Page 232 - British Post Office Notices 1666 to 1799

Queen Anne's Proclamation

Proclamation taken from The London Gazette of Tuesday June 26 to Thursday June 28, 1711

By the QUEEN,
A PROCIAMATION,

For Enforcing the due Execution of the Act, Intituled, An Act for Establishing a General Post-Office for all Her
Majesty's Dominions, and for Settling a Week{y Sum out of the Revenues thereof, for the Service of the War, and other Her
Majesty's Occasions.

ANNER.

Whereas by an Act of Parliament made in the last Session of Parliament, Intituled, An Act for Establishing a General
Post-Office for all Her Majesty's Dominions, and for Settling a Week{y Sum out of the Revenues thereof, for the Service of the
War, and other Her Majesty's Occasions, it is Enacted, That from and after the first Day of this Instant June, there be one
General Letter-Office and Post-Office established in the City of London, from whence all Letters and Packets may be with
speed and expedition sent into any part of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or to North-America, the West Indies,
or to any other of our Dominions or Territories, or to any other Kingdom or Country beyond the Seas; at which said Office
all Returns and Answers may be received. And that one Master of the General Letter-Office and Post-Office shall be
appointed by us under our Great Seal of Great Britain, by the Name and Stile of our Postmaster General: And that no
Person or Persons whatsoever, in any part of our Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or other our Plantations or
Colonies in the West Indies and America, other than our Postmaster General for the time being, and his Deputies, Servants
and Assigns, shall presume to Receive, Take up, Order, Dispatch, Convey, Carry, Recarry, or Deliver any Letter or Letters,
Packet or Packets of Letters, other than to and from any Town or Place to or from the next Post-Road or Stage appointed
for that purpose, above six Miles from a General Office; and other than and except such Letters as shall respectively
concern Goods sent by Common known Carriers of Goods, by Carts, Waggons, or Pack-Horses, and which shall be
respectively delivered with the Goods such Letters do concern, without Hire or Reward, or other Profit or Advantage for
Receiving or Delivering such Letters; and except Letters of Merchants and Masters, Owners of any Ships, Barks or Vessels
of Merchandize, or any the Cargo or Lading therein, sent on Board such Ships, Barks or Vessels of Merchandize, whereof
such Merchants or Masters are Owners, and delivered by any Masters of any such Ships, Barks or Vessels of Merchandize,
or by any other Person employed by them for the Carriage of such Letters according to their respective Directions, so as
such Letters be delivered to the respective Persons to whom they shall be directed, without Paying or Receiving any Hire or
Reward, Advantage or Profit for the same in any wise; and except Commissions or the Returns thereof, Affidavits, Writs,
Process or Proceedings, or Returns thereof, issuing out of any Court; and also any Letter or Letters to be sent by any
private Friend or Friends in their way of Journey or Travel, or by any Messenger or Messengers sent on purpose, for or
concerning the private Affair of any Person or Persons; or make any Collection of Letters, or set up or employ any Foot-
Post, Horse-Post, or Packet-Boat, or other Vessel or Boat, or other Person or Persons, Conveyance or Conveyances
whatsoever, for the Receiving, Taking up, Ordering, Dispatching, Conveying, Carrying, Recarrying, or Delivering any Letter
or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, by Sea or by Land, or on any River within our Dominions, or by means whereof
any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, shall be Collected, Received, Taken up, Ordered, Dispatched,
Conveyed, Carried, Recarried, or Delivered by Sea or Land, or on any River within our Dominions (other than as before
excepted;) or shall presume to keep, provide or maintain Horses or Furniture, for the Horsing of any Person or Persons
Riding Post, (that is to say) Riding several Stages upon a Post-Road, and changing Horses, or shall Lett to Hire, or furnish
any Person or Persons whatsoever, with Horses or Furniture for Riding Post as aforesaid, on any of the Post Roads or
Stages now or hereafter to be appointed, with or without a Guide or Horn, for Hire or Reward, or on any Agreement or
Promise of Reward, or whereby he or they may have any Profit or Advantage, on pain of Forfeiting the Sum of Five Pounds
of British Money for every several Offence against the Tenor of the said Act, and also of the Sum of One hundred Pounds
of like British Money for every Week that any Offender against the same Act shall Collect, Receive, Take up, Order,
Dispatch, Convey, Carry, Recarry or Deliver any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters; by Sea or Land, or on any
River within our Dominions (other than as before excepted,) or that shall presume to set up, continue, or employ any Foot-
Post, Horse-Post, or Packet-Boat or other Vessel or Boat, or an other Person or Persons, Conveyance or Conveyances
whatsoever, for the Receiving, Taking up, Ordering, Dispatching, Conveying, Carrying, Recarrying, or Delivering of any
Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, by Sea or Land, or on any River within our Dominions as aforesaid; which
said Penalties and Forfeitures are to be Sued for, and Recovered in such Cases; and to be received and divided in such
manner, and for such Uses, as in the said Act is for that purpose mentioned, together with full Costs of Suit. But it is by the

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