POSTS. 



755 



coach left London for Bristol, and others to differ- 

 ent parts followed, and, before many days had 

 elapsed, it became evident, to every unprejudiced 

 person that the plan would he greatly successful. 

 By the autumn of the same year, that is within 

 tvvelve months of the commencement of the plan, 

 it had been carried into execution with complete 

 success on the principal and direct cross roads. Mr 

 Palmer now asked for his reward ; he applied for 

 the legal instruments of the appointment which 

 had been promised to him, and received a draft 

 thereof, by which he was declared surveyor and 

 comptroller-general of the post-office during life, 

 with full authority to suspend any officers for ne- 

 glect of his own or the postmaster-general's in- 

 structions. His salary was fixed at 1500 a year, 

 with a commission of '2j per cent, upon the surplus 

 of the net revenue beyond 240,000. This ap- 

 pointment was delayed upon different pretexts from 

 time to time, and was ultimately done away with 

 altogether, and an annuity, large in itself, but 

 which was infinitely below the amount Mr Pal- 

 mer was entitled to, settled upon him in professed 

 compensation. 



The beneficial effects of Mr PaLner's arrange- 

 ments were soon felt. For the nine years ending 

 1783 (prior to the commencement of the new sys- 

 tem), the net amount of revenue from the post- 

 office was only 149,333 18s. In 1793, the net 

 revenue was 391,508; and in 1797, it was 

 541,833 ! The facilities afforded for the speedier 

 transmission of correspondence were no less re- 

 markable : generally speaking, the mails were con- 

 veyed in one-half of their previous time; in many 

 cases, in one-third of their previous time; arid in some 

 of the cross posts, in one-fourth! Posts were 

 made daily to above 500 places, which had before 

 only received them thrice a week! Lastly, the 

 delivery of letters became as conspicuous for its 

 regularity and adaptation to the public convenience, 

 as it had been previously notorious for the opposite 

 qualities. The safety enjoyed by correspondents 

 contrasts in an equally extraordinary manner with 

 the previous insecurity. Robberies had been of 

 continual occurrence, and the mere cost of the 

 pursuit and apprehension of the offenders amounted 

 in a single year to several thousand pounds. There 

 is no mystery as to the cause of so wretched a 

 state of things. Mr Palmer states, in the plan 

 presented to Mr Pitt, that " the mail is generally 

 intrusted to some idle boy without character, 

 mounted on a worn-out hack, and who, so far 

 from being able to defend himself, or escape from n 

 robber, is much more likely to be in league with 

 him." Mr Palmer did indeed " reform this alto- 

 gether," for up to 1797 not a single robbery of his 

 mails had taken place, and therefore not a shilling 

 had been lost by the public or expended by the 

 post-office in this way. Most important alterations 

 were made in the domestic management of the 

 post-office. Many gross abuses and equally gross 

 frauds were checked or destroyed for ever; the 

 health and comfort of the clerks were incalculably 

 improved by the abolition of so much midnight 

 employment; and, generally, the entire system was 

 simplified and improved. Lastly, whilst the re- 

 venue had increased as we have seen, the number 

 of newspapers carried free had increased from 

 2,000,000 to 8,000,000. 



One part of Mr Palmer's plan had been to raise 

 the rates of postage. This was probably proposed 

 much with the idea of recommending the scheme 



to the ministers as from any other mofive. The 

 rates were in consequence raised in 1784 to 2d. for 

 the letters which had been previously Id., 3d. fur 

 those which had been 2d., and so on generally 

 through the scale. A suggestion of Mr Palmer's 

 as to remedying the abuses of franking was adopt- 

 ed: it was made imperative that members should 

 write the name of the place where they then were, 

 and the date, in words at full, and that the letter 

 should be posted only as a frank in the post-office 

 of such place and on the day thereon named. In 

 the same year the Irish post-office was established 

 independent of that of England, but the two have 

 been now for several years consolidated. In 1795 

 the abuses of franking again attracted the attention 

 of the legislature; franked letters were now only 

 to carry one ounce, and they were only to pass free 

 when posted within twenty miles of the place 

 where the members concerned were on that or the 

 preceding day. No more than ten also were to be 

 sent or fifteen received daily. Soldiers and sailors 

 were allowed by this act to send letters counter- 

 signed by their officers on payment of Id., and pat- 

 terns, with covers open at the ends, and containing 

 no writing but the prices, and the name and ad- 

 dress of the sender, were to be charged only single 

 postage. Two years after, by the 37th Act of 

 George III., the rates of postage were again raised, 

 an additional Id. being levied upon the lower priced 

 classes of letters, 2d. on the higher. In 1799 the 

 postmaster was empowered to send foreign let- 

 ters by any vessels ; to charge 4d. upon ship let- 

 ters received, for which the shipowner was to be 

 allowed 2d. In 1801 the rates of the higher priced 

 classes of letters were considerably increased : 8d. 

 had been hitherto the maximum, even for distances 

 of 500 miles; the maximum was now made Is. Soon 

 after this, some inconveniences or losses appear to 

 have been incurred by postmasters giving back let- 

 ters to the professed writers ; this was to be done 

 no longer, on any pretence. Members of parlia- 

 ment were authorised at this period to send or re- 

 ceive letters, printed votes, proceedings in parlia- 

 ment, and printed newspapers free, and the post- 

 age on such votes and newspapers was reduced to 

 Id. to the public. The former part of this enact- 

 ment was probably to legalise a privilege then ex- 

 isting not to create a new one. It should seem 

 that government thought the continual increase of 

 the net revenue was owing to the continual increase 

 of the rates of postage, rather than, as was most 

 probably the truth, in spite of them ; so it went 

 on levying addition charges every few years, till its 

 rapacity defeated itself. In 1805 an additional Id. 

 was charged upon all classes of letters; and again, 

 in 1812, on all but the two or three lowest priced 

 classes. The following table, illustrative of the 

 progressive increase in the rates of postage from 

 1765 to 1812, applies strictly to England and Wales 

 only, but shows also with sufficient accuracy the 

 progress of the different rates of postage for Ire- 

 land and Scotland : . 



Not exceeding 15 miles 



Above 20 & not exceeding 30 miles 



50 80 



170 -230 



400 500 



In 1816 the gross revenue amounted to 2,4 18,741, 



the charges of collection of which amounted to 



704,639, leaving a net revenue of 1,619,190 



3 B 2 



