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1
435
Her Majesty's Mails
·
William Lewins
155
It
also
came
out
in
evidence,
that
twelve
walking-carriers
were
engaged
exclusively
in
conveying
letters
between
Birmingham
and
Walsall
and
the
district,
a
penny
being
charged
for
each
letter.
The
most
curious
modes
of
procedure,
and
the
oddest
expedients[94]
for
escaping
postage,
were
exhibited
during
the
sitting
of
the
Committee.
One,
largely
patronized
by
mercantile
houses,
consisted
in
having
a
number
of
circulars
printed
on
one
large
sheet,
when,
on
its
arrival
at
a
certain
town,
a
mutual
friend
or
agent
would
cut
it
up,
and
either
post
or
deliver
the
parts.
Nay,
matters
had
been
brought
to
such
a
state,
that
a
leading
journal,
commenting
on
the
matter
of
illicit
letter-conveyance
just
previous
to
the
sittings
of
the
Committee,
went
the
length
of
saying,
that,
"fortunately
for
trade
and
commerce,
the
operation
of
the
Government
monopoly
is
counteracted
by
the
clandestine
conveyance
of
letters."...
"The
means
of
evasion
are
so
obvious
and
frequent,
and
the
power
of
prevention
so
ineffectual,
that
the
post
has
become
only
the
extraordinary,
instead
of
the
usual,
channel
for
the
conveyance
of
letters."
Notwithstanding
this
testimony,
the
evidence
of
the
Post-Office
officials
on
this
and
the
other
heads
of
inquiry
betrayed
fully
the
usual
degree
of
official
jealousy
of
interference,
and
quite
an
average
amount
of
official
partiality.
Thus,
Colonel
Maberly
argued,
that
if
the
postage
of
letters
were
reduced
to
a
penny
it
would
not
stop
smuggling:
in
which
case
they
might
as
well
have
smuggling
under
the
one
system
as
the
other.
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