Post-office.

Post-office. (1) a government department whose chief business it is to convey letters from place to place; and (2) any office or agency appointed by that department for the reception, despatch, or delivery of letters. Although letter conveyance is the primary work of the post-office, many other branches of business have been assumed by it. The word post is derived from the Latin positus, meaning 'placed,' 'fixed,' and comes to have its particular application from the posts, or stages, at which on the roads of the Roman empire couriers were maintained for the purpose of conveying news and despatches. Herodotus mentions that a system of couriers existed in the Persian empire; and Xenophon states that post-stations or houses were established by King Cyrus. Marco Polo describes a similar system existing in China in the 13th century, the stations being only three miles apart, thus securing great rapidity of communication. Among the ancient Aztecs in Mexico a complete system of couriers was likewise maintained, the stations being about two leagues apart, and providing a rapid means of communication by foot-messengers. In all these cases the posts seem to have been set up for government service only.

The first letter-post in the modern acceptance of the word seems to have been established in the Hanse towns in the early part of the 13th century. A line of letter-posts followed, connecting Austria and Lombardy, in the reign of the Emperor Maximilian, which are said to have been organised by the princes of Thurn and Taxis; and the representatives of the same house established another line of posts from Vienna to Brussels, connecting the most distant parts of the dominions of Charles V. The family of Thurn and Taxis continued to enjoy certain privileges in connection with these posts down to 1867, when they were ceded by treaty to the Prussian state, and have since been assumed by the German empire.

In England in early times both public and private letters were sent by special messengers only; later on they were frequently conveyed by common carriers plying with their pack-horses. In the reign of Edward I. 'posts' were established where horses could be had for hire by messengers wearing the royal livery; and in the reign of Edward II. horses were kept by private persons for hire, so that private messengers might travel 'post.' In 1481, when Edward IV. was at war with Scotland, a system of relays of horses was established in the north (probably from York to Edinburgh) in order to provide the king with the latest news in his camp. This arrangement, however, ceased on the restoration of peace. In 1548 the charge for post-horses impressed for government service was fixed by statute at a penny a mile. Camden mentions the office of 'Master of the Postes' as existing in 1581; but the duties of the 'Master' were probably confined to the supplying of post-horses. The foreign or alien merchants in London established a post-office of their own from London to the outports in the year 1514, appointing their own postmasters; but dissensions occurred among them, and the matter was referred to the government in 1568. At this time also the English merchants complained of unfair treatment by the foreign-post; and the consequence was that the government set up a post-office for letters to foreign countries for the benefit of the English merchants. The first inland post was established by Charles I., who in his proclamation of 1635 refers to the uncertainty of communication between England and Scotland. The proclamation thus proceeds: 'Wherefore, he now commands his Postmaster of England for foreign parts to settle a running post or two, to run night and day between Edinburgh and London, to go thither and come back again in six days, and to take with them all such letters as shall be directed to any post-town in or near that road.' At the same time by-posts were to be connected with the principal towns lying off the main line of posts. In 1637 a proclamation prohibited any messengers or foot-posts to carry letters other than the messengers of the king's postmaster-general, with certain specified exceptions. This inland post was placed under the charge of Thomas Witherings, who, with William Frizell, had been entrusted with the English post for foreign letters from the year 1632. In 1640, in consequence of irregularities, Witherings was superseded in his office, which was then entrusted to Philip Bnrlamachi. Eight main postal lines throughout England were at this period set up. The rates of postage for a single letter were as follows: not exceeding a distance of 80 miles, 2d.; 140 miles, 4d.; for any greater distance in England, 6d.; to Scotland, 8d. In 1649, in the time of the Commonwealth, the court of Common Council for London set up a post in rivalry with that of the parliament; but the Commons promptly put an end to the undertaking. Material changes were effected in the post-office by Cromwell and his parliament in 1657, and an ordinance bearing on the subject furnishes a motive for the establishment of posts—'that they will be the best means to discover and prevent many dangerous and wicked designs against the Commonwealth.' At the Restoration the settlement of the post-office made during the Commonwealth was confirmed, and its substance was re-enacted by statute 12 Carolus II. chap. 35, which act, being the first strictly legal authority for the establishment of the post-office, has always been looked upon as its charter. Although in 1635 something was done towards establishing posts between England and Scotland, little was attempted as regards internal communication in Scotland till 1695, when the Scotch parliament passed an act for the general establishment of a letter-post. In 1683 an upholsterer named Robert Murray set up a penny post for the conveyance of letters and small parcels about London, which business was subsequently assigned to Thomas Dockwra. This undertaking was, however, seized by the government as being an infringement of its privileges, and Dockwra was granted a pension of £200 a year by way of compensation. This system was the commencement of the London Postal District service, and Dockwra was afterwards appointed its controller. About the year 1700 robberies of the posts were so frequent in the neighbourhood of the Borders that acts were passed by the Scotch and English parliaments making robbery of the post punishable with death and confiscation. In 1708 a Mr Povey attempted to set up a halfpenny post in London; but this was suppressed as the result of a lawsuit at the instance of the government. By a statute passed in 1710 the post-office was remodelled, a general post-office for the three kingdoms and the colonies being established under 'Her Majesty's Postmaster-general.' This officer was empowered to keep one chief letter-office in London, one in Edinburgh, one in Dublin, one in New York, and one in the West Indies. The Irish parliament in 1784 passed an act, giving the Irish post-office a separate existence, and creating an independent postmaster-general; but the offices were again united under the British postmaster-general in 1831. In the year 1776 a penny post for Edinburgh and Leith was set up by Peter Williamson, and carried on until about 1792, when it was absorbed by the General Post-office. In 1720 Ralph Allen (1694–1764) obtained a lease for life of the cross-posts at a rent of £6000 a year; and so greatly did he improve the revenue from this source that he realised an annual profit of £12,000, which he lived to enjoy for forty-four years.

The institution of mail-coaches (see COACHING) marks a very important period in the history of the post-office. Their introduction is due to Mr John Palmer, manager of the theatre at Bath, who submitted his scheme to Mr Pitt in 1783. In order to carry out his plan Mr Palmer was appointed Controller to the General Post-office, with a salary of £1500 a year and $2\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ per cent. on any excess of revenue over £240,000 a year. The running of mail-coaches commenced in 1784, the plan being carried out, like the later great scheme of Sir Rowland Hill, in the face of vehement opposition on the part of officers of the post-office. The new method of conveyance, however, proved most successful, both on account of greater safety to the mails, and acceleration of the correspondence. In 1792 Mr Palmer was suspended from his office, an allowance of £3000 a year being made to him in lieu thereof; but after a long struggle with the Treasury parliament in 1813 made him a grant of £50,000. The mail-coach era may be said to have covered a period of sixty years, during which time the great road engineers so improved the highways that the speed of the coaches was increased from about six to fully ten miles an hour. Mails were first sent by railway in 1830 over the line between Liverpool and Manchester.

In order of time the next great feature in the history of the post-office is the uniform penny postage scheme of Mr (afterwards Sir) Rowland Hill (q.v.). He suggested his plan of reform in 1837. It evoked strong opposition within the post-office and from a section of the public without; but it was eventually adopted by a majority of 100 in the House of Commons, and the scheme was launched on the 10th January 1840. Immediately prior to that date the inland postage rates were as follows for an ordinary single letter:

The extra halfpenny was charged as an indemnity for toll dues from which, by the Act 53 of Geo. III., 1813, mail conveyances in Scotland having more than two wheels were not exempt. These were the initial rates payable for single letters—i.e. letters written upon single sheets. If a letter contained an enclosure the letter became a double letter, and double postage was claimed. For a letter weighing an ounce the charge was quadrupled, and each quarter of an ounce in addition added an additional rate to the charge. Under the uniform penny postage scheme the postage was levied according to weight, commencing with a penny for a letter not exceeding half an ounce, and a penny for every additional half ounce, irrespective of distance within the kingdom which the letter had to be conveyed. The uniformity of rate as regards distance has been maintained till the present day, though the Rowland Hill scale has been altered. Thus, in 1871 the initial half ounce letter ceased (as regards inland letters), and the scale became as follows: Not exceeding 1 oz., 1d.; not exceeding 2 oz., 1½d.; not exceeding 4 oz., 2d., and ½d. for every 2 oz. up to 12 oz.; 1d. being charged for each additional ounce. In 1885 this comparatively heavy charge over 12 oz. was removed. The privilege of Franking Letters (q.v.) enjoyed by members of parliament till 1840, which was a great loss to the revenue, ceased on the introduction of the uniform penny postage. Envelopes were introduced, bearing a revenue stamp or mark for postage, and known as the Mulready envelopes, from the name of the artist who prepared the design; but the public would not take to them, and their issue was discontinued. Postage-stamps were, however, introduced at this time, and have since continued to be used. The following figures show to what extent cheap postage has stimulated the correspondence of the country. In 1839 the number of letters passing through the post, including franked letters, was 82,500,000; in 1840 the number at once rose to 169,000,000; and in 1890 the number was no less than 1,650,200,000. In addition to this mass of written matter, besides 217,100,000 post-cards, the following articles passed through the post in 1890: Book-packets and circulars, 441,900,000; newspapers, 159,300,000. For some years after the introduction of Rowland Hill's scheme there was a deficit in the post-office revenue, but this was soon covered by the rapid growth of business, and for many years the post-office has paid in large yearly profits to the Treasury. In 1890 the gross revenue from all branches of post-office business was £12,211,614; the expenditure, £8,865,527; and the net revenue, £3,346,087. Halfpenny post-cards were introduced in October 1870, and the penny postage upon newspapers was reduced to ½d. In 1898 2,012,300,000 letters were posted; post-cards, 360,400,000; book packets and circulars, 727,300,000; newspapers, 150,900,000; parcels, 67,823,000. In 1898 penny postage was introduced for the British Empire, except Australasia and the Cape, and some minor possessions. Letters, post-cards, book packets, and newspapers may be redirected without additional postage if reposted within one day.

From 1891 the railway companies were empowered to convey single letters for the public, between their stations, on behalf of the post-office, provided the letters do not exceed 1 oz. in weight. Such letters must bear a postage-stamp of the value of 1d., which goes to the revenue, and a railway stamp of the value of 2d., which goes to the companies as payment for conveyance.

In March 1891 a system of express delivery for letters and parcels was established in London and certain of the more important towns in the kingdom; and shortly thereafter it was made general throughout the country. The delivery is effected by means of the messenger force employed in the telegraph service. When railway, omnibus, or tramcar conveyance only is used by the messenger, the fee, in addition to the ordinary postage, is twopence for the first mile, and threepence for each additional mile. Higher fees are charged for cab conveyance.

Postal Union.—Under the terms of a treaty concluded at Berne on the 9th October 1874, the object of which was to secure uniformity in the treatment of correspondence, and the simplification of accounts, as well as the reduction of rates within certain limits, and whose provisions were carried into operation generally on the 1st July 1875, the whole of Europe, the United States of America, Egypt, British India, and all the colonies of France were at the outset, or shortly thereafter, included in the Union, and many other countries and colonies have since joined it. The rates of postage to the several states concerned will be found set forth in the British Post-office Guide. The international accounts in respect of postages are based upon a month's return of correspondence taken every third year. The rates of postage to Great Britain are not always the same as those from Great Britain, each country having a certain limited discretion in fixing rates.

Registered Letters.—In 1779 the postmaster-general issued an order that postmasters should dissuade the public from sending letters by post containing cash in gold or silver, rings, or bracelets, &c.; but this order was rescinded in 1792. At the same time postmasters were again authorised to accept such letters; but before placing them in the mail-bags they were required to copy the addresses of the letters on the front of the letter bill and to tie the letters up with the bill. This mode of giving greater security to letters of value seems to have been the initial stage in the development of the registered letter system. The modern plan of registration is based on the principle that every registered letter must be signed for in passing from hand to hand; and, although the postmaster-general gives guarantee (under special conditions) to but a comparatively small amount, the system affords almost absolute security of transmission. The number of letters registered in the United Kingdom in 1890 was 11,357,935. The fee for inland registration, in addition to the ordinary postage, had for many years been fixed at twopence; but on the 1st June 1891 a combined system of registration and insurance was introduced for letters and parcels, with fees ranging from twopence to sixpence, and a maximum insurance of £25.

Money Orders.—In the year 1792, by permission of the postmaster-general, some half-dozen clerks who had charge of the 'country roads,' or despatching divisions, in the London General Post-office, set up a system of remittances for the public to and from the post-offices in England and the chief post-offices in Edinburgh and Dublin, the postmasters at these places acting as agents in the scheme. This was the origin of the money-order system, which for a long period was carried on by the clerks on their own account. It was not till the year 1838 that it became a recognised branch of the post-office establishment. In the earlier years the rates of commission were very high, but for many years the charges have been, especially for small amounts, on a very moderate scale. In the period from 1859 till the present time the money-order system has been extended to a great many of the colonies and to foreign countries, and every year further extensions are being made. Money may also be transmitted by telegraph between all telegraph and money-order offices, and also to Belgium, Germany, and Holland. The total business done in 1890 was:

Inland orders, 9,027,750, £23,333,417; colonial orders, 453,102, £1,631,616; foreign orders, 893,292, £2,200,872.

Postal Orders.—In pursuance of the recommendations of a committee appointed by the Treasury, of which the late Mr George Moore, the philanthropist, was chairman, the transmission of money by means of postal orders was put into operation on the 1st January 1881. This simple method of remitting small sums of money has grown rapidly in public favour, and each year adds largely to the amount of business done. In 1890 the total number of orders issued was 44,712,548, representing an aggregate value of £17,737,802, 4s.

Post-office Savings-banks.—By Act 24 Vict. chap. 19, a system of savings-banks in connection with the post-office was established in 1861, affording great facilities for thrift to the industrial classes and to young people. The rate of interest payable to depositors is $2\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ per cent., calculated upon complete pounds remaining with the post-office complete months. No single depositor may deposit more than £30 in any one year. The number of offices opened for savings-bank business up to the 31st March 1862 was 2532, while on the 31st December 1889 the number open was 9353. In this latter year the deposits numbered 8,101,120, amounting to £19,814,308, and the withdrawals were 2,757,848, amounting to £16,814,268. On the 31st December 1889 a total amount, including interest, remained to the credit of depositors of £62,999,620. The interest credited to depositors for the year was no less than £1,443,186. The post-office savings-bank is largely used by friendly societies, provident institutions, and penny banks as a safe place of deposit for their funds. Since 1880 depositors have been enabled to invest their savings in government stocks with little or no trouble. On the 31st December 1889 the total amount of stock so held was £4,175,634, distributed over 46,993 persons. Under regulations of 1888 the minimum amount of stock purchasable was reduced from £10 to 1s. See SAVINGS-BANKS.

Government Insurances and Annuities.—An Act 27 and 28 Vict. chap. 43, 1864, empowered the postmaster-general to grant life-insurance policies and annuities within certain limited amounts; and the scheme was brought into operation on the 16th April 1865. These branches of business have not developed beyond very narrow limits, and, in so far as the scheme may have been devised to make life insurance and the buying annuities on the part of the less well-to-do more general, the attempt has hitherto proved a failure.

Post-office Telegraphs.—Prior to 1870 the business of conveying telegraphic messages for the public was in the hands of several rival telegraph companies and the railway companies; but by the Act 31 and 32 Vict. chap. 110, 1868, the postmaster-general was authorised to acquire, work, and maintain electric telegraphs; and by Act 32 and 33 Vict. chap. 73 he acquired (with certain exceptions) the exclusive privilege of sending telegraphic messages within the kingdom. The actual transfer of the working system took place on the 5th February 1870. The tariff was, like the inland postage, a uniform tariff within the United Kingdom, the minimum charge being 1s. for twenty words, with free addresses. In the first complete year of the new management (1870-71) the total number of telegrams of all classes transmitted was 9,850,177. On the 1st October 1885 the minimum charge for a telegram was reduced to 6d. for twelve words, addresses ceasing to be sent free. In the year 1889-90 the number of messages transmitted was 62,403,399. The total sum laid out as capital in connection with the purchase of the telegraphs was £10,880,571; and the annual interest on this sum, amounting to £299,216, is not borne on the post-office votes. In the year 1898 the number of telegrams was 68,810,786, and the revenue, £2,130,973. The number of offices for postal telegraph business in 1898 was 8175 (see TELEGRAPH). The post-office had also in 1899 53,000 miles of telephone trunk-wires, and connections with the National Telephone Company's exchanges (see TELEPHONE).

Parcel Post.—This is the most recent of the greater undertakings entered into by the post-office. By the Post-office (Parcels) Act, 1882 (45 and 46 Vict. chap. 74), the post-office was empowered to convey parcels by post on different conditions from ordinary postal packets; the remuneration to the railway companies for the conveyance of the parcels in bulk being fixed at eleven-twentieths of the gross inland postage received for the parcels, the post-office performing all duties of collection and delivery. This business was entered upon by the post-office on the 1st August 1883, the parcels conveyed being exclusively inland parcels. At the outset the maximum weight of a parcel was fixed at 7 lb. On the 1st May 1886 the maximum weight was raised to 11 lb., and an alteration made in the scale of postage, the charge for a parcel of 11 lb. being fixed at 1s. 6d. In the first year of the parcel post the number of parcels transmitted was upwards of 22,900,000. On the 1st July 1885 parcel business was extended to certain of the colonies and to foreign countries, and from year to year this connection with places abroad becomes more widely extended. In the year ended 31st March 1890 the total number of parcels of all kinds delivered in the United Kingdom was 42,852,570, the gross postage upon which was £952,113. This vast system of parcel carriage is said not to have damaged to any very considerable extent the parcels business of the railway companies, and consequently it must be held to be a new convenience created for the public, the value of which it is impossible to estimate.

Inland Revenue Licenses.—Through the medium of the post-office the inland revenue department finds a ready means of issuing a great variety of licenses throughout the country. In the year ended the 31st March 1890 the number of licenses so distributed was 1,518,136, representing a sum of £908,163.

Mail-packet Service.—Occasional reference is made in old writings, and in official records, to the employment of vessels called packets, for the conveyance of the mails, but there seems hardly any continuous account of the services performed by those vessels. In the time of Charles I. packets between Dublin and Chester, and between Milford Haven and Waterford, conveyed government despatches, and in 1639 one Nicholas Herbert agreed to have his barque in readiness at Whitehaven, 'with one sufficient master, and other meet and able sailors,' to carry letters for His Majesty or the council at Dublin for £10 per lunar month. It would seem that for some time anterior to 1788 the packets belonged either to the crown, to members of the post-office staff, or to their friends, for in that year a commission upon fees of public offices recommended that this system should be abandoned, and that contracts should be obtained by public advertisement. The recommendation was, however, only partially acted upon at that time, and no public contracts were entered into, apparently, until after 1837, at which period the packet service was placed under the management of the Admiralty. Another committee in 1848 strongly urged an extension of the contract system, and a similar recommendation was made by Lord Cannings's Committee of Inquiry into packet-contracts in 1853. This committee also recommended that the stipulation as to the arming of the packets should be omitted in future contracts, and the committee's views in this matter were then given effect to. The mail-packet contract business remained in the hands of the Admiralty till the 1st April 1860, when the whole management was taken over by the post-office. In order to establish rapidity and regularity of service, it has been necessary from time to time to grant vast subsidies to the mail-packet contractors, in those cases where the exigencies of trade had not secured these conditions; but the growth of commerce and greater competition have enabled the post-office in many cases to obtain easier terms. At the close of the 17th century a mail-packet was a vessel of some 85 tons, and in the last years of the 18th century a mail-packet on the Falmouth station, reckoned fit to proceed to any part of the world, was one of about 179 tons. The packets at this time sailing to and from the Continent were of about 70 tons burthen. About 1840 packets performing the American service were vessels of about 400 or 500 tons burthen. Steam-vessels were first employed in the packet service in 1821, since which time vast strides have been made both in the speed and carrying capacity of these ships. The British mail-packets are to be seen in almost every sea on the globe. For the Atlantic service steamers of from 7000 to 10,000 tons are employed, making the transit from shore to shore in six days. So late as 1829 the time allowed for a packet trip to and from America was 105 days. The contract services at home are very numerous, and those to foreign stations are almost co-extensive with the high seas. In the year 1889-90 the total payment made by the post-office for packet services was £665,375, full details of which will be found in the postmaster-general's annual report.

Rates and Regulations.—In the scope of an article like this it is impossible to review the past rates of postage and changes of regulations that have taken place from time to time. The conditions applicable to the business in relation to the public will be found fully set forth in the Post-office Guide, which may be consulted at any post-office, and to which the reader is referred.

Staff.—The highest authority in the post-office is the postmaster-general. This official is a member of the government, a privy-councillor, and sometimes a cabinet minister. All important measures of administration, appointments of officers, and dismissals are passed under the authority of the postmaster-general in the form of minutes. The chief permanent officials are: the secretary, a financial secretary, four other secretaries in London, a surveyor-general in Scotland, and a secretary in Ireland. The several secretaries under the first secretary take charge of separate branches of post-office business. Another important officer is the receiver and accountant general. This officer is responsible for the whole vast accounting work of the post-office, the collection of its revenue, and the distribution of its expenditure. He has no power, however, except by effecting economies of work or reforms of method, to reduce the latter or to increase the former. The bases of revenue and expenditure are fixed by higher authority. The total number of persons employed by the post-office (1890) is 113,550. Of these 61,054 are established officers, and 52,496 unestablished and persons not giving their whole time to post-office work. The total number of employees comprises 89,373 males and 24,177 females. The salary of the postmaster-general is £2500 per annum, and of the chief-secretary a maximum of £2000. On a change of government the postmaster-general demits his office.

Espionage of Letters.—The post-office statute of Queen Anne contains a prohibition, repeated in subsequent acts, against letters being opened or detained by persons in the service of the post-office, except under a warrant from one of the principal secretaries of state. During the 18th century such warrants were often granted upon very trivial pretexts. At Bishop Atterbury's trial in 1723 copies of his letters, intercepted in the post, were produced as evidence against him; and it would seem that about 1735 a system was kept up at immense expense for the examination of home and foreign correspondence. In 1782 the correspondence of Lord Temple, then lord-lieutenant of Ireland, was subjected to such treatment in the post. The 19th century brought a change for the better in this respect, and in 1806 Lord Spencer initiated the custom of recording the dates of all warrants granted, and the grounds upon which they were issued. Since 1822 the warrants have been preserved at the Home Office; and a House of Commons return in 1853 shows that, in the preceding ten years, only six letters were detained and opened—four in cases of felony. When Sir James Graham (q.v.) was Home Secretary in 1844 a warrant was issued for the arrest and opening of the letters of Mazzini, the matter contained in them being conveyed to the Austrian minister. This act involved the government of the day in serious public obloquy, and produced a widespread, though groundless, distrust in the security of the ordinary correspondence of the country. It may safely be held that this power of opening letters in the post has been very rarely exercised in recent years.

Dead-letter, or Returned-letter Office.—A department of the post-office appointed to deal with letters, books, newspapers, &c. which cannot be delivered to the persons to whom they are directed. When a letter or other postal packet is refused at the address which it bears it is kept by the postmaster, if an inland letter, &c., one day, and if a colonial or foreign letter, &c., three days, before being sent to the returned-letter office. Inland letters are here opened, and those which contain the writers' addresses are at once returned to them; while those which furnish no indication of the addresses of the senders, and contain nothing of value, are at once destroyed. Letters which bear the senders' addresses on the outside, in the form of medallion or otherwise, are, however, usually returned without being opened. Foreign and colonial letters, after being retained from one week to one month, are returned unopened to the country of origin for disposal. A register is kept of letters found to contain value. In the year 1889-90 the following numbers of articles were received in the various offices constituting this department: letters, 6,311,102; post-cards, 841,076; book-packets (including circular-letters passing at book-post rates), 6,661,201; newspapers, 551,022; patterns or samples, 27,486; parcels, 107,863. Of the letters 119,386 were re-issued to corrected addresses, and 5,539,551 returned to the senders, while 214,839 were returned unopened to foreign countries. Of the total parcels received 81,277 were either re-issued to corrected addresses or returned to the senders. The returned-letter department has not only principal offices in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, but branch offices in the other more important towns.

Offences against the Post-office.—In view of the vastly important services rendered to the public by the post-office, involving the imposition of great responsibility upon its officers, and of the necessity which obviously exists for the protection of the revenue (the conveyance of letters being a state monopoly), the legislature have thought fit to pass special enactments for the regulation of the one and the safeguarding of the other. In addition, enactments have been passed from time to time bearing upon the other branches of post-office business. The following are some of the offences recognised in the enactments: Every person employed by or under the post-office who steals, secretes, or destroys a post-letter is guilty of felony, and if it contain a chattel or money the punishment is increased. Strangers also who steal letters or other postal packets out of the custody of the post-office or its officers are likewise guilty of felony, and similarly punishable; and a person who fraudulently retains or wilfully keeps or detains a letter or other postal packet delivered to him by mistake, or which having been lost in course of conveyance he may have found, is punishable by fine and imprisonment. The moment a letter or other postal packet is put into the post-office, or is delivered to a person authorised to receive such missives for the post, the protection of the statutes commences, and it ceases on the letter or packet being delivered at the place of its address. If a postman delay the delivery wilfully, or if an officer of the post-office disclose or intercept or wilfully delay a telegraphic message, he commits a misdemeanour. Receivers of post-letters or their contents stolen or taken from the post-office are guilty of felony. By the 1 Vict. chap. 36 sect. 2, any person sending or conveying otherwise than by post letters or packets not exempted from the exclusive privilege of the postmaster-general, or performing otherwise than by the post any services incidental to conveying letters or packets from place to place, is liable to a penalty of £5 for every such letter or packet. This exclusive privilege or monopoly does not extend to newspapers. There are, however, exceptions to the general rule as regards letters or packets. Thus, a letter may be conveyed by a private friend and not by the post-office. Letters sent by messengers on purpose, on the private affairs of the sender or receiver, commissions and legal writs, letters of merchants sent by their own vessels or along with goods to which they relate, are likewise excepted. But no person is permitted even to collect these excepted letters for the purpose of sending them in the manner described, for this is infringing the exclusive privilege of the post-office. Moreover, certain persons are expressly prohibited from carrying letters even gratuitously—viz. common carriers, unless the letters relate to goods in their carts or wagons; owners, masters or commanders of ships, except letters of the owners of the ships or such as relate to goods on board; and passengers or other persons on board ships.

By statute the transmission of telegrams within the United Kingdom is secured to the postmaster-general as a monopoly, and telegrams enjoy many of the protective privileges applicable to post-letters. The postmaster-general has power to arrest in the post any missive bearing thereon any words, marks, or designs of an indecent, obscene, or grossly offensive character. Under the Post-office (Money Orders) Acts, 1848 to 1883, an officer of the post-office who with a fraudulent intent issues a money order or postal order, or re-issues a postal order previously paid, is liable to penal servitude not exceeding seven years; and any person who forges an order, or utters a forged order, is liable to penal servitude for a longer term. An officer of the post-office who fraudulently embuzzles or misappropriates moneys or securities entrusted to or received by him by virtue of his employment is liable to penal servitude not exceeding fourteen years.

By 43 and 44 Vict. chap. 33, sect. 3, any person who, with intent to defraud, obliterates, adds to, or alters any such lines or words on a postal order as would, in the case of a cheque, be a crossing of that cheque, or knowingly offers, utters, or disposes of any order, with such fraudulent obliteration, addition, or alteration, is guilty of a felony, and is liable to the like punishment as if the order were a cheque. By the Act 45 and 46 Vict. chap. 74, relating to the parcel post, that act is to be deemed to be a post-office act within the meaning of the Post-office (Offences) Act, 1837 (1 Vict. chap. 36), and subject to its provisions. The Post-office Acts apply to parcels in like manner as they apply to other postal packets. Act 47 and 48 Vict. chap. 76—the Post-office (Protection) Act, 1884—deals with a variety of offences under the following heads: prohibition of placing injurious substances in or against post-office letter-boxes; prohibition of sending by post explosive, dangerous, or deleterious substances, or indecent prints, words, &c.; prohibition of affixing placards, notices, &c. on a post-office, letter-box, or other post-office property; prohibition of imitation of post-office stamps, envelopes, cards, forms, and marks; prohibition of fictitious stamps; prohibition of false notice implying that any place is a post-office, postal telegraph office, or post-office letter-box; obstruction of officers of the post-office or of business in a post-office; retaining of clothing by officers of the post-office on ceasing to be officers; forgery and improper disclosure of telegrams. Contraventions of these prohibitions entail penalties generally ranging from twelve months' imprisonment with hard labour, or a fine of £200, to fines not exceeding forty shillings.

Foreign Post-office Systems.—The advantages of the post are now enjoyed, in a greater or less degree, by all civilised countries; and the several systems bear in their main features a general resemblance to the British system, upon which, in many cases, they have been modelled. At the same time details of marked difference may be observed, each country having adapted its system to its own particular wants. Thus, in certain countries subscriptions to the newspapers and accounts for merchandise are collected by the post-office; the parcel post conveys larger and heavier articles than are conveyed in Great Britain; a system of sending through the post letters of declared value is in force in some; and a different means is employed for transferring mails to and from mail trains while running. Besides this, the classification of postal matter in regard to rates of postage is not uniform. The amount of matter conveyed through the post between Great Britain and certain foreign countries is enormous—e.g. the average number of sacks of mails despatched weekly in 1890 from Britain to the United States was 1200, and to the Australian colonies 410.

United States.—The beginnings of a postal service in the United States date from 1639, when a house in Boston was employed for the receipt and delivery of letters for or from beyond the seas. In 1672 the government of New York colony established 'a post to goe monthly from New York to Boston'; in 1702 it was changed to a fortnightly one. A general post-office was established and erected in Virginia in 1692, and in Philadelphia in 1693. A deputy postmaster-general for America was appointed in 1692; and by act of parliament in 1710 (see p. 347) he was directed to keep his principal office in New York, 'and other chief offices in some convenient place or places in other of Her Majesty's provinces or colonies in America'; a monopoly was established which included also the transport of travellers, and a tariff was fixed. The system, however, proved a failure, until 1753, when Benjamin Franklin became postmaster-general; when he was removed from office in 1774 the net revenue exceeded £3000.

In 1789, when the post-office was transferred to the new federal government, the number of offices in the thirteen states was only about seventy-five. A conspectus of the remarkable progress in the ensuing century is supplied in the table below. Outstanding events in the history of the American postal service have been the negotiation of a postal treaty with England (1846); the introduction of postage-stamps (1847), of stamped envelopes (1852), of the system of registering letters (1855); the establishment of the free-delivery system, and of the travelling post-office system (1863); the introduction of the money-order system (1864), of postal cards (1873), and, between the last two dates, of stamped newspaper-wrappers, and of envelopes bearing requests for the return of the enclosed letter to the writer in case of non-delivery; the formation of the Universal Postal Union (1873); the issue of 'postal notes' payable to bearer (1883); and the establishment of a special delivery system (1885), under which letters bearing an extra ten-cent stamp are delivered by special messengers immediately on arrival. The telegraph is not in the hands of the post-office, and among other features not yet adopted by the United States service are post-office savings-banks and the parcel post. The postmaster-general is a member of the cabinet. Under him about 100,000 persons are employed, of whom some 60,000 are postmasters. Most of these, except letter-carriers and clerks, are liable to be removed on the accession to federal office of a new political party. The following table shows the increase, during the first century of the department's history, in offices, length of mail routes in miles, revenue, &c.

As will be seen, the United States post-office department, unlike that in Great Britain, is carried on at a loss; this is due to the large amount of postal matter of certain classes carried at less than the cost of distribution, and to some kinds of correspondence carried free. In 1898 there were 12,225,706,220 pieces of mail handled, 15,416,292 registered packages, 1,661,416 through registered pouches, &c. In 1890 there were conveyed by post:

Grand total.....4,005,408,206

The number of post-offices in the United States is larger than in any other country; but as regards the number of persons employed the United States takes third rank. It provides a post-office for every 1003 persons, while in Great Britain the proportion is one to every 2105 persons.

See the articles STAMPS, TELEGRAPH. The following works may also be consulted: Postmaster-general's Annual Reports, issued yearly since 1855; Her Majesty's Mails, by Lewins; Life of Sir Rowland Hill; The History of Penny Postage, by Sir R. Hill and G. B. Hill (1880); Fifty Years of Public Work, by Sir Henry Cole (1884); The History of the Post-office to 1836, by H. Joyce (1893); Forty Years at the Post-office, by F. E. Baines (1895); The Royal Mail (1885), and The Post in Grant and Farm (1895), by the present writer.