Sd The Dumfries Post Office, 16424910. 



coach is thus described in the " Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser " 

 of date 8th March, 1861 : — 



" Exit the Mail Coach. 



The opening of the Portpatrick Railway for passenger and 

 goods traffic on Tuesday first will cause a considerable alteration 

 in the modes of conveyance hitherto used in the Stewartry. For 

 nearly fifty-one years the mail coach has run from Dumfries to 

 Stranraer, but to-morrow is the last trip from Castle-Douglas of 

 the mail coach. The arrangements made for the conveyance of 

 mails in the meantime is that a small gig will run from Castle- 

 Douglas to Stranraer each day at nearly the same hour as at 

 present, contingent on the arrival of the mail from Dumfries. It 

 is also contemplated to despatch the mail in the afternoon by the 

 five o'clock train instead of half-past three — an arrangement 

 which will be a great boon to the inhabitants south, east, and west 

 of Castle-Douglas. It will allow the boxes in the various places 

 to be kept open upwards of an hour longer than at present, and 

 thus give an opportunity to reply to any communication by the 

 same day's post. The withdrawal of the mail coach will also 

 change the route of passengers from Creetown and Newton-Stewart 

 to Kirkcudbright. Instead of driving round by the coast, travellers 

 will now come by train to Castle-Douglas, and go on by coach to 

 Kirkcudbright — Mr Payne's omnibus waiting the arrival of the 

 train from Stranraer." 



When the railway was first brought into direct touch with 

 Dumfries Mr Thorburn was still in office as Postmaster of the 

 Burgh. Upon him therefore fell the responsibility of carrying 

 out the necessary alterations for the adoption of the new system 

 and for the expeditious delivery of the increased volume of corre- 

 spondence consequent upon the introduction of penny postage. 

 Sub-offices began to spring up in rural districts, and runners were 

 established on roads not previously touched by the post, while 

 pillar and wall boxes began to be erected at convenient points 

 throughout the Burgh. 



Mr Thorburn's tenure of office, as evidenced by the numerous 

 references to the postal facilities of this period which are to be 

 met with in the Records of Dumfries Town Council, must indeed 

 have been one of strenuous activity. 



Thus on 14th Nov., 1850 — "Provost Nicholson laid before the 



