The History of the Post Office in British North America by William Smith

Chapter 2 No.2

Word Count: 7694 | Released on: 01/12/2017

under Queen Anne's ac

d on a footing different from that on which it then stood. The legislative union between England and Scotland in 1707 called for a uniform postal service

s of ships who brought letters with them from beyond the seas, to deposit them at the nearest post office. There was no penalty attached to the disregard of this clause, and the attempt to induce the shipmasters to obey

union of England and Scotland, learned that a new post office law was necessary, they determined to take advantage of the fact to serve their own purposes. The war of the Spanish Succession, which began in 1702, while ruinou

iament; and this act was the first measure which dealt in a comprehensive way with the British

onies was operated, were matters of arrangement between Hamilton and the several legislatures. While the Neale patent enabled Hamilton to set

d under the legislation agreed upon between Hamilton and the colonial governments. New York and Pennsylvania, as their short term acts expired, renewed them with the crown; and New J

s in North America. The supreme control of the postal system throughout the British dominions, beyond the sea, as well as at home, was vested in the postmaster gen

, were reduced to the rank of ordinary offices, and made parts of the system, the headquarters of which were placed by

enny. The act of Queen Anne raised the charge to ninepence, just double the former rate. A letter posted in Boston, and addressed to Philadelphia, which under the Neale patent cost f

on a letter passing anywhere within the British Empire, or from Canada to any part of the United States or Mexico, is tw

ore the element of distance in fixing the postage on a letter than in fixing the charge for the conveyance of a parcel of goods. By the act of 1710 the postage on a sin

ed to determine the amount of the postage. This factor will appear

ess than one ounce. If with this single sheet letter, a piece of paper was enclosed, no matter how small, the letter was called a

that on a treble letter was three times that on a single letter. There were no envelopes in use at this period, and the sheet on

. There were several means of detection born of ingenuity and experience. The approved method and the one long in service

essive that several merchants who had letters to send to the same town used to write their several communications on the s

was amended; and thereafter when several letters were written on one paper, each was to be charged as a distinct letter. The letter inspectors

part of the civilized world. In this aspect it corresponds with the single letter of the pre-penny postage days. But t

single letter. Thus, while a single sheet weighing less than an ounce could pass between two neighbouring town

stout enough to stand the handling of the post office without the protection of an enve

t the present time costs but two cents to convey to the remotest post office in the North West of Canada, or to Southern Mexico, in 1710 cost three shillings to carry from New York to Philadelphia. From New York to Bos

colonies. In place of the penny or twopence which satisfied the captains for the delivery in America of the letters which had been placed in the letter bags hung up in th

ents of the post office that they should deliver their letters at the post office

ed every scheme, which could be construed into imposing a tax without their co

od. With one exception about to be mentioned, the only reference to the post office act which has been discovered is in the New Hampshire records. There it is stated that the act wa

office in 1710, nor for a considerable period afterwards; and it was the attempt to put t

e extension would cost ￡500; and Hamilton declared that the desire for communicating with the northern colonies was so slight that he did not believe there would be one hundred lett

into several of the more populous counties; and a fortnightly service was established between Williamsburg and Philadelphia. This was quite satisfactory, until the people began to read the placards whi

as one shilling for a single letter. The letters from England were the only letters the people o

were, however, used to it, and had no great fault to find. It might be that if they could have received their letters at the post offi

ifference between one penny and one shilling; and indeed it looked uncommonly as if the

levy no tax on them but with the consent of the assembly; and besides that, their letters were all exempted

tters relating to goods which the letters accompany on the vessel. It has always been the practice to allow shipmasters, carrying a consi

ined without an intolerable inquisition. Consequently, it has been customary to allow all letters accompanying consignments of goods to be delivered with the goods, without asking w

to the legislature which, while it acknowledged the authority of the post office act, imposed on postmasters giving effect to it certain conditions which it was impossible to fulfil, and attached extravagant penalties for the inf

postmaster to tell the letters accompanying goods from those which did not? Even if the ship's captain assisted to the best of his ability, which was more than do

The penalty attached to every failure to observe the hours set forth, was twenty shillings for each letter delayed.[42] As the governor pointed out, the difficulties of travel during the w

stmaster general to establish a post office in Virginia was not pressed. It was not until 1732, when the governor had relinquished h

regular trips are made by mail courier from Portsmouth to Philadelphia, southward to Williamsburg the courier's movements were uncertain, as he did not set out until there were sufficient letters pos

postmaster general; and the annals of their administrations carry little that is interesting. After the retirement of Hamilton in 1721, a change was made in the relations between the de

there was due to him ￡355 arrears of salary. In recommending the claim to the treasury, the postmaster general stated that the pos

ed, as the courier's trips between Boston and Philadelphia, which in 1693 were performed weekly throughout th

ve the postmaster general's monopoly. Thomas Hancock, in a letter written in 1740, to Governor Talcott of Connecticut, told him that he saved the colony from forty shillings to

ce in America came to an end in 1753, when Benjamin Franklin was mad

s. He had been postmaster of Philadelphia for fifteen years prior to his appointment to the deputyship; and for some tim

veyed the mails were much slower than most other travellers on the same roads. It took six weeks to make the trip f

ortened the time by one-half; and many other improvements were made.[46] For a time the expenditure of the p

office was over ￡900 in debt to the deputy postmasters general. Three years later this debt was entirely cleared off, and the operations

he post office in America had been nearly forgotten. Since 1721, it had cost the home office nothing for its maintenance,

he first remittance ever made of its kind."[47] But though the first, it was by no means the last; for until Franklin's dismissal in 1774, a remittance from the Americ

success. During the whole course of his administration, he had with him an associate deputy postmaster general, W

That the routine of post office management was left in the hands of the associates, may be inferred not so much from the multifarious character of Franklin's activities, for he seems to have been equal to any demands mad

sophic studies. But to administer an institution like the post office one must be on the spot, and the Atlantic ocean lay between him and his work from May 1757, until November 1762, and from November 1764, until hi

f which turned a half century of failure into an immediate success. It is a commonplace that money spent in increased facilities to the

ffice is a monopoly, and at certain stages of its history that fact has been its bane. To-day when the demands of social and commercial intercourse make an e

nt, the public contributes of its ingenuity for the improvement of the service. When, towards the end of the eighteenth century, the British public was disgusted with the slowness of its ma

for originality and efficacy, has given him a high place among the inventors of the world. To-day the Universal Postal Union affords

easure of the public interest in the post office may be taken from the fact that its total revenue during the

American post office had was with the home office; and it is doubtful whether, even if it h

know by long years of observation what was the volume of correspondence which would be offered for exchang

for additional facilities, by means of which he not only drew to the post office a large amount of busines

anticipated Palmer's suggestion that the stage coaches be used for the conveyance of the mails,

that a letter could be sent from one place to the other and the answer received the day following.[49] In reporting this achievement to

me for letter and reply between the two places reduced from a fortnight to four days. When his arrangements were

elphia and Great Britain by the packets from New York. That the fruits of his outlay answered his expectations is clear from the fact that the revenue

rican colonies. Until this time there had been no regular arrangements for the conveyance of the mails between Great Britain

ers were carried. Vessels were continually passing between Falmouth or Bristol and New York or Boston in the course of trade; and these were employed for the conveyance of mails. Sometimes

er so delivered to the local postmasters. By this arrangement, the cost of carrying the letters across the Atlantic fell in no degree upon the post office. Indeed, after the act of 1710, the post off

s the law directed; others were careless or unfaithful. These either did not deposit their letters with the postmasters promptly as they should have done, or they had private

rica, from the very precarious and uncertain method in which it has been usually carried on by merchant ships." The remedy sought was a line of sailing vessels devoted entirely to the conveyance of c

which ran to North America. In 1705, the British government contracted for five vessels of one hundred and forty tons each, to carry

mails and passengers would not be less than ￡8000. If they did not come up to this amount, the contractor had to make up the shortage

ry 1706-￡10,112[52]-make the American continental business, even under Franklin's capable management, very small by comparison. In 1760 the receipts f

ew York.[53] The petitioners asked that the vessels be employed for letters only, in order that by their greater speed they might outrun the merchant vessels on their homeward trips and by giving timely notice, make it po

nts intend to be at the charge," they dismissed it from further consideration. In 1707, the question was again brough

proper strength and yet capable of very great improvements by their trade and other means." He pressed for the establishment of a service with trips six or eight times a year. In view of

Sir Jeffry Jeffrys, who was preparing to make two trips to New York.[55] Jeffrys asked that his vessel might be commissioned as a packet boat, and that he might be allowed to retain the postage on all the correspondence which he c

e restoration of the packet service to the West Indies; and in 1745 armed packets again carried the mails on this route.[56] The service was very expensive; for though the revenue reached th

oncerned, the treaty did little more than to impose upon the combatants a momentary suspension of arms.

. The English disregarded these claims, and their traders pushed over the mountains into the disputed territory. The French displayed so much energy in dispossessing the encroaching English, that the border country was

Delancey of New York, and Dinwiddie of Virginia, were vig

. John, and over the isthmus of Baie Verte, gave them a safe and easy passage from Canada to Cape Breton, by way of the St. John river, the bay of Fundy, the isthmus of Baie Verte, and the straits of Northumberland. The Acadians who were scattered over

and the opening up of communication with New England by the vessels which plied to and from Boston. It required a ruder prompt

he French. In concert with the governors of Massachusetts and Virginia, a plan of attack was arranged which involved moveme

sterly settlements of Virginia and Pennsylvania from the harassing attacks which were making life on the frontiers unendurable. The execution of his part of the campaign was beset by difficulties,

m. While still in the thick woods he was attacked by the French and their Indian allies. Employing methods to which Braddock was a stranger, methods which would have seem

raddock slain; and the only result of the campaign was to redouble

nies. On the 18th of September, the board of trade, which administered the affairs of the colonies, approached the treasury on the subject. After emphasizing the inconveniences of the existing arrangements, the boar

rk, and to restore the West Indian service, which was discontinued in 1749. Four vessels of 150 tons each

as; the vessels placed on this line were each of 200 tons, and carried thirty men. The carrying of any

the letters for that place to a magistrate or other careful man, who would undertake to have the letters handed to the persons to whom they were addressed. In case the vessel was attacked, and could no

rk service cost ￡62,603; while the produce in postage was only ￡12,458. The service was popular, however; and the revenue had been increasing latterly, and an effort was made to reduce the cost.[

y satisfactory. But the people in the more remote southern colonies had ground for complai

at delays in delivering the mails to Charlestown. In the fall of 1763, a proposition was made to extend the West Indies service to

he southern colonies. The colonies to the south of Virginia were separated from the colonies to the north and

give satisfaction. The route was too long to make it possible to deliver the mails at Charlestown within a reasonable time. Th

ly service between Falmouth and Charlestown. To secure the greatest measure of advantage from this service a courie

nies-one to New York, another to Charlestown, and a third to the West Indies. There was but one defect in thes

again by the first outward packet to its destination. To connect the two systems on the mainland, a couri

he merchants who traded to Florida. The termination of the war was followed by the withdrawal of the troops which were stationed at Pensacola, the principal t

ola and on to Charlestown. This was satisfactory as far as it went, but as it took eighty-three days to cov

TNO

the United Kingdo

headquarters of the postal system

New York, to West Indies, 4d.; to New London or Philadelphia, 9d.; to Boston or Portsmouth, 1s.; to Williamsburg, Va., or Pisca

., Treasur

oard of trade, June 24, 1718 (Va.

House of Burgesses

istorical and P

, Treasury,

ott Paper

Benjamin Franklin," in