THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



as far back as tlic ancient Persians. Xenophon, indeed, tells 

 us they were invented by Cyrus, on his Scythian expedition, 

 about 500 years befoi'e Christ; that the station-houses were 

 sumptuously built, with accommodations for many men and 

 horses ; and that every courier, on his arrival, was obliged to 

 communicate his despatches to the postmaster, by whom they 

 were immediately forwarded again. Herodotus mentions the 

 singular fact tliat, from the shore of the ^gean Sea to Susa 

 the capital, there were 111 stages for posts, each a day's 

 journey distant from the preceding. 



' It does not, I believe, clearly appear,' continued Mr. Raby, 

 ' in what manner, or when, posts were established among 

 the ancient Greeks ; and, although they are known to have 

 existed among the ancient Romans, it is difficult to trace 

 the period of their introduction among either, Suetonius, 

 however, assures us that Augustus instituted posts along all 

 the great roads of the empire ; and it is also asserted that 

 they were known in the days of the republic, when posts, and 

 post-stations, called statores and stationei:<, were established by 

 the senate. The epistolary correspondence of antiquity, how- 

 ever, was probably at no period so extensive as to require or 

 maintain post-offices on the footing of modern posts for the 

 mere conveyance of letters. It is in later times only, when 

 the extension of commerce gave occasion to frequent communi- 

 cation, that those establishments are to be found complete. 

 The institution of them in modern history appears to be in 

 the year 807, by the Emperor Charlemagne, but we hear little 

 of their being regularly established in England until the time 

 of James the First. In the time of Charles the First, rates 

 of postage were fixed ; and it is rather a curious fact, that the 

 allowance to postmasters on the road, for horses employed in 

 these posts, was fixed at twopence-halfpenny per mile ; which 

 is, I believe, the exact sum now paid to the proprietors of 

 our mail coaches for conveying the letter-bags. These posts, 

 however, extended then only to a few of the principal roads.' 



' And can you tell me when travelling by the use of post- 

 horses commenced,' asked Frank, ' for I lately heard a dis- 

 sertation on that subject, which came to no satisfactory con- 

 clusion ? ' 



' At what period the public of any country commenced 

 tra\elling post, as the term is, is difficult now to decide. 



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