New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-24

|
mail arrived from foreign parts letters for the
Government and foreign Ministers were immedi-
ately delivered to them. after which roll Of all
| other letters was set up In the office FOR every
man to view and demand his letters This was
the beginning Of the forwarding Of the Cont
! mental malls by fixed ard regular stages. In
stead Of BY carriers proceeding through the
whole way and engaged in other kinds OF bust
ness From q petition Of hfty-four LONDON
merchants presented to the Council in the same
year we learn that: Thomas Witherings. one
| of the Postmasters for Foreign Parts. has, by
consent OF foreign states, settled the convey
| ance Of letters from stage to stage. to go night
| and day as has been continued In Germany
and Italy; by which agreements letters are to be
| conveyed between London and Antwerp In three
days willis, the carriers nave for many years
taken from eight to fourteen days. having
PLAYED the merchants and answered complaints
| by saying that they had bought their p'aces
and could come no sooner
London and Paris were up to that time fourteen
DAYS apart. and as great Improvement It was
promised that letters should be delivered ir nve
davs Thirty wears later the transit wan only
| four DAYS that TO Madrid was twenty-one days
| Geneva was seventeen days distant. while the
longer tourney to Venice was owing to the RAPID
service along this much track. only hfteen
DAYS though to Leghorn II was twenfy-one DAYS
Journey. To Paris. the Hague. brussels Coios"e'
Hamburg. Copenhagen and Leghorn mails went
twice week to the other great cities only once
Along with this progress abroad there was I'M
proyement at home Early In the reign or CharIes
| 1t was written:
II any of His Majestys subjects shall write 10
Madrid in Spain. he shall receive answer sooner
and surer than he shall out Of Scotland or ireland
The letters being now carried by carriers or 100,
posts sixteen or eighteen miles a day II Is , LUZ
Two months before any answer can he received
from Scotland or Ireland to London while ID! TINS
conveyance packet post, regularly paid) al Ie'
tiers shall go l20 miles at least IN one uas an"
night.
Among the advantages Of this rapid service 1t
&c said that "Anv fight at sea- any distress Of His
Majesty's ships (Which God Forbid any wrong
offered by any other nation to any Of the coasts
Of England or any Of His Majesty's forces. the
posts being punctually paid the news VIII come
sooner than thought" About this time IL was
calculated that in the thrty-two counties OF Eng
land there were at least 5l2 market towns wh''h
sent fifty letters per Elk to LONDON ""'0"
made % 600 which. with their answers al 40 each
brought in f426 per week. The cost OF convey
ance being only 49, after charge Of flooo year
~ nav nostmasters for the charge ~ the Kings
packets was deducted handsome pront was ef''
So II is seen that at that day the carrying OF
mail for private persons gave good revenue 10
those In charge. AS noted before the Restora-
ton the Postmaster Generalship was worth
so ooo and in 1860 the farm was granted to Or.
BENJAMIN Worsey for term 81 seven years AT
q ronta, Of 100 900 He was shortly turned out
and his successor paid f2l.5Qo. and IN 1914 'he
rent was $4,000 Before this time the profits OF
the postofiice had been settled by the King on the
Duke of York and when Lord Arlingion's grant
az Postmaster-General expired in 1871 the Duke
entered upon the management ~ the office ana
annarently carried il on fNr a time in his own
hands.
With that assumption OF postof'ice functions by
royalty. Mr. Hyde ends his interesting story
having shown not much by connected nc
count as by a wealth Of illustrative incidents the
progressive stages in the development OF Iostai
system which much an advance on '"e
peddling messengers OF three-quarters OF CEN
fury before the railway mail service OF to-day
is on the coach Of 1920 That farmed-out service
seems primitive but II marks all the difference
between the organized functions OF civilized So
ciety and the chance consideration lot puo"c
utility az semi barbara government
In these matters with all their power as ma
ton the English OF the seventeenth century APP
near N have been far behind their neighbors
The method OF letting out the work as the fso-
mans did the collection Of their taxes seems
strange to us: but II was less so with governments
that cared less for administration than FOR power
and profit And 1t was a method that for the
time had It's advantages. Mr.. Hyde says:
II might be supposed that the farming OF the
nosts was an unbusness-like way Of carrying on
the work Of the public conveyance or letters Bu'
there IL another side to the question; ana arsu-
ments are not wanting that for the development
Of the service, the farming was. In some RESPECTS
at any rate a very satisfactory arrangement
The work was committed 10 the hands ana con,
troll Of a single individual. who was unfettered
hy treasury or other restrictions. and VINO was
bound to find a sum sufficient for the payment OF
his rent lie was further under the influence or
personal interest in the way OF securing a proht
TO himself, and a consequence. while MS tenure
lasted he put forth his utmost cndeavor 10 MAKE
his Office useful to the public and to extend itH
scope. Further. upon each Increase OF rent came
a new incentive TO fresh exertions In the way IN
dicated. and the growth OF the postohce was
steady and rapid.
A feature Of the service under Charles II was
the disposition OF dead letters" term already
In use A letter Of Deputy Postmaster-Gen-
eral Whitley concerning them is at once a revela-
ton OF postal methods and popular craft.
This day Mr. Lambe brought me PARCEL OF Re-
turned Letters from you to We damage OF above
eight pounds; We losse being soc considerable and
hnusuall made me more !nqusitive into the par
tculars; and opening or bundles. ! found that
almost all of them had bin apparently opened;
which causes my greater admiration twonder):
comeing from soc discreete person tahd one OF
soc much integrity and reputation as Mr. Gloyne
Is esteemed to be-. II they were opened by we
partves TO whom they were directed. they ought
to have been first payd for; when We contents
are read most letters Of small use afterwards
Perhaps We persons You Employ may buy such
letters at easy rates, and so impose them on you
/ cannot tell how 10 understand II. but under
one OF these notions. and soc must returne them
to YOU: resolving not to submit to such practise.
whether 1t proceed from we ignorance. corruption
(or perhaps want Of care and diligence) OF your
officers; the respect have for you Keeps me rom
!
you TO more circumspection hereafter. for II the
like were done in other stages, wee should not
be able to support We charge OF we ONCE.
Such habits OF crcumventing high charges.
however need not be wondered at when we recall
the impressed horses OF few years before. the
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