[497] 45 Geo. III, cap. 1, § 1.
[498] 52 Geo. III, cap. 88, § 2.
[499] 7 Will. IV & 1 Vict., cap. 34, § 28.
[500] 2 & 3 Vict., cap. 52, § 1.
[501] 3 & 4 Vict., cap. 96, § 4.
[502] Vide Annual Reports of the Postmaster-General 1859 et seq.
[503] British Official Records, 1863.
"The public felt aggrieved at the restriction, and, as the difficulty of defining samples in all cases could not be overcome, it was decided to reduce the inland letter postage to such an extent as would enable the public to send through the post in closed covers not only patterns and samples, but also any light articles for a moderate charge; thus abolishing altogether the distinction between letters and samples, and providing a cheap and convenient post for small parcels."—Seventeenth Report of the Postmaster-General, London, 1871, p. 4.
[505] Report of Select Committee on Estimates of Revenue Departments, 1888, p. 24.