Page 248 - British Post Office Notices 1666 to 1799

Dockwra's Pamphlet

after Eight can be ascertained to be Delivered at all that Night, (except Post-Letters to Lombard-street,) and indeed very
late Delivery of Letters is a great disturbance to the Inhabitants, besides the great Toyle and Slavery that it procures to the
poor Messengers.
Yet Letters coming too late at Night, shall be by Seven next Morning sent out, and Deliver'd by Eight, and sometimes
sooner; where Note he that leaves his Letter immediately after Seven, is Dispatcht no sooner than that Letter which is put
in just before Eight, and if any Man slips the time, and defers the putting in his Letter, but a very little while after Eight, his
Letter by these Rules must lie an Hour extraordinary, till Nine, before it can be Collected; so that for want of due
consideration how Letters proceed, the unthinking People do misreckon, and expect their Letters should be run away with
as soon as left, whereas by the very mistiming it, two Hours, nay three, in some Cases, may be lost through their own
default, and those that be orderly left by these Methods, must have allowed some two, some tlrree, some four hours and
more before they can be Delivered. All Persons are therefore desired to contrive their Business so beforehand, as to allow
reasonable time for Conveyance as aforesaid, and they are desired not to leave any Town Letters after Six a Clock at
furthest in Wmter, and Seven in Summer (on Saturday Nights especially) except Post-Letters, to the end that the many
Poor Men who are Imployed in this Service, may have a little time to provide for their Families against the Lords-Day,
having no leisure all the week besides.
But all Letters to the four Towns of Hackney, Islington, South-Newington and Lambeth, and to the Remote Parts, must
be left much earlyer, or they will not be Delivered till next Morning, and if any Person in the four Towns do desire their
Letters to be brought to their Houses, they may for another Penny be Accommodated; otherwise they will be left at the
Receiving-Houses, to be sent for by their own Servants. And all People are hereby given to understand, that no Letters will
be carried to any parts of the Weekly Bills of Mortality, further then the adjoyning or contiguous Buildings, nor to any other
Town then the Four above-mentioned.
-> Note that upon the Three Days at Christmas, the Two Days at Easter and Whitsuntide, and the Thirtieth of January,
the Penny-Post does not go.
On all Post Nights, due Care is taken to call for, and Convey to the General Post-House in Lombard-street, all Post-
Letters, whether Foreign or Inland, left at any of the Penny-Post Receiving-Houses, at or before Nine of the Clock at Night.
And since the Carriage of Town Letters doth not near Answer the necessary Charge required to support this Undertaking,
the Undertakers do hope, that all Persons will so far Contribute to the Continuance of this Useful Design, as to send all
their Post-Letters by this Conveyance, to the Post-House in Lombard-street, which they do not Convey thither by
Themselves or Servants, but if any Post-Letters be left without Money, that should pay before-hand, they must of necessity
be Returned to the Office, and such as do send Money, are desired to Endorse the Postage Money upon their Letters.
And forasmuch, as there has been sundry Attempts to Cheat the Undertakers of many pounds, by false Endorsements
of Money, and pretences of Loss of other things sent in small Parcels, which really never were sent at all, (an ungrateful
return for the Undertakers kindness, such Persons having been shamefully Detected, and thereby the Penny-Post as
thoroughly justified.
The Undertakers therefore, for some Expedient to prevent such Evil Designs against them, do Declare, that for the
Future, They will not be Answerable for any Goods or Money, sent by them, but what is fast made up, and Sealed under
such an Impression, as is plain to be seen, and that the Contents or the Value thereof be Endorst fairly to be Read on the
out-side. To the end they may know with what they are Charg'd, (excepting such Parcels, as the Contents are open and
visible) nor will they make good any Breaking, or Damage of Choice and Curious Things; nor Glasses or Liquid Matter
sent by them, it being altogether unreasonable, that such things are brittle or subject to damage should be carried 2, 3, or 4
mile at the Adventure of the Undertakers for one Penny, to be liable to Pay Five shillings or Five Pounds damage, but all
Persons shall be sure to have the honest Endeavours of the Messengers, to preserve them, as much as in them lies from
breaking, or any other hurt, and of safe Delivery thereof, breaking and damage only excepted. It is also hereby signified,
that the Undertakers, by Packets or Parcels under a Pound Weight, do not intend to accept Things of extraordinary Bulk, as
some have been so unreasonable often times to offer to send by this Conveyance.
These being some of the Practical Methods of the Penny-Post, all Persons are Desired to Consider how far they may
be Applied, or made Useful to themselves in their Respective Occasions, that they may not tlrrough their own mistakes
meet with Disappointment, especially in expecting to go in lesser time than it is Practical by these Methods, and thereby
Causelesly Reflect on the Penny-Post; and it is hoped, that all Ingenious and Worthy Persons for the Future will be so kind
to the Undertakers, (and good Friends to the Publick) as to Encourage them in their Honest and Useful Design, by all
Lawful ways and means; and to Discountenance all those that are so Envious and Brutish, as by Word or Deed to Oppose
the good Progress thereof, and Discourage all that shall Attempt to intrude the like Practice, to the hinderance of the
present Undertakers, who have first Erected this Publick Conveniency at their own great Hazard, Pains and Charge.
There shall be now hinted some of the Conveniencies of this Usefu.l UndertaJdng of the Penny-Post.

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