60 The Dumfries Post Office, 1642-1910. 



General Postmasters Recomending the sd James Gilchrist to the 

 forsd ofifice of Postmaster of this Burgh." 



No further mention of the matter appears in the Council 

 Minutes, but from the following extract from the Burgh Trea- 

 surer's Accounts and tlie subsequent extract from the Council 

 Minutes regarding local postal facilities in 1745, we obtain strong 

 presumptive evidence of the confirmation of the appointment : — 

 Nov. 28th, 1745.— To Cash pd Baillie James 



Gilchrist An Accott of Newspapers p. precipt 



29th Augt 2 7 



In the autumn of 1745 local postal arrangements again 

 engaged the attention of the Council. Under date 5th Augt. of 

 that year we read — 



" The said Day the Magistrats and Councell Recommend to 

 and appoynt the Magistrats with Provost Crosbie and Provost 

 Ewart and Baily James Gilchrist to meet and concurr with the 

 Justices of Peace of this Shyre in applying to the Postmaster 

 Generall to ha^•e the Post comeing from Carlisle to come by 

 Mousewall instead of Bankend and to have the Post to go from 

 this upon tuesday night instead of Wednesday, and to come in 

 upon Wednesday night instead of thursday."^" 



As far as we liave been able to ascertain no report as to the 

 result of these deliberations was given. It is not improbable that 

 the rebellion of 1745 interfered with the proposed arrangements. 



Although the rebellions of 1715 and 1745 seem, for a time at 

 least, to have retarded postal progress in some respects they were 

 the means of considerable improvements in the roads and conse- 

 quent extension of the posts. Thus the mails began to be carried 

 from stage to stage by different post-boys, and in 1765 the posts 

 between Edinburgh and the chief towns of Scotland were extended 

 in frequency from three to six days a week, Dumfries being 

 described as on the G.M. (i.e., The Galloway and Moffat) post. 



At this time one of the principal post offices between Edin- 

 burgh and Dumfries Avas at Annanholm in Wamphray. From 

 that office two riders or postboys were despatched, each with 

 pistols in his belt, the one carrying the letters to and from Dum- 



20. The existing arrangements were still in force on 2ucl Sept., 

 1745. Vide Corrie's " Annals of Glencairn," p. 96. 



