400 A. D. 1764. 



of X^8oo, which the company had been permitted to dedud from the 

 public money under their dire6tion for falaries, houfe-rent and other 

 charges, was infufficient, they were now by law indulged with a further 

 allowance of /!^400 a year for the falaries of their clerks and agents in 

 London, Briftol, and Liverpool, the rent of their office in London, and 

 all charges of management in England. [4 Geo. Ill, c. 20.] 



The bounties and encouragements formerly given to the Greenland 

 whale fifliery were continued till 25th December 1767, and after that 

 to the end of the next feflion of parliament. [4 Geo. HI, c. 22.] 



Till now the letters, which were franked, or exempted from paying 

 poflage, were figned by the members of the two houfes of parliament, 

 or other privileged perfons, only at the corner of a blank cover, on 

 which the writer of the letter added the addrefs. This manner of frank- 

 ing was fubjedl not only to forgery, but to many other abufes *, where- 

 by the revenue of the pofl-office was greatly injured. It was therefor 

 now enaded, that after the ifl day of May 1764, no letters fliould be 

 exempted from paying poftage, except thofe fent from, or to, the king, 

 all letters, not exceeding two ounces in weight, fent to any part of Great 

 Britain or Ireland during the feflion of parliament, or within forty days 

 before, or forty days after, any fummons or prorogation of the fame, 

 the whole of the fuperfcription being in the hand-writing of a member 

 ofthehoufe of lords or houfe of commons, and alfo all letters fent 

 to the members. Letters fent to mofi: of the public offices f in Great 

 Britain, Ireland and America, or fent from them, fealed with the office 

 leal or the feal of the principal officer, were alfo exempted from poft- 

 age. And the printed votes and proceedings of parliament, and newf- 

 papers, were permitted to go free, being put in covers open at the ends, 

 and franked by certain clerks of the fecretary of ftate's office, or certain 

 officers of the poft-office. Forgery of franks, was rendered punifliable 

 by tranfportation for feven years. [4 Geo. Ill, c. 24.] In the examina- 

 tion previous to pafling this ad it appeared, that the poftage of franked 

 letters on an average of feveral years paft, was equal to /^i 70,000 a year ; 

 a great part of which was by the new regulation added to the revenue. 



In order to obtai^ a cheaper and furer fupply of hemp and flax, and 

 to encourage the cultivation of it in the American colonies, the parlia- 

 ment granted a bounty of ^,^8 on every tun of clean merchantable hemp, 

 or rough flax, imported from the Britifta American colonies from 24th 

 June 1764 to 24th June 1771, and thence to 24th June 1778 a bounty 

 oi £6, and thereafter to 24th June 1785 of/?4; the pre-emption of all 

 fuch hemp and flax being offi;red to the commiflioners of the navy, and 



* It was common for the fervants of members to afk their mafters to fign great numbers of franks at 

 a time, which they openly fold to people, who made a tiadc of retailing them, 4 



f The ofiSces are enumerated in the aft. 



