The Development of Rates of Postage Part 30

_As for Example_--

Anie fight at Sea: any distress of his Ma^{ts} s.h.i.+pps, (w^{ch} G.o.dd forbidd), anie wrong offered by any other nation to any of y^{e} Coaste of England, or anie of his Ma^{ts} forts: the Posts being punctually paid, the newes will come sooner then thought.

It wilbe, thirdlie, alledged that this service maie be [^p]tended by the Lo: Stanhope to be in his graunt of Post M^{r} of England. To w^{ch} is answered, neither the Lo: Stanhope, nor anie other that ever enjoyed the Postm^{s} place of England, had any benefitt of the carrying and recarrying of the subiects L[~r]es: beside, the profitt is to paie y^{e} Posts of the Road, w^{ch} next unto his Ma^{tie}, belong to y^{e} office of the s^{d} Lo: Stanhope, and upon determina[=co]n of any of the s^{d} Posts places, by death or otherwise, the Lo: Stanhope will make as much of them as hath heretofore bin made by this said advancement of all theire places.

The Lord Stanhope now enioying what either hee or any of his Predecesso^{s} hath ever heretofore done to this day.

(Indorsed by Sec. c.o.ke)

"Proposition for Missive Letters."

--_Report from Secret Committee on the Post Office_ (_Commons_), 1844, Appx., pp. 55-6.

(iv) THE MONOPOLY AND THE GENERAL FARM OF THE POSTS.

No. 1.

"Whereas heretofore sundry wayes have bene devised to redresse the disorders among the postes of our realme in generall, and particularly to prevent the inconveniences, both to our owne service and the lawfull trade of the honest merchants, by prohibiting that no persons whatsoever should take upon them, publiquely or privately, to procure, gather up, receive ... any packets or letters to or from the countreys beyond the seas, except such our ordinarie posts and messengers for those parties, etc."--royal Proclamation, April 26th 1591.

No. 2.

"There has long been a constant trade betwixt London and Norwich in sundry sorts of stuffs and stockings made in Norwich and Norfolk, which trade has always been maintained by the merchants of Norwich employing their stocks in buying wares of the makers and sending them up weekly in carts by common carriers to London, whence they are dispersed into all parts of this kingdom, and also exported to foreign parts, in which intercourse of trade we always had our letters safely and speedily carried by our common carrier, by a horseman, not in manner of postage by change of horses, but as is usual by common carriers, and for little or no charge to us. Of late Mr. Witherings has intercepted our letters and molested our carriers, forbidding them to carry any of our letters otherwise than to go along with their carts, and no faster."--Pet.i.tion to Privy Council, 1638; J. W. Hyde, _The Post in Grant and Farm_, London, 1894, p. 131.

No. 3.

" ... By a Proclamation dated about July 1635 his Majestie did expresse his pleasure, that _Thomas Witherings_ should have the carriage of the said letters who would settle it in a better and more speedy course; thereupon he undertook the said work, and for a long time, after his said undertaking, it cost him some weeks 20l. 30l. 40l. more than he received, to the great weakening and hazard of the ruine of his estate.

It is verie true, that untill he had his patent of his Office granted unto him for his life, which was in the yeare 1637, he did in some places lay horses of his owne, in others he did make use of the ordinarie Post-horses, and because he desired quick dispatch, hee paid them for a guide and a horse to carrie the male 6d. _per_ mile, after not conceiving a guide necessarie he made only use of one horse, and paid 3d. _per_ mile.... for the other Posts, they have 3d. _per_ mile which is more than ordinarie pay. But the objection which seems to carrie the greatest shew, or colour of probabilitie with it is; That the P^{mrs} had formerly 4,000_l._ _per annum_ fee, onely for carrying his Majesties packets, that Witherings hath reduced this to 2,053l. _per annum_, and yet puts a greater burthen upon them by carrying his male; hath displaced many of them and received 4,000l. for Post places."--_Full and cleare answer to a false and scandalous Paper ent.i.tuled: The humble Remonstrance of the grievances of all his Majesties Posts of England, together with Carriers, Waggoners, etc._, 1641, pp. 2, 3.

No. 4.

Reasons presented to the Committee for Postmasters why the office should not be farmed:--

(1) What is of public interest, if farmed, often becomes a great public grievance.

(2) The postmasters who have served faithfully and others who run best to Lynn, Yarmouth, etc., must be restrained and will complain as they did in 1642 to the late Parliament which ordered them redress.

(3) By farming, the pay of postmasters will be made so inconsiderable that they will grow careless.

(4) The expectations of the people now at this juncture so highly raised to hopes of ease and freedom, will be disappointed when they see new monopolies.

Suggestions for reducing the office into one channel, for easing the people, encouraging the postmasters and raising money for the public:--

1. To declare it unsafe for private persons to erect post stages without licence.

2. To chose faithful persons in all the roads and appoint a supervisor on each road.

3. To declare that you have appointed them postmasters and give power to their controller only to sign labels for speedy conveyance of mails and give them writs of a.s.sistance.

Signed by Robert Girdler and seven others.--_Calendar of State Papers_ (_Domestic Series_), 26th November, 1652.

No. 5.

Offers of the well-affected postmasters to the Posts' Committee....

The order of the Council in the case of the Inland Post Office being that it be improved to the greatest advantage either by farm or account, they conceive the advantages consist not so much in the advance of money, as the service and safety of the State, and beg to offer,

1. That persons of known integrity may be employed in all parts, and a sufficient salary allowed, as becomes a trust of that great concernment.

2. That a fit person be appointed for the control thereof, according to orders from the State, etc.

3. As righteousness exalteth a nation, it is hoped that after the expense of so much blood and treasure, the very things adjudged and condemned in others (viz. monopolies) will not now be practised, but that next to public safety, you will be tender of the people's just liberty; for both by the laws of G.o.d and man it is lawful for every man to employ himself in a lawful calling, especially in that to which he has been bred, and it is also lawful for divers men to employ themselves in one calling, otherwise there must be as many callings as men.

4. For avoiding of many inconveniencies that will follow in the farming of it, viz.

The persons depositing or obliging themselves for so much money a year, will not lay out themselves and their estates without expectation of profit, which must arise either out of the people's letters or postmasters' labour, besides the hazard to the Commonwealth; for notwithstanding the faithfulness of the postmasters yet if they will not do their work at their rates (which may prove an oppression too heavy, like that in Egypt) others shall.--_Calendar of State Papers_ (_Domestic Series_), May 1653.

No. 6.

"Pet.i.tion of John Mann, Mayor, and 22 aldermen & inhabitants of Norwich:--

"Having much commerce with London we have always employed a faithful and careful messenger to carry letters, bills of exchange, etc., but he has lately been molested by John Manley whose agents have not only rifled and detained our letters and goods, but charged more than double price for small parcels of ware, which is a greater burden to many of us than the monthly a.s.sessment....

"Having bought our liberties at vast expense of blood and treasure, we hope not again to be troubled with distasteful monopolies but to have liberty to convey our letters freely."--_Calendar of State Papers_ (_Domestic Series_), 1653-4, p. 25.

No. 7.

"Also it hinders a man to be as civil as otherwise he would, or might be, in having, or returning an accompt to, or from his friend, many a man in these times being forced to set a greater value of 6d. or 3d.

then of three times as much in former times, when money was more plentiful; and certainly any man but a Farmer wil confess it to be a strange imposition, that a man cannot have an accompt of the condition of his Wife or Family, without paying thrice as much as he need; & it seems as unreasonable for a man to be forced to pay 3d. for what may be done for a penny, (in relation to Letters) as for a man to be compelled to pay thrice as much for meat or any other commodity, as the price currant."--J. Hill, _A Penny Post_, London, 1659, p. 7.

No. 8.

1657, CAP. 30.

_Postage of England, Scotland, and Ireland settled._

"Whereas it hath been found by experience, That the Erection and Settling of one General Post Office, for the speedy Conveying, Carrying, and Re-carrying of Letters by Post, to and from all Places within England, Scotland and Ireland, and into several parts beyond the Seas, hath been, and is the best means, not only to maintain a certain and constant Intercourse of Trade and Commerce betwixt all the said Places, to the great benefit of the People of these Nations, but also to convey the Publique Despatches, and to discover and prevent many dangerous, and wicked Designs, which have been and are daily contrived against the Peace and Welfare of this Commonwealth, the Intellegence whereof cannot well be Communicated, but by Letter of Escript,