The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-05
The Evolution of the English Post.
office.

James established the first post
office in England. but only for foreign
mails. His son, Charles, however, ex-
tended the system and started the first
domestic line, but his object was not so
much to accommodate his subjects as to
inaugurate profitable monopoly,
against which, by the way, the House OF
Commons, fought most Justify. They
were, however, a few years subsequent
" the foremost in putting down an at
tempted opposition post started by the
municipal authorities of London.
In the latter part Of this century
(about 1690) district post was estab-
lished in London as separate depart
ment, and put under the control Of one
Dockwra, who seems to have had an eye
to the main chance, for we find in few
years q memorial presented against him,
which charges that he willfuly doth
what in him lies to lessen the revenue OF
the district post-office that he may farm
it OF get it into his own hands," for
which purpose twas alleged that he had
removed the post-office to an inconyient
place. Fancy the postmaster OF Chicago,
which is about the size London was then,
removing the pest-office to some out OF
the way corner, and, as the memorial
goes on to say, ''forbidding the taking IN
fanny band boxes( Except very small and
all parcels above pound, and stopping
| under specious pretences most parcels
| that are taken in, which is great damage
to tradesmen by losing their customers
or spelling their goods, and many times
hazard the life of the patient when
physie is sent by the doctor or apothe-
cary" 1t is gratifying to know that
] further danger to the unhappy patients
whose physic was thus delayed was re-
moved by the summary dismissal OF the
ambitious postmaster.
| At the time of Mr.. Dockwra's esca
pades the Post-office Department was il
| the hands of two Postmasters General
| Sir Robert Cotton and Sir Tomas Frank
land, whose practicalwisdom and energy
is manifest in all their doings. We
| find them at one moment petition
| ing the lords of the treasury to reduce
the postage, on the ground that where
/ we have made the correspondence more
easier and cheape. the number O
letters has thereby been much IN
creased" at another we see them or
dering their packets to beware OF thu
numerous privateers, and urging then
to run while they can, fight when they
can no longer run, and throw the mail
overheard when they can no longeI
fight. The capture by French
privateer of G. mailbeat in the very bay
Of Dublin induced our Postmaster
| General to build ''boats of force to
withstand the enemy" after which
they were more at ease. one of then
feeling sufficiently at case to indulge il
an occasional fit of the govt, as appear:
from frequent notices in the Agent
Letter Book to this effect: "Youl
business cannot be settled until Sil
Thomas Frankland, who hath a titte o
the govt, shall be somewhat recovered,
Their surveyor or special agent mad
| a yearly visit to. each postmaster ~ tn
/ Kingdom. Al Petersield he .fount
the postmaster so unhappy in his CIR
cumstances that he cannot appear gu
on Sundays" by which he means tina
the worthy officer was liable to arres
for debt if he came out of doors on {
week day. AT Chester he found tn
deputy very uneasy in his mind. H
charged the clarke with being frequent
! ~ out and keeping company thought t,
be more expensive than the wages al
lowed him He complains thatth
gentry doe give much money. t
] the riders, whereby they be very subjec
to get in liquor; which Slopes tn