ACROSS THE NUMBER yi 



function of carrying a letter through the wave to the 

 letter-box for a penny. Here was a penny postage 

 regardless of weight, which eclipsed Sir Rowland's 

 best performance ! 



But this was not all. A very stout man frequented 

 the passage, and Mr. Mosey used to tell, with glee, 

 how when he opened his mouth — that is, stuck his arms 

 akimbo — other dogs who had letters to post might 

 bark in vain ; for no one then, to the full enjoj^ment 

 of the stout man, could, except at his pleasure, pass 

 either to the post-office or from it. 



This picturesque arrangement of office met the 

 wants of the good people of Hull for forty years. 

 In 1831, a move was made to a house, now in Mr. 

 Jesseyman's occupation, in the Land of Green Ginger. 

 Here was rented a single room, about fifteen feet 

 square, in which the postmaster and his two 

 assistants did the whole postal work. 



As for the six postmen (Hull had grown larger by 

 that time, and received more letters) who needed a 

 quiet corner for arranging the inward correspondence, 

 was there not the usual fine airy passage outside 

 at their disposal? What greater facility could be 

 desired ? The public especially had plenty of space, 

 inasmuch as they stood in the street and dealt with 

 the postmaster through a hinged flap in the window, 

 as was the general custom. Thus at Hull the office 

 advanced with the times. 



But as the age progressed, wealth and luxury 

 increased, and even Yorkshiremen grew in a sense 



