662 



POSTS. 



few items, either peculiar to Germany, or otherwise 

 interesting. The stage-coaches, almost all over 

 Germany, are united with the post-offices, and are 

 called Fahrende Fasten (driving posts). With the 

 many disadvantages connected with this state of 

 things, there is at least one advantage, that, by 

 these posts, which travel, of course, slower than 

 tetter-mails, parcels, &c., may be sent as safely 

 as letters. In several German states, letters 

 can be " recommended," when they are specified 

 on the way bill, for which higher postage is paid. 

 If any person wishes to communicate something to 

 all the post-offices of a certain line (for example, 

 an inquiry after an important parcel), an open 

 paper may be sent by mail, which is read and for- 

 warded by all the respective postmasters. Esta- 

 fettes (q. v.) may always be had. In some states, 

 it is permitted to pay a sum, not beyond a certain 

 amount, to any postmaster, and to send the receipt 

 therefor to any other part of the state, where the 

 postmaster who receives it is obliged to pay the 

 sum. For the remittance of small sums this is 

 very convenient, particularly for the poorer classes. 

 A receipt for the delivery of any letter purporting 

 to contain a particular sum, may always be had, 

 and this sum is paid, if th,e letter is lost in the 

 regular course of transportation. If the letter, 

 however, should arrive in good order, and no money 

 be found in it, the government would not be answer- 

 able in consequence of such a receipt. But if a 

 man goes to the post-office with an open letter, and 

 encloses a certain sum therein in the presence of 

 the postmaster, the. receipt of the government makes 

 him liable, at all events, for the safe transportation 

 of the money. 



Something was said, in the beginning of this 

 article, respecting the origin of the posts in France. 

 During the reign of Louis XIII., 161030, the 

 French system of posts received a more regular 

 form from the establishment of a controller- general 

 of posts. They, as well as the postmasters named 

 in 1630, received the revenue, till at length the 

 minister Louvois, in the reign of Louis XIV., 

 1076, farmed out the posts to a certain Patin, and 

 committed to him the regulation of the postage. 

 In 1688, when the post was farmed out for the 

 third time, the revenue amounted to 1,400,000 

 francs (a franc is about 10 pence), and, in 1695, 

 when it was sold by auction unconditionally, to 

 2,000,000 francs. In 1733, this revenue amounted 

 to 3,000,000, principally because the regency, in 

 1719, had abolished the academical couriers (on 

 which account the university at Paris had assigned 

 to it, from the revenue of the post-office 300,000 

 francs yearly, which was paid to it till the begin- 

 ning of the revolution). In 1738, the post estab- 

 lishment was taken under royal management, in 

 order that the government might find out the true 

 income. The result of this was an increase of the 

 sum at which it was farmed out. In 1786, when it 

 was leased for the twenty-third time, the sum paid 

 amounted to 10,800,000 francs. At the expiration 

 of the last lease, in 1791, when the establishment 

 reverted to the king, it produced a clear income of 

 more than 11,000,000 francs. From 1814 to 1822, 

 the average yearly returns of the letter posts were 

 21,890,000 francs: now, these returns amount to 

 26,560,000 francs, which is the postage of 

 60,000,000 letters. Besides these, there are 

 letters and packets free of postage, so that the 

 whole may be reckoned at 110,000,000, without 

 including 25,000 sheets of Parisian periodicals, sent 

 daily to the departments, and 25,000 others which 

 are published and circulated in the departments. 

 The revenue from the post-office of Paris is yearly 



4,310,000 francs. 40,000 letters are sent daily 

 from Paris into the interior and abroad, of which 

 28 30,000 pay postage, and from 10 to 12,000 are 

 free ; and 30,000 arrive daily, of which 18,000 

 pay postage ; thus 25,550,000 letters yearly arrive 

 at and are sent from Paris. From the time of Louis 

 XV. till the time of the revolution, general inten- 

 dants were almost always placed at the head of the 

 post-office department, principally chosen, as in 

 Spain and Italy, from men of the highest rank, 

 because their place was always near the king. For 

 the superintendence of the letter-post and post- 

 masters, a particular council was appointed, under 

 the presidency of the head of the department, and 

 consisting of three general inspectors. Since 1819, 

 the letter and extra posts (posies relais\ the last o f 

 which were left to the postmasters for their own 

 advantage, have been united under the same 

 department. A general director is chief of the 

 whole post system, as in all the important branches 

 belonging to the ministry of finance. In every one 

 of the French departments is a post-inspector ; 

 every post-office has a director, a controller, and 

 such number of assistants as circumstances may 

 require. The postmasters stand, indeed, in respect 

 to extra posts, under the general director, but have 

 a particular council of direction, consisting of three 

 general inspectors. The management of the post 

 department is very simple, and the system of 

 accounts worthy of imitation. The course of busi- 

 ness is very much facilitated by the Instruction 

 generate sur le Service des Pastes, published in 

 1808, and still in force. Till the revolution, which 

 took away all privileges, the postmasters enjoyed 

 great immunities, with regard to landed property, 

 the quartering of soldiers, the military duties of 

 their sons, &c. They were under the ministry of 

 the royal household, had their commissions signed 

 by the king, and enjoyed considerable salaries. 

 For these reasons, they were willing to transport 

 the mail at first for the trifling price of three, after- 

 wards of ten sous, per pound for a stage. The 

 national assembly gave them for their lost privi- 

 leges, under the name of salary, a small compensa- 

 tion of 2 400 francs. Afterwards, in October, 

 1823, the postmasters received thirty sous for the 

 horse for the transportation of the mail and public 

 expresses ; likewise for the couriers twenty-five 

 sous. All the mails in France are accompanied 

 by responsible couriers (service des malles); they 

 likewise transport money and individuals, each of 

 whom pays two francs a stage for a place, and may 

 carry fifteen pounds of luggage. The directors- 

 general of the posts make contracts with the post- 

 masters for the transportation of the mail and public 

 expresses, but are not bound to ketp them strictly, 

 as it is only the extra posts to which the postmasters 

 have an undisputed claim. Couriers are of two 

 kinds, great and small. The first traverse the 

 principal routes, as through Lyons to Italy, through 

 Bourdeaux to Spain and Portugal, through Stras- 

 burg to Germany, &c. The route of the last is 

 through the interior, and they are dependent upon 

 private enterprise. The couriers of the great post 

 have covered carriages, with three horses. Since the 

 return of Louis XVIII . to France, the carriages of the 

 couriers upon the great routes have become much 

 handsomer and more commodious. This was owing 

 to the suggestions of the king, who had compared 

 their tasteless structures with the light construction 

 of the British. This gave rise, it is true, to com- 

 plaints from the owners of the old carriages against 

 the postmasters, which were even brought into the 

 chamber of deputies, but finally settled by an agree- 

 ment concluded September, 1822. Since 1791, the 



