Page 245 - British Post Office Notices 1666 to 1799

Act of 9 Queen Anne, Cap. 10

Packet or Packets shall be directed, or who is or are hereby chargeable with the Payment of the Port or Ports thereof, shall
refuse or neglect to pay the same; and except such Letters or Packets as shall be returned for want of true Directions, or
when the Party or Parties to whom the same is or shall be directed, cannot be found: And that I will not any Way imbezzle
any such Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets as aforesaid."
XLII. And it is further enacted and declared by the Authority aforesaid, That from the said first Day of June in the
Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eleven, one third Part of the Surplus of the Yearly Produce arising by
the said Letter or Post Office, or Duties upon Postage of Letters and Packets by this Act granted, over and above the Sum
of one hundred and eleven thousand four hundred sixty-one Pounds seventeen Shillings and ten Pence, which was the
Amount of the gross Receipt of the Duties arising by virtue of the said former Acts of Parliament (which are now repealed)
for one Year ended the nine and twentieth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ten,
and over and above the said Sum of seven hundred pounds per Week, shall be and is by this Act reserved to the Disposal of
Parliament for the Use of the Publick, and shall not be diverttble or diverted to any other Use, Intent or Purpose, other
than according to such Disposal.

XLID. And to the Intent the Inheritance of such Part of the said Duties and Revenue arising in and by the said
General Letter Office or Post Office, which is hereby vested in her Majesty, her Heirs and Successors, undeterminable as
aforesaid, may be preserved in the Crown, for the future Benefit thereof; Be it further enacted and declared by the
Authority aforesaid, That the same, or any Part thereof, shall not hereafter be alienable, chargeable or grantable by her
Majesty, her Heirs or Successors, for any Estate, Term, or Time whatsoever, to endure longer than the Life of her Majesty,
or of such King or Queen as shall make such Alienation, Charge or Grant respectively; and that all Gifts, Grants,
Alienations, and Assurances whatsoever, to be had or made of, and Charges upon the said Duties or Revenue, or any Part
thereof, contrary to the Provision of this Act, shall be null and void, without any Inquisition, Scire facias, or other
Proceeding to determine or make void the same.

XLIV. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That no Postmaster or Postmasters General, or his or
their Deputy or Deputies, or any Person employed by or under him or them, in the receiving, collecting, or managing the
Revenue of the Post Office, or any Part thereof, shall, by Word, Message, or Writing, or in any other Manner whatsoever,
endeavour to persuade any Elector to give or dissuade any Elector from giving his Vote for the Choice of any Person to be
a Knight of the Shire, Citizen, Burgess, or Baron of any County, City, Borough, or Cinque Port, to serve in Parliament; and
every Officer, or other Person offending therein shall forfeit the Sum of one hundred Pounds; one Moiety thereof to the
Informer, the other Moiety to the Poor of the Parish where such Offence shall be committed, to be recovered by Action of
Debt, Bill, Plaint or Information in any of Her Majesty's Courts of Record at Westminster, or in the Court of Exchequer in
Scotland, for the said Offences committed in England and Scotland respectively, wherein no Essoin, Protection, or Wager
of Law, or any more than one Imparlance shall be allowed; and every Person convicted on any such Suit of the said
Offence, shall thereby become disabled and incapable of ever bearing or executing any Office or Place of Trust whatsoever
under her Majesty, her Heirs or Successors.

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