| CHAPTER I |
| Introduction—Master of the Posts—Posts centred in the Sovereign—Instructions |
| for their Regulation—Travelling Post—Object of the Post |
| Office Monopoly | [1] |
| |
| CHAPTER II |
| The Post through the County of Kent—This Post put under the care of De |
| Quester—Stanhope of Harrington, as Master of the Posts, asserts his |
| Rights—Vacillating Decisions of the Privy Council—Sir John Coke—Thomas |
| Witherings | [8] |
| |
| CHAPTER III |
| Decadence of the Posts—Witherings's Plan—Introduction of Postage—Concessions |
| to the common Carrier—Post-haste—Witherings appointed |
| Master of the Inland as well as the Foreign Posts—His Dismissal—Philip |
| Burlamachi—Dissensions between the Lords and Commons—Edmund |
| Prideaux appointed Witherings's Successor | [15] |
| |
| CHAPTER IV |
| Prideaux's Activity—Unauthorised Post set up to Scotland—System of |
| Farming—Prideaux ceases to be Master of the Posts—Secretary Thurloe—The |
| Posts become the Subject of Parliamentary Enactment—Rates of |
| Postage—Letters circulate through London—The Travelling Post not a |
| Source of Revenue—Clement Oxenbridge | [24] |
| |
| CHAPTER V |
| Frequent Change of Farmers—Tediousness of the Course of Post—Existence |
| of the Posts not a matter of common Knowledge—Dockwra's Penny |
| Post—Introduction of Postmarks—Penny Post incorporated into the |
| General Post—Dockwra's Dismissal | [33] |
| |
| CHAPTER VI |
| Posts regarded as Vehicles for the Propagation of Treason—Wildman—Cotton |
| and Frankland—Post Office Establishment—Revenue—Building in |
| Lombard Street—Dispersion of Letters—Salaries and Wages—Newspapers—Drink |
| and Feast Money—Post-horses—Quartering of Soldiers—Postmasters' |
| Emoluments—Scotland—Ireland—Bye-letters—Illicit |
| Traffic—Treasury Control—Post Offices grouped together and let out to |
| farm—Stephen Bigg—Expresses—Flying Packets—State of the Roads—Progress |
| of the Penny Post—Appointment of Secretary and Solicitor—Purchase |
| of Premises in Lombard Street | [43] |
| |
| CHAPTER VII |
| State of the Packet Service—Ship Letters—Special Boats built for the |
| Harwich Station—M. Pajot, Director of the French Posts—Establishment |
| of West India Packets—Edmund Dummer, Surveyor of the Navy—Regulations |
| for the Management of the Packet Stations—Conditions |
| of Employment—Smart and Bounty Money—Passes required for Passengers—and |
| for Goods—Regulations habitually infringed—Smuggling—Packets |
| forbidden to give Chase—Practice on Capture of a Prize—Packet |
| Stations at Falmouth and at Harwich conducted on different Principles—Packets |
| employed to carry Recruits—Letters not to be carried in Foreign |
| Bottoms—Court-Post—Restoration of Packet Service with Flanders—John |
| Macky, Packet Agent at Dover—The Postmasters-General act as |
| Purveyors of News to the Court—Their Interview with Godolphin—Posts |
| set up for the Army in Flanders—Packet Establishment placed on |
| a Peace Footing—Dummer's Bankruptcy and Death | [72] |
| |
| CHAPTER VIII |
| American Posts—Thomas Neale—Andrew Hamilton—Ocean Penny Postage—Posts |
| transferred to the Crown—Become self-supporting | [110] |
|
| |
| CHAPTER IX |
| Condition of the Post Office in Scotland at the time of the Union—Inaction |
| of the English Post Office—Charles Povey—William Lowndes—Diversion |
| of Postage from the Crown to the Public—Postage Rates increased—Electoral |
| Disabilities—Restrictions on the common Carrier—Modification |
| of the Penny Post—Post-horses—Franking—Illicit Traffic in Letters—Treasury |
| Inconsistency—Post Office Farmers converted into Managers—Treaty |
| with France—Matthew Prior—Single and Double Letters—Change |
| of Postmasters-General—Disagreements with Merchants—Twopenny |
| Post—Comparative Statement of Revenue—Gross and Net Revenue |
| confounded | [117] |
| |
| CHAPTER X |
| Allen's Contract—General Review—The Secretary's Dismissal—Earl of Abercorn's |
| Complaint—Sketch of Allen's Plan—His Qualifications for carrying |
| it into effect—His local Knowledge—His Difficulties with Postmasters—Post-boys—Illegal |
| Conveyance of Letters—Contrast between Allen's Mode |
| of Procedure and that of the Post Office—Posts increased in Frequency—Opening |
| of Letters—Falmouth Packets—Late Delivery of Foreign |
| Letters—Erection of Milestones—Letters containing Patterns and Writs—Apertures |
| to Letter-boxes—Expresses—Highwaymen—Bank Notes—Decadence—Allen's |
| Death | [146] |
| |
| CHAPTER XI |
| Penny Post—Franking—Newspapers—Clerks of the Roads—Numbering of |
| Houses—Scotch and Irish Posts—Receiving Offices—Gratuities on Delivery—Appeal |
| to the Courts—Appointment of Letter-carriers—Attempt |
| to curtail the Limits of the Penny Post frustrated—Benjamin Franklin—Post |
| Office Monopoly in matter of Horses abolished—Disfranchising Act—Causes |
| of Disquietude | [187] |
| |
| CHAPTER XII |
| Palmer's Plan—Objections—First Mail-coach—Post-coach—Increase in Rates |
| of Postage—Restrictions upon Franking—Obstruction alleged—Anthony |
| Todd—Transitional Period—Stages—Earlier Closing of the General |
| Post Office—Emoluments from Bell Ringing—Internal Dissensions—Tankerville's |
| Dismissal—Corruption—Surveyors—Conditions of Palmer's |
| Appointment—Abuses—Fees and Perquisites—Expresses—Registration—Palmer's |
| Improvements—Packet Service—Smuggling—Flagitious Expenditure—Todd's |
| Emoluments—Pitt's Indisposition to expose Abuses—Lord |
| Walsingham—Daniel Braithwaite—Essays in Cause of Economy—Milford |
| Haven and Waterford Packets—Pitiable Condition of the Clerks |
| of the Roads—The King's Coach—His Illness and Prayer for his Recovery—Strange |
| Treatment of Official Papers—George Chalmers—Palmer's |
| Jealousy—Mail Guards—Creation of a Newspaper Office—Walsingham |
| attempts to check Irregularities—His inveterate Habit of Scribbling—Exposes |
| an Attempt at Imposition—Curious Practice as regards the |
| Delivery of Foreign Letters—Earl of Chesterfield—Insubordination on |
| Palmer's Part—Appeal to Pitt—Charles Bonnor—Palmer's Suspension—Chesterfield's |
| Letter—Interview with Pitt—A Second Interview—Palmer's |
| Dismissal—Bonnor's Promotion | [208] |
| |
| CHAPTER XIII |
| Model of Mail coach—Patent Coaches—Thomas Hasker—His pithy Instructions—Roof-loading—The |
| King's Interest in his Coach—General Result |
| of Palmer's Plan—Condition of the country Post Offices—Francis Freeling—Enlargement |
| of the General Post Office—Communication with |
| France—Bank Notes cut in half—Letter-carriers put into Uniform—Grant |
| to Post Office Servants—Development of the Penny Post—Edward |
| Johnson—Excessive Absence among the Letter-carriers—By the Penny |
| Post prepayment ceases to be compulsory—The Ten-mile Limit—Origin |
| of the Twopenny Post—Dead Letter Office—American and West Indian |
| Correspondence—Correspondence for the India House—Post with the |
| Channel Islands—Further Restrictions on Franking—Bankers' Franks—Patterns |
| and Samples—Metropolitan Cart Service—Horse and Cross |
| Posts—Rates of Postage increased—Mysterious doings of the Packets—Brilliant |
| Engagements—Post Office Usage—Counsels' Fees—New Years' |
| Gifts—Todd's Indifference to Censure—His Death | [281] |
| |
| CHAPTER XIV |
| Ship-letter Office—Increase in Rates of Postage—Abolition of the Penny |
| Post—Invoices and Bills of Lading—Convention Posts—Prosecutions—Auckland's |
| Pleasantries—Repressive Powers—Guarding the Horse-mails—Recovery |
| of stolen Mail Bag—Troubles with Contractors—Surveyors |
| deprived of their Post Offices—Rates of Postage again increased—Threepenny |
| Post—Post Office Revenue—William Cobbett—Early or Preferential |
| Delivery—Treatment of Foreign Newspapers—Newspaper Summaries—The |
| Times—Olney Post—-Death-blow to Convention Posts—Turnpike |
| Trusts—Exemption from Toll—Roads discoached—Yet further |
| Increase in Rates of Postage—Bewildering Complications—Want of |
| Publicity—Exemption from Toll abolished in Scotland—Returned-letter |
| Office—New Ship-letter Act—Mail Service to India and the Cape—Generosity |
| of the East India Company—Eulogistic Letter | [328] |
| |
| CHAPTER XV |
| The Irish Post Office—British Mail Office—Earl of Clancarty—Edward Smith |
| Lees—Abuses—Express Clerks and Clerks of the Roads—Alphabet—Provision |
| for Soldiers' Wives—Thomas Whinnery, Postmaster of Belfast—Charles |
| Bianconi—Holyhead Packets—Opposition Packets started by |
| Lees—Steam Packets—Competition—Land Communication with Ireland—London |
| and Holyhead Coach—Sir Arthur Wellesley—State of the |
| Roads—Road between Holyhead and Shrewsbury—Thomas Telford—John |
| London Macadam—Road between Shrewsbury and London—Postage |
| over the Conway and Menai Bridges | [366] |
| |
| CHAPTER XVI |
| Appointment of Second Postmaster-General abolished—Other Economies—Transfer |
| of the Falmouth Packets to the Admiralty—Speed of Mail-coaches—Mail-coaches |
| the Disseminators of News—Newspapers—Sir |
| Henry Parnell—Royal Commission—General Review—Gerrard Street—Headquarters |
| of the General Post Office removed to St. Martin's-le-Grand—Branch |
| Offices—Morning Delivery expedited—First Mail sent by Railway—Duke |
| of Richmond—Incorporation of the Irish Post Office with |
| the Post Office of Great Britain—Lord Althorp—Limits of the General |
| Post Delivery—Packet Service put up to public Competition—Abolition |
| of the Newspaper Privilege—Dissatisfaction with the Post Office—Money |
| Order Office—Unsatisfactory Returns to the House of Commons—Indisposition |
| to carry out Reforms—More unsatisfactory Returns—New Contract |
| for Mail-coaches—Freeling's Despondency—and Death | [396] |
| |
| APPENDIX | [429] |
| |
| INDEX | [439] |