THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 133 



the conveyance of letters by post, as the term is, com- 

 menced in the world 1 I have often heard the subject 

 discussed, but neA^er satisfactorily so." 



"You have imposed a task upon me," answered the 

 uncle, " that I scarcely know how to perform ; but I 

 imagine the case to have been something like this : 



"In the early periods of society, communication between 

 the different parts of a country must always be rare and 

 difficult ; individuals, at a distance, had little occasion for 

 mutual intercourse ; and, when such communication was 

 found necessary, special messengers were employed. As 

 order and civilization advanced, occasions for correspon- 

 dence multiplied. The sovereign, for instance, found it 

 requisite to transmit orders and laws to every part of his 

 kingdom ; and for this purpose he made use of messengers 

 or ' couriers,' as they are now called, to whom he 

 committed the charge of forwarding his despatches. But, 

 without stations in the way, where could these messengers 

 find refreshment for either themselves or their horses ] 

 Experience soon pointed out the necessity of ensuring 

 such accommodations, by erecting, upon all the great roads, 

 houses, or stations, where the messengers might stop, as 

 occasion required, and where, for their still greater 

 convenience, relays of horses were kept in readiness, to 

 enable them to pursue their journey with uninterrupted 

 despatch. Thus, these houses were called posts, and the 

 messenger who made use of them was dignified by the 

 appellation of a post. Though, at first, the institution was, 

 no doubt, intended solely for the use of the sovereign and 

 the necessities of the state, yet, by degrees, individuals, 

 seeing the benefit resulting from it, availed themselves 

 of the opportunity to carry on their own correspondence, 

 and for which they willingly paid a certain rate to the 

 sovereign. Thus a post-office, of some kind or other, 

 gradually came to be established in every civilized country, 

 although we find Cicero lamenting the absence of one in 

 Italy, in his time. Still they can be traced, I believe, as 

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

 us they were invented by Cyrus, on his Scythian ex- 

 pedition, about 500 years before 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 

 post-master, by whom they were immediately forwarded 



