I7 
office, it became a connecting link between Penrith, Cockermouth, 
Workington, and Whitehaven. 
Perhaps this development of the service will be better understood 
by the following quotations from Mr. Lewens’ book, Her Mayesty’s 
_ Mails, for which I am also indebted to Mr. Green. 
‘*The principal deputy postmasters are empowered to erect cross-fosts or 
stages, so that all parts of the country may have equal advantages as far as 
practicable, etc. 
3 ** Up to 1720 the lines of post had branched off, from London and Edinburgh 
respectively, on to the principal roads of the two kingdoms ; but the ‘cross-posts,’ 
even when established, had not been efficient, the towns off the main line of 
road not being well served, whilst some districts had no direct communication 
through them. 
**Ralph Allen, who became postmaster of Bath, developed the cross-post 
system largely. By his representations, he induced the Lords of the Treasury 
_ to grant him a lease of the cross-posts for life. His engagements were to bear 
all the cost of his new service, and pay a fixed rental of £6,000 a year, on 
which terms he was to retain all the surplus revenue. 
‘Tn 1764, the cross-posts had extended to all parts of the country. 
** Towards the last, the private project had become so gigantic as to be nearly 
unmanageable, and it was with something like satisfaction that the Post Office 
authorities saw it lapse to the crown. At this time it was considered one of the 
_ chief duties of the surveyors—whose business it was to visit each deputy post- 
master in the course of the year—to see that the distinction between the dye 
letters of the cross-post, the postage of which belonged to Mr. Allen, and the 
_ postage of the general post letters, which belonged to the Government, was 
_ properly kept up. 
*©On the death of Allen, the cross-posts were brought under the control of 
the Postmaster General. An officer, Mr. Ward, was appointed to take the 
Bye Letter Office, as the branch. was now called, at the salary of £300 a year. 
The success of the amalgamation was so complete that at the end of the first 
year, profits to the amount of £20,000 were handed over tothe Crown. After- 
_ wards, the proceeds continued to increase even still more rapidly, so much so, 
q that when in 1799 the Bye Letter Office was abolished, and its management 
transferred to the General Office, they had reached the enormous yearly sum of 
#200,000 ! 
In July, 1802, there arrived at the Queen’s Head, Keswick, in 
_a handsome well-appointed travelling carriage, but without any 
_ Servant, a stylish person who assumed the name of The Honour- 
_ able Alexander Augustus Hope, brother of the Earl of Hopetoun, 
; 2 
