written to him twice, each time enclosing him the requisite funds to bear his expenses home, that there might be no delay from _that_ cause. and how his mother's only wish, as she now lay rapidly sinking, was to see once more her beloved charley. off they went, the boy and his uncle, on iron wings,--but the wing of the death-angel was swifter, and before they arrived at the place of their destination, had cast its awful shadow over the mother's brow. it will easily be believed that the failure of so many letters to reach those for whom they were intended, excited no small degree of uneasiness in the minds of the parents and friends of the pupils; and in some instances, such was their alarm and anxiety, that journeys of hundreds of miles were undertaken in order to learn why their letters were not received, and why they heard nothing from those to whom they wrote; for the unknown author of all this trouble and confusion, in order to prevent discovery, often destroyed the letters passing both ways. i cannot here refrain from saying a few words respecting the heinousness of such villanous conduct on the part of post masters or their employés. leaving out of sight the fact that they are sworn to do nothing contrary to the laws, in their official capacity, and that if they incur the guilt of a breach of trust, they also become guilty of perjury, it should be considered that the well-being of community in all its relations, domestic, social, commercial, and literary, depends on the fidelity with which they discharge the duties of their office. much confidence is reposed in them by the public, and i am happy to say, that in comparatively few instances is this confidence misplaced. but in consequence of the circumstances just mentioned, an amount of evil, terrible to contemplate, may be the result of an abuse of trust, which may seem trifling to the guilty perpetrator. the law considers no abuse of the trust reposed in those connected with the post-office as slight; but with a jealous regard for the good of community, provides penalties commensurate with the greatness of their crimes, for those whom neither common honesty, nor honorable feelings, nor moral principle can withhold from the commission of such deeds. but we will resume the thread of our story. it may seem strange that the disorders which i have partly described, should have continued so long before the department was informed of the state of things; but in regard to this, i would say that frequently such failures of correspondence go on for some time, and work much mischief before the post master is apprised of the troubles existing in his vicinity, as he of course is not expected to know what letters are sent to his office, in the absence of complaints made directly to him. it should be stated here, for the benefit of those not informed in these matters, that it is made part of the duty of a post master to report promptly to the post-office department all complaints of the loss of any valuable letters said to have been deposited in his office. in the case i am narrating, the failures in the delivery of letters became at length so general, that complaint was made to the post master of the town, and information communicated directly to the department at washington. having received a commission from the post master general as before stated, with orders to investigate this case, i proceeded at once to the place in question, having first been assured of the entire reliability of the post master in charge there; and if looks could ever be taken as the index of the man, i needed no other assurance of his honesty. i found an old gentleman who had numbered his three-score years and ten, a veteran in the service, having held the post which he then filled, "from time immemorial." he looked the worthy representative of that class of men, whose moral principles are applied to the discharge of public duties, as strictly as to those of a private character,--men like that high-minded worthy, who, when his son attempted to help himself to a sheet of paper from a desk containing public property, rebuked him thus: "take some paper from _my_ desk, if you want it. _that_ paper belongs to the united states." it is generally necessary in investigating cases of depredations, to inquire into the honesty of the clerks in the offices to which we direct our attention; but in the present instance, such a precaution was uncalled for, since the only assistant of the old post master was his wife, a venerable, motherly matron, of about his age, who had aided him in his official duties, and had been his help-meet in the household for many, many years. the correspondence of a generation had passed through their hands, and they were enabled to note the changes in the number and appearance of the letters which were placed in their charge during the long period of their incumbency,--changes produced by the increase of population, the freer intercourse between distant places, and the facilities for epistolary communication, which had been progressing ever since they had assumed the responsibilities of their office. at first few letters were transmitted but those of a sturdy, business-like appearance, written on coarse paper, and sealed with wafers of about the dimensions of a modern lady's watch,--wafers that evidently had in charge matter of weighty import, and were mighty embodiments of the adhesive principle. then, as time and improvement advanced, and the _cacoëthes scribendi_ became more generally developed, documents appeared of a milder grade, and of a more imaginative aspect, not only representing the cares of business life, but indicating, by the fineness of their texture, the laboriously neat and often feminine character of their superscriptions, and the delicacy of their expressive waxen seals, that love and friendship, and the interests of domestic circles, were also beginning thus to find utterance. our worthy pair, having been connected with the postal department during such a large portion of its existence, had naturally come to feel much interest in whatever concerned it, and of course were especially anxious that no blot should come upon the reputation of the office in their charge, and that the delinquent in the present case should be brought to light and to justice. the old man was slow to believe that a fraud had been committed by those connected with any office in his neighborhood, as he thought he could vouch for the character of every one of his brother post masters with whom he was acquainted, and the information which he gave me respecting them seemed to exonerate them, so far as his opinion could do it. my first proceeding at that point, was to examine the books of the office, by which it appeared that boston packages were received only once or twice a week, while they had been sent daily, according to the records of the boston post-office. after passing over the entire route several times _incog._, and taking as minute a view of the several offices as it was in my power to do without incurring the danger of being recognised, i concluded that my duty required me to seek an interview with the united states district attorney, whose functions were then discharged by no less a personage than hon. franklin pierce, now president of the united states. on laying the whole matter before him, he expressed much regret at the seeming implication of the "granite state" in such acts of dishonesty and systematic fraud; at the same time confidently expressing the belief that the incumbents of two or three post-offices, to which i felt satisfied the difficulty was confined, could not be the guilty parties, as they were personally known to him. although i greatly respected his judgment, yet i ventured to suggest the possibility that his desire to think well of his acquaintances might have led him to view the characters of some of them in a too favorable light. so, in order to establish more firmly their trust-worthiness in my estimation, he kindly went over to the state-house, where the legislature was in session, and confidentially consulted the representatives from each of the towns in question. one of the members thus consulted, and who readily endorsed the favorable opinion of the attorney, happened to be _a brother of the post master who had done all the mischief_, as it was afterwards ascertained. i have reason to believe, however, that this gentleman was not aware of his brother's delinquencies, and that he was incapable of doing anything to countenance or forward such dishonorable practices. one of the lost letters contained several twenty dollar notes on one of the boston banks. on the occasion of a public exhibition, held at the close of the term, in the academy before referred to, a large number of visitors from abroad were collected together, and as money at such a time would be circulating in the town more freely than usual, it seemed not unlikely that one or more of those bank notes might find their way into the current of business, and furnish, by their identification, some clue to the perpetrator of the robberies. with this hope, i inquired privately of several merchants in the place, whether they had recently taken any such bills, and learned from one of them that, about two weeks before, at the time of the exhibition, several of those or similar bills had been offered for exchange by a stranger, which fact would perhaps have attracted no particular attention, were it not for the absence of any apparent object in this exchange. the imperfect description of the stranger which i obtained, agreed tolerably well, as far as it went, with that of mr. f., post master in the town of c., where was one of the offices through which the many missing packages should have passed. the most decided mark of identity which was furnished me, was a brown over-coat, cut something after the quaker style, which my informant remembered to have been worn by the stranger for whose accommodation he had exchanged notes similar to those described. deeming it unsafe to inquire of any neighbor of the suspected post master whether he possessed such a coat, i adopted the expedient of attending, on the following sabbath, the church of whose congregation he was a member, for the purpose, of course, of listening to a good sermon, not forgetting, however, under the scriptural license furnished in luke xiv. , to look about now and then for the quaker coat and its owner,--a wolf in sheep's clothing. i observed the frequent characteristics of a country congregation,--a noisy choir, a gorgeous display of ribbons and other "running rigging" by the fairer portion of the audience, and a peculiarly ill-fitting assortment of coats, but never a quakerish garment. by the time the preacher had drawn his last inference, i had drawn mine, namely, that it is easier to identify a man by his face than by his coat, inasmuch as he cannot lay aside the one, while he may the other. the day, indeed, was remarkably mild, and few over-coats made their appearance. mr. f. was present, however, at both services, as i afterwards learned, and occupied a seat in the choir,--a _base_ singer, probably. i have now to mention one of those singular coincidences which are so frequently brought about, as if with the design of aiding in the exposure of crime, and of pointing out its perpetrators with unerring accuracy. the numerous instances which are every day occurring, illustrative of this principle, leave us no room to doubt its truth. "murder will out," and so will all other crimes. let the guilty one envelope himself in a seemingly impenetrable cloud of secrecy; let him construct, ever so cunningly, the line of his defences, sparing no pains to fortify every exposed point, and to guard against every surprise; yet some ray of light, darting, like the electric flash, he knows not whence, will pierce the darkness which surrounded him; some hidden spark will kindle an explosion, which will bury him and his works in ruin. "trifles light as air" harden into "confirmation strong as words of holy writ." assuming that the aforesaid coat, if it had any connection with the author of the robberies, was probably manufactured at the only tailoring establishment in the place, i happened in there on monday morning, and inquired of the presiding genius his price for a respectable over-coat, intending in some roundabout way to find out whether he had made one like that which i was in pursuit of. "that depends," replied he, "on the material and style of making." while continuing a desultory conversation with him on the subject of coats, their various shapes and styles, &c., my eye fell upon a small slip of paper pinned to the sleeve of a garment hanging near the door, and on approaching it, i found the name w. f. written upon the paper. "that coat belongs to mr. f., our post master," remarked the knight of the goose. "it was a trifle too small, and i have been altering it." its color, unusual length, and peculiar make, were circumstances almost conclusive to my mind of the identity of its owner with the individual who had been exchanging the twenty dollar notes. i bid the tailor good morning, feeling pretty well satisfied that i had laid the foundation of a more important _suit_ than any which his art could furnish. the distance from this place to the town where the academy was situated, was about twenty miles, and the next thing to be done was to ascertain whether f. had been there within a week or two. a little reflection suggested a tolerably safe and direct mode of ascertaining this fact, which was, to see the merchant before referred to, as being cognisant of the passing of the twenty dollar notes, who had already been partially informed of the object of my former inquiries concerning them; and to request him to address a line to mr. f., inquiring whether he recollected seeing a person, apparently insane, in the stage-coach, while on his way home after the exhibition. this certainly could do no harm in case he was not present on that occasion, while if he had been, he would very naturally confirm the fact in answering the question proposed. the next mail brought a reply to the effect that he did not return home by the stage, but in his own private conveyance, and therefore saw no such person as the one inquired about. i had thus made a beginning in laying a foundation for the superstructure of evidence which i was endeavoring to raise; a foundation, of which a tight coat was the corner-stone. if mr. f.'s outer garment had not required alteration, i should, up to this time, have failed in establishing a most important fact, viz., his probable identity with the individual who passed the bank notes; and as long as this point was involved in much uncertainty, i should hardly have felt prepared to push my researches with much energy or hope. the following facts were now in my possession: mr. f. was in the same town where the exhibition was held, and upon that occasion; his general appearance corresponded to that of the person who had then and there exchanged the notes; and his position as post master gave him sufficient opportunities to have committed the robberies. all this seemed to authorize and require more definite and concentrated measures on my part. in the mail from boston, which was to pass on that route on the following day, sundry tempting-looking packages might have been found, which were not altogether valueless in a pecuniary point of view, and would assuredly have been missed had they been stopped anywhere short of their place of destination. in other words, these packages were what are called _decoy letters_,--a species of device for entrapping the dishonest, which will always be effectual, and whose detective power the shrewdest rogue is unable to withstand. the utmost sagacity will never enable one to distinguish between a decoy-letter and a genuine one, so that the only way of securing safety from these missives is to let all letters alone. the coat of arms of scotland--a thistle, with the motto "_noli me tangere_,"--would be an appropriate device for these paper bomb-shells. this set of packages, however, passed the suspected point in safety on this occasion, and several times afterwards, for the very good reason, as it subsequently appeared, that, in the absence of the post master, an honest person overhauled the mails. the snare was laid once more, and with better success. upon a certain day, as the mail was leaving boston, a letter containing some fifty dollars, in good and lawful money, duly marked and recorded, that it might afterwards be identified, was placed in the package of letters for the post-office which had suffered so many losses before, and to pass through the office over which he of the tight coat presided. this package was watched by the special agent for the distance of seventy miles or more, until it had arrived unmolested within ten or fifteen miles of the suspected office. about this time i again fell in with general pierce, who kindly offered to act in concert with me until the result of that day's experiment should be decided; he taking the stage which was to convey the mail, and i intending to follow after by private conveyance, both to meet again, and to examine the contents of the bag after it had passed the office at c. the object of this temporary separation, as my readers will readily see, was to prevent the possibility of any recognition of my person, which might have been incurred had i been seen traveling with a gentleman so well known as the hon. mr. pierce. much curiosity would inevitably be manifested to know whom the u. s. district attorney had with him, and speculations on the subject might approach too near the truth for the interests of public justice. the united efforts of the sixteen legs which impelled the "leathern conveniency" containing my friend, the attorney, were soon too much for the four that hurried along "cæsar and his fortunes;" and the first-mentioned vehicle ere long was "hull-down" in the distance. i had often been over this route before, yet in some incomprehensible way, either by turning off too often, or not turning often enough, i got upon the wrong road, and came near making a bungling job of it. pressing on as fast as possible to get a glimpse of the stage once more, i had driven furiously for several miles, until, becoming convinced that i was not likely to overtake it though i should go in that direction till doomsday, i halted at a farm-house which stood near the road, and addressed a man who apparently had been engaged in cutting wood in the yard, for he stood, axe in hand, with an unsplit log lying before him. the sound of my wheels had undoubtedly arrested his attention. dropping his axe with alacrity, he lounged up to the fence, and leaned his elbows upon it, evidently prepared to refresh himself after his bodily toil, with a little social intercourse. "is this the road to g.?" said i. "what are yer in such a darned hurry for, now," replied my interlocutor. "i've heerd them air wheels of yourn a rattlin, rattlin, this half hour by spells, and i don't bleive i've cut the vally of an armfull of wood all that time. i do'no what she'll say." here he glanced uneasily over his shoulder towards the house, as if he feared _her_ awe-inspiring presence. "but, my friend," i remonstrated, "this don't tell me anything about the road. i _am_ in a hurry, and no mistake; and i'll be much obliged to you, if you will give me a short answer to a short question." "wal, if that's all you want, mebbe i can 'commodate yer. 'taint no use keeping on this ere road. ef you should drive ever so fast on't, you couldn't never git to g. cause it don't go there! wal, you wanted a short answer, so i'll give it to yer. that are beast o' yourn hes some good pints. wal, ef you want to git to g.--lemme see,--never bin on this road afore, hev you?" "of course i haven't," replied i, somewhat testily. "then you wouldn't know nothin about the old hoxie place; no, sartin you wouldn't. wal, abeout two mild furder on, you'll come to a brick house with four chimblys, jist where another road comes in. you turn to the right by the brick house, and that'll bring you to g." "how much further is it to g. this way than it is by the direct road?" "wal, 'bout four mild." upon this, i was about starting, when he called out, "i say, mister, don't you want to trade hosses? i----" "what yer beout there, jerry," exclaimed a shrill voice from the house, which could be no other than that of the redoubtable "she"--"not a stick of wood in the house, and you a loafin there on the fence. i tell you----" her further remonstrances were lost to me, but i doubt not that the luckless jerry received a suitable reprimand for his delinquency. here i was then, having four miles further to go than the stage, and my horse beginning to show unequivocal signs of fatigue. as the stage driver knew nothing of our plan, the probability was that he would pass the next office long before i could arrive and examine the mail bag. in this emergency, i could think of nothing better than to leave horse and carriage at some place on the road, and obtain a saddle-horse, with which i might succeed in "coming to time." and after turning at the "brick house with four chimblys," i was gladdened by the sight of a tavern some half a mile beyond, to which i hastened with all practicable speed, and lost no time in inquiring whether i could obtain a substitute for my over-driven animal. the landlord was prompt in answering my demand, and forthwith ordered his hostler to put the saddle upon "bob." while bob was being "got up," i found myself the object of many inquisitive looks from the assemblage of tavern loungers, to whom my arrival was a rather unusual windfall; for it was not every day that the intervals between drams were enlivened by such a comet-like approach. the team wagons and other vehicles which frequented the road, and whose motions were as methodical as those of the planets--the tavern being the sun of their system--produced no emotions in the minds of these idlers, like the unexpected appearance of an unknown body like myself, coming no one knew whence, and going no one could tell where. one of two alternatives seemed forced on them by the "hot haste" of my movements. the stranger was either a pursuer or the pursued. if he was the latter, what had he been doing? and if the former, of what had somebody else been guilty? these perplexing questions were settled in a manner apparently satisfactory to them, by the inquiry which i made of the landlord, whether he had seen a man pass that way on horseback, leading another horse, which i described minutely. the anxious audience at once jumped at the conclusion, as i had intended they should, that i was in pursuit of a horse-thief, which impression i took care to strengthen by sundry incidental remarks. it seemed necessary by some such device to prevent all suspicion of my real character and object, in order that if i failed in executing my design this day, the case might stand as well as before. by this time "bob" had been saddled and bridled, and issued forth from the stable, equipped for action, under the auspices of the hostler. he (to wit, bob,) was a stout canadian pony, rejoicing in a peculiarly shaggy mane, and a tail which was well calculated to add completeness to my comet-like character. he was strong of limb, and evidently quite as competent as any quadruped that could ordinarily be found, to carry me to my destination within the required time. as soon as i was fairly in the saddle, some one among the small crowd assembled to witness my departure, gave a slight whistle and made a sound something like "he up," whereat the treacherous bob went through a series of gymnastic performances highly gratifying to the select audience in front of the tavern, and occasioning a display on my part, of equestrian accomplishments which i was never before conscious of possessing. the pony elevated himself upon his hind legs so as to assume an almost perpendicular posture, giving me much the attitude of napoleon as he is represented in david's well-known picture, "only more so." after standing thus for an instant, he commenced a rotary movement, still upon two legs, and coming down, reared in the opposite direction a few times, before he saw fit permanently to resume the horizontal position, i, during this period of revolution, hanging by his neck (my _main_ stay,) and losing off my hat in the ardor of my embraces. [illustration] while i was thus the sport of circumstances, the spectators indulged in various jocose observations, which then seemed to me exceedingly ill-timed and impertinent. one suggested that i was a millerite, and was endeavoring to "go up" on horseback, at the same time expressing a desire to know what i would charge for an extra passenger; while another inquired what direction i proposed to take in my pursuit of the imaginary horse-thief; intimating a willingness to be in his place, so far as concerned any danger of being overtaken by me. "well done!" exclaimed the jolly landlord, as bob re-assumed his quadrupedal character. "no, no," replied i, "there's too much _rare_ meat in him for that." under cover of this sally, i made a triumphant retreat, the landlord leading bob for a little distance, lest he should be inclined to repeat the entire programme. while thus engaged, boniface explained the conduct of the horse, by informing me that he formerly belonged to a person who had taught him the trick, which he would always attempt to go through with when instigated thereto by such a sound as i heard when i mounted him. with many apologies for the occurrence, "mine host" let go the bridle, and i proceeded to find out what bob could do with his whole force of legs. this performance was more satisfactory to me than his former one, and as we flew along, his tail and my coat-tails streaming in the air, i seemed to myself an embodiment of the design upon the seal of my commission, and was inwardly amused to think how soon the ideal post-rider and his steed had found their real representatives in the persons of myself and bob. in this style we dashed onward, and as i reined in my panting charger before the door of the hotel in g., the stage was just ready to start, the driver being seated on his official throne, whip and reins in hand, looking the picture of impatience. he would have been gone before this, had not the district-attorney interceded for a short delay. this gentleman was standing in the door of the post-office, appearing very much surprised at my want of punctuality. a hasty explanation produced a smile, and the remark, that it was a "good joke." a doubt which i suggested, as to the safety of examining the mail in the presence of the post master, was set at rest by my companion, who assured me that he was certain of the integrity of this functionary, and also informed me that he had been made acquainted with the object of our call, before my arrival. the post master being a merchant, there was, among the other miscellaneous articles which compose the stock of a country store, a fair assortment of gentlemen of leisure, sitting upon the counter, and reclining in graceful attitudes upon the boxes and barrels. our unusual movements inspired them with unwonted vigor, and an ardent desire was manifested on their part to know what hidden mystery lurked within the recesses of the mail-bag, which we were about carrying to a room above, in order to be out of the way of observation. two of these gentlemen, thirsting for knowledge, hastily formed themselves into a committee of investigation, and followed us up stairs, until they were summarily relieved from the discharge of their self-imposed duties by a peremptory intimation from mr. pierce, that we wished to be alone for a short time. as soon as we had secured ourselves from intrusion, the bag was hastily unlocked, and its contents turned upon the floor. each package was taken up, separately and carefully examined, but the all-important one, whose absence would indicate unerringly the guilt of the suspected individual, was not there! this was the most trying and responsible moment of all, as it is always found to be in such investigations--the moment when it is discovered that the trap has been sprung, and the rogue is almost within your grasp. for experience has shown, that missing a "decoy-letter," and establishing in a legal manner the guilt of the individual who is known to have intercepted it, are two very different things. much caution is requisite in the management of these cases, in order to leave no loop-hole of retreat to the culprit. too hasty movements might spoil all, by alarming him before he had put it out of his power to account plausibly for the detention of the letter; while a too long delay might enable him to increase materially the difficulty of obtaining direct evidence, by affording him an opportunity of disposing of the necessary proof,--the letter itself, and the contained money. in the present instance, it was considered that a too speedy return to search for the absent package, might result in finding it in a perfect state, allowing of the explanation by the post master, that it had been left over by mistake in overhauling the mail, which would have put the case in a capital shape for a tolerably sharp lawyer to defend. we therefore concluded to allow several hours to elapse before making a descent upon the premises, the time being mainly occupied in drawing up the requisite papers, and procuring the attendance of a proper officer to serve them. all things having been prepared, we started, at about nine o'clock in the evening, for the post-office in question. the office itself was in a small building, some twenty rods from the post master's house, and as we approached the premises, no light was visible, excepting in one of the chambers of the dwelling. there, accordingly, we directed our steps, and a few raps upon the door brought down the post master, light in hand, who at once recognised "squire paarce," as he called the district-attorney. this gentleman politely requested him to step over to the office, to transact some business, the nature of which he did not then explain. the post master expressed his readiness to accompany mr. pierce, remarking that he must first leave him a moment, in order to go to another part of the house for a lantern. some such manoeuvre on his part had been anticipated, and he was closely watched--in fact, mr. pierce went with him--while absent on his errand, to deprive him of an opportunity of secreting any money that he might have on his person. on reaching the post-office, he was introduced to the agent, whose first object was, to get an admission from him, that he was present when the mail arrived from boston that day, that he overhauled it alone, and that he had at this time no packages on hand to go by the mail northward the day following. these points having been ascertained, the subject of the numerous losses on that route was broached, and the fact plainly stated, that they had been traced to that office; which piece of information was received by the post master with the utmost apparent self-possession. indeed, he seemed exceedingly surprised to hear of the various frauds which i enumerated, and professed entire ignorance that anything of the kind had occurred, assuring me that if such things had been done, my suspicions as to his office were utterly groundless. "do you receive much money in the course of your business, mr. f.?" i asked. "some," was the laconic reply. "have you much on hand now, and is it here, or at the house, or where is it?" "i don't know that my duty to the post-office department compels me to answer such questions--to strangers, anyhow," replied he, with an air of defiance. "then," said i, "_my_ duty to the department will require me to dispense with further interrogatories, and proceed to satisfy myself as to the present state of your finances in some other, and more direct way." "well, squire," said he, turning to mr. pierce, "i want to know if you have brought this man here to bully me, on my own premises, and accuse me of doing things that i never thought of, to say nothing of his impertinence in inquiring into my private business affairs. let him find out what he can about them. i sha'n't help him." the district-attorney assured him that all was correct; that his rights should be protected; and that he had better furnish the required information as to his means, and allow us to examine any funds he might have on hand. this, the attorney suggested, would be the course which a regard for his own interests should lead him to adopt. after much grumbling, and giving vent to his dissatisfaction by the remark, that "he didn't see why he should be picked out, and treated in this way," he reluctantly complied with my somewhat urgent request to be allowed to look at the money in his possession. handing me his wallet, he awaited the result of the examination with all the composure he could command. he must have inferred, from what had been said, that it was in my power to identify whatever money he had that was unlawfully obtained, yet with the consciousness that he was thus open to detection, he did not flinch, nor betray but in a small degree, the heart-sinking that a knowledge of his perilous situation could not fail to produce. these were my first thoughts, but i afterwards had occasion to believe that he was not aware of the overwhelming proof against himself which he supplied as he passed his pocket-book into my hands. a hasty examination of its contents revealed unmistakable evidence of his guilt, for on consulting the description of the bills mailed that morning in boston, to go some twenty miles above this point, every one of them was at once identified! "mr. f.," said i, "this money i saw placed in a letter in boston, this morning, to go some distance above you; how came it in your wallet?" for some time the unfortunate man was speechless. he had continued so long in his course of fraud, that the ground had begun to feel firm beneath his feet, when all at once this gulf opened before him, about to swallow up everything that man ought to hold most dear: character, liberty, the love and respect of his fellow men, and even property--a thing of comparatively little importance--for restitution would justly be required. the words in which one of milton's fallen spirits addresses a brother angel, might appropriately be applied to this victim of the lust of gold. "if thou be'st he;--but o, how fallen, how changed!" yes, indeed, how changed! he had occupied a high position in community, enjoying the confidence of every one; and had been elected to places of honor and trust by his fellow-citizens, before his appointment to this office by the general government. what was he now? what would he be when it should be known everywhere that the exemplary mr. f. had been guilty of a felon's crimes, and was likely to meet with a felon's doom? how could he ever face again his children, already deprived of one parent by death, and about to lose another by that which is worse than death? ah! if crime presented the same aspect before its perpetration that it does afterward, how vast would be the diminution of human guilt! the district-attorney and sheriff having purposely retired for a few moments, i took occasion to represent to f., in as strong a light as possible, the disappointments and distress which his unprincipled course had occasioned among the pupils of the academy, at the same time urging him, if he had not destroyed their letters, to produce them at once, that they might be forwarded to their rightful owners. he did not deny that he was the author of all the mischief; and stated that the letters he had taken had been destroyed, but that the money--several hundred dollars--was invested in real estate, and could be restored. after i had ascertained these important facts, i consigned the criminal to the sheriff's hands, in virtue of the warrant which had before been made out, as i have already mentioned. the sheriff returned to the house with him, to allow him to make some preparation for a night's ride, and as they issued from the dwelling, i noticed that f. had on the identical quaker coat, which had been to him what the robe of nessus was to hercules,--a garment bringing unforeseen destruction to its wearer. the trial of the prisoner was held in due time, and its result furnished no exception to the truth of the scriptural declaration respecting the way of transgressors. before closing this narrative, i should mention that measures were taken to secure the restoration of their money to those who had been defrauded by this man's dishonesty. it was, however, a slower process to heal the wounded feelings, to re-establish the broken friendships, and to reproduce the lost confidence, of which he had been the guilty cause. whether he ever regained his lost reputation, i am unable to say. a long course of upright conduct may and ought to obliterate the memory of former crime, but the commission of such crimes ordinarily raises additional barriers in the way of a virtuous life; and too often it were as hopeful a task to collect the fragments of a diamond which has just been dashed upon the pavement, and attempt to reconstruct it in its original beauty, as to gather up the remains of a ruined character, and endeavor to restore it to its former lustre. chapter ii. a competent assistant--yielding to temptation--an easy post master--whispers of complaint--assistant embarrassed--application to his uncle--the refusal--value of a kind word--resort to depredations--evidences of guilt--decoy letter taken--the bowling saloon--the agent worsted--the restaurant--bother of the credit system--the fatal bank-note--keen letter to the agent--the arrest--the next meeting. those who are connected in any way with the administration of the law, find their sympathies excited in very different degrees by the several cases which they have in hand from time to time. although the ruin of character is to be deplored under all circumstances, yet it never gives rise to greater commiseration and regret than when it destroys more than ordinary capabilities for adorning and profiting society. such were the capabilities possessed by thomas l., the subject of the following sketch. i have rarely, in my official capacity, come in contact with a young man who was more richly endowed with acuteness of intellect, brilliancy of talent, and fascination of manners; and in addition to these gifts of nature, he had received from a devoted mother those lessons of morality and religion which she fondly hoped would guard him from the dangers that might beset his path. well was it for her peace of mind that she was removed to that world "where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest," while yet her beloved son retained an unsullied character, and the respect of his fellow-men. such was the young man whose fall i have to record. his employer, the post master, was a man of ample pecuniary means, independent of the emoluments of his office, and, as is often true in similar cases, giving but little time or attention to the discharge of its duties. nor was his immediate superintendence necessary, so far as concerned the details of business, for his young assistant, though only eighteen years of age, kept everything in complete order, and so administered the office, with the occasional assistance of a younger lad, as to give perfect satisfaction to all who had dealings with it, and to render the angel-like visits of the post master a matter of very little consequence to the public. but this universal popularity, and the absence of supervision and of restraint, other than that supplied by his own conscience, were circumstances unfavorable to the preservation of his integrity, and laid him open to the temptations which so easily assail those of like character and similarly situated. the most gifted and socially attractive are always peculiarly exposed to danger of this kind, and nothing short of firmly established principle can be relied on for safety. doubtless, the truths which his departed mother had endeavored to impress upon his young mind often sounded their tones of warning in his ears; yet they were too weak to be heard in the roar of the stream which was bearing him along to destruction. a few drops of water seem of little importance. they may sparkle as dew, they may form a rainbow; but when, united to others, they rush onward as a mighty torrent, sweeping everything before them, we may see how pleasing and often apparently trifling are the beginnings of evil, and how irresistible are its downward tendencies to those who put themselves within its power. the usual enticements of a moderate-sized massachusetts country village,--the sleighing parties, dancing schools, balls, refreshment saloons, bowling alleys, &c., conspired in this case to invite considerable expenditures, and the subject of this sketch, in his attempt to keep up with the course of extravagance and unthinking dissipation upon which his companions had entered, who could better afford the expense, found his means entirely inadequate to this end; but before making the discovery, he had been committed to the whirlpool of fashionable pleasure too far to extricate himself without much difficulty. the first effects of this course began to show themselves in the frequent closing of the office in advance of the proper time, and the opening of it at irregular and often unseasonable hours. whispers of complaint were heard on the part of business men, which, coming to the ears of the post master, were followed by some _gentle_ remonstrances,--gentle they necessarily were, for circumstances already related had given the boy too much consequence (rendering his services, as he well knew, quite indispensable) to allow him to bear patiently anything like a "blowing up" from his too easy employer. for a time, however, this remissness ceased, and like some noble ship struck by a heavy wave and brought to a momentary stand, while driving onward to shipwreck, this promising young man appeared to pause in his dangerous career, and for a while all seemed to be going on well. but the improvement was only temporary. the importunities of his companions, innocent perhaps of any vicious design, again diverted his attention from business, and he was soon fairly in the old track of pleasure-seeking, regardless of the sacrifice of time or money. having the entire control of the post-office funds, and not being required to account for the money collected till the close of the quarter, he at first ventured to use these funds in a limited way, to pay the more urgent demands upon him, trusting, as he afterwards expressed himself, that "something would turn up," he knew not what, to enable him to replace the money before the quarterly settlement with his confiding employer. as the time approached, he discovered with dismay that the deficiency amounted to some seventy-five dollars. how to make this good was a perplexing question, which occupied his daily thoughts and disturbed his nightly slumbers. he was proud-spirited, and up to this time, had enjoyed an unspotted reputation. discovery must be averted at any rate. at this juncture, the thought of some property which his widowed mother at her death had left for him in the hands of a relative living at a distance, came to his relief, and he resolved to lose no time in applying for aid in that direction. a frank and full statement of his real situation would no doubt have brought him the desired aid, but, as will be seen in his letter of application to his uncle, he was induced to give a false reason for his need of funds, and the cold, business-like reply which followed, is such as would naturally be expected from one who had no sympathy with the weaknesses of youth, and no disposition to inquire with a kindly interest into the affairs of his young relative. had this reply been different in its tone, it might have drawn out the requisite explanation, and have effectually prevented what afterwards occurred. here are the letters: e----, mass., february th, . my dear uncle, i am in need of some funds, say seventy-five dollars. i have foolishly loaned about that amount in small sums to a friend at school here, upon whose word i thought i could depend, when he promised me he could replace it at any moment i desired. i shall consider it a great favor if you will accommodate me. your affectionate nephew, thomas. to this the following reply was received:-- new york, february th, . my dear sir, your letter of the th inst. is before me, soliciting the sum of seventy-five dollars. this singular request has very much surprised me, as in the first place i have no available means in my hands belonging to you, and besides, if i had, i should not be in a hurry to relieve you from the embarrassment which you seem to be in, as it may learn you to be more cautious in future. i have understood that your compensation is ample for your support, if you are economical; but if you lend your money to spendthrifts, and get swindled out of it, it is your own affair. this is the opinion of yours, &c., henry s----. it can be imagined how much a response of this description was calculated to open the heart, or invite the confidence of the unfortunate thomas. his pride felt sorely the repulsive tone which his uncle adopted, and the supposed disgrace of making an unsuccessful application for money, to say nothing of the slurs cast upon his own discretion, and the honor of his companions. at this critical juncture in the character and affairs of the young man, such a cold rebuff was like a death-blow to all purposes of future fidelity and honesty; and as i listened to this part of the instructive narration, i could not but feel that the uncle, by withholding needed sympathy and aid, was in some degree responsible for the after course of his erring nephew. all hope of assistance in this direction having been abandoned, desperation suggested a further departure from honesty. "it is but a little more risk," whispered the fiend. "take enough to make this quarter's account square, and you will come out right somehow before another settlement." weakened conscience was unable to withstand the pressure of circumstances, and the plausible scheme proposed for relief. so, money letters, which heretofore had been perfectly safe, were emptied of their contents to meet the present exigency. indications not to be mistaken, that some one was robbing the mails in that vicinity, soon began to appear, though among all the complaints, not one referred to the loss of any letter mailed at or addressed to the office at e. they all related to important letters posted at other offices, but passing through e., and it was not until all sorts of tests and experiments had been tried in vain at other points, and every other mode of operation exhausted, that the agent took up temporary quarters at the private residence of an acquaintance, from which, without being observed, he could overlook this office, hitherto the least suspected on the route. the opportunity afforded after dark of taking a glance at the interior of the office and its principal occupant, through the glass boxes in front, was of course properly improved, and this little experiment furnished, as the result showed, an important clue to the whole matter; for on the first evening's watch, i discovered what i deemed evidence of the clerk's guilt. stepping silently and unnoticed into the vestibule of the office, and gaining a position whence i could observe his motions, i distinctly saw him thrust what appeared to be a letter into the stove, afterwards taking up a wallet from the table and placing it hastily in his pocket. i must have made some slight noise, for after doing this, he suddenly turned and looked sharply in my direction. this may have been nothing more than the instinctive glance of distrust which those who have not the entire control of themselves are apt to cast around after doing something that they would dislike to be detected in. however it may have been, thinking that he had discovered me, i stepped boldly up to the "general delivery," and inquired for a letter for "robert marshall, railroad contractor," taking occasion to observe him closely as he was engaged in running over the letters. he seemed confused, his hands shook a little, his face was flushed, and his voice was inclined to tremble, as he replied that there was "nothing for robert marshall." i attributed all this to fear lest his previous movements might have been observed, and left the office, strongly suspecting that thomas l. was the author of the depredations in question. a few experiments in the way of "decoy letters," mailed so as to pass through that office, soon converted suspicion into certainty. one of these letters, containing sundry bank-notes, disappeared, and one of the notes was traced directly back to his hands. how this was done, the reader will probably insist upon knowing, and it is my intention to gratify this thirst for information, although in so doing i shall be compelled to reveal a degree of unskilfulness in the game of ten-pins which would deter the most sanguine gamester from betting on my head. in the basement of the hotel was a bowling saloon, which, as i had ascertained, the suspected clerk was in the habit of visiting in the evening, after closing the post-office, and this fact suggested my plan. i might have arrested and searched him at once, but i thought it the better way to watch the money exchanged by him, in the hope that some of the missing bills might thus come to light. for if he should chance to have none of these about his person, a search would spoil all, by putting him on his guard, whereas if he should offer none of them, no harm would be done, and things would remain _in statu quo_. with these views i made a confidant of the landlord of the hotel which contained the bowling saloon, and agreed to meet him there early in the evening for a "roll," and arranged that in case the young man came in as usual, my partner should excuse himself, and substitute l. in his place, to oblige a stranger, who, of course, was rolling merely for exercise. my design in making this arrangement was to fasten the expense of the evening's recreation upon l. by a brilliant and overpowering display of my skill in bowling, calculating that he would probably pass some of the stolen money in payment. this was my programme--how it was executed i shall proceed to show. "mine host" and i had been rolling perhaps half an hour, when a fine-looking, well-dressed young man entered the saloon, whom i at once recognised as l. the landlord and myself happened to be the only ones then engaged in playing, as it was rather early in the evening for the appearance of most of those who resorted there; so l. watched our game for a while, till the landlord, looking at his watch, remarked that he had an engagement which must be attended to immediately, and turning to l., said, "here, tom, you take my place with this gentleman, for i've got to go away." "enough said," replied tom. "i am always on hand for most any kind of a _ball_." as i looked at the pleasing features and intelligent countenance of the young man, a pang of sorrow shot through my heart, to think that over his head the invisible sword of justice was even now suspended. but such reflections are unprofitable, inasmuch as they tend to unfit one for the discharge of painful duty. so i dismissed them as far as i could, and applied myself to my double game-- "rolling down at once, by a double stroke, a man, as well as a pin." the first roll of my new antagonist shook my faith in the feasibility of my plan, for the ball went clattering among the wooden platoons like the grape-shot at balaklava, and in an instant ten _block heads_ bit the dust. "a rather bad beginning," thought i; "but i don't believe he can do that again." comforting myself with this reflection, i applied all the practical and theoretical skill i was master of, to vanquish my experienced foe. i called to mind my long dormant and slender knowledge about the angles of incidence and reflection. i considered the nature of resultant forces, and the effect which a ball impinging on pin a would have upon the uprightness of its neighbors, b, c, &c. i thus devised theoretical "ten strikes," which (doubtless from some defect in the reasoning) would fall short of my ideal standard by as much as four or five pins; and on several occasions, the ball strayed almost innocuously through the ranks, prostrating only one or two of the outposts. i had a few transient gleams of light when my adversary grew somewhat careless, perhaps from continued success; but darkness soon returned upon my prospects, and i saw in my mind's eye the money coming from my pocket and not his. we held but little conversation during the progress of our game, for my thoughts were preoccupied with my ultimate object, and l. made no great effort to overcome my taciturnity; yet some casual remarks were made which showed that he identified me as the person who inquired for letters for "robert marshall, railroad contractor." after playing thus for some time, he invited me to take a glass of ale, which proposition i gladly accepted, as it would give me one more chance to know something about the contents of his pocket book. i began to think that my toils were nearly over, and as we stood imbibing the fluid, i could hardly wait until the glasses were emptied, in my impatience to see the bank-note produced which was to settle at once the bill, and him. delusive anticipations! the credit system interposed to crush my hopes, for l. said to the bar-tender, "put it down to me, jim." as "jim" put it down, _i_ felt put down, and followed my companion back to the alley as humbly as if we had changed places, and i was the suspected one. "come, mr. l.," said i, after we had resumed our game, "you play so much better than i that you will be safe in giving me some little advantage. just allow me twenty on a 'string,' and let me see if i can do any better at that." "very well, sir," said he, "i will do it, although i am afraid you will be too much for me." but i was not, and after playing until the establishment closed for the night, i found myself under the disagreeable necessity of paying some three dollars for the privilege of being thoroughly defeated, deducting the benefit received from more than two hours' hard work! [illustration] one other expedient suggested itself, namely, offering in payment a twenty dollar note, in the hope that the proprietor, finding it inconvenient to make change, would call on the victorious clerk to accommodate him, and thus would bring to light the missing bills. but this device also failed. i did not yet "give up the ship." "i don't know how it is with you, l.," said i, "but i feel rather empty about the epigastric region, after such a pull as you have given me, and i should think you might afford to treat a fellow." "well, i don't care if i do," said he. "_i_ feel a sort of gnawing under my vest. come up stairs, and we'll get something." to this i replied that i was tired of the noise, and would rather go to some more quiet place. he readily assented, and led the way to a neighboring restaurant. we ensconced ourselves within one of the curtained recesses, and here i devoted myself to the consumption of as much "provant" as my digestive organs could dispose of, with the intention of running up as large a bill as possible, in order that a bank-note might be offered in payment, and the desired proof of my companion's guilt secured. i saw through the corner of my eye that he seemed to be studying my physiognomy, and the thought came into my mind that his readiness to "treat" was owing to his wish for a good opportunity to find out something more about me. we had begun to talk about various kinds of occupations, and he inquired, "is not your business a profitable one, mr.--marshall, i believe?" i acknowledged the name, and said that my business was anything but a profitable one.[a] [a] see act of congress establishing the compensation of special agents. "isn't it a rather ticklish one, now-a-days? so much rascality you know." "yes, but i mean to look out sharp for rogues, and to be pretty sure that i deal with people i can trust." "i have a very good situation in the post-office," said he, "but i sometimes wish to be where i could have more variety--some kind of business that would require me to travel." "you had better be contented where you are," replied i; "this seventeen-year old fever never did any one much good. if you are faithful in your present place, you will have no trouble in getting a better situation a few years hence." to this he made no reply, and the conversation dropped. after i had appeased "the sacred rage of hunger," and added some works of supererogation in that line for the furtherance of my object, we emerged from our retreat, as "the iron tongue of midnight" was tolling twelve, which sounded to me like the knell of my companion's doom, for i felt confident that the time had now come for the _denouement_ of the two-act drama which we had been playing that evening. it seemed extremely improbable that there should be here any accommodating "jim" to score down the little bill for future settlement. but there was. we went up to what was then the bar, but in these temperance times would be called the "office," and l. said to the presiding genius, with a familiar and confident air, "just charge that to me, and i'll make it all right." "rather all wrong," thought i. as we passed out into the darkness of the night and stood for a moment on the steps, i thought i discovered, by the faint light of a street lamp, my companion observing me with scrutinizing glances, thus seeming to indicate a suspicion on his part that our rapid acquaintance and companionship had not been without some design, which he was desirous of penetrating. indeed a fear of this produced anything but agreeable reflections after we had separated, and i had retired to my lodgings. could it be that a suspicion of my real object had prevented him from paying for the ale, and settling the bill at the restaurant? it seemed possible, certainly, yet under other circumstances i should have thought nothing of the occurrence, and he seemed to be satisfied with the "dodge" of the "railroad contractor." then came a doubt as to the wisdom of the policy i had adopted, in allowing him to be at large, instead of arresting him at once on the disappearance of the decoy letter. several days had elapsed since it was taken, and the probability of finding any part of its contents upon him, hardly seemed to warrant a resort to that course now; so, on the whole, i concluded to persevere in the cautious line of policy with which i had commenced. in the course of a conversation which i held with the aforementioned landlord, on the following day, the fact came to light that he had a claim against l., for money loaned. it occurred to me that an urgent application for its repayment might accomplish the desired object, and i requested the landlord to assist me in this way. he readily complied, and after a second appeal the debt was discharged, and among the money, which i lost no time in comparing with the description of that purloined from the letter, was a five dollar note that i at once identified as one of the stolen bills. notwithstanding this overwhelming evidence as to the origin of the mail depredations on this route, there were good reasons for further delay in making the arrest, especially as it seemed unlikely that the person detected would know anything of his real situation for a few days. during this interval, i found it necessary to visit a neighboring city. the reader may judge of my surprise at receiving, two days afterwards, a letter, of which the following is a copy:-- sir, i have ascertained, no matter how, that you are the "railroad contractor" whom i met in the basement of the hotel in this place a few evenings since, and who partook of my hospitalities afterwards at m----'s saloon. also that you entertained and perhaps still entertain some doubts of my honesty, as a clerk in the post-office here. i am sorry you had not the candor to say as much to my face, and thus afford me the opportunity of satisfying you as to my standing and character among those who have known me best and longest. you are welcome, sir, to all the advantage you obtained in your underhanded dealings with me on the occasion referred to; if, however, you cannot prostrate private character faster than you can ten-pins, i think i have but little to fear at present. yours, _not_ very respectfully, thomas l----. to j. holbrook, special agent, p. o. dept. how this clue to my official identity was obtained, i failed to discover at the time, and have been no wiser on that point at any period since. nor was it of much account, as the information, from whatever quarter derived, came too late to be of any avail, and after he had exposed himself by passing the money which had been placed in the mail to detect him. when he was preparing the above epistle, congratulating himself on my want of skill at prostrating "private character," little did he think that i had already achieved a sweeping "ten-strike" in his own case! the necessary complaint was made, a warrant issued, and the unfortunate young man taken into custody by the u. s. marshal. i shall never forget the indescribable look which he gave me as he entered the office of the u. s. commissioner, for a preliminary examination. it was the first time we had met since the memorable roll and supper, and the quondam "railroad contractor" now first appeared to his eye transmuted into the formidable "special agent." there was little surprise in his look, but an expression of mortified pride and anger, as he addressed me in a low tone, "i thought i should meet _you_ here!" "well, thomas," said i, "i don't know as you will believe me, but, i assure you, i heartily regret that you are brought to this pass, and if the ends of justice could be answered, i should be the first to let you go free." "perhaps you would," replied he, moodily. "it's easy enough to say so." "but," i remarked, "i want you to take a reasonable view of the matter. you cannot think me so destitute of common humanity as to wish to place any one in such an unpleasant position, much less a young man like yourself, so capable of better things." he appeared to be somewhat impressed by the earnestness with which i spoke, and answered in a softened tone, "i suppose i ought to believe you, but it seems hard to be entrapped in the way i have been." "it may be the best thing that could have happened to you under the circumstances," said i, "and i sincerely hope that it will prove so." i was desirous of making him see that i was actuated in the course i had taken by no motive other than a wish to discharge my duty faithfully, and therefore left him for the time to consider what i had said, confident that a little reflection would calm his ruffled temper, and lead him to a correct view of the case. in this i was not mistaken, and when i urged him to make a confession on the ground of justice to others, and his own interest, he "made a clean breast" of it, and gave in substance the account of his downward course, with which the reader is already familiar. he expressed much regret and penitence, and a mournful satisfaction that his mother was not alive to know of his disgrace. it seems unnecessary to pursue the subject further. the force of the lesson it is calculated to teach would not thus be increased, and the feelings of some might be harrowed up, who should rather receive sympathy and consolation. chapter iii. business rivalry--country gossiping--museum of antiquities--new post master--serious rumors--anonymous letters--package detained--bar-room scene--_ram_ifications of the law--first citizens--rascally enemies--lawyer's office--gratuitous backing--telegraphing--u.s. marshal arrives--the charge--the fatal quarter--enemies' triumph--the warrant--singular effects of fear--a faithful wife--sad memories--the squire's surprise--all right. the jealousies and rivalry often existing between persons of similar occupations, which supply the truth contained in the old proverb, "two of a trade can never agree," are fostered and strengthened in small towns to an extent which is not as conspicuous, and perhaps not as frequently observed in larger places. for this general spirit of emulation and strife is greatly aggravated by the interest that almost all the inhabitants of small communities feel in the sayings and doings of their neighbors. this interest is too often manifested by reporting from one to another hasty and ill-considered speeches, which should be suffered to die where they are born; but thus set in motion by careless tongues, for the benefit of itching ears, they roll on like snow-balls, and attain a size and shape hardly recognisable by those who gave them their first impulse. an incidental, but an important consequence of these circumstances, is the ready formation of parties about almost every quarrel that may arise in such a village. the tranquil surface of country life is in this way disturbed, like that of a still lake by the plunge of a stone into its bosom, and the resulting waves, in both instances, extend indefinitely in every direction. the bustling little town of h. was not exempt from the evils at which i have glanced, for the half-dozen shopkeepers who supplied the inhabitants with their necessaries and luxuries, fully exemplified the truth of the proverb above quoted. their rivalry, however, was not exercised by and toward one another impartially, but it was rather a contest between the old, established merchants of the place, and one whose coming was of a comparatively recent date. it was, in short, a competition between old and young america. the old school merchants affected to look with contempt on their younger brother and his goods, suggesting that, however alluring his prices and commodities might be, his customers would find to their cost, that "all is not gold that glitters." hints were thrown out about calicoes that "did from their color fly," and sugar that was not entirely soluble in hot water. it was also darkly intimated that b. (the merchant in question) couldn't stand it long at the rate he was going on, rashly keeping his assortment full all the time, instead of cautiously waiting until an article was ordered, before he sent for it. this sort of thing would never do. it was sure to bring him to ruin. on the other hand, the enterprising b. ridiculed the clique of "old fogies," as he termed them, and characterized their establishments as "museums of antiquities." in accordance with the spirit of the age, he lined his shop with vast hand-bills, printed on type of stupendous size, so that he who runs might read; with such headings as "the only cheap store!" "fresh and fashionable goods at low prices!" "this stock of goods bought within the present century!" and other wonderful announcements, which drew the susceptible public within his doors to a greater extent than was agreeable to the feelings or the interests of his "slower" competitors. and as if all this was not enough, by way of climax to his prosperous course, b. received the appointment of post master. the post-office, as a matter of course, always brings an increase of business to the store where it is kept; and in the present instance, b. did not fail to secure all the advantages arising from his position. and so successfully did he manage his affairs, with this additional impetus, that one or two of his opponents, finding many of their customers deserting them by reason of the superior attractions of the "new store," abandoned the field in disgust, determined, however, to lose no opportunity of undermining the object of their jealousy, or at least of injuring his prospects. rumors, detrimental not only to his reputation as a man of business, but to his character as a post master, soon got abroad. how they originated, no one knew; whether they had any foundation in truth, no one could say. the baseless reports which malice invents, have no more permanent effect upon an upright character, than have flying clouds upon the mountain which they may temporarily obscure; and it is only when rumors are weighted by truth, that they can injure materially the object at which they are aimed. "honor dwelling in the heart, welcome friends or welcome foes. whensoe'er it doth depart, smiles are weak, but strong are blows." anonymous letters were despatched to the post master general, expressing a want of confidence in the management of the office, and hinting at something of a more criminal nature than mere official carelessness and neglect; but as such complaints are always disregarded when unaccompanied by responsible names (being considered the result of personal rivalry or malice), nothing was done in the premises. these unknown correspondents, however, did not cease from their machinations, and it soon came to the ears of the obnoxious post master, that he had been assailed at head-quarters; unjustly, as he claimed. so he lost no time in repelling the "vile slanders" through the medium of sundry long-winded communications to the department, the burthen of which was, that business rivals had done it all; and that the ridiculous stories which had been set afloat, originated entirely in the unworthy design of building up their authors on the ruins of his good name. and in the most indignant terms he courted, and even demanded, a careful investigation of his official acts and his private character. these various communications on both sides were all referred to the special agent, that he might establish either the truth or the falsity of the charges made against this post master. the first step was to obtain a private interview with some of the complainants, who were traced out by means of the specimens of their hand-writing furnished by the letters they had sent to the department. they readily admitted themselves to be the authors of those documents, after having been assured that the government had no other object than to ascertain the truth, and to protect the rights of the citizens who had an interest in the post-office. i gave them to understand that the department required something more than mere assertion as a ground for decided action; and suggested, that if those charges were well founded, which represented the loss of valuable letters posted at that office, their truth could be shown by furnishing a list of such letters, and a statement of all the facts, by the parties immediately interested. as had been stated, the accusers of b. proved to be his rivals in trade, and their active friends, animated and impelled by that bitter competition of which i have already spoken. in addition to the causes to which i have alluded as especially influential in country places, to produce such a state of feeling, may be mentioned a sectarian spirit, the bane of many small villages, creating needless prejudices, dividing the community into discordant fragments, and forcing a man to stand, in a degree at least, not on his own merits, but on the preference of the sect with which he may be connected. this sentiment is in some measure natural, and unavoidable. similarity of opinion tends to create favorable prepossessions toward those who thus agree, but is ever liable to produce an exclusive feeling which does injustice to all concerned. thus arises much of the sympathy and preferences which are so strongly felt in small communities, especially towards merchants and professional men. dr. wilkins goes to our meeting, therefore he is a good doctor, whatever other folks may say. mrs. garfield, the trader's wife, is _such_ a good woman, and did so much in fixing up our church and the vestry, that we must all "patronize" her husband, and sustain him against his enemies, who oppose him solely on account of his activity, and that of his family, in building up "our society." dr. wilkins may not be eminently successful in the treatment of his patients, and mr. garfield may be far from remarkable for his moderate prices, yet their enthusiastic friends stick to them through thick and thin. all these things must be taken into the account in pursuing investigations like those which i had just commenced, and due allowance made for the disturbing forces acting on the minds of those who undertake to furnish the required information. the rubbish of selfishness and gossip must be thrown aside, and only those statements regarded which are corroborated by sufficient evidence. acting upon this rule in the present instance, but willing, in justice to the accused as well as to the public, to follow up even the accusations of open enemies, i instituted careful inquiries in the right quarter, which soon established the fact that there was a screw loose not far from that post office, if not directly in connection with it. but for some weeks previous, no letters had been disturbed which were deposited in or addressed to this office, the failures having been confined to the mails which passed through it and were there assorted. this circumstance rather confirmed suspicion than otherwise, for the post master being aware of the complaints sent to washington, would consider it necessary to use greater caution in carrying on his depredations (if he were guilty,) especially in regard to the class of letters taken. but in such cases, as in those that come under the supervision of medical art, various applications are required according to the changes in symptoms and circumstances. for instance, i might perhaps have worked to this day in the ordinary line of experiments, such as depositing special test letters in that office, or sending them to be delivered there, and all to no purpose. they would, for a time at least, have been the object of special care, and particular pains would have been taken for their safe dispatch; while if dishonesty really existed, it would seek out and avail itself of such opportunities as would not be likely to betray it, or to attract the attention of the self-constituted "vigilance committee," which had already sounded the alarm. with such views, i adopted a species of "decoy" which i thought best suited to meet the exigencies of the case. in the first place a document was prepared addressed to an imaginary firm at rouse's point, new york. it read as follows: boston, march , . messrs. baxter & clark, gentlemen, herewith you will receive twenty-five dollars and fifty cents, the balance of my account, and for which you will please send me a receipt as soon as convenient. when does either of your firm intend to visit boston? i like the articles you last sent me very much better than the former ones, and so say my customers,--will send you another order before long. very respectfully yours, f. p. crane, jr. bank notes of a small denomination were used to make up the twenty-five dollars named in the letter, and two american quarters enclosed, to make it more attractive; both bills and specie having been marked, and a full description of them taken. another letter, written in a different hand, addressed to a lady, and containing nothing of value, was also prepared and placed in a note envelope, to accompany the above _business letter_. here is a copy of it:-- boston, march , . my dear cousin, since you visited us, we have experienced important changes. our family is pretty much broken up by george's death. father and mother depended so much on him to manage our out of doors affairs, that they don't feel like keeping house any longer, and have gone to boarding, and as i shall not have any particular household cares, i expect to be floating about, like many others of the sisterhood of old maids, ready to make myself generally useful. perhaps i may inflict a visit on you in the course of the summer, and help you to take care of _that baby_. i can't stop to write any more, for we are hardly settled after moving. father and mother send love to you and husband. your affectionate sarah. my object in sending this second missive was to prevent any suspicion that otherwise might arise in regard to the money-letter. for it might reasonably be presumed that the accused post master would be on the watch for anything that could by any possibility compromise him; and a solitary letter containing funds, passing through his office, might "give him pause," in case he should have any desire to appropriate its contents. both letters were directed to rouse's point, n. y., regularly post-marked at the boston post-office, and the post bill also made out for rouse's point. but on the outside wrapper was purposely written the name of the office which i wished to test. this would excite no suspicion, for mistakes such as this appeared to be, do sometimes occur in the hurry of making up the mails. instead of putting the package into the mail, however, i conveyed it myself to a point near the town of h., and saw it placed in the pouch just before it reached that office. the question now to be settled was, whether on taking off the wrapper (marked "h." as the reader will remember,) and finding the enclosed letters directed to another place, he would forward them to their address, as was his duty, or would appropriate them to himself, believing that they had come there in consequence of a mere accident, and that if he should see fit to take possession of them, the circumstances of the case would effectually conceal his crime, and render search unavailing. it may be said that this was carrying temptation too far. by no means. what degree of integrity should be reasonably required, let me ask, of a person in the service of the public, occupying a responsible position like that of a post master? upon whose fidelity depend the prompt and safe transaction of business, and the security of many other interests of social life. will a valetudinarian virtue answer the purpose? a virtue strong against weak temptations, but weak against strong ones? the man whose principles cannot withstand every degree of enticement to dishonesty, is unfit for any place of trust. furthermore, the combination of circumstances which i have just described, might occur in the experience of any post master throughout the country, and the sufferers by the unfaithfulness of an official so tempted, would hardly be satisfied with being told that he could have resisted any ordinary enticement, but that such an opportunity was too good to be lost. it should be borne in mind that up to this time, the party whose character was involved in these investigations and experiments, was totally unaware of the visits of the agent to his neighborhood. the _mis-sent_ package referred to, arrived at the office in h. on the evening of the day that it left boston, and should have been remailed and forwarded on the following morning; but a close examination of the contents of the mail-bag soon after it left h., failed to bring to light the hidden treasure. no package for rouse's point made its appearance. this, however, did not make out a clear case against the "persecuted" official, neither did it justify his arrest. it occurred to me, on failing to find the letters referred to, that the wrapper in which they had been enclosed, might have been used in sending off other letters that morning, it being the custom in most of the smaller offices, as a matter of economy, to use the same wrappers several times by turning or reversing them. a short search produced the paper in question, which i removed from the package it enclosed, and substituted another in its place. here was an additional proof that the decoy package had reached the office at h., and had been opened, as the new address upon the wrapper was in the post master's hand-writing. he could not therefore say that he had never received such a package at his office, or should he make such an assertion, as he would be very likely to do if he were guilty, the production of this envelope would shut his mouth, and go far to prove his evil intentions. but the case, at this stage, was very far from being a clear one against him, and he yet had a chance, if he were an honest man, of coming out triumphant over the efforts of malice, and the wiles of his "persecutors." the removal of the wrapper and its use in enclosing other packages was all natural enough, being, as i have said, agreeable to the frequent custom in such small offices, and even the non-appearance of the rouse's point letters might yet be accounted for on the supposition that he had laid them aside to be forwarded, and had forgotten them; or that not observing the name of the town to which they were addressed, he had placed them in the "general delivery," where they might at that moment be lying unmolested. desirous of affording the suspected man a fair chance to prove his innocence in this matter, if that were possible, and acting in accordance with the above-mentioned charitable suppositions, i allowed two other opportunities of remailing the letters to pass, but after searching in vain for them on both occasions, i resolved to wait upon the post master and talk over freely and frankly the subject of his enemies' attacks, believing that he would not for a moment dream that i had any connection with the missing package, even if he had purloined it,--a calculation which afterwards proved to be perfectly correct. accordingly i proceeded to the hotel at an early hour in the morning, intending not to seek an interview with him till after breakfast, and while waiting in the bar-room i overheard the following conversation. for convenience' sake i will indicate the different speakers by letters of the alphabet. mr. _a._ (to c. just entering the room.)--"good morning, mr. c. are you 'armed and equipped as the law directs' to go over to f?" (a neighboring town.) _c._--"you mean by that, i suppose, whether i have laid in enough cigars to last till i get there, and patience enough to hold out till i can get back." _a._--"it will be a tedious business, that's a fact. here's nobody knows how many going over from this town; no end to the witnesses, and no end to the case, _i_ don't believe; at least not this term of court." "yes," broke in a rough-looking bystander, "the court'll set and set, and never hatch out nothin' but a parcel of goslins for the lawyers to pluck." _a._--"we can't dispute you, l., for you've been one of those same 'goslins,' i believe." _l._--"no i haint, i've been a darned sight wuss,--a great goose. i swow it makes me mad with myself whenever i think on't." "come, daddy l.," spoke up a free and easy specimen of young america, "tell us about that great law-suit of yours. i never heard all the particulars." "wal, young man," returned l. solemnly, "i'll tell you all about it, hopin' it'll be a warnin' to you never to have nothin' to do with the law. "about fifteen, mebbe sixteen year ago, afore you'd got through hollerin arter your mammy, i used to keep considerable of a lot of sheep, and one year i bought a ram that i'd taken a fancy to jest because he was sech an all-fired big feller, and had sech thunderin' curly horns. i got him pretty cheap, and arter i'd had him awhile, i found out the reason on't. he was the darndest buttin', jumpin' feller that ever _i_ see. there couldn't a calf nor a colt nor nothin' about his size come into the pastur where he was, but what he'd be arter it and knock it into a cocked hat if he could git a lick at it. fact, he pretty much killed two or three likely calves that i had, but the colts was mostly too lively for him. he couldn't often hit 'em. "wal, i kinder hated to kill the feller, he was such a buster, so i shet him up in a little three-cornered lot so's to have him out of the way till the calves was killed off or had got bigger. but what did the rascal du but go to buttin' agin the stone wall that kep him out of neighbor bliss's patch o' rye; and afore he'd bin there tew days, he knocked a hole in't and got into the rye. it was a kinder out of the way place where the lot was, so he had a chance to stay there all night, and 'praps a little longer. anyhow, when bliss found it out, he was hoppin' mad. "he's rether techy any time, but he'd bin a braggin' on this ere field o'rye, how he was goin' to beat the hull town on it, and to have that old ram a nibblin' and trottin' threw it, and a spilin on't, sot his dander up. i was willin' to a' paid him suthin' for damages, but his charges was tew hot for me. told him i'd see him darned afore i'd be imposed upon in that shape. wal, he said he'd sue me, and sure enuff he did. "we kept a lawin' on it considerable of a spell. fust the court gin him his damages; then i 'pealed, and the case kept a gettin' put over somehow or other, till the 'all wool _suit_,' as the lawyers got to callin' it, come to be a standin' joke, and i was heartily sick on't. wal, finally we contrived to settle it, and arter payin' bliss about what he fust asked, i had my costs to see tu, and i went to squire sharp, my lawyer, to see what _he_ was a goin' to charge me for his _sarvices_, as he called it. he was jest as smilin' and clever as a baskit o' chips. "'take a seat, mr. l.' says he, 'i'll find your little account in a minit. pleasant mornin', sir, good growin' weather.' "wal, i set down and found out purty soon that i'd got 'bout fifty dollars to pay for his _sarvices_,--blame 'em! "'now,' says i, 'squire, that air's a good deal o' money for a man like me tu pay, and i don't blieve i can raise it all tu wonst. p'raps you'd take part out in _pro_duce, jest ter 'commodate.' "'oh, yes,' says he, 'mr. l., i'll take anything you've a mind to bring.' "'so,' thinks i, 'i'll git red of one plague by the means;' and i went home and got the old ram and carried him up to the squire's house. "'good mornin', squire,' says i, 'i've brought the fust instalment on my little account.' "'the deuce you have,' says he, 'what do you suppose i'm going to do with that old buck?' "'donno, squire,' says i, 'all i know is that you said you'd take anything i was a mind ter bring, and this ere ram is _legal tender_, anyhow.' "wal, he saw he was kinder stuck, so he 'greed to take it, and 'low me five dollars. "i heerd arterwards that the squire put the ram into an empty hog-pen, to keep him until he could sell him, but the darned critter went over the top on't, and tackled miss sharp, the squire's wife, that happened to be a stoopin' down, weedin' her posies in the gardin, upsot her, and then put arter little jim, one of her boys, and floored him, and ended off with knockin' down a crazy old well-curb, pitchin' into the well, and breakin' his neck, or drowndin' himself, i donno which. "that's the end of my experience in law. the old ram cost me, fust and last, about a hundred dollars." after the conclusion of this instructive narration, the general conversation, which for the time had been suspended, was resumed, and i gathered from what was said that the post master was one of the principal witnesses in the trial above alluded to by messrs a. & c.; that arrangements had been made for an early start, as the place where the court was to be held was some twelve or fifteen miles distant, and that the hotel where we were was the place of rendezvous. i observed narrowly every new-comer, and soon a well-dressed, intelligent-looking man, apparently about thirty years old, entered, whom i took to be the very gentleman i wished to see. my conjecture respecting him proved to be correct, for it was not long before some one addressed him, inquiring whom he had engaged to take charge of the post-office during his absence. deeming it unsafe to delay longer, i beckoned him out of the room, unnoticed by others, and in a friendly and familiar manner, introduced myself, taking care to throw him off his guard by remarking, that being in that vicinity i had concluded to make him a call and satisfy myself whether the complaints made to the department respecting him were just or otherwise, adding that in many of these cases similar complaints had their origin in personal disagreements, or business rivalry. "i am delighted to see you," he replied. "i am gratified that the department has at last authorized some one who is impartial, to look into its matters here, and if i can have a day with you, i will convince you by the testimony of the best men of all parties, that the stories detrimental to me are the invention of enemies, who seem determined to put me down if possible. but they haven't succeeded yet, and what's more, they can't succeed. things have come to a pretty pass when a man can't carry on a more flourishing business than his neighbors, without being set upon and slandered out of his life. "i am summoned to-day to attend court, but if it is inconvenient for you to wait till my return, i shall run the risk of being in time to-morrow, with my testimony, as this business is of vital importance to me and mine, and must not be neglected, come what may." "it _is_ very important," i replied, "and my advice is to risk the displeasure of the court, and ask some of your friends to explain your non-appearance." he concluded to follow my recommendation, and we walked over to the post-office, and retired within its sanctum, where we remained some time, combining pleasure with business, by inhaling the vapor of as good cigars as the mercantile department could furnish, while examining the post-office books, and the post master's general arrangements, and discussing various matters relative thereto. my chief object was, if possible, to get a sight of the contents of the boxes where the two "decoys" should be if they had been mistaken for local letters, and placed in the "general delivery." the one enclosing the bank-notes and specie would come under the initial b., and this box contained quite a number of letters which i thought it unsafe to examine particularly. while i was endeavoring to devise some plausible mode of getting a satisfactory view of them, some one fortunately entered the store and inquired if there were any letters for john barstow. all the b's were at once taken down by the post master, thus giving me exactly the opportunity i wanted of observing each letter, as he was running them over. the last one was reached, but the _mis-sent_ document did not appear; so one important requisite for proving his innocence seemed entirely cut off. soon after, we started out to call on some of the "first citizens," as he termed them, but i readily discovered that the select few to whom i was being introduced, although evidently sincere in the opinions they expressed, were a little biassed in his favor by one motive and another; and that they were quite as likely to be deceived as those whose interests, perhaps, fully as much as their regard for a faithful administration of the post-office, had led them to scrutinize more closely the conduct and principles of our injured friend. among those of his backers on whom we called, was a lawyer of some note in that region, who had recently received a nomination for congress from one of the leading political parties. on our way to this gentleman's office, the post master, as my readers will easily suppose, took care to inform me thoroughly respecting these important particulars. squire w. was evidently a tower of strength to him, and he spared no pains to impress upon me the great truth, that whomsoever the squire thought fit to endorse, possessed irrefragable evidence of an immaculate character. we fortunately found the would-be future m. c. in his office, no other person being present than a law student, also a warm friend to my companion, who quickly withdrew, owing probably to some silent intimation from one or the other of the gentlemen present, that his room was, for the time being, better than his company. this was not, by the way, the post master's first visit here to-day, for he had stopped in as we were passing in the morning, leaving me a moment for that purpose, on which occasion he doubtless suggested our visit, and the importance to him of a pretty strong backing. he appeared immensely delighted to think that he had been able to bring me, a "green" agent, upon whom his character with the department depended, into contact with one whose assurances were to dispel all the clouds that lowered about his head, and reveal him to the community with the double effulgence of injured innocence and undimmed integrity. this pleasing prospect seemed to beget an exuberance of spirits which rather astonished his friend, the squire, as i judged by the occasional expression of his countenance. "now, squire," said the post master, slapping him gently on the back in a persuasive manner, "i want you to tell this gentleman just what you think about the opposition made to me in this village. you know we have always been opposed in politics, and of course you are entirely disinterested in the matter. all you want is to have the office here well managed. you have heard all about the charges that some of my rascally enemies have made against me, and i believe i told you the other day, that they had sent complaints on to washington. we'll see how their slanders turn out when the agent here gets through with investigating the matter. all i want is the truth." "yes, yes, i see," said the squire, clearing for action, by putting an extra stick into the stove, and materially lessening the contents of a good-sized snuff-box that stood upon the table. "it's just as my friend b. says, mr. h----," continued he; "we've always belonged to different parties in politics, and are connected with different religious societies,--in fact, we don't seem to agree on anything of that sort. but i never mean to allow such things to affect my estimate of a man's character, and i hope i shall always be ready to do any one justice, however he may differ from me in opinion. "the case, sir, stands thus: here is a young man fortunate enough to be possessed of more industry and enterprise than some of his neighbors, and accordingly succeeds in business better than they do. their envy is excited, he incurs their ill-will, and they attempt by slander to ruin his character. i don't think any of them would lose by exchanging characters with him. no, sir," (fortifying his position with another pinch of snuff,) "all these charges are utterly without foundation, save in the brains of those who produced them,--a narrow foundation enough, in all conscience, for anything. "i have, perhaps, as great an interest in the proper management of the post-office here as any one, as i receive and send through it probably more important correspondence than any other man in town; but i have never had cause to complain, and, so far as i know, everything has gone right." here a moment's pause followed, which the lawyer improved by replenishing the stove and his facial promontory. the post master cleared his throat, gave the squire an approving nod, and rocked back and forth upon the hind legs of his chair, picking his teeth in a nonchalant way, apparently much at his ease. "by the way, squire w.," he broke out, rather suddenly, "perhaps the gentleman would like to hear about that letter that marshall mailed here to go to new haven, ct., and which was misdirected to new haven, vt." i replied, that i should be happy to hear any statements that would throw light on the subject in hand. "well," said the squire, "there was a great handle made of that affair. you see, this marshall is a careless, absent-minded genius, and he wrote a letter, into which he put fifty dollars for his old mother in connecticut, and it didn't get there. well, he came and consulted me about it, and wanted me to sue b. here, for the money. "'why, mr. w.,' said he, 'i'm confident that b. has got it. people say he can't be trusted, and i believe it now.' "'but see here, marshall,' replied i, 'there are twenty offices or more between this place and the one where you sent your letter; and it is, to say the least, quite as likely to have been purloined anywhere else as here. you had better wait a few days, and i will make inquiries, and do what i can to find out whether b. knows anything about it. if it should appear at all probable that he does, i can assure you that i will not hesitate to sue him.' "so i put off matters for a little while, and before marshall got very urgent again, the lost letter turned up in the new haven, vt., post-office; no one being to blame but the very man who had made all the fuss! the enemies of our friend here, who had all the time been chuckling to think they had him on the hip, felt flat enough, i assure you, when the letter came to light, for they would rather have paid over the fifty dollars themselves, than to have lost this chance of confirming their accusations against him." this turn in the conversation gave me an excellent opportunity of trying the nerves, or the innocence of the post master, without exciting his suspicions in the least; so i remarked, "the new haven, vermont, post master must have been an honest man, or this money letter might never have been seen again; as no one would have thought of looking there for it, and if they had, it wouldn't have been very easy to prove that it ever went there." here i glanced at b., but his countenance betrayed no consciousness that my observation was designed to hit him, and with an aspect of unruffled coolness, he proceeded to say, "that new haven case reminds me of something very similar, which happened in this office only a day or two ago. a package of letters came here from boston, which were intended for a town in new york. by the way, mr. agent, i wish the next time you are in the rutland office you would request the mailing clerks to be a little more particular in addressing their wrappers, as our packages, both of letters and papers, frequently go astray, while those for other offices sometimes come here. surrounded, as i am, by so many prying and fault-finding people, failures caused in this way are likely to be seized upon to make me trouble." i replied, that i would try to bear his request in mind, being all the time well satisfied that it was a device adopted to turn attention from the _mis-sent_ package, to which he had unguardedly referred, and to prevent further allusion to it, which might awaken suspicion, and even betray guilt. he was indeed treading on dangerous ground. his voluntary admission, that a package similar to my decoy package had been in his hands, and that he had noticed the name of the place to which the letters were directed, was all that was wanting to confirm my belief that they had been purloined, since i already knew that they had not been forwarded from his office. after our worthy legal friend had exhausted every illustration, and brought to view every fact at his command, corroborating his very high estimate of the post master's character, both personal and official, and had given the "enemies" the extremely low and degraded position which they, as maligners of spotless worth, and conspirators against tried honesty, ought justly to assume,--in short, after he had said, if not done, all that even the object of his advocacy could have desired, i proposed an adjournment for dinner, more for the sake of securing in that way an opportunity of telegraphing for the united states marshal, than for administering to the wants of the inner man. the victim of calumny and myself separated at the door of the squire's office, agreeing to meet again soon after dinner; and while he was dispatching his meal, i was dispatching a telegraphic message, which ran thus:-- "----, esq., u. s. marshal: "come here by first train. i will join you at the depot, and explain business." just as i had left the telegraph office, i was addressed in a very private and mysterious manner by a substantial-looking citizen, whom i had before observed eyeing me very closely. he wished to know whether i was the united states mail agent. i informed him that such was the title of my office. "then i want an opportunity for some conversation with you about this business of the post office. i suppose you are here to examine into this affair, and are willing to hear both sides. there are some things in connection with the matter, which i think you ought to know." "i was just going to the hotel for my dinner," said i. "government officers must eat, you know, as well as other people, and for a while after dinner i shall be engaged; but if what you have to communicate is of importance, i will endeavor to confer with you before i leave town." "i hope you will; and allow me one word now. i understand that you have been closeted with squire w., and i want you to know something about his position in this matter. everybody allows him to be an honest and a sincere man, but the fact is, he has been very active in effecting the removal of the site of the post-office from the other side of the river to its present location, and could hardly be called a disinterested witness in such an investigation as you no doubt intend to give the subject." how far this dig at the squire was just, i could not then certainly know; but a glance at his law dispensary and the post-office, distant from each other only a few rods, both being a good quarter of a mile from the old post-office site, gave some plausibility to the intimation that the squire's interest and love for justice, happened in this instance, to run in the same direction. my presence in the village had become pretty generally known, as appeared by various unmistakable indications, particularly some not very flattering remarks which i overheard at the dinner-table, such as "a one-sided affair," "consulting interested persons," "don't know how he expects to find out the truth," and the like; all of which i pretended neither to hear nor to notice. it was very evident that our man of letters hadn't many friends in _that_ house, for those of its inmates and frequenters who were not in some way influenced by rival interests, were no doubt more or less disaffected by the removal of the post office from that immediate neighborhood. as i was one of the last to leave the table, the usual cloud of tobacco smoke had taken possession of the bar-room, and was enveloping its occupants in an atmosphere "darkly, deeply, beautifully blue," when i entered the apartment devoted to the production of this mollifying vapor. the narcotic herb seemed to have lost its ordinary soothing power, for the company then and there present bestowed upon me glances cool and scrutinizing enough to dispel effectually any inclination i might have had for indulging a short time in the delights of social intercourse. so i seized my over-coat, and passed out; and this movement was the signal for a spasmodic giggle by the entire assemblage, in which the landlord joined, as i supposed, for i distinctly recognised his grum voice just as i closed the door, uttering, in a contemptuous tone, the following remark, "i guess the agent don't like tobacco smoke!" i was little disturbed, however, by these and sundry other indications that i was not establishing a reputation for impartiality and shrewdness with a majority of the citizens. if i were to listen to all they might be ready to tell me, i should be spending valuable time to no sort of purpose, for the proofs of the post master's delinquency which i had thus far obtained were derived, not from them, but from himself, and it was in that direction only that i could reasonably expect to obtain conclusive evidence of his guilt, for all the accusations which his enemies had sent to the department had been supported by nothing better than the opinions of those who made them. if i failed in securing what i expected from the course i was pursuing, it would then be time to see what other proof could be procured from different quarters; and until the result of my investigations should be known, i was content to rest under the cloud of misapprehension which appeared to be gathering about me, knowing that thus i could best serve the interests of justice, and that time would set me right with those who were now disposed to look on me as one whose mind had been preoccupied by the artful tales of the post master and his friends. i must confess that i was somewhat amused to think what a complete metamorphosis my character would undergo in the eyes of almost every member of this little community, when the truth should come to light. i had sufficient confidence in the uprightness and candor of the squire, to believe that he would readily acquit me of trifling, in the course i had pursued with him, and that he would acquiesce in the adoption of whatever measures the public interest might seem to have required. nor was i in this instance the victim of misplaced confidence, as will hereafter appear. the post master and myself soon met again at the post-office, when cigars for two were produced, and as we sat smoking them, i could not avoid a feeling of melancholy, at seeing him apparently so cheerful and happy, and sincerely regretted the necessity that compelled me to persist sternly in a course which would assuredly end in the blight of his hopes and the ruin of his character. he was evidently certain of having fully established his innocence, and of having inspired me with some of the contempt for his persecutors which he felt himself. "we have met the enemy, and they are ours," seemed to be the language of his looks and actions, if not of his lips. the sky over his head appeared bright; the clouds, to his eyes, had dispersed; and he dreamed not that the roar of the next railroad train would be to him like the peal of thunder which accompanies the lightning's quick and deadly bolt. yet i consoled myself with the reflection that my motives were such as should actuate every public officer in the discharge of his duty, and that i was not responsible for the consequences which might follow the carrying out of plans judiciously devised for this end,--an end which, in an important case like this, fully justified the means. this train of thought was interrupted by the post master, who rather abruptly asked, "well, mr. h., i suppose you have satisfied yourself about this affair; and, if it isn't asking too much, i should be glad to know what sort of report you are going to make to the department?" i was unprepared for this, and i confess i was for a moment nonplussed. but i evaded a direct answer, by relating what i had heard and seen at the hotel, and how displeased they all were with me for not giving them a chance to be heard in the course of my investigation. and wishing to divert his mind still further from the troublesome point on which he had touched, i ventured upon a few remarks about the painful and often disagreeable duties of a special agent, introducing, by way of embellishment, an anecdote of post master general collamer. in the course of a conversation between that officer and one of the western special agents, the matter of an increase of salary, among other things, was briefly discussed. says the agent, "you know, sir, that many times we are called upon to do things which can hardly be made to square with the code of honor; and in fact, we sometimes have to resort to downright duplicity and deception." "well, well," replied judge collamer, "i suppose you find yourself perfectly at home at that!" this diversion answered the purpose, and nothing further was said about my intended report. just as i had fairly extricated myself from this ticklish position, a messenger from the telegraph-office appeared, with a reply from the marshal to my dispatch, which response i managed to read without the least suspicion of its nature on the part of the individual who had such a momentous interest therein. the contents of the dispatch were simply, "i will leave by first train." after having been introduced to a number of other swift witnesses for our friend, who _happened in_ at the post-office, and holding some conversation with them on the all-absorbing theme, the iron horse's shrill neigh announced the approach of the train by which the marshal was to arrive; and without much ceremony i took my leave, to meet him at the depot, promising to return again. he was the first man to alight on the platform, and was soon made acquainted with the business in hand. we thought it best that he should go directly to my room at the hotel, where i was presently to join him, in company with the post master; and ten minutes more found us there, sitting around as pleasant a fire as ever irradiated and comforted with its genial warmth, such a trio of officials. i had introduced the marshal by his proper name and title, yet the announcement produced no visible effect upon the unsuspecting post master. he seemed as cool and unembarrassed as if he had been in the habit of forming the acquaintance of united states officers every day. this rather astonished me, as it did the marshal, and he (the marshal) favored me with a glance and a slight motion of the head, which intimated that, in his opinion, i had mistaken my man. i had set it down as a fixed fact, that the appearance and introduction of the marshal in his own character, would at once excite the apprehensions of the post master, and lead to inquiries from him which would render it comparatively easy for me to enter upon that decisive course of questioning and examination which the present advanced state of the affair required. but all my calculations were frustrated by this unexpected move on the part of my antagonist, and i was left _in statu quo_, so far as regarded any help i had hoped for from him. in this condition of things, all that remained for me was to make a bold push at once, and break the ice as speedily as possible. so, turning to the post master, i thus addressed him: "were you, mr. b., at home, last monday evening, when the boston mail arrived?" "i was," replied he, after some hesitation. "did you open and assort the mail yourself on that occasion?" "i did." "and did you find a package of two letters, mailed at boston, and addressed to rouse's point?" here, for the first time, a change came over his countenance; and, after a moment's reflection, he answered very firmly, that he did not recollect any such package. "one of the letters," continued i, "contained twenty-five dollars in bills, and fifty cents in specie, and the other contained no money, and was addressed to a lady." he listened attentively, and repeated that he did not see any such letters as those i had described. "well, sir," i observed, "we must now trouble you to show us the money you have about you." he readily complied with this requisition, by handing me his pocket-book. it was well filled, but among a tolerably large roll of bank-notes, none of those included in the decoy letter appeared. his knowledge, of the absence of these important witnesses against him, easily accounted for his promptness in submitting to the examination, and as he received the wallet from me again, and returned it to his pocket, his air of assurance, which for the moment had been dimmed, reappeared in all its native lustre, and with an assumed expression of wounded pride, he requested to know if he was to understand that i suspected him of interfering improperly with the letters i had been inquiring about. to this i answered, "yes, sir; you _are_ so to understand me; and further, that i believe you have robbed and destroyed those letters!" the marshal was looking on all this while, evidently somewhat incredulous as to the justice of my accusations, for he had long known by reputation the young man against whom they were made, being an acquaintance of the family, and always supposed him to be an enterprising, honest person. indeed, he told me afterwards, that he really thought, to use his own expression, that i "had put my foot in it." in fact, i began to think myself, that however certain b.'s guilt might be, it was likely to prove more difficult than i had supposed, to establish the fact legally. one thing, however, remained,--to examine a quantity of specie, which i knew he had in his pocket, as he had frequently exhibited it during the day in the way of making change at his office. this also, amounting to some six or eight dollars, was promptly produced at my request, and laid on the table. "now," thought i, "the last card is dealt; let us see whether it will turn up a trump." the evil spirit, which so enticingly leads people into scrapes, and is so reluctant to get them out again, true to its fatal instincts, had safely preserved the evidence of guilt in the present case. a moment's inspection of the different coins, brought to light one of the identical pieces which had been placed in the missing letter! it was thus described in the original memorandum to which i referred: "american quarter--dot over left wing of eagle; slightly filed on lower edge under date, ." "here is one of the quarters," said i, holding it up, "that was in the rouse's point letter,--marked and described in my memorandum, so that i could swear to it anywhere." "well, mr. h.," said the post master, "i suppose this circumstance appears to you very strongly against me, and perhaps it is. but i should like a few moments' private conversation with you, if you have no objection." agreeably to this hint, the marshal retired; but the post master remained silent for a while, resting his chin on his hand, and gazing into the fire with a countenance overshadowed by dejection and discouragement. the gloom on his features grew deeper and deeper, but at last he roused himself, and looked me full in the face, saying, in almost despairing tones, "_can_ anything be done to save me? oh, mr. h., for heaven's sake, put yourself in my place for a moment! think what it is to fight as i have fought for years, to defend my reputation against enemies who wanted to pull me down, and build themselves up on my ruins; and after holding my ground so long, to be blown to pieces, as it were in an instant! how they'll all exult! there's old p.; i can see just how he'll look, shaking his old fox head. 'ah, i knew something was rotten all the time!' "what can you do to get me out of this trouble? i can't have it so; i _must_ have something done to save me from becoming the laughing-stock of my enemies." "but," said i, "your enemies, as you call them, could have done you no harm, if you had not supplied them with weapons yourself." "that may be," replied he, mournfully, "but i assure you that this is my _first_ offence. i had never dreamed of meddling with letters till this rouse's point package came in my way; but it didn't seem as if it could ever be discovered, so the temptation was too much for me." (it is a curious fact, by the way, that almost all the cases of post office robbery we meet with are "first offences;" even those whose boldness indicates some little previous experience in such things.) "what," inquired i, "did you do with the bills that were in the letter?" "i sent them away," replied he, "the same day that i took them. now, i've told you frankly all about the affair, and i hope you will contrive some way to save me from disgrace and ruin. couldn't the business stop here, if i refund what i have taken, and resign my office as post master? i should be willing to do more than that, if it should be necessary." i assured him that i had no power to make any such arrangement, and that i must leave the matter with the marshal, who i supposed would be under the necessity of serving the process. thus speaking, i stepped to the door, and called that gentleman into the room, who proceeded forthwith to read the warrant issued against b. during the reading of that instrument, a sudden change came over the countenance of the unfortunate post master. he turned pale, and would have fallen, had i not prevented him. the marshal and i assisted him to a bed that stood in the room, where he lay for a long time, prostrate in body and mind. as i stood over him, attempting to revive him by the use of such means as were at hand, i thought how great must have been the shock which had so overpowered his faculties. his strength of body, and pride of soul, were, for the time, laid low. what a pity that he had not possessed the right kind of pride; not merely the ambition to rise above the machinations of his enemies, and put them under his feet, but the pride that despises a mean action, and dreads a crime more than its consequences. such a feeling would have been a safeguard; but i was sorry to observe that, while he was confessing his guilt, the thought of his enemies' triumph over him was uppermost in his mind. he had now somewhat revived, and wishing to calm his exasperated feelings, (which i supposed were in some measure the cause of his present condition,) by turning his thoughts to another channel, i inquired of the marshal, in a rather low tone, whether he had any family. "he has a wife, i believe," was the reply, and in a moment b. was saying to himself, his eyes still shut, "jane, jane, what will _you_ think? don't despise me, if you can help it." he went on for some little time in this strain, displaying a high regard for his wife's affection and good opinion, and an apprehension that he might have forfeited them by his misconduct; an apprehension utterly groundless--so far, at least, as regarded affection, for the undying flame of love in a true woman's heart cannot so be quenched. mrs. b., as i afterwards learned, was a most estimable woman, whose influence had doubtless been of great benefit to her husband. alas! that the power of his good angel could not have triumphed over the temptation to which he yielded! when he had recovered sufficiently to walk about, the marshal took him in charge, and conveyed him to a neighboring town, where the united states district judge resided, for examination. his friends, who were highly respectable, were informed by telegraph of his arrest, and gave the required bail for his appearance at trial. thus we have traced out an important part of the career of one whose character was laid low, not by his enemies, but by his own hand. and whenever i pass through the pleasant town which was the scene of these transactions, a shade of melancholy comes over me, entirely at variance with the general cheerful appearance both of the place and the surrounding landscape. on one of the last occasions that i was in that vicinity, the train on which i was traveling stopped for a few moments at this station. it was a delightful summer's day, and if the objects which met my eye, as i gazed up and down the street, had not been, many of them, monuments to me of a melancholy history, i should have thought that the place yielded in beauty to few of the villages which adorn new england. but a stranger occupied the store where the unfortunate b. maintained the contest with his rivals; the post office was in other hands; and i was just turning away from a scene that suggested nothing but unpleasant reminiscences, when squire w. emerged from the station-house, and cordially addressed me. this was the first time i had seen him, since our memorable interview in his office. "good morning, mr. h.," said he; "how is the rogue-catching business now? i suppose you have disposed of a good many since you despatched b. so summarily. when i first heard of his arrest, feeling sure of his innocence as i did, i don't know that i should have been much surprised if you had come after me next; and i felt a little sore, to tell you the truth, to think that my endorsement of him had so little weight with you. but i have since seen that you were perfectly right about it, though i am sorry that poor b. should have turned out so badly." here the iron horse began to manifest indications of impatience, and shaking hands with the worthy squire, we went our several ways. chapter iv. high crimes in low places--honest baggage-masters--suspicious circumstances--watching the suspected--shunning the dust--honesty triumphant--an episode--unexpected confession--the night clerks--conformity to circumstances--pat the porter--absents himself--physician consulted--the dead child--hunting excursions--"no go"--pat explains his absence--his discharge--the grave-stones--stolen money appears--the jolly undertakers--pat at the grave--more hunting--firing a salute--removing the deposits--crossing the ferry--scene at the post office--trip to brooklyn--recovery of money--escape--encounter with a policeman--searching a steamer--waking the wrong passenger--accomplices detained--luxuries cut off--false imprisonment suit--michael on the stand--case dismissed. public confidence in the united states mail, and in the integrity of those connected therewith, never perhaps received a severer shock than that which it suffered from the extensive robberies committed in the summer and fall of , by pat r., at that time a night porter in the new york post office. the range of _his_ ambition was by no means commensurate with his humble station in life and the post office, and his menial occupation did not repress aspirations which could render him a fit rival to such men as swartwout and schuyler, both by the extent of his schemes of villany, and the success with which they were carried on. he was no petty thief, content with doing a small but comparatively safe business at filching, or at least, satisfied to begin with the "day of small things;" but he had hardly taken the oath of office before its strength was tested, and it proved no greater restraint to him than a spider's thread to a wild buffalo. he at once plunged into the tempting field which lay before him, and grasped with a greedy clutch at every opportunity to enlarge his increasing store of ill-gotten wealth. he would sometimes add thousands to his hoard in a single night, and carried on these bold depredations for some time unsuspected, not because he was _above_ suspicion, but because he was _below_ it. in other words, after these robberies had been pretty satisfactorily traced to the new york office, it was necessary to establish the innocence, so far as these losses were concerned, of a large number of clerks, before suspicion fairly rested on the guilty party. thus, when the investigation was commenced, he was buried up, so to speak, beneath so many protecting layers, all of which were removed before he came to light. i will not attempt to give any idea of the quantity of labor necessary in this and similar preliminary investigations. some of the numerous complaints made to the department and the post master of new york, involved large sums of money. among them was a package of $ in bank-notes, mailed at middletown, conn., for philadelphia, penn. another of $ from bridgeport, conn., to zanesville, ohio. still another of $ from joliet, ill., to new york, and many other smaller sums, from $ to $ ; also drafts, notes, checks, &c, to an enormous amount in the aggregate. none of these valuable remittances had been seen by any persons properly interested in them, after they had passed out of the hands of the senders. doubtless to those unacquainted with such matters, it may not prove much for the efficiency of the special agent to state that the thefts were occasionally repeated even after he had entered upon this investigation. but the agent employed in this instance always preferred to catch the rogue, rather than frighten him, thereby leaving innocent parties under the ban of suspicion, as well as destroying all chances for the recovery of the property already stolen. and the benefits and propriety of that course were fully realized in the result of the important case under consideration. as "it is the last straw which breaks the camel's back," so it is often the stealing of the last letter which aids in bringing to light the depredator of former ones. i propose here to relate some details, which may be interesting, of the means taken to "narrow down" and trace out those extensive robberies, not so much on account of anything novel or original, adopted at this or any other stage of the investigation, as to demonstrate the value of a character that is proof against trying temptation; and the dangerous position of those who are not at all times thus fortified, although they may be innocent of the particular offences charged. with but few exceptions, the mails in which the missing letters and money packages should have been conveyed to new york, would have come from the east by the express night trains, over the boston and new york railroad. upon those trains, the mails were in charge of the baggage-masters, the regular mail or "route agents" being confined to the way mail-trains running at different hours of the day. a variety of circumstances, besides their good reputation, conspired to avert suspicion from these baggage-men. the mails were in "through bags," and it required a mail-key to obtain access to their contents; and besides, the robberies could not well be perpetrated in that way without collusion between several persons,--the express agents, and the conductors, all reliable men, having occasion often to visit the baggage car, which was always well lighted. accompanying the night express trains there were also "through baggage-masters," so called. their duty was performed by two persons, one of whom left boston and the other new york on each evening. on privately consulting the officers of the railroad company as to the running of these men, it appeared that about all the losses had happened on the nights of one of them: a discovery which, as had been shown by experience in similar cases, was by no means conclusive, and yet of too much importance to be overlooked. the individual thus involved knew me well, and it required no little manoeuvring to get over the route as often as was necessary, without being observed by him. one night when thus endeavoring to avoid him, a very amusing incident occurred. the regular conductor soon after leaving springfield, was taken suddenly ill, and procured the services of this identical baggage-master for a short distance, unknown of course to me. i was sitting curled up in the corner of the saloon of the first passenger car, when the door opened and the well known call of "tickets, gentlemen," apprised me that he had found me out before i had recognised him, or at least had discovered that i was "aboard." but i made the best of it, simply remarking that there was the least dust there of any spot on the train. up to this time my ground of suspicion was mainly confined to the coincidence already mentioned between the dates of losses, and his presence on the cars. the investigation had not proceeded far, however, when another matter came to light, which increased suspicion in that quarter. a citizen of new york called on me and stated that recently, just as the night train was starting from the depot in canal street, he handed this same baggage-master a letter containing money, which he asked him to take charge of, not having time to carry it to the post-office. he at first declined, on the ground that the conveyance of letters out of the mail was illegal, but finally proposed to receive it, and, if possible, to get it into the proper bag through one of the small openings between the staples. this was the last that was ever seen of the letter by the sender or his correspondent. the former having called on the baggage-master, had been told that, the letter was crowded into the right mail-bag, as promised; but the statement was not believed, and the circumstance happening in the midst of other troubles on the same line, seemed to constitute an important step in the progress of discovering the author of all this mischief. a very shrewd acquaintance of the man of trunks, in boston, was confidentially employed to ascertain something of his habits, and the state of his finances. after a fair and faithful trial, he reported to me, that the aforesaid superintendent of baggage was "as steady as a model deacon, and as poor as a country editor within fifty miles by railroad, of a large city." and that "although always ready, like many other clever fellows, to partake of the hospitality of his friends when strongly urged, yet you might as well try to get a smile out of a dead man without the use of a galvanic battery, as to induce him to spend a dollar unnecessarily." the justice of this report was speedily confirmed, and the problem for the thousandth time satisfactorily worked out, that suspicion never yet injured a really honest man, although seemingly well founded in the outset. connected with the mailing of one of the large money packages already described, were circumstances which made it necessary, as is often the fact in a series of robberies, to investigate it as an isolated case, unconnected with the theft of the other packages and letters, none of which would go into or pass through the office in which this one was deposited. the statement of the cashier went to show that he took the package to the post-office himself, and handed it to a clerk who happened to be alone in the office, and but a short time before the mail left for new york. this was confirmed by the clerk's own statement, and by his entry in a book kept for the registry of valuable letters and parcels. about the habits of this clerk, and his manner when examined, there was nothing which appeared in the least to implicate him. the cashier thought it out of the question that anything could be wrong there. the young clerk was a member of his sabbath-school class, from which he was never absent, and he believed him to be "all right." and yet he had an excellent opportunity to have kept back the package, and the temptation would indeed have been a dangerous one to older and more strongly fortified persons than he was. i determined, therefore, to put him to the test of a direct charge of having purloined the package, which i lost no time in doing, intimating that a confession and restoration of the money was his first duty. but he met the charge fearlessly, and firmly asserted his innocence as to the important remittance in question. the faithful monitor within, however, would not let him rest there. believing, probably, that i knew more about other transactions of his than the one i had accused him of, he addressed me as follows:-- "i mailed that bank package, and know that it left our office. what could i have done with so much money, if i had been bad enough to have taken it? and i _was_ just bad enough! i am willing to tell you all i have done, and will very gladly restore the ill-gotten funds, for they have made me miserable." i will omit the details of this unexpected confession, but the first case owned was the $ letter that had been handed to the through baggage-master, to be crammed into the locked mail-pouch, the failure of which letter, as has been already shown, had given so much force to suspicions against him! by way of corroborating this part of his admissions, at my request, he described the address of the letter, the kind of money it contained, and to complete the identity, he mentioned that it came there loose in the mail-bag. this discovery relieved the baggage-man amazingly, and at the same time aided me in deciding at what point the heavy losses had occurred; for if the large package started from this office, and was not disturbed on the cars, it must have been stolen in the new york or philadelphia office, where it was destined. another fact transpired about this time, which assisted still further in locating these alarming robberies. among them was one of a letter mailed by the cashier of a bank in vermont, for an office in one of the western states, and enclosing a quantity of the notes of that bank. the bills had peculiar marks upon them. they all found their way back to the bank through the usual channel of redemption, within a week of the time they were mailed; hence, of course, the letter could not have gone beyond new york. besides, it was sent to that office for distribution, and the post bill was on file there, and described this identical letter, by its unusual rate, and as being pre-paid by stamps. in all the other cases, the post bills were not to be found, either in new york or other distant post offices, and they must have been taken with the packages themselves. the fact that the night mails had suffered chiefly, warranted me now in confining the investigation principally to the night clerks. they were generally a worthy and reliable class of gentlemen, some of them having held this responsible station for many years. in the inquiries and examinations which i was obliged to make, i found some instances of conformity to circumstances and limited means, that would confer credit on any men, or any age. but it will perhaps be said, that cunning men may be dishonest, and yet keep their ill-gotten gains out of sight; surrounding themselves with the appearances of frugality and even poverty. this may be so sometimes, temporarily, but it is nevertheless a fact that rogues _steal money to spend it_, and for the comfort and ease which they _expect_ it will confer, which expectation, however, never is realized. for it is the universal rule that money, or any other property not honestly obtained, "bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder;" and realizing the fabled vulture of prometheus, unceasingly feeds on the undying life of him who steals, not fire from heaven, but a baser thing from earth. the sad experience of thousands who have thought themselves cunning enough to cope with the shrewdest officers of justice, will show that however artful and ingenious may be the devices adopted, there are ways enough to meet and expose them. honesty is, therefore, not only the best policy, but the only safe and impregnable barrier against suspicion, detection, and misery. pat r. was appointed as a night porter, at the urgent solicitation of a prominent, and at that time, somewhat influential citizen of the first ward. he was recommended as a robust, athletic man, just suited to the drudgery which somebody must undertake in such an office, of attending to the lifting, handling, and removing of heavy mails. in that capacity it was not expected that he would discharge any of the more responsible duties of a regular clerk, such as making up and assorting mail-matter; but the labor of the office accumulating, he gradually added to his nightly employments that of "facing up" the contents of the midnight mails, after they had been emptied out, and separating the letter from the newspaper packages. had this last fact been furnished me at an earlier date, by the head clerk of that department, this troublesome investigation would probably have been sooner brought to a satisfactory termination. but, supposing from pat's position and legitimate duties, that he had not the requisite opportunities for committing depredations, he was about the last one to be looked after. and when i did conclude to extend my particular attentions to him, i was somewhat startled by the discovery, from an examination of the "time register"--a book in which each clerk is required to enter his name and the time of his arrival at and departure from the office--that pat had not been on duty for nearly a week! this was of course known before to the then first clerk of that department, but the sickness of the absentee, and the death of one of his children, which had been alleged as an excuse, (through another porter,) seemed to be a plausible and satisfactory explanation. but the agent thought otherwise, under the circumstances, and deemed it best, at all events, to ascertain in a careful way its truth or falsity. by the aid of a reliable day clerk, who lived in brooklyn, in the neighborhood of pat, i learned the name and general standing of the physician whom he had employed. an interview with him, supposed on his part to be for the purpose of ascertaining whether pat was a man of strictly temperate habits, and in all respects fit to be employed in a post office, confirmed the part of his story relating to the child's death, but disproved the rest of it, about his own illness. but the doctor went the whole figure in regard to pat's good character and fitness for any place which was not too intellectual. i could see, however, that my referee cared more about keeping a paying customer, (all professional charges, as he stated, having been fully liquidated up to that date,) than for posting me up in any matters that would jeopardize so good a situation, where all the monthly payments were in hard and legal currency. by this step i obtained the first tangible justification of my suspicions against pat. he had assigned, in part at least, a false reason for his absence. at about the same time, i consulted one of the brooklyn penny-posts, whose beat took in pat's residence, and who reported that he had on several occasions recently met him with a gun on his shoulder, apparently starting on a hunting excursion. he was very poor when he entered the office, and by way of testing his ability to live without work, it was arranged with an agent for procuring laborers for a western railroad, to call on him, and offer him a chance to go to illinois as foreman of a gang of hands. but it was "no go." his health was too precarious for that. thus matters went on for some time longer, when one day, very much to my surprise, pat entered the post master's room, and with a woe-begone look, and most melancholy tone of voice, commenced apologizing for his apparent neglect of duty. i was busily engaged in writing at the time, and so continued, hoping that he would not recognise me, as it afterwards appeared he did not. "misther fowler," says he, "i wish to spake to your honor about meself. ye see, sir, i've been unfortunate, and didn't come to me task; and the cause is, sir, that i've been sick meself with a terrible diarrhoee (placing his hand on his abdominal region,) and what is more painful than that (still keeping his hand in the same position, instead of changing it to the region of the heart,) i have buried a darling boy, your honor; and sure isn't it enough to turn the brain of a poor divil? ah, may the like on't niver happen to yourself, sir!" and a big tear rolling down his cheek, attested the _sincerity_ of his grief. a momentary fear that the post master might intimate something of our suspicions, was speedily relieved by his shrewdly remarking that he was sorry for his (pat's) misfortunes, and that he had no fault to find, except that he ought to have sent more particular word as to the cause of his detention. pat thanked his employer, and backing out of the room, promised to be at his post that night. "well, what do you think of him?" inquired the postmaster. "i think," said i, "that if he _is_ the robber, and can come here and appear in that way, he is smarter than either of us. but we shall see." for the week following, but few of his movements were unknown to me. his duties at night were very indifferently performed, and the hours during the day usually improved by the other night clerks for rest, were by him devoted to dissipation; so that, before half the night had passed, he would often be found in some out of the way place, fast asleep. his discharge (which he no doubt desired) was thought best, in order to throw him upon his own resources, with the hope of bringing to light some of the stolen funds, if they were still in his hands. much of the money, which amounted in all to some $ , could be identified. the middletown package of § consisted of small bills, put up in parcels of § each; and upon every bill there was a mark by which it could be readily known. up to this time none of the money contained in this package or the others, except that mentioned as coming from vermont, had found its way to the banks by which it was issued. one day, about noon, i observed pat's giant-like form crossing broadway, and for more than an hour i followed him without his knowledge, until he brought up in a stone-cutter's establishment. as i passed and repassed the door, i thought i observed him paying over some bank-notes to the occupant. after he had left, i stepped in, and was soon in possession of three $ notes of the middletown (ct.) bank, with which he had paid for the _grave-stones_ of "_his darling boy!_" the bills were clearly a part of the § middletown package, being of the same denomination, and exhibiting the same unmistakable marks. this accidental meeting, at once supplying a key to the mystery, was one of those misfortunes that so often befall criminals at some point of their guilty career, and even when they imagine themselves perfectly successful, and permanently secure against the possibility of detection. i must here tell the reader a secret, explanatory of a question that naturally arises, namely, why, with such overwhelming proof in my possession, an arrest was not at once made. it was simply because he would have gone clear before any tribunal, had i depended on the case as it then stood. the bills of the § package were all marked as stated, but unfortunately a large amount, with precisely the same peculiarities, was in circulation at this very time, though not supposed to be in that vicinity. had the arrest taken place then, and the cashier been summoned to testify on the point of identity, he would have said that he put _such_ bills into the philadelphia package, but could not have sworn that they were some of the identical notes. besides, it was no unimportant part of this difficult business, to effect a return of the funds, as far as possible, to the pockets of the victims of these robberies. the scarcity of live game in any direction within several miles of brooklyn, and pat's supposed want of experience in the use of the "shooting iron," suggested the possibility that his frequent excursions to a neighboring wood had some other object than hunting. possibly it might be the guarding of his hidden treasures. therefore, on a bright october morning, i concluded, if possible, to know more upon this point, and, disguised in the garb of a shabby-looking hunter, with a gun and dog borrowed of a friend for the occasion, i strolled off in the direction in which pat had so often been in the habit of going. before fairly reaching the woods, he and two of his companions passed me in a rough-looking vehicle, and soon after turned from the main road into the burial-ground. from a somewhat secluded spot, i could watch their movements tolerably well, and it soon became apparent that at least one of the objects of this trip was to place the marble stones--the payment for which had so singularly betrayed him--at the grave of his deceased child. the whole party were evidently under the effects of the "critter;" and the prospect seemed to be, that they would soon have occasion to mourn the departure of other beloved _spirits_, for the jug circulated freely, and a more jolly set of fellows, considering the lugubrious nature of their errand, is seldom met with. but when they arrived at the spot where the child was sleeping, their mirth grew less boisterous, and pat in silence commenced his labor of love; and as he proceeded in his melancholy task, i could see that he refused to join his companions in further potations, for although their respect for the place, or for their friend's affliction, seemed to overcome for the time their rum-inspired loquacity, they did not cease to resort to the jug for strength to enable them to bear his grief, while sitting in the cart waiting for the completion of the task which brought them there. [illustration] at length the little white stones stood in their places, showing, by the short distance between them, how brief was the passage from the cradle to the grave, of the being whose whole history, so far as concerned the world at large, was inscribed on these marble pages. a parent's heart, however, bears a different record; and after pat had adjusted the turf about the little grave, and given the finishing touches to his work, he stood and gazed for a moment upon the resting place of his child, thinking--of what? perhaps of the contrast between the guilty living and the innocent dead. perhaps a flash from conscience glanced across his mind. at least he exhibited some external signs of emotion, for as he turned away to join his unconcerned companions, he brushed away a tear, and with it, perhaps, the softening influences that were at work upon his heart. the trio once more seated in the vehicle, pat no longer refused the fluid consolation that his companions proffered him. they by turns levelled the jug at the heavens, taking observations with the mouth rather than with the eyes, and as the last member of this astronomical corps elevated the instrument, its near approach to the perpendicular showed that a vacuum was well nigh formed within its recesses. what discoveries they made, except "seeing stars" in general, i cannot say, for they immediately turned their course towards home. this was the last that i saw of pat that day, but the next time he started on his accustomed tramp, two days after, he had at least one attentive spectator of his rifle exercise; and although i failed on this occasion to discover the precise place of his deposits, owing to my fear of alarming him, the opinion was strengthened by what i saw, that they were still resting quietly within a thick piece of woods, embracing some three or four acres, where he spent several hours that day. during this time, i was not more than a quarter of a mile from him, yet not a single report of his gun did i hear. presuming that he had seen me at a distance, i now and then let off a charge innocent of lead, and occasionally betrayed the dog into a tolerably ferocious bark, by making him "speak" for a small cigar case which, held at a respectful distance from the animal, might easily have been mistaken by him for a well-cooked morsel of meat. this stratagem i thought necessary to carry out the idea of a busy and enthusiastic huntsman. but this little essay at hunting yielded me no game of bipeds, feathered or otherwise. soon after this, a rumor that several of his neighbors were preparing for a removal to the west, led me to fear that pat also might have similar intentions, and that on the occasion of his last visit to the woods, he might, after all, have withdrawn the deposits. it was therefore deemed unsafe to delay longer in bringing matters to a crisis. but the manner of doing this, and of conducting the arrest, so as to accumulate evidence of his guilt, and at the same time recover a part or the whole of the funds, was worthy of much caution and study. if i went with an officer directly to his house to make the arrest, he might be absent at the time, and, getting notice of our visit, effect his escape. his family or accomplices, if he had any, would of course be aware of our movements, and perhaps secure the spoils, unless they were secreted immediately upon the premises. then i should be left with only the proof already mentioned: that he had had an opportunity of purloining the $ package, and had passed three bills supposed to have been contained therein; together with some other less important circumstances. the only safe and discreet course seemed to be to secure him when alone, and by that means keep his family ignorant respecting his arrest, until every effort had been made to get possession of the money. accordingly i procured the aid of an officer, and at an early hour in the morning, we took up our quarters in a private dwelling in the neighborhood, where we could overlook pat's house, and patiently waited for him to make his appearance. it happened to be one of his lazy mornings, and he did not venture out until near ten o'clock, and then, very much to our disappointment, in company with another individual, unknown to either of us. a moment's consultation resulted in the decision to follow them at some distance, in the hope that they might separate, but with the determination not to lose sight of pat again, and to take him into custody that day at all hazards. we had not gone far, however, before he looked over his shoulder, and although at least two squares from us, and a number of other persons were passing and repassing at the time, he no doubt recognised the officer, for after proceeding but a few steps further, he and his friend turned and came toward us. believing that we were discovered, and that pat was making for the house to look after the safety of the treasures, a stratagem was hastily arranged to throw him off his guard, and at the same time to separate him from the stranger, who was so much in our way. it matters little what this scheme was, provided there were no actual misrepresentations involved. suffice it to say, it was quite successful, and his companion resuming his walk towards brooklyn city hall, the rest of the party were soon on their way to new york. at the ferry, and while waiting for the boat, pat suddenly became quite restless, as if he had for the first time connected me with the scene in the post master's room. he walked back and forth upon the dock, and several times halted and leaned on the railing directly over the water, with one hand in his breeches' pocket, as if he contemplated throwing something overboard. but i remained closely at his side, wherever he went, and kept him engaged as much as possible, in remarks about the weather, the growth of brooklyn, and other common-place matters. we had soon crossed the ferry, and were seated in an omnibus, moving slowly (who ever went in any other way by that conveyance?) up broadway. pat had by this time grown very taciturn, and no doubt began to suspect that his escort was not entirely prepared to fight for his personal liberty. in fact, he must have fully decided in his own mind that we were no very consistent friends of the "largest liberty," in his case at least, when one of us pulled the leather strap, to give the usual signal for a halt. this was just as we had reached the head of cedar street, on which the post office is situated, and before we had arrived, by several blocks, at the place where he at first supposed he was going to call, for a much more agreeable purpose than that of being confronted with the charge of extensive mail robbery. as he alighted from the "slow coach," he halted for a moment, as if inclined to have some better understanding before proceeding further, especially as we turned our faces in the direction of the post office. he possessed physical strength enough to have put an end to our troubling him any further, but broadway at midday is no very favorable place for such an attempt; and besides, he no doubt hoped that all might yet come out right. after being told that he was wanted at the post office on some private business, he went there peaceably. once alone with him in a private room, the time had fully arrived for deciding--not as to his guilt, for of that i was fully satisfied--but what were the chances of proving it, and of inducing him to disgorge his plunder. "patrick," said i, "you are detected in your robberies of the night mails in this office, and the first question i wish you to answer is, can you restore the money, that it may be returned to those you have robbed." he received the accusation with a look of surprise, but without any manifest trepidation. "i am an honest man, thank god," he asseverated, "and i'll defy all ye can do to me; and it's nither ye nor the divil that can scare me, so it ain't," at the same time drawing himself up into an attitude of defiance. "i don't wish to scare you, pat," i remarked. "i am sorry on account of your family that you should have so abused your trust while employed in this office. but that is neither here nor there. i want you to hand over the seven or eight thousand dollars you have got so wrongfully. you passed some of the $ , from the middletown package, to mr. g., for the grave-stones, you know, and i have the bills in my pocket." "and it's trouble enough that i've had," he replied, "with the sickness of meself, and the death of little pat, and now ye'd have me father all the thievish tricks of the whole office, would ye? ye'll find, if ye look sharp, that it's another that's got the letters ye speak of; for sure haven't i seen him, while 'facing up,' throw something under the counter, among the waste paper, and then go looking there agin, after his task was done? and wasn't they large, thick parcels that he dumped under the table?" i have never had a doubt that he was then describing the exact process by which he committed his own depredations. "very well," i answered, "you will soon see who is answerable;" and calling the officer, who had remained outside the door during the conversation, pat was notified that his person must undergo a thorough search--and it _was_ thorough. among the contents of his wallet were some forty dollars that agreed very well with the description of the kind of money mailed at joliet, and also the receipt for the aforesaid grave-stones. on examining his hat, which he had taken off on first entering the office, and placed at some distance, on the top of a secretary, there appeared, snugly stowed away under the leather lining, $ , all in fives of the middletown bank, with the well-known marks on each bill! but even this discovery produced but little impression on him; declaring, as he did very promptly, that he could show where he obtained that money; and no doubt he could! pat was left in charge of two suitable persons, and the remainder of the day was spent by the officer and myself in searching his house and premises for the balance of the missing funds, which was done without giving any information to his wife of the real object of our examination, or the unpleasant situation of her husband. the woods were also thoroughly ransacked, though the chances appeared to be, that the booty had been removed to the house or vicinity, as he went directly from home that morning, having a part of the funds about his person, with the design, as it was afterwards ascertained, of purchasing tickets for himself and family, and several others, to illinois. but our researches were unavailing, and i returned to the post-office somewhat disappointed; for the proof was not yet sufficient to convict him, on account of the impossibility of identifying the bills with certainty, as i have already mentioned. before leaving, i had made known to him our intention to search his house, and when we returned, he for the first time showed signs of great uneasiness, and walked the room constantly, evidently anxious to know if his treasures had been discovered. his anxiety was natural enough, for it turned out that the whole of the money was secreted in the house, and that at one time during the search, i was separated from its hiding place, only by a half-inch board! but pat remained immovable, so far as any confessions were concerned; and it was thought advisable, at this juncture, to call into requisition the influence of the person at whose urgent solicitation pat had obtained his situation in the post-office. an interview between them was speedily arranged, but the accused, for a while, still continued stoutly to deny his guilt. subsequently, however, he inquired of the post master whether, in case he produced the money, he would have his liberty. the post master assented, so far as to promise no prosecution on _his_ part, and pat finally agreed to go with us on the following morning, and point out the place of deposit, but insisted that h., his friend and patron, (just referred to,) should be of the party. fully impressed with the importance of securing pat as well as the property of his victims, i now obtained a warrant, which was at once placed in the hands of one of the u. s. deputy marshals, who agreed to be in the immediate vicinity of the mail robber's residence, but to delay the arrest till he received a signal from me that all was ready, and after the funds were fairly in our possession. accordingly, a hack was ordered to be at the post office at an early hour the next morning, and we (the post master, myself, pat, and h.) were soon crossing the ferry to south brooklyn. ten minutes' ride brought us in front of pat's house, where we all alighted. here matters took a turn wholly unexpected to me, for pat insisted that no one but his friend, h., and himself, should go for the money, which he said was buried in the yard behind the house. to this i objected, but pat stood firm, remarking, that it would attract too much attention if all hands went, and that if his request could not be granted, he should make no further disclosures, and we might as well go back to new york. the post master and myself having at that time confidence in h., i took him aside and told him pat must not be allowed to escape, on any account, and that if he went alone with him, he must promise to be responsible for his safe and speedy return with the money, to all of which, h. readily assented, claiming to have complete control over his man, and promising to have him back in a few moments. with this understanding they both passed round the house, and i started to give the marshal the signal that the time for his services had arrived. not more than three minutes had elapsed before i returned in company with that officer, and h. was seen coming towards us, with a small box under his arm, but _alone_. "where is r.?" i inquired. "he went into the house, through the back yard," was the response. taking the box from h., and handing it over to the post master, to be taken to the carriage, we at once passed into the house, but no pat could be found. on applying to h., to know what this meant, he explained by saying, that as soon as the box was handed to him, pat hopped over the fence into his back yard, and entered the house. after some further search, he could not be found there, and h. proposed that we should not then appear too anxious to secure him; repeatedly promising to have him forthcoming at any moment, after the excitement had passed by a little. returning to the carriage, we started for new york, counting the funds as we rode, which amounted to $ . much of it was in the original parcels of bank-notes, of one hundred and two hundred dollars each, enclosed in the usual straps of paper, with the amount of each package marked thereon, in the figures of the cashiers and others, which greatly assisted afterwards in the identification. the author of all this mischief managed to elude the most secretly and cautiously executed plans for his arrest. it was, however, pretty well ascertained that he occasionally visited his home during the night season, and one night he was discovered at a late hour, by a local policeman (who had been employed to watch for him,) emerging from the front door of his house. they saw each other at about the same instant, and the policeman made an effort to seize him; but pat was well armed, and was in the act of pointing a gun at the officer, when the latter, knocking it aside, presented a revolver and snapped it, the cap, luckily for the miserable fugitive from justice, only exploding. the noise had attracted the attention of two of his friends, who it appears were just leaving the premises, and who were also well armed, and in the confusion which ensued, aided by the darkness of the night, pat managed to get clear again. the next attempt to arrest him was undertaken in consequence of private information that his family, together with a brother and other relatives, had purchased tickets for the west. the buying of an extra ticket more than was required for the party entering their names, authorized the belief that it was obtained for pat himself, who would probably join them at some point on the route. they were to leave on a certain evening, by one of the albany boats, which usually made no landing between the two cities. on this occasion authority was obtained for the boat to touch at poughkeepsie, to receive on board the special agent and two united states marshals. with this sleepless corps of officials there was no lack of handcuffs, revolvers, &c., nor of firm resolves to take the culprit at all hazards, if he was on the boat, and to arrest his wife and one or two others, believed to have been his accessories after, if not before, the fact. the night being still and cloudless, at about midnight the well-known sound of a steamer's paddles was heard, and soon the huge form of the "hendrick hudson" was seen looming up in the distance, her numerous signal and other lights, as she changed her position from time to time, appearing like some brilliant constellation, and making a most beautiful display. as she approached, for a time there appeared no perceptible change in her course, but when nearly opposite the landing, she suddenly veered toward us, and in a moment her guards were chafing against the ends of the pier; and without waiting for the gang-plank, we were on board before the wheels had fairly ceased their motion. the engineer's bell sounded the signal for going ahead; and we about the same time commenced our search through the floating palace. as we progressed through the spacious cabins, a chorus of discordant sounds saluted us from their sleeping occupants. it is curious, by the way, to see how the levelling influence of sleep shows itself in establishing a sort of equality between different individuals, in respect of the noise they make in the world. your modest man, who, in his waking moments, avoids all display of his vocal or other powers, no sooner comes under the influence of the drowsy god, than his modesty deserts him; he blows his trumpet with as much sonorousness as the most impudent of mankind. the most retiring person i ever knew, was remarkable for being outrageously vociferous in his slumbers. the redoubtable pat, however, was guiltless of contributing to the volume of sound aforesaid; nor was his physiognomy discoverable among the sleeping or waking occupants of the cabins, so far as we could see. and as for any discoveries we made that night, or any good that our trusty arms did us, we might as well have been encircled in the "arms of morpheus." at one time, however, we thought our night's work would prove a successful one, for on hastily consulting the clerk as we boarded the steamer, he informed us that a man answering tolerably well the description of the object of our search, had paid his fare to albany, and was snugly stowed away in berth no. , in the forward cabin. the revolvers and "ornaments" were hastily examined, and the plan adopted of delegating one of the trio to proceed quietly to no. , and, under the pretence that its occupant was in possession of the wrong berth, to ascertain, first, if he was really the veritable pat. as i was the only one who could readily identify him, this duty fell upon me; and leaving my fearless associates at the top of the stairs, with instructions to rush to my aid, in case i took off my hat, with almost breathless anxiety i made a descent into the cabin, and in a few seconds stood in front of the berth designated by the clerk. "hallo, stranger," i called out, at the same time gently shaking him, "haven't you got the wrong pew?" an inhuman sort of a grunt was all the reply i could at first obtain, but after repeating the inquiry, and increasing the force of the punch, he leisurely turned over. "and what the d--l do you want?" says the lodger, "bothering a gentleman in this way? is it my pocket-book, or my boots, you're after?" it wasn't pat's voice at all, nor was it his face, which i at that moment got a glimpse of, by the aid of a lantern in the hands of one of the servants who was passing. as i saw preparations making for "turning out," and was satisfied that i had waked up the wrong passenger, i thought it prudent to withdraw before matters progressed further in that direction. none of the suspected party were on board on that occasion. the telegraph was resorted to after our arrival in albany, and word transmitted to us in that way, that the party we were in search of would certainly go up the river by the boat on the following night. the next morning we were at the wharf, and by an arrangement with the officers of the boat, we were enabled to see every person who went ashore, as they passed through a half-opened door at the after-gangway, in giving up the passage tickets. the net was well spread this time, and though we did not pick pat up, we secured the whole party of his traveling friends, including his wife and two children. the marshal took them in charge, and without much ceremony or explanation, conducted them to a hack which had been provided for their special accommodation. they were very soon after escorted to the police station, and a subsequent examination of their persons and effects afforded no additional light, except that among the baggage of mrs. r. was found a lot of scrap gold, which a dentist of philadelphia mailed to a new york firm, and which had never reached that firm. on the strength of this discovery, she was afterwards indicted as an accomplice of her husband, and committed to brooklyn jail, where she remained for several months, her two children staying with her, at her own request. although she undoubtedly knew the precise locality of her "liege lord," and probably could have procured her own liberty by making it known, yet she remained firm, and to the last steadily refused to give the least information, insisting, moreover, that she was ignorant of the post office depredations at the time they were going on, and that the stolen property found in her possession was placed in one of the trunks without her knowledge. possibly it was so, as some of pat's wearing apparel was found there also. the remainder of the party, three in number, were detained at albany. it was deemed necessary that they should remain there a while, but the chief of police was instructed not to treat them strictly as prisoners, but to allow them to lodge at the station; and an arrangement was made for them to eat at a neighboring restaurant, at the expense of government. the proprietor of the aforesaid restaurant finding, however, that they were disposed to abuse that privilege, by imbibing too freely, and selecting from the bill of fare whatever was choice and expensive--and especially as the contract for this portion of his customers was not very clearly defined--took the precaution to erase from one copy of the bill of fare all articles of a rare and expensive kind, which corrected list, by the third day, embraced but one or two plain dishes. this brief programme was sure to be thrust before them as often as they called for anything to eat, though a verbal announcement of "coffee" was added at the regular morning and evening repast. having also some faint recollection of the discussions in the public papers about reforms in the navy, and dispensing with the "grog rations," he compromised the matter on that head, by allowing the men "two drinks" a day, and no more; that being, in his estimation, a proper government allowance. as sufficient legal evidence could not be procured, to show that they really aided and abetted in the robberies, they were notified that their bills would no longer be paid by the post office department; and declining to continue their journey to the west, tickets were furnished them to return to new york. soon after their arrival in the city, they fell in with a tolerably smart specimen of a lawyer, whose indignation at the unheard-of proceedings against them, of course had nothing to do with so mercenary a motive as that of getting a fee out of them; and by his advice a suit was promptly brought against the special agent and the two deputy marshals, for false imprisonment! the cause was "set down" for trial in the marine court, and came off in the course of a week or two. a waggish spectator remarked that he could not see why it was brought in the marine court, unless it was because the complainants were "half seas over" when stopped at albany. a very brief synopsis of this trial will, i think, prove worth a perusal. on the part of the prosecution, the complainants themselves were the witnesses--all three of them genuine sons of the emerald isle. separate trials were asked and granted, and that of the special agent was first taken up. michael d. was duly sworn, but instead of mounting the witness's stand, with one bound and a broad grin, he was inside the judge's desk, and seated in the chair usually occupied by one of the associate judges! a burst of laughter followed, in which his honor, as well as the spectators, joined. the officer in attendance on the court was quickly alongside of mike, and with considerable difficulty removed him to the witness' stand. here he fixed his eyes intently on me, perhaps to keep watch, lest i should attempt to run away, considering me his prisoner at last, and evidently chuckling within himself at the thought that the time had now come to put me on as limited allowance, so far as variety went, as he had been restricted to while in albany. order being now restored, the counsel commenced interrogating the witness. "michael, were you on your way to illinois, from this city, on the th instant?" _witness._--"was i in illinoi? and sure i niver was in me life; and if that spalpeen of an agint beside ye says i was, he lies, bedad he does!" notwithstanding the loud calls of "stop, stop," by his lawyer, he went through with the sentence, and stood, a thumb in each arm-hole of his vest, looking defiantly at me, and apparently ready for the next question. _the court._--"now, michael, you must not be in such a hurry. try and understand what is said to you thoroughly, before answering. i shall not permit any indulgence in the use of harsh names to any of the government officers, or to any one else in court." _witness._--"and didn't they stop me, and trate me the same as a male thafe, your honor?" _the court._--"well, that's what we want to find out; but you must not talk, only when you are questioned; remember that." _counsel._--"i will put the inquiry in another shape. were you a passenger on board the steamboat for albany, on any night during the present month?" mike remained speechless for a moment, staring at the judge in the most penetrating manner. that functionary finally broke the silence, "well, why don't you answer?" _witness._--"and sure, your honor, didn't you just tell me to remain spacheless when questioned?" _court._--"_only_ when questioned, i said." _witness_ (to the counsel).--"i _was_ on the stameboat, and the agint there knows it, so he does; and them other big feeling chaps there (pointing to the deputy marshals) knows it too. and i'd like to see 'em try to delay me in that way agin," at the same time looking fists, if not daggers, at those innocent officials. here the patience of the court, as well as the counsel, became well nigh exhausted, and it was suggested that michael should stand aside for the present, as the same facts could be proved by another and more intelligent witness. the new witness went on to describe the affair from the commencement, including the detention at albany. the cross-examination, however, showed that so far as any "imprisonment" was concerned, it was literally "false." it was shown that all had the "freedom of the city," while in albany, having frequently visited some "distant" connections--_distant_ about two miles from the police station--and had been well boarded, away from the station, at the public expense. that in fact they could have gone anywhere they chose, a few hours after their arrival in albany, or on any succeeding day. after listening to the circumstances, and the motives which led to the detention of these men, and to the testimony of one of the police officers at albany, in relation to their treatment while there, the judge summarily dismissed the case, remarking that, in the first place no "imprisonment" had been proven, and that, even if it had, he should probably have sustained the officers in the discharge of what they considered their duty, in endeavoring to ferret out and punish the authors of important crimes against the laws of the land. the trial i have just described was but one of many incidental occurrences which took place in the course of the attempts made to arrest pat r.; occurrences, both tragical and comical, which would here find a place, did not the limited space render that impossible. in closing the history of this case, it will be sufficient to say that, in the course of our investigations, the innocence of many suspected persons was established; restitution made to the sufferers by pat's villany, so far as their losses could be satisfactorily traced to him; and the post-office department were rid of one of the most daring and unscrupulous mail robbers that ever disgraced the service. he is not even now as secure in his hiding place as he perhaps imagines himself to be. if there are those (as there is reason to suspect) who shared with him in such of the spoils as were not recovered, they also, even if they escape the punishment which they merit from their fellow men, will not always elude the pursuit of conscience, nor avoid the retribution which she will most surely inflict upon them. chapter v. an infected district--a "fast" route agent--heavy bank losses--amateur experiments--dangerous interference--a moral lecture--the process discovered--an unwelcome stranger--midnight watching--monopoly of a car--detected in the act--the robber searched--his committal--a supposed accomplice--the case explained--honesty again triumphant--drafts and letters--a long sentence--public sympathy--a christian wife--prison scenes--faithful to the last--an interesting letter. the literary reputation of one of the oldest and most celebrated seats of learning in new england, was once temporarily overshadowed by the "bad eminence" that it attained in the eyes of all within a distance of fifty miles in every direction, who attempted to transmit valuable matter through the mails. the period during which this state of things existed, was in the months of january and february, . throughout those months a fatality attended all money-letters designed to pass through the place referred to; the like of which has seldom been known in the history of the post-office. as well might one have attempted to send a valuable letter across the maelstrom, as to get it safely past the fatal point. this point was like the lion's cave in the fable, _into_ which many tracks entered, but _from_ which none were seen to return. and the lion, whoever he was, had an insatiable and indiscriminating appetite, for he consumed the supplies coming from three or four neighboring counties in the state, and like a feline oliver twist, continually "asked for more." the effects of these numerous losses, of course, were not confined to the vicinities of the sufferers, but were felt in remote portions of the country. but the loss of money and the consequent inconvenience, were not the only results following this wholesale robbery. perhaps no series of mail depredations ever spread so widely the cloud of suspicion over those connected with the mail service. all the route agents, post masters, post-office clerks, and mail messengers, whose spheres of duty lay within the infected district; all these officials felt the severity of the test of character, which existing circumstances applied. such a state of things as that which we are describing, often serves as a thunder-shower, to clear the moral atmosphere. half-formed purposes of roguery are, for the present at least, laid by; those already guilty of peculation on a small scale cease from their operations; all wait in breathless suspense for the _denouement_ of the drama; and when the bolt falls, and the offender is smitten down, they breathe more freely; and such a catastrophe is not unfrequently the turning point in the life of some young man, who has hitherto been vacillating between good and evil. the arrest and punishment of another inspires him with salutary fear of similar results in his own case, should he venture upon a like course. and the effect of such occurrences upon those who have never turned aside from the path of rectitude, is no less decided. these are the times that "try men's souls." it is a hard thing for one to bear up for weeks and months under a load of suspicion, though conscious of innocence; but this is a still harder task, if he has nothing between the eyes of the public and his inward rottenness but the thin shell of a decent and false reputation. no man can know to its full extent the value of a good character, until he has been through some "fiery trial," in which nothing but such a power could have saved him from ruin. yet those who at the time of which i speak, were most firm in conscious integrity, did not escape the stings of annoying suspicions, and significant insinuations. "could it be a certain route agent?" confidentially asked an officious individual, perhaps quite too willing to start such a suspicion, the aforesaid agent having, in pursuance of general instructions, denied him the privilege of the mail car. "i saw him," continued our virtuous friend, "sporting a fine turn-out only last sunday, and they do say that he is rather _fast_ for a young man on so small a salary. it wouldn't surprise me much if they should find that the trouble is there." unfortunately for this theory, so well founded on the basis of a sunday "turn out" and a "they say," the "fast" young man could not have had access to one in a dozen of the lost packages. this is a specimen of the endless surmises and conjectures that were thrown out in the progress of the affair, much to the annoyance of numerous post masters' clerks, and other officials, whose honesty, aided by the strenuous efforts of the special agent to arrive at the truth, carried them through the ordeal triumphantly; and left their accusers, particularly the man who couldn't ride in the mail car, rather "chop-fallen," and possibly not a little disappointed. the banks within the infected district, suffered in the loss of drafts, &c., to the amount of at least two hundred thousand dollars, while scarcely a business man in either of the two or three cities within range of the prevailing disorder, escaped the vexatious and often injurious consequences of the depredations then going on, for the robber did not stop to select his booty. indeed, he could not have done so, had he wished it, as the reader will hereafter see. an investigation of the case was ordered by the department, and carried on with as much energy as prudence would permit; yet in the midst of it the robberies continued unchecked. hereupon some of the bank officers grew very impatient, as the victims of depredations are apt to do, if they are not made acquainted with every step that is taken in the delicate process of narrowing down the investigation. when i had been on the trail for nearly a week, one of those gentlemen--an excellent financier, but by no means profoundly versed in the mysteries of human nature--in his imprudent zeal to find out _something_, took matters into his own hands, and came near spoiling all by alarming the robber, without detecting him. he prepared a sort of decoy letter, as he called it, well filled with pieces of tissue paper, about the size of bank-notes, and this tempting package he addressed to a cashier to whom several of the missing letters had been directed. this fell into the hands of the robber, but the experiment was rendered harmless by the fact stated by himself after his arrest, that he never stopped to read or examine any letters, except to ascertain whether they contained money. it will never be known, probably, how much good advice the criminal lost, when he committed this _tissue_ of deception to the flames, for the worthy cashier, in his well-meant zeal, supplied the place of bank-notes in the decoy package with what he doubtless considered of more value, namely, a moral lecture to the delinquent, displaying in vivid colors the folly and wickedness of his course, and closing with the warning that if he took _that_ letter, he would surely be detected! the ingenuity and shrewdness of this device cannot be too much admired. the threat contained in the letter was so well calculated to throw the culprit off his guard, that if he had read it, he would no doubt have fallen an easy prey to such cunning machinations! it was of course expected by the deviser of this scheme that the package would be preserved by the person who stole it, in order to afford the necessary evidence of crime! the pieces of tissue paper could easily have been identified, and he would naturally preserve the accompanying document with as much care as job was ready to show to the "book" which he wished his adversary to write! such interference as this, with an important investigation, is never warranted by any considerations whatever. the commander of an army who has laid all his plans for surprising an enemy, would feel under very slight obligations to any officious friend, who, in his impatience and ignorance of the course intended, should alarm the foe by some hasty and ill-advised attack. thus is it in the investigations to which we refer. secrecy is all-important to the successful issue of the plans that may be devised; and volunteer services, especially from persons destitute of experience, are quite as likely to aid the criminal as to assist those who are endeavoring to detect him. this digression has been made principally for the sake of protesting against such interference as that above mentioned, and of inducing others to abstain from similar unwarrantable experiments. notwithstanding the uneasiness of our amateur detective officer, and the remarkable skill displayed by him (as he supposed) in that capacity, considerable progress had already been made by means much safer than those which he adopted, if not more ingenious. there were but few points to which suspicion could be reasonably directed, as there were but few places where the stolen packages would have centered. each of these points was closely watched. a section of rail road, some thirty-five miles in length, over which most of the robbed mails must have passed, seemed, for a time, to satisfy the conditions of the problem to be solved, but this hypothesis was overturned by the fact that on one and the same night, packages were taken from mails which had passed each other on this road, in opposite trains, on separate tracks, and at a high rate of speed. the mail messengers employed to convey the mails to and from the several railroad depots at central points, were carefully looked after, but all appeared right among them. and as for the post-offices, there were not more than two out of all affected by the numerous losses, through which half a dozen of the lost letters would have passed. there was however, one man who had not thus far been included in the investigation, chiefly because in the discharge of his ordinary duties as baggage-master, at a central station or junction where mail carriers were provided by the rail road companies, he was not supposed to have even a temporary charge of any of the mails. but while watching one of the mail carriers on a certain evening, as he was conveying a number of mails from a city post-office to the cars, the agent observed him placing them in charge of the aforesaid baggage-master, prior to the arrival of the train by which they were to be forwarded. after they had thus been committed to his custody, he was seen to throw them carelessly into his baggage room, and enter the room, closing the door behind him. after a lapse of several minutes, he came out, piled the bags upon a barrow or baggage truck, and wheeled them to a point upon the platform, opposite which the approaching train was to stop. the unnecessary operation of placing the bags in the room, when the train was nearly or quite due, was a very suspicious circumstance, especially when taken in connection with the other movements of the baggage-master, and by means of the telegraph the post master of a neighboring city was requested to be present at the opening of that mail, to see whether certain letter packages arrived which were known to have been in the through mail pouch for his office that evening. the reply was, "opened mail myself, no letters for this delivery." an hour and a half had now passed since the train had left, and if the mails had been rifled in the baggage room, sufficient time had been afforded the robber to have concealed or destroyed all the direct proof of his guilt upon this occasion. hence no open action was then taken in view of the discoveries made. besides, there was too much at stake to warrant the incurring of any risk on the strength of these facts. the following evening the movements of the suspected person were again watched, the agent having a better knowledge respecting the exact nature and value of a portion of the contents of the mail bags which were to be forwarded at that time. upon this occasion, the train was "on time," and the carrier a little later than usual, so the mails were placed directly upon the barrow, and wheeled by the baggage-master to an obscure part of the depot, more remote from observation, and less in the way of passers, than that where they were carried the previous night. after remaining there a short time, he rolled the truck and its valuable load back to the usual spot, in readiness for the train. this strange manoeuvre indicated still another and a bolder operation, but the probabilities were that he had been foiled in any attempt he might have designed to make, by a person whom i saw following him into his dark retreat to make application for baggage, as i supposed, for they both entered the baggage room, and soon came out, the stranger with a valise in his hand. this _contre-temps_ excited in my mind no very amiable feelings toward its innocent cause, for i had concluded to bring the affair to a crisis at once, should the telegraph report anything missing from the mails. but the dispatch received that evening was, "all right," which confirmed my belief that my plans and those of the baggage-master had been frustrated by the stranger. another train from the opposite direction, and bringing mails for delivery at this point, were due at a later hour, and as there had also been losses from those mails, i decided to wait and see what usage they received on their arrival, which, owing to heavy snow-drifts somewhere on the road, was delayed till near midnight. when the train came in and the baggage was disposed of, the mails were all carried to the baggage room instead of to the post-office, and, after putting out the gas-lights about the depot, the faithful baggage-master returned to his apartment. through a small swinging window designed for ventilation, opening into this room near the top, i could see a faint light, and from its unsteady motions, which showed that the lamp from which it proceeded was in the hand of some one moving it in various directions, i concluded that the occupant of the room was rifling the mails. this was an exciting moment. my first impulse was to proceed at once to the door, demand admittance, and charge him on the spot with the crime of which i suspected him. but a slight distrust of my physical ability to cope with him single-handed in case of resistance, which would almost certainly follow if my suspicions were correct; and the lateness of the hour, rendering it improbable that i could obtain aid should it be necessary; these considerations prevented me from carrying out my first intention, and when the unconscious object of my scrutiny put out his light and left the depot, i went in an opposite direction to my quarters, determined, however, to give him but one more chance to continue his depredations. the next night he robbed his last mail bag. obtaining a private interview with the superintendent of the rail road, i for the first time laid the facts before him, for the purpose of securing some assistance in the prosecution of my plans which he only could render. i wished to provide a place of concealment in that retired part of the depot where the mails had been taken on the preceding evening; and as empty cars were frequently left standing over night upon some of the unoccupied tracks, it was arranged to leave a car near the place mentioned, for my exclusive occupancy. from the "loop-hole" of this "retreat" i could determine with some accuracy the nature of such mysterious movements as i had before witnessed in that vicinity. lest the baggage room should be chosen this time as the scene of operation, and thus my plans be defeated, a discreet friend was stationed near that point about the time that the mails were brought over from the office, in order to "head off" the suspected functionary. for the purpose of allowing as much time as possible, the conductor of the train, which was to take that mail, had been telegraphed to "come in a little behind time." certain money packages had been prepared, and everything being in readiness, i took my post of observation in the empty car just before the mails came from the post-office. i had not long been stationed, when i heard the familiar rumbling sound of the baggage truck, and in a moment more the baggage-master appeared, trundling along his load of mails, and coming to a halt upon the platform, within fifteen feet of my watchful eye. that eye saw rapid work for a few moments! hasty passes of the right hand between the mouth of one of the mail bags (as it appeared in the dim light to be) and the capacious pockets of a sack over-coat, showed clearly for what purpose the mails had been thus taken out of the way, and the well-known click of a mail-lock informed me that the operation was concluded, and that the moment had arrived for action on my part. i think a rail road car was never emptied of its contents in a much less time than on the present occasion. and my very informal introduction to the wholesale dealer in goods in the "original packages," was about as sudden. in fact, he had hardly set down the barrow, after removing it a few rods to its usual position, before i was addressing him. in the midst of the rifling process just described, i had seen him open the door of a small apartment near him, a light shining out for a moment while the door was open. and it occurred to me that an accomplice might be secreted there for the purpose of receiving the stolen property. accordingly i remarked that i would like to have him accompany me for a moment into this room on private business, to which he readily assented, neither knowing me, nor having any suspicion of the nature of my "business," for otherwise he might not have so cheerfully complied with my request. on opening the door i discovered a person within, who appeared to be wholly unoccupied, except in smoking a cigar. thinking it probable that he was in some way connected with the robberies, i considered it prudent to obtain assistance before making known the object of this interview, and accordingly spoke to three or four persons who had been attracted to the place by the unwonted movements, requesting them to call one of the police officers, some of whom were generally in the vicinity of that rail road station. [illustration] during this delay, and in order to prevent any attempt at escape, i put a series of questions to the baggage-master, calculated to allay the suspicion which began to be strongly indicated by his looks. "did you," i inquired, "find, in this morning's train from h----, a pocket-book, lost there by a passenger? if we can recover the papers, the money is less of an object." this seemed to relieve his fears considerably, and he replied in a cheerful tone, "i have found no such thing. it isn't my business to go through the trains, but this man's," pointing to the other person present. "ah, it's my mistake. did _you_ see anything of a pocket-book," i asked, turning to the person indicated. "no," was the answer; "have you lost such an article?" i was relieved from the difficulty of this question by a rap on the door from the chief of police, who was the man of all others whom i wished to see. as he entered, i intimated to him, in a whisper, what was on foot, and then turning to the baggage-master, without any preamble or formality, i requested him to hand me the mail-key, which he had in his possession. "i haven't any mail-key," was the dull response. "very well," said i, "then we shall have to search you." he turned pale, and remarked, with assumed calmness, "i suppose i know what you want." one of the side pockets of his over-coat appearing somewhat distended, i commenced my investigations with that. the first article that appeared was the large package of letters made up that evening for delivery at the neighboring city, before alluded to, and the next dive brought to light a heavy distribution package for the same office. several other packages of less size were afterwards drawn forth. after the search had been completed, the culprit was hand-cuffed, and lodged in jail within half an hour from the time when he had committed this last depredation. after we had dispatched this part of the business, we turned our attention to the companion of the unfortunate baggage-master, who had been observing our proceedings with the utmost equanimity, though not without interest. "that's rather hard on ed," said he, as the door closed on the culprit. "yes," replied i, "it is. but i believe we must search you, for i think you are concerned in this affair." "i never was searched in my life," said he, smilingly, "excepting when i've searched my own pockets, and then i never found much. perhaps you'll have better luck; at any rate, it won't hurt me to have it tried;" and so saying, he laid aside his cigar, and presented himself to undergo the ordeal. but nothing was found to implicate him in any way. i then expressed my fear that he might still be an accomplice, as i noticed the baggage-master open and shut the door of the little room, while rifling the mails that night. an honest laugh followed this remark, and an explanation was given me, which satisfactorily accounted for the suspicious circumstance. it seems that his dishonest companion, fearing that he would come out of the room and detect him in the act, had opened the door, telling him that he would have to be locked in till the train arrived, and turned the key on the outside. this passed for a joke, and the imprisoned person thought little of it, as he would have no occasion to leave the room until the train arrived, when it would be his duty to inspect the cars. it also appeared that this locking up trick had been played several times previously, no doubt for a similar purpose. thus, was an honest man subjected to suspicion, by circumstances beyond his control. a satisfactory explanation of them, however, was not beyond his power, and his experience goes to increase the array of testimony, to show the inestimable value of a clear conscience in all exigencies whatever. the key of a private desk in the baggage room was taken from the robber, and in this desk was found about $ , in bank drafts, checks, &c., and more than a hundred rifled letters, which, as their post-marks showed, must have been the proceeds of one or two nights' robbery. everything taken from the mails, except money, had been committed to the flames, as the criminal himself afterwards confessed. a large portion of the available funds which he had accumulated, was recovered and restored to the rightful owners. in less than a week from this time, he was tried, and sentenced to the state prison for the term of _twenty-seven years_. the discoveries here detailed, gave rise to great surprise and excitement among all who knew the guilty individual, for he had sustained a good reputation for sobriety, honesty, and industry. his innocent family received the warmest sympathy of the entire community, which indeed they deserved, for the culprit's wife was a sincere christian woman;--a living exemplification of the religion by which she professed to be guided. some of the interviews at the prison between her husband, children, and herself, were painful to behold; yet, after the first terrible shock, (and how terrible it was, can be realized by those only who have seen a beloved one suddenly metamorphosed from a fancied angel into a "fallen spirit,") she became more resigned to the overpowering calamity which had overtaken herself and her children. she had no reproaches for her sinning husband, nor did she allude in his presence to the sufferings which he had brought upon his innocent family; but her aim seemed to be, to induce him, by means of his bitter experience, to begin a new and a christian life. one day, when i called to see the prisoner, in company with a gentleman who was anxious to learn the fate of a package of valuable papers which he had lost, we found the afflicted woman sitting by her husband,--one arm thrown lovingly around his neck, and an open bible lying in her lap. we apologized to her for the interruption. she looked up mournfully, a tear stealing down her wan cheek as she said, "it is no matter, i was only reading to poor edward." then looking at him fondly, she continued,--"he has been a kind, good husband and father, and hadn't any bad habits or companions that i knew of; and i have often thought that if he only had religion, he would be perfect. and if this trial, bad as it is, will only make him a christian, it will be all i shall ask." meanwhile her two little children were thoughtlessly playing about the door of the cell, unconscious of the ruin which had been wrought in the hearts and the prospects of their wretched parents. the youngest one, while we were there, tried to play at "bo-peep" with its father, but was immediately checked by the poor mother, who cried out in an agonized voice, "oh eddie, don't!" ever since her husband was sent to prison, this devoted wife has visited him twice a month, (having been furnished with a free pass by the officers of the rail road which passes near the prison,) and to judge by the report of those who have an opportunity of observing him every day, the prisoner has commenced that christian life, to which the prayers and loving efforts of his wife were designed to lead him. nothing can be said that would add to the force of the lesson contained in the facts here narrated. if a life-time of imprisonment, and the blighting of the hopes and happiness of loved ones, do not show with sufficient impressiveness the result of crime, imagination will in vain attempt to supply the deficiency. i append a letter received by me from the criminal, some time after his committal to the state prison:-- w----, july , . kind friend-- for i must consider you as such, because through your instrumentality i have been saved, perhaps, from a worse fate than has befallen me. i think through this, i have been taught to see what a sinner i am. i am truly penitent for this crime, as well as all my disobedience to the just laws of god. i mean, through the help of almighty power, to serve my creator the remaining years of my life. it is strange how i was tempted to do that crime. i never was inclined to do evil or keep bad company. in fact, i kept no company hardly, except that of my wife and little ones. oh! how my heart throbs to break loose and join them! look upon yours as you can in freedom, and think of me. it almost suffocates me to call them before me in my mind. oh, horrors! little did i ever think such a fate would befal me! i cannot tell why i did it, more than this--to pay my debts. how they did trouble me--how should i ever pay them? but this was not the way to cancel them. i do not love money--not at all. i never desired to be rich, only to be square with the world. i became indebted by inexperience and pride. i would tell you the little story of my life, if i could. my connections, except my father, are pious people. my mother was a good christian, and died in the happy hope of heaven. she called me to her bedside about two months before her death. that was the last time i saw her alive; and when she parted with me, she clasped me to her bosom, with these words--"my son, obey god and meet me in heaven!" oh! how full of meaning, and a mother's love. but this is too painful. i cannot write of this. you can imagine my feelings at this time. but the evil tempter has left me now, and i pray to god, never to return. do warn others of my sad fate, to shun the road to ruin. god, in his infinite goodness, has looked upon me with compassion, and calmed my troubles in part. at least all that i have desired, he has done for me, or how could i have lived? will you not call and see me some time? don't despise the thief; christ did not. many thanks to your kind heart. also please thank the government attorney, and the post masters of h----, and n---- h----. may god watch over and preserve you all. your unworthy servant, e. a. s----. chapter vi. safety of the mails--confidence shaken--about mail locks--importance of seals--city and country--meeting the suspected--test of honesty--value of a string--a dreary ride--harmless stragglers--a cautious official--package missing--an early customer--newspaper dodge--plain talk--a call to breakfast--innocence and crime--suspicion confirmed--the big wafers--finding the string--the examination--escape to canada--a true woman--the re-arrest--letter of consolation--the wife in prison--boring out--surprise of the jailor--killing a horse. in our larger cities, and indeed throughout the country, there are thousands of persons engaged in the transaction of business, who if called upon would testify that in the course of their employment of the mails, involving in the aggregate the collection and disbursement of millions of dollars, no part of their correspondence, valuable or otherwise, had failed or had ever been delayed through any fault of the post-office department. such, up to the year , had been the experience--an experience extending through many years--of a firm in northern new york, extensively engaged in manufacturing and real estate operations, which required the frequent transmission of heavy remittances between their place of business and new york city. for a long time they confined themselves to the use of drafts, checks, and other representatives of money, but as everything went on smoothly for years, they finally remitted money itself, in the shape of bank-notes, whenever convenience required, without bestowing a thought upon the insecurity or danger of such a course; and for a time the prompt acknowledgment of the receipt of the various sums thus sent strengthened their confidence in the safety of the mails, and the fidelity of their management. therefore the rifling of one money letter directed by them to new york caused but little alarm; but when this was followed in rapid succession by the loss of the contents of a second, third, and even a fourth, they began to think that there was "something rotten in the state of"--new york, and accordingly called upon the post-office department for aid in ascertaining the locality, and detecting the perpetrator of these robberies. the losses could not be attributed to misdirection, or any other of the long catalogue of causes not of a criminal nature, though occasioning much alarm and inconvenience. for in the present case the rifled letters had reached the parties addressed. they had been opened, robbed, and resealed. the route over which the letters passed was a long one--some four hundred miles--and the first look at the case seemed almost to forbid the hope of success in its investigation; for it appeared probable that the robber might defy detection as effectually as "a needle in a hay-mow;" and a belief of this kind no doubt encouraged him in his course. there was, however, another fact in connection with the matter, as will presently be seen, of which he was ignorant, which might have caused him at least to hesitate in pursuing his designs, had he known it, for it very much curtailed the limits within which investigation was necessary. the course of the mail on this route was, first to ogdensburg, some sixty miles, by stage, the mail being overhauled at each of the intermediate offices, eight or ten in number. at ogdensburg, all matter for new york was put into a "through bag," which was furnished with a brass lock, and not to be opened until its arrival in new york. it may be well here to state that two kinds of locks are used in the mail service; the iron lock for short distances and upon routes where the mails are frequently overhauled, a key to which is in the possession of all the post masters and "route agents;" and the brass lock, used for greater safety only between large places and on important routes; the intermediate offices being supplied with their mail matter without the necessity of opening the through bag. consequently the brass key is in the hands of comparatively few post masters, (only those who are connected with the offices where the through bags are opened,) and of none of the route agents. the reader will see from this statement, and others hereafter to be made, that the robberies were probably committed somewhere between the first-mentioned place and ogdensburg, and that thus it would be necessary to pursue the investigation only on the latter route, some sixty miles as has already been mentioned. the _seals_ of the rifled letters were important witnesses in this case. in the resealing, uncommonly large wafers of a peculiar shade had been used, as well as a particular kind of stamp, which circumstances satisfactorily proved that all the robberies were the handi-work of one person, and probably at a single locality. the letters had in each instance been detained somewhere one day longer than the time usually required for their passage over the route. now there are certain features or symptoms, so to speak, in cases of mail depredations which go far to assist one accustomed to their investigation in determining whether they have occurred in large or small post-offices, and to distinguish with tolerable accuracy, between city and country embezzlements. a city depredator seldom if ever confines his operations to letters passing over a particular route. indeed he could scarcely do so were he to attempt it, for in the usual division of labor, a dozen letters arriving on separate days would be likely to be taken charge of by as many different hands, and if letters were passing each way on the same route, it would be still more difficult for the same person to purloin from both, as the receiving and forwarding departments are generally if not always entirely distinct. neither is it a city symptom to reseal and replace a letter after it has been rifled, for the reason, among others, that the depredator is not willing, after having succeeded in purloining it, to incur the additional risk of smuggling it back again. while in country or village post-offices, the thefts must in most cases be confined to one route, and there is more leisure and better opportunity for the resealing and returning process. for similar reasons, the loss or robbery of a number of letters addressed to the same party or business firm, although arriving by different routes, would not necessarily place a city post-office clerk under suspicion, since he could scarcely have a motive for such a selection among the thousands of valuable letters coming into his custody. on the contrary, if he were disposed to be dishonest, he would be more likely to take a.'s letter to-day, b.'s to-morrow, and c.'s the next day. neither would it, in the case just supposed, be probable that there was a rogue on each of the different routes. the theory which experience and observation have established, would be that the repeated embezzlements had been carried on by some dishonest messenger outside the office who had in his power only the correspondence with which he had been intrusted. at all events, such a conclusion would be fully justified by the very frequent discoveries of similar delinquencies in our cities and large towns. the peculiar features in the present case showed quite plainly that neither the new york nor ogdensburg offices were implicated, and that the depredations had occurred somewhere between the latter and the mailing office. an important question now arose, namely, what postmaster between these points used wafers similar to those upon the rifled letters. having entire confidence in the ogdensburg post master, i requested him to write to each of the post masters on the suspected route, asking for information on indifferent subjects and requiring replies. one was requested to send a copy of the post-bill from his office to ogdensburg of a certain date. another was inquired of to know whether a letter remained in his office addressed to timothy saunders; another to know whether there was once a clerk in his office by the name of philip barton, and if so, where he was at present residing. in this way letters were obtained from all these post masters in the course of a few days, and the mode of sealing was in each case particularly examined. upon one of these letters the large wafer was found! there was not only the kind of wafer, but the stamp identical with that used upon the rifled letters. for a few days after this, the exterior of all the letters received at ogdensburg, and which passed through the suspected office, were carefully examined to see if they had been disturbed. this examination showed plainly that a number had been opened, and resealed either with the large wafer, or by the use of the original seals, which of course were mutilated. careful inquiry of some who knew the suspected post master, showed that he was a merchant in good standing, against whom no charge of dishonesty had ever been preferred. the next thing to be done was to visit a point beyond him, in order to pass decoy letters through his hands, on their way to the ogdensburg office. accompanied by a citizen of ogdensburg, whose services i had secured as a guide, i started in a private conveyance, and when we had arrived within ten miles of the office of the big wafers, we turned into a by-road so as to avoid passing through the village in which it was situated. at a short distance from the village upon the road aforesaid, we saw a sleigh approaching, (it was the month of december, and capital sleighing,) and as it drew near, my companion remarked that he believed its occupant was mr. willis, the very person we were endeavoring to avoid! my friend knew mr. w. by sight, but was not sure that mr. w. knew _him_. we concealed our faces as well as we could under the circumstances, and passed at as rapid a rate as was compatible with the muscular powers of our rosinante. it afterwards appeared that willis was out on a collecting tour that day, and that neither of us were known to him, nor had he the least suspicion of our business. the mail which had so frequently suffered the loss of its valuable contents, passed over the route in the night, leaving fort covington at about ten p. m. and reaching the suspected office a little before midnight. an interview with the victim of the former losses, resulted in his preparing a letter containing one hundred dollars in bank-notes, addressed to the same new york correspondent to whom the other letters had been sent. a full account of the bills was taken, and the letter sealed with a _small_ wafer. a post-bill was prepared by the post master at fort covington, and the letter enclosed in a wrapper directed on the outside to new york city. for the first time it occurred to me that the _string_ to be put upon the decoy package, might be made to play an important part in supplying evidence of crime. if the letter should be robbed, and then destroyed together with the wrapper, and the money secreted, no proof of the deed would remain excepting the circumstance that the package went into that office and never came out. but the most cunning depredator would never think of destroying a thing so insignificant as a string. so i concluded to make it available in the experiment about to be tried. among my notes of this case, i find the following description--"a white cotton string, twelve inches long; a knot exactly in the middle, another an inch from one end, and another two inches from the other end,--the last-mentioned end dipped in ink." the package, tied up with this tell-tale string, was then thrown into the bag, and we soon set out on our return in the mail conveyance. the road lay for the most part through thick swampy woods, upon whose grim silence the cheerful sound of our sleigh-bells made but little impression. nor did we possess any other means for dispelling the gloom around us than the red glow of a couple of cigars, with which we resisted the encroachments of jack frost, so far as our noses were concerned. these (the cigars, not the noses) must have appeared like feeble imitations of a pair of coach lamps. we had passed over about half the distance through the woods, when an incident occurred serving at least to break the monotony of our ride. a dark object by the side of the road, made conspicuous by the snow upon the ground, attracted our attention and that of our horses, who attempted to halt, and required a smart application of the lash to induce them to resume their pace. a moment after we could distinguish the forms of two persons stepping nearer to the middle of the road as we approached them. not a word was said by either of us, as we were too much engaged in speculating on the character of the unexpected apparitions, to indulge in conversation; but the driver had evidently made up his mind to forestall any nefarious designs which they might entertain. requesting me to "raise up a little," he drew from the sleigh-box an instrument effectual to lay such phantoms, to wit, a revolver. there was, however, no occasion for its use, for the personages before us turned out to be two french canadians too far gone in intoxication to be very formidable antagonists, had they entertained hostile intentions, which they were far from doing, as their energies were entirely devoted to maintaining a perpendicular position, and keeping somewhere within the bounds of the road. their erratic course rendered it somewhat difficult to avoid running over them, but we finally left them behind, muttering "_sacre_" and staggering about in a very social manner. when we had arrived at the village and were within a quarter of a mile of the office, i alighted from the sleigh and walked on, leaving it to overtake me, my object in this being to keep out of sight of the post master, whose suspicions might possibly be excited by seeing a stranger in the sleigh with the mail carrier, although the mail carriage occasionally conveyed passengers. perhaps this was an excess of caution on my part. at any rate, it did no harm, and i prefer in all such cases to give a wide berth to possibilities. once more on our way, my mind was chiefly occupied with conjectures as to the result of that night's experiment, and in determining what steps were to be taken in case the money package had been abstracted. the post master himself had changed the mails on this occasion, the driver in the mean time having gone over to the hotel at my request, in order to afford the former a good opportunity for committing the depredation if he entertained any such design. the distance to the next post-office on this route was about six miles, and nothing further could be ascertained respecting the condition of the package, till our arrival there. an excellent account had been given me of the post master at this place, and his assistant. the former boarded at the hotel nearly opposite the post-office, which was kept in his store. as he was crossing the street with the mail bag on his way to the office, i overtook him, made myself known to him, and under an injunction of secrecy, disclosed to him the object of my visit at such an unseasonable hour. i furthermore expressed a desire to examine the packages contained in the pouch. "it may all be right," said he, "but i hardly think i ought to allow an entire stranger, especially at this hour of the night, to know anything of the contents of the mails." i was glad to find in this gentleman such a degree of caution and faithfulness to his public trust, and i was disposed to test it a little further. "well, sir," i said, "if you are to obstruct an agent of the department in this way, while in the discharge of his duties, you will be reported at head quarters for removal." "can't help that," replied he, "i intend to go pretty straight while i am here, and if the post master general himself were to appear here and want to overhaul my mails, he couldn't touch them, unless he satisfied me that he was the very man. that's just as the case stands." "very well," i remarked, "the driver knows who i am, and if he says it's all right, i suppose that will do." "not a bit of it," was the decided answer; "he may be deceived as well as any one else." i now drew from my pocket the official evidence of my authority, bearing the signature of the post master general, and the seal of the post office department. after inspecting this document rather closely, the cautious officer observed that there was no mistaking the signature of n. k. hall, and that he believed he must "give in." i expressed my gratification at the fidelity which he had displayed, and in a moment more the contents of the bag were spread upon the counter. a careful search, several times repeated, failed to discover the decoy package. its absence, of course, showed that it must have been stopped at the office which i had intended to test. i informed the driver that i could go no further with him that night, and procuring another conveyance, i returned to look after the stolen letter, and its dishonest possessor. directly opposite the post-office was the village tavern, and there i arrived about daylight, intending from that position to watch the post master, and introduce myself as soon as he entered his store. after watching about an hour, i observed some one removing the outside shutters of the store windows, and was informed by the landlord that it was the proprietor and post master. i deemed it important not to be seen by him until i had entered the store, when it would be too late to destroy or secrete anything that he might have taken from the mail the night previous. in this i was successful. when i opened the store door, he was stooping down near the stove, engaged in preparing "kindlings" for making his fire. i came upon him so suddenly that he started to his feet almost with a spring, and looked rather more flurried than one would naturally be who expected to see no more formidable a personage than some early customer for a codfish or a quart of molasses. "thus conscience does make cowards of us all," thought i, as i observed his futile attempts to recover his self-possession. after returning my salutation, he resumed the occupation which i had interrupted, that of splitting up a knotty piece of pine; but in his embarrassment he endeavored in vain to strike twice in the same place, hitting the floor quite as often as the stick which he was attempting to dismember. several common-place questions and answers passed between us while he was thus engaged. with the view of giving a temporary relief to his nerves, and of ascertaining what part of the store was appropriated to the post-office, (for there was nothing of the kind in sight,) i inquired,-- "is there a letter here for albert g. foster, jr.?" "no, there is no letter in the office for any one of that name," replied he, apparently much relieved by the inquiry. "you must have a paper for me," said i, "will you look?" he dropped his hatchet, and i followed him into a counting-room at the further end of the store, which was devoted to the postal department. the transient newspapers were examined, but not a paper could be found for albert g. or any other foster. by this time the gentleman had nearly recovered from the effects of my first sudden appearance, but the calm was destined to be only of short duration. "mr. willis, you have been talking to an agent of the post-office department, who has been sent on here for the purpose of detecting you in your frequent depredations upon the mails passing through your office, particularly the letters of messrs. a. & co. and last night you repeated the experiment once too often. now i want the letter that you then robbed, and the hundred dollars which you found in it. it is a shameful thing for any one, much more for a man of your standing and connections, to convert, as you have done, a position of public trust and responsibility into a sort of place of ambush, where you lie in wait for the letters of your unsuspecting neighbors, and other members of the community, and thus abuse the confidence reposed in you. it is worse than highway robbery." he gazed intently at me for a few moments with a look designed to be one of surprise and injured innocence. the attempt was a miserable failure, however. conscience would lend her aid to no such cloaking of guilt, but proclaimed it through the wavering of his eye, the forced expression of his countenance, and the general agitation which he vainly attempted to conceal. "that is plain talk, sir, _very_ plain talk," said he; "and i think you cannot know much about me or my standing in society, to come here and accuse me in the way you have done." "your standing," replied i, "can have but little to do with last night's transactions. i must have the hundred dollars, even if you have destroyed the letter; and it is also important that i should recover what you have taken from the mails on previous occasions." "you seem to be sure that you are safe in making these charges, sir," said he; "but all you have yet stated is nothing but assertion without any proof." just then the front door of the store opened, and a pleasant voice was heard, "breakfast is ready, father." a sweet little child stood in the door-way, and her innocent, careless face, contrasted strikingly with the anxiety which displayed itself in the features of her guilty father. would that her voice could have called him away from the course of villany and dishonor which he had taken! as her father did not at once reply to her, she came skipping up to him, and as she caught hold of his hands and playfully attempted to draw him along, he looked at her and then at me, with an expression that said as plainly as words could say it,--"have you the heart to come between us, and destroy the happiness of my innocent family?" i felt the force of the appeal, but was impressed still more strongly with detestation of the conduct of a man who could deliberately risk involving the members of his domestic circle in misery and disgrace for the sake of enriching himself at the expense of those who had confided in his integrity. "i can't go now, my dear," said he, withdrawing his hands from hers, "i am very busy. run along and tell mother not to wait for me." so away tripped little innocence, joyfully humming a simple air, and leaving us to deal with the grim question before us. i now commenced a search among some waste papers scattered upon the floor and one of the tables, for the wrapper in which the decoy letter had been enclosed, but i could find it nowhere. i however continued the search, hoping to find the string, if nothing else; and my perseverance was rewarded by the discovery of the package at the back part of a drawer in a desk. the package appeared to be in a perfect state, except that the string was missing. holding it up, i inquired of the post master, "what is this package doing here?" "it must have been thrown out by mistake in overhauling the mail last night," replied he. i removed the wrapper, and immediately found a full confirmation of my previous assertions, for the letter itself had been broken open, and the large wafer substituted for the original seal. in fact it had been served exactly like its rifled predecessors, and was now waiting to go forward to new york by the next mail. i also observed a quantity of the large wafers lying upon the desk, a few of which i secured for the purpose of comparison. the evidence of the string now became of little importance, but i wished to find it if possible, and after a few moments' search, i discovered it lying on the floor behind the counter of the store. the probability is that after the mail had passed that night, he took the stolen letter to the store, and there opened it. against such overwhelming proof as this, it was worse than useless to contend. so thought the unfortunate post master, whose tone now changed considerably. he refunded on the spot the proceeds of the last night's robbery, and proposed to make over a portion of the goods in his store as security for the restitution of the amount previously purloined, if by such a step he could save himself and his young family (consisting of a wife and the little girl already referred to,) from the crushing effects of public exposure. but this tender regard for the happiness and honor of his family came too late. such considerations, if others are insufficient, ought to restrain one from the commission of crimes; and it has always seemed to me that when a man in the full possession of his faculties can thus compromise the comfort and peace of mind of his innocent family, he deserves little sympathy or pity from any quarter, however sincerely he may regret his folly. willis was arrested by a local officer, and taken before a justice of the peace in that neighborhood, who, notwithstanding the efforts made to impress upon him the importance of holding the accused for trial, fixed the bail at a few hundred dollars, which sum was readily furnished by responsible parties. as several weeks were to elapse before the session of the court, it was my intention to re-arrest him under a united states warrant, as soon as one could be obtained, but during the night he made over a portion of his property to his sureties, and hastily filling a few trunks with articles of clothing and other personal property, he decamped with his family to canada, leaving behind a deserted home and a disgraced name. as soon as the crimes of willis became known in the town, universal sympathy for the wife of the criminal was felt and manifested. she was a refined and accomplished lady, connected with a highly-respectable family in a neighboring county, and had endeared herself to all who knew her, by her kindness and other excellent qualities. like a true woman, she remained constantly at the side of her husband, after his arrest; overlooking all his offences in her devoted affection, and palliating them to others as far as she could, on the ground of pecuniary embarrassments. some weeks elapsed before a clue was obtained to his whereabouts. the deputy marshal, to whom this business was intrusted, entered upon the search with great energy, and finally succeeded in arresting him, and conveyed him to utica, new york, where he was examined before the united states commissioner, who held him to bail in a large amount, for trial before the united states district court. being unable to obtain this heavy bail, he was sent to jail a few miles from utica, to await his trial. his wife, on his second arrest, returned to her father's house. it was soon after this that she wrote him the following letter, which was left in the jailor's possession: f----, feb. , . my dear william, it goes to my heart to feel that we are separated, even for a time, and above all, to think _what it is_ that separates us. but, william, my love for you is such, that i had rather you were thus than dead. "i ask not, i care not, if guilt's in thy heart, but i know that i love thee, whatever thou art." oh! what strong temptation you must have had to struggle with, before you yielded to it! and i know that you meant to restore the money to those it belonged to, at some time or other. i sometimes find it hard to elude julia's artless inquiries. she wants to know "why father went away with that man and didn't come back." poor child! must she ever know that her father is in a----? i can't write the word. god forbid, my dear, that i should speak a word of reproach, but perhaps i can say in a letter what i might find it hard to say if i were with you. i am sure, william, that you have fallen into error for my sake and julia's, but let me assure you, from the bottom of my heart, that i had far rather sink with you into the depths of honest poverty, than rise to affluence, leaving an approving conscience behind. never think of me for a moment, i beseech you, as a wife whose wishes must be gratified at whatever expense, but reckon on me as one who will ever be ready to undergo any self-denial which the adoption of a straight-forward course may involve. i reproach myself that i had not been more free to confide to you my views on this subject before your misfortune. had i done so, perhaps we might have been differently situated now. but the past cannot be changed. the future may be a new life to us, if we wish it; and shall we not? as to the bail, i have strong hopes that it can be arranged before long. i hope to be with you as early as next week. julia sends a kiss to father, and says, "tell him i want him to come and see me and mother." i send the same for myself. good night, my dear, and many good morrows. your affectionate wife, ellen. not far from two weeks after the committal of willis to jail, mrs. willis called one day late in the afternoon, and requested permission of the jailor to spend the night with her husband. this officer was a kind-hearted old gentleman, and the lady-likee deportment of the applicant, whom he had seen on former occasions, had won his entire confidence. he made no objection, and his native gallantry, and sympathy for the lady, prevented a very thorough investigation of the contents of a large basket that she brought with her, which presented to his eye nothing but a goodly array of such delicacies as are not usually included in a prison bill-of-fare. so she was ushered into her husband's place of confinement, basket and all. the jailor retired to rest that night with the happy consciousness of having done at least one kind act during the day, and slept soundly,--perhaps more soundly than usual--till morning. when going his accustomed rounds, he noticed sundry shavings and chips of a decidedly new and fresh appearance on the floor outside of willis's door. he further noticed that the door was partly open, whereupon he hastily entered the room in no small perturbation of mind. nor was his disturbance diminished when he found that there was but one occupant of the bed, and that, the fair lady whom he had admitted the night before! she was apparently fast asleep, and although the spectacle was one of a picturesque description, the old gentleman would have derived much more satisfaction from a sight of her liege lord. he looked in all directions round the room, with the vague idea that his prisoner might start up from behind a chair or table; but no such phenomenon occurred, and the conclusion forced itself upon him that he had been made the victim of misplaced confidence; in other words, that willis had escaped by the aid of his devoted wife and her treacherous basket. an auger, concealed in its depths, had been smuggled in, and used in boring off the door-hinges, and now lay on the floor. [illustration] "mrs. willis," cried the now indignant jailor, "mrs. willis, i say!" but the slumberer stirred not, and he repeated the call in louder tones,--"mrs. willis, where's your husband?" rising up on one elbow, and looking about the room, apparently much confused, she replied, "where's my husband? have you taken him away without letting me know it?" she steadily refused to give any information concerning the time or mode of his escape, and was equally careful not to deny that she furnished the means for securing his exit. she was therefore arrested and taken before an united states commissioner, charged with aiding and abetting the escape of a prisoner; but such was the public sympathy in her behalf, that she was discharged from custody, and no doubt, soon joined her husband, who had proved himself so utterly unworthy of such an affectionate, devoted, and heroic companion. not long after this escape, a suit was brought in one of the lower courts, against a brother of willis, to recover the value of a horse killed by hard driving on the night of willis's disappearance. it was more than surmised that the two circumstances were in some way connected. chapter vii. startling complaints--character against suspicion--the two clerks--exchanging notes--the faro bank--tracing a bill--an official call--false explanation--flight of the guilty--the fatal drug--the suicide--sufferings of the innocent--the moral. the close of the year , and the opening of , were marked in the post-office department with frequent and startling announcements of the loss, by mail, of valuable letters from southern virginia, and eastern and northern north carolina, directed to richmond and other commercial cities farther north. these cases, as they reached the department, were duly prepared and submitted to the special agent for investigation. search and inquiry were promptly instituted. but for a time the utmost vigilance failed to obtain any clue to the supposed embezzlements. the cases of loss continued to multiply; and at length the agent's attention was particularly drawn to the distributing post-office at p. a circle of numerous facts pointed unmistakably to this spot as their center and focus. it was here that the lines of circumstantial evidence from every quarter converged and met. the post-office at p., therefore, became an object of special interest in the eyes of the agent. however, investigations in this direction proved at first no more successful than elsewhere. the high integrity of character for which the post master was distinguished, and the excellent reputation of his clerks, stood like a wall of adamant in the way of all evidence and all suspicions. the agent seemed destined to be baffled at every point. yet a stern truth stared him in the face, and fixed its immovable finger over this distributing office. every missing letter, although reaching p. by various routes, had been mailed at points south of it for points north of it. here they must all concentrate, and here only. it was therefore at this place only that all the losses could have occurred. several days were passed by the agent in p. and the vicinity, quietly pursuing his investigations. no person knew the secret of his business. he became acquainted with the post master and his two clerks, studied their characters, and their social circumstances. the first was a man of position and competence, whose honor no breath of calumny had ever dimmed, and who could not possibly have any motive for periling the peace and prosperity of his family by a dishonest course. neither did the unflawed respectability of the clerks betray any chink or crevice in which to harbor a doubt. the elder of these, and the superior in the office, was a young man of education and refinement. we will call his name carleton. his face was frank, his eye steady and clear, his manners always self-possessed and easy. the agent liked and admired him from the first. he learned too that he was a favorite with all who knew him--that his connections were among the first families in the state; and that by his talents and high-toned generous impulses, he had so far nobly sustained the lustre of his family name. another circumstance was greatly in carleton's favor. although descended from the "aristocracy," the fortunes of his family had run somewhat low in the later generations; and now, his father being dead, he devoted himself zealously to the maintenance of his aged mother, and the education and support of his only sister. the junior clerk was a youth of minor pretensions. he was uniformly retiring in his manners. although by no means a person of forbidding aspect, there was something measured and guarded in his movements, far less prepossessing than the free and chivalrous bearing of carleton. this apparent prudence might arise from various causes. the agent could not believe that it was the result of a secretive and dishonest disposition. if such was the case, however, that same discretion had effectually succeeded in covering the poverty of his moral character from public scrutiny. foiled at every point where he attempted to hang the sad burden of criminal facts, the agent resolved upon striking a bold and hazardous blow. he sought a private interview with carleton. "do you know," said he, "that i am here on very delicate and peculiar business?" "i had not thought of such a thing," replied carleton. "well, sir, i will tell you. i am convinced that you are the very man to assist me. if you will, you may do me and the post-office department a signal service." "i do not understand you." "no, but you will. first, however, give me your pledge that what i have to divulge shall be held in strictest confidence and honor by you." "certainly," said carleton, "if you wish it." the agent then stated the business that had brought him to p----. carleton expressed some surprise, but cheerfully promised to afford the department any assistance and information in his power. "have you mentioned the subject to mr. b.?" he asked. "not yet; he is the nominal post master, it is true, but you have a far more intimate knowledge of the details of the office than he has. i have another reason for not speaking with him. i dislike to disturb his confidence until the establishment of strong proof renders it my duty to do so." "you can speak to me with perfect plainness," said carleton. "i trust so," replied the agent. "and i am sure you will do all you can to set me right, if i am going wrong. nor will you, i am convinced, suffer me to injure an innocent person in your estimation. to come to the point, then, i wish you to open your inmost thoughts, and tell me if you regard it as possible that your fellow-clerk can be guilty of these depredations upon the mails." "you shock me," said carleton, not without emotion. "speak freely," continued the agent. "why, i could almost as soon think of suspecting mr. b. himself," exclaimed the other. "i believe howard to be perfectly honest." "certainly, i know nothing to the contrary; and i sincerely hope your judgment is well founded. but," continued the agent, "our public duty should not be altogether biassed by private opinion. you will not, therefore, fail to unite with me in tracing the embezzlements to their true source, no matter at whose door the blame may be laid." "i will do all in my power," said carleton. "although i would be almost willing to pledge my own reputation that the losses have occurred outside of the office, i will use every exertion to discover any dereliction from duty that may come within my sphere of observation." the agent expressed his thanks for the clerk's ready promise of coöperation, and took his leave. meanwhile he did not neglect other measures that he had adopted for tracing the robberies. by a singular coincidence, within an hour after this conversation with carleton, he was able to seize a certain clue, which he had long been in search of, and despaired of obtaining. on his return to the hotel, the landlord thus addressed him: "you asked me if i could give you any more large bills, in exchange for small ones. i think i can accommodate you this morning. i have a one hundred dollar bank-note, which, if you are sending money by mail, will be very convenient." "thank you," replied the agent; "it will be a great accommodation." the landlord passed the bank-note over the counter. one can imagine the agent's secret triumph on discovering, at last, one of the very bills he was in search of, one that had been lost in a letter passing that post-office only a week before; and of which he had an accurate description from the department. having made the purchase, he held the bank-note up to the light. "i suppose you will warrant this paper to be genuine?" he suggested. "there is no doubt about it, sir," said the landlord. "of course you know from whom you had it?" "to be sure! i took it of one of my boarders this morning, captain wilkins." "i have no doubt but the bill is good," said the agent, putting it in his pocket. "you are sure you had it of the captain?" "o, yes! 'twasn't an hour ago he gave it to me." "by the way, who is this captain wilkins? he's a very gentlemanly-appearing fellow." "o, he's a capital fellow!" said the landlord. "what's his business?" "he keeps a faro bank." to a northern reader, the two clauses of this statement may seem inconsistent with each other. but allowance must be made for the freedom of southern manners and society. to bet at a faro bank is considered no serious stain upon the honor and respectability of gentlemen in southern cities. the keeper of a faro bank may pass, as we have seen, for a "capital fellow." but the agent felt pained to know from what source the landlord had obtained the bill. already a dark picture of temptation and crime arose before his eyes. it is a significant and too often a tragical word--the faro bank! captain wilkins had gone to ride. the agent pretended to transact a little business, mailed two or three letters, and read the newspapers until his return. the rattling of a light-wheeled buggy before the hotel steps announced the expected arrival. captain wilkins--a soberly-dressed and polite individual, whom one might have taken for a clergyman--stepped out of the vehicle, accompanied by a friend, pulled off his driving-gloves as he entered the house, and lighted a fresh cigar at the bar. the agent took an early occasion to accost him. "can i speak with you a moment?" "certainly," said captain wilkins. the two walked aside together. the agent exhibited the bank-note. "did you ever see that paper before?" "yes, and very recently. i passed it with the landlord this morning." "as the bill is of so high a denomination, you probably remember from whom you received it?" "perfectly well. i had it last night from one of the post-office clerks, who was betting at my bank, and for whom i changed it." "may i ask from which one?" "o, from carleton. he is a reliable fellow. have you any doubts about the bill?" "no, if you are sure you had it of carleton." "i am sure of that." "you could swear to it as the identical bank-note?" captain wilkins glanced at the paper again. "it's the identical rag," said he; "i can take my oath of it." this startling revelation gave a different phase to the business. the finger of discovery seemed to point directly at the senior clerk. again the agent, on leaving wilkins, recalled carleton's every look and word, in the conversation he had with him that morning. he could not recall the faintest indication of guilt. and he could not but hope that the young man was as innocent as he appeared; and that circumstances would prove him so. however, there was no way left but to follow the thread of evidence he had so far successfully traced. he strolled towards the post-office, and found howard there alone. "where is your brother-clerk?" he asked. "he went to dinner about five minutes ago,--rather earlier than usual." "very well; perhaps you can do my business for me. i mailed a letter here this morning, which i would like to recover from the mails, if it has not already gone out." a description of the letter was given. all this was done to prevent howard from suspecting the agent's real business with carleton. the letter had gone, as the inquirer well knew, and he left the office. but now his pace was quickened. he knew not what might be the result of his interview with carleton. it was a significant fact that he had gone to dinner at an earlier hour than usual. if guilty, what more natural than that he should take that opportunity of destroying any evidence of his guilt to be found among his papers at home? the agent had already learned where carleton lived, and he hastened at once to his house. the young man's mother received him in a truly lady-like and hospitable manner. "he just came in," said she, graciously. "sit down, i will have him called. he remarked that he had some trifling affair to attend to before dinner, and immediately went to his chamber. you may speak to him, sarah." "i have only a word to say to him," replied the visitor. "perhaps it will be as well for me to go to his room, instead of calling him down." "as you please. my daughter will show you the way." sarah, a beautiful and stately girl of eighteen, conducted the caller to her brother's chamber, and knocked at the door. presently carleton appeared. a slight paleness overspread his features on recognising the agent, but without losing his self-possession, he invited him to enter the chamber. "i have strange feelings on seeing you!" he observed in a very natural tone of voice. "what you said to me about howard, has troubled me more than i would have thought it possible. take a seat. do you smoke?" "not before dinner," replied the agent. he made a rapid observation of the chamber, as he sat down. "you are very comfortably situated here." "i have nothing to complain of. we live rather humbly, but we are not ambitious." carleton then spoke of his mother and sister, in a manner which touched his visitor deeply. could it be possible, thought the latter, that he was destined to destroy the peace of that happy family? he shrank with indescribable repugnance from the performance of his duty; but it inexorably urged him to finish what he had begun, and he produced the fatal bank-note. "not to detain you," said he, "i have some question in my mind with regard to a bill i took this forenoon. i have been referred to you as the person who passed it. will you see if you recognise it?" again the swift pallor swept over carleton's face; but this time it was more marked than before, and his fingers trembled as he examined the bill. "certainly," said he, "i recognise it. it's a note i changed with captain wilkins last night." "it also happens," observed the agent, "to be a note which, according to an accurate description i have of it, was recently lost in the southern mails. this is as painful to me, mr carleton, as it is unexpected; and i hope you will be able satisfactorily to account for the manner in which you obtained this money." "it is still more painful to me than it can be to you," replied carleton; "and heaven knows i heartily wish i could not tell how that bill came into my possession. i remembered it, after you left me this morning; and i had a presentiment that trouble would come out of it. i am afraid, sir," carleton added, after some hesitation,--"i am afraid your suspicions of howard will prove too well founded!" "do you mean to say, that howard is responsible for that bill?" "i will tell you all i know about it, sir. i yesterday sold a colt i had been training the past season. he proved too high-spirited for our use, and i preferred to own a horse my mother and sister would not be afraid to ride after. i sold it to a neighbor of ours, mr. fellows. he was to pay me one hundred dollars down,--and this is the money he gave me." carleton hesitated. the agent begged him to proceed, as no time was to be lost. "i was trying to recall the conversation that passed between mr. fellows and myself. it was to this effect: "'i'd quite as lief you would give me small bills, if convenient,' said i, 'for i shall have several little sums to pay out of this in a day or two.' "he replied that he could do no better by me, and added that he thought howard would like to change it for me. 'how so?' said i. "'you remember,' said he, 'that howard bought a house lot of me, some time ago. the last payment came due yesterday. he seemed reluctant to part with this bill, and said if i would wait, he would give me specie for it in a day or two.' something more was said about howard's good luck in making payments for the house lot, so promptly, and so we parted." "where will i find this mr. fellows?" asked the agent. "i saw him not ten minutes ago enter a store in the village." "you are sure he will corroborate your statement?" "there's no doubt of it. he's a plain, practical man, who tells a straight-forward story." "come, then," said the agent, "we will go and find him." carleton readily assented, and the two left the chamber. "i've a little business to transact before dinner, mother," said the young man, as they passed out. "if i am not back in a quarter of an hour, do not wait for me." but little difficulty was experienced in finding mr. fellows. he was such a person as carleton had described; but he turned out to be very deaf, and the agent deemed it expedient to retire with him and carleton to some secure place, where their loud talking would not be overheard. the clerk proposed that they should make use of the private room of the post-office. the agent readily agreed to this, for he was somewhat anxious to make sure of howard; and he now resolved that the latter should be present at the interview. this plan was also proposed by carleton, and when they had arrived at the post-office, the senior clerk informed the junior, in a low and serious tone, that his presence was requested in the private apartment. "but who will attend in the office?" asked howard. "i'll speak to one of the clerks in the store; they accommodate us very often in this way," carleton added, addressing the agent. "it's only around the corner." the thought struck the agent that it would be safe enough to accompany carleton. but to do so, it would be necessary to leave howard, who, if guilty, might by this time have suspected the danger at hand. besides, it seemed not at all probable that carleton could have any motive for attempting an escape. his position in society, his family circumstances, his frank and manly demeanor,--everything tended to disarm suspicion. furthermore, nothing could be more satisfactory than the story he had related of the manner in which he obtained the fatal bill. he was accordingly suffered to leave the office. as there were persons passing in and out, the agent did not consider it proper to broach the important subject until carleton's return. but some minutes passed, and he did not reappear. "i thought he said he had only to go around the corner," said the agent. "it is probable," howard replied, "that the boys have gone to dinner. in that case, if your business is important, he has possibly gone to call the post master himself." a quarter of an hour passed. carleton had had time to walk to mr. b.'s house and back, but still he did not make his appearance. the agent grew uneasy. he waited five minutes longer, then resolved upon a decisive step. "mr. fellows," he cried, in the deaf gentleman's ear, "did you ever see that bill before?" fortunately, mr. fellows' sight was good, though his hearing was bad. he examined the paper without spectacles, and decided at once that he then and there saw it for the first time. "did you not buy a horse of carleton yesterday?" "no," said mr. fellows; "i have talked of selling his mother a pony, but i never bought anything of him." the truth flashed upon the agent's understanding. for his credit let it be declared, carleton had played his game with a consummate art that would have deceived "the very elect." no time was lost in obtaining traces of the young man's flight. the agent judged rightly, from his character, that he would not attempt to leave town. he anticipated a more melancholy fate for the unhappy youth. some inward prompting seemed to direct him to an apothecary's shop not many doors distant, and on inquiry he learned that carleton had just been there. "which way did he go?" "in fact, i am not certain he has gone," said the druggist. "he purchased some medicines, remarking that he wished to write out some directions for its use, and stepped into the back room. i have been very busy, and he may have passed out without my seeing him." the agent sprang forward. the door was locked upon the inside. "what medicine did you sell him?" asked the agent. "oh! you needn't be alarmed, he has studied medicine, and knows how to use these things." "he knows how to use them too well! this door must be forced. his life depends upon it,--if it is not already too late!" too late, indeed, it was! on breaking into the room, carleton was found lying upon the floor, with an empty vial beside him, and an unfinished letter to his sister on the table. in that letter he confessed his guilt, and besought his sister not only to support the mortal affliction he had brought upon her, with fortitude, but also to sustain and console their mother. the young man was not yet dead. medical assistance was speedily procured, but all efforts to save his life proved unavailing. he was already past consciousness, and never spoke again. a veil should be drawn to exclude the scene of horror, agony, and distress that awaited his family. the brokenhearted mother survived the tragical interruption of her late happy days but a few months. and though the sister was afterwards happily married, it is said that, from the date of her brother's disgraceful end, a continual cloud of melancholy rested upon her mind during the remainder of her life. she has since passed into that land where kindred souls are destined to meet again; and these allusions to her sad family history will give her no pain. the secret of carleton's lapse from virtue is soon told; and the lesson is one that every youth, who considers himself secure from temptation, should heed and carefully remember. the devil never boldly enters the citadel of rectitude, at the outset. he first walks around, and passes by; then holds a parley, and "makes the worse appear the better reason;" and ends by gaining permission to walk in just _once_, promising thenceforward to cease his solicitations, and keep aloof. but once admitted, he goes artfully to work to destroy all our defences, and before we are aware of it, he is a permanent occupant of the castle. such was undoubtedly carleton's experience. he was not a hardened sinner. he was truly a man of generous and noble impulses. but little transgressions of the stern law of conscience had in his boyhood weakened his moral force, and prepared him for more serious offences. then, in an unguarded hour, he formed an attachment for a fascinating, but gay and heartless woman, under whose influences his soul fell from the truth and purity of manhood. it was her hand which indirectly administered the deadly drug that destroyed his life. to meet her necessities for dress and dissipations, he resorted to the faro bank. although fortunate at first, he afterwards lost extensively, and became pecuniarily embarrassed. he borrowed money, which he was unable to return. only one course seemed open to him, to save his honor in the public eye. at first, he purloined cautiously and abstemiously from the mails, hoping, no doubt, that success at the faro bank would swell those unlawful gains, and cancel the necessity for further depredations. but let us not pursue the sad topic. the end we have seen, and we will hasten to turn the last leaf of this melancholy chapter. chapter viii. a night in a post-office. midnight mails--suspected clerk--a trying position--limited view--a "crack" agent--sneezing---"counter irritation"--the night bell--fruitless speculations--insect orchestra--picolo introduced--snoring--harmless accident--the boot-black--a tenanted boot--the exit. some years ago, the post-office of a prominent city in western new york became involved in a series of mail depredations, and at length it was apparent that some one of three clerks who had slept in the office, must be guilty of committing them; but the fastening of the charge upon the delinquent was a thing yet to be accomplished. by various processes, the range of suspicion was narrowed down till it rested upon _one_ of the clerks, and it only remained to get the _legal_ proof of his guilt. packages were missed that were known to have reached the office by the midnight mails. the clerks took turns in getting up to receive these mails, each one performing his duty for a week in succession, the one who for the time attended to it, sleeping on a cot in the post-office _proper_, and the other two occupying a small apartment at some little distance from the main office, but connected with it. it had also been ascertained that the packages were abstracted from a particular mail-pouch which arrived with many others about midnight, and remained unassorted till morning. on a certain occasion, when the suspected clerk was upon duty, an exact description of everything in that pouch was taken, upon the cars from the west, with the view of comparing the list of its contents with the post bills which should be found on the files of the office the following morning, these bills having heretofore disappeared with the packages. as i had before this had good reason to know that magistrates and jurors in that section of the country very properly required pretty conclusive evidence for conviction in such cases, i determined, in addition to other expedients, to take the post of private watchman inside the office, for one night at least, that i might obtain, by ocular demonstration, sufficient proof against the guilty one, to satisfy the most incredulous court and jury. one of the unsuspected clerks was sent away that night, and the other, in whom i had the utmost confidence, was apprised of my intentions. by him i was let into the office through a private door, before the object of our machinations had entered; and i was not long in selecting a suitable place where i could see without being seen, behind an open door leading from the post master's private room. this position could command (through the crack of the door) a fair view of the aforesaid cot and its occupant. it was not long before the individual arrived who was to be honored with my scrutiny during the live-long night; and as he "wrapt the drapery of his couch about him," i could not avoid making a momentary comparison between the luxury about to be enjoyed by him, and the wearisome hours upon which i was entering. well, "some must watch, while some must sleep; thus runs the world away." sitting in the public stocks,--watching with the body of a person who has died of some contagious disease,--being cornered by a bore, when you have an immediate engagement elsewhere,--waiting your turn in a dentist's office,--all these are somewhat trying to the nerves; but for a real test of their power of endurance, commend me to a stand behind a door, between the hours of p. m. and daylight; the thermometer ranging from upwards, all motion and sound being forbidden, under the imminent risk of being discovered in your hiding place, and forced to retreat ignominiously. this is a faint picture of the situation of the author on the night in question. zeal for the public good, and a cracker or two, alone sustained him through the tedious night watches. the proverb says that "a great deal can be seen through a small hole." my sphere of vision, however, was rather limited, embracing only a portion of the adjoining room, faintly lighted by a hanging lamp, the cot with its sleeping burden, a table, and the dimly seen tiers of letter boxes forming a back-ground. entirely in keeping with this scene of "still life," was the monotonous buzz of sundry flies of a rowdyish disposition, who, not content with tickling the noses of peaceable citizens, and otherwise harassing them during the day, must needs "keep it up" through the hours devoted to repose by insects of more steady habits. however, they might have been engaged in the praiseworthy occupation of soothing one another to rest by their "drowsy hum," for i myself began to feel its soporific influence, and to bless "the man who first _in_vented sleep," but anathematize (inwardly) him who was _pre_venting it. i was roused from this sleepy condition by a slight irritation in the schneiderian membrane; in other words, i began to feel a desire to sneeze. now, sneezing is an operation which admits of no compromise. you must either "go the whole hog," or entirely refrain. any attempt to reduce the force of the explosion is as unavailing as was the irishman's effort to "fire aizy" when he was touching off the cannon. so the annoying inclination must be nipped in the bud, if i wished to preserve my secrecy inviolate, and prove that i was "up to _snuff_." accordingly i called to mind (as far as i was able) and practised all the expedients of which i had ever heard, besides others entirely original, for allaying this titillation. i rubbed the bridge of the nose; i would have slapped myself on the forehead, had i not feared the remedy would prove worse than the disease in respect of noise. i instituted experiments in "counter irritation," by pulling my hair, pinching my ear, and thus diverting attention from the rebellious organ; and finally i succeeded in subduing this refractory member. the uneasiness i felt lest, after all, i should be compelled to wake the echoes of the building, as well as other more tangible creations, were in some degree dispelled by several hearty snores which proceeded from the sleeper, and, like the guns which announce the arrival of a vessel in port, gave evidence that he had arrived in the land of dreams. under the cover of this "_feu de joie_," i dispatched a cracker (not a fire-cracker) which i happened to have in my pocket, as my inner man began to feel the effects of my unwonted position and consequent weariness. at about midnight, a sudden peal of the bell, pulled by the mail carrier, at a back door, aroused the sleeper, who started up, went to the door and received the mail, and, after a little delay, returned to his bed, not, however, to sleep as quietly as before, as he often rolled over from side to side, occasionally uttering a groan. having nothing better to do, i speculated on the cause of these phenomena. they might be owing, first, to heat, second, to a disordered stomach, or third, to an uneasy conscience. as to the first of these supposed causes, it seemed improbable that his recent visit to the door in a very airy costume, should have had any tendency to increase the animal heat; and as regarded the second theory, my knowledge of his dietetic habits was too limited to furnish me with data for anything like an argument. if his short delay at the door after receiving the mail bags, was produced by any cause for which conscience might properly goad him, the last hypothesis might be correct,--but on the whole i was obliged to follow the example of many profounder theorists, and confess that i didn't know much about the matter. [illustration] a combination of the stomach and conscience suppositions, might be an adequate solution of the question, for the slender salary of a post-office clerk hardly sufficed for more than three meals a day, and the inference from these premises would be rather easy that a fourth must have been at the public expense. here my reflections came to an untimely end, for the insect orchestra, of whose performances i have spoken, was reinforced by the addition of a picolo, in the shape of one of those minute specimens of creation commonly called mosquito, whose note, "most musical, most melancholy," blended with the trombone of the blue bottle fly in a manner rather more curious than pleasing. and the different sounds produced by these insects were no less unlike than their modes of approaching their victims; the latter, with bull-headed obstinacy, bouncing against your face in a blundering way, with apparently no particular object excepting that of making himself generally disagreeable, while the former, lighting upon you as delicately as a snow flake, proceeds with admirable promptitude and definiteness of purpose to take out his lancet, and, like some never-failing humorist, is always "in the vein." the tones of this insect Æolian rose and fell for a little time at a distance, but i was speedily aware of its presence in immediate proximity to my ear, and apparently making a tour of observation around my head, whereupon i commenced a blind sort of defence by flourishing my hands as noiselessly as possible round the region invaded, to as little purpose, however, as the attack of regular troops upon a body of indians; for in a moment the music ceased, and i felt the sharp prick which informed me that i was hit, and i instinctively inflicted an energetic slap upon the spot, by which my enemy was extinguished, and one bill at least effectually cancelled. this result was not attained without a report, which so violently broke the silence, that i stood for a moment in breathless suspense, fearing that the sound would penetrate into the realms of morpheus, and that thus i might pay too dearly for my triumph. but the sleeper "made no sign," and i was again left to my solitary musings. a small pistol which i had observed my sleeping friend place under his head, on going to bed, did not tend to increase the comforts of my position, for since he had become so restless, the thought passed through my mind that he might have heard some suspicious noise in my direction, and was feigning sleep, while on the watch for its repetition. if this were the case, the discovery of a supernumerary on the premises, might lead to a hasty assault on the supposed midnight prowler, and also a more rapid transfer of the contents of the pistol to me than would be either agreeable or wholesome, before i could offer any reasonable explanation for my presence behind the door at such an unseasonable hour. after a while, however, a renewal of the snoring, which was occasionally echoed by the occupant of the adjoining room, assured me of the absence of belligerent intentions, and the buzzing of the flies before mentioned, with the ticking of a clock in the office, were the only additional sounds that broke upon the silence. about two o'clock, a slight accident occurred to me, which, however, did no harm. in reaching for a pitcher of water that stood on the table near by, i knocked off a book, which must have been poised on the corner of the table. i immediately imitated, by scratching, the gnawing of a rat in the wall, so that if the falling of the book had aroused the sleeper, he would have attributed both the noises to the imaginary animal. but few sounds outside the building were heard, save the occasional drunken shout of some votary of bacchus, reeling home to disgrace his family with his presence; and the measured strokes of the city clocks, as they told off the long, long hours. but the most ludicrous circumstance happened just about daylight,--that is, daylight outside, for within the office it was still dark, as all the blinds were closed. i was startled by a sudden rap on the door of the post master's room which opened into the main hall, soon followed by another even more energetic. the clerk in the bed-room jumped from his bed and passed by me to open the door. fearing that i should be discovered, i darted into the bed-room without his knowledge, and before he had returned. the truth is, he was not more than half awake, and had forgotten me entirely. he had admitted a colored man to get the boots which required his polishing touch, and then returned to bed again. this gentleman of color, who by the way proved to be a trusty porter employed in several of the offices in the building, proceeded first to the side of the cot to get the boots there, and then made for the bed-room, into which i had retreated. in feeling about the floor to find the remaining "leathern conveniences," he seized one of mine! "i've got my foot in it now," thought i; but by a gentle and dexterous movement i succeeded in withdrawing the exposed covering from his partial grasp, without his discovering the existence of a leg within. whether it was fright at the touch of the tenanted boot, or something else, that made him leave the premises so suddenly, i have never been fully satisfied. i went out myself soon after, leaving both clerks sound asleep. what occurred on that night beyond that which i have already described, or how the investigation terminated, i am confident the reader will not insist upon knowing, when i assure him that there are special reasons, affecting public as well as private interests, why i should make no further disclosures. though this was not the last night which i have spent in post-offices for similar purposes, yet i have never repeated the experiment under circumstances requiring quite so severe restraints, and such abridgment of personal liberty. chapter ix. throwing off the cars--fiendish recklessness--the boot-tracks--a scamp among the printers--obstruction removed--a ruse--the boots secured--"big jobs"--the trial--unreliable witness--a life-sentence. in the narrations of mail robberies which we have thus far given, their perpetrators, though bold and unscrupulous, have not often plotted the destruction of human life in order to further their projects. but in the case we are about briefly to relate, murder on a large scale was coolly contemplated for the sake of the facilities which would be afforded to the plunderers of the mail, by the confusion, distress, and preoccupation which necessarily follow the throwing of cars from a railroad track. the certain destruction of property and the probable loss of life which would be caused by the successful execution of their plans, were nothing to these atrocious scoundrels, as long as by these means plunder might be brought within their grasp. rather more than a year ago, on a certain day in march, the locomotive of a mail train upon one of the western railroads was thrown from the track by a "t" rail, which was placed with one end against a tie, so that the other, projecting somewhat upward, was struck by the engine. this occurred near a city in one of the western states. no one on the train was injured, and whoever placed the obstruction failed in accomplishing his purpose, if that was to rob the mail. no person was particularly suspected of the deed, but tracks made by a boot of peculiar shape, with rows of large nails around the soles and heels, were found in the soft clay in the neighborhood of the spot, and an impression of them was taken for future reference. on the same day the superintendent of the road received a letter, of which the following is a copy. adrian, march , . sir: i have for the last few days written five or six notes to send you, but as often i have changed my mind and concluded to let the information that i wish to convey you, lie buried in obscurity. but the late act of villany that was committed i may say within sight of our city, forces me to disclose to you information that i received a few days ago of the formation of a gang of rascals who have combined together to commit, i may say, wholesale murder, and other criminal acts, by obstructing the passage of trains and endangering the same on the m. s. & n. r. r. this gang of villains is under the management of two men that are now known to me. the subject came to my knowledge by an offer from them of a large sum of money if i would take part with them in their intended villany. this i refused, and scornfully regarded their proposals to have anything to do with them. i further threatened to expose them if they should attempt at any time to carry their intentions into effect, and one of them said if i should ever disclose to any one their intentions, that it would be certain death to me. i cannot in this note explain to you the information i wish to convey in full; but should you answer by dropping a line in the post-office to me, i will, if you wish, disclose to you the names of the parties; in fact, i will give you all the information that i can of the parties and their intended plot, on condition that you will give a liberal reward. i would be able to point them out or describe them so that they might be arrested. i am satisfied one of them has in his trunk documents that would disclose the whole matter. i hope you will keep this subject dark, as i am exposing myself to great danger by disclosing this to you, and would also expose the interest of the road by disclosing this subject to the public. yes, such would make the road a terror to all. as i cannot write to any satisfaction, should you wish to know further about the matter, let me know and i will go to your office any evening that may be convenient to you. for the present i remain yours, a. s----. the author of this document (who here signs a feigned name) claimed to be a natural son of an english lord celebrated in literature, and assumed the name of his pretended father. he seems to have been a man of considerable shrewdness, though he did not prove to be quite shrewd enough to outwit the business men and officers of justice with whom he had to deal. the superintendent replied to the letter, requesting an immediate interview. to this b. (the person in question) returned an answer, stating that he had written to one of the leaders of the gang in new york, and that he would call on the superintendent as soon as he had received a reply, which might give him further information. three or four days after this the interview was held, and afterwards another in the presence of the attorneys of the railroad company. on these occasions, b. repeated his story with some further details, and offered to assist in the detection of the scoundrels, if he could be assured of a sufficient reward. there were many suspicious circumstances about this person, both as respected his appearance and the statements which he made. it did not seem very probable that any one should have so intimate a knowledge of the designs of the villains as he appeared to possess, without being, to some extent at least, involved in their guilt. notwithstanding their suspicions, the officers of the road concluded to engage his services, with the intention of keeping a sharp lookout upon him. he gave the names of several persons as concerned in the scheme, and proposed to correspond with some of the leaders and draw from them disclosures which would cause their detection. about this time he went to work in a printing office, and was observed to be irregular in his habits, being much out at nights. he had occasional interviews with mr. s. (one of the attorneys above mentioned,) rather respecting what he had _not_ discovered than what he had, and sometimes showing letters that he pretended to have received, threatening his life unless he left the country. these interviews, however unfruitful they were in available information, led to a result which was not anticipated by the cunning b. had this individual narrowly observed all the surroundings of the lawyer's office, he would have seen a quantity of fresh damp sand strewed upon the walk in front, through which he was obliged to pass on entering. of course he thought nothing of it; hardly any one would; but the impressions which his boots made on that sand were found to correspond exactly with those obtained from the clay at the scene of the railroad accident before mentioned! one evening, about three weeks after the accident on the railroad, b. rushed into the office of the railroad company in breathless haste, and informed the assistant superintendent that he had been applied to by a certain person to put obstructions on the track a little west of the city, to catch the p. m. mail train west; but had got away from him and hurried to the office to give this information. the assistant superintendent and others immediately went up the road about two miles, and found obstructions placed in the spot indicated, and removed them. when the train passed, the light in front of the locomotive showed several men running into the woods. this was the third instance of attempted obstruction to the mail trains upon this road, within less than a month (one having occurred previously to that first mentioned, causing, however, but slight damage,) and it was ascertained that there were considerable amounts of money in the mail on each of those occasions. it may be remarked in passing, that although b. had notified the company in advance, of actual obstructions, and had given the names of the parties concerned, yet no progress seemed to be made in detecting the guilty individuals. it was evidently his policy to obtain money from the company as the price of his disclosure, and yet to manage so that no discovery would result. in the mean time, the post-office department had been informed of these facts, and an experienced and skilful police officer in chicago was appointed special mail agent to investigate the matter. he very soon came to the conclusion that whoever the other guilty persons might be, b. was "one of 'em" to all intents and purposes. as we have before stated, b. had said that one of the leaders was in new york, and at the request of the company's attorney, b. wrote a letter to him. the chief of police of new york was written to, and requested to station an officer at the post-office to watch for and arrest the party who should call for the letter, but during the time which elapsed between the arrival of the letter and the officer who was to watch outside the post-office, the letter disappeared, and even before any one connected with the new york post-office had been apprised of the arrangement. four days afterwards, b. informed one of the company's attorneys that the man in new york had received the letter and sent him a verbal answer to the effect, that he had better write no more by mail, "as the letters might get lost." mr. p., the chicago police officer, went in company with a lawyer to new york, with the design of finding the man to whom the letter was addressed. their efforts, however, though assisted by the chief of police, and the special agent for the new york district, were unavailing. it was ascertained that he had paid his passage to liverpool on the ship washington, but having been asked a casual question by one of the officers of the vessel, concerning his relationship to a certain englishman, he had forfeited his passage-money, and disappeared. having returned to the west, mr. p., the government agent, determined to arrest b., which he effected, and, without his knowledge, obtained possession of his boots, which had already supplied such important evidence against him. he displayed much virtuous indignation, and talked largely of his wealth, respectability, and high standing in society; but all this availed him nothing, and he was committed to jail. although he had arrested b., yet mr. p. doubted whether he had sufficient evidence to convict him, and determined to condemn him out of his own mouth. accordingly he made arrangements with a deputy sheriff of milwaukie, to play the part of prisoner, and thus to obtain the rascal's confidence. agreeably to this arrangement, when b. entered the prison, he found the deputy sheriff already in his cell, apparently a fellow victim to the demands of justice. for about four weeks this gentleman was most of the time in the cell with b., representing himself as an "express robber;" conducting himself in such a turbulent manner that b. supposed the time of his absences was passed in the dungeon. for some time, however, he failed in extracting any disclosures from b., who confidently expected that his connection with the railroad company would protect him. after he had been in prison about three weeks, b. was informed that his arrest had been made by an united states officer, who intended to make his boots convict him of obstructing the mail train, and that the railroad company were powerless to shield him from punishment for acts committed (as this had been) previous to his employment by them. he now saw his danger, and, on returning to his cell with his supposed fellow prisoner, who had assumed the name of harris, he manifested great agitation. harris asked what was the matter. b. hesitated for a while, and at length exclaimed: "that rascally p. has stole my boots." "what if he has?" replied the pseudo harris. "they couldn't be worth much." "they are worth considerable to me, i can tell you, for he means to send me to state prison with them." "send you to state prison? what in the world do you mean? how can your boots send you to state prison?" "why, he is going to show that they made the tracks that were found where the rail was put on the track east of adrian." "well," said harris, "that looks rather bad, but it isn't as bad as it might be. you'll get out of it yet, and i'll help you, if i can. i expect to get bailed out in a day or two, and if i can do anything for you, i will." "you are the man for me," said b., "and i shall want you to come and swear on my trial that you saw a person by the name of a---- put the rail on, and that i wasn't there." "but if you are innocent," replied harris, "you will get clear; and if you are guilty, i don't believe i can help you." "you must, by heavens," said b. "if you don't, i'm a goner!" here the conversation ended that day, but the next morning b. directed his fellow prisoner to testify that his name was grover, and that on the night on which the obstruction in question was made, he went with a----, and saw him put the rail on the track. (so minute, by the way, was b.'s description of the place and the manner in which the obstructing rail was laid, that the deputy sheriff going there afterwards in company with mr. p., easily found the spot, and identified the very tie under which the rail was placed, though it was the first time he had been there.) "well," said harris, _alias_ grover, (who seemed to grow rapidly rich in names,) "if i help you out in this way, what shall _i_ get by it?" b. replied: "if you get me clear i shall keep the confidence of the railroad company, and will introduce you to a set of good fellows who do nothing but big jobs, and my connection with the company will enable me to get you a position where you can pay yourself." having by such inducements secured (as he supposed) the aid of his companion, b. recovered his equanimity, and wrote as follows to one of the attorneys for the railroad company:-- "to return to the obstruction east of adrian in regard to my boots such as i can prove by j s that i mentioned in my last, by him i can prove where i was that night, as also where my boots were, and as for the other man's evidence i am sure that i cannot be mistaken as to my success on trial or examination. i hope you will soon see mr g again and be sure to have him at the time. as to the danger of my going to adrian for fear i would fall into the hands of the engineers and firemen in that place, i will say for once and all, let me go to adrian--& as to the danger of falling into the hands of rowdies i am not afraid of no! no! not if all the fiends of pandemonium was to raise against me i will not shrink from anything as long as i am innocent or as long as i can have the protection of the law on my side justice! justice!! is all i claim and that i expect to have before a court of justice and an independent & impartial jury, if i can't swim there let me sink. res. yours & others, a. s. b. p. s. i will convince your engineers & firemen that i was their friend, and that i have oftentimes run myself into danger for their safety, as well as that of the company & the travelling public yes & if they or the co. have any feeling of gratitude in them i am sure that they will not show it by prosecuting me but first i must prove "_my title_ clear" & that i can do so hurra boys, &c., three times three. yours truly, a. s. b." the railroad company could have no further doubt of his guilt. it was plain that he had entered their service to betray them; and though he had given the names of his accomplices, he had been careful not to catch them. at his request he was removed to adrian for trial. he told his counsel what he should prove by grover; and was assured of an honorable acquittal. at the trial, the counsel for the prosecution examined several witnesses in relation to the boot-tracks, which, for the time being, were as interesting to the legal fraternity, as are the ancient bird-tracks found in sandstone, to geologists. the defence supposed that the counsel for the prosecution would there rest, and were confident that they had the game in their own hands, knowing, as they did, that the evidence thus far adduced was not sufficient to convict their client. but the prosecution called "wm. b.," (the deputy sheriff,) when, to the utter astonishment and dismay of the prisoner, his man grover took the stand! this unexpected transmutation at once dissipated the dreams of triumph and future villany in which he had been revelling; and as "wm. b." testified to the facts in his possession, and the disclosures of the prisoner, this baffled scoundrel found the prop on which he had relied falling beneath him, and plunging him into that gulf from which he had made such desperate though vain efforts to escape. he was found guilty on two indictments. on the first, he was sentenced to imprisonment for life, the judge remarking that he would suspend sentence on the other till the first had expired. the interval between the pilfering of small sums and the deliberate plotting of wholesale murder for the sake of plunder, seems a wide one; yet no one who enters even the verge of the maelstrom of a dishonest course, can tell how far within the vortex he may be drawn by its ever strengthening current. the case just related forms a culminating point in the series of villanies which we have recorded in this book for the benefit of those who, in defiance of the eternal laws of providence, attempt to make the way of the transgressor easy. chapter x. stopping a post-office. the unpaid draft--the forged order--a reliable witness--giving up the mail key--a lady assistant--post-office records--the official envelope--return of the post master--the interview--embarrassment of guilt--duplicate circular--justice secured. one of the coolest and at the same time silliest pieces of post-office rascality that i have ever known, occurred a few years since in rhode island. a small draft from the post-office department having been presented by a mail contractor to the post master of p., payment was refused, on the ground that the office had been abolished some time before, and that there was little or nothing due the department. no time was lost by the contractor in apprising the proper officer at washington, of the non-payment of the draft, and the reason assigned therefore; when reference was at once made to the official records. they, however, failed to show the discontinuance of the office. here was a mysterious and singular affair, and a letter was accordingly despatched to the seemingly delinquent post master, requiring an explanation of his course. a reply to this was very promptly sent to the department, to the effect that some months previous he had received from the appointment office formal notice that his office had been discontinued, accompanied by an order to hand over all the mail matter remaining on hand, together with the mail key, and other property of the department, to a neighboring post master, and that he had of course answered the demand. a re-examination of the books still showing the office to be a "live one," he was written to, and directed to forward the original document upon the authority of which he had shut up his office. the papers were duly forwarded, and sure enough, there was the "order," signed with the name of the second assistant post master general, who was then at the head of the appointment office. it read as follows:-- post-office department, march , . sir, the post master general having decided to discontinue the post-office at p----, from and after the expiration of the present fiscal quarter, you will, at that time, please hand over all mail matter, the mail key, and all other property belonging to the department, to the post master at m----, on his presenting this order. very respectfully, your obt. servant, wm. j. brown, d asst. p. m. general. although a tolerably fair imitation of that officer's hand-writing, it was at once pronounced a forgery. my services, as special agent, were called into requisition, and all the facts, as they then stood, communicated to me. as speedily as possible i visited the scene of this perplexing and extraordinary official mystery. arriving at the site of the late post-office, i found its former incumbent to be a highly respectable merchant, well advanced in years, and blessed with one of those countenances which, to a person at all accustomed to study character in that way, at once dispels all doubt and distrust. he was of dutch descent, and, while intelligent on general subjects, was poorly "posted" in the arts and devices of cunning knaves. from him i received a full statement of the shutting up process, and obtained some additional facts, which afterwards furnished me with a clue to the whole mystery. on one of the last days of march, mr. g----, post master at another village in the same town, called on him in company with one of his friends, and presented what purported to be a copy of an order from the department, directing him to close the office, and to give up the property in the manner already described. of course the post master felt and manifested no little surprise, for the office had been established but about a year, and he had heard of no application or desire in any quarter for such a proceeding. "it is all right, i suppose," said he, after carefully examining the "copy" which had been handed him without a word of explanation; "but i think, before i hand over the property, i ought to have the original order." "oh yes, it's all correct," responded the witness (who had seen the copy made from the spurious order, supposing that to be genuine); "i saw it compared with the original myself, and it's a true copy." "but the quarter will not be ended till to-morrow," remarked the astonished official; "and, on the whole, i think i must refuse compliance, unless the original instructions are placed in my hands." "then i understand you as refusing to obey the order of the department, do i?" said the applicant. "not at all," was the mild response; "i am perfectly ready to comply when i see the written command over the signature of the proper officer of the department. it can be but little trouble to produce that, and i think, under the same circumstances, you would demand as much yourself." "but do i not bring a reliable witness to prove that this is an exact copy of the original?" asked the visitor, impatiently. "true, but my request is reasonable, and i think i will adhere to it," he replied; and the gentleman, with his companion, left the premises, simply remarking, "you will hear from me again, to-morrow." and sure enough, he did. towards sun-down on the following day, the abolisher of post-offices made his appearance, and, with an air of authority, without uttering a word, threw the extinguishing document upon the counter. the post master took it up, and after adjusting his spectacles, examined first the outside. it had the usual printed endorsement on the right hand upper corner, "post-office department, official business," was properly franked by the second assistant, post-marked "washington," and plainly addressed to the "post master, m----, r. i." on withdrawing the letter from its covering, it had, sure enough, every appearance of genuineness, and no doubt remained that it was the official action of the department. the post-office effects were accordingly put in shape as hastily as possible, and handed over. but "the course of _knavery_ never did run smooth." strong suspicions began to arise that the neighboring post master, before mentioned, was the author of the whole transaction, and when the knowledge of a motive on his part was supplied, his guilt became to my mind clear and positive. it appeared that at the time of the establishment of the now defunct post-office, there was a tremendous opposition, in which he took an active and leading part, but the member of congress for that district favored the application for the new office, and it was finally granted. being but two miles from the old establishment, there was, as had been anticipated, a considerable falling off in the receipts of the latter. the snake was "scotched, not killed," or in other words, post master number one had bottled up his wrath, and was biding his time. the affair had now become with him a matter of pride as well as interest, and when joked, as he frequently was, about his defeat in the post-office contest, he was often heard to say that the new post-office was "short-lived any way." he was quite an active, prominent politician, and when a new nomination for congress was to be made, he thought he saw his way clear. he struggled hard for the selection of a personal friend, and succeeded, not only in the nomination, but in the election. but when the pinch came, the honorable member failed him, and could not be persuaded to take the responsibility, for the new post-office had proved really a great convenience to many of his constituents and to some of his friends, personal and political. with the advantage of this information obtained from the ex-post master and one or two other citizens of that vicinity, i proceeded to visit the office which at one gulp had swallowed up the other, without apparent injury to its digestive organs. the post master was absent, and the office in charge of his wife. this was a piece of good luck, for it would enable me to examine the books and papers to greater advantage, and what was better, to interrogate the lady and her lesser half separately. two or three points were very important. might not some wicked wag in the department, knowing all the circumstances of the case, have prepared the letter in question, and sent it as a hoax? this could be easily settled by referring to the account of mails received, for the record in that event should show the receipt of a free letter, either direct from washington, or from the distribution office at new york. then another test, was a comparison of the "order," with the hand-writing of the post master. but the most troublesome point of all to reconcile, was, how the official envelope had been obtained, for that was beyond a doubt genuine. introducing myself to the lady assistant, who happened to be alone in the office, i remarked,-- "i am in pursuit of a letter which should have come here from new york in march last, and i wish to see if your new york packages, during that month, were all regularly received. where do you keep your transcripts, the books, or sheets, you know, upon which you copy your post-bills?" they were taken from a desk and laid before me. turning to the record of the month in question, not a single free letter was entered as received at that office for the last two weeks in march, from any quarter! "who made the entries in this book?" i inquired. "my husband," was the prompt answer. having the general style of the "order" in my mind, i glanced over a few pages of the book, and observed several peculiarities in the formation of some of the capital letters which i had noticed in the (to this time) fatherless document. it was written in bluish ink, and so were the pages of the records made at about the same time,--a trifling circumstance to be sure, but yet a link in the chain of evidence. the wafer too, used in sealing, was strikingly similar in size and shade to those contained in a large box upon the desk. the "order" was on a half sheet of letter paper of different size and stamp from the wrapper enclosing it. it now remained to establish some reasonable theory to account for his possession of a genuine official envelope. some farther reflection supplied that theory which in the sequel proved to be the correct one. the date of the washington post-mark i had before noticed, was very indistinct, in fact could not be made out, although the word "washington" and "march" were tolerably plain. at that time the present style of envelopes were not much in use by the department. could it not be an old wrapper, or the "fly leaf" of some former official document from head quarters? this idea was certainly favored by the fact that on one side it presented a ragged appearance as if torn from another half sheet; and if its fellow could be found on the premises, the two parts must necessarily fit together, and conclusively show that a branch of the appointment office had really been temporarily established without authority of law, not far from that locality. it was now late in the afternoon, and the post master still absent, though momentarily expected home. an invitation to take tea with the good lady, was the more readily accepted, from a desire to prevent any comparing of notes between them with respect to the inquiries and examination already made. at the table i ventured, for the first time, to broach the subject of the "stoppage" affair. "i believe the last time i passed over this route, you had two post-offices in town," i remarked. "yes," was the reply, "but it made so much bother, and did so little good, that it was abolished some months since." in her manner of receiving this remark, i could discover no proof of a participation in, or knowledge of the process by which the rival concern had been gotten rid of. and i might as well say in this connection as anywhere else, that i have never in my own official experience, known any instance of a wife or child being made an accomplice, partner or confidant, "before the fact," in the commission of serious post-office offences. prying ladies have sometimes, however, from curiosity, rather than pecuniary considerations, exhibited a remarkable aptness in getting at the written contents of letters, without the consent or knowledge of the owners. the cloth had not long been removed before the post master's approach was heralded by the scratching at the door of a large newfoundland dog, the circumstance being at once noted by the lady as indicative of the safe return of her husband. in a moment more the sound of the horse's hoofs were distinctly heard, and as soon as the nag had been passed over to a boy we had left in the office, the post-office annihilator entered. "my dear," says the affectionate wife, "you have got back once more." and with this salutation she announced her guest, as "a gentleman who had come to see about some post-office business." he eyed me rather closely, and with a much less amiable expression than he assumed on learning that i was a near relative of his "uncle sam," which i saw it was essential to make known to him, in order to secure decent treatment; for he was decidedly savage in his looks and manners on the first introduction, taking me no doubt for some troublesome customer (as i eventually proved to be, by the way,) who had come to bother him about some trifling affair. an intimation that i would like to see him at the post-office was sufficient. we soon found ourselves there alone, and i commenced interrogating him thus:-- "did you receive notice from the department in march last of the discontinuance of the office at p.?" "i did, and was ordered to take possession of the property of the department," he replied. "the old gentleman," said he, "rather hated to yield; but, when i showed him the documents, he caved in and made the best of it. the fact is, the office never ought to have been created at all." "when did the order reach your hands?" i asked; "and do you remember the circumstance of its arrival in the mail?" "i well remember all about it," said he; "i opened the mail that day myself, as usual. i think it was one of the last days in march. i shall never forget the astonished look of neighbor n., as he perused the order converting him into a private citizen once more." "he wasn't satisfied with a certified copy of the unwelcome document, was he?" i remarked. "and, by the way, what was the object of serving a _copy_ of the paper on him?" "well," he rejoined, with a slight embarrassment, "the fact is, i thought i had better retain the original for my own protection, in case of any fuss. he had to have it, however, before he would shut up shop." at this juncture i produced the "order," and laying it before him, requested that he would turn to the entry of a free letter on his "mails received," at the time of the receipt of this one. the search was in vain, as i well knew it would be; and he undertook to explain that circumstance by claiming that official letters frequently came from washington without wrapper or post-bill. by this time he evidently began to construe my inquiries into a suspicion of his fraudulent conduct; and, as in all such cases, every attempt to extricate himself only made the matter worse. "come to think of it," said he, "i was absent from home the day that letter arrived, and on my return i took it from my private box where my letters are put," at the same time pointing to a pigeon-hole in a small letter-case over the desk. "and would your wife open the mail in your absence?" i inquired. receiving an affirmative answer, i requested him to call her, taking care that they should hold no private conversation. exhibiting to her the outside of the letter, i asked if she recollected taking it from the mail and placing it in the post master's box. they exchanged glances, and, on the second look towards him, i was just in time to observe a trifling nod of the head by way of intimating that she had better say yes. but she thought otherwise, and was quite positive that if such a thing bad come loose in the bag, at any time when she opened the mail, she would have noticed it. "to come right to the point," said i, "this document is disowned by the department, and no authority has been given to any one to discontinue the other office." a forced laugh from the post master followed this announcement, but the honest wife looked worried. "well," he answered, "if it did not come from the appointment office, then some mischievous clerk in the department may have sent it as an april-fool hoax, as it was near the first of april; or some one may have slipped it into my private box unobserved, though no one could well do it unless it was the boy that you see about here." "i see no motive that he could have had for doing it," i observed. "but he might possibly have been hired to do it," was the reply. in accounting for the envelope, it now became an important point to settle whether or not the post master had been in the habit of preserving all official circulars from the department. if so, and this envelope had been torn from one of them, the remaining fragment might still come to light as his certain accuser. a search of the files showed the preservation of all such documents for two years previous, but nothing appeared to match the covering of the "order." still believing it was obtained in that way, i adjourned the investigation for a few days, and meantime applied to the department for duplicates of any printed circulars that had been sent to this office, and the return mail brought me one that was so sent, but a few weeks previous to the fraud in question. its absence from the postmaster's files, while all other similar documents had been carefully saved, was a strong circumstance to show that a part of it at least had been used for this dishonest purpose. but the damning proof was yet to come. in the printed words "official business," which were in capitals on the outside of the duplicate circular, there was a defect, or "nick" in the letter o, and the last s, in business. on comparing this with the covering of the spurious order, exactly the same bruises were found in the same letters, identifying the one with the other in the most positive manner, as the coincidence would be almost miraculous of the same type being battered in precisely the same way, upon circulars printed at different times. nor was this all. in folding the circular before the ink was fairly dry, some parts of the printed words in the body of it had "struck off" upon the inner side of the "fly leaf," which parts of words could, by a strong light, be distinctly observed upon several lines directly under each other. referring to the printed page of the entire circular received for examination and comparison, a copy of which was known to have been sent to this post-office, _the same words were found to occur, and precisely in the same relative positions_. thus was the final link in the chain of evidence closed and riveted; a chain which held the guilty one in its unyielding grasp, and set at nought all attempts at evasion or escape, had he been disposed to make them. his only alternative was silence or confession, and of these he chose the latter. a full report of all the facts above stated was made to the department, and the tricky post master soon received an official letter from washington, concerning whose genuineness the most sceptical could have no doubt. in this case, "the engineer was hoist with his own petard." in stopping his neighbor's office he was himself stopped; and, furthermore, received a reward for his misdeeds, the nature of which any future post-office stopper will learn by sad experience. the defunct office was resuscitated, and its former incumbent reinstated in all the rights and privileges of which he had been deprived by the treachery of his unscrupulous opponent. nothing but the most obstinate determination to carry his point, at all hazards, could have impelled this man to the extreme measures which he adopted for ridding himself of his rival. forgery is a crime of sufficient magnitude, one would think, to deter from its commission any one that is not prepared to go all lengths in the execution of his designs. and the present case shows how far pride and self-will may carry a man who yields to their suggestions, and how small a matter may be sufficient to raise them to an irresistible height, and create a tide which may sweep away conscience, and honor, and all that is valuable in character, to say nothing of an enlightened regard to self-interest. the man whose discreditable exploit we have recorded, paid dearly for his short-lived triumph; and whoever is in danger of suffering his pride or obstinacy to hurry him beyond the bounds of prudence and virtue, will do well to "sit down first, and count the cost." chapter xi. indian depredations--the model mail contractor--rifles and revolvers--importance of a scalp--indian chief reconnoitering--saving dead bodies--death of a warrior--the charge--a proud trophy. sunset on the prairie--animal life--a solitary hunt--the buffalo chase--desperate encounter with an indian--ingenious signal--returning to camp--minute guns--a welcome return. previous to the year there was no regular mail service between the valley of the mississippi and new mexico and utah territories. in selling lands to settlers and taking these communities under the protecting care of the nation, the government was bound in good faith to give them a regular mail. this, like all other mail service, is carried on without much regard to the question whether the actual receipts from the locality will be remunerative or not. the commencement of this service in , called out the energies of some of our most daring and enterprising business men. a tract of country nearly one thousand miles in extent had to be traversed, where there were no civilized inhabitants, and but one or two military posts. the indian tribes, finding their game disappear before the unerring rifle of the white hunter, and learning the taste of the luxuries of civilized life without the industry to procure them, became at first sullen and despairing, then hostile and revengeful. a detailed account of the "hair breadth 'scapes," the dangers, losses, and tragedies in encounters with hostile indians, in transporting the united states mails across these plains, would form one of the most remarkable chapters in the postal history of the world. one mail contractor on the route from independence, missouri, to santa fé, by his success in transporting the mails safely, and his daring and diplomacy with the indians, has become eminent among his countrymen, and dreaded by the hostile tribes whom he has encountered. the treachery so fatally prevalent in meetings between small bands of whites and these dark sons of the forest, and the cunning and boldness displayed in stealing the horses and cattle that belong to the "pale faces," have made it necessary that great caution should be used, and also that the indians should be made to feel the force of that terrible weapon the modern rifle. the indian has long since learned the superiority that the possession of "revolvers" gives to the white hunters. and he has also learned at what distance it is safe for him to approach the camp or the traveling party of his foes. they do not consider that there is much security in any distance less than three hundred yards, when well mounted and in rapid motion. the honor attached to the possession of scalps, and the dismal forebodings attending the loss of a beloved chief, make all the tribes particularly cautious that their leaders shall not be too much exposed, and that their slain shall not fall into the hands of the enemy. a reckless daring displayed by a chief, always gives him honor with his tribe, and this is proportioned to the success which attends his efforts and skill, whether in the offensive or defensive. the mail contractor before alluded to, is a man of great humanity as well as courage, and prefers making now and then a terrible example, rather than wage an indiscriminate warfare with tribes inveterately hostile. after the tragic occurrences attending the capture and terrible death of mrs. white, with several others in a party of california emigrants near santa fé, the indians, emboldened by success, seemed to feel that they had the power and did not lack the will to drive all white travelers from the plains. our "model mail contractor," in addition to the heavy responsibility of conveying from fifteen hundred weight to a ton and a half of the united states mails, often had intrusted to his care, coin and gold dust in considerable quantities, and the lives and effects of numerous passengers. a usual "mail train" consisted of three covered wagons, with elliptic springs, each drawn by six mules, guarded by eight or ten men, and carrying perhaps as many passengers. thirty miles a day was a usual drive, and this gave several hours' rest in every twenty-four. by having plenty of sharp's rifles, and colt's six-shooting cavalry pistols, the entire company of men and passengers formed a terrible phalanx, able to fire three or four hundred shots without any delay in loading. the indians soon learned to _respect_ these parties, and usually gave them a wide berth, not venturing to attack them though outnumbering them by more than ten to one. soon after the above-mentioned barbarous transactions near santa fé, the mail was on its way accompanied by the contractor himself. one morning, marks of hostile indians were quite frequent. a large camp was passed where the fires still burned, and newly picked bones of buffalo and deer were scattered around. in the course of the forenoon, several indians were seen, and at the noon rest, their whole party was in sight, numbering apparently one hundred and fifty or more. the main body kept three or four hundred yards off, but one daring warrior, evidently their chief, would ride in a wide circuit, approaching sometimes within a hundred and fifty or two hundred yards of the mail wagons. he seemed to be reconnoitering; and though the mail party, passengers and all, did not exceed a dozen persons, there seemed to be little disposition to attack them. the chief--as he proved to be--was splendidly dressed; the long feathers on his head waving in the wind, and mounted on a milk white horse, he seemed the murat of his nation. [illustration] a shield of raw hide, dried in the sun, quite common among the indians, covered his entire person from his saddle to his neck. though within rifle shot, his swift riding and the protection afforded by the shield, gave but little chance for a successful shot. in the most daring and impudent manner he rode several times in a semicircle, reducing the distance between his followers and the little band of whites, at least one half. the mail contractor told his men to stand by their arms, and be ready for an attack. he then took his sharp's rifle and lay down on the ground, resting his gun across a stone. he looked across the sights, and saw the chief "wheel his daring flight" within good gun range, but always on the full run with his head just in sight over the shield. each indian is provided with a rope or _lariat_ made of hide, and this is fastened by one end around the rider's waist, and by the other to the saddle, that in the event of his being killed, the horse will drag off the dead body and thus prevent its falling into the hands of his enemies. some accident happened to the chief on the white charger; his stirrup broke, or something took place which obliged him to dismount. he was then about a hundred and seventy yards from the mail camp, and as he dismounted on the farther side, he was no fairer mark than before. it was easy enough to shoot down the horse, but that would accomplish nothing, as the chief was nearer to his friends than to his foes. it was evident that he must, to a certain extent, expose himself, when he mounted, and as he sprang up in his stirrup, his breast for a moment presented a fair mark. the sharp ring of the rifle was heard, and the chief lay on the ground, while the blood sprinkled the snowy flank of the beautiful charger. he was shot through the heart! the horse sprung, and the weight of the dead chief broke the _lariat_ clear from the saddle. the consternation among the indians was terrible. drawing their knives and pistols, the mail carriers gave a yell, and charged directly at the whole array of indians. the head of the little band, whose successful shot had so opportunely killed the chief, had given orders not to attack except on the defensive, but nothing could restrain them; and appalled as much by the daring bravery of the whites as by the sudden death of their chief, the warriors broke and fled. the scalp of the unfortunate indian was soon stripped from the skull, and, with its dark and flowing locks, formed a trophy of the short combat, and made the subject of a tale around the fireside of the bold and hardy pioneer. * * * * * we have room for but one more narrative of border life, and the perils of mail carrying in the backwoods; and this is also an incident in the life of our "model mail contractor." at a period anterior to the events just related, the mail, with quite a number of wagons, was wending its way toward santa fé. the party were near the banks of the cimmeron, and then in the country of the arrapahoes. large herds of buffalo were constantly visible, but no indians had been seen for some days. it was a beautiful afternoon in june, the slowly descending sun illuminating one of the grandest scenes in nature--a broad rolling prairie covered with verdure, and presenting one checkered field of animal life. beautiful antelopes, that flew rather than ran, and scarce seemed to touch the earth; stately elks, with branching horns, gallantly guarding their gregarious herds, and the unwieldy bison, far more numerous than all the rest, numbering hundreds of thousands, and blackening the plain as far as the eye could reach. our hero of many an indian skirmish and numerous buffalo hunts, mounted his horse to go and select an animal from the vast herd, which should furnish supper for his party. he was mounted on a fleet animal, but after getting fairly away from the train, he found he had omitted to put on his spurs. it was in a section of country where small streams form deep ravines, some of them nearly as abrupt, though not as deep as the awful _canons_ of the gila and the head branches of the rio grande. he singled out a fat buffalo cow, and drawing his "colt," dashed on to get near and be sure of a fatal shot at the first fire. not being able to spur his horse, the animal led him a rapid race, and taking a path, followed it down a dark ravine, where a slender stream gurgled idly between its banks. his horse, accustomed to the sport, went faster and faster, and neared the buffalo at every spring, till she suddenly turned the corner of the bank, now near the bottom of the ravine, and some fifty or sixty feet below the level of the prairie. the path that led down the ravine was a gradual descent, and on each side were some scattering trees and bushes. when the bluff was rounded in pursuit of the buffalo, the animal was but a few yards ahead, and then, for the first time, a fair mark. our hero was nearly ready to fire, when _whiz!_ went an arrow so near that there was no mistaking its sound, especially to one whose ear was practised in indian warfare. the arrow had scarcely ceased its whir, before a mounted indian came down upon our buffalo hunter, from behind the bank of the ravine. his lance was poised in its "rest," with the butt of it firmly against his shoulder. the buffalo passed from sight, and the indian instantly appeared; and before there was a moment for reflection, the "white hunter" had to "wink and hold out his iron." the lance was a bright piece of steel, about twenty inches long, on a pole of some twelve feet in length. this murderous blade was aimed directly at his breast, and the two horses on a full run in opposite directions. our contractor had nothing on but a pair of trousers, his red hunting shirt, and traveling cap. the indian, with the exception of some long feathers on his head, was naked to the waist. the savage observed the "law of the road," and took the right, and with one simultaneous and almost involuntary movement, the "pale face" dropped the bridle, and with his left arm parried the approaching blow by knocking the lance upward. the blade in its course ripped the hunting shirt, and tore the muscles from his shoulder; and simultaneously with this he fired his "colt," and saw the blood spirt from the naked breast of the indian. the slain warrior fell heavily to the ground, while the white man's horse turned suddenly to the right, and mounted the bank of the ravine, which was here so steep, that, having no longer a hold of the bridle, the rider came near tumbling backward. the surface of the prairie was gained, and near two hundred yards measured off by the horse before the owner had time to gather his scattered thoughts. he attempted to grasp the bridle, but found his left arm quite powerless, not only from the wound on the shoulder, but the stunning effect of the lance on his fore-arm, near the wrist. with a rapid movement he plunged his pistol into the holster, and seizing the bridle with his right hand, drew up his horse and dismounted. every movement had been so rapid since going down the path into the ravine after the buffalo, until he emerged in safety on the plain, that he had not reflected a moment. he had done better; he had _acted_. there now appeared five indians, all mounted, and not more than two hundred and fifty yards from where he stood. he instantly formed his plan. his arms consisted of his revolver, and a double-barrelled english fowling-piece, one barrel loaded with ball, and the other with buckshot. he unstrapped his gun, kept himself on the farther side of the horse from the indians, and as they seemed to be approaching him, he made his arrangements. he concluded to wait until they arrived within about a hundred and fifty yards, and then fire with his ball, and if possible, kill the foremost. the other barrel with the buckshot would then be "good" for two more, when he would have five loaded barrels of his "colt," with only two foes. but the cowardly villains dared not attack him. four of them retreated, and the other rode a little nearer to reconnoitre. [illustration] the indian, believing he knew the character of his foe as that of an old hunter, was sure he was armed with one or more "six-shooters." he communicated his thoughts to his red-skinned brethren, by riding several times rapidly round in a circle, this being the sign given by the arrapahoes when they meet white men armed with "revolvers." being satisfied with this view of their foe, and the taste they had had of his prowess, they turned their horses and disappeared down the ravine. danger was not yet over, and our friend was determined to be ready for whatever might happen. he rode slowly away for fifty or a hundred yards, and stopped. thinking he had better have his arms in as good condition as possible, he dismounted and thought he would load the discharged barrel of his pistol. on looking, this trusty weapon was missing. the holster was entirely torn away, and the pistol gone. he went back where he had waited for the indians, and there lay the pistol on the ground. in his violent effort to put up the weapon and stop the horse while one arm was totally disabled, he had evidently thrust it in the holster so violently as to tear the leather away, and the weapon unperceived had fallen to the ground. having loaded the empty barrel, he again mounted. the sun by this time was just setting. the indians and the long dark ravine lay between him and the camp, and he took a circuitous route to meet the train. after going some four miles to the south-west, he came to the road. by the light of the moon he examined the track to see if his wagons with their broad tires had passed. there were no ruts but those made by the narrow-tired wagons of a mormon train that was one or two days ahead of them. he then followed back, and mile after mile not a sound, not a person, not an animal, or a camp fire broke the vast solitude! but now he hears a gun directly ahead of him. another minute and another gun; yes, 'tis his own party camped out for the night, firing minute guns as a signal, and waiting with anxiety and fear for their absent leader. he soon rode up, and--in the words of the narrator, as he told us the story--"how the boys took me in their arms and hugged me! they fairly screamed as i told them how i missed the buffalo but didn't miss the indian. they took me on their shoulders and carried me three times round the camp. we saw no more of the arrapahoes during the journey to santa fé." such have been the adventures and perils of carrying the mails between the far outposts of civilization, on our wild frontier. chapter xii. cheating the clergy--duping a witness--money missing--a singular postscript--the double seal--proofs of fraud--the same bank-note--"post-boy" confronted--how the game was played--moving off. our collection of "outside" delinquencies would be incomplete, were we to omit the following case, which was investigated by the author not long ago, and in which not a little ingenuity, of the baser sort, was displayed. it will serve as a specimen of a numerous class of cases, characterized by attempts to defraud some correspondent, and to fasten the blame of the fraud upon some one connected with the post-office. we could give many instances of a similar kind, did our limits permit. a person of good standing in community, who laid claim not only to a moral, but a religious character, was visiting in a large town on the hudson river, about midway between new york and albany. this person owed a clergyman, living in new haven, conn., the sum of one hundred dollars; and one day he called at the house of another clergyman of his acquaintance in the town first mentioned, and requested to be allowed the privilege of writing a letter there to his clerical creditor, in which the sum due that gentleman was to be enclosed. writing materials were furnished, and he prepared the letter in the study of his obliging friend, and in his presence. after he had finished writing it, he said to the clergyman, "now, as the mails are not always safe, i wish to be able to prove that i have actually sent the money. i shall therefore consider it a great favor if you will accompany me to the bank, where i wish to obtain a hundred-dollar note for some small trash that i have, and bear witness that i enclose the money and deposit the letter in the post-office." the reverend gentleman readily acceded to his request, and went with him to the bank, where a bill of the required denomination was obtained and placed in the letter, which was then sealed with a wafer, the clergyman all the while looking on. they then went to the post-office, (which was directly opposite the bank,) and after calling the attention of his companion to the letter and its address, the writer thereof dropped it into the letter box, and the two persons went their several ways. the letter arrived at new haven by due course of mail, and it so happened that the clergyman to whom it was addressed was at the post-office, waiting for the assorting of the mails. he saw a letter thrown into his box, and called for it as soon as the delivery window was opened. upon breaking the seal and reading the letter, he found himself requested to "please find one hundred dollars," &c., with which request he would cheerfully have complied, but for one slight circumstance, namely, the absence of the bank-note! this fact was apparently accounted for by a postscript, written in a heavy, rude hand, entirely different from that of the body of the letter, and reading as follows:-- "p. s. i have taken the liberty to borrow this money, but i send the letter, so that you needn't blame the man what wrote it." (signed) "post-boy." the rifled document was immediately shown to the post master, and in his opinion, as well as that of the clergyman, a daring robbery had been committed. the latter gentleman was advised by the post master to proceed at once to new york, and confer with the special agent, and at the same time to lay all the facts before the post master general. he did so, and it was not long before the agent had commenced the investigation of the supposed robbery. in addition to the postscript appended, the letter bore other indications of having been tampered with, which at first sight would seem almost conclusive on this point. upon the envelope were two wafers, differing in color, one partly overlapping the other, as if they had been put on by different persons at different times. notwithstanding these appearances, there were circumstances strongly conflicting with the supposition that the letter had been robbed. the postscript was an unnatural affair, for no one guilty of opening a letter for the purpose of appropriating its contents, would stop to write an explanatory postscript, especially as such a course would increase the chances of his own detection. and in the present instance, there had been no delay of the letter to allow of such an addition. by a visit to the office where the letter was mailed, the agent ascertained that it must have left immediately after having been deposited, and the advanced age and excellent character of the post master, who made up the mail on that occasion, entirely cut off suspicion in that quarter. an interview was then held with the clergyman who witnessed the mailing of the letter, and from him were obtained the facts already stated. concerning the writing of the document, and its deposit in the letter box in a perfect state, after the money had been enclosed, he was ready and willing to make oath, and had he been called upon he would have done so in all sincerity and honesty. in reply to an inquiry whether he used more than one sort of letter paper, he informed me he had had but one kind in his study for several months, and at my request, immediately brought in several sheets of it. a comparison of this with the sheet upon which the _rifled_ epistle had been written, showed that the latter was a totally different article from the first. the shape and design of the stamp, the size of the sheet, and the shade of the paper, were all unlike. moreover, the wafers used at the bank, where the hundred-dollar note was obtained, and the letter containing it, sealed, were very dissimilar to either of those which appeared upon the "post-boy" letter. from the consideration of all these facts, i was satisfied that a gross and contemptible fraud had been perpetrated by the writer of the letter, and lost no time in proceeding to the village where that personage lived. i called upon the post master and made some inquiries relative to the character and pecuniary circumstances of the person in question. from the replies made, it appeared, as i have already stated, that his reputation in community was good. i thought it might be possible that in so small a place, i could ascertain whether he had lately passed a hundred-dollar note, as he would have been likely to have done, if it was true that he had not enclosed it in the new haven letter. calling at the store which received most of his custom, i introduced myself to the proprietor, made a confidant of him to some extent, and learned that the very next day after that on which the aforesaid letter was mailed, its author offered him in payment for a barrel of flour, a hundred-dollar note on the bank from which a bill of the like denomination had been obtained, as before-mentioned, in exchange for the "small trash." the merchant could not then change it, but sent the flour, and changed a bill which he supposed to be the same, a few days afterward. armed with these irresistible facts, i proceeded to call on the adventurous deceiver of the clergy, who had attempted to make one member of that body second his intention to cheat another. "insatiate archer! could not one suffice?" "mr. t----," said i, after some preliminary conversation, "it's of no use to mince matters. the fact is, you did not send the money in that new haven letter. you offered it the day after you pretended to mail it, at mr. c.'s store. you see i've found out all about it, so i hope you will not deny the truth in the matter." i then gave him his choice, to send the hundred dollars promptly to his new haven correspondent, or allow me to prove in a public manner, the facts in my possession. being thus hard pressed, and finding himself cornered, he confessed that he had prepared the letter which was received in new haven--postscript, double wafers and all--before he left home, and that while crossing the street from the bank to the post-office, he substituted this for the one he wrote in the clergyman's study! he promised to send the money, and pretended to have suffered severely in his feelings, on account of this dishonest act. there is no united states law providing for the punishment of such an offence, but public opinion and private conscience make nicer distinctions than the law can do, and often mete out a well deserved penalty to those who elude the less subtle ministers of justice. in the present instance, the foregoing story was made public by direction of the post master general; and the author of the trick, unable to sustain the indignation and contempt of the community in which he lived, was compelled to make a hasty retreat from that part of the country. chapter xiii. young offenders--thirty years ago--a large haul--a ray of light. the facts of the following case were furnished me by a gentleman connected with the new york post-office. i will introduce him as the relator of his own story, taking some liberty, however, with the phraseology. it is one of the too numerous class of cases, of which mere boys are the heroes, (if the term may thus be perverted,)--a class that is represented in this work, which would otherwise be incomplete, professing, as it does, to illustrate the various phases of post-office life, as respects persons of different ages and conditions. the present narration will show that our own times are not the only period fertile in juvenile rascality, but that the youth of thirty years ago were too frequently set upon evil. at the time when the incidents occurred which i am about to narrate, (viz. in the year ,) it was the usual practice in the new york office to make up the morning's mails on the preceding evening, and to place them upon tables before they were entered on the "transcripts," (sheets or books in which copies of the post-bills are made,) and enclosed in wrappers. at this time a boy twelve or thirteen years of age was employed as assistant to one of the letter carriers, and generally arrived at the office at an earlier hour in the morning than the regular clerks. the nature of his duties made him well acquainted with the different species of letters, so that he could determine without much difficulty, from its general appearance, whether a letter contained hidden treasures or not. so, by way of beguiling the time before the arrival of the clerks, or for the sake of a little improving practice, he one morning looked over the eastern mail, which lay spread before him, and selected a letter addressed by the cashier of the farmers' and mechanics' bank of new york, to the cashier of one of the banks in boston, containing four thousand dollars in bank-notes of one thousand dollars each. on the discovery of this "pile," the boy lost no time in "removing the deposits" to his own pocket, substituting for the bank-notes four pieces of paper of an equal size, cut from wrappers lying on the floor. he then resealed the letter and replaced it. the letter was forwarded by due course of mail, and when it was received at the bank, the cashier discovered to his dismay that the money by some jugglery had been converted into brown paper; and the evident marks of breaking open and resealing, indicated unequivocally that some human agency had been engaged in working the spell. information of the loss was immediately conveyed to the new york office, much to the consternation and grief of all concerned, for this office had been considered a model one, and the clerks had taken pride in sustaining its character, to say nothing of their own; and now that suspicion was thrown among them by this daring act of dishonesty, which, from appearances, must have been committed by some one having access to the mails, they felt that all confidence in one another, as well as the confidence of community in them, would be greatly weakened, until the author of the deed should be discovered. it was suggested, indeed, that the robbery might have been committed in the boston office, but circumstances rather favored the supposition that the guilt rested with new york. the post-office department at washington was apprised of the facts in the case, and the attempts made to investigate the matter elicited a good deal of correspondence, which, however, produced no successful result. among other expedients, intimations were thrown out that a thorough search should be made of the residences and persons of the clerks, although it was not likely that the thief, whoever he might be, was so green as to keep the money for such a length of time, in any place where its discovery would be positive proof against him; and if the search were unavailing, the only result would be the infliction of mortification upon those who were innocent of the crime. at this juncture, a ray of light appeared. it was then as well as now the practice of the assorting clerks to place the letters "mis-sent" and "overcharged," in a box by themselves, and one morning a letter of this description was mis-sent to this office, directed to jamaica, l. i., which was accordingly placed in this box. on our return from breakfast this letter was found to be missing. as the boy before mentioned was the only occupant of the office during our absence, the disappearance of the letter naturally induced the belief that he had taken it. this second instance of delinquency assumed a double importance from the fact that the purloiner of this and the robber of the boston letter, were in all probability one and the same person. every exertion was therefore made to bring the truth to light. one of the clerks was dispatched to jamaica to ascertain whether the letter might not have been somehow received at that office, but his proposed investigations were prevented by the unofficial behavior of his horse, which, unmindful of the important business in hand, ran away, upset the carriage, and spilt out its contents. the clerk was so much injured as to be unable to proceed, and therefore returned without the desired information. on the next morning, while the "drop letters" were being assorted, this letter was found among them and was identified. it had been broken open, examined, resealed, but not robbed of a draft for a large amount which it contained. near the seal were written with a pencil the words "picked up in vesey street." the hand-writing was believed to be that of the suspected boy, and he was immediately charged with taking and breaking open the letter, which accusation he stoutly denied, but when he was assured that we knew his hand, that the words which he had written on the letter showed conclusively that he knew something of its whereabouts during its absence, and that it was our determination to investigate the matter thoroughly, his courage gave way, and he confessed opening the letter, but said he did not meddle with the draft which it contained, as he could make no use of it. having thus applied an entering wedge, i lost no time in turning to account the information already obtained, which i hoped would lead to the detection of the person who robbed the boston letter. indeed, i was entirely unprepared to admit the existence of two such rascals in the new york office, as such repeated instances of delinquency would imply, and was quite positive that the boy before me was the only culprit. i accordingly said to him, "now, samuel, i am glad for your sake that you have confessed your guilt in relation to this letter, and i hope you will be equally frank if you have been doing anything else of a similar nature. i strongly suspect that you robbed the boston letter that we had so much trouble about, and if you did, the best thing you can do will be to confess it." "no, sir," replied he, "i don't know any more about this boston letter than you do, and i haven't touched any letter but the jamaica one." "it is useless," said i, "for you to make such assertions, in the face of the probabilities in the case. you have confessed that you stole one letter, and that renders it the more likely that you have robbed the other." "perhaps it is likely," returned he, "but i didn't do it." "well," said i, "take your choice. if you persist in your denial, you must meet the consequences, and you know that this kind of offence is punished severely; but if you will own up, i will engage that you shall get off as easily as possible." by such considerations i finally induced him to acknowledge his guilt in relation to the boston letter, and on being questioned further, he stated that he still had the bills, and offered to show me the place where they were concealed. i at once started off, accompanied by him as my guide. we took a course which soon led us out of the city, and along the banks of the east river. the day was rainy, and a mist overhung the river and the land. as we plodded along through the mud and wet, the face of my young companion was shaded with a sadness which indicated that the external world harmonized in its gloom with the little world within. for myself, i must acknowledge that the prospect of reestablishing lost confidence among my fellow-employés in the post-office, and of putting an end to the suspicion which had haunted almost every one, as well as restoring the stolen property to its rightful owner, produced in me an exhilaration of spirits strangely at variance with all that met my eye. but as we continued to go on and on, with no signs of approaching our place of destination, i began to query with myself, whether my companion might not contemplate giving me the slip, after leading me a wild-goose chase. i could not see, indeed, what motive he could have for such a proceeding, unless he wished to vent his malice on me as one who had been prominent in detecting his misdeeds. but he kept on steadily, till, after going half a mile or so beyond the old penitentiary, (a distance of about three miles from the post-office,) he turned from the road and stopped before an old wooden house, apparently uninhabited. the exterior showed signs of many years' conflict with the elements, in which it had been decidedly worsted. moss had gathered upon the shingles, and the paint, of which there was here and there a trace, strengthened by a feeble contrast the dark color of the parts from which it had been entirely washed away. some of the windows were destitute of glass, and probably served as a mark for the "slings and arrows" of passing boys. we entered the building, whose damp and musty-smelling air chilled me, heated as i was with my long and fatiguing walk, and ascending a flight of stairs, the boy unlocked the door of a room into which i passed by his request. the room contained no furniture but half a dozen chairs, a table, and an old bureau. this last he approached, unlocked, and taking out entirely one of the drawers, he showed another smaller one, which was behind the first when that was in place. opening this, my eyes were refreshed with a sight of the four bills, of which i immediately took possession, and thinking it well to see what further discoveries i could make in this _terra incognita_, i found a little drawer, concealed like the first one behind another, and containing two or three hundred dollars in bills, which the precocious youth confessed to having purloined at different times from dead letters, which were usually _laid out_ upon tables while the clerks were making up the dead letter account. it would seem that the boy thought no more of robbing a dead letter, than do the camp-followers of plundering dead men after a battle. after examining the bureau as thoroughly as i was able, and finding no more of the ill-gotten wealth, i asked my companion whether he had any more money that did not belong to him, to which inquiry he returned a negative answer. the place of concealment was certainly well chosen, for the old house would be the last place to which any one would think of going, who was in search for anything valuable. it seemed to me that it was a particularly fortunate circumstance that the discovery was made at this time, for he informed me that he had been accumulating the money found in the bureau with the intention of intrusting it to his uncle, for the purpose of purchasing some property in newburgh. this would have been a rather large operation for a youth of his age! an operation even worthy of some specimens of young america at the present day. it seemed remarkable to me, as it doubtless has to the reader, that the boy should have such a remote and strange hiding-place. i afterwards learned that the house, the back part of which was occupied by a small family, belonged to an acquaintance of his, and that he used the room as a place of rendezvous, with some of his companions, and, as we have seen, as a receptacle for stolen money. having accomplished the object of my expedition, i returned light of heart, though heavy of limb, and communicated the facts as soon as possible to the cashier of the farmers' and mechanics' bank, and to the post master. the lad was at once arrested, tried, and found guilty, but in consideration of his youth, and his apparent ignorance of the extent of his crime, and the recovery of the property, he was sent to the house of refuge for three years. the boy's reformation was permanent, as i have been informed by one who afterwards knew him, when he had removed to a distant place, and established a good character. if this was so, (which there is no reason to doubt,) it furnishes an instance of the salutary effects arising from early detection in a course of crime, especially to those who are not yet hardened in iniquity. the whole case, also, shows the danger of allowing boys, with principles hardly established as yet, and destitute of that firmness which habit and perseverance bestow, to occupy responsible stations in large offices, where the apparent facility for the commission of crime and the temptations offered, too often subvert the honesty which has not yet ripened into a second nature. chapter xiv. obstructing the mail. a sound principle--a slow period--a wholesome law--"ahead of the mail"--moral suasion--indignant passengers--dutch oaths--a smash--interesting trial--a rowdy constable--the obstructors mulcted. the proper adjustment of the various interests, great and small, which are involved in the every-day life of a nation like ours, is a problem not always very easy of solution, yet one of vital importance to the well-working of the social machine. indeed, it has ever been an important part of legislation to determine the relative magnitude of different interests, both public and private, and to assign to each its proper place in the scale. republican principles require that the less should yield to the greater--individual convenience to public good. and an excellent illustration of the practical application of these principles by the wisdom of congress, is found in the provisions which that body has made to secure the uninterrupted transmission of the mails. it is unnecessary to enlarge upon the vast importance of punctuality in this branch of the public service. time, as an element in business transactions, is increasing in value in proportion to the multiplication of devices for obtaining the greatest results possible from each passing moment. an hour in the present year, represents more--more business--more planning--more results of various kinds, than did an hour thirty years since. to take, for instance, the matter of traveling. the state of things no longer exists which will permit public conveyances to take pretty much their own time in starting and in arriving at their destinations. that was a distressingly "slow" period, when horses were in their glory, and wayside taverns afforded comforts and luxuries which are poorly replaced by the eating, or rather devouring department of a rail road depot, where ravenous passengers, like the israelites of old, are obliged to dispatch their repast, girded up for flight, at a moment's notice, instead of comfortably and deliberately sitting down under the auspices of "mine host," to a meal which deserved more respectful attention than could be given it in a less space of time than half an hour; the driver, meanwhile, being easy in his mind on the subject of "connecting," inasmuch as he, the _connector_, felt quite certain that the _connectee_ would not leave him in the lurch, as "lee-way" of an hour or two was allowed, and often required, by the exigencies of traveling. but since, by the agency of steam, an hour swallows up thirty miles instead of four or five, minutes become correspondingly precious, and the locomotive infuses somewhat of its own energy into every mode of progression. the inexorable hand of the rail-way clock waits not for dilatory drivers, and makes no allowances for detention, unavoidable or otherwise. here comes in the application of our republican principle. if it were in the power of any one to delay the progress of the vehicle containing the mail, to suit his whim or convenience, the public interests would often be seriously interfered with; and, in order to prevent such contingencies, the following law was enacted by congress:-- _and be it further enacted_, that if any person shall, knowingly and wilfully, obstruct or retard the passage of the mail, or of any driver or carrier, or of any horse or carriage, carrying the same, he shall, upon conviction for every such offence, pay a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars; and if any ferryman shall, by wilful negligence, or refusal to transport the mail across any ferry, delay the same, he shall forfeit and pay, for every ten minutes that the same shall be so delayed, a sum not exceeding ten dollars. it is obviously right that the pleasure of an individual should not weigh for a moment in the balance, with the interests of thousands depending as they do, in a degree, upon the prompt transmission of correspondence. were all the consequences of simply impeded delivery of important letters to be made known, the record would be a melancholy one indeed. in crowded cities especially, through whose streets the mails are many times a day conveyed to steamboats and rail road stations, it is particularly important that all obstacles in their way should be removed; and pains have been taken to make the law on this subject generally understood, so that at the approach of the wagon bearing the magic characters "u. s. mail," the crowd of vehicles which throng the busy streets, separate to the right and left, and do homage to that supreme power--the public good. a curious trial under the law i have cited, was held in boston before the united states court, about two years since. it appears that the regular mail-coach from worcester to barre, left the former place on the afternoon of january , about half past four, full of passengers, and ornamented, as well as distinguished, by the words "u. s. mail," painted in conspicuous letters on both sides of the foot-board. the passengers were beginning to develope those sparks of sociability which are elicited by the collisions with one another, and the stimulus to the brain resulting from sundry jolts inseparable from the vicissitudes of stage-coach traveling. in other words, the coach had proceeded about two miles, when, arriving at a place where there was some ascent in the road, it overtook three one-horse wagons, which made way for it to pass. very soon, however, the two occupants of the hindmost wagon, (whom we will call stark and baker,) whipped up their steed, and rushed by the coach, like some saucy cutter shooting ahead of a seventy-four. after this demonstration, their horse, having gained four or five rods on the coach, subsided into a walk. the correspondingly moderate movements which the driver of the coach was compelled to adopt, did not very well suit his views, as the icy road and his heavy load formed a combination of circumstances which rendered him anxious to make all possible speed, in order to fulfil the requirements of the u. s. mail, as well as those of his passengers. but he was obliged to retain his humble position of follower to the wagon, for the road at that point was too narrow to admit of passing, and as no other means of attaining his object were at his command, he proceeded to try the effect of moral suasion. "i say, you, there," shouted he to the obstinate couple in the wagon, who were smoking very much at their ease, and apparently busily engaged in conversation, "i wish you'd drive on faster, or let me go by you." "couldn't do it," replied the provoking stark, "unless you'll race." "it's none of my business to race," returned the driver; "all i want is to go on." "well, let's see you do it, then," said stark, checking his horse still more. they soon came to a wider portion of the road, and the stage driver attempted to pass the wagon, but was foiled by the dexterous manoeuvring of stark, who so accurately adjusted his motions to those of the stage-coach as to check-mate its presiding genius. upon coming to a still wider place, the driver outsailed his persevering tormentor, and pushed on at a rapid rate, say seven knots an hour, indulging the sanguine hope that he was rid of his old man of the sea. but this expectation was short-lived, for, on arriving at a curve in the road, where it was narrow and icy, he was compelled to "shorten sail," whereat stark added wings to his speed, and ran by the coach, directly afterward reining his horse into a walk as before. [illustration] a succession of similar manoeuvres was kept up till the coach reached holden, a distance of three or four miles, and during this time the facetious stark, not content with these highly aggravating proceedings, added insult to injury by personal reflections on the skill of the driver and the character of his horses. "hallo, you driver!" shouted he derisively, "why don't you _drive_? if there's any of your passengers in a hurry, i'll take 'em on, and tell the folks that you'll be along in the course of a day or two." to this the driver wisely answered nothing, but his tormentor did not profit by his example. after some ineffectual attempts on the part of the u. s. functionary to pass the wagon, which were foiled as before, stark again essayed to beguile the time with a further display of his conversational powers. "guess your horses ain't very well trained to keep the road, are they? they seem to go from one side to the other as if they couldn't draw a bee-line. may be, though, they are kinder faint, and that's what makes 'em stagger about so. i'll try 'em." so saying, he proceeded to open a bag which lay in his wagon; and, taking from it a handful of oats, he allowed the horses to come nearly up to him, when he held out the grain to them, calling "k'jock, k'jock," as if he was desirous of enticing them along. before this time, the occupants of the coach had become aware of what was going on, and were naturally highly indignant at the imposition practised on them by the audacious stark and his fellow conspirator. one irascible gentleman did not bear the infliction with as much equanimity as his "guide, philosopher, and friend," upon the coach-box; but, every time that the wagon passed the coach, he popped his head out at the nearest window, and fired at the enemy a volley of reproachful epithets that could be likened to nothing but the "nine-cornered dutch oaths," which on special occasions were wont to rumble through the gullet of william the testy, at the hazard of choking that illustrious individual, as we are assured by the grave and matter-of-fact historian of new york. the persevering repetition of the provocation at last excited a degree of rage in the breast of our peppery friend which could not be allayed by the expedients we have mentioned. he called out, "driver, i say, stop and let me out, and i'll see whether this sort of thing will go on much longer. why don't you stop? do you suppose we are going to stand this for ever? how the deuse do you think we shall ever get to barre, at this rate?" the driver advised him to keep cool, telling him that very likely they would get rid of the wagon before long; with which opinion another of the passengers coincided, who knew the men, remarking that they belonged in hubbardston, and would probably turn off at the road leading to that place. this road was beyond holden, where the coach stopped at the public-house. here the men in the wagon came up, and expressed a wish to exchange their horse for the four coach-horses, provided sufficient "boot" were offered them. to this impertinence the driver made no reply; but the fiery passenger intimated to them that, if they would come within his reach, he would give them _boot_ enough to make their accounts _foot up_ even. after leaving the mail, the coach started out of holden, preceded by the wagon, which dodged back and forth along the road as heretofore. they passed the hubbardston road, but the men did not turn off; and, about a mile from rutland, they made that once-too-often attempt which such mischievous individuals usually make somewhere along their course. the patience of the much-enduring driver had become finally exhausted; and, as the annoying wagon was in the act of passing him, at a rather narrow place in the road, he drove on without particular reference to that vehicle, and experimentally tested the relative strength of the fore wheel of the coach and the body of the wagon. the latter structure was "nowhere," or, to speak more accurately, it was resolved into its original elements; while the aforesaid wheel rolled away uninjured, bearing its share of the triumphant passengers. the occupants of the smashed vehicle survived the "wreck of matter;" whether with a whole skin or not, does not appear, as the personal knowledge of the driver, as stated on the trial, was summed up in the words, "_i left 'em there!_" in consequence of the proceedings which have been described, the coach arrived at barre an hour and a quarter behind the time. it having been thought advisable to prosecute these men for obstructing the mail, a suit was brought against them in the u. s. district court of massachusetts. the evidence on the part of government went to show that they must have known the character of the coach: that it carried the mail, for the words "u. s. mail" were conspicuously painted on the coach; and the sign "post-office" was up at the place in holden where the mail was taken out, and where they saw the coach stop. also the men were known by sight to some of the passengers; and one of them had been a stage-coach proprietor, and the other had driven a coach. indeed, one of the passengers, while they were at holden, addressed baker, whom he knew, by name, and told him "he should think that he had been in the stage business long enough to know better." the passengers were unanimous in considering the case as clearly one of wilful detention. the testimony for the defence was rather lame. the post master at rutland testified that the mail from worcester was due at p. m., though he had known it three-quarters of an hour later. he thought it arrived, on the evening in question, at minutes past ; but could not say certainly that the th of january was the night when the mail arrived at that time, though he had no doubt of it, nor had he looked at his register since that night. in short, his evidence amounted to a rough guess, which could make no impression on the gibraltar of opposing testimony furnished by a coach full of passengers, as well as other witnesses. another witness for the defence testified that stark's horse was "smooth-shod," with the view of establishing the extreme improbability of the alleged performances, as the road was icy, and rapid motion therefore hazardous to an animal thus shod. but, as the quadruped in question was shown actually to have done the thing, this ingenious theory was set aside, although a slur was thus cast upon mr. stark's character as a prudent driver. but the crowning shame of stark's delinquency consisted in the fact that he was constable and tax-collector of the town of hubbardston. history is not without instances of monarchs and others high in authority, who have descended to the indulgence of freaks inconsistent with the dignity of their station; and shakspeare has immortalized the frolics of prince henry. but neither historian nor poet has hitherto been able to record of a constable and tax-gatherer that he amused himself with maliciously driving a smooth-shod horse, so as to obstruct the progress of the united states mail. this man, set to be "a terror to evil-doers" should have been a terror to himself; indeed we may conceive of him as smitten with compunction, and arresting himself--stark the constable tapping himself on the shoulder. at least he should have arrested his own progress, before he fell from his high estate, and degenerated from a constable into an unlucky buffoon. the questions for the jury were, first, did these men obstruct the united states mail? and, secondly, did they do so knowingly and wilfully? if they did so obstruct the mail, then as a man is presumed in law to intend what is the natural and necessary consequence of his acts, in the absence of controlling testimony otherwise, the inference would inevitably follow, that their conduct in this affair was the result of "malice aforethought." they were both convicted, and sentenced as follows,--stark, the driver of the wagon, to a fine of thirty dollars, and baker to a fine of fifteen; thus footing up the pretty little sum of forty-five dollars for their evening's diversion, besides the destruction of their wagon, which was taken into the account in determining the amount of the fines. thus ended this piece of folly, the record of which it is hoped will serve as a warning to any who may be disposed to try similar "tricks upon travelers," since they might not get off as easily as did the pair of worthies, whose brilliant exploit we have briefly sketched. chapter xv. a dangerous mail route--wheat bran--a faithful mail carrier--mail robber shot--a "dead-head" passenger. an old offender--fatal associate--robbery and murder--conviction and execution--capital punishment. traveling in mexico--guerillas--paying over--the robbers routed--a "fine young english gentleman"--the right stuff. in the early annals of our country, many instances of mail robbery are found, some of which occasioned the display of great intrepidity and daring, as the perusal of the following pages will show. while the country was yet thinly settled, and the mails were transported on horseback, or in different kinds of vehicles, from the gig to the stage-coach, often through extensive forests, which afforded every facility for robbery, the office of stage driver or mail carrier was no sinecure. resolute men were required for this service, who on an emergency could handle a pistol as well as a whip. some thirty or forty years ago, a mail-coach ran in the northern part of the state of new york, through the famous "chateaugay woods." the forest was many miles in extent, and common fame and many legends gave it the reputation of a noted place for freebooters and highwaymen. one morning the stage driver on this route had occasion to examine his pistols, and found, instead of the usual charge, that they were loaded with _wheat bran_! a daring villain had, through an accomplice, thus disarmed the driver, preparatory to waylaying him. he drew the charges, cleaned the weapons, and carefully loaded them with powder and ball. that afternoon he mounted his stage for his drive through the chateaugay woods. there was not a passenger in his vehicle. whistling as he went, he "cracked up" his leaders, and drove into the forest. just about the centre of the woods a man sprang out from behind a tree, and seized the horses by the bit. "i say, driver," said the footpad, with consummate coolness, "i want to take a look at that mail." "yes, you do, no doubt, want to overhaul my mails," replies the driver; "but i can't be so free, unless you show me your commission. i'm driver here, and i never give up my mails except to one regularly authorized." "o, you don't, eh? well, here's my authority," showing the butt of a large pistol partly concealed in his bosom. "now dismount and bear a hand, my fine fellow, for you see i've got the documents about me." "yes, and so've i," says the driver, instantly leveling his own trusty weapon at the highwayman. "o! you won't hurt nobody, i guess; i've seen boys playing soger before now." "just drop those reins," says the keeper of uncle sam's mail bags, "or take the consequences." "o! now you're joking, my fine lad! but come, look alive, for i'm in a hurry, it's nearly night." a sharp report echoed through the forest, and the disciple of dick turpin lay stretched upon the ground. one groan and all was over. the ball had entered his temple. the driver lifted the body into the coach, drove to the next stopping place, related the circumstances, and gave himself up. a brief examination before a magistrate resulted in his acquittal, and highwaymen about the chateaugay woods learned that pistols might be dangerous weapons, even if they were loaded with wheat bran, provided they were in the hands of one who knew how to use them. * * * * * another exciting case occurred near utica, early in the present century, when western and northern new york was a wilderness. an old rogue, who had long been steeped in crime, finding his companions nearly all gone--the prisons and gallows having claimed their own--and his material resources nearly exhausted, sought for a profitable alliance. he succeeded in getting into familiarity with a very young man, son of a gentleman of standing and reputation, a worthy citizen and an honest man. these two laid their plans for robbing the mail. considerable sums of money were known to pass constantly in the great mail running east and west. watching their opportunity, they stopped the coach one night when there were no passengers. the driver was bold and faithful to his charge, and made a stout resistance. they tied him to a tree, and opened the mail. fearing detection and not obtaining much money, the veteran villain drew his pistol and shot the poor driver. as in most criminal transactions, fortune went against the perpetrators. they were both taken, and sufficient evidence being produced, they were sentenced to be hanged. though there was but one opinion as to the comparative culpability of the two individuals, no one could say but that both were equally guilty, in a legal sense, of the murder. out of respect to the parents of the young man, great efforts were made to obtain a pardon, but they were unsuccessful. both the sentences were carried into execution. the circumstance gave rise to a thorough discussion of the policy, the humanity, and the right or wrong of capital punishment. one of the most powerful arguments ever made against the death penalty, was written by the father of the younger criminal, and obtained a wide circulation in pamphlet form. in the summer of , a company of travelers were seated in the mail stage that runs from mexico to vera cruz. marauding parties of _guerillas_ had often stopped the mail, and when practicable, robbed the passengers. sometimes returning californians, and other travelers, gave these freebooters a rather warm reception. on the present occasion there were but three or four passengers, some of whom were armed with small revolvers. suddenly a party of mounted guerillas appeared, nearly a dozen in number, and at once stopped the coach and ordered the passengers out. either from fear or collusion, the drivers never interfere, but remain neutral. probably, if they resisted, their lives would pay the forfeit. the passengers, supposing there was no hope of escape but to give up their watches and money, commenced "paying over." a young english gentleman in one corner of the coach, immediately took up a double-barreled gun and shot the villain at the door of the coach, and then with the other barrel killed another of the party, by shooting him off his horse. he then drew a revolver, and jumped out. the other travelers concluded, like wellington's reserve at waterloo, that they might as well "up and at 'em," and, quite unprepared for such a reception, the freebooters--the surviving ones--fled with precipitation. the papers resounded with the praises of "this fine young english gentleman, all of the modern time." his father was a distinguished member of parliament, and soon had the pleasure of meeting his son, who had been abroad and shown that he was made of the right kind of stuff for a traveler in a dangerous country. chapter xvi. the tender passion--barnum's museum--little eva--the boys in a box--the bracelet--love in an omnibus--losses explained. as shakspeare, after having displayed falstaff in his ordinary character of rascal and rowdy in general, represented him as a "lover sighing like furnace," so we, in the course of our researches among juvenile delinquents, find that they are sometimes the victims of what they consider the tender passion. and the ardor excited in their breasts is not always innocent in its effects, but, as in the case of "children of an older growth," sometimes leads to the commission of heinous crime, as is exemplified in the instance we are about to relate. while the drama of "uncle tom's cabin" was running at that museum of natural and _un_natural history, commonly called barnum's, four boys, the eldest apparently about fourteen years of age, were observed night after night occupying a stage-box in the theatre attached to that establishment, and watching, with admiring eyes, the movements of the young lady who represented "little eva." boys are gregarious in their loves and hates, and it appeared that in the present instance, the three younger ones were not smitten with the aforesaid damsel, _per se_, but simply as friends or satellites of their older companion, accompanying him in that capacity, to encourage him, and witness his hoped-for triumph over the heart of the young actress, and possibly for the sake of sharing in the "treats" of various kinds which he dispensed to favored ones with a lavish hand. not content with sighing at a distance for the object of his affections, and on one occasion making a decided demonstration, by throwing a gold bracelet upon the stage, intended to encircle her arm, the enamored youth often watched for his charmer as she descended from the world of imagination to that of real life,--from the theatrical stage to that humble, but useful vehicle, an omnibus; and having ascertained which one was irradiated by her presence, he madly rushed after, and purchased, with the slight outlay of a sixpence, the enrapturing consciousness of being included within the narrow walls that held the mistress of his heart. but "the course of true love never did run smooth." sometimes unfeeling parents obstruct; sometimes "no" is a decided obstacle; but neither of these was the immediate cause of the rough "course" in the present instance. it does not appear that our stricken youth had ever approached near enough to his "bright particular star" to admit of any confidential disclosure of the state of his feelings; much less had he opened any negotiations with the "powers that be." the rocks on which he split were, the manager of the museum and a police officer! when the reader is informed that the lad in question was not the son of wealthy parents, and had, or ought to have had no other pecuniary resources than those which he derived from his occupation in the employ of a bookseller, he will readily conjecture whence came the means for the indulgence of such extravagance and folly as have been described. such an unusual occurrence as the hiring of a stage box by a boy, for several nights in succession (the expense of which was five dollars a night), attracted the attention and the suspicions of the manager of the museum, who sent for the police, and on searching the boys, an empty envelope, addressed to "s----& co., fulton street," the employers of our precocious young gentleman, was found upon his person. it was then ascertained that s---- & co. had recently lost several money-letters, and the boy, being the person who took the letters out of the post-office for the firm, had appropriated the money to his own use. he was tried before the united states court, and sent to the house of refuge, where, it is to be hoped, he was cured of indulging his boyish whim at the expense of his employer's money and his own character. chapter xvii. detached incidents. bank letter lost--the thief decoyed--post-office at midnight--climbing the ladder--an exciting moment--queer place of deposit. a post master in prison--afflicted friends--sighs and saws--the culprit's escape--how it was done--a cool letter--a wife's offering. moral gymnastics--show of honesty--unwelcome suggestion. "a hard road to travel"--headed by a parson--lost time made up--a male overhauled. the invalid wife--the announcement--a touching incident. during the whole of the author's official career, he has never been brought into physical conflict with any one, nor exposed to any great danger in the discharge of his duties. these duties have seldom called him to undergo "moving accidents by flood and field," excepting so far as severe weather, dangerous roads, fractious horses, or some other of the inconveniences and perils incident to the different modes of traveling, might be classed under that head. an incident, however, once occurred while i was engaged in investigating a case of depredation, which may be worthy of record here, as it is not devoid of a certain picturesqueness, even aside from the extremely interesting circumstance (to me) that my head, for a short time, seemed to be in imminent danger. the case referred to was that of the loss of a letter containing six hundred dollars, posted by the cashier of a northern bank. the person, (a post-office clerk,) whom i suspected of being the robber, was detected in taking a decoy letter which was placed in his office after the loss of the one first mentioned. on the strength of this, i boldly charged him with the first loss, and insisted that he should restore the money. after the usual assertion of innocence, and some demur, he intimated to me that the spoils were hidden somewhere in the post-office. this interview was held in the directors' room of the bank which had suffered the loss, and i immediately proposed that we should go over to the office and get the money. accordingly we proceeded thither. it was then after midnight. as soon as we entered, my companion locked the door behind us, and preceded me, with a lantern in his hand. a remark which i made respecting the lonely appearance of a post-office at that time of night, drew from him nothing but a sullen assent, which put an end to any further conversational efforts on my part. the room (or rather recess) in which he lodged, was over that part of the office devoted to the public, a space in front of the boxes, and access was had to it by means of a ladder inside the office. the clerk rapidly ascended this ladder and i followed closely behind, without a word being spoken by either of us. the apartment, besides the ordinary furniture of a lodging-room, contained a few shelves of books, indicating some pursuit more creditable to their owner than those which had rendered my interference with them necessary. i had before been told that he was somewhat diligent in the cultivation of his intellect. setting down his lantern upon the table, he reached up and took down a rifle which was suspended to the wall, directly over his bed, a fit emblem for one engaged in _rifling_ the mails. although the moodiness which he had displayed during our intercourse that evening, had not surprised me, yet i was by no means prepared to expect that he would resort to such extreme measures as his movements seemed to indicate. i was uncertain what to do. "the better part of valor" being "discretion," it was by no means clear whether this same discretion required me to rush upon him, or to make a precipitate retreat down the ladder, or to jump and disappear in the darkness below. there was evidently no time to lose, for the deadly weapon was already pointed in my direction, and its desperate owner was fumbling about the stock, as if, in the dim light, he could not easily find the lock. springing towards him, i seized the rifle by the barrel, remarking, that i wished he would not turn the muzzle upon me, and then i saw what he was attempting to do. he had crammed the stolen notes into the "patch-box" of the rifle, and was endeavoring to get them out, which he could not readily effect as they were tightly wedged in. i cheerfully volunteered to assist him, and by our united efforts, the debt was discharged instead of the rifle! in other words, i recovered the identical bank-notes, deposited in the office by the cashier several weeks previously, all in one hundred dollar bills. the evidence furnished by the "patch-box," was of course amply sufficient to convict the depredator, had other proof been wanting, and he was recently sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in the state prison. * * * * * an ingeniously planned and successfully executed escape of a mail robber from prison, occurred in troy, new york, less than a year ago. this person had held the office of post master in a place of some note in the northern part of new york. he was a man of education, and connected by birth and marriage with some of the most respectable and influential families in that part of the state, and in the province of canada. these favorable circumstances, however, did not prevent him from becoming seriously embarrassed in his pecuniary affairs, by which he was led, in an evil hour, to resort to mail depredations, continuing them until this course was cut short by his detection and arrest. as he failed to give the requisite bail, he was thrown into prison to await his trial, which was to take place in the course of a few weeks. as the efforts which he and his friends had made to secure the intervention of the post master general for postponing the trial were unavailing, and the direct and positive proof against him made it certain that he would be doomed to at least ten years' imprisonment at hard labor, the desperate expedient of breaking jail seemed to be the only hook left to hang a hope upon. he occupied a large room, adjoining that of the notorious murderess mrs. robinson, and had for his room-mate a person who had been committed for some minor offence. he was frequently visited by his relations, whose high respectability exempted them from the close examination which should have been made by the jailor, to ascertain that they carried no contraband articles on their persons. respectability in this case, as in many others, served as a cloak to devices from which rascality derived more benefit than the cause of justice. these afflicted friends, in the course of their visits, contrived to supply the prisoner with the tools necessary to enable him to effect his escape from "durance vile." sighs and saws, regrets and ropes, anguish and augers, were mingled together, supplying both consolation for the past and hope for the future. the time selected for the escape was a sabbath night. the first thing discovered by the jailor on the next morning, was a rope suspended from a back-hall window in the second story, and reaching to the ground, the window being open. on ascending the stairs, he found in the partition separating the mail robber's room from the hall, an opening about large enough to admit of the egress of a small person; and on entering the room but one occupant appeared, who was fast asleep; but the mail robber was gone. it was with the utmost difficulty that the sleeper could be aroused. he was evidently under the influence of some powerful narcotic, as was fully shown by his replies to the interrogatories of the jailor after he had sufficiently recovered from his stupefaction to understand what was said to him. his story was, that on the previous evening he was complaining of a severe cold, whereupon his sympathizing room-mate remarked that he had some medicine that was just the thing for such complaints, and offered to give him a dose, if he wished to try it. to this the unsuspecting victim of sharp practice assented; and the amateur "m. d." measured out a quantity sufficient for the purpose intended, first pretending to swallow a dose himself, in order to convince his patient that the medicine was perfectly safe. one of the last things that the patient remembered on the night in question, was that about eleven o'clock he was affected by a very drowsy sensation which he could not overcome, and that he lay down on his bed to sleep. about this time his attending physician came to him and inquired "how he felt;" to which he replied, "very sleepy." his benevolent friend assured him that this was a "favorable sign," and asserted further that he would be "all right by morning." at the same time showing his solicitude for his companion's comfort by taking the pillow from his own bed and placing it under his head. the cause of these phenomena stood revealed, in the shape of a vial labeled "laudanum," which was found upon a table in the room. near it lay a note addressed to the jailor, of which the following is a copy. sunday night. dear sir, intelligence of a very discouraging nature, informing me that my approaching trial is not to be postponed on any account, impels me to make my way out of this place to-night. before doing so, however, i have to thank you for your kindness to me. i am also indebted to dr. m. for his attention to my comfort, and i regret that interests of the highest importance require me to take a step which may lead some people to find fault with you. all that i can say about that is, that i have been fortunate in eluding your vigilance as a public officer. the effects i leave behind me should be sent by express to my friends in p----, who no doubt will pay all expenses incurred by me while i was with you. any letters coming here may be forwarded to me at p----, that is, after waiting a week when my brother is to be at that place. with a renewal of my acknowledgments for your goodness, i remain respectfully yours, a. c. n. to j. price, esq., sheriff, &c. among the "effects," left behind, were sundry saws, files, and chisels of the best workmanship and materials; a large roll of putty, to have been used in concealing the saw-marks, in case a second night's labor had been required; and a valise containing a variety of books, wearing apparel, and letters received from his friend during his confinement. one of them was from his wife, a young, lovely, and accomplished woman. it is full of love, devotion, and christian resignation, and ends as follows:-- "the dear baby is quite well, and is growing finely every day. she is a dear, beautiful child. oh that god may keep her for us both, for she will make us so happy, she binds us so closely together. "here are some lines which i have preserved for some time. they have often comforted me, and i hope your feelings are such that they may comfort you." "god's way is best." this blessed truth i long have known, so soothing in its hopeful tone-- whate'er our trials, cares and woes, our father's mercy freely flows-- that on his bosom we may rest, for god is good, "his way is best." trouble without and grief within, are the sure heritage of sin; and e'en affection's voice may die in the last quivering, gasping sigh; but what though death our souls distress, 'twere better thus--"god's way is best." misfortune's dark and bitter blight may fall upon us like the night; our souls with anguish may be torn when we are called o'er friends to mourn; but what assurance doubly blest, to feel that all "god's ways are best." yes, glorious thought! in yonder sky are joys supreme which never die-- that when our earthly course is run, we'll live in regions of the sun; and there, upon the savior's breast, we'll sing for aye, "god's way is best." * * * * * it was a doctrine advanced by mahomet, that all men after death were obliged to cross a fiery gulf, upon a bridge as narrow as a single hair. the good always succeeded in effecting their passage safely, while the wicked were precipitated into the depths below. this idea might be extended to the present life, by way of illustrating the difficulties which beset those who follow a criminal course, and attempt to conceal the fact from the eyes of others. a step too far, or not far enough, this way or that, is sufficient to cause them to slip, and this kind of tight-rope balancing is a species of moral gymnastics, in the execution of which few are successful. a specimen of this was once furnished me by a post master against whom serious complaints had been made to the department, but who was not aware of the existence of such charges. in the course of several interviews which i held with him, i gave him not the remotest hint that i suspected his integrity, yet (probably on the principle of taking medicine when one is well, or thinks he is, in order to be better) he resorted to several somewhat original expedients to establish a character for honesty in my estimation. the most striking of these was the following:-- as i entered the vestibule of the office one day, he pretended to pick up a ten dollar note from the floor. after the usual morning salutation, he said, "i am in luck, this morning. i just picked up here a ten dollar bill, and i must see if i can't find the owner;" and he forthwith proceeded to write a flaming placard, announcing the finding of "a sum of money" outside the delivery window, and to post it in a conspicuous place. his singular manner, however, while speaking of the money, and while engaged in drawing up the notice, attracted my attention, and i became strongly impressed with the belief that the whole affair was one of those silly devices which are as effectual in preventing the detection of those who employ them, as is the device of the ostrich, in hiding his head under his wing, to conceal him from his pursuer. it occurred to me, after a little reflection, that i had seen a well-known merchant in the place hand the post master a ten dollar note the day previous, in payment for postage stamps. this fact was confirmed by inquiries which i made of the merchant, who further informed me that he could recognise the bill if he should see it again, from the initials which it bore of a correspondent, who had sent it to him by mail a few days before. having ascertained what these initials were, ("c. p.,") i took occasion to examine the note, (which the post master had rather ostentatiously laid aside in a drawer, to be ready for the _owner_ whenever he should claim it,) and found the "c. p." upon it. after the notice of the finding had been posted some twenty-four hours without the appearance of any claimant, i suggested to the _honest_ finder, by way of annoying him a little in return for his attempted deception, that as the money was found within the post-office limits, the department would probably require that it should pass into the united states treasury, in the same way as funds contained in dead letters for which no owners can be found. this view of the case did not seem to strike him favorably. he looked blank, but attempted to pass it off as a joke, by saying that he didn't know that the post-office was a dead letter. the next morning the placard had disappeared, and the post master informed me that a stranger had called late on the evening before, who claimed and described the bill, and to whom it was accordingly surrendered! the termination of this case fully confirmed my opinion of the post master's double-dealing in relation to this affair. * * * * * it sometimes happens that the ends of justice are best secured by allowing criminals to go on for a time unmolested in their course, and even by affording them facilities for the commission of offences, which will be to them as snares and pitfalls. when means like these are adopted for the detection of crime, a temporary check to the operations of the suspected persons, from whatever cause arising, creates some additional trouble and anxiety to those who are endeavoring to ferret out the evil-doer, and provokes a degree of exasperation toward his unconscious abettor. such an untimely interference with plans carefully laid, and carried out at a considerable expense of time and effort, once occurred while the author was attempting to bring to light an unscrupulous depredator, in whose detection the public was much interested, as many had suffered by the loss of money sent through his office. i had been hard at work for a week in pursuing this investigation, having for the third time passed decoy letters over the road on which the suspected office was situated, (the road being one of the roughest kind, about forty miles in length, and very muddy,) and was flattering myself that _that_ day's work would enable me to bring my labors to a conclusion satisfactory to the public and myself, if not to the delinquent; when my hopes were, for the time, dashed to the ground by the innocent hand of the village parson. and it happened in this wise:-- the mail carrier was instructed to throw off his mail, as usual, at the suspected office, and to remain outside, in order to afford the post master a good opportunity for the repetition of the offence which he was supposed to have committed, the agent being all the time a mile or two in advance, in another vehicle, impatiently waiting to learn the fate of his manoeuvres. as the part of the road where i was stationed, was in the midst of woods, and the carrier had no passengers, no particular caution was needed in conducting the conversation, and before my associate had reached me, he called out, "i guess you'll have to try it again; the dominie was there and helped to overhaul the mail to-day." the sportsman, who, having just got a fair sight at the bird which he has been watching for hours, beholds it, startled by some blunderer, flying off to "parts unknown;" the angler, who, by unwearied painstaking, having almost inveigled a "monarch of the pool" into swallowing his hook--sees a stone hurled by some careless hand, descending with a splash, and putting an end to his fishy flirtation;--these can imagine my feelings when the mail carrier made the above announcement. "confound the dominie," involuntarily exclaimed i, "why couldn't he mind his own business?" i examined the mail bag, but nothing was missing except the matter that properly belonged to that office. but at the next trial, the parishioner did not have ministerial aid in opening his mail, and accordingly, probably by way of indemnifying himself for his forced abstinence, he not only seized the decoy package, but several others. the following day, instead of overhauling the mail, he was himself thoroughly overhauled by an united states marshal. a man of such weak virtue, should hire a "dominie" by the year, to stand by and help him resist the devil, during the process of opening the mails. not the least painful of the various duties connected with the detection of crime, is the sometimes necessary one of revealing a husband's guilt to his wife. i anticipated a severe trial of my feelings in making such a disclosure during the progress of a recent important case where the mail robber was in possession of a mail-key by means of which he had committed extensive depredations. he was at length detected, and has lately entered upon a ten years' term in the state prison. on his arrest he manifested much solicitude for his wife, fearing that the intelligence of his situation would overpower her. "she is in feeble health at best," said he, "and i am afraid this will kill her." it was necessary, however, that i should see her in order to get possession of some funds, a part of the proceeds of the robberies, which her husband had committed to her keeping. furnished with a written order from the prisoner, and leaving him in the marshal's custody, i proceeded to call on the invalid, racking my brains while on the way to her residence, for some mode of communicating the unpleasant truth which should disclose it gradually, and spare her feelings as much as possible. on my arrival at the boarding-house, the note was sent to the lady's room. it read as follows:-- my dear susan: will you hand to the bearer a roll of bank-notes which i left with you. edwin. the lady soon made her appearance. she was young, rather prepossessing, and evidently in delicate health. finding that i was the bearer of the note, she addressed me, expressing great surprise that her husband had sent a request so unusual; and with an air of independence observed that she did not "know about paying over money under such circumstances to an entire stranger." desiring not to mortify her unnecessarily by making explanations in the presence of others, i requested her to step into a vacant room near at hand, and after closing the door, i said in a low tone, "it is an extremely painful thing for me, mrs. m----, but as you do not seem inclined to comply with your husband's order, i must tell you plainly that the money was taken from the mails by him. there is no mistake about it. he has had a mail-key which i have just recovered, and has made a full acknowledgment of his numerous depredations. i beg of you to bear this dreadful news with fortitude. no one will think less of you on account of his dishonest conduct." i expected to see the poor woman faint immediately, and had mentally prepared myself for every emergency, but, a moment after, _i_ should have been more likely to have fallen into that condition, if astonishment could ever produce such an effect, for as soon as i had finished what i was saying, she stood, if possible, more erect than before, and with some fire in her eye, and one arm 'akimbo,' she replied in a spirited manner, "well, if he _has_ done that, he's a dam'd fool to own it--_i_ wouldn't!" she gave up the money, however, soon after, and although the recklessness displayed in the speech above quoted seemed to make it probable that she was implicated in her husband's guilt, it afterwards appeared that this exhibition of "spunk" was due to the impulses of a high-spirited and excitable nature, which sometimes, as in the present instance, broke away from control, and went beyond the bounds of decorum. such an ebullition of passion indicated, in her case, a less degree of moral laxity than it would have shown in one differently constituted. in a subsequent examination of their apartment in search of other funds and missing drafts, a touching incident occurred, strikingly displaying, when taken in connection with the outbreak just mentioned, the lights as well as shades of an impulsive character. during this examination, it became necessary to investigate the contents of a well-filled trunk, and this was done by the lady herself, under my supervision. after several layers of wearing apparel had been taken out, she suddenly paused in her work, and wiped away a falling tear, as she gazed into the trunk. thinking that some important evidence of her husband's crimes was lurking beneath the garments remaining, and that her hesitation was owing to reluctance on her part to be instrumental in convicting him, i reached forward and was about to continue the examination myself, when she interposed her arm and said sobbingly, "those are the little clothes of our poor baby,--they haven't been disturbed since his death, and i can't bear to move them." a second glance into the trunk confirmed her sad story, for there were the little shoes, scarcely soiled, the delicately embroidered skirts and waists,--all the apparel so familiar to a mother's eye, which, in its grieving remembrance of the departed child, "stuffs out his vacant garments with his form." a similar affliction had taught me to appreciate the sacredness of such relics, and i waited in sympathizing silence, until she could command her feelings sufficiently to continue the search. she soon resumed it, and the contents of the trunk were thoroughly examined, yet none of the lost valuables were found therein. chapter xviii. frauds carried on through the mails. sad perversion of talent--increase of roguery--professional men suffer--young america _at_ the "bar"--papers from liverpool--the trick successful--a legal document--owning up--a careless magistrate--letters from the un-duped. victimizing the clergy--a lithograph letter--metropolitan sermons--an up-town church--a book of travels--natural reflections--wholesome advice. the seed mania--_strong_ inducements--barnes' notes--"first rate notice"--farmer johnson--wethersfield outdone--joab missing. "gift enterprise"--list of prizes--the trap well baited--evading the police--the _scrub_ race. an incalculable amount of talent is perverted to dishonest purposes, thereby becoming a gift worse than useless to its possessors, and a fruitful source of evil to the community. such misemployed ability is like the "staff of life," turned by a magic worse than egyptian, into the serpent of death. and the brilliancy which surrounds the successful development of some deep-laid plan of knavery--the admiration which it involuntarily excites, in the mind even of those who abhor the deed, and condemn the cunning designer, render such misdirected powers doubly dangerous, by exciting in the weak-minded and evil-disposed a desire to emulate such wonderful achievements, and to become notorious, if they cannot make themselves famous. it cannot be denied that a considerable degree of talent is requisite to insure success, even in a course of knavery; and by success i mean nothing more than that longer or shorter career, which ends, if not always in detection, certainly in disappointment and misery. success, then, in this connection, signifies putting off the evil day--a day which is as sure to come as any other day. time is an enemy which no rogue can ever outrun. even such pitiful success as this is not within the grasp of small abilities. the possessors of such moderate endowments will find it emphatically true, that honesty is the best policy for them, however brilliant and seductive a dishonest course may be. when shakspeare wrote, "put money in thy purse," he probably did not intend to exhort any one to pocket another's money, but to confine himself to that which he actually possessed. but, judging by the number and variety of the ingenious frauds which are practised upon the community, the saying in question seems to have been adopted in its most unscrupulous sense as a principle, by sundry personages, more remarkable for smartness than for honesty. not a few of these characters have selected the mails as the means of facilitating their designs upon the pockets of the public at large. "but this sort of thing is becoming too prevalent," as a worthy magistrate was in the habit of remarking, when about to sentence some pick-pocket or disturber of the peace; and if the devices of the class of villains referred to continue to increase as they have done for years past, semi-annual sessions of the legislative branch of government will scarcely suffice for the enactment of penalties to meet the increasing exigencies of the case. there is no end to the gross swindles of this description now perpetrated or attempted, and requiring the utmost care and watchfulness on the part of the public to avoid being deceived by them. no class nor condition in society is exempt from these wiles; the most intelligent and shrewd being victimized quite as often as the credulous and inexperienced. lawyers, clergymen, editors, farmers, and even post masters, have all in turn been swindled by means of facilities afforded by the post-office system, the frauds ranging in magnitude and importance, from imaginary papers of onion seed, to "calls" for ministerial aid in the momentous work of converting "a world lying in wickedness!" it is with a view to put those who may peruse these pages on their guard, that a few rare specimens of the tricks of these "jeremy diddlers" are here exposed, most of which have come to light within a few months of this present writing. the first that we will describe, was perpetrated quite successfully upon the legal fraternity, and some of the most distinguished members of that highly useful profession in the different states, will no doubt readily recognise the truthfulness of the picture, as it is held up to their gaze. this "dodge" may properly be entitled young america practising _at_ the bar. in january of the present year, the post master of brooklyn, n. y., called my attention to the fact that large numbers of letters were arriving at that office to the address of "william h. jolliet," and that from some information he had received, he was led to believe that the correspondence was in some way connected with a systematic scheme of fraud. arrangements were accordingly made to watch the person who was in the habit of inquiring for the "jolliet" letters, and the next time he called, which was in the evening, he was followed as far as the fulton ferry, detained just as he was about to enter the ferry-boat, and questioned in reference to the letters. the person thus interrogated was an exceedingly intelligent boy, about fifteen years of age, plainly but neatly dressed, and of prepossessing manners, particularly for one so young. when asked what he intended to do with the letters he had just taken from the post-office, he manifested great self-possession, and apparently anticipating trouble, without allowing an opportunity for a second question, he hurriedly asked, "why, what about this business? i have been thinking there might be something wrong about jolliet's letters. i am a student in a respectable law-office in new york, and would not like to be involved in any trouble of this sort. i can tell you, sir, all i know about these letters." as his explanation will hereafter appear in full, suffice it here to say, that he threw the entire responsibility upon a stranger whom he accidentally met in the harlem cars. the story was told with much apparent frankness, and a gentleman passing along who knew the lad, and confirmed his statement as to his connection with a prominent law-office in new york, he was allowed to go at large, under a promise that at an appointed hour on the following day, he would call on the brooklyn post master, explain the matter more fully, and put him in possession of facts which would enable the officers to arrest jolliet, if that was thought best. the appointed time arrived, but the young man did not. a rather voluminous package of papers, however, was sent as a substitute. these papers are so well worded, and so formally drawn up, that i will here introduce two of them _verbatim._ the reader will bear in mind that they are the production of a boy only fifteen years of age:-- new york, january , , , m. post master, brooklyn, l. i. dear sir: being detained by important court business from attending to my promise given to you yesterday to be at your office, i am obliged to write to you. i enclose a statement of facts which i think sufficient to get a warrant. it is sworn to by me before a commissioner of deeds of new york, authorized to take acknowledgments for the state. i saw mr. jolliet yesterday evening. he does not suspect anything. i told him that the mails had not arrived when i was over to brooklyn, yesterday; and, in course of the conversation, he told me _he would take a sleigh ride to snediker's on saturday_. therefore, it is important you should _get a warrant, and take him upon that day_. he also told me he would have a white sleigh, a white robe, and a cream-colored pair of horses. you can easily know him. i will be over, if no accident intervenes, to-morrow, say about or o'clock. i tracked him to the manhattan bar-room in broadway, but could not find out his residence, as he stayed too late. i think he is connected with a gang of rascals who have made this kind of rascality their special business. i am acquainted with the district attorney in this city, and have thought of getting him to bring the case before the grand jury, and get a bench warrant out in new york against jolliet, in case you should think it advisable. meanwhile, i will remain still about the matter until i hear from you again. yours, very truly. annexed is the statement of facts alluded to above:-- _statement of facts_. a. during the month of november or december, , i became acquainted with a man whom i knew by the name of william h. jolliet. he seemed to be about or years of age, and, by his dialect, of english parentage; he was genteelly dressed, and seemed to be a gentleman by his talk and manners. he came to know me from often seeing me on the cars of the new york and harlem rail road, and often talking to me. i am in the habit of doing copying, &c., for pay, and therefore was willing to do anything in that way, under the usual circumstances--that is, for pay. he asked me one day if i was a man of business. i told him i was. he then asked me if i could make a copy of a note he had in his pocket, and show it to him the next time i should meet him, and not to say anything about it to anybody. i told him i would. he gave it to me, and it was something as follows--that is, substantially:-- brooklyn, l. i., jan. , . sir: i have received a package of papers for you from liverpool, england, with six shillings charges thereon--on receipt of which amount the parcel will be sent to you by such conveyance as you may direct. yours, respectfully, william h. jolliet. i met him one or two days afterwards, and gave him his original, and my copy. he said it was very well done, but looked too much like a law-hand, and asked me if i couldn't write more of a mercantile-looking hand. i told him i supposed i could. he then gave me my copy, and told me to buy some paper, and make as many copies as i could, and direct them one to each of the names he gave me on a list, and mail them. i told him i would. this was on a saturday evening; and on sunday afternoon i wrote about a hundred copies of them, and directed them and sent them. i met him on monday, and he asked me if i had done it. i told him i had; he then asked for the list of names he had given me, and i handed it to him. he asked if i knew the names i had directed the letters to. i told him i did not, although i did well, my suspicions about him having been aroused by his request for secrecy. on that sunday on which i wrote the notes, i made up my mind to play traitor to him, by sending the notes as directed, and keeping all answers which he should get (he having told me to call for them at the brooklyn post office), and then delivering them, with my evidence, to officer b----, in new york, whom i know well by reputation as a good officer, and an american in fact and principle. this was foiled by my disclosures to the post master of brooklyn, on thursday. at the time he asked me to make the copies of the note, he gave me a five-dollar gold piece, to defray expenses. i have kept a copy of the list he gave me, and also of another which he had given me, and which i returned in the same way. i have mailed about letters in all. at the time he ordered me to make the copies of the letter and mail them, he requested me to make a letter and direct it to him at brooklyn, and mail along with the others. i did so, but i asked him what this was for, and he said he wanted to know how long it would take for a letter to go from new york to brooklyn. but i did not believe him, and this formed part of the causes for my suspicions. i afterwards received the letter, i think it was tuesday, and gave it to him. at the time of my first mailing the letters, i dropped, by carelessness, a list of the names of persons to whom they were directed, along with them. could this list be got, it would tell us a great deal about the transaction, and then we could have a complete list of all the persons addressed. it was dropped in one of the three new boxes on the south-west corner of the new york post-office. i have seen him since he first spoke to me about this affair, five or six times, (once on friday, saturday, monday, and tuesday, and twice on wednesday, i believe.) he lives in harlem, i think. i don't know anything further of interest, and close with the ardent wish, that a king's county officer will get the credit of catching one of the greatest scoundrels that ever lived, thereby ridding the community of him. g. h. b. city of brooklyn, county of kings, ss, g. h. b----, of the city of new york, student at law above named, being duly sworn, doth depose and say that he has read the foregoing statement, and knows the contents thereof, and that the same is true of his own knowledge. g. h. b. sworn before me this th january, . b. t. b----, comr. of deeds. being satisfied that a young lad of sufficient abilities to compose these documents in such a style, could not have been made the innocent dupe of any one, especially a stranger, i determined to lay the whole matter before his employer, a prominent member of the new york bar. he had heard nothing of it before, and was much pained to hear my narration, for he was warmly attached to the young student, who, up to that time had enjoyed his entire confidence, and for whose improvement and legal education he had taken unusual pains. a moment's reference to the law register, a work containing the names and residences of all the members of the legal profession in every state in the union, and to be found in almost every law office, showed the source whence he had obtained the list which had been "dropped by carelessness" into the post-office, for pencil marks appeared against the names of most of the _country_ lawyers, but including none of those that had ever been correspondents of the firm with which he was connected! the opinion that there was no accomplice, nor even principal, in the case, beyond the boy himself, was fully coincided in by his employer, and it was at once decided to call the lad up for a private examination. i thought, as he entered the room, cap in hand, and with an air of perfect _nonchalance_, that i had seldom seen a more expressive and intelligent countenance. his high forehead, adorned with graceful curls of brown hair, his full and laughing eye, and the regular features of his face, seemed made for some better use than to delude unwary victims. "george," said his employer, "what do these jolliet letters mean, that you have been sending all over the country?" _boy._--"i will tell you all i know about it, sir. some weeks since, as i was coming in town one morning, in the harlem cars, a man calling himself jolliet----" _agent._--"stop, george, and hear me a moment before you go further. we don't want to hear that story. we know there is no such person as jolliet, and if you go on with such a statement before mr. f.," (his employer,) "your pride will render it harder for you to make the acknowledgments that i know you must come to. you have had no accomplice, and if you will bring me the law register, i will show you where you got the names of the lawyers to whom you sent the letters." _mr. f._--"now, george, you see that mr. h. knows all about it, and i hope you will not attempt to deny the truth. i am deeply pained to find that you have been guilty of such misdemeanors; and i trust, for your own sake, that you will make a clean breast of it." after a pause of a few moments, the young man acknowledged, that, being "hard up," he had resorted to this plan to obtain funds, and that he knew no such person as "william h. jolliet." _agent._--"how then could you have sworn to the statement you sent to the brooklyn post master? you must have been aware that in so doing, you were committing perjury." _boy._--"ah! but i did not swear to it. my name is attached to the affidavit, it is true, but having prepared it beforehand, i spoke to the commissioner just as he was leaving the officer, and he signed it, but in his hurry he forgot to administer the oath." _agent._--"but that omission must have been merely accidental. supposing he had required the usual ceremony, what would you have done?" _boy._--"i have so often seen him omit it, that i took that risk. if he had insisted, i should have backed out." subsequent inquiry satisfied me that the commissioner in question, having often had occasion to sign affidavits for the young man, in the course of the office business, was not always particular in administering the oath, and that it was no doubt neglected in the present instance. the punishment inflicted in this case, was all that the most indignant victim of the fraud would have demanded; and there is reason to believe that a permanent reformation in the character of the young man has been the result; and that the rare talents which he possesses, will yet be found arrayed on the side of honesty and virtue. answers to the jolliet letters continued to arrive from all parts of the country, for some time after the discovery of the fraud, as here related. the letters that had accumulated in the brooklyn post office, were sent to the dead letter office, opened, and subsequently returned to their respective owners, with their contents, accompanied by a proper explanation. in nearly every instance, the dodge had been successful. the six shillings, or that amount in postage stamps, were duly enclosed; and, in some instances a dollar, to make even change, with directions for forwarding the mysterious package. such an unexpected notice had no doubt given rise in many cases to sundry visions of heavy fees, which were to flow in upon the fortunate correspondent of jolliet, for conducting the business of some wealthy capitalist of the old world, who, attracted by his professional fame, was about to confide to him matters of great weight and importance--perhaps some complicated law-suit, the successful issue of which would bring him a wealth of reputation and money, compared with which the outlay of six shillings was an item too contemptible to be regarded. or some sanguine individual might scent out a legacy in the "package from liverpool." people were dying every day in england, whose heirs lived in this country. it was not very unusual for persons to inherit immense fortunes from those whose names they had never heard. it might make the difference of thousands of dollars to a man whether his name was brown or white, when some possessor of one or the other name came to leave his property behind him. and it would be a pity to lose the chance of securing a handsome property for one's self, or the opportunity of acting as agent for somebody else, though the whole affair might prove but a hoax, and the chance of thus finding a fortune rather less than the prospect of drawing a prize in a "gift lottery." it was amusing to peruse the letters which the agent received from those who had been swindled, acknowledging the safe return of the letter and money which they had sent to jolliet. most of them were "well satisfied" when they sent the money, "that it was all a hoax," but then it was a small sum that he applied for, and they thought they would send it to the fellow for the ingenuity he had displayed in "raising the wind!" all, however, seemed very glad to get their money again, even at the risk of allowing such talent to go unrewarded. some wary old heads, too acute to be caught by such chaff, took the precaution to request jolliet to call on their friends in new york, leave the package, and get the six shillings. another directed that it should be left at the express office, the expenses paid there, and when the parcel arrived, the entire charges would be promptly met. two or three, not content with informing jolliet that he had not taken them in, indulged in a somewhat sarcastic style of correspondence. the following are two specimens of this kind of reply:-- p----, feb. , . mr. wm. h. jolliet, sir: i am in receipt of a note from you, informing me that you have in your possession a package for me from liverpool, eng., on which there is a charge of s. sterling, and which you will send to me on receipt of the above sum. sir, i cannot but think it a little strange that my large circle of friends and correspondents in liverpool (a circle which may be represented thus, ) should have thought it necessary for parcels which they send me, to pass through your hands, unless you have some connection with the friends aforesaid, unknown to me. before i send you the _sterling_ money, i should like answers of the like quality, to some or all of the following interrogatories:-- st. who are you? d. who knows you? d. who do you know? th. is "wm, h. jolliet" the name given you in baptism? th. wouldn't you receive less than six shillings, if you could get it? th. do you think you have taken me in? th. after reading the above, please inform me whether you remain _jolly yet_. not your victim, jno. s----. h----, jan. , . sir: i know i am ambitious. i have my aspirations. my fame may be extending. perhaps it is, i had thought it was local; confined to this county, certainly to the state. but it seems that i am known abroad, and you wish me to pay the moderate sum of seventy-five cents for verifying the fact. sir, i am an anglo-saxon. i rejoice in it. and i don't doubt that somewhere between adam's time and mine, some of my progenitors have inhabited england. but i believe they have all died or moved away. so you see it isn't likely that i have any relations in liverpool, whence came the package you say is in your hands. in the next place, sir, living as i do in an inland town, i know little of those "who go down to the sea in ships." (david, psalms, cap. .) and all my particular friends are in this country, according to the best of my knowledge and belief. but no others than the individuals i have cited, would be likely to send me packages from foreign lands. it therefore follows, sir, that the aforesaid package is not _in rerum natura_. i shall be happy to receive from you any facts which may vitiate this conclusion. pending this, i remain yours, &c., ed. b----. mr. wm. h. jolliet. * * * * * we have allowed the lawyers to lead off in the melancholy procession of victims of rascality which we have undertaken to display to our readers; and it is our design, in marshaling our regiment of "the great deluded," to place the clergy second in order. lawyers are (or ought to be) hard-headed, with little faith in mankind at large; while it is the general characteristic of clergymen to be soft-hearted, and to trust, sometimes "not too wisely, but too well," in the integrity of their fellow men. in addition to the weak points which they may have in common with all, and through which they are liable to be successfully assailed, the cultivation of that spirit of charity which "thinketh no evil" makes them slow in suspecting villanous designs on the part of others; and renders them an easy prey to those who are unscrupulous enough to use their unsuspecting disposition as a means of carrying into effect their own base purposes. in making these remarks, we are far from wishing to cast any slur upon the native shrewdness or penetration of the clergy, which would be unjust to them, (for there are few keener intellects than those that are possessed by some who are members and ornaments of this body,) but our object is simply to mention some of the causes which often make them the victims of imposition. many of them, especially those who live in the country, occupied as they are with the duties of their calling, in the retired life of the study, and in intercourse with the comparatively honest and virtuous community in which their lot is cast, are somewhat secluded from the world at large, and know little, except by report, of the innumerable forms of deceit and iniquity that people enact, who live outside of their own quiet boundaries. this is, perhaps, less generally true at the present time than it was years ago, before the increased facilities for communication had given equal facilities to rogues, who have chosen our large cities as a field for their nefarious operations, and have extended them, by means of the mails, to the remotest corners of the country. the trick which we are about to describe was attempted on a large scale, and the trap set for unwary clergymen was sprung in almost every section of the country, with considerable success, though some of the intended victims were too wary to be thus swindled. the trap alluded to was in the form of a letter, of which the following is a copy:-- new york, sunday, march , . brother p----: being at leisure this afternoon, and somewhat wearied rather than refreshed by the morning's discourse of our respected pastor, i have concluded to sit down and write you, though utterly unacquainted save in that sympathy which persons of like temperament involuntarily feel toward one another. it is the apparent coldness and formality of our metropolitan sermons that has led me, by a pleasant contrast, to think of you. i heard you once, while passing through your place--a sermon that has many times recurred to my memory, though its calm piety and deep perception of human nature may be weekly occurrences to your congregation. i have several times thought it would be well for our church to call on you for a trial here. our house is wealthy, and "up town," though that is no matter. i had almost given up the idea, when it was forcibly returned to me yesterday by seeing a notice of you in the new publication of travels through the states; in which i see the writer has heard you, and was so impressed that he gives a strong description of you and your style, so well according with my views, that i feel confirmed in my opinion of you. you have probably seen it. and, aside from any vanity at praise in print, or any pain at his censure, (for he finds fault, too,) i think a preacher cannot too much study his style, in duty to his master and his people, by learning all he can of his hearers' views of him, if not for the praise at least for the blame. so you see i yet hope to sit under your ministrations. i wish you would write me, immediately, what you think of coming here, if i propose you. my bell has just rung for tea, and i close hastily, wishing you success in any field, and "many souls as seals of your ministry." yours, in the lord, a. d. connelson. p. s.--if you have not seen the notice of you, (in the book i alluded to,) i will get it for you. i believe it sells at a dollar and a half, or thereabouts. i close in haste, a. d. c. here is an instance of one who "stole the livery of heaven to serve the devil in." the author of this production, which was lithographed, leaving only a space after the commencing word "brother," for the insertion of the name of the person addressed, was signed in some copies as above, and in others by the name of "w. c. jansing." we can easily imagine the effect of such an artful, flattering epistle upon the mind of some unsuspecting and humble country pastor, whose chief ambition had hitherto been to minister to the spiritual wants of his little congregation, and who had never before indulged the thought of receiving a "call" to the attractions and responsibilities of a city pastor's life. he taxes his memory in vain to recollect upon what occasion any stranger, who might represent the devout connelson, had been present during his sabbath services, and in like manner fails to recall any reminiscences of the author, who, in his "travels through the states," had also heard him, and was "impressed" so remarkably in accordance with mr. connelson's "views." his opinion of his own abilities having been elevated several degrees by the united testimony of two such competent witnesses, he begins to think that after all, it is not so very improbable that he should be thought of as a candidate for that "wealthy" and "up-town church." "was not the distinguished dr. l---- called from as small a place as this, to the charge of a large city congregation? and i remember that his abilities did not use to be so much superior to mine." with reflections like these, he works himself into a state of mind that would prevent any surprise, were he some day to be waited on by a committee from the church aforesaid, with the request that he would favor the congregation with a specimen of his preaching, with the additional view of securing the "pleasant contrast" to the "apparent coldness and formality of metropolitan sermons," that might result from his ministrations. at any rate, it would be gratifying to him to see for himself, what the traveling critic had said of him and his sermons; not that he cared particularly about the opinion, so far as he himself was concerned, but he would like to have his people know that their minister had attracted the attention of distinguished characters from abroad. so he replies to his spontaneous correspondent, intimating that he should have no objection to taking charge of the "up-town" church; and enclosing a dollar and a half, to purchase the book of travels, which he does, not without misgivings that he is sacrificing too large a portion of his slender salary, for indulgence in the anticipated luxury. it is almost needless to add, that the dollar and a half went to the "bourne from which no _traveler_ returns," and that our clergyman did not, in this instance, display "that deep perception of human nature," which so often recurred to the mind of the admiring connelson. the operations of this worthy were soon stopped by the new york post master, who, having received letters from some of the shrewder members of the reverend body, enclosing the above epistle, gave the matter in charge to the police, whose movements alarmed the rogue, and blew up the cheat, before many letters containing money had arrived. enough came, however, to show that had he not been disturbed, he would have feathered his nest comfortably with the spoils of those whom he had plucked. these letters, remaining uncalled for, became "dead" in due course of time, and were returned with their contents to their authors; doubtless refreshing the heart of many a sorrowing minister, who supposed that he had seen the last of his money, and had given up all hopes of receiving the promised _quid pro quo_. i insert as a sort of epistolary curiosity, a letter addressed to connelson by one of his intended victims, which was sent under cover to the new york post master, with the request that he would read and deliver it, if he knew the whereabouts of the person alluded to. "f----, march , . "mr. a. d. connelson. "sir: "i am in receipt of a communication from you, of the th inst., of whose flattering contents i have reason to believe that i am not the only recipient; as i am not ignorant of the fact that the art of lithography can be employed to multiply _confidential_ letters to any extent. if, as you state, you have at any time heard a discourse from my lips, i regret that the principles which it inculcated have produced so little impression upon your actions, especially as it has 'many times recurred to your memory.' "there are truths, sir, in addition to those you may have heard on the occasion referred to, (if there ever was any such occasion,) which, judging from the apparent object of your letter, it might be profitable for you to recall. i would recommend to your attention the truth contained in the following saying of the wise man:--'the getting of treasures by a lying tongue, is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.'--_prov._ , . "you have expressed a hope 'to sit under' my 'ministrations.' i trust you will be profited by the few words i now address to you, and if you feel any disappointment in failing to find the expected 'dollar and a half, or thereabouts,' you will have to console yourself with the reflection, 'how much better is it to get wisdom than gold? and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver?'_prov._ , . i give you the references to the passages quoted that you may ruminate on them at your sabbath's 'leisure,' which i hope will hereafter be more profitably employed than in attempting to perform the part of "a wolf in sheep's clothing." "your well-wisher, g. j. t." "p. s. if you ever happen to pass through this place again, and to be detained over the sabbath, your name, mentioned to the sexton, or indeed, to any member of my congregation, will secure you as good a seat as the house will furnish; and if you will inform me of your intended presence, beforehand, i will endeavor to suit my discourse to your _wants_, if not to your _wishes_. "'not what we _wish_, but what we _want_, do thou, o lord, in mercy grant.' "if, however, circumstances like some that i can foresee, if you continue in your present course, should prevent a visit to our place, i hope you will manage to be satisfied with the ministrations of the chaplain at sing sing, who, i understand, is an excellent, talented man. and i trust that you and your _traveled_ friend will agree as well on the question of his merits as you have on those of others." further comment on this case is unnecessary; and we would only say that any one suspecting an imposture in any such mode as the foregoing, need not be prevented from indulging in a reasonable suspicion, by the charitable thought, "this person could not be such a rascal;" for it is a truth that should be well known and acted upon, that no amount of hypocrisy, deceit or audacity is too great to be practised by miscreants like those whose villanous devices are to some extent exposed in these pages. * * * * * the onion seed trick. "if you have tears, prepare to shed them now." the next ingenious "dodge" to which i would call the attention of my readers, is one which might be styled double-barreled, inasmuch as it brought down both editors and farmers simultaneously. the agricultural portion of community has been much exercised of late years on the subject of seed. astounding stories have circulated through the newspapers from time to time, concerning the wonderful prolific powers of certain kinds of seed, and prices have in some instances been demanded for these choice varieties, which remind one of the times when a laying hen of the right breed would earn more per day for her owner than an ordinarily smart negro. it really seemed to be the belief of many enthusiastic persons, that seed could be brought, by careful culture, to a pitch of perfection that would almost render it independent of the assistance of mother earth, save as a place to stand on. the improved seed was to do it all. however desirable it might be to obtain seed which could be warranted under all circumstances to produce heavy _crops,_ (which of course can always be done after a certain fashion, by feeding it out to fowls,) this "good time coming" will not be hastened, we apprehend, by the public-spirited efforts of "mr. joab s. sargent," notwithstanding the glowing prospects held out in the following advertisement:-- farmers and gardeners.--attention! _spanish onion seeds._ the subscriber will send to any part of the united states and canada, a paper of the seeds of the above superior onion, on the receipt of ten cents (one dime.) farmers and gardeners, see to it that you secure the best of seeds. for a mere trifle now, you can put money in your pockets and fat on your ribs. address, joab s. sargent, hicks st., cor. of state, brooklyn, n. y. p. s.--publishers of newspapers giving the above and this notice three insertions, calling attention editorially thereto, and sending marked copies to the subscriber, will receive by return mail three dollars' worth of the above seeds, or a copy of barnes' notes on the gospels, valued at three dollars and fifty cents, or two dollars cash. address plainly as above. april , . observe how adroitly the cunning joab aims his thrusts at the most vulnerable spot in both classes of his victims. "publishers of newspapers," in the plenitude of joab's generosity, are to have their choice between the onion seeds, the gospel, and the ready cash, if they will but make known to the world the incomparable qualities of the genuine spanish article. and many of these publishers "called attention to the same" with a will, as the following copy of one of those notices will show:-- "something new for farmers and gardeners.--see our advertising columns. if you want _large onions_, get the real _spanish_ seed--a change in the seed works wonders. we have seen bushels of onions imported from spain of half a pound weight each, and as large as saucers." it may be well to say here that no onion seeds, "spanish" or other, were sent in compliance with the many orders which poured in upon the successful sargent from all parts of the country, excepting that a few of those first received were supposed to have been answered by the sending of a few seeds of some kind, whether onion or grass, no one knew. perhaps the recipients will discover in the course of time. the editors were equally unfortunate. many of them selected the "notes on the gospels" in preference to the seed or the money, yet their wishes were not destined to be gratified. let us see how this tempting advertisement worked on the farmers and gardeners. here is farmer johnson, whose boy has just brought in his weekly paper from the office, and who is proceeding to refresh himself after the labors of the week, with the record of what the world at large has been doing in the same time. he deliberately peruses the columns of his hebdomadal, dwelling with solemnity on the more weighty articles, and endeavoring to laugh over the funny ones, till, after having exhausted the "reading" department, his eye goes on in search of new advertisements, which he can distinguish at a glance, for he knows all the old ones by heart. his attention is arrested by the conspicuous heading, "spanish onion seeds." he reads it over carefully, and studies every word, that he may be sure that he fully and correctly understands it; and then comparing it with the editorial notice of the same thing, he rapidly becomes convinced that spanish onions must be great things, and that ten cents may be safely invested in the speculation. visions of saucer-like onions rise before him; of prizes in agricultural exhibitions; and if he is an inhabitant of connecticut, he fancies he sees the former renown of the ancient town of pyquag, or wethersfield, growing dim before the lustre of spanish onions. accordingly he sends the required dime to joab, who proved to be like the elephant which had been trained to pick up coin from the ground and place it on a lofty shelf. upon a certain occasion, a young gentleman was gratified by this performance, he having furnished a half-dollar for the display of the animal's skill. after the piece was safely deposited far out of reach, the youth requested the exhibitor to "make him hand it down again." "we never learnt him that trick," was the reply! the enterprising joab reaped an abundant harvest of dimes, and floods of papers poured into the brooklyn post-office, each one containing his advertisement marked, agreeably to its conditions, and a few words written upon it by the editor, making his choice between the valuables promised by sargent, and directing how to send the books, when they were the articles selected. these papers were of course charged with letter postage, and as the quantity which had arrived was becoming somewhat troublesome by its bulk, (since joab took very good care not to inquire for _them_,) the post master sent to hicks street, in order to notify him of the mass of news waiting for him at the office, as well as to make some inquiries in reference to the voluminous correspondence in which mr. sargent was engaged. but the person sent, returned with the report, "_non est inventus_," and the wary deceiver, having doubtless taken the alarm, came no more to the office to inquire for letters; so that although the rogue was "unwhipped of justice," a stop was put to his unrighteous gains. this case may serve as a warning to all, to look with distrust upon such advertisements emanating from unknown individuals, especially if the promises made are out of proportion to the "value received." in the present imperfect state of human nature, it is not common to find an individual offering through the papers most disinterested proposals for the good of people in general, without the fact coming to light sooner or later, that he had rather more prominently in view his own good in particular. and i will conclude with the following aphorism,--if you want onion seed, or anything else, send where you know you will not be cheated. * * * * * a gift enterprise. the fraud of which i am about to speak, also depended in a great measure for its success on the fact that it could be carried on through the mails. gorgeous hand-bills were sent to the post-offices throughout the country, accompanied with requests to the different post masters to act as agents, and allowing them a liberal per-centage on all tickets sold. those who read these hand-bills (suspended on the post-office walls,) and swallowed with expanded eyes and capacious throats the magnificent promises which they contained, could not determine by anything that appeared on the surface, whether "dashall & co." were real personages, or merely figments of the brain; and if the former, whether or not they were able and willing to meet their engagements. the scheme certainly had as fair an appearance as any "gift enterprise," and the "local habitation" and "name," which were appended, gave more probability to the idea that the firm in question was not a myth but a reality. thus it is evident that no one could have detected the fraud without entering into a course of investigation which would have involved more time, trouble, and expense, than most people would be willing to devote to the affair under the circumstances. the following is a copy of "dashall & co's." list of prizes: , presents to be given to the purchasers of the large and elegant engraving of the "inauguration of george washington, president of the united states," from the celebrated painting of david paul laurens. price of engraving one dollar, which includes a gift-ticket, entitling the holder to a chance in the following list of magnificent gifts. the value of the presents, as appraised by a committee chosen for the purpose, is $ , , as follows:-- a splendid farm on the hudson river, completely stocked, houses, &c. $ , stone front dwelling and lot on fifth avenue, n. y. , a magnificent _gold_ tea service, property of the late g. van denton , silver wine service , the race horse "white raven" , coach, harness, and horses, _a magnificent establishment_ , shares central rail road stock , fine watches, $ each , , gold seals and charms , , gold pens and silver holders , boxes best cigars gold guard chains , a splendid buggy " phaeton , a horse, harness, and buggy, splendid affair an elegant dog, st. bernard splendid fast-sailing yacht, "spirit of the wave" , the fast and trim pleasure yacht, "evening bird" , a loan for years , " " , " " , (all without interest.) rosewood piano mahogany pianos , a farm in ohio , a farm in kentucky , a farm in pennsylvania , a farm in massachusetts , , vols. poems , statue of "cigar girl," by reeves , also over , paintings, statues, medals, charts, albums, valuable books, and portfolios of engravings, making in all , gifts, which will be distributed by a committee appointed by the shareholders, and forwarded free of charge by the public's obedient servants, dashall & co., broadway, new york. whoever concocted the above list certainly deserves credit for the expansiveness of his views, the soaring flights of his imagination, and the nicety with which he adapted his various enticements to the different phases of human nature and life. was the reader of the hand-bill a "fast" youth? to him a dollar opened the prospect of "a horse, harness, and buggy,--splendid affair;" or "a splendid, fast-sailing yacht;" or " boxes best cigars;" or, as a companion to the above cigars, "statue of cigar girl, by reeves." did the list of prizes attract the attention of a person agriculturally inclined? to him a choice of farms was offered in the varied regions of massachusetts, pennsylvania, ohio, or kentucky; or "a splendid farm on the hudson river" awaited some fortunate individual, who had sufficient faith in good luck and "dashall & co.," to purchase the one hundred and fifty thousandth part of a chance to secure that valuable property. the man of business was tempted by sundry loans "for years without interest," and by "thirty shares of central rail road stock." through what "centre" this rail road ran, unless it was dashall & co's. office, the deponent sayeth not. upon the man of literary tastes, one dollar might confer "an elegant selected library," while the lover of music was attracted by the offer of elegant "rosewood and mahogany pianos." nor was the fairer portion of creation forgotten, in the shower of gifts which was to fall on the th of march, . the ambitious lady, who had long sighed for more splendid adornments to her table, could not read without emotion the promise of "a magnificent _gold_ tea service, the property of the late g. van denton." as the lamented van denton was doubtless known, in the circle of his acquaintance, as a man of taste, the promised tea service must have been unexceptionable in that respect. "melodeons, harps, paintings, albums, portfolios of engravings, &c.," formed a galaxy of attractions which drew many a dollar from fair hands. the engraving of the "inauguration of george washington" appealed to the patriotic feeling of every american. what friend of his country would refuse to part with the paltry sum of one dollar, which would enable him to possess this transcendent work of art, copied from the "celebrated painting" of the no less celebrated "david paul laurens;" a blood relation, no doubt, of the departed "van denton." each ticket was so embellished with intimations of the rich gifts possibly in store for its holder, as almost to make him feel as if he were already driving a "blood horse," or taking his ease in the "magnificent residence on the hudson." the reader is by this time probably aware of the true character of "dashall & co.," and their magnificent scheme. the former were atrocious impostors, and the latter was only a bag of wind. the suspicions of the new york post master were excited as to the character and destination of the numerous letters which came addressed to the aforesaid firm; and the chief of the police taking the matter in hand, a detachment from that body made a descent on broadway, where they found a respectable female of milesian extraction, engaged in washing the floor; and observed an open window, through which the representative of dashall & co. had probably made his exit. there was no furniture of any description in the room; so, having secured neither "persons" nor "papers," the civil authority was compelled to beat a retreat, not without sundry remonstrances from the old woman, touching the invasion of her "_clane flure_." she could tell them nothing about the firm, and only knew that she was sent there by the owner of the room to "clane up," which occupation she resumed, after imparting this information, with a vigor that threatened the immediate submersion of the intruders. the parties concerned in this fraudulent transaction are supposed to have cleared upwards of fifty thousand dollars by the operation, which, allowing for the per-centage to agents and other expenses, proves conclusively that there was more than that number of fools existing at the time in this enlightened land. we would hope that those who were taken in by this cheat, will not be thus deceived again. we trust that the foregoing record of knavery, whose contrivers were indebted, in some measure, for the carrying out of their plans, to the post masters who acted as agents, will have the effect of producing greater caution on the part of these officials as respects undertaking agencies for _unknown_ individuals. it would seem that a proper regard for the public interest would prevent any post master from lending himself, even undesignedly, to a fraudulent scheme like this of "dashall & co." it would be easy to refuse to have anything to do with proposed agencies, whose principals were not known to the post master, or concerning whom satisfactory information could not be obtained. the adoption of this practice would seriously interfere with the operations of the class of rogues who succeed in their villanous designs by making cats' paws of honest people in ways similar to that above described. i do not hesitate to say that thousands of dollars would every year be saved to those who are now swindled out of their money, if post masters were to take the course suggested, and refuse to allow hand-bills containing advertisements to be posted up in their offices, unless they were satisfied of the reliability of the parties sending them. chapter xix. post-office sites. embarrassing duty--an exciting question--a "hard case"--decease of a post master--the office discontinued--the other side--call at the white house--the reference--agent's arrival--molasses incident--an honest child--slicking up--the academy--stuck fast--the shoe factory--a shrewd citizen--the saw mill--a tenantless building--viewing the "sites"--obliging post master--the defunct bank--a funeral scene--the agent discovered--exciting meeting--"restoration hall"--eloquent appeals--a fire brand--committee on statistics--generous volunteers--being "put down"--good-nature restored--the bill "settled"--a stage ride--having the last word. of all the troublesome matters that have to be passed upon and decided by the head of the post-office department, the settlement of controversies involving the location of small post-offices, is undoubtedly the most perplexing, and difficult of adjustment. by such cases we are forcibly reminded of attempts which we have witnessed in our younger days, to soothe the troubled breasts of an angry swarm of bees, destitute of a queen, and uncertain where to "locate." whoever tried to settle the question before _they_ settled, was pretty sure to get well stung for his pains. the difficulty above referred to arises from the conflicting, contradictory representations made to the department by interested parties, governed by as great a variety of motives as the number of individual whims and interests depending upon the settlement of the "vexed question." notwithstanding the voluminous documents and geographical information usually tendered in these cases, those with whom the final decision rests, often find themselves perplexed beyond measure, to know what is for the true interests of a majority of the citizens--that being the only object aimed at by the department--and deem it necessary, occasionally, to refer the subject to a special agent, with instructions to visit the neighborhood, make a personal inspection of the different sites proposed, and decide, if possible, what the public interest and convenience demand. in some instances, where the emoluments of the office itself would not exceed the sum of fifty dollars annually, and where its entire abolishment would not prove any serious inconvenience, a whole neighborhood has been thrown into the most intense excitement, and feuds and animosities have been engendered which the parties concerned will perhaps carry with them to the grave. but, like numerous other phases of post-office life, they furnish many admirable and instructive illustrations of human nature _as it is_. during his experience, the writer has himself been frequently charged with the duty of becoming the medium for the settlement of local disputes such as have been alluded to; and a difficult and unpleasant duty has he often found it, though a better school for studying the selfishness and other hard points of the human character, cannot be desired. but the government official who is sent to ascertain the truth in one of these post-office disputes, will sometimes find himself about as much embarrassed as have been his superiors, and unless he is well posted up in the shrewd dodges and ingenious appliances that he will have to encounter, will find it quite as troublesome to give an impartial and just recommendation. decide satisfactorily he cannot of course, for those whose ends are not answered are not only sure to grumble, but to charge all sorts of unfairness upon him in conducting the investigation. the town of m., situated somewhere east of a line drawn across the map, from new york city to whitehall, n. y., but out of the state of new york, was recently the scene of one of these hotly contested controversies; and it is proposed to give an outline of the investigation, as it stands sketched among the author's official notes, under the head of a "hard case," with, of course, some additional comments and illustrations. in extent of territory, the town referred to is about six miles square, and contains three small villages, one comparatively new, having sprung up at the rail road depôt near the west line of the town. the second, about two miles to the eastward of this; and the third, about two miles still further to the east. village number two, in the order in which they have just been mentioned, had for many years been the site of the only post-office in the town, and continued in the uninterrupted enjoyment of this monopoly until the office became vacant by the death of the post master. this was the signal for a movement for some time privately contemplated and discussed within a limited circle composed of a few of the knowing ones residing in villages numbers one and three, which movement involved nothing less than the establishment of a post-office at each of those points, and the abolishment of the old established one at village number two. a petition to that effect was hastily drawn up and circulated chiefly among those whose interests in the plan sought, would be apt to secure secrecy, due care being taken to say quite as much in favor of the new sites and against the old one, as the facts in the case would warrant. this petition was dispatched to washington in charge of an influential person, whose hot haste for immediate action was rendered tolerably reasonable by the fact, that the decease of the post master left the community without any appointed guardian of its postal interests. a fair case having been made out according to the meagre information before the department, and the aforesaid bearer of dispatches not hesitating to supply verbally what seemed to be lacking in other forms, with one fell swoop of the pen of the post master general, the glory departed from village number two to its more fortunate rivals, numbers one and three; and by the same trifling operation, two very competent and suitable individuals were promoted from the condition of private and unassuming citizenship, to the dignity and responsibilities of deputy post masters of the united states of america! when the news of this sad calamity reached the staid and peaceable villagers, who had thus been unexpectedly deprived of their ancient postal privileges, rest assured it was no favorable time for the organization of a peace society! such oil would not still these waves! their late beloved and popular post master had become a "dead letter," though properly "addressed," as was fondly hoped, by the heavenly "messengers" who beckoned him away from other duties, to "wrap" and "box up"--and now even the post-office itself had been prematurely "taken away" also. not many suns had risen and set, however, before the other side of the picture was prepared and presented at washington, and now the ball had fairly opened, with the orchestra in full blast. a formidable remonstrance had received the signatures of all the "legal voters," and, as was charged on the other side, of many whose elective rights were not so easily settled. the customary accusations of unfairness, improper influence, stealing a march, downright misrepresentations, &c., were called in requisition to show the department that this "outrage" on the citizens was unwarrantable; and the important trust of conveying this evidence to the seat of government, fell to the lot of a certain gentleman well known among political circles in that section of the country, and supposed to possess a fair share of influence with the appointing power. he repaired to washington, made his first call at the white house, and labored hard to enlist the feelings of the chief executive in the case, but a few words from that distinguished official were sufficient to show that such interference in a comparatively unimportant matter could not reasonably be expected of him. the president did however show his respect for his visitor, who happened to be an old personal friend, by escorting him down to the department, and introducing him to the post master general. the governor of the state was also in the case, the two united states senators, and several of the members of congress, as the files of the papers, _pro_ and _con_, clearly demonstrated. not that they felt any personal interest in the result of the controversy, but because their political relations with many of those who did, were such that they could not well resist their importunities to come up to their relief. on patiently listening to the statements of the representative from the seat of war, and re-examining the documentary evidence, the post master general declined to reverse his former decision, but suggested sending one of the department's agents to investigate the whole matter. this course was adopted, and the responsibility thus transferred for the time being, to the shoulders of the to be author of "ten years." for many days before he arrived upon the ground, the excitement both among the vanquished and the vanquishing, was at the highest pitch; information that such reference of the case had been made, having been conveyed to both parties on the return of the distinguished politician from the capital. post master number one, however, could not await the slow process of that form of justice, so he dispatched a semi-official private note to me, nearly as follows, if my memory serves me: sir: will you please inform me if you have been instructed to visit this place in connection with our post-office controversy. if so, i would like to be informed of the time of your visit, as i wish to post you up as to certain parties here whose true position you ought to understand before their testimony in the case is heard. yours truly, f. b. s----. p. s.--if i knew when you are to arrive, i would be at the cars. to this i simply replied that i could not fix upon the precise day, but would call upon him on my arrival. one lovely afternoon of a lovely day in october, the "agent" might have been seen alighting from the car at the rail road station at m., fully impressed, of course, with the difficulty of the task before him, but with a sincere desire to carry out, if possible, the intention of government, and to mete out equal and exact justice to all parties. a new and flourishing-looking store, the only one by the way in the neighborhood, with a small sign over the door, with the words "post-office" inscribed thereon, saved me the necessity of inquiring for post-office site number one. in a few moments i found myself in the presence of the merchant and post master, who proved to be a young man of prepossessing and business-like appearance. a few questions on my part served to apprise him of the official character of the person by whom he was addressed, and also to cause his momentary neglect of a young customer for whom he was just then engaged in answering an order for a gallon of molasses. the little damsel who was there upon the saccharine errand, regarded me with open-eyed awe, having probably heard something of the department in the course of the all-pervading post-office controversies of the last few months, and cast as many stolen glances at me as her modesty would allow, thus securing a mental daguerreotype, to be displayed for the benefit of her wondering parents, after her return home with the double load of news and molasses. in his embarrassment at my sudden arrival, the post master forgot the molasses, and in a moment quite a torrent of the thick liquid had overflowed its bounds, and formed a pool upon the floor. "post master," said i, "you have left your molasses running over." in his eagerness to stop the leak, he went plump into the sweet puddle, with both feet, and any time that day his tracks might have been seen all over the store. "never mind," said he, "accidents will happen;" at the same time drawing his feet across some waste paper upon the floor. the young customer smiled, but during the running over process, she had said not a word, for by the means she was getting "scripture measure." she handed the post master a bank-note in payment, who, still laboring under considerable excitement, made her the wrong change, doing himself out of at least half the cost of the molasses, which, together with the loss of the surplusage, made it anything but a profitable business transaction for him. but the little girl was honest. she counted and recounted the change that had been given her, and with that peculiar expression that in one like her attends the consciousness of an honest act, she threw it all back upon the counter, remarking, "you have given me too much, sir." the countenance of the post master gave evidence by this time of not a little mortification at the occurrence of two such awkward blunders in the presence of a dignitary all the way from washington; and in his hurry to turn my attention from them, he forgot even to thank the child for her honest conduct, as he returned her the change "revised and corrected." but i did not. wishing not to cast an implied censure upon sweet-foot, i passed to the piazza of the store, to throw aside the stump of an havana, (or a "suffield," as the case may have been,) and unobserved by him, handed her a quarter, which she acknowledged by a blushing smile, and a low courtesy. returning, i missed the post master for a moment, and stepping within sight of the floor behind the counter, i could distinctly see the molasses tracks going toward a small enclosure at the other end of the counter. it proved to be the apartment used for the post-office. stepping a little further behind the counter, i spied my new and confused acquaintance, arranging the books, letters, and papers, apparently in great haste. seeing that i had returned to the store and now observed him, he advanced towards me a few paces. "i usually keep things in better order in the post-office," said he, "but i was away this forenoon, and my boy has got things a little mixed up." "never mind that now," i replied; "i am in something of a hurry, and want to enter at once on the business upon which i came. what is all this fuss that the people of the old village are making about the new post-office arrangements? by the row they are kicking up at washington, the department are almost led to believe there was something unfair in the means adopted to effect the change, and that they may have erred in their decision." this plain and informal opening of the case seemed to restore his self-possession. "well, they have tried to make a fuss, that's a fact, but it's more spunk than anything else. you see this is a new village, and although there are not yet many buildings, business is fast centering here, and it's bound to be _the place._ the folks up there have to come to the depôt constantly, and if they only think so, can be just as well accommodated here. they hate to lose a good place to loaf in, that's all there is to it. they don't need a post-office no more than a rail road wants a guide post. "they will tell you a great deal about their academy, and talk big about other things. as to the academy, it has got reduced, and most of the pupils who do attend, either belong to the upper village where they have a post-office now, or have to pass right by this door in going to school. but few of them being from abroad, they have but little correspondence any way. then you will hear tall speechifying about a flourishing hat factory which perhaps did something once, but can hardly be said to be in operation now. i hear they claim to have three extensive stores in the village. now if you will look for yourself, you will see two small affairs that don't both together sell half the goods that i do, and as to the third, it was closed some time ago, and if the owner went away in broad daylight, then common report does him great injustice." after a few remarks in the same vein, in the course of which he waxed quite eloquent, he closed by offering to take me in his wagon and show me the other two villages. he had been standing quite still during the delivery of this speech, and considerable effort was required to raise his feet to go in the direction of his hat, the adhesive qualities of the syrup still holding out. i thanked him for the offer, but said i must decline it, as i desired to avoid all cause of jealousy in my mode of investigation, and further remarked, that i would prefer to take a general view of all the localities, without the aid or explanations of any of the parties interested; and that after this had been done, i would give all hands a fair and impartial hearing. "very well," said he, "all we ask is fair play, but you will have to make a good deal of allowance for the extravagant statements of the leaders in the old village. i can prove that they have got democrats to sign to have the office restored, who are on our paper, and who say they were deceived when they signed theirs." having heard about enough of this, i had gradually moved along to the store door, when my eye rested upon a large wooden building near by, several stories high, and with an unusual number of windows, about the only building of any size in the vicinity. "what is that?" i asked, at the same time pointing to it. "that?--that is a shoe manufactory." "how many hands are employed there?" i inquired. just then, a fine-looking, elderly gentleman, with an air which denoted that he had a right to do pretty much as he pleased, stepped upon the piazza, and was introduced to me by the post master as his father-in-law, not omitting of course to inform his respected relative that i was no less a personage than the identical gentleman expected from washington. "ah," said he, "i am glad the department has seen fit to send so competent a person to look into this business, and i hope, sir, it will be thoroughly done." this was said in a gentlemanly, dignified manner, and he passed into the store without any further conversation. but the term "competent person," as applied to me, warned me that i should probably find it necessary to guard against "soft sodder" also, as one of the means of persuasion, and made me half suspicious that he might not be the impartial and disinterested individual that he appeared at first sight. the suspicion was just, for i afterwards learned that he was a wealthy and enterprising whig citizen, owning a beautiful mansion and a good deal of other property in village number three, (one of the new sites,) and that he was the proprietor of a good share of the real estate at the depôt village; and further, that he had been mainly instrumental in getting the changes effected. his personal interests in them footed up as follows: a post-office established at the village of his residence, and a post-office at the depôt village, (where the store in which it was kept belonged to him,) and his son-in-law appointed post master! a shrewd yankee operation that, though i could discover the adoption of no dishonorable means in securing these advantages. it was decidedly smart, though, and it isn't every body who could have successfully executed such a programme, after it had been arranged. this interruption of the conversation between the post master and myself, came in just in time to stave off an answer to my question about the large building in view, and my friend no doubt considered that an effectual stop was put to further inquiries on that subject. but not so. failing to discover any signs of thrift or vitality in or about the huge edifice referred to, i now repeated the inquiry. "i was asking how many persons are employed in that shoe factory?" before i had fairly finished the sentence, however, he had darted into the store and returned with two havanas, (?) saying, "come, have a smoke, and let's walk over and take a look at the saw mill," which by the way happened to be in an opposite direction from the aforesaid shoe establishment. i consented, however. the mill was in operation, and the stream, such as it was, kept up a pretty respectable roar, though you could hear yourself converse, i noticed, quite as easily as by the side of old niagara just after a smart shower! feeling somewhat humorously inclined, owing to his persevering evasion of my researches as to the boot and shoe enterprise, i remarked as we stood observing the perpendicular thrusts of the saw through a submissive-looking log, "this is the _board_ing house spoken of in your post-office petitions, isn't it?" he did not "take," however, but gravely replied that they _had_ turned out stacks of boards since the mill was started, and that they had thought of keeping it running nights as well as days. as i could conceive of no very direct connection between a saw mill and a post-office, and not caring to have too much saw dust thrown in my eyes, nor to countenance any log-rolling operation, i moved off toward the store again. but not a word was volunteered about the "factory," so i marched straight over to it, and trying one of the main doors, found it all fast as i had suspected. i was about to repeat the attempt at another part of the building, but the post master had now arrived on the ground, and his reluctant explanation saved me further trouble on that head at least. "owing to the hard times, it is not occupied now, but until lately it has employed some thirty or forty hands. they'll get agoing again soon, and intend to employ some eighty workmen. the suspension is only temporary." "worse off than the hat factory of which you spoke, at the other village," i observed. he made no reply. finding i could obtain no independent conveyance by which to make the tour of observation through the other parts of the town, i accepted the offer of a young man who drove up to the store very opportunely, to whom the idea was suggested by the post master, and who, it was hinted, was in no way identified with this vexatious dispute. during the first mile or so of our ride his neutrality seemed well sustained, but it began rapidly to disappear as we came in sight of the village which had been bereft of its post-office as well as its post master, his answers to my questions betraying a decided bias toward the "let well enough alone" policy as applicable in this case. i did not propose to stop there at this time, but to pass through to the upper village,--but my suspicions that i had after all committed myself to the temporary keeping of one of the friends of the new sites, were fully confirmed when i found him taking a narrow by-way through the old settlement, poorly calculated to show off the place to much advantage. "look here," said i, "don't go through this hollow, but take a turn round by those spires, and let me see what they have got to brag about." coming to a halt, and backing round in a somewhat spiteful manner, during which manoeuvre we came near upsetting, he soon came upon the route indicated. whether from a conviction that there was no use in trying to cheat me any longer, or from the study requisite for the invention of some new system of tactics likely to be more successful, he said but little more during the rest of our ride. i subsequently ascertained that he and the scheme of getting two post-offices for one, rejoiced in one and the same paternity, or in other words, that his mother was the wife of the enterprising and wealthy gentleman before mentioned, and like a good and dutiful son, he "went in" for whatever favored the "old man's" interest. passing through one of the main streets of the middle or post-officeless village, i observed standing in front of a respectable, ancient-appearing mansion, a solemn-looking hearse, and a large number of other vehicles, indicating that funeral services were being performed within, and through the open windows and doors i could see the friends and mourners. "a funeral, i perceive," said i to my companion. a sullenly emphasized "yes," was all the notice vouchsafed to my remark. "a fine-looking lot of horses collected here," i continued. "yes, pretty fair," he rejoined, without, however, withdrawing his attention from a large fly which was annoying our animal, and at the same time proving himself anything but an expert marksman by his repeated unsuccessful attempts to annihilate the insect with the lash of his whip. "this accounts for my seeing so few persons in the streets," i remarked. "they must be attending the funeral." "i suppose so," he answered, at the same instant striking the unlucky fly dead, which neither he nor bob-tail had before succeeded in choking off. a quarter of an hour more found us at village number three, pleasantly situated upon elevated ground, and consisting of an old-fashioned country church, the fine establishment of the wealthy pioneer in this post-office enterprise, already referred to, a store, and a few other buildings. the solitary merchant here was also the newly-appointed post master, a very worthy man from all appearances, though of course deeply impressed with the idea that the "balance of power" should not be disturbed by a discontinuance of the recently established office, and the restoration of the old one on its former site. and it appeared very clear that he had done all in his power to make the inconvenience of the late change fall as lightly as possible upon those more directly interested, for he had arranged to extend every accommodation in his power, and among other things to post a list of all the letters for distant sections of the town, upon the "meeting-house" door every sabbath, and to keep his office open "between meetings," for the delivery of all mail matter which should be called for. his brief history, as related by himself, brought to light the fact that he had served the government as post master many years before, having originally been appointed, as he said, by "old hickory" himself. during half an hour's conversation, the information furnished at this point was generally of a candid and impartial character, though the explanations regarding a defunct bank, the remains of which stood within a stone's throw of the post-office, proved the most troublesome subject that was talked over. the expiration of its charter, if i mistake not, was given as the reason for its closed doors. the measured tolling of the church bell attracted my attention. the funeral procession from the other village had reached the hill and was just entering the burial-ground, through the church-yard, and after a short interval passed out again on its return. having now obtained all the information i could in that quarter, i suggested to my escort that i was ready to move, and we were soon on our way back. about half way to the middle village, we came up with the procession, and followed along at a slow pace, in fact forming a part of the solemn cortege. it had somehow leaked out that the "post-office agent" was there, and along the whole line, hats and even bonnets could be seen projecting from the sides of such of the carriages as were provided with coverings. compared with the post-office question, the grave was nowhere, and funerals were at a discount. some of the most interested happened to be in the nearest vehicles to us, and when they discovered who my companion was, a number of the animals were suddenly relieved of a good share of their burthen. several of the deserters fell in the rear, and without waiting for a formal introduction, began to discourse eloquently upon the subject of their post office grievances. i assured them that i would spend the night at the hotel in their village, where i would be happy to meet them and their friends, for the purpose of inquiry and investigation. [illustration] many a head of a family, i think, was missed that evening from the tea tables, for although it was about the usual hour of that repast when i reached the hotel, the citizens came flocking in in great numbers, and filling the spacious audience room which the landlord had hastily prepared on hearing of my approach, to its utmost capacity, and even before i was fairly seated. most of them being still in the same dress in which they had attended the funeral ceremonies, the "customary suit of solemn black," they were about as well-looking a set of men as you will often see in country or city. a more excited and anxious group of faces, i am sure was never seen in a council of war on the eve of a great and decisive battle. nor will i attempt to assert that i was wholly free from anxiety as to how i should acquit myself before this august assembly, as the representative and embodiment of the government, on this trying occasion. the scene, however, considered in reference to the real importance of the interests at stake, was richly ludicrous. i felt that the dignity of the post-office department was for a time committed to my keeping, and i flatter myself that i succeeded admirably in sustaining it, though it required occasionally not a little effort. one of the gentlemen whose acquaintance i had informally made in the rear of the funeral procession, did the honors in the way of introducing me to each of those who had assembled, and to such as came in in the course of that ever-to-be remembered evening--i should have said night, for it was not far from daylight, when i had listened to the last eloquent appeal in behalf of restoring to them their lost rights and privileges. the whole thing was conducted in a way which, for parliamentary order and decorum, would have put to the blush the lower house of congress near the close of the session; and i am not quite sure that the upper branch of that honorable body, with an exciting subject in hand, could not have derived some useful hints from the manner in which business was there enacted. the room, which i understand was soon after christened and is now known as "restoration hall," was about twenty-five feet by thirty, and for most of the time during this eventful meeting, i chanced to occupy the only rocking chair therein, at one side of the room facing the door. considering that most of the company were my seniors by several years, that was hardly polite; but after several times insisting in vain that some one else should take the post of honor, i settled down without further misgivings. never did i so heartily regret my ignorance of the art of stenography as now; for a _verbatim_ report of all that was here said, would prove the richest and most amusing part of this narrative. after some general and desultory conversation, and considerable manoeuvring as to who should lead off, the responsible task fell upon a somewhat venerable and prominent citizen, who, as i perceived from his "opening," had enjoyed the honor of representing the town in the lower house, as well as the senate of the state. this gentleman's indignation was so intense at the "shabby treatment" of the government, that at first he seemed to question the propriety of condescending to enter into any argument or formal statement in support of a speedy restoration of the post-office. "i feel myself mortified and humbled," said he, "that anything more should be required in this case in securing us justice, than a mere glance at this assemblage, which, leaving out the speaker, cannot be surpassed in respectability and intelligence, by any which could be so readily convened in any community." (a general sensation, and a modest assent all round, so far as looks could indicate it.) "you have before you, sir," continued he, "professional men--men who have devoted all their lives to the training and education of youth,--farmers, mechanics, and merchants,--all of them, sir, men who know their rights, and knowing dare maintain them, sir. many of them, and i for one, sir, differ with the administration in politics; but i take it, sir, that has nothing to do with the settlement of this business. our government will have arrived at a pretty pass, indeed, when it makes a distinction between a whig or locofoco community, in the granting of mail facilities." the term "locofoco" proved for a moment a slight firebrand in the camp--a six foot, plain farmer-looking individual, who had not i think attended the funeral, and who, like the brave putnam, had left his plough in the furrow, on hearing of a chance to fight--starting to his feet and interrupting the speaker,-- "your honor," said he, "i hope my whig friend, if he must speak of politics, will consent to call democrats by their right names. what would he say if i should apply the term 'federalists' to his side of the house?" the first speaker was evidently preparing for a broadside in return for this interruption, but it was averted at once by the assurance volunteered on my part, that the question of politics would have nothing to do with this one; and that no harm was probably intended by the use of the objectionable designation; whereupon our agricultural friend quietly resumed his seat, his blood seemingly several degrees cooler than when he left it. "you're right, sir, no harm _was_ intended," good-naturedly responded the pioneer orator. "it came so natural to say locofoco, that i hardly noticed it myself. we all have one common object here, and the fact that neighbour b. is the only loco--i beg pardon--democrat, who happens to be present, should have suggested to me greater allowance for his sensitive feelings." there was a general laugh at the expense of our lone representative of the democracy, and the discussion resumed its more legitimate channel. at a later period, a careful canvassing would have shown quite a respectable sprinkling of the political friends of the gentleman who took exceptions as above stated; and i have always mistrusted that he managed in some way to procure their special attendance, being evidently a little chagrined at the accidental exposure of the very meagre representation of his party at the commencement. the gentleman having the floor proceeded:-- "i am satisfied the post master general would never have decided as he has, if he had waited for further information. and the indecent haste with which certain men acted in this matter, is a downright shame and disgrace. i doubt not, from what i can learn, that they had their petitions secretly circulating, as soon as the sickness of our late post master became known. would to god he had lived to defeat their selfish and illiberal schemes! but an overruling providence ordered it otherwise, doubtless for the accomplishment of some wise purpose! "we are prepared to show you, sir, by the figures, (though we have seen that, in the hands of unprincipled men, figures _will_ sometimes lie,) that three-fourths of the mail matter for the town belongs to persons of this village, who, by this wicked movement, are obliged to send a distance of two miles for their letters and papers." here was a strong statement, exhibiting a greater difference in the business and correspondence of the three villages than even the papers on the official files of the department had claimed. i was therefore disposed to call for the proof, if it could be had, before proceeding further. "is there any way of getting at what you have just stated as a fact?" i inquired. they were not to be caught napping, for the "committee on statistics" was on the spot, to meet any such exigencies that might arise. a slight nod of the gentleman's head toward the corner of the room was promptly responded to by one of the company, whom i had observed listening more intently, if possible, than the rest, to the opening address. he might be described as a gentleman about forty years of age, with sharp features, and withal as active and keen-looking a body as you will often come across. with a smile, and an air of self-reliance, he drew from his hat a bundle of papers of different shapes, from an inch wide to a full sheet of large size "cap," and, coming to the table, placed them upon it. a moment's search, during which not a word was spoken, produced the desired voucher, which was to confirm the truth of the three-fourths assertion. it proved to be a certificate signed by the assistant of the late post master, setting forth that, _in his opinion_, only about one-quarter of all the letters arriving at that office, during the last three months of its existence, went outside of a circle of one mile. the ex-assistant himself, being present, was appealed to, but although he was willing, in general terms, to re-affirm what he had put upon paper, yet he failed to furnish any very satisfactory data upon which the calculation had been made. it was so much at variance with the allegations contained in the petitions for the new sites, that the impression could not be resisted that there had been truth-stretching somewhere. "should the office be re-established here," said i to the ex-assistant, "can the department rely on the benefit of your experience in its future management, as post master?" my object of course was to fathom, if possible, the depth of any personal interest he might have had in making the certificate referred to. "well, sir, as to that," he answered, his face a little flushed, "i hardly think i could attend to it; and besides, i may go to the west in the spring, if not before." my unexpected inquiry as to a suitable candidate for the office, produced a marked sensation. i observed that it had especially disconcerted the "committee on statistics;" why it did so the reader will learn in due time. apologizing to the gentleman whose speech had thus been interrupted, he resumed, but in a few moments came to an abrupt close on the arrival of two young gentlemen, both residing near village number three, and therefore, except to a few, supposed to have come as spies and reporters. a short consultation, in which i took no part, showed that they were, as i inferred, all right on the main question, notwithstanding their location. they were brothers. if the actors in this scene had been engaged in a play upon the stage, these two new characters could not have been introduced in a more artistic or timely manner. what they had to offer was prefaced by a few words from the gentleman who had just terminated his formal discourse, informing me that they had magnanimously volunteered to come here and throw their mite into the scale, on the side of truth and right, and that private interest, even, could not blind _them_ to the great injustice that had been perpetrated. their own testimony was very brief, and so was their stay, for, believing i had seen their names on one of the petitions asking for just what had been done, i unlocked my carpetbag, and on referring to one of the original papers which for the time being had been placed in my hands, i there found both their signatures, quite conspicuous among the petitioners! and i felt bound to give others a sight of them, too, if for no other reason, to impart to the "injured" members of that community a slight knowledge of some of the difficulties which the post master general and his assistant often have to encounter in these and similar cases. it was all news to those present excepting to the two "magnanimous" gentlemen interested. they had doubtless supposed that the evidence of their double-dealing was very quietly sleeping in one of the snug and obscure pigeon-holes of the appointment office. on coming into the room again, after a quarter of an hour's absence at the supper table, i missed these two generous volunteers, and understood they left very soon after i withdrew. their inconsistent course was afterwards explained to me in this wise: after they had signed for the change, and the papers had gone to washington, it came out that the three select-men of the town had united in a letter to the department, on the same side of the question, all three of them happening to live nearer the new sites than the old one; and the brothers having become involved in a somewhat bitter quarrel with one of those officials, had determined to get on the opposite side, in the post-office struggle, and defeat their wishes if possible. among the speakers was the principal of the academy before alluded to; a very intelligent gentleman, and one of dignified appearance. his observations related mainly to the inconveniences resulting to the members of that institution from the want of a post-office. after he had concluded his remarks, i inquired, "what is the present number of your pupils?" upon this, some one suggested obtaining a printed catalogue, and the "committee on statistics" forthwith disappeared in search of the required pamphlet. the zeal and efficiency of this gentleman may have had no connection with his desire to fill the office of post master, should the office be re-established. the reader will judge of this when he learns who was finally selected for that position. after a few moments' absence, he returned with a copy of the catalogue. observing that it was for a previous term, i asked whether there were as many pupils now as at that time. "the school is not quite as large at present," said the principal; "but we expect even a larger number of pupils at the beginning of the next term." the hint furnished me (as the reader will remember) by my official friend of molasses memory, in respect to the residences of the pupils, happening to occur to my mind, i ran my eye over the column containing that information, and found that, with few exceptions, they belonged in town. consequently, unless they carried on a more extensive correspondence than is usual for such youth, the argument maintained by the principal would lose much of its force. i made no allusion, however, to this discovery, and he soon closed his remarks, expressing the hope that the loud complaints of the distant (?) parents and guardians of the young ladies and gentlemen under his charge would soon be effectually hushed by the restoration of their former excellent mail facilities! a few of those wise words, which, as solomon assures us, are "as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies," were driven, in conclusion, by farmer g., who, as a person sitting near me whispered, was a justice of the peace. his remarks were characterized by much good sense, but an untoward circumstance occurred as he concluded, which interfered with the gravity of the proceedings as well as with his own centre of gravity. as the closing passage of his peroration fell from his lips, he also fell at the same instant! there was a scarcity of seats upon the present occasion, and our oratorical friend had no sooner risen for the purpose of "pouring the persuasive strain," than his chair was appropriated by a fatigued neighbor, who "squatted" on the vacant territory, regardless of "pre-emption" or pre-session. unconscious of this furtive proceeding, mr. g. went on with his remarks, and closed with the following sentence:-- "in conclusion, sir, i should like to know whether the people of this village are to be put down in this way?"--at the same time attempting to resume the seat he had vacated, in the full belief that it was still where he had left it. as facts did not bear him out in this opinion, he was obliged to yield to the force of circumstances, and had gained such a backward impetus before he discovered the treachery of his friend, that he descended to the floor with as much emphasis as two hundred pounds of bone and muscle are capable of producing under similar circumstances! the illustration of his remarks was perfect. he thought that the inhabitants of the village were to be "put down" in an underhanded manner. whether they were to rise again as rapidly as did he, remains to be seen. "that strain again; it had a dying fall," thought i after the orator descended so suddenly from his rhetorical and personal elevation. business was for the moment swallowed up in a roar of laughter, to which the ex-senator, the dignified principal, the energetic dealer in statistics, and the agent, contributed; and even the fallen speaker, whose title to the _floor_ no one was inclined to dispute, joined in the chorus. the person who had caused this catastrophe, apologized to mr. g. by remarking, "you got through quicker than i'd any idee of." "or i either," dryly returned mr. g., brushing the dust from his inexpressibles. this occurrence seemed the signal for adjournment, and all retired in good spirits, thanks to the gentleman who had thus, in spite of himself, been made the instrument of producing such a pleasant state of feeling. a sort of informal levee was held on the following morning, when all the forcible things bearing on the subject in hand were said which had been forgotten at the meeting of the night previous, or were the result of after cogitations. as the time drew near for leaving, i called upon the landlord for my bill. "oh, that's all settled," said he. "settled? by whom, pray?" i asked. "why, _they_ told me not to take anything from you, as they would make it all right," he replied. i called the attention of the landlord to the impropriety of such a course under the circumstances, since in the event of the restoration of the office to that village, it might be said, "oh, it's easy enough to see how that happened. they knew what they were about when they paid the agents' hotel bill." for such reasons i declined the courtesy, and insisted on paying the bill myself. the landlord finally yielded, remarking, "_they_ won't like it when they find out that their directions were not followed." soon after, the stage arrived at the door of the hotel from a neighboring town, on its way to the rail road depôt, and this was to be my conveyance to that place. i took leave of such of the gentlemen as were standing about the piazza, and mounted to the seat upon the top of the stage, behind and above the driver's station. to this elevated position i was unexpectedly followed by the "committee on statistics," and another person whom i had not seen before. this move on the part of the former gentleman was probably made not only to secure my ear during the passage to the depôt, but to prevent the post master there from gaining any advantage over him in the time which would elapse between the arrival of the stage and the departure of the cars. being placed, like men in general, between the known and unknown,--the "committee" on one side, and the stranger on the other, my attention, soon after we had started, was attracted to the former individual by sundry punches in the ribs, proceeding from his elbow, accompanied with ominous winks and glances towards my other companion, who was just then conversing with the driver. "look out what you say," whispered the vigilant committee, "that fellow is a spy; he is one of the depôt boys." "all right," i replied, in all sincerity, for i was not sorry to find that my friend would be prevented by the presence of the "spy" from executing the design which he undoubtedly had, of catechizing me in reference to the report i should make to the department. arriving at the station, i crossed over to the post-office, and there remained until the whistle of the locomotive was heard. "well, good bye, mr. w----," said i to the post master, offering my hand. "i think," said he, "that i will ride a little way with you, as far at least as the next station." he accompanied me across to the depot, and as we stepped upon the platform of a car, we were followed by the "committee" and one of his most interested friends, who had come over in the stage with us, an inside passenger. these gentlemen were evidently bent on thwarting the plans of my saccharine associate, but he had in an important particular greatly the advantage over them, for, by virtue of his office, he was allowed the privilege of riding in the mail car, to which we at once proceeded, leaving our disappointed friends in the outer world, among the undistinguished crowd whom the conductor indiscriminately calls upon for "your money or your ticket." my companion and his opponents alighted at the next station, to wait for the return train, and as the cars moved on, i observed that they were conversing together, the countenance of the former displaying a radiant appearance of satisfaction which plainly showed his triumphant state of mind. i have no means of knowing what passed between them on their return, but it is altogether probable that the "committee" and his friend employed the time in "pumping" or attempting to pump their associate, unless he took refuge in the mail car. the investigation resulted in restoring the post-office to the center village, and in discontinuing the two others. the reader will be pleased to learn that the "committee on statistics" received the appointment of post master. chapter xx. harrowfork post-office. a gloomy picture--beautiful village--litigation in harrowfork--a model post master--the excitement--petitioning the department--conflicting statements--the decisive blow--the new post master--the "reliable man"--indignant community--refusal to serve--an editor's candidate--the temperance question--newspaper extracts--a mongrel quotation--a lull--a "spy in washington"--bad water--new congressmen--the question revived--delegate to washington--obliging down easter--the lost letters--visit to the department--astounding discovery--amusing scene--a congressmen in a "fix"--the difficulty "arranged." there is no blessing bestowed upon us by a kind providence, which man's selfishness may not pervert into a grievance. we have seen this principle illustrated in the use and abuse of post-offices, as often as in any other civil institution. how society in the nineteenth century could exist without mail routes and the regular delivery of letters, it is impossible to conceive. imagine a town without a post office! a community without letters! "friends, romans, countrymen, and lovers," particularly the lovers, cut off from correspondence, bereft of newspapers, buried alive from the light of intelligence, and the busy stir of the great world! what an appalling picture! we have always thought that robinson crusoe and his man friday might have enjoyed a very comfortable existence, had juan fernandez been blessed with a post-office. but think of a society of crusoes and fridays! nobody receiving letters, nobody writing letters--no watching the mails, no epistolary surprises and enjoyments, which form so large an element in our social life to-day! but gloomy as the picture appears, we have many times thought that some very respectable and enlightened villages would be decidedly benefited, were the post office stricken from the catalogue of their institutions. this is a bone of contention, which often sets the whole neighborhood by the ears and communities, which might otherwise enjoy the reputation of being regular circles of "brotherly love," break out into quarrels, contentions, slanders, litigations, and all sorts of unchristian disturbances. the case of the town of harrowfork, which i find recorded in my note-book, will most capitally illustrate the point under consideration. harrowfork, by the way, is not the real name of the town, but a fictitious one, which we use for our convenience, to avoid personalities. it is located on the eastern slope of an eminence, which overlooks one of the fairest of valleys on one of the most beautiful new england streams. the town was once a favorite place of resort with the writer, during the summer season; and, although this was years ago, the pretty village is still fresh in his memory, with its green hills, its handsome residences embowered in the foliage of trees and vines--its rival churches, with their emulous spires pointing toward heaven; its shady roads, and magnificent prospects, looking far off upon the wide-spread valley, dotted with farmhouses, and beautified by the sinuous, glittering waters of the stream. its sunrises were particularly fine, and it has always seemed to me that the poet must have had them in his mind, when he penned the sonnet commencing "full many a glorious morning i have seen flatter the mountain tops with sovereign eye, kissing with golden face the meadows green, gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy!" it appears to us a strange dispensation of providence, that such a perfect nest of loveliness should be invaded by inharmonious cat birds, and mischief-making wrens. but dissensions did creep in through the post-office. up to a certain time, such universal peace prevailed among the inhabitants, that its two lawyers would have been beggared, had they not wisely resorted to farming, as a more reliable occupation than the occasional and precarious one of conducting some tame and straight-forward case, for a petty fee. but now the lawyers have enough to do, without turning aside from their regular profession; litigation is brisk and spirited in harrowfork, and intricate and aggravated cases are numerous. neighbors quarrel, church members sue each other, deacons go to law, the lawyers build fine houses, their families grow extravagant in dress--all owing to the post-office. as long as old uncle crocker was post master, there was no difficulty. he seemed just the man for the business. he was looked upon as a part of the institution. nobody thought of turning him out, more than they would have thought of petitioning for the removal of harrowfork hill. but uncle crocker was not a permanent institution, notwithstanding the people's faith. one of his daughters married, and settled in the west. excited by the report she made of the country, two of his sons followed her, and in the course of time, uncle crocker himself "pulled up stakes," retired from the post-office with honors, and migrated to the new territory. as soon as the old gentleman's intention was made public, there was a slight flutter of interest in the community, in relation to the subject of a successor in his office. at first, if the name of a new candidate was hinted at, it was offered like snagsby's expression of opinion in the presence of his wife--only as a "mild suggestion." but there was a good deal of partisan feeling latent in harrowfork, and this was just the thing to develope it; and gently as the breeze had arisen, it freshened and increased, until it blew a perfect hurricane, that not only disturbed the whole county, but became troublesome even as far off as washington. at an early period of the excitement, the friends of an enterprising tradesman in the place had gone quietly to work, and procured his appointment to the office. it was quite a surprise to many of his fellow-townsmen, and no small sensation was produced when deacon upton was announced as the new post master. many were dissatisfied, of course, and although the deacon had always been known as a quiet, inoffensive man, he suddenly became the subject of derogatory remarks. the personal friends who had been instrumental in securing the appointment, formed a spirited minority in his favor, while all who had not been consulted in the premises, naturally felt bound to range themselves on the side of his critics and opponents. to make matters worse, a presidential campaign followed mr. upton's inauguration, and politics "ran high." the post-office became the great centre and source of excitement. people met, on the arrival of the mails, and glanced over the editorial columns of their newspapers, and talked over their grievances. at length the great crisis came. a change of administration was effected. and as the health or sickness of the nation appeared now to depend entirely upon the post-office incumbent at harrowfork, this subject received prompt attention from all parties. all sorts of communications, full of absurd complaints, contradictory statements, imperative commands, and angry denunciations, were now poured in upon the post-office department at washington. to show what human nature is at such times, and also to designate how perfectly clear and beautifully pleasant the duty of the appointing power becomes, in the progress of the snarl, we will give a few specimens of these conflicting missives. here is one version of the story:-- to his honor, the post master general, at washington, sir: your honor's humble petitioners, legal voters in the town of harrowfork, respectfully submit the following _undeniable facts_ for your consideration. first, the person who now holds the office of post master in our place, is _totally unfit_ for the business. he was got in by a clique of interested individuals, who used underhanded measures for the purpose, and succeeded in their object only by blinding the eyes of the department to the real character of the man, and the wishes of the people. not one man in fifty is in favor of the present incumbent; and those who are, turn out generally to be persons who seldom write or receive letters, and have little or no business in connexion with the post-office. second, the office is left during a great portion of the time in the charge of the post master's father-in-law, a worthy old gentleman, but whose sight has somewhat failed him; so that when persons call for letters or papers, he has first to hunt up his spectacles, which he has been known to be near five minutes in finding; then he has to go over with the letters, &c., very slowly, to avoid making mistakes, very often taking them out of the wrong box at that, and after all, giving the wrong letters to people, or giving them none at all, when the fact is, letters for them have perhaps been lying untouched in the office for weeks. such cases are nothing uncommon. third, valuable letters have been lost through carelessness on the part of persons in the office, or from _less excusable_ causes, of which we leave your honor to judge. letters containing money are particularly liable to miscarry. fourth, it is a fact which merits your honor's special consideration, that, in consequence of the dissolute habits of the post master's nephew, who attends in the office evenings, a not very respectable gang of young men are encouraged to hang about the doors till late at night, making it very unpleasant for the more sober citizens to go there for their mails. fifth, the present post master is a deacon of the church, and very sectarian in his views. there may be no direct connection between this circumstance, and the fact that the religious newspapers of different sects from his own, are apt to be lost or destroyed in the mails, while the "helmet of truth," a paper to which he is commissioned to obtain subscribers, is always punctually delivered! your honor's petitioners state this only as a remarkable coincidence, which may however have some bearing upon the case. in view of these stubborn and undeniable facts, we the undersigned, legal voters in the town of harrowfork, humbly petition your honor, that the present post master be removed, and a more suitable person appointed in his place. we also beg leave to suggest to your honor's consideration, the name of josiah barnaby, as a fit and reliable candidate for the office, and a person who would be sure to give more general satisfaction to the community than any other available man. trusting that the foregoing statements will receive your honor's early attention, and such official action as the merits of the case demand, we remain your honor's respectful petitioners. signed by { aminadab fogle { and thirteen others. this was certainly a strong case, and it would seem perfectly clear that "his honor" should straightway remove upton and appoint barnaby to fill his place. but close upon the heels of the above petition, followed another of a very different character. the framers of the last also maintained that a change should be made, and adduced strong charges against upton; but it appeared after all, that barnaby was not the most reliable man. "such an appointment," said the new document, "would give greater dissatisfaction, if possible, than the old one has done. the said barnaby is an infidel, who made himself very obnoxious to all right-minded citizens by his avowed disbelief in the scriptures, and his contempt of the sabbath, and the ordinances of religion. your honor's humble petitioners, therefore, submit that it would be an outrage upon the feelings of a christian community to have such a person appointed to so important and responsible an office. furthermore, the undersigned take it upon themselves to affirm that it is not the wish of over four persons in our district that the said barnaby should receive the commission. we understand the petition in his favor was drawn up by one aminadab fogle, whose name heads the list. now it happens that the said fogle is a brother-in-law of the said barnaby, while at least three others in his (barnaby's) favor are likewise connections of the family, and persons, like him, entirely destitute of religious principles. with regard to other persons who signed the petition, the most of them privately acknowledge that they did so, because they were urged, and could not refuse, without offending their neighbors. under these circumstances, the undersigned respectfully represent that they express the general feeling of the community, when they nominate mr. homer s. clark as an eligible candidate for the office in question." then follows an eulogy on mr. homer s. clark; the whole winding up with a grand rhetorical flourish, to the tail of which are attached some twenty-three names, representing the active "better class" of society in harrowfork. so it appeared that clark was the right man; and undoubtedly the department would have proceeded at once to invest him with the disputed honors; but before any action could be had in the matter, a candid representation from another party, strengthened by affidavits, served to cast "ominous conjecture" on the whole affair. this was a petition from the upton party, wherein it was maintained, that of the two aspirants for office, barnaby was the better man of the two, clark having made himself very unpopular, by failing for a large amount some years before, going through chancery, and afterwards living in a style of elegance unbecoming a man who had dismissed his creditors with ten cents on a dollar. it was also shown that the prime mover in favor of clark was a cousin of his, and the same person who was supposed to have held a large portion of bankrupt property in trust for the said clark at the time of his failure! still barnaby was no more fit for the office, than the petitioners in favor of clark had represented. there were fifty in harrowfork eminently qualified to fulfil the duties of post master, and who would give infinitely better satisfaction than either of the new candidates; but of them all, there was no one, who, in the opinion of the petitioners, was better calculated for the office than the present incumbent. it was only a few dissatisfied, mischief-making people, who pretended to consider a change at all desirable. upton had now been in a year; had shown himself obliging and faithful; and although a few unimportant mistakes, unavoidable under the circumstances, had escaped his eye in the early part of his career, he was now experienced, and no such errors would be likely to occur in future. the attention of the department was then called to the fact that the names of john harmon, solomon corwin, amos fink, and several others, probably would be found on both the clark and barnaby petitions! this inconsistency was easily accounted for. in the first place, john harmon had always been accustomed, when crocker was post master, to make himself quite at home in the office. mr. upton, however, exercising a stern impartiality, had from the first excluded every outsider from the private room, harmon not excepted, during the business of opening and assorting the mails. thereupon harmon had taken offence, and was ready to sign any petition against upton, without regard to the source whence it originated. with respect to corwin and fink and any others whose names might be found on both the previous petitions, they were easy, good-natured individuals, who could not say "no;" and who might generally be prevailed upon to sign any sort of a paper to which their attention was called. it was therefore the humble prayer of the petitioners, that no needless change should be made, but that the present post master should be continued in office, at least until some good reason should be assigned for his removal. then followed a good show of names designed to impress the department with the power and influence of the upton party. this put a different face upon the matter, and simple justice seemed to require that the actual incumbent should remain unmolested in the enjoyment of the honors and emoluments of his office. but there came another statement from a fourth party, containing grave and serious charges not only against barnaby and clark, but also against upton, and recommending the removal of the latter, and the appointment of a new candidate, mr. ezekiel sloman, to the vacancy. it was made to appear that mr. sloman was the man, of all others, to please the community at large; and for a time his prospects were very good; but some of upton's friends getting wind of the matter, it was satisfactorily represented to the department, that although an honest, well-meaning man, the said sloman was entirely destitute of energy and business tact; that, indeed, he had so little worldly capacity that he was literally supported by the charity of friends; and that in order to relieve themselves of the encumbrance, these friends had united to have him appointed post master. thus sloman was cast overboard. the upton party exulted. their opponents were exasperated, and a coalition was formed between the barnaby and clark factions. aminadab fogle and john harmon put their heads together. both clark and barnaby were dropped, and all hands agreed to support a new man named wheeler. but the main thing was to remove upton. the following strong point was accordingly made against that individual, in addition to the previous charges. "although entirely disinterested in the matter, except so far as the common rights of humanity are concerned, the undersigned consider it their conscientious duty to inform your honor that the said upton is decidedly opposed to the present national administration. he has long been at heart an abolitionist of the deepest dye, and of late his fanaticism has shown itself in public. during the recent presidential campaign, the post-office was made the head-quarters of the free soilers, and was, during a large portion of the time, converted into a regular caucus room by the leaders of that party. that your honor may judge for yourself what this man's political conduct has been, the undersigned take the liberty of calling your attention to the enclosed editorial notice of a free soil meeting in which deacon upton took an active part. it is clipped from the columns of the "temperance goblet," a paper neutral in politics and religion, and entirely independent and impartial on the post-office question. the following is the newspaper paragraph referred to: "next, we were a little surprised to see our respected friend post master upton take the floor, and treat the audience to a harangue, which as a specimen of eloquence will, we venture to assert, find nothing to compare with it in the orations of cicero. but it was the matter, more than the manner of the speech, which excited our astonishment. we had always given our friend credit for being a law and order man, _notwithstanding his well known abolition prejudices_," (words in italics underscored with ink by the petitioners,) until the occasion of this public demonstration of the most ultra garrisonianism. how a man, uniformly discreet, should have suffered his feelings to run away with his judgment in a public discourse, we cannot conceive, unless it be that in the whirlwind of eloquence that bore him away, all consideration of law, patriotism, and duty, were lost sight of. after all, it is not upton who is to blame, it is the times. he should have lived in athens, in the palmy days of grecian oratory. what would demosthenes have been by the side of the giant upton? echo answers "what?" this proved the decisive blow. upton was cut off like hamlet, senior, "even in the blossoms of his sin." scarce was his removal effected, however, when the eyes of harrowfork were suddenly opened to the fact that he was "about the best man for post master, that could be had, after all!" the slanders that had been circulated to his disadvantage, were turned in his favor. among other instances of dishonest dealing, in the opposition party, the great fraud touching upton's abolitionism, was now discovered and exposed. he was proved to be entirely innocent of any such "political heresy;" and it was further shown that the slip of editorial clipped from "the temperance goblet," had never appeared in the columns of that paper--that it had been prepared expressly, and privately printed for the dishonest purpose it had served! but the correction of the false and malicious statements came too late to benefit upton in his official capacity. he had "gone out with the tide," and the returning waves were ineffectual to bring him in again. he was politically defunct, and a new post master "reigned in his stead." about the new post master. he was the favorite of no faction, and the appointment came to him as unexpectedly as to the public. this is the way of it. about the time, the "town committee," having first endorsed a paper in favor of wheeler, sent privately to washington to inform the post master general that the said endorsement was a mere formality, to be taken no notice of whatever; and to recommend a new candidate named foster. the department becoming not a little disgusted with the whole business, wrote to a "reliable" man in the vicinity, but not in the town, for advice on the subject. flattered by the compliment, the "reliable" person drew up an elaborate paper on the subject, demonstrating that the party would be endangered by the appointment of either of the rival candidates, and representing that some such cool-headed and discreet individual as mr. walters, (a widower of forty,) against whom no prejudice had been raised, and who would no doubt prove acceptable to the entire community, should receive the commission. this "reliable" man was supposed of course to be quite disinterested. his suggestion was accordingly adopted, and walters walked into the post-office, as upton walked out. but little opposition would have been excited against the new incumbent, had the manner of his appointment remained a secret. but the "reliable" man thought it too good to keep. he desired that society should know what an important personage he had become. the dignity of his being consulted by the department at washington, would be but half enjoyed privately. he accordingly rode over to harrowfork, shook hands with the "select-men," talked about the post-office, and laughed inwardly, holding his sides and looking suspiciously wise, whenever the subject of the new appointment was broached. he knew a thing or two--_he_ could tell a secret if he chose--there was more than one way to settle a quarrel;--he knew the department, the department knew him. ha! ha! ha! and ho! ho! ho! &c. horrible doubts racked the brain of john harmon. he took aminadab fogle aside. "look here!" said he. "what relation is judge ames (the "reliable man") to the new post master?" "i declare," replied fogle, "i never thought of that! walters is ames' wife's sister's husband's youngest brother! he is dreadful thick, too, with the family, and the talk is he is going to marry ames' oldest daughter." "that explains it," said john harmon; "i knew there was something of the kind at the bottom of it all. keep dark, and i'll pump the judge until we get out of him all about the way this rascally appointment has been made." already it was "a rascally" appointment. after harmon's talk with the judge, who was but too ready to acknowledge his instrumentality in the matter, it became a "detestable appointment," and an "underhanded proceeding." and scarce had the tail of the judge's horse disappeared over the bridge that night, when all harrowfork rang with the discovery that had been made. little thought the "reliable" man as he went home, chuckling over the joke, what a hornet's nest he had disturbed. but he probably knew something of it the following sunday, when the widower walters went over to amesbury to pay a visit to the judge's family in general, and his eldest daughter in particular. the truth is, a deafening hum of indignation had gone up from harrowfork, and it was universally declared that the new appointment was by far the most objectionable that could possibly have been made! the result was, the department, the "reliable" man, and the new post master, individually and collectively, got soundly abused by all hands; and it was not long before a delegation was dispatched to washington, to expose the fraud, and remonstrate against the continuance of walters in office. against the latter, the most serious charges were preferred. it was claimed, among other things, that he had been in town but a few years; furthermore, that he had some time since held the office of post master in a neighboring state, and had resigned to prevent being removed for official delinquencies. it was mainly on this ground that the post master general was induced to recall his commission. scarcely was this done, however, when it was discovered that the unfortunate man had been wronged; that it was another walters who had been a post master, &c. anxious to make immediate reparation, the department hastened to send on the papers again; but by this time, walters, indignant at the manner in which he had been treated, refused to accept the office, writing a high-toned and dignified letter on the subject to the post master general. "i do not wish," said he, "to have anything whatever to do with the petty strife of politics. i have not sought, neither do i desire, any public office. had such been my ambition, my recent experience would be sufficient entirely to eradicate the disease, unless it had become chronic, from the effects of breathing too long the malaria of political society. "'some men are born great; some achieve greatness; and others have greatness thrust upon them;' mine was of the last description; but i am thankful that it has been temporary: nor shall i again consent to endure 'the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,' in so lofty and exposed a position as that of post master of harrowfork." the sharp and independent style of this epistle made walters quite popular with the department, and he was again urged to accept the commission, which he again refused. the trouble was accordingly no nearer a settlement than at the outset. the department had unwittingly offended everybody, and the "reliable" man was, perhaps, the most violently indignant of all. when applied to a second time, he fired off an explosive epistle at the post master general, which would serve as a model for that style of writing. "he was not the person," he said, "to place himself more than once in a position to be gratuitously insulted." and he was surprised that the department, after subjecting walters to the treatment he had received, should again apply to him (the judge) for assistance. had he an enemy whom he wished to make the victim of public animadversion and disgrace, he might possibly nominate him to the office. but certainly he could not think of laying such an affliction at the door of his friends. in conclusion, the post master general, president, and company, were politely invited to "look elsewhere for support in future." the truth is, the judge's vanity was touched. having enjoyed the notoriety of procuring the appointment of walters, he naturally became incensed at the turn affairs had taken, and seized the first opportunity of emptying the vials of his wrath in a quarter where they were expected to produce a sensation. the administration, however, survived. meanwhile mr. atkins, editor of the temperance goblet, who had _his_ special candidate--a speculator named blake--was playing his cards adroitly. he had a strong ally in hon. mr. savage, m. c., then at washington. the last-named gentleman, who had previously taken offence at the post master general, for having the independence to fill a vacancy in a post-office in his district without consulting him, now, however, came alertly to the rescue, assuring the department that blake was the most suitable man that could be chosen. blake was accordingly honored with the commission which walters had refused. now blake was a strenuous advocate of the "maine law." he, accordingly, had for his enemies all the opponents of his favorite doctrine. the "harrowfork freeman," an anti-maine law organ, was particularly bitter against him. the editor of that paper lent his columns to the exposure of the new post master's past course, and in a "scathing article" accused him of having been formerly the proprietor of a large distillery, and of having accumulated the bulk of his property in that business! on the other hand, atkins of the goblet devoted his paper to the defence of his candidate. at the same time hon. mr. savage had become reconciled to the post master general, in consequence of the attention paid to his recommendation in the case, and wrote a friendly and familiar letter to the department, explanatory and apologetic of blake's course. he alluded to the article in the "freeman," and expressed a hope that the department would not be prejudiced by its statements. this reference, by the way, was the first intimation the department had, that such an article ever appeared. the honorable member went on to treat the subject as if the general government and the nation at large stood waiting with breathless anxiety for the issue. "true," said he, "he was at one time engaged in the manufacture of liquor; but certainly that circumstance should not injure him in the estimation of high-minded and liberal men. it is an honest calling, if honestly followed, and nobody will pretend that blake has not shown himself upright in all his dealings. for my part, i hold to enlightened views on the subject of eating and drinking; nor do i believe that one citizen has a right to penetrate and criticise another's private life." blake was continued in office, whether in consequence of the honorable member's championship, we cannot say. but certain it was, that in the election struggle which came off soon after, atkins of the goblet supported the regular candidate for congress, who was no other than this same mr. savage, of "enlightened views;" and by carrying the mass of the temperance vote, secured his re-election by some forty-five majority! the goblet's course in this business appeared not a little mysterious. it had supported blake for post master--a man whose temperance professions were now regarded as entirely superficial and worthless--and savage for congress, a person more than suspected as being a moderate drinker and a man of boasted "liberal principles." messrs. harmon and fogle put their dissatisfied heads together to discover the secret. they were aided and encouraged by the editor of the freeman, and presently in an article in that paper headed, "how to make tin night-caps out of pine shingles," the whole "black history of shameless fraud and double-dealing," as it was called, was revealed to an astounded public. we quote a few paragraphs from the freeman's article:-- "here," said the merciless reviewer, with genuine satire, "here is a beautiful instance of love and harmony in political life! here is prophecy fulfilled. 'the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and a little child shall lead them.' savage--rightly named--is the lion. blake--innocent, harmless, dove-like blake, who never did anything wrong, is the lamb; and atkins is the little boy. he leads them into sweet pastures of public office; and gives them to drink of congress water and post-office pap. o happy trio! o honest and consistent coalition! "what makes the union appear all the more admirable, is the fact that the most discordant elements have here been made to blend and intermingle. savage is a moderate drinker, who loves his wine at dinner, and his punch before going to bed. atkins is a stiff and uncompromising temperance man. one is maine law, the other is anti-maine law. as for blake, he is sometimes one, sometimes both, and sometimes neither one thing nor the other. but atkins supports savage, savage supports blake, and they all support each other. "now, as our grandmother used to say, 'wherever you see a turnip-top growing, you may be sure that there's a turnip at the bottom of it. large or small, it's still a turnip.' now, we have long admired the luxuriance of savage, atkins, blake & co.'s turnip-tops. we have recently been looking for the turnip, and lo! here it is! who secured savage's re-election? blake, when at the last county convention of the maine laws, he advised them not to make an independent temperance ticket for congress. who devoted his paper to the cause of the moderate drinker? atkins. who got blake the post-office? atkins and savage. but what are savage and blake doing for atkins all this time? is atkins so unselfish as to work for them gratis? nobody believes it! where then does the milk in the cocoa-nut come from? let us see. "in the first place--we have it on the authority of an old lady who knows the genealogy of every family in the county, and can trace most people's ancestry back to noah--blake is atkins's second cousin. there's one point. now for another. blake owns three-fourths of the entire goblet printing establishment, and holds the property in such a way, that he can any day take the paper into his own hands, and manage it to suit himself! therefore, whoever edits the goblet, is blake's tributary. we were going to say tool or slave, but concluded to sacrifice truth to politeness. thus it happens that atkins is only as it were blake's left hand," &c. after several more paragraphs of the same sort, the author of the annihilating article, who found it very difficult to conclude the subject, being of a very rich and attractive nature, finally summed up all his points, and bound them together with a striking original quotation, attributed to shakspeare. it was as follows: "o consistency! thou art a jewel! which, like the toad, ugly and envious, bears yet a precious secret in his head." it was this mongrel quotation which damped the freeman's powder. the goblet took it up, turning the laugh against its rival; and for months the modern style of rendering shakspeare was a standing joke. of course a copy of the freeman, containing the editorial marked, was sent to the post master general; but on reading about the toad at the end of the annihilating article, the department dismissed the whole subject with a good-natured laugh. notwithstanding the truth of the charges against him, blake was continued in office. 'twas probably the fun of the thing that saved him. then followed a lull. the good people of harrowfork were worn out with the harassing post-office question, and it was permitted to rest until the approach of the next congressional election. atkins of the goblet went openly to work to secure the re-nomination of savage. but in the mean time, a "spy in washington"--there are always "spies in washington"--privately gave information to the leading maine law men in the district, concerning the honorable member's very equivocal support of temperance principles. armed with this intelligence, the indignant constituency remonstrated with atkins on the inconsistency of his course. he however, "flatly denied" the allegations against savage. "very well," said the constituency; "you may be sincere, but we shall investigate the matter a little." at the allusion to investigation, atkins winced, and endeavored to dissuade his friends from such a "needless step." "we'll have a committee appointed to write savage a letter, at all events, and demand an exposition of his principles," replied they. "we want to know what sort of a man we are supporting. we went for savage before, mainly through your influence; now we're determined to make sure it's all right, before we give him a single vote." "nonsense, gentlemen," said atkins; "of course it's all right! don't go to bothering our candidate with letters. letters are the devil in politics." the temperance men, however, were not to be dissuaded, and a letter was written, in which the hon. member was asked, among other things, if he was or was not "in the habit of using intoxicating liquors as a beverage, while at the seat of government?" in reply to this question, the gentleman of "enlightened views" wrote to the committee:-- "i frankly admit, that the consequence of the bad water at washington, which has so deleterious an effect upon my health, when i drink it, as to render me for a large portion of the time unfit for business, i have occasionally, by the advice of my physician, resorted to ardent spirits, simply as a remedial agent. yet this habit has been confined _strictly_ to the capital. never out of washington have i indulged in anything of the sort, even as a medicine." this letter was received with significant nods and winks, expressive of doubts and disapprobation, by the committee; and it was sent to the "goblet" for publication. in the mean time, however, its author had given atkins private instructions on the subject; and the "goblet" declined to publish the letter. "gentlemen," said atkins, when called on for an explanation, "this is an absurd affair from beginning to end. i opposed the proceeding at the outset. i consider the letter perfectly satisfactory; but my readers are tired of these things, and so am i. i must therefore be excused from having anything to do with the affair." "you will publish the letter, however, as an advertisement?" suggested the committee. "not even as an advertisement!" "not if paid for?" "no, not if paid for, gentlemen!" said the imperturbable atkins. "very well," replied the committee, exasperated, "we know who will publish it." they went across the way to the office of the "freeman," the "rum paper," as it was called. harmon, who was of the committee, knew the editor, and took him confidentially aside. "atkins," said he, "refuses to print this document; 'twill be just the thing for you, and it will spite him to see it in the freeman." "to tell you the truth," said he, "i'm afraid to publish it. 'twill just suit our moderate drinkers, and i'm not so sure but it would injure _our_ candidate with that class of men. on the whole," said he, "i think i won't print it." foiled in this quarter, john harmon bethought him of the "news courier," a neutral paper published in a neighboring town, which offered to print communications relating to the approaching campaign, provided they were written in a proper spirit, and did not compromise too much its position as a neutral journal. the savage letter was accordingly sent to the courier, and promptly appeared in its columns. but the editor, desiring to keep both scales of the balance as nearly in equilibrium as possible, inserted in the same number of his paper a very profound, scientific treatise, signed "filter," giving an analysis of the washington water, showing that its chemical properties were identical with those of the member's own well at home! and strongly questioning the utility of mixing whiskey with it at all, and more especially such whiskey as is too often sold at the seat of government! the result was decisive. the goblet lost popularity and patronage; atkins lost influence and money; and savage lost the election. on the other hand, the news courier gained the favor and support of the temperance people, by its "bold and manly course" in exposing the rottenness of savage's principles. john harmon was triumphant; and one of the very leaders of the temperance cause was sent to congress. the new member was no other than judge ames, the "reliable" man, himself! reader, be not surprised! political life is fertile in such unexpected events. the judge had gained popularity by coming out strongly for the maine law. the old party to which he belonged had endorsed his nomination, john harmon electioneered for him, and lent his horse and wagon to bring invalids, old men, and indifferent voters to the polls, on election day; and the judge was returned by an overwhelming majority. then the old question of post master was again revived, and the whole ground gone over again; the contest becoming more personal and desperate than before, and the files of the department teeming with all sorts of exaggerated petitions and violent remonstrances. the appointing power was made the victim of every kind of imposition and abuse. in the mean while the new member exercised that better part of valor, called discretion. popularity rendered him good-natured and conservative; and he lost no time in effecting a reconciliation with the post master general, of whom he had so rashly complained. already, on the other hand he had written to his constituents describing the embarrassment of his situation, and requesting as a particular favor that he might for a brief period at least be excused from any personal interference with the post-office quarrel. this unexpected communication somewhat disappointed the enemies of blake; john harmon, in particular, was highly exasperated, having previously obtained a promise from ames that, in case of his election, he would use his influence to have blake removed. the antagonistic parties were accordingly left to settle their difficulties as best they could. the battle raged furiously. fresh petitions, remonstrances, affidavits, and accusations were volleyed at the department; and at length a special bearer of dispatches was delegated to washington, to support the charges against blake, and demand of the post master general his reasons for declining immediate action in so plain a case. now, the person selected for this important mission was no other than our old acquaintance, mr. john harmon. he was intrusted with the business for several excellent reasons. in the first place, he was a ready and vehement talker. secondly, he was an enthusiast on the post-office question, and a bitter opponent of the blake faction. thirdly, he understood human nature, and knew how to manage ames. fourthly, and chiefly, he was the author of the most serious charge against blake. he had a short time before posted a letter containing a twenty dollar bank-note, at the harrowfork post-office. this letter never reached its destination. now, blake knew there was money in that letter; and it could be proved that, not long after its miscarriage, just such a bank-note as the one contained was passed by the post master, "under suspicious circumstances." this charge was on file among the papers of the department; and it was thought that harmon was the most suitable person to agitate the subject. mr. john harmon made a comfortable journey, and arrived at the seat of government in due season. his first business was to secure lodgings suited to the high character of a delegate from harrowfork. but washington was crowded with visitors, and the hotels were filled. mr. john harmon was chagrined. he leaned his chin upon his hand, and his elbow upon the counter of the "national." mr. john harmon ruminated. "i don't see but what me'n' you'll hef to go halves, and turn in together," said a voice at his other elbow. mr. john harmon looked up. a stranger, of tall figure, prominent cheek-bones, sallow complexion, dressed in a very new and very stiff suit of clothes, smiled upon him in a decidedly friendly manner. "there's jest one room, the landlord says'st we can hav' on a pinch," confined the speaker. "it's up pooty high, and an't a very sizable room, at that. i've got the furst offer on't, but i won't mind makin' a team'th you, if you're a mind to hitch on, and make the best on't. what d'ye say?" mr. john harmon said he supposed he would accept his new friend's proposal. but at the same time he hinted to the clerk at the desk that he was from the hon. mr. ames' district. "if you were the president, himself, we could not do any better by you, under the circumstances," said the clerk. this assurance served to soothe john harmon's injured feelings, and he retired to the room in the top of the house, with his new acquaintance. "come down on gov'ment business, i s'pose likely?" suggested the latter. "yes," replied john harmon, "on post-office business." "i want to know! glad we fell in," cried the stranger. "i came down on some sich business myself." "indeed!" said john harmon. "you are going to call on the post master general, then?" "shouldn't be 'tall surprised," remarked the other, rolling up his sleeves over the wash-bowl. "can't tell exac'ly, though. i wanted to see what was goin' on down here, and git a sight of the big bugs, and hear a little spoutin' in congress; so i told our folks to hum--says i, i b'lieve i'll scooter off down to washin'ton, says i, and take a peep into the dead letter office, and see if i can find hide or hair o' that 'ere hundred dollar letter, says i." "have you lost a letter containing a hundred dollars?" inquired john harmon, interested. the stranger said "'twas jes' so," and went on to relate the circumstances. he also incidentally stated that his name was forrester wilcox; that he owned a farm somewhere "down east," comprising over two hundred acres of land, and one hundred and fifty under cultivation; that he had been a member of the maine legislature, and held the office of "deputy sheriff" in his county. this account of himself impressed john harmon favorably; and in return for the confidence, he talked mr. forrester wilcox to sleep that night, on the subject of the harrowfork post-office. on the following morning, our friends concluded to pay an early visit to the post-office department. they were now on excellent terms with each other; and on arriving at the department, john harmon readily accepted an invitation from forrester wilcox to accompany him to the dead letter office, before endangering the digestion of his breakfast, by entering upon the perplexing harrowfork business. accordingly, as they entered the building, mr. wilcox hailed a messenger. "look here! you!" said he, "where abouts does a chap go to find the dead letters?" "this way," replied the polite messenger. the visitors were shown to the left, through the lower main hall of the department; then turning into another passage, the messenger pointed out the last door on the right, as the one they were in search of. "thank ye," said mr. wilcox; "i'll do as much for you some time. may as well bolt right in, i suppose?" he added, consulting his companion. john harmon said "certainly," and the next moment the two found themselves in the midst of the clerks of that important bureau. mr. forrester wilson singled out one of the most approachable of them, and addressed him on the subject of the hundred dollar letter. "i have no recollection of any such letter," said the clerk. however, for the visitor's satisfaction, he examined the list of returned money letters, for the last quarter. john harmon, interested for his friend wilcox, also ran his eye over the list. "it's not here," said the clerk; "but you may rest assured, that in case it is at any time discovered, it will find its way back to you in safety." he was about to dismiss the visitors, but john harmon coughed; john harmon looked very red. john harmon was perspiring very profusely. the truth is, among the last letters on the list, he found recorded the identical one, containing the twenty dollar bank note, which blake was charged with purloining! what to do in the matter, john harmon was at a loss to know. after some hesitation, however, he asked permission to glance once more at the list. he was accommodated, and presently his finger rested on the important entry. "i declare," said he, "if there ain't a letter i mailed at harrowfork! i had no idea of finding it here! can i get it now, by proving property?" "it has already been returned to your address," answered the clerk, on learning the circumstances. "you will find it on your return to harrowfork. it miscarried in consequence of a mistake in the superscription." "are you sure it has been sent?" inquired john harmon. the clerk was quite sure, and john harmon instantly withdrew. "so there's one of your charges agin blake knocked overboard," suggested wilcox. "he'll be a little grain tickled to see that 'ere letter come back, i s'pect!" "no person," answered john harmon, magnanimously, "no person in the world can be more rejoiced than i am, that blake is proved innocent of the charge." wilcox replied that he was very glad to hear it; and so they parted to meet again at dinner. whether john harmon was so greatly rejoiced at the proof of blake's innocence, will be seen in the sequel. while the down easter went to see the lions about town, our delegate found his way to the apartment of the post master general, and inquired for that officer in a manner which said very plainly, "i am john harmon, of harrowfork; and i guess now we'll have that little post-office affair settled." unfortunately--or rather fortunately, for his own peace of mind, at least, the post master general was engaged that morning at cabinet meeting at the white house, and john harmon was referred to the first assistant, who listened patiently to his statement. our delegate had a speech prepared for the occasion, which he now declaimed in a very high tone of voice, "with a swaggering accent, sharply twanged off," as sir toby belch would have said, and with vehement and abundant gestures. "i am instructed by my constituents," he said, in conclusion, "to demand of the department satisfactory reasons for the delay and procrastination to which we have been obliged tamely to submit!" "you should consider," politely returned the assistant, "that harrowfork numbers only one among some twenty-four thousand post-offices in the union; and that it is a little unreasonable to expect us to bear in mind all the details of an occasional and not uncommon case. we will attend to your business, however, directly." the papers relating to the harrowfork post-office were sent for, and promptly produced. the delegate seized them without ceremony. the first endorsement that caught his eye, checked his eagerness, and induced reflection. "i'd like to know, sir," said he, "_what that means_?" as he called the assistant's attention to the word "rest," inscribed in formidable characters, very much resembling the hand-writing of the post master general. "if you think," he continued, "or imagine, or flatter yourselves that you're to have any kind of _rest_ in this marble building, till that rascally blake is turned out, you're very much mistaken. or if it means that you want the _rest_ of the temperance men in favor of his removal, i can promise you so much, on my responsibility as a delegate." the assistant smiled. he had dealt with persons of john harmon's temperament before. "permit me to inform you," said he, "what that harmless little word signifies. it means nothing more nor less than that, for the present, no action is to take place. ah!" he added, glancing at the brief upon the papers, "i remember this case very well! it has been from first to last an exceedingly vexatious one to the department, and these memoranda bring it pretty fully to my recollection." "well, sir," interrupted john harmon, in his declamatory way--"isn't it plain? isn't it perfectly clear? haven't we the rights of the case, sir?" "it is not quite so plain--not quite so clear--nor is it easy to determine who has the rights of the case," returned the official. "the most troublesome point at the present time, seems to be this: while, according to the documents, a majority of the citizens of harrowfork seem to be eager for a removal, both the late member of congress, and the newly elected one, have written private letters here--i mention this confidentially--in favor of the present incumbent." "you don't mean ames?" cried john harmon. "ames hasn't come out for blake?" "there is a letter on file, over his own signature, in which he represents that blake is as suitable a man as could be named, and that he had better be continued in office." the assistant spoke with seriousness and candor. john harmon was thunderstruck. "just give me a look at that letter!" said he, through his closed teeth. "i want to see it over ames' own fist, before i believe it! when we promised our support for his election, he agreed to carry out our wishes in regard to the post-office, at all hazards! if he has dared to turn traitor!" muttered john harmon, revengefully. "the letter is entirely of a private nature," said the assistant, "but it is contrary to our wishes to keep any communications secret, that are designed to influence our public acts; and owing to the peculiar circumstances of the case, i am willing to show you the letter,--on condition, however, that its contents shall not be divulged outside the department." john harmon, burning to seize upon the evidence of ames' treachery, assented, although reluctantly; and the official explored the wilderness of papers, for the document in question. "here it is," said he, "no!"--glancing at the endorsement--"this is a communication with regard to a letter of your own, containing a twenty dollar note, which blake is charged with purloining. how is it about that? anything new?" "well,--no,--hem!" coughed john harmon. after discovering the proof of blake's innocence, in the dead letter office, he rather hoped the subject would not be mentioned; but he was too much absorbed in looking after ames' honesty, to take very good care of his own. "the matter--hem!" (john's throat was quite musty)--"stands about as it did." "you have no positive proof of the charge, then?" "no,--well,--that is, not what would be called legal proof, i suppose. the circumstances were very strong against blake at the time, but being all in the neighborhood, nobody liked to prosecute. for my part," said john harmon, nobly, "i'd rather suffer wrong, than do wrong, and i preferred to lose the twenty dollars, to injuring blake's private character." the assistant made a commendatory remark touching this generous sentiment, and passed over the letter. john harmon wiped the perspiration from his brow, and felt relieved. whether he was ashamed to confess his own gross carelessness in the matter, and the injustice of his charge, or whether--acting on the principle of doing evil that good might come from it, he determined to make the most of every point established against blake, without regard to truth--does not plainly appear. we leave the affair to his own conscience. the assistant meanwhile drew ames' letter out of the "case." in his eagerness to grasp it, john harmon dropped it upon the floor. as he stooped to take it up, his eye caught a glimpse of a visitor who had just entered. john harmon looked at the visitor, the visitor looked at john harmon. john harmon looked first red, then white; the visitor looked first very white, then very red. the delegate was the first to resume his self-possession. [illustration] "well, friend ames, how do you do?" said he, adroitly shifting the letter from his right hand to the left, and giving the former to the "honorable" member. "very well! capital!" replied ames, nervously. "what's the news?" "nothing particular," said john harmon, with a grim smile, sliding the letter into his hat. "fine weather--good deal of company at washington, i find." "o yes, considerable!" ames rubbed his hands, and tried to appear at ease. "i am glad to see you here. you must go up to the house with me. how are all the folks at home? how's harrowfork now-a-days?" john harmon answered these questions evasively. at the same time, the assistant's countenance betrayed an inward appreciation of unspeakable fun. the member's face grew redder still, and still more red. the truth is, he had that morning received a note from blake warning him of harmon's journey to the capital, and had just left his seat in the house, hastening to the department, to secure the fatal letter before it betrayed his treachery. as we have seen, he was just too late. the assistant took pleasure in seating the two visitors side by side upon the same sofa, and allowed them to entertain each other. but the conversation was forced, unnatural, embarrassing. at length ames, resolved upon knowing the worst, plunged desperately into the all-important subject. "i suppose," said he, "you don't entirely get over the excitement at home about the post-office." "no, we don't," replied john harmon, significantly; "and that ain't the worst of it." he bent over the end of the sofa, and deliberately, with the grimmest sort of smile, drew from his hat the honorable member's private note. "and, somehow, it don't strike me," he added, glancing his eye over its contents, "that this letter of yours is going to lessen the excitement very materially. i suppose you know that hand-writing?" he thrust the letter into the honorable member's face. the honorable member's face flushed more fiery than before. he stammered, he smiled, he rubbed his handkerchief in his hands, and upon his brow. "my dear harmon," said he, blandly, "i see you don't fully understand this business." "i'm sure i don't," cried john harmon; "and i'd like to find the honest man who does! didn't you pledge yourself to use your influence, if elected, to have blake removed?" "don't speak so loud!" whispered the honorable member, who didn't at all fancy the humorous smile on the assistant's face. "it's all right, i assure you. but this isn't exactly the place to talk over the affair. come with me to my lodgings, and we'll discuss the matter." not averse to discussion, john harmon consented to the proposal. "i beg your pardon," said the assistant post master general, "but that paper,--i cannot suffer that to be removed." it was the fatal letter. john harmon wanted it; the honorable member wanted it still more; but the assistant insisted, and the document was left behind. now, the honorable member was in what is commonly termed a "fix." like too many such politicians, who, nevertheless, as mark antony says, are "all honorable men," he had found it convenient to adopt the "good lord, good devil" policy, using two oars to row his boat into the comfortable haven of public office. accordingly, while gently drawing figmative wool over the visual organs of the radical temperance people, he had managed, at the same time, by private pledges, to conciliate atkins, blake & company, and secure the silence of the goblet. once elected, he did not fail to look forward to a future election, in view of which he considered it expedient to smile upon one faction with one side of his face, and grin upon the opposition with the other. for this double-dealing, honest, honest iago,--we mean honest john harmon--called the member to account. how the affair was settled is not generally known. but one thing is positive. the honorable member and the delegate from harrowfork suddenly blossomed into excellent and enduring friends; and not long after, mr. john harmon became the occupant of a snug berth at the seat of government, supposed to have been obtained through the influence of the honorable member from his district. "how about blake and the post-office?" inquired mr. forrester wilcox, the morning he left washington. "i've concluded," replied john harmon, candidly, "that the post-office is well enough as it is. blake turns out to be a passable kind of post master after all, and i don't really think 'twill be worth while to make any change for the present." and this was the answer the worthy delegate made to all persons, who, from that time forward, interrogated him on the subject. shortly after, his very honorable friend, the member from his district, being now decidedly averse to political letter-writing, went home on a flying visit, and passing through harrowfork, took pains to make himself agreeable to all parties. among other nice and prudent acts, he privately consulted blake. the post master listened to his advice, and immediately on the member's return to washington, appointed as an assistant in his office, a young man of strict temperance principles, who was quite popular with the opposition, and who had for some time acted as secretary of the "county association for the suppression of intemperance." this appointment seemed to cast oil upon the troubled waters. and so the matter rests at the present date. ames is still in congress; john harmon continues to enjoy his comfortable quarters at the seat of government. tim blake remains the efficient post master of harrowfork, with the young man of strict temperance principles for his assistant; and atkins still edits the goblet. this powerful organ has of late regained something of its former popularity and patronage; but whether it will support ames at the next congressional election, depends upon blake; whether blake retains his office, depends upon ames; whether ames maintains his position and influence at home, depends in a very great measure upon honest john harmon, who, like the ghost in hamlet, "could a tale unfold, whose lightest word would harrow up" the political soil of harrowfork, in a manner dangerous to the constitution and the union. chapter xxi unjust complaints infallibility not claimed--"scape-goats"--the man of business habits--home scrutiny. a lady in trouble--a bold charge--a wronged husband--precipitate retreat. complaints of a lawyer--careless swearing--wrong address--no retraction. a careless broker--the charge repulsed--the apology--mistake repeated--the affair explained--a comprehensive toast. infallibility is not claimed by those connected with the post-office department, and it cannot be denied that mistakes sometimes occur through the carelessness or incompetency of some clerk or other official. but if there is a body of men who perform the duties of scape-goats more frequently than any other, those men are post masters, and post-office clerks. whoever takes this responsible station with the expectation that a faithful discharge of his duty will protect him from all suspicion and blame, cherishes a pleasing dream that may at any moment be dispelled by the stupidity, or carelessness, or rascality of any one among the many-headed public, whose servant he is. when it is considered that in the selection of persons to fill the important office of post master, the department makes every effort to secure the services of competent and honest men, and that they, in the appointment of their clerks, generally endeavor to obtain those of a like character, it may reasonably be supposed that at least as high a degree of accuracy and integrity can usually be found inside of post-office walls, as without its boundaries. i cannot, indeed, claim for this corps of officials entire immaculacy. could i justly do so, they would be vastly superior in this respect to mankind at large. but without setting up any such high pretensions, i would suggest that those connected with the post-office receive a greater share of blame for failures in the transmission of letters than justly belongs to them. many people seem to think that nobody can commit a blunder, or be guilty of dishonesty in matters connected with the mails, but post masters or their employés. acting on this impression, such persons, when anything goes wrong in their correspondence, do not stop to ascertain whether the fault may not be nearer home, but at once make an onslaught upon the luckless post-office functionary who is supposed to be the guilty one. the investigation of some such unfounded charges, resulting in placing the fault where it belonged, has brought to light curious and surprising facts, respecting the atrocious blunders sometimes committed by the most accurate and methodical business men. such men have been known to send off letters with no address, or a wrong one; and even (as in one case which will be found in this chapter) to persist in attempting to send a letter wrongly directed. they have been known to mislay letters, and then to be ready to swear that they had been mailed. the blame of these and similar inadvertencies has been laid, of course, upon somebody connected with the post-office. mr. a. is a man of business habits; _he_ never makes such mistakes, and indignantly repudiates the idea that any one in his employ could be thus delinquent. so the weight of his censure falls on the much-enduring shoulders of a post-office clerk. besides the class of cases to which i have alluded, which arise from nothing worse than carelessness or stupidity, many instances occur in which the attempt is made by dishonest persons to escape detection, by throwing the blame of their villany upon post-office employés. cases like the following are not uncommon. a merchant sends his clerk or errand-boy to mail a letter containing money. this messenger rifles it, reseals it, and deposits it in the letter box. on the receipt of the letter by the person to whom it is addressed, the robbery comes to light; and, as the merchant is naturally slow to believe in the dishonesty of his messenger, he at once jumps at the conclusion that the theft was committed after the letter entered the post-office. in such cases, and in those of which i have been speaking, it would be well to establish the rule that scrutiny, like charity, should "begin at home." letters are sometimes mailed purporting to contain money for the payment of debts--when in fact they contain none--with the intention of making it appear that they have been robbed in their passage through the mails. in short, the cases are numberless in which, through inadvertence or design, censure is unjustly thrown upon the employés of the post-office; and the investigations of this class of cases forms no unimportant branch of the duties of a special agent. it has been the pleasing duty of the author, in not a few instances, to relieve an honest and capable official from the load of suspicion with which he was burdened, by discovering, often in an unexpected quarter, where the guilt lay. * * * * * the biter bit. the following case, which might properly be entitled "the biter bit," displays still another phase of the subject in hand. a lady of a very genteel and respectable appearance, called one day on a prominent new england post master, with a letter in her hand, which she insisted had been broken open and resealed. she handed the letter to the post master, who examined it, and appearances certainly seemed to justify her assertion. she further declared that she well knew which clerk in the office had broken it open, and that he had previously served several of her letters in the same way. upon hearing this, the post master requested her to walk inside the office, and point out the person whom she suspected. such an unusual phenomenon as the appearance of a lady inside the office, produced, as may be supposed, a decided sensation among the clerks there assembled. nor was the sensation diminished in intensity when the post master informed them, that the lady was there for the purpose of identifying the person who had been guilty of breaking open her letters! this announcement at once excited the liveliest feelings of curiosity and solicitude in the mind of almost every one present, and each one, conscious of innocence, indulged in conjectures as to who that somebody else might be, whom the accusing angel (?) was to fix upon as the culprit. all their conjectures fell wide of the mark. after looking about for a moment, the lady pointed out the last man whom any one in the office would have suspected of such an offence--one of the oldest and most reliable of their number. "that is the person," said she, indicating him by a slight nod of the head; "and if he persists in making so free with my letters, i will certainly have him arrested. why my letters should always be selected for this purpose, i cannot imagine; but if any more of them are touched, he will wish he had let them alone." this direct charge, and these threats, produced a greater commotion among his fellow clerks, than in the mind of the gentleman accused. waiting for a moment after she had spoken, he broke the breathless silence that followed her words, by saying calmly,--"mrs.----, i believe?" "that is my name, sir." "have you concluded your remarks, madam?" "i have, sir, for the present." "then, madam, i will take the liberty to inform you that _your husband_ is the person on whom you ought to expend your indignation. he has, at different times, taken several of your letters from the office, opened and read them, and after resealing, returned them to the letter box, having made certain discoveries in those letters, to which he forced me to listen, as furnishing sufficient ground for his course, and justifying former suspicions! he earnestly requested me never to disclose who had opened the letters, and i should have continued to observe secrecy, had not your accusation forced me to this disclosure in self-defence. if you wish to have my statement corroborated, i think i can produce a reliable witness." the lady did not reply to this proposition, but made a precipitate retreat, leaving the clerk master of the field, and was never afterwards seen at that post-office. * * * * * in the summer of , among the complaints of missing letters made at the new york post-office, was one referring to a letter written by a young lawyer of that city, directed as was claimed, to a party in newark, n. j. enclosed was the sum of twenty-five dollars in bank-notes. the writer of the letter was annoyed by the circumstance, to an unusual degree, and caused a severe notice of censure upon the post-office department, to be inserted in one of the leading new york journals. a formal certificate was also drawn up, duly sworn to, and forwarded to washington. it read as follows:-- state of new york, city and county of new york, ss. john b. c----, of said city, counsellor at law, being duly sworn, doth depose and say that on the th day of july instant, he enclosed the sum of $ in a letter addressed to capt. john m----, newark, n. j., and deposited the same in the post-office in the city of new york. that the said enclosure and deposit of the letter was made in the presence of one of the principal clerks of the said post-office, whose attention deponent particularly called to the fact at the time. that deponent is informed, and believes that the said clerk's name is john hallet. sworn before me this th day of august, . (signed) henry h. m----, comr. of deeds. the complainant was visited by the special agent, and the bare suggestion that the failure might have been owing to some error in the address of the letter, was received with much indignation. _he_ didn't do business in that way, and the post-office and its clerks couldn't cover up their carelessness or dishonesty, by any such inventions. the reader ought to have been present in the post master's room, some few months subsequently, when this infallible (?) individual called, in response to a notice that his letter had been returned from the dead letter office! _secretary._--"good morning, mr. c----." _c._--"good morning, sir. i have received a notice to call here for a letter." _secretary._--"yes, sir, that is the one referred to, (placing the unlucky missive before him). is that address in your hand-writing?" _c._--"why,--y-e-s, it's mine sure--i couldn't dispute that." _secretary._--"it seems to be directed to newburg, n. y., instead of to newark, n. j." _c._--"i have nothing to say. i could have sworn that the address was correct." _secretary._--"you did so swear, i believe. mistakes will happen, but i think the least you can do, will be to retract the article you published censuring us, for what you were yourself to blame." the amazed limb of the law made no further reply, but left the office gazing intently on the letter, and in his bewilderment getting the wrong door, as he had originally got the wrong address upon the letter. no such correction was ever made, however, and like hundreds of similar faults, for which others are alone responsible, the charge yet stands against the post-office department, and those in its employ. * * * * * some years since, a letter containing drafts and other remittances to a considerable amount, was deposited in the new york office, to be transmitted by mail, having been directed (as was supposed) to a large firm in philadelphia. this letter would pass through the hands of a clerk, whose duty it was to separate all those deposited in the letter box, and arrange them according to their respective destinations. he discovered that it was directed to _new york_, yet though he had heard of the firm to which it was addressed, he thought it might have been so directed for some particular purpose, and accordingly placed it in the "alphabet," for delivery to the proper claimant. on the day after this, mr. d., of the firm of d. & a., well known brokers in wall street, called at the office and stated that his clerk had deposited such a letter to be mailed in time to go to philadelphia the same day, but that he had been advised that it had not been received. the clerk in attendance was somewhat perplexed by this statement, but suggested the probability that _his_ clerk, in the hurry of business, had directed it wrong. mr. d. replied that this could not be, for he saw all his letters before they were confided to the charge of his clerk, and as the one in question had not been received, it must have been mailed incorrectly through the ignorance or carelessness of the clerk assigned to that duty; and indeed went so far as to intimate that it might have been detained purposely. this insulting remark induced the post-office clerk to express his perfect indifference concerning such a groundless conjecture, and to state, as his opinion, that the charge of ignorance, carelessness, or sinister design, would eventually be found to rest on the shoulders of mr. d. or his clerks. against this turning of the tables, that gentleman indignantly protested, and the post master, who overheard the altercation, appeared vexed and displeased at the supposed delinquency of his clerk. a general search was commenced in the office, in order, if possible, to settle the disputed point. in the course of this investigation, the "pigeon-hole" designed for letters corresponding with such a name as that of the philadelphia firm, was examined, and the letter in question was found, directed "new york," instead of "philadelphia." upon this being known, mr. d. made many apologies, begged to be exonerated from all intention to charge criminality upon any one, took his letter and retired, much disconcerted and chagrined. he went to his office and poured out sundry vials of wrath upon the head of his luckless clerk, to whom he attributed the atrocious blunder which had been committed. the affair, however, did not end here. on the following day a letter was deposited in the post-office, at about one o'clock, in time for the philadelphia mail, _directed precisely as before!_ viz. addressed to the philadelphia firm, but directed "new york," and happened to fall under the eye of the clerk who had been cognisant of the error of the day previous. this second instance of gross inadvertence, or something worse, on the part of somebody, was rather too much for the equanimity of the post master, who at once sent for mr. d., and showed him the letter, which seemed as if it was under the influence of some mischievous enchanter. as the words "new york," in the superscription, stared d. in the face, he in turn became enraged, and was about to leave the office with the fell design of discharging his clerk _instanter_. the post master then requested him, before he left, to sit down and alter the direction of the letter from "new york" to "philadelphia," which he did. the letter was mailed accordingly, and duly received. a few days afterwards, the post-office clerk met mr. d., and said to him, "i suppose you have turned off your clerk for his mismanagement in relation to the letter about which so much trouble was made in our office." "ah!" replied he, "i believe i shall have to confess that _i_ was the only one to blame in the matter. my clerk was perfectly innocent. on returning home with the letter, i laid it down with the intention of having the mistake in the direction rectified, but having something else to call off my attention just then, it was mixed with the letters for city delivery, and was taken to the office with them by my clerk." thus all this trouble and vexation was caused by the carelessness of a man who was accustomed to system and accuracy in the transaction of his business; and the above related facts may lead even persons of this description not to be too confident of their own freedom from error, when any mistake like that just mentioned occurs. i can give no better summary of the whole subject under consideration, than that which is found in some remarks made by robert h. morris, esq., on the occasion of his retirement from the office of post master of new york, in may, , at a dinner prepared for the occasion. during the evening mr. morris said, "gentlemen, please fill your glasses for a toast. as i intend to toast a man you may not know, i deem it necessary, before mentioning his name, to tell you what sort of a man he is. "he rises at o'clock in the morning and works assiduously during the whole day, until o'clock in the evening--goes wearied to bed, to rise again at o'clock, and again to work assiduously. "if the gentlemen of the press--and there are some among us--incorrectly direct their newspapers for subscribers, it is the fault of the man i intend to toast, if the papers do not reach those to whom they should have been addressed. "if a publishing clerk omits to address a newspaper to a subscriber, it is the fault of the man i intend to toast that the subscriber does not get his paper. "if a man writes a letter and seals it, and neglects to put any address upon it, it is the fault of the man i will toast, if the letter does not reach the person for whom it was intended. "if an officer of a bank addresses a letter to boston instead of new orleans, it is the fault of the man i shall presently toast, if the letter is not received at new orleans. "if a merchant's clerk puts a letter in his over-coat, and leaves that coat at his boarding-house, with the letter in his pocket, the man i will toast is to blame because the letter has not reached its destination. "if a merchant shuts up a letter he has written, between the leaves of his ledger, and locks that ledger in his safe, the man i will toast has caused the non-reception of that letter. "if a poor debtor has no money to pay his dunning creditor, and writes a letter that he encloses fifty dollars, but encloses no money, having none to enclose, the man i will toast has stolen the money. "if a _good, warm-hearted, true_ friend, receives a letter from a dear (?) but poor friend, asking the loan of five dollars; and, desiring to be considered a good, warm-hearted, true friend, and at the same time to save his five dollars, writes a letter saying 'dear friend, i enclose to you the five dollars,' but only wafers into the letter a small corner of the bill,--the man i will toast has stolen the five dollars out of the letter, and in pulling it out, tore the bill. "if a rail-road-bridge is torn down or the draw left open, and the locomotive is not able to jump the gap, but drops into the river with the mail, the man i will toast has caused the failure of the mail. "this, gentlemen, is the stranger to you, whom i will toast. i give you, gentlemen--a post-office clerk!" chapter xxii. practical, anecdotal, etc. the wrong address--odd names of post-offices--the post-office a detector of crime--suing the british government--pursuit of a letter box--an "extra" customer--to my grandmother--improper interference--the dead letter--sharp correspondence--the irish heart--my wife's sister. giving the wrong state in an address, is a disease as common among letters, as hydrophobia among dogs. a draper's clerk in c---- sent a remittance to boston which did not arrive there. the draper was obliged to send the amount (three hundred and fifty dollars) again, which he did personally, to prevent mistakes. this too failed to arrive, but the first was soon received by him from the dead letter office, having died at boston in _new york_, instead of _massachusetts_! the merchant drank gunpowder-tea, and gave his clerk a "blowing up." the latter person, however, was in some sort avenged, not long after, for coroner john marron reported that the second letter, written and mailed by the merchant himself, had died of the same disease that carried off the first, and forwarded the body to him. it should here be mentioned, for the benefit of the uninitiated, that the gentleman referred to, is the third assistant post master general, embracing the superintendence of the dead letter office. his duties may be considered as in some respects analogous to those of a coroner, as he, or those in his bureau, in the case of defunct money letters, ascertain the causes of death, and send the remains to surviving friends. the omission of the name of the state from the address of a letter, often causes much uncertainty in its motions. there are, for instance, seven philadelphias besides the one in pennsylvania, twenty-three salems, as many troys, and no end of washingtons, jeffersons, and other names distinguished in the history of the country. there are three new yorks, and eleven bostons. indeed the majority of the names of the post-offices are at least duplicated, and often repeated many times, as we could easily show; but two or three more specimens of this will suffice. twenty-three franklins, twenty jacksons, and sixteen madisons, will help to perpetuate the memories of the distinguished men who once bore those names. the danger of a letter's miscarrying in consequence of the omission of the name of the state on its direction, is of course reduced to nothing, when there is no other post-office in the country with the same name as the one addressed, especially if there is any oddity about the name. thus, were we to direct a letter to "sopchoppy," it would be likely to find the place rejoicing in that euphonious title, even were the state (florida) omitted in the address; although it would often involve the trouble of consulting the list of post-offices. "sorrel horse," also, could not fail to receive whatever might be sent to it. a teetotaler would not be surprised to find "sodom" in "champaign county;" and while on this subject we would say that temperance views seem to have prevailed in naming post-offices. we have two named temperance, and three temperancevilles, to balance which, besides the above sodom, there appear only "gin town," and "brandy station," one of each. one given to speculation on such matters, would be curious to know what must be the state of society in "tight squeeze." is the "squeeze" commercial or geographical? do hard times prevail there as a general thing, or is there some narrow pass, leading to the place, which has originated the name? there may be some tradition connected with the subject; at least a moderately lively fancy might make something even of such an unpromising subject as "tight squeeze." far different must be the condition of things in "pay down." this favored place is doubtless eschewed by advocates of the credit system, and here cash must reign triumphant. some villages seem to aspire to astronomical honors. there are in our social firmament, one sun, one moon, and two stars; also one eclipse, and a transit, whether of venus or not is unknown. so it appears that the "man in the moon," is not altogether a fictitious character, but may be a post master. the twenty-five thousand names contained in the list of post-offices would furnish many other curiosities as noticeable as those just cited, and we refer those who are desirous of entering more largely into the subject, to that work. it is sufficient for us to have called the attention of the public to the necessity of exactness and sufficient fulness in the address of letters, to insure their delivery at the place where they are intended to go. much vexation, and real inconvenience would be obviated, if more care were exercised in this respect, and the dead letter office would have fewer inquests to make. * * * * * the post-office as a detector of crime. the mails, as we have seen, afford facilities to the rogue for carrying out his designs as well as to the honest man in the prosecution of his business. but the post-office has been made, accidentally or purposely, the instrument of bringing to light criminals who had hitherto remained undetected; and whose deeds had no such connection with the mails as those which have thus far been described in this work. a striking instance of this has been kindly furnished me by the cincinnati post master, relating to a case which has excited the horror of the whole country. i refer to the arrison case, most of the circumstances of which are doubtless familiar to my readers. it will be recollected that the man arrison was guilty of murdering the steward of the cincinnati hospital, and his wife, by means of a box, containing explosive materials, which took fire by the action of opening it. arrison immediately absconded, and his place of retreat remained undiscovered for some time; but he was destined to be betrayed by a chain of circumstances, hanging upon an accident of the most trifling description. a letter came to the cincinnati office from muscatine, iowa, addressed to "p. f. willard, cincinnati, ohio." the muscatine post-mark was so placed as to cover the p. in the address in such a manner as to make it resemble a c. there being a young lawyer in the place by the name of c. f. willard, the letter was very naturally placed in his box. upon opening and reading the document, he found that its contents were of the most mysterious character, and totally incomprehensible. finding thus that it was not intended for him, he very properly returned it to the office with the request that it should be handed to the post master. this gentleman calling to mind the circumstances of the arrison case, and being familiar with some of the names connected therewith, came to the conclusion, after reading the letter, that arrison was the writer, and thereupon gave the information which led to his discovery and arrest. * * * * * suing the british government. a clerk stationed at the "general delivery" window of the post-office, dispensing epistolary favors to the impatient throng without, was suddenly confronted by a countenance flaming with wrath; which countenance was part and parcel of the individual, now first known to fame by the name of mike donovan, who had elbowed his way through the crowd, and now stood before the astonished official, demanding justice. handing him a foreign letter, marked " cents," mike exclaimed in a tone of righteous indignation, "here, sir, is a letther that i paid twinty-four cints for, out of me own pocket, and the letther is from pat cosgrove, me cousin in ould ireland, and pat is as honest a boy as iver saw daylight, and pat, he says inside of the letther that he paid the postage, and so some raskill has chated me, and i mane to make him smart for't; and i'd be obleiged to ye if ye'd tell me who to _sue_. bedad, it isn't me that's goin to put up wid such rashcality." here he brought down his shillalah on the floor, to the imminent danger of his neighbor's toes, with an emphasis strongly suggestive of his fixed determination to exact the uttermost farthing from his unknown defrauder. the clerk informed him if any mistake had occurred, the british government was the delinquent, and therefore the party to be sued. "is it the british government?" inquired pat. "certainly," was the reply, "that's where you must look for your twenty-four cents." mike settled his hat over his eyes, and walked out of the office with an air of defiance to the world in general, and the british government in particular. * * * * * pursuit of a letter box. timothy boyle, entering the post-office one morning, and perceiving a clerk "taking a limited view of society" through the aperture technically called "general delivery," naturally supposed that the duties of this functionary included receiving as well as delivering, and accordingly handed him a letter adorned with the lineaments of the father of his country, (not tim's,) and bearing upon its exterior this general exhortation to all whom it might concern,--"with spede." the clerk directed tim to deposit the document in the letter box. "and where _is_ the letther box?" "follow this railing," said the young man, "and you will find it round the corner;" meaning thereby the corner of the tier of boxes, which was surrounded by a neat railing. on the strength of these instructions, tim turned on his heel, dashed into the main street, ("with spede," as per letter,) and walked on vigorously till he arrived at a corner, which happened to be occupied as a tailor's shop. "i want to put this letther in the box," said tim, after looking about him in vain for any sign of such a receptacle. "what box?" asked the tailor. "what box would i put it in but the letther box?" replied tim. "who sent you here after a letterbox?" said the tailor; "you must be a natural fool to suppose that we have any such thing here." "natheral fule or not, sir, i was towld by the clark at the post-office that i'd find the box round the corner, and shure this is a corner i've come to, and if it isn't here, i don't know where i'll find it." "you'd better go back to the post-office," said the tailor, "and see whether the clerk can make you understand where to put your letter." so the unlucky tim left the tailor's shop with the impression that he had been made a goose of by the post-office clerk, and by "nursing his wrath to keep it warm," he succeeded in bringing it to the boiling point, by the time that he again entered the office. "and it's a purty thrick ye've bin a playin' me, misthur clark," he vociferated, "sendin' me to a tailor's shop for a letther box! bad luck to ye, what for did ye put me to all this throuble?" the clerk blandly explained to mr. boyle that the "throuble" was caused by his own impetuosity, not to say stupidity, and finally succeeded in describing the locality of the letter box in such a lucid manner, that even tim was guided by his direction to the much desired spot, and it is to be hoped that the letter in question underwent no more such vicissitudes, before it reached its destination. * * * * * an "extra" customer. an irish dame entered the post-office at----, and walking up to the post master with a letter in one hand, and a three cent piece in the other, she committed them both to his charge, inquiring, "will the letther go?" "certainly it will," was the reply. "but is it in time for the extra?" "in time for the _what_?" asked the mystified post master. "is this letther in time for the _extra_?" repeated the woman. "what do you mean by extra," rejoined the official. "i mane, is the _baggage_ put up?" replied the persevering questioner. the post master, seeing that the good woman was so thoroughly posted up in all the details of letter-sending, informed her categorically that the letter _would go_, inasmuch as it was in time for the "extra," and the "baggage" was _not_ "put up." hereupon the inquisitive lady, having been fully satisfied in her own mind that the epistle would not fail of the "extra," sailed out of the office a happier, if not a wiser woman. * * * * * to my grandmother. a little bright eyed, flaxen-haired boy, was one day observed to enter the vestibule of the post-office at washington, with a letter in his hand, and to wait very modestly for the departure of the crowd collected about the delivery window. as soon as the place was cleared, he approached the letter box and carefully deposited his epistle therein, lingering near as if to watch over the safety of the precious document. his motions attracted the attention of the clerk stationed at the window, whose curiosity induced him to examine the superscription of the letter just deposited by the little fellow. the address on the letter was simply, "to my dear grandmother, louisiana;" doubtless some good old lady, whose memory, in the mind of her innocent grandchild, was redolent of cake and candy, and all the various "goodies" which grandmothers are generally so ready to supply, to say nothing of the various well meant offices of kindness, to which their sometimes blind affection prompts them. "look here, my little man," said the clerk, "what is your grandmother's name, and where does she live?" "why, she's my grandma, and she lives in louisiana." "yes, i see that on the letter, but it will never get to her if her name isn't put on, and the place where she lives." "well, please put it on, sir." "but i shall not know what her name is, unless you tell me." "why, sir, she's my grandma,--don't you know her? she used to live at my house." after the display of considerable ingenuity on the part of the clerk, and a good deal of innocent evasion by the child, the old lady's name and place of residence were finally ascertained, and added to the address; after which the little one went on his way, rejoicing in the assurance given by the clerk that now his "dear grandmother" would certainly receive the important epistle from her darling. * * * * * improper interference. a letter was once sent from the dead letter office at washington, containing rail road scrip to a considerable amount. the letter had been mailed in a southern town, and miscarried, and it was returned to the post master of that town for delivery to the writer. it so happened that the writer of the epistle had failed in business, and on the arrival of the letter the post master informed one of his creditors, and an attachment was laid on the letter by the sheriff. the writer reported the case to the department, when a peremptory order was sent requiring the post master to return the letter at once to the dead letter office at washington. it was sent, and the return mail brought the post master's dismissal from office and the appointment of his successor. the post-office was worth $ a year, and the discharged post master had abundance of time to count up the profits that might have been made by acting up to the good old rule, "let every man mind his own business." * * * * * the dead letter. the following is contributed by "dave," of the columbus (ohio) post-office. during my term of service at the general delivery of this office, it was my custom, upon receiving dead letters from washington city, to make a list of the names of the persons to whom they were addressed, and stick it up in the lobby of the office, with a notice, "call for dead letters." one day an elaborate specimen of erin's sons, whose brawny fist and broad shoulders seemed to denote a construction with an eye single to american rail roads, lounged into the office, and up to the board containing the aforesaid list. he looked at it a moment and burst into tears. i spoke to him through the window, and asked him what was the matter. "oh! mr. post master, i see ye have a daid letther for me. i spect me sester in ireland's daid, and it's not awake since i sint her a tin pound note to come to ameriky wid--and kin ye tell me how long she's bin daid, mr. post master?' i asked him his name, found the "letther," and after a request from him to "rade it, sir, and rade it aisy if you plaze," opened it and told him not to cry; that his sister was not dead, but that it was a letter written by himself and directed to _michael flaherty_, boston, chicago." and is michael daid, mr. post master?" "no, i guess not," said i. "well, who _is_ daid, sir?" i explained to him that letters not taken from the office to which they were addressed within a certain time, were sent to what was called the dead letter office at washington city, and from thence, if containing anything valuable, to the persons who wrote them. "god bliss ye for that, sir, but michael lives in chicaga." i told him i would not dispute that, but boston and chicago were two distinct cities, and the letter was addressed to both, and that boston being the first named, it had been retained there, and his friend had not received it. "sure and i thought boston was in chicaga! and that's what ye call a daid letther, is it? faith and i thought it was bridget and not the letther, was daid. ye see, mr. post master, michael he writ home to the ould folks that he lived in chicaga, that he had married a nice american lady, that she was a sea-cook on a stameboat, and that they called her a nager. so whin i started for ameriky, the ould modder, miehael's modder, she give me these illegant rings (the letter contained a pair of ear-rings,) to give michael's wife for a prisint. when we landed at boston, i wrote michael the letther, tould him i was going to columbus to live, put on the name--michael flaherty, boston, chicaga, and put it in the post,--and sure here it is, and michael's sea-cook nager niver got it. bad luck to the ship that fetched me to boston, mr. post master." after offering to "trate me for the trouble" he had caused me, he left, and ever after, when he mailed a letter he brought it to me to put on the address, "because he didn't understand these daid letthers." * * * * * sharp correspondence. one of the peter funk "gift-enterprise" firms in a large city, sent a package of tickets to a post master in maine, the postage upon which was fifteen cents unpaid. they got the following hard rap over the knuckles, from the indignant official:-- "i herewith return your tickets. you must be fools as well as knaves, to suppose that i will aid you in swindling my neighbors, and _pay all the expenses myself_." to which he in a few days received the annexed "settler:"-- sir, "we perhaps owe you an apology for sending the parcel postage unpaid. as we infer from the phraseology of your note, that you are willing to swindle your neighbors if we will pay all the expenses, please give us your lowest terms on which you will act as our agent. p. s. all communications shall be strictly confidential." this note was promptly returned, with the following endorsement across its face, by the post master:-- "it seems you are not only fools and knaves, but blackguards also. ask my neighbors if they think i would "swindle" them either at my own expense or that of any one else." to which this answer came back by next mail:-- "we _have_ inquired of your neighbors long ago, and that's the reason we applied to you in the first instance." here follows the post master's final reply:-- "i acknowledge the corn. send us your street and number, so that i can call on you when i come to the city, and i may conclude to aid your "enterprise." but that was the last thing that the "gift" gentleman could think of doing. in fact, secrecy as to his locality, was quite essential in keeping out of the clutches of the police. * * * * * the irish heart. many of the reading public will remember the sad accident which occurred in hartford, conn., in the year , when by the bursting of a boiler connected with a car factory, several of the workmen were killed. among the killed were two irishmen, brothers, each of whom left a widow, with an infant child. these men had been industrious and faithful toward their employers, and kind in their own households, so that when they were taken away in such a sudden and shocking manner, their sorrowing widows felt a double stroke, in the loss of affectionate hearts, and in the deprivation of many of the comforts which the hand of affection had hitherto supplied. their little ones, too, required much of their attention, and often seriously interfered with their efforts to provide for the daily wants of their desolate households. about six months after the accident, the hartford post master received from the department at washington a "dead letter," which had been written by these brothers to a female relative in ireland, enclosing a draft for ten pounds sterling, to defray the expenses of her passage to america. this anxiety on the part of these children of erin who had come to this land of promise, to furnish their relatives and friends whom they had left behind, with the means of following them, is a striking manifestation of that ardent attachment to home and its circle of loved ones, which leads them to undergo every sacrifice in order to effect a reunion with those for whose presence they long with irrepressible desires, as they go about, "strangers in a strange land." they have often been known to submit to the severest privations for the sake of bringing over a sister, a brother, or some other relative, without whom the family circle would be incomplete. all this is but one aspect of the "irish heart," whose warmth of affection and generous impulses should put to shame many, who without their ardent unselfishness, coolly laugh at the blunders and _mal apropos_ speeches of its possessors, and attribute that to shallowness, which is in truth but a sudden and sometimes conflicting flow of ideas. as the mad poet mcdonald clark once wrote in an epigram on an editor who had accused him of possessing "zigzag brains," "i can tell johnny lang, by way of a laugh, since he's dragged in my name to his pen-and-ink brawl, that some people think it is better by half to have brains that are 'zigzag,' than no brains at all!" "by their works ye shall know them." it is comparatively easy to utter the language of affection, and to express a vast deal of fine sentiment; and much of this spurious coin is current in the world. but when one is seen denying himself almost the necessaries of life, in order to accumulate a little fund for the benefit of some one near to his heart, though far away, we feel that there can be no deception here. like the widow's mite, it has the ring of pure gold. the letter referred to, (which was sent back from ireland in consequence of some misdirection,) was full of kind feeling, and manifested on the part of the writers a firm and simple trust in the goodness of providence. the post master sent word to the widows that this letter was in his possession, and accordingly was visited by the bereaved women, whose tears flowed fast as they gazed upon the record which recalled so vividly the kindnesses of their departed husbands. the little sum enclosed, as they stated, was the result of the united efforts of the two families, who cheerfully joined in this labor of love. how many a recollection of unmurmuring self-denial, with the hope that made it easy; how many a remembrance of bright anticipations of the happiness to be enjoyed, when the beloved one, for whose sake these efforts were made, should be received within their family circle; how many such things must have been brought to mind by the sight of the missive, so freighted with affection and memories of the past! the post master informed the widows that by returning the draft to the office from which it was purchased, they might obtain the money on it; but they replied that since it had once been dedicated to an object sacred both to the departed and their survivors, it must go back to ireland, and fulfil its mission. so these poor stricken women, to whom ten pounds was a large sum, (even larger than when the letter was first sent,) and who much needed the comforts it would purchase, sent back the draft, and have since had the happiness of meeting their relative in america, and seeing the wishes of their husbands faithfully carried out. this is but one of many constantly recurring instances of generosity and devotion which come to the knowledge of post masters; and while we have put on record some of the blunders of an impulsive people, our sense of justice as well as inclination, has prompted us to make public the foregoing incidents, so forcibly illustrating the warm attachments that grace the irish heart. * * * * * my wife's sister. the most ridiculous errors and omissions sometimes occur on the part of persons applying to post masters for missing letters. the following amusing correspondence will illustrate this phase of post-office experience:-- new york, th jan. . post master new york. dear sir, a week ago last monday, i mailed two letters, both having enclosures, but of no intrinsic value, directed to my wife's sister in new haven, conn., neither of which have ever reached their destination. very respectfully yours, w. b. h----. the above letter was forwarded to the post master of new haven, after having been read by the new york post master. it was soon returned with the following pertinent inquiries:-- post office, new haven, conn., feb. , . solus!? well, that is a fix! what is that name? is it jonathan or wm, b. haskell, or hershel? who'd he marry? how many sisters did his wife have? what were their names? who are their friends and relations in new haven? is the lady here on a visit? or, like a careful matron, has she come here to educate her children? egad, i don't know! my library is wofully deficient in genealogy, and i shall be obliged to "give it up." who can tell me the name of "my wife's sister?" yours truly, l. a. t----. the new haven post master's letter was then sent to mr. h., with the annexed note:-- post office, new york, feb. , . mr. wm. b. h----. dear sir, by direction of the post master, i forwarded your letter of inquiry to the post master at new haven. he returns the letter to this office with a request that the name of your "wife's sister" may be given to him, as he has been unable to discover it, although possessed of a large library embracing many works of a genealogical character. the p. m. at new haven is inclined to the belief that it will be difficult to find the letter sent to his office, unless the name of the party addressed is given to him. in this belief the p. m. at new york joins, and the two p. m.'s hold concurrent opinions on this subject. with all due apologies for the seemingly gross ignorance of the post masters in this matter, i am very respectfully your obedient servant, wm. c----, secretary. chapter xxiii responsibility of post masters. cases sometimes occur of the loss of letters apparently by the carelessness of post masters or their clerks; and in view of such cases, an important question arises; namely, to what extent a post master is responsible for the consequences of such carelessness? the subject is not free from difficulties. in many cases it would be hard to say what constitutes culpable carelessness. it is common in country towns for persons to take from the post-office the mail matter of their neighbors, especially when they live at a distance from the office, as an act of accommodation to them; and many letters are thus safely delivered every day. now should a valuable letter in this way come into the possession of some dishonest person, and be retained by him, it would seem severe, if not unjust, to prosecute the post master for the loss; since in committing it unawares to improper hands, he did but act in accordance with ordinary usages, countenanced by the community. it would undoubtedly be a safer way of doing business, to insist upon an order in every case where a letter is delivered to any other person than the one to whom it is addressed, or some one usually employed by him for this purpose. but the country post master who should rigidly insist upon this rule, would receive "more kicks than coppers" for his good intentions; and indeed, cases like the one supposed are few and far between. in cities, also, something like the following might and does frequently happen. a person known to be in the employ of another, comes to the post-office, and says he is sent by his employer for his letters, and the clerk in attendance, believing his statement, gives them to him. he robs the letters and disappears. in this case, it hardly seems that the clerk was guilty of a culpable degree of negligence. here is another instance of the manner in which a letter may go to the wrong person, where the fault is not chargeable to post-office employés. in the list of advertised letters, one is found for john smith. an individual calls for the letter, claiming to be the identical john, and receives it; but a day or two after the "simon pure" appears, and is indignant at learning that his letter has already been appropriated, or that the clerk knows nothing about it, having forgotten the circumstance. of course the clerk, in such a case, might require the supposed john smith to identify the letter as far as was possible, by mentioning the place from which he expected it; but many supposable circumstances might destroy the conclusiveness of this evidence of identity, such as the acquaintance of the false john with the real one, and his knowledge of the place whence he received most of his correspondence. besides, the real claimant might not be able to tell where the letter was mailed, for his correspondent might have written from some other place than the one where he usually lived. but it is needless to multiply instances. those that we have mentioned, and many others which will readily occur to the reader, will suffice to show that the number of cases in which a post master can justifiably be prosecuted, is very limited by the nature of the circumstances. on the other hand, a proper diligence requires of the post master not only the obvious precaution of securing reliable assistants, but a care in relation to the minutiæ of his office which shall prevent the mislaying of letters, by carelessness _within_, or their abstraction by theft from _without_. the boxes and delivery window should be so arranged as to render the interior of the boxes inaccessible to outsiders, and of course no one should be admitted within the enclosure, under any ordinary circumstances. i am aware that these hints are unnecessary to the great body of post masters in this country; yet it can do no harm to mention such things, as it appears by the following report that post masters are sometimes held to answer before a court, for the want of diligence in discharging the duties of their office. the suit was brought in , by moses christy of waterbury, vermont, against rufus c. smith, post master at that place, for the loss of a letter containing fifty dollars, mailed at salisbury, mass., nov. , , by moses true, jr. moses true, jr., testified that he carried the letter to the salisbury post-office, and showed the money to the post master, who counted it, and it was then enclosed in the letter, and left with the post master, who testified that he mailed it in the ordinary way, and forwarded it to waterbury by the usual course. the letter not being received by christy, application was made for it to the post master, but nothing could be found of it. the post-bill, however, which accompanied it, was found in the waterbury office. it was shown that a son of christy and one other person were in the habit of calling at the post-office for his letters; but they both swore that they did not remember receiving the letter in question, and that if it was taken out by either of them, it was, in the absence of christy, laid upon his desk or placed in a private drawer. it was further proved that the waterbury office was kept in a room about sixteen feet square, divided in the centre by the boxes and a railing, which separated the part devoted to the office business, from the portion appropriated to the use of the public; that the boxes were so arranged that the box of moses christy could easily be reached through the "delivery;" and that persons were frequently allowed to pass behind or near one end of the counter within the enclosure, to transact business with the post master. there was no evidence to show that any persons, other than the office assistants, were permitted to go behind the railing at the time the letter in question arrived at the office. it appeared that the post master employed several persons as assistants in the summer and autumn of , but there was no evidence to show that any of these persons were regularly appointed and sworn. it further appeared by christy's postage account, that one or two letters were charged to him on the th of november, , and he produced four or five letters, which, by the ordinary course of the mails, would have been received on that day. we here copy from "vermont reports," vol. , p. :-- the defendant requested the court to charge the jury as follows:-- . that the defendant does not in any manner stand as an insurer in relation to the business of his office, and is only held to ordinary diligence in the discharge of the duties of his office, and can only be made liable for losses occasioned by a want of such diligence, and that the burden of proof is upon the plaintiff, to establish the fact of the want of such diligence. . that in order to establish the fact of want of ordinary diligence, the plaintiff must show some particular act of negligence in relation to the letter in question, and that the loss was the direct consequence of the particular negligence proved. . that although there may have been official misconduct on the part of the defendant, yet unless it be shown that the plaintiff's loss was the result of such misconduct, he cannot recover. . that if the letter were by mistake delivered to the wrong person, stolen by a stranger, or embezzled by a clerk, the defendant is not liable, unless he has been negligent, and the loss was the direct consequence of his negligence. . that it is not sufficient, to entitle the plaintiff to recover, merely to show that a letter was received at the office, and that the person to whom it was directed has not received it. . that the post master is not liable for the negligence of his deputies, unless he is guilty of negligence in appointing wholly unsuitable persons. . that the defendant being a public officer, he would not be liable in an action of trover, unless, at the time the letter was called for, he had the letter in his possession or control, and withheld it, or had actually appropriated the letter, or money, to his own use. the court charged the jury in accordance with all the foregoing requests, except the second and sixth. in relation to the second request the court charged the jury, that it was not necessary, in order to enable the plaintiff to recover, that he should show a particular act of negligence in relation to the letter in question; but that, if the plaintiff had shown a general want of common care and diligence on the part of the defendant, either in the construction of his places of deposit for letters, so that they were unsafe, or in the management of the post-office, in permitting persons to go behind the railing who had no legal right to go there, and had also satisfied them that the letter and money in question were lost in consequence of such negligence or misconduct of the defendant, then the defendant should be liable. in reference to the sixth request the court charged the jury, that as there was no proof that any of the persons who were employed by defendant in the office had ever been appointed or sworn as assistants, they were to be regarded as mere clerks, or servants of the defendant, and that if, through negligence or want of common care and diligence on the part of such clerks or servants, the money and letters were lost, the defendant would be liable therefore. verdict for plaintiff. exceptions by defendant. the decision was sustained in the supreme court. if the report of the above case shall have the effect to render any class of post masters more careful of the custody of correspondence, and in the general management of their offices, the object of its insertion will have been answered. chapter xxiv. official courtesy, etc. the post-office clerk who fails to do his duty thoroughly, is like a light-house keeper, who now and then allows his light to go out, or become dim. sometimes no harm may result; but it may be that the helmsman of some gallant ship laden with precious goods, and far more precious lives, seeing no light to direct him through the angry storm, steers blindly onward, and is wrecked upon the very spot whence the guiding star should have beamed. not only is it the duty of those connected with post-offices to exercise the utmost carefulness and exactness, in order that mail matter may promptly reach the persons for whom it is intended, but sometimes much caution and discretion are required from them, that letters may not fall into hands for which they were not designed. there are other qualifications scarcely less desirable for post-office employés than exactness and caution. patience and courtesy toward the various individuals constituting that public which it is the duty of these officials to serve, go very far in carrying out the idea of the post-office,--that of being a convenience to the community. we have elsewhere shown that the life of a post-office clerk is not passed upon a bed of roses, and we would here call his attention to the truth that many annoyances must be expected by him in the course of his experience. the ignorance and consequent pertinacity of those who apply for letters, frequently try his patience to the utmost. a person, for instance, anxiously expecting a letter, and not understanding that the mail by which it would come arrives only once a day, inquires at the office half a dozen times on the same day, and it is not very wonderful that the clerk in attendance should give short answers to the persevering applicant, or even omit to search for the letter. yet, even in a case like this, much allowance should be made for the possible circumstances of the person in question. he may be waiting for news from a sick child, or for some other information of the utmost importance to him, and it is surely hard enough to be disappointed in such expectations, without being obliged to suffer the additional pain of a harsh response. of course post-office clerks seldom know the peculiar circumstances of those who apply for letters; but the exercise of patience and mildness toward all, would be sure to spare the feelings of those who often rather need sympathy than rough words. many who carry on little correspondence, and therefore have little occasion to be informed respecting post-office matters in general, often make blunders which are very annoying; but it is to be remembered that those in charge of the post-office, were employed for this, (among other things which contribute to the perfection of this branch of public service,) namely, to bear with all classes of correspondents, and to maintain a uniform courtesy toward every one. this would render it possible for even the most timid to approach the "delivery window," without experiencing the sensation of looking into a lion's den, as has sometimes (but i trust seldom) been the case. on the other hand, it is reasonable that those who avail themselves of the conveniences of the post-office, should take pains to inform themselves on those points which it is necessary they should know, in order to avoid giving inconvenience to themselves, and unnecessary trouble to those appointed to serve them. the times of opening and closing mails, and similar matters, should be known, that the post-office may not bear the blame due to negligence outside its walls. cases now and then occur, similar to the following, which happened but a few years ago. a letter came into the windsor, vermont, post-office, containing a draft on the suffolk bank for three hundred dollars, and directed "johnson clark, windsor, ct." the "ct.," however, was written so indistinctly as to resemble "vt.;" and as there was a person by the name of johnson clark (as we shall call him) in the latter place, the letter was handed to him. when he looked at the post-mark, (that of a town some twenty or thirty miles distant,) he remarked, "i can't imagine who can have been writing to me from there," and after opening and reading it, he returned it to the post master, saying that it was not for him. but his honesty was only of a transient nature, for he could not keep the money out of his thoughts, and he soon began to think that he had been rather hasty in returning the letter, when, for aught he knew, he could have retained its contents with impunity. for was not the letter directed to johnson clark? and may not one take possession of a letter directed to himself? this course of thought and these queries were followed by the determination to recover the letter, and appropriate the contents. clark accordingly went to the post master the next day, and stated that he had heard, the evening before, of the death of a relative who had been living at the west, and who had left him a small legacy, namely, the sum contained in the letter. on the strength of these representations, the post master gave him the document, without, so far as appears, making any attempt to verify his statement. the inheritor of legacies proceeded forthwith to the bank in the village, and obtained the money on the draft, endorsing it, as is customary. it only required his own name to be written, and where was the harm? thought he. a few days after this, the person who had written the letter came to windsor, vt., having been informed by his correspondent at windsor, ct., that it had not reached him; and thinking it possible that it might have gone astray. on his arrival at the former place, he soon ascertained that the vermont dromio had taken possession of his letter. this worthy found that the name of johnson clark was not a spell potent enough to protect him in the enjoyment of his unrighteous gain. he was sent to the state prison for two years. in this instance, the post master was clearly guilty of carelessness in allowing clark to obtain the letter on the pretext that he offered. as there was a well known town in connecticut of the name of windsor, prudence would have required a closer examination of the address, after the letter was returned by clark. and the story by which clark imposed upon him, was sufficiently lame in some particulars to have called for a closer investigation of its truth. if the post master had requested to be allowed to read that part of the letter which referred to the pretended legacy, a refusal on the part of clark to permit it, would of course have created a strong suspicion that he was playing a dishonest game, and would have justified the post master in withholding the letter until further proof could be obtained as to the identity of johnson clark with the one for whom the epistle was designed. cases similar to the above are not unfrequent; and in all such instances, those who rely on a name identical with that of some other person, as a shield for attempted dishonesty, have found their defence fail them in the hour of need. the matter seems too plain to need elucidation; yet not a few persons, equally compounded of folly and knavery, have actually supposed that the possession of a name like that of another man, would enable them to keep on the shady side of the law in making free with his purse also. this accidental resemblance of name has often been used for dishonest purposes in other ways than the one just described. snooks manufactures a patent medicine which is beginning to obtain some celebrity, when some obscure snooks starts up with _his_ pill, or elixir. the innocent public, ready to swallow pills and stories bearing the name of snooks, makes no distinction between the two personages; and the "original jarley" is compelled to share his honors and emoluments with his upstart namesake. trickery like this can seldom be reached by law, but the appropriator of the contents of a letter under circumstances like those above detailed, is dealt with like any other kind of robbery. chapter xxv. importance of accuracy. after giving "outsiders" the share of blame which rightly belongs to them for the delay, miscarrying, and loss of valuable mail matter, a balance remains due to the post masters and post-office clerks. we have elsewhere expressed our views respecting dishonesty in these officials, and shall consequently confine our present remarks principally to carelessness and other similar faults, which can hardly be called crimes, but which often produce effects as disastrous as those which are the result of evil intention. these faults, indeed, differ only in degree from what are termed crimes; for neglect of duty, is on a small scale, a species of dishonesty. there is, perhaps, no situation in which a lack of promptness and accuracy in the transaction of business may be productive of so great evil, as in that of a post-office employé. those engaged in ordinary branches of business have some idea of the relative consequence of the matters about which they are occupied from day to day. they can generally know what is the actual importance of any given transaction, so that, if they are disposed to be negligent, they may, if they choose, avoid incurring the guilt and blame which would follow unfaithfulness in great things. but the post-office clerk seldom has the power of making such a discrimination. the letter which is carelessly left over to-day, may go to-morrow, but too late to save the credit of a tottering house, or to render the instructions it may contain, of any avail. in the rapid course of commercial transactions, what is wisdom one day, may be folly the next, and thus it not unfrequently happens that the best contrived plans may be ruined by the delay or non-arrival of a letter. the following instance will illustrate this. before the passage of the late postal treaty with great britain, a clerk in one of our large cities was sent to the post-office to mail a letter, containing an order for goods on an english house. the clerk pocketed the twenty-four cents which he had been intrusted with for the purpose of pre-paying the letter; therefore agreeably to the postal arrangements then existing, it could not go by steamer, but was sent by a sailing vessel. consequently the order was delayed, and therefore was not executed as promptly as the firm sending it had expected; and when the goods arrived they had fallen in value to such an extent, that the firm in question incurred by the operation a loss estimated at at least ten thousand dollars. chapter xxvi. post masters as directories--novel applications--the butter business. a thievish family--"clarinda" in a city--decoying with cheese--post master's response. a truant husband--woman's instinct. editors are supposed by many to be walking encyclopedias, with the record of the entire range of human knowledge inscribed on the tablets of their brains; and there are those who in like manner seem to consider post masters as living directories, able at short notice to inform any one who chooses to ask, where smith lives, and what business jones is in, or what is the price of guano, (an inquiry actually made by letter, of a new york post master.) in short, these government officers are often called upon to serve the public in a sphere which congress never contemplated in the various enactments it has passed respecting the duties of post masters, and the details of the postal system. a few specimens of letters received by different post masters, may not be uninteresting, as illustrating this phase of post-office life. here is one from an individual desirous of entering into a mercantile transaction in the "botter" line, and receiving the post master's endorsement of some good "commish marchan" who could be interested in the business. g---- ----, pennsylvania, january , . postmaster will pleze to give this letter to a good commish marchan what he could pay for fresh botter everry weak if a man would cent a hundred up to hundred paunts my intension is to go in sutch bisnis you will plese rite me back to this present time. yours respectful j. s. if the "fresh botter" was "cent everry _weak_," as was proposed, it must undoubtedly have been very much sought after, as possessing the negative, but important merit of not being _strong_. our next specimen was received by the post master of one of the cities in western new york, and is unique both as regards its object, and its orthography, or rather cacography, which appears like "fonotipy" run mad. north s----, nov. , . dear friend it is with plaisure that i take my pen in hand to inform you of a famly moveing from this place the wider stacy and her to girls they are poor and haf to work for their liveing clarinda is the girl that workes the most from home mr sam shirtleff says that she has worked for him and she stole pork and cheese and the pork hid between the bed blankets and they found it and weid it and thaught a rat had braught it there and the cheese she carid home with her they sent to ladies there a visiting and sent a peic of cheese with them and they got tea and had cheese uporn the table and they sliped a peice of the cheese in thir laps and compard it togather and it was the same cind it was a large inglich cheese that shirtleff bought she has also worked to mr alford blax and his brother the old batchlor his mother was old and generly done the niting she nit seventeen pare of socks and layed them up for her boys when she got old and coldent nit no more and they was all taken away by her to pare afterwords was found at the store and she sed that she had took them they owed her five dolars yet and they wont pay her till she delivers the socks and she dare not make no fuss for fear they will bring her out she worked to mr cringlands and she hooked a pare of white kid gloves and a hym book and a pocket handkerchief and the gloves she traded away to the store for a dress by giveing a pare of socks to boot and she worked to truman buts this sumer she had taken a pare of stockin which they found in her sunday bonet and they lost to shiling in money and then they discharged her bengman grene bought a set of dishes and they lost to platters out of the set they lost sope and buter out of their sular she borrowed of mister spicer a silver pen which coast a dolar and after he was dead she denied haveing it and she told it herself that she sold it for half a dolar and a pennife and the pennife was fifty cents they borrowed a pale of wheat flour and when they carid it home and put to thirds rie the pepole most look out for them in the trincket line mr sir post master plese answer this as soon as you can and oblidge your friend much yours with respect direct your leter silas stickney north s----, n. y. the zeal of silas, if he was actuated by no sinister motives--no spite toward "the wider stacy and her to girls," especially "clarinda," whose exploits form the burden of his complaints--this zeal is highly commendable, and united with it there is a fulness of specification in the catalogue of "clarinda's" misdemeanors which equals in richness and effect anything that even the fertile brain of dickens could conceive. the ingenious device of sending ladies to the suspected domicil under color of a friendly visit, but provided with a touchstone in the shape of "a peic of cheese," wherewith to detect the other piece supposed to have been purloined by some one of the thievish family, was worthy of a vidocq; and the triumphant issue of the case, when their worthy committee of investigation "sliped a peic of cheese in their laps" and settled its identity with the "inglich cheese" which the victimized "shirtleff" had purchased, showed the power of genius, attaining great ends by the use of simple means. this epistle developes a new ramification of the postal system. a post master entreated to act as a conservator of public morals; to exert all his powerful influence against "clarinda," who proved treacherous to "mr sam shirtleff" in the matter of pork and cheese; and abstracted from "mr alford blax and his brother the old batchlor, the seventeen pare of socks" that their mother had "nit" to comfort their nether extremities when she, by reason of the infirmities of age, "coldent nit;" and filched "sope and buter" out of "bengman grenes sular;" to say nothing of the "pare of stockin" which were secreted in her "sunday bonet," and "to shilling," the loss of which occasioned her discharge from the service of "truman buts." upon this unfortunate post master was thrown the charge of seeing that the city received no detriment from the demoralizing influence of clarinda! this gentleman, not willing to be outdone by his correspondent in his devotion to the public good, indited the following reply:-- b---- post-office, dec. , . mr. silas stickney, dear sir: i am in receipt of yours of the th ult., and in reply would say that i cannot too highly commend your solicitude in behalf of good morals, and your discretion in selecting the post master of this place to carry out your benevolent designs toward its inhabitants. the corrupting influence of small villages upon large towns is a thing much to be lamented, and it grieves me to think that the unsophisticated inhabitants of this place are to be exposed to the machinations of the "widow stacy and her to girls." it will be, sir, like the evil one entering the garden of eden, where all was innocence and purity! if in the course of my official duties, i find it feasible to ward off impending danger from this immaculate town, be assured that i shall not fail to do so. yours, &c., w. d----, p. m. * * * * * but post masters are made confidants in graver matters than these. they are not unfrequently called upon by deserted wives to look up their truant husbands, and by desolate husbands to aid them in recovering frail partners, who have been unfaithful to their marriage vows, and have forsaken the "guides of their youth." letters of this description are principally from the more illiterate class of community; yet amid the crooked chirography and bad spelling, there sparkles so much tender affection, sometimes for the guilty one, sometimes for the innocent children, who are suffering from the unprincipled conduct of a parent, that these cases command the warmest sympathy of those whose aid is invoked, although the requests thus made relate to matters entirely out of their sphere, and consequently they are seldom able to afford much assistance to the parties in trouble. i will here give an extract from this class of letters, as illustrating the above remarks. the following is from a letter received by the post master of a city in ohio, from a woman who had been deserted by her husband five years previous. she requested the post master to read it to her husband, in case he should find him, so it is written _at_ the latter person. in the postscript, (which is generally supposed to contain the pith of female correspondence,) she says,-- "you would shed tears if you onley could see wat a smart peart little boy you have hear what a sham it is to think that a sensable man should leave a wife and a child that is got as much sense as he has--and people say he is as much like you as he can be he has got the pretys black eyes i have ever seen in any ones head he has an eye like a hawk." thus is the _argumentum ad hominem_ supplied by woman's instinct. fatherly pride was called upon to effect that to which conjugal affection was inadequate. chapter xxvii. a windfall for gossipers--suit for slander--profit and loss--the resuscitated letter--condemned mail bag--an epistolary rip van winkle. in country villages, where few events happen to interrupt the monotony of every day life, the occurrence of an out-of-the-way incident is like seed sown in a fertile soil, producing a fruitful crop of speculations and surmises, and affording food for conversation for many a day to the eager gossip-hunters who abound in such small places. about thirty years ago, the quiet town of lebanon, in the state of connecticut, was enlivened by one of these occurrences, which brought a new influx of curiosity-mongers to the blacksmith's shop; covered all the barrels, boxes, and counters in the store with eager disputants, and gave new life to the sewing society, and its auxiliary "tea-fights." the cause of this unwonted moving of the waters, was on this wise: mr. jonathan little, a well known new york merchant, while on a summer visit to lebanon, his native place, mailed at that office a letter directed to the firm of which he was a member, and containing bank-notes to the amount of one thousand dollars. the letter failing to arrive at its destination, and special agents being as yet unknown, mr. little advertised in several papers, describing the money lost, and offering a reward for its recovery. this, however, produced no results, and the tide of speculation and discussion rose to its highest pitch. the loss of the bewildering sum of one thousand dollars naturally stimulated the imaginative powers of the lebanonians, and, hurried away by his zeal, or perhaps by a wish to appear sagacious, mr. roger bailey, the brother of the lebanon post master, while in conversation with several persons, incautiously asserted that amasa hyde, the post master at franklin, (the next town to lebanon on the route to new york,) had taken the letter, adding, "he's just such a fellow." the by-standers were rather astonished at this bold charge, impeaching as it did the integrity of a man whose character had always been above suspicion. that "bird of the air" which is always ready to "carry the matter," soon diffused the information that amasa hyde was supposed to be the delinquent. this gentleman being indisposed to leave his reputation at the mercy of "thousand-tongued rumor," which personage could not easily be brought before a jury, instituted inquiries for the purpose of discovering the originator of these injurious reports. he succeeded in tracing them to their source, and sued the unwary bailey for slander. mr. b., by the verdict of the jury, was compelled to pay some seven hundred dollars and costs, for the pleasure of expressing his opinion. this, however, is but an episode in the history of the lost letter. after a while the excitement died away, and mr. little found it necessary to place the thousand dollars to the account of "profit and loss," especially the latter. the theory was once advanced by an acute genius, and applied to the case of a tea-kettle inadvertently dropped into the ocean, that "a thing isn't lost when you know where it is." but the subject in hand seems to show that a thing isn't always lost, if you _don't_ know where it is. for, about two years after the occurrences above mentioned, the missing letter came to light with all its valuable contents. and this resuscitation took place, not in lebanon, nor in franklin, but in the new london post-office! it appears that the mail bag which contained the letter, was found, on its arrival at new london, so much worn as to be unsafe, and was accordingly condemned by the post master and thrown aside as useless, having first, of course, been emptied of its contents, as was supposed. two years subsequently, a quantity of old mail bags and other rubbish was removed from the office, and the letter in question took the opportunity to drop out, and return, an epistolary rip van winkle, to the world whence it had retired for so long a time. chapter xxviii. valentines. their origin--degeneration--immoral influence--incitement to dishonesty. who saint valentine was, is not much to the purpose in this place. we will give him credit for having been, however, a very excellent and highly respectable individual. we must therefore utterly protest against the custom which has obtained of late years, making him the tutelary saint of innumerable silly lovers, mean mischief-makers, and vulgar letter-writers generally. unfortunately for the reputation of this inoffensive bishop, the day noted in the calendar as sacred to his blessed memory, happens to be that on which, according to the auld-wives' legends of merrie england, there is a universal marrying and giving in marriage among the feathered tribes. the fourteenth of february seems rather bleak for a grand wedding festival at which any birds but snow birds are expected to attend; but we suppose we must respect the tradition. it seems early too for imitative lads and lasses, who should wait until the warm spring approaches; "when the south-wind in may days, with a net of shining haze, silvers the horizon wall, and with softness touches all-- tints the human countenance with a color of romance;" and when all nature is bathed afresh in light and love, and inspired with new life. but, says a french writer, the divine faculty which distinguishes man from the brutes, is the capacity to drink when he is not thirsty, and to make love at all seasons of the year. whether this "divine faculty" is a god-gift, or a perversion and abuse, the legitimate fruit of the sad tree of knowledge of good and evil, we will not stop to discuss. man has it in full exercise; and however the birds may grumble at being obliged to hurry up their matrimonial cakes under the very beard and brow of winter, cupid will be found--like the classical clothes-brusher and job-waiter--"_nunquam non paratus_"--always ready at your service. the probability is that the human custom of choosing mates about this time, is more ancient than the notion touching the pairing of birds, and that the latter is a mere fable, suggested by the former. some commentator on shakspeare has traced it back "to a pagan custom of the same kind during the lupercalia feasts of pan and juno, celebrated in the month of february by the romans. we are further told that, the anniversary of st. valentine happening in this month, the pious promoters of christianity placed this custom under his patronage in order to indicate the notion of its pagan origin." unhappy st. valentine! but we must remember that formerly there was something sweet and poetical in the choosing of mates. now we are thrilled with tender emotions when poor ophelia sings her "good morrow to st. valentine's-day." but somehow, romance dies out in our material age; and beautiful superstitions give place either to cold practical knowledge, or degenerate into farcical caricatures. what a difference between the rapturous and bashful exchange of vows pledged by the youth and maidens in good old times, before reading and writing came in fashion, and the celebrated valentine composed by the younger mr. weller! the vulgarization of the custom has been gradual. instead of the song-singing invitations to love, under cold windows, "all in the morning betime," lovers began, in the course of human progress, to indite gentle missives to their sweethearts, and to receive autograph replies. this improved method was eagerly adopted by all such as dared not give verbal utterance to their sweet passion, as well as by those who had private malice to vent, and sneaking insults to offer. then arose the manufacture and merchandise of valentines, which has of late become so important a branch of industry. from early in february until late in march, our toy shops and periodical and fancy "depots" appear to traffic mainly in these exceptionable articles. their windows flame with the vulgar trash. on every corner "valentines!" "valentines!" stare us in the face. some are very choice and costly; we see now and then one inlaid in a rich casket, and prized at twenty-five or even fifty dollars. others are made of fine fancy paper, adorned with flowers in water colors, or prettily filigreed; with a scroll in the center for the verses expressive of the sender's sentiments. but the softer heads that indulge in these expensive trifles, are comparatively few. a cheaper luxury satisfies our economical sentimentalists. all kinds of coarsely ornamented note-paper, and large square awkward envelopes, find their ready patrons. every taste is suited, from the sickliest fastidiousness, to the most clownish ambition for flashy colors and tawdry designs. in opposition to the sentimental valentines, we have the gross caricatures which have done more than anything else of this kind to disgust the common sense and good taste of community. it would seem that only the most vulgar minds could be attracted by these; yet the large traffic in them shows that vulgarity is an extensive element in the popular character. no matter how indelicate and disgusting one of these specimens of low invention may be, some fool will be found to purchase it, and send it to another individual whom he either wishes to insult or expects to amuse. in this way all sorts of printed immoralities obtain circulation. in this way cowards take revenge for imaginary slights or dignified rejections. in this way, for about two or three weeks in each year, some altogether harmless and well-meaning people have been subjected to gross annoyances and serious taxes for postage. thanks to the law-makers, the advance pay requisition will hereafter put a stop to that species of petty swindling. year after year the same foolish figures and senseless mottos are forwarded from the same simpletons to the same victims. we know a musician who for three successive seasons has received that witched caricature, representing a shape-- "if shape it could be called that shape had none,--" all nose and moustache, blowing a trombone considerably larger than himself. our dentist usually enjoys a visit from a caricature suited to _his_ profession--a tooth-drawer with his little head in a vast chasm representing a young lady's mouth. he has learned to expect it; he good-naturedly looks for it, about valentine's day; and merely opening it when it comes, to see that it is the right one, he quietly tosses it into the fire. this valentine sending is a custom like that of a certain drunken revel once popular in denmark,--"more honored in the breach than in the observance." it is ignored by good society. and as for the victimized, it is a mark of common sense to bestow every valentine into the grate, unopened, as soon as received. it is estimated that not less than half a million of these worse than worthless missives pass through the post-offices annually. the cost to the parties purchasing them, forms an aggregate of about $ , . over and above this expense is the postage, which is sometimes double, triple, or even four or five times the ordinary rates of single letter postage. formerly many were unpaid, and often persons to whom they were addressed, indignantly refused to take them from the office. thus were the mails not only uselessly encumbered with the vile trash, but quantities of the "rejected addresses" were subjected to the formality of visiting the dead letter office, where they finally met with that destruction they so clearly merited. this abuse of the post-office privileges is unworthy of any nation above the capacity of monkeys. the immoralities circulated and encouraged by valentines cannot be estimated. statistics would fail to arrive at the amount of vice engendered by this pernicious breed. one of the worst evils that owe their origin to this cause, is the temptation laid in the way of post-office clerks. a valentine is often the first provocation to crime. numerous instances have come under the observation of the writer, in which persons convicted of robbing the mails, trace back their transgressions to no more serious a fault than that of peeping into one of these silly missives. they are often carelessly sealed, and easily opened by third parties without discovery. imagine a young man intrusted with the care of a village post-office. he is interested in miss a. he believes she encourages his sentiments. he hopes her proud father will some day encourage him as an eligible suitor for his daughter's hand. still he is subject to desponding and jealous doubts. and when, one evening in the middle of february, a valentine addressed to his paragon strikes his eye as he is assorting the mails, an indescribable pang shoots through his heart. he wonders who sent it. tom bellows is at first suspected, but the hand-writing differs from tom's. "can it be robert cartwright?" says the distressed clerk. "he is partial to miss a., and she seems pleased with him. what can he be writing to her?" such thoughts perplex the young man's brain. the valentine is not taken from the office that evening; and when all is quiet, he draws it once more out of the box, and again examines the superscription. it is certainly cartwright's writing. "o dear!" sighs the clerk, "how easy i could open it, and nobody know it!" aching with curiosity, but calling moral principle and self-denial to his aid, he returns the missive to the box, and goes to bed. but sleep is out of the question. he is awake, thinking about the valentine, and those supposed to be immediately interested therein. "i wonder if i _could_ open it!" he says to himself. "i've half a mind to try." he gets up, strikes a light, and a moment later the valentine is in his hand. "if it comes open," says he, "i'll seal it again without reading it. i only want to see if it can be done without having it show afterwards." instantly he starts back. the valentine is open! really, he did not mean to do it; it came open so much easier than he expected! although it is night, and he is alone, he cannot help looking over his shoulder to assure himself that the grim individual watching him, exists only in his imagination. "well," thinks he, "it's done, and who knows it? what's the harm, as long as i'm going to seal it up again?--and after all, i don't see that it will be much worse just to see if there is any name to it, provided i don't read the rest." thus excusing himself, he profanes the sacred interior of the missive, and finds the suspicious signature--"robert." trembling at the temptation to read more, he hastily folds the sheet, and returns it to the envelope. but the next moment it is out again, and he is reading with flushed cheek and burning eye, the tender words that robert c. has written to miss a. "all this hath a little dashed his spirits;" and he returns to bed feverish and restless. in spite of his reason, which keeps saying stoutly, "what's the harm? nobody will know it," he suffers greatly in conscience. but the valentine is taken from the office, and the profanation of its mystery remains unsuspected. and in a few days another valentine appears, addressed to robert cartwright. the hand-writing, although disguised, is alarmingly like miss a.'s. by this time the clerk's jealousy has eaten up his conscience. "there's no more harm in opening two than in opening one," whispers the devil in his ear. "i believe you," says the clerk; "but i may yet be found out." "no danger," says the devil; "only be careful." he is too ready to adopt the suggestion. he is excusable, he thinks, under the circumstances. the valentine is accordingly opened and read. deliberation and forethought add gravity to the offence. the clerk has unconsciously blunted his moral perceptions, and weakened his moral strength; and he is now prepared to open regular letters passing through his hands. at first it is jealousy and rivalry that tempt his curiosity. then other matters of interest entice him, until one day he discovers, in no little consternation, that he has thrust his fingers into a nest of bank-notes! "well, after all," says he, "mr. b. is rich; he won't mind the loss; it's only a trifle with him. while to me, the sum is considerable. if i don't keep up appearances with bob cartwright, i might as well be out of the world. i've a right to live; and destroying this letter and appropriating its _contents_, is just nothing at all, if i don't get found out. but i'm safe enough--i'm the very last person to be suspected." the career of this young man need not be traced further. nor need the subject of valentines be pursued. we have written enough to show that they are the offspring of weak sentimentalism or foolish buffoonery; an encumbrance to the mails, an annoyance to those who receive them, a tax to all parties, and a temptation to post-office clerks; and withal, imbecilities and immoralities which all worthy citizens should take every occasion to discountenance, and banish from civilized society. chapter xxix. the clairvoyant discovery. a short time after the detection of the new haven mail robber, a gentleman from the town of w. called upon the post master at hartford, to say that he had some weeks since mailed a letter at the post-office in the town where he resided, addressed to a firm in hartford; and containing a sum of money, and that the letter had never been received. on examining his records, the post master ascertained that no bill had been received from the office where the letter was mailed corresponding with the date of the mailing, and that consequently the letter, so far as his records could show, had never reached his office. as the time of this loss happened at the period when the mail robber was committing depredations from day to day, and as the post-bill was missing, the hartford post master expressed the opinion that the letter had very probably fallen into the hands of the mail robber, although new haven was off the route on which the letter should go, and the package of letters could not have got there without having been mis-sent. this theory was entirely unsatisfactory to the gentleman who mailed the letter, and he left hartford with the conviction that he would be compelled to endure the loss of his money with such philosophy as he could summon to his aid. but hope soon succeeds fear, as daylight follows darkness, and before many days the gentleman in search of his money again called at the post-office in hartford, that being the important port in his voyage of discovery. it was very evident that his mind was somewhat "exercised," and the ominous tone in which he requested the post master to meet him immediately, at room no. ---- at the hotel where his name was entered, made it clear that a revelation of no slight importance was about to be made. the post master told him he would accompany him immediately, and started with his eager friend for the appointed place. during their walk nothing was said on the great subject-matter, probably because it was deemed too solemn in its nature to be broached amid the bustle and jar of a crowded street. the hotel was soon reached, and the communicator of the "latest intelligence" ascended the stairs to the room where the gentleman accompanying him would be called on to listen to the disclosures about to be made, and take such action thereon as circumstances might seem to require. after pointing solemnly to a chair, declaring by such dumb show that he desired the post master to be seated, and then taking a chair himself and sitting thereon so as to face the person with whom he was conversing, he deliberately asked-- "do you believe in clairvoyance?" what an unexpected question! and how should such a question be noticed? certain it was that among all the laws in relation to the post-office department, and the rules and regulations for its government, minute and circumstantial as they were, not one word could be found instructing the officers of this branch of government what they should do in the matter of clairvoyance. even ben franklin himself, who was "_par excellence_" the electrical post master general, had never issued an order bearing on this subtle subject. and here, in this hotel room, where, at a great many different times, a great many different kinds of spirits had entered a great many different kinds of persons, this official in a great business department, dealing constantly with the practicalities of life, and without law, rules, or regulations to tell him what he should do in the emergency, was met with the question proposed, in a sepulchral voice,--"do you believe in clairvoyance?" was it his duty to discuss with the questioner the "odic force," and "biology" and "psychology," and all the other theories connected with the doctrines of spiritualism? must post masters be also masters of mental science, and of things in heaven and earth never dreamed of in the philosophy of the great mass of mankind? because they have to deal with the transmission of intelligence to different parts of the earth, must they also take charge of intelligence coming from unknown regions, "out of space, out of time?" the question, however, was before him, and the post master replied that he had heard of some strange things connected with clairvoyance. seemingly satisfied with this reply, the gentleman went on to say that he had been very anxious to know what had become of his letter, and had therefore consulted a clairvoyant. some locations are blessed with a gifted seer, or more generally _seeress_, whose mind at inspired intervals is a complete "curiosity shop" of the universe--who can tell the whereabouts of a lost thimble or teaspoon, who can inform the anxious inquirer who committed the last murder, and who can describe to eager listeners the manner in which people conduct voiceless conversation in saturn, and how they fight in mars, and how they make love in venus. or the gifted one, descending rapidly to earth, can prescribe a remedy for any ill that flesh is heir to,--and all these wonders are performed for a moderate pecuniary compensation, and with the praiseworthy object of aiding and enlightening "suffering humanity." our inquiring friend was so fortunate as to reside in one of these localities, and his mission to the post master was that of rehearsing the discoveries of the priestess. he stated that the information given by the clairvoyant lady was so minute and distinct as to leave a strong impression of its truthfulness on his mind. that she traced the letter from the time it was put in the office--saw it placed in the mail bag, saw the bag taken from the office, saw every station where it stopped--saw it taken into the hartford office--saw it opened there, saw a clerk take the letter, open it, and on finding that it contained a number of bank-bills, put said letter in a drawer of his, and then lock the drawer. farther than this, the seeress declared that said clerk wore large whiskers, and a large gold ring, and that he resided in front street. in addition to these facts the lady declared that the letter thus opened, with the bills still in it, was yet remaining in the locked drawer of the delinquent clerk. having carefully repeated this train of circumstantial evidence, pointing so distinctly to a certain culprit, the gentleman then commenced interrogating the head of the hartford post-office:-- "have you, sir," said he, "a clerk in your employment who wears whiskers?" the witness was compelled, on the part of some of his clerks at least, to plead guilty to this first count in the indictment from an invisible grand jury. as whiskers are not an expensive article of luxury, even post-office clerks can afford to wear them. "have you," continued the counsel for the unknown prosecutor, "a clerk who wears large whiskers _and_ a large gold ring?" the reply to this query was not equally satisfactory, for the witness averred that his clerks were decidedly not given to jewelry; and as to gold, they felt that they could invest it more usefully than in the purchase of mammoth finger-rings. "have you," continued the pertinacious querist, "a clerk who lives in front street?" here again the answer was not gratifying, for the witness declared that to the best of his knowledge, no clerk of his had, whether with or without whiskers, or whether with or without a stupendous finger-ring, made front street illustrious by residing therein. notwithstanding the discrepancy, the gentleman went on with his inquiries:-- "have you a clerk in your employment who has a drawer of which he keeps the key?" the reply to this question was such as to meet the wishes of the querist, and he was told that there was more than one such clerk in his office. "then," said the gentleman, "i demand that you have those drawers opened, and their contents examined!" notwithstanding the urgent desire of the person who had reposed such confidence in the revelations of the female informer, the post master peremptorily declined to take a single step implying a doubt as to the integrity of his clerks, on the mere strength of clairvoyant testimony. argument was in vain, and the disappointed letter seeker left hartford, thinking in all probability that general pierce would have done better to have given the charge of the office there to some person more willing to accommodate the public! some time after this, the special agent met the post masters of new haven and hartford, in pursuance of instructions from the department, for the purpose of distributing the funds taken from the depredator, among those who had lost by the robberies. on examining the money found on the person of the robber, there were discovered the seven bank-bills, all of one denomination, lost by our clairvoyant-seeking friend! the bills not only agreed with his description, but, what made the case still stronger, was the fact that no other bills of the same denomination and bank were claimed by any other party. how it was that "the spirits" gave the distinguished seeress such a complete tissue of falsehoods, will probably remain unknown until the "new philosophy" becomes better understood, or until the spirit of franklin, who it is said presides over communications from the upper spheres, appoints some special agent to investigate the causes of failure. the gentleman who unexpectedly regained his money, may still entertain his old affection for clairvoyance, but he cannot deny that the poet was right when he exclaimed, "optics sharp it needs, i ween, to see what is not to be seen." chapter xxx. poetical and humorous addresses upon letters. the exterior, as well as the interior of a letter is sometimes made the vehicle of sentiment, affection, wit, fun, and the like, which, thus riding as outside passengers, display their beauties to the gaze of those connected with post-offices. in such instances, it may be that the writer's ideas, gushing from his pen, have overflowed their bounds, and spread themselves upon the usually dry surface of the epistle. it must be a pleasing relief to post-office clerks, wearied with the monotonous task of turning up innumerable names, to find the flowers of fancy and imagination supplanting the endless catalogue of smiths and browns which ordinarily meet their eyes. below are a few specimens of these embellished addresses. the first is probably from some home-sick miner. it was mailed at san francisco, california. his wife and children have no doubt derived, long ere this, the pleasure which he anticipated for them, in the perusal of the letter:-- go, sheet, and carry all my heart; (i would that thou couldst carry me,) freighted with love thou wilt depart across the land, across the sea. o'er thee will bend a loving face, to thee will listen little ears; thou wilt be welcomed in _my place_, and thou wilt bring both smiles and tears. across the land, across the sea, thy homeward course thou wilt pursue, i may not see them welcome thee, yet know i well their hearts are true. then swiftly go, thou ocean steed; roll on, ye rapid iron wheels, bearing away, with careless speed, the message that my soul reveals. the address followed, in plain prose. * * * * * rail road, steamboats, horses, stages, all of you are paid your wages, all of you, for nothing better than to take this little letter. should the document miscarry, uncle sam will see "old harry!" to prevent this dread collision, i present unto your vision state, county, and between, the town, indiana, nashville, brown. for mrs. jane eliza brent, this is enough,--now "let her went." * * * * * here is a specimen in a less elevated strain:-- robber, shouldst thou seize this letter, break it not; there's nothing in't, nought for which thou wouldst be better: note of bank, or coin from mint. there is nothing but affection, and perhaps a little news; when you've read this, on reflection, take or leave it as you choose. if you should conclude to leave it, i would like to have it go to seth jones, who will receive it in the town we call glasgow, and the state of old kentucky, (there's no rhyme for that but "lucky.") the following seems to have been the superscription to a dun, written "more in sorrow than in anger." a hard old hoss is charley cross, and i don't care who knows it; he's borrowed an x, and never expects i'll dun him, so he goes it. he'll find he's mistaken, and won't save his bacon, unless he sends me the tin: in the city of penn, somewhere is his den; i can't tell what _state_ he is in. perhaps he's "slewed," or may be, pursued by some other man he owes, whichever it is, when this meets his phiz, my account he had better close. the street and number were subjoined; but it is to be feared that the "old hoss" proved hard-bitted, and would have nothing to do with "_checks_," except those in his favor. * * * * * post master dear, i greatly fear that this letter never will go to him i write, unless to your sight the name i plainly show. 'tis thomas brown, the name of his town is hartford; the county the same, land of steady habits, famed for onions and rabbits, the place whence once i came. * * * * * this is apparently an outpouring of the sorrows of a victim to the maine law, and was mailed in that state:-- oh john o'brien, half of you is better than the whole, for that would be a demi-john, my sorrow to console. oh dear o'brien, briny tears into my whiskers roll, to think that you live in new york, while here is not a soul to stand treat; or in other words, to "pass the flowing bowl." all flesh is grass: all paper's rags, (so it is said by wicked wags.) but i would like to pass along among th' epistolary throng, till i reach the town of kent nor to a paper mill be sent, and come to an untimely end, before i find my writer's friend; whose name is putnam, or sam put, in the old state connecticut. * * * * * this is going to my tailor, a _trust_-worthy man is he; like a clock, for ever _ticking_, he keeps his account with me. to send my bill i here request him for the br--ches he has made: thanks to good old uncle samuel, he must send it on _pre-paid_. (the address was in prose.) * * * * * when you c this letter, you'd better letter b. for it is going over unto tom mcg. in the town of dover, state of tennessee. * * * * * address on a valentine: mr. post master, keep this well, for every line is going to tell how much i love my bill martell, syracuse, n. y. * * * * * i want this letter to go right straight to wilmington city in delaware state, to daniel b. woodard, a cooper by trade; he can make as good barrels as ever were made. * * * * * swiftly hasten, postman's organ, bear this onward to its fate, in new york to george c. morgan; john street, no. . * * * * * east th street, city of new york, two hundred fifty-three-- is where of all this little work, this moment ought to be. and could i to the lightning's wing or telegraphic wire, attach it by a silken string, 'twould be my fond desire. but since to do the swift exploit each other power must fail, i send to emily bailey hoyt, with pleasure--in the mail. * * * * * i know a man, his name is dunn! he lives in splendid style: but if he'd pay--say half his debts, he'd lose 'bout all his "_pile_." he stops in charlestown, old bay state, quite near to bunker hill, where many a brave man met his fate, dispensing putnam pill. * * * * * a valentine address. lizzie, they say the little birds are making matches now; (warranted to keep in any climate.) a good example they have set which i would like to follow; so if you have a heart to let, i hope to know to-morrow. * * * * * on the river hudson, in the town of troy, lives miss sarah judson full of life and joy. 'tis for that sweet creature this epistle's meant; if it does but reach her, i shall be content. * * * * * the following address was found on a missive which passed through the new york office on or about the th of february, and was secured with a seal representing cupid taking aim at one of his victims with a revolver: cupid's mother has supplied him with "six shooters" for his bow; when he'd arrows i defied him; now, alas! he's laid me low. here i send, done up in paper, fanny may, my heart to you. i think you will keep it safer than i've done,--so now adieu. the town and state were in prose. * * * * * send this, post master, if you are willing, to john m. p----, a darned old villain. let it go without postage bounty, to union valley, cortland county, * * * * * take me along in haste i pray, to john o'donnel without delay. the postage is paid, there is no excuse if i'm not delivered at syracuse. * * * * * let nought impede thy progress, while on thy journey going, and quickly may'st thou be received, by john, or pardon bowen. albany, n. y. * * * * * miss kate may, _somewhere_ in new york city. i hope to goodness she will receive this missive. * * * * * john m. simpson, dedham, mill village, mass. in care of john lee, the man that speaks through his nose or with the crucket foot. * * * * * for nevel kelly, degrau st., next shanty to the river in the rear of the grave-stone yard, brooklyn, n. y. * * * * * new haven, post-office state of connecticut brown street number for elen rumford under care of mister allen and if the main law folks up there don't like the name of _rum_ford i can't help it. * * * * * for brigded livingston no post office city hartford, state of cannada or three-ways to no _america_. * * * * * to thos. walsh rd avenue or if not there (new york to the care of america jerrimiah o droyer--no-- south street south troy new york to be forwarded to mary dohorty (for thos. walsh (in haste america * * * * * to mr. leedfara, who runs the ferry over across to long island for mary maguire new york. * * * * * mistress crovor keeps a stand in the _hutson dippo_--new york lives in reed street. * * * * * direct this letter to second floor back room for kate barrey washington street new york in heast. * * * * * to the lady that wears a white cloak straw bonnett trimmed with blue & wears a blue veil, brown or striped dress no -- bleeker street new york. * * * * * to don tom rigan and monseer birch-- to new york city straight let this 'ere letter go right to der corner of der bowery and grand into jim story's place which every one must know onto i forgot his name's old oyester stand. the _blades_ it's intended for are hearty and frisky, you'll find backe of der bar, where yer give dis letter. the postman may find himself a cocktail der better. * * * * * p.o. no albany street boston state of mass for michael ryan tailor and if he do not live here i expect that the person who will live here will forward this letter to him if they chance to know where he live. * * * * * mister john shane syracuse no salina street your parents are here, and state new york city north america. * * * * * william doger syracuse corner of james and warren street undago county state of new york--america-- care for john burk or jeremiah burk paid or else where * * * * * the american girl who wants a place, sixth avenue, up two flights of stairs, back room. * * * * * thadeus m. guerai esqr. son of pat guerai, late manager of the devon estate, county limerick ireland, and husband of sarah coburn harding; niece of major harding of harding grove, county limerick ireland-- care of b. douglass & co. charlestown s.c. chapter xxxi. origin of the mail coach service. the greatest improvement in the english mail service, during the eighteenth century, was the introduction of mail coaches. this was brought about by the energy and perseverance of john palmer, esq. like most of those who introduce great improvements, he was an "outsider," one unacquainted by business habits and associations, with the postal service. at that time (about ) stage coaches, with passengers, traversed the country over all the principal roads, and ran from five to seven miles an hour. the mails, however, had _never_ had any better conveyance than that of a horse or a gig, managed by a man or boy. the whole mail service was on a most irregular footing; mail robberies were frequent, and the speed did not average over three and a half miles an hour. mr. palmer's plan was, to have the mails transferred to the stage coaches, that the swiftest conveyance which the country afforded should carry the mails. for so obvious an improvement, we would suppose that there would be little or no opposition. parliamentary committees were appointed, post masters general reported, and all the officials were against it! statesmen took it up; the proposition was debated in parliament; and, after many years of persevering labor, mr. palmer saw his plan adopted. but opposition did not end here. there were more reports against it, and those who opposed at first from ignorance, and a belief that no improvement would result, now kept up their opposition from a dread of being thought false prophets. but there were those who appreciated the improvement, and mr. palmer got a pension from government of three thousand pounds a year for life, and afterwards a grant of fifty thousand pounds, for the benefit his improvement in the mail service had been to the revenue of the country. we have, from a well known post-office reformer,[b] a nice piece of sarcasm for the special benefit of those who _oppose_ great improvements, and then deny their value after they have been adopted and proved. [b] rowland hill, esq. a report from the english post master general says: "from a comparison of the gross produce of inland postage: for four months, and from every other comparison they have been able to make, they were perfectly satisfied that the revenue has been very considerably decreased by the plan of mail coaches." this report gives the opinions of the lords of the treasury, and enlarges on the innumerable inconveniences which the change had occasioned. the great post-office reformer, forty years after this, makes the following comment:-- "heavy must be the responsibility on those who thus persisted in folly and mischief; and wonderful is it that mr. palmer should have been able to beguile the government and the legislature into sanctioning his mad career! who was the statesman, unworthy of the name, that thus gave the rein to audacity; that thus became, in his besotted ignorance, the tool of presumption? who stood god-father to the vile abortion, and insisted on the admission of the hideous and deformed monster into the sacred precincts of lombard street, the seat of perfection? his name--alas! that the lynx should be guided by the mole! that samson should be seduced by delilah! palimirus allured by a dream!--his name was william pitt." chapter xxxii. evasion of the post-office laws. before the adoption of the present rates of postage, much ingenuity was displayed in making newspapers the vehicles of such information as should legitimately have been conveyed by letters. various devices were employed to effect this object. as the law strictly prohibited writing upon papers, requiring that such newspapers should be charged with letter postage, the problem was, to convey information by their means without infringing the letter of the law. sometimes a sentence or a paragraph was selected, some of the letters of which were crossed out in such a manner that the letters left legible conveyed the meaning which the operator intended. by such transmuting process, pugnacious editorials were converted into epistles of the mildest and most affectionate description, and public news of an important character not unfrequently contracted into a channel for the conveyance of domestic intelligence. as the constructions of the law on this subject, by the officers of the department, became more and more stringent, the most amusing and ingenious inventions to get beyond their reach were resorted to. for instance, marking an advertisement or other notice, with a pen or pencil, having been declared a violation of law, attention was sometimes called to such notices, by cutting round them on three sides, thus making a sort of flap, and doubling it back on the side left uncut. in one case, which now occurs to the author, a notice served in that way, thus producing a hole in the paper, had the strikingly appropriate caption of "a good opening!" the vacancy produced in the paper, in such a case, of course attracted the attention of the person who received it, and _that_ advertisement was sure to be read, if no other. hieroglyphics were sometimes employed for conveying contraband ideas. the following will answer as a specimen of this class of attempted evasions. it was neatly drawn on the margin of a newspaper which came to a western post-office, from a town in new england. [illustration] the meaning will of course he readily understood by the reader--"children all well!" such specimens of the fine arts are seldom attempted under the present low rates of postage, as the saving of two cents would hardly pay for the required time or labor. but there are those even now-a-days, who, for that paltry consideration, are found willing to compromise their consciences, if indeed they have any, by resorting to some of the less laborious methods, in attempting to carry out their prudential designs. chapter xxxiii. post office paul prys. legislative enactments have been found no less necessary, to defend the sacredness of private correspondence from the prying eye of curiosity, than from the plundering hand of dishonesty. there are many who would recoil from the thought of robbing a letter of its pecuniary contents, but feel no compunction at violating its secrecy for the sake of indulging an idle or a malicious inquisitiveness, if the commission of the deed can be concealed. this may not be called a common evil, and yet it exists; and it is one against which acts of congress have been levelled almost in vain, for there is perhaps hardly any portion of the laws of that body relative to the protection of correspondence, through the mails, about which there is felt so great a degree of security. this violation of the first principles of decency and propriety, not unfrequently leads to results more disastrous than those which are caused even by robbery itself. the person, too, who indulges himself in this disgraceful practice, cannot be sure that he will always keep clear of more serious misdemeanors. he who pries into letters for one purpose, may be led to pry into them for another. when one has become accustomed to tampering with letter seals, he has broken through a powerful restraint to crime, and has laid himself yet more open to the assaults of temptation. sometimes a state of things exists in a neighborhood which clearly shows that some unauthorized person is acquainted with the contents of many of the letters passing-through the post-office, before the rightful owners have received them. secrets of the utmost importance are suddenly blazed abroad, and those of less consequence are used to inflict much annoyance upon the persons whom they concern. those in charge of the post-office become the objects of suspicion, and the inhabitants of the infected district, if they are unable to obtain positive proof of unlawful meddling with their correspondence, at least show, by their endeavors to prevent their letters from going through the dangerous channel, that they have lost their confidence in the integrity of the post master, or of his assistants. for instance,--farmer haycroft's daughter had settled the preliminaries of a treaty of the most tender description with a young gentleman of a neighboring city, though without the knowledge and contrary to the wishes of the parental potentates on both sides. their happiness, it is clear, depended on preserving their secret inviolate. should it come to the ears of their "potent, grave, and reverend _seniors_," a storm of wrath might be expected like that which is seen when two clouds, heavily charged, unite in pouring out their burden of lightning, wind, and rain. therefore, in order to avoid such a consummation, interviews were not risked, as being too hazardous, but a correspondence was carried on under fictitious names. much solicitude was felt by the inquisitive matron who presided over the _pryington_ post-office, to know who "elizabeth greene" (the _nom de guerre_ of the haycroftian damsel) could be. so she cross-questioned the boy who inquired for letters for the aforesaid elizabeth, but he was decidedly non-committal. and, as a last resort, she sent her servant-maid to follow the unwary messenger, and see where he went. she returned with the exciting intelligence that jane haycroft met him and received from his hands the letter which the boy had just taken from the office. this information but aggravated the thirst for knowledge which raged in the breast of the post mistress, and she inwardly resolved that she would in some way unravel the mystery that lurked under the name of "elizabeth greene." the town was shortly after astonished with the news of the proposed "match," and as the post-office dame was not supposed to deal in _clairvoyance_, the inference was natural that some less creditable but more certain method had been adopted to bring the important fact to light. the detection of supposed guilt in cases of this kind was formerly very difficult, and heretofore the special agents had rather undertake the investigation of a dozen cases of mail robbery than to attempt to unearth one of these moles, working under ground, and gnawing at the roots of their neighbor's reputation and happiness. for these paul prys generally leave but few traces behind them by which they may be ferreted out, however strong the grounds of suspicion may be. tests have been devised, however, by which these dealers in contraband knowledge may be unerringly pointed out and detected in their contemptible occupation. a letter may be opened, read, and resealed never so carefully, yet by means of these tests the opening can be satisfactorily proved, and the opener brought to justice, at least so far as a removal from office can answer the ends of punishment. a knowledge of this secret plan rests solely with the post master general and his special agents, and it can only be communicated to the latter under the most positive injunctions of secrecy. it will be applied in all cases where there is reasonable ground for believing that correspondence has been tampered with. the legal penalty for this offence is five hundred dollars fine, and imprisonment for twelve months. chapter xxxiv. special agents. the institution of special agents did not originate in this country. at a comparatively early period it constituted a part of the british postal system, and these agents are termed "post-office surveyors." this corps of officials has ever been considered by the english government one of the most important adjuncts of the post-office department. in the early history of the department in our own country persons were occasionally employed, in cases of emergency, to act as its representatives, and to exercise temporary supervision over some of the various branches of the mail service; but the special agent system, as it now exists, was first organized in the year , while the hon. amos kendall was at the head of the department. the number of special agents in the united states has been gradually increased since their first establishment, and is now eighteen, suitably distributed throughout the country, each one having a district assigned him as the particular field of his operations, but to act elsewhere if so ordered. it is not the intention to enter into an argument for the purpose of proving the usefulness of this branch of the department. if this has not been shown by the facts recorded in the former part of this volume, as well as by the many prominent and familiar cases all over the country, which have been so successfully conducted by other members of the corps, it would be in vain to attempt it now. i would only say a few words respecting the power of this system, to _prevent_ crime. there are some persons in the world of firm principles and unbending rectitude, who need not the aid of outward circumstances for the maintenance of an upright character. but perhaps the majority of mankind require some external helps in the way of restraints, from public opinion, and even the threatenings of the law. on such the fear of detection frequently acts in a most salutary manner, deterring from the commission of crime, and sometimes leading to a higher motive for right conduct than apprehension of punishment. in more than one instance, after the conclusion of some important case of depredation, i have been informed that money-letters, passing upon other routes than the ones under suspicion, and even at a considerable distance, have been regarded with a reverence never felt for them before. a portly envelope was considered a sort of trojan horse, filled with the elements of destruction, ready to overwhelm the explorer of its treacherous recesses. this extraordinary caution was owing, of course, to the knowledge (which often gets out in spite of the utmost endeavors to prevent it) that the special agent was abroad; and when once a person has been thoroughly impressed with the danger of tampering with the forbidden thing, he does not soon nor easily yield to the whisperings of the tempter. the duties of a special agent of the post-office department involve a constant and vigilant supervision of all its interests. this embraces a much wider range of action, and requires much higher qualifications on the part of those who undertake it, than any simply "detective" service. it is believed that neither congress nor the public generally attach such a degree of importance to the office in question as it really possesses, both in itself and in the estimation of the department. this is perhaps owing to the fact that so great a proportion of its duties have of late been connected with the investigation of cases of depredation upon the mails. this has given the corps of special agents the apparent character of mere "detective officers," while in truth they are much more than this. the qualifications which a special agent should possess are numerous and diverse; some, indeed, not often found in connection with one another. a high degree of shrewdness and tact is required, in order to estimate probabilities rightly, and to pursue investigations in such a way as to avoid attracting attention or exciting alarm. and an essential pre-requisite to success is a good knowledge of human nature. to calculate beforehand with correctness what a given person will do under certain circumstances, and thus to anticipate his movements, and make him subservient to the execution of your plans; to vary the mode of approach to suspected persons, according to the combinations of circumstances and the shades of character existing in the case in hand; to do all this, and much more of a like description, demands no small knowledge of the workings of the human mind. it is comparatively an easy matter to follow up a mail robber when once upon his track, (though there is often nicety even in this,) but to collect the scattered rays of suspicion and conjecture, and to bring them together into one focus, throwing its revealing glare upon the criminal, requires a higher order of intellect than any after operations. and the caution which is always necessary in the conducting of these cases, in order to secure a successful result, is called for not only for the sake of detecting the guilty, but in order that the innocent may not suffer blame. it often happens that circumstances of the strongest kind indicate the guilt of some person, who, notwithstanding, is entirely free from all connection with the crime. never, perhaps, is a stronger temptation to hasty and indiscreet procedures offered than by such a state of things. yet he who is guided by discretion, is not led away by the dazzling hope of immediate success in his investigation, but, aware how fallacious are sometimes the strongest appearances, he considers the question before him with coolness and deliberation, fully conscious of the priceless value of character, and reluctant to make any movement that might unjustly throw a shadow upon it. from the nature of their employment, special agents are constantly brought in contact with the most intelligent and prominent men in the community, who justly expect to find the post-office department represented by men of gentlemanly bearing, fair education, correct deportment, and sound discretion. the absence of any of these qualities, especially of all of them, would lower the standing of the department with those whose good opinion is most valuable, and would naturally cause speculations on the reasons why persons so deficient in the qualities necessary to make them acceptable to people of discernment, should have been appointed to such a responsible post. it would hardly be just to hold the department responsible for the existence of all such evils, as there is always danger that the influence and diplomacy of politicians may be used for the purpose of securing appointments to persons who are unfit for them. if the time ever comes when politicians shall act upon truly patriotic principles, then we may reasonably expect that the appointing of subordinate officers of this department will be left to those in whose power the law has placed it, undisturbed by pressure from without. the duties of a special agent are often made more difficult by the thoughtlessness or curiosity of those whom he meets in the course of his official business. the maintenance of secrecy is absolutely necessary to much success in his plans. it is perfectly obvious that the measures taken to detect a rogue should be concealed from him, and it is generally no less important that he should not know that any one is on his track. the public at large, however, seem to think themselves at liberty to inquire of an agent all about his plans; where he is going, whom he is in pursuit of, and any other matters that curiosity may suggest. often have i been saluted, on entering an omnibus or a railroad car, with the question, "well, h----, who has been robbing the mails now?" thus making the person of the agent known to all within hearing, and perhaps to some from whom it were very desirable to keep such knowledge. i received a similar salutation once from a thoughtless acquaintance, in the presence of a delinquent post-office clerk whom i was watching, and to whom i was before unknown. in country places, also, agents are often brought to their wit's end for answers to the questions proposed, which shall be satisfactory to the querist, and keep within the bounds of truth. sometimes they find themselves compelled, in anticipation of this annoying curiosity, to take refuge in a mercantile character, inquiring the price of butter, and other "produce." at other times, with parental solicitude, they inform themselves of the comparative merits of different boarding-schools; or they, in pursuance of their own policy, discuss policies of "life insurance." i was once indebted to the system alluded to for my escape from the fangs of an inquisitive landlord. in the investigations of the case then in hand, it was of the utmost importance that the presence of an agent of the department, on that route, should not be known. so when mine host commenced his inquiries, i informed him that i had thought of delivering a lecture on life insurance, and asked him whether he supposed that an audience could be got together in the village. he appeared very much interested in the matter, and offered to guarantee at least five hundred hearers for the proposed lecture. one evening, while i was in my room employed in preparing decoy letters, he called upon some errand, and, observing me at work among some papers, he said: "ah, at work on your lecture, are you? well, i won't disturb you." we went so far as to make some arrangements for the printing of hand-bills, &c., but the mental illumination which the inhabitants of the village had in prospect, was extinguished by my disappearance, accompanied by a culprit, whom it was more important to secure than even an "audience of five hundred." during the examination of the criminal, my worthy host inquired of me, with a sagacious wink, how the "life insurance" business flourished? it may not be out of place here to allude to an erroneous idea respecting the powers of special agents, which prevails to some extent, namely, that the agents are permitted by the department to open letters addressed to other persons, where the interests of justice seem to require it. this is contrary to the truth. an agent has no more power or right than any other person to open letters not belonging to him, for whatever purpose he may wish to do so. should he see fit to break a seal, he does it at his own responsibility. the law makes no exceptions in his favor. and the department cannot confer this power of opening letters, because no such power has been given it. the post master general is as accountable to the laws as any private citizen. chapter xxxv. route agents. this is the designation of a very useful and indispensable class of officials, who were hardly known to the service in this country previous to the year . their introduction appears to have been contemporaneous with the employment of railroads for the transportation of the u. s. mails, and a necessary consequence of the adoption of this mode of conveyance. the number of these agents has been progressively increased in proportion with the extension of railroads, and they are now employed upon nearly all these roads in this country, as well as upon many of the steamboats which carry the mails. since , they have increased as follows:-- in there were " " " " " " " " " " " " by the terms of contract with each railroad company, it is required to furnish a suitable car for the use of the mail or route agent when so requested by the department. the agent occupies this traveling post-office, or mail car, receives and delivers mails along the route; assorts, and gives the proper direction to all mail matter passing through his hands; mails such letters, pre-paid _by stamps_, as are handed him, and accompanies the mails in their transit between the post-office and the railroad station or steamboat, at the terminus of the route. it is too often the case that persons of influence, in proposing a candidate for this responsible post, greatly undervalue the nature and importance of the duties to be performed, supposing that they involve merely the mechanical labor of delivering mail bags at the different post-office stations upon the route. the fact is, that the successful working of our postal machinery depends in no small degree upon the active, faithful, and intelligent discharge of the route agents' duties. in new england especially, and perhaps in some other sections of the country, a very large proportion of the correspondence passes through the hands of these officials, at some stage in its progress. much care, and a thorough knowledge of the topography of the sections of the country through which the route lies, as well as that of more distant portions, are therefore required for giving letter and other packages a direction by which they will reach their destination in the shortest possible time. and that essential preliminary, the ascertaining where a given package is to go, is a matter not always easy of accomplishment. for the most skilful interpreters of the species of chirography known as "quail tracks," are often taxed to their utmost capacity of learning and experience, in the endeavor to decipher the outside addresses of packages which they are required to "distribute" without loss of time. furthermore, in consequence of the improvements constantly progressing in many parts of the country, and the frequent changes in railroad, steamboat, and stage connections, resulting from that and other causes, what would be correct "distribution" one day, might not be so the next. the old adage, "the longest way round is the shortest way home," is often literally true in the sending of mail matter, for steam occupies less time in accomplishing a circuitous route of a hundred miles, than horses in passing over a direct one of twenty. on the other hand, it sometimes happens that a long route by stage should be adopted, instead of a short one by railroad, owing to a want of the proper railroad connections. when all these demands upon the vigilance and ability of the route agent are exercised, it will be obvious that it would be difficult to estimate the amount of injury that the public might receive from the employment of a careless, inefficient, or illiterate person in this position. among the post master general's instructions to route agents is one requiring them to receive and mail all letters written after the closing of the mail at the places where the writers reside, and before its departure. this privilege--intended solely for the accommodation of those who are prevented by unavoidable circumstances from depositing their letters in the post-office--has of late been used, or rather abused, to a degree never dreamed of by the department. this abuse, in many cases, has proceeded to an extent which would seem to warrant the withholding of the privilege. tardy and indolent correspondents, who can save a few steps by taking their letters to a mail car or steamboat, instead of to the proper place of deposit, a post-office, find the hard-worked route agent an invention admirably calculated to facilitate the indulgence of their lazy habits, and do not scruple to avail themselves of the opportunity to the utmost extent. there is also a numerous class who entertain feelings of hostility toward their post master for various reasons; not unfrequently from the failure of their own attempts or those of their friends to obtain the office which he holds. these persons show their resentment by withholding their mail matter from the post-office, and thus cheating the incumbent out of his lawful commissions. in carrying out this plan, they make the route agent an innocent accessory, by placing all their correspondence in his car just before the departure of the train, thus unnecessarily increasing his labor for the sake of gratifying their own malice. another class, fully persuaded of the truth of the principle that "seeing is believing," and unwilling to trust in anything less reliable than their own eyes, deposit their letters with the agent rather than in the post-office, in order to avoid the innumerable perils which might beset them in their passage from the custody of the post master to that of the agent! these cautious persons are not satisfied without ocular demonstration of the departure of their letters, so that if the letters should fail to reach their destination, they would still have the pleasing consciousness that they had done all in _their_ power to avoid such a catastrophe. still another class confide their letters to the route agent, from a belief that letters, especially valuable ones, will thus go forward more safely and expeditiously. but this is an incorrect idea, for in the first place the pressure of other indispensable duties, such as receiving, assorting, and delivering mails, may occupy so much of the agent's time that he will find it impossible to mail all the letters handed him, in which case they would often suffer at least a day's delay. and as to the supposed additional safety of money-letters, when sent in this way, it may be remarked that in case of a serious collision happening to the train while the letters were still loose, the chances of their loss from destruction or theft, would be much greater than if they were properly secured in a locked mail-pouch. important losses have occurred in this way, and of course they may happen at any time. in behalf of the route agents, whose duties, at best, are sufficiently arduous, the public are earnestly requested to exercise the privilege referred to only in accordance with its original intention, namely, in reference to letters which _cannot_ with due diligence be mailed in the ordinary way. another important regulation contained in the route agents' instructions, is that which forbids the admission within the mail car of any one except those officially connected with the department. the strict enforcement of this rule is well for all concerned, and should be cheerfully acquiesced in by the railroad companies and the public at large. nor should its application in individual cases be construed, as has sometimes been done, into a distrust of the honor or honesty of the person refused admittance. it is done simply in pursuance of a wholesome and reasonable requirement, and with the view to confine responsibility to those upon whom it is placed by the department, and to guard against hindrances to the faithful and accurate discharge of their duty. the faithfulness of one of the route agents, in respect to a compliance with instructions, was a few years since tested by the post master general in person, who happened to be travelling _incog._, so far as those on that train were concerned. just as the cars were about to leave one of the stations, judge hall, then post master general, presented himself at the door of the mail apartment, when the following conversation occurred:-- _post master general._--good morning, sir; i would like a seat in your car to avoid the dust. _agent._--well, i would like to accommodate you, but you see what my instructions say, (at the same time pointing to the printed circular posted up in the car, with the signature of "n. k. hall" attached.) _p. m. general._--yes, that is all well enough, but mr. hall probably did not mean to exclude honorable gentlemen who would not interfere with the mails, or annoy you with conversation. _agent._--(scanning the person of his unknown visitor pretty closely)--suppose he didn't, what evidence have i that you are an honorable gentleman? besides, i am a strict constructionist, and the order says no person is allowed here except those connected with the department. judge hall insisted upon staying, however, and deliberately took a seat in the only chair on the premises. whereupon the agent proceeded to call the baggage-master to assist in forcibly ejecting this persevering customer; and he certainly would have _gone out_, had he not without loss of time presented his card to the incensed agent, just in time to prevent so ludicrous a denouement. he was warmly commended for his faithfulness, and highly enjoyed the visit of his distinguished guest during the remainder of his stay. chapter xxxvi. decoy letters. those who may have perused the preceding pages of this work, will require no further comment on the nature and utility of decoy letters. but as some persons are met with who, without much reflection, condemn their use under all circumstances, it may be well to offer a few remarks in defence of this practice. it is very clear that decoy letters can never injure honest men. these missives trouble no one who does not unlawfully meddle with them, and it can hardly be claimed that they offer any greater temptations to the dishonestly inclined than any other class of money-letters. it is of course impossible for any one to distinguish between a decoy letter and a genuine one, and he who faithfully discharges his duties in reference to other letters, will never find out by his own personal experience, that there are such things as decoys. it should not be forgotten that these devices are employed for the public good, and that the security of a vast amount of property, as well as the removal of unjust suspicion, often depends upon the detection of some delinquent post-office employé. in such a case, it would surely be foolishly fastidious to object to the adoption of a method of effecting the desired end, which accurately distinguishes between the innocent and the guilty, and which does injustice to no one. in the defence of criminals tried in the united states courts, for mail robbery, whose detection has been effected by means of decoy letters, especially in cases where there seems to be no other ground of defence, it is frequently insisted on very eloquently, that as the law of congress on this subject provides against the embezzlement of letters "intended to be conveyed by post," no offence is committed by the purloining of decoys, inasmuch as this class of epistles are not _bonâ fide_ letters, and are not intended to be conveyed in the mail, within the true intent and meaning of the statute. this position has been overthrown, however, as often as it has been assumed, and it is believed that the decisions on this point, of all the united states judges before whom the question has been raised, have been uniform throughout the country. in a recent important trial in the city of new york, before his honor judge betts, the decoy system received a severe hetchelling from the learned counsel for the prisoner, and after the evidence had been laid before the jury, the court was asked to dismiss the case and the culprit, on the ground that the offence provided against in the twenty-first section of the act of , had not been committed. but his honor took a very different view of the matter, as will appear by the following extract from his decision:-- judge betts remarked to the jury that the facts upon which the indictment is found being uncontroverted, the question of the prisoner's guilt depends solely upon points of law. when facts are ascertained, it is the province of the court to determine whether they come within the provisions of the law sought to be applied to them; and, although in criminal cases the jury gives a general answer, covering both the law and fact, to the inquiry whether the accused is guilty or not guilty, it is not to be supposed they will, in a case resting wholly upon a question of law, render a verdict in opposition to the instructions of the court. the defence of the accused assumes that the twenty-first section above recited, in order to a conviction under it, demands affirmative proof from the prosecution that the letters were _intended to be conveyed by post_, according to their address: and it is urged that such proof not being made, but on the contrary, the evidence being that the writer of the letters did not intend they should be so delivered, but meant to take them out of the mail himself, to prevent their delivery, if they were not embezzled in the office in this city, the acts done by the accused are no offence under the statute. i think that construction of the statute cannot be maintained in respect to letters actually in the mail, and especially in this case, where the letters had been conveyed by post and came into this office by the mail from other offices. it is a presumption of law, and not a matter of proof, that letters so circumstanced, were intended to be conveyed by post. the question of intention is no longer referable to the private purpose of the writer, whatever might be the fact when letters are given to persons employed in the post-office department, out of the office, for the purpose of being put into it or conveyed by mail. when, however, a letter already in the mail is purloined, ( mclean r. ; id. ,) or is embezzled by a carrier on the route, ( curtis r. ,) it is, in judgment of law, intended to be conveyed by post, within the meaning of the statute, and the private purpose and intention of the person who put it in the mail, is in no way material, and need not be proved. nor indeed, if the accused can prove, or it is made to appear upon the evidence of the prosecution, that the letter was placed in the mail or came into a post-office, prepared and intended as a decoy, and was not intrusted to the mail in the way of bonâ fide correspondence, is the criminality of taking it thereby absolved: even if the evidence advances another stage, and shows that the decoy was aimed at and intended for the particular person caught by it, (_the united states_ v. _laurence_, mclean r. ; _the united states_ v. _foye_, curtis r. - .) these decisions enforce the manifest policy of the statute. the post-office establishment, and the enactments maintaining the security of its action and the fidelity of persons employed in it, compose a great national measure, and the laws governing and protecting it are to be construed so as to subserve the public good, and not with a view to what might be a reasonable rule in transactions between individuals. but i apprehend that even in individual transactions, the agents of a bank, a merchant's clerk, or a domestic servant could not protect themselves against a criminal or civil charge of appropriating the effects of their employers, by proof that the property had been placed within their reach by its owner, in distrust of their honesty, and for the purpose of testing it. the method adopted by the department to detect offenders under this law, does not appear to me objectionable in the point of view pressed by the counsel for the accused. no further temptation or facility to the commission of the offence is thereby placed before such offenders than must necessarily be presented in the daily business of their trusts. these packages were in every respect the same in appearance, and with only the same indications of enclosing money, as ordinary letters by which remittances are made. and it seems to me when it comes to be understood by persons handling such packages in the mail or destined for it, that a watchful eye may be following each package from office to office, and noticing everything done to it, that the apprehension of such supervision may act almost with the force of a religious consciousness of accountability, in awing wicked purposes and preventing criminal actions. i am persuaded that letters would rarely be intercepted in their transmission by post, if every person concerned in mailing or carrying them, could be impressed with the idea that each package enclosing valuables, may be but a bait seeking to detect whoever may be dishonest enough to molest it, and to become a swift witness for his conviction and punishment. the jury convicted the prisoner, and on the th day of december, , he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. supplementary chapter. practical information. the design of the author, in the preparation of the present volume, would be but imperfectly answered, were he to fail to communicate that practical information which it is very desirable that the public at large should possess, both for their own sake and that of those connected with the mail service. for, an accurate knowledge of the requirements of the law upon leading points, would obviate much of the disappointment and unpleasant feeling to which mistaken views on the subject give rise. there are popular errors on many matters connected with post-office regulations which are every day causing trouble and vexation, and which can only be corrected by presenting the facts as they are. this information is not accessible to the public in general; at least, it is out of the way, and is not kept before the people. the department publishes, at irregular intervals, an edition of its laws and regulations for the use of post masters, each of whom is supplied with a copy; and this, with the exception of the ordinary newspaper record of the laws as they are passed, is the only source of information upon this subject open to people in general. the detail of regulations established by the department, seldom finds its way into the papers, and correspondents are left to acquire their knowledge respecting it by (sometimes sad) experience. it is the intention of the author to supply these deficiencies in part at least, avoiding, however, all laws and regulations likely to be changed by legislation, or the constructions put upon them by the chief officers appointed from time to time to administer those laws. post masters being already provided with the official instructions pertaining to their duties, a repetition here is deemed unnecessary farther than a knowledge of the laws and regulations may be essential to the public. for the items of information presented below, the author relies in part on the suggestions of his own experience, but they are mainly compiled from the established regulations of the post-office department, and such of the decisions of its chief officers as are likely to remain permanently in force:-- * * * * * missing letters, etc. that the loss or delay of letters, valuable or otherwise, is often caused by the dishonesty or carelessness of those to whose custody they are committed, must be acknowledged. still, in a large proportion of such cases, the cause is to be found in some one or a combination of those curious omissions and mistakes to which all correspondents--but more especially men deeply involved in business pursuits--are so liable. the records of the dead letter office, if consulted, would present a list of delinquents in this particular, embracing the names of hundreds of individuals and firms, ranking as the most exact and systematic persons in the community. a similar examination of the official reports of the special agents and post masters, would further show to what an extent such losses are attributable to a want of fidelity and proper care on the part of persons employed to convey letters to and from the post-office. suggestions as to the remedies are hardly called for. so far as relates to misdirections, as they are most apt to occur with persons and mercantile houses of extensive correspondence, an excellent precaution may be found, in requiring the post-office messenger, after the letters have been prepared for the mail, to enter in a book kept for that purpose, the full outside address of each letter, with the date of mailing. in case any one of them is incorrectly addressed, and fails to reach its intended destination, a reference to the book of superscriptions will show where the missing document was sent, and lead to its immediate recovery. if correctly addressed, that fact would appear, and materially aid in an official investigation. this, together with the adoption of a greater degree of care than is at present exercised, in the selection of persons to act as private letter carriers, would greatly reduce the number of losses, mishaps, and complaints in connection with the mails. where it is possible, but one person should be sent to the post-office. the name of the writer or firm, written or printed on the letter, is an advantage in case of miscarriage. when a valuable letter is missing from any cause, the fact should be at once reported to the post master, in writing, with full particulars, and a search made by the complainants, of the pockets of any spare over-coats about the premises. where letters are delivered by a public letter carrier, or penny post, a locked box or some other safe place of deposit for the letters thus left, should be provided. a neglect of this precaution, is the cause of many annoyances and losses. the address of letters intended for delivery in cities, should include, if possible, the occupation, street and number of the party addressed. when a letter is, by mistake or owing to a duplicate name, delivered to the wrong person, it should be immediately returned to the post-office with a verbal explanation, and not be dropped into the letter box. if inadvertently opened by the party taking it from the office, the fact should be endorsed on the back of the letter, with the name of the opener. experience has shown that locked letter boxes or drawers opening on the outside, especially in cities and large towns, are unsafe, as depositories of letters, especially those containing articles of value. no letters should be given to route agents upon the cars or steamboats, except such as cannot be written before the closing of the mail at the post-office. under no circumstances can route agents receive letters that are not pre-paid _by stamps_. when there are good grounds for believing that letters are opened and read from motives of curiosity, complaint should be made in writing to the chief clerk of the post-office department, washington. a secret plan for the certain detection of _prying_ delinquents has recently been devised. two or more letters directed to different persons, cannot be sent by mail in one envelope or packet, without subjecting the sender to a fine of ten dollars. this does not apply to any letter or packet directed to a foreign country. costly and delicate articles of jewelry or other valuables, should not be placed in a letter, as they are liable to serious injury in the process of stamping. it is a violation of law to enclose a letter or other thing (except bills and receipts for subscription,) or to make any memorandum in writing, or to print any word or communication, after its publication, upon any newspaper, pamphlet, magazine, or other printed matter. the person addressed must pay letter postage, or the sender be fined five dollars. if a letter is deposited in a post-office, and the enclosure accidentally omitted, or it becomes necessary to alter or add to the contents, it is much better to _write another letter_, than to trouble those in the office to look for the original one. in large places, especially, a successful search for it, even immediately after its deposit, would consume much valuable time, and such a request is altogether unreasonable, when the remedy suggested is so simple and cheap. on calling or sending for a letter known to have been advertised, the fact should always be stated, otherwise only the _current_ letters are examined. although it is strictly the duty of post masters and other agents of the department, to correct or report such errors in the mail service as may come to their knowledge, it is, nevertheless, desirable that any private citizen should inform the department of continued neglect or carelessness in the execution of mail contracts or mismanagement in a post-office. legal provision has been made by congress, by which letters may be sent _out_ of the mail in cases of emergency. by the use of the government envelope, _with the stamp printed thereon_, and constituting a part thereof, letters may be so sent, provided the envelope is duly sealed, directed, and addressed, and the date or receipt or transmission of such letter written or stamped thereon. the use of such envelope more than once, subjects the offender to a fine of fifty dollars. a letter or ordinary envelope with a postage stamp _put on_ by the writer, _cannot_ go out of the mail (except by private hand,) for the reason that the law confines the matter entirely to the envelopes furnished by the department. were the privilege extended to the other kind of stamps, there being no way to cancel them, by their re-use, extensive frauds upon the revenue would be the result. a singular notion seems long to have prevailed that it is no violation of law to send an _unsealed_ letter outside of the mail. this makes no difference whatever. even if the paper written upon is not folded, it is a letter. where bundles of newspapers are sent in the mail to "clubs," without the names of the subscribers upon the papers, the post master is under no official obligation to address them. still the department enjoins a spirit of courtesy and accommodation towards publishers and the public, in all such matters. a person receiving a letter from the post-office by mistake, or finding one in the street or elsewhere, can under no pretence designedly break the seal without subjecting himself to a severe penalty. a printed business card or the name of the sender, placed upon the outside of a circular, subjects it to double postage; and for any writing, except the address, letter postage is charged. the following are among the established rules and regulations of the department founded upon existing statutes of congress:-- only the dead letters containing enclosures of value, are required by law to be preserved and returned to their owners; but if the writer of a letter not containing an enclosure of value desires to have his letter preserved, it will be done if he pre-pay the letter and mark the words "to be preserved," in large characters, on the sealed side. upon the return of his letter he will be required to pay the postage from washington. the masters of steamboats under contract with the department, will deliver into the post-offices (or to the route or local agent of the department, if there be any,) at the places at which they arrive, all letters received by them, or by any person employed on their boats, at any point along the route. masters or managers of all other steamboats, are required by law, under a penalty of thirty dollars, to deliver all letters brought by them, or within their care or power, addressed to, or destined for, the places at which they arrive, to the post masters at such places: _except letters relating to some part of the cargo_ and left unsealed. all letters not addressed to persons to whom the cargo, or any part of it, is consigned, are therefore to be delivered into the post-office, to be charged-with postage. every master of a vessel from a foreign port is bound, immediately on his arrival at a port, and before he can report, make entry, or break bulk, under a penalty not to exceed $ , to deliver into the post-office all letters brought in his vessel, directed to any person in the united states, or the territories thereof, which are under his care or within his power, except such letters as relate to the cargo or some part thereof. stage coaches, railroad cars, steamboats, packetboats, and all other vehicles or vessels performing regular trips at stated periods, on a post route between two or more cities, towns, or places, from one to the other, on which the united states mail is regularly conveyed under the authority of the post-office department, are prohibited from transporting or conveying, otherwise than in the mail, any letter, packet, or packets of letters, (except those sealed and addressed and pre-paid by stamped envelopes, of suitable denominations,) or other mailable matter whatsoever, except such as may have relation to some part of the cargo of such steamboat, packetboat, or other vessel, or to some article at the same time conveyed by such stage, railroad car, or some vehicle, and excepting also, newspapers, pamphlets, magazines, and periodicals. a newspaper, pamphlet, circular, or other printed sheet, if in a wrapper, should be so folded and wrapped that its character can be readily determined; and so that any prohibited writing, marks, or signs upon it may easily be detected. if closely enveloped and sealed it is chargeable with letter postage. no post master or other privileged person can authorize his assistant, clerk, or any other person to write his name for the purpose of franking any letter, public or private. the personal privilege of franking travels with the person possessing it, and can be exercised in but one place at the same time. no post master or privileged person can leave his frank behind him upon envelopes to cover his correspondence in his absence. money and other valuable things, sent in the mail, are at the risk of the owner. but, if they be lost, the department will make every effort in its power to discover the cause, and, if there has been a theft, to punish the offender. letters can be registered on the payment of the registry fee of five cents for each letter. post masters, assistants, and clerks, regularly employed and engaged in post-offices, and also post riders and drivers of mail stages, are by law exempt from military duty and serving on juries, and from any fine or penalty for neglect thereof.--_act of_ , _sec._ ; _act of_ , _sec._ . a post master will suffer no person whatever, except his duly sworn assistants, or clerks and letter carriers, who may also have been sworn, to have access to the letters, newspapers, and packets in his office, or whatever constitutes a part of the mail, or to the mail locks or keys. if no special order upon the subject has been made in regard to his office, a post master is allowed seven minutes only to change the mail. if the mail be carried in a stage, coach, or sulky, it will be the duty of the driver to deliver it as near the door of the post-office as he can come with his vehicle, but not to leave his horses, and he should not be permitted to throw the mail on the ground. post masters will not suffer newspapers to be read in their offices by persons to whom they are not addressed; nor to be lent out in any case, without permission of the owners. if newspapers are not taken out of the office by the person to whom they are addressed, the post master will give immediate notice to the publishers, and of the cause thereof if known. packets of every description, weighing more than four pounds, are to be excluded, except public documents, printed by order of either house of congress, or such publications or books as have been or may be published, procured, _or purchased_, by order of either house of congress, or joint resolution of the two houses, and legally franked. newspapers and periodicals to foreign countries (particularly to the continent of europe) must be sent in narrow bands, open at the sides or end; otherwise they are chargeable there with letter postage. drop and box letters, circulars, free packets containing printed documents, speeches, or other printed matter, are not to be advertised. if newspapers are carried out of the mail for sale or distribution, post masters are not bound to receive and deliver them. pamphlets and magazines for immediate distribution to subscribers cannot be so carried without a violation of the law of congress. the great mails are to be closed at all distributing offices not more than one hour before the time fixed for their departure; and all other mails at those offices, and all mails at all other offices, not more than half an hour before that time, unless the departure is between o'clock, p. m., and , a. m., in which case the mail is to be closed at , p. m. postage stamps and stamped envelopes, may be used in pre-payment of postage on letters to foreign countries, in all cases where such pre-payment can be made in money. a letter bearing a stamp, cut or separated from a stamped envelope, cannot be sent through the mail as a pre-paid letter. stamps so cut or separated from stamped envelopes lose their legal value. it is expected that a disposition to accommodate will prompt a post master to search for and deliver a letter, on the application of a person who cannot call during the usual office hours. no person can hold the office of post master, who is not an actual resident of the city or town wherein the post-office is situated, or within the delivery of the office.--_sec._ _of act of_ . letter postage is to be charged on all hand-bills, circulars, or other printed matter which shall contain any manuscript writing whatever. when the mail stops over night where there is a post-office, it must be kept in the office. any person wishing a letter mailed direct, and not to be remailed at a distributing office, can have his directions followed by writing the words "mail direct" upon the letter. the use of canvas bags of any kind, for any other purposes than the conveyance of mail matter, subjects every person so offending, to all the penalties provided in the th section of the act of . contractors, mail carriers, and others in the service of the department, are by no means free from censure in this respect, and increased vigilance in the detection of such practices, and the prompt and indiscriminate punishment of the offenders, have recently been enjoined by the post master general. some of the laws are often violated by persons not connected with the post-office, and it is proper, therefore, that all classes should be made acquainted with the penalties which attach to such offences. for this reason the following extracts from the laws are here inserted:-- _act of_ . sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that if any person shall, knowingly and wilfully, obstruct or retard the passage of the mail, or of any driver or carrier, or of any horse or carriage, carrying the same, he shall, upon conviction for every such offence, pay a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars; and if any ferryman shall, by wilful negligence, or refusal to transport the mail across any ferry, delay the same, he shall forfeit and pay, for every ten minutes that the same shall be so delayed, a sum not exceeding ten dollars. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that if any person employed in any of the departments of the post-office establishment, shall unlawfully detain, delay, or open any letter, packet, bag, or mail of letters, with which he shall be intrusted, or which shall have come to his possession, and which are intended to be conveyed by post; or, if any such person shall secrete, embezzle, or destroy any letter or packet intrusted to such person as aforesaid, and which shall not contain any security for, or assurance relating to money, as hereinafter described, every such offender, being thereof duly convicted, shall, for every such offence, be fined, not exceeding three hundred dollars, or imprisoned, not exceeding six months, or both, according to the circumstances and aggravation of the offence. and if any person, employed as aforesaid, shall secrete, embezzle, or destroy any letter, packet, bag, or mail of letters, with which he or she shall be intrusted, or which shall have come to his or her possession, and are intended to be conveyed by post, containing any bank-note or bank post bill, bill of exchange, warrant of the treasury of the united states, note of assignment of stock in the funds, letters of attorney for receiving annuities or dividends, or for selling stock in the funds, or for receiving the interest thereof, or any letter of credit, or note for, or relating to, payment of moneys, or any bond, or warrant, draft, bill, or promissory note, covenant, contract, or agreement whatsoever, for, or relating to, the payment of money, or the delivery of any article of value, or the performance of any act, matter, or thing, or any receipt, release, acquittance, or discharge of, or from, any debt, covenant, or demand, or any part thereof, or any copy of any record of any judgment or decree in any court of law, or chancery, or any execution which may have issued thereon, or any copy of any other record, or any other article of value, or any writing representing the same; or if any such person employed as aforesaid, shall steal, or take, any of the same out of any letter, packet, bag, or mail of letters, that shall come to his or her possession, such person shall, on conviction for any such offence, be imprisoned not less than ten years, nor exceeding twenty-one years; and if any person who shall have taken charge of the mails of the united states, shall quit or desert the same before such person delivers it into the post-office kept at the termination of the route, or some known mail carrier, or agent of the general post-office, authorized to receive the same, every such person, so offending, shall forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding five hundred dollars for every such offence; and if any person concerned in carrying the mail of the united states, shall collect, receive, or carry any letter, or packet, or shall cause or procure the same to be done, contrary to this act, every such offender shall forfeit and pay, for every such offence, a sum not exceeding fifty dollars. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that if any person shall rob any carrier of the mail of the united states, or other person intrusted therewith, of such mail, or of part thereof, such offender or offenders shall, on conviction, be imprisoned not less than five years, nor exceeding ten years; and, if convicted a second time of a like offence, he or they shall suffer death; or, if, in effecting such robbery of the mail, the first time, the offender shall wound the person having custody thereof, or put his life in jeopardy, by the use of dangerous weapons, such offender or offenders shall suffer death. and if any person shall attempt to rob the mail of the united states, by assaulting the person having custody thereof, shooting at him or his horse or mule, or threatening him with dangerous weapons, and the robbery is not effected, every such offender, on conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment, not less than two years nor exceeding ten years. and, if any person shall steal the mail, or shall steal or take from, or out of, any mail, or from, or out of any post-office, any letter or packet; or, if any person shall take the mail, or any letter or packet therefrom, or from any post-office, whether with or without the consent of the person having custody thereof, and shall open, embezzle, or destroy any such mail, letter, or packet, the same containing any article of value, or evidence of any debt, due, demand, right, or claim, or any release, receipt, acquittance, or discharge, or any other article, paper, or thing, mentioned and described in the twenty-first section of this act; or, if any person shall, by fraud or deception, obtain from any person having custody thereof, any mail, letter, or packet, containing any article of value, or evidence thereof, or either of the writings referred to, or next above-mentioned, such offender or offenders, on conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned, not less than two, nor exceeding ten years. and, if any person shall take any letter or packet, not containing any article of value, nor evidence thereof, out of a post-office, or shall open any letter, or packet, which shall have been in a post-office, or in custody of a mail carrier, before it shall have been delivered to the person to whom it is directed, with a design to obstruct the correspondence, to pry into another's business or secrets; or shall secrete, embezzle, or destroy any such mail, letter, or packet, such offender, upon conviction, shall pay, for every such offence, a sum not exceeding five hundred dollars, and be imprisoned not exceeding twelve months. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that if any person shall rip, cut, tear, burn, or otherwise injure, any valise, portmanteau, or other bag, used, or designed to be used, by any person acting under the authority of the post master general, or any person in whom his powers are vested, in a conveyance of any mail, letter, packet, or newspaper, or pamphlet, or shall draw or break, any staple, or loosen any part of any lock, chain, or strap, attached to, or belonging to any such valise, portmanteau, or bag, with an intent to rob, or steal any mail, letter, packet, newspaper, or pamphlet, or to render either of the same insecure, every such offender, upon conviction, shall, for every such offence, pay a sum not less than one hundred dollars, nor exceeding five hundred dollars, or be imprisoned not less than one year, nor exceeding three years, at the discretion of the court before whom such conviction is had. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that every person, who, from and after the passage of this act, shall procure, and advise, or assist, in the doing or perpetration of any of the acts or crimes by this act forbidden, shall be subject to the same penalties and punishments as the persons are subject to, who shall actually do or perpetrate any of the said acts or crimes, according to the provisions of this act. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that if any person shall buy, receive, or conceal, or aid in buying, receiving, or concealing, any article mentioned in the twenty-first section of this act, knowing the same to have been stolen or embezzled from the mail of the united states, or out of any post-office, or from any person having the custody of the said mail, or the letters sent or to be sent therein; or if any person shall be accessory after the fact to any robbery of the carrier of the mail of the united states, or other person intrusted therewith, of such mail, or of part thereof, every person, so offending, shall, on conviction thereof, pay a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, and be imprisoned and confined to hard labor for any time not exceeding ten years. and such person or persons, so offending, may be tried and convicted without the principal offender being first tried, provided such principal offender has fled from justice, or cannot be found to be put on his trial. _act of_ . sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that if any person shall be accessory after the fact, to the offence of stealing or taking the mail of the united states, or of stealing or taking any letter or packet, or enclosure in any letter or packet sent or to be sent in the mail of the united states, from any post-office in the united states, or from the mail of the united states, by any person or persons whatever, every person so offending as accessory, shall, on conviction thereof, pay a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, and be imprisoned for a term not exceeding five years; and such accessory after the fact may be tried, convicted, and punished in the district in which his offence was committed, though the principal offence may have been committed in another district, and before the trial of the principal offender: _provided,_ such principal offender has fled from justice, or cannot be arrested to be put upon his trial. _sec._ , _act of_ . * * * and if any person shall counterfeit the hand-writing or frank of any person, or cause the same to be done, in order to avoid the payment of postage, each person, so offending, shall pay, for every such offence, five hundred dollars. _sec._ , _act of_ . _and be it further enacted_, that if any person or persons shall forge or counterfeit, or shall utter or use knowingly, any counterfeit stamp of the post-office department of the united states issued by authority of this act or by any other act of congress, within the united states, or the post-office stamp of any foreign government, he shall be adjudged guilty of felony, and, on conviction thereof in any court having jurisdiction of the same, shall undergo a confinement at hard labor for any length of time not less than two years, nor more than ten, at the discretion of the court. _sec._ , _act of_ . * * * and any person who shall falsely and fraudulently make, utter, or forge any postage stamp with the intent to defraud the post-office department, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and on conviction shall be subject to the same punishment as is provided in the twenty-first section of the act approved the third day of march, eighteen hundred and twenty-five, entitled "an act to reduce into one the several acts establishing and regulating the post-office department." _act of_ . sec. . * * * and any person who shall forge or counterfeit any postage stamp provided or furnished under the provisions of this or any former act, whether the same are impressed or printed on or attached to envelopes or not, or any die, plate, or engraving therefore, or shall make or print, or knowingly use or sell, or have in his possession with intent to use or sell, any such false, forged, or counterfeited die, plate, engraving, or postage stamp, or who shall make or print, or authorize or procure to be made or printed, any postage stamps of the kind provided and furnished by the post master general as aforesaid, without the especial authority and direction of the post-office department, or who, after such postage stamps have been printed, shall, with intent to defraud the revenues of the post-office department, deliver any postage stamps to any person or persons other than such as shall be authorized to receive the same, by an instrument of writing duly executed under the hand of the post master general, and the seal of the post-office department, shall, on conviction thereof, be deemed guilty of felony, and be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment not exceeding five years, or by both such fine and imprisonment. sec. . * * * and if any person shall use or attempt to use in pre-payment of postage, any postage stamp which shall have been before used for like purposes, such person shall be subject to a penalty of fifty dollars for every such offence, to be recovered in the name of the united states, in any court of competent jurisdiction. _sec._ , _act of_ . * * * if any person employed in any department of the post-office, shall improperly detain, delay, embezzle, or destroy, any newspaper, or shall permit any other person to do the like, or shall open, or permit any other to open, any mail, or packet, of newspapers, not directed to the office where he is employed, such offender shall, on conviction thereof, forfeit a sum not exceeding fifty dollars, for every such offence. and if any person shall open any mail or packet of newspapers, or shall embezzle or destroy the same, not being directed to such person, or not being authorized to receive or open the same, such offender shall, on conviction thereof, pay a sum not exceeding twenty dollars for every such offence. and if any person shall take, or steal, any packet, bag, or mail of newspapers, from, or out of any post-office, or from any person having custody thereof, such person shall, on conviction, be imprisoned, not exceeding three months, for every such offence, to be kept at hard labor during the period of such imprisonment. if any person shall enclose or conceal a letter, or other thing, or any memorandum in writing, in a newspaper, pamphlet, or magazine, or in any package of newspapers, pamphlets, or magazines, or make any writing or memorandum thereon, which he shall have delivered into any post-office, or to any person for that purpose, in order that the same may be carried by post, free of letter postage, he shall forfeit the sum of five dollars for every such offence. _act of_ . sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that it shall not be lawful for any person or persons to establish any private express or expresses for the conveyance, nor in any manner to cause to be conveyed, or provide for the conveyance or transportation, by regular trips, or at stated periods or intervals, from one city, town, or other place, to any other city, town, or place, in the united states, between and from and to which cities, towns, or other places, the united states mail is regularly transported, under the authority of the post-office department, of any letters, packets, or packages of letters, or other matter properly transmittable in the united states mail, except newspapers, pamphlets, magazines, and periodicals; and each and every person offending against this provision, or aiding and assisting therein, or acting as such private express, shall, for each time any letter or letters, packet or packages, or other matter properly transmittable by mail, except newspapers, pamphlets, magazines, and periodicals, shall or may be, by him, her, or them, or through his, her, or their means or instrumentality, in whole or in part, conveyed or transported contrary to the true intent, spirit, and meaning of this section, forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that it shall not be lawful for any stage coach, railroad car, steamboat, packetboat, or other vehicle or vessel, nor any of the owners, managers, servants, or crews of either, which regularly perform trips at stated periods on a post route, or between two or more cities, towns, or other places, from one to the other of which the united states mail is regularly conveyed under the authority of the post-office department, to transport or convey, otherwise than in the mail, any letter or letters, packet or packages of letters, or other mailable matter whatsoever, except such as may have relation to some part of the cargo of such steamboat, packetboat, or other vessel, or to some article at the same time conveyed by the same stage coach, railroad car, or other vehicle, and excepting also, newspapers, pamphlets, magazines, and periodicals; and for every such offence, the owner or owners of the stage coach, railroad car, steamboat, packetboat, or other vehicle or vessel, shall forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred dollars; and the driver, captain, conductor, or person having charge of any such stage coach, railroad car, steamboat, packetboat, or other vehicle or vessel, at the time of the commission of any such offence, and who shall not at that time be the owner thereof, in whole or in part, shall, in like manner, forfeit and pay, in every such case of offence, the sum of fifty dollars. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that the owner or owners of every stage coach, railroad car, steamboat, or other vehicle or vessel, which shall, with the knowledge of any owner or owners, in whole or in part, or with the knowledge or connivance of the driver, conductor, captain, or other person having charge of any such stage coach, railroad car, steamboat, or other vessel or vehicle, convey or transport any person or persons acting or employed as a private express for the conveyance of letters, packets, or packages of letters, or other mailable matter, and actually in possession of such mailable matter, for the purpose of transportation, contrary to the spirit, true intent, and meaning of the preceding sections of this law, shall be subject to the like fines and penalties as are hereinbefore provided and directed in the case of persons acting as such private expresses, and of persons employing the same; but nothing in this act contained shall be construed to prohibit the conveyance or transmission of letters, packets, or packages, or other matter, to any part of the united states, by private hands, no compensation being tendered or received therefore in any way, or by a special messenger employed only for the single particular occasion. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that all persons whatsoever who shall, after the passage of this act, transmit by any private express, or other means by this act declared to be unlawful, any letter or letters, package or packages, or other mailable matter, excepting newspapers, pamphlets, magazines, and periodicals, or who shall place or cause to be deposited at any appointed place, for the purpose of being transported by such unlawful means, any matter or thing properly transmittable by mail, excepting newspapers, pamphlets, magazines, and periodicals, or who shall deliver any such matter, excepting newspapers, pamphlets, magazines, and periodicals, for transmission to any agent or agents of such unlawful expresses, shall, for each and every offence, forfeit and pay the sum of fifty dollars. [the th section of the act of august , , provides that letters enclosed in "government envelopes," so called, having the stamp _printed_ thereon, may be conveyed _out of the mail. provided_, that the said envelope shall be duly sealed, or otherwise firmly and securely closed, so that such letter cannot be taken therefrom without tearing or destroying such envelope; and the same duly directed and addressed, and the date of such letter, or the receipt or transmission thereof, to be written or stamped, or otherwise appear on such envelope.] * * * "and if any person shall use, or attempt to use, for the conveyance of any letter, or other mailable matter or thing, over any post-road of the united states, either by mail or otherwise, any such stamped letter envelope which has been before used for a like purpose, such person shall be liable to a penalty of fifty dollars, to be recovered, in the name of the united states, in any court having competent jurisdiction."--_sec._ , _act of_ . [newspapers for subscribers may go in or out of the mail; but pamphlets, magazines, &c., if intended to supply regular subscribers, must go in the mail.--_act of_ .] _act of_ . sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that all moneys taken from the mails of the united states by robbery, theft, or otherwise, which have come or may hereafter come into the possession or custody of any of the agents of the post-office department, or any other officers of the united states, or any other person or persons whatever, shall be paid to the order of the post master general, to be kept by him as other moneys of the post-office department, to and for the use and benefit of the rightful owner, to be paid whenever satisfactory proof thereof shall be made; and upon the failure of any person in the employment of the united states to pay over such moneys when demanded, the person so refusing shall be subject to the penalties prescribed by law against defaulting officers. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that it shall not be lawful to deposit in any post-office, to be conveyed in the mail, two or more letters directed to different persons enclosed in the same envelope or packet; and every person so offending shall forfeit the sum of ten dollars, to be recovered by action _qui tam_, one half for the use of the informer, and the other half for the use of the post-office department: _provided_, that this prohibition shall not apply to any letter or packet directed to any foreign country. _act of_ . sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that if any person shall steal, purloin, embezzle, or obtain by any false pretence, or shall aid or assist in stealing, purloining, embezzling, or obtaining by any false pretence, or shall knowingly and unlawfully make, forge, or counterfeit, or cause to be unlawfully made, forged, or counterfeited, or knowingly aid or assist in falsely and unlawfully making, forging, or counterfeiting any key suited to any lock which has been or shall be adopted for use by the post-office department of the united states, and which shall be in use on any of the mails or mail bags of the said post-office department, or shall have in his possession any such mail key or any such mail lock, with the intent unlawfully or improperly to use, sell, or otherwise dispose of the same, or cause the same to be unlawfully or improperly used, sold or otherwise disposed of, or who being employed in the manufacture of the locks or keys for the use of the said post-office department, whether as contractor or otherwise, shall deliver or cause to be delivered any finished or unfinished key or lock used or designed by the said post-office department, or the interior part of any such mail lock, to any person not duly authorized under the hand of the post master general of the united states and the seal of the said post-office department to receive the same, (unless such person so receiving the same shall be the contractor for furnishing such locks and keys, or engaged in the manufacture thereof in the manner authorized by the contract, or the agent for such manufacturer,) such person so offending shall be deemed guilty of felony, and, on conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned for a period not exceeding ten years. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that if any person shall steal, purloin or embezzle any mail bags in use by or belonging to the post-office department of the united states, or any other property in use by or belonging to the said post-office department, or shall, for any lucre, gain, or convenience, appropriate any such property to his own, or any other than its proper use, or for any lucre or gain shall convey away any such property to the hindrance or detriment of the public service of the united states, the person so offending, his counsellors, aiders, and abettors, (knowing of and privy to any offence aforesaid,) shall, on conviction thereof, if the value of such property shall exceed twenty-five dollars, be deemed guilty of felony, and shall be imprisoned for a period not exceeding three years; or if the value of such property shall be less than twenty-five dollars, shall be imprisoned not more than one year, or be fined not less than ten dollars, nor more than two hundred dollars, for every such offence. _act of_ . sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that it shall not be lawful for any post master or other person to sell any postage stamp or stamped envelope for any larger sum than that indicated upon the face of such postage stamp or for a larger sum than that charged therefore by the post-office department; and any person who shall violate this provision shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be fined in any sum not less than ten nor more than five hundred dollars. this act to take effect and be in force from and after the commencement of the next fiscal quarter after its passage. _provided_, that nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to alter the laws in relation to the franking privilege. sec. . _and be it further enacted_, that for the greater security of valuable letters posted for transmission in the mails of the united states, the post master general be and hereby is authorized to establish a uniform plan for the registration of such letters on application of parties posting the same, and to require the pre-payment of the postage, as well as a registration fee of five cents on every such letter or packet to be accounted for by post masters receiving the same in such manner as the post master general shall direct: _provided however_, that such registration shall not be compulsory; and it shall not render the post-office department or its revenue liable for the loss of such letters or packets or the contents thereof. [illustration] improved letter case. the delivery of letters can be greatly facilitated by means of a very simple improvement in the letter case for the "general delivery," which has already been adopted to some extent, with the most satisfactory results. in the early history of post-offices, the old-fashioned letter case divided off in alphabetical order, or by vowels, answered a tolerable purpose, and so it would now in very small offices,--but as population increased, and fifty or more letters had to be overhauled before the applicant could receive an answer, some relief both for post masters and the public became absolutely indispensable, and various trifling changes and improvements were adopted--but none of them were found to be "up to the times," till the introduction of the labor and time saving invention called the "square of the alphabet." it is believed to have been originally planned and adopted in the post-office at providence, r. i. since then, the dimensions of the case and the arrangement of the boxes have been varied to suit the amount of business in the comparatively small number of offices that have introduced it. but the size and plan exhibited in the prefixed diagram, is believed to be the most convenient and simple, and well suited to places varying in population, from five thousand to fifty thousand. the practical advantage is, that by the division of the letters when placed in the pigeon holes, at least four applications can be correctly answered, where one can be under the old plan of crowding a large number of letters together. and where this improved case occupies a position opposite the "general delivery" window, many individuals soon learn the location of the box where their letters should be, and in case it is empty, inquiry becomes unnecessary. the rows of letters of the alphabet running horizontally, from left to right, represent the surname, and are several times repeated for convenience, and as an aid to the eye in tracing given initials; while the perpendicular rows of letters stand for the christian name, and are used doubly, to reduce the size of the case. where it is necessary, however, the christian initials can also be placed singly, by enlarging the case, or making it in two sections, using only half of the alphabet for each, placing the two sections in an angular form, or backing one against the other, and putting the entire frame on an upright shaft turning upon a pivot at top and bottom, near the general delivery, so as to admit of turning the case, as the locality of the initials inquired for may require. the plan for example works thus:--john jones calls for a letter. the person in attendance glances at the j. on the horizontal line, and then runs the eye to the range of the j. on the perpendicular line, and that is the box in which jones' letter ought to be. one for isaac jones would be in the same place, in a case constructed after the above arrangement. its dimensions are as follows:-- size of the entire case, feet - / inches, by feet - / inches. size of pigeon holes or letter boxes, - / by - / inches. thickness of outside of case and lettered shelves, / of an inch. intermediate shelves, / inch thick. upright partitions of boxes, / inch thick--partitions cut out concave in front. the legs or supports of the case should be about feet in length, and "white wood" is considered the best material for the entire case. paint can be used for the lettering, or letters printed upon paper, and pasted on separately, will answer the purpose. the end. transcriber's note: * obvious punctuation and spelling errors repaired. * several compound words had dual spellings: they were changed for consistency's sake to the hyphenated form as follows: handwriting =====> hand-writing (p. , , , ) hadbills =====> hnd-bills (p. ) ladylike =====> lady-like (p. , ) missent =====> mis-sent (p. , ) overcoat =====> over-coat (pp. , , , , , , , , ) postmark =====> post-mark (p. , ) prepaid =====> pre-paid (pp. , , , , , ) prepayment =====> pre-payment (p. , ) reelected =====> re-elected (pp. xii, xiii) roommate =====> room-mate (p. , ) selectmen =====> select-men (p. , ) stagecoach =====> stage-coach (p. , ) unduped =====> un-duped (p. xxii) * other changes: depôt (appears six times) and depot ( times) were left as they were. cheerfu changed to cheerful (p. ) therefor changed to therefore (p. )