165 files changed, 9196 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6833f05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* text=auto
+*.txt text
+*.md text
diff --git a/27688-8.txt b/27688-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4319e39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2914 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Hundred Years by Post, by J. Wilson Hyde
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Hundred Years by Post
+       A Jubilee Retrospect
+
+Author: J. Wilson Hyde
+
+Release Date: January 2, 2009 [EBook #27688]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HUNDRED YEARS BY POST ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Adrian Mastronardi, Martin Pettit, The
+Philatelic Digital Library Project at http://www.tpdlp.net
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+A Hundred Years by Post
+
+A JUBILEE RETROSPECT
+
+BY
+
+J. WILSON HYDE
+
+AUTHOR OF 'THE ROYAL MAIL: ITS CURIOSITIES AND ROMANCE'
+
+[Illustration]
+
+LONDON
+
+SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON AND CO., LIM.
+St. Dunstan's House
+FETTER LANE, FLEET STREET, E.C.
+
+1891
+
+[_All rights reserved_]
+
+
+Printed by T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to Her Majesty, at the
+Edinburgh University Press.
+
+
+TO
+
+THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
+
+HENRY CECIL RAIKES, M.P.
+
+HER MAJESTY'S POSTMASTER-GENERAL,
+
+THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE,
+
+BY PERMISSION,
+
+RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+The following pages give some particulars of the changes that have taken
+place in the Post Office service during the past hundred years; and the
+matter may prove interesting, not only on account of the changes
+themselves, but in respect of the influence which the growing usefulness
+of the Postal Service must necessarily have upon almost every relation
+of political, educational, social, and commercial life. More especially
+may the subject be found attractive at the close of the present year,
+when the country has been celebrating the Jubilee of the Penny Post.
+
+EDINBURGH,
+
+_December 1890._
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+                                                     PAGE
+
+_Frontispiece_--MAIL-COACH IN THUNDERSTORM.
+
+PAST AND PRESENT CONTRASTED,                            1
+
+LIBERTY OF SUBJECT AND PUBLIC OPINION,                  5
+
+ABUSES OF POWER,                                        7
+
+SLOW DIFFUSION OF NEWS,                                17
+
+_Illustration_--ANALYSIS OF LONDON TO EDINBURGH
+    MAIL OF 2D MARCH 1838,                    _facing_ 22
+
+STATE OF ROADS AND INSECURITY OF TRAVELLING,           27
+
+FOOT AND HORSE POSTS,                                  33
+
+_Illustration_--THE MAIL, 1803,               _facing_ 40
+
+THE MAIL-COACH ERA,                                    40
+
+_Illustration_--THE MAIL, 1824,               _facing_ 46
+
+_Illustration_--MODERN MAIL "APPARATUS" FOR
+    EXCHANGE OF MAILS,                        _facing_ 58
+
+_Illustration_--THE MAIL-COACH GUARD,         _facing_ 74
+
+DEAR POSTAGE,                                          80
+
+_Diagrams_--ROUNDABOUT COMMUNICATIONS,             84, 85
+
+STREETS FIRST NUMBERED,                                88
+
+POSTMASTERS AS NEWS COLLECTORS,                        91
+
+_Illustration_--THE BELLMAN,                  _facing_ 92
+
+MAIL-PACKET SERVICE,                                   96
+
+_Illustration_--HOLYHEAD AND KINGSTOWN PACKET
+    "PRINCE ARTHUR,"                         _facing_ 102
+
+PENNY POSTAGE,                                        111
+
+_Illustration_--HANDBILL USED IN PENNY POSTAGE
+    AGITATION,                               _facing_ 112
+
+VARIOUS BUSINESS OF THE POST OFFICE,                  119
+
+STAFF OF THE POST OFFICE,                             123
+
+_Illustration_--TONTINE READING-ROOMS
+    GLASGOW,                                 _facing_ 126
+
+VALUE OF EARLY NEWS BY POST,                          130
+
+DIFFUSION OF PARLIAMENTARY NEWS BY THE TELEGRAPH
+    AND PRESS,                                        136
+
+RESULTS OF RAPID COMMUNICATIONS,                      139
+
+
+[Illustration: _Frontispiece._ MAIL-COACH IN THUNDERSTORM.
+(_From a print, 1827._)]
+
+
+
+
+A HUNDRED YEARS BY POST.
+
+
+Were a former inhabitant of this country who had quitted the stage of
+life towards the close of last century to reappear in our midst, he
+could not fail to be struck with the wonderful changes which have taken
+place in the aspect of things; in the methods of performing the tasks of
+daily life; and in the character of our social system generally. Nor is
+it too much to say that he would see himself surrounded by a world full
+of enchantment, and that his senses of wonder and admiration would rival
+the feelings excited in youthful minds under the spell of books like
+Jules Verne's _Journey to the Moon_, or the ever-entertaining stories of
+the _Arabian Nights_. It is true that he would find the operations of
+nature going on as before. The dewdrop and the blade of grass, sunshine
+and shower, the movements of the tides, and the revolutions of the
+heavenly bodies; these would still appear to be the same. But almost
+everything to which man had been wont to put his hand would appear to
+bear the impress of some other hand; and a hundred avenues of thought
+opening to his bewildered sense would consign his inward man to the
+education of a second childhood.
+
+So fruitful has been the nineteenth century in discovery and invention,
+and so astounding the advancement made, that it is only by stopping in
+our madding haste and looking back that we can realise how different the
+present is from the past. Yet to our imaginary friend's astonished
+perception, nothing, we venture to think, would come with greater force
+than the contrast between the means available for keeping up
+communications in his day and in our own. We are used to see trains
+coursing on the iron way at a speed of fifty or sixty miles an hour;
+steamships moving on every sea, defiant of tide and wind, at the rate of
+fifteen or twenty miles an hour; and the electric telegraph
+outstripping all else, and practically annihilating time and space.
+
+But how different was the state of things at the close of the eighteenth
+century! The only means then available for home communications--that is
+for letters, etc.--were the Foot Messenger, the Horse Express, and the
+Mail Coach; and for communication with places beyond the sea,
+sailing-ships.
+
+The condition of things as then existing, and as reflected upon society,
+is thus summed up by Mackenzie in his _History of the Nineteenth
+Century_: "Men had scarcely the means to go from home beyond such
+trivial distance as they were able to accomplish on foot. Human society
+was composed of a multitude of little communities, dwelling apart,
+mutually ignorant, and therefore cherishing mutual antipathies."
+
+And when persons did venture away from home, in the capacity of
+travellers, the entertainment they received in the hostelries, even in
+some of the larger towns, seems now rather remarkable. If anything
+surprises the traveller of these latter days, in regard to hotel
+accommodation, when business or pleasure takes him from the bosom of his
+family, it is the sumptuous character of the palaces in all the
+principal towns of all civilised countries wherein he may be received,
+and where he may make his temporary abode. To persons used to such
+comforts, the accommodation of the last century would excite surprise in
+quite another direction. Here is a description of the inn accommodation
+of Edinburgh, furnished by Captain Topham, who visited Edinburgh in
+1774: "On my first arrival, my companion and self, after the fatigue of
+a long day's journey, were landed at one of these stable-keepers (for
+they have modesty enough to give themselves no higher denomination) in a
+part of the town called the Pleasance; and, on entering the house, we
+were conducted by a poor devil of a girl, without shoes or stockings,
+and with only a single linsey-woolsey petticoat which just reached
+half-way to her ankles, into a room where about twenty Scotch drovers
+had been regaling themselves with whisky and potatoes. You may guess our
+amazement when we were informed that this was the best inn in the
+metropolis--that we could have no beds unless we had an inclination to
+sleep together, and in the same room with the company which a
+stage-coach had that moment discharged."
+
+Before proceeding further, let us look at some of the circumstances
+which were characteristic of the period with which we are dealing.
+Liberty of the subject and public opinion are inseparably wedded
+together, and this seems inevitable in every country whose government
+partakes largely of the representative system. For in such States,
+unlike the conditions which obtain under despotic governments, the laws
+are formulated and amended in accordance with the views held for the
+time being by _the people_, the Government merely acting as the agency
+through which the people's will is declared. And this being so, what is
+called the Liberty of the subject must be that limited and circumscribed
+freedom allowed by the people collectively, as expressed in the term
+"public opinion," to the individual man. In despotic States the
+circumstances are necessarily different, and such States may be excluded
+from the present consideration.
+
+Wherever there is wanting a quick and universal exchange of thought
+there can be no sound public opinion. Where hindrances are placed upon
+the free exchange of views, either by heavy duties on newspapers, by
+dear postage, or by slow communications, public opinion must be a plant
+of low vitality and slow growth. Consequently, in the age preceding that
+of steam, so far as applied to locomotion, and to the telegraph, which
+age extended well into the present century, there was no rapid exchange
+of thought; new ideas were of slow propagation; there was little of that
+intellectual friction so productive of intellectual light among the
+masses. In these circumstances it is not surprising to read of things
+existing within the last hundred years which to-day could have no place
+in our national existence. Lord Cockburn, in the _Memorials of his
+Time_, gives the following instance. "I knew a case, several years
+after 1800," says he, "where the seat-holders of a town church applied
+to Government, which was the patron, for the promotion of the second
+clergyman, who had been giving great satisfaction for many years, and
+now, on the death of the first minister, it was wished that he should
+get the vacant place. The answer, written by a Member of the Cabinet,
+was that the single fact of the people having interfered so far as to
+express a wish was conclusive against what they desired; and another
+appointment was instantly made." Going back a little more than a hundred
+years, the following are specimens of the abuses then in full vigour.
+They are referred to in Trevelyan's _Early History of Charles James
+Fox_, the period in question being about 1750-60: "One nobleman had
+eight thousand a year in sinecures, and the colonelcies of three
+regiments. Another, an Auditor of the Exchequer, inside which he never
+looked, had £8000 in years of peace, and £20,000 in years of war. A
+third, with nothing to recommend him except his outward graces, bowed
+and whispered himself into four great employments, from which thirteen
+to fourteen hundred British guineas flowed month by month into the lap
+of his Parisian mistress."... "George Selwyn, who returned two members,
+and had something to say in the election of a third, was at one and the
+same time Surveyor-General of Crown Lands, which he never surveyed,
+Registrar in Chancery at Barbadoes, which he never visited, and Surveyor
+of the Meltings and Clerk of the Irons in the Mint, where he showed
+himself once a week in order to eat a dinner which he ordered, but for
+which the nation paid."
+
+The shameful waste of the public money in the shape of hereditary
+pensions was still in vigour within the period we are dealing with; one
+small party in the State "calling the tune," and the great mass of the
+people, practically unrepresented, being left "to pay the piper." During
+the reign of George III., who occupied the throne from 1760 to 1820, the
+following hereditary pensions were granted:--To Trustees for the use of
+William Penn, and his heirs and descendants for ever, in consideration
+of his meritorious services and family losses from the American war
+£4000. To Lord Rodney, and every the heirs-male to whom the title of
+Lord Rodney shall descend, £2000. To Earl Morley and John Campbell,
+Esq., and their heirs and assignees for ever, upon trust for the
+representatives of Jeffrey Earl Amherst, £3000. To Viscount Exmouth and
+the heirs-male to whom the title shall descend £2000. To Earl Nelson and
+the heirs-male to whom the title of Earl Nelson shall descend, with
+power of settling jointures out of the annuity, at no time exceeding
+£3000 a year, £5000. In addition to this pension of £5000, Parliament
+also granted to trustees on behalf of Earl Nelson a sum of £90,000 for
+the purchase of an estate and mansion-house to be settled and entailed
+to the same persons as the annuity of £5000.
+
+Within the Post Office too very strange things happened in connection
+with money paid to certain persons supposed to be in its service. Here
+is a case, in the form of a remonstrance, referring to the period close
+upon the end of last century, which explains itself. "Mr. Bushe observes
+that the Government wished to reward his father, Gervas Parker Bushe
+(who was one of the Commissioners), for his services, and particularly
+for having increased the revenue £20,000 per annum; but that he
+preferred a place for his son to any emolument for himself, in
+consequence of which he was appointed Resident Surveyor. He expressed
+his astonishment to find in the Patent (which he never looked into
+before) that it is there mentioned 'during good behaviour,' and not for
+life, upon which condition alone his father would have accepted it. He
+adds that it was given to him as totally and absolutely a sinecure, and
+that his appointment took place at so early a period of life that it
+would be impossible for him to do any duty."
+
+Again, the following evidence was given before a Commission on oath in
+1791, by Mr. Johnson, a letter-carrier in London: "He receives at
+present a salary as a letter-carrier of 14s. per week, making £36, 19s.
+per annum; he likewise receives certain perquisites, arising from such
+pence as are collected in the evening by letters delivered to him after
+the Receiving Houses are shut, amounting in 1784 to £38, 11s., also from
+acknowledgments from the public for sending letters by another
+letter-carrier not immediately within his walk, amounting in the same
+year to £5. He likewise receives in Christmas boxes £20,--the above
+sums, making together £100, was the whole of his receipts of every kind
+whatever by virtue of his office in 1784 (312 candles and a limited
+allowance of stationery excepted), out of which he pays a person for
+executing his duty as a letter-carrier, at the rate of 8s. a week, being
+£20, 16s. per annum, and retains the remainder for his own use
+entirely."
+
+In a report made by a Commission which inquired into the state of the
+Post Office in 1788, the following statement appears respecting abuses
+existing in the department; and in reflecting upon that period the Post
+Office servants of to-day might almost entertain feelings of regret that
+they did not live in the happy days of feasts, coals, and candles. Here
+is the statement of the Commissioners: "The custom of giving certain
+annual feasts to the officers and clerks of this office (London) at the
+public expense ought to be abolished; as also what is called the feast
+and drink money; and, as the Inland Office now shuts at an early hour,
+the allowances of lodging money to some of the officers, and of
+apartments to others, ought to be discontinued." But of all allowances,
+those of coals and candles are the most enormous; for, besides those
+consumed in the official apartments, there are allowed to sundry
+officers for their private use in town or country above three hundred
+chaldrons of coals, and twenty thousand pounds of candles, which several
+of them commute with the tradesmen for money or other articles; the
+amount of the sums paid for these two articles in the year 1784 was
+£4418, 4s. 1d.
+
+In the year 1792 a payment was being made of £26 a year to a Mrs.
+Collier, who was servant to the Bye and Cross Road Office in the London
+Post Office; but she did not do the work herself. She employed a servant
+to whom she paid £6, putting £20 into her own pocket.
+
+What a splendid field this would have been for the Comptroller and
+Auditor General, and for questioners in the Houses of Parliament!
+
+An abuse that had its origin no doubt in the fact that the nation was
+not represented at large,[1] but by Members of Parliament who were
+returned by a very limited class, and who could not understand or
+reflect the views of the masses, was that of the franking privilege.
+
+The privilege of franking letters enjoyed by Members of Parliament was a
+sad burden upon the Revenue of the Post Office, and it continued in
+vigour down to the establishment of the Penny Post. Some idea of the
+magnitude of this arrangement, which would now be called a gross abuse,
+will be gathered from the state of things existing in the first quarter
+of the present century. Looking at the regulations of 1823, we find that
+each Member of Parliament was permitted to receive as many as fifteen
+and to send as many as ten letters in each day, such letters not
+exceeding one ounce in weight. At the then rates of postage this was a
+most handsome privilege. In the year 1827 the Peers enjoying this extent
+of free postage numbered over four hundred, and the Commons over six
+hundred and fifty. In addition to these, certain Members of the
+Government and other high officials had the privilege of sending free
+any number of letters without restriction as to weight. These persons
+were, in 1828, nearly a hundred in number.
+
+How the privilege was turned to commercial account is explained in
+Mackenzie's, _Reminiscences of Glasgow_. Referring to the Ship Bank of
+that city, which had its existence in the first quarter of our century,
+and to one of the partners, Mr. John Buchanan of Ardoch, who was also
+Member of Parliament for Dumbartonshire, the author makes the following
+statement: "From his position as Member of Parliament, he enjoyed the
+privilege of franking the letters of the bank to the extent of fourteen
+per diem. This was a great boon; it saved the bank some hundreds of
+pounds per annum for postages. It was, moreover, regarded as a mighty
+honour."
+
+Great abuses were perpetrated even upon the abuse itself. Franks were
+given away freely to other persons for their use, they were even sold,
+and, moreover, they were forged. Senex, in his notes on _Glasgow Past
+and Present_, describes how this was managed in Ireland. "I remember,"
+says he, "about sixty years ago, an old Irish lady told me that she
+seldom paid any postage for letters, and that her correspondence never
+cost her friends anything. I inquired how she managed that. 'Oh,' said
+she, 'I just wrote "Free, J. Suttie," in the corner of the cover of the
+letter, and then, sure, nothing more was charged for it.' I said, 'Were
+you not afraid of being hanged for forgery?' 'Oh, dear me, no,' she
+replied; 'nobody ever heard of a lady being hanged in Ireland, and
+troth, I just did what everybody else did.'" But the spirit of inquiry
+was beginning to assert itself in the first half of the century, and the
+franking privilege disappeared with the dawn of cheap postage.
+
+Public opinion had as yet no active existence throughout our
+Commonwealth, nor had the light spread so as to show up all the abuses.
+And how true is Buckle's observation in his _History of Civilisation_
+that all recent legislation is the undoing of bad laws made in the
+interest of certain classes. How could there be an active public opinion
+in the conditions of the times? Everybody was shut off from everybody
+else. Hear further what Mackenzie says in his _History of the Nineteenth
+Century_, referring to the end of last century: "The seclusion resulting
+from the absence of roads rendered it necessary that every little
+community, in some measure every family, should produce all that it
+required to consume. The peasant raised his own food; he grew his own
+flax or wool; his wife or daughter spun it; and a neighbour wove it
+into cloth. He learned to extract dyes from plants which grew near his
+cottage. He required to be independent of the external world from which
+he was effectively shut out. Commerce was impossible until men could
+find the means of transferring commodities from the place where they
+were produced to the place where there were people willing to make use
+of them." So much for the difficulty of exchanging ordinary produce. The
+exchange of thought suffered in a like fashion.
+
+In the first half of the present century severe restrictions were placed
+upon the spread of news, not only by the heavy postage for letter
+correspondence, but by the equally heavy newspaper tax. Referring to
+this latter hindrance to the spread of light Mackenzie says: "The
+newspaper is the natural enemy of despotic government, and was treated
+as such in England. Down to 1765 the duty imposed was only one penny,
+but as newspapers grew in influence the restraining tax was increased
+from time to time, until in 1815 it reached the maximum of fourpence."
+At this figure the tax seems to have continued many years, for under the
+year 1836 Mackenzie refers to it as such, and remarks, "that this
+rendered the newspaper a very occasional luxury to the working man; that
+the annual circulation of newspapers in the United Kingdom was no more
+than thirty-six million copies, and that these had only three hundred
+thousand readers."
+
+At the present time the combined annual circulation of a couple of the
+leading newspapers in Scotland would equal the entire newspaper
+circulation of the kingdom little more than fifty years ago. In the year
+1799, which is less than a hundred years ago, the _Edinburgh Evening
+Courant_ and the _Glasgow Courier_, two very small newspapers, were sold
+at sixpence a copy, each bearing a Government stamp of the value of
+threehalf-pence. Is it surprising, under these conditions, that few
+newspapers should circulate, and that news should travel slowly
+throughout the country?
+
+But the growth of newspapers to their present magnificent proportions is
+a thing of quite recent times, for even so lately as 1857 the
+_Scotsman_, then sold unstamped for a penny, weighed only about
+three-quarters of an ounce, while to-day the same paper, which continues
+to be sold for a penny, weighs fully four and a half ounces. And other
+newspapers throughout the country have no doubt swelled their columns to
+a somewhat similar degree.
+
+A very good instance of the small amount of personal travelling indulged
+in by the people a century ago is given by Cleland in his _Annals of
+Glasgow_. Writing in the year 1816, he says: "It has been calculated
+that, previous to the erection of steamboats, not more than fifty
+persons passed and repassed from Glasgow to Greenock in one day, whereas
+it is now supposed that there are from four to five hundred passes and
+repasses in the same period." In the present day a single steamboat
+sailing from the Broomielaw, Glasgow, will often carry far more
+passengers to Greenock, or beyond Greenock, than the whole passengers
+travelling between the towns named in one day in 1816. For example, the
+tourist steamer _Columba_ is certificated to carry some 1800 passengers.
+
+In 1792 the principal mails to and from London were carried by
+mail-coaches, which were then running between the Metropolis and some
+score of the chief towns in the country at the speed of seven or eight
+miles an hour; and so far as direct mails were concerned the towns in
+question kept up relations with London under the conditions of speed
+just described. But the cross post service--that is, the service between
+places not lying in the main routes out of London--was not yet
+developed, and these cross post towns were beyond the reach of anything
+like early information of what was going on, not, let us say, in the
+world at large, but in their own country. The people in these towns had
+to patiently await the laggard arrival of news from the greater centres
+of activity; and when it did arrive it probably came to hand in a very
+imperfect form, or so late as to be useless for any purpose of combined
+action or criticism.
+
+Dr. James Russell, in his _Reminiscences of Yarrow_, describes how tardy
+and uncertain the mail service by post was in the early years of the
+present century; and what he says is a severe contrast to the service of
+the present time, which provides for the delivery of letters, generally
+daily, in every hamlet in the country. Dr. Russell writes:--
+
+"Since I remember (unless there was a chance hand on a Wednesday) our
+letters reached us only once a week, along with our bread and butcher
+meat, by the weekly carrier, Robbie Hogg. His arrival used to be a great
+event, the letter-bag being turned out, and a rummage made for our own.
+Afterwards the Moffat carriers gave more frequent opportunities of
+getting letters; but they were apt to carry them on to Moffat and bring
+them back the following week."
+
+Another instance of the slow communications is given in a letter written
+from Brodick Castle, Arran, by Lord Archibald Campbell, on the 25th
+September 1820.
+
+The letter was addressed to a correspondent in Glasgow, and proceeds
+thus: "Your letter of the 18th did not reach me till this morning, as,
+in consequence of the rough state of the weather, there has been no
+postal communication with this island for several days." The time
+consumed in getting this letter forward from Glasgow to Brodick was
+exactly a week, and when so much time was required in the case of an
+island lying in the Firth of Clyde, what time would be necessary to make
+communication with the Outer Hebrides?
+
+Even between considerable towns, as representing important centres in
+the country, the amount of correspondence by letter was small. Thus the
+mail from Inverness to Edinburgh of the 5th October 1808 contained no
+more than 30 letters. The total postage on these was £2, 9s. 6d., the
+charges ranging from 11d. to 14s. 8d. per letter. At the present time
+the letters from Inverness to Edinburgh are probably nearly a thousand a
+day; but this is no fair comparison, because many letters that would
+formerly pass through Edinburgh now reach their destinations in direct
+bags--London itself being an instance.
+
+[Illustration: ANALYSIS OF THE LONDON TO EDINBURGH MAIL OF THE 2D MARCH
+1838. (_After a print lent by Lady Cole from the collection of the late
+Sir Henry Cole, K.C.B._)]
+
+But coming down to a much later date, and looking at what was going on
+between London and Edinburgh, the capital towns of Great Britain, what
+do we find? An analysis of the London to Edinburgh mail of the 2d March
+1838 gives the following figures; and let it not be forgotten that in
+these days the Edinburgh mail contained the correspondence for a large
+part of Scotland:--
+
+2296 Newspapers, weighing 273 lbs., and going free.
+
+484 Franked Letters, weighing 47 lbs., and going free.
+
+Parcels of stamps going free.
+
+1555 Letters, weighing 34 lbs., and bearing postage to the value of £93.
+
+These figures represent the exchange of thought between the two capitals
+fifty years ago. These were truly the days of darkness, when abuses were
+kept out of sight and were rampant.
+
+Down to much later times the bonds of privilege remained untied. In the
+Civil Service itself what changes have taken place! The doors have been
+thrown open to competition and to capacity and worth, and probably they
+will never be closed again. The author of these lines had an experience
+in 1867--not very long ago--which may be worthy of note. He had been
+then several years in the Post Office service, and desired to obtain a
+nomination to compete for a higher position--a clerkship in the
+Secretary's office. He took the usual step through the good offices of a
+Member of Parliament, and the following rebuff emanated from
+headquarters. It shall be its own monument, and may form a shot in the
+historical web of our time:--
+
+"I wrote to ---- (the Postmaster-General) about the Mr. J. W. Hyde, who
+desires to be permitted to compete for a clerkship in the London Post
+Office, described as a cousin of ----.
+
+"(The Postmaster-General) has to-day replied that nominations to the
+Secretary's office are not now given except to candidates who are
+actually gentlemen, that is, sons of officers, clergymen, or the like.
+If I cannot satisfy (the Postmaster-General) on this point, I fear Mr.
+Hyde's candidature will go to the wall."[2]
+
+Now one of the chief obstacles in the way of rapid communication in our
+own country was the very unsatisfactory state of the roads. Down to the
+time of the introduction of mail-coaches, just about a hundred years
+ago, the roads were in a deplorable state, and travellers have left upon
+record some rather strong language on the subject. It was only about
+that time that road-making came to be understood; but the obvious need
+for smooth roads to increase the speed of the mail gave an impetus to
+the subject, and by degrees matters were greatly improved. It is not our
+purpose to pursue the inquiry as to roads, though the subject might be
+attractive, and we must be content with the general assertion as to
+their condition.
+
+But not only were the roads bad, but they were unsafe. Travellers could
+hardly trust themselves to go about unarmed, and even the mail-coaches,
+in which (besides the driver and guard) some passengers generally
+journeyed, had to carry weapons of defence placed in the hands of the
+guard. Many instances of highway robbery by highwaymen who made a
+profession of robbery might be given; but one or two cases may repay
+their perusal. On the 4th March 1793 the Under-Sheriff of Northampton
+was robbed at eight o'clock in the evening near Holloway turnpike by two
+highwaymen, who carried off a trunk containing the Sheriff's commission
+for opening the assizes at Northampton.
+
+In the Autobiography of Mary Hewitt the following encounter is recorded,
+referring to the period between 1758-96: "Catherine (Martin), wife of a
+purser in the navy, and conspicuous for her beauty and impulsive,
+violent temper, having quarrelled with her excellent sister, Dorothea
+Fryer, at whose house in Staffordshire she was staying, suddenly set off
+to London on a visit to her great-uncle, the Rev. John Plymley, prebend
+of the Collegiate Church at Wolverhampton, and Chaplain of Morden
+College, Blackheath. She journeyed by the ordinary conveyance, the
+Gee-Ho, a large stage-waggon drawn by a team of six horses, and which,
+driven merely by day, took a week from Wolverhampton to the Cock and
+Bell, Smithfield.
+
+"Arrived in London, Catherine proceeded on foot to Blackheath. There,
+night having come on, and losing her way, she was suddenly accosted by a
+horseman with, 'Now, my pretty girl, where are you going?' Pleased by
+his gallant address, she begged him to direct her to Morden College. He
+assured her that she was fortunate in having met with him instead of one
+of his company, and inducing her to mount before him, rode across the
+heath to the pile of buildings which had been erected by Sir Christopher
+Wren for decayed merchants, the recipients of Sir John Morden's bounty.
+Assisting her to alight, he rang the bell, then remounted his steed and
+galloped away, but not before the alarmed official, who had answered
+the summons, had exclaimed, 'Heavens! Dick Turpin on Black Bess!' My
+mother always said 'Dick Turpin.' Another version in the family runs
+'Captain Smith.'"
+
+The _Annual Register_ of the 3d October 1792 records the following case
+of highway robbery:--
+
+"The daily messenger, despatched from the Secretary of State's office
+with letters to His Majesty at Windsor, was stopped near Langley Broom
+by three footpads, who took from him the box containing the despatches,
+and his money, etc. The same men afterwards robbed a gentleman in a
+postchaise of a hundred guineas, a gold watch, etc. Some light dragoons,
+who received information of the robberies, went in pursuit of the
+thieves, but were not successful. They found, however, a quantity of the
+papers scattered about the heath."
+
+We will quote one more instance, as showing the frequency of these
+robberies on the road. It is mentioned in the _Annual Register_ of the
+28th March 1793.
+
+"Martin (the mail robber), condemned at Exeter Assizes, was executed on
+Haldown, near the spot where the robbery was committed. He had been well
+educated, and had visited most European countries. At the end of the
+year 1791 he was at Paris, and continued there till the end of August
+1792. He said he was very active in the bloody affair of the 10th
+August, at the Palace of the Tuilleries, when the Swiss Guards were
+slaughtered, and Louis XVI. and his family fled to the National Assembly
+for shelter. He said he did not enter with this bloody contest as a
+volunteer, but, happening to be in that part of the city of Paris, he
+was hurried on by the mob to take part in that sanguinary business. Not
+speaking good French, he said he was suspected to be a Swiss, and on
+that account, finding his life often in danger, he left Paris, and,
+embarking for England at Havre de Grace, arrived at Weymouth in
+September last, and then came to Exeter. He said that being in great
+distress in October he committed the mail robbery."
+
+A rather good anecdote is told of an encounter between a poor tailor
+and one of these knights of the road. The tailor, on being overtaken by
+the highwayman, was at once called upon to stand and deliver, the
+salutation being accompanied by the presentation of two pistols at the
+pedestrian's head. "I'll do that with pleasure," was the meek reply; and
+forthwith the poor victim transferred to the outstretched hands of the
+robber all the money he possessed. This done, the tailor proceeded to
+ask a favour. "My friends would laugh at me," said he, "were I to go
+home and tell them I was robbed with as much patience as a lamb. Suppose
+you fire your two bull-dogs right through the crown of my hat; it will
+look something like a show of resistance." Taken with the fancy, the
+robber good-naturedly complied with the request; but hardly had the
+smoke from the weapons cleared away, when the tailor pulled out a rusty
+old horse pistol, and in turn politely requested the highwayman to shell
+out everything of value about him--his pistols not excepted. So the
+highwayman had the worst of the meeting on that occasion. The incident
+will perhaps help to dispel the sad reproach of the craft, that a tailor
+is but the ninth part of a man.
+
+It should not be forgotten that these perils of the road had their
+effect in preventing intercourse between different parts of the country.
+
+In such outlying districts as were blessed with postal communication a
+hundred years ago, the service was kept up by foot messengers, who often
+travelled long distances in the performance of their duty. Thus in 1799
+a post-runner travelled from Inverness to Loch Carron--a distance across
+country, as the crow flies, of about fifty miles--making the journey
+once a week, for which he was paid 5s. Another messenger at the same
+period made the journey from Inverness to Dunvegan in Skye--a much
+greater distance--also once a week, and for this service he received 7s.
+6d. The rate at which the messengers travelled seems not to have been
+very great, if we may judge from the performances of the post from
+Dumbarton to Inveraray. In the year 1805 the Surveyor of the district
+thus describes it: "I have sometimes observed these mails at leaving
+Dumbarton about three stones or 48 lbs. weight, and they are generally
+above two stones. During the course of last winter horses were obliged
+to be occasionally employed; and it is often the case that a strong
+highlander, with so great a weight upon him, cannot travel more than two
+miles an hour, which greatly retards the general correspondence of this
+extensive district of country."
+
+These humble servants of the post office, travelling over considerable
+tracts of country, would naturally become the means of conveying local
+gossip from stage to stage, and of spreading hearsay news as they went
+along. In this way, and as being the bearers of welcome letters, they
+were no doubt as gladly received at the doors of our forefathers as are
+the postmen at our own doors to-day. Indeed, complaint was made of the
+delays that took place on the route, probably from this very cause. Here
+is an instance referring to the year 1800. "I found," wrote the
+Surveyor, "that it had been the general practice for the post from
+Bonaw to Appin to lodge regularly all night at or near the house of
+Ardchattan, and did not cross Shien till the following morning, losing
+twelve hours to the Appin, Strontian, and Fort-William districts of
+country; and I consider it an improvement of itself to remove such
+private lodgings or accommodations out of the way of posts, which, as I
+have been informed, is sometimes done for the sake of perusing
+newspapers as well as answering or writing letters."
+
+Exposed to the buffetings of the tempest, to the rigours of wintry
+weather, and considering the rough unkept roads of the time, it is easy
+to imagine how seductive would be the fireside of the country house; and
+bearing in mind the desire on the part of the inmates to learn the
+latest news, it is not surprising that the poor post-runner occasionally
+departed from the strict line of duty.
+
+But immediately prior to the introduction of mail-coaches, and for a
+long time before that, the mails over the longer distances were
+conveyed on horseback, the riders being known as "post-boys." These were
+sometimes boys of fourteen or sixteen years of age, and sometimes old
+men. Mr. Palmer, at whose instance mail-coaches were first put upon the
+road, writing in 1783, thus describes the post-boy service. The picture
+is not a very creditable one to the Post Office. "The post at present,"
+says he, "instead of being the swiftest, is almost the slowest
+conveyance in the country; and though, from the great improvement in our
+roads, other carriers have proportionably mended their speed, the post
+is as slow as ever. It is likewise very unsafe. The mails are generally
+intrusted to some idle boy without character, and mounted on a worn-out
+hack, and who, so far from being able to defend himself or escape from a
+robber, is much more likely to be in league with him." There is perhaps
+room for suspicion that Mr. Palmer was painting the post-boy service as
+black as possible, for he was then advocating another method of
+conveying the mails; but he was not alone in his adverse criticism. An
+official in Scotland thus described the service in 1799: "It is
+impossible to obtain any other contractors to ride the mails at 3d. out,
+or 1½d. per mile each way. On this account we are so much distressed
+with mail riders that we have often to submit to the mails being
+conveyed by mules and such species of horses as are a disgrace to any
+service." This is evidence from within the Post Office itself. While
+young boys were suited for the work in some respects, they were
+thoughtless and unpunctual; yet when older men were employed they
+frequently got into liquor, and thus endangered the mails. The records
+of the service are full of the troubles arising from the conduct of
+these servants. The public were doubtless much to blame for this. For
+the post-boys were, as we may suppose, ever welcome at the house and
+ball, where refreshment, in the shape of strong drink, would be offered
+to them, and they thus fell into trouble through a too common instance
+of mistaken kindness.
+
+In the year 1763 the mail leaving London on Tuesday night (in the
+winter season) was not in the hands of the people of Edinburgh until the
+afternoon of Sunday. This does not betoken a very rapid rate of
+progression; but it appears that in many cases the post-boy's speed did
+not rise above three or four miles an hour. The Post Office took severe
+measures with these messengers, through parliamentary powers granted;
+and even the public were called upon to keep an eye upon their
+behaviour, and to report any misconduct to the authorities.
+
+Mention has already been made of the unsafety of the roads for ordinary
+travellers; but the roads were in no way safer for the post-boys. In
+1798 a post-boy carrying certain Selby mails was robbed near that place,
+being threatened with his life, and the mail-pouch which he then carried
+was recovered under very strange circumstances in 1876.
+
+But to come nearer home. On the early morning of the 1st of August 1802
+the mail from Glasgow for Edinburgh was robbed by two men at a place
+near Linlithgow, when a sum of £1300 or £1400 was stolen. The robbers
+had previously been soldiers. They hurried into Edinburgh with their
+booty, got drunk, were discovered, and, when subsequently tried, were
+sentenced to be executed. The law was severe in those days; and the Post
+Office has the distinction of having obtained judgment against a robber
+who was the last criminal hung in chains in Scotland. According to
+Rogers, in his _Social Life of Scotland_, this was one Leal, who, in
+1773, was found guilty of robbing the mail near Elgin. A curious fact
+came out in connection with the trial of this man Leal, showing what may
+be termed the momentum of evil. It happened that some time previously
+Leal and a companion had been to see the execution of a man for robbing
+the mail, and, on returning, they had to pass through a dark and narrow
+part of the road. At this point Leal observed to his companion that the
+situation was one well suited for a robbery. And it was here that he
+afterwards carried the suggestion then made into effect.
+
+When such robberies took place the post-boys sometimes came off without
+serious mishap, but at other times they were badly injured. On Wednesday
+the 23d October 1816, a post-boy near Exeter was assaulted (as the
+report says) in "a most desperate and inhuman manner," when his skull
+was fractured, and he shortly afterwards died.
+
+The post-boys were exposed to all the inclemency of the weather both by
+day and night. Sometimes they were overtaken by snow-storms, when they
+would have to struggle on for their lives. Sometimes, after riding a
+stage in severe frost, they would have to be lifted from their saddles
+benumbed with cold and unable to dismount. At other times accidents of a
+different kind happened to them, and, as has been shown, they sometimes
+lost their lives.
+
+Mail-coaches were first put upon the road on the 8th of August 1784. The
+term of about sixty years, during which they were the means of conveying
+the principal mails throughout the country, must ever seem to us a
+period of romantic interest. There is something stirring even in the
+picture of a mail-coach bounding along at the heels of four well-bred
+horses; and we know by experience how exhilarating it is to be carried
+along the highway at a rapid rate in a well-appointed coach.
+
+[Illustration: THE MAIL, 1803. (_From a contemporary print._)]
+
+We cannot well separate the service given to the Post Office by
+mail-coaches from the passengers who made use of that means of
+conveyance, and we may linger a little to endeavour to realise what a
+journey was like from accounts left us by travellers. The charm of day
+travelling could no doubt be conjured up even now by any one who would
+take time to reflect upon the subject. But other phases of the matter
+could hardly be so dealt with.
+
+De Quincey, in his _Confessions of an English Opium Eater_, gives a
+pleasing description of the easy motion and soothing influence of a
+well-equipped mail-coach running upon an even and kindly road. The
+period he refers to was about 1803, and the coach was that carrying the
+Bristol mail--which enjoyed unusual advantages owing to the superior
+character of the road, and an extra allowance for expenses subscribed by
+the Bristol merchants. He thus describes his feelings: "It was past
+eight o'clock when I reached the Gloucester Coffee-House, and, the
+Bristol mail being on the point of going off, I mounted on the outside.
+The fine fluent motion of the mail soon laid me asleep. It is somewhat
+remarkable that the first easy or refreshing sleep which I had enjoyed
+for some months was on the outside of a mail-coach....
+
+"For the first four or five miles from London I annoyed my
+fellow-passenger on the roof by occasionally falling against him when
+the coach gave a lurch to his side; and, indeed, if the road had been
+less smooth and level than it is I should have fallen off from weakness.
+Of this annoyance he complained heavily, as, perhaps, in the same
+circumstances, most people would.... When I next woke for a minute from
+the noise and lights of Hounslow (for in spite of my wishes and efforts
+I had fallen asleep again within two minutes from the time I had spoken
+to him), I found that he had put his arm round me to protect me from
+falling off; and for the rest of my journey he behaved to me with the
+gentleness of a woman, so that, at length, I almost lay in his arms....
+So genial and refreshing was my sleep that the next time, after leaving
+Hounslow, that I fully awoke was upon the pulling up of the mail
+(possibly at a post-office), and, on inquiry, I found that we had
+reached Maidenhead--six or seven miles, I think, ahead of Salthill. Here
+I alighted, and for the half-minute that the mail stopped I was
+entreated by my friendly companion (who, from the transient glimpse I
+had had of him in Piccadilly, seemed to me to be a gentleman's butler,
+or person of that rank) to go to bed without delay."
+
+Night journeys might be very well, in a way, during the balmy days of
+summer, when light airs and sweet exhalations from flower and leaf gave
+pleasing features to the scenes, but in the cold nights of winter, in
+lashing rain, in storms of wind and snow, the unfortunate passengers
+and the guard and coachman must have had terrible times of it. It is
+said of the guards and coachmen that they had sometimes, when passing
+over the Fells, to be strapped to their seats, in order to keep their
+places against the fierce assaults of the mountain blast.
+
+The winter experience of travelling by mail-coach in one of its phases
+is thus described by a writer in connection with a severe snow-storm
+which occurred in March 1827: "The night mail from Edinburgh to Glasgow
+left Edinburgh in the afternoon, but was stopped before reaching
+Kirkliston. The guard with the mail-bags set forward on horseback, and
+the driver rode back to Edinburgh with a view, it was understood, to get
+fresh horses. The passengers, four in number, entreated him to use all
+diligence, and meanwhile were compelled to wait in the coach, which had
+stuck at a very solitary part of the road. There they remained through a
+dark and stormy night, with a broken pane of glass, through which the
+wind blew bitterly cold. It was nine o'clock next morning when the
+driver came, bringing with him another man and a pair of horses. Having
+taken away some articles, he jestingly asked the passengers what they
+meant to do, and was leaving them to shift for themselves, but was
+persuaded at length to aid one who was faint, and unable to struggle
+through the snow. He was allowed to mount behind one of the riders; the
+other passengers were left to extricate themselves as best they could."
+
+[Illustration: THE MAIL, 1824. (_From a contemporary print._)]
+
+Many instances might be given of the stoppage of the coaches on account
+of snow, and of the efforts made by the guards to push on the mails. In
+1836 a memorable snow-storm took place which disorganised the service,
+and the occasion is one on which the guards and coachmen distinguished
+themselves. The strain thrown upon the horses in a like situation is
+well described by Cowper, if we change one word in his lines, which are
+as follows:--
+
+
+     "The _coach_ goes heavily, impeded sore
+     By congregated loads adhering close
+     To the clogg'd wheels; and in its sluggish pace
+     Noiseless appears a moving hill of snow.
+
+     The toiling steeds expand the nostril wide,
+     While every breath, by respiration strong
+     Forced downward, is consolidated soon
+     Upon their jutting chests."
+
+
+A melancholy result followed upon a worthy endeavour to carry the mails
+through the snow on the 1st February 1831. The Dumfries coach had
+reached Moffat, where it became snowed up. The driver and guard procured
+saddle-horses, and proceeded; but they had not gone far when they found
+the roads impracticable for horses, and these were sent back to Moffat.
+The two men then continued on foot; but they did not get beyond a few
+miles on the road when they succumbed, and some days afterwards their
+dead bodies were found on the high ground near the "Deil's Beef-Tub,"
+the bags being found attached to a post at the roadside, and not far
+from where the men fell. They perished in a noble attempt to perform
+their humble duties. The incident recalls the lines of Thomson:--
+
+
+                  "And down he sinks
+     Beneath the shelter of the shapeless drift,
+     Thinking o'er all the bitterness of death,
+     Mix'd with the tender anguish nature shoots
+     Through the wrung bosom of the dying man.
+     His wife, his children, and his friends unseen.
+                  On every nerve
+     The deadly winter seizes; shuts up sense;
+     And o'er his inmost vitals creeping cold
+     Lays him along the snows, a stiffened corse,
+     Stretched out, and bleaching in the northern blast."
+
+
+We have little conception of the labour that had to be expended, during
+periods of snow, in the endeavour to keep the roads open. In places the
+snow would be found lying thirty or forty feet deep, and the road
+trustees were obliged to spend large sums of money in clearing it away.
+Hundreds of the military were called out in certain places to assist,
+and snow-ploughs were set to work in order to force a passage.
+
+The inconvenience to the country caused by such interruptions is well
+described in the _Annual Register_ of the 15th February 1795: "My letter
+of two days ago is still here; for, though I have made an effort twice,
+I have been obliged to return, not having reached half the first stage.
+Two mails are due from London, three from Glasgow, and four from
+Edinburgh. Neither the last guard that went hence for Glasgow on
+Thursday, nor he that went on Wednesday, have since been heard of; this
+country was never so completely blocked up in the memory of the oldest
+person, or that they ever heard of. I understand the road is ten feet
+deep with snow from this to Hamilton. I have had it cut through once,
+but this third fall makes an attempt impossible. Heaven only knows when
+the road will be open, nothing but a thaw can do it--it is now an
+intense frost."
+
+But the guards and coachmen were put upon their mettle on other
+occasions than when snow made further progress impossible.
+
+The following incident, showing the courage and devotion to duty of a
+mail guard and coachman, is related by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, Bart., in
+his account of the floods which devastated the province of Moray in
+August 1829. Referring to the state of things in the town of Banff, Sir
+Thomas proceeds: "The mail-coach had found it impracticable to proceed
+south in the morning by its usual route, and had gone round by the
+Bridge of Alva. It was therefore supposed that the mail for Inverness,
+which reaches Banff in the afternoon, would take the same road. But what
+was the astonishment of the assembled population when the coach
+appeared, within a few minutes of the usual time, at the further end of
+the Bridge of Banff. The people who were standing there urged both the
+guard and coachman not to attempt to pass where their danger was so
+certain. On hearing this the passengers left the coach; but the guard
+and coachman, scouting the idea of danger in the very streets of Banff,
+disregarded the advice they received, and drove straight along the
+bridge. As they turned the corner of the butcher-market, signals were
+made, and loud cries were uttered from the nearest houses to warn them
+of the danger of advancing; yet still they kept urging the horses
+onwards. But no sooner had they reached the place where the wall had
+burst, than coach and horses were at once borne away together by the
+raging current, and the vehicle was dashed violently against the corner
+of Gillan's Inn. The whole four horses immediately disappeared, but
+rose and plunged again, and dashed and struggled hard for their lives.
+Loud were the shrieks of those who witnessed this spectacle. A boat came
+almost instantaneously to the spot, but as the rowers pushed up to try
+to disengage the horses, the poor animals, as they alternately reached
+the surface, made desperate exertions to get into the boat, so that
+extreme caution was necessary in approaching them. They did succeed in
+liberating one of them, which immediately swam along the streets, amidst
+the cheering of the population; but the other three sank to rise no
+more. By this time the coach, with the coachman and guard, had been
+thrown on the pavement, where the depth of water was less; and there the
+guard was seen clinging to the top, and the coachman hanging by his
+hands to a lamp-post, with his toes occasionally touching the box. In
+this perilous state they remained till another boat came and relieved
+them, when the guard and the mails were landed in safety. Great
+indignation was displayed against the obstinacy which had produced this
+accident. But much is to be said in defence of the servants of the Royal
+Mail, who are expected to persevere in their endeavours to forward the
+public post in defiance of risk, though in this case their zeal was
+unfortunately proved to have been mistaken."[3]
+
+Although, as already stated, robberies were frequent from the
+mail-coaches, and the guard carried formidable weapons of defence, it
+does not appear that the coaches were often openly attacked. At any rate
+there do not seem to be many records of such incidents referring to the
+later days of the mail-coach service.
+
+An old guard, now retired, but still or quite recently living in
+Carlisle, relates that only on one occasion did he require to draw his
+arms for actual defence. This happened at a hamlet called Chance Inn, in
+the county of Forfar, where the coach had stopped as usual. Both the
+inside and outside places were occupied by passengers, and no additional
+travellers could be taken. A number of sailors, however, who were
+proceeding to join their ship at a seaport, wished to get upon the
+coach; and though they were told that they could not travel by this
+means, they plainly showed by their looks and demeanour that they were
+determined to do so. One of them was overheard to say that, when the
+proper moment arrived, they would make short work of the guard, who, as
+it happened, was a youngish man. The passengers too were alarmed at the
+appearances, and appealed to the guard to keep a sharp eye upon the
+sailors. Under these conditions the guard directed the coachman, the
+moment the word was given, to put the horses to a gallop, so as to leave
+the seamen behind and avoid attack. The start was signalled as arranged,
+the guard sprang into his place and faced round to the sailors, one of
+whom was now in the act of preparing to throw a huge stone at his head
+with both hands. Instantly the guard drew one of his pistols and covered
+the ringleader, who thereupon dropped on his knees imploring pardon,
+while his companions, previously so aggressive, scampered off in all
+directions like a set of scared rabbits.
+
+The apparatus by which in the present day bags of letters are dropped
+from and taken up by the travelling post-office while the trains are
+running at high speed had its prototype in the days of the mail-coaches.
+In the one case as in the other the object was to get rid of stoppages,
+and so to save time. In the coaching days the apparatus was of a most
+primitive kind, consisting of a pointed stick rather less than four feet
+long, whose sharpened end was put in behind the string around the neck
+of the mail-bag, and on the end of the stick the bag was held up to be
+clutched by the mail guard as the coach went hurriedly by. We are
+indebted to the sub-postmaster of Liberton, a village a few miles out of
+Edinburgh, for a description of the arrangement. He describes how the
+guards, some fifty years ago, would playfully deal with the youngsters
+who worked the "apparatus," by not only seizing the bag but also the
+stick, and causing the young people to run long distances after the
+coach in order to recover it. The fun was all very well, says the
+sub-postmaster, in the genial nights of summer; "but when the cold
+nights of winter came round, it was our turn to play a trick upon the
+guard, when both he and the driver were numbed with cold and fast
+asleep, and the four horses going at full speed. It was not easy to
+arouse the guard to take the bag; and just fancy the rare gift of
+Christian charity that caused us youngsters to run and roar after the
+fast-running mail-coach to get quit of the bag. It used to be a weary
+business waiting the mail-coach coming along from the south when the
+roads were stormed up with snow or otherwise delayed. It required some
+tact to hold up the bag, as the glare of the lamps prevented us from
+seeing the guard as he came up with his red coat and blowing a long tin
+horn."
+
+Some curious notions were prevalent of the effect of travelling by
+mail-coach--the rate being about eight or ten miles an hour. Lord
+Campbell was frequently warned against the danger of journeying this
+way, and instances were cited to him of passengers dying of apoplexy
+induced by the rapidity with which the vehicles travelled. In 1791
+the Postmaster-General gave directions that the public should be warned
+against sending any cash by post, partly, as he stated, "from the
+prejudice it does to the coin by the friction it occasions from the
+great expedition with which it is conveyed." After all, speed is merely
+a relative thing.
+
+[Illustration: MODERN MAIL "APPARATUS" FOR EXCHANGE OF MAIL-BAGS:
+SETTING THE POUCH--EARLY MORNING.]
+
+Although, as previously stated, open attacks were not often made upon
+the coaches, robberies of the bags conveyed by them were quite
+common--chiefly at night--and we may assume that they were made possible
+through the carelessness of the guards. It would be a long story to go
+fully into this matter. Let a couple of instances suffice. On the last
+day of February 1810, in the evening, a mail-coach at Barnet was robbed
+of sixteen bags for provincial towns by the wrenching off the lock while
+the horses were changing. And on the 19th November of the same year
+seven bags for London were stolen from the coach at Bedford about nine
+o'clock in the evening.
+
+The authorities had a good deal of trouble with the mail guards and
+coachmen, and the records of the period are full of warnings against
+their irregularities. Now they are admonished for stopping at ale-houses
+to drink; now the guards are threatened for sleeping upon duty. Then
+they are cautioned against conveying fish, poultry, etc., on their own
+account. A guard is fined £5 for suffering a man to ride on the roof of
+the coach; a driver is fined £5 for losing time; another driver, for
+intoxication and impertinence to passengers, is fined £10 and costs. The
+guards are entreated to be attentive to their arms, to see that they are
+clean, well loaded, and hung handy; they are forbidden to blow their
+horns when passing through the streets during the hours of divine
+service on Sundays; they are enjoined to keep a watch upon French
+prisoners of war attempting to break their parole; and to sum up, an
+Inspector despairingly writes that "half his time is employed in
+receiving and answering letters of complaint from passengers respecting
+the improper conduct and impertinent language of guards." A story is
+told of a passenger who, being drenched inside a coach by water coming
+through an opening in the roof, complained of the fact to the guard, but
+the only answer he got was, "Ay, mony a ane has complained o' that
+hole," and the guard quietly passed on to other duties.
+
+Railway travellers are familiar with an official at the principal
+through stations whose duty it seems to be to ring a bell and loudly
+call out "Take your seats!" the moment hungry passengers enter the
+refreshment-rooms. How far his zeal engenders dyspepsia and heart
+disease it is impossible to say.
+
+In the mail-coach days similar pressure was put upon passengers; for
+every effort was made to hurry forward the mails. In a family letter
+written by Mendelssohn in 1829, he describes a mail-coach journey from
+Glasgow to Liverpool. Among other things he mentions that the changing
+of horses was done in about forty seconds. This was not the language of
+mere hyperbole, for where the stoppage was one for the purpose of
+changing horses only the official time allowed was one minute.
+
+It is perhaps a pity that we have not fuller records of the scenes
+enacted at the stopping-places; they would doubtless afford us some
+amusement. There is the old story of the knowing passenger who,
+unobserved, placed all the silver spoons in the coffee-pot in order to
+cool the coffee and delay the coach, while the other passengers, already
+in their places, were being searched.
+
+There is another story which may be worth repeating. A hungry passenger
+had just commenced to taste the quality of a stewed fowl when he was
+peremptorily ordered by the guard to take his place. Unwilling to lose
+either his meal or his passage, he hastily rolled the fowl in his
+handkerchief, and mounted the coach. But the landlord, unused to such
+liberties, was soon after him with the ravished dish. The coach was
+already on the move, and the only revenge left to the landlord was to
+call out jeeringly to the passenger, "Won't you have the gravy, sir?"
+The other passengers had a laugh at the expense of their companion; but
+we know that a hungry man is a tenacious man, and a man with a full
+stomach can afford to laugh. At any rate the proverb says, "Who laughs
+last laughs best."
+
+The differences arising between passengers and the landlords at the
+stopping-places were sometimes, however, of a much more prosaic and
+solemn character. Charles Lamb has given us such a scene. "I was
+travelling," he says, "in a stage-coach with three male Quakers,
+buttoned up in the straitest nonconformity of their sect. We stopped to
+bait at Andover, where a meal, partly tea apparatus, partly supper, was
+set before us. My friends confined themselves to the tea-table. I in my
+way took supper. When the landlady brought in the bill, the eldest of my
+companions discovered that she had charged for both meals. This was
+resisted. Mine hostess was very clamorous and positive. Some mild
+arguments were used on the part of the Quakers, for which the heated
+mind of the good lady seemed by no means a fit recipient. The guard
+came in with his usual peremptory notice. The Quakers pulled out their
+money and formally tendered it--so much for tea--I, in humble situation,
+tendering mine, for the supper which I had taken. She would not relax in
+her demand. So they all three quietly put up their silver, as did
+myself, and marched out of the room, the eldest and gravest going first,
+with myself closing up the rear, who thought I could not do better than
+follow the example of such grave and warrantable personages. We got in.
+The steps went up. The coach drove off. The murmurs of mine hostess, not
+very indistinctly or ambiguously pronounced, became after a time
+inaudible, and now my conscience, which the whimsical scene had for a
+while suspended, beginning to give some twitches, I waited, in the hope
+that some justification would be offered by these serious persons for
+the seeming injustice of their conduct. To my surprise, not a syllable
+was dropped on the subject. They sat as mute as at a meeting. At length
+the eldest of them broke silence by inquiring of his next neighbour,
+'Hast thee heard how indigos go at the India House?' and the question
+operated as a soporific on my moral feelings as far as Exeter."
+
+A Frenchman was once a traveller by mail-coach, who, although he knew
+the English language fairly well, was not familiar with the finer shades
+of meaning attached to set expressions when applied in particular
+situations. An Englishman, who was his companion inside the coach, had
+occasion to direct his attention to some object in the passing
+landscape, and requested him to "look out." This the Frenchman promptly
+did, putting his head and shoulders out of the window, and the view
+obtained proved highly pleasing to the stranger. A stage further on in
+the journey, when the coach was approaching a narrow part of the road
+bordered and overhung by dense foliage, the driver, as was his custom,
+called out to the company, "Look out!" to which the Frenchman again
+quickly responded by thrusting head and shoulders out of the window;
+but this time with the result that his hat was brushed off, and his face
+badly scratched from contact with the neighbouring branches. This
+curious contradiction in the use of the very same words enraged the
+Frenchman, who said hard things of our language; for he had discovered
+that when told to "look out" he was to look out, and that again when
+told to "look out" he was to be careful not to look out.
+
+Mackenzie graphically describes the part mail-coaches took in the
+distribution of news over the country in the early years of the century.
+Referring to the news of the battle of Waterloo, he says: "By day and
+night these coaches rolled along at their pace of seven or eight miles
+an hour. At all cross roads messengers were waiting to get a newspaper
+or a word of tidings from the guard. In every little town, as the hour
+approached for the arrival of the mail, the citizens hovered about their
+streets waiting restlessly for the expected news. In due time the coach
+rattled into the market-place, hung with branches, the now familiar
+token that a great battle had been fought and a victory won. Eager
+groups gathered. The guard, as he handed out his mail-bags, told of the
+decisive victory which had crowned and completed our efforts. And then
+the coachman cracked his whip, the guard's horn gave forth once more its
+notes of triumph, and the coach rolled away, bearing the thrilling news
+into other districts."
+
+The writer of the interesting work called _Glasgow, Past and Present_,
+gives the following realistic account of the arrival of the London mail
+in Glasgow in war-time:--
+
+"During the time of the French war it was quite exhilarating to observe
+the arrival of the London mail-coach in Glasgow, when carrying the first
+intelligence of a great victory, like the battle of the Nile, or the
+battle of Waterloo. The mail-coach horses were then decorated with
+laurels, and a red flag floated on the roof of the coach. The guard,
+dressed in his best scarlet coat and gold ornamented hat, came galloping
+at a thundering pace along the stones of the Gallowgate, sounding his
+bugle amidst the echoings of the streets; and when he arrived at the
+foot of Nelson Street he discharged his blunderbuss in the air. On these
+occasions a general run was made to the Tontine Coffee-room to hear the
+great news, and long before the newspapers were delivered the public
+were advertised by the guard of the particulars of the great victory,
+which fled from mouth to mouth like wildfire."
+
+The mail-guards, and also the coachmen, were a race of men by
+themselves, modelled and fashioned by the circumstances of their
+employment--in fact, receiving character, like all other sets of people,
+from their peculiar environment. There are now very few of them
+remaining, and these very old men. These officers of the Post Office
+mixed with all sorts of people, learned a great deal from the
+passengers, and were full of romance and anecdote. We remember one guard
+whose conversation and accounts of funny things were so continuous that
+his hearers were kept in a constant state of ecstasy whenever he was
+set agoing. His fund of story seemed inexhaustible, and we can imagine
+how hilariously would pass away the hours on the outside of a mail-coach
+with such a companion. The guard of whom we are speaking was a north
+countryman, possessed of a stalwart frame and iron constitution, a man
+with whom a highwayman would rather avoid getting into grips. He used to
+tell of an occasion on which the driver, being drunk, fell from his box,
+and the horses bolted. He himself was seated in his place at the rear of
+the coach. The state of things was serious. He however scrambled over
+the top of the coach, let himself down between the wheelers, stole along
+the pole of the coach, recovered the reins, and saved the mail from
+wreck and the passengers from impending death. For this he received a
+special letter of thanks from the Postmaster-General.
+
+It was the custom of this guard, as no doubt of others of his class, to
+take charge of parcels of value for conveyance between places on his
+road. On one occasion he had charge of a parcel of £1500 in bank notes,
+which was in course of transmission to a bank at headquarters. It
+happened that the driver had been indulging rather freely, and at one of
+the stopping-places the coachman started off with the coach leaving the
+guard behind. The latter did not discover this till the coach was out of
+sight, and realising the responsibility he was under in respect of the
+money, which for safety he had placed in a holster below one of his
+pistols, he was in a great fright. There was nothing for it but to start
+on foot and endeavour to overtake the coach; but this he did not succeed
+in doing till he had run a whole stage, at the end of which the
+perspiration was oozing through his scarlet coat. At the completion of
+the journey he sponged himself all over with whisky, and did not then
+feel any ill effects from the great strain he had placed himself under,
+though later in life he believed his heart had suffered damage from the
+exertions of that memorable day.
+
+Before leaving this branch of our subject it may be well to note that
+while the mail guards received but nominal pay--ten and sixpence a
+week--they earned considerable sums in gratuities from passengers, and
+for executing small commissions for the public. In certain cases as much
+as £300 a year was thus received; and the heavy fines that were
+inflicted upon them were therefore not so severe as might at first sight
+seem. Unhappily these men were given to take drink, if not wisely, at
+any rate too often. The weaknesses of the mail guard are very cleverly
+portrayed in some verses on the _Mail-Coach Guard_, quoted in Larwood
+and Hotten's work on the _History of Signboards_; and while these
+frailties are the burden of the song, it will be observed how cleverly
+the names of inns or alehouses are introduced into the song:--
+
+
+     "At each inn on the road I a welcome could find;
+       At the Fleece I'd my skin full of ale;
+     The Two Jolly Brewers were just to my mind;
+       At the Dolphin I drank like a whale.
+     Tom Tun at the Hogshead sold pretty good stuff;
+       They'd capital flip at the Boar;
+     And when at the Angel I'd tippled enough,
+       I went to the Devil for more.
+     Then I'd always a sweetheart so snug at the Car;
+       At the Rose I'd a lily so white;
+     Few planets could equal sweet Nan at the Star;
+       No eyes ever twinkled so bright.
+     I've had many a hug at the sign of the Bear;
+       In the Sun courted morning and noon;
+     And when night put an end to my happiness there,
+       I'd a sweet little girl in the Moon.
+     To sweethearts and ale I at length bid adieu,
+       Of wedlock to set up the Sign;
+     Hand-in-Hand the Good-Woman I look for in you,
+       And the Horns I hope ne'er will be mine.
+     Once guard to the mail, I'm now guard to the fair,
+       But though my commission's laid down,
+     Yet while the King's Arms I'm permitted to bear,
+       Like a Lion I'll fight for the Crown."
+
+
+A good loyal subject to the last.
+
+One of the changes that time and circumstances have brought into the
+postal service is this, that the country post-offices have passed out of
+the hands of innkeepers, and into those of more desirable persons. In
+former times, and down to the period of the mail-coaches, the
+post-offices in many of the provincial towns were established at the inn
+of the place. In those days the conveyance of the mails being to a large
+extent by horse, it was convenient to have the office established where
+the relays of horses were maintained; and the term "postmaster" then
+applied in a double sense--to the person intrusted with the receipt and
+despatch of letters, and with the providing of horses to convey the
+mails. The two duties are now no longer combined, and the word
+"postmaster" has consequently become applicable to two totally different
+classes of persons. The innkeepers were not very assiduous in matters
+pertaining to the post, and the duty of receiving and despatching
+letters, being frequently left to waiters and chambermaids, was very
+badly done. Often there was no separate room provided for the
+transaction of post-office business, and visitors at the inn and others
+had opportunities for scrutinising the correspondence that ought not to
+have existed. The postmaster was assisted by his ostler, as chief
+adviser in the postal work, which, however, was neglected; the worst
+horses, instead of the best, were hired out for the mails; and for
+riders the service was graced with the dregs of the stable-yard. At the
+same time the innkeepers were alive to their own interests, for they
+sometimes attracted travellers to their houses by granting them franks
+for the free transmission of their letters. The salaries of the
+postmasters were not cast in a liberal mould, and what they did receive
+was subject to the charge of providing candles, wax, string, etc.,
+necessary for making up the mails.
+
+[Illustration: THE MAIL-COACH GUARD.]
+
+The following are examples of the salaries of postmasters about a
+hundred years ago:--
+
+
+     Paisley, 1790 to 1800,        £33
+     Dundee, 1800,                  50
+     Arbroath, 1763 to 1794,        20
+     Aberdeen, 1763 to 1793, about  90
+     Glasgow, 1789                 140
+       and Clerk                    30
+
+
+Constant appeals reached headquarters for "an augmentation," which was
+the term then applied to an increase of salary, and in the circumstances
+it is not surprising that the post-office work was indifferently done.
+Attendance had to be given to the public during the day, and when the
+mail passed through a town in the dead hours of night some one had to be
+up to despatch or receive the mail. Sometimes the postmaster, when awoke
+by the post-boy's horn, would get up and drop the mail-bag by a hook
+and line from his bedroom window. An instance of such a proceeding is
+given by Williams in his history of Watford, where the destinies of the
+post were at the time presided over by a postmistress. "In response,"
+says he, "to the thundering knock of the conductor, the old lady left
+her couch, and thrusting her head, covered with a wide-bordered
+night-cap, out of the bedroom window, let down the mail-bag by a string,
+and quickly returned to her bed again." Coming thus nightly to the open
+window must have been a risky duty as regards health for a postmistress.
+
+A hundred years ago the chief post-office in London was situated in
+Lombard Street. The scene, if we may judge by a print of the period,
+would appear to have been one of quietude and waiting for something to
+turn up. In 1829 the General Post Office was transferred to St. Martin's
+le Grand, and the departure of the evening mails (when mail-coaches were
+in full swing) became one of the sights of London.
+
+Living in an age of cheap postage as we do, we look back upon the rates
+charged a century ago with something akin to amazement. In the following
+table will be seen some of the inland and foreign postage charges which
+were current in the period from 1797 to 1815:--
+
+
+     --------------------------------------------------------------
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |                          | Single| Double | Treble | 1 oz. |
+     |     ENGLAND, 1797.       | Letter| Letter | Letter |       |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |Distance not exceeding in +-------+--------+--------+-------+
+     |Miles--                   | s.  d.| s.  d. | s.  d. | s. d. |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |15,                       | 0   3 | 0   6  | 0   9  | 1  0  |
+     |15 to 30,                 | 0   4 | 0   8  | 1   0  | 1  4  |
+     |30 "  60,                 | 0   5 | 0  10  | 1   3  | 1  8  |
+     |60 " 100,                 | 0   6 | 1   0  | 1   6  | 2  0  |
+     |100 " 150,                | 0   7 | 1   2  | 1   9  | 2  4  |
+     |150 and upwards,          | 0   8 | 1   4  | 2   0  | 2  8  |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |For Scotland these rates  |       |        |        |       |
+     |were increased by         | 0   1 | 0   2  | 0   3  | 0  4  |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |        FOREIGN.          |       |        |        |       |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |From any part in Great    |       |        |        |       |
+     |Britain to any part in--  |       |        |        |       |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |Portugal,                 | 1   0 | 2   0  | 3   0  | 4  0  |
+     |British Dominions in  }   |       |        |        |       |
+     |America,              }   | 1   0 | 2   0  | 3   0  | 4  0  |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |          1806.           |       |        |        |       |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |From any part in Great    |       |        |        |       |
+     |Britain to--              |       |        |        |       |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |Gibraltar,                | 1   9 | 3   6  | 5   3  | 7  0  |
+     |Malta,                    | 2   1 | 4   2    6   3  | 8  4  |
+     --------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+     ---------------------------------------------------------
+     |                       |       |       |       |       |
+     |        1808.          |Single |Double |Treble | 1 oz. |
+     |                       |Letter.|Letter.|Letter.|       |
+     |From any part in Great |       |       |       |       |
+     |  Britain to--         +-------+-------+-------+-------+
+     |                       | s.  d.| s.  d.|  s. d.|  s. d.|
+     |    Madeira,           | 1   6 | 3   0 |  4  6 |  6  0 |
+     |    South America, }   |       |       |       |       |
+     |    Portuguese     }   | 2   5 | 4  10 |  7  3 |  9  8 |
+     |      Possessions, }   |       |       |       |       |
+     |                       |       |       |       |       |
+     |        1815.          |       |       |       |       |
+     |                       |       |       |       |       |
+     |From any part in Great |       |       |       |       |
+     |  Britain to--         |       |       |       |       |
+     |                       |       |       |       |       |
+     |    Cape of Good Hope,}|       |       |       |       |
+     |    Mauritius,        }| 3   6 | 7   0 | 10  6 | 14  0 |
+     |    East Indies,      }|       |       |       |       |
+     |                       |       |       |       |       |
+     ---------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+Over and above these foreign rates, the full inland postage in England
+and Scotland, according to the distance the letters had to be conveyed
+to the port of despatch, was levied.
+
+Many persons remember how old-fashioned letters were made up--a single
+sheet of paper folded first at the top and bottom, then one side slipped
+inside the folds of the other, then a wafer or seal applied, and the
+address written on the back. That was a _single_ letter. If a cheque,
+bank-bill, or other document were enclosed, the letter became a double
+letter. Two enclosures made the letter a treble letter. The officers of
+the Post Office examined the letters in the interest of the Revenue, the
+letters being submitted to the test of a strong light, and the officers,
+peeping in at the end, used the feather end of a quill to separate the
+folds of the letter for better inspection. Envelopes were not then used.
+
+These high rates of postage gave rise to frequent attempts to defraud
+the Revenue, and many plans were adopted to circumvent the Post Office
+in this matter. Sometimes a series of words in the print of a newspaper
+were pricked with a pin, and thus conveyed a message to the person for
+whom the newspaper was intended. Sometimes milk was used as an invisible
+ink upon a newspaper, the receiver reading the message sent by holding
+the paper to the fire. At other times soldiers took the letters of their
+friends, and sent them under franks written by their officers. Letters
+were conveyed by public carriers, against the statute, sometimes tied up
+in brown paper, to disguise them as parcels. The carriers seem to have
+been conspicuous offenders, for one of them was convicted at Warwick in
+1794, when penalties amounting to £1500 were incurred, though only £10
+and costs were actually exacted. The Post Office maintained a staff of
+men called "Apprehenders of Letter Carriers," whose business it was to
+hunt down persons illegally carrying letters.
+
+Nor must we omit to mention how far short of perfection were the means
+afforded for cross-post communication between one town and another.
+While along the main lines of road radiating from London there might be
+a fairly good service according to the ideas of the times, the
+cross-country connections were bad and inadequate. Here are one or two
+instances:--
+
+In 1792 there was no direct post between Thrapstone and Wellingborough,
+though they lay only nine miles apart. Letters could circulate between
+these towns by way of Stilton, Newark, Nottingham, and Northampton,
+performing a circuit of 148 miles, or they could be sent by way of
+London, 74 up and 68½ down,--in which latter case they reached their
+destination one day sooner than by the northern route.
+
+[Illustrations: Diagrams--ROUNDABOUT COMMUNICATIONS]
+
+Again, from Ipswich to Bury St. Edmunds, two important towns of about
+11,000 and 7000 inhabitants respectively, and distant from each other
+only twenty-two miles, there was no direct post. Letters had to be
+forwarded either through Norwich and Newmarket, or by way of London, the
+distance to be covered in the one case being 105 miles, and in the other
+143½ miles. According to a time-table of the period, a letter posted at
+Ipswich for Bury St. Edmunds on Monday would be despatched to Norwich at
+5.30 A.M. on Tuesday. Reaching this place six hours thereafter, it would
+be forwarded thence at 4 P.M. to Newmarket, where it was due at 11 P.M.
+At Newmarket it would lie all night and the greater part of next day,
+and would only arrive at Bury at 5.40 P.M. on Wednesday. Thus three days
+were consumed in the journey of a letter from Ipswich to Bury by the
+nearest postal route, and nothing was to be gained by adopting the
+alternative route _viâ_ London.
+
+In 1781 the postal staff in Edinburgh was composed of twenty-three
+persons, of whom six were letter-carriers. The indoor staff of the
+Glasgow Post Office in 1789 consisted of the postmaster and one clerk,
+and as ten years later there were only four postmen employed, the
+outdoor force in 1789 was probably only four men.
+
+Liverpool, in the year 1792, when its population stood at something like
+60,000, had only three postmen, whose wages were 7s. a week each. One of
+the men, however, was assisted by his wife, and for this service the
+Post Office allowed her from £10 to £12 a year. Their duties seem to
+have been carried out in an easy-going, deliberate fashion. The men
+arranged the letters for distribution in the early morning, then they
+partook of breakfast, and started on their rounds about 9 A.M.,
+completing their delivery about the middle of the afternoon. It would
+thus seem that a hundred years ago there was but one delivery daily in
+Liverpool.
+
+During the same period there were only three letter-carriers employed at
+Manchester, four at Bristol, and three or four at Birmingham. In our own
+times the number of postmen serving these large towns may be counted by
+the hundreds, or, I might almost say, thousands.
+
+The delivery of letters in former times was necessarily a slow affair,
+for two reasons, namely:--that prepayment was not compulsory, and the
+senders of letters thoughtfully left the receivers to pay for them, when
+the postmen would often be kept waiting for the money. And secondly,
+streets were not named and numbered systematically as they now are, and
+concise addresses were impossible.
+
+It is no doubt the case that order and method in laying out the streets
+and in regulating generally the buildings of towns are things of quite
+modern growth. In old-fashioned towns we find the streets running at all
+angles to one another, and describing all sorts of curves, without any
+regard whatever to general harmony. And will it be believed that the
+numbering of the houses in streets is comparatively a modern
+arrangement! Walter Thornbury tells us in his _Haunted London_ that
+"names were first put on doors in 1760 (some years before the street
+signs were removed). In 1764 houses were first numbered, the numbering
+commencing in New Burleigh Street, and Lincoln's-Inn-Fields being the
+second place numbered." While in our own time the addresses of letters
+are generally brief and direct, it is not to be wondered at that, under
+the conditions above stated, the superscriptions were often such as now
+seem to us curious. Here is one given in a printed notice issued at
+Edinburgh in 1714:--
+
+
+     "The Stamp office at Edinburgh
+     in Mr. William Law, Jeweller,
+     his hands, off the Parliament close,
+     down the market stairs, opposite
+     to the Excise office."
+
+
+Here is another old-fashioned address, in which one must admit the
+spirit of filial regard with which it is inspired:--
+
+
+     "These for his honoured Mother,
+     Mrs. Hester Stryp, widow,
+     dwelling in Petticoat Lane, over
+     against the Five Inkhorns,
+               without Bishopgate,
+                  in London."
+
+
+Yet one more specimen, referring to the year 1702:--
+
+
+             "For
+     Mr. Archibald Dunbarr
+     of Thunderstoune, to be
+     left at Capt. Dunbar's
+     writing chamber at the
+     Iron Revell, third storie
+     below the cross, north end
+     of the close at Edinburgh."
+
+
+Under the circumstances of the time it was necessary thus to define at
+length where letters should be delivered; and the same circumstances
+were no doubt the _raison-d'être_ of the corps of caddies in Edinburgh,
+whose business it was to execute commissions of all sorts, and in whom
+the paramount qualification was to know everybody in the town, and where
+everybody lived.
+
+All this is changed in our degenerate days, and it is now possible for
+any one to find any other person with the simple key of street and
+number.
+
+The irregular way in which towns grew up in former times is brought out
+in an anecdote about Kilmarnock. Early in the present century the
+streets of that town were narrow, winding, and intricate. An English
+commercial traveller, having completed some business there, mounted his
+horse, and set out for another town. He was making for the outskirts of
+Kilmarnock, and reflecting upon its apparent size and importance, when
+he suddenly found himself back at the cross. In the surprise of the
+moment he was heard to exclaim that surely his "sable eminence" must
+have had a hand in the building of it, for it was a town very easily got
+into, but there was no getting out of it.
+
+A duty that the changed circumstances of the times now renders
+unnecessary was formerly imposed upon postmasters, of which there is
+hardly a recollection remaining among the officials carrying on the work
+of the post to-day. The duty is mentioned in an order of May 1824, to
+the following effect: "An old instruction was renewed in 1812, that all
+postmasters should transmit to me (the Secretary), for the information
+of His Majesty's Postmaster-General, an immediate account of all
+remarkable occurrences within their districts, that the same may be
+communicated, if necessary, to His Majesty's principal Secretaries of
+State. This has not been invariably attended to, and I am commanded by
+His Lordship to say, that henceforward it will be expected of every
+Deputy." This gathering of news from all quarters is now adequately
+provided for by the _Daily Press_, and no incident of any importance
+occurs which is not immediately distributed through that channel, or
+flashed by the telegraph, to every corner of the kingdom.
+
+A custom, which would now be looked upon as a curiosity, and the origin
+of which would have to be sought for in the remote past, was in
+operation in the larger towns of the kingdom until about the year 1859.
+The custom was that of ringing the town for letters to be despatched;
+certain of the postmen being authorised to go over apportioned
+districts, after the ordinary collections of letters from the receiving
+offices had been made, to gather in late letters for the mail. Until the
+year above mentioned the arrangement was thus carried out in Dublin. The
+letter-box at the chief office, and those at the receiving offices,
+closed two hours before the despatch of the night mail. Half an hour
+after this closing eleven postmen started to scour the town, collecting
+on their way letters and newspapers. Each man carried a locked leather
+wallet, into which, through an opening, letters and other articles were
+placed, the postmen receiving a fee of a penny on every letter, and a
+halfpenny on every newspaper. This was a personal fee to the men over
+and above the ordinary postage. To warn the public of the postman's
+approach each man carried a large bell, which he rang vigorously as he
+went his rounds. These men, besides taking up letters for the public,
+called also at the receiving offices for any letters left for them upon
+which the special fee had been paid, and the "ringers" had to reach the
+chief office one hour before the despatch of the night mail. This custom
+seems to have yielded considerable emolument to the men concerned, for
+when it was abolished compensation was given for the loss of fees, the
+annual payments ranging from £10 8s., to £36 8s. Increased posting
+facilities, and the infusion of greater activity into the performance of
+post-office work, were no doubt the things which "rang the parting
+knell" of these useful servants of the period.
+
+[Illustration: THE BELLMAN COLLECTING LETTERS FOR DESPATCH.]
+
+The slow and infrequent conveyance of mails by the ordinary post in
+former times gave rise to the necessity for "Expresses." By this term is
+meant the despatch of a single letter by man and horse, to be passed on
+from stage to stage without delay to its destination. In an official
+instruction of 1824 the speed to be observed was thus described: "It is
+expected that all Expresses shall be conveyed at the rate of seven
+miles, at least, within the hour." The charge made was 11d. per mile,
+arising as follows, viz.:--7½d. per mile for the horse, 2d. per mile for
+the rider, and 1½d. per mile for the post-horse duty. The postmaster who
+despatched the Express, and the postmaster who received it for delivery,
+were each entitled to 2s. 6d. for their trouble.
+
+It will perhaps be convenient to look at the packet service apart from
+the land service, though progress is as remarkable in the one as in the
+other. During the wars of the latter half of the last century, the
+packets, small as they were, were armed packets. But we almost smile in
+recording the armaments carried. Here is an account of the arms of the
+_Roebuck_ packet as inventoried in 1791:--
+
+
+     2 Carriage guns.
+     4 Muskets and bayonets.
+     4 Brass Blunderbusses.
+     4 Cutlasses.
+     4 Pair of Pistols.
+     3 old Cartouch-boxes.
+
+
+In our own estuaries and seas the packets were not free from
+molestation, and were in danger of being taken. In 1779 the Carron
+Company were running vessels from the Forth to London, and the following
+notice was issued by them as an inducement to persons travelling between
+these places:--
+
+"The Carron vessels are fitted out in the most complete manner for
+defence, at a very considerable expense, and are well provided with
+small arms. All mariners, recruiting parties, soldiers upon furlow, and
+all other steerage passengers who have been accustomed to the use of
+firearms, and who will engage to assist in defending themselves, will be
+accommodated with their passage to and from London upon satisfying the
+masters for their provisions, which in no instance shall exceed 10s. 6d.
+sterling." This was the year in which Paul Jones visited the Firth of
+Forth, and was spreading terror all round the coasts. The following was
+the service of the packets in the year 1780. Five packets were employed
+between Dover and Ostend and Calais, the despatches being made on
+Wednesdays and Saturdays. Between Harwich and Holland three were
+employed, the sailings in this case also taking place on Wednesdays and
+Saturdays. For New York and the West India Service twelve packets were
+engaged, sailing from Falmouth on the first Wednesday of every month.
+Four packets performed the duty between Falmouth and Lisbon, sailing
+every Saturday; and five packets kept up the Irish communication,
+sailing daily between Holyhead and Dublin. In the year 1798, a mail
+service seems to have been kept up by packets sailing from Yarmouth to
+Cuxhaven, at the mouth of the Elbe, respecting which the following
+particulars may be interesting. They are taken from an old letter-book.
+"The passage-money to the office is 12s. 6d. for whole passengers, and
+6s. 6d. for half passengers, either to or from England; 6d. of which is
+to be paid to the Captain for small beer, which both the whole and half
+passengers are to be informed of their being entitled to when they
+embark.
+
+"1s. 6d. is allowed as a perquisite on each whole passenger, 1s. of
+which to the agent at Cuxhaven for every whole passenger embarking for
+England, and the other 6d. to the agent at Yarmouth; and in like manner
+1s. to the agent at Yarmouth on every whole passenger embarking for the
+Continent, and 6d. to the agent at Cuxhaven; but no fee whatever is to
+be taken on half passengers, so that 10s. 6d. must be accounted for to
+the Revenue on each whole passenger, and 6s. on each half passenger."
+
+Half passengers were servants, young children, or persons in low
+circumstances.
+
+While touching upon passage-money, it may be noted that in 1811 the fare
+from Weymouth to Jersey or Guernsey, for cabin passengers, was, to the
+captain, 15s. 6d. and to the office 10s. 6d.--or £1, 6s. in all.
+
+The mail packets performing the service between England and Ireland in
+the first quarter of the present century were not much to boast of.
+According to a survey taken at Holyhead in July 1821, the vessels
+employed to carry the mails between that port and Dublin were of very
+small tonnage, as will be seen by the following table:--
+
+
+     Uxbridge,                93 tons.
+     Pelham,                  98  "
+     Duke of Montrose,        98  "
+     Chichester,             102  "
+     Union,                  104  "
+     Countess of Liverpool,  114  "
+
+
+The valuation of these crafts, including rigging, furniture, and
+fitting, ranged from £1600 to £2400.
+
+The failures or delays in making the passage across the Channel are thus
+described by Cleland in his _Annals of Glasgow_: "It frequently
+happens," says he, "that the mail packet is windbound at the mouth of
+the Liffey for several days together"; and we have seen it stated in a
+newspaper article that the packets crossing to Ireland by the
+Portpatrick route were sometimes delayed a couple of weeks by contrary
+winds.
+
+A few years previously an attempt had been made to introduce
+steam-packets for the Holyhead and Dublin service; but this improved
+service was not at that time adopted. Referring to the year 1816,
+Cleland writes: "The success of steamboats on the Clyde induced some
+gentlemen in Dublin to order two vessels to be made to ply as packets in
+the Channel between Dublin and Holyhead, with a view of ultimately
+carrying the mail. The dimensions are as follows:--viz., keel 65 feet,
+beam 18 feet, with 9 feet draught of water--have engines of 20
+horse-power, and are named the 'Britannia' and 'Hibernia.'" These were
+the modest ideas then held as to the power of steam to develop and
+expedite the packet service. In the period from 1850-60, when steam had
+been adopted upon the Holyhead and Dublin route, one of the first
+contract vessels was the _Prince Arthur_, having a gross tonnage of 400,
+and whose speed was thirteen or fourteen knots an hour. The latest
+addition to this line of packets is the _Ireland_ a magnificent ship of
+2095 tons gross, and of 7000 horse-power. Its rate of speed is
+twenty-two knots an hour.
+
+As regards the American packet service perhaps greater strides than
+these even have been achieved. Prior to 1840 the vessels carrying the
+mails across the Atlantic were derisively called "coffin brigs," whose
+tonnage was probably about 400. At any rate, as will be seen later on, a
+packet in which Harriet Martineau crossed the Atlantic in 1836 was one
+of only 417 tons. On the 4th July 1840, a company, which is now the
+Cunard Company, started a contract service for the mails to America, the
+steamers employed having a tonnage burden of 1154 and indicated
+horse-power of 740. Their average speed was 8½ knots. In 1853 the
+packets had attained to greater proportions and higher speed, the
+average length of passage from Liverpool to New York being twelve days
+one hour fourteen minutes. As years rolled on competition and the
+exigencies of the times called for still more rapid transit, and at
+the present day the several companies performing the American Mail
+Service have afloat palatial ships of 7000 to 10,000 tons, bringing
+America within a week's touch of Great Britain.
+
+[Illustration: HOLYHEAD AND KINGSTOWN MAIL PACKET "PRINCE ARTHUR"--400
+TONS--PERIOD 1850-60.
+(_From a painting, the property of the City of Dublin Steam Packet
+Company._)]
+
+Going back a little more than a hundred years, it is of interest to see
+how irregular were the communications to and from foreign ports by mail
+packet. Benjamin Franklin, writing of the period 1757, mentions the
+following circumstances connected with a voyage he made from New York to
+Europe in that year. The packets were at the disposition of General Lord
+Loudon, then in charge of the army in America; and Franklin had to
+travel from Philadelphia to New York to join the packet, Lord Loudon
+having preceded him to the port of despatch. The General told Franklin
+confidentially, that though it had been given out that the packet would
+sail on Saturday next, still it would not sail till Monday. He was,
+however, advised not to delay longer. "By some accidental hindrance at a
+ferry," writes Franklin, "it was Monday noon before I arrived, and I
+was much afraid she might have sailed, as the wind was fair; but I was
+soon made easy by the information that she was still in the harbour, and
+would not leave till the next day. One would imagine that I was now on
+the very point of departing for Europe. I thought so; but I was not then
+so well acquainted with his Lordship's character, of which indecision
+was one of the strongest features. It was about the beginning of April
+that I came to New York, and it was near the end of June before we
+sailed. There were then two of the packet-boats which had long been in
+port, but were detained for the General's letters, which were always to
+be ready _to-morrow_. Another packet arrived; she, too, was detained;
+and, before we sailed, a fourth was expected. Ours was the first to be
+despatched, as having been there longest. Passengers were engaged in
+all, and some extremely impatient to be gone, and the merchants uneasy
+about their letters, and the orders they had given for insurance (it
+being war-time) for fall goods; but their anxiety availed nothing; his
+Lordship's letters were not ready; and yet, whoever waited on him found
+him always at his desk, pen in hand, and concluded he must needs write
+abundantly."
+
+Apart from the manifest inconvenience of postal service conducted in the
+way described, one cannot wonder that the affairs of the American
+Colonies should get into a bad way when conducted under a policy of so
+manifest vacillation and indecision.
+
+But the irregular transmission of mails between America and Europe was
+not a thing referring merely to the year 1757, for Franklin, writing
+from Passy, near Paris, in the year 1782, again dwells upon the
+uncertainty of the communication. "We are far from the sea-ports," he
+says, "and not well informed, and often misinformed, about the sailing
+of the vessels. Frequently we are told they are to sail in a week or
+two, and often they lie in the ports for months after with our letters
+on board, either waiting for convoy or for other reasons. The
+post-office here is an unsafe conveyance; many of the letters we receive
+by it have evidently been opened, and doubtless the same happens to
+those we send; and, at this time particularly, there is so violent a
+curiosity in all kinds of people to know something relating to the
+negotiations, and whether peace may be expected, or a continuance of the
+war, that there are few private hands or travellers that we can trust
+with carrying our despatches to the sea-coast; and I imagine that they
+may sometimes be opened and destroyed, because they cannot be well
+sealed."
+
+Harriet Martineau gives an insight into the way in which mails were
+treated on board American packets in the year 1836, which may be held to
+be almost in recent times; yet the treatment is such that a
+Postmaster-General of to-day would be roused to indignation at the
+outrage perpetrated upon them. She thus writes: "I could not leave such
+a sight, even for the amusement of hauling over the letter-bags. Mr.
+Ely put on his spectacles; Mrs. Ely drew a chair; others lay along on
+deck to examine the superscriptions of the letters from Irish emigrants
+to their friends. It is wonderful how some of these epistles reach their
+destinations; the following, for instance, begun at the top left-hand
+corner, and elaborately prolonged to the bottom right one:--Mrs. A. B.
+ile of Man douglas wits sped England. The letter-bags are opened for the
+purpose of sorting out those which are for delivery in port from the
+rest. A fine day is always chosen, generally towards the end of the
+voyage, when amusements become scarce and the passengers are growing
+weary. It is pleasant to sit on the rail and see the passengers gather
+round the heap of letters, and to hear the shouts of merriment when any
+exceedingly original superscription comes under notice." Such liberties
+with the mails in the present day would excite consternation in the
+headquarters of the Post Office Department. Nor is this all. Miss
+Martineau makes the further remark--"The two Miss O'Briens appeared
+to-day on deck, speaking to nobody, sitting on the same seats, with
+their feet _on the same letter-bag_, reading two volumes of the same
+book, and dressed alike," etc. The mail-bags turned into footstools,
+forsooth! It is interesting to note the size of the packet in which this
+lady crossed the Atlantic. It was the _Orpheus_, Captain Bursley, a
+vessel of 417 tons. In looking back on these times, and knowing what
+dreadful storms our huge steamers encounter between Europe and America,
+we cannot but admire the courage which must have inspired men and women
+to embark for distant ports in crafts so frail.[4] It is well also to
+note that the transit from New York occupied the period from the 1st to
+the 26th August, the better part of four weeks.
+
+Reference has been made to the fact that a century ago the little
+packets, to which the mails and passengers were consigned, were built
+for fighting purposes. It was no uncommon thing for them to fall into
+the hands of an enemy; but they did not always succumb without doing
+battle, and sometimes they had the honours of the day. In 1793 the
+_Antelope_ packet fought a privateer off the coast of Cuba and captured
+it, after 49 of the 65 men the privateer carried had been killed or
+disabled. The _Antelope_ had only two killed and three wounded--one
+mortally. In 1803 the _Lady Hobart_, a vessel of 200 tons, sailing from
+Nova Scotia for England, fell in with and captured a French schooner;
+but the _Lady Hobart_ a few days later ran into an iceberg, receiving
+such damage that she shortly thereafter foundered. The mails were loaded
+with iron and thrown overboard, and the crew and passengers, taking to
+the boats, made for Newfoundland, which they reached after enduring
+great hardships.
+
+The introduction of the uniform Penny Postage, under the scheme with
+which Sir Rowland Hill's name is so intimately associated, and the
+Jubilee of which occurs in the present year, marks an important epoch in
+the review which is now under consideration. To enter into a history of
+the Penny Postage agitation would be beyond the scope of these pages.
+Like all great schemes, the idea propounded was fought against inch by
+inch, and the battle, so far as the objectors are concerned, remains a
+memorial of the incapacity of a great portion of mankind to think out
+any scheme on its merits. Whatever is new is sure to be opposed,
+apparently on no other ground than that of novelty, and in this bearing
+men are often not unlike some of the lower creatures in the scale of
+animated nature, that start and fly from things which they have not seen
+before, though they may have no more substance than that of a shadow.
+However this may be, the Penny Postage measure has produced stupendous
+results. In 1839, the year before the reduction of postage, the letters
+passing through the post in the United Kingdom were 82,500,000. In 1840,
+under the Penny Postage Scheme, the number immediately rose to nearly
+169,000,000. That is to say, the letters were doubled in number. Ten
+years later the number rose to 347,000,000, and in last year (1889)
+the total number of letters passing through the Post Office in this
+country was 1,558,000,000. In addition to the letters, however, the
+following articles passed through the post last year--Book Packets and
+Circulars, 412,000,000; Newspapers 152,000,000; Post Cards 201,000,000.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Form of Petition used in agitation for the Uniform Penny Postage._
+
+UNIFORM PENNY POSTAGE.
+
+(FORM OF A PETITION.)
+
+TO THE HONOURABLE THE LORDS SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL [_or_, THE COMMONS,
+_as the case may be_] IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED:--
+
+The humble Petition of the Undersigned [_to be filled up with the name
+of Place, Corporation, &c._]
+
+SHEWETH,
+
+That your Petitioners earnestly desire an Uniform Penny Post, payable in
+advance, as proposed by Rowland Hill, and recommended by the Report of
+the Select Committee of the House of Commons.
+
+That your Petitioners intreat your Honourable House to give speedy
+effect to this Report. And your Petitioners will ever pray.
+
+                       *       *       *
+
+MOTHERS AND FATHERS that wish to hear from their absent children!
+
+FRIENDS who are parted, that wish to write to each other!
+
+EMIGRANTS that do not forget their native homes!
+
+FARMERS that wish to know the best Markets!
+
+MERCHANTS AND TRADESMEN that wish to receive Orders and Money quickly
+and cheaply!
+
+MECHANICS AND LABOURERS that wish to learn where good work and high
+wages are to be had! _support_ the Report of the House of Commons with
+your Petitions for an UNIFORM PENNY POST. Let every City and Town and
+Village, every Corporation, every Religious Society and Congregation,
+petition, and let every one in the kingdom sign a Petition with his name
+or his mark.
+
+THIS IS NO QUESTION OF PARTY POLITICS.
+
+Lord Ashburton, a Conservative, and one of the richest Noblemen in the
+country, spoke these impressive words before the House of Commons
+Committee--"Postage is one of the worst of our Taxes; it is, in fact,
+taxing the conversation of people who live at a distance from each
+other. The communication of letters by persons living at a distance is
+the same as a communication by word of mouth between persons living in
+the same town."
+
+"Sixpence," says Mr. Brewin, "is the third of a poor man's income; if a
+gentleman, who had 1,000_l._ a year, or 3_l._ a day, had to pay
+one-third of his daily income, a sovereign, for a letter, how often
+would he write letters of friendship! Let a gentleman put that to
+himself, and then he will be able to see how the poor man cannot be able
+to pay Sixpence for his Letter."
+
+                       *       *       *
+
+READER!
+
+If you can get any Signatures to a Petition, make two Copies of the
+above on two half sheets of paper; get them signed as numerously as
+possible; fold each up separately; put a slip of paper around, leaving
+the ends open; direct one to a Member of the House of Lords, the other
+to a Member of the House of Commons, LONDON, and put them into the Post
+Office.
+
+                       *       *       *
+
+_Reproduced from a handbill in the collection of the late Sir Henry
+Cole, K.C.B. By permission of Lady Cole._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Should any reader desire to inform himself with some degree of fulness
+of the stages through which the Penny Postage agitation passed, he
+cannot do better than peruse Sir Henry Cole's _Fifty Years of Public
+Work_.
+
+The Postmaster-General, speaking at the Jubilee Meeting at the London
+Guildhall, on the 16th May last, thus contrasted the work of 1839 with
+that of 1889: "Although I would not to-night weary an assemblage like
+this with tedious and tiresome figures, it may be at least permitted to
+me to remind you that, whereas in the year immediately preceding the
+establishment of the Penny Postage the number of letters delivered in
+the United Kingdom amounted to[5] 76,000,000, the number of letters
+delivered in this country last year was nearly 1,600,000,000--twenty
+times the number of letters which passed through the post fifty years
+ago. To these letters must be added the 652,000,000 of post-cards and
+other communications by the halfpenny post, and the enormous number of
+newspapers, which bring the total number of communications passing
+through the post to considerably above two billions. I venture to say
+that this is the most stupendous result of any administrative change
+which the world has witnessed. If you estimate the effect of that upon
+our daily life; if you pause for a moment to consider how trade and
+business have been facilitated and developed; how family relations have
+been maintained and kept together; if you for a moment allow your mind
+to dwell upon the change which is implied in that great fact to which I
+have called attention, I think you will see that the establishment of
+the penny post has done more to change--and change for the better--the
+face of Old England than almost any other political or social project
+which has received the sanction of Legislature within our history."
+
+Among the Penny Postage literature issued in the year 1840 there are
+several songs. One of these was published at Leith, and is given below.
+It is entitled "Hurrah for the Postman, the great Roland Hill." The
+leaflet is remarkable for this, that it is headed by a picture of
+postmen rushing through the streets delivering letters on roller skates.
+It is generally believed that roller skates are quite a modern
+invention, and in the absence of proof to the contrary it may be fair to
+assume that the author of the song anticipated the inventor in this mode
+of progression. So there really seems to be nothing new under the sun!
+
+
+HURRAH FOR THE POSTMAN, THE GREAT ROLAND HILL.[6]
+
+
+     "Come, send round the liquor, and fill to the brim
+     A bumper to Railroads, the Press, Gas, and Steam;
+     To rags, bags, and nutgalls, ink, paper, and quill,
+     The Post, and the Postman, the gude Roland Hill!
+     By steam we noo travel mair quick than the eagle,
+     A sixty mile trip for the price o' a sang!
+     A prin it has powntit--th' Atlantic surmountit,
+     We'll compass the globe in a fortnight or lang.
+     The gas bleezes brightly, you witness it nightly,
+     Our ancestors lived unca lang in the dark;
+     Their wisdom was folly, their sense melancholy
+     When compared wi' sic wonderfu' modern wark.
+     Neist o' rags, bags, and size then, let no one despise them,
+     Without them whar wad a' our paper come frae?
+     The dark flood o' ink too, I'm given to think too,
+     Could as ill be wanted at this time o' day.
+     The Quill is a queer thing, a cheap and a dear thing,
+     A weak-lookin' object, but gude kens how strang,
+     Sometimes it is ceevil, sometimes it's the deevil.
+     Tak tent when you touch it, you haudna it wrang.
+     The Press I'll next mention, a noble invention,
+     The great mental cook with resources so vast;
+     It spreads on bright pages the knowledge o' ages,
+     And tells to the future the things of the past.
+     Hech, sirs! but its awfu' (but ne'er mind it's lawfu')
+     To saddle the Postman wi' sic meikle bags;
+     Wi' epistles and sonnets, love billets and groan-ets,
+     Ye'll tear the poor Postie to shivers and rags.
+     Noo Jock sends to Jenny, it costs but ae penny,
+     A screed that has near broke the Dictionar's back,
+     Fu' o' dove-in and dear-in, and _thoughts_ on the shearin'!!
+     Nae need noo o' whisp'rin' ayont a wheat stack.
+     Auld drivers were lazy, their mail-coaches crazy,
+     At ilk public-house they stopt for a gill;
+     But noo at the gallop, cheap mail-bags maun wallop.
+     Hurrah for our Postman, the great Roland Hill.
+                        "Then send round the liquor," etc.
+
+
+The advantages resulting from a rapid and cheap carriage of letters must
+readily occur to any ordinary mind; but perhaps the following would
+hardly suggest itself as one of those advantages. Dean Alford thus
+wrote about the usefulness of post-cards, introduced on the 1st October
+1870: "You will also find a new era in postage begun. The halfpenny
+cards have become a great institution. Some of us make large use of them
+to write short Latin epistles on, and are brushing up our Cicero and
+Pliny for that purpose."
+
+Unlike some of the branches of post-office work, other than the
+distribution of news, either by letter or newspaper, the money order
+system dates from long before the introduction of penny postage--namely
+from the year 1792.
+
+It was set on foot by some of the post-office clerks on their own
+account; but it was not till 1838 that it became a recognised business
+of the Department. Owing to high rates of commission, and to high
+postage, little business was done in the earlier years. In 1839 less
+than 190,000 orders were issued of the value of £313,000, while last
+year the total number of transactions within the United Kingdom was
+9,228,183, representing a sum of nearly £23,000,000 sterling.
+
+In the year 1861 the Post Office entered upon the business of banking by
+the establishment of the Post Office Savings Banks. At the present time
+there are upwards of 9000 offices within the kingdom at which Post
+Office Savings Bank business is transacted. The number of persons having
+accounts with these banks is now 4,220,927, and the annual deposits
+represent a gross sum of over £19,000,000.
+
+In order of time the next additional business taken up by the Department
+was that of the telegraphs. Before 1870 the telegraph work for the
+public was carried on by several commercial companies and by the railway
+companies; but in that year this business became a monopoly, like the
+transmission of letters, in the hands of the Post Office. The work of
+taking over these various telegraphs, and, consolidating them into a
+harmonious whole, was one of gigantic proportions, requiring indomitable
+courage and unwearying energy, as well as consummate ability; and when
+the history of this enterprise comes to be written, it will perhaps be
+found that the undertaking, in magnitude and importance, comes in no
+measure short of the Penny Postage scheme of Sir Rowland Hill.
+
+In the first year of the control of the telegraphs by the Post Office
+the number of messages sent was nearly 9,472,000, excluding 700,000
+press messages. At that time the minimum charge was 1s. per message. In
+1885 the minimum was reduced to 6d., and under this rate the number of
+messages rose last year to 62,368,000.
+
+The most recent addition of importance to the varied work of the Post
+Office is that of the Parcel Post. This business was started in 1883. In
+the first year of its operation the number of inland parcels transmitted
+was upwards of 22,900,000. Last year the number, including a proportion
+of foreign and colonial parcels, rose to 39,500,000, earning a gross
+postage of over £878,547. The uniform rates in respect of distance, the
+vast number of offices where parcels are received and delivered, and the
+extensive machinery at the command of the Post Office for the work,
+render this business one of extreme accommodation to the public. Not
+only is the Parcel Post taken advantage of for the transmission of
+ordinary business or domestic parcels, but it is made the channel for
+the exchange of all manner of out-of-the-way articles. The following are
+some instances of the latter class observed at Edinburgh: Scotch oatmeal
+going to Paris, Naples, and Berlin; bagpipes for the Lower Congo, and
+for native regiments in the Punjaub; Scotch haggis for Ontario, Canada,
+and for Caebar, India; smoked haddocks for Rome; the great puzzle "Pigs
+in Clover" for Bavaria, and for Wellington, New Zealand, and so on. At
+home, too, curious arrangements come under notice. A family, for
+example, in London find it to their advantage to have a roast of beef
+sent to them by parcel post twice a week from a town in Fife. And a
+gentleman of property, having his permanent residence in Devonshire,
+finds it convenient, when enjoying the shooting season in the far
+north-west of Scotland, to have his vegetables forwarded by parcel post
+from his home garden in Devonshire to his shooting lodge in Scotland.
+The postage on these latter consignments sometimes amounts to about
+fifteen shillings a day, a couple of post-office parcel hampers being
+required for their conveyance.
+
+And we should not omit to mention here the number of persons employed in
+the Post by whom this vast amount of most diverse business is carried on
+for the nation. Of head and sub-postmasters and letter receivers, each
+of whom has a post-office under his care, there are 17,770. The other
+established offices of the Post Office number over 40,500, and there
+are, besides, persons employed in unestablished positions to the number
+of over 50,000. Thus there is a great army of no less than 108,000
+persons serving the public in the various domains of the postal service.
+
+A century ago, and indeed down to a period only fifty years ago, the
+world, looked at from the present vantage-ground, must appear to have
+been in a dull, lethargic state, with hardly any pulse and a low
+circulation. As for nerve system it had none. The changes which the Post
+Office has wrought in the world, but more particularly in our own
+country, are only to be fully perceived and appreciated by the
+thoughtful. Now the heart of the nation throbs strongly at the centre,
+while the current of activity flows quickly and freely to the remotest
+corners of the state. The telegraph provides a nervous system unknown
+before. By its means every portion of the country is placed in immediate
+contact with every other part; the thrill of joy and the moan of
+desolation are no longer things of locality; they are shared fully and
+immediately by the whole; and the interest of brotherhood, extending to
+parts of the country which, under other conditions, must have remained
+unknown and uncared for, makes us realise that all men are but members
+of one and the same family.
+
+The freedom and independence now enjoyed by the individual, as a result
+of the vast influence exercised by society through the rapid exchange of
+thought, is certainly a thing of which the people of our own country
+may well be proud. Right can now assert itself in a way which was
+entirely beyond the reach of our predecessors of a hundred years ago;
+and wrong receives summary judgment at the hands of a whole people. Yet
+there is a growing danger that this great liberty of the individual may
+become, in one direction, a spurious liberty, and that the elements of
+physical force, exerting themselves under the ægis of uncurbed freedom,
+may enter into conspiracy against intellect, individual effort, and
+thrift in such a way as to produce a tyranny worse than that existing in
+the most despotic states.
+
+The introduction of the telegraph, and the greater facilities afforded
+by the press for the general distribution of news, have greatly changed
+the nature of commercial speculation. Formerly, when news came from
+abroad at wide intervals, it was of the utmost consequence to obtain
+early command of prices and information as to movements in the markets,
+and whoever gained the news first had the first place in the race.
+Nowadays the telegraph, and the newspapers by the help of the
+telegraph, give all an equal start, and the whole world knows at once
+what is going on in every capital of the globe. The thirst for the first
+possession of news in commercial life is happily described in _Glasgow
+Past and Present_, wherein the author gives an account of a practice
+prevailing in the Tontine Reading Rooms at the end of last century.
+"Immediately on receiving the bag of papers from the post-office," says
+the writer, "the waiter locked himself up in the bar, and after he had
+sorted the different papers and had made them up in a heap, he unlocked
+the door of the bar, and making a sudden rush into the middle of the
+room, he then tossed up the whole lot of newspapers as high as the
+ceiling of the room. Now came the grand rush and scramble of the
+subscribers, every one darting forward to lay hold of a falling
+newspaper. Sometimes a lucky fellow got hold of five or six newspapers
+and ran off with them to a corner, in order to select his favourite
+paper; but he was always hotly pursued by some half-dozen of the
+disappointed scramblers, who, without ceremony, pulled from his hands
+the first paper they could lay hold of, regardless of its being torn in
+the contest. On these occasions I have often seen a heap of gentlemen
+sprawling on the floor of the room and riding upon one another's backs
+like a parcel of boys. It happened, however, unfortunately, that a
+gentleman in one of these scrambles got two of his teeth knocked out of
+his head, and this ultimately brought about a change in the manner of
+delivering the newspapers."
+
+[Illustration: THE TONTINE READING-ROOMS, GLASGOW--ARRIVAL OF THE
+MAIL--PERIOD: END OF LAST CENTURY. (_After an old print._)]
+
+Another instance of the anxiety for early news is exhibited in a
+practice which prevailed in Glasgow about fifty years ago. The Glasgow
+merchants were deeply interested in shipping and other news coming from
+Liverpool. The mail at that period arrived in Glasgow some time in the
+afternoon during business hours. A letter containing quotations from
+Liverpool for the Royal Exchange was due in the mail daily. This letter
+was enclosed in a conspicuously bright red cover, and it was the
+business of the post-office clerk, immediately he opened the Liverpool
+bag, to seize this letter and hand it to a messenger from the Royal
+Exchange who was in attendance at the Post Office to receive it. This
+messenger hastened to the Exchange, rang a bell to announce the arrival
+of the news, and forthwith the contents of the letter were posted up in
+the Exchange. The merchants who had offices within sound of the bell
+were then seen hurrying to the Exchange buildings, to be cheered or
+depressed as the case might be by the information which the mail had
+brought them.
+
+A clever instance of how the possession of early news could be turned to
+profitable account in the younger days of the century is recorded of Mr.
+John Rennie, a nephew of his namesake the great engineer, and an
+extensive dealer in corn and cattle. His headquarters at the time were
+at East Linton, near Dunbar. "At one period of his career Mr. Rennie
+habitually visited London either for business or pleasure, or both
+combined. One day, when present at the grain market, in Mark Lane,
+sudden war news arrived, in consequence of which the price of wheat
+immediately bounded up 20s., 25s., and even 30s. per quarter. At once he
+saw his opportunity and left for Scotland by the next mail. He knew, of
+course, that the mail carried the startling war news to Edinburgh, but
+he trusted to his wit to outdo it by reaching the northern capital
+first. As the coach passed the farm of Skateraw, some distance east of
+Dunbar, it was met by the farmer, old Harry Lee, on horseback. Rennie,
+who was an outside passenger, no sooner recognised Lee than he sprang
+from his seat on the coach to the ground. Coming up to Lee, Rennie
+hurriedly whispered something to him, and induced him to lend his horse
+to carry Rennie on to East Linton. Rennie, who was an astonishingly
+active man, vaulted into the saddle, and immediately rode off at full
+gallop westwards. The day was a Wednesday, and, as it was already 11
+o'clock forenoon, he knew that he had no time to lose; but he was not
+the stamp of man to allow the grass to grow under his feet on such an
+important occasion. Ere he reached Dunbar the mail was many hundred
+yards behind. At his own place at East Linton he drew up, mounted his
+favourite horse "Silvertail," which for speed and endurance had no rival
+in the county, and again proceeded at the gallop. When he reached the
+Grassmarket, Edinburgh--a full hour before the mail,--the grain-selling
+was just starting, and before the alarming war news had got time to
+spread Rennie had every peck of wheat in the market bought up. He must
+have coined an enormous profit by this smart transaction; but to him it
+seemed to matter nothing at all. He was one of the most careless of the
+harum-scarum sons of Adam, and if he made money easily, so in a like
+manner did he let it slip his grip."
+
+The two following instances of the expedients to which merchants
+resorted, before the introduction of the telegraph, in cases of urgency,
+and when the letter post would not serve them, are given by the author
+of _Glasgow Past and Present_, to whose work reference has already been
+made:--
+
+"During the French War the premiums of insurance upon running ships
+(ships sailing without convoy) were very high, in consequence of which
+several of our Glasgow ship-owners who possessed quick-sailing vessels
+were in the practice of allowing the expected time of arrival of their
+ships closely to approach before they effected insurance upon them, thus
+taking the chance of a quick passage being made, and if the ships
+arrived safe the insurance was saved.
+
+"Mr. Archibald Campbell, about this time an extensive Glasgow merchant,
+had allowed one of his ships to remain uninsured till within a short
+period of her expected arrival; at last, getting alarmed, he attempted
+to effect insurance in Glasgow, but found the premium demanded so high
+that he resolved to get his ship and cargo insured in London.
+Accordingly, he wrote a letter to his broker in London, instructing him
+to get the requisite insurance made on the best terms possible, but, at
+all events, to get the said insurance effected. This letter was
+despatched through the post-office in the ordinary manner, the mail at
+that time leaving Glasgow at two o'clock p.m. At seven o'clock the same
+night Mr. Campbell received an express from Greenock announcing the safe
+arrival of his ship. Mr. Campbell, on receiving this intelligence,
+instantly despatched his head clerk in pursuit of the mail, directing
+him to proceed by postchaises-and-four with the utmost speed until he
+overtook it, and then to get into it; or, if he could not overtake it,
+he was directed to proceed to London, and to deliver a letter to the
+broker countermanding the instructions about insurance. The clerk,
+notwithstanding of extra payment to the postilions, and every exertion
+to accelerate his journey, was unable to overtake the mail; but he
+arrived in London on the third morning shortly after the mail, and
+immediately proceeded to the residence of the broker, whom he found
+preparing to take his breakfast, and before delivery of the London
+letters. The order for insurance written for was then countermanded, and
+the clerk had the pleasure of taking a comfortable breakfast with the
+broker. The expenses of this express amounted to £100; but it was said
+that the premium of insurance, if it had been effected, would have
+amounted to £1500, so that Mr. Campbell was reported to have saved £1400
+by his promptitude."
+
+"At the period in question a rise had taken place in the cotton-market,
+and there was a general expectancy among the cotton-dealers that there
+would be a continued and steady advance of prices in every description
+of cotton. Acting upon this belief Messrs. James Finlay & Co. had sent
+out orders by post to their agent in India to make extensive purchases
+of cotton on their account, to be shipped by the first vessels for
+England. It so happened, however, shortly after these orders had been
+despatched, that cotton fell in price, and a still greater fall was
+expected to take place. Under these circumstances Messrs. Finlay & Co.
+despatched an overland express to India countermanding their orders to
+purchase cotton. This was the first, and, I believe, the only overland
+express despatched from Glasgow to India by a private party on
+commercial purposes."
+
+One of the greatest achievements of our own time, yet too often
+overlooked, is the marvellously rapid diffusion of parliamentary news
+throughout the country. Important debates are frequently protracted in
+the House of Commons into the early hours of the morning. The speeches
+are instantly reported by the shorthand writers in the gallery, who dog
+the lips of the speakers and commit their every word to paper. Thus
+seized in the fleet lines of stenography, the words and phrases are then
+transcribed into long-hand. Relays of messengers carry the copy to the
+telegraph office, where the words are punched in the form of a
+mysterious language on slips of paper like tape, which are run through
+the Wheatstone telegraph transmitter, the electric current carrying the
+news to distant stations at the rate of several hundred words a minute.
+At these stations the receiving-machine pours out at an equal rate,
+another tape, bearing a record in a different character, from which
+relays of clerks, attending the oracle, convert the weighty sayings
+again into ordinary language. The news thus received is carried
+forthwith by a succession of messengers to the newspaper office; the
+compositors set the matter up in type; it is reviewed and edited by the
+men appointed to the duty; the columns are stereotyped, and in that form
+are placed in the printing-machines. The machines are set in motion at
+astonishing speed, turning out the newspapers cut and folded and ready
+for the reader. A staff is in attendance to place under cover the copies
+of subscribers for despatch by the early mails. These are carried to the
+post-office, and so transmitted to their destinations. Taking Edinburgh
+as a point for special consideration, all that has been stated applies
+to this city. For the first despatches to the north, the _Scotsman_ and
+_Leader_ newspapers are conveyed to certain trains as early as 4 A.M.;
+and by the breakfast-hour, or early in the forenoon, the parliamentary
+debates of the previous night are being discussed over the greater part
+of Scotland. And all this hurry and intellectual activity is going on
+while the nation at large is wrapped in sleep, and probably not one
+person in a hundred ever thinks or concerns himself to know how it is
+done.
+
+The frequency and rapidity of communication between different parts of
+the world seems to have brought the whole globe into a very small focus,
+for obscure places, which would be unknown, one would think, beyond
+their own immediate neighbourhoods, are frequently well within the
+cognisance of persons living in far-distant quarters. An instance of
+this is given by the postmaster of Epworth, a village near to Doncaster.
+"We have," says the postmaster, "an odd place in this parish known as
+Nineveh Farm. Some years ago a letter was received here which had been
+posted somewhere in the United States of America, and was addressed
+merely
+
+
+     Mr. ----
+       NINEVEH.
+
+
+I have always regarded its delivery to the proper person as little less
+than a miracle, but it happened."
+
+It is impossible to say how far the influence of this great revolution
+in the mail service on land and sea may extend. That the change has
+been, on the whole, to the advantage of mankind goes without saying. One
+contrast is here given, and the reader can draw his own conclusions in
+other directions. The peace of 1782, which followed the American War of
+Independence, was only arrived at after negotiations extending over more
+than two years. Prussia and Austria were at war in 1866. The campaign
+occupied seven days; and from the declaration of war to the formal
+conclusion of peace only seven weeks elapsed. Is it to be doubted that
+the difference in the two cases was, in large measure, due to the fact
+that news travelled slowly in the one case and fast in the other?
+
+We may look back on the past with very mixed feelings,--dreaming of the
+easy-going methods of our forefathers, which gave them leisure for study
+and reflection, or esteeming their age as an age of lethargy, of
+lumbering and slumbering.
+
+We are proud of our own era, as one full of life and activity, full of
+hurry and bustle, and as existing under the spell of high electrical
+tension. But too many of us know to our cost that this present whirl of
+daily life has one most serious drawback, summed up in the commonplace,
+but not the less true, saying,--
+
+
+     "It's the pace that kills."
+
+
+Yet one more thought remains. Will the pace be kept up in the next
+hundred years? There is no reason to suppose it will not, and the world
+is hardly likely to go to sleep. Our successors who live a hundred years
+hence will doubtless learn much that man has not yet dreamt of. Time
+will produce many changes and reveal deep secrets; but as to what these
+shall be, let him prophesy who knows.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] See Note A in Appendix.
+
+[2] See Note D in Appendix.
+
+[3] See Note B in Appendix.
+
+[4] See Note C in Appendix.
+
+[5] Exclusive of franked letters.
+
+[6] From the collection of the late Sir Henry Cole in the Edinburgh
+International Exhibition, 1890.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX.
+
+
+A.
+
+As to the representation in Parliament, the freeholders in the whole of
+the Counties of Scotland, who had the power of returning the County
+Members, were, in 1823, for example, just under three thousand in
+number. These were mostly gentlemen of position living on their estates,
+with a sprinkling of professional men; the former being, from their want
+of business training, ill suited, one would suppose, for conducting the
+business of a nation. The Town Councils were self-elective--hotbeds of
+corruption; and the members of these Town Councils were intrusted with
+the power of returning the Members for the boroughs. The people at large
+were not directly represented, if in strictness represented at all.
+
+
+B.
+
+Francis, afterwards Lord Jeffrey, in a letter of the 20th September
+1799, describes the discomfort of a journey by mail from Perth to
+Edinburgh, when the coach had broken down, and he was carried forward by
+the guard by special conveyance. His graphic description is as
+follows:--"I was roused carefully half an hour before four yesterday
+morning, and passed two delightful hours in the kitchen waiting for the
+mail. There was an enormous fire, and a whole household of smoke. The
+waiter was snoring with great vehemency upon one of the dressers, and
+the deep regular intonation had a very solemn effect, I can assure you,
+in the obscurity of that Tartarean region, and the melancholy silence of
+the morning. An innumerable number of rats were trottin and gibberin in
+one end of the place, and the rain clattered freshly on the windows. The
+dawn heavily in clouds brought on the day, but not, alas! the mail; and
+it was long past five when the guard came galloping into the yard, upon
+a smoking horse, with all the wet bags lumbering beside him (like
+Scylla's water-dogs), roaring out that the coach was broken down
+somewhere near Dundee, and commanding another steed to be got ready for
+his transportation. The noise he made brought out the other two sleepy
+wretches that had been waiting like myself for places, and we at length
+persuaded the heroic champion to order a postchaise instead of a horse,
+into which we crammed ourselves all four, with a whole mountain of
+leather bags that clung about our legs like the entrails of a fat cow
+all the rest of the journey. At Kinross, as the morning was very fine,
+we prevailed with the guard to go on the outside to dry himself, and got
+on to the ferry about eleven, after encountering various perils and
+vexations, in the loss of horse-shoes and wheel-pins, and in a great gap
+in the road, over which we had to lead the horses, and haul the carriage
+separately. At this place we supplicated our agitator for leave to eat a
+little breakfast; but he would not stop an instant, and we were obliged
+to snatch up a roll or two apiece and gnaw the dry crusts during our
+passage to keep soul and body together. We got in soon after one, and I
+have spent my time in eating, drinking, sleeping, and other recreations,
+down to the present hour."
+
+On going north from Edinburgh, on the same tour apparently, Jeffrey had
+previous experience of the difficulties of travel, as described in a
+letter from Montrose, date 26th August 1799.
+
+"We stopped," says he, "for two days at Perth, hoping for places in the
+mail, and then set forward on foot in despair. We have trudged it now
+for fifty miles, and came here this morning very weary, sweaty, and
+filthy. Our baggage, which was to have left Perth the same day that we
+did, has not yet made its appearance, and we have received the
+comfortable information that it is often a week before there is room in
+the mail to bring such a parcel forward."
+
+Writing from Kendal, in 1841, Jeffrey refers to a journey he made fifty
+years before--that is, about 1791--when he slept a night in the town.
+His description of the circumstances is as follows:--
+
+"And an admirable dinner we have had in the Ancient King's Arms, with
+great oaken staircases, uneven floors, and very thin oak panels,
+plaster-filled outer walls, but capital new furniture, and the brightest
+glass, linen, spoons, and china you ever saw. It is the same house in
+which I once slept about fifty years ago, with the whole company of an
+ancient stage-coach, which bedded its passengers on the way from
+Edinburgh to London, and called them up by the waiter at six o'clock in
+the morning to go five slow stages, and then have an hour to breakfast
+and wash. It is the only vestige I remember of those old ways, and I
+have not slept in the house since."
+
+
+C.
+
+The discomfort of a long voyage in a vessel of this class is well set
+forth in the correspondence of Jeffrey. In 1813 he crossed to New York
+in search of a wife; and in describing the miseries of the situation on
+board, he gives a long list of his woes, the last being followed by this
+declaration: "I think I shall make a covenant with myself, that if I get
+back safe to my own place from this expedition, I shall never willingly
+go out of sight of land again in my life."
+
+
+D.
+
+A notable instance of an attempt to shut the door in the face of an able
+man is recorded in the Life of Sir James Simpson, who has made all the
+world his debtors through the discovery and application of chloroform
+for surgical operations. Plain Dr. Simpson was a candidate for a
+professorship in the University of Edinburgh, and had his supporters for
+the honour; but there was among the men with whom rested the selection a
+considerable party opposed to him, whose ground of opposition was that,
+on account of his parents being merely tradespeople, Dr. Simpson would
+be unable to maintain the dignity of the chair. To their eternal
+discredit, the persons referred to did not look to the quality and ring
+of the "gowd," but were guided by the superficial "guinea stamp." The
+spread of public opinion is gradually putting such distinctions, which
+have their root and being in privilege and selfishness, out of court.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Printed by T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to Her Majesty, at the
+Edinburgh University Press.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's A Hundred Years by Post, by J. Wilson Hyde
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HUNDRED YEARS BY POST ***
+
+***** This file should be named 27688-8.txt or 27688-8.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/6/8/27688/
+
+Produced by Adrian Mastronardi, Martin Pettit, The
+Philatelic Digital Library Project at http://www.tpdlp.net
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/27688-8.zip b/27688-8.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e6be0f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-8.zip
diff --git a/27688-h.zip b/27688-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f545659
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h.zip
diff --git a/27688-h/27688-h.htm b/27688-h/27688-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d603ddb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/27688-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,3352 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Hundred Years by Post, by J. Wilson Hyde.
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+/*<![CDATA[  XML blockout */
+<!--
+    p {  margin-top: .75em;
+         text-align: justify;
+         margin-bottom: .75em;
+         }
+    h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {
+         text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+         clear: both;
+         }
+    hr { width: 33%;
+	 margin-top: 2em;
+	 margin-bottom: 2em;
+         margin-left: auto;
+         margin-right: auto;
+         clear: both;
+       }
+
+    body{margin-left: 10%;
+         margin-right: 10%;
+        }
+
+    hr.smler { width: 10%; }
+    hr.larger { width: 100%; }
+
+    table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; border: none; }
+
+    .br       {border-right: solid 1px;}
+    .bbox     {border: solid 1px black;}
+
+    .block    {margin: auto; text-align: center; width: 35em;}
+
+    .pagenum  { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+            /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+                position: absolute;
+                left: 92%;
+                font-size: smaller;
+                text-align: right;
+                text-indent: 0px;
+              } /* page numbers */
+
+    .center   {text-align: center;}
+    .smaller  {font-size: smaller;}
+    .smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+
+    .right            {text-align: right;}
+    .tbrk	  {margin-bottom: 3.5em;}
+
+    .fnanchor         {vertical-align: super; font-size: .8em; text-decoration: none;}
+
+    .poem             {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;}
+    .poem br          {display: none;}
+    .poem .stanza     {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+    .poem div        {display: block; margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem div.i1     {display: block; margin-left: 1em;}
+    .poem div.i4     {display: block; margin-left: 4em;}
+    .poem div.i6     {display: block; margin-left: 6em;}
+    .s8        {display: inline; margin-left: 8em;}
+
+    // -->
+    /* XML end  ]]>*/
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Hundred Years by Post, by J. Wilson Hyde
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Hundred Years by Post
+       A Jubilee Retrospect
+
+Author: J. Wilson Hyde
+
+Release Date: January 2, 2009 [EBook #27688]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HUNDRED YEARS BY POST ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Adrian Mastronardi, Martin Pettit, The
+Philatelic Digital Library Project at http://www.tpdlp.net
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<h1><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i"></a>A Hundred Years by Post</h1>
+
+<h2><span class="smcap">A Jubilee Retrospect</span></h2>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>J. WILSON HYDE</h2>
+
+<h4>AUTHOR OF 'THE ROYAL MAIL: ITS CURIOSITIES AND ROMANCE'</h4>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i001.jpg" width='217' height='300' alt="The Mail" /></div>
+
+<h3>LONDON</h3>
+
+<h3>SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON AND CO., LIM.<br />St. Dunstan's House<br />
+FETTER LANE, FLEET STREET, E.C.<br />1891</h3>
+
+<h4>[<i>All rights reserved</i>]</h4>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<hr class="smler" />
+
+<p class="center">Printed by T. and A. <span class="smcap">Constable</span>, Printers to Her Majesty,<br />at the
+Edinburgh University Press.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h4>TO</h4>
+
+<h4>THE RIGHT HONOURABLE</h4>
+
+<h3>HENRY CECIL RAIKES, M.P.</h3>
+
+<h4>HER MAJESTY'S POSTMASTER-GENERAL,</h4>
+
+<h4>THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE,</h4>
+
+<h4>BY PERMISSION,</h4>
+
+<h4>RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.</h4>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2>PREFACE.</h2>
+
+<p>The following pages give some particulars of the changes that have taken
+place in the Post Office service during the past hundred years; and the
+matter may prove interesting, not only on account of the changes
+themselves, but in respect of the influence which the growing usefulness
+of the Postal Service must necessarily have upon almost every relation
+of political, educational, social, and commercial life. More especially
+may the subject be found attractive at the close of the present year,
+when the country has been celebrating the Jubilee of the Penny Post.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<span class="smcap">Edinburgh</span>,<br />
+&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<i>December 1890.</i></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
+
+<table class="tbrk" summary="CONTENTS">
+  <tr>
+    <td></td>
+    <td class="right">PAGE</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#i010.jpg"><b><i>Frontispiece</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Mail-Coach in Thunderstorm</span>.</b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Past and Present contrasted</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Liberty of Subject and Public Opinion</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Abuses of Power</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_7">7</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Slow Diffusion of News</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_17">17</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#i033.jpg"><b><i>Illustration</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Analysis of London to Edinburgh Mail of 2d March 1838</span></b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">State of Roads and Insecurity of Travelling</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Foot and Horse Posts</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_33">33</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#i051.jpg"><b><i>Illustration</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Mail, 1803</span></b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">The Mail-Coach Era</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_40">40</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#i057.jpg"><b><i>Illustration</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Mail, 1824</span></b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#i069.jpg"><b><i>Illustration</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Modern Mail "Apparatus" for Exchange of Mails</span></b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#i085.jpg"><b><i>Illustration</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Mail-Coach Guard</span></b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Dear Postage</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_80">80</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#i094.jpg"><b><i>Diagrams</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Roundabout Communications</span></b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Streets first Numbered</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_88">88</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Postmasters as News Collectors</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_91">91</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#i103.jpg"><b><i>Illustration</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">The Bellman</span></b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Mail-Packet Service</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_96">96</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#i113.jpg"><b><i>Illustration</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Holyhead and Kingstown Packet "Prince Arthur"</span></b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Penny Postage</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#Page_115"><b><i>Illustration</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Handbill used in Penny Postage Agitation</span></b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Various Business of the Post Office</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_119">119</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Staff of the Post Office</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_123">123</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><a href="#i137.jpg"><b><i>Illustration</i>&mdash;<span class="smcap">Tontine Reading-Rooms Glasgow</span></b></a></td>
+    <td class="right">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Value of Early News by Post</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_130">130</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Diffusion of Parliamentary News by the Telegraph and Press</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_136">136</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><b><span class="smcap">Results of Rapid Communications</span>,</b></td>
+    <td class="right"><a href="#Page_139">139</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="center"><a name="i010.jpg" id="i010.jpg"></a><img src="images/i010.jpg" width='700' height='463' alt="Frontispiece. MAIL-COACH IN THUNDERSTORM. From a print, 1827." /></div>
+
+<p class="right"><b>[<i>Frontispiece.</i></b></p>
+
+<h4>MAIL-COACH IN THUNDERSTORM.<br />(<i>From a print, 1827.</i>)</h4>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+
+<h1>A HUNDRED YEARS BY POST.</h1>
+
+<hr class="smler" />
+
+<p>Were a former inhabitant of this country who had quitted the stage of
+life towards the close of last century to reappear in our midst, he
+could not fail to be struck with the wonderful changes which have taken
+place in the aspect of things; in the methods of performing the tasks of
+daily life; and in the character of our social system generally. Nor is
+it too much to say that he would see himself surrounded by a world full
+of enchantment, and that his senses of wonder and admiration would rival
+the feelings excited in youthful minds under the spell of books like
+Jules Verne's <i>Journey to the Moon</i>, or the ever-entertaining stories of
+the <i>Arabian Nights</i>. It is true that he would find the operations of
+nature going on as before. The dewdrop and the blade of grass,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> sunshine
+and shower, the movements of the tides, and the revolutions of the
+heavenly bodies; these would still appear to be the same. But almost
+everything to which man had been wont to put his hand would appear to
+bear the impress of some other hand; and a hundred avenues of thought
+opening to his bewildered sense would consign his inward man to the
+education of a second childhood.</p>
+
+<p>So fruitful has been the nineteenth century in discovery and invention,
+and so astounding the advancement made, that it is only by stopping in
+our madding haste and looking back that we can realise how different the
+present is from the past. Yet to our imaginary friend's astonished
+perception, nothing, we venture to think, would come with greater force
+than the contrast between the means available for keeping up
+communications in his day and in our own. We are used to see trains
+coursing on the iron way at a speed of fifty or sixty miles an hour;
+steamships moving on every sea, defiant of tide and wind, at the rate of
+fifteen or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> twenty miles an hour; and the electric telegraph
+outstripping all else, and practically annihilating time and space.</p>
+
+<p>But how different was the state of things at the close of the eighteenth
+century! The only means then available for home communications&mdash;that is
+for letters, etc.&mdash;were the Foot Messenger, the Horse Express, and the
+Mail Coach; and for communication with places beyond the sea,
+sailing-ships.</p>
+
+<p>The condition of things as then existing, and as reflected upon society,
+is thus summed up by Mackenzie in his <i>History of the Nineteenth
+Century</i>: "Men had scarcely the means to go from home beyond such
+trivial distance as they were able to accomplish on foot. Human society
+was composed of a multitude of little communities, dwelling apart,
+mutually ignorant, and therefore cherishing mutual antipathies."</p>
+
+<p>And when persons did venture away from home, in the capacity of
+travellers, the entertainment they received in the hostelries, even in
+some of the larger towns, seems now rather remarkable. If anything<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span>
+surprises the traveller of these latter days, in regard to hotel
+accommodation, when business or pleasure takes him from the bosom of his
+family, it is the sumptuous character of the palaces in all the
+principal towns of all civilised countries wherein he may be received,
+and where he may make his temporary abode. To persons used to such
+comforts, the accommodation of the last century would excite surprise in
+quite another direction. Here is a description of the inn accommodation
+of Edinburgh, furnished by Captain Topham, who visited Edinburgh in
+1774: "On my first arrival, my companion and self, after the fatigue of
+a long day's journey, were landed at one of these stable-keepers (for
+they have modesty enough to give themselves no higher denomination) in a
+part of the town called the Pleasance; and, on entering the house, we
+were conducted by a poor devil of a girl, without shoes or stockings,
+and with only a single linsey-woolsey petticoat which just reached
+half-way to her ankles, into a room where about twenty Scotch<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> drovers
+had been regaling themselves with whisky and potatoes. You may guess our
+amazement when we were informed that this was the best inn in the
+metropolis&mdash;that we could have no beds unless we had an inclination to
+sleep together, and in the same room with the company which a
+stage-coach had that moment discharged."</p>
+
+<p>Before proceeding further, let us look at some of the circumstances
+which were characteristic of the period with which we are dealing.
+Liberty of the subject and public opinion are inseparably wedded
+together, and this seems inevitable in every country whose government
+partakes largely of the representative system. For in such States,
+unlike the conditions which obtain under despotic governments, the laws
+are formulated and amended in accordance with the views held for the
+time being by <i>the people</i>, the Government merely acting as the agency
+through which the people's will is declared. And this being so, what is
+called the Liberty of the subject must be that limited and circumscribed
+freedom allowed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> by the people collectively, as expressed in the term
+"public opinion," to the individual man. In despotic States the
+circumstances are necessarily different, and such States may be excluded
+from the present consideration.</p>
+
+<p>Wherever there is wanting a quick and universal exchange of thought
+there can be no sound public opinion. Where hindrances are placed upon
+the free exchange of views, either by heavy duties on newspapers, by
+dear postage, or by slow communications, public opinion must be a plant
+of low vitality and slow growth. Consequently, in the age preceding that
+of steam, so far as applied to locomotion, and to the telegraph, which
+age extended well into the present century, there was no rapid exchange
+of thought; new ideas were of slow propagation; there was little of that
+intellectual friction so productive of intellectual light among the
+masses. In these circumstances it is not surprising to read of things
+existing within the last hundred years which to-day could have no place
+in our national existence. Lord Cockburn, in the <i>Memorials of his
+Time</i>,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> gives the following instance. "I knew a case, several years
+after 1800," says he, "where the seat-holders of a town church applied
+to Government, which was the patron, for the promotion of the second
+clergyman, who had been giving great satisfaction for many years, and
+now, on the death of the first minister, it was wished that he should
+get the vacant place. The answer, written by a Member of the Cabinet,
+was that the single fact of the people having interfered so far as to
+express a wish was conclusive against what they desired; and another
+appointment was instantly made." Going back a little more than a hundred
+years, the following are specimens of the abuses then in full vigour.
+They are referred to in Trevelyan's <i>Early History of Charles James
+Fox</i>, the period in question being about 1750-60: "One nobleman had
+eight thousand a year in sinecures, and the colonelcies of three
+regiments. Another, an Auditor of the Exchequer, inside which he never
+looked, had &pound;8000 in years of peace, and &pound;20,000 in years of war. A
+third, with nothing to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> recommend him except his outward graces, bowed
+and whispered himself into four great employments, from which thirteen
+to fourteen hundred British guineas flowed month by month into the lap
+of his Parisian mistress."... "George Selwyn, who returned two members,
+and had something to say in the election of a third, was at one and the
+same time Surveyor-General of Crown Lands, which he never surveyed,
+Registrar in Chancery at Barbadoes, which he never visited, and Surveyor
+of the Meltings and Clerk of the Irons in the Mint, where he showed
+himself once a week in order to eat a dinner which he ordered, but for
+which the nation paid."</p>
+
+<p>The shameful waste of the public money in the shape of hereditary
+pensions was still in vigour within the period we are dealing with; one
+small party in the State "calling the tune," and the great mass of the
+people, practically unrepresented, being left "to pay the piper." During
+the reign of George <span class="smaller">III.</span>, who occupied the throne from 1760 to 1820, the
+following hereditary pensions were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> granted:&mdash;To Trustees for the use of
+William Penn, and his heirs and descendants for ever, in consideration
+of his meritorious services and family losses from the American war
+&pound;4000. To Lord Rodney, and every the heirs-male to whom the title of
+Lord Rodney shall descend, &pound;2000. To Earl Morley and John Campbell,
+Esq., and their heirs and assignees for ever, upon trust for the
+representatives of Jeffrey Earl Amherst, &pound;3000. To Viscount Exmouth and
+the heirs-male to whom the title shall descend &pound;2000. To Earl Nelson and
+the heirs-male to whom the title of Earl Nelson shall descend, with
+power of settling jointures out of the annuity, at no time exceeding
+&pound;3000 a year, &pound;5000. In addition to this pension of &pound;5000, Parliament
+also granted to trustees on behalf of Earl Nelson a sum of &pound;90,000 for
+the purchase of an estate and mansion-house to be settled and entailed
+to the same persons as the annuity of &pound;5000.</p>
+
+<p>Within the Post Office too very strange things happened in connection
+with money paid to certain persons supposed to be in its<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> service. Here
+is a case, in the form of a remonstrance, referring to the period close
+upon the end of last century, which explains itself. "Mr. Bushe observes
+that the Government wished to reward his father, Gervas Parker Bushe
+(who was one of the Commissioners), for his services, and particularly
+for having increased the revenue &pound;20,000 per annum; but that he
+preferred a place for his son to any emolument for himself, in
+consequence of which he was appointed Resident Surveyor. He expressed
+his astonishment to find in the Patent (which he never looked into
+before) that it is there mentioned 'during good behaviour,' and not for
+life, upon which condition alone his father would have accepted it. He
+adds that it was given to him as totally and absolutely a sinecure, and
+that his appointment took place at so early a period of life that it
+would be impossible for him to do any duty."</p>
+
+<p>Again, the following evidence was given before a Commission on oath in
+1791, by Mr. Johnson, a letter-carrier in London:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> "He receives at
+present a salary as a letter-carrier of 14s. per week, making &pound;36, 19s.
+per annum; he likewise receives certain perquisites, arising from such
+pence as are collected in the evening by letters delivered to him after
+the Receiving Houses are shut, amounting in 1784 to &pound;38, 11s., also from
+acknowledgments from the public for sending letters by another
+letter-carrier not immediately within his walk, amounting in the same
+year to &pound;5. He likewise receives in Christmas boxes &pound;20,&mdash;the above
+sums, making together &pound;100, was the whole of his receipts of every kind
+whatever by virtue of his office in 1784 (312 candles and a limited
+allowance of stationery excepted), out of which he pays a person for
+executing his duty as a letter-carrier, at the rate of 8s. a week, being
+&pound;20, 16s. per annum, and retains the remainder for his own use
+entirely."</p>
+
+<p>In a report made by a Commission which inquired into the state of the
+Post Office in 1788, the following statement appears respecting abuses
+existing in the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span>department; and in reflecting upon that period the Post
+Office servants of to-day might almost entertain feelings of regret that
+they did not live in the happy days of feasts, coals, and candles. Here
+is the statement of the Commissioners: "The custom of giving certain
+annual feasts to the officers and clerks of this office (London) at the
+public expense ought to be abolished; as also what is called the feast
+and drink money; and, as the Inland Office now shuts at an early hour,
+the allowances of lodging money to some of the officers, and of
+apartments to others, ought to be discontinued." But of all allowances,
+those of coals and candles are the most enormous; for, besides those
+consumed in the official apartments, there are allowed to sundry
+officers for their private use in town or country above three hundred
+chaldrons of coals, and twenty thousand pounds of candles, which several
+of them commute with the tradesmen for money or other articles; the
+amount of the sums paid for these two articles in the year 1784 was
+&pound;4418, 4s. 1d.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p><p>In the year 1792 a payment was being made of &pound;26 a year to a Mrs.
+Collier, who was servant to the Bye and Cross Road Office in the London
+Post Office; but she did not do the work herself. She employed a servant
+to whom she paid &pound;6, putting &pound;20 into her own pocket.</p>
+
+<p>What a splendid field this would have been for the Comptroller and
+Auditor General, and for questioners in the Houses of Parliament!</p>
+
+<p>An abuse that had its origin no doubt in the fact that the nation was
+not represented at large,<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> but by Members of Parliament who were
+returned by a very limited class, and who could not understand or
+reflect the views of the masses, was that of the franking privilege.</p>
+
+<p>The privilege of franking letters enjoyed by Members of Parliament was a
+sad burden upon the Revenue of the Post Office, and it continued in
+vigour down to the establishment of the Penny Post. Some idea of the
+magnitude of this arrangement, which would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> now be called a gross abuse,
+will be gathered from the state of things existing in the first quarter
+of the present century. Looking at the regulations of 1823, we find that
+each Member of Parliament was permitted to receive as many as fifteen
+and to send as many as ten letters in each day, such letters not
+exceeding one ounce in weight. At the then rates of postage this was a
+most handsome privilege. In the year 1827 the Peers enjoying this extent
+of free postage numbered over four hundred, and the Commons over six
+hundred and fifty. In addition to these, certain Members of the
+Government and other high officials had the privilege of sending free
+any number of letters without restriction as to weight. These persons
+were, in 1828, nearly a hundred in number.</p>
+
+<p>How the privilege was turned to commercial account is explained in
+Mackenzie's, <i>Reminiscences of Glasgow</i>. Referring to the Ship Bank of
+that city, which had its existence in the first quarter of our century,
+and to one of the partners, Mr. John Buchanan of Ardoch, who was also
+Member of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>Parliament for Dumbartonshire, the author makes the following
+statement: "From his position as Member of Parliament, he enjoyed the
+privilege of franking the letters of the bank to the extent of fourteen
+per diem. This was a great boon; it saved the bank some hundreds of
+pounds per annum for postages. It was, moreover, regarded as a mighty
+honour."</p>
+
+<p>Great abuses were perpetrated even upon the abuse itself. Franks were
+given away freely to other persons for their use, they were even sold,
+and, moreover, they were forged. Senex, in his notes on <i>Glasgow Past
+and Present</i>, describes how this was managed in Ireland. "I remember,"
+says he, "about sixty years ago, an old Irish lady told me that she
+seldom paid any postage for letters, and that her correspondence never
+cost her friends anything. I inquired how she managed that. 'Oh,' said
+she, 'I just wrote "Free, J. Suttie," in the corner of the cover of the
+letter, and then, sure, nothing more was charged for it.' I said, 'Were
+you not afraid of being hanged for forgery?' 'Oh, dear me, no,' she
+replied;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> 'nobody ever heard of a lady being hanged in Ireland, and
+troth, I just did what everybody else did.'" But the spirit of inquiry
+was beginning to assert itself in the first half of the century, and the
+franking privilege disappeared with the dawn of cheap postage.</p>
+
+<p>Public opinion had as yet no active existence throughout our
+Commonwealth, nor had the light spread so as to show up all the abuses.
+And how true is Buckle's observation in his <i>History of Civilisation</i>
+that all recent legislation is the undoing of bad laws made in the
+interest of certain classes. How could there be an active public opinion
+in the conditions of the times? Everybody was shut off from everybody
+else. Hear further what Mackenzie says in his <i>History of the Nineteenth
+Century</i>, referring to the end of last century: "The seclusion resulting
+from the absence of roads rendered it necessary that every little
+community, in some measure every family, should produce all that it
+required to consume. The peasant raised his own food; he grew his own
+flax or wool; his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> wife or daughter spun it; and a neighbour wove it
+into cloth. He learned to extract dyes from plants which grew near his
+cottage. He required to be independent of the external world from which
+he was effectively shut out. Commerce was impossible until men could
+find the means of transferring commodities from the place where they
+were produced to the place where there were people willing to make use
+of them." So much for the difficulty of exchanging ordinary produce. The
+exchange of thought suffered in a like fashion.</p>
+
+<p>In the first half of the present century severe restrictions were placed
+upon the spread of news, not only by the heavy postage for letter
+correspondence, but by the equally heavy newspaper tax. Referring to
+this latter hindrance to the spread of light Mackenzie says: "The
+newspaper is the natural enemy of despotic government, and was treated
+as such in England. Down to 1765 the duty imposed was only one penny,
+but as newspapers grew in influence the restraining tax was increased
+from time to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> time, until in 1815 it reached the maximum of fourpence."
+At this figure the tax seems to have continued many years, for under the
+year 1836 Mackenzie refers to it as such, and remarks, "that this
+rendered the newspaper a very occasional luxury to the working man; that
+the annual circulation of newspapers in the United Kingdom was no more
+than thirty-six million copies, and that these had only three hundred
+thousand readers."</p>
+
+<p>At the present time the combined annual circulation of a couple of the
+leading newspapers in Scotland would equal the entire newspaper
+circulation of the kingdom little more than fifty years ago. In the year
+1799, which is less than a hundred years ago, the <i>Edinburgh Evening
+Courant</i> and the <i>Glasgow Courier</i>, two very small newspapers, were sold
+at sixpence a copy, each bearing a Government stamp of the value of
+threehalf-pence. Is it surprising, under these conditions, that few
+newspapers should circulate, and that news should travel slowly
+throughout the country?</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p><p>But the growth of newspapers to their present magnificent proportions is
+a thing of quite recent times, for even so lately as 1857 the
+<i>Scotsman</i>, then sold unstamped for a penny, weighed only about
+three-quarters of an ounce, while to-day the same paper, which continues
+to be sold for a penny, weighs fully four and a half ounces. And other
+newspapers throughout the country have no doubt swelled their columns to
+a somewhat similar degree.</p>
+
+<p>A very good instance of the small amount of personal travelling indulged
+in by the people a century ago is given by Cleland in his <i>Annals of
+Glasgow</i>. Writing in the year 1816, he says: "It has been calculated
+that, previous to the erection of steamboats, not more than fifty
+persons passed and repassed from Glasgow to Greenock in one day, whereas
+it is now supposed that there are from four to five hundred passes and
+repasses in the same period." In the present day a single steamboat
+sailing from the Broomielaw, Glasgow, will often carry far more
+passengers to Greenock, or beyond<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> Greenock, than the whole passengers
+travelling between the towns named in one day in 1816. For example, the
+tourist steamer <i>Columba</i> is certificated to carry some 1800 passengers.</p>
+
+<p>In 1792 the principal mails to and from London were carried by
+mail-coaches, which were then running between the Metropolis and some
+score of the chief towns in the country at the speed of seven or eight
+miles an hour; and so far as direct mails were concerned the towns in
+question kept up relations with London under the conditions of speed
+just described. But the cross post service&mdash;that is, the service between
+places not lying in the main routes out of London&mdash;was not yet
+developed, and these cross post towns were beyond the reach of anything
+like early information of what was going on, not, let us say, in the
+world at large, but in their own country. The people in these towns had
+to patiently await the laggard arrival of news from the greater centres
+of activity; and when it did arrive it probably came to hand in a very
+imperfect<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> form, or so late as to be useless for any purpose of combined
+action or criticism.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. James Russell, in his <i>Reminiscences of Yarrow</i>, describes how tardy
+and uncertain the mail service by post was in the early years of the
+present century; and what he says is a severe contrast to the service of
+the present time, which provides for the delivery of letters, generally
+daily, in every hamlet in the country. Dr. Russell writes:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Since I remember (unless there was a chance hand on a Wednesday) our
+letters reached us only once a week, along with our bread and butcher
+meat, by the weekly carrier, Robbie Hogg. His arrival used to be a great
+event, the letter-bag being turned out, and a rummage made for our own.
+Afterwards the Moffat carriers gave more frequent opportunities of
+getting letters; but they were apt to carry them on to Moffat and bring
+them back the following week."</p>
+
+<p>Another instance of the slow communications is given in a letter written
+from Brodick Castle, Arran, by Lord Archibald Campbell, on the 25th
+September 1820.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p><p>The letter was addressed to a correspondent in Glasgow, and proceeds
+thus: "Your letter of the 18th did not reach me till this morning, as,
+in consequence of the rough state of the weather, there has been no
+postal communication with this island for several days." The time
+consumed in getting this letter forward from Glasgow to Brodick was
+exactly a week, and when so much time was required in the case of an
+island lying in the Firth of Clyde, what time would be necessary to make
+communication with the Outer Hebrides?</p>
+
+<p>Even between considerable towns, as representing important centres in
+the country, the amount of correspondence by letter was small. Thus the
+mail from Inverness to Edinburgh of the 5th October 1808 contained no
+more than 30 letters. The total postage on these was &pound;2, 9s. 6d., the
+charges ranging from 11d. to 14s. 8d. per letter. At the present time
+the letters from Inverness to Edinburgh are probably nearly a thousand a
+day; but this is no fair comparison, because many letters that would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>
+formerly pass through Edinburgh now reach their destinations in direct
+bags&mdash;London itself being an instance.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="i033.jpg" id="i033.jpg"></a><img src="images/i033.jpg" width='700' height='546' alt="ANALYSIS OF THE LONDON TO EDINBURGH MAIL OF THE 2d MARCH
+ After a print lent by Lady Cole from the collection of the late Sir Henry Cole, K.C.B." /></div>
+
+<h4><span class="smcap">ANALYSIS OF THE LONDON TO EDINBURGH MAIL OF THE 2d MARCH
+1838.</span><br />(<i>After a print lent by Lady Cole from the collection of the late
+Sir Henry Cole, K.C.B.</i>)</h4>
+
+<p>But coming down to a much later date, and looking at what was going on
+between London and Edinburgh, the capital towns of Great Britain, what
+do we find? An analysis of the London to Edinburgh mail of the 2d March
+1838 gives the following figures; and let it not be forgotten that in
+these days the Edinburgh mail contained the correspondence for a large
+part of Scotland:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>2296 Newspapers, weighing 273 lbs., and going free.</p>
+
+<p>484 Franked Letters, weighing 47 lbs., and going free.</p>
+
+<p>Parcels of stamps going free.</p>
+
+<p>1555 Letters, weighing 34 lbs., and bearing postage to the value of &pound;93.</p>
+
+<p>These figures represent the exchange of thought between the two capitals
+fifty years ago. These were truly the days of darkness, when abuses were
+kept out of sight and were rampant.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p><p>Down to much later times the bonds of privilege remained untied. In the
+Civil Service itself what changes have taken place! The doors have been
+thrown open to competition and to capacity and worth, and probably they
+will never be closed again. The author of these lines had an experience
+in 1867&mdash;not very long ago&mdash;which may be worthy of note. He had been
+then several years in the Post Office service, and desired to obtain a
+nomination to compete for a higher position&mdash;a clerkship in the
+Secretary's office. He took the usual step through the good offices of a
+Member of Parliament, and the following rebuff emanated from
+headquarters. It shall be its own monument, and may form a shot in the
+historical web of our time:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I wrote to &mdash;&mdash; (the Postmaster-General) about the Mr. J. W. Hyde, who
+desires to be permitted to compete for a clerkship in the London Post
+Office, described as a cousin of &mdash;&mdash;.</p>
+
+<p>"(The Postmaster-General) has to-day replied that nominations to the
+Secretary's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> office are not now given except to candidates who are
+actually gentlemen, that is, sons of officers, clergymen, or the like.
+If I cannot satisfy (the Postmaster-General) on this point, I fear Mr.
+Hyde's candidature will go to the wall."<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p>
+
+<p>Now one of the chief obstacles in the way of rapid communication in our
+own country was the very unsatisfactory state of the roads. Down to the
+time of the introduction of mail-coaches, just about a hundred years
+ago, the roads were in a deplorable state, and travellers have left upon
+record some rather strong language on the subject. It was only about
+that time that road-making came to be understood; but the obvious need
+for smooth roads to increase the speed of the mail gave an impetus to
+the subject, and by degrees matters were greatly improved. It is not our
+purpose to pursue the inquiry as to roads, though the subject might be
+attractive, and we must be content with the general assertion as to
+their condition.</p>
+
+<p>But not only were the roads bad, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> they were unsafe. Travellers could
+hardly trust themselves to go about unarmed, and even the mail-coaches,
+in which (besides the driver and guard) some passengers generally
+journeyed, had to carry weapons of defence placed in the hands of the
+guard. Many instances of highway robbery by highwaymen who made a
+profession of robbery might be given; but one or two cases may repay
+their perusal. On the 4th March 1793 the Under-Sheriff of Northampton
+was robbed at eight o'clock in the evening near Holloway turnpike by two
+highwaymen, who carried off a trunk containing the Sheriff's commission
+for opening the assizes at Northampton.</p>
+
+<p>In the Autobiography of Mary Hewitt the following encounter is recorded,
+referring to the period between 1758-96: "Catherine (Martin), wife of a
+purser in the navy, and conspicuous for her beauty and impulsive,
+violent temper, having quarrelled with her excellent sister, Dorothea
+Fryer, at whose house in Staffordshire she was staying, suddenly set off
+to London on a visit to her great-uncle, the Rev. John<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> Plymley, prebend
+of the Collegiate Church at Wolverhampton, and Chaplain of Morden
+College, Blackheath. She journeyed by the ordinary conveyance, the
+Gee-Ho, a large stage-waggon drawn by a team of six horses, and which,
+driven merely by day, took a week from Wolverhampton to the Cock and
+Bell, Smithfield.</p>
+
+<p>"Arrived in London, Catherine proceeded on foot to Blackheath. There,
+night having come on, and losing her way, she was suddenly accosted by a
+horseman with, 'Now, my pretty girl, where are you going?' Pleased by
+his gallant address, she begged him to direct her to Morden College. He
+assured her that she was fortunate in having met with him instead of one
+of his company, and inducing her to mount before him, rode across the
+heath to the pile of buildings which had been erected by Sir Christopher
+Wren for decayed merchants, the recipients of Sir John Morden's bounty.
+Assisting her to alight, he rang the bell, then remounted his steed and
+galloped away, but not before the alarmed official, who had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> answered
+the summons, had exclaimed, 'Heavens! Dick Turpin on Black Bess!' My
+mother always said 'Dick Turpin.' Another version in the family runs
+'Captain Smith.'"</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Annual Register</i> of the 3d October 1792 records the following case
+of highway robbery:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The daily messenger, despatched from the Secretary of State's office
+with letters to His Majesty at Windsor, was stopped near Langley Broom
+by three footpads, who took from him the box containing the despatches,
+and his money, etc. The same men afterwards robbed a gentleman in a
+postchaise of a hundred guineas, a gold watch, etc. Some light dragoons,
+who received information of the robberies, went in pursuit of the
+thieves, but were not successful. They found, however, a quantity of the
+papers scattered about the heath."</p>
+
+<p>We will quote one more instance, as showing the frequency of these
+robberies on the road. It is mentioned in the <i>Annual Register</i> of the
+28th March 1793.</p>
+
+<p>"Martin (the mail robber), condemned at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> Exeter Assizes, was executed on
+Haldown, near the spot where the robbery was committed. He had been well
+educated, and had visited most European countries. At the end of the
+year 1791 he was at Paris, and continued there till the end of August
+1792. He said he was very active in the bloody affair of the 10th
+August, at the Palace of the Tuilleries, when the Swiss Guards were
+slaughtered, and Louis <span class="smaller">XVI</span>. and his family fled to the National Assembly
+for shelter. He said he did not enter with this bloody contest as a
+volunteer, but, happening to be in that part of the city of Paris, he
+was hurried on by the mob to take part in that sanguinary business. Not
+speaking good French, he said he was suspected to be a Swiss, and on
+that account, finding his life often in danger, he left Paris, and,
+embarking for England at Havre de Grace, arrived at Weymouth in
+September last, and then came to Exeter. He said that being in great
+distress in October he committed the mail robbery."</p>
+
+<p>A rather good anecdote is told of an <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span>encounter between a poor tailor
+and one of these knights of the road. The tailor, on being overtaken by
+the highwayman, was at once called upon to stand and deliver, the
+salutation being accompanied by the presentation of two pistols at the
+pedestrian's head. "I'll do that with pleasure," was the meek reply; and
+forthwith the poor victim transferred to the outstretched hands of the
+robber all the money he possessed. This done, the tailor proceeded to
+ask a favour. "My friends would laugh at me," said he, "were I to go
+home and tell them I was robbed with as much patience as a lamb. Suppose
+you fire your two bull-dogs right through the crown of my hat; it will
+look something like a show of resistance." Taken with the fancy, the
+robber good-naturedly complied with the request; but hardly had the
+smoke from the weapons cleared away, when the tailor pulled out a rusty
+old horse pistol, and in turn politely requested the highwayman to shell
+out everything of value about him&mdash;his pistols not excepted. So the
+highwayman had the worst of the meeting on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> that occasion. The incident
+will perhaps help to dispel the sad reproach of the craft, that a tailor
+is but the ninth part of a man.</p>
+
+<p>It should not be forgotten that these perils of the road had their
+effect in preventing intercourse between different parts of the country.</p>
+
+<p>In such outlying districts as were blessed with postal communication a
+hundred years ago, the service was kept up by foot messengers, who often
+travelled long distances in the performance of their duty. Thus in 1799
+a post-runner travelled from Inverness to Loch Carron&mdash;a distance across
+country, as the crow flies, of about fifty miles&mdash;making the journey
+once a week, for which he was paid 5s. Another messenger at the same
+period made the journey from Inverness to Dunvegan in Skye&mdash;a much
+greater distance&mdash;also once a week, and for this service he received 7s.
+6d. The rate at which the messengers travelled seems not to have been
+very great, if we may judge from the performances of the post from
+Dumbarton to Inveraray. In the year 1805 the Surveyor<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> of the district
+thus describes it: "I have sometimes observed these mails at leaving
+Dumbarton about three stones or 48 lbs. weight, and they are generally
+above two stones. During the course of last winter horses were obliged
+to be occasionally employed; and it is often the case that a strong
+highlander, with so great a weight upon him, cannot travel more than two
+miles an hour, which greatly retards the general correspondence of this
+extensive district of country."</p>
+
+<p>These humble servants of the post office, travelling over considerable
+tracts of country, would naturally become the means of conveying local
+gossip from stage to stage, and of spreading hearsay news as they went
+along. In this way, and as being the bearers of welcome letters, they
+were no doubt as gladly received at the doors of our forefathers as are
+the postmen at our own doors to-day. Indeed, complaint was made of the
+delays that took place on the route, probably from this very cause. Here
+is an instance referring to the year 1800. "I found," wrote the
+Surveyor, "that it had been the general<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> practice for the post from
+Bonaw to Appin to lodge regularly all night at or near the house of
+Ardchattan, and did not cross Shien till the following morning, losing
+twelve hours to the Appin, Strontian, and Fort-William districts of
+country; and I consider it an improvement of itself to remove such
+private lodgings or accommodations out of the way of posts, which, as I
+have been informed, is sometimes done for the sake of perusing
+newspapers as well as answering or writing letters."</p>
+
+<p>Exposed to the buffetings of the tempest, to the rigours of wintry
+weather, and considering the rough unkept roads of the time, it is easy
+to imagine how seductive would be the fireside of the country house; and
+bearing in mind the desire on the part of the inmates to learn the
+latest news, it is not surprising that the poor post-runner occasionally
+departed from the strict line of duty.</p>
+
+<p>But immediately prior to the introduction of mail-coaches, and for a
+long time before that, the mails over the longer distances<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> were
+conveyed on horseback, the riders being known as "post-boys." These were
+sometimes boys of fourteen or sixteen years of age, and sometimes old
+men. Mr. Palmer, at whose instance mail-coaches were first put upon the
+road, writing in 1783, thus describes the post-boy service. The picture
+is not a very creditable one to the Post Office. "The post at present,"
+says he, "instead of being the swiftest, is almost the slowest
+conveyance in the country; and though, from the great improvement in our
+roads, other carriers have proportionably mended their speed, the post
+is as slow as ever. It is likewise very unsafe. The mails are generally
+intrusted to some idle boy without character, and mounted on a worn-out
+hack, and who, so far from being able to defend himself or escape from a
+robber, is much more likely to be in league with him." There is perhaps
+room for suspicion that Mr. Palmer was painting the post-boy service as
+black as possible, for he was then advocating another method of
+conveying the mails; but he was not alone in his adverse criticism.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> An
+official in Scotland thus described the service in 1799: "It is
+impossible to obtain any other contractors to ride the mails at 3d. out,
+or 1&frac12; d. per mile each way. On this account we are so much distressed
+with mail riders that we have often to submit to the mails being
+conveyed by mules and such species of horses as are a disgrace to any
+service." This is evidence from within the Post Office itself. While
+young boys were suited for the work in some respects, they were
+thoughtless and unpunctual; yet when older men were employed they
+frequently got into liquor, and thus endangered the mails. The records
+of the service are full of the troubles arising from the conduct of
+these servants. The public were doubtless much to blame for this. For
+the post-boys were, as we may suppose, ever welcome at the house and
+ball, where refreshment, in the shape of strong drink, would be offered
+to them, and they thus fell into trouble through a too common instance
+of mistaken kindness.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1763 the mail leaving London<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> on Tuesday night (in the
+winter season) was not in the hands of the people of Edinburgh until the
+afternoon of Sunday. This does not betoken a very rapid rate of
+progression; but it appears that in many cases the post-boy's speed did
+not rise above three or four miles an hour. The Post Office took severe
+measures with these messengers, through parliamentary powers granted;
+and even the public were called upon to keep an eye upon their
+behaviour, and to report any misconduct to the authorities.</p>
+
+<p>Mention has already been made of the unsafety of the roads for ordinary
+travellers; but the roads were in no way safer for the post-boys. In
+1798 a post-boy carrying certain Selby mails was robbed near that place,
+being threatened with his life, and the mail-pouch which he then carried
+was recovered under very strange circumstances in 1876.</p>
+
+<p>But to come nearer home. On the early morning of the 1st of August 1802
+the mail from Glasgow for Edinburgh was robbed by two men at a place
+near Linlithgow, when a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> sum of &pound;1300 or &pound;1400 was stolen. The robbers
+had previously been soldiers. They hurried into Edinburgh with their
+booty, got drunk, were discovered, and, when subsequently tried, were
+sentenced to be executed. The law was severe in those days; and the Post
+Office has the distinction of having obtained judgment against a robber
+who was the last criminal hung in chains in Scotland. According to
+Rogers, in his <i>Social Life of Scotland</i>, this was one Leal, who, in
+1773, was found guilty of robbing the mail near Elgin. A curious fact
+came out in connection with the trial of this man Leal, showing what may
+be termed the momentum of evil. It happened that some time previously
+Leal and a companion had been to see the execution of a man for robbing
+the mail, and, on returning, they had to pass through a dark and narrow
+part of the road. At this point Leal observed to his companion that the
+situation was one well suited for a robbery. And it was here that he
+afterwards carried the suggestion then made into effect.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p><p>When such robberies took place the post-boys sometimes came off without
+serious mishap, but at other times they were badly injured. On Wednesday
+the 23d October 1816, a post-boy near Exeter was assaulted (as the
+report says) in "a most desperate and inhuman manner," when his skull
+was fractured, and he shortly afterwards died.</p>
+
+<p>The post-boys were exposed to all the inclemency of the weather both by
+day and night. Sometimes they were overtaken by snow-storms, when they
+would have to struggle on for their lives. Sometimes, after riding a
+stage in severe frost, they would have to be lifted from their saddles
+benumbed with cold and unable to dismount. At other times accidents of a
+different kind happened to them, and, as has been shown, they sometimes
+lost their lives.</p>
+
+<p>Mail-coaches were first put upon the road on the 8th of August 1784. The
+term of about sixty years, during which they were the means of conveying
+the principal mails throughout the country, must ever seem to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> us a
+period of romantic interest. There is something stirring even in the
+picture of a mail-coach bounding along at the heels of four well-bred
+horses; and we know by experience how exhilarating it is to be carried
+along the highway at a rapid rate in a well-appointed coach.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="i051.jpg" id="i051.jpg"></a><img src="images/i051.jpg" width='700' height='636' alt="THE MAIL, 1803. From a contemporary print." /></div>
+
+<h4>THE MAIL, 1803.<br />(<i>From a contemporary print.</i>)</h4>
+
+<p>We cannot well separate the service given to the Post Office by
+mail-coaches from the passengers who made use of that means of
+conveyance, and we may linger a little to endeavour to realise what a
+journey was like from accounts left us by travellers. The charm of day
+travelling could no doubt be conjured up even now by any one who would
+take time to reflect upon the subject. But other phases of the matter
+could hardly be so dealt with.</p>
+
+<p>De Quincey, in his <i>Confessions of an English Opium Eater</i>, gives a
+pleasing description of the easy motion and soothing influence of a
+well-equipped mail-coach running upon an even and kindly road. The
+period he refers to was about 1803, and the coach was that carrying the
+Bristol mail&mdash;which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> enjoyed unusual advantages owing to the superior
+character of the road, and an extra allowance for expenses subscribed by
+the Bristol merchants. He thus describes his feelings: "It was past
+eight o'clock when I reached the Gloucester Coffee-House, and, the
+Bristol mail being on the point of going off, I mounted on the outside.
+The fine fluent motion of the mail soon laid me asleep. It is somewhat
+remarkable that the first easy or refreshing sleep which I had enjoyed
+for some months was on the outside of a mail-coach....</p>
+
+<p>"For the first four or five miles from London I annoyed my
+fellow-passenger on the roof by occasionally falling against him when
+the coach gave a lurch to his side; and, indeed, if the road had been
+less smooth and level than it is I should have fallen off from weakness.
+Of this annoyance he complained heavily, as, perhaps, in the same
+circumstances, most people would.... When I next woke for a minute from
+the noise and lights of Hounslow (for in spite of my wishes and efforts
+I had fallen asleep again within two<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> minutes from the time I had spoken
+to him), I found that he had put his arm round me to protect me from
+falling off; and for the rest of my journey he behaved to me with the
+gentleness of a woman, so that, at length, I almost lay in his arms....
+So genial and refreshing was my sleep that the next time, after leaving
+Hounslow, that I fully awoke was upon the pulling up of the mail
+(possibly at a post-office), and, on inquiry, I found that we had
+reached Maidenhead&mdash;six or seven miles, I think, ahead of Salthill. Here
+I alighted, and for the half-minute that the mail stopped I was
+entreated by my friendly companion (who, from the transient glimpse I
+had had of him in Piccadilly, seemed to me to be a gentleman's butler,
+or person of that rank) to go to bed without delay."</p>
+
+<p>Night journeys might be very well, in a way, during the balmy days of
+summer, when light airs and sweet exhalations from flower and leaf gave
+pleasing features to the scenes, but in the cold nights of winter, in
+lashing rain, in storms of wind and snow,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> the unfortunate passengers
+and the guard and coachman must have had terrible times of it. It is
+said of the guards and coachmen that they had sometimes, when passing
+over the Fells, to be strapped to their seats, in order to keep their
+places against the fierce assaults of the mountain blast.</p>
+
+<p>The winter experience of travelling by mail-coach in one of its phases
+is thus described by a writer in connection with a severe snow-storm
+which occurred in March 1827: "The night mail from Edinburgh to Glasgow
+left Edinburgh in the afternoon, but was stopped before reaching
+Kirkliston. The guard with the mail-bags set forward on horseback, and
+the driver rode back to Edinburgh with a view, it was understood, to get
+fresh horses. The passengers, four in number, entreated him to use all
+diligence, and meanwhile were compelled to wait in the coach, which had
+stuck at a very solitary part of the road. There they remained through a
+dark and stormy night, with a broken pane of glass, through which the
+wind blew bitterly cold. It was nine o'clock next<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> morning when the
+driver came, bringing with him another man and a pair of horses. Having
+taken away some articles, he jestingly asked the passengers what they
+meant to do, and was leaving them to shift for themselves, but was
+persuaded at length to aid one who was faint, and unable to struggle
+through the snow. He was allowed to mount behind one of the riders; the
+other passengers were left to extricate themselves as best they could."</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="i057.jpg" id="i057.jpg"></a><img src="images/i057.jpg" width='700' height='492' alt="THE MAIL, 1824. From a contemporary print." /></div>
+
+<h4>THE MAIL, 1824.<br />(<i>From a contemporary print.</i>)</h4>
+
+<p>Many instances might be given of the stoppage of the coaches on account
+of snow, and of the efforts made by the guards to push on the mails. In
+1836 a memorable snow-storm took place which disorganised the service,
+and the occasion is one on which the guards and coachmen distinguished
+themselves. The strain thrown upon the horses in a like situation is
+well described by Cowper, if we change one word in his lines, which are
+as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>"The <i>coach</i> goes heavily, impeded sore</div>
+<div>By congregated loads adhering close</div>
+<div>To the clogg'd wheels; and in its sluggish pace</div>
+<div>Noiseless appears a moving hill of snow.</div>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span><div>The toiling steeds expand the nostril wide,</div>
+<div>While every breath, by respiration strong</div>
+<div>Forced downward, is consolidated soon</div>
+<div>Upon their jutting chests."</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>A melancholy result followed upon a worthy endeavour to carry the mails
+through the snow on the 1st February 1831. The Dumfries coach had
+reached Moffat, where it became snowed up. The driver and guard procured
+saddle-horses, and proceeded; but they had not gone far when they found
+the roads impracticable for horses, and these were sent back to Moffat.
+The two men then continued on foot; but they did not get beyond a few
+miles on the road when they succumbed, and some days afterwards their
+dead bodies were found on the high ground near the "Deil's Beef-Tub,"
+the bags being found attached to a post at the roadside, and not far
+from where the men fell. They perished in a noble attempt to perform
+their humble duties. The incident recalls the lines of Thomson:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div class="i6">"And down he sinks</div>
+<div>Beneath the shelter of the shapeless drift,</div>
+<div>Thinking o'er all the bitterness of death,</div>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span><div>Mix'd with the tender anguish nature shoots</div>
+<div>Through the wrung bosom of the dying man.</div>
+<div>His wife, his children, and his friends unseen.</div>
+<div class="i6">On every nerve</div>
+<div>The deadly winter seizes; shuts up sense;</div>
+<div>And o'er his inmost vitals creeping cold</div>
+<div>Lays him along the snows, a stiffened corse,</div>
+<div>Stretched out, and bleaching in the northern blast."</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>We have little conception of the labour that had to be expended, during
+periods of snow, in the endeavour to keep the roads open. In places the
+snow would be found lying thirty or forty feet deep, and the road
+trustees were obliged to spend large sums of money in clearing it away.
+Hundreds of the military were called out in certain places to assist,
+and snow-ploughs were set to work in order to force a passage.</p>
+
+<p>The inconvenience to the country caused by such interruptions is well
+described in the <i>Annual Register</i> of the 15th February 1795: "My letter
+of two days ago is still here; for, though I have made an effort twice,
+I have been obliged to return, not having reached half the first stage.
+Two mails are due from London, three from Glasgow, and four from
+Edinburgh. Neither the last guard that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> went hence for Glasgow on
+Thursday, nor he that went on Wednesday, have since been heard of; this
+country was never so completely blocked up in the memory of the oldest
+person, or that they ever heard of. I understand the road is ten feet
+deep with snow from this to Hamilton. I have had it cut through once,
+but this third fall makes an attempt impossible. Heaven only knows when
+the road will be open, nothing but a thaw can do it&mdash;it is now an
+intense frost."</p>
+
+<p>But the guards and coachmen were put upon their mettle on other
+occasions than when snow made further progress impossible.</p>
+
+<p>The following incident, showing the courage and devotion to duty of a
+mail guard and coachman, is related by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, Bart., in
+his account of the floods which devastated the province of Moray in
+August 1829. Referring to the state of things in the town of Banff, Sir
+Thomas proceeds: "The mail-coach had found it impracticable to proceed
+south in the morning by its usual route, and had gone round by the
+Bridge of Alva. It was therefore<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> supposed that the mail for Inverness,
+which reaches Banff in the afternoon, would take the same road. But what
+was the astonishment of the assembled population when the coach
+appeared, within a few minutes of the usual time, at the further end of
+the Bridge of Banff. The people who were standing there urged both the
+guard and coachman not to attempt to pass where their danger was so
+certain. On hearing this the passengers left the coach; but the guard
+and coachman, scouting the idea of danger in the very streets of Banff,
+disregarded the advice they received, and drove straight along the
+bridge. As they turned the corner of the butcher-market, signals were
+made, and loud cries were uttered from the nearest houses to warn them
+of the danger of advancing; yet still they kept urging the horses
+onwards. But no sooner had they reached the place where the wall had
+burst, than coach and horses were at once borne away together by the
+raging current, and the vehicle was dashed violently against the corner
+of Gillan's Inn. The whole four horses immediately <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span>disappeared, but
+rose and plunged again, and dashed and struggled hard for their lives.
+Loud were the shrieks of those who witnessed this spectacle. A boat came
+almost instantaneously to the spot, but as the rowers pushed up to try
+to disengage the horses, the poor animals, as they alternately reached
+the surface, made desperate exertions to get into the boat, so that
+extreme caution was necessary in approaching them. They did succeed in
+liberating one of them, which immediately swam along the streets, amidst
+the cheering of the population; but the other three sank to rise no
+more. By this time the coach, with the coachman and guard, had been
+thrown on the pavement, where the depth of water was less; and there the
+guard was seen clinging to the top, and the coachman hanging by his
+hands to a lamp-post, with his toes occasionally touching the box. In
+this perilous state they remained till another boat came and relieved
+them, when the guard and the mails were landed in safety. Great
+indignation was displayed against the obstinacy which had produced<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> this
+accident. But much is to be said in defence of the servants of the Royal
+Mail, who are expected to persevere in their endeavours to forward the
+public post in defiance of risk, though in this case their zeal was
+unfortunately proved to have been mistaken."<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></p>
+
+<p>Although, as already stated, robberies were frequent from the
+mail-coaches, and the guard carried formidable weapons of defence, it
+does not appear that the coaches were often openly attacked. At any rate
+there do not seem to be many records of such incidents referring to the
+later days of the mail-coach service.</p>
+
+<p>An old guard, now retired, but still or quite recently living in
+Carlisle, relates that only on one occasion did he require to draw his
+arms for actual defence. This happened at a hamlet called Chance Inn, in
+the county of Forfar, where the coach had stopped as usual. Both the
+inside and outside places were occupied by passengers, and no additional
+travellers could be taken. A number of sailors, however, who were
+proceeding to join their ship at a seaport,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> wished to get upon the
+coach; and though they were told that they could not travel by this
+means, they plainly showed by their looks and demeanour that they were
+determined to do so. One of them was overheard to say that, when the
+proper moment arrived, they would make short work of the guard, who, as
+it happened, was a youngish man. The passengers too were alarmed at the
+appearances, and appealed to the guard to keep a sharp eye upon the
+sailors. Under these conditions the guard directed the coachman, the
+moment the word was given, to put the horses to a gallop, so as to leave
+the seamen behind and avoid attack. The start was signalled as arranged,
+the guard sprang into his place and faced round to the sailors, one of
+whom was now in the act of preparing to throw a huge stone at his head
+with both hands. Instantly the guard drew one of his pistols and covered
+the ringleader, who thereupon dropped on his knees imploring pardon,
+while his companions, previously so aggressive, scampered off in all
+directions like a set of scared rabbits.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p><p>The apparatus by which in the present day bags of letters are dropped
+from and taken up by the travelling post-office while the trains are
+running at high speed had its prototype in the days of the mail-coaches.
+In the one case as in the other the object was to get rid of stoppages,
+and so to save time. In the coaching days the apparatus was of a most
+primitive kind, consisting of a pointed stick rather less than four feet
+long, whose sharpened end was put in behind the string around the neck
+of the mail-bag, and on the end of the stick the bag was held up to be
+clutched by the mail guard as the coach went hurriedly by. We are
+indebted to the sub-postmaster of Liberton, a village a few miles out of
+Edinburgh, for a description of the arrangement. He describes how the
+guards, some fifty years ago, would playfully deal with the youngsters
+who worked the "apparatus," by not only seizing the bag but also the
+stick, and causing the young people to run long distances after the
+coach in order to recover it. The fun was all very well, says the
+sub-postmaster, in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> genial nights of summer; "but when the cold
+nights of winter came round, it was our turn to play a trick upon the
+guard, when both he and the driver were numbed with cold and fast
+asleep, and the four horses going at full speed. It was not easy to
+arouse the guard to take the bag; and just fancy the rare gift of
+Christian charity that caused us youngsters to run and roar after the
+fast-running mail-coach to get quit of the bag. It used to be a weary
+business waiting the mail-coach coming along from the south when the
+roads were stormed up with snow or otherwise delayed. It required some
+tact to hold up the bag, as the glare of the lamps prevented us from
+seeing the guard as he came up with his red coat and blowing a long tin
+horn."</p>
+
+<p>Some curious notions were prevalent of the effect of travelling by
+mail-coach&mdash;the rate being about eight or ten miles an hour. Lord
+Campbell was frequently warned against the danger of journeying this
+way, and instances were cited to him of passengers dying of apoplexy
+induced by the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> rapidity with which the vehicles travelled. In 1791
+the Postmaster-General gave directions that the public should be warned
+against sending any cash by post, partly, as he stated, "from the
+prejudice it does to the coin by the friction it occasions from the
+great expedition with which it is conveyed." After all, speed is merely
+a relative thing.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="i069.jpg" id="i069.jpg"></a><img src="images/i069.jpg" width='521' height='700' alt="MODERN MAIL APPARATUS FOR EXCHANGE OF MAIL-BAGS SETTING THE POUCH EARLY MORNING" /></div>
+
+<h4>MODERN MAIL "APPARATUS" FOR EXCHANGE OF MAIL-BAGS: SETTING<br />THE POUCH&mdash;EARLY MORNING.</h4>
+
+<p>Although, as previously stated, open attacks were not often made upon
+the coaches, robberies of the bags conveyed by them were quite
+common&mdash;chiefly at night&mdash;and we may assume that they were made possible
+through the carelessness of the guards. It would be a long story to go
+fully into this matter. Let a couple of instances suffice. On the last
+day of February 1810, in the evening, a mail-coach at Barnet was robbed
+of sixteen bags for provincial towns by the wrenching off the lock while
+the horses were changing. And on the 19th November of the same year
+seven bags for London were stolen from the coach at Bedford about nine
+o'clock in the evening.</p>
+
+<p>The authorities had a good deal of trouble<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> with the mail guards and
+coachmen, and the records of the period are full of warnings against
+their irregularities. Now they are admonished for stopping at ale-houses
+to drink; now the guards are threatened for sleeping upon duty. Then
+they are cautioned against conveying fish, poultry, etc., on their own
+account. A guard is fined &pound;5 for suffering a man to ride on the roof of
+the coach; a driver is fined &pound;5 for losing time; another driver, for
+intoxication and impertinence to passengers, is fined &pound;10 and costs. The
+guards are entreated to be attentive to their arms, to see that they are
+clean, well loaded, and hung handy; they are forbidden to blow their
+horns when passing through the streets during the hours of divine
+service on Sundays; they are enjoined to keep a watch upon French
+prisoners of war attempting to break their parole; and to sum up, an
+Inspector despairingly writes that "half his time is employed in
+receiving and answering letters of complaint from passengers respecting
+the improper conduct and impertinent language of guards." A<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> story is
+told of a passenger who, being drenched inside a coach by water coming
+through an opening in the roof, complained of the fact to the guard, but
+the only answer he got was, "Ay, mony a ane has complained o' that
+hole," and the guard quietly passed on to other duties.</p>
+
+<p>Railway travellers are familiar with an official at the principal
+through stations whose duty it seems to be to ring a bell and loudly
+call out "Take your seats!" the moment hungry passengers enter the
+refreshment-rooms. How far his zeal engenders dyspepsia and heart
+disease it is impossible to say.</p>
+
+<p>In the mail-coach days similar pressure was put upon passengers; for
+every effort was made to hurry forward the mails. In a family letter
+written by Mendelssohn in 1829, he describes a mail-coach journey from
+Glasgow to Liverpool. Among other things he mentions that the changing
+of horses was done in about forty seconds. This was not the language of
+mere hyperbole, for where the stoppage was one for the purpose of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>
+changing horses only the official time allowed was one minute.</p>
+
+<p>It is perhaps a pity that we have not fuller records of the scenes
+enacted at the stopping-places; they would doubtless afford us some
+amusement. There is the old story of the knowing passenger who,
+unobserved, placed all the silver spoons in the coffee-pot in order to
+cool the coffee and delay the coach, while the other passengers, already
+in their places, were being searched.</p>
+
+<p>There is another story which may be worth repeating. A hungry passenger
+had just commenced to taste the quality of a stewed fowl when he was
+peremptorily ordered by the guard to take his place. Unwilling to lose
+either his meal or his passage, he hastily rolled the fowl in his
+handkerchief, and mounted the coach. But the landlord, unused to such
+liberties, was soon after him with the ravished dish. The coach was
+already on the move, and the only revenge left to the landlord was to
+call out jeeringly to the passenger, "Won't you have the gravy, sir?"
+The other passengers<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> had a laugh at the expense of their companion; but
+we know that a hungry man is a tenacious man, and a man with a full
+stomach can afford to laugh. At any rate the proverb says, "Who laughs
+last laughs best."</p>
+
+<p>The differences arising between passengers and the landlords at the
+stopping-places were sometimes, however, of a much more prosaic and
+solemn character. Charles Lamb has given us such a scene. "I was
+travelling," he says, "in a stage-coach with three male Quakers,
+buttoned up in the straitest nonconformity of their sect. We stopped to
+bait at Andover, where a meal, partly tea apparatus, partly supper, was
+set before us. My friends confined themselves to the tea-table. I in my
+way took supper. When the landlady brought in the bill, the eldest of my
+companions discovered that she had charged for both meals. This was
+resisted. Mine hostess was very clamorous and positive. Some mild
+arguments were used on the part of the Quakers, for which the heated
+mind of the good lady seemed by no means<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> a fit recipient. The guard
+came in with his usual peremptory notice. The Quakers pulled out their
+money and formally tendered it&mdash;so much for tea&mdash;I, in humble situation,
+tendering mine, for the supper which I had taken. She would not relax in
+her demand. So they all three quietly put up their silver, as did
+myself, and marched out of the room, the eldest and gravest going first,
+with myself closing up the rear, who thought I could not do better than
+follow the example of such grave and warrantable personages. We got in.
+The steps went up. The coach drove off. The murmurs of mine hostess, not
+very indistinctly or ambiguously pronounced, became after a time
+inaudible, and now my conscience, which the whimsical scene had for a
+while suspended, beginning to give some twitches, I waited, in the hope
+that some justification would be offered by these serious persons for
+the seeming injustice of their conduct. To my surprise, not a syllable
+was dropped on the subject. They sat as mute as at a meeting. At length
+the eldest of them broke silence by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> inquiring of his next neighbour,
+'Hast thee heard how indigos go at the India House?' and the question
+operated as a soporific on my moral feelings as far as Exeter."</p>
+
+<p>A Frenchman was once a traveller by mail-coach, who, although he knew
+the English language fairly well, was not familiar with the finer shades
+of meaning attached to set expressions when applied in particular
+situations. An Englishman, who was his companion inside the coach, had
+occasion to direct his attention to some object in the passing
+landscape, and requested him to "look out." This the Frenchman promptly
+did, putting his head and shoulders out of the window, and the view
+obtained proved highly pleasing to the stranger. A stage further on in
+the journey, when the coach was approaching a narrow part of the road
+bordered and overhung by dense foliage, the driver, as was his custom,
+called out to the company, "Look out!" to which the Frenchman again
+quickly responded by thrusting head and shoulders<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> out of the window;
+but this time with the result that his hat was brushed off, and his face
+badly scratched from contact with the neighbouring branches. This
+curious contradiction in the use of the very same words enraged the
+Frenchman, who said hard things of our language; for he had discovered
+that when told to "look out" he was to look out, and that again when
+told to "look out" he was to be careful not to look out.</p>
+
+<p>Mackenzie graphically describes the part mail-coaches took in the
+distribution of news over the country in the early years of the century.
+Referring to the news of the battle of Waterloo, he says: "By day and
+night these coaches rolled along at their pace of seven or eight miles
+an hour. At all cross roads messengers were waiting to get a newspaper
+or a word of tidings from the guard. In every little town, as the hour
+approached for the arrival of the mail, the citizens hovered about their
+streets waiting restlessly for the expected news. In due time the coach
+rattled into the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> market-place, hung with branches, the now familiar
+token that a great battle had been fought and a victory won. Eager
+groups gathered. The guard, as he handed out his mail-bags, told of the
+decisive victory which had crowned and completed our efforts. And then
+the coachman cracked his whip, the guard's horn gave forth once more its
+notes of triumph, and the coach rolled away, bearing the thrilling news
+into other districts."</p>
+
+<p>The writer of the interesting work called <i>Glasgow, Past and Present</i>,
+gives the following realistic account of the arrival of the London mail
+in Glasgow in war-time:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"During the time of the French war it was quite exhilarating to observe
+the arrival of the London mail-coach in Glasgow, when carrying the first
+intelligence of a great victory, like the battle of the Nile, or the
+battle of Waterloo. The mail-coach horses were then decorated with
+laurels, and a red flag floated on the roof of the coach. The guard,
+dressed in his best scarlet coat and gold ornamented hat, came galloping
+at a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>thundering pace along the stones of the Gallowgate, sounding his
+bugle amidst the echoings of the streets; and when he arrived at the
+foot of Nelson Street he discharged his blunderbuss in the air. On these
+occasions a general run was made to the Tontine Coffee-room to hear the
+great news, and long before the newspapers were delivered the public
+were advertised by the guard of the particulars of the great victory,
+which fled from mouth to mouth like wildfire."</p>
+
+<p>The mail-guards, and also the coachmen, were a race of men by
+themselves, modelled and fashioned by the circumstances of their
+employment&mdash;in fact, receiving character, like all other sets of people,
+from their peculiar environment. There are now very few of them
+remaining, and these very old men. These officers of the Post Office
+mixed with all sorts of people, learned a great deal from the
+passengers, and were full of romance and anecdote. We remember one guard
+whose conversation and accounts of funny things were so continuous that
+his hearers were kept in a constant state of ecstasy whenever<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> he was
+set agoing. His fund of story seemed inexhaustible, and we can imagine
+how hilariously would pass away the hours on the outside of a mail-coach
+with such a companion. The guard of whom we are speaking was a north
+countryman, possessed of a stalwart frame and iron constitution, a man
+with whom a highwayman would rather avoid getting into grips. He used to
+tell of an occasion on which the driver, being drunk, fell from his box,
+and the horses bolted. He himself was seated in his place at the rear of
+the coach. The state of things was serious. He however scrambled over
+the top of the coach, let himself down between the wheelers, stole along
+the pole of the coach, recovered the reins, and saved the mail from
+wreck and the passengers from impending death. For this he received a
+special letter of thanks from the Postmaster-General.</p>
+
+<p>It was the custom of this guard, as no doubt of others of his class, to
+take charge of parcels of value for conveyance between places on his
+road. On one occasion he had charge of a parcel of &pound;1500 in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> bank notes,
+which was in course of transmission to a bank at headquarters. It
+happened that the driver had been indulging rather freely, and at one of
+the stopping-places the coachman started off with the coach leaving the
+guard behind. The latter did not discover this till the coach was out of
+sight, and realising the responsibility he was under in respect of the
+money, which for safety he had placed in a holster below one of his
+pistols, he was in a great fright. There was nothing for it but to start
+on foot and endeavour to overtake the coach; but this he did not succeed
+in doing till he had run a whole stage, at the end of which the
+perspiration was oozing through his scarlet coat. At the completion of
+the journey he sponged himself all over with whisky, and did not then
+feel any ill effects from the great strain he had placed himself under,
+though later in life he believed his heart had suffered damage from the
+exertions of that memorable day.</p>
+
+<p>Before leaving this branch of our subject it may be well to note that
+while the mail<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> guards received but nominal pay&mdash;ten and sixpence a
+week&mdash;they earned considerable sums in gratuities from passengers, and
+for executing small commissions for the public. In certain cases as much
+as &pound;300 a year was thus received; and the heavy fines that were
+inflicted upon them were therefore not so severe as might at first sight
+seem. Unhappily these men were given to take drink, if not wisely, at
+any rate too often. The weaknesses of the mail guard are very cleverly
+portrayed in some verses on the <i>Mail-Coach Guard</i>, quoted in Larwood
+and Hotten's work on the <i>History of Signboards</i>; and while these
+frailties are the burden of the song, it will be observed how cleverly
+the names of inns or alehouses are introduced into the song:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<div>"At each inn on the road I a welcome could find;</div>
+<div class="i1">At the Fleece I'd my skin full of ale;</div>
+<div>The Two Jolly Brewers were just to my mind;</div>
+<div class="i1">At the Dolphin I drank like a whale.</div>
+<div>Tom Tun at the Hogshead sold pretty good stuff;</div>
+<div class="i1">They'd capital flip at the Boar;</div>
+<div>And when at the Angel I'd tippled enough,</div>
+<div class="i1">I went to the Devil for more.</div>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span><div>Then I'd always a sweetheart so snug at the Car;</div>
+<div class="i1">At the Rose I'd a lily so white;</div>
+<div>Few planets could equal sweet Nan at the Star;</div>
+<div class="i1">No eyes ever twinkled so bright.</div>
+<div>I've had many a hug at the sign of the Bear;</div>
+<div class="i1">In the Sun courted morning and noon;</div>
+<div>And when night put an end to my happiness there,</div>
+<div class="i1">I'd a sweet little girl in the Moon.</div>
+<div>To sweethearts and ale I at length bid adieu,</div>
+<div class="i1">Of wedlock to set up the Sign;</div>
+<div>Hand-in-Hand the Good-Woman I look for in you,</div>
+<div class="i1">And the Horns I hope ne'er will be mine.</div>
+<div>Once guard to the mail, I'm now guard to the fair,</div>
+<div class="i1">But though my commission's laid down,</div>
+<div>Yet while the King's Arms I'm permitted to bear,</div>
+<div class="i1">Like a Lion I'll fight for the Crown."</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>A good loyal subject to the last.</p>
+
+<p>One of the changes that time and circumstances have brought into the
+postal service is this, that the country post-offices have passed out of
+the hands of innkeepers, and into those of more desirable persons. In
+former times, and down to the period of the mail-coaches, the
+post-offices in many of the provincial towns were established at the inn
+of the place. In those days the conveyance of the mails being to a large
+extent by horse, it was convenient to have the office established where
+the relays of horses were maintained; and the term<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> "postmaster" then
+applied in a double sense&mdash;to the person intrusted with the receipt and
+despatch of letters, and with the providing of horses to convey the
+mails. The two duties are now no longer combined, and the word
+"postmaster" has consequently become applicable to two totally different
+classes of persons. The innkeepers were not very assiduous in matters
+pertaining to the post, and the duty of receiving and despatching
+letters, being frequently left to waiters and chambermaids, was very
+badly done. Often there was no separate room provided for the
+transaction of post-office business, and visitors at the inn and others
+had opportunities for scrutinising the correspondence that ought not to
+have existed. The postmaster was assisted by his ostler, as chief
+adviser in the postal work, which, however, was neglected; the worst
+horses, instead of the best, were hired out for the mails; and for
+riders the service was graced with the dregs of the stable-yard. At the
+same time the innkeepers were alive to their own interests, for they
+sometimes attracted travellers to their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> houses by granting them franks
+for the free transmission of their letters. The salaries of the
+postmasters were not cast in a liberal mould, and what they did receive
+was subject to the charge of providing candles, wax, string, etc.,
+necessary for making up the mails.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="i085.jpg" id="i085.jpg"></a><img src="images/i085.jpg" width='517' height='700' alt="THE MAIL-COACH GUARD" /></div>
+
+<h4>THE MAIL-COACH GUARD.</h4>
+
+<p>The following are examples of the salaries of postmasters about a
+hundred years ago:&mdash;</p>
+
+
+<table summary="salaries of postmasters">
+  <tr>
+    <td>Paisley, 1790 to 1800,</td>
+    <td class="right">&pound;33</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Dundee, 1800,</td>
+    <td class="right">50</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Arbroath, 1763 to 1794,</td>
+    <td class="right">20</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Aberdeen, 1763 to 1793, about&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="right">90</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Glasgow, 1789</td>
+    <td class="right">140</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>&nbsp; &nbsp; and Clerk</td>
+    <td class="right">30</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>Constant appeals reached headquarters for "an augmentation," which was
+the term then applied to an increase of salary, and in the circumstances
+it is not surprising that the post-office work was indifferently done.
+Attendance had to be given to the public during the day, and when the
+mail passed through a town in the dead hours of night some one had to be
+up to despatch or receive the mail. Sometimes the postmaster, when awoke
+by the post-boy's horn, would get up<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> and drop the mail-bag by a hook
+and line from his bedroom window. An instance of such a proceeding is
+given by Williams in his history of Watford, where the destinies of the
+post were at the time presided over by a postmistress. "In response,"
+says he, "to the thundering knock of the conductor, the old lady left
+her couch, and thrusting her head, covered with a wide-bordered
+night-cap, out of the bedroom window, let down the mail-bag by a string,
+and quickly returned to her bed again." Coming thus nightly to the open
+window must have been a risky duty as regards health for a postmistress.</p>
+
+<p>A hundred years ago the chief post-office in London was situated in
+Lombard Street. The scene, if we may judge by a print of the period,
+would appear to have been one of quietude and waiting for something to
+turn up. In 1829 the General Post Office was transferred to St. Martin's
+le Grand, and the departure of the evening mails (when mail-coaches were
+in full swing) became one of the sights of London.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span></p><p>Living in an age of cheap postage as we do, we look back upon the rates
+charged a century ago with something akin to amazement. In the following
+table will be seen some of the inland and foreign postage charges which
+were current in the period from 1797 to 1815:&mdash;</p>
+
+<table class="bbox" style="border-collapse: collapse;" summary="inland and foreign postage charges">
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br center">ENGLAND, 1797.</td>
+    <td class="br">Single&nbsp;<br />letter</td>
+    <td class="br">Double&nbsp;<br />letter</td>
+    <td class="br">Treble&nbsp;<br />letter</td>
+    <td>1 oz.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">Distance not exceeding in<br />Miles&mdash;</td>
+    <td class="br"><hr class="larger" /></td>
+    <td class="br"><hr class="larger" /></td>
+    <td class="br"><hr class="larger" /></td>
+    <td><hr class="larger" /></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br"><i>s.  d.</i></td>
+    <td class="br"><i>s. &nbsp; d.</i></td>
+    <td class="br"><i>s.  d.</i></td>
+    <td><i>s.  d.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;15,</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;3</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;9</td>
+    <td>1&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;15 to &nbsp;30,</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;4</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;8</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+    <td>1&nbsp;&nbsp;4</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;30 &nbsp;" &nbsp; 60,</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;5</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;10</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp;&nbsp;3</td>
+    <td>1&nbsp;&nbsp;8</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;60 &nbsp;" &nbsp;100,</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;6</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp; &nbsp; 0</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp;&nbsp;6</td>
+    <td>2&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">100 &nbsp;" &nbsp;150,</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;7</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp; &nbsp; 2</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp;&nbsp;9</td>
+    <td>2&nbsp;&nbsp;4</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">150 and upwards,</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;8</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp; &nbsp; 4</td>
+    <td class="br">2&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+    <td>2&nbsp;&nbsp;8</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">For Scotland these rates</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;were increased by</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;1</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp; &nbsp; 2</td>
+    <td class="br">0&nbsp;&nbsp;3</td>
+    <td>0&nbsp;&nbsp;4</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br center">FOREIGN.</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">From any part in Great</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;Britain to any part in&mdash;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Portugal,</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+    <td class="br">2&nbsp; &nbsp; 0</td>
+    <td class="br">3&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+    <td>4&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;British Dominions in America,</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+    <td class="br">2&nbsp; &nbsp; 0</td>
+    <td class="br">3&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+    <td>4&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br center">1806.</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">From any part in Great</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;Britain to&mdash;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gibraltar,</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp;&nbsp;9</td>
+    <td class="br">3&nbsp; &nbsp; 6</td>
+    <td class="br">5&nbsp;&nbsp;3</td>
+    <td>7&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Malta,</td>
+    <td class="br">2&nbsp;&nbsp;1</td>
+    <td class="br">4&nbsp; &nbsp; 2</td>
+    <td class="br">6&nbsp;&nbsp;3</td>
+    <td>8&nbsp;&nbsp;4</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br center">1808.</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">From any part in Great</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;Britain to&mdash;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Madeira,</td>
+    <td class="br">1&nbsp;&nbsp;6</td>
+    <td class="br">3&nbsp; &nbsp; 0</td>
+    <td class="br">4&nbsp;&nbsp;6</td>
+    <td>6&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;South America, Portuguese Possessions,</td>
+    <td class="br">2&nbsp;&nbsp;5</td>
+    <td class="br">4&nbsp;&nbsp;10</td>
+    <td class="br">7&nbsp;&nbsp;3</td>
+    <td>9&nbsp;&nbsp;8</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br center">1815.</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">From any part in Great</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;Britain to&mdash;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius, East Indies, &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">3&nbsp;&nbsp;6</td>
+    <td class="br">7&nbsp; &nbsp; 0</td>
+    <td class="br">10&nbsp;&nbsp;6</td>
+    <td>14&nbsp;&nbsp;0</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="br">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Over and above these foreign rates, the full inland postage in England
+and Scotland, according to the distance the letters had to be conveyed
+to the port of despatch, was levied.</p>
+
+<p>Many persons remember how old-fashioned letters were made up&mdash;a single
+sheet of paper folded first at the top and bottom, then one side slipped
+inside the folds of the other, then a wafer or seal applied, and the
+address written on the back. That was a <i>single</i> letter. If a cheque,
+bank-bill, or other document were enclosed, the letter became a double
+letter. Two enclosures<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> made the letter a treble letter. The officers of
+the Post Office examined the letters in the interest of the Revenue, the
+letters being submitted to the test of a strong light, and the officers,
+peeping in at the end, used the feather end of a quill to separate the
+folds of the letter for better inspection. Envelopes were not then used.</p>
+
+<p>These high rates of postage gave rise to frequent attempts to defraud
+the Revenue, and many plans were adopted to circumvent the Post Office
+in this matter. Sometimes a series of words in the print of a newspaper
+were pricked with a pin, and thus conveyed a message to the person for
+whom the newspaper was intended. Sometimes milk was used as an invisible
+ink upon a newspaper, the receiver reading the message sent by holding
+the paper to the fire. At other times soldiers took the letters of their
+friends, and sent them under franks written by their officers. Letters
+were conveyed by public carriers, against the statute, sometimes tied up
+in brown paper, to disguise them as parcels. The carriers seem to have
+been conspicuous offenders, for one of them<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> was convicted at Warwick in
+1794, when penalties amounting to &pound;1500 were incurred, though only &pound;10
+and costs were actually exacted. The Post Office maintained a staff of
+men called "Apprehenders of Letter Carriers," whose business it was to
+hunt down persons illegally carrying letters.</p>
+
+<p>Nor must we omit to mention how far short of perfection were the means
+afforded for cross-post communication between one town and another.
+While along the main lines of road radiating from London there might be
+a fairly good service according to the ideas of the times, the
+cross-country connections were bad and inadequate. Here are one or two
+instances:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>In 1792 there was no direct post between Thrapstone and Wellingborough,
+though they lay only nine miles apart. Letters could circulate between
+these towns by way of Stilton, Newark, Nottingham, and Northampton,
+performing a circuit of 148 miles, or they could be sent by way of
+London, 74 up and 68&frac12; down,&mdash;in which latter case they reached their
+destination one day sooner than by the northern route.</p>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="i094.jpg" id="i094.jpg"></a><img src="images/i094.jpg" width='446' height='700' alt="route diagram" /></div>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="center"><img src="images/i095.jpg" width='564' height='700' alt="route diagram" /></div>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p><p>Again, from Ipswich to Bury St. Edmunds, two important towns of about
+11,000 and 7000 inhabitants respectively, and distant from each other
+only twenty-two miles, there was no direct post. Letters had to be
+forwarded either through Norwich and Newmarket, or by way of London, the
+distance to be covered in the one case being 105 miles, and in the other
+143&frac12; miles. According to a time-table of the period, a letter posted
+at Ipswich for Bury St. Edmunds on Monday would be despatched to Norwich
+at 5.30 <span class="smaller">A.M</span>. on Tuesday. Reaching this place six hours thereafter, it
+would be forwarded thence at 4 <span class="smaller">P.M</span>. to Newmarket, where it was due at 11
+<span class="smaller">P.M</span>. At Newmarket it would lie all night and the greater part of next
+day, and would only arrive at Bury at 5.40 <span class="smaller">P.M.</span> on Wednesday. Thus three
+days were consumed in the journey of a letter from Ipswich to Bury by
+the nearest postal route, and nothing was to be gained by adopting the
+alternative route <i>vi&acirc;</i> London.</p>
+
+<p>In 1781 the postal staff in Edinburgh was composed of twenty-three
+persons, of whom<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> six were letter-carriers. The indoor staff of the
+Glasgow Post Office in 1789 consisted of the postmaster and one clerk,
+and as ten years later there were only four postmen employed, the
+outdoor force in 1789 was probably only four men.</p>
+
+<p>Liverpool, in the year 1792, when its population stood at something like
+60,000, had only three postmen, whose wages were 7s. a week each. One of
+the men, however, was assisted by his wife, and for this service the
+Post Office allowed her from &pound;10 to &pound;12 a year. Their duties seem to
+have been carried out in an easy-going, deliberate fashion. The men
+arranged the letters for distribution in the early morning, then they
+partook of breakfast, and started on their rounds about 9 <span class="smaller">A.M.</span>,
+completing their delivery about the middle of the afternoon. It would
+thus seem that a hundred years ago there was but one delivery daily in
+Liverpool.</p>
+
+<p>During the same period there were only three letter-carriers employed at
+Manchester, four at Bristol, and three or four at Birmingham. In our own
+times the number of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span>postmen serving these large towns may be counted by
+the hundreds, or, I might almost say, thousands.</p>
+
+<p>The delivery of letters in former times was necessarily a slow affair,
+for two reasons, namely:&mdash;that prepayment was not compulsory, and the
+senders of letters thoughtfully left the receivers to pay for them, when
+the postmen would often be kept waiting for the money. And secondly,
+streets were not named and numbered systematically as they now are, and
+concise addresses were impossible.</p>
+
+<p>It is no doubt the case that order and method in laying out the streets
+and in regulating generally the buildings of towns are things of quite
+modern growth. In old-fashioned towns we find the streets running at all
+angles to one another, and describing all sorts of curves, without any
+regard whatever to general harmony. And will it be believed that the
+numbering of the houses in streets is comparatively a modern
+arrangement! Walter Thornbury tells us in his <i>Haunted London</i> that
+"names were first put on doors in 1760<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> (some years before the street
+signs were removed). In 1764 houses were first numbered, the numbering
+commencing in New Burleigh Street, and Lincoln's-Inn-Fields being the
+second place numbered." While in our own time the addresses of letters
+are generally brief and direct, it is not to be wondered at that, under
+the conditions above stated, the superscriptions were often such as now
+seem to us curious. Here is one given in a printed notice issued at
+Edinburgh in 1714:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class='stanza'><div>"The Stamp office at Edinburgh</div>
+<div>in Mr. William Law, Jeweller,</div>
+<div>his hands, off the Parliament close,</div>
+<div>down the market stairs, opposite</div>
+<div>to the Excise office."</div></div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Here is another old-fashioned address, in which one must admit the
+spirit of filial regard with which it is inspired:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class='stanza'><div>"These for his honoured Mother,</div>
+<div>Mrs. Hester Stryp, widow,</div>
+<div>dwelling in Petticoat Lane, over</div>
+<div>against the Five Inkhorns,</div>
+<div class="i4">without Bishopgate,</div>
+<div class="i6">in London."</div></div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Yet one more specimen, referring to the year 1702:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class='stanza'><div class="i4">"For</div>
+<div>Mr. Archibald Dunbarr</div>
+<div>of Thunderstoune, to be</div>
+<div>left at Capt. Dunbar's</div>
+<div>writing chamber at the</div>
+<div>Iron Revell, third storie</div>
+<div>below the cross, north end</div>
+<div>of the close at Edinburgh."</div></div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Under the circumstances of the time it was necessary thus to define at
+length where letters should be delivered; and the same circumstances
+were no doubt the <i>raison-d'&ecirc;tre</i> of the corps of caddies in Edinburgh,
+whose business it was to execute commissions of all sorts, and in whom
+the paramount qualification was to know everybody in the town, and where
+everybody lived.</p>
+
+<p>All this is changed in our degenerate days, and it is now possible for
+any one to find any other person with the simple key of street and
+number.</p>
+
+<p>The irregular way in which towns grew up in former times is brought out
+in an anecdote about Kilmarnock. Early in the present century the
+streets of that town were narrow, winding, and intricate. An English
+commercial traveller, having completed some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> business there, mounted his
+horse, and set out for another town. He was making for the outskirts of
+Kilmarnock, and reflecting upon its apparent size and importance, when
+he suddenly found himself back at the cross. In the surprise of the
+moment he was heard to exclaim that surely his "sable eminence" must
+have had a hand in the building of it, for it was a town very easily got
+into, but there was no getting out of it.</p>
+
+<p>A duty that the changed circumstances of the times now renders
+unnecessary was formerly imposed upon postmasters, of which there is
+hardly a recollection remaining among the officials carrying on the work
+of the post to-day. The duty is mentioned in an order of May 1824, to
+the following effect: "An old instruction was renewed in 1812, that all
+postmasters should transmit to me (the Secretary), for the information
+of His Majesty's Postmaster-General, an immediate account of all
+remarkable occurrences within their districts, that the same may be
+communicated, if necessary, to His Majesty's principal Secretaries of
+State. This has not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> been invariably attended to, and I am commanded by
+His Lordship to say, that henceforward it will be expected of every
+Deputy." This gathering of news from all quarters is now adequately
+provided for by the <i>Daily Press</i>, and no incident of any importance
+occurs which is not immediately distributed through that channel, or
+flashed by the telegraph, to every corner of the kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>A custom, which would now be looked upon as a curiosity, and the origin
+of which would have to be sought for in the remote past, was in
+operation in the larger towns of the kingdom until about the year 1859.
+The custom was that of ringing the town for letters to be despatched;
+certain of the postmen being authorised to go over apportioned
+districts, after the ordinary collections of letters from the receiving
+offices had been made, to gather in late letters for the mail. Until the
+year above mentioned the arrangement was thus carried out in Dublin. The
+letter-box at the chief office, and those at the receiving offices,
+closed two hours before the despatch of the night mail. Half an hour<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span>
+after this closing eleven postmen started to scour the town, collecting
+on their way letters and newspapers. Each man carried a locked leather
+wallet, into which, through an opening, letters and other articles were
+placed, the postmen receiving a fee of a penny on every letter, and a
+halfpenny on every newspaper. This was a personal fee to the men over
+and above the ordinary postage. To warn the public of the postman's
+approach each man carried a large bell, which he rang vigorously as he
+went his rounds. These men, besides taking up letters for the public,
+called also at the receiving offices for any letters left for them upon
+which the special fee had been paid, and the "ringers" had to reach the
+chief office one hour before the despatch of the night mail. This custom
+seems to have yielded considerable emolument to the men concerned, for
+when it was abolished compensation was given for the loss of fees, the
+annual payments ranging from &pound;10 8s., to &pound;36 8s. Increased posting
+facilities, and the infusion of greater activity into the performance of
+post-office work, were no<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> doubt the things which "rang the parting
+knell" of these useful servants of the period.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="i103.jpg" id="i103.jpg"></a><img src="images/i103.jpg" width='573' height='700' alt="THE BELLMAN COLLECTING LETTERS FOR DESPATCH" /></div>
+
+<h4>THE BELLMAN COLLECTING LETTERS FOR DESPATCH.</h4>
+
+<p>The slow and infrequent conveyance of mails by the ordinary post in
+former times gave rise to the necessity for "Expresses." By this term is
+meant the despatch of a single letter by man and horse, to be passed on
+from stage to stage without delay to its destination. In an official
+instruction of 1824 the speed to be observed was thus described: "It is
+expected that all Expresses shall be conveyed at the rate of seven
+miles, at least, within the hour." The charge made was 11d. per mile,
+arising as follows, viz.:&mdash;7½d. per mile for the horse, 2d. per mile
+for the rider, and 1½d. per mile for the post-horse duty. The
+postmaster who despatched the Express, and the postmaster who received
+it for delivery, were each entitled to 2s. 6d. for their trouble.</p>
+
+<p>It will perhaps be convenient to look at the packet service apart from
+the land service, though progress is as remarkable in the one as in the
+other. During the wars of the latter half of the last century, the
+packets,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> small as they were, were armed packets. But we almost smile in
+recording the armaments carried. Here is an account of the arms of the
+<i>Roebuck</i> packet as inventoried in 1791:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<div class='stanza'><div>2 Carriage guns.</div>
+<div>4 Muskets and bayonets.</div>
+<div>4 Brass Blunderbusses.</div>
+<div>4 Cutlasses.</div>
+<div>4 Pair of Pistols.</div>
+<div>3 old Cartouch-boxes.</div></div>
+</div>
+
+<p>In our own estuaries and seas the packets were not free from
+molestation, and were in danger of being taken. In 1779 the Carron
+Company were running vessels from the Forth to London, and the following
+notice was issued by them as an inducement to persons travelling between
+these places:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The Carron vessels are fitted out in the most complete manner for
+defence, at a very considerable expense, and are well provided with
+small arms. All mariners, recruiting parties, soldiers upon furlow, and
+all other steerage passengers who have been accustomed to the use of
+firearms, and who will engage to assist in defending themselves, will be
+accommodated with their passage to and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> from London upon satisfying the
+masters for their provisions, which in no instance shall exceed 10s. 6d.
+sterling." This was the year in which Paul Jones visited the Firth of
+Forth, and was spreading terror all round the coasts. The following was
+the service of the packets in the year 1780. Five packets were employed
+between Dover and Ostend and Calais, the despatches being made on
+Wednesdays and Saturdays. Between Harwich and Holland three were
+employed, the sailings in this case also taking place on Wednesdays and
+Saturdays. For New York and the West India Service twelve packets were
+engaged, sailing from Falmouth on the first Wednesday of every month.
+Four packets performed the duty between Falmouth and Lisbon, sailing
+every Saturday; and five packets kept up the Irish communication,
+sailing daily between Holyhead and Dublin. In the year 1798, a mail
+service seems to have been kept up by packets sailing from Yarmouth to
+Cuxhaven, at the mouth of the Elbe, respecting which the following
+particulars may be interesting.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> They are taken from an old letter-book.
+"The passage-money to the office is 12s. 6d. for whole passengers, and
+6s. 6d. for half passengers, either to or from England; 6d. of which is
+to be paid to the Captain for small beer, which both the whole and half
+passengers are to be informed of their being entitled to when they
+embark.</p>
+
+<p>"1s. 6d. is allowed as a perquisite on each whole passenger, 1s. of
+which to the agent at Cuxhaven for every whole passenger embarking for
+England, and the other 6d. to the agent at Yarmouth; and in like manner
+1s. to the agent at Yarmouth on every whole passenger embarking for the
+Continent, and 6d. to the agent at Cuxhaven; but no fee whatever is to
+be taken on half passengers, so that 10s. 6d. must be accounted for to
+the Revenue on each whole passenger, and 6s. on each half passenger."</p>
+
+<p>Half passengers were servants, young children, or persons in low
+circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>While touching upon passage-money, it may be noted that in 1811 the fare
+from Weymouth to Jersey or Guernsey, for cabin<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> passengers, was, to the
+captain, 15s. 6d. and to the office 10s. 6d.&mdash;or &pound;1, 6s. in all.</p>
+
+<p>The mail packets performing the service between England and Ireland in
+the first quarter of the present century were not much to boast of.
+According to a survey taken at Holyhead in July 1821, the vessels
+employed to carry the mails between that port and Dublin were of very
+small tonnage, as will be seen by the following table:&mdash;</p>
+
+<table summary="vessel tonnage">
+  <tr>
+    <td>Uxbridge,</td>
+    <td class="right">93 tons.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Pelham,</td>
+    <td class="right">98 &nbsp;&nbsp;" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Duke of Montrose,</td>
+    <td class="right">98 &nbsp;&nbsp;" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Chichester,</td>
+    <td class="right">102 &nbsp;&nbsp;" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Union,</td>
+    <td class="right">104 &nbsp;&nbsp;" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Countess of Liverpool, &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="right">114 &nbsp;&nbsp;" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>The valuation of these crafts, including rigging, furniture, and
+fitting, ranged from &pound;1600 to &pound;2400.</p>
+
+<p>The failures or delays in making the passage across the Channel are thus
+described by Cleland in his <i>Annals of Glasgow</i>: "It frequently
+happens," says he, "that the mail packet is windbound at the mouth of
+the Liffey for several days together"; and we have seen it stated in a
+newspaper article<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> that the packets crossing to Ireland by the
+Portpatrick route were sometimes delayed a couple of weeks by contrary
+winds.</p>
+
+<p>A few years previously an attempt had been made to introduce
+steam-packets for the Holyhead and Dublin service; but this improved
+service was not at that time adopted. Referring to the year 1816,
+Cleland writes: "The success of steamboats on the Clyde induced some
+gentlemen in Dublin to order two vessels to be made to ply as packets in
+the Channel between Dublin and Holyhead, with a view of ultimately
+carrying the mail. The dimensions are as follows:&mdash;viz., keel 65 feet,
+beam 18 feet, with 9 feet draught of water&mdash;have engines of 20
+horse-power, and are named the 'Britannia' and 'Hibernia.'" These were
+the modest ideas then held as to the power of steam to develop and
+expedite the packet service. In the period from 1850-60, when steam had
+been adopted upon the Holyhead and Dublin route, one of the first
+contract vessels was the <i>Prince Arthur</i>, having a gross tonnage of 400,
+and whose<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> speed was thirteen or fourteen knots an hour. The latest
+addition to this line of packets is the <i>Ireland</i> a magnificent ship of
+2095 tons gross, and of 7000 horse-power. Its rate of speed is
+twenty-two knots an hour.</p>
+
+<p>As regards the American packet service perhaps greater strides than
+these even have been achieved. Prior to 1840 the vessels carrying the
+mails across the Atlantic were derisively called "coffin brigs," whose
+tonnage was probably about 400. At any rate, as will be seen later on, a
+packet in which Harriet Martineau crossed the Atlantic in 1836 was one
+of only 417 tons. On the 4th July 1840, a company, which is now the
+Cunard Company, started a contract service for the mails to America, the
+steamers employed having a tonnage burden of 1154 and indicated
+horse-power of 740. Their average speed was 8&frac12; knots. In 1853 the
+packets had attained to greater proportions and higher speed, the
+average length of passage from Liverpool to New York being twelve days
+one hour fourteen minutes. As years rolled on competition and the
+exigencies of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> the times called for still more rapid transit, and at
+the present day the several companies performing the American Mail
+Service have afloat palatial ships of 7000 to 10,000 tons, bringing
+America within a week's touch of Great Britain.</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="i113.jpg" id="i113.jpg"></a><img src="images/i113.jpg" width='700' height='452' alt="HOLYHEAD AND KINGSTOWN MAIL PACKET PRINCE ARTHUR
+400 TONS PERIOD 1850-60" /></div>
+
+<h4>HOLYHEAD AND KINGSTOWN MAIL PACKET "PRINCE ARTHUR"&mdash;400
+TONS&mdash;PERIOD 1850-60.<br />(<i>From a painting, the property of the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company.</i>)</h4>
+
+<p>Going back a little more than a hundred years, it is of interest to see
+how irregular were the communications to and from foreign ports by mail
+packet. Benjamin Franklin, writing of the period 1757, mentions the
+following circumstances connected with a voyage he made from New York to
+Europe in that year. The packets were at the disposition of General Lord
+Loudon, then in charge of the army in America; and Franklin had to
+travel from Philadelphia to New York to join the packet, Lord Loudon
+having preceded him to the port of despatch. The General told Franklin
+confidentially, that though it had been given out that the packet would
+sail on Saturday next, still it would not sail till Monday. He was,
+however, advised not to delay longer. "By some accidental hindrance at a
+ferry," writes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> Franklin, "it was Monday noon before I arrived, and I
+was much afraid she might have sailed, as the wind was fair; but I was
+soon made easy by the information that she was still in the harbour, and
+would not leave till the next day. One would imagine that I was now on
+the very point of departing for Europe. I thought so; but I was not then
+so well acquainted with his Lordship's character, of which indecision
+was one of the strongest features. It was about the beginning of April
+that I came to New York, and it was near the end of June before we
+sailed. There were then two of the packet-boats which had long been in
+port, but were detained for the General's letters, which were always to
+be ready <i>to-morrow</i>. Another packet arrived; she, too, was detained;
+and, before we sailed, a fourth was expected. Ours was the first to be
+despatched, as having been there longest. Passengers were engaged in
+all, and some extremely impatient to be gone, and the merchants uneasy
+about their letters, and the orders they had given for insurance (it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>
+being war-time) for fall goods; but their anxiety availed nothing; his
+Lordship's letters were not ready; and yet, whoever waited on him found
+him always at his desk, pen in hand, and concluded he must needs write
+abundantly."</p>
+
+<p>Apart from the manifest inconvenience of postal service conducted in the
+way described, one cannot wonder that the affairs of the American
+Colonies should get into a bad way when conducted under a policy of so
+manifest vacillation and indecision.</p>
+
+<p>But the irregular transmission of mails between America and Europe was
+not a thing referring merely to the year 1757, for Franklin, writing
+from Passy, near Paris, in the year 1782, again dwells upon the
+uncertainty of the communication. "We are far from the sea-ports," he
+says, "and not well informed, and often misinformed, about the sailing
+of the vessels. Frequently we are told they are to sail in a week or
+two, and often they lie in the ports for months after with our letters
+on board, either<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> waiting for convoy or for other reasons. The
+post-office here is an unsafe conveyance; many of the letters we receive
+by it have evidently been opened, and doubtless the same happens to
+those we send; and, at this time particularly, there is so violent a
+curiosity in all kinds of people to know something relating to the
+negotiations, and whether peace may be expected, or a continuance of the
+war, that there are few private hands or travellers that we can trust
+with carrying our despatches to the sea-coast; and I imagine that they
+may sometimes be opened and destroyed, because they cannot be well
+sealed."</p>
+
+<p>Harriet Martineau gives an insight into the way in which mails were
+treated on board American packets in the year 1836, which may be held to
+be almost in recent times; yet the treatment is such that a
+Postmaster-General of to-day would be roused to indignation at the
+outrage perpetrated upon them. She thus writes: "I could not leave such
+a sight, even for the amusement of hauling over the letter-bags. Mr.
+Ely<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> put on his spectacles; Mrs. Ely drew a chair; others lay along on
+deck to examine the superscriptions of the letters from Irish emigrants
+to their friends. It is wonderful how some of these epistles reach their
+destinations; the following, for instance, begun at the top left-hand
+corner, and elaborately prolonged to the bottom right one:&mdash;Mrs. A. B.
+ile of Man douglas wits sped England. The letter-bags are opened for the
+purpose of sorting out those which are for delivery in port from the
+rest. A fine day is always chosen, generally towards the end of the
+voyage, when amusements become scarce and the passengers are growing
+weary. It is pleasant to sit on the rail and see the passengers gather
+round the heap of letters, and to hear the shouts of merriment when any
+exceedingly original superscription comes under notice." Such liberties
+with the mails in the present day would excite consternation in the
+headquarters of the Post Office Department. Nor is this all. Miss
+Martineau makes the further remark&mdash;"The two Miss O'Briens appeared
+to-day on deck,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> speaking to nobody, sitting on the same seats, with
+their feet <i>on the same letter-bag</i>, reading two volumes of the same
+book, and dressed alike," etc. The mail-bags turned into footstools,
+forsooth! It is interesting to note the size of the packet in which this
+lady crossed the Atlantic. It was the <i>Orpheus</i>, Captain Bursley, a
+vessel of 417 tons. In looking back on these times, and knowing what
+dreadful storms our huge steamers encounter between Europe and America,
+we cannot but admire the courage which must have inspired men and women
+to embark for distant ports in crafts so frail.<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> It is well also to
+note that the transit from New York occupied the period from the 1st to
+the 26th August, the better part of four weeks.</p>
+
+<p>Reference has been made to the fact that a century ago the little
+packets, to which the mails and passengers were consigned, were built
+for fighting purposes. It was no uncommon thing for them to fall into
+the hands of an enemy; but they did<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> not always succumb without doing
+battle, and sometimes they had the honours of the day. In 1793 the
+<i>Antelope</i> packet fought a privateer off the coast of Cuba and captured
+it, after 49 of the 65 men the privateer carried had been killed or
+disabled. The <i>Antelope</i> had only two killed and three wounded&mdash;one
+mortally. In 1803 the <i>Lady Hobart</i>, a vessel of 200 tons, sailing from
+Nova Scotia for England, fell in with and captured a French schooner;
+but the <i>Lady Hobart</i> a few days later ran into an iceberg, receiving
+such damage that she shortly thereafter foundered. The mails were loaded
+with iron and thrown overboard, and the crew and passengers, taking to
+the boats, made for Newfoundland, which they reached after enduring
+great hardships.</p>
+
+<p>The introduction of the uniform Penny Postage, under the scheme with
+which Sir Rowland Hill's name is so intimately associated, and the
+Jubilee of which occurs in the present year, marks an important epoch in
+the review which is now under consideration. To enter into a history of
+the Penny Postage<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> agitation would be beyond the scope of these pages.
+Like all great schemes, the idea propounded was fought against inch by
+inch, and the battle, so far as the objectors are concerned, remains a
+memorial of the incapacity of a great portion of mankind to think out
+any scheme on its merits. Whatever is new is sure to be opposed,
+apparently on no other ground than that of novelty, and in this bearing
+men are often not unlike some of the lower creatures in the scale of
+animated nature, that start and fly from things which they have not seen
+before, though they may have no more substance than that of a shadow.
+However this may be, the Penny Postage measure has produced stupendous
+results. In 1839, the year before the reduction of postage, the letters
+passing through the post in the United Kingdom were 82,500,000. In 1840,
+under the Penny Postage Scheme, the number immediately rose to nearly
+169,000,000. That is to say, the letters were doubled in number. Ten
+years later the number rose to 347,000,000, and in last<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> year (1889)
+the total number of letters passing through the Post Office in this
+country was 1,558,000,000. In addition to the letters, however, the
+following articles passed through the post last year&mdash;Book Packets and
+Circulars, 412,000,000; Newspapers 152,000,000; Post Cards 201,000,000.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="block"><p class="center"><i>Form of Petition used in agitation for the Uniform Penny Postage.</i></p>
+
+<h3>UNIFORM PENNY POSTAGE.</h3>
+
+<h4>(FORM OF A PETITION.)</h4>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">To the Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal</span> [<i>or</i>, <span class="smcap">the Commons</span>,
+<i>as the case may be</i>] <span class="smcap">in Parliament Assembled</span>:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>The humble Petition of the Undersigned [<i>to be filled up with the name
+of Place, Corporation, &amp;c.</i>]</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Sheweth</span>,</p>
+
+<p>That your Petitioners earnestly desire an Uniform Penny Post, payable in
+advance, as proposed by Rowland Hill, and recommended by the Report of
+the Select Committee of the House of Commons.</p>
+
+<p>That your Petitioners intreat your Honourable House to give speedy
+effect to this Report.<span class="s8">&nbsp;</span>And your Petitioners will ever pray.</p>
+
+<hr class="smler" />
+
+<p>MOTHERS AND FATHERS that wish to hear from their absent children!</p>
+
+<p>FRIENDS who are parted, that wish to write to each other!</p>
+
+<p>EMIGRANTS that do not forget their native homes!</p>
+
+<p>FARMERS that wish to know the best Markets!</p>
+
+<p>MERCHANTS AND TRADESMEN that wish to receive Orders and Money quickly
+and cheaply!</p>
+
+<p>MECHANICS AND LABOURERS that wish to learn where good work and high
+wages are to be had! <i>support</i> the Report of the House of Commons with
+your Petitions for an UNIFORM PENNY POST. Let every City and Town and
+Village, every Corporation, every Religious Society and Congregation,
+petition, and let every one in the kingdom sign a Petition with his name
+or his mark.</p>
+
+<p class="center">THIS IS NO QUESTION OF PARTY POLITICS.</p>
+
+<p>Lord Ashburton, a Conservative, and one of the richest Noblemen in the
+country, spoke these impressive words before the House of Commons
+Committee&mdash;"Postage is one of the worst of our Taxes; it is, in fact,
+taxing the conversation of people who live at a distance from each
+other. The communication of letters by persons living at a distance is
+the same as a communication by word of mouth between persons living in
+the same town."</p>
+
+<p>"Sixpence," says Mr. Brewin, "is the third of a poor man's income; if a
+gentleman, who had 1,000<i>l.</i> a year, or 3<i>l.</i> a day, had to pay
+one-third of his daily income, a sovereign, for a letter, how often
+would he write letters of friendship! Let a gentleman put that to
+himself, and then he will be able to see how the poor man cannot be able
+to pay Sixpence for his Letter."</p>
+
+<hr class="smler" />
+
+<p class="center">READER!</p>
+
+<p>If you can get any Signatures to a Petition, make two Copies of the
+above on two half sheets of paper; get them signed as numerously as
+possible; fold each up separately; put a slip of paper around, leaving
+the ends open; direct one to a Member of the House of Lords, the other
+to a Member of the House of Commons, LONDON, and put them into the Post
+Office.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="center"><i>Reproduced from a handbill in the collection of the late<br />Sir Henry
+Cole, K.C.B. By permission of Lady Cole.</i></p></div>
+<hr />
+
+<p>Should any reader desire to inform himself with some degree of fulness
+of the stages through which the Penny Postage agitation passed, he
+cannot do better than peruse Sir Henry Cole's <i>Fifty Years of Public
+Work</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The Postmaster-General, speaking at the Jubilee Meeting at the London
+Guildhall, on the 16th May last, thus contrasted the work of 1839 with
+that of 1889: "Although I would not to-night weary an assemblage like
+this with tedious and tiresome figures, it may be at least permitted to
+me to remind you that, whereas in the year immediately preceding the
+establishment of the Penny Postage the number of letters delivered in
+the United Kingdom amounted to<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> 76,000,000, the number of letters<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span>
+delivered in this country last year was nearly 1,600,000,000&mdash;twenty
+times the number of letters which passed through the post fifty years
+ago. To these letters must be added the 652,000,000 of post-cards and
+other communications by the halfpenny post, and the enormous number of
+newspapers, which bring the total number of communications passing
+through the post to considerably above two billions. I venture to say
+that this is the most stupendous result of any administrative change
+which the world has witnessed. If you estimate the effect of that upon
+our daily life; if you pause for a moment to consider how trade and
+business have been facilitated and developed; how family relations have
+been maintained and kept together; if you for a moment allow your mind
+to dwell upon the change which is implied in that great fact to which I
+have called attention, I think you will see that the establishment of
+the penny post has done more to change&mdash;and change for the better&mdash;the
+face of Old England than almost any other political or social<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> project
+which has received the sanction of Legislature within our history."</p>
+
+<p>Among the Penny Postage literature issued in the year 1840 there are
+several songs. One of these was published at Leith, and is given below.
+It is entitled "Hurrah for the Postman, the great Roland Hill." The
+leaflet is remarkable for this, that it is headed by a picture of
+postmen rushing through the streets delivering letters on roller skates.
+It is generally believed that roller skates are quite a modern
+invention, and in the absence of proof to the contrary it may be fair to
+assume that the author of the song anticipated the inventor in this mode
+of progression. So there really seems to be nothing new under the sun!</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"><div><b>HURRAH FOR THE POSTMAN, THE GREAT ROLAND HILL.<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></b></div></div>
+<div class="stanza">
+<div>"Come, send round the liquor, and fill to the brim</div>
+<div>A bumper to Railroads, the Press, Gas, and Steam;</div>
+<div>To rags, bags, and nutgalls, ink, paper, and quill,</div>
+<div>The Post, and the Postman, the gude Roland Hill!</div>
+<div>By steam we noo travel mair quick than the eagle,</div>
+<div>A sixty mile trip for the price o' a sang!</div>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span><div>A prin it has powntit&mdash;th' Atlantic surmountit,</div>
+<div>We'll compass the globe in a fortnight or lang.</div>
+<div>The gas bleezes brightly, you witness it nightly,</div>
+<div>Our ancestors lived unca lang in the dark;</div>
+<div>Their wisdom was folly, their sense melancholy</div>
+<div>When compared wi' sic wonderfu' modern wark.</div>
+<div>Neist o' rags, bags, and size then, let no one despise them,</div>
+<div>Without them whar wad a' our paper come frae?</div>
+<div>The dark flood o' ink too, I'm given to think too,</div>
+<div>Could as ill be wanted at this time o' day.</div>
+<div>The Quill is a queer thing, a cheap and a dear thing,</div>
+<div>A weak-lookin' object, but gude kens how strang,</div>
+<div>Sometimes it is ceevil, sometimes it's the deevil.</div>
+<div>Tak tent when you touch it, you haudna it wrang.</div>
+<div>The Press I'll next mention, a noble invention,</div>
+<div>The great mental cook with resources so vast;</div>
+<div>It spreads on bright pages the knowledge o' ages,</div>
+<div>And tells to the future the things of the past.</div>
+<div>Hech, sirs! but its awfu' (but ne'er mind it's lawfu')</div>
+<div>To saddle the Postman wi' sic meikle bags;</div>
+<div>Wi' epistles and sonnets, love billets and groan-ets,</div>
+<div>Ye'll tear the poor Postie to shivers and rags.</div>
+<div>Noo Jock sends to Jenny, it costs but ae penny,</div>
+<div>A screed that has near broke the Dictionar's back,</div>
+<div>Fu' o' dove-in and dear-in, and <i>thoughts</i> on the shearin'!!</div>
+<div>Nae need noo o' whisp'rin' ayont a wheat stack.</div>
+<div>Auld drivers were lazy, their mail-coaches crazy,</div>
+<div>At ilk public-house they stopt for a gill;</div>
+<div>But noo at the gallop, cheap mail-bags maun wallop.</div>
+<div>Hurrah for our Postman, the great Roland Hill.</div>
+<div class="i6">"Then send round the liquor," etc.</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>The advantages resulting from a rapid and cheap carriage of letters must
+readily occur to any ordinary mind; but perhaps the following would
+hardly suggest itself as one of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> those advantages. Dean Alford thus
+wrote about the usefulness of post-cards, introduced on the 1st October
+1870: "You will also find a new era in postage begun. The halfpenny
+cards have become a great institution. Some of us make large use of them
+to write short Latin epistles on, and are brushing up our Cicero and
+Pliny for that purpose."</p>
+
+<p>Unlike some of the branches of post-office work, other than the
+distribution of news, either by letter or newspaper, the money order
+system dates from long before the introduction of penny postage&mdash;namely
+from the year 1792.</p>
+
+<p>It was set on foot by some of the post-office clerks on their own
+account; but it was not till 1838 that it became a recognised business
+of the Department. Owing to high rates of commission, and to high
+postage, little business was done in the earlier years. In 1839 less
+than 190,000 orders were issued of the value of &pound;313,000, while last
+year the total number of transactions within the United Kingdom was
+9,228,183, representing a sum of nearly &pound;23,000,000 sterling.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span></p><p>In the year 1861 the Post Office entered upon the business of banking by
+the establishment of the Post Office Savings Banks. At the present time
+there are upwards of 9000 offices within the kingdom at which Post
+Office Savings Bank business is transacted. The number of persons having
+accounts with these banks is now 4,220,927, and the annual deposits
+represent a gross sum of over &pound;19,000,000.</p>
+
+<p>In order of time the next additional business taken up by the Department
+was that of the telegraphs. Before 1870 the telegraph work for the
+public was carried on by several commercial companies and by the railway
+companies; but in that year this business became a monopoly, like the
+transmission of letters, in the hands of the Post Office. The work of
+taking over these various telegraphs, and, consolidating them into a
+harmonious whole, was one of gigantic proportions, requiring indomitable
+courage and unwearying energy, as well as consummate ability; and when
+the history of this enterprise comes to be written, it will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> perhaps be
+found that the undertaking, in magnitude and importance, comes in no
+measure short of the Penny Postage scheme of Sir Rowland Hill.</p>
+
+<p>In the first year of the control of the telegraphs by the Post Office
+the number of messages sent was nearly 9,472,000, excluding 700,000
+press messages. At that time the minimum charge was 1s. per message. In
+1885 the minimum was reduced to 6d., and under this rate the number of
+messages rose last year to 62,368,000.</p>
+
+<p>The most recent addition of importance to the varied work of the Post
+Office is that of the Parcel Post. This business was started in 1883. In
+the first year of its operation the number of inland parcels transmitted
+was upwards of 22,900,000. Last year the number, including a proportion
+of foreign and colonial parcels, rose to 39,500,000, earning a gross
+postage of over &pound;878,547. The uniform rates in respect of distance, the
+vast number of offices where parcels are received and delivered, and the
+extensive machinery at the command of the Post<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> Office for the work,
+render this business one of extreme accommodation to the public. Not
+only is the Parcel Post taken advantage of for the transmission of
+ordinary business or domestic parcels, but it is made the channel for
+the exchange of all manner of out-of-the-way articles. The following are
+some instances of the latter class observed at Edinburgh: Scotch oatmeal
+going to Paris, Naples, and Berlin; bagpipes for the Lower Congo, and
+for native regiments in the Punjaub; Scotch haggis for Ontario, Canada,
+and for Caebar, India; smoked haddocks for Rome; the great puzzle "Pigs
+in Clover" for Bavaria, and for Wellington, New Zealand, and so on. At
+home, too, curious arrangements come under notice. A family, for
+example, in London find it to their advantage to have a roast of beef
+sent to them by parcel post twice a week from a town in Fife. And a
+gentleman of property, having his permanent residence in Devonshire,
+finds it convenient, when enjoying the shooting season in the far
+north-west of Scotland, to have his vegetables forwarded<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> by parcel post
+from his home garden in Devonshire to his shooting lodge in Scotland.
+The postage on these latter consignments sometimes amounts to about
+fifteen shillings a day, a couple of post-office parcel hampers being
+required for their conveyance.</p>
+
+<p>And we should not omit to mention here the number of persons employed in
+the Post by whom this vast amount of most diverse business is carried on
+for the nation. Of head and sub-postmasters and letter receivers, each
+of whom has a post-office under his care, there are 17,770. The other
+established offices of the Post Office number over 40,500, and there
+are, besides, persons employed in unestablished positions to the number
+of over 50,000. Thus there is a great army of no less than 108,000
+persons serving the public in the various domains of the postal service.</p>
+
+<p>A century ago, and indeed down to a period only fifty years ago, the
+world, looked at from the present vantage-ground, must appear to have
+been in a dull, lethargic state, with hardly any pulse and a low<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>
+circulation. As for nerve system it had none. The changes which the Post
+Office has wrought in the world, but more particularly in our own
+country, are only to be fully perceived and appreciated by the
+thoughtful. Now the heart of the nation throbs strongly at the centre,
+while the current of activity flows quickly and freely to the remotest
+corners of the state. The telegraph provides a nervous system unknown
+before. By its means every portion of the country is placed in immediate
+contact with every other part; the thrill of joy and the moan of
+desolation are no longer things of locality; they are shared fully and
+immediately by the whole; and the interest of brotherhood, extending to
+parts of the country which, under other conditions, must have remained
+unknown and uncared for, makes us realise that all men are but members
+of one and the same family.</p>
+
+<p>The freedom and independence now enjoyed by the individual, as a result
+of the vast influence exercised by society through the rapid exchange of
+thought, is certainly a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> thing of which the people of our own country
+may well be proud. Right can now assert itself in a way which was
+entirely beyond the reach of our predecessors of a hundred years ago;
+and wrong receives summary judgment at the hands of a whole people. Yet
+there is a growing danger that this great liberty of the individual may
+become, in one direction, a spurious liberty, and that the elements of
+physical force, exerting themselves under the &aelig;gis of uncurbed freedom,
+may enter into conspiracy against intellect, individual effort, and
+thrift in such a way as to produce a tyranny worse than that existing in
+the most despotic states.</p>
+
+<p>The introduction of the telegraph, and the greater facilities afforded
+by the press for the general distribution of news, have greatly changed
+the nature of commercial speculation. Formerly, when news came from
+abroad at wide intervals, it was of the utmost consequence to obtain
+early command of prices and information as to movements in the markets,
+and whoever gained the news first had the first place in the race.
+Nowadays<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> the telegraph, and the newspapers by the help of the
+telegraph, give all an equal start, and the whole world knows at once
+what is going on in every capital of the globe. The thirst for the first
+possession of news in commercial life is happily described in <i>Glasgow
+Past and Present</i>, wherein the author gives an account of a practice
+prevailing in the Tontine Reading Rooms at the end of last century.
+"Immediately on receiving the bag of papers from the post-office," says
+the writer, "the waiter locked himself up in the bar, and after he had
+sorted the different papers and had made them up in a heap, he unlocked
+the door of the bar, and making a sudden rush into the middle of the
+room, he then tossed up the whole lot of newspapers as high as the
+ceiling of the room. Now came the grand rush and scramble of the
+subscribers, every one darting forward to lay hold of a falling
+newspaper. Sometimes a lucky fellow got hold of five or six newspapers
+and ran off with them to a corner, in order to select his favourite
+paper; but he was always hotly pursued by some half-dozen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> of the
+disappointed scramblers, who, without ceremony, pulled from his hands
+the first paper they could lay hold of, regardless of its being torn in
+the contest. On these occasions I have often seen a heap of gentlemen
+sprawling on the floor of the room and riding upon one another's backs
+like a parcel of boys. It happened, however, unfortunately, that a
+gentleman in one of these scrambles got two of his teeth knocked out of
+his head, and this ultimately brought about a change in the manner of
+delivering the newspapers."</p>
+
+<div class="center"><a name="i137.jpg" id="i137.jpg"></a><img src="images/i137.jpg" width='700' height='497' alt="THE TONTINE READING-ROOMS, GLASGOW ARRIVAL OF THE
+MAIL PERIOD: END OF LAST CENTURY. (After an old print.)" /></div>
+
+<h4>THE TONTINE READING-ROOMS, GLASGOW&mdash;ARRIVAL OF THE
+MAIL&mdash;PERIOD: END OF LAST CENTURY.<br />(<i>After an old print.</i>)</h4>
+
+<p>Another instance of the anxiety for early news is exhibited in a
+practice which prevailed in Glasgow about fifty years ago. The Glasgow
+merchants were deeply interested in shipping and other news coming from
+Liverpool. The mail at that period arrived in Glasgow some time in the
+afternoon during business hours. A letter containing quotations from
+Liverpool for the Royal Exchange was due in the mail daily. This letter
+was enclosed in a conspicuously bright red cover, and it was the
+business of the post-office clerk, immediately he opened the Liverpool
+bag, to seize<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> this letter and hand it to a messenger from the Royal
+Exchange who was in attendance at the Post Office to receive it. This
+messenger hastened to the Exchange, rang a bell to announce the arrival
+of the news, and forthwith the contents of the letter were posted up in
+the Exchange. The merchants who had offices within sound of the bell
+were then seen hurrying to the Exchange buildings, to be cheered or
+depressed as the case might be by the information which the mail had
+brought them.</p>
+
+<p>A clever instance of how the possession of early news could be turned to
+profitable account in the younger days of the century is recorded of Mr.
+John Rennie, a nephew of his namesake the great engineer, and an
+extensive dealer in corn and cattle. His headquarters at the time were
+at East Linton, near Dunbar. "At one period of his career Mr. Rennie
+habitually visited London either for business or pleasure, or both
+combined. One day, when present at the grain market, in Mark Lane,
+sudden war news arrived, in consequence of which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> the price of wheat
+immediately bounded up 20s., 25s., and even 30s. per quarter. At once he
+saw his opportunity and left for Scotland by the next mail. He knew, of
+course, that the mail carried the startling war news to Edinburgh, but
+he trusted to his wit to outdo it by reaching the northern capital
+first. As the coach passed the farm of Skateraw, some distance east of
+Dunbar, it was met by the farmer, old Harry Lee, on horseback. Rennie,
+who was an outside passenger, no sooner recognised Lee than he sprang
+from his seat on the coach to the ground. Coming up to Lee, Rennie
+hurriedly whispered something to him, and induced him to lend his horse
+to carry Rennie on to East Linton. Rennie, who was an astonishingly
+active man, vaulted into the saddle, and immediately rode off at full
+gallop westwards. The day was a Wednesday, and, as it was already 11
+o'clock forenoon, he knew that he had no time to lose; but he was not
+the stamp of man to allow the grass to grow under his feet on such an
+important occasion. Ere he reached Dunbar the mail<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> was many hundred
+yards behind. At his own place at East Linton he drew up, mounted his
+favourite horse "Silvertail," which for speed and endurance had no rival
+in the county, and again proceeded at the gallop. When he reached the
+Grassmarket, Edinburgh&mdash;a full hour before the mail,&mdash;the grain-selling
+was just starting, and before the alarming war news had got time to
+spread Rennie had every peck of wheat in the market bought up. He must
+have coined an enormous profit by this smart transaction; but to him it
+seemed to matter nothing at all. He was one of the most careless of the
+harum-scarum sons of Adam, and if he made money easily, so in a like
+manner did he let it slip his grip."</p>
+
+<p>The two following instances of the expedients to which merchants
+resorted, before the introduction of the telegraph, in cases of urgency,
+and when the letter post would not serve them, are given by the author
+of <i>Glasgow Past and Present</i>, to whose work reference has already been
+made:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"During the French War the premiums of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> insurance upon running ships
+(ships sailing without convoy) were very high, in consequence of which
+several of our Glasgow ship-owners who possessed quick-sailing vessels
+were in the practice of allowing the expected time of arrival of their
+ships closely to approach before they effected insurance upon them, thus
+taking the chance of a quick passage being made, and if the ships
+arrived safe the insurance was saved.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Archibald Campbell, about this time an extensive Glasgow merchant,
+had allowed one of his ships to remain uninsured till within a short
+period of her expected arrival; at last, getting alarmed, he attempted
+to effect insurance in Glasgow, but found the premium demanded so high
+that he resolved to get his ship and cargo insured in London.
+Accordingly, he wrote a letter to his broker in London, instructing him
+to get the requisite insurance made on the best terms possible, but, at
+all events, to get the said insurance effected. This letter was
+despatched through the post-office in the ordinary manner, the mail at
+that time<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> leaving Glasgow at two o'clock p.m. At seven o'clock the same
+night Mr. Campbell received an express from Greenock announcing the safe
+arrival of his ship. Mr. Campbell, on receiving this intelligence,
+instantly despatched his head clerk in pursuit of the mail, directing
+him to proceed by postchaises-and-four with the utmost speed until he
+overtook it, and then to get into it; or, if he could not overtake it,
+he was directed to proceed to London, and to deliver a letter to the
+broker countermanding the instructions about insurance. The clerk,
+notwithstanding of extra payment to the postilions, and every exertion
+to accelerate his journey, was unable to overtake the mail; but he
+arrived in London on the third morning shortly after the mail, and
+immediately proceeded to the residence of the broker, whom he found
+preparing to take his breakfast, and before delivery of the London
+letters. The order for insurance written for was then countermanded, and
+the clerk had the pleasure of taking a comfortable breakfast with the
+broker. The expenses of this express<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> amounted to &pound;100; but it was said
+that the premium of insurance, if it had been effected, would have
+amounted to &pound;1500, so that Mr. Campbell was reported to have saved &pound;1400
+by his promptitude."</p>
+
+<p>"At the period in question a rise had taken place in the cotton-market,
+and there was a general expectancy among the cotton-dealers that there
+would be a continued and steady advance of prices in every description
+of cotton. Acting upon this belief Messrs. James Finlay &amp; Co. had sent
+out orders by post to their agent in India to make extensive purchases
+of cotton on their account, to be shipped by the first vessels for
+England. It so happened, however, shortly after these orders had been
+despatched, that cotton fell in price, and a still greater fall was
+expected to take place. Under these circumstances Messrs. Finlay &amp; Co.
+despatched an overland express to India countermanding their orders to
+purchase cotton. This was the first, and, I believe, the only overland
+express despatched from Glasgow to India by a private party on
+commercial purposes."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p><p>One of the greatest achievements of our own time, yet too often
+overlooked, is the marvellously rapid diffusion of parliamentary news
+throughout the country. Important debates are frequently protracted in
+the House of Commons into the early hours of the morning. The speeches
+are instantly reported by the shorthand writers in the gallery, who dog
+the lips of the speakers and commit their every word to paper. Thus
+seized in the fleet lines of stenography, the words and phrases are then
+transcribed into long-hand. Relays of messengers carry the copy to the
+telegraph office, where the words are punched in the form of a
+mysterious language on slips of paper like tape, which are run through
+the Wheatstone telegraph transmitter, the electric current carrying the
+news to distant stations at the rate of several hundred words a minute.
+At these stations the receiving-machine pours out at an equal rate,
+another tape, bearing a record in a different character, from which
+relays of clerks, attending the oracle, convert the weighty sayings
+again into ordinary <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>language. The news thus received is carried
+forthwith by a succession of messengers to the newspaper office; the
+compositors set the matter up in type; it is reviewed and edited by the
+men appointed to the duty; the columns are stereotyped, and in that form
+are placed in the printing-machines. The machines are set in motion at
+astonishing speed, turning out the newspapers cut and folded and ready
+for the reader. A staff is in attendance to place under cover the copies
+of subscribers for despatch by the early mails. These are carried to the
+post-office, and so transmitted to their destinations. Taking Edinburgh
+as a point for special consideration, all that has been stated applies
+to this city. For the first despatches to the north, the <i>Scotsman</i> and
+<i>Leader</i> newspapers are conveyed to certain trains as early as 4 <span class="smaller">A.M</span>.;
+and by the breakfast-hour, or early in the forenoon, the parliamentary
+debates of the previous night are being discussed over the greater part
+of Scotland. And all this hurry and intellectual activity is going on
+while the nation at large is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> wrapped in sleep, and probably not one
+person in a hundred ever thinks or concerns himself to know how it is
+done.</p>
+
+<p>The frequency and rapidity of communication between different parts of
+the world seems to have brought the whole globe into a very small focus,
+for obscure places, which would be unknown, one would think, beyond
+their own immediate neighbourhoods, are frequently well within the
+cognisance of persons living in far-distant quarters. An instance of
+this is given by the postmaster of Epworth, a village near to Doncaster.
+"We have," says the postmaster, "an odd place in this parish known as
+Nineveh Farm. Some years ago a letter was received here which had been
+posted somewhere in the United States of America, and was addressed
+merely</p>
+
+<p class="center">Mr. &mdash;&mdash;<br /><span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span class="smcap">Nineveh</span>.</span></p>
+
+<p>I have always regarded its delivery to the proper person as little less
+than a miracle, but it happened."</p>
+
+<p>It is impossible to say how far the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>influence of this great revolution
+in the mail service on land and sea may extend. That the change has
+been, on the whole, to the advantage of mankind goes without saying. One
+contrast is here given, and the reader can draw his own conclusions in
+other directions. The peace of 1782, which followed the American War of
+Independence, was only arrived at after negotiations extending over more
+than two years. Prussia and Austria were at war in 1866. The campaign
+occupied seven days; and from the declaration of war to the formal
+conclusion of peace only seven weeks elapsed. Is it to be doubted that
+the difference in the two cases was, in large measure, due to the fact
+that news travelled slowly in the one case and fast in the other?</p>
+
+<p>We may look back on the past with very mixed feelings,&mdash;dreaming of the
+easy-going methods of our forefathers, which gave them leisure for study
+and reflection, or esteeming their age as an age of lethargy, of
+lumbering and slumbering.</p>
+
+<p>We are proud of our own era, as one full<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> of life and activity, full of
+hurry and bustle, and as existing under the spell of high electrical
+tension. But too many of us know to our cost that this present whirl of
+daily life has one most serious drawback, summed up in the commonplace,
+but not the less true, saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p class="center">"It's the pace that kills."</p>
+
+<p>Yet one more thought remains. Will the pace be kept up in the next
+hundred years? There is no reason to suppose it will not, and the world
+is hardly likely to go to sleep. Our successors who live a hundred years
+hence will doubtless learn much that man has not yet dreamt of. Time
+will produce many changes and reveal deep secrets; but as to what these
+shall be, let him prophesy who knows.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> See <a href="#A">Note A</a> in Appendix.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> See <a href="#D">Note D</a> in Appendix.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> See <a href="#B">Note B</a> in Appendix.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> See <a href="#C">Note C</a> in Appendix.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> Exclusive of franked letters.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> From the collection of the late Sir Henry Cole in the
+Edinburgh International Exhibition, 1890.</p></div></div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>APPENDIX.</h2>
+
+<h3><a name="A" id="A"></a>A.</h3>
+
+<p>As to the representation in Parliament, the freeholders in the whole of
+the Counties of Scotland, who had the power of returning the County
+Members, were, in 1823, for example, just under three thousand in
+number. These were mostly gentlemen of position living on their estates,
+with a sprinkling of professional men; the former being, from their want
+of business training, ill suited, one would suppose, for conducting the
+business of a nation. The Town Councils were self-elective&mdash;hotbeds of
+corruption; and the members of these Town Councils were intrusted with
+the power of returning the Members for the boroughs. The people at large
+were not directly represented, if in strictness represented at all.</p>
+
+
+<h3><a name="B" id="B"></a>B.</h3>
+
+<p>Francis, afterwards Lord Jeffrey, in a letter of the 20th September
+1799, describes the discomfort of a journey by mail from Perth to
+Edinburgh, when the coach had broken down, and he was carried forward by
+the guard by special conveyance. His graphic description is as
+follows:&mdash;"I was roused carefully half an hour before four yesterday
+morning, and passed two delightful hours in the kitchen waiting for the
+mail. There was an enormous fire, and a whole household of smoke. The
+waiter was snoring with great vehemency upon one of the dressers, and
+the deep regular intonation had a very solemn effect, I can assure you,
+in the obscurity of that Tartarean region, and the melancholy silence of
+the morning. An innumerable number of rats were trottin and gibberin in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span>
+one end of the place, and the rain clattered freshly on the windows. The
+dawn heavily in clouds brought on the day, but not, alas! the mail; and
+it was long past five when the guard came galloping into the yard, upon
+a smoking horse, with all the wet bags lumbering beside him (like
+Scylla's water-dogs), roaring out that the coach was broken down
+somewhere near Dundee, and commanding another steed to be got ready for
+his transportation. The noise he made brought out the other two sleepy
+wretches that had been waiting like myself for places, and we at length
+persuaded the heroic champion to order a postchaise instead of a horse,
+into which we crammed ourselves all four, with a whole mountain of
+leather bags that clung about our legs like the entrails of a fat cow
+all the rest of the journey. At Kinross, as the morning was very fine,
+we prevailed with the guard to go on the outside to dry himself, and got
+on to the ferry about eleven, after encountering various perils and
+vexations, in the loss of horse-shoes and wheel-pins, and in a great gap
+in the road, over which we had to lead the horses, and haul the carriage
+separately. At this place we supplicated our agitator for leave to eat a
+little breakfast; but he would not stop an instant, and we were obliged
+to snatch up a roll or two apiece and gnaw the dry crusts during our
+passage to keep soul and body together. We got in soon after one, and I
+have spent my time in eating, drinking, sleeping, and other recreations,
+down to the present hour."</p>
+
+<p>On going north from Edinburgh, on the same tour apparently, Jeffrey had
+previous experience of the difficulties of travel, as described in a
+letter from Montrose, date 26th August 1799.</p>
+
+<p>"We stopped," says he, "for two days at Perth, hoping for places in the
+mail, and then set forward on foot in despair. We have trudged it now
+for fifty miles, and came here this morning very weary, sweaty, and
+filthy. Our baggage, which was to have left Perth the same day that we
+did, has not yet made its appearance, and we have received the
+comfortable information that it is often a week before there is room in
+the mail to bring such a parcel forward."</p>
+
+<p>Writing from Kendal, in 1841, Jeffrey refers to a journey he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> made fifty
+years before&mdash;that is, about 1791&mdash;when he slept a night in the town.
+His description of the circumstances is as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"And an admirable dinner we have had in the Ancient King's Arms, with
+great oaken staircases, uneven floors, and very thin oak panels,
+plaster-filled outer walls, but capital new furniture, and the brightest
+glass, linen, spoons, and china you ever saw. It is the same house in
+which I once slept about fifty years ago, with the whole company of an
+ancient stage-coach, which bedded its passengers on the way from
+Edinburgh to London, and called them up by the waiter at six o'clock in
+the morning to go five slow stages, and then have an hour to breakfast
+and wash. It is the only vestige I remember of those old ways, and I
+have not slept in the house since."</p>
+
+<h3><a name="C" id="C"></a>C.</h3>
+
+<p>The discomfort of a long voyage in a vessel of this class is well set
+forth in the correspondence of Jeffrey. In 1813 he crossed to New York
+in search of a wife; and in describing the miseries of the situation on
+board, he gives a long list of his woes, the last being followed by this
+declaration: "I think I shall make a covenant with myself, that if I get
+back safe to my own place from this expedition, I shall never willingly
+go out of sight of land again in my life."</p>
+
+
+<h3><a name="D" id="D"></a>D.</h3>
+
+<p>A notable instance of an attempt to shut the door in the face of an able
+man is recorded in the Life of Sir James Simpson, who has made all the
+world his debtors through the discovery and application of chloroform
+for surgical operations. Plain Dr. Simpson was a candidate for a
+professorship in the University of Edinburgh, and had his supporters for
+the honour; but there was among the men with whom rested the selection a
+considerable party opposed to him, whose ground of opposition was that,
+on account of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> his parents being merely tradespeople, Dr. Simpson would
+be unable to maintain the dignity of the chair. To their eternal
+discredit, the persons referred to did not look to the quality and ring
+of the "gowd," but were guided by the superficial "guinea stamp." The
+spread of public opinion is gradually putting such distinctions, which
+have their root and being in privilege and selfishness, out of court.</p>
+
+<p class="tbrk">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="center">Printed by T. and A. <span class="smcap">Constable</span>, Printers to Her Majesty,<br />at the
+Edinburgh University Press.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's A Hundred Years by Post, by J. Wilson Hyde
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HUNDRED YEARS BY POST ***
+
+***** This file should be named 27688-h.htm or 27688-h.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/6/8/27688/
+
+Produced by Adrian Mastronardi, Martin Pettit, The
+Philatelic Digital Library Project at http://www.tpdlp.net
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+
+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i001.jpg b/27688-h/images/i001.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42cd059
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i001.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i010.jpg b/27688-h/images/i010.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..34564ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i010.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i033.jpg b/27688-h/images/i033.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c05087
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i033.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i051.jpg b/27688-h/images/i051.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..798a213
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i051.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i057.jpg b/27688-h/images/i057.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c12ab23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i057.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i069.jpg b/27688-h/images/i069.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..069643f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i069.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i085.jpg b/27688-h/images/i085.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b8ebe7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i085.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i094.jpg b/27688-h/images/i094.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d7de04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i094.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i095.jpg b/27688-h/images/i095.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9836453
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i095.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i103.jpg b/27688-h/images/i103.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..488683c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i103.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i113.jpg b/27688-h/images/i113.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e5788f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i113.jpg
diff --git a/27688-h/images/i137.jpg b/27688-h/images/i137.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a24cb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-h/images/i137.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/f0001.jpg b/27688-page-images/f0001.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42cd059
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/f0001.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/f0001.png b/27688-page-images/f0001.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f7f328
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/f0001.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/f0002.png b/27688-page-images/f0002.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f2a4317
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/f0002.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/f0003.png b/27688-page-images/f0003.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d8b3f58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/f0003.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/f0005.png b/27688-page-images/f0005.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b9a35d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/f0005.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/f0007.png b/27688-page-images/f0007.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a325e98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/f0007.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/f0008.png b/27688-page-images/f0008.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6101870
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/f0008.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0001-insert1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0001-insert1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..34564ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0001-insert1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0001.png b/27688-page-images/p0001.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c423018
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0001.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0002.png b/27688-page-images/p0002.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aac7f54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0002.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0003.png b/27688-page-images/p0003.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2138c26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0003.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0004.png b/27688-page-images/p0004.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..70b05c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0004.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0005.png b/27688-page-images/p0005.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..40181f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0005.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0006.png b/27688-page-images/p0006.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b9663a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0006.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0007.png b/27688-page-images/p0007.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9775206
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0007.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0008.png b/27688-page-images/p0008.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..914d8c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0008.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0009.png b/27688-page-images/p0009.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36945ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0009.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0010.png b/27688-page-images/p0010.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..82d4dcc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0010.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0011.png b/27688-page-images/p0011.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4edb5c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0011.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0012.png b/27688-page-images/p0012.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7cf1146
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0012.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0013.png b/27688-page-images/p0013.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7d483d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0013.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0014.png b/27688-page-images/p0014.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9620cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0014.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0015.png b/27688-page-images/p0015.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9aebb78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0015.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0016.png b/27688-page-images/p0016.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..528d63e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0016.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0017.png b/27688-page-images/p0017.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b34f0d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0017.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0018.png b/27688-page-images/p0018.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b34ec18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0018.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0019.png b/27688-page-images/p0019.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd3ecca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0019.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0020.png b/27688-page-images/p0020.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ead0e17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0020.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0021.png b/27688-page-images/p0021.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..70854b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0021.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0022.png b/27688-page-images/p0022.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ade0fe1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0022.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0023-image1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0023-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c05087
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0023-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0025.png b/27688-page-images/p0025.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e2ed50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0025.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0026.png b/27688-page-images/p0026.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8956337
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0026.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0027.png b/27688-page-images/p0027.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f296af9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0027.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0028.png b/27688-page-images/p0028.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..db4622d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0028.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0029.png b/27688-page-images/p0029.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a84f95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0029.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0030.png b/27688-page-images/p0030.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..843c192
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0030.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0031.png b/27688-page-images/p0031.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6025f69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0031.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0032.png b/27688-page-images/p0032.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..900bab3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0032.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0033.png b/27688-page-images/p0033.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e96c86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0033.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0034.png b/27688-page-images/p0034.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4bf175
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0034.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0035.png b/27688-page-images/p0035.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fa2f551
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0035.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0036.png b/27688-page-images/p0036.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7a8c679
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0036.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0037.png b/27688-page-images/p0037.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..10edc75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0037.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0038.png b/27688-page-images/p0038.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d5160ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0038.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0039.png b/27688-page-images/p0039.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64e5613
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0039.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0040.png b/27688-page-images/p0040.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5dff1bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0040.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0041-image1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0041-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..798a213
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0041-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0043.png b/27688-page-images/p0043.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..beffef6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0043.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0044.png b/27688-page-images/p0044.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bee78e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0044.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0045.png b/27688-page-images/p0045.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4137854
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0045.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0046.png b/27688-page-images/p0046.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..43bdbaa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0046.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0047-image1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0047-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c12ab23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0047-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0049.png b/27688-page-images/p0049.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b16dc80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0049.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0050.png b/27688-page-images/p0050.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..120a6b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0050.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0051.png b/27688-page-images/p0051.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e22bcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0051.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0052.png b/27688-page-images/p0052.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4643da5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0052.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0053.png b/27688-page-images/p0053.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a50597f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0053.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0054.png b/27688-page-images/p0054.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e132001
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0054.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0055.png b/27688-page-images/p0055.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..abd7713
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0055.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0056.png b/27688-page-images/p0056.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..191d68b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0056.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0057.png b/27688-page-images/p0057.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c3b000
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0057.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0058.png b/27688-page-images/p0058.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a2cab57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0058.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0059-image1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0059-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..069643f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0059-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0061.png b/27688-page-images/p0061.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3239396
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0061.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0062.png b/27688-page-images/p0062.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..88a2d93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0062.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0063.png b/27688-page-images/p0063.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df351c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0063.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0064.png b/27688-page-images/p0064.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5cc6bab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0064.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0065.png b/27688-page-images/p0065.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..420f799
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0065.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0066.png b/27688-page-images/p0066.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..12a7ef1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0066.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0067.png b/27688-page-images/p0067.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c8c94a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0067.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0068.png b/27688-page-images/p0068.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..073f603
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0068.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0069.png b/27688-page-images/p0069.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6576b8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0069.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0070.png b/27688-page-images/p0070.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cba76de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0070.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0071.png b/27688-page-images/p0071.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e00e8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0071.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0072.png b/27688-page-images/p0072.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b625f17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0072.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0073.png b/27688-page-images/p0073.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8bff943
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0073.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0074.png b/27688-page-images/p0074.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..01054bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0074.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0075-image1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0075-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b8ebe7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0075-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0077.png b/27688-page-images/p0077.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..074d039
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0077.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0078.png b/27688-page-images/p0078.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36f571e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0078.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0079.png b/27688-page-images/p0079.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6dad461
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0079.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0080.png b/27688-page-images/p0080.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cbf22cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0080.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0081.png b/27688-page-images/p0081.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ddd6a23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0081.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0082.png b/27688-page-images/p0082.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e8c909f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0082.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0083.png b/27688-page-images/p0083.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d34765
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0083.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0084-image1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0084-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d7de04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0084-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0085-image1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0085-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9836453
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0085-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0086.png b/27688-page-images/p0086.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8b1fa9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0086.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0087.png b/27688-page-images/p0087.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..603c02c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0087.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0088.png b/27688-page-images/p0088.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb08678
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0088.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0089.png b/27688-page-images/p0089.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5a27e7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0089.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0090.png b/27688-page-images/p0090.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..975fbea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0090.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0091.png b/27688-page-images/p0091.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..80f3b1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0091.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0092.png b/27688-page-images/p0092.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64e8d01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0092.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0093-image1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0093-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..488683c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0093-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0095.png b/27688-page-images/p0095.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73d4ad6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0095.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0096.png b/27688-page-images/p0096.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..318dcad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0096.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0097.png b/27688-page-images/p0097.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bdd01f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0097.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0098.png b/27688-page-images/p0098.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7a91444
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0098.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0099.png b/27688-page-images/p0099.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6da84ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0099.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0100.png b/27688-page-images/p0100.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba17c60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0100.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0101.png b/27688-page-images/p0101.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..feec03d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0101.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0102.png b/27688-page-images/p0102.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73f1ae5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0102.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0103-image1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0103-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e5788f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0103-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0105.png b/27688-page-images/p0105.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..097a002
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0105.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0106.png b/27688-page-images/p0106.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..527b202
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0106.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0107.png b/27688-page-images/p0107.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e32ea60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0107.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0108.png b/27688-page-images/p0108.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d232bc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0108.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0109.png b/27688-page-images/p0109.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..db090ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0109.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0110.png b/27688-page-images/p0110.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57b5bcf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0110.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0111.png b/27688-page-images/p0111.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..590f3d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0111.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0112.png b/27688-page-images/p0112.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d84cef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0112.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0113.png b/27688-page-images/p0113.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7c59da0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0113.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0114.png b/27688-page-images/p0114.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff56b48
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0114.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0115.png b/27688-page-images/p0115.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..74b4ebc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0115.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0116.png b/27688-page-images/p0116.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a7f1db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0116.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0117.png b/27688-page-images/p0117.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..69479ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0117.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0118.png b/27688-page-images/p0118.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a0fd90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0118.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0119.png b/27688-page-images/p0119.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8eb6a00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0119.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0120.png b/27688-page-images/p0120.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b525947
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0120.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0121.png b/27688-page-images/p0121.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..69f5f96
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0121.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0122.png b/27688-page-images/p0122.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e7b9a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0122.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0123.png b/27688-page-images/p0123.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef71ec9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0123.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0124.png b/27688-page-images/p0124.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3973da0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0124.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0125.png b/27688-page-images/p0125.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ba6609
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0125.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0126.png b/27688-page-images/p0126.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9155481
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0126.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0127-image1.jpg b/27688-page-images/p0127-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a24cb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0127-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0129.png b/27688-page-images/p0129.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a3cc3fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0129.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0130.png b/27688-page-images/p0130.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d71508b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0130.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0131.png b/27688-page-images/p0131.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d8c8303
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0131.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0132.png b/27688-page-images/p0132.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3278bfe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0132.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0133.png b/27688-page-images/p0133.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a1a550d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0133.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0134.png b/27688-page-images/p0134.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..48f4847
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0134.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0135.png b/27688-page-images/p0135.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0426fb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0135.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0136.png b/27688-page-images/p0136.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e8e483f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0136.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0137.png b/27688-page-images/p0137.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ad3c65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0137.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0138.png b/27688-page-images/p0138.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9498973
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0138.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0139.png b/27688-page-images/p0139.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1735b0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0139.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0140.png b/27688-page-images/p0140.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3ca86f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0140.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0141.png b/27688-page-images/p0141.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d948cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0141.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0142.png b/27688-page-images/p0142.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7324769
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0142.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0143.png b/27688-page-images/p0143.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..09c638f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0143.png
diff --git a/27688-page-images/p0144.png b/27688-page-images/p0144.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7c665f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688-page-images/p0144.png
diff --git a/27688.txt b/27688.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8410da7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2914 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Hundred Years by Post, by J. Wilson Hyde
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Hundred Years by Post
+       A Jubilee Retrospect
+
+Author: J. Wilson Hyde
+
+Release Date: January 2, 2009 [EBook #27688]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HUNDRED YEARS BY POST ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Adrian Mastronardi, Martin Pettit, The
+Philatelic Digital Library Project at http://www.tpdlp.net
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+A Hundred Years by Post
+
+A JUBILEE RETROSPECT
+
+BY
+
+J. WILSON HYDE
+
+AUTHOR OF 'THE ROYAL MAIL: ITS CURIOSITIES AND ROMANCE'
+
+[Illustration]
+
+LONDON
+
+SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON AND CO., LIM.
+St. Dunstan's House
+FETTER LANE, FLEET STREET, E.C.
+
+1891
+
+[_All rights reserved_]
+
+
+Printed by T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to Her Majesty, at the
+Edinburgh University Press.
+
+
+TO
+
+THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
+
+HENRY CECIL RAIKES, M.P.
+
+HER MAJESTY'S POSTMASTER-GENERAL,
+
+THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE,
+
+BY PERMISSION,
+
+RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+The following pages give some particulars of the changes that have taken
+place in the Post Office service during the past hundred years; and the
+matter may prove interesting, not only on account of the changes
+themselves, but in respect of the influence which the growing usefulness
+of the Postal Service must necessarily have upon almost every relation
+of political, educational, social, and commercial life. More especially
+may the subject be found attractive at the close of the present year,
+when the country has been celebrating the Jubilee of the Penny Post.
+
+EDINBURGH,
+
+_December 1890._
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+                                                     PAGE
+
+_Frontispiece_--MAIL-COACH IN THUNDERSTORM.
+
+PAST AND PRESENT CONTRASTED,                            1
+
+LIBERTY OF SUBJECT AND PUBLIC OPINION,                  5
+
+ABUSES OF POWER,                                        7
+
+SLOW DIFFUSION OF NEWS,                                17
+
+_Illustration_--ANALYSIS OF LONDON TO EDINBURGH
+    MAIL OF 2D MARCH 1838,                    _facing_ 22
+
+STATE OF ROADS AND INSECURITY OF TRAVELLING,           27
+
+FOOT AND HORSE POSTS,                                  33
+
+_Illustration_--THE MAIL, 1803,               _facing_ 40
+
+THE MAIL-COACH ERA,                                    40
+
+_Illustration_--THE MAIL, 1824,               _facing_ 46
+
+_Illustration_--MODERN MAIL "APPARATUS" FOR
+    EXCHANGE OF MAILS,                        _facing_ 58
+
+_Illustration_--THE MAIL-COACH GUARD,         _facing_ 74
+
+DEAR POSTAGE,                                          80
+
+_Diagrams_--ROUNDABOUT COMMUNICATIONS,             84, 85
+
+STREETS FIRST NUMBERED,                                88
+
+POSTMASTERS AS NEWS COLLECTORS,                        91
+
+_Illustration_--THE BELLMAN,                  _facing_ 92
+
+MAIL-PACKET SERVICE,                                   96
+
+_Illustration_--HOLYHEAD AND KINGSTOWN PACKET
+    "PRINCE ARTHUR,"                         _facing_ 102
+
+PENNY POSTAGE,                                        111
+
+_Illustration_--HANDBILL USED IN PENNY POSTAGE
+    AGITATION,                               _facing_ 112
+
+VARIOUS BUSINESS OF THE POST OFFICE,                  119
+
+STAFF OF THE POST OFFICE,                             123
+
+_Illustration_--TONTINE READING-ROOMS
+    GLASGOW,                                 _facing_ 126
+
+VALUE OF EARLY NEWS BY POST,                          130
+
+DIFFUSION OF PARLIAMENTARY NEWS BY THE TELEGRAPH
+    AND PRESS,                                        136
+
+RESULTS OF RAPID COMMUNICATIONS,                      139
+
+
+[Illustration: _Frontispiece._ MAIL-COACH IN THUNDERSTORM.
+(_From a print, 1827._)]
+
+
+
+
+A HUNDRED YEARS BY POST.
+
+
+Were a former inhabitant of this country who had quitted the stage of
+life towards the close of last century to reappear in our midst, he
+could not fail to be struck with the wonderful changes which have taken
+place in the aspect of things; in the methods of performing the tasks of
+daily life; and in the character of our social system generally. Nor is
+it too much to say that he would see himself surrounded by a world full
+of enchantment, and that his senses of wonder and admiration would rival
+the feelings excited in youthful minds under the spell of books like
+Jules Verne's _Journey to the Moon_, or the ever-entertaining stories of
+the _Arabian Nights_. It is true that he would find the operations of
+nature going on as before. The dewdrop and the blade of grass, sunshine
+and shower, the movements of the tides, and the revolutions of the
+heavenly bodies; these would still appear to be the same. But almost
+everything to which man had been wont to put his hand would appear to
+bear the impress of some other hand; and a hundred avenues of thought
+opening to his bewildered sense would consign his inward man to the
+education of a second childhood.
+
+So fruitful has been the nineteenth century in discovery and invention,
+and so astounding the advancement made, that it is only by stopping in
+our madding haste and looking back that we can realise how different the
+present is from the past. Yet to our imaginary friend's astonished
+perception, nothing, we venture to think, would come with greater force
+than the contrast between the means available for keeping up
+communications in his day and in our own. We are used to see trains
+coursing on the iron way at a speed of fifty or sixty miles an hour;
+steamships moving on every sea, defiant of tide and wind, at the rate of
+fifteen or twenty miles an hour; and the electric telegraph
+outstripping all else, and practically annihilating time and space.
+
+But how different was the state of things at the close of the eighteenth
+century! The only means then available for home communications--that is
+for letters, etc.--were the Foot Messenger, the Horse Express, and the
+Mail Coach; and for communication with places beyond the sea,
+sailing-ships.
+
+The condition of things as then existing, and as reflected upon society,
+is thus summed up by Mackenzie in his _History of the Nineteenth
+Century_: "Men had scarcely the means to go from home beyond such
+trivial distance as they were able to accomplish on foot. Human society
+was composed of a multitude of little communities, dwelling apart,
+mutually ignorant, and therefore cherishing mutual antipathies."
+
+And when persons did venture away from home, in the capacity of
+travellers, the entertainment they received in the hostelries, even in
+some of the larger towns, seems now rather remarkable. If anything
+surprises the traveller of these latter days, in regard to hotel
+accommodation, when business or pleasure takes him from the bosom of his
+family, it is the sumptuous character of the palaces in all the
+principal towns of all civilised countries wherein he may be received,
+and where he may make his temporary abode. To persons used to such
+comforts, the accommodation of the last century would excite surprise in
+quite another direction. Here is a description of the inn accommodation
+of Edinburgh, furnished by Captain Topham, who visited Edinburgh in
+1774: "On my first arrival, my companion and self, after the fatigue of
+a long day's journey, were landed at one of these stable-keepers (for
+they have modesty enough to give themselves no higher denomination) in a
+part of the town called the Pleasance; and, on entering the house, we
+were conducted by a poor devil of a girl, without shoes or stockings,
+and with only a single linsey-woolsey petticoat which just reached
+half-way to her ankles, into a room where about twenty Scotch drovers
+had been regaling themselves with whisky and potatoes. You may guess our
+amazement when we were informed that this was the best inn in the
+metropolis--that we could have no beds unless we had an inclination to
+sleep together, and in the same room with the company which a
+stage-coach had that moment discharged."
+
+Before proceeding further, let us look at some of the circumstances
+which were characteristic of the period with which we are dealing.
+Liberty of the subject and public opinion are inseparably wedded
+together, and this seems inevitable in every country whose government
+partakes largely of the representative system. For in such States,
+unlike the conditions which obtain under despotic governments, the laws
+are formulated and amended in accordance with the views held for the
+time being by _the people_, the Government merely acting as the agency
+through which the people's will is declared. And this being so, what is
+called the Liberty of the subject must be that limited and circumscribed
+freedom allowed by the people collectively, as expressed in the term
+"public opinion," to the individual man. In despotic States the
+circumstances are necessarily different, and such States may be excluded
+from the present consideration.
+
+Wherever there is wanting a quick and universal exchange of thought
+there can be no sound public opinion. Where hindrances are placed upon
+the free exchange of views, either by heavy duties on newspapers, by
+dear postage, or by slow communications, public opinion must be a plant
+of low vitality and slow growth. Consequently, in the age preceding that
+of steam, so far as applied to locomotion, and to the telegraph, which
+age extended well into the present century, there was no rapid exchange
+of thought; new ideas were of slow propagation; there was little of that
+intellectual friction so productive of intellectual light among the
+masses. In these circumstances it is not surprising to read of things
+existing within the last hundred years which to-day could have no place
+in our national existence. Lord Cockburn, in the _Memorials of his
+Time_, gives the following instance. "I knew a case, several years
+after 1800," says he, "where the seat-holders of a town church applied
+to Government, which was the patron, for the promotion of the second
+clergyman, who had been giving great satisfaction for many years, and
+now, on the death of the first minister, it was wished that he should
+get the vacant place. The answer, written by a Member of the Cabinet,
+was that the single fact of the people having interfered so far as to
+express a wish was conclusive against what they desired; and another
+appointment was instantly made." Going back a little more than a hundred
+years, the following are specimens of the abuses then in full vigour.
+They are referred to in Trevelyan's _Early History of Charles James
+Fox_, the period in question being about 1750-60: "One nobleman had
+eight thousand a year in sinecures, and the colonelcies of three
+regiments. Another, an Auditor of the Exchequer, inside which he never
+looked, had L8000 in years of peace, and L20,000 in years of war. A
+third, with nothing to recommend him except his outward graces, bowed
+and whispered himself into four great employments, from which thirteen
+to fourteen hundred British guineas flowed month by month into the lap
+of his Parisian mistress."... "George Selwyn, who returned two members,
+and had something to say in the election of a third, was at one and the
+same time Surveyor-General of Crown Lands, which he never surveyed,
+Registrar in Chancery at Barbadoes, which he never visited, and Surveyor
+of the Meltings and Clerk of the Irons in the Mint, where he showed
+himself once a week in order to eat a dinner which he ordered, but for
+which the nation paid."
+
+The shameful waste of the public money in the shape of hereditary
+pensions was still in vigour within the period we are dealing with; one
+small party in the State "calling the tune," and the great mass of the
+people, practically unrepresented, being left "to pay the piper." During
+the reign of George III., who occupied the throne from 1760 to 1820, the
+following hereditary pensions were granted:--To Trustees for the use of
+William Penn, and his heirs and descendants for ever, in consideration
+of his meritorious services and family losses from the American war
+L4000. To Lord Rodney, and every the heirs-male to whom the title of
+Lord Rodney shall descend, L2000. To Earl Morley and John Campbell,
+Esq., and their heirs and assignees for ever, upon trust for the
+representatives of Jeffrey Earl Amherst, L3000. To Viscount Exmouth and
+the heirs-male to whom the title shall descend L2000. To Earl Nelson and
+the heirs-male to whom the title of Earl Nelson shall descend, with
+power of settling jointures out of the annuity, at no time exceeding
+L3000 a year, L5000. In addition to this pension of L5000, Parliament
+also granted to trustees on behalf of Earl Nelson a sum of L90,000 for
+the purchase of an estate and mansion-house to be settled and entailed
+to the same persons as the annuity of L5000.
+
+Within the Post Office too very strange things happened in connection
+with money paid to certain persons supposed to be in its service. Here
+is a case, in the form of a remonstrance, referring to the period close
+upon the end of last century, which explains itself. "Mr. Bushe observes
+that the Government wished to reward his father, Gervas Parker Bushe
+(who was one of the Commissioners), for his services, and particularly
+for having increased the revenue L20,000 per annum; but that he
+preferred a place for his son to any emolument for himself, in
+consequence of which he was appointed Resident Surveyor. He expressed
+his astonishment to find in the Patent (which he never looked into
+before) that it is there mentioned 'during good behaviour,' and not for
+life, upon which condition alone his father would have accepted it. He
+adds that it was given to him as totally and absolutely a sinecure, and
+that his appointment took place at so early a period of life that it
+would be impossible for him to do any duty."
+
+Again, the following evidence was given before a Commission on oath in
+1791, by Mr. Johnson, a letter-carrier in London: "He receives at
+present a salary as a letter-carrier of 14s. per week, making L36, 19s.
+per annum; he likewise receives certain perquisites, arising from such
+pence as are collected in the evening by letters delivered to him after
+the Receiving Houses are shut, amounting in 1784 to L38, 11s., also from
+acknowledgments from the public for sending letters by another
+letter-carrier not immediately within his walk, amounting in the same
+year to L5. He likewise receives in Christmas boxes L20,--the above
+sums, making together L100, was the whole of his receipts of every kind
+whatever by virtue of his office in 1784 (312 candles and a limited
+allowance of stationery excepted), out of which he pays a person for
+executing his duty as a letter-carrier, at the rate of 8s. a week, being
+L20, 16s. per annum, and retains the remainder for his own use
+entirely."
+
+In a report made by a Commission which inquired into the state of the
+Post Office in 1788, the following statement appears respecting abuses
+existing in the department; and in reflecting upon that period the Post
+Office servants of to-day might almost entertain feelings of regret that
+they did not live in the happy days of feasts, coals, and candles. Here
+is the statement of the Commissioners: "The custom of giving certain
+annual feasts to the officers and clerks of this office (London) at the
+public expense ought to be abolished; as also what is called the feast
+and drink money; and, as the Inland Office now shuts at an early hour,
+the allowances of lodging money to some of the officers, and of
+apartments to others, ought to be discontinued." But of all allowances,
+those of coals and candles are the most enormous; for, besides those
+consumed in the official apartments, there are allowed to sundry
+officers for their private use in town or country above three hundred
+chaldrons of coals, and twenty thousand pounds of candles, which several
+of them commute with the tradesmen for money or other articles; the
+amount of the sums paid for these two articles in the year 1784 was
+L4418, 4s. 1d.
+
+In the year 1792 a payment was being made of L26 a year to a Mrs.
+Collier, who was servant to the Bye and Cross Road Office in the London
+Post Office; but she did not do the work herself. She employed a servant
+to whom she paid L6, putting L20 into her own pocket.
+
+What a splendid field this would have been for the Comptroller and
+Auditor General, and for questioners in the Houses of Parliament!
+
+An abuse that had its origin no doubt in the fact that the nation was
+not represented at large,[1] but by Members of Parliament who were
+returned by a very limited class, and who could not understand or
+reflect the views of the masses, was that of the franking privilege.
+
+The privilege of franking letters enjoyed by Members of Parliament was a
+sad burden upon the Revenue of the Post Office, and it continued in
+vigour down to the establishment of the Penny Post. Some idea of the
+magnitude of this arrangement, which would now be called a gross abuse,
+will be gathered from the state of things existing in the first quarter
+of the present century. Looking at the regulations of 1823, we find that
+each Member of Parliament was permitted to receive as many as fifteen
+and to send as many as ten letters in each day, such letters not
+exceeding one ounce in weight. At the then rates of postage this was a
+most handsome privilege. In the year 1827 the Peers enjoying this extent
+of free postage numbered over four hundred, and the Commons over six
+hundred and fifty. In addition to these, certain Members of the
+Government and other high officials had the privilege of sending free
+any number of letters without restriction as to weight. These persons
+were, in 1828, nearly a hundred in number.
+
+How the privilege was turned to commercial account is explained in
+Mackenzie's, _Reminiscences of Glasgow_. Referring to the Ship Bank of
+that city, which had its existence in the first quarter of our century,
+and to one of the partners, Mr. John Buchanan of Ardoch, who was also
+Member of Parliament for Dumbartonshire, the author makes the following
+statement: "From his position as Member of Parliament, he enjoyed the
+privilege of franking the letters of the bank to the extent of fourteen
+per diem. This was a great boon; it saved the bank some hundreds of
+pounds per annum for postages. It was, moreover, regarded as a mighty
+honour."
+
+Great abuses were perpetrated even upon the abuse itself. Franks were
+given away freely to other persons for their use, they were even sold,
+and, moreover, they were forged. Senex, in his notes on _Glasgow Past
+and Present_, describes how this was managed in Ireland. "I remember,"
+says he, "about sixty years ago, an old Irish lady told me that she
+seldom paid any postage for letters, and that her correspondence never
+cost her friends anything. I inquired how she managed that. 'Oh,' said
+she, 'I just wrote "Free, J. Suttie," in the corner of the cover of the
+letter, and then, sure, nothing more was charged for it.' I said, 'Were
+you not afraid of being hanged for forgery?' 'Oh, dear me, no,' she
+replied; 'nobody ever heard of a lady being hanged in Ireland, and
+troth, I just did what everybody else did.'" But the spirit of inquiry
+was beginning to assert itself in the first half of the century, and the
+franking privilege disappeared with the dawn of cheap postage.
+
+Public opinion had as yet no active existence throughout our
+Commonwealth, nor had the light spread so as to show up all the abuses.
+And how true is Buckle's observation in his _History of Civilisation_
+that all recent legislation is the undoing of bad laws made in the
+interest of certain classes. How could there be an active public opinion
+in the conditions of the times? Everybody was shut off from everybody
+else. Hear further what Mackenzie says in his _History of the Nineteenth
+Century_, referring to the end of last century: "The seclusion resulting
+from the absence of roads rendered it necessary that every little
+community, in some measure every family, should produce all that it
+required to consume. The peasant raised his own food; he grew his own
+flax or wool; his wife or daughter spun it; and a neighbour wove it
+into cloth. He learned to extract dyes from plants which grew near his
+cottage. He required to be independent of the external world from which
+he was effectively shut out. Commerce was impossible until men could
+find the means of transferring commodities from the place where they
+were produced to the place where there were people willing to make use
+of them." So much for the difficulty of exchanging ordinary produce. The
+exchange of thought suffered in a like fashion.
+
+In the first half of the present century severe restrictions were placed
+upon the spread of news, not only by the heavy postage for letter
+correspondence, but by the equally heavy newspaper tax. Referring to
+this latter hindrance to the spread of light Mackenzie says: "The
+newspaper is the natural enemy of despotic government, and was treated
+as such in England. Down to 1765 the duty imposed was only one penny,
+but as newspapers grew in influence the restraining tax was increased
+from time to time, until in 1815 it reached the maximum of fourpence."
+At this figure the tax seems to have continued many years, for under the
+year 1836 Mackenzie refers to it as such, and remarks, "that this
+rendered the newspaper a very occasional luxury to the working man; that
+the annual circulation of newspapers in the United Kingdom was no more
+than thirty-six million copies, and that these had only three hundred
+thousand readers."
+
+At the present time the combined annual circulation of a couple of the
+leading newspapers in Scotland would equal the entire newspaper
+circulation of the kingdom little more than fifty years ago. In the year
+1799, which is less than a hundred years ago, the _Edinburgh Evening
+Courant_ and the _Glasgow Courier_, two very small newspapers, were sold
+at sixpence a copy, each bearing a Government stamp of the value of
+threehalf-pence. Is it surprising, under these conditions, that few
+newspapers should circulate, and that news should travel slowly
+throughout the country?
+
+But the growth of newspapers to their present magnificent proportions is
+a thing of quite recent times, for even so lately as 1857 the
+_Scotsman_, then sold unstamped for a penny, weighed only about
+three-quarters of an ounce, while to-day the same paper, which continues
+to be sold for a penny, weighs fully four and a half ounces. And other
+newspapers throughout the country have no doubt swelled their columns to
+a somewhat similar degree.
+
+A very good instance of the small amount of personal travelling indulged
+in by the people a century ago is given by Cleland in his _Annals of
+Glasgow_. Writing in the year 1816, he says: "It has been calculated
+that, previous to the erection of steamboats, not more than fifty
+persons passed and repassed from Glasgow to Greenock in one day, whereas
+it is now supposed that there are from four to five hundred passes and
+repasses in the same period." In the present day a single steamboat
+sailing from the Broomielaw, Glasgow, will often carry far more
+passengers to Greenock, or beyond Greenock, than the whole passengers
+travelling between the towns named in one day in 1816. For example, the
+tourist steamer _Columba_ is certificated to carry some 1800 passengers.
+
+In 1792 the principal mails to and from London were carried by
+mail-coaches, which were then running between the Metropolis and some
+score of the chief towns in the country at the speed of seven or eight
+miles an hour; and so far as direct mails were concerned the towns in
+question kept up relations with London under the conditions of speed
+just described. But the cross post service--that is, the service between
+places not lying in the main routes out of London--was not yet
+developed, and these cross post towns were beyond the reach of anything
+like early information of what was going on, not, let us say, in the
+world at large, but in their own country. The people in these towns had
+to patiently await the laggard arrival of news from the greater centres
+of activity; and when it did arrive it probably came to hand in a very
+imperfect form, or so late as to be useless for any purpose of combined
+action or criticism.
+
+Dr. James Russell, in his _Reminiscences of Yarrow_, describes how tardy
+and uncertain the mail service by post was in the early years of the
+present century; and what he says is a severe contrast to the service of
+the present time, which provides for the delivery of letters, generally
+daily, in every hamlet in the country. Dr. Russell writes:--
+
+"Since I remember (unless there was a chance hand on a Wednesday) our
+letters reached us only once a week, along with our bread and butcher
+meat, by the weekly carrier, Robbie Hogg. His arrival used to be a great
+event, the letter-bag being turned out, and a rummage made for our own.
+Afterwards the Moffat carriers gave more frequent opportunities of
+getting letters; but they were apt to carry them on to Moffat and bring
+them back the following week."
+
+Another instance of the slow communications is given in a letter written
+from Brodick Castle, Arran, by Lord Archibald Campbell, on the 25th
+September 1820.
+
+The letter was addressed to a correspondent in Glasgow, and proceeds
+thus: "Your letter of the 18th did not reach me till this morning, as,
+in consequence of the rough state of the weather, there has been no
+postal communication with this island for several days." The time
+consumed in getting this letter forward from Glasgow to Brodick was
+exactly a week, and when so much time was required in the case of an
+island lying in the Firth of Clyde, what time would be necessary to make
+communication with the Outer Hebrides?
+
+Even between considerable towns, as representing important centres in
+the country, the amount of correspondence by letter was small. Thus the
+mail from Inverness to Edinburgh of the 5th October 1808 contained no
+more than 30 letters. The total postage on these was L2, 9s. 6d., the
+charges ranging from 11d. to 14s. 8d. per letter. At the present time
+the letters from Inverness to Edinburgh are probably nearly a thousand a
+day; but this is no fair comparison, because many letters that would
+formerly pass through Edinburgh now reach their destinations in direct
+bags--London itself being an instance.
+
+[Illustration: ANALYSIS OF THE LONDON TO EDINBURGH MAIL OF THE 2D MARCH
+1838. (_After a print lent by Lady Cole from the collection of the late
+Sir Henry Cole, K.C.B._)]
+
+But coming down to a much later date, and looking at what was going on
+between London and Edinburgh, the capital towns of Great Britain, what
+do we find? An analysis of the London to Edinburgh mail of the 2d March
+1838 gives the following figures; and let it not be forgotten that in
+these days the Edinburgh mail contained the correspondence for a large
+part of Scotland:--
+
+2296 Newspapers, weighing 273 lbs., and going free.
+
+484 Franked Letters, weighing 47 lbs., and going free.
+
+Parcels of stamps going free.
+
+1555 Letters, weighing 34 lbs., and bearing postage to the value of L93.
+
+These figures represent the exchange of thought between the two capitals
+fifty years ago. These were truly the days of darkness, when abuses were
+kept out of sight and were rampant.
+
+Down to much later times the bonds of privilege remained untied. In the
+Civil Service itself what changes have taken place! The doors have been
+thrown open to competition and to capacity and worth, and probably they
+will never be closed again. The author of these lines had an experience
+in 1867--not very long ago--which may be worthy of note. He had been
+then several years in the Post Office service, and desired to obtain a
+nomination to compete for a higher position--a clerkship in the
+Secretary's office. He took the usual step through the good offices of a
+Member of Parliament, and the following rebuff emanated from
+headquarters. It shall be its own monument, and may form a shot in the
+historical web of our time:--
+
+"I wrote to ---- (the Postmaster-General) about the Mr. J. W. Hyde, who
+desires to be permitted to compete for a clerkship in the London Post
+Office, described as a cousin of ----.
+
+"(The Postmaster-General) has to-day replied that nominations to the
+Secretary's office are not now given except to candidates who are
+actually gentlemen, that is, sons of officers, clergymen, or the like.
+If I cannot satisfy (the Postmaster-General) on this point, I fear Mr.
+Hyde's candidature will go to the wall."[2]
+
+Now one of the chief obstacles in the way of rapid communication in our
+own country was the very unsatisfactory state of the roads. Down to the
+time of the introduction of mail-coaches, just about a hundred years
+ago, the roads were in a deplorable state, and travellers have left upon
+record some rather strong language on the subject. It was only about
+that time that road-making came to be understood; but the obvious need
+for smooth roads to increase the speed of the mail gave an impetus to
+the subject, and by degrees matters were greatly improved. It is not our
+purpose to pursue the inquiry as to roads, though the subject might be
+attractive, and we must be content with the general assertion as to
+their condition.
+
+But not only were the roads bad, but they were unsafe. Travellers could
+hardly trust themselves to go about unarmed, and even the mail-coaches,
+in which (besides the driver and guard) some passengers generally
+journeyed, had to carry weapons of defence placed in the hands of the
+guard. Many instances of highway robbery by highwaymen who made a
+profession of robbery might be given; but one or two cases may repay
+their perusal. On the 4th March 1793 the Under-Sheriff of Northampton
+was robbed at eight o'clock in the evening near Holloway turnpike by two
+highwaymen, who carried off a trunk containing the Sheriff's commission
+for opening the assizes at Northampton.
+
+In the Autobiography of Mary Hewitt the following encounter is recorded,
+referring to the period between 1758-96: "Catherine (Martin), wife of a
+purser in the navy, and conspicuous for her beauty and impulsive,
+violent temper, having quarrelled with her excellent sister, Dorothea
+Fryer, at whose house in Staffordshire she was staying, suddenly set off
+to London on a visit to her great-uncle, the Rev. John Plymley, prebend
+of the Collegiate Church at Wolverhampton, and Chaplain of Morden
+College, Blackheath. She journeyed by the ordinary conveyance, the
+Gee-Ho, a large stage-waggon drawn by a team of six horses, and which,
+driven merely by day, took a week from Wolverhampton to the Cock and
+Bell, Smithfield.
+
+"Arrived in London, Catherine proceeded on foot to Blackheath. There,
+night having come on, and losing her way, she was suddenly accosted by a
+horseman with, 'Now, my pretty girl, where are you going?' Pleased by
+his gallant address, she begged him to direct her to Morden College. He
+assured her that she was fortunate in having met with him instead of one
+of his company, and inducing her to mount before him, rode across the
+heath to the pile of buildings which had been erected by Sir Christopher
+Wren for decayed merchants, the recipients of Sir John Morden's bounty.
+Assisting her to alight, he rang the bell, then remounted his steed and
+galloped away, but not before the alarmed official, who had answered
+the summons, had exclaimed, 'Heavens! Dick Turpin on Black Bess!' My
+mother always said 'Dick Turpin.' Another version in the family runs
+'Captain Smith.'"
+
+The _Annual Register_ of the 3d October 1792 records the following case
+of highway robbery:--
+
+"The daily messenger, despatched from the Secretary of State's office
+with letters to His Majesty at Windsor, was stopped near Langley Broom
+by three footpads, who took from him the box containing the despatches,
+and his money, etc. The same men afterwards robbed a gentleman in a
+postchaise of a hundred guineas, a gold watch, etc. Some light dragoons,
+who received information of the robberies, went in pursuit of the
+thieves, but were not successful. They found, however, a quantity of the
+papers scattered about the heath."
+
+We will quote one more instance, as showing the frequency of these
+robberies on the road. It is mentioned in the _Annual Register_ of the
+28th March 1793.
+
+"Martin (the mail robber), condemned at Exeter Assizes, was executed on
+Haldown, near the spot where the robbery was committed. He had been well
+educated, and had visited most European countries. At the end of the
+year 1791 he was at Paris, and continued there till the end of August
+1792. He said he was very active in the bloody affair of the 10th
+August, at the Palace of the Tuilleries, when the Swiss Guards were
+slaughtered, and Louis XVI. and his family fled to the National Assembly
+for shelter. He said he did not enter with this bloody contest as a
+volunteer, but, happening to be in that part of the city of Paris, he
+was hurried on by the mob to take part in that sanguinary business. Not
+speaking good French, he said he was suspected to be a Swiss, and on
+that account, finding his life often in danger, he left Paris, and,
+embarking for England at Havre de Grace, arrived at Weymouth in
+September last, and then came to Exeter. He said that being in great
+distress in October he committed the mail robbery."
+
+A rather good anecdote is told of an encounter between a poor tailor
+and one of these knights of the road. The tailor, on being overtaken by
+the highwayman, was at once called upon to stand and deliver, the
+salutation being accompanied by the presentation of two pistols at the
+pedestrian's head. "I'll do that with pleasure," was the meek reply; and
+forthwith the poor victim transferred to the outstretched hands of the
+robber all the money he possessed. This done, the tailor proceeded to
+ask a favour. "My friends would laugh at me," said he, "were I to go
+home and tell them I was robbed with as much patience as a lamb. Suppose
+you fire your two bull-dogs right through the crown of my hat; it will
+look something like a show of resistance." Taken with the fancy, the
+robber good-naturedly complied with the request; but hardly had the
+smoke from the weapons cleared away, when the tailor pulled out a rusty
+old horse pistol, and in turn politely requested the highwayman to shell
+out everything of value about him--his pistols not excepted. So the
+highwayman had the worst of the meeting on that occasion. The incident
+will perhaps help to dispel the sad reproach of the craft, that a tailor
+is but the ninth part of a man.
+
+It should not be forgotten that these perils of the road had their
+effect in preventing intercourse between different parts of the country.
+
+In such outlying districts as were blessed with postal communication a
+hundred years ago, the service was kept up by foot messengers, who often
+travelled long distances in the performance of their duty. Thus in 1799
+a post-runner travelled from Inverness to Loch Carron--a distance across
+country, as the crow flies, of about fifty miles--making the journey
+once a week, for which he was paid 5s. Another messenger at the same
+period made the journey from Inverness to Dunvegan in Skye--a much
+greater distance--also once a week, and for this service he received 7s.
+6d. The rate at which the messengers travelled seems not to have been
+very great, if we may judge from the performances of the post from
+Dumbarton to Inveraray. In the year 1805 the Surveyor of the district
+thus describes it: "I have sometimes observed these mails at leaving
+Dumbarton about three stones or 48 lbs. weight, and they are generally
+above two stones. During the course of last winter horses were obliged
+to be occasionally employed; and it is often the case that a strong
+highlander, with so great a weight upon him, cannot travel more than two
+miles an hour, which greatly retards the general correspondence of this
+extensive district of country."
+
+These humble servants of the post office, travelling over considerable
+tracts of country, would naturally become the means of conveying local
+gossip from stage to stage, and of spreading hearsay news as they went
+along. In this way, and as being the bearers of welcome letters, they
+were no doubt as gladly received at the doors of our forefathers as are
+the postmen at our own doors to-day. Indeed, complaint was made of the
+delays that took place on the route, probably from this very cause. Here
+is an instance referring to the year 1800. "I found," wrote the
+Surveyor, "that it had been the general practice for the post from
+Bonaw to Appin to lodge regularly all night at or near the house of
+Ardchattan, and did not cross Shien till the following morning, losing
+twelve hours to the Appin, Strontian, and Fort-William districts of
+country; and I consider it an improvement of itself to remove such
+private lodgings or accommodations out of the way of posts, which, as I
+have been informed, is sometimes done for the sake of perusing
+newspapers as well as answering or writing letters."
+
+Exposed to the buffetings of the tempest, to the rigours of wintry
+weather, and considering the rough unkept roads of the time, it is easy
+to imagine how seductive would be the fireside of the country house; and
+bearing in mind the desire on the part of the inmates to learn the
+latest news, it is not surprising that the poor post-runner occasionally
+departed from the strict line of duty.
+
+But immediately prior to the introduction of mail-coaches, and for a
+long time before that, the mails over the longer distances were
+conveyed on horseback, the riders being known as "post-boys." These were
+sometimes boys of fourteen or sixteen years of age, and sometimes old
+men. Mr. Palmer, at whose instance mail-coaches were first put upon the
+road, writing in 1783, thus describes the post-boy service. The picture
+is not a very creditable one to the Post Office. "The post at present,"
+says he, "instead of being the swiftest, is almost the slowest
+conveyance in the country; and though, from the great improvement in our
+roads, other carriers have proportionably mended their speed, the post
+is as slow as ever. It is likewise very unsafe. The mails are generally
+intrusted to some idle boy without character, and mounted on a worn-out
+hack, and who, so far from being able to defend himself or escape from a
+robber, is much more likely to be in league with him." There is perhaps
+room for suspicion that Mr. Palmer was painting the post-boy service as
+black as possible, for he was then advocating another method of
+conveying the mails; but he was not alone in his adverse criticism. An
+official in Scotland thus described the service in 1799: "It is
+impossible to obtain any other contractors to ride the mails at 3d. out,
+or 1 1/2d. per mile each way. On this account we are so much distressed
+with mail riders that we have often to submit to the mails being
+conveyed by mules and such species of horses as are a disgrace to any
+service." This is evidence from within the Post Office itself. While
+young boys were suited for the work in some respects, they were
+thoughtless and unpunctual; yet when older men were employed they
+frequently got into liquor, and thus endangered the mails. The records
+of the service are full of the troubles arising from the conduct of
+these servants. The public were doubtless much to blame for this. For
+the post-boys were, as we may suppose, ever welcome at the house and
+ball, where refreshment, in the shape of strong drink, would be offered
+to them, and they thus fell into trouble through a too common instance
+of mistaken kindness.
+
+In the year 1763 the mail leaving London on Tuesday night (in the
+winter season) was not in the hands of the people of Edinburgh until the
+afternoon of Sunday. This does not betoken a very rapid rate of
+progression; but it appears that in many cases the post-boy's speed did
+not rise above three or four miles an hour. The Post Office took severe
+measures with these messengers, through parliamentary powers granted;
+and even the public were called upon to keep an eye upon their
+behaviour, and to report any misconduct to the authorities.
+
+Mention has already been made of the unsafety of the roads for ordinary
+travellers; but the roads were in no way safer for the post-boys. In
+1798 a post-boy carrying certain Selby mails was robbed near that place,
+being threatened with his life, and the mail-pouch which he then carried
+was recovered under very strange circumstances in 1876.
+
+But to come nearer home. On the early morning of the 1st of August 1802
+the mail from Glasgow for Edinburgh was robbed by two men at a place
+near Linlithgow, when a sum of L1300 or L1400 was stolen. The robbers
+had previously been soldiers. They hurried into Edinburgh with their
+booty, got drunk, were discovered, and, when subsequently tried, were
+sentenced to be executed. The law was severe in those days; and the Post
+Office has the distinction of having obtained judgment against a robber
+who was the last criminal hung in chains in Scotland. According to
+Rogers, in his _Social Life of Scotland_, this was one Leal, who, in
+1773, was found guilty of robbing the mail near Elgin. A curious fact
+came out in connection with the trial of this man Leal, showing what may
+be termed the momentum of evil. It happened that some time previously
+Leal and a companion had been to see the execution of a man for robbing
+the mail, and, on returning, they had to pass through a dark and narrow
+part of the road. At this point Leal observed to his companion that the
+situation was one well suited for a robbery. And it was here that he
+afterwards carried the suggestion then made into effect.
+
+When such robberies took place the post-boys sometimes came off without
+serious mishap, but at other times they were badly injured. On Wednesday
+the 23d October 1816, a post-boy near Exeter was assaulted (as the
+report says) in "a most desperate and inhuman manner," when his skull
+was fractured, and he shortly afterwards died.
+
+The post-boys were exposed to all the inclemency of the weather both by
+day and night. Sometimes they were overtaken by snow-storms, when they
+would have to struggle on for their lives. Sometimes, after riding a
+stage in severe frost, they would have to be lifted from their saddles
+benumbed with cold and unable to dismount. At other times accidents of a
+different kind happened to them, and, as has been shown, they sometimes
+lost their lives.
+
+Mail-coaches were first put upon the road on the 8th of August 1784. The
+term of about sixty years, during which they were the means of conveying
+the principal mails throughout the country, must ever seem to us a
+period of romantic interest. There is something stirring even in the
+picture of a mail-coach bounding along at the heels of four well-bred
+horses; and we know by experience how exhilarating it is to be carried
+along the highway at a rapid rate in a well-appointed coach.
+
+[Illustration: THE MAIL, 1803. (_From a contemporary print._)]
+
+We cannot well separate the service given to the Post Office by
+mail-coaches from the passengers who made use of that means of
+conveyance, and we may linger a little to endeavour to realise what a
+journey was like from accounts left us by travellers. The charm of day
+travelling could no doubt be conjured up even now by any one who would
+take time to reflect upon the subject. But other phases of the matter
+could hardly be so dealt with.
+
+De Quincey, in his _Confessions of an English Opium Eater_, gives a
+pleasing description of the easy motion and soothing influence of a
+well-equipped mail-coach running upon an even and kindly road. The
+period he refers to was about 1803, and the coach was that carrying the
+Bristol mail--which enjoyed unusual advantages owing to the superior
+character of the road, and an extra allowance for expenses subscribed by
+the Bristol merchants. He thus describes his feelings: "It was past
+eight o'clock when I reached the Gloucester Coffee-House, and, the
+Bristol mail being on the point of going off, I mounted on the outside.
+The fine fluent motion of the mail soon laid me asleep. It is somewhat
+remarkable that the first easy or refreshing sleep which I had enjoyed
+for some months was on the outside of a mail-coach....
+
+"For the first four or five miles from London I annoyed my
+fellow-passenger on the roof by occasionally falling against him when
+the coach gave a lurch to his side; and, indeed, if the road had been
+less smooth and level than it is I should have fallen off from weakness.
+Of this annoyance he complained heavily, as, perhaps, in the same
+circumstances, most people would.... When I next woke for a minute from
+the noise and lights of Hounslow (for in spite of my wishes and efforts
+I had fallen asleep again within two minutes from the time I had spoken
+to him), I found that he had put his arm round me to protect me from
+falling off; and for the rest of my journey he behaved to me with the
+gentleness of a woman, so that, at length, I almost lay in his arms....
+So genial and refreshing was my sleep that the next time, after leaving
+Hounslow, that I fully awoke was upon the pulling up of the mail
+(possibly at a post-office), and, on inquiry, I found that we had
+reached Maidenhead--six or seven miles, I think, ahead of Salthill. Here
+I alighted, and for the half-minute that the mail stopped I was
+entreated by my friendly companion (who, from the transient glimpse I
+had had of him in Piccadilly, seemed to me to be a gentleman's butler,
+or person of that rank) to go to bed without delay."
+
+Night journeys might be very well, in a way, during the balmy days of
+summer, when light airs and sweet exhalations from flower and leaf gave
+pleasing features to the scenes, but in the cold nights of winter, in
+lashing rain, in storms of wind and snow, the unfortunate passengers
+and the guard and coachman must have had terrible times of it. It is
+said of the guards and coachmen that they had sometimes, when passing
+over the Fells, to be strapped to their seats, in order to keep their
+places against the fierce assaults of the mountain blast.
+
+The winter experience of travelling by mail-coach in one of its phases
+is thus described by a writer in connection with a severe snow-storm
+which occurred in March 1827: "The night mail from Edinburgh to Glasgow
+left Edinburgh in the afternoon, but was stopped before reaching
+Kirkliston. The guard with the mail-bags set forward on horseback, and
+the driver rode back to Edinburgh with a view, it was understood, to get
+fresh horses. The passengers, four in number, entreated him to use all
+diligence, and meanwhile were compelled to wait in the coach, which had
+stuck at a very solitary part of the road. There they remained through a
+dark and stormy night, with a broken pane of glass, through which the
+wind blew bitterly cold. It was nine o'clock next morning when the
+driver came, bringing with him another man and a pair of horses. Having
+taken away some articles, he jestingly asked the passengers what they
+meant to do, and was leaving them to shift for themselves, but was
+persuaded at length to aid one who was faint, and unable to struggle
+through the snow. He was allowed to mount behind one of the riders; the
+other passengers were left to extricate themselves as best they could."
+
+[Illustration: THE MAIL, 1824. (_From a contemporary print._)]
+
+Many instances might be given of the stoppage of the coaches on account
+of snow, and of the efforts made by the guards to push on the mails. In
+1836 a memorable snow-storm took place which disorganised the service,
+and the occasion is one on which the guards and coachmen distinguished
+themselves. The strain thrown upon the horses in a like situation is
+well described by Cowper, if we change one word in his lines, which are
+as follows:--
+
+
+     "The _coach_ goes heavily, impeded sore
+     By congregated loads adhering close
+     To the clogg'd wheels; and in its sluggish pace
+     Noiseless appears a moving hill of snow.
+
+     The toiling steeds expand the nostril wide,
+     While every breath, by respiration strong
+     Forced downward, is consolidated soon
+     Upon their jutting chests."
+
+
+A melancholy result followed upon a worthy endeavour to carry the mails
+through the snow on the 1st February 1831. The Dumfries coach had
+reached Moffat, where it became snowed up. The driver and guard procured
+saddle-horses, and proceeded; but they had not gone far when they found
+the roads impracticable for horses, and these were sent back to Moffat.
+The two men then continued on foot; but they did not get beyond a few
+miles on the road when they succumbed, and some days afterwards their
+dead bodies were found on the high ground near the "Deil's Beef-Tub,"
+the bags being found attached to a post at the roadside, and not far
+from where the men fell. They perished in a noble attempt to perform
+their humble duties. The incident recalls the lines of Thomson:--
+
+
+                  "And down he sinks
+     Beneath the shelter of the shapeless drift,
+     Thinking o'er all the bitterness of death,
+     Mix'd with the tender anguish nature shoots
+     Through the wrung bosom of the dying man.
+     His wife, his children, and his friends unseen.
+                  On every nerve
+     The deadly winter seizes; shuts up sense;
+     And o'er his inmost vitals creeping cold
+     Lays him along the snows, a stiffened corse,
+     Stretched out, and bleaching in the northern blast."
+
+
+We have little conception of the labour that had to be expended, during
+periods of snow, in the endeavour to keep the roads open. In places the
+snow would be found lying thirty or forty feet deep, and the road
+trustees were obliged to spend large sums of money in clearing it away.
+Hundreds of the military were called out in certain places to assist,
+and snow-ploughs were set to work in order to force a passage.
+
+The inconvenience to the country caused by such interruptions is well
+described in the _Annual Register_ of the 15th February 1795: "My letter
+of two days ago is still here; for, though I have made an effort twice,
+I have been obliged to return, not having reached half the first stage.
+Two mails are due from London, three from Glasgow, and four from
+Edinburgh. Neither the last guard that went hence for Glasgow on
+Thursday, nor he that went on Wednesday, have since been heard of; this
+country was never so completely blocked up in the memory of the oldest
+person, or that they ever heard of. I understand the road is ten feet
+deep with snow from this to Hamilton. I have had it cut through once,
+but this third fall makes an attempt impossible. Heaven only knows when
+the road will be open, nothing but a thaw can do it--it is now an
+intense frost."
+
+But the guards and coachmen were put upon their mettle on other
+occasions than when snow made further progress impossible.
+
+The following incident, showing the courage and devotion to duty of a
+mail guard and coachman, is related by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, Bart., in
+his account of the floods which devastated the province of Moray in
+August 1829. Referring to the state of things in the town of Banff, Sir
+Thomas proceeds: "The mail-coach had found it impracticable to proceed
+south in the morning by its usual route, and had gone round by the
+Bridge of Alva. It was therefore supposed that the mail for Inverness,
+which reaches Banff in the afternoon, would take the same road. But what
+was the astonishment of the assembled population when the coach
+appeared, within a few minutes of the usual time, at the further end of
+the Bridge of Banff. The people who were standing there urged both the
+guard and coachman not to attempt to pass where their danger was so
+certain. On hearing this the passengers left the coach; but the guard
+and coachman, scouting the idea of danger in the very streets of Banff,
+disregarded the advice they received, and drove straight along the
+bridge. As they turned the corner of the butcher-market, signals were
+made, and loud cries were uttered from the nearest houses to warn them
+of the danger of advancing; yet still they kept urging the horses
+onwards. But no sooner had they reached the place where the wall had
+burst, than coach and horses were at once borne away together by the
+raging current, and the vehicle was dashed violently against the corner
+of Gillan's Inn. The whole four horses immediately disappeared, but
+rose and plunged again, and dashed and struggled hard for their lives.
+Loud were the shrieks of those who witnessed this spectacle. A boat came
+almost instantaneously to the spot, but as the rowers pushed up to try
+to disengage the horses, the poor animals, as they alternately reached
+the surface, made desperate exertions to get into the boat, so that
+extreme caution was necessary in approaching them. They did succeed in
+liberating one of them, which immediately swam along the streets, amidst
+the cheering of the population; but the other three sank to rise no
+more. By this time the coach, with the coachman and guard, had been
+thrown on the pavement, where the depth of water was less; and there the
+guard was seen clinging to the top, and the coachman hanging by his
+hands to a lamp-post, with his toes occasionally touching the box. In
+this perilous state they remained till another boat came and relieved
+them, when the guard and the mails were landed in safety. Great
+indignation was displayed against the obstinacy which had produced this
+accident. But much is to be said in defence of the servants of the Royal
+Mail, who are expected to persevere in their endeavours to forward the
+public post in defiance of risk, though in this case their zeal was
+unfortunately proved to have been mistaken."[3]
+
+Although, as already stated, robberies were frequent from the
+mail-coaches, and the guard carried formidable weapons of defence, it
+does not appear that the coaches were often openly attacked. At any rate
+there do not seem to be many records of such incidents referring to the
+later days of the mail-coach service.
+
+An old guard, now retired, but still or quite recently living in
+Carlisle, relates that only on one occasion did he require to draw his
+arms for actual defence. This happened at a hamlet called Chance Inn, in
+the county of Forfar, where the coach had stopped as usual. Both the
+inside and outside places were occupied by passengers, and no additional
+travellers could be taken. A number of sailors, however, who were
+proceeding to join their ship at a seaport, wished to get upon the
+coach; and though they were told that they could not travel by this
+means, they plainly showed by their looks and demeanour that they were
+determined to do so. One of them was overheard to say that, when the
+proper moment arrived, they would make short work of the guard, who, as
+it happened, was a youngish man. The passengers too were alarmed at the
+appearances, and appealed to the guard to keep a sharp eye upon the
+sailors. Under these conditions the guard directed the coachman, the
+moment the word was given, to put the horses to a gallop, so as to leave
+the seamen behind and avoid attack. The start was signalled as arranged,
+the guard sprang into his place and faced round to the sailors, one of
+whom was now in the act of preparing to throw a huge stone at his head
+with both hands. Instantly the guard drew one of his pistols and covered
+the ringleader, who thereupon dropped on his knees imploring pardon,
+while his companions, previously so aggressive, scampered off in all
+directions like a set of scared rabbits.
+
+The apparatus by which in the present day bags of letters are dropped
+from and taken up by the travelling post-office while the trains are
+running at high speed had its prototype in the days of the mail-coaches.
+In the one case as in the other the object was to get rid of stoppages,
+and so to save time. In the coaching days the apparatus was of a most
+primitive kind, consisting of a pointed stick rather less than four feet
+long, whose sharpened end was put in behind the string around the neck
+of the mail-bag, and on the end of the stick the bag was held up to be
+clutched by the mail guard as the coach went hurriedly by. We are
+indebted to the sub-postmaster of Liberton, a village a few miles out of
+Edinburgh, for a description of the arrangement. He describes how the
+guards, some fifty years ago, would playfully deal with the youngsters
+who worked the "apparatus," by not only seizing the bag but also the
+stick, and causing the young people to run long distances after the
+coach in order to recover it. The fun was all very well, says the
+sub-postmaster, in the genial nights of summer; "but when the cold
+nights of winter came round, it was our turn to play a trick upon the
+guard, when both he and the driver were numbed with cold and fast
+asleep, and the four horses going at full speed. It was not easy to
+arouse the guard to take the bag; and just fancy the rare gift of
+Christian charity that caused us youngsters to run and roar after the
+fast-running mail-coach to get quit of the bag. It used to be a weary
+business waiting the mail-coach coming along from the south when the
+roads were stormed up with snow or otherwise delayed. It required some
+tact to hold up the bag, as the glare of the lamps prevented us from
+seeing the guard as he came up with his red coat and blowing a long tin
+horn."
+
+Some curious notions were prevalent of the effect of travelling by
+mail-coach--the rate being about eight or ten miles an hour. Lord
+Campbell was frequently warned against the danger of journeying this
+way, and instances were cited to him of passengers dying of apoplexy
+induced by the rapidity with which the vehicles travelled. In 1791
+the Postmaster-General gave directions that the public should be warned
+against sending any cash by post, partly, as he stated, "from the
+prejudice it does to the coin by the friction it occasions from the
+great expedition with which it is conveyed." After all, speed is merely
+a relative thing.
+
+[Illustration: MODERN MAIL "APPARATUS" FOR EXCHANGE OF MAIL-BAGS:
+SETTING THE POUCH--EARLY MORNING.]
+
+Although, as previously stated, open attacks were not often made upon
+the coaches, robberies of the bags conveyed by them were quite
+common--chiefly at night--and we may assume that they were made possible
+through the carelessness of the guards. It would be a long story to go
+fully into this matter. Let a couple of instances suffice. On the last
+day of February 1810, in the evening, a mail-coach at Barnet was robbed
+of sixteen bags for provincial towns by the wrenching off the lock while
+the horses were changing. And on the 19th November of the same year
+seven bags for London were stolen from the coach at Bedford about nine
+o'clock in the evening.
+
+The authorities had a good deal of trouble with the mail guards and
+coachmen, and the records of the period are full of warnings against
+their irregularities. Now they are admonished for stopping at ale-houses
+to drink; now the guards are threatened for sleeping upon duty. Then
+they are cautioned against conveying fish, poultry, etc., on their own
+account. A guard is fined L5 for suffering a man to ride on the roof of
+the coach; a driver is fined L5 for losing time; another driver, for
+intoxication and impertinence to passengers, is fined L10 and costs. The
+guards are entreated to be attentive to their arms, to see that they are
+clean, well loaded, and hung handy; they are forbidden to blow their
+horns when passing through the streets during the hours of divine
+service on Sundays; they are enjoined to keep a watch upon French
+prisoners of war attempting to break their parole; and to sum up, an
+Inspector despairingly writes that "half his time is employed in
+receiving and answering letters of complaint from passengers respecting
+the improper conduct and impertinent language of guards." A story is
+told of a passenger who, being drenched inside a coach by water coming
+through an opening in the roof, complained of the fact to the guard, but
+the only answer he got was, "Ay, mony a ane has complained o' that
+hole," and the guard quietly passed on to other duties.
+
+Railway travellers are familiar with an official at the principal
+through stations whose duty it seems to be to ring a bell and loudly
+call out "Take your seats!" the moment hungry passengers enter the
+refreshment-rooms. How far his zeal engenders dyspepsia and heart
+disease it is impossible to say.
+
+In the mail-coach days similar pressure was put upon passengers; for
+every effort was made to hurry forward the mails. In a family letter
+written by Mendelssohn in 1829, he describes a mail-coach journey from
+Glasgow to Liverpool. Among other things he mentions that the changing
+of horses was done in about forty seconds. This was not the language of
+mere hyperbole, for where the stoppage was one for the purpose of
+changing horses only the official time allowed was one minute.
+
+It is perhaps a pity that we have not fuller records of the scenes
+enacted at the stopping-places; they would doubtless afford us some
+amusement. There is the old story of the knowing passenger who,
+unobserved, placed all the silver spoons in the coffee-pot in order to
+cool the coffee and delay the coach, while the other passengers, already
+in their places, were being searched.
+
+There is another story which may be worth repeating. A hungry passenger
+had just commenced to taste the quality of a stewed fowl when he was
+peremptorily ordered by the guard to take his place. Unwilling to lose
+either his meal or his passage, he hastily rolled the fowl in his
+handkerchief, and mounted the coach. But the landlord, unused to such
+liberties, was soon after him with the ravished dish. The coach was
+already on the move, and the only revenge left to the landlord was to
+call out jeeringly to the passenger, "Won't you have the gravy, sir?"
+The other passengers had a laugh at the expense of their companion; but
+we know that a hungry man is a tenacious man, and a man with a full
+stomach can afford to laugh. At any rate the proverb says, "Who laughs
+last laughs best."
+
+The differences arising between passengers and the landlords at the
+stopping-places were sometimes, however, of a much more prosaic and
+solemn character. Charles Lamb has given us such a scene. "I was
+travelling," he says, "in a stage-coach with three male Quakers,
+buttoned up in the straitest nonconformity of their sect. We stopped to
+bait at Andover, where a meal, partly tea apparatus, partly supper, was
+set before us. My friends confined themselves to the tea-table. I in my
+way took supper. When the landlady brought in the bill, the eldest of my
+companions discovered that she had charged for both meals. This was
+resisted. Mine hostess was very clamorous and positive. Some mild
+arguments were used on the part of the Quakers, for which the heated
+mind of the good lady seemed by no means a fit recipient. The guard
+came in with his usual peremptory notice. The Quakers pulled out their
+money and formally tendered it--so much for tea--I, in humble situation,
+tendering mine, for the supper which I had taken. She would not relax in
+her demand. So they all three quietly put up their silver, as did
+myself, and marched out of the room, the eldest and gravest going first,
+with myself closing up the rear, who thought I could not do better than
+follow the example of such grave and warrantable personages. We got in.
+The steps went up. The coach drove off. The murmurs of mine hostess, not
+very indistinctly or ambiguously pronounced, became after a time
+inaudible, and now my conscience, which the whimsical scene had for a
+while suspended, beginning to give some twitches, I waited, in the hope
+that some justification would be offered by these serious persons for
+the seeming injustice of their conduct. To my surprise, not a syllable
+was dropped on the subject. They sat as mute as at a meeting. At length
+the eldest of them broke silence by inquiring of his next neighbour,
+'Hast thee heard how indigos go at the India House?' and the question
+operated as a soporific on my moral feelings as far as Exeter."
+
+A Frenchman was once a traveller by mail-coach, who, although he knew
+the English language fairly well, was not familiar with the finer shades
+of meaning attached to set expressions when applied in particular
+situations. An Englishman, who was his companion inside the coach, had
+occasion to direct his attention to some object in the passing
+landscape, and requested him to "look out." This the Frenchman promptly
+did, putting his head and shoulders out of the window, and the view
+obtained proved highly pleasing to the stranger. A stage further on in
+the journey, when the coach was approaching a narrow part of the road
+bordered and overhung by dense foliage, the driver, as was his custom,
+called out to the company, "Look out!" to which the Frenchman again
+quickly responded by thrusting head and shoulders out of the window;
+but this time with the result that his hat was brushed off, and his face
+badly scratched from contact with the neighbouring branches. This
+curious contradiction in the use of the very same words enraged the
+Frenchman, who said hard things of our language; for he had discovered
+that when told to "look out" he was to look out, and that again when
+told to "look out" he was to be careful not to look out.
+
+Mackenzie graphically describes the part mail-coaches took in the
+distribution of news over the country in the early years of the century.
+Referring to the news of the battle of Waterloo, he says: "By day and
+night these coaches rolled along at their pace of seven or eight miles
+an hour. At all cross roads messengers were waiting to get a newspaper
+or a word of tidings from the guard. In every little town, as the hour
+approached for the arrival of the mail, the citizens hovered about their
+streets waiting restlessly for the expected news. In due time the coach
+rattled into the market-place, hung with branches, the now familiar
+token that a great battle had been fought and a victory won. Eager
+groups gathered. The guard, as he handed out his mail-bags, told of the
+decisive victory which had crowned and completed our efforts. And then
+the coachman cracked his whip, the guard's horn gave forth once more its
+notes of triumph, and the coach rolled away, bearing the thrilling news
+into other districts."
+
+The writer of the interesting work called _Glasgow, Past and Present_,
+gives the following realistic account of the arrival of the London mail
+in Glasgow in war-time:--
+
+"During the time of the French war it was quite exhilarating to observe
+the arrival of the London mail-coach in Glasgow, when carrying the first
+intelligence of a great victory, like the battle of the Nile, or the
+battle of Waterloo. The mail-coach horses were then decorated with
+laurels, and a red flag floated on the roof of the coach. The guard,
+dressed in his best scarlet coat and gold ornamented hat, came galloping
+at a thundering pace along the stones of the Gallowgate, sounding his
+bugle amidst the echoings of the streets; and when he arrived at the
+foot of Nelson Street he discharged his blunderbuss in the air. On these
+occasions a general run was made to the Tontine Coffee-room to hear the
+great news, and long before the newspapers were delivered the public
+were advertised by the guard of the particulars of the great victory,
+which fled from mouth to mouth like wildfire."
+
+The mail-guards, and also the coachmen, were a race of men by
+themselves, modelled and fashioned by the circumstances of their
+employment--in fact, receiving character, like all other sets of people,
+from their peculiar environment. There are now very few of them
+remaining, and these very old men. These officers of the Post Office
+mixed with all sorts of people, learned a great deal from the
+passengers, and were full of romance and anecdote. We remember one guard
+whose conversation and accounts of funny things were so continuous that
+his hearers were kept in a constant state of ecstasy whenever he was
+set agoing. His fund of story seemed inexhaustible, and we can imagine
+how hilariously would pass away the hours on the outside of a mail-coach
+with such a companion. The guard of whom we are speaking was a north
+countryman, possessed of a stalwart frame and iron constitution, a man
+with whom a highwayman would rather avoid getting into grips. He used to
+tell of an occasion on which the driver, being drunk, fell from his box,
+and the horses bolted. He himself was seated in his place at the rear of
+the coach. The state of things was serious. He however scrambled over
+the top of the coach, let himself down between the wheelers, stole along
+the pole of the coach, recovered the reins, and saved the mail from
+wreck and the passengers from impending death. For this he received a
+special letter of thanks from the Postmaster-General.
+
+It was the custom of this guard, as no doubt of others of his class, to
+take charge of parcels of value for conveyance between places on his
+road. On one occasion he had charge of a parcel of L1500 in bank notes,
+which was in course of transmission to a bank at headquarters. It
+happened that the driver had been indulging rather freely, and at one of
+the stopping-places the coachman started off with the coach leaving the
+guard behind. The latter did not discover this till the coach was out of
+sight, and realising the responsibility he was under in respect of the
+money, which for safety he had placed in a holster below one of his
+pistols, he was in a great fright. There was nothing for it but to start
+on foot and endeavour to overtake the coach; but this he did not succeed
+in doing till he had run a whole stage, at the end of which the
+perspiration was oozing through his scarlet coat. At the completion of
+the journey he sponged himself all over with whisky, and did not then
+feel any ill effects from the great strain he had placed himself under,
+though later in life he believed his heart had suffered damage from the
+exertions of that memorable day.
+
+Before leaving this branch of our subject it may be well to note that
+while the mail guards received but nominal pay--ten and sixpence a
+week--they earned considerable sums in gratuities from passengers, and
+for executing small commissions for the public. In certain cases as much
+as L300 a year was thus received; and the heavy fines that were
+inflicted upon them were therefore not so severe as might at first sight
+seem. Unhappily these men were given to take drink, if not wisely, at
+any rate too often. The weaknesses of the mail guard are very cleverly
+portrayed in some verses on the _Mail-Coach Guard_, quoted in Larwood
+and Hotten's work on the _History of Signboards_; and while these
+frailties are the burden of the song, it will be observed how cleverly
+the names of inns or alehouses are introduced into the song:--
+
+
+     "At each inn on the road I a welcome could find;
+       At the Fleece I'd my skin full of ale;
+     The Two Jolly Brewers were just to my mind;
+       At the Dolphin I drank like a whale.
+     Tom Tun at the Hogshead sold pretty good stuff;
+       They'd capital flip at the Boar;
+     And when at the Angel I'd tippled enough,
+       I went to the Devil for more.
+     Then I'd always a sweetheart so snug at the Car;
+       At the Rose I'd a lily so white;
+     Few planets could equal sweet Nan at the Star;
+       No eyes ever twinkled so bright.
+     I've had many a hug at the sign of the Bear;
+       In the Sun courted morning and noon;
+     And when night put an end to my happiness there,
+       I'd a sweet little girl in the Moon.
+     To sweethearts and ale I at length bid adieu,
+       Of wedlock to set up the Sign;
+     Hand-in-Hand the Good-Woman I look for in you,
+       And the Horns I hope ne'er will be mine.
+     Once guard to the mail, I'm now guard to the fair,
+       But though my commission's laid down,
+     Yet while the King's Arms I'm permitted to bear,
+       Like a Lion I'll fight for the Crown."
+
+
+A good loyal subject to the last.
+
+One of the changes that time and circumstances have brought into the
+postal service is this, that the country post-offices have passed out of
+the hands of innkeepers, and into those of more desirable persons. In
+former times, and down to the period of the mail-coaches, the
+post-offices in many of the provincial towns were established at the inn
+of the place. In those days the conveyance of the mails being to a large
+extent by horse, it was convenient to have the office established where
+the relays of horses were maintained; and the term "postmaster" then
+applied in a double sense--to the person intrusted with the receipt and
+despatch of letters, and with the providing of horses to convey the
+mails. The two duties are now no longer combined, and the word
+"postmaster" has consequently become applicable to two totally different
+classes of persons. The innkeepers were not very assiduous in matters
+pertaining to the post, and the duty of receiving and despatching
+letters, being frequently left to waiters and chambermaids, was very
+badly done. Often there was no separate room provided for the
+transaction of post-office business, and visitors at the inn and others
+had opportunities for scrutinising the correspondence that ought not to
+have existed. The postmaster was assisted by his ostler, as chief
+adviser in the postal work, which, however, was neglected; the worst
+horses, instead of the best, were hired out for the mails; and for
+riders the service was graced with the dregs of the stable-yard. At the
+same time the innkeepers were alive to their own interests, for they
+sometimes attracted travellers to their houses by granting them franks
+for the free transmission of their letters. The salaries of the
+postmasters were not cast in a liberal mould, and what they did receive
+was subject to the charge of providing candles, wax, string, etc.,
+necessary for making up the mails.
+
+[Illustration: THE MAIL-COACH GUARD.]
+
+The following are examples of the salaries of postmasters about a
+hundred years ago:--
+
+
+     Paisley, 1790 to 1800,        L33
+     Dundee, 1800,                  50
+     Arbroath, 1763 to 1794,        20
+     Aberdeen, 1763 to 1793, about  90
+     Glasgow, 1789                 140
+       and Clerk                    30
+
+
+Constant appeals reached headquarters for "an augmentation," which was
+the term then applied to an increase of salary, and in the circumstances
+it is not surprising that the post-office work was indifferently done.
+Attendance had to be given to the public during the day, and when the
+mail passed through a town in the dead hours of night some one had to be
+up to despatch or receive the mail. Sometimes the postmaster, when awoke
+by the post-boy's horn, would get up and drop the mail-bag by a hook
+and line from his bedroom window. An instance of such a proceeding is
+given by Williams in his history of Watford, where the destinies of the
+post were at the time presided over by a postmistress. "In response,"
+says he, "to the thundering knock of the conductor, the old lady left
+her couch, and thrusting her head, covered with a wide-bordered
+night-cap, out of the bedroom window, let down the mail-bag by a string,
+and quickly returned to her bed again." Coming thus nightly to the open
+window must have been a risky duty as regards health for a postmistress.
+
+A hundred years ago the chief post-office in London was situated in
+Lombard Street. The scene, if we may judge by a print of the period,
+would appear to have been one of quietude and waiting for something to
+turn up. In 1829 the General Post Office was transferred to St. Martin's
+le Grand, and the departure of the evening mails (when mail-coaches were
+in full swing) became one of the sights of London.
+
+Living in an age of cheap postage as we do, we look back upon the rates
+charged a century ago with something akin to amazement. In the following
+table will be seen some of the inland and foreign postage charges which
+were current in the period from 1797 to 1815:--
+
+
+     --------------------------------------------------------------
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |                          | Single| Double | Treble | 1 oz. |
+     |     ENGLAND, 1797.       | Letter| Letter | Letter |       |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |Distance not exceeding in +-------+--------+--------+-------+
+     |Miles--                   | s.  d.| s.  d. | s.  d. | s. d. |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |15,                       | 0   3 | 0   6  | 0   9  | 1  0  |
+     |15 to 30,                 | 0   4 | 0   8  | 1   0  | 1  4  |
+     |30 "  60,                 | 0   5 | 0  10  | 1   3  | 1  8  |
+     |60 " 100,                 | 0   6 | 1   0  | 1   6  | 2  0  |
+     |100 " 150,                | 0   7 | 1   2  | 1   9  | 2  4  |
+     |150 and upwards,          | 0   8 | 1   4  | 2   0  | 2  8  |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |For Scotland these rates  |       |        |        |       |
+     |were increased by         | 0   1 | 0   2  | 0   3  | 0  4  |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |        FOREIGN.          |       |        |        |       |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |From any part in Great    |       |        |        |       |
+     |Britain to any part in--  |       |        |        |       |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |Portugal,                 | 1   0 | 2   0  | 3   0  | 4  0  |
+     |British Dominions in  }   |       |        |        |       |
+     |America,              }   | 1   0 | 2   0  | 3   0  | 4  0  |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |          1806.           |       |        |        |       |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |From any part in Great    |       |        |        |       |
+     |Britain to--              |       |        |        |       |
+     |                          |       |        |        |       |
+     |Gibraltar,                | 1   9 | 3   6  | 5   3  | 7  0  |
+     |Malta,                    | 2   1 | 4   2    6   3  | 8  4  |
+     --------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+     ---------------------------------------------------------
+     |                       |       |       |       |       |
+     |        1808.          |Single |Double |Treble | 1 oz. |
+     |                       |Letter.|Letter.|Letter.|       |
+     |From any part in Great |       |       |       |       |
+     |  Britain to--         +-------+-------+-------+-------+
+     |                       | s.  d.| s.  d.|  s. d.|  s. d.|
+     |    Madeira,           | 1   6 | 3   0 |  4  6 |  6  0 |
+     |    South America, }   |       |       |       |       |
+     |    Portuguese     }   | 2   5 | 4  10 |  7  3 |  9  8 |
+     |      Possessions, }   |       |       |       |       |
+     |                       |       |       |       |       |
+     |        1815.          |       |       |       |       |
+     |                       |       |       |       |       |
+     |From any part in Great |       |       |       |       |
+     |  Britain to--         |       |       |       |       |
+     |                       |       |       |       |       |
+     |    Cape of Good Hope,}|       |       |       |       |
+     |    Mauritius,        }| 3   6 | 7   0 | 10  6 | 14  0 |
+     |    East Indies,      }|       |       |       |       |
+     |                       |       |       |       |       |
+     ---------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+Over and above these foreign rates, the full inland postage in England
+and Scotland, according to the distance the letters had to be conveyed
+to the port of despatch, was levied.
+
+Many persons remember how old-fashioned letters were made up--a single
+sheet of paper folded first at the top and bottom, then one side slipped
+inside the folds of the other, then a wafer or seal applied, and the
+address written on the back. That was a _single_ letter. If a cheque,
+bank-bill, or other document were enclosed, the letter became a double
+letter. Two enclosures made the letter a treble letter. The officers of
+the Post Office examined the letters in the interest of the Revenue, the
+letters being submitted to the test of a strong light, and the officers,
+peeping in at the end, used the feather end of a quill to separate the
+folds of the letter for better inspection. Envelopes were not then used.
+
+These high rates of postage gave rise to frequent attempts to defraud
+the Revenue, and many plans were adopted to circumvent the Post Office
+in this matter. Sometimes a series of words in the print of a newspaper
+were pricked with a pin, and thus conveyed a message to the person for
+whom the newspaper was intended. Sometimes milk was used as an invisible
+ink upon a newspaper, the receiver reading the message sent by holding
+the paper to the fire. At other times soldiers took the letters of their
+friends, and sent them under franks written by their officers. Letters
+were conveyed by public carriers, against the statute, sometimes tied up
+in brown paper, to disguise them as parcels. The carriers seem to have
+been conspicuous offenders, for one of them was convicted at Warwick in
+1794, when penalties amounting to L1500 were incurred, though only L10
+and costs were actually exacted. The Post Office maintained a staff of
+men called "Apprehenders of Letter Carriers," whose business it was to
+hunt down persons illegally carrying letters.
+
+Nor must we omit to mention how far short of perfection were the means
+afforded for cross-post communication between one town and another.
+While along the main lines of road radiating from London there might be
+a fairly good service according to the ideas of the times, the
+cross-country connections were bad and inadequate. Here are one or two
+instances:--
+
+In 1792 there was no direct post between Thrapstone and Wellingborough,
+though they lay only nine miles apart. Letters could circulate between
+these towns by way of Stilton, Newark, Nottingham, and Northampton,
+performing a circuit of 148 miles, or they could be sent by way of
+London, 74 up and 68 1/2 down,--in which latter case they reached their
+destination one day sooner than by the northern route.
+
+[Illustrations: Diagrams--ROUNDABOUT COMMUNICATIONS]
+
+Again, from Ipswich to Bury St. Edmunds, two important towns of about
+11,000 and 7000 inhabitants respectively, and distant from each other
+only twenty-two miles, there was no direct post. Letters had to be
+forwarded either through Norwich and Newmarket, or by way of London, the
+distance to be covered in the one case being 105 miles, and in the other
+143 1/2 miles. According to a time-table of the period, a letter posted at
+Ipswich for Bury St. Edmunds on Monday would be despatched to Norwich at
+5.30 A.M. on Tuesday. Reaching this place six hours thereafter, it would
+be forwarded thence at 4 P.M. to Newmarket, where it was due at 11 P.M.
+At Newmarket it would lie all night and the greater part of next day,
+and would only arrive at Bury at 5.40 P.M. on Wednesday. Thus three days
+were consumed in the journey of a letter from Ipswich to Bury by the
+nearest postal route, and nothing was to be gained by adopting the
+alternative route _via_ London.
+
+In 1781 the postal staff in Edinburgh was composed of twenty-three
+persons, of whom six were letter-carriers. The indoor staff of the
+Glasgow Post Office in 1789 consisted of the postmaster and one clerk,
+and as ten years later there were only four postmen employed, the
+outdoor force in 1789 was probably only four men.
+
+Liverpool, in the year 1792, when its population stood at something like
+60,000, had only three postmen, whose wages were 7s. a week each. One of
+the men, however, was assisted by his wife, and for this service the
+Post Office allowed her from L10 to L12 a year. Their duties seem to
+have been carried out in an easy-going, deliberate fashion. The men
+arranged the letters for distribution in the early morning, then they
+partook of breakfast, and started on their rounds about 9 A.M.,
+completing their delivery about the middle of the afternoon. It would
+thus seem that a hundred years ago there was but one delivery daily in
+Liverpool.
+
+During the same period there were only three letter-carriers employed at
+Manchester, four at Bristol, and three or four at Birmingham. In our own
+times the number of postmen serving these large towns may be counted by
+the hundreds, or, I might almost say, thousands.
+
+The delivery of letters in former times was necessarily a slow affair,
+for two reasons, namely:--that prepayment was not compulsory, and the
+senders of letters thoughtfully left the receivers to pay for them, when
+the postmen would often be kept waiting for the money. And secondly,
+streets were not named and numbered systematically as they now are, and
+concise addresses were impossible.
+
+It is no doubt the case that order and method in laying out the streets
+and in regulating generally the buildings of towns are things of quite
+modern growth. In old-fashioned towns we find the streets running at all
+angles to one another, and describing all sorts of curves, without any
+regard whatever to general harmony. And will it be believed that the
+numbering of the houses in streets is comparatively a modern
+arrangement! Walter Thornbury tells us in his _Haunted London_ that
+"names were first put on doors in 1760 (some years before the street
+signs were removed). In 1764 houses were first numbered, the numbering
+commencing in New Burleigh Street, and Lincoln's-Inn-Fields being the
+second place numbered." While in our own time the addresses of letters
+are generally brief and direct, it is not to be wondered at that, under
+the conditions above stated, the superscriptions were often such as now
+seem to us curious. Here is one given in a printed notice issued at
+Edinburgh in 1714:--
+
+
+     "The Stamp office at Edinburgh
+     in Mr. William Law, Jeweller,
+     his hands, off the Parliament close,
+     down the market stairs, opposite
+     to the Excise office."
+
+
+Here is another old-fashioned address, in which one must admit the
+spirit of filial regard with which it is inspired:--
+
+
+     "These for his honoured Mother,
+     Mrs. Hester Stryp, widow,
+     dwelling in Petticoat Lane, over
+     against the Five Inkhorns,
+               without Bishopgate,
+                  in London."
+
+
+Yet one more specimen, referring to the year 1702:--
+
+
+             "For
+     Mr. Archibald Dunbarr
+     of Thunderstoune, to be
+     left at Capt. Dunbar's
+     writing chamber at the
+     Iron Revell, third storie
+     below the cross, north end
+     of the close at Edinburgh."
+
+
+Under the circumstances of the time it was necessary thus to define at
+length where letters should be delivered; and the same circumstances
+were no doubt the _raison-d'etre_ of the corps of caddies in Edinburgh,
+whose business it was to execute commissions of all sorts, and in whom
+the paramount qualification was to know everybody in the town, and where
+everybody lived.
+
+All this is changed in our degenerate days, and it is now possible for
+any one to find any other person with the simple key of street and
+number.
+
+The irregular way in which towns grew up in former times is brought out
+in an anecdote about Kilmarnock. Early in the present century the
+streets of that town were narrow, winding, and intricate. An English
+commercial traveller, having completed some business there, mounted his
+horse, and set out for another town. He was making for the outskirts of
+Kilmarnock, and reflecting upon its apparent size and importance, when
+he suddenly found himself back at the cross. In the surprise of the
+moment he was heard to exclaim that surely his "sable eminence" must
+have had a hand in the building of it, for it was a town very easily got
+into, but there was no getting out of it.
+
+A duty that the changed circumstances of the times now renders
+unnecessary was formerly imposed upon postmasters, of which there is
+hardly a recollection remaining among the officials carrying on the work
+of the post to-day. The duty is mentioned in an order of May 1824, to
+the following effect: "An old instruction was renewed in 1812, that all
+postmasters should transmit to me (the Secretary), for the information
+of His Majesty's Postmaster-General, an immediate account of all
+remarkable occurrences within their districts, that the same may be
+communicated, if necessary, to His Majesty's principal Secretaries of
+State. This has not been invariably attended to, and I am commanded by
+His Lordship to say, that henceforward it will be expected of every
+Deputy." This gathering of news from all quarters is now adequately
+provided for by the _Daily Press_, and no incident of any importance
+occurs which is not immediately distributed through that channel, or
+flashed by the telegraph, to every corner of the kingdom.
+
+A custom, which would now be looked upon as a curiosity, and the origin
+of which would have to be sought for in the remote past, was in
+operation in the larger towns of the kingdom until about the year 1859.
+The custom was that of ringing the town for letters to be despatched;
+certain of the postmen being authorised to go over apportioned
+districts, after the ordinary collections of letters from the receiving
+offices had been made, to gather in late letters for the mail. Until the
+year above mentioned the arrangement was thus carried out in Dublin. The
+letter-box at the chief office, and those at the receiving offices,
+closed two hours before the despatch of the night mail. Half an hour
+after this closing eleven postmen started to scour the town, collecting
+on their way letters and newspapers. Each man carried a locked leather
+wallet, into which, through an opening, letters and other articles were
+placed, the postmen receiving a fee of a penny on every letter, and a
+halfpenny on every newspaper. This was a personal fee to the men over
+and above the ordinary postage. To warn the public of the postman's
+approach each man carried a large bell, which he rang vigorously as he
+went his rounds. These men, besides taking up letters for the public,
+called also at the receiving offices for any letters left for them upon
+which the special fee had been paid, and the "ringers" had to reach the
+chief office one hour before the despatch of the night mail. This custom
+seems to have yielded considerable emolument to the men concerned, for
+when it was abolished compensation was given for the loss of fees, the
+annual payments ranging from L10 8s., to L36 8s. Increased posting
+facilities, and the infusion of greater activity into the performance of
+post-office work, were no doubt the things which "rang the parting
+knell" of these useful servants of the period.
+
+[Illustration: THE BELLMAN COLLECTING LETTERS FOR DESPATCH.]
+
+The slow and infrequent conveyance of mails by the ordinary post in
+former times gave rise to the necessity for "Expresses." By this term is
+meant the despatch of a single letter by man and horse, to be passed on
+from stage to stage without delay to its destination. In an official
+instruction of 1824 the speed to be observed was thus described: "It is
+expected that all Expresses shall be conveyed at the rate of seven
+miles, at least, within the hour." The charge made was 11d. per mile,
+arising as follows, viz.:--7 1/2d. per mile for the horse, 2d. per mile for
+the rider, and 1 1/2d. per mile for the post-horse duty. The postmaster who
+despatched the Express, and the postmaster who received it for delivery,
+were each entitled to 2s. 6d. for their trouble.
+
+It will perhaps be convenient to look at the packet service apart from
+the land service, though progress is as remarkable in the one as in the
+other. During the wars of the latter half of the last century, the
+packets, small as they were, were armed packets. But we almost smile in
+recording the armaments carried. Here is an account of the arms of the
+_Roebuck_ packet as inventoried in 1791:--
+
+
+     2 Carriage guns.
+     4 Muskets and bayonets.
+     4 Brass Blunderbusses.
+     4 Cutlasses.
+     4 Pair of Pistols.
+     3 old Cartouch-boxes.
+
+
+In our own estuaries and seas the packets were not free from
+molestation, and were in danger of being taken. In 1779 the Carron
+Company were running vessels from the Forth to London, and the following
+notice was issued by them as an inducement to persons travelling between
+these places:--
+
+"The Carron vessels are fitted out in the most complete manner for
+defence, at a very considerable expense, and are well provided with
+small arms. All mariners, recruiting parties, soldiers upon furlow, and
+all other steerage passengers who have been accustomed to the use of
+firearms, and who will engage to assist in defending themselves, will be
+accommodated with their passage to and from London upon satisfying the
+masters for their provisions, which in no instance shall exceed 10s. 6d.
+sterling." This was the year in which Paul Jones visited the Firth of
+Forth, and was spreading terror all round the coasts. The following was
+the service of the packets in the year 1780. Five packets were employed
+between Dover and Ostend and Calais, the despatches being made on
+Wednesdays and Saturdays. Between Harwich and Holland three were
+employed, the sailings in this case also taking place on Wednesdays and
+Saturdays. For New York and the West India Service twelve packets were
+engaged, sailing from Falmouth on the first Wednesday of every month.
+Four packets performed the duty between Falmouth and Lisbon, sailing
+every Saturday; and five packets kept up the Irish communication,
+sailing daily between Holyhead and Dublin. In the year 1798, a mail
+service seems to have been kept up by packets sailing from Yarmouth to
+Cuxhaven, at the mouth of the Elbe, respecting which the following
+particulars may be interesting. They are taken from an old letter-book.
+"The passage-money to the office is 12s. 6d. for whole passengers, and
+6s. 6d. for half passengers, either to or from England; 6d. of which is
+to be paid to the Captain for small beer, which both the whole and half
+passengers are to be informed of their being entitled to when they
+embark.
+
+"1s. 6d. is allowed as a perquisite on each whole passenger, 1s. of
+which to the agent at Cuxhaven for every whole passenger embarking for
+England, and the other 6d. to the agent at Yarmouth; and in like manner
+1s. to the agent at Yarmouth on every whole passenger embarking for the
+Continent, and 6d. to the agent at Cuxhaven; but no fee whatever is to
+be taken on half passengers, so that 10s. 6d. must be accounted for to
+the Revenue on each whole passenger, and 6s. on each half passenger."
+
+Half passengers were servants, young children, or persons in low
+circumstances.
+
+While touching upon passage-money, it may be noted that in 1811 the fare
+from Weymouth to Jersey or Guernsey, for cabin passengers, was, to the
+captain, 15s. 6d. and to the office 10s. 6d.--or L1, 6s. in all.
+
+The mail packets performing the service between England and Ireland in
+the first quarter of the present century were not much to boast of.
+According to a survey taken at Holyhead in July 1821, the vessels
+employed to carry the mails between that port and Dublin were of very
+small tonnage, as will be seen by the following table:--
+
+
+     Uxbridge,                93 tons.
+     Pelham,                  98  "
+     Duke of Montrose,        98  "
+     Chichester,             102  "
+     Union,                  104  "
+     Countess of Liverpool,  114  "
+
+
+The valuation of these crafts, including rigging, furniture, and
+fitting, ranged from L1600 to L2400.
+
+The failures or delays in making the passage across the Channel are thus
+described by Cleland in his _Annals of Glasgow_: "It frequently
+happens," says he, "that the mail packet is windbound at the mouth of
+the Liffey for several days together"; and we have seen it stated in a
+newspaper article that the packets crossing to Ireland by the
+Portpatrick route were sometimes delayed a couple of weeks by contrary
+winds.
+
+A few years previously an attempt had been made to introduce
+steam-packets for the Holyhead and Dublin service; but this improved
+service was not at that time adopted. Referring to the year 1816,
+Cleland writes: "The success of steamboats on the Clyde induced some
+gentlemen in Dublin to order two vessels to be made to ply as packets in
+the Channel between Dublin and Holyhead, with a view of ultimately
+carrying the mail. The dimensions are as follows:--viz., keel 65 feet,
+beam 18 feet, with 9 feet draught of water--have engines of 20
+horse-power, and are named the 'Britannia' and 'Hibernia.'" These were
+the modest ideas then held as to the power of steam to develop and
+expedite the packet service. In the period from 1850-60, when steam had
+been adopted upon the Holyhead and Dublin route, one of the first
+contract vessels was the _Prince Arthur_, having a gross tonnage of 400,
+and whose speed was thirteen or fourteen knots an hour. The latest
+addition to this line of packets is the _Ireland_ a magnificent ship of
+2095 tons gross, and of 7000 horse-power. Its rate of speed is
+twenty-two knots an hour.
+
+As regards the American packet service perhaps greater strides than
+these even have been achieved. Prior to 1840 the vessels carrying the
+mails across the Atlantic were derisively called "coffin brigs," whose
+tonnage was probably about 400. At any rate, as will be seen later on, a
+packet in which Harriet Martineau crossed the Atlantic in 1836 was one
+of only 417 tons. On the 4th July 1840, a company, which is now the
+Cunard Company, started a contract service for the mails to America, the
+steamers employed having a tonnage burden of 1154 and indicated
+horse-power of 740. Their average speed was 8 1/2 knots. In 1853 the
+packets had attained to greater proportions and higher speed, the
+average length of passage from Liverpool to New York being twelve days
+one hour fourteen minutes. As years rolled on competition and the
+exigencies of the times called for still more rapid transit, and at
+the present day the several companies performing the American Mail
+Service have afloat palatial ships of 7000 to 10,000 tons, bringing
+America within a week's touch of Great Britain.
+
+[Illustration: HOLYHEAD AND KINGSTOWN MAIL PACKET "PRINCE ARTHUR"--400
+TONS--PERIOD 1850-60.
+(_From a painting, the property of the City of Dublin Steam Packet
+Company._)]
+
+Going back a little more than a hundred years, it is of interest to see
+how irregular were the communications to and from foreign ports by mail
+packet. Benjamin Franklin, writing of the period 1757, mentions the
+following circumstances connected with a voyage he made from New York to
+Europe in that year. The packets were at the disposition of General Lord
+Loudon, then in charge of the army in America; and Franklin had to
+travel from Philadelphia to New York to join the packet, Lord Loudon
+having preceded him to the port of despatch. The General told Franklin
+confidentially, that though it had been given out that the packet would
+sail on Saturday next, still it would not sail till Monday. He was,
+however, advised not to delay longer. "By some accidental hindrance at a
+ferry," writes Franklin, "it was Monday noon before I arrived, and I
+was much afraid she might have sailed, as the wind was fair; but I was
+soon made easy by the information that she was still in the harbour, and
+would not leave till the next day. One would imagine that I was now on
+the very point of departing for Europe. I thought so; but I was not then
+so well acquainted with his Lordship's character, of which indecision
+was one of the strongest features. It was about the beginning of April
+that I came to New York, and it was near the end of June before we
+sailed. There were then two of the packet-boats which had long been in
+port, but were detained for the General's letters, which were always to
+be ready _to-morrow_. Another packet arrived; she, too, was detained;
+and, before we sailed, a fourth was expected. Ours was the first to be
+despatched, as having been there longest. Passengers were engaged in
+all, and some extremely impatient to be gone, and the merchants uneasy
+about their letters, and the orders they had given for insurance (it
+being war-time) for fall goods; but their anxiety availed nothing; his
+Lordship's letters were not ready; and yet, whoever waited on him found
+him always at his desk, pen in hand, and concluded he must needs write
+abundantly."
+
+Apart from the manifest inconvenience of postal service conducted in the
+way described, one cannot wonder that the affairs of the American
+Colonies should get into a bad way when conducted under a policy of so
+manifest vacillation and indecision.
+
+But the irregular transmission of mails between America and Europe was
+not a thing referring merely to the year 1757, for Franklin, writing
+from Passy, near Paris, in the year 1782, again dwells upon the
+uncertainty of the communication. "We are far from the sea-ports," he
+says, "and not well informed, and often misinformed, about the sailing
+of the vessels. Frequently we are told they are to sail in a week or
+two, and often they lie in the ports for months after with our letters
+on board, either waiting for convoy or for other reasons. The
+post-office here is an unsafe conveyance; many of the letters we receive
+by it have evidently been opened, and doubtless the same happens to
+those we send; and, at this time particularly, there is so violent a
+curiosity in all kinds of people to know something relating to the
+negotiations, and whether peace may be expected, or a continuance of the
+war, that there are few private hands or travellers that we can trust
+with carrying our despatches to the sea-coast; and I imagine that they
+may sometimes be opened and destroyed, because they cannot be well
+sealed."
+
+Harriet Martineau gives an insight into the way in which mails were
+treated on board American packets in the year 1836, which may be held to
+be almost in recent times; yet the treatment is such that a
+Postmaster-General of to-day would be roused to indignation at the
+outrage perpetrated upon them. She thus writes: "I could not leave such
+a sight, even for the amusement of hauling over the letter-bags. Mr.
+Ely put on his spectacles; Mrs. Ely drew a chair; others lay along on
+deck to examine the superscriptions of the letters from Irish emigrants
+to their friends. It is wonderful how some of these epistles reach their
+destinations; the following, for instance, begun at the top left-hand
+corner, and elaborately prolonged to the bottom right one:--Mrs. A. B.
+ile of Man douglas wits sped England. The letter-bags are opened for the
+purpose of sorting out those which are for delivery in port from the
+rest. A fine day is always chosen, generally towards the end of the
+voyage, when amusements become scarce and the passengers are growing
+weary. It is pleasant to sit on the rail and see the passengers gather
+round the heap of letters, and to hear the shouts of merriment when any
+exceedingly original superscription comes under notice." Such liberties
+with the mails in the present day would excite consternation in the
+headquarters of the Post Office Department. Nor is this all. Miss
+Martineau makes the further remark--"The two Miss O'Briens appeared
+to-day on deck, speaking to nobody, sitting on the same seats, with
+their feet _on the same letter-bag_, reading two volumes of the same
+book, and dressed alike," etc. The mail-bags turned into footstools,
+forsooth! It is interesting to note the size of the packet in which this
+lady crossed the Atlantic. It was the _Orpheus_, Captain Bursley, a
+vessel of 417 tons. In looking back on these times, and knowing what
+dreadful storms our huge steamers encounter between Europe and America,
+we cannot but admire the courage which must have inspired men and women
+to embark for distant ports in crafts so frail.[4] It is well also to
+note that the transit from New York occupied the period from the 1st to
+the 26th August, the better part of four weeks.
+
+Reference has been made to the fact that a century ago the little
+packets, to which the mails and passengers were consigned, were built
+for fighting purposes. It was no uncommon thing for them to fall into
+the hands of an enemy; but they did not always succumb without doing
+battle, and sometimes they had the honours of the day. In 1793 the
+_Antelope_ packet fought a privateer off the coast of Cuba and captured
+it, after 49 of the 65 men the privateer carried had been killed or
+disabled. The _Antelope_ had only two killed and three wounded--one
+mortally. In 1803 the _Lady Hobart_, a vessel of 200 tons, sailing from
+Nova Scotia for England, fell in with and captured a French schooner;
+but the _Lady Hobart_ a few days later ran into an iceberg, receiving
+such damage that she shortly thereafter foundered. The mails were loaded
+with iron and thrown overboard, and the crew and passengers, taking to
+the boats, made for Newfoundland, which they reached after enduring
+great hardships.
+
+The introduction of the uniform Penny Postage, under the scheme with
+which Sir Rowland Hill's name is so intimately associated, and the
+Jubilee of which occurs in the present year, marks an important epoch in
+the review which is now under consideration. To enter into a history of
+the Penny Postage agitation would be beyond the scope of these pages.
+Like all great schemes, the idea propounded was fought against inch by
+inch, and the battle, so far as the objectors are concerned, remains a
+memorial of the incapacity of a great portion of mankind to think out
+any scheme on its merits. Whatever is new is sure to be opposed,
+apparently on no other ground than that of novelty, and in this bearing
+men are often not unlike some of the lower creatures in the scale of
+animated nature, that start and fly from things which they have not seen
+before, though they may have no more substance than that of a shadow.
+However this may be, the Penny Postage measure has produced stupendous
+results. In 1839, the year before the reduction of postage, the letters
+passing through the post in the United Kingdom were 82,500,000. In 1840,
+under the Penny Postage Scheme, the number immediately rose to nearly
+169,000,000. That is to say, the letters were doubled in number. Ten
+years later the number rose to 347,000,000, and in last year (1889)
+the total number of letters passing through the Post Office in this
+country was 1,558,000,000. In addition to the letters, however, the
+following articles passed through the post last year--Book Packets and
+Circulars, 412,000,000; Newspapers 152,000,000; Post Cards 201,000,000.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Form of Petition used in agitation for the Uniform Penny Postage._
+
+UNIFORM PENNY POSTAGE.
+
+(FORM OF A PETITION.)
+
+TO THE HONOURABLE THE LORDS SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL [_or_, THE COMMONS,
+_as the case may be_] IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED:--
+
+The humble Petition of the Undersigned [_to be filled up with the name
+of Place, Corporation, &c._]
+
+SHEWETH,
+
+That your Petitioners earnestly desire an Uniform Penny Post, payable in
+advance, as proposed by Rowland Hill, and recommended by the Report of
+the Select Committee of the House of Commons.
+
+That your Petitioners intreat your Honourable House to give speedy
+effect to this Report. And your Petitioners will ever pray.
+
+                       *       *       *
+
+MOTHERS AND FATHERS that wish to hear from their absent children!
+
+FRIENDS who are parted, that wish to write to each other!
+
+EMIGRANTS that do not forget their native homes!
+
+FARMERS that wish to know the best Markets!
+
+MERCHANTS AND TRADESMEN that wish to receive Orders and Money quickly
+and cheaply!
+
+MECHANICS AND LABOURERS that wish to learn where good work and high
+wages are to be had! _support_ the Report of the House of Commons with
+your Petitions for an UNIFORM PENNY POST. Let every City and Town and
+Village, every Corporation, every Religious Society and Congregation,
+petition, and let every one in the kingdom sign a Petition with his name
+or his mark.
+
+THIS IS NO QUESTION OF PARTY POLITICS.
+
+Lord Ashburton, a Conservative, and one of the richest Noblemen in the
+country, spoke these impressive words before the House of Commons
+Committee--"Postage is one of the worst of our Taxes; it is, in fact,
+taxing the conversation of people who live at a distance from each
+other. The communication of letters by persons living at a distance is
+the same as a communication by word of mouth between persons living in
+the same town."
+
+"Sixpence," says Mr. Brewin, "is the third of a poor man's income; if a
+gentleman, who had 1,000_l._ a year, or 3_l._ a day, had to pay
+one-third of his daily income, a sovereign, for a letter, how often
+would he write letters of friendship! Let a gentleman put that to
+himself, and then he will be able to see how the poor man cannot be able
+to pay Sixpence for his Letter."
+
+                       *       *       *
+
+READER!
+
+If you can get any Signatures to a Petition, make two Copies of the
+above on two half sheets of paper; get them signed as numerously as
+possible; fold each up separately; put a slip of paper around, leaving
+the ends open; direct one to a Member of the House of Lords, the other
+to a Member of the House of Commons, LONDON, and put them into the Post
+Office.
+
+                       *       *       *
+
+_Reproduced from a handbill in the collection of the late Sir Henry
+Cole, K.C.B. By permission of Lady Cole._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Should any reader desire to inform himself with some degree of fulness
+of the stages through which the Penny Postage agitation passed, he
+cannot do better than peruse Sir Henry Cole's _Fifty Years of Public
+Work_.
+
+The Postmaster-General, speaking at the Jubilee Meeting at the London
+Guildhall, on the 16th May last, thus contrasted the work of 1839 with
+that of 1889: "Although I would not to-night weary an assemblage like
+this with tedious and tiresome figures, it may be at least permitted to
+me to remind you that, whereas in the year immediately preceding the
+establishment of the Penny Postage the number of letters delivered in
+the United Kingdom amounted to[5] 76,000,000, the number of letters
+delivered in this country last year was nearly 1,600,000,000--twenty
+times the number of letters which passed through the post fifty years
+ago. To these letters must be added the 652,000,000 of post-cards and
+other communications by the halfpenny post, and the enormous number of
+newspapers, which bring the total number of communications passing
+through the post to considerably above two billions. I venture to say
+that this is the most stupendous result of any administrative change
+which the world has witnessed. If you estimate the effect of that upon
+our daily life; if you pause for a moment to consider how trade and
+business have been facilitated and developed; how family relations have
+been maintained and kept together; if you for a moment allow your mind
+to dwell upon the change which is implied in that great fact to which I
+have called attention, I think you will see that the establishment of
+the penny post has done more to change--and change for the better--the
+face of Old England than almost any other political or social project
+which has received the sanction of Legislature within our history."
+
+Among the Penny Postage literature issued in the year 1840 there are
+several songs. One of these was published at Leith, and is given below.
+It is entitled "Hurrah for the Postman, the great Roland Hill." The
+leaflet is remarkable for this, that it is headed by a picture of
+postmen rushing through the streets delivering letters on roller skates.
+It is generally believed that roller skates are quite a modern
+invention, and in the absence of proof to the contrary it may be fair to
+assume that the author of the song anticipated the inventor in this mode
+of progression. So there really seems to be nothing new under the sun!
+
+
+HURRAH FOR THE POSTMAN, THE GREAT ROLAND HILL.[6]
+
+
+     "Come, send round the liquor, and fill to the brim
+     A bumper to Railroads, the Press, Gas, and Steam;
+     To rags, bags, and nutgalls, ink, paper, and quill,
+     The Post, and the Postman, the gude Roland Hill!
+     By steam we noo travel mair quick than the eagle,
+     A sixty mile trip for the price o' a sang!
+     A prin it has powntit--th' Atlantic surmountit,
+     We'll compass the globe in a fortnight or lang.
+     The gas bleezes brightly, you witness it nightly,
+     Our ancestors lived unca lang in the dark;
+     Their wisdom was folly, their sense melancholy
+     When compared wi' sic wonderfu' modern wark.
+     Neist o' rags, bags, and size then, let no one despise them,
+     Without them whar wad a' our paper come frae?
+     The dark flood o' ink too, I'm given to think too,
+     Could as ill be wanted at this time o' day.
+     The Quill is a queer thing, a cheap and a dear thing,
+     A weak-lookin' object, but gude kens how strang,
+     Sometimes it is ceevil, sometimes it's the deevil.
+     Tak tent when you touch it, you haudna it wrang.
+     The Press I'll next mention, a noble invention,
+     The great mental cook with resources so vast;
+     It spreads on bright pages the knowledge o' ages,
+     And tells to the future the things of the past.
+     Hech, sirs! but its awfu' (but ne'er mind it's lawfu')
+     To saddle the Postman wi' sic meikle bags;
+     Wi' epistles and sonnets, love billets and groan-ets,
+     Ye'll tear the poor Postie to shivers and rags.
+     Noo Jock sends to Jenny, it costs but ae penny,
+     A screed that has near broke the Dictionar's back,
+     Fu' o' dove-in and dear-in, and _thoughts_ on the shearin'!!
+     Nae need noo o' whisp'rin' ayont a wheat stack.
+     Auld drivers were lazy, their mail-coaches crazy,
+     At ilk public-house they stopt for a gill;
+     But noo at the gallop, cheap mail-bags maun wallop.
+     Hurrah for our Postman, the great Roland Hill.
+                        "Then send round the liquor," etc.
+
+
+The advantages resulting from a rapid and cheap carriage of letters must
+readily occur to any ordinary mind; but perhaps the following would
+hardly suggest itself as one of those advantages. Dean Alford thus
+wrote about the usefulness of post-cards, introduced on the 1st October
+1870: "You will also find a new era in postage begun. The halfpenny
+cards have become a great institution. Some of us make large use of them
+to write short Latin epistles on, and are brushing up our Cicero and
+Pliny for that purpose."
+
+Unlike some of the branches of post-office work, other than the
+distribution of news, either by letter or newspaper, the money order
+system dates from long before the introduction of penny postage--namely
+from the year 1792.
+
+It was set on foot by some of the post-office clerks on their own
+account; but it was not till 1838 that it became a recognised business
+of the Department. Owing to high rates of commission, and to high
+postage, little business was done in the earlier years. In 1839 less
+than 190,000 orders were issued of the value of L313,000, while last
+year the total number of transactions within the United Kingdom was
+9,228,183, representing a sum of nearly L23,000,000 sterling.
+
+In the year 1861 the Post Office entered upon the business of banking by
+the establishment of the Post Office Savings Banks. At the present time
+there are upwards of 9000 offices within the kingdom at which Post
+Office Savings Bank business is transacted. The number of persons having
+accounts with these banks is now 4,220,927, and the annual deposits
+represent a gross sum of over L19,000,000.
+
+In order of time the next additional business taken up by the Department
+was that of the telegraphs. Before 1870 the telegraph work for the
+public was carried on by several commercial companies and by the railway
+companies; but in that year this business became a monopoly, like the
+transmission of letters, in the hands of the Post Office. The work of
+taking over these various telegraphs, and, consolidating them into a
+harmonious whole, was one of gigantic proportions, requiring indomitable
+courage and unwearying energy, as well as consummate ability; and when
+the history of this enterprise comes to be written, it will perhaps be
+found that the undertaking, in magnitude and importance, comes in no
+measure short of the Penny Postage scheme of Sir Rowland Hill.
+
+In the first year of the control of the telegraphs by the Post Office
+the number of messages sent was nearly 9,472,000, excluding 700,000
+press messages. At that time the minimum charge was 1s. per message. In
+1885 the minimum was reduced to 6d., and under this rate the number of
+messages rose last year to 62,368,000.
+
+The most recent addition of importance to the varied work of the Post
+Office is that of the Parcel Post. This business was started in 1883. In
+the first year of its operation the number of inland parcels transmitted
+was upwards of 22,900,000. Last year the number, including a proportion
+of foreign and colonial parcels, rose to 39,500,000, earning a gross
+postage of over L878,547. The uniform rates in respect of distance, the
+vast number of offices where parcels are received and delivered, and the
+extensive machinery at the command of the Post Office for the work,
+render this business one of extreme accommodation to the public. Not
+only is the Parcel Post taken advantage of for the transmission of
+ordinary business or domestic parcels, but it is made the channel for
+the exchange of all manner of out-of-the-way articles. The following are
+some instances of the latter class observed at Edinburgh: Scotch oatmeal
+going to Paris, Naples, and Berlin; bagpipes for the Lower Congo, and
+for native regiments in the Punjaub; Scotch haggis for Ontario, Canada,
+and for Caebar, India; smoked haddocks for Rome; the great puzzle "Pigs
+in Clover" for Bavaria, and for Wellington, New Zealand, and so on. At
+home, too, curious arrangements come under notice. A family, for
+example, in London find it to their advantage to have a roast of beef
+sent to them by parcel post twice a week from a town in Fife. And a
+gentleman of property, having his permanent residence in Devonshire,
+finds it convenient, when enjoying the shooting season in the far
+north-west of Scotland, to have his vegetables forwarded by parcel post
+from his home garden in Devonshire to his shooting lodge in Scotland.
+The postage on these latter consignments sometimes amounts to about
+fifteen shillings a day, a couple of post-office parcel hampers being
+required for their conveyance.
+
+And we should not omit to mention here the number of persons employed in
+the Post by whom this vast amount of most diverse business is carried on
+for the nation. Of head and sub-postmasters and letter receivers, each
+of whom has a post-office under his care, there are 17,770. The other
+established offices of the Post Office number over 40,500, and there
+are, besides, persons employed in unestablished positions to the number
+of over 50,000. Thus there is a great army of no less than 108,000
+persons serving the public in the various domains of the postal service.
+
+A century ago, and indeed down to a period only fifty years ago, the
+world, looked at from the present vantage-ground, must appear to have
+been in a dull, lethargic state, with hardly any pulse and a low
+circulation. As for nerve system it had none. The changes which the Post
+Office has wrought in the world, but more particularly in our own
+country, are only to be fully perceived and appreciated by the
+thoughtful. Now the heart of the nation throbs strongly at the centre,
+while the current of activity flows quickly and freely to the remotest
+corners of the state. The telegraph provides a nervous system unknown
+before. By its means every portion of the country is placed in immediate
+contact with every other part; the thrill of joy and the moan of
+desolation are no longer things of locality; they are shared fully and
+immediately by the whole; and the interest of brotherhood, extending to
+parts of the country which, under other conditions, must have remained
+unknown and uncared for, makes us realise that all men are but members
+of one and the same family.
+
+The freedom and independence now enjoyed by the individual, as a result
+of the vast influence exercised by society through the rapid exchange of
+thought, is certainly a thing of which the people of our own country
+may well be proud. Right can now assert itself in a way which was
+entirely beyond the reach of our predecessors of a hundred years ago;
+and wrong receives summary judgment at the hands of a whole people. Yet
+there is a growing danger that this great liberty of the individual may
+become, in one direction, a spurious liberty, and that the elements of
+physical force, exerting themselves under the aegis of uncurbed freedom,
+may enter into conspiracy against intellect, individual effort, and
+thrift in such a way as to produce a tyranny worse than that existing in
+the most despotic states.
+
+The introduction of the telegraph, and the greater facilities afforded
+by the press for the general distribution of news, have greatly changed
+the nature of commercial speculation. Formerly, when news came from
+abroad at wide intervals, it was of the utmost consequence to obtain
+early command of prices and information as to movements in the markets,
+and whoever gained the news first had the first place in the race.
+Nowadays the telegraph, and the newspapers by the help of the
+telegraph, give all an equal start, and the whole world knows at once
+what is going on in every capital of the globe. The thirst for the first
+possession of news in commercial life is happily described in _Glasgow
+Past and Present_, wherein the author gives an account of a practice
+prevailing in the Tontine Reading Rooms at the end of last century.
+"Immediately on receiving the bag of papers from the post-office," says
+the writer, "the waiter locked himself up in the bar, and after he had
+sorted the different papers and had made them up in a heap, he unlocked
+the door of the bar, and making a sudden rush into the middle of the
+room, he then tossed up the whole lot of newspapers as high as the
+ceiling of the room. Now came the grand rush and scramble of the
+subscribers, every one darting forward to lay hold of a falling
+newspaper. Sometimes a lucky fellow got hold of five or six newspapers
+and ran off with them to a corner, in order to select his favourite
+paper; but he was always hotly pursued by some half-dozen of the
+disappointed scramblers, who, without ceremony, pulled from his hands
+the first paper they could lay hold of, regardless of its being torn in
+the contest. On these occasions I have often seen a heap of gentlemen
+sprawling on the floor of the room and riding upon one another's backs
+like a parcel of boys. It happened, however, unfortunately, that a
+gentleman in one of these scrambles got two of his teeth knocked out of
+his head, and this ultimately brought about a change in the manner of
+delivering the newspapers."
+
+[Illustration: THE TONTINE READING-ROOMS, GLASGOW--ARRIVAL OF THE
+MAIL--PERIOD: END OF LAST CENTURY. (_After an old print._)]
+
+Another instance of the anxiety for early news is exhibited in a
+practice which prevailed in Glasgow about fifty years ago. The Glasgow
+merchants were deeply interested in shipping and other news coming from
+Liverpool. The mail at that period arrived in Glasgow some time in the
+afternoon during business hours. A letter containing quotations from
+Liverpool for the Royal Exchange was due in the mail daily. This letter
+was enclosed in a conspicuously bright red cover, and it was the
+business of the post-office clerk, immediately he opened the Liverpool
+bag, to seize this letter and hand it to a messenger from the Royal
+Exchange who was in attendance at the Post Office to receive it. This
+messenger hastened to the Exchange, rang a bell to announce the arrival
+of the news, and forthwith the contents of the letter were posted up in
+the Exchange. The merchants who had offices within sound of the bell
+were then seen hurrying to the Exchange buildings, to be cheered or
+depressed as the case might be by the information which the mail had
+brought them.
+
+A clever instance of how the possession of early news could be turned to
+profitable account in the younger days of the century is recorded of Mr.
+John Rennie, a nephew of his namesake the great engineer, and an
+extensive dealer in corn and cattle. His headquarters at the time were
+at East Linton, near Dunbar. "At one period of his career Mr. Rennie
+habitually visited London either for business or pleasure, or both
+combined. One day, when present at the grain market, in Mark Lane,
+sudden war news arrived, in consequence of which the price of wheat
+immediately bounded up 20s., 25s., and even 30s. per quarter. At once he
+saw his opportunity and left for Scotland by the next mail. He knew, of
+course, that the mail carried the startling war news to Edinburgh, but
+he trusted to his wit to outdo it by reaching the northern capital
+first. As the coach passed the farm of Skateraw, some distance east of
+Dunbar, it was met by the farmer, old Harry Lee, on horseback. Rennie,
+who was an outside passenger, no sooner recognised Lee than he sprang
+from his seat on the coach to the ground. Coming up to Lee, Rennie
+hurriedly whispered something to him, and induced him to lend his horse
+to carry Rennie on to East Linton. Rennie, who was an astonishingly
+active man, vaulted into the saddle, and immediately rode off at full
+gallop westwards. The day was a Wednesday, and, as it was already 11
+o'clock forenoon, he knew that he had no time to lose; but he was not
+the stamp of man to allow the grass to grow under his feet on such an
+important occasion. Ere he reached Dunbar the mail was many hundred
+yards behind. At his own place at East Linton he drew up, mounted his
+favourite horse "Silvertail," which for speed and endurance had no rival
+in the county, and again proceeded at the gallop. When he reached the
+Grassmarket, Edinburgh--a full hour before the mail,--the grain-selling
+was just starting, and before the alarming war news had got time to
+spread Rennie had every peck of wheat in the market bought up. He must
+have coined an enormous profit by this smart transaction; but to him it
+seemed to matter nothing at all. He was one of the most careless of the
+harum-scarum sons of Adam, and if he made money easily, so in a like
+manner did he let it slip his grip."
+
+The two following instances of the expedients to which merchants
+resorted, before the introduction of the telegraph, in cases of urgency,
+and when the letter post would not serve them, are given by the author
+of _Glasgow Past and Present_, to whose work reference has already been
+made:--
+
+"During the French War the premiums of insurance upon running ships
+(ships sailing without convoy) were very high, in consequence of which
+several of our Glasgow ship-owners who possessed quick-sailing vessels
+were in the practice of allowing the expected time of arrival of their
+ships closely to approach before they effected insurance upon them, thus
+taking the chance of a quick passage being made, and if the ships
+arrived safe the insurance was saved.
+
+"Mr. Archibald Campbell, about this time an extensive Glasgow merchant,
+had allowed one of his ships to remain uninsured till within a short
+period of her expected arrival; at last, getting alarmed, he attempted
+to effect insurance in Glasgow, but found the premium demanded so high
+that he resolved to get his ship and cargo insured in London.
+Accordingly, he wrote a letter to his broker in London, instructing him
+to get the requisite insurance made on the best terms possible, but, at
+all events, to get the said insurance effected. This letter was
+despatched through the post-office in the ordinary manner, the mail at
+that time leaving Glasgow at two o'clock p.m. At seven o'clock the same
+night Mr. Campbell received an express from Greenock announcing the safe
+arrival of his ship. Mr. Campbell, on receiving this intelligence,
+instantly despatched his head clerk in pursuit of the mail, directing
+him to proceed by postchaises-and-four with the utmost speed until he
+overtook it, and then to get into it; or, if he could not overtake it,
+he was directed to proceed to London, and to deliver a letter to the
+broker countermanding the instructions about insurance. The clerk,
+notwithstanding of extra payment to the postilions, and every exertion
+to accelerate his journey, was unable to overtake the mail; but he
+arrived in London on the third morning shortly after the mail, and
+immediately proceeded to the residence of the broker, whom he found
+preparing to take his breakfast, and before delivery of the London
+letters. The order for insurance written for was then countermanded, and
+the clerk had the pleasure of taking a comfortable breakfast with the
+broker. The expenses of this express amounted to L100; but it was said
+that the premium of insurance, if it had been effected, would have
+amounted to L1500, so that Mr. Campbell was reported to have saved L1400
+by his promptitude."
+
+"At the period in question a rise had taken place in the cotton-market,
+and there was a general expectancy among the cotton-dealers that there
+would be a continued and steady advance of prices in every description
+of cotton. Acting upon this belief Messrs. James Finlay & Co. had sent
+out orders by post to their agent in India to make extensive purchases
+of cotton on their account, to be shipped by the first vessels for
+England. It so happened, however, shortly after these orders had been
+despatched, that cotton fell in price, and a still greater fall was
+expected to take place. Under these circumstances Messrs. Finlay & Co.
+despatched an overland express to India countermanding their orders to
+purchase cotton. This was the first, and, I believe, the only overland
+express despatched from Glasgow to India by a private party on
+commercial purposes."
+
+One of the greatest achievements of our own time, yet too often
+overlooked, is the marvellously rapid diffusion of parliamentary news
+throughout the country. Important debates are frequently protracted in
+the House of Commons into the early hours of the morning. The speeches
+are instantly reported by the shorthand writers in the gallery, who dog
+the lips of the speakers and commit their every word to paper. Thus
+seized in the fleet lines of stenography, the words and phrases are then
+transcribed into long-hand. Relays of messengers carry the copy to the
+telegraph office, where the words are punched in the form of a
+mysterious language on slips of paper like tape, which are run through
+the Wheatstone telegraph transmitter, the electric current carrying the
+news to distant stations at the rate of several hundred words a minute.
+At these stations the receiving-machine pours out at an equal rate,
+another tape, bearing a record in a different character, from which
+relays of clerks, attending the oracle, convert the weighty sayings
+again into ordinary language. The news thus received is carried
+forthwith by a succession of messengers to the newspaper office; the
+compositors set the matter up in type; it is reviewed and edited by the
+men appointed to the duty; the columns are stereotyped, and in that form
+are placed in the printing-machines. The machines are set in motion at
+astonishing speed, turning out the newspapers cut and folded and ready
+for the reader. A staff is in attendance to place under cover the copies
+of subscribers for despatch by the early mails. These are carried to the
+post-office, and so transmitted to their destinations. Taking Edinburgh
+as a point for special consideration, all that has been stated applies
+to this city. For the first despatches to the north, the _Scotsman_ and
+_Leader_ newspapers are conveyed to certain trains as early as 4 A.M.;
+and by the breakfast-hour, or early in the forenoon, the parliamentary
+debates of the previous night are being discussed over the greater part
+of Scotland. And all this hurry and intellectual activity is going on
+while the nation at large is wrapped in sleep, and probably not one
+person in a hundred ever thinks or concerns himself to know how it is
+done.
+
+The frequency and rapidity of communication between different parts of
+the world seems to have brought the whole globe into a very small focus,
+for obscure places, which would be unknown, one would think, beyond
+their own immediate neighbourhoods, are frequently well within the
+cognisance of persons living in far-distant quarters. An instance of
+this is given by the postmaster of Epworth, a village near to Doncaster.
+"We have," says the postmaster, "an odd place in this parish known as
+Nineveh Farm. Some years ago a letter was received here which had been
+posted somewhere in the United States of America, and was addressed
+merely
+
+
+     Mr. ----
+       NINEVEH.
+
+
+I have always regarded its delivery to the proper person as little less
+than a miracle, but it happened."
+
+It is impossible to say how far the influence of this great revolution
+in the mail service on land and sea may extend. That the change has
+been, on the whole, to the advantage of mankind goes without saying. One
+contrast is here given, and the reader can draw his own conclusions in
+other directions. The peace of 1782, which followed the American War of
+Independence, was only arrived at after negotiations extending over more
+than two years. Prussia and Austria were at war in 1866. The campaign
+occupied seven days; and from the declaration of war to the formal
+conclusion of peace only seven weeks elapsed. Is it to be doubted that
+the difference in the two cases was, in large measure, due to the fact
+that news travelled slowly in the one case and fast in the other?
+
+We may look back on the past with very mixed feelings,--dreaming of the
+easy-going methods of our forefathers, which gave them leisure for study
+and reflection, or esteeming their age as an age of lethargy, of
+lumbering and slumbering.
+
+We are proud of our own era, as one full of life and activity, full of
+hurry and bustle, and as existing under the spell of high electrical
+tension. But too many of us know to our cost that this present whirl of
+daily life has one most serious drawback, summed up in the commonplace,
+but not the less true, saying,--
+
+
+     "It's the pace that kills."
+
+
+Yet one more thought remains. Will the pace be kept up in the next
+hundred years? There is no reason to suppose it will not, and the world
+is hardly likely to go to sleep. Our successors who live a hundred years
+hence will doubtless learn much that man has not yet dreamt of. Time
+will produce many changes and reveal deep secrets; but as to what these
+shall be, let him prophesy who knows.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] See Note A in Appendix.
+
+[2] See Note D in Appendix.
+
+[3] See Note B in Appendix.
+
+[4] See Note C in Appendix.
+
+[5] Exclusive of franked letters.
+
+[6] From the collection of the late Sir Henry Cole in the Edinburgh
+International Exhibition, 1890.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX.
+
+
+A.
+
+As to the representation in Parliament, the freeholders in the whole of
+the Counties of Scotland, who had the power of returning the County
+Members, were, in 1823, for example, just under three thousand in
+number. These were mostly gentlemen of position living on their estates,
+with a sprinkling of professional men; the former being, from their want
+of business training, ill suited, one would suppose, for conducting the
+business of a nation. The Town Councils were self-elective--hotbeds of
+corruption; and the members of these Town Councils were intrusted with
+the power of returning the Members for the boroughs. The people at large
+were not directly represented, if in strictness represented at all.
+
+
+B.
+
+Francis, afterwards Lord Jeffrey, in a letter of the 20th September
+1799, describes the discomfort of a journey by mail from Perth to
+Edinburgh, when the coach had broken down, and he was carried forward by
+the guard by special conveyance. His graphic description is as
+follows:--"I was roused carefully half an hour before four yesterday
+morning, and passed two delightful hours in the kitchen waiting for the
+mail. There was an enormous fire, and a whole household of smoke. The
+waiter was snoring with great vehemency upon one of the dressers, and
+the deep regular intonation had a very solemn effect, I can assure you,
+in the obscurity of that Tartarean region, and the melancholy silence of
+the morning. An innumerable number of rats were trottin and gibberin in
+one end of the place, and the rain clattered freshly on the windows. The
+dawn heavily in clouds brought on the day, but not, alas! the mail; and
+it was long past five when the guard came galloping into the yard, upon
+a smoking horse, with all the wet bags lumbering beside him (like
+Scylla's water-dogs), roaring out that the coach was broken down
+somewhere near Dundee, and commanding another steed to be got ready for
+his transportation. The noise he made brought out the other two sleepy
+wretches that had been waiting like myself for places, and we at length
+persuaded the heroic champion to order a postchaise instead of a horse,
+into which we crammed ourselves all four, with a whole mountain of
+leather bags that clung about our legs like the entrails of a fat cow
+all the rest of the journey. At Kinross, as the morning was very fine,
+we prevailed with the guard to go on the outside to dry himself, and got
+on to the ferry about eleven, after encountering various perils and
+vexations, in the loss of horse-shoes and wheel-pins, and in a great gap
+in the road, over which we had to lead the horses, and haul the carriage
+separately. At this place we supplicated our agitator for leave to eat a
+little breakfast; but he would not stop an instant, and we were obliged
+to snatch up a roll or two apiece and gnaw the dry crusts during our
+passage to keep soul and body together. We got in soon after one, and I
+have spent my time in eating, drinking, sleeping, and other recreations,
+down to the present hour."
+
+On going north from Edinburgh, on the same tour apparently, Jeffrey had
+previous experience of the difficulties of travel, as described in a
+letter from Montrose, date 26th August 1799.
+
+"We stopped," says he, "for two days at Perth, hoping for places in the
+mail, and then set forward on foot in despair. We have trudged it now
+for fifty miles, and came here this morning very weary, sweaty, and
+filthy. Our baggage, which was to have left Perth the same day that we
+did, has not yet made its appearance, and we have received the
+comfortable information that it is often a week before there is room in
+the mail to bring such a parcel forward."
+
+Writing from Kendal, in 1841, Jeffrey refers to a journey he made fifty
+years before--that is, about 1791--when he slept a night in the town.
+His description of the circumstances is as follows:--
+
+"And an admirable dinner we have had in the Ancient King's Arms, with
+great oaken staircases, uneven floors, and very thin oak panels,
+plaster-filled outer walls, but capital new furniture, and the brightest
+glass, linen, spoons, and china you ever saw. It is the same house in
+which I once slept about fifty years ago, with the whole company of an
+ancient stage-coach, which bedded its passengers on the way from
+Edinburgh to London, and called them up by the waiter at six o'clock in
+the morning to go five slow stages, and then have an hour to breakfast
+and wash. It is the only vestige I remember of those old ways, and I
+have not slept in the house since."
+
+
+C.
+
+The discomfort of a long voyage in a vessel of this class is well set
+forth in the correspondence of Jeffrey. In 1813 he crossed to New York
+in search of a wife; and in describing the miseries of the situation on
+board, he gives a long list of his woes, the last being followed by this
+declaration: "I think I shall make a covenant with myself, that if I get
+back safe to my own place from this expedition, I shall never willingly
+go out of sight of land again in my life."
+
+
+D.
+
+A notable instance of an attempt to shut the door in the face of an able
+man is recorded in the Life of Sir James Simpson, who has made all the
+world his debtors through the discovery and application of chloroform
+for surgical operations. Plain Dr. Simpson was a candidate for a
+professorship in the University of Edinburgh, and had his supporters for
+the honour; but there was among the men with whom rested the selection a
+considerable party opposed to him, whose ground of opposition was that,
+on account of his parents being merely tradespeople, Dr. Simpson would
+be unable to maintain the dignity of the chair. To their eternal
+discredit, the persons referred to did not look to the quality and ring
+of the "gowd," but were guided by the superficial "guinea stamp." The
+spread of public opinion is gradually putting such distinctions, which
+have their root and being in privilege and selfishness, out of court.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Printed by T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to Her Majesty, at the
+Edinburgh University Press.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's A Hundred Years by Post, by J. Wilson Hyde
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HUNDRED YEARS BY POST ***
+
+***** This file should be named 27688.txt or 27688.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/6/8/27688/
+
+Produced by Adrian Mastronardi, Martin Pettit, The
+Philatelic Digital Library Project at http://www.tpdlp.net
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/27688.zip b/27688.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9fd1677
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27688.zip
diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6312041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..38e6b00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #27688 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27688)