GENERAL POST-OFFICE.
THE EARL OF CHICHESTER AND THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY, HIS
MAJESTY'S POSTMASTERS-GENERAL.
Portsmouth and Bristol:
| Contractors' Names. | Number of Passengers. | Miles. | Time allowed. | Dispatched from thePost Office, Portsmouth, 1823, at 7.20, 22nd March. | |||
| In. | Out. | H. | M. | ||||
| Rogers | by Clock. {With a Time-Piece safe. Coach No. 240 sent out {No. 69 to Devonshire. | ||||||
| Rogers | { | 4 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 10 | Arrived at Fareham, at 8.30. |
| 4 | 4 | 12½ | 1 | 50 | Arrived at Southampton, at 10.20. Ten Minutes allowed for Office Duty. | ||
| 10 | |||||||
| Rogers | 3 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 5 | Arrived at Rumsey, at 11.35. | |
| Weeks | 3 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 20 | Arrived at Salisbury, at 1.55. Ten Minutes allowed for Office Duty. | |
| 10 | |||||||
| Hilliar | 1 | 1 | 22 | 3 | 0 | Arrived at Warminster, at 5.5. | |
| Pickwick | { | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 5 | Arrived at Beckington, at 6.10. |
| 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 40 | Arrived at Bath, at 7.50. Ten Minutes allowed for Office Duty. | ||
| 10 | |||||||
| 1 | 2 | 13½ | 1 | 40 | Arrived at the Post-Office, Bristol, the 23 of March, 1823, at 9.40 by Time-Piece at 9.40 by Clock. Devonshire. | ||
| _____________ | |||||||
| 99 | 14 | 20 | |||||
| {Delivered the Time-Piece safe. Coach No. 240 arrived { No. 69 to Office. Thomas Cole. | |||||||
The Portsmouth and Bristol Time Bill.
The Time of working each Stage is to be reckoned from the Coach's Arrival, and as any Time lost, is to be recovered in the course of the Stage, it is the Coachman's Duty to be as expeditious as possible, and to report the Horse-keepers if they are not always ready when the Coach arrives, and active in getting it off. The Guard is to give his best assistance in changing, whenever his Official Duties do not prevent it.
November, 1832.——250.
By Command of the Postmasters-General,
CHARLES JOHNSON,
Surveyor and Superintendent.
In 1826, a coachman on this road was accused of imperilling his passengers through having imbibed too freely, and the Mail Guard was called on in the following letter to report on the matter:—
"General Post Office, 29th July, 1826. Sir,—The passengers who travelled with the Portsmouth and Bristol mail on the 26th instant, having complained that the coachman who drove on that day from Bristol to Warminster was drunk and unfit to drive I have to desire you will explain the reason why you neglected to report to me so great and so disgraceful an irregularity, and also how it happened that you did not know the coachman's name when the passengers asked you for it. I am, sir, yours, etc.,
C. Johnson.—Mr. Folwell, Mail Guard, Bristol."
The explanation is not forthcoming.