Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
Share image
1
435
Her Majesty's Mails
·
William Lewins
107
Now
that
Mr.
Palmer
was
gone
from
the
Post-Office,
his
scheme
was
left
to
incompetent
and
unwilling
hands.
All
the
smothered
opposition
broke
out
afresh;
and
if
it
had
been
less
obvious
how
trade
and
commerce,
and
all
the
other
interests
promoted
by
safe
and
quick
correspondence,
were
benefited
by
the
new
measures;
and
if
it
had
not
been
for
the
vigilant
supervision
of
the
Prime
Minister--who
had
let
the
reformer
go,
but
had
no
intention
of
letting
his
reforms
go
with
him--all
the
improvements
of
the
past
few
years
might
have
been
quietly
strangled
in
their
infancy.
Though
we
know
not
what
the
country
lost
in
losing
the
guiding-spirit,
it
is
matter
of
congratulation
that
the
main
elements
of
his
scheme
were
fully
preserved.
Though
the
Post-Office
officials
scrupled
not
to
recommend
some
return
to
the
old
system,
Mr.
Palmer's
plans
were
fully
adhered
to
until
the
fact
of
their
success
became
patent
to
both
the
public
and
the
official
alike.
In
the
first
year
of
their
introduction,
the
net
revenue
of
the
Post-Office
was
about
250,000l.
Thirty
years
afterwards
the
proceeds
had
increased
sixfold,
to
no
less
a
sum
than
a
million
and
a
half
sterling!
Though,
of
course,
this
great
increase
is
partly
attributable
to
the
increase
of
population,
and
the
national
advancement
generally,
it
was
primarily
due
to
the
greater
speed,
punctuality,
and
security
which
the
new
arrangements
gave
to
the
service.
Whilst,
financially,
the
issue
was
successful,
the
result,
in
other
respects,
was
no
less
certain.
In
1797,
the
greater
part
of
the
mails
were
conveyed
in
one-half
of
the
time
previously
occupied;
in
some
cases,
in
one-third
of
the
time;
and
on
the
cross-roads,
in
a
quarter
of
the
time,
taken
under
the
old
system.
Mails
not
only
travelled
quicker,
but
Mr.
Palmer
augmented
their
number
between
the
largest
towns.
Other
spirited
reforms
went
on
most
vigorously.
Three
hundred
and
eighty
towns,
which
had
had
before
but
three
deliveries
of
letters
a-week,
now
received
one
daily.
The
Edinburgh
coach
required
less
time
by
sixty
hours
to
travel
from
London,
and
there
was
a
corresponding
reduction
between
towns
at
shorter
distances.
Ten
years
before
the
first
Liverpool
coach
was
started,
a
single
letter-carrier
sufficed
for
the
wants
of
that
place;
before
the
century
closed,
six
were
required.
A
single
letter-carrier
sufficed
for
Edinburgh
for
a
number
of
years;[61]
now
four
were
required.
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
